Cultural Studies

Article

Developing the capacity of researchers for collaborative working

PurposeThe complexities and challenges inherent in research often require collaborative rather than solitary or team‐based forms of working. This paper seeks to open new perspectives onto the nature of collaborative research and onto strategies for developing the capacity of researchers to engage in it.Design/methodology/approachThe paper outlines a speculative model of collaborative working in higher education that is rooted in critical realist perspectives, using it to ground a conceptual analysis of a stage model of expertise for collaborative working taken from the researcher development framework (RDF) developed in the UK by the organisation Vitae.FindingsThe paper highlights the contribution that theory can make to the practice of researcher development, drawing out the relevance of personal engagement, professional dialogue and collaborative vehicles to support shared practice in pursuit of mutual goals. In this way, it identifies gaps within the stage model that pertain to relational, disciplinary, situational and other elements. The paper articulates insights for the development of the capacity of researchers for collaborative working that prioritise dialogue that is situated within given contexts for research. The analysis draws out implications for the development of collaborative capacity of such notions as corporate agency and collaborative reach.Originality/valueThis paper articulates a novel approach to conceptualising capacity for collaborative research and offers a theoretical critique of a given descriptor taken from Vitae's RDF. As such it assists in developing the scholarly basis for the field of researcher development.</jats:sec

Problem based learning in practice:listening to lecturers - an investigation of academics’ perceptions and practice concerning problem based learning

SHEER2 Final report S. MacAndrew et al October 2008 This report is aimed at a general readership. It will be of interest to lecturers, educational developers and senior managers in universities. The further reading section provides more specific detail on background literature and context. Aim The study investigates academics’ perceptions and practice concerning problem based learning. Our aims are best summarised by our research questions. These were: 1. How do lecturers perceive problem based learning? 2. What is lecturers’ working definition of problem based learning? 3. What are lecturers’ opinions on the effectiveness or otherwise of problem based learning? 4. What are lecturers’ observations concerning the student experience of problem based learning? 5. What materials do lecturers typically use during problem based learning sessions? Method Twenty-one academics at the Abertay University, the University of Dundee and the University of the West of Scotland and two academics from Temple University, Philadelphia USA volunteered to participate in open ended participant-led discussions about the nature of problem based learning and its use in teaching. The sessions included both group and individual discussions arising from a predetermined set of facilitating questions (see Appendix 1). The disciplines represented included biology, chemistry, contemporary science, construction and the environment, creative technology, engineering, food technology, nursing, nutrition, physical activity and health, psychology, and sport and sport coaching. A university careers advisor and the business director of a multimedia teaching space also participated. The lecturers ranged in experience from newly appointed lecturers at the start of their teaching careers to experienced lecturers to lecturers in senior management positions. Participants were willing to have their comments paraphrased or quoted verbatim. Findings This report is based on written records of the data collection sessions. Specific topics raised by participants are summarised and structured below. Consideration of all of the responses reveals six approaches adopted by academics when preparing problem based learning material. These approaches are as follows: • Operational focus • Knowledge focus • Graduate attribute focus • Relative contribution focus • Student engagement focus • Student self-monitoring focus Appendix 2 details methodological considerations of relevance to this report. Implications The specific comments of the participants provide a unique window into academics’ current thinking concerning the use of problem based learning. The seven approaches detailed here could provide a template for designing PGCert material to facilitate academics. This material could be focused to assist lecturers in developing their own individual approach to creating problem based learning material in their teaching. Executive summar

Enhancing the teaching and learning experience of distance education through the use of synchronous online tutorials.

Oscail, Distance Education, Dublin City University is at the forefront, like many other distance education providers, in its commitment to adopting new technologies to improve the teaching and learning experience of their students (Cakir and Basak, 2004). Social interaction has been found to contribute positively to knowledge construction, higher order learning (Vygotsky, 1975 ed), achievement (Hrastinski, 2009) and successful completion (Rosenberg 2001, Salmon 2000). Advances in technology have facilitated an enhanced teaching and learning experience for distance education together with the opportunity for social interaction, an aspect often missing from traditional distance education. Following an evaluation of several web conferencing tools, Dublin City University opted to adopt Wimba Classroom to provide live, virtual tutorials. In 2010/2011, Wimba was piloted in the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree programme and the outcomes of this project were reported at the 2011 EADTU conference. Following the positive outcome of the pilot project, synchronous online tutorials were introduced to all Oscail programmes in 2011/2012. The use of Wimba was extended to include webinars, student presentations and student feedback sessions and to provide students with the opportunity to engage in social interaction and knowledge construction. This paper will reflect on the subsequent student and tutor experience of teaching and learning within Wimba. It will evaluate if the findings of the pilot project translated to the larger provision of online tutorials

Spinal cord stimulators and radiotherapy: First case report and practice guidelines

Spinal cord stimulators (SCS) are a well-recognised treatment modality in the management of a number of chronic neuropathic pain conditions, particularly failed back syndrome and radiculopathies. The implantable pulse generator (IPG) component of the SCS is designed and operates in a similar fashion to that of a cardiac pacemaker. The IPG consists of an electrical generator, lithium battery, transmitter/receiver and a minicomputer. When stimulated, it generates pulsed electrical signals which stimulate the dorsal columns of the spinal cord, thus alleviating pain. Analogous to a cardiac pacemaker, it can be potentially damaged by ionising radiation from a linear accelerator, in patients undergoing radiotherapy. Herein we report our clinical management of the first reported case of a patient requiring adjuvant breast radiotherapy who had a SCS in situ. We also provide useful practical recommendations on the management of this scenario within a radiation oncology department

Intensive care utilisation and outcomes after high-risk surgery in Scotland: a population based cohort study.

Chief Scientist’s Office Scotland (grant no. CHZ/821/4)

The man who used to shrug – one man’s lived experience of TBI

BACKGROUND: Stress is common to the experience of TBI. Stressors challenge physical and psychological coping abilities and undermine wellbeing. Brain injury constitutes a specific chronic stressor. An issue that hinders the usefulness of a stress-based approach to brain injury is a lack of semantic clarity attaching to the term stress. A more precise conceptualisation of stress that embraces experienced uncertainty is allostasis. OBJECTIVE: An emerging body of research, collectively identifiable as ‘the social cure’ literature, shows that the groups that people belong to can promote adjustment, coping, and well-being amongst individuals confronted with injuries, illnesses, traumas, and stressors. The idea is deceptively simple, yet extraordinarily useful: the sense of self that individuals derive from belonging to social groups plays a key role in determining health and well-being. The objective of this research was to apply a social cure perspective to a consideration of an individual’s lived experience of TBI. METHODS: In a novel application of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) this research has investigated one person’s lived experience in a single case study of traumatic brain injury. RESULTS: Paradox, shifting perspectives and self under stress, linked by uncertainty, were the themes identified. CONCLUSIONS: A relational approach must be key to TBI rehabilitation

Investigation of the molecular profile of basal cell carcinoma using whole genome microarrays

BACKGROUND: Skin cancer accounts for 1/3 of all newly diagnosed cancer. Although seldom fatal, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is associated with severe disfigurement and morbidity. BCC has a unique interest for researchers, as although it is often locally invasive, it rarely metastasises. This paper, reporting the first whole genome expression microarray analysis of skin cancer, aimed to investigate the molecular profile of BCC in comparison to non-cancerous skin biopsies. RNA from BCC and normal skin specimens was analysed using Affymetrix whole genome microarrays. A Welch t-test was applied to data normalised using dCHIP to identify significant differentially-expressed genes between BCC and normal specimens. Principal component analysis and support vector machine analysis were performed on resulting genelists, Genmapp was used to identify pathways affected, and GOstat aided identification of areas of gene ontology more highly represented on these lists than would be expected by chance. RESULTS: Following normalisation, specimens clustered into groups of BCC specimens and of normal skin specimens. Of the 54,675 gene transcripts/variants analysed, 3,921 were differentially expressed between BCC and normal skin specimens. Of these, 2,108 were significantly up-regulated and 1,813 were statistically significantly down-regulated in BCCs. CONCLUSION: Functional gene sets differentially expressed include those involved in transcription, proliferation, cell motility, apoptosis and metabolism. As expected, members of the Wnt and hedgehog pathways were found to be significantly different between BCC and normal specimens, as were many previously undescribed changes in gene expression between normal and BCC specimens, including basonuclin2 and mrp9. Quantitative-PCR analysis confirmed our microarray results, identifying novel potential biomarkers for BCC