Responsive Open Learning Environments at the Open University

Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) offer new opportunities for supporting personalized and self regulated learning both in formal and in informal education. The Open University in the UK is an early adopter of PLEs through a number of different initiatives, one of which is the European project ROLE (Responsive Open Learning Environments). This paper presents some of the lessons learned and best practices from the introduction of ROLE technologies within an informal learning test-bed at the Open University

Best Practices of Honor Societies

Academic honor societies are widely available within university communities. These student organizations can fill valuable roles within engineering departments. The inception of engineering-related honor societies followed the establishment of engineering education within American universities. Honor societies with their student focus grew as complementary organizations to the professional societies for engineering disciplines. The national or international structure of honor societies generally provides considerable resources for professional education, leadership training, and service activity. For departments, an honor society chapter can provide engagement with students, alumni, community, etc. However, the existence of an honor society chapter at an institution does not necessarily mean that the chapter is effectively serving the host department(s) and its engineering students. This paper describes commonalities among engineering honor societies, the possible roles of an honor society within an engineering department, and some best practices for effective honor society chapters. Specific examples from the operation of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN), the honor society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), are given.Cockrell School of Engineerin

Antibiotic Prescribing Practices of Filipino Dentists

There are reports that dentists overprescribe antibiotics which may contribute to antibiotic resistance. This is an exploratory study on antibiotic prescribing practices of Filipino dentists using an online platform to form a basis for antimicrobial stewardship policy for dentists. A link to an online questionnaire using Survey Monkey was posted in a Closed Group Facebook account of Filipino dentists. Two hundred thirty (230) dentists participated. Data was analyzed by Survey Monkey. Amoxicillin is the first choice of antibiotics(71.18%), andclindamycin is the second (57.27%). Most respondents follow the indications for antibiotic therapy, however, some will prescribe antibiotics for conditions without indications. For dental procedures, 88.99% will prescribe for periodontal surgery, 75.45% for endodontic surgery, 68.3% for extraction of a tooth with chronic infection, 87.17% for third molar surgery, 26.7% for routine endodontics, and 23.56% for periodontal treatment without surgery. Not all of the respondents would prescribe for medical conditions that require antibiotic prophylaxis, while 60.36% will prescribe when in doubt in diagnosis, under time pressure (25.68%), and 48.67% considers patient preference. Only 10.48% of the respondents are very familiar with antimicrobial stewardship, while majority (69.74%) have not attended a lecture for antimicrobial stewardship for dentists.There is inappropriate antibiotic prescribing of participants on certain dental diseases, procedures, and medical conditions. Most respondents are not very familiar and have not attended a lecture on antimicrobial stewardship for specifically for dentists

Medium practices

In this essay I develop a topic addressed in my book, Film Art Phenomena: the question of medium specificity. Rosalind Krauss's essay 'Art In the Age of the Post-Medium Condition' has catalysed a move away from medium specificity to hybridity. I propose that questions of medium cannot be ignored, since they carry their own history and give rise to specific formal traits and possibilities. The research involves close critical analysis of four moving image works that have not previously been written about: two made with film, and one each with computer and mobile phone. The analyses are conducted by reference to my ideas about how technological peculiarities inform and inflect practice: I see the work's material composition, its form and final meaning as intricately bound up with each other. Film, video and the computer give rise to specific forms of moving image, partly because artists exploit a medium’s peculiarities, and because certain media lend themselves to some methodologies and not others. I do not seek hard distinctions between these media, but discuss them in terms of predispositions. For example, I discuss a 16mm cine film in which the shifting visibility of grain raises ideas around movement and stillness. The aim is to develop a definition of medium specificity, in relation to the moving image, that is not essentialist in the way previous versions were criticised for being, that is, based on ideas of "material substrate" (Wollen). I argue that film is a medium of stages, in contrast to the modern tapeless camcorder, in which all functions of recording, storage, playback and even editing are contained in a single device. Supported by a travel grant, I presented a version of this essay at the International Conference of Experimental Media Congress, Toronto, in April 2011, along with a selection of works: http://www.experimentalcongress.org/full-schedule

Decolonial connections : practices recreating conviviality : University of Verona, Italy 19-21 May, 2016

We daily experience forms of encounter and conviviality offering resistance to the regime of individualism and engaging differences, without smothering them. A conference was carried out last year to provide a forum for sharing experiences of life trajectories, creative processes and work experiences in this regard. Titled ‘Connessioni Decoloniali. Pratiche che ricreano convivenza’ (Decolonial connections. Practices that recreate conviviality), the conference was held at the University of Verona on the 19th , 20th and 21st May 2016.peer-reviewe