Use and perceptions of second life by distance learners: comparison with other communication media

Research has demonstrated that the use of communication media in distance education can reduce the feeling of distance and isolation from peers and tutor, and provide opportunities for collaborative learning activities (Bates, 2005). The use of virtual worlds (VW) in education has increased in recent years, with Second Life (SL) being the most commonly used VW in higher education (Wang & Burton, 2012). There is a paucity of information available on students’ use and perceptions of SL in relation to other online communication media available to the distance learner. Consequently, in the study described here, this area was explored with a group of students registered in a part-time distance education Master’s program at a large UK University open to international students. A self-completion survey was designed to assess students’ use and perceptions of using SL compared with other communication media. The majority of students rated SL lower than other forms of communications media such as email, WebCT discussion boards, Skype, and Wimba for facilitating communication, promoting the formation of social networks, fostering a sense of community, and benefiting their learning.  It is possible that the results of this study were influenced by the lower frequency of use of SL in this program compared to other work reported on this subject. Further work is required to evaluate the effect of frequency of use of SL and availability of alternative communication media on students’ use and perceptions of this virtual world

Identity, place narrative and biophilic urban development: Connecting the past, present and future for sustainable liveable cities

Urbanization presents sustainability challenges for the natural environment, resources and ecological systems, whilst high levels of pollution and disconnect from the natural environment can adversely impact the health and wellbeing of urban residents. Rapid urbanisation can also curtail processes of placemaking, including place attachment and place identity, raising questions around the social sustainability and liveability of cities into the future. With such concerns in mind, cities are increasingly called upon to develop in ways that are environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. The concept of biophilia has been applied to sustainable urban development, in which nature and green infrastructure are systematically incorporated into cities to reduce adverse impacts to the natural environment while supporting the social, cultural and economic sustainability of communities. This paper explores findings from community focus groups centred on perceptions of a proposed biophilic urban development in Wales, UK. We highlight how community members understand and negotiate possible impacts the development may have on the city by drawing on their own emplaced experiences, as well as their perception of the city in relation to broader contexts of economic crisis and environmental change. We highlight the importance of temporally and spatially situated understandings of innovative building developments, as part of sustainable urban developments, and how such transformative processes should enable community place-making, and as such become valued, and sustained through time

Living in an active home: household dynamics and unintended consequences

To meet UK decarbonisation and climate change targets, significant changes to existing and future housing stock will be required. The development of Active Buildings has the potential to contribute to meeting these targets. Active Homes, as a particular type of Active Building, alter how energy is produced, distributed and consumed, as well as how homes are designed, constructed and then lived in. Before occupation, Active Homes are designed and developed around imaginary users, yet residents do not always live in the homes in ways envisaged by developers. This paper draws on data from a qualitative longitudinal study involving in-depth interviews with Active Home inhabitants and developers across five UK case sites. Interviews elucidate how developers envisage future residents and their assumptions about how people will live. As the household is a particularly gendered sphere of society, three qualitative longitudinal case studies are then presented to explore the way gender interweaves with women’s experiences of Active Home residence. Expert visions do not always fully encompass the gendered household dynamics of everyday life. Implications are drawn from how these Active Homes are experienced and lived in: what considerations developers can give to the design, controls and information that are more tailored to residents’ needs

Transformational innovation in home energy: How developers imagine and engage with future residents of low carbon homes in the United Kingdom

Decarbonisation and climate change targets require multiscale sociotechnical energy transitions that include significant changes to housing stock. In the UK, the development of Active Buildings, which directly seek to be efficient energy producers, have zero carbon emissions and provide grid flexibility, has the potential to make a significant contribution to meeting these targets. Active Homes as a particular type of Active Building represent a potentially transformational innovation by altering how energy is produced, distributed and consumed, in addition to how homes are designed, constructed and then lived in. In this paper we draw on insights from qualitative interviews with stakeholders involved in the development of different Active Homes to consider motivations for development, and their views on how residents will reside in and interact with the homes. We highlight a potential conflict between a desire to prioritise the needs of residents with a belief amongst some that to do so, user engagement with technology should be minimised. This has implications for design decisions, which in turn influence how residents experience and live within the homes. In illuminating these narratives, we indicate the necessity of ongoing engagement with residents to understand how Active Homes – with particular emphasis on the operation and control of technologies – are experienced, in order to inform the successful rollout of current and future developments

From active houses to active homes: understanding resident experiences of transformational design and social innovation

Active Buildings can contribute to efforts to address decarbonisation and climate change targets, and have the potential to support social aspirations for technical and infrastructural change. Yet achieving such goals is challenging. Active Homes as a type of Active Building represent a particularly interesting prospect; altering how energy is produced, distributed, and consumed, but also how homes are designed, constructed, and lived in are studied. Active Homes are designed with expectations of how residents will engage with them, but residents do not always live in the homes in ways envisaged by developers. Hence, there is a risk that the homes will not be experienced as comfortable living environments, or otherwise perform as anticipated. Thus, understanding resident perspectives is crucial to the successful wider rollout of Active Homes. We draw on social science research with designers, developers, and residents to explore expectations of life in an Active Home. Our longitudinal research design enables us to contrast early expectations with post-occupancy experiences, elucidating what residents consider to be successful aspects of Active Home developments. Our research reveals instances where expectations remain unfulfilled, or where living in the homes has been experienced as challenging or disruptive. In highlighting such insights, we offer recommendations relevant for future development

Living well in low carbon homes project report

Final report for the Living Well in Low Carbon Homes Project, part of the Active Building Centre Research Programm

Associations with age and glomerular filtration rate in a referred population with chronic kidney disease: Methods and baseline data from a UK multicentre cohort study (NURTuRE-CKD)

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common but heterogenous and is associated with multiple adverse outcomes. The National Unified Renal Translational Research Enterprise (NURTuRE)-CKD cohort was established to investigate risk factors for clinically important outcomes in persons with CKD referred to secondary care. METHODS: Eligible participants with CKD stages G3-4 or stages G1-2 plus albuminuria > 30 mg/mmol were enrolled from 16 nephrology centres in England, Scotland and Wales from 2017 to 2019. Baseline assessment included demographic data, routine laboratory data and research samples. Clinical outcomes are being collected over 15 years by the UK Renal Registry using established data linkage. Baseline data are presented with subgroup analysis by age, sex and estimated GFR (eGFR). RESULTS: 2996 participants were enrolled. Median (interquartile range) age was 66 (54 to 74) years, 58.5% were male, eGFR 33.8 (24.0 to 46.6) ml/min/1.73m2 and UACR 209 (33 to 926) mg/g. 1883 participants (69.1%) were in high-risk CKD categories. Primary renal diagnosis was CKD of unknown cause in 32.3%, glomerular disease in 23.4% and diabetic kidney disease in 11.5%. Older participants and those with lower eGFR had higher systolic blood pressure and were less likely to be treated with renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASi) but were more likely to receive a statin. Female participants were less likely to receive a RASi or statin. CONCLUSIONS: NURTuRE-CKD is a prospective cohort of persons who are at relatively high risk of adverse outcomes. Long-term follow-up and a large biorepository create opportunities for research to improve risk prediction and investigate underlying mechanisms to inform new treatment development

The Continuing Use of Problematic Sexual Stereotypes in Judicial Decision-Making

This article examines the continuing use of problematic sexual stereotypes at appellate level in the English and Welsh legal system. Using five cases as illustrations, it argues that, notwithstanding professional training and guidance on sexual equality matters, certain senior judges in this jurisdiction still at least sometimes openly employ crude and problematic sexual stereotypes in their judgments or fail to deal appropriately with the use of these stereotypes by trial judges. The central point is that there is still a significant problem with the open use of crude sexual stereotypes in legal reasoning at a senior level in this jurisdiction, despite the pressure on all members of the legal system to appear to be ‘politically correct’