Bridge 2018 Information Literacy Curriculum Report

A uniform curriculum has been in place in Bridge Information Literacy (IL) sessions since Fall 2015. To assess the curriculum and student learning, multiple evaluations are implemented: a student end-of-class evaluation; a faculty end-of-Bridge evaluation; and an in-class worksheet. This report summarizes student performance in Bridge as well as student and faculty evaluation responses

Fear and Loathing of the Corruption Perception Index: Does Transparency International Penalize Press Freedom?

Depuis que la gouvernance compte, l’Indice de perception de la corruption construit par Transparency International (TI) est devenu l’indicateur le plus influent dans son domaine. Chaque année, un classement est ainsi établi, pointant du doigt les pays perçus comme les plus corrompus par les experts de TI. Cet indice est un outil puissant de lutte contre le fléau de la corruption, permettant effectivement de mettre une réelle pression politique sur des régimes « mal gouvernés ». L’influence de ce classement sur l’économie des pays concernés peut être importante, rendant parfois plus difficile l’accès aux financements, qu’il s’agisse de l’aide internationale ou des investissements directs étrangers. Bien souvent, il s’agit d’une double peine pour des populations déjà victimes au quotidien de services publics gangrenés par la corruption et le clientélisme. La mesure de la corruption, à l’image des différents outils mis en place pour évaluer la gouvernance, est une mesure qualitative, issue de perceptions. Comme toute perception, elle est sujette à la disponibilité de l’information et subit l’influence des médias. Nos analyses ont montré que le niveau de liberté de la presse pouvait avoir une influence importante sur ces perceptions, pénalisant les jeunes démocraties et l’ouverture progressive des médias. Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has become the single most effective advocacy tool in the global fight against fraud, embezzlement and other abuses of public office for private gain. Countries relegated to the bottom tier of the CPI rankings are not only embarrassed (usually), but penalized financially, as the stigma makes it harder to secure aid and investment. For any multilateral loan officer or multinational plant-siting team, checking a country’s CPI rating is now basic due diligence. As well it should be: Corruption is a development scourge, acting as a stubborn brake on growth, a regressive tax on the poor, and - often - a corrosively effective enemy of democratization. Corruption assessment, not unlike governance assessment tools, is qualitative and the result of perceptions. Therefore, it suffers from the influence of information availability and media freedom. Our analysis, demonstrated that the media freedom extent may have a strong influence on corruption perceptions, penalizing young democracies and progressive media aperture.(Full text in french)

A Study of the Residual Impact of the Texas Information Literacy Tutorial on the Information-Seeking Ability of First Year College Students

The study discussed in this paper investigated the residual impact of the Web-based tutorial known as the Texas Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT) on first-year college students and their ability to perform tasks related to information research. Unique to this study is the investigation of ability beyond the semester in which instruction was provided.The study examined four groups of students, each of which received a different type of information skills instruction. Results and implications are discussed at the end of the article

Pennsylvanian climate signatures from the South Wales coalfield: evidence from fossil plants

The link between vegetation and climate change during the Pennsylvanian Subperiod is of significant scientific interest, in part due to the similarities between that time and the present day. These are the only two intervals in Earth's history with comparable levels of polar ice, and widespread tropical vegetation. Extensive coal deposits were formed in areas of wetland vegetation dominated by arborescent lycopsids. A change in composition and westwards decline of these coal swamps across Euramerica, began in the Middle Pennsylvanian. The South Wales Coalfield possesses potentially the most complete terrestrial record of the Middle Pennsylvanian Subperiod and thus a unique resource for the study of this time. Initially changes in atmospheric concentration of CO2 were to be assessed via measurement of stomatal index. Considerable experimentation with various techniques for obtaining cuticle revealed this to be impossible, preservation being variable but consistently too poor for the identification of stomata. Therefore petrographic analysis of coal was utilised to investigate environmental change, principally peat hydrology. Samples were collected through 24 seams across the South Wales Coalfield. Optical analysis of macerals, the plant derived microscopic components of coal, was used to develop a new petrographic technique for defining maceral facies from detrended correspondence analysis of maceral composition data. These changes are compared to group level changes in the palynological assemblages of roof shales which revealed a clear change in dominance from lycopsids to ferns. I interpret a transition, initiated earliest in the West of the basin, from waterlogged environments dominated by rheotrophic peat substrates and lycopsid vegetation, to a better drained environment with expanded areas of clastic substrate and fern dominated vegetation. Signals from petrographic and palynological data are similar, but due to taphonomic factors these diverge from that from macroflora, the former indicating an earlier decline in lycopsid vegetation during the Bolsovian substage. The coeval northwards migration of the Variscan front, and influx of coarse clastic sediment, is presented as the principal driver of the interpreted environmental and vegetational change in South Wales. The present study supports the model proposed as a result of the IGCP 469 project that the role of climate change may have increased globally as the coal swamps contracted, a positive feedback loop being established in which the progressive loss of a significant carbon sink contributed to the establishment of conditions less favourable for the dominant forest vegetation and thereby their further decline

First-Year Seminars Taxonomy

First-year seminars are designed to assist entering students as they form connections with the IUPUI community, including other students, faculty, and advisors in a prospective major. This First-Year Seminars High-Impact Practice Taxonomy seeks to clearly define the features of First-Year Seminars as a high-impact practice. The taxonomy describes four attributes of First-Year Seminars practice along three dimensions of impact—High-Impact, Higher-Impact, and Highest-Impact

Qualitative interview study of rheumatology patients’ experiences of COVID-19 shielding to explore the physical and psychological impact and identify associated support needs

Objective Many clinically extremely vulnerable rheumatology patients have only recently ceased shielding from COVID-19, while some continue to minimise in-person contact. The objective of this study was to understand the impact of shielding and associated support needs in patients with rheumatic conditions and to understand how rheumatology teams can meet these needs both currently and in future pandemics. Design, Participants and Setting The study was conducted in the Southwest of England using a case-study design. The participants were 15 patients with rheumatic conditions who were advised to shield and/or chose to shield at any time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Qualitative data collected via telephone and online semi-structured interviews and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Fifteen interviews were conducted. Three main themes represent the data: ‘Just shove them over there in the corner’ captures changes in patients’ self-perception. They felt different to most other people, vulnerable and left behind. The initial sense of shock was followed by a sense of loss as changes became long term. ‘A long and lonely road’ captures patients’ psychological isolation due to a perceived lack of understanding and support. This included having to prove their health status and justify their shielding behaviours, which impacted their relationships. At times, they felt abandoned by their healthcare providers. ‘You can’t just flip a switch’ captures the difficulty of getting back to pre-pandemic normal after shielding. Patients did not recognise themselves physically and mentally. They wanted to collaborate with health professionals and identified the need for specific guidance to support their recovery. Conclusion Patients are dealing with lasting physical and mental effects from shielding and consequences of delayed healthcare. Health professionals need time and resources to ask about patients’ well-being, identify their health needs and refer/signpost to appropriate sources of support

UWE Celebrating Bristol Green Capital 2015 - Activities portfolio (supporting document for UWE Celebrating Bristol Green Capital 2015 activities catalogue)

This Activities Portfolio details projects, events and initiatives which represent the work of hundreds of UWE staff and students during Bristol's year as European Green Capital in 2015. It is the working file to accompany the UWE Green Capital 2015 Activities Catalogue