Talking to myself: reflections on Reframing A conversation reflecting on my experiences of using creative practice (specifically the Reframing technique) within a STEM context.

open access articleThis self-reflective conversation looks back on my experiences as an Art & Design practitioner delivering a workshop at the HEA STEM Conference. The focus is on one technique, Reframing, as part of a wider discussion of the way that creative practice can enhance student engagement. The conversation explores different applications of the Reframing method across disciplinary boundaries, and refers to academics who have inspired my work. I reflect on the way that my experiences at the conference have impacted on my pedagogic practice, philosophy and identity, using a non-traditional and light-hearted format designed to encourage both my own reflective process and reader engagement

The 'B' in Philosophy

This presentation-paper discusses my own live art practice in terms of the relationship between performance and philosophy. The paper also draws upon philosophical sources

A parallel Viterbi decoder for block cyclic and convolution codes

We present a parallel version of Viterbi's decoding procedure, for which we are able to demonstrate that the resultant task graph has restricted complexity in that the number of communications to or from any processor cannot exceed 4 for BCH codes. The resulting algorithm works in lock step making it suitable for implementation on a systolic processor array, which we have implemented on a field programmable gate array and demonstrate the perfect scaling of the algorithm for two exemplar BCH codes. The parallelisation strategy is applicable to all cyclic codes and convolution codes. We also present a novel method for generating the state transition diagrams for these codes

Experiences using Z animation tools.

In this paper we describe our experience of using three different animation systems. We searched for and decided to use these tools in the context of a project which involved developing formal versions (in Z) of informal requirements documents, and then showing the formal versions to people in industry who were not Z users (or users of any formal techniques). So, an animator seemed a good way of showing the behaviour of a system described formally without the audience having to learn Z. A requirement, however, that the tools used have to satisfy is that they correctly animated Z (whatever that may mean) and they behave adequately in terms of speed and presentation. We have to report that none of the tools we looked at satisfy these requirements--though to be fair all of them are still under development

µ-Charts and Z: Examples and extensions

μ-Charts are a way of specifying reactive systems, i.e. systems which are in some environment to which they have to react, based on the well-established formalism Statecharts. This paper gives (very abbreviated) examples of translating μ-charts to Z, which is itself a well-established language for specifying computational systems with tried and tested methods and support tools which guide its effective use in systems development. We undertake this translation in order that investigation of the modelled system can be performed before expensive and lengthy implementation is considered. We also present an extension of the μ-charts and the related Z to deal with a simple command language, local variables and integer-valued signals

A TCP/IP Network Emulator

In this paper a Linux based framework of a TCP/IP emulator is introduced. Several advantages can be noted. Firstly, the maintenance of large numbers of processors is unnecessary. Secondly, compared with simulators constructed with conceptual codes, our emulator framework makes it possible to test the interaction and behaviour of TCP/IP in real Linux network environments. Thirdly, the wired network is fully controlled by a single processor enabling us to separate TCP/IP behaviour over the wireless network, which helps distinguish performance functions that occur due to noisy wireless links. The framework was tested on two Linux processors over an IEEE802.11b wireless link. The simulations show that the complex topology of the heterogeneous network was "realistically" constructed

A High Accurate and Component Based Network Emulator for the Simulation of Complex Heterogeneous Network Topology

Wired features like quick handover, radio jamming and dynamic data rates cannot be truthfully presented inside the simulator bue we concentrate on all layers above the physical layer. Previous network emulators were designed for wired networks or router related emulations. Complex network topologies can be constructed and integrated

Work-based higher education and skill utilisation, examining the interaction between the academy and the workplace

In the UK, as elsewhere, employers are urged to invest in workforce development to increase competitiveness (DfEE 2005; DIUS 2007). Policy makers have argued that demographics in the UK require the existing workforce to be ‘up-skilled’ through part-time and work-based learning (WBL) including via new vocationally-based foundation degrees (FDs). However, in a climate of financial constraint, higher education (HE) is increasingly viewed as an investment in the skills of the workforce or individual, raising questions regarding the effectiveness of that investment - particularly given evidence that increasing the supply of HE level skills may not be sufficient to improve an organisation’s productivity and performance (Scottish Government 2008). Recent analyses recognise that demand for new skills, deriving from work design and opportunities to deploy skills are critical factors. Consequently, we need greater understanding of the relationship between learning practices, the context of the workplace and the potential role of HE WBL in skills utilisation. Public sector workforce development in England has been shaped by the ‘modernisation’ agenda resulting in significant shifts in workforce organisation and the creation of many new ‘intermediate’ roles (Edmond and Price 2009). In this paper, we address the conference theme of ‘Learning Theory, Skills and Work’ and consider Cultural Historical Activity Theory in examining the relationship between HE WBL programmes, individual learner/worker agency and developing professional identities and work organisation and skill utilisation. We argue that a more nuanced understanding of the potential of HE WBL practices to support skill utilisation in the workplace is needed to critically examine policy assumptions. Drawing on public sector examples, we suggest that HE WBL has the potential to be instrumental in shaping identities at work and can have a distinctive role to play in mediating social practices in the workplace to support demand for skills and hence skill utilisation