Teaching, learning and technology: An e-route to deep learning?

This is the author's pdf version of an article published in Research into Education.This paper details a research project that considered the extent to which e-learning is congruent with the notion of inculcating and maintaining deep approaches to learning within HE. Also, to explore what actions may be taken to engender and or maintain a deep approach when using e-learning as the central androgogy as knowing what (is possible) and how (it may be achieved) provides a fuller picture. Whilst this paper is designed to help inform practice and professional judgement it is not purporting to provide absolute answers. Whilst I have attempted to provide an honest account of my findings, truth and reality are social constructions (Pring 2000). The research was based upon methodical triangulation and involved thirty-eight undergraduate students who are undertaking study through e-learning and five academic members of staff who utilise e-learning in their programmes. As such, the project was small scale and how much may be inferred as applicable to other groups and other contexts may be contested, as those sampled for this research have their own unique paradigms and perceptions. Finally, it is always worth remembering that effective teaching and learning is contextual (Pring 2000). The research revealed that deep approaches to learning are situational (Biggs 2003) and e-learning can authentically lead to a student adopting and maintaining a deep approach. There are several factors that increase the likelihood of a student adopting this desired approach. These include; where students perceive the programme to be of high quality (Parker 2004), they have feelings of competence and confidence in their ability to study and interact with the technology and others. In addition, students require appropriate, reliable access to technology, associated systems and individualised planned support (Salmon 2004). Further to this deep approaches are more likely to be adopted where programmes are built on a constructivist androgogy, constructive alignment is achieved, interaction at several levels and a steady or systematic style of learning are encouraged (Hwang and Wang 2004). Critically study programmes should have authentic assessment in which deep approaches are intrinsic to their completion. To effectively support students in achieving a deep approach to learning, when employing e-learning, staff require knowledge and skill in three areas: teaching and learning, technology, and subject content (Good 2001). They also require support from leaders at cultural, strategic and structural levels (Elloumi 2004)

Using supervision: Support or surveillance?

This is the author's pdf version of an book chapter published by SAGE© 2007.This chapter will analyse supervision of staff in relation to developmental and managerial functions; argue that pressures on social services organisations have ensured that the need for agency accountability far outweighs its developmental function; suggest that the need for professional supervision is greatly enhanced given the development of inter-professional working arrangements; and propose that approaches to supervision can be applied to social work that have first been developed in the health service

Looking forward to making predictions

As described in the preceding pages, since the BGS was established in 1835, the British population has coped with many challenges. These have ranged from finding resources to fuel the Industrial Revolution, understanding and combating water-borne diseases such as typhoid, the threat of invasion and aerial bombardment, through to modern-day environmental problems and climate change. To help deal with these problems, decisionmakers from governments and other organisations have required our help and advice

Model fusion at the British Geological Survey: experiences and future trends

The British Geological Survey (BGS) is developing integrated environmental models to address the grand challenges that face society. Here we describe the BGS vision for an Environmental Modelling Platform (BGS 2009) that will allow integrated models to be built, and describe case studies of emerging models in the United Kingdom. This Environmental Modelling Platform will be founded on the data and information that the BGS holds. This will have to be made as accessible and interoperable as possible to both the academic and stakeholder decision-making community. The geological models that have been built in an ad hoc way over the last 5–10 years will be encompassed in a National Geological Model that will be multi-scaled, beginning with onshore UK and eventually including the offshore continental shelf. The future will be characterized by the routine delivery of 3D model products from a multi-scaled and scalable 3D geological model of the UK that can be dynamically updated. The deployment of this model will generate further significant requirements across the Information and Knowledge Exchange spectrum, from applications development (database, GIS, web and mobile device), data management, information product development, to delivery to a growing number of publics and stakeholders

Social Deprivation, Inequality, and the Neighborhood-Level Incidence of Psychotic Syndromes in East London

licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

The genome of the green anole lizard and a comparative analysis with birds and mammals

The evolution of the amniotic egg was one of the great evolutionary innovations in the history of life, freeing vertebrates from an obligatory connection to water and thus permitting the conquest of terrestrial environments. Among amniotes, genome sequences are available for mammals and birds, but not for non-avian reptiles. Here we report the genome sequence of the North American green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis. We find that A. carolinensis microchromosomes are highly syntenic with chicken microchromosomes, yet do not exhibit the high GC and low repeat content that are characteristic of avian microchromosomes. Also, A. carolinensis mobile elements are very young and diverse—more so than in any other sequenced amniote genome. The GC content of this lizard genome is also unusual in its homogeneity, unlike the regionally variable GC content found in mammals and birds. We describe and assign sequence to the previously unknown A. carolinensis X chromosome. Comparative gene analysis shows that amniote egg proteins have evolved significantly more rapidly than other proteins. An anole phylogeny resolves basal branches to illuminate the history of their repeated adaptive radiations.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF grant DEB-0920892)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF grant DEB-0844624)National Human Genome Research Institute (U.S.

Septic Shock: A Genomewide Association Study and Polygenic Risk Score Analysis.

Previous genetic association studies have failed to identify loci robustly associated with sepsis, and there have been no published genetic association studies or polygenic risk score analyses of patients with septic shock, despite evidence suggesting genetic factors may be involved. We systematically collected genotype and clinical outcome data in the context of a randomized controlled trial from patients with septic shock to enrich the presence of disease-associated genetic variants. We performed genomewide association studies of susceptibility and mortality in septic shock using 493 patients with septic shock and 2442 population controls, and polygenic risk score analysis to assess genetic overlap between septic shock risk/mortality with clinically relevant traits. One variant, rs9489328, located in AL589740.1 noncoding RNA, was significantly associated with septic shock (p = 1.05 × 10-10); however, it is likely a false-positive. We were unable to replicate variants previously reported to be associated (p < 1.00 × 10-6 in previous scans) with susceptibility to and mortality from sepsis. Polygenic risk scores for hematocrit and granulocyte count were negatively associated with 28-day mortality (p = 3.04 × 10-3; p = 2.29 × 10-3), and scores for C-reactive protein levels were positively associated with susceptibility to septic shock (p = 1.44 × 10-3). Results suggest that common variants of large effect do not influence septic shock susceptibility, mortality and resolution; however, genetic predispositions to clinically relevant traits are significantly associated with increased susceptibility and mortality in septic individuals

The genome of the green anole lizard and a comparative analysis with birds and mammals

The evolution of the amniotic egg was one of the great evolutionary innovations in the history of life, freeing vertebrates from an obligatory connection to water and thus permitting the conquest of terrestrial environments1. Among amniotes, genome sequences are available for mammals2 and birds3–5, but not for non-avian reptiles. Here we report the genome sequence of the North American green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis. We find that A. carolinensis microchromosomes are highly syntenic with chicken microchromosomes, yet do not exhibit the high GC and low repeat content that are characteristic of avian microchromosomes3. Also, A. carolinensis mobile elements are very young and diverse – more so than in any other sequenced amniote genome. This lizard genome’s GC content is also unusual in its homogeneity, unlike the regionally variable GC content found in mammals and birds6. We describe and assign sequence to the previously unknown A. carolinensis X chromosome. Comparative gene analysis shows that amniote egg proteins have evolved significantly more rapidly than other proteins. An anole phylogeny resolves basal branches to illuminate the history of their repeated adaptive radiations

The FRBNY Staff Underlying Inflation Gauge: UIG

Monetary policymakers and long-term investors would benefit greatly from a measure of underlying inflation that uses all relevant information, is available in real time, and forecasts inflation better than traditional underlying inflation measures such as core inflation measures. This paper presents the 'FRBNY Staff Underlying Inflation Gauge (UIG)' for CPI and PCE. Using a dynamic factor model approach, the UIG is derived from a broad data set that extends beyond price series to include a wide range of nominal, real, and financial variables. It also considers the specific and time-varying persistence of individual subcomponents of an inflation series. An attractive feature of the UIG is that it can be updated on a daily basis, which allows for a close monitoring of changes in underlying inflation. This capability can be very useful when large and sudden economic fluctuations occur, as at the end of 2008. In addition, the UIG displays greater forecast accuracy than traditional measures of core inflation

Building on geological models : the vision of an environmental modelling platform

Geological Survey Organisations (GSOs) were originally founded to produce an inventory of the earth’s resources to inform governments and support construction and primary industries. Therefore, their initial emphasis was on finding construction material, metalliferous minerals and hydrocarbons. Throughout the 20th century the focus shifted towards aggregates, water and more recently to environmental concerns such as waste, reuse of post-industrial contaminated land, climate change and biodiversity. Although the external drivers for their existence have changed, the fundamental purpose has not, and this is unlikely to change in the future. Price (1992) summarises the mission of a GSO to “maintain the national geoscience knowledgebase” in order to “ensure the availability of the geoscience information and expertise to promote the wise use of the nation’s natural resources and the safety, health and well being of its people” However as many countries move towards knowledge and service driven economies faced with global environmental challenges ,GSOs of the 21st century will have to continue to evolve, adapt and in particular change the ways they operate. This is especially true against a background of rapidly advancing geospatial technology. The GSO’s agenda must be to confirm themselves as the natural custodians of the subsurface, not focussed on one particular industry or science area, but assisting governments, industry and the general public to manage the subsurface in an integrated, holistic and sustainable manner. They must then engage with other organisation to link the understanding of the subsurface with the wider environment, to understand the interaction of the subsurface with the atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere (see Figure 1) Last but not least they have a duty to make their knowledge and information accessible and understandable to the people on behalf of whom the governments act and to whom they are accountable. Taking the British Geological Survey (BGS) as an example, this paper will outline the next stage in the evolution of a GSO, which will see the opening up of their information and the transdisciplinary integration of their geological, groundwater and other geoscience models within the wider “modelling” community including the social and economic disciplines. A main part of this mission is the development and deployment of an open Environmental Modelling Platform (EMP) providing ready access to data and knowledge as well as geospatial, conceptual and numerical models through a subsurface management system akin to Geographic Information Systems in use today. The urgency of this task as well as the size of the cultural and technical challenges that need to be accomplished demand the close co-operation of GSOs amongst themselves as well as strong collaboration with partners in science, industry and government