Personal development planning in the first year

The approach to quality and standards in higher education (HE) in Scotland is enhancement led and learner centred. It was developed through a partnership of the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), Universities Scotland, the National Union of Students in Scotland (NUS Scotland) and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) Scotland. The Higher Education Academy has also joined that partnership. The Enhancement Themes are a key element of a five-part framework, which has been designed to provide an integrated approach to quality assurance and enhancement. The Enhancement Themes support learners and staff at all levels in further improving higher education in Scotland; they draw on developing innovative practice within the UK and internationally The five elements of the framework are: z a comprehensive programme of subject-level reviews undertaken by higher education institutions (HEIs) themselves; guidance is published by the SFC (www.sfc.ac.uk) z enhancement-led institutional review (ELIR), run by QAA Scotland (www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/ELIR) z improved forms of public information about quality; guidance is provided by the SFC (www.sfc.ac.uk) z a greater voice for students in institutional quality systems, supported by a national development service - student participation in quality scotland (sparqs) (www.sparqs.org.uk) z a national programme of Enhancement Themes aimed at developing and sharing good practice to enhance the student learning experience, facilitated by QAA Scotland (www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk). The topics for the Enhancement Themes are identified through consultation with the sector and implemented by steering committees whose members are drawn from the sector and the student body. The steering committees have the task of establishing a programme of development activities, which draw on national and international good practice. Publications emerging from each Theme are intended to provide important reference points for HEIs in the ongoing strategic enhancement of their teaching and learning provision. Full details of each Theme, its steering committee, the range of research and development activities as well as the outcomes are published on the Enhancement Themes website (www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk). To further support the implementation and embedding of a quality enhancement culture within the sector - including taking forward the outcomes of the Enhancement Themes - an overarching committee, the Scottish Higher Education Enhancement Committee (SHEEC), chaired by Professor Kenneth Miller, Vice-Principal, University of Strathclyde, has the important dual role of supporting the overall approach of the Enhancement Themes, including the five-year rolling plan, as well as institutional enhancement strategies and management of quality. SHEEC, working with the individual topic-based Enhancement Themes' steering committees, will continue to provide a powerful vehicle for progressing the enhancement-led approach to quality and standards in Scottish higher education

Understanding learner engagement on a blended course including a MOOC

The authors would like to acknowledge the work of the large team behind the MOOC ‘Africa: Sustainable Development for All?’ which was led by Professor Hilary Homans. Thanks are also due to the students who participated in the UKES, and particularly those who contributed to the focus groups.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Development of English Parliamentary Judicature, 1604-1626

This thesis studies the development of the power of judicature which was exercised jointly by the two Houses of Parliament in the early seventeenth century. It examines this against the background of the medieval procedural inheritance from the century after 1350 when a somewhat similar power was being exercised by Parliament; and it also sets the seventeenth-century development alongside the growth in the jurisdiction of each House separately in the early Stuart period. This study is concerned primarily with procedural developments, but the political circumstances from which these are derived are not completely ignored. It is argued that there was, in the early seventeenth century, a general but cautious expansion in the judicial activities of both Houses, together and separately. In this expansion, the revival of joint judicature is probably the most important theme, but it cannot be isolated from the remainder, upon which, as upon the medieval inheritance, it is, to some extent, dependent. It is suggested that joint judicature developed in a flexible and varied manner, responding more to the needs of the moment than to ary long-term objectives, evidence for the existence of which is lacking. This thesis also questions the view that joint judicature was revived in ary very mature form in 1621. It is argued that this opinion conceals the very important procedural developments which occurred during the trials of the 1620s, developments which may point to a change in the type of procedure used as the trials of the period became more openly political in character

The Development of English Parliamentary Judicature, 1604-1626

This thesis studies the development of the power of judicature which was exercised jointly by the two Houses of Parliament in the early seventeenth century. It examines this against the background of the medieval procedural inheritance from the century after 1350 when a somewhat similar power was being exercised by Parliament; and it also sets the seventeenth-century development alongside the growth in the jurisdiction of each House separately in the early Stuart period. This study is concerned primarily with procedural developments, but the political circumstances from which these are derived are not completely ignored. It is argued that there was, in the early seventeenth century, a general but cautious expansion in the judicial activities of both Houses, together and separately. In this expansion, the revival of joint judicature is probably the most important theme, but it cannot be isolated from the remainder, upon which, as upon the medieval inheritance, it is, to some extent, dependent. It is suggested that joint judicature developed in a flexible and varied manner, responding more to the needs of the moment than to ary long-term objectives, evidence for the existence of which is lacking. This thesis also questions the view that joint judicature was revived in ary very mature form in 1621. It is argued that this opinion conceals the very important procedural developments which occurred during the trials of the 1620s, developments which may point to a change in the type of procedure used as the trials of the period became more openly political in character

Turn up, tune in, don’t drop out : the relationship between lecture attendance, use of lecture recordings, and achievement at different levels of study

Open Access via Springer CompactPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Electronic Chart of the Future: The Hampton Roads Project

ECDIS is evolving from a two-dimensional static display of chart-related data to a decision support system capable of providing real-time or forecast information. While there may not be consensus on how this will occur, it is clear that to do this, ENC data and the shipboard display environment must incorporate both depth and time in an intuitively understandable way. Currently, we have the ability to conduct high-density hydrographic surveys capable of producing ENCs with decimeter contour intervals or depth areas. Yet, our existing systems and specifications do not provide for a full utilization of this capability. Ideally, a mariner should be able to benefit from detailed hydrographic data, coupled with both forecast and real-time water levels, and presented in a variety of perspectives. With this information mariners will be able to plan and carry out transits with the benefit of precisely determined and easily perceived underkeel, overhead, and lateral clearances. This paper describes a Hampton Roads Demonstration Project to investigate the challenges and opportunities of developing the “Electronic Chart of the Future.” In particular, a three-phase demonstration project is being planned: 1. Compile test datasets from existing and new hydrographic surveys using advanced data processing and compilation procedures developed at the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center (CCOM/JHC); 2. Investigate innovative approaches being developed at the CCOM/JHC to produce an interactive time- and tide-aware navigation display, and to evaluate such a display on commercial and/or government vessels; 3. Integrate real-time/forecast water depth information and port information services transmitted via an AIS communications broadcast

Phase variable DNA repeats in 'Neisseria gonorrhoeae' influence transcription, translation, and protein sequence variation

There are many types of repeated DNA sequences in the genomes of the species of the genus Neisseria, from homopolymeric tracts to tandem repeats of hundreds of bases. Some of these have roles in the phase-variable expression of genes. When a repeat mediates phase variation, reversible switching between tract lengths occurs, which in the species of the genus Neisseria most often causes the gene to switch between on and off states through frame shifting of the open reading frame. Changes in repeat tract lengths may also influence the strength of transcription from a promoter. For phenotypes that can be readily observed, such as expression of the surface-expressed Opa proteins or pili, verification that repeats are mediating phase variation is relatively straightforward. For other genes, particularly those where the function has not been identified, gathering evidence of repeat tract changes can be more difficult. Here we present analysis of the repetitive sequences that could mediate phase variation in the Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain NCCP11945 genome sequence and compare these results with other gonococcal genome sequences. Evidence is presented for an updated phase-variable gene repertoire in this species, including a class of phase variation that causes amino acid changes at the C-terminus of the protein, not previously described in N. gonorrhoeae

The Heritage Landscape of Plymouth, MA Greenway Planning and Cultural Design

In anticipation of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim’s landing in 1620, this studio combined greenway planning and cultural landscape design and interpretation to revitalize the public landscape of Plymouth, Massachusetts and convey the significance of these historic places to visitors and residents. Through the use of landscape research combining GIS data and analysis with historical narratives and maps, this fourteen-week senior BSLA capstone studio developed a regional and town-scale greenway plan along with detailed designs of individual public landscapes in historic downtown Plymouth