An old galaxy group: Chandra X-ray observations of the nearby fossil group NGC 6482

We present the first detailed X-ray observations, using Chandra, of NGC 6482 - the nearest known `fossil group'. The group is dominated by an optically luminous giant elliptical galaxy and all other known group members are at least two magnitudes fainter. The global X-ray properties (luminosity, temperature, extent) of NGC 6482 fall within the range of other groups, but the detailed properties show interesting differences. We derive the gas temperature and total mass profiles for the central 30 kpc using ACIS spatially resolved spectroscopy. The temperature profile shows a continuous decrease outward, dropping to 0.63 of its central value at 0.1 r_200. The derived total mass profile is strongly centrally peaked, suggesting an early formation epoch. These results support a picture in which fossil groups are old, giving time for the most massive galaxies to have merged to produce a central giant elliptical galaxy. Although the cooling time within 0.1 r_200 is less than a Hubble time, no decrease in central temperature is detected. The entropy of the system lies toward the low side of the distribution seen in poor groups, and it drops all the way into the centre of the system, reaching very low values. No isentropic core, such as those predicted in simple preheating models, is present. Given the lack of any central temperature drop in the system, it seems unlikely that radiative cooling can be invoked to explain this low central entropy. We find that the centrally peaked temperature profile is consistent with a steady-state cooling flow solution with an accretion rate of 2 solar mass per year, given the large PdV work arising from the cuspy mass profile. However, solutions involving distributed or non-steady heating cannot be ruled out.Comment: 11 pages, 12 postscript figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

The central elliptical galaxy in fossil groups and formation of BCGs

We study the dominant central giant elliptical galaxies in ``Fossil groups'' using deep optical (R-band) and near infrared (Ks-band) photometry. These galaxies are as luminous as the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs), raising immediate interest in their link to the formation of BCGs and galaxy clusters. However, despite apparent similarities, the dominant fossil galaxies show non-boxy isophotes, in contrast to the most luminous BCGs. This study suggests that the structure of the brightest group galaxies produced in fossil groups are systematically different to the majority of BCGs. If the fossils do indeed form from the merger of major galaxies including late-types within a group, then their disky nature is consistent with the results of recent numerical simulations of semi-analytical models which suggest that gas rich mergers result in disky isophote ellipticals. We show that fossils form a homogeneous population in which the velocity dispersion of the fossil group is tightly correlated with the luminosity of the dominant elliptical galaxy. This supports the scenario in which the giant elliptical galaxies in fossils can grow to the size and luminosity of BCGs in a group environment. However, the boxy structure of luminous BCGs indicate that they are either not formed as fossils, or have undergone later gas-free mergers within the cluster environment.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRAS letter

Online MCQ - formative or summative assessment? : experiences from a higher educational environment

Within the field of Higher Education there has been a growing interest in formative assessment. A range of online tools for multiple choice questions (MCQ) are often made available to academic staff, but the extent and level of use of such tools vary greatly. This paper is based on an empirical investigation of actual use and attitudes of lecturers towards a particular MCQ tool both for formative and for summative assessment. We use Draper’s categorization of MCQ use as a conceptual lens for the study. The research methodology is interpretive, with interviews and diaries forming the main source of empirical data. The findings from the data set suggest that many lecturers are openly resisting the tool, while those who do use the tool do so predominantly to support formative assessment and thereby encourage their students to develop higher-order learning skills

If I had a rich picture… : insights into the use of “soft” methodological tools to support the development of interprofessional education

This paper describes a methodological experiment that aimed to test a small number of tools borrowed from Soft Systems Methodology. Those tools were intended to support action research for a project in interprofessional educational development. The intention with using those tools was two-fold: first, they were expected to help structure the analysis of the problem situation that the project was to address; second, they were to facilitate and document the project management process itself, by allowing for the different voices within the interprofessional project team to be heard. The paper relates how the tools functioned relatively successfully as analytical devices for the action researcher, but did not significantly contribute to further interprofessional collaboration or enhance dialogue between the action researcher and the project members. Issues of how to use the tools to support more effectively the existing dialogue across professional cultures and traditions are discussed

Undervisningskvalitet som praksis

Denne artikkelen handler om hvordan vi kan forstå undervisningskvalitet. Den går inn på mulige definisjoner for god og læringsfremmende undervisning, og reiser spørsmålet om hvorvidt vi kan og bør operere med generelle definisjoner for kvalitet på undervisning. Teoretisk utviklede kategorier kobles sammen med empiri fra ulike undervisningspraksiser i høyere utdanning. Kvalitet i undervisning handler om noe mangefasettert, noe som har en rekke ulike betydninger med linjer til høyst ulike referanserammer. Hva som er god undervisning må også sees i lys av tradisjoner, konvensjoner og kulturell historie knyttet til den aktuelle akademiske disiplinen eller profesjonen. Systematisk kvalitetsarbeid må således foregå på praksisnivå og «eies» av de involverte fagpersonene. Det empiriske materialet er hentet fra tre ulike masterprogram ved et stort skandinavisk universitet. Drøftingen tar utgangspunkt i fire ulike kategorier for tenkning om kvalitet i utdanning (Harvey & Green 1993)

Quality teaching and learning as practice within different disciplinary discourses

This article focuses on describing the interplay between teaching and learning practices in Higher Education and the disciplinary context of such practices. In particular, it aims to address the question of how course design, teaching, and learning activities take place within a particular academic culture and how those activities mutually shape each other. To do so, we propose to use the notion of mediating actants, a combination of Vygotsky’s notion of mediation with the concept of “actant” that is at the core of Actor-Network Theory (ANT). We suggest that such a notion can be useful in understanding the processes of construction of teaching and learning within disciplinary discourses and practices. This article is based on an empirical study of three Master programs at a Scandinavian institution of Higher Education. Data was gathered using ethnography-inspired methods such as interviews, observations and document analysis. In our analysis we identifies six elements as central in how quality teaching and learning are constituted within master programs: 1) the master thesis, 2) writing as a mode of thinking 3) the students’ learning environment, 4) the teaching process and teaching style, 5) the students’ conceptions of learning and their engagement, and, finally, 6) the processes of transformation from spontaneous to scientific concepts that the students undergo

¿Del Extranjero a Nacional? Uso del Entorno Virtual de Aprendizaje desde una Perspectiva Doméstica

This article proposes to use the concept of domestication as an analytic tool to understand patterns of use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and user attitudes towards VLEs. The data gathered includes semistructured interviews with students and members of staff enrolled in or involved with a distance-learning bachelor program at a Scandinavian institution of Higher Education. The analysis highlights the role played by VLEs in shaping the students’ and lecturers’ routines and use of time as regards to lecture preparations, assignment writing, and discussions. It also identifies challenges related to the integration of the VLE with other related systems and sheds light on the nature of the various social processes that take place through and around the VLE.Este artículo propone utilizar el concepto de domesticación como una herramienta analítica para comprender los patrones de uso de un Entorno Virtual de Aprendizaje (VLE) y la actitud del usuario hacia VLE. Los datos recogidos incluyen entrevistas semi-estructuradas con los alumnos y miembros del personal inscritos o que participan en un programa de licenciatura de educación a distancia, en una institución escandinava de educación superior. El análisis resalta el papel desempeñado por la VLE en la formación de rutinas y el uso del tiempo de alumnos y profesores, en lo que respecta a los preparativos de conferencias, tarea escritas, y debates. También identifica los desafíos relacionados con la integración de los entornos virtuales de aprendizaje (VLE) con otros sistemas relacionados, y clarifica la naturaleza de los diversos procesos sociales que tienen lugar a través y alrededor de VLE

From a career development programme to professional doctorate or practice-oriented PhD : a Norwegian case study

This article describes a career development programme in Norway, which might be compared to the Professional Doctorate programmes worldwide. This particular programme supports teachers who intend to apply for ‘alternative’ associate professorships (so-called førstelektor in Norwegian). Such positions are equivalent to those that are awarded to candidates with PhDs or equivalent, but their profile is somewhat different. Candidates to such alternative positions need to provide evidence of their capacity to develop teaching and learning in higher education in an innovative way, in particular as far as preparing students for professional practice is concerned. In this article a short description of the two paths is provided, and the particular characteristics of the ‘alternative path’ are outlined. ‘A description of the dilemmas and challenges of having two parallel career paths that are meant to be ‘equal in status but different in form’ is followed by a discussion of the possibilities of formalising this path as a Professional Doctorate

Design competence in ICT education

The new discrimination law in Norway requires new product s and environments to be developed in such a way that they can be used by as many people as possible. In response to this legisl ation the applied information t echnology curriculum at Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences has been adjusted to incorporate universal design (U D ). This curriculum is the basis for this case study which addresses the possible effects the role of design might have if included as a study module in a technically - oriented bachelor program. The empirical data discussed in this case study have been gathered from three types of sources: final year bachelor project reports , focus group interviews and a question naire . The stud y indicates that there is a growing awareness among students and educators at the College that knowledge engendered from working with design processes can influence the outcome of information technology projects to become more innovative, contextual, conce ptual and holistic. The study suggests that making design an inherent part of the curriculum enables students to create and evaluate a variety of information and communication technology ( ICT ) concepts targeting the general public. Although the students co nsider themselves as a link between engineers and interface designers, their written work shows relatively little focus on the enabling dimension of usability in universal design, which indicates that the y lack universal design compete nce . Among the main i mplications of the study is the need to modify the required learning outcomes of an information technology curriculum so as to include theoretical knowledge and practical competence related to universal design