Action research: a learning tool that engages complexity

Innovative micro-teaching to enhance student teaching/learning is increasingly using the concept of Action Research. In action research the particular focus is on the subject of the research also being a learner from the research outcome. The Kemmis Model (Cyclical Model of Action Research) introduced the notion that ‘all teachers are learners’ and ‘all learners can be teachers’. Action research emphasises the notion of self observation and self reflection. However observation and self reflection are challenging methods that value the personal nature of learning. The authors undertook an action research experiment, as part of their own professional learning, by introducing micro teaching practicum presentations video recording to a postgraduate education class of 20 adult/community educators during a curriculum development module. In this exercise the learning group was subdivided into two parts: 1. The first group of students were recorded and a DVD was made available to each presenter. The students reviewed their own recording and completed a questionnaire to identify if their learning was enhanced by self reflection using visual recording. 2. The second group were video recorded and the DVD reviewed. However, this group also received written feedback from their peers. The outcome of this micro teaching action research exercise demonstrates the complexity of self perception and self learning. It highlights that the action reflection methodology has to be very aware of complexity in learning. When that complexity is recognised and valued then action research can be an inclusive research process that encourages reflection as praxis. This experiment also suggests that group involvement in person reflection can increase complexity. The outcome of this experience shows that the recording of presentations for self reflection can encourage deeper levels of learning, and can enhance learning particularly in higher education. Table of contents 1 This conference presentation paper is drawn from a research project submitted by Hynes & Kenny to the National University of Ireland Maynooth in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education 2008

Action research: a learning tool that engages complexity

Innovative micro-teaching to enhance student teaching/learning is increasingly using the concept of Action Research. In action research the particular focus is on the subject of the research also being a learner from the research outcome. The Kemmis Model (Cyclical Model of Action Research) introduced the notion that ‘all teachers are learners’ and ‘all learners can be teachers’. Action research emphasises the notion of self observation and self reflection. However observation and self reflection are challenging methods that value the personal nature of learning. The authors undertook an action research experiment, as part of their own professional learning, by introducing micro teaching practicum presentations video recording to a postgraduate education class of 20 adult/community educators during a curriculum development module. In this exercise the learning group was subdivided into two parts: 1. The first group of students were recorded and a DVD was made available to each presenter. The students reviewed their own recording and completed a questionnaire to identify if their learning was enhanced by self reflection using visual recording. 2. The second group were video recorded and the DVD reviewed. However, this group also received written feedback from their peers. The outcome of this micro teaching action research exercise demonstrates the complexity of self perception and self learning. It highlights that the action reflection methodology has to be very aware of complexity in learning. When that complexity is recognised and valued then action research can be an inclusive research process that encourages reflection as praxis. This experiment also suggests that group involvement in person reflection can increase complexity. The outcome of this experience shows that the recording of presentations for self reflection can encourage deeper levels of learning, and can enhance learning particularly in higher education. Table of contents 1 This conference presentation paper is drawn from a research project submitted by Hynes & Kenny to the National University of Ireland Maynooth in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education 2008

Pivotal technologies for the public library : 2014

Ancestry.com -- Cloud computing -- Crowdsourcing -- E-readers -- Espresso Book Machine -- Google Glass -- Thingverse -- Mobile hotspots -- Pinterest -- Twitter

A randomised controlled trial of student nurse performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a simulated family-witnessed resuscitation scenario

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd This randomized controlled trial, conducted in a UK University nursing department, compared student nurses' performance during a simulated cardiac arrest. Eighteen teams of four students were randomly assigned to one of three scenarios: 1) no family witness; 2) a “quiet” family witness; and 3) a family witness displaying overt anxiety and distress. Each group was assessed by observers for a range of performance outcomes (e.g. calling for help, timing to starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation), and simulation manikin data on the depth and timing of three cycles of compressions. Groups without a distressed family member present performed better in the early part of the basic life support algorithm. Approximately a third of compressions assessed were of appropriate pressure. Groups with a distressed family member present were more likely to perform compressions with low pressure. Groups with no family member present were more likely to perform compressions with too much pressure. Timing of compressions was better when there was no family member present. Family presence appears to have an effect on subjectively and objectively measured performance. Further study is required to see how these findings translate into the registered nurse population, and how experience and education modify the impact of family member presence

Oxidative stress in pre-eclampsia; have we been looking in the wrong place?

Pre-eclampsia is a disorder of late pregnancy. It is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, accounting for nearly 18% of all maternal deaths worldwide; an estimated 77,000 maternal deaths per year [1]. Poor placentation is considered to be an initial cause of the placental ischemia [2]. Placental ischemia in turn gives rise to oxidative stress in the placenta and leads to shedding of syncytiotrophoblast debris into the maternal circulation provoking a systemic maternal inflammatory response and release of sFLT and sENG causing maternal vascular endothelial dysfunction. The ubiquitous nature of the maternal vascular endothelium accounts for the diverse multi-system nature of pre-eclampsia. Currently there is no treatment for pre-eclampsia except delivery of the placenta and the baby, with the attendant risk of iatrogenic prematurity and significant neonatal morbidity and mortality. As a result, intensive research endeavours have focused on defining the molecular mechanisms of pre-eclampsia and the identification of new pre-symptomatic biomarkers of the condition. This review focuses on the role of elevated oxidative stress in the pathology of pre-eclampsia and potential therapeutic agents targeting oxidative stress that may prevent or ameliorate this disorder

A multicomponent diffusion model for prediction of microstructural evolution in coated Ni based superalloy systems

A multicomponent model which can simulate the microstructural evolution of a coated Ni based superalloy system has been developed. The model consists of a one-dimensional finite difference diffusion solver to calculate the component distribution, a power law based model for predicting surface oxidation and a thermodynamic calculation routine for determining the phase evolution. Apart from forecasting concentration and phase profiles after a given thermal history, the model can estimate the losses due to oxidation and the remaining life of a coating based on a concentration and/or phase fraction dependent failure criteria. The phase constitution and concentration profiles predicted by the model have been compared with an experimental NiCoCrAlY coated CMSX-4 system, aged for times up to 10 000 h between 850 and 1050°C, and many experimental features can be predicted successfully by the model. The model is expected to be useful for assessing microstructural evolution of coated turbine blade systems

Games Futures I

Games Futures collect short opinion pieces by industry and research veterans and new voices envisioning possible and desirable futures and needs for games and playable media. This inaugural series features eight of over thirty pieces

Inaugural Editorial: A Lighthouse for Games and Playable Media

In games and playable media, almost nothing is as it was at the turn of the millennium. Digital and analog games have exploded in reach, diversity, and relevance. Digital platforms and globalisation have shifted and fragmented their centres of gravity and how they are made and played. Games are converging with other media, technologies, and arts into a wide field of playable media. Games research has similarly exploded in volume and fragmented into disciplinary specialisms. All this can be deeply disorienting. The journal Games: Research and Practice wants to offer a lighthouse that helps readers orient themselves in this new, ever-shifting reality of games industry and games research

Postoperative Radiotherapy and Facial Nerve Outcomes Following Nerve Repair: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes of facial nerve repair or grafting following facial nerve-sacrificing procedures among patients treated with and without postoperative radiotherapy (RT). DATA SOURCES: PubMed, OVID, Conference Papers Index, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov. REVIEW METHODS: Databases were searched using terms including facial nerve, graft, repair, and radiotherapy. Abstracts mentioning facial nerve repair and evaluation of facial nerve function were included for full-text review. Studies that utilized the House-Brackmann or similar validated scale for evaluation of postoperative facial nerve function were selected for review. All identified studies were included in a pooled t test analysis. RESULTS: Twelve studies with 142 patients were included in the systematic review. All 12 studies individually demonstrated no significant difference in facial nerve outcomes between patients who received postoperative radiation and patients who did not. A pooled t test of data from all studies also demonstrated no significant difference in postoperative facial nerve function between the postoperative RT and non-RT groups (t stat = 0.92, p = .36). CONCLUSION: This analysis, including 12 studies, demonstrated that among patients undergoing facial nerve grafting or repair, there was no significant difference in postoperative facial nerve function between postoperative RT and non-RT patients. Due to the small sample size and variability in study methods, further studies directly comparing outcomes between patients with and without postoperative RT would be beneficial