Students’ Role in Distance Learning

1. IntroductionMuch of the support that students have in a traditional classroom is absent in a distance learning course. In the traditional classroom, the learner is together with his or her classmates and the teacher; learning is socially embedded. Students can talk to each other and may learn from each other as they go through the learning process together. They also witness the teacher’s expression of the knowledge firsthand. The class participants communicate to each other not only through their words, but also through their gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice, and the teacher can observe the students’ progress and provide guidance and feedback in an as-needed basis. Further, through the habit of meeting in a regular place at a regular time, the participants reinforce their own and each other’s commitment to the course. A distance course must somehow provide learners other kinds of supports so that the distance learner also has a sense of connection with a learning community; can benefit from interaction with peers who are going through a similar learning process; receives feedback that allows him or her to know how he or she is progressing; and is guided enough so that he or she continues to progress towards the learning objectives. This cannot be accomplished if the distance course does not simultaneously promote student autonomy, for the distance course format requires students to take greater responsibility for their own learning. This chapter presents one distance learning course that was able to address all of these goals. The English Department at Högskolan Dalarna, Sweden, participates in a distance learning program with Vietnam National University. Students enrolled in this program study half-time for two years to complete a Master’s degree in English Linguistics. The distance courses in this program all contain two types of regular class meetings: one type is student-only seminars conducted through text chat, during which students discuss and complete assignments that prepare them for the other type of class meeting, also conducted through text chat, where the teacher is present and is the one to lead the discussion of seminar issues and assignments. The inclusion of student-only seminars in the course design allows for student independence while at the same time it encourages co-operation and solidarity. The teacher-led seminars offer the advantages of a class led by an expert.In this chapter, we present chatlog data from Vietnamese students in one distance course in English linguistics, comparing the role of the student in both student-only and teacher-led seminars. We discuss how students navigate their participation roles, through computer-mediated communication (CMC), according to seminar type, and we consider the emerging role of the autonomous student in the foreign-language medium, distance learning environment. We close by considering aspects of effective design of distance learning courses from the perspective of a foreign language (FL) environment.

Ausencia, prohibición y carencia : Estudio de los personajes y el deseo frustrado en tres obras de García Lorca

In this thesis, the main male characters in three of the plays written by Federico García Lorca are analysed with the aim of seeingthe role they play in the frustration of desire. After two chapters dedicated to a review of published critical studies on Lorca and tocertain theoretical considerations, Chapter Three examines desire drawing on Ubersfeld's actancial model and observes that thesemale characters can be divided into two groups: those who are desired and those who are undesired.In Chapter Four this classification is linked to an analysis of absence, prohibition and lack. Absence is here defined not asrelated to their non-appearance on stage but rather to their non-presence in the lives of the desiring female protagonists. It isobserved that a number of male characters are absent in the plays mainly due to death or a journey. As far as prohibition isconcerned, in two of the works, there is a moral code associated with concepts such as "honour" and "decency", which blocks thefemale characters' access to the males they desire. Chapter Four also shows how several characters can be considered as lacking inthe sense that they do not possess the ideal male qualities contained in the plays. This chapter reaches the conclusion that desiredmale characters are either absent or forbidden in the world of the desiring female, whereas undesired male characters are lacking inthe sense that they fail to live up to the ideal highlighted in the plays.Chapter Five analyses the female characters' perception of the male figures, making use of René Girard's notion of"transfiguration", which alludes to a process of idealisation of the object of desire. Our analysis reveals a connection betweendesire, denied access to the object of desire and transfiguration in the main subjects of desire. The phenomenon of "transfiguration"has several functions in the play: firstly, the creation of hyperbolical male characters; secondly, that of transmitting the intensity ofthe desire experienced and, finally, the highlighting of the lack of certain qualities in several male characters.We thus observe that, in these three plays written by García Lorca, Girard's pessimistic view of desire is confirmed, since desireneeds a series of obstacles, such as absence or prohibition, to survive. However, this is not the only explanation for the frustrationof desire: other factors, like the actions of certain male characters or destiny, also play a decisive role.

Forecasting with Vector Nonlinear Time Series Models

This work concerns forecasting with vector nonlinear time series models when errorsare correlated. Point forecasts are numerically obtained using bootstrap methods andillustrated by two examples. Evaluation concentrates on studying forecast equality andencompassing. Nonlinear impulse responses are further considered and graphically sum-marized by highest density region. Finally, two macroeconomic data sets are used toillustrate our work. The forecasts from linear or nonlinear model could contribute usefulinformation absent in the forecasts form the other model.

Pensionärsjävlar : revolt mot eller ett upprepande av negativa ålderskoder?

Old bastard – rebellion against or a repetition of negative age codes? In contemporary media and scientific contexts, it has become increasingly popular to launch today’s elderly as different from previous generations of older people, especially emphasized is that today’s elderly will have more attitude and set higher demands on society. The TV-series Pensionärsjävlar is based on this idea of today’s and tomorrow’s elderly as different and more rebellious than previous generations. The purpose of this article is to analyze and discuss how age and age codes are used as a prerequisite for, but also are challenged in the series. The result shows that chronological age is almost absent in the series, instead age coding is performed by physical attributes and verbal acts. Most common attributes are those connected to decreased functionality, such as walker, wheelchair, walking stick etcetera. The most common taboo joked about is sexuality, and other common themes are decreased functionality,child/youth- like behavior and traffic. In the article I discuss how these themes and attributes are negotiated in relation to age.  

Viktordningen : ett analytiskt perspektiv

The weight order – an analytical perspective This article is an outline of a critically oriented and empirically grounded theory of the weight order, as a complement to theories of more widely recognized and studied ordering systems. We 1) expose the weight orders “absent presence” in humanistic and social science-oriented research treating overweight and fatness as a personal or social problem, 2) outline the contours and characteristics of this specific ordering system, and 3) suggest a set of sensitizing concepts for analysis of this ordering system. Two primary forms of activity, maintaining order and putting in order, are analysed. The first is making thin people into order and overweight people into disorder, and thus maintains order in the weight order. The other, putting in order, covers different activities supposed to make sure that people keep their bodies thin or try to become thin. These ordering activities meet resistance when overweight people stop dieting and/or define overweight as a personal choice and themselves as good enough, or even healthy and beautiful. We call these forms of resistance alternative weight-doings.  

Konsensus och personifierade konflikter : problembeskrivningar av äldreomsorg i svensk dagspress

Consensus and personified conflicts: representations of elderly care issues in Swedish newspapers Elderly care issues are commonly framed in public discourse. In mass media the representations of such issues are influenced by media logic. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse how elderly care issues were represented in three Swedish newspapers during the first half of 2007. How were the problems characterized? How were different actors characterized and which roles were they assigned? How are conflicts of interests described? Finally, we aim to discuss how media contribute to an understanding of the complexity of elderly care as a whole. Taken together, the articles do not provide a coherent picture. However, costs, quality of care and demographic issues were common themes. The elderly were commonly represented in personal narratives about problems that occurred when they needed elderly care. The elderly in the future are projected as more active and demanding than the elderly today. The care workers were active voices in discussions about working conditions, but absent in discussions about their education and professional identity, which was an issue commonly advocated by politicians. Many issues were represented as conflicts between the individual elderly and the care system or between care workers and their employers. More elaborated discussions about how to prioritize between different needs and demands were rare. This can be seen as examples of how the media tends to use personification, simplification and polarization as means to tell interesting stories.

Hälsofrämjande friskvårdsarbete : En fallstudie om friskvårdsarbete inom kommunal vård- och omsorgsförvaltning

Under senare år har frågan om ett hållbart arbetsliv blivit allt viktigare. Det innebär att goda arbetsförhållanden kommer att bidra till att människor orkar arbeta fram till pensionen. Friskvård har gått från att enbart vara en förmån till att bli en investering för att främja hälsa. Anställdas hälsa och arbetsmiljö är en del av personalfunktionens övergripande arbete för att behålla personal. Fysiskt krävande yrken som omsorgsarbete är ett stort arbetsmiljöproblem som kräver att organisationer försöker förhindra att arbetsrelaterad sjukdom inträffar. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka vilka förutsättningarna, ur ett medarbetarperspektiv, organisationer bör ta i beaktande för att skapa ett framgångsrikt arbete med hälsofrämjande friskvårdsaktiviteter inom kommunal vård- och omsorgsförvaltning. Arbetet är begränsat till personal inom Ludvika kommun. Friskvård kan förebygga sjukdom, men det kan också öka individens välbefinnande och kan därmed utgöra en framgångsrik strategi för att skapa hälsosammare arbetsplatser. En kombination av metoder användes för datainsamling, i form av en kvantitativ enkätundersökning och en kvalitativ fokusgruppintervju. Resultaten visade bland annat att majoriteten av de anställda är positiva till friskvård på arbetstid och att det är ett fördelaktigt sätt att öka deltagandet, även för dem som är mindre fysiskt aktiva. Tidsbrist och socialt stöd är skäl till varför fysisk aktivitet är lägre eller uteblir. Förutom att de anställda som har ett individuellt ansvar är det chefer, i samråd med organisationen, som har det övergripande ansvaret för att skapa goda förutsättningar för att främja hälsan.

'Moving On' and Transitional Bridges : Studies on migration, violence and wellbeing in encounters with Somali-born women and the maternity health care in Sweden

During the latest decade Somali-born women with experiences of long-lasting war followed by migration have increasingly encountered Swedish maternity care, where antenatal care midwives are assigned to ask questions about exposure to violence. The overall aim in this thesis was to gain deeper understanding of Somali-born women’s wellbeing and needs during the parallel transitions of migration to Sweden and childbearing, focusing on maternity healthcare encounters and violence. Data were obtained from medical records (paper I), qualitative interviews with Somali-born women (II, III) and Swedish antenatal care midwives (IV). Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used. Compared to pregnancies of Swedish-born women, Somali-born women’s pregnancies demonstrated later booking and less visits to antenatal care, more maternal morbidity but less psychiatric treatment, less medical pain relief during delivery and more emergency caesarean sections and small-for-gestational-age infants (I). Political violence with broken societal structures before migration contributed to up-rootedness, limited healthcare and absent state-based support to women subjected to violence, which reinforced reliance on social networks, own endurance and faith in Somalia (II). After migration, sources of wellbeing were a pragmatic “moving-on” approach including faith and motherhood, combined with social coherence. Lawful rights for women were appreciated but could concurrently risk creating power tensions in partner relationships. Generally, the Somali-born women associated the midwife more with providing medical care than with overall wellbeing or concerns about violence, but new societal resources were parallel incorporated with known resources (III). Midwives strived for woman-centered approaches beyond ethnicity and culture in care encounters, with language, social gaps and divergent views on violence as potential barriers in violence inquiry. Somali-born women’s strength and contentment were highlighted, and ongoing violence seldom encountered according to the midwives experiences (IV). Pragmatism including “moving on” combined with support from family and social networks, indicate capability to cope with violence and migration-related stress. However, this must be balanced against potential unspoken needs at individual level in care encounters.With trustful relationships, optimized interaction and networking with local Somali communities and across professions, the antenatal midwife can have a “bridging-function” in balancing between dual societies and contribute to healthy transitions in the new society.

The relative perceptual weight of two Swedish prosodic contrasts

Abstract. In addition to 9 vowel and 18 consonant phonemes, Swedish has three prosodic phonemic contrasts: word stress, quantity and tonal word accent. There are also examples of distinctive phrase or sentence stress, where a verb can be followed by either an unstressed preposition or a stressed particle. This study focuses on word level and more specifically on word stress and tonal word accent in disyllabic words. When making curriculums for second language learners, teachers are helped by knowing which phonetic or phonological features are more or less crucial for the intelligibility of speech and there are some structural and anecdotal evidence that word stress should play a more important role for intelligibility of Swedish, than the tonal word accent. The Swedish word stress is about prominence contrasts between syllables, mainly signaled by syllable duration, while the tonal word accent is signaled mainly by pitch contour. The word stress contrast, as in armen [´arːmən] ‘the arm’ - armén [ar´meːn] ‘the army’, the first word trochaic and the second iambic, is present in all regional varieties of Swedish, and realized with roughly the same acoustic cues, while the tonal word accent, as in anden [´anːdən] ‘the duck’ - anden [`anːdən] ‘the spirit’ is absent in some dialects (as well as in singing), and also signaled with a variety of tonal patterns depending on region. The present study aims at comparing the respective perceptual weight of the two mentioned contrasts. Two lexical decision tests were carried out where in total 34 native Swedish listeners should decide whether a stimulus was a real word or a non-word. Real words of all mentioned categories were mixed with nonsense words and words that were mispronounced with opposite stress pattern or opposite tonal word accent category. The results show that distorted word stress caused more non-word judgments and more loss, than distorted word accent. Our conclusion is that intelligibility of Swedish is more sensitive to distorted word stress pattern than to distorted tonal word accent pattern. This is in compliance with the structural arguments presented above, and also with our own intuition.

Reactions of Persons with Dementia to Caregivers Singing in Morning Care Situations

Music therapeutic caregiving', when caregivers sing for or together with persons with severe dementia during care situations, has been suggested as a way to reduce problematic behaviors in dementia care. The present study implemented this technique as an intervention in dementia care. Six caregivers participated in group interviews about their experiences of morning care situations without and with'Music therapeutic caregiving'. Through a qualitative content analysis two themes emerged.'Being in a different reality' was based on'usual' morning care situations. The caregivers' experienced the persons with dementia as absent-minded; communication and cooperation were difficult. The second theme,'Being present', was based on morning care situations with the intervention. The caregivers described communication as enhanced; the persons with dementia expressed themselves more appropriately, making cooperation possible. The results indicate that'Music therapeutic caregiving' might lead to a more positive experience of the person with dementia and seems to increase receptivity to caregiving.