Effective online interaction: mapping course design to bridge from research to practice

Quantitative and qualitative research of a case study course confirmed that the course achieved a highly interactive learning experience, associated with more effective student support and high student retention. Computer conferencing achieved high participation from the beginning and evidence of dialogue and argumentation within online tutor groups. This was achieved not by active tutor moderation but by a sequence of structured tasks. Compendium mind mapping software has been used to represent the design of this sequence of tasks and this has refined interpretation of the research findings. The positive outcomes identified relate not purely to computer conferencing but to an integration of individual and group tasks feeding forward into a well-designed assignment. The usability of case study data relates to the ability of practitioners to compare their own context with that of the case. The visual representation of the design of the task sequence is providing a better bridge from the research to the practice context than the use of general description of findings alone. This is particularly important in an area which has generated a range of sometimes conflicting findings, with weak links to the challenges of course design

Online learning in the workplace: a hybrid model of participation in networked, professional learning

The design and conceptualisation of online learning environments for work-related, professional learning was addressed through research with users of an online environment for social workers. The core questions for the research were to identify the nature of participation in the online environment, the relationship between online participation and the offline context, and the implications for conceptualisation of online learning environments to support work-related learning. Key areas of the research literature in technology-enhanced and work related learning are discussed in order to position the study, to inform the research methods used and interpretation of the findings. Online participation needs to be understood as a hybrid concept, in that it is a reflection of offline roles, opportunities and pressures, as well as the usefulness, usability and relevance of what is online. Online participation was diverse, from short browsing for information to more reflective engagement that supported movement across the boundaries between roles and areas of work practice and a focus on practice skills and underlying values. Online sites intended to support work-related learning should start from the perspective of the socio-technical interaction network, with its emphasis on building in the social context at all stages in the life of a site

Educational technology: does pedagogy still matter?

Failure to transform educational institutions through the use of new technologies has been blamed on the continuation of outmoded pedagogy. However, the new spaces opened up by using technology are leading to new pedagogical approaches and an expansion in its role. Three areas currently important for European educational technologists are explored in relation to their implications for pedagogy: Open educational resources, learning design, and mobile learning. Each has fostered new forms of pedagogical creativity. Pedagogy is necessary at many stages in implementation, across stakeholders and user groups, and has new tools with which it can specify learner activity and make its own processes explicit to others. Pedagogy may be a difficult term, with its hints of top-down control, but its core meaning of facilitating learning is more important than ever. Here also is the key to sustainability. Learner needs change and opportunities created by technology also change and interact dynamically. Effective learning can only be sustained by a proactive pedagogy, working creatively with technology

The effect of an immersive environment on basic life support quality in trained clinicians

Introduction and purpose: With an emergence of new technology being used in medicine and medical teams practicing key skills in immersive environments, the purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an immersive environment on medical professionals’ ability and experience of giving basic life support. Materials and Methods: Seven medical professionals (minimum qualification of ITMMIF) completed basic life support in an immersive (CAVE; football pitch with audio) and classroom environment. The trials were completed in a randomised order and interspersed by 5 minutes. The basic life support included reacting to a sudden collapse with no signs of life. Outcomes included an observational analysis, quantitative cardiopulmonary resuscitation (QCPR), feeling scale, felt arousal scale, and attentional focus questionnaire. Quantitative data was analysed using standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals. Results: In immersion, participants feeling scale score was lower (SMD=-0.490.69, small) and state of arousal was moderately higher (SMD=0.750.77). The results from the attentional focus questionnaire suggested immersion induced higher association (SMD=-0.360.64) and lower distress (SMD=-0.960.83). The immersive environment results in a higher QCRP total score (SMD=0.330.63), suggesting a small beneficial effect. Observational notes revealed a rushed approach and multiple key errors (e.g., delayed application of the AED) when in immersion. Participants expressed the view that the immersion enabled them to “focus on the task at hand” and feel “switched on”, whilst in the classroom, some felt under pressure and as though they were “put under a spotlight”. Conclusion: Our results suggest that an immersive environment alters participants’ feelings towards the scenario, has a small effect of QCPR scores, and is perceived to be beneficial for focusing on an emergency scenario despite resulting in some errors. These findings might have important implication for future training of medical professionals working in sporting environments where visual and audible stimulus is high

Intuitiveness of Symbol Features for Air Traffic Management

We present the results of two online surveys asking participants to indicate what type of air traffic information might be conveyed by a number of symbols and symbol features (color, fill, text, and shape). The results of this initial study suggest that the well-developed concepts of ownership, altitude, and trajectory are readily associated with certain symbol features, while the relatively novel concept of equipage was not clearly associated with any specific symbol feature

Influence of Jail Incarceration and Homelessness Patterns on Engagement in HIV Care and HIV Viral Suppression among New York City Adults Living with HIV/AIDS

Objectives Both homelessness and incarceration are associated with housing instability, which in turn can disrupt continuity of HIV medical care. Yet, their impacts have not been systematically assessed among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Methods We studied a retrospective cohort of 1,698 New York City PLWHA with both jail incarceration and homelessness during 2001–05 to evaluate whether frequent transitions between jail incarceration and homelessness were associated with a lower likelihood of continuity of HIV care during a subsequent one-year follow-up period. Using matched jail, single-adult homeless shelter, and HIV registry data, we performed sequence analysis to identify trajectories of these events and assessed their influence on engagement in HIV care and HIV viral suppression via marginal structural modeling. Results Sequence analysis identified four trajectories; 72% of the cohort had sporadic experiences of both brief incarceration and homelessness, whereas others experienced more consistent incarceration or homelessness during early or late months. Trajectories were not associated with differential engagement in HIV care during follow-up. However, compared with PLWHA experiencing early bouts of homelessness and later minimal incarceration/homelessness events, we observed a lower prevalence of viral suppression among PLWHA with two other trajectories: those with sporadic, brief occurrences of incarceration/homelessness (0.67, 95% CI = 0.50,0.90) and those with extensive incarceration experiences (0.62, 95% CI = 0.43,0.88). Conclusions Housing instability due to frequent jail incarceration and homelessness or extensive incarceration may exert negative influences on viral suppression. Policies and services that support housing stability should be strengthened among incarcerated and sheltered PLWHA to reduce risk of adverse health conditions

Formation of o-Tyrosine and Dityrosine in Proteins during Radiolytic and Metal-catalyzed Oxidation

To evaluate their usefulness as chemical indicators of cumulative oxidative damage to proteins, we studied the kinetics and extent of formation of ortho-tyrosine (0-Tyr), dityrosine (DT), and dityrosine-like fluorescence (Ex = 3 17 nm, E,,, = 407 nm) in the model proteins RNase and lysozyme exposed to radiolytic and metalcatalyzed (H20z/Cu2+) oxidation (MCO). Although there were protein-dependent differences, o-Tyr, DT, and fluorescence increased coordinately during oxidation of the proteins in both oxidation systems. The contribution of DT to total dityrosine-like fluorescence in oxidized proteins varied from 2-10070, depending on the protein, type of oxidation, and extent of oxidative damage. In proteins exposed to MCO, DT typically accounted for \u3e50% of the fluorescence at DT wavelengths. These studies indicate that o-Tyr and DT should be useful chemical markers of cumulative exposure of proteins to MCO in vitro and in vivo