Computer Mediated Communication and the Connection between Virtual Utopias and Actual Realities

People have generally been very ambivalent about the potential future roles of new technologies (and the internet specifically) and their possible effects on human society. Indeed, there has been a tendency for polarization between attitudes or perceptions of naive enthusiasm and cynical resistance towards the use of computers and computer networks, and for such related concepts as ‘the information superhighway’ and ‘cyberspace’. The projection of such ambivalent perceptions into naively utopian (or even ironically dystopian) images and narratives might be seen as the latest and uniquely global permutation of a basic function of human culture - that is, to imagine ‘a better future’ or represent ‘an ideal past’. This paper will consider the extent to which the kinds of virtual utopias made possible by computer-mediated communications are\ud ‘connected’ to the actual individual and social realities of human participants. In other words, how important might it be to recognise a distinction between the use of virtual utopias (and utopian representations in any culture) as merely escapist, self-indulgent fantasy on one hand, and\ud as a useful, transformative media for reinventing the human condition on the other? Whether we live in a Panoptic or democratic Net ten years from now depends, in no small measure, on what you and I know and do now. Howard Rheingold, Afterword to The Virtual Community (1994, p. 310

Sustainable Solutions to ‘Complex Problem-Solving\u27 a Key to Effective Community and Industry Engagement and Partnerships by University Researchers

Community and industry engagement by universities and academics are sometimes prone to accusations of exclusive or academic ‘talk-fests\u27 which can reinforce rather than resolve the ‘bridgeable disconnect\u27 between the general community and particular organizations with vested interests (Grayson, 2010). Concrete modes and strategies of ‘linking knowledge to action\u27 are needed to build upon the participatory exchange or mediation of stakeholder perspectives and interests. This paper reports on the exploration, development and application of the kind of convergent and also interdisciplinary approach to development studies which might: (a) better link theory and practice as a basis for the elusive goal of strategic ‘sustainability\u27, and (b) also encourage and optimize authentic, collaborative, and complex modes of problem-solving as a key to community and industry engagement by academic institutions and researchers. It will do so in relation to some practical case studies in such partnerships

Liars vs The New Diversity: Is there an Alternative to 'Postmodernist' Literary Studies?

A comparison of Ken Gelder and Paul Salzman'sThe New Diversity and Helen Daniel'sLiars as approaches to Australian contemporary fiction

Outcomes-Based Authentic Learning, Portfolio Assessment, and a Systems Approach to ‘Complex Problem-Solving’: Related Pillars for Enhancing the Innovative Role of PBL in Future Higher Education

The challenge of better reconciling individual and collective aspects of innovative problem-solving can be productively addressed to enhance the role of PBL as a key focus of the creative process in future higher education. This should involve ‘active learning’ approaches supported by related processes of teaching, assessment and curriculum. As Biggs & Tan (2011) have suggested, an integrated or systemic approach is needed for  the most effective practice of outcomes-based education also especially relevant for  addressing relatively simple as well as more complex problems. Such a model will be discussed in relation to the practical example of a Masters subject conceived with interdisciplinary implications, applications, and transferability: ‘sustainable policy studies in science, technology and innovation’. Different modes of PBL might be encouraged in terms of the authentic kinds of ‘complex problem-solving’ issues and challenges which increasingly confront an interdependent and changing world. PBL can be further optimized when projects or cases also involve contexts and examples of research and inquiry. However, perhaps the most crucial pillar is a model of portfolio assessment for linking and encouraging as well as distinguishing individual contributions to collaborative projects and activities