Multimodal design and the neomillenial learner

Two courses delivered in 2004 by the Faculty of Business at USQ were part of an initial trial into a new CD based hybrid model of delivery. This represented a change in the way USQ had previously supplied course materials and so it was necessary to ascertain how students responded to this change. This paper reports on findings from this research and demonstrates that higher levels of student engagement are possible, particularly in the context of nationality, age and gender differences. It investigates possible implications for academia when catering for a range of neomillennial learning approaches initially facilitated by the integration of a range of multimodal learning and teaching strategies. It is true 'one size does not fit all', but that does not preclude us from designing learning experiences that cater for a wide range of learners and particularly for those who learn in non-traditional ways whilst utilizing existing technologies

A 'likely benefit' from aligning Web 2.0 technologies with an institutions learning and teaching agenda

This paper demonstrates a ‘likely benefit’, and a practical view of expected challenges, when incorporating Web 2.0 technologies in a contemporary higher education context. After first exploring which factors potentially influence a shift in thinking about learning and teaching in a Web 2.0 context this paper then addresses the important role, or the affordance, of an integrated Learning Management System (LMS) and the pedagogical applications of Web 2.0 technologies. It then uses a series of case study from the University of Southern Queensland, a large distance education provider in Australia, to support these propositions. Overall, this paper suggests that the goals and ideals of Web 2.0/ Pedagogy 2.0 can be achieved, or at least stimulated, within an institutional LMS environment, as long as the LMS environment is aligned with these ideals

The state of Australasian online higher education post-pandemic and beyond

Online learning is not a new phenomenon that had just been discovered in March 2020, it has been developing very strongly for 20+ years. What is new is that we are now realising that what was conceived as being good online learning pedagogy is being challenged by many of the newer student-centred approaches that have evolved in learning and teaching. Not the least because the technologies now allow us to do way more in a more synchronous way, allowing students to work more collaboratively with others. Or maybe it’s more that we have rediscovered some activities that were harder to achieve in the past. Either way, what has also changed in higher education is the emphasis on the student and how providing them with a greater level of agency in their learning presents more traditional educators with new challenges. This paper presents some options for those looking to understand and meet those challenges head on

An integrative literature review of the implementation of microcredentials in higher education: Implications for practice in Australasia

Micro-credentials research, which includes digital badges, is a relatively new field of study that seeks to inform the implementation, portability and sustainability of the ecology of meaningful delivery. This paper reviews literature relevant to understanding connections between universities\u27 intent to offer micro-credentials and the environment that is needed to do so. From this integrated study, the paper distils a number of core concerns and identifies some gaps in the literature. One of its primary goals is to clear the ground for the construction of a technical model of micro-credentialing implementation that can be used by the various stakeholders involved in the design and evaluation of new micro-awards. A closely related goal is to help those participating in micro-credentialing research to locate and understand each other\u27s contributions, as fragmentation in research related to micro-credentials makes progress in the field slow. Hence, this review draws together research in the field to identify research foci and gaps, and then also capture some work by micro-credentialing researchers that directly attempts to model the main relationships in the field. The paper ends with a summary of implications for practice, especially for the Australasian higher education context

The H1 Forward Track Detector at HERA II

In order to maintain efficient tracking in the forward region of H1 after the luminosity upgrade of the HERA machine, the H1 Forward Track Detector was also upgraded. While much of the original software and techniques used for the HERA I phase could be reused, the software for pattern recognition was completely rewritten. This, along with several other improvements in hit finding and high-level track reconstruction, are described in detail together with a summary of the performance of the detector.Comment: Minor revision requested by journal (JINST) edito

Approximate ab initio calculation of vibrational properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon with inner voids

We have performed an approximate ab initio calculation of vibrational properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) using a molecular dynamics method. A 216 atom model for pure amorphous silicon (a-Si) has been employed as a starting point for our a-Si:H models with voids that were made by removing a cluster of silicon atoms out of the bulk and terminating the resulting dangling bonds with hydrogens. Our calculation shows that the presence of voids leads to localized low energy (30-50 cm^{-1}) states in the vibrational spectrum of the system. The nature and localization properties of these states are analyzed by various visualization techniques.Comment: 15 pages with 6 PS figures, to appear in PRB in December 199

Experimentally Constrained Molecular Relaxation: The Case of Glassy GeSe2

An ideal atomistic model of a disordered material should contradict no experiments,and should also be consistent with accurate force fields (either {\it ab initio}or empirical). We make significant progress toward jointly satisfying {\it both} of these criteria using a hybrid reverse Monte Carlo approach in conjunction with approximate first principles molecular dynamics. We illustrate the method by studying the complex binary glassy material g-GeSe$_2$. By constraining the model to agree with partial structure factors and {\it ab initio} simulation, we obtain a 647-atom model in close agreement with experiment, including the first sharp diffraction peak in the static structure factor. We compute the electronic state densities and compare to photoelectron spectroscopies. The approach is general and flexible.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Mechanisms limiting the coherence time of spontaneous magnetic oscillations driven by DC spin-polarized currents

The spin-transfer torque from a DC spin-polarized current can generate highly-coherent magnetic precession in nanoscale magnetic-multilayer devices. By measuring linewidths of spectra from the resulting resistance oscillations, we argue that the coherence time can be limited at low temperature by thermal deflections about the equilibrium magnetic trajectory, and at high temperature by thermally-activated transitions between dynamical modes. Surprisingly, the coherence time can be longer than predicted by simple macrospin simulations.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

From rags to riches: democratisation of the photographic art

The democratisation of photography has gone hand-in-hand with the advent of the devices used for the ubiquitous production of images speaking to an individual's engagement with the world. As the various photographic formats have changed over the years, largely aligned with the impact of the medium/cameras used, it's interesting to note how the different forms of photography; social, constructed, manipulated and even commercial, are now largely facilitated by the online space, and how this has introduced a new universal immediacy and a renewed sense of intermediality to the art. This serves to highlight further that the photographic medium is less important than the underlying social component it facilitates. In other words, it's all about the relationship between the subject matter, the artist and how the two provide a unique perspective on our world. This paper will explore how 'the image' in the digital age has enhanced the possibilities of this unique form of unfettered communication, particularly in this era of the 'new-media' phenomena. It will do this by investigating, visually, the corporeality of perception in visual communications and how this has shifted our attention from the 'interaction of media' towards the 'interaction with media'. This paper will then interrogate the idea of 'media borders' and contextualise this discussion through an analysis of some common examples that serve to blur an individual's perception between media and reality; demonstrating that the image is being perceived not just as a form of representation, but as an environment used to 'augment' reality