Transfer of learning across the globe : pre-service teachers taking the initiative

A continuing challenge for pre-service teacher education is the learning transfer between the university based components and the practical school based components of their training. It is not clear how easily pre-service teachers can transfer university learnings into ‘in school’ practice. Similarly, it is not clear how easily knowledge learned in the school context can be disembedded from this particular context and understood more generally by the pre-service teacher. This paper examines the effect of a community of practice formed specifically to explore learning transfer via collaboration and professional enquiry, in ‘real time’, across the globe. “Activity Theory” (Engestrom, 1999) provided the theoretical framework through which the cognitive, physical and social processes involved could be understood. For the study, three activity systems formed community of practice network. The first activity system involved pre-service teachers at a large university in Queensland, Australia. The second activity system was introduced by the pre-service teachers and involved Year 12 students and teachers at a private secondary school also in Queensland, Australia. The third activity system involved university staff engineers at a large university in Pennsylvania, USA. The common object among the three activity systems was to explore the principles and applications of nanotechnology. The participants in the two Queensland activity systems, controlled laboratory equipment (a high powered Atomic Force Microscope – CPII) in Pennsylvania, USA, with the aim of investigating surface topography and the properties of nano particles. The pre-service teachers were to develop their remote ‘real time’ experience into school classroom tasks, implement these tasks, and later report their findings to other pre-service teachers in the university activity system. As an extension to the project, the pre-service teachers were invited to co-author papers relating to the project. Data were collected from (a) reflective journals; (b) participant field notes – a pre-service teacher initiative; (c) surveys – a pre-service teacher initiative; (d) lesson reflections and digital recordings – a pre-service teacher initiative; and (e) interviews with participants. The findings are reported in terms of the major themes: boundary crossing, the philosophy of teaching, and professional relationships The findings have implications for teacher education. The researchers feel that deliberate planning for networking between activity systems may well be a solution to the apparent theory/practice gap. Proximity of activity systems need not be a hindering issue.

Youth, Sport and the Social Inclusion Agenda

The purpose of this paper is to assess aspects of the British Government's attempts to use sporting participation as a vehicle to re-integrate socially disadvantaged, excluded and 'at-risk' youth into mainstream society. A number of organisations, policy-makers, commentators, and practitioners with a stake in the 'sport and social inclusion agenda' were interviewed. General agreement was found on a number of points: that the field was overly crowded with policies, programmes and initiatives; that the field worked in a 'bottom-up' way, with the most significant factor determining success being effective local workers with good networks and cultural access; that the dichotomising rhetoric of inclusion/exclusion was counter-productive; that the notion of the 'at-risk youth' was problematic and unhelpful; and that they all now dealt with a marketplace, where 'clients' had to be enrolled in their own reformation. There was also disagreement on a number of points: that policy acts as a relatively accurate template for practice, as opposed to the argument that it was simply regarded as a cluster of suggestions for practice; that policy was exceptionally piecemeal in its formulation and application, as opposed to regarding policy as necessarily targeted and dispersed; and that the inclusion agenda was largely politically driven and transitory, as opposed to the optimistic view that it had become ingrained in local practice. Finally, the paper examines some issues that are the most likely points of contribution by researchers in the area: that more research needs to be done on the processes of identity formation associated with participation in sport; that more effective programme evaluation needs to be done for such forms of governmental intervention to work properly; and that the relationship between different kinds of physical activity and social and personal change needs to be more thoroughly theorised.

The Explicit Hazard Model – Part 2 : Applications

Hazard and reliability prediction of an engineering asset is one of the significant fields of research in Engineering Asset Health Management (EAHM). In real-life situations where an engineering asset operates under dynamic operational and environmental conditions, the lifetime of an engineering asset can be influenced and/or indicated by different factors that are termed as covariates. The Explicit Hazard Model (EHM) as a covariate-based hazard model is a new approach for hazard prediction which explicitly incorporates both internal and external covariates into one model. EHM is an appropriate model to use in the analysis of lifetime data in presence of both internal and external covariates in the reliability field. This paper presents applications of the methodology which is introduced and illustrated in the theory part of this study. In this paper, the semi-parametric EHM is applied to a case study so as to predict the hazard and reliability of resistance elements on a Resistance Corrosion Sensor Board (RCSB).

Value in Social Marketing : A Qualitative exploration within government health services

Value creation is an area with long-standing importance in the marketing field, yet little is known about the value construct itself. In social marketing, value can be regarded as an incentive for consumers to perform desirable behaviours that lead to bother greater social good and individual benefit. An understanding of customer value in the consumption of social products is an important aspect of designing social marketing interventions that can effectively change social behaviours. This paper uses qualitative data, gathered during depth interviews, to explore the value dimensions women experience from using government-provided breast screening services every two years. Thematic analysis was used in discovering that emotional functional, social and altruistic dimensions of value were present in womens’ experiences with these services as well as in the outcomes from using them.

In vivo confocal microscopy of the palpebral conjunctiva and tarsal plate

Purpose The aim of this work is to develop a more complete understanding of the in vivo histology of the human palpebral conjunctiva and tarsal plate. Methods. The upper eyelids of 11 healthy human volunteer subjects were everted, and laser scanning confocal microscopy was used to examine the various tissue layers of the palpebral conjunctiva and tarsal plate. Results The superficial and basal epithelial layers are composed of cells with gray cytoplasm and thick, light gray borders.Nuclei can not be seen. The stroma has a varied appearance; fibrous tissue is sometimes observed, interspersed with dark,amorphous lacunae, and crevases. Numerous single white or gray cells populate this tissue, and fine blood vessels are seen traversing the field. Occasional conjunctival microcysts and Langerhans cells are observed. The tarsal plate is dark and amorphous, and meibomian gland acini with convoluted borders are clearly observed. Acini are composed of an outer lining of large cuboidal cells, and differentiated secretory cells can be seen within the acini lumen. Conclusions Laser scanning confocal microscopy is capable of studying the human palpebral conjunctiva, tarsal plate, and acini of meibomian glands in vivo. The observations presented here may provide useful supplementary anatomical information relating to the morphology of this tissue.

A model of project complexity : distinguishing dimensions of complexity from severity

There is increasing agreement that understanding complexity is important for project management because of difficulties associated with decision-making and goal attainment which appear to stem from complexity. However the current operational definitions of complex projects, based upon size and budget, have been challenged and questions have been raised about how complexity can be measured in a robust manner that takes account of structural, dynamic and interaction elements. Thematic analysis of data from 25 in-depth interviews of project managers involved with complex projects, together with an exploration of the literature reveals a wide range of factors that may contribute to project complexity. We argue that these factors contributing to project complexity may define in terms of dimensions, or source characteristics, which are in turn subject to a range of severity factors. In addition to investigating definitions and models of complexity from the literature and in the field, this study also explores the problematic issues of ‘measuring’ or assessing complexity. A research agenda is proposed to further the investigation of phenomena reported in this initial study.

Does chemometrics enhance the performance of electroanalysis?

This review explores the question whether chemometrics methods enhance the performance of electroanalytical methods. Electroanalysis has long benefited from the well-established techniques such as potentiometric titrations, polarography and voltammetry, and the more novel ones such as electronic tongues and noses, which have enlarged the scope of applications. The electroanalytical methods have been improved with the application of chemometrics for simultaneous quantitative prediction of analytes or qualitative resolution of complex overlapping responses. Typical methods include partial least squares (PLS), artificial neural networks (ANNs), and multiple curve resolution methods (MCR-ALS, N-PLS and PARAFAC). This review aims to provide the practising analyst with a broad guide to electroanalytical applications supported by chemometrics. In this context, after a general consideration of the use of a number of electroanalytical techniques with the aid of chemometrics methods, several overviews follow with each one focusing on an important field of application such as food, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and the environment. The growth of chemometrics in conjunction with electronic tongue and nose sensors is highlighted, and this is followed by an overview of the use of chemometrics for the resolution of complicated profiles for qualitative identification of analytes, especially with the use of the MCR-ALS methodology. Finally, the performance of electroanalytical methods is compared with that of some spectrophotometric procedures on the basis of figures-of-merit. This showed that electroanalytical methods can perform as well as the spectrophotometric ones. PLS-1 appears to be the method of practical choice if the %relative prediction error of not, vert, similar±10% is acceptable.

Networks in the shadow of markets and hierarchies : calling the shots in the visual effects industry

The nature and organisation of creative industries and the creative economy has received increased attention in recent academic and policy literatures (Florida 2002; Grabher 2002; Scott 2006a). Constituted as one variant on new economy narratives, creativity, alongside knowledge, has been presented as a key competitive asset, Such industries – ranging from advertising, to film and new media – are seen as not merely expanding their scale and scope, but as leading edge proponents of a more general trend towards new forms of organization and economic coordination (Davis and Scase 2000). The idea of network forms (and the consequent displacement of markets and hierarchies) has been at the heart of attempts to differentiate the field economically and spatially. Across both the discussion of production models and work/employment relations is the assertion of the enhanced importance of trust and non-market relations in coordinating structures and practices. This reflects an influential view in sociological, management, geography and other literatures that social life is ‘intrinsically networked’ (Sunley 2008: 12) and that we can confidently use the term ‘network society’ to describe contemporary structures and practices (Castells 1996). Our paper is sceptical of the conceptual and empirical foundations of such arguments. We draw on a number of theoretical resources, including institutional theory, global value chain analysis and labour process theory (see Smith and McKinlay 2009) to explore how a more realistic and grounded analysis of the nature of and limits to networks can be articulated. Given space constraints, we cannot address all the dimensions of network arguments or evidence. Our focus is on inter and intra-firm relations and draws on research into a particular creative industry – visual effects – that is a relatively new though increasingly important global production network. Through this examination a different model of the creative industries and creative work emerges – one in which market rules and patterns of hierarchical interaction structure the behaviour of economic actors and remain a central focus of analysis. The next section outlines and unpacks in more detail arguments concerning the role and significance of networks, markets and hierarchies in production models and work organisation in creative industries and the ‘creative economy’.

Serious playground : using Second Life to engage high school students in urban planning

Virtual world platforms such as Second Life have been successfully used in educational contexts to motivate and engage learners. This article reports on an exploratory workshop involving a group of high school students using Second Life for an urban planning project. Young people are traditionally an under-represented demographic when it comes to participating in urban planning and decision making processes. The research team developed activities that combined technology with a constructivist approach to learning. Real world experiences and purposes ensured that the workshop enabled students to see the relevance of their learning. Our design also ensured that play remained an important part of the learning. By conceiving of the workshop as a ‘serious playground’ we investigated the ludic potential of learning in a virtual world.

Towards an acoustic environmental observatory

The need for large scale environmental monitoring to manage environmental change is well established. Ecologists have long used acoustics as a means of monitoring the environment in their field work, and so the value of an acoustic environmental observatory is evident. However, the volume of data generated by such an observatory would quickly overwhelm even the most fervent scientist using traditional methods. In this paper we present our steps towards realising a complete acoustic environmental observatory - i.e. a cohesive set of hardware sensors, management utilities, and analytical tools required for large scale environmental monitoring. Concrete examples of these elements, which are in active use by ecological scientists, are also presented

Mapping personal trip OD from probe data

The paper analyses the expected value of OD volumes from probe with fixed error, error that is proportional to zone size and inversely proportional to zone size. To add realism to the analysis, real trip ODs in the Tokyo Metropolitan Region are synthesised. The results show that for small zone coding with average radius of 1.1km, and fixed measurement error of 100m, an accuracy of 70% can be expected. The equivalent accuracy for medium zone coding with average radius of 5km would translate into a fixed error of approximately 300m. As expected small zone coding is more sensitive than medium zone coding as the chances of the probe error envelope falling into adjacent zones are higher. For the same error radii, error proportional to zone size would deliver higher level of accuracy. As over half (54.8%) of the trip ends start or end at zone with equivalent radius of ≤ 1.2 km and only 13% of trips ends occurred at zones with equivalent radius ≥2.5km, measurement error that is proportional to zone size such as mobile phone would deliver higher level of accuracy. The synthesis of real OD with different probe error characteristics have shown that expected value of >85% is difficult to achieve for small zone coding with average radius of 1.1km. For most transport applications, OD matrix at medium zone coding is sufficient for transport management. From this study it can be drawn that GPS with error range between 2 and 5m, and at medium zone coding (average radius of 5km) would provide OD estimates greater than 90% of the expected value. However, for a typical mobile phone operating error range at medium zone coding the expected value would be lower than 85%. This paper assumes transmission of one origin and one destination positions from the probe. However, if multiple positions within the origin and destination zones are transmitted, map matching to transport network could be performed and it would greatly improve the accuracy of the probe data.

Assessment by interview and portfolio in a Graduate School Program

Assessment plays an integral role in teaching and learning in Higher Education and teachers have a strong interest in debates and commentaries on assessment as and for learning. In a one-year graduate entry teacher preparation program, the temptation is to emphasize assessment in an attempt to ensure students “cover” everything as part of a robust preparation for the profession. The risk is that, for students, assessment drives curriculum, and time spent in the completion of assignments is no guarantee of either effective learning or authentic preparation for teaching. Interviews as assessment provide an opportunity for a learning experience as well as an authentic task, since students will shortly be interviewing for employment in a “real world” situation. This paper reports on a project experimenting with interview panels as authentic assessment with pre-service early childhood teachers. At the end of their first semester of study, students enrolled in the Graduate Diploma of Education program at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia were required to participate in a panel interview where they were graded by a panel made up of three faculty staff and one undergraduate student enrolled in the four-year Bachelor of Education program. Students and panel members completed a questionnaire on their experience after the interview. Results indicated that both students and staff valued the experience and felt it was authentic. Results are discussed in terms of how the assessment interview and portfolio presentation supports graduating students in their preparation for employment interviews, and how this authentic assessment task has benefits for both students and teaching staff.

Members abroad - Australia : Paul Sanders

I have been an academic since joining the University of Natal in 1998 and, following a period as a visiting lecturer in Brisbane in 2001, I joined the staff at QUT on an ongoing basis in 2003. I was appointed as Architecture Co-ordinator in 2006, and this role involves the leadership of the architectur discipline of 17 full time academics. I am currently enrolled in a PhD course in the field of urban morphology. This research proposes a theory on the relevance of mapping the evolutionary aspects of historical urban form to develop a measure for evaluating architecural elements and deriving parameters for new buildings. My participation in a QUT design team contributed to a recent successful invited competition bid for an Urban Transit Centre in Hangzhou, China. The Centre will include retail, business, entertainment, residential and service components at the heart of the Binjiang district on the 11.5ha core area with 32ha surrounding urban design precinct. The project has received the approval to commence and is to be implemented over the next three years!

Boys 'doing' and 'undoing' media education : new possibilities for theory and practice

The purpose of this study is to investigate how secondary school media educators might best meet the needs of students who prefer practical production work to ‘theory’ work in media studies classrooms. This is a significant problem for a curriculum area that claims to develop students’ media literacies by providing them with critical frameworks and a metalanguage for thinking about the media. It is a problem that seems to have become more urgent with the availability of new media technologies and forms like video games. The study is located in the field of media education, which tends to draw on structuralist understandings of the relationships between young people and media and suggests that students can be empowered to resist media’s persuasive discourses. Recent theoretical developments suggest too little emphasis has been placed on the participatory aspects of young people playing with, creating and gaining pleasure from media. This study contributes to this ‘participatory’ approach by bringing post structuralist perspectives to the field, which have been absent from studies of secondary school media education. I suggest theories of media learning must take account of the ongoing formation of students’ subjectivities as they negotiate social, cultural and educational norms. Michel Foucault’s theory of ‘technologies of the self’ and Judith Butler’s theories of performativity and recognition are used to develop an argument that media learning occurs in the context of students negotiating various ‘ethical systems’ as they establish their social viability through achieving recognition within communities of practice. The concept of ‘ethical systems’ has been developed for this study by drawing on Foucault’s theories of discourse and ‘truth regimes’ and Butler’s updating of Althusser’s theory of interpellation. This post structuralist approach makes it possible to investigate the ways in which students productively repeat and vary norms to creatively ‘do’ and ‘undo’ the various media learning activities with which they are required to engage. The study focuses on a group of year ten students in an all boys’ Catholic urban school in Australia who undertook learning about video games in a three-week intensive ‘immersion’ program. The analysis examines the ethical systems operating in the classroom, including formal systems of schooling, informal systems of popular cultural practice and systems of masculinity. It also examines the students’ use of semiotic resources to repeat and/or vary norms while reflecting on, discussing, designing and producing video games. The key findings of the study are that students are motivated to learn technology skills and production processes rather than ‘theory’ work. This motivation stems from the students’ desire to become recognisable in communities of technological and masculine practice. However, student agency is not only possible through critical responses to media, but through performative variation of norms through creative ethical practices as students participate with new media technologies. Therefore, the opportunities exist for media educators to create the conditions for variation of norms through production activities. The study offers several implications for media education theory and practice including: the productive possibilities of post structuralism for informing ways of doing media education; the importance of media teachers having the autonomy to creatively plan curriculum; the advantages of media and technology teachers collaborating to draw on a broad range of resources to develop curriculum; the benefits of placing more emphasis on students’ creative uses of media; and the advantages of blending formal classroom approaches to media education with less formal out of school experiences.