Telling interactive stories: A practice-based investigation into new media interactive storytelling

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Telling Interactive Stories is a practice-based thesis, which theoretically and practically probes the field of digital fictional interactive storytelling. The submission takes the form of the interactive cinema installation Crossed Lines together with a written element of the thesis which interrogates historical, contextual, theoretical, technical and critical aspects of the field of interactive narrative using new media. Crossed Lines is an original fictional interactive AV piece, amalgamating multiform plots, a multi-screen viewing environment, an interactive interface and an interactive story navigation form. The installation tells the stories of nine characters in a way that the viewer can constantly explore and switch between all nine forms, using a telephone keypad and handset as an interface, and can simultaneously observe all characters’ presence between the nine remote locations. Several research methodologies are utilised to analyse and evaluate the installation. Quantitative methodologies include the use of user tracking systems where the computational output of the installation provides measurements and timings of user choices and behaviours. Qualitative methodologies include theoretical and visual analysis, and in depth analysis of user responses using interviews, questionnaires, video recordings and cuttingedge eye-tracking technologies

Transition Portfolio

Teaching self-determination skills has been shown to be successful among those who are from Anglo-Saxon decent. However, not much has been done to study the effects of teaching culturally responsive self-determination skills to those who are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The literature review in this transition portfolio addresses how teaching culturally and linguistically responsive self-determination skills can be useful to help individuals who receive special education services to more fully succeed in a post-high school setting

The impact of a self-directed online resource for parents to recognise and respond to infant’s satiety cues

Introduction: Maternal feeding practices can shape a child’s ability to self-regulate food intake and impact upon the development of a healthy weight. This study examined whether use of a self-directed online ‘Mealtime Mindreading’ responsive feeding resource would influence the response to infant satiety cues. It was hypothesised that, due to parents being more able to recognise and respond to their infants’ satiety cues, fewer satiety cues would be displayed after parental engagement with the resource. Method: Two mealtime observations took place within the participants’ homes for 19 mother-infant dyads (28-38 years, M= 31.3, SD= 2.8; 4-14 months, M= 8.8, SD= 2.9). Between each home visit (2-4 weeks) mothers were asked to engage with the resource via YouTube and to provide feedback regarding accessibility. Frequency of infant satiety cues, rate of acceptance, and gaze were analysed within each mealtime. Results: Behavioural cues, such as turning the head away, were most frequently shown by infants. A statistically significant decrease was found in distraction cues from visit 1 to visit 2. Overall, a trend was observed for fewer satiety cues during visit 2, but no other statistically significant reductions were found with the category (i.e. behavioural or affective) of cues. A statistically significant decrease in rates of early acceptance was found between visits 1 and 2 for only the savoury part of the mealtime. A trend of fewer enforced acceptance and refusal responses were observed at visit 2. Responses within a debrief questionnaire provided positive feedback for the Mealtime Mindreading resource, alongside suggestions for future alterations. Conclusion: Results from this initial feasibility assessment indicate that some small changes in distraction and early acceptance cues were found after use of the Mealtime Mindreading resource. Trends for changes to satiety cues were observed but a larger study needs to be conducted to provide sufficient power to assess the impact of the resource on responsive feeding

William Peckitt’s Great West Window At Exeter Cathedral

Full version unavailable due to 3rd party copyright restrictions.This thesis examines the Great West Window at Exeter Cathedral designed by William Peckitt of York (1731-95). Peckitt was arguably the most important glass designer of the eighteenth century and undertook prestigious commissions at York, Oxford and elsewhere. In 1764 he was contracted by the Dean of Exeter, Jeremiah Milles, to supply glass to complete the restoration of the Cathedral’s glazing and to make the new window, which has often been considered to be his masterpiece. Peckitt’s Great West Window is no longer extant (although portions of it have been salvaged), having been replaced in 1904 with a window, designed by Messrs Burlison and Grylls, which was itself destroyed by enemy action in 1942. The Burlison and Grylls window was more in keeping with the Gothic revival aesthetic typical of the later nineteenth century and its proponents had argued forcefully that Peckitt’s Great West Window was an aberration that needed to be removed. The thesis provides initially an account of the debate that raged in the national press and beyond about the propriety of replacing Peckitt’s window. This documentary evidence gives a valuable insight into attitudes towards the adornment of churches at the turn of the century: should respect for the extant fabric include Peckitt’s one-hundred-and-fifty year-old contribution or should the building be renovated with a modern medieval-revival window. Until recent times it was largely the case that eighteenth-century glass was regarded as wholly inferior to the medieval glass that preceded it and it is widely accepted that glass making in Britain only recovered with the nineteenth-century Gothic revival and the modern glass that followed it. In this thesis it is suggested that the denigration of eighteenth-century glass and in particular that of William Peckitt at Exeter, ignores its qualities, practical and intellectual, and the Great West Window is used to reveal the seriousness of such endeavours. Peckitt’s work is positioned within the context of the particular circumstances of the restoration of Exeter Cathedral in the mid-eighteenth century under two successive Deans, Charles Lyttelton and the aforementioned Jeremiah Milles, both of whom were nationally significant antiquarian scholars. Peckitt was knowledgeable about medieval glass techniques, worked sensitively in restoring medieval glass and when designing a completely new window for the Cathedral worked closely with Milles to provide an iconographical scheme that was appropriate for the Cathedral, its history and its patrons. The evidence brought forward suggests that it is wrong to presume that glass designers like Peckitt had little understanding of medieval glass manufacture nor any interest in using the medium of glass appropriately in the context of a medieval building

Variation in rates of age-related change in skeletal tissue in a Romano-British population

1228 skeletons from the Romano-British cemetery at Poundbury have been used to compare methods of assessment of age at death on archaeological material. The main aim was to evaluate the potential use of methods based on cortical bone structure and of the occurrence of degenerative joint disease in the spine. Changes in cortical bone do not proceed linearly with age, so methods currently available, which are based of single regression equations, are inadequate. The measures of bone structure are found to be useful in conjunction with other methods in terms of calibration. The expectations of greater variation in bone structure measurements amongst males was not observed. In the case of cortical thickness exactly the reverse is found. Possible explanations are discussed. Degenerative joint disease of the spine offers a promising means of age assessment as it is found to increase in incidence, severity and extent with age. Males show a faster rate of deg,3neration than females particularly in extent. The best measure indicated is the combined number of facet and disc joints affected in the lumbar region

Fragmented Time and Domiciliary Care Quality

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the marketization of domiciliary care, its consequences for employment practice, specifically fragmented time, and the implications for care quality. Design/methodology/approach – Focus groups and face-to-face or telephone interviews were conducted with care commissioners, service providers and care workers across Wales. There were 113 participants in total. Findings – These demonstrate fragmented time’s negative consequences for service providers, care workers and, ultimately, care quality. Research limitations/implications – No care recipients were interviewed and care quality was explored through the perceptions of other stakeholders. Social implications – For policy makers, tensions are evidenced between aspirations for high-quality care and commissioning practice that mitigates against it. Current care commissioning practices need urgent review. Originality/value – The research extends the definition of fragmented time and integrates with a model of care quality to demonstrate its negative consequences. Links between employment practice and care quality have only previously been hinted at

Inside-the-scenes: The rise of experiential cinema

This article introduces this themed section which focusses on the growing trend toward the creation of a cinema that escapes beyond the boundaries of the auditorium whereby film-screenings are augmented by synchronous live performance, site-specific locations, technological intervention, social media engagement, and all manner of simultaneous interactive moments including singing, dancing, eating, drinking and smelling – what we are describing as the broader field of experiential cinema

The Emotional Curriculum of Climate Justice Education: An Existential Toolkit

While we tend to focus on the physical impacts of climate change, our ecological crisis is also taking a significant emotional toll. This executive summary outlines ways that anxiety, fear, hopelessness and guilt impact student learning in environmental studies (ESS) programs, and immobilizes young people from getting engaged in climate solutions. We also suggest that ESS curriculum is itself partly responsible for these spiraling emotions among students. In response to the need to better understand this emotional register of teaching and learning about our climate crisis, we outline a set of college-level teaching strategies – titled “An Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice” – whose purpose is to help students and educators develop the resilience to cope with our climate emergency