Online learning design in higher education: a holistic investigation of people, processes and pedagogy

The design and provision of online learning by universities has gained traction globally as a strategic move towards flexible education maximising students’ learning opportunities. A promising approach for designing high-quality online learning is collaborative design where educators work with interdisciplinary digital learning professionals. However, to date, studies that have taken a holistic approach to examine the nature and outcomes of the design work between these key university actors in a single project are lacking. This thesis addresses this gap by investigating the decision-making processes of educators and digital learning professionals during online learning design, the factors influencing their decisions, and the rationale behind their pedagogic choices. Cultural-historical activity theory was adopted as the theoretical framework to enable a thorough investigation of educators’ and digital learning professionals’ online learning design work within their broader sociocultural context. A multiple case study was employed as the overarching methodology with data collected from seven design teams (‘cases’) across six UK-based universities involved in ongoing online learning design cycles. One-to-one interviews in two stages (before and after the design of online modules) and non-participant observation of design meetings were conducted to capture participants’ insights. Relevant documents were also analysed as secondary evidence sources. Findings revealed participants’ decisions were made through framing, sharing insider knowledge and expertise, forward-looking, and breadth-first design processes. Their decisions were influenced by four levels of interacting and interdependent factors: individual, team, community and network, and institutional. The pedagogic rationale behind participants’ decisions indicates their practice re-culturation and has been conceptualised in this research as holistic, multivoiced, and connected. Collaborative design also proved to support educators’ professional development in (co-)design, pedagogy, and learning technology. These findings contribute to a multifaceted and contemporary understanding of online learning design and highlight practical implications for educators, digital learning professionals, university leadership, industry partners, and researchers.Open Acces

Gender Resilience in Times of Economic Crisis: Findings from Greece

The aim of this article is to examine and compare the perceptions and effects of the economic crisis on Greek women and men, as well as their resilience actions. Specifically, in this paper, we compare men's and women's perceptions of the economic crisis; secondly, in order to determine the extent of its effect on gender, we consider employment as a key variable, and investigate if and how employment differentiation leads to inequalities between men and women and among women themselves. Finally, we investigate gender resilience to adversity (actions) at both the personal (e.g., everyday behaviour), and the organisational level (e.g. membership in organisations and political participation). Based on data derived from the LIVEWHAT project, the results demonstrate that both men and women have been affected by the economic crisis and have sustained significant losses. Nevertheless, our data show that, among women, it is those in the lower occupational categories who have withstood more severe losses in employment and working conditions. Resilient to adversities, both men and women, albeit in different ways, adjust, accommodate and resist hardships through personal actions, networking and political actions. Our study finally points to the need for the inclusion of gender in any analysis of the impact of crises, as well as in the methods, ways and resources mobilised for resilience

Dynamic elements at both cytoplasmically and extracellularly facing sides of the UapA transporter selectively control the accessibility of substrates to their translocation pathway

In the UapA uric acid–xanthine permease of Aspergillus nidulans, subtle interactions between key residues of the putative substrate binding pocket, located in the TMS8–TMS9 loop (where TMS is transmembrane segment), and a specificity filter, implicating residues in TMS12 and the TMS1–TMS2 loop, are critical for function and specificity. By using a strain lacking all transporters involved in adenine uptake (ΔazgA ΔfcyB ΔuapC) and carrying a mutation that partially inactivates the UapA specificity filter (F528S), we obtained 28 mutants capable of UapA-mediated growth on adenine. Seventy-two percent of mutants concern replacements of a single residue, R481, in the putative cytoplasmic loop TMS10–TMS11. Five missense mutations are located in TMS9, in TMS10 or in loops TMS1–TMS2 and TMS8–TMS9. Mutations in the latter loops concern residues previously shown to enlarge UapA specificity (Q113L) or to be part of a motif involved in substrate binding (F406Y). In all mutants, the ability of UapA to transport its physiological substrates remains intact, whereas the increased capacity for transport of adenine and other purines seems to be due to the elimination of elements that hinder the translocation of nonphysiological substrates through UapA, rather than to an increase in relevant binding affinities. The additive effects of most novel mutations with F528S and allele-specific interactions of mutation R481G (TMS10–TMS11 loop) with Q113L (TMS1–TMS2 loop) or T526M (TMS12) establish specific interdomain synergy as a critical determinant for substrate selection. Our results strongly suggest that distinct domains at both sides of UapA act as selective dynamic gates controlling substrate access to their translocation pathway

Transforming Public Servants’ Health Care Organization in Greece through the Implementation of an Electronic Referral Project

AbstractObjectiveThe Greek Public Servants’ Health Care Organization aiming to organize, monitor, and enhance the health care services provided to 1,500,000 public servants decided to respond to the national alert of the economic crisis through the reduction of costs caused by diagnostic tests (€300,000,000 claims for 2008), to improve working conditions of contracted physicians and laboratories, and to enhance services provided to insured members. In September 2010, the Greek Public Servants’ Health Care Organization initiated a pilot project that electronically records the prescription process of the diagnostic tests, which is Web-based, is open source, and was provided for free to the contracted physicians and diagnostic centers.MethodsIn this article, we present some interesting findings resulting from the implementation of the pilot electronic referral project by examining a 9-month period.ResultsFifty-eight percent of the physicians had the necessary equipment for the operation of the system, more than 3600 physicians used it, 17,495 public servants had been served through the system, and 178,456 paraclinical examinations had been prescribed with a cost of €1,394,980. In addition, the analysis revealed that the implementation of an electronic referral system could provide significant benefits, such as a faster referral process, valid and coherent information, minimization of the risk of misinterpreting the electronic referral due to illegibility of handwriting, and improvement in quality of services.ConclusionsThe Greek electronic referral system was one of the first attempts toward creating the basis of a society of transparency and cost control. The lessons learnt from this article should not be ignored in the process of redesigning and improving the electronic referral system for Greece

Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy and Double Thrombophilic Defect: A New Observation

We report the first case of nonarteritic anterior ischemic neuropathy (NAION) associated with double thrombophilia: protein S deficiency and prothrombin G20210A mutation. A 58-year-old man is presented including the clinical and laboratory findings, cardiovascular profile and thrombophilia screening. The patient presented with 3/10 vision and an inferior altitudinal defect in the right eye. Funduscopic examination of the right eye revealed a hyperemic optic disk with blurred superior optic disk border and sectoral nerve fiber layer edema. Complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein were normal, suggesting a NAION. A workup of cardiovascular risk factors revealed hyperlipidemia, arterial hypertension and high-risk asymptomatic coronary artery disease. Due to the family history of deep vein thrombosis in the patient's daughter, a thrombophilia screening was additionally performed. The results revealed a double thrombophilic defect, namely congenital protein S deficiency and heterozygosity for prothrombin G20210A mutation, which were also identified in the patient's daughter. Anticoagulant warfarin therapy was initiated and the patient underwent a triple bypass surgery. At three-month follow-up, the right optic disk edema had resolved, leaving a pale superior optic nerve head. Visual acuity in the right eye had slightly improved to 4/10; however, the dense inferior altitudinal field defect had remained unchanged. The patient is currently treated with warfarin, atorvastatin, irbesartan and metoprolol. This case suggests that the first line of investigation in all patients with NAION involves assessment of cardiovascular risk factors. However, careful history taking will identify NAION patients who are eligible for additional thrombophilia screening: young patients without vasculopathic risk factors, bilateral or recurrent NAION, idiopathic or recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), positive family history of VTE, and VTE in young age or in unusual sites (e.g. cerebral, hepatic, mesenteric, or renal vein)

The integration of interactive whiteboard for collaborative learning in Greek nursery schools

Abstract Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) have become increasingly available in nursery and primary schools. Their potential benefits for the development of collaborative learning practices are valuable for young students learning experience. However, little is known about how they are integrated by teachers into classrooms for collaborative learning and their influence on students’ learning experiences. A qualitative multiple case-study approach was used to investigate the way IWBs are currently used for collaborative learning by two Greek nursery school teachers. The focus was placed upon the way teachers perceive IWB affordances when planning collaborative learning activities. Students’ interactions generated by IWB and teacher mediation were also explored. Two learning activities with IWB were designed by each teacher. The methods used included informal conversational interviews with teachers before activity implementation, lesson observations and follow-up interviews with teachers and groups of students. The study showed that teachers created multimodal learning environments which aim to engage collective thinking and student collaboration. IWBs were used as a shared working space for the externalisation of student thought through the co-creation of digital artefacts. Another perspective of IWB was its use as a space for the connection of collaborative group work with the whole-class participation. IWB integration into school classrooms reinforced teacher’s role as a supporter of students’ collaborative interactions. Students’ interactions differed widely, but were deemed satisfactory. A range of factors including but not limited to the nature of the task, student collaborative skills and relationships together with teacher’s support influenced their interactions. Several issues including difficulty in classroom orchestration, technical issues and difficulty in representations appeared to change the initial planning and teachers’ visions for students’ collaboration. This study suggests that the use of the IWB for collaborative learning in early education settings can reinforce students’ interactions. To maximise the potential positive interactions, the teachers should combine appropriately IWB affordances as underpinned by the notion of sociocultural learning theory and be active supporters of students’ collaboration. Further research is needed to investigate the way IWB is used by teachers for collaboration in a greater number of classroom settings to better understand influence on students’ learning and inform pedagogical practices. Keywords: Collaborative learning, Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs), nursery schools, technology integration, pedagogical approaches

Effect of four premolar extractions on the vertical dimension of the face : A retrospective cephalometric study

PURPOSE Adequate control of the vertical dimension is of great importance in orthodontic treatment. Although existing evidence is very limited, extraction of four premolars is thought to contribute towards improved control of anterior facial height compared with non-extraction treatment protocols. Thus, the aim of this retrospective cohort study was to compare the effect of fixed-appliance treatment with extraction of four premolars to non-extraction treatment on the skeletal vertical dimension. METHODS A consecutive sample of 76 children with skeletal hyperdivergence (49% male; mean age 11.9 years) was divided into two groups for treatment with either non-extraction (n = 31) or extraction of four premolars (n = 45). Baseline characteristics were comparable: overjet 5.1 ± 2.5 mm, overbite 2.4 ± 1.9 mm, ANB angle 4.6 ± 2.3°, and SN-ML angle 40.2 ± 3.5°. Patients were treated with standard edgewise fixed appliances with closing loops/sliding mechanics. Vertical skeletal and dental outcomes were measured on lateral cephalograms before and after treatment. Data were analyzed with linear regression at 5%. RESULTS Compared to non-extraction treatment, treatment with premolar extractions had no significant effect on the SN-ML angle (difference (Δ) = 0.07°; 95% confidence interval -0.90 to 1.01°; P = 0.88). Statistically significant changes between the extraction and non-extraction groups were only found for the parameters SNA (Δ -1.47°; P = 0.003), ANB (Δ -1.17°; P = 0.004), SN-OP (Δ -1.48°; P = 0.04), and L1-ML (Δ -6.39°; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Orthodontic treatment of children with skeletal hyperdivergence using systematic extraction of four premolars had minimal effects on the vertical facial dimension compared to non-extraction treatment

The changing role of the church – Diaconia of the Orthodox Church in Greece during the years of the economic crisis 2010–2018

The economic crisis in Greece in 2010–2018 caused a deep recession there. Unemployment rose to very high levels, and social distress increased. In this study, we use publically available internet material to present the many auxiliary activities the Greek Orthodox Church used to respond to the situation. Many of them were typical forms of diaconal activity, but new types of work for the church can also be seen in diocesan activities. The Orthodox Church in Greece does not present all the auxiliary activities in public. However, based on the material available, the article hypothesizes that the role of the Orthodox Church in Greek society has changed during the economic crisis. The church became a supporting factor in society

The Effect of Leveling the Curve of Spee on the Inclination of Mandibular Incisors: A Retrospective Cephalometric Study

PURPOSE To assess mandibular incisor inclination after leveling the curve of Spee (CoS) in patients treated with fixed appliances. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a retrospective study, which included 80 consecutive patients with a mild CoS treated without extraction but with various biomechanical approaches. The depth of CoS was digitally measured on scanned plaster casts and mandibular incisor inclination was assessed with lateral cephalograms pre- and posttreatment. Patients were treated with 0.018"-slot edgewise fixed appliances and cinched back wires. Data were analyzed using linear regression modeling at 5%. RESULTS A total of 80 patients (40% female; mean age 13.8 years) were included with mean ANB = 4.4 ± 1.9°, mean SN/ML = 31.7 ± 4.7°, mean L1/ML = 95.0 ± 7.7°, and a mean depth of CoS = 1.1 ± 0.4 mm. The depth of CoS was leveled by -0.85 ± 0.39 mm to a post-treatment median of 0.18 mm (interquartile range = 0.09 to 0.35 mm). A small mandibular incisor proclination was observed through treatment (2.49 ± 9.1°), but this was not associated with the reduction in the depth of CoS (p > 0.05) and no statistically significant modifying effect from the different treatment mechanics was observed. CONCLUSION Under the limitations of this study, leveling a mild CoS was not associated with mandibular incisor proclination during fixed-appliance treatment

Polytraits : a database on biological traits of marine polychaetes

The study of ecosystem functioning – the role which organisms play in an ecosystem – is becoming increasingly important in marine ecological research. The functional structure of a community can be represented by a set of functional traits assigned to behavioural, reproductive and morphological characteristics. The collection of these traits from the literature is however a laborious and time-consuming process, and gaps of knowledge and restricted availability of literature are a common problem. Trait data are not yet readily being shared by research communities, and even if they are, a lack of trait data repositories and standards for data formats leads to the publication of trait information in forms which cannot be processed by computers. This paper describes Polytraits (http://polytraits.lifewatchgreece.eu), a database on biological traits of marine polychaetes (bristle worms, Polychaeta: Annelida). At present, the database contains almost 20,000 records on morphological, behavioural and reproductive characteristics of more than 1,000 marine polychaete species, all referenced by literature sources. All data can be freely accessed through the project website in different ways and formats, both human-readable and machine-readable, and have been submitted to the Encyclopedia of Life for archival and integration with trait information from other sources