Learning development mentor provision – how it’s going

Continuing from the presentation in 2022 (see Thomas and Mansfield, 2022), the University of Northampton Learning Development Team used this session to share how the second year of their Learning Development Mentor Project has progressed. Our session discussed the impact of utilising student mentors on the provision of our service with the objective of reducing barriers to accessing support. Our nine Learning Development Mentors (LDMs) replicate that of Price et al.’s (2018) Student Learning Assistant Model where we offer support to students from any disciplinary subject via drop-ins, tutorials and other formal events. All LDMs are current second- and third-year students and work four or six hours a week to supplement the LD provision by offering a peer perspective to academic and study skills. Furthermore, they are seeping into spaces unable to be penetrated by Learning Development. The talk evaluated how the role was co-created with the LD Mentors and the benefits and impact it has had on the LD provision. We discussed how the Learning Development tutors, mentors and users of the service differentiate the roles. In addition, the impact of the following projects which the LDMs have been involved with was considered:•University of Northampton Plagiarism Awareness Course (UNPAC). •Social media and marketing outputs. •Pathways project to support students’ understanding of Learning Development and how to access the service.•Other institutional events such as open days, exam ready project and many more. The conference presentation will describe how we have navigated the project and how measuring impact with the project is not always straightforward

Pilots' use of a traffic alert and collision-avoidance system (TCAS 2) in simulated air carrier operations. Volume 2: Appendices

Pilots' use of and responses to a traffic alert and collision-avoidance system (TCAS 2) in simulated air carrier line operations are discribed in Volume 1. TCAS 2 monitors the positions of nearby aircraft by means of transponder interrogation, and it commands a climb or descent which conflicting aircraft are projected to reach an unsafe closest point-of-approach within 20 to 25 seconds. A different level of information about the location of other air traffic was presented to each of three groups of flight crews during their execution of eight simulated air carrier flights. A fourth group of pilots flew the same segments without TCAS 2 equipment. Traffic conflicts were generated at intervals during the flights; many of the conflict aircraft were visible to the flight crews. The TCAS equipment successfully ameliorated the seriousness of all conflicts; three of four non-TCAS crews had hazardous encounters. Response times to TCAS maneuver commands did not differ as a function of the amount of information provided, nor did response accuracy. Differences in flight experience did not appear to contribute to the small performance differences observed. Pilots used the displays of conflicting traffic to maneuver to avoid unseen traffic before maneuver advisories were issued by the TCAS equipment. The results indicate: (1) that pilots utilize TCAS effectively within the response times allocated by the TCAS logic, and (2) that TCAS 2 is an effective collision avoidance device. Volume 2 contains the appendices referenced in Volume 1, providing details of the experiment and the results, and the text of two reports written in support of the program

Pilots' use of a traffic alert and collision-avoidance system (TCAS 2) in simulated air carrier operations. Volume 1: Methodology, summary and conclusions

Pilots' use of and responses to a traffic alert and collision-avoidance system (TCAS 2) in simulated air carrier line operations are described in Volume 1. TCAS 2 monitors the positions of nearby aircraft by means of transponder interrogation, and it commands a climb or descent when conflicting aircraft are projected to reach an unsafe closest point-of-approach within 20 to 25 seconds. A different level of information about the location of other air traffic was presented to each of three groups of flight crews during their execution of eight simulated air carrier flights. A fourth group of pilots flew the same segments without TCAS 2 equipment. Traffic conflicts were generated at intervals during the flights; many of the conflict aircraft were visible to the flight crews. The TCAS equipment successfully ameliorated the seriousness of all conflicts; three of four non-TCAS crews had hazardous encounters. Response times to TCAS maneuver commands did not differ as a function of the amount of information provided, nor did response accuracy. Differences in flight experience did not appear to contribute to the small performance differences observed. Pilots used the displays of conflicting traffic to maneuver to avoid unseen traffic before maneuver advisories were issued by the TCAS equipment. The results indicate: (1) that pilots utilize TCAS effectively within the response times allocated by the TCAS logic, and (2) that TCAS 2 is an effective collision avoidance device. Volume II contains the appendices referenced in Volume I, providing details of the experiment and the results, and the text of two reports written in support of the program

Performance in E-Learning Courses --Just What Makes It Happen?

This paper reports the results of a study of college students in the US that examined specific learner characteristics affecting satisfaction with e-learning courses. It finds that satisfaction is largely governed by the degree to which one is confident in one’s ability to regulate the factors that influence course work and one’s goals in taking them. These goals can be both in terms of grades and results or a perception that the course has added value to their education experience. The findings suggest that not all people are suited to e-learning and institutions need to find ways to identify and encourage efficacious characteristics in the students. It also has some implications for those offering IS courses online

Working outside the box: breaking down barriers with a Learning Development Peer Mentor scheme

Peer learning is simply described as students from similar social groupings helping each other to learn (Topping, 2007). A recent document by the European Centre for Supplemental Instruction-Peer Assisted Study Sessions (SI PASS) (2019) highlighted that 32 universities in the UK provide a system of peer support, and these vary both in how they operate and their nomenclature: schemes could be framed as peer assisted learning, peer assisted study sessions or peer mentoring. Our aim was to create a supplementary, peer-led service which provides students with engaging, timely guidance and develops effective learning relationships based on parity and equality (Collier, 2015). We decided to use a similar approach to the Student Learning Assistant model of Price et al. (2019), where the Learning Development (LD) Mentors offer support to students from any disciplinary subject. Eight students were recruited and funded to offer peer support to all students within the institution. All are current second-and third-year students who work four hours per week supplementing the LD provision via a daily drop-in as well as leading ongoing projects and tasks, including resource development and evaluation. A key driver is reaching students who do not currently use the LD provision by developing resources in physical spaces and digital platforms previously unused in our work (e.g.,in student halls and using platforms like Discord and TikTok). We will offer a perspective on the benefits and issues encountered when working with LD mentors, evaluate how the role was co-created with the students and assess the impact it has had on wider student engagement

Advising Experiences of First Year International Doctoral Students

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how international doctoral students were matched with their faculty advisors and how their advising experiences and satisfaction were shaped by their academic discipline. We applied the lens of developmental advising to situate the advising experiences of our sample because of the framework’s emphasis on holistic support and student development. We conducted individual semistructured interviews with 21 international doctoral students attending a large research-intensive university in the Southeast. Most participants were assigned to an interim advisor, but the data revealed concerning differences in the type of advising experiences and support based on academic discipline. This study contributes to the body of literature by exploring advisor–advisee matching among international doctoral students and by further analyzing how disciplinary cultures shape perceptions of satisfaction with advising

Assessment of the Impact of Window Size, Position and Orientation on Building Energy Load Using BIM

AbstractIn improving energy efficiency of buildings, windows play a significant role as they largely influence the energy load. Although there are many studies about the energy efficient window design, a rigorous study is missing which analyzes the mutual impact of windows’ size, position and orientation on the energy load. This study aims to address this gap through a case study on a single family house. For this aim, 65 different design scenarios are created which vary by window size, position and orientation. Building information models (BIMs) are created for each scenario via Autodesk Revit®, and are used for the calculation of the total energy load conducted by Autodesk Green Building Studio®. In the first analysis stage, window-to-wall ratio (WWR) and the windows’ position are studied to assess their effect on the energy load. The preliminary results at this stage indicate that the total energy load increases when the WWR grows, and the windows’ position has the biggest impact on the load when the WWR is 20. Using these results, in the next stage, the position of windows in different orientation is studied to assess how the energy load changes by windows’ position in each orientation. The results show that the building requires the lowest load when the windows are located in the middle height in all orientations, and the east windows’ positioning affects the total energy load the most

The use of computer aided lung sound analysis to characterise lung sounds in a healthy population

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Estimation of Excess Mortality Rates Among US Assisted Living Residents During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The devastating effects of COVID-19 among older adults residing in long-term care settings have been well documented.1 Although much attention has been paid to COVID-19–associated mortality in nursing homes,2 less is understood about its effects on assisted living residents. Most assisted living residents are aged 80 years or older and many have multiple chronic illnesses, making them highly susceptible to poor outcomes of COVID-19.3 This study examines the excess mortality among a US cohort of assisted living residents during the COVID-19 pandemic