Digital literacy in religious studies

This article considers the relevance of the concept of ‘digital literacy’ within the context of the discipline of religious studies in higher education and reflects on its potential impact on notions of ‘graduateness’. It contemplates how digital technology can be integrated most effectively in learning design and reflects on the skills students need to be equipped with to recognise the challenges and opportunities of digital technology and understand its impact and role within the study of religions

Blended Learning and Tuition in Religious Studies: An Open University Perspective

This article explores issues that need to be taken into consideration when different forms of tuition (including online, face-to-face and telephone) are ‘blended’ within higher education. It focuses on the significant challenges and benefits of blended tuition approaches. Issues are explored that are specific to higher education and to the discipline of Religious Studies in particular. The growth of online resources available within the field is highlighted as well as the need to find diverse, effective and creative ways to support students in the development of their information literacy skills.Reflecting on her involvement in the production, presentation, delivery and management of a range of Religious Studies modules at the Open University, the author explores what lessons can be learned from the Open University’s experience of the development of blended tuition models. These insights are related to recent theoretical literature on blended learning and tuition (for example: Ellis and Goodyear, 2010; Vaughan, 2010; Garrison and Vaughan, 2008). The article highlights how important it is to avoid simply ‘bolting on’ new technologies without a consistent and coherent approach to their integration with other forms of tuition. It concludes that it is important to not utilise technology ‘just because it’s there’, but to maintain a focus on what it is used for. It highlights the need for continual work on the development of pedagogical approaches in order to creatively and effectively accommodate the challenges and opportunities new teaching technologies present to higher education and to the field of Religious Studies in particular

Memory and identity: Female leadership and the legacy of Rabbi Regina Jonas

Regina Jonas is now widely recognized as the first female rabbi in the world. Her story highlights particularly pertinent issues in historiography, especially with regard to the role of memory and identity. For almost fifty years following her murder at Auschwitz in 1944, Jonas remained a largely forgotten figure and received hardly any acknowledgement in published records, reference works or scholarly literature. Until the early 1990s, it was widely assumed that Sally Priesand, who was ordained in the Reform movement in the US in 1972, was the first female rabbi. However, Jonas’ ordination had taken place in Nazi Germany – of all places - 37 years earlier. How is it possible that Jonas was almost lost to historiography? And how is she remembered today? This chapter reflects on possible reasons why Jonas was ‘almost forgotten’ and explores how she is remembered today in a range of different national contexts (with a particular focus on Germany, Britain and the USA). The analysis centers on themes of memory and identity and highlights the significance of a sense of heritage in the process of inspiring and ‘naturalizing’ female leadership within faith communities and beyond

Personalised and multi-sensory approaches to engaging students at a distance: a case study from religious studies

This article critically evaluates the pedagogical value of peer-to-peer digital sharing of audio visual resources in a distance learning context. It does so through a case study exploring the use of OpenStudio, an innovative software developed by the Open University (UK). This platform allows students to upload their own images, sounds and texts to an interactive digital pinboard, where they are shared with other students and comments may be exchanged. The context for the use of OpenStudio was to support peer-to-peer group activities, both assessed and unassessed, in a Religious Studies course (A227 Exploring Religion: Places, Practices, Texts and Experiences). These activities were envisaged as a novel, experimental approach to offering students a highly personalised, multi-sensory opportunity to explore complex scholarly concepts, in particular the materiality of religion. OpenStudio would provide students with a means of learning through their own creativity and self-expression, and also that of others. The findings of this article draw on data critically evaluating the engagement and experiences of both students and tutors during the first presentation of the course, in order to assess the strengths and limitations of this approach to personalised learning through digital technologies

Take a picture of religion: Engaging students in the multisensory study of lived religion

This article investigates how different media (including digital photography and sound recordings) can facilitate students’ creative engagement with complex concepts in the study of religion, particularly those associated with a ‘lived religion’ approach. In doing so, it explores possibilities for object-based learning and multisensory learning experiences in Higher Education (see also: Chatterjee et al., 2015; Innovating Pedagogy, 2020; Kelly and Sihite, 2018; Medina, 2009). It adopts a case study approach, focused on the critical evaluation of a range of assessed and unassessed activities that form part of the undergraduate second year (Level 5) Religious Studies course ‘A227 Exploring Religion: Places, Practices, Texts and Experiences’ offered at The Open University (UK). These activities ask students to take photographs and make sound recordings of aspects of religion in their local environment and then share and discuss these with other students on an online platform. The findings of this study are of particular relevance to blended and distance learning settings (including socially distanced settings in the context of the Covid19-pandemic) in Higher Education, where opportunities for object-based, multisensory learning have been especially underexplored. However, they will be of interest to anyone looking for creative ways to engage students in the study of religion

The introduction and refinement of the assessment of digitally recorded audio presentations

This case study critically evaluates benefits and challenges of a form of assessment included in a final year undergraduate Religious Studies Open University module, which combines a written essay task with a digital audio recording of a short oral presentation. Based on the analysis of student and tutor feedback and sample assignments, this study critically examines how teaching and learning practices linked to this novel form of assessment have been iteratively developed in light of the project findings over a period of two years. It concludes that while this form of assessment poses a number of challenges, it can create valuable opportunities for the development of transferable twenty-first-century graduate employability skills as well as deep, effective learning experiences, particularly – though not exclusively – in distance learning settings

Rapid high-throughput analysis of DNaseI hypersensitive sites using a modified Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification approach

BACKGROUND: Mapping DNaseI hypersensitive sites is commonly used to identify regulatory regions in the genome. However, currently available methods are either time consuming and laborious, expensive or require large numbers of cells. We aimed to develop a quick and straightforward method for the analysis of DNaseI hypersensitive sites that overcomes these problems. RESULTS: We have developed a modified Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) approach for the identification and analysis of genomic regulatory regions. The utility of this approach was demonstrated by simultaneously analysing 20 loci from the ENCODE project for DNaseI hypersensitivity in a range of different cell lines. We were able to obtain reproducible results with as little as 5 x 10(4) cells per DNaseI treatment. Our results broadly matched those previously reported by the ENCODE project, and both technical and biological replicates showed high correlations, indicating the sensitivity and reproducibility of this method. CONCLUSION: This new method will considerably facilitate the identification and analysis of DNaseI hypersensitive sites. Due to the multiplexing potential of MLPA (up to 50 loci can be examined) it is possible to analyse dozens of DNaseI hypersensitive sites in a single reaction. Furthermore, the high sensitivity of MLPA means that fewer than 10(5) cells per DNaseI treatment can be used, allowing the discovery and analysis of tissue specific regulatory regions without the need for pooling. This method is quick and easy and results can be obtained within 48 hours after harvesting of cells or tissues. As no special equipment is required, this method can be applied by any laboratory interested in the analysis of DNaseI hypersensitive regions

Refugees and the Politics of Memory: Political discourses of religious toleration and peace

This chapter asks how political discourses draw on history and mobilize national and transnational memories when presenting issues related to religious diversity and migration in contemporary society. It looks specifically at the 'refugee crisis' of 2013-2017 in the contexts of Hungary, Germany, Spain and the UK, identifying similarities, specificities and divergences in approaches to the politics of memory

Whole exome sequencing combined with linkage analysis identifies a novel 3 bp deletion in NR5A1

Disorders of sex development (DSDs) encompass a broad spectrum of conditions affecting the development of the gonads and genitalia. The underlying causes for DSDs include gain or loss of function variants in genes responsible for gonad development or steroidogenesis. Most patients with DSD have an unknown genetic etiology and cannot be given an