Managing and sharing e-learning resources: how repositories can help

The extensive and growing use of online resources and materials in learning and teaching presents new opportunities and benefits to institutions. Technology has made the sharing and re-use of resources easier, and institutions and their staff can exploit the benefits within their working practices. Alongside this, institutional policies and processes may need updating to take into account the corresponding changes in management approach and systems provision. This is a Briefing Paper from JISC (UK Joint Information Systems Committee)sent to all UK HE and FE institutions

Developing Repositories at Worcester

The paper is a short report on the JISC-funded DRaW project written by the Project Director Andrew Rothery on behalf of the project team. The project has run for two years and finishes 31 March 2009. During that time considerable progress has been made establishing online repositories for staff publications and for learning and teaching materials, and a co-ordinated support structure has been put into place to underpin the growing culture of repository use at the university. Dealing with educational material has proved to be the most difficult aspect to deal with but the project team has identified what needs to be done in future to create a more satisfactory approach to managing learning and teaching resources

On-line Repositories for Learning and Teaching: Putting People First.

This short paper outlines the development of a new style of online repository carried out at the University of Worcester in collaboration with the University of Southampton. The work was part funded by JISC and the initial development took place during 2009 - 2010. The new approach is one in which the needs of the user, and the whole orientation of the user interface is user-centred, rather than resource-centred, in the spirit of Web 2.0. The accompanying powerpoint was presented to the EUNIS conference in June 2010 by Viv Bell on behalf of both authors

Is there a role for online repositories in e-Learning?

Many universities across Europe are introducing, or thinking of introducing, an online repository for learning and teaching materials. Evidence from development projects in the UK suggests that tutors are willing to share resources with each other. Yet they do not at present make much use of online repositories. Why is this? What can be done? Are repositories a good idea? Our article will explore and answer these questions. The authors together lead a project called “Developing Repositories at Worcester” (DRaW) funded by the UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)

Information for Learning Resources' Webwriters

An amalgamation of resources that will be useful for LR webwriters who are moving their web documents to RADA

E-Learning in Europe: Moving Forward

Based on the work of the EUNIS E-learning Task Force, this paper reports on and explores the way e-learning is developing across the European community. Information was gained from a survey of EUNIS members, and includes contributions from the E-Learning Task Force groups who investigated a range of topics. The paper outlines common issues and typical development projects underway in Europe. For example, a major theme reported by EUNIS member universities is the change from “choosing” to “using” e-learning platforms. The paper also reports on future activities and progress of the E-Learning Task Force

Wider Horizons: a regional portal for lifelong learning

The paper describes the development of a major new regional online service. Our project is creating an online educational environment open to students and members of the public to provide them with services and information they need to progress from one form of education to another within the local region. The project is being carried out at the University of Worcester in collaboration with the Hereford and Worcester Lifelong Learning Network, one of a series of networks set up across the UK. We hope that the outcome of our project will lead to setting up of similar systems in other regions, and indeed, in other parts of Europe

Left Behind, Looking Forward’: The 2019 General Election, the Red Wall and the Labour Party

In December 2019, the Labour Party suffered its worst electoral defeat since 1935. This brought about a substantial loss of seats in the North and Midlands, Labour’s Red Wall, previously considered the party’s loyal heartlands. In contrast, the Conservatives secured not only an 80-seat majority but more votes from working-class people than their traditional supporters, the middleclass. The question of why Labour’s Red Wall collapsed in such dramatic circumstances becamea key question following the 2019 election and is the topic for this thesis. Critical to understanding the events of 2019, three key theoretical areas are examined. Firstly, who the working-class are and how societal changes caused by deindustrialisation, neoliberalism and globalisation caused their disempowerment politically, economically and in terms of identity. Next the thesis considers the impact of these changes on voting behaviour as class and party alignment declined in favour of valence issues, and the positional model, now based on cultural values. Finally, it outlines theory based on the rise of populism, in light of the disempowerment of the working-class. Set against these theoretical contexts, the thesis links this to why the Red Wall fell using empirical data gathered from those who experienced it. Firstly, it examines the disempowerment of the working-class and Labour’s perceived role in this, creating a feeling of being ‘left behind’. Next it discusses how Labour failed to respond to this situation, exacerbating the sense of being ‘left behind’. Lastly, it considers Jeremy Corbyn’s policy offer at the 2019 general election in comparison to Boris Johnson’s, giving an explanation as to why the working-class in the Red Wall voted for the now populist Conservative party under Boris Johnson, promising to re-empower the working-class. The thesis concludes by considering the implications of the findings and ‘looking forward’ to Labour’s possible post pandemic future. Using the theoretical themes as a focus, it firstly outlines how Labour may be able to re-empower the working-class in the Red Wall through engagement with voters. It also suggests how Labour can develop policies that respond to the changes in voting behaviour over recent years and offer unifying populist style projects in answer to the rise in populism. These suggestions are one step towards an alternative re-empowerment of the lost voters in the Red Wall for the Labour Party

Some considerations of strong, electromagnetic and gravitational interactions of Hadrons

Imperial Users onl

Exploring Young Carers’ Experiences of Education

Background The term young carer is relatively new but a focus on young carers in policy and legislation within the United Kingdom has highlighted the need to identify and work with young carers. Though definitions of the term ‘young carer’ and the exact number of young carers across the country vary considerably by study, there is beginning to be an increase in young carer research. The current research sought to find out about the educational experiences of school age young carers, an area which has little information which focuses specifically on the United Kingdom and its education system. Methods Four participants were part of the current research, all of whom met the set criteria that they needed to be a young carer of school age. Two of the participants attended primary schools, with the other two attending secondary schools. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with each participant online. Findings were explored through the use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Findings Three superordinate themes were identified from the analysis: protective factors, adversity and the impact of caring and, lastly support through education. Conclusions All of the young carers spoke positively about school and they could identify what support they thought would help them the most in school as a young carer. The findings are discussed in relation to previous young carer research and psychological theories which underpin the current research. There are suggestions for future practice and implications for the work of Educational Psychologists, particularly in relation to the work Educational Psychologists carry out in conjunction with young carers, schools and families