Shaping the future of learning using the student voice: we’re listening but are we hearing clearly?

Student voice data is a key factor as Manchester Metropolitan University strives to continually improve institutional technology enhanced learning (TEL) infrastructure. A bi-annual Institutional Student Survey enables students to communicate their experience of learning, teaching and assessment on programmes and specific units studied. Each cycle of the survey contains approximately 40–50,000 free text comments from students pertaining to what they appreciate and what they would like to see improved. A detailed thematic analysis of this data has identified 18 themes, arranged into six categories relating to the ‘Best’ aspects of courses, and 25 themes, arranged in seven categories in relation to aspects of courses considered to be ‘in need of improvement’. This student data was then used as a basis for semi-structured interviews with staff. Anecdotally, evidence suggested that student expectations and staff expectations around TEL and the virtual learning environment (VLE) differed. On-going evaluation of this work has highlighted a disconnect. In significant instances, academic colleagues seemingly misinterpret the student voice analysis and consequently struggle to respond effectively. In response to the analysis, the learning technologist's role has been to re-interpret the analysis and redevelop TEL staff development and training activities. The changes implemented have focused on: contextualising resources in VLE; making lectures more interactive; enriching the curriculum with audio–visual resources; and setting expectations around communications

Control of electron, ion and neutral heating in a radio-frequency electrothermal microthruster via dual-frequency voltage waveforms

The development of low power micro-propulsion sources is of recent interest for application on miniature satellite platforms. Radio-frequency. (rf) plasma electrothermal microthrusters can operate without a space-charge neutralizer and provide increased control of spatiotemporal power deposition. Further understanding of how the phase-resolved rf plasma heating mechanisms affect the phase-averaged bulk plasma properties, e.g. neutral gas temperature, could allow for in-flight tailoring of plasma thrusters. In this work, experimentally validated two-dimensional fluid-kinetic simulations were employed to study the spatially resolved electron and ion power deposition and neutral gas heating in a dual-frequency rf electrothermal microthruster operating at 1.5. Torr plenum pressure in argon. Experimental validation was performed through a comparison of the measured and simulated phase resolved Ar(2p(1)) excitation rates, showing close agreement. Two types of dual-frequency voltage waveforms were investigated, and comprise the combination of a 13.56 MHz voltage waveform with 27.12 MHz and 40.68 MHz waveforms, respectively. Varying the phase offset of the higher harmonic relative to the fundamental 13.56. MHz voltage waveform was found to modulate the dc self-bias voltage by 11% and 3% of the maximum applied peak-to-peak voltage, respectively. The 13.56. MHz, 27.12. MHz dual-frequency voltage waveform provided the highest degree of control, where the fraction of total rf power deposited into Ar+ ions was found to vary from 57% to 77%, modulating the on-axis neutral gas temperature by 35%. This control is attributed to the variation in the fraction of the rf phase cycle for which the sheath is collapsed, altering the phase-averaged electric field strength adjacent to the radial wall. The application of dual-frequency waveforms provides the ability to optimize the particle heating mechanisms with application to electrothermal propulsion.The work presented herein was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC, EP/M508196/1)

Repositioning the Boundaries between Public and Private Healthcare Providers in the English NHS

Background and Objectives: Neoliberal ‘reform’ has in many countries shifted services across the boundary between the public and private sector. This policy re-opens the question of what structural and managerial differences, if any, differences of ownership make to healthcare providers. This paper examines the relationships between ownership, organisational structure and managerial regime within an elaboration of Donabedian’s reasoning about organisational structures. Using new data from England it considers: 1. How do the internal managerial g regimes of differently owned healthcare providers differ, or not? 2. In what respects did any such differences arise from differences in ownership or for other reasons? Methods: An observational systematic qualitative comparison of differently-owned providers was the strongest feasible research design. We systematically compared a maximum-variety sample (by ownership) of community health services (CHS); out-of-hours primary care (OOH); hospital planned orthopaedics and ophthalmology providers (N=12 cases). The framework of comparison was the ownership theory mentioned above. Findings: The relationships between ownership (one one hand) and organisation structures and managerial regimes (on the other), differed at different organisational levels. Top-level governance structures diverged by organisational ownership and objectives among the case-study organisations. All the case-study organisations irrespective of ownership had hierarchical, bureaucratic structures and managerial regimes for coordinating everyday service production, but to differing extents. In doctor-owned organisations the doctors’, but not other occupations’, work was controlled and coordinated in a more-or-less democratic, self-governing ways. Conclusion: Ownership does make important differences to healthcare providers’ top-level governance structures and accountabilities; and to work coordination activity, but with different patterns at different organisational levels. These findings have implications for understanding the legitimacy, governance and accountability of healthcare organisations, the distribution and use of power within them, and system-wide policy interventions, for instance to improve care coordination; and for the correspondingly required foci of healthcare organisational research

The efficient use of the maternity workforce and the implications for safety and quality in maternity care : a population-based, cross-sectional study

Background: The performance of maternity services is seen as a touchstone of whether or not we are delivering high-quality NHS care. Staffing has been identified in numerous reports as being a critical component of safe, effective, user-centred care. There is little evidence regarding the impact of maternity workforce staffing and skill mix on the safety, quality and cost of maternity care in the UK. Objectives: To understand the relationship between organisational factors, maternity workforce staffing and skill mix, cost and indicators of safe and high-quality care. Design and methods: Data included Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) from 143 NHS trusts in England in 2010–11 (656,969 delivery records), NHS Workforce Statistics, England, 2010–11, Care Quality Commission Maternity Survey of women’s experiences 2010 and NHS reference costs 2010/11. Ten indicators were derived from HES data. They included healthy mother and healthy baby outcomes and mode of birth. Adjustments were made for background characteristics and clinical risk. Data were analysed to examine the influence of organisational factors, staffing and costs using multilevel logistic regression models. A production function analysis examined the relationship between staffing, skill mix and output. Results: Outcomes were largely determined by women’s level of clinical risk [based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance], parity and age. The effects of trust size and trust university status were small. Larger trust size reduced the chance of a healthy mother outcome and also reduced the likelihood of a healthy mother/healthy baby dyad outcome, and increased the chances of other childbirth interventions. Increased investment in staff did not necessarily have an effect on the outcome and experience measures chosen, although there was a higher rate of intact perineum and also of delivery with bodily integrity in trusts with greater levels of midwifery staffing. An analysis of the multiplicative effects of parity and clinical risk with the staffing variables was more revealing. Increasing the number of doctors had the greatest impact on outcomes in higher-risk women and increasing the number of midwives had the greatest impact on outcomes in lower-risk women. Although increased numbers of support workers impacted on reducing childbirth interventions in lower-risk women, they also had a negative impact on the healthy mother/healthy baby dyad outcomes in all women. In terms of maximising the capacity of a trust to deliver babies, midwives and support workers were found to be substitutes for each other, as were consultants and other doctors. However, any substitution between staff groups could impact on the quality of care given. Economically speaking, midwives are best used in combination with consultants and other doctors. Conclusions: Staffing levels have positive and negative effects on some outcomes, and deployment of doctors and midwives where they have most beneficial impact is important. Managers may wish to exercise caution in increasing the number of support workers who care for higher-risk women. There also appear to be limited opportunities for role substitution. Future work: Wide variations in outcomes remain after adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical risk, and organisational factors. Further research is required on what may be influencing unexplained variation such as organisational climate and culture, use of NICE guidelines in practice, variation of models of care within trusts and women’s choices. Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme

Inducing locally structured ion energy distributions in intermediate-pressure plasmas

Ion energy distribution functions (IEDFs) incident upon material surfaces in radio frequency (rf) capacitively coupled plasmas are coupled to spatial and temporal sheath dynamics. Tailoring the ion energy distribution function within intermediate-pressure plasmas (133 Pa, 1 Torr), which find application in surface modification and aerospace industries, is challenging due to the collisional conditions. In this work, experimentally benchmarked 2D fluid/Monte-Carlo simulations are employed to demonstrate the production of structured IEDFs in a collisional (200 Pa 1.5 Torr argon) rf hollow cathode discharge. The formation of structures within the IEDFs is explained by an increase in the Arþ ion-neutral mean-free-path and a simultaneous decrease in the phase-averaged sheath extension as the rf voltage frequency increases over 13.56–108.48 MHz for a constant rf voltage amplitude (increasing plasma power) and gas flow rate. Two distinct transitions in the shape of the IEDF are observed at 450 V, corresponding to the formation of “mid-energy” (60–180 eV) structures between 40.68 and 54.24 MHz and additional “high energy” (180 eV) structures between 81.36 and 94.92 MHz, with the structures within each region displaying a distinct sensitivity to the applied voltage amplitude. Transitions between these energy ranges occurred at lower applied voltages for increased applied voltage frequencies, providing increased control of the mean and modal ion energy over a wider voltage range. The capabitlity to extend the range of access to an operational regime, where the structured IEDFs are observed, is desirable for applications that require control of the ion-bombardment energy under collisional plasma conditionsThe work presented herein was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Grant No.: EP/ m508196/1

Low birthweight and preterm birth in young people with special educational needs: a magnetic resonance imaging analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although neuroanatomical and cognitive sequelae of low birthweight and preterm birth have been investigated, little is understood as to the likely prevalence of a history of low birthweight or preterm birth, or neuroanatomical correlates of such a history, within the special educational needs population. Our aim was to address these issues in a sample of young people receiving additional learning support.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred and thirty-seven participants aged 13–22 years, receiving additional learning support, were recruited via their schools or colleges and underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Obstetric records, available in 98 cases, included birthweight and gestational data in 90 and 95 cases, respectively. Both qualitative and quantitative voxel-based analyses of MRI data were conducted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A history of low birthweight and preterm birth was present in 13.3% and 13.7% of cases, respectively. Low birthweight and preterm birth were associated with specific qualitative anomalies, including enlargement of subarachnoid cisterns and thinning of the corpus callosum. Low birthweight was associated with reduced grey matter density (GMD) in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) bilaterally, left inferior temporal gyrus and left insula. Prematurity of birth was associated with reduced GMD in the STG bilaterally, right inferior frontal gyrus and left cerebellar hemisphere. Comparison of subjects with no history of low birthweight or preterm birth with a previously defined control sample of cognitively unimpaired adolescents (<it>n </it>= 72) demonstrated significantly greater scores for several anomalies, including thinning of the corpus callosum, loss of white matter and abnormalities of shape of the lateral ventricles.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although a two-fold increased prevalence of a history of low birthweight and preterm birth exists within the special educational needs population, other aetiological factors must be considered for the overwhelming majority of cases. Neuroanatomical findings within this sample include qualitative anomalies of brain structure and grey matter deficits within temporal lobe structures and the cerebellum that persist into adolescence. These findings suggest a neurodevelopmental mechanism for the cognitive difficulties associated with these obstetric risk factors.</p

Global summer schools: developing multicultural competencies staying at home

International summer schools are a well know approach to improve technical skills as well as to develop multicultural competencies (Lerke, 2020). University students benefit particularly from these as they can also learn specialist knowledge which might inspire them to pursue a specific research topic or to consider options abroad for further education or employment after graduation. The global disruption of COVID-19 prevented international summer schools in 2020 and 2021, and continues to restrict international travel, with some higher education institutions holding a stricter policy to protect students and staff, limiting travel until further notice. A virtual alternative global summer school was coordinated by an international team of universities: Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Biotecnologia (UPIBI-IPN, Mexico), Escuela Nacional de Educacion Superior-Juriquilla (ENES-Juriquilla, Mexico), Universita de Piemonte Orientale-Novara (UPO-Novara, Italy) and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU, UK) to enable students in biomed/biotech/bioeng areas, to experience a virtual summer school, supporting their employability while fostering international academic collaborations between departments. The aim was to deliver an online summer school that would provide an insight into the latest research projects, as much as, allow students to learn about other cultures. The programme was planned for 66% for scientific talks, and 33% cultural talks, the latter including virtual tours of cities, live food sessions, recorded videos of participants performing folkloric dances and introduction to languages. The programme ran over four days, each hosted by a different institution. Prior institutional experience on blended teaching and virtual collaborations allowed the team to run the online school with appropriate technologies to coordinate questions and polls to monitor students’ experience and assess their learning. The official language of the programme was English; speakers, chairs and coordinators connected via zoom, with sessions being watched by 200long-term viewers in Facebook live and Youtube live. Sessions were interactive with quizzes and polls using Kahoot and Vevox, the latter, allowed real time data analysis to compare the perception of students about their multicultural and scientific experience. Finally, students were assessed on the scientific content with a final VLE MCQ, which also allowed one institution (UPO) to award credits for a module, and another institution (MMU) to provide extracurricular points for their RISE Award. Student engagement was constant and feedback showed their satisfaction for attending a summer school that not only exposed them to high-quality international research, but also to other cultures; with data showing 66% of students enjoyed cultural sessions as much as scientific talks (n=35±10). In addition, 95% of students confirmed that they were more likely to travel to one of the hosting countries, and 93% more likely to learn one of the hosting languages after the global summer school, indicating a strong correlation between a virtual international activity, and an inclusive attitude and new-found multicultural proficiency. Despite the success, our current structure should evolve to include virtual spaces to facilitate group work and students’ interactions (de Hei, 2020) to assist intercultural learning and complement the high-quality scientific engagement and the rich cultural exchange

Ionization and neutral gas heating efficiency in radio frequency electrothermal microthrusters

The development of compact, low power, charge-neutral propulsion sources is of significant recent interest due to the rising application of micro-scale satellite platforms. Among such sources, radio frequency (rf) electrothermal microthrusters present an attractive option due to their scalability, reliability, and tunable control of power coupling to the propellant. For micropropulsion applications, where available power is limited, it is of particular importance to understand how electrical power can be transferred to the propellant efficiently, a process that is underpinned by the plasma sheath dynamics. In this work, two-dimensional fluid/Monte Carlo simulations are employed to investigate the effects of applied voltage frequency on the electron, ion, and neutral heating in an rf capacitively coupled plasma microthruster operating in argon. Variations in the electron and argon ion densities and power deposition, and their consequent effect on neutral-gas heating, are investigated with relation to the phase-averaged and phase-resolved sheath dynamics for rf voltage frequencies of 6-108 MHz at 450 V. Driving voltage frequencies above 40.68 MHz exhibit enhanced volumetric ionization from bulk electrons at the expense of the ion heating efficiency. Lower driving voltage frequencies below 13.56 MHz exhibit more efficient ionization due to secondary electrons and an increasing fraction of rf power deposition into ions. Thermal efficiencies are improved by a factor of 2.5 at 6 MHz as compared to the more traditional 13.56 MHz, indicating a favorable operating regime for low power satellite applications

Spatio-temporal plasma heating mechanisms in a radio-frequency electrothermal microthruster

Low-power micro-propulsion sources are currently being developed for a variety of space missions. Electrothermal plasma thrusters are of specific interest since they enable spatial control of the power deposition to the propellant gas. Understanding the mechanisms whereby electrical power is coupled to the propellant will allow for optimization of the heating and fuel efficiencies of electrothermal sources. Previous studies of radio frequency (RF) plasmas have shown a dependence of the gas and electron heating mechanisms on the local collisionality. This is of particular importance to thrusters due to the large pressure gradients that exist between the inlet and outlet when expanding into vacuum. In this work, phase-resolved optical emission spectroscopy and numerical simulations were employed to study plasma heating in an asymmetric RF (13.56 MHz) electrothermal microthruster operating in argon between 186-226 Pa (1.4-1.7 Torr) plenum pressure, and between 130-450 V (0.2-5 W). Three distinct peaks in the phase-resolved Ar(2p 1) electron impact excitation rate were observed, arising from sheath collapse heating, sheath expansion heating, and heating via secondary electron collisions. These experimental findings were corroborated with the results of two-dimensional fluid/Monte Carlo simulations performed using the Hybrid Plasma Equipment Model (HPEM). The influence of each mechanism with respect to the position within the plasma source during an α-γ mode transition, where plasma heating is driven via bulk and sheath heating, respectively, was investigated. Sheath dynamics were found to dictate the electron heating at the inlet and outlet, this is distinct from the center of the thruster where interactions of secondary electrons were found to be the dominant electron heating mechanism. Optimization of the heating mechanisms that contribute to the effective exhaust temperature will directly benefit electrothermal thrusters used on miniaturized satellite platforms