From Absent to Active Voices: the participation of disabled students in higher education

The value of involving under represented groups in the development of policy and provision has become increasingly recognised by legislators, policy makers and practitioners. This is clearly evident within equality legislation, with the most recent disability legislation recognising that a key principle in promoting disability equality within public services is by the meaningful involvement of disabled people. This paper will pose two questions: • Why is participation so important? and • How effective is the voice of a marginalised group in practice? Findings are drawn from a doctoral study examining the experiences of disabled students studying in Welsh higher education and analysis will focus on the views of students concerning their involvement and contribution to disability policy and provision. Discussion will include the reluctance of some students to participate in consultative exercises due to a questioning of disability identity and possible stigma, together with concerns about the genuineness and effectiveness of consultation. The benefits of participation will also be explored in relation to sharing experience, providing an alternative expertise to the professional and strengthening the interests of a marginalised group

Impact of wheel shape on the vertical damage of cast crossing panels in turnouts

Impact forces generated in the load transfer area of railway crossing panels lead to a range of degradation modes from wear and fatigue of the contacting materials, fatigue of supporting components to ballast/subgrade deterioration. A simplified modelling approach has been developed to first analyse the geometrical problem of the axle rolling through the crossing geometry, and in a second step to predict the vertical dynamic force produce from the interaction between the wheel unsprung mass and the track system. The force is analysed in the frequency domain to estimate the level of damage in different parts of the track system. A parametric analysis of wheel shapes was carried out showing that the axle lateral displacement has a significant influence on the produced level of damage and also that characteristics such as the wheel flange thickness and the equivalent slope in the area of contact also leads to increased damage. It is suggested that such a measure in combination with the simplified algorithms developed here could be used, possibly in combination with track side monitoring system, to highlight traffic instances leading to increased asset damage

SimilaritySim

A card game which gives learners an insight into how Turnitin is used by assessors and examiners and the decision making involved in interpreting a Similarity/Originality report. It can be used in a variety of contexts, including to reduce the anxieties of students about submitting their work to Turnitin or training staff and students to accurately interpret Turnitin reports. Released as an Open Educational Resource under CC-BY-S

The Problems of Success: how to meet the expectations of increasing numbers of disabled students

The last thirty years have seen vast changes in the lives of disabled people, we have progressed from passive recipients of 'care' to active directors of our own budgets. This has opened new opportunities for disabled people and a choice many have made is to enter higher education. The increasing numbers of disabled students and our changing expectations is placing universities in an increasingly difficult situation. The system that has developed is based upon detailed expert assessments and disability departments that are attempting to provide 'Rolls Royce' services. While this may have worked when the numbers of disabled students were few, with increasing numbers this system is beginning to breakdown, delays in assessments, delays in LEAs paying invoices are common experiences for students. DSA is increasingly out of step with disabled students who use Direct Payments, we expect to have the power to make our own choices and not be limited to what our university has chosen to supply. In this paper I intend to explore how we can fulfil our broader pedagogic role by enabling disabled students to gain experience of managing their own budgets and making their own choice, while working with limited resources and increasing student numbers

Learning to give in a network context: applying theories of the gift to examine reciprocal exchanges in learning networks

In this paper, we draw on theories of the gift and gift exchange (Mauss, 1954, Bourdieu and Wacquant, 1992) to examine how network participants learn to become generous with one another in three learning network contexts. In this paper, we offer fresh theoretical insights as to how the concept of the gift and gift exchange can enhance our understanding of the mechanics of learning networks. From a practical standpoint, this paper also promises valuable insights into how network participants can reflect on their participation to maximise the benefits reaped from learning networks