A case study exploring tutor perceptions on the effects of the study diamond in developing critical thinking on an Open University level 1 arts course

This case study explores the concept of teaching critical thinking through a process known as the Study Diamond. The Study Diamond is a study tool embedded in an Open University (OU) Level 1 Introductory Arts course. Entitled 'Making Sense of the Arts' and identified by the code Y160, the course introduces students to higher education, distance learning and to three distinctive arts disciplines. Using qualitative data collection methods that include an informal non-directive group interview with Y1 60 Course Authors, an e-survey of Y1 60 Tutors, and one-to-one semi-structured telephone interviews with targeted Y160 Tutors, this enquiry considers how the Study Diamond process augments tutors' pedagogy. Specifically, through the experiences of Y160 Tutors who use a blended delivery method which includes telephone tuition, it looks at the challenges tutors face teaching the concept of critical thinking on a multi-disciplinary arts course and how they facilitate and measure understanding. The study applies an interpretivist framework whereby qualitative data, together with the researcher's own experience of tutoring on the course, are aligned with an established body of literature specific to adult learning, distance tutoring and critical thinking. In particular the theoretical ideas of social constructivism and transformation learning are considered within a teaching context that is essentially directed at students from a widening participation (WP) orientation. Findings suggest the Study Diamond has transferable characteristics that are beneficial to Tutors in their teaching of critical thinking. A model for its practical application in inter-disciplinary arts courses is proposed that aims to support Tutors in guiding students, particularly those new to higher education, through the challenges of academic writing and argumentation

Relation of modifiable neighborhood attributes to walking

Abstract Background There is a paucity of research examining associations between walking and environmental attributes that are more modifiable in the short term, such as car parking availability, access to transit, neighborhood traffic, walkways and trails, and sidewalks. Methods Adults were recruited between April 2004 and September 2006 in the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area and in Montgomery County, Maryland using similar research designs in the two locations. Self-reported and objective environmental measures were calculated for participants\u27 neighborhoods. Self-reported physical activity was collected through the long form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-LF). Generalized estimating equations were used to examine adjusted associations between environmental measures and transport and overall walking. Results Participants (n = 887) averaged 47 years of age (SD = 13.65) and reported 67 min/week (SD = 121.21) of transport walking and 159 min/week (SD = 187.85) of non-occupational walking. Perceived car parking difficulty was positively related to higher levels of transport walking (OR 1.41, 95%CI: 1.18, 1.69) and overall walking (OR 1.18, 95%CI: 1.02, 1.37). Self-reported ease of walking to a transit stop was negatively associated with transport walking (OR 0.86, 95%CI: 0.76, 0.97), but this relationship was moderated by perceived access to destinations. Walking to transit also was related to non-occupational walking (OR 0.85, 95%CI: 0.73, 0.99). Conclusions Parking difficulty and perceived ease of access to transit are modifiable neighborhood characteristics associated with self-reported walking

Non-Uniform Stochastic Average Gradient Method for Training Conditional Random Fields

We apply stochastic average gradient (SAG) algorithms for training conditional random fields (CRFs). We describe a practical implementation that uses structure in the CRF gradient to reduce the memory requirement of this linearly-convergent stochastic gradient method, propose a non-uniform sampling scheme that substantially improves practical performance, and analyze the rate of convergence of the SAGA variant under non-uniform sampling. Our experimental results reveal that our method often significantly outperforms existing methods in terms of the training objective, and performs as well or better than optimally-tuned stochastic gradient methods in terms of test error.Comment: AI/Stats 2015, 24 page

Irredundant and Mixed Ramsey Numbers

The irredundant Ramsey number, s(m,n), is the smallest p such that in every two-coloring of the edges of K[subscript]p using colors red (R) and blue (B), either the blue subgraph contains an m-element irredundant set or the red subgraph contains an n-element irredundant set. The mixed irredundant Ramsey number, t(m,n), is the smallest number p such that in every two-coloring of the edges of K[subscript]p using colors red (R) and blue (B), either the blue subgraph contains an m-element irredundant set or the red subgraph contains an n-element independent set. This thesis provides all known results for irredundant and mixed Ramsey numbers.  M.A

Experiences of inpatient settings: eating disorders and deliberate serious self-harm

This thesis explores the views and experiences of inpatient treatment interventions of people with eating disorders, and healthcare support workers’ experiences of witnessing and responding to serious deliberate self-harm. Chapter 1 is a systematic literature review. It critically evaluates qualitative research exploring adults’ experiences of receiving specific, named treatment interventions, delivered across multidisciplinary professions, for eating disorders in inpatient treatment services. Following database searches, 11 studies were identified for inclusion in the review. Eating disorder inpatients described inpatient interventions as facilitating a journey towards self-connection, comprising regaining a healthy autonomy, awareness and acceptance of their cognitions and bodies, and connection with other people. Thus, these services might facilitate the individual inpatients’ journey to self-connection. This could be achieved through consideration of each individual inpatient’s experience from admission to recovery in relation to their individual needs, motivation and readiness to change. Chapter 2 is a qualitative research study. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the lived experiences of healthcare support workers, witnessing and responding to their first few incidences of deliberate serious self-harm, are explored. The healthcare workers have had up to their first four months working on inpatient psychiatric service wards. Findings revealed two superordinate themes: ‘connection to the horror’ and ‘power’. ‘Connection to the horror’ describes how healthcare support workers journey to connect to the reality of their role through hearing colleagues’ accounts about previous deliberate serious self-harm incidences, and directly witnessing and responding to their first few incidences of deliberate serious self-harm. ‘Power’ describes dichotomous perceptions of who were perceived by healthcare support workers to hold power on the wards, and how this informed dichotomous responses during deliberate serious self-harm incidences, as well as the power of responding to deliberate serious self-harm as a staff team. Findings could inform how healthcare services support staff cope with their new roles, reducing burnout, sickness absence and high attrition rates, while promoting staff wellbeing and compassionate care. In Chapter 3, the acceptance and commitment therapy approach is used to formulate personal reflections, in the form of thoughts, memories, emotions and physiological sensations, arising during the research. These reflections are reflexively evaluated and emerging themes around containment are discussed