Developing the Guided Learner Journey

The University of Hertfordshire was one of the first UK universities to embrace the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and embed it as part of our learning strategy to personalise and enhance the student experience. Our in-house built platform, Studynet, which has been in continuous use and ongoing development since 2001, has facilitated a continuum of student engagement from blended approaches to studying via online or distance learning modes. In 2014 we embarked on a two year, in-depth consultation process with students and staff to identify the vision for our future online environment. Through the process we co-developed a set of pedagogic principles and aspirations for our new VLE which resulted in our vision of a ‘Guided Learner Journey’ (GLJ). To enable our vision we purchased Canvas (a virtual learning environment) and Talis (a reading management software) and through our close working relationship, and the innovative approach of Canvas, we have embedded the softwares within Studynet to enable the implementation of the GLJ. In our presentation we will share our consultation and prototyping process as well as well as training programme we have developed to ensure the smooth implementation of our vision.Non peer reviewe

Peripheral cues and gaze direction jointly focus attention and inhibition of return

Centrally presented gaze cues typically elicit a delayed inhibition of return (IOR) effect compared to peripheral exogenous cues. We investigated whether gaze cues elicit early onset IOR when presented peripherally. Faces were presented in the left or right peripheral hemifields, which then gazed upward or downward. A target appeared in one of four oblique spatial locations giving the cue and target horizontal or vertical congruency, both, or neither. After establishing that peripheral movement and gaze direction jointly facilitate target processing at short durations (200 ms: Experiment 1), IOR was evident for peripheral motion at longer time courses (800 and 2400 ms: Experiment 2). Only after 2400 ms did gaze direction additionally contribute to IOR for the specific gazed at location, showing the inverse pattern of response times to Experiment 1. The onset of IOR for gaze cues is independent from peripheral exogenous cueing but nevertheless contributes to the allocation of attention

Healing conversations: Developing a practical framework for clinical communication between Aboriginal communities and healthcare practitioners

In recognition of the ongoing health disparities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (hereafter Aboriginal), this scoping review explores the role and impact of the clinical communication process on Aboriginal healthcare provision. A medical education lens is applied, looking at the utility of a tailored clinical communication framework to assist health practitioners work more effectively with Aboriginal peoples and communities. The initial framework, building on existing communication guides, proposes four domains: content, process, relational and environmental. It places emphasis on critical self-reflection of the health practitioner’s own cultural identity and will be guided by collective Aboriginal world-views in select Australian settings. Using a two-eyed seeing approach the framework will be developed and tested in health professional education. The aim of this research journey is to enable health practitioners to have more effective healthcare conversations with Aboriginal peoples, working toward more socially just and equitable healthcare interactions and outcome

Love thy neighbour: proxemic bias in the voting strategy of contestants in the TV quiz-show "The Weakest Link"

We observed the pattern of voting in the first round of 72 episodes of the UK version of the TV quiz-show „The Weakest Link‟ (WL). The first round culminated as each of the nine contestants carried out an eight-alternative-forced-choice task by voting for one of their peers as the WL. Rudimentary probability theory was used to generate the frequencies of votes that would be expected purely due to chance for all eight relative positions of voter-to-candidate spatial relationships. The observed frequencies from the episodes were then compared to the expected pattern. Consensus, the number of contestants voting for the eventual WL, was also recorded in each of the 72 first rounds. Two main findings emerged:- i.) contestants avoided voting their direct neighbour as the WL, although the propensity to vote for a peer was not a simple function of distance per se; ii.) the „neighbour-avoidance‟ effect increased as the group consensus as to the identity of the WL decreased

Arts and Culture for all in Public Libraries

I have worked in community library services for the past 27 years and have seen the role of libraries in promoting and supporting cultural activity change and develop significantly over the period.  All libraries are generally defined as a physical space that holds specific resources for use by its members.  A typical definition of a public library can be found at collinsdictionary.com: 'a building where things such as books, newspapers, videos and music are kept for people to read, use or borrow'.  When I began working in public libraries, much of my role supported this simple definition. The majority of my work involved the maintenance and development of library collections and the ways in which they could be more easily accessed by users.  Over the years, the priorities of front-line staff in libraries have moved away from a collection-centred approach towards an approach that is more community-centred.  There have been a number of factors that have contributed to this change in emphasis but, from my perspective, they all have their roots in libraries adjusting to community demand

The Crime Victim and the Criminal Justice System: Time for a Change

The failure of the present criminal justice system to provide meaningful participation for victims of crime has launched crime victim reform measures to the forefront of the legislative agenda. This article explores current reform measures and proposes new programs to increase the quantity of victims\u27 rights and enhance the quality of victim involvement

Meandering Processes and Channel Morphology in the Lower Mississippi River Prior to Major Human Disturbance.

Although the Lower Mississippi River has been intensively studied, few studies have investigated meandering processes in the river when the channel was considered to be relatively free of major human disturbance. This research is significant in that it provides a detailed examination of meandering processes and channel adjustment in a large fine-grained alluvial setting, offering a departure from the base of knowledge on this topic that has evolved from studies on smaller coarse-grained river systems. The study spans the entire length of the Lower Mississippi River (1,704 km), from Cairo, IL to Head of Passes, LA. Two sets of hydrographic surveys (scale, 1:20,000) completed between 1877 and 1922 provide the primary source of data. Each survey was segmented into individual meander bends and straight reaches, digitized, and entered into a GIS for analysis of channel processes. Several techniques were employed to examine spatial and temporal change, and interrelationships between channel parameters and controlling factors, including; simple and multiple linear regression analysis, Independent and Paired t-tests, and Pearson correlation coefficients. Two major meandering regimes are identified, which coincide with the boundaries of the alluvial valley and deltaic plain. Channel morphology in the alluvial valley is characterized by its planform morphology having a sinuous laterally migrating channel. Although the cohesive sediments in the deltaic plain reduce lateral migration, the river is able to scour the channel bed into a uniform pool and riffle morphology. Migration rates for channel segments in the alluvial valley and deltaic plain averaged 26.7 and 3.3 m/km/yr, respectively. Analysis of meander bend migration rates with the adjustment of channel curvature between the two surveys suggests an equilibrium meander bend curvature, r\sb{\rm c}/W, between 3.0 and 4.0. Spatial trends in sinuosity, channel width, and radius of curvature do not conform to common downstream patterns due to the lack of a downstream trend in discharge. The planform morphology in the alluvial valley increased in sinuosity and decreased in radius of curvature, as meander bends became increasingly arcuate. However, channel width and the pool and riffle morphology did not significantly change during the study period

Estimating stratospheric temperature trends using satellite microwave radiances

The objective was to evaluate and intercompare stratospheric temperatures using Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) data as a basis data set. The MSU, aboard the NOAA polar orbiter satellite series, provides twice daily global coverage over a layer (50-150 mb) at approximately a (170km)(exp 2) resolution. Conventional data sets will be compared to the satellite data in the lower stratosphere in order to assess their quality for trend computations

Vital Assets

Commencement address given by Noel Paul Hudson, Chairman, Department of Bacteriology, Ohio State University, to the Autumn 1941 graduating class of The Ohio State University, University Hall Auditorium, Columbus, Ohio, December 19, 1941