Experiences of early adopters in changing their thinking regarding teaching practices for the online environment in a New Zealand university : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Education in Adult Education at Massey University

The aim of this thesis was to investigate how early adopters changed their thinking regarding teaching practices for the online environment. The study investigated how early adopters adapted and developed their classroom based teaching practices for the online environment, the effect of online teaching practices on their students' learning, and the types of professional development lecturers engaged in to learn about online teaching practices. A mainly qualitative approach, within a case study method, was used to undertake the research in a medium sized, New Zealand university, where the researcher is an academic developer in the centralised professional development unit, jointly responsible for supporting staff in online teaching practices. Written informed consent was obtained from lecturers participating in this study. A mail-in survey, individual interviews and online course observations were used to gather data for the research questions. This is a limited case study owing to the small size of the sample. The study concluded that early adopters changed their thinking about teaching practices over time, adapting and developing student-centred approaches to learning for the online environment. The study found that early adopters' perceptions of student learning was of a higher quality online, than in the classroom, owing to student learning approaches being deeper, more interactive and collaborative. Finally, the study showed that a majority of early adopters did not engage in research based professional development activities, which made changing their thinking from teacher-centred to student-centred online teaching practices, difficult and stressful

"SMEs, Information Risk Management, and ROI"

Recent research in the area of standards accreditation has shown that the rate of take up of the ISO27001 (Information Security Management) by organisations been disappointing in many Western countries, compared to the picture emerging in Asia, and the rollout of previous international standards that relate to information management, such as ISO9001. In this paper, a researcher and a practitioner from the UK investigate possible reasons for a lesser interest in pursuing certification for organisational Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) across Western countries. They also share their perceptions and concerns that current attitudes of UK of small businesses regarding complying with standards and legislation means that they may be taking unnecessary risks with their corporate and personal data under the possibly misguided notion that other priorities are more important during these current recessionary times. The authors use an economics-based approach in proposing a solution to the problem. On the one hand they review the research that has provided methods for putting a figure on the value of corporate and personal data in larger organisations, and applying the principles of managing information risk as appropriate to SMEs. On the other hand they look at economics-related issues such as market pressure, insurance, outsourcing, and the legal and regulatory matters regarding privacy of personal data. The result provides a case for showing SMEs that, apart from the moral matter of being “good for the business”, there are very sound economic reasons for an SME developing an ISMS and getting ISO27001 certified

Morphological transformation of NGC 205?

NGC 205 is a dwarf elliptical galaxy which shows many features that are more typical of disk galaxies, and our recent study of the central stellar population has added another peculiarity. In the central regions, star formation has been on-going continuously for a few hundred Myr, until ca. 20 Myr ago, perhaps fed by gas funneled to the center in the course of morphological transformation. In this contribution we use a deep, wide-field image obtained at a scale of 2"/px to show that subtle structures can be detected in and near the body of the dwarf galaxy. The southern tidal tail can be mapped out to unprecedented distances from the center, and we suggest that the northern tail is partially hidden behind a very extended dust lane, or ring, belonging to M31. A spiral pattern emerges across the body of the galaxy, but it might be explained by another M31 dust filament.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, poster contributed to IAU Symposium 262, Stellar Populations -- Planning for the Next Decade, G. Bruzual & S. Charlot, ed

Two rhymed offices composed for the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: comparative study and critical edition

The feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary was one of the last medieval Marian feasts to be introduced into the Roman Calendar, and is unusual in the wealth of contemporary, and near contemporary, documentation available for study in relation to its introduction. The offices written by Jan of Jenštejn [1347-1400] and Adam Easton [1330-1397] for the feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary have never been the subject of detailed examination or comparison, nor have critical editions of these offices been produced. This thesis addresses both these gaps in scholarship and presents an analysis and comparison of the texts, melodies, and dissemination of the offices. Using contemporary evidence and secondary sources the reasons for the institution of the new feast, the motivations of both Jenštejn and Easton, their compositional styles including choice of texts and melodies, and the introduction process itself are examined within the wider context of contemporary Marian devotion and fourteenth- century textual and musical composition. Chapter One provides a contextual background to the celebration of the Visitation, from its inclusion in the Gospel of Luke and apocryphal sources to contemporary sermons, showing the importance of the Visitation in the West long before the new feast's introduction...

Songwriting a Short Song of Meaning with Adults with Severe Mental Illness: A Development of a Method

This paper describes a method of writing a short song of meaning with a group of adults with severe mental illness. To motivate patients to complete a song, the method explores combining improvisation and lyric writing with an element of meaningfulness within a single session. Adding improvisation is inspired by music-centered music therapy, where experiences of expression and connection take place in the music making. Resource-oriented music therapy influenced my providing choices for creative expression and recognizing different stages of song achievement. Literature shows reoccurring themes for music therapy, songwriting, and improvisation and drumming benefitting individuals with severe mental illness. These include expression, connection, and identity growth. Literature on the process of lyric writing and meaningfulness promotes the expression of emotions and the sharing of important experiences with others. Combining improvisation and lyric writing as expressive options with an element of meaningfulness may help maintain engagement for patients with severe mental illness long enough to complete a song. This method has implications for single-session mental health care servicing, as well as for music therapy interventions balancing verbal and non-verbal responses

Solvolytic studies of some organic chlorides and fluorides

Rates, (with mass-law constants where appropriate), and activation parameters have been determined for the reactions of triphenylmothyl chloride, its p-nitro derivative, the corresponding fluorides and methoxymethyl chloride with aqueous acetone. Thus information has been obtained on the effects of replacing chlorine by fluorine as leaving group in S(_N)1 reactions. The rapid S(_N)1 reactions of the triphenylraethyl chlorides with 85% aqueous acetone at low temperatures showed the expected large 1mass-law effects. Mass-law constants and rates of ionisation at zero ionic strength were obtained for each experimental temperature, account being taken of the influence of changing ionic strength during reaction. The substituent effects on the rate of ionisation and the activation parameters, attending the introduction of the p-nitrogroup into triphenylmethyl chloride, were consistent with earlier results for diphenylmethyl chlorides, (^2) although both reactions showed extremely negative entropies of activation. The relatively slow reactions of triphenylraethyl fluoride and its p-nitro derivatives with 70% aqueous acetone have been studied. As in the case of the chlorides, the p-nitro group reduced the rate almost entirely though an increase in the energy of activation. The entropies of activation when compared to those obtained for the chlorides provide support for the hypothesis (^3) that the transition states for the reactions of the fluorides are stabilised by hydrogen bonding between a water molecule and the incipient fluoride ion. The ΔC(^+)(_p)/ΔS(^+) ratio for the hydrolysis of triphenylmethyl fluoride can also be interpreted in terms of this hypothesis. Contrary to expectations,(^4) several features of the reaction of methoxyraethyl chloride suggested that the reaction does not proceed by mechanism 8(_N)1. The observed values of the entropy and heat capacity of activation were consistent with a transition state involving covalent attachment of a water molecule(^5). Further, the reaction although rapidv/as not subject to mass-law effects, indicating that the carbonium ion(Me(^+)OCH(_2)←→MeO(^+)=GH(_2)) is not a reaction intermediate. Thus as the purpose of the present work was to study the effect of a change in leaving group on S(_N)1 reactions, no attempt was made to prepare methoxymethyl fluoride

ALTERNATIVES FOR FINANCING MUNICIPAL SERVICES: THE CASE OF UNIT-PRICED TRASH DISPOSAL

New policy is being developed that incorporates not only innovative means of disposal, including the integration of source reduction and recycling, but also innovative approaches to funding disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW). This study was conducted to determine if a higher marginal price for MSW disposal affected per capita waste generation in New Hampshire towns, how the existence of a pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) program influenced per capita MSW generation, and to attempt to determine which towns were most likely to adopt a PAYT program in the future. The results showed that average household size, existence of a capital improvement plan, and marginal price to dispose of waste were statistically significant influences, regardless of the variation of price in the PAYT program. Towns with PAYT programs currently being implemented produce 0.18 tons of MSW less waste per capita per year than towns without PAYT programs.Public Economics,

Economic and social change in Wensleydale and Swaledale in the nineteenth century

Although rural areas share certain common characteristic's, individual districts and their communities exhibit many important differences. This study provides a detailed analysis of economic and social change in the nineteenth century in a specific rural upland area in the north Yorkshire Pennines. It is intended both to add to r the limited body of detailed knowledge which already exists in respect of rural, and specifically upland rural, areas and to test generalizations concerning the economic and social structure of such areas against the individual experience of Wensleydale and Swaledale. The major industries of the two dales in the nineteenth century, agriculture, mining, and textiles, formed the basis of the economy of many upland areas. The development and relative importance of these industries within Wensleydale and Swaledale is closely examined and compared with other areas in order to identify the uniqueness or otherwise of the extent and direction of change within the dales. The influence of local and non-local factors on the demise of two of these industries in the nineteenth century and on the structural changes in the third is also studied. The survival of upland areas in an increasingly industrialized and competitive society was constrained by inaccessibility. The extent to which road and rail transport assisted the two dales to overcome the problems of isolation is, therefore, examined. Although the present work is an economic and social study, it concerns itself primarily with economic change since a healthy economy was essential for the maintenance of a viable local community. The social condition of the community is studied in the context of its response to the rapidly changing economy in the nineteenth century. In particular, a detailed analysis is undertaken of the extent to which population growth and decline, and attendant migration, affected the well-being of the local community

Errors in fracture diagnoses in the emergency department – characteristics of patients and diurnal variation

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of the circumstances related to errors in diagnosis of fractures at an Emergency Department may suggest ways to reduce the incidence of such errors. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of all cases during a two year period (2002–2004) where a fracture had been overlooked or an injury had been erroneously diagnosed as a fracture (n = 61). 100 random selected patients with correctly diagnosed fractures served as control group. RESULTS: In the two year period 5879 patients visited the ED with injuries. 1% of all visits to the ED resulted in an error in fracture diagnosis and 3.1% of all fractures were not diagnosed at the initial visit to the ED. 86% of such errors had consequences for treatment. No patient characteristics could be identified as risk factors for a misdiagnosis of a fracture. There was a peak in errors in fracture diagnoses between 8 pm and 2 am (47% against 20% in controls, p < 0.005). CONCLUSION: A considerable number of fractures were not correctly diagnosed at the initial ED visit. There was a diurnal variation in the rate of misdiagnosis of fractures with a significant peak from 8 pm to 2 am. Where there was an error in fracture diagnosis, the patients did not appear to have a characteristic profile as regarding e.g. age, sex or capability to communicate with the ED staff. Increased consultancy service in radiology may reduce the frequency of errors in diagnosis, particularly in the evenings between 8 pm and 2 am