Proposal of a mobile learning preferences model

A model consisting of five dimensions of mobile learning preferences – location, level of distractions, time of day, level of motivation and available time – is proposed in this paper. The aim of the model is to potentially increase the learning effectiveness of individuals or groups by appropriately matching and allocating mobile learning materials/applications according to each learner’s type. Examples are given. Our current research investigations relating to this model are described

Introducing Java : the case for fundamentals-first

Java has increasingly become the language of choice for teaching introductory programming. In this paper, we examine the different approaches to teaching Java (Objects-first, Fundamentals-first and GUI-first) to ascertain whether there exists an agreed ordering of topics and difficulty levels between nine relatively basic Java topics. The results of our literature survey and student questionnaire suggests that the Fundamentals-first approach may have benefits from the student's point of view and an agreed ordering of the Java topics accompanying this approach has been established

Diversity in leadership: Australian women, past and present

This book provides a new understanding of the historical and contemporary aspects of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women’s leadership in a range of local, national and international contexts. Overview While leadership is an over-used term today, how it is defined for women and the contexts in which it emerges remains elusive. Moreover, women are exhorted to exercise leadership, but occupying leadership positions has its challenges. Issues of access, acceptable behaviour and the development of skills to be successful leaders are just some of them. Diversity in Leadership: Australian women, past and present provides a new understanding of the historical and contemporary aspects of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women’s leadership in a range of local, national and international contexts. It brings interdisciplinary expertise to the topic from leading scholars in a range of fields and diverse backgrounds. The aims of the essays in the collection document the extent and diverse nature of women’s social and political leadership across various pursuits and endeavours within democratic political structures

A self-regulated learning approach : a mobile context-aware and adaptive learning schedule (mCALS) tool

Self-regulated students are able to create and maximize opportunities they have for studying or learning. We combine this learning approach with our Mobile Context-aware and Adaptive Learning Schedule (mCALS) tool which will create and enhance opportunities for students to study or learn in different locations. The learning schedule is used for two purposes, a) to help students organize their work and facilitate time management, and b) for capturing the users’ activities which can be retrieved and translated as learning contexts later by our tool. These contexts are then used as a basis for selecting appropriate learning materials for the students. Using a learning schedule to capture and retrieve contexts is a novel approach in the context-awareness mobile learning field. In this paper, we present the conceptual model and preliminary architecture of our mCALS tool, as well as our research questions and methodology for evaluating it. The learning materials we intend to use for our tool will be Java for novice programmers. We decided that this would be appropriate because large amounts of time and motivation are necessary to learn an object-oriented programming language such as Java, and we are currently seeking ways to facilitate this for novice programmers

Mosaic: Designing Online Creative Communities for Sharing Works-in-Progress

Online creative communities allow creators to share their work with a large audience, maximizing opportunities to showcase their work and connect with fans and peers. However, sharing in-progress work can be technically and socially challenging in environments designed for sharing completed pieces. We propose an online creative community where sharing process, rather than showcasing outcomes, is the main method of sharing creative work. Based on this, we present Mosaic---an online community where illustrators share work-in-progress snapshots showing how an artwork was completed from start to finish. In an online deployment and observational study, artists used Mosaic as a vehicle for reflecting on how they can improve their own creative process, developed a social norm of detailed feedback, and became less apprehensive of sharing early versions of artwork. Through Mosaic, we argue that communities oriented around sharing creative process can create a collaborative environment that is beneficial for creative growth

Impact of Human Cytomegalovirus Infection on Host Stress Response Genes

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread pathogen that causes lifelong latent infection in the majority of the world’s population. HCMV rarely causes disease in healthy adults. However, immune-compromised individuals like transplant recipients and AIDS patients can suffer from life-threatening disease. HCMV encodes US27, an orphan receptor that increases the expression and signaling activity of CXCR4, a host chemokine receptor important for development, hematopoiesis, and immune cell trafficking. Nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1) is the primary transcription factor regulating CXCR4 gene expression through a regulatory sequence called anti-oxidant response element (ARE). Since NRF-1 governs expression of many metabolic genes regulating cellular growth and respiration, we wondered whether these genes would also be upregulated upon HCMV infection. Here, we used the polymerase chain reaction to investigate expression of ARE-containing metabolic genes in HEK293 cells expressing US27. The results are expected to clarify the role of US27 during HCMV infection and could aid in the discovery of novel anti-viral drug targets

Use of Novel Mutant Viral Proteins to Investigate Chemokine Receptor Signaling

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread pathogen that causes lifelong latent infection. HCMV rarely causes disease in healthy adults. However, immune-compromised individuals like transplant recipients and AIDS patients can suffer from life-threatening disease. HCMV encodes four G-protein coupled receptors, US27, US28, UL33, and UL78. GPCRs have seven transmembrane α-helices and play vital roles in cellular communication networks. Viral GPCRs may exploit these signaling pathways, and US27 was found to increase cellular proliferation and enhance CXCR4 signaling. Here, US27 deletion mutants are being used to define domains of the viral protein critical for impacting CXCR4 function. These results are expected to clarify how HCMV alters cell communications networks by regulating CXCR4 activity

Female Patronage of Public Space in Roman Cities

Public spaces and buildings in Roman Cities served many functions including, but not limited to, religious gatherings, economic activity, political propaganda, and entertainment. Such vital infrastructure could not exist without the financial generosity of wealthy elites. Though most of these elite were men, some women used their wealth and status, both derived from their families, to shape public space. This study looks at female patronage of public space among women of imperial, senatorial, and equestrian standing, as well as women in both the Greek East and Latin West. It also aims to discern the level of political influence these benefactresses gained as a result of their donations

It students’ awareness of the negative effects of technology

The motivation for this study is that people often become victims of technology abuse and cybercrime and that they are not equipped to counteract the negative effects of technology. Many studies emphasize the benefits of using technology in our daily lives. Despite people’s increased use of technology, specifically information technology (IT), there are insufficient educational efforts made regarding informing users of the dark side of technology. The dark side of technology entails all the negative side-effects of technology, such as plagiarism, information security threats, technostress, etc. In this paper, some of the main negative impacts that technology can have, are addressed. IT students’ awareness regarding the negative effects of technology is assessed in this study. It was observed that some of these issues correlate with graduate attributes that need to be developed at university level. The study employed a survey where observations in a classroom and electronic questionnaires were used. The results indicated that the students lacked adequate knowledge regarding the dark side of technology. With this information in mind, a mobile app to educate users was developed, using the data extracted from the survey and the literature study. The fact that some students are not adequately educated about the dark side of technology can imply that there is a possibility that information technology users may become victims of cybercrimes, e.g. internet scams, or at the other hand become the perpetrators by misusing the technology intentionally or unknowingly. In educating the students regarding these matters and raising their awareness, graduate attributes, such as “responsible and engaged members of society” and others are addressed.Institute for Science and Technology Education (ISTE