Experts on e-learning: insights gained from listening to the student voice!

The Student Experience of e-Learning Laboratory (SEEL) project at the University of Greenwich was designed to explore and then implement a number of approaches to investigate learners��� experiences of using technology to support their learning. In this paper members of the SEEL team present initial findings from a University-wide survey of nearly a 1000 students. A selection of 90 ���cameos���, drawn from the survey data, offer further insights into personal perceptions of e-learning and illustrate the diversity of students experiences. The cameos provide a more coherent picture of individual student experience based on the totality of each person���s responses to the questionnaire. Finally, extracts from follow-up case studies, based on interviews with a small number of students, allow us to ���hear��� the student voice more clearly. Issues arising from an analysis of the data include student preferences for communication and social networking tools, views on the ���smartness��� of their tutors��� uses of technology and perceptions of the value of e-learning. A primary finding and the focus of this paper, is that students effectively arrive at their own individualised selection, configuration and use of technologies and software that meets their perceived needs. This ���personalisation��� does not imply that such configurations are the most efficient, nor does it automatically suggest that effective learning is occurring. SEEL reminds us that learners are individuals, who approach learning both with and without technology in their own distinctive ways. Hearing, understanding and responding to the student voice is fundamental in maximising learning effectiveness. Institutions should consider actively developing the capacity of academic staff to advise students on the usefulness of particular online tools and resources in support of learning and consider the potential benefits of building on what students already use in their everyday lives. Given the widespread perception that students tend to be ���digital natives��� and academic staff ���digital immigrants��� (Prensky, 2001), this could represent a considerable cultural challenge.

Creative environments for art, craft & design teaching in the 21st century

This booklet has been designed for student teachers in particular and those in their early years as teachers of art, craft and design. It is suitable however for all teachers of art and design, and will be useful when considering the 2007 review of the Art and Design programme of study (POS) with its focus on creativity and ideas developments. The contents are intended as prompts or guides and ideas for initiating individual responses to themes or projects and a "way in" for the teacher when guiding pupils. It explains in detail how one might inspire all groups with appropriate and varied resources.

Adjustment to inflammatory bowel disease: The relative influence of illness perceptions and coping

Background: The Common Sense Model (CSM) of illness representations was used in the current study to examine the relative contribution of illness perceptions and coping strategies in explaining adjustment to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: Participants were 80 adults consecutively attending an outpatients' clinic with a diagnosis of either Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Respondents completed and returned a questionnaire booklet that assessed illness perceptions, coping, and adjustment. Adjustment was measured from the perspectives of psychological distress, quality of life, and functional independence. Results: Illness perceptions (particularly perception of consequences of IBD) were uniformly the most consistent variables explaining adjustment to IBD. Coping did not significantly add to predicting adjustment once illness perceptions were controlled for and therefore did not mediate the relationship between illness perceptions and adjustment, as proposed in the CSM. Conclusions: The results suggest the importance of addressing illness perceptions in developing appropriate psychological interventions for IBD.

Illness perceptions among carer - survivor dyads are related to psychological distress among Oesophageal cancer survivors

Objective<br/><br/>To examine the extent to which the illness perceptions of Oesophageal cancer survivors and the illness perceptions of their carers explain the survivors' levels of psychological distress (in terms of anxiety and depression symptoms) relative to demographic and biomedical variables and patients' coping strategies.<br/><br/>Method<br/><br/>Everyone registered with the Oesophageal Patients' Association in the UK was mailed a questionnaire booklet containing questions about medical and demographic variables, the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised, the Cancer Coping Questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Patients were asked to pass a modified version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised to someone they identified as a carer. Complete responses were received from 317 dyads.<br/><br/>Results<br/><br/>Regression models indicated that the variables measured could explain 56% of the variance in anxiety and 54% of the variance in depression. Patients' illness perceptions explained the majority of this variance. Positive focus coping strategies were also found to be important in explaining psychological well-being. Some of the carers' illness perceptions made a significant contribution to the explanation of the patients' levels of psychological distress, and in some instances, carer perceptions were found to moderate the relationship between patients' perceptions and psychological distress.<br/><br/>Conclusion<br/><br/>The findings suggest that cognition-based interventions could potentially be most effective in minimizing emotional distress among survivors of Oesophageal cancer. This study also shows that these interventions could usefully be delivered at the level of the patient���carer dyad.<br/>

Psychological distress among family carers of oesophageal cancer survivors the role of illness cognitions and coping

<br/>Objective: The research aimed to determine the extent to which illness cognitions and coping explain psychological distress (fear of cancer recurrence, anxiety and depression symptoms) among family carers of survivors of oesophageal cancer.<br/><br/><br/>Methods: Carers of patients registered with the Oesophageal Patients' Association in the UK were mailed a questionnaire booklet containing questions about medical and demographic variables, the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised, the Cancer Coping Questionnaire, the Concerns about Recurrence Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.<br/><br/><br/>Results: Complete responses were received from 382 family carers (75% male; mean (SD) age=62 (10.91) years). Regression models indicated that the variables measured could explain between 35 and 49% of the variance in psychological distress among carers. Illness cognitions (particularly perceptions of the cause of, consequences of and personal control over oesophageal cancer and the carer's understanding of the condition) explained the majority of this variance. Positive focus coping strategies were also found to be important in explaining psychological distress.<br/><br/><br/>Conclusion: The results of this study are consistent with previous research demonstrating that illness cognitions are significant correlates of adaptive outcomes, thereby suggesting that cognition-based interventions could potentially be effective in minimizing emotional distress among family carers of oesophageal cancer survivors.<br/>

Psychological distress among survivors of esophageal cancer: the role of illness cognitions and coping

Leventhal's common sense model has provided a useful framework for explaining psychological distress in several chronic illnesses. The model indicates that a person's perception of their illness and their coping strategies are the key determinants of their experience of psychological distress. The present research examines whether illness perceptions and coping strategies are related to levels of psychological distress among survivors of esophageal cancer. Everyone registered with the Oesophageal Patients' Association in the UK was mailed a questionnaire booklet, which included the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised, the Cancer Coping Questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Complete responses were received from 484 people. Regression models indicated that the variables measured could explain 51% of the variance in anxiety and 42% of the variance in depression. Perceptions of esophageal cancer explained the majority of this variance. Positive focus coping strategies were also found to be important in explaining psychological distress. The results of this study are consistent with previous research demonstrating that illness perceptions are stronger correlates of adaptive outcomes than coping strategies. The findings suggest that cognition-based interventions could potentially be most effective in minimizing emotional distress among survivors of esophageal cancer.

The factor structure of the revised Illness Perceptions Questionnaire in a population of oesophageal cancer survivors

Objectives<br/>To determine whether the proposed 7-factor structure of the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (Timeline Acute/Chronic, Timeline Cyclical, Consequences, Personal Control, Treatment Control, Illness Coherence and Emotional Representations) is appropriate among a population of oesophageal cancer survivors.<br/>Methods<br/>Everyone registered with the Oesophageal Patients��� Association in the UK (n=2185) was mailed a questionnaire booklet which included the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised. Responses from 587 oesophageal cancer survivors (27%) were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis.<br/>Results<br/>The proposed 7 factor structure provided a reasonable fit of the data. Modification indices suggested that a significantly better fit could be provided if one of the items on the Timeline Acute/Chronic factor loaded on the Treatment Control factor and an error covariance was added between 2 other items on the Timeline Acute/Chronic factor.<br/>Conclusions<br/>The model fit for the 7 factor structure proposed by Moss-Morris et al. (2002) was found to be adequate in our study. However, the structure of the timeline acute/chronic factor needs to be considered, particularly when the IPQ-R is to be used among older people with a potentially life-threatening illness or those receiving palliative care.

Building Clouds Drifting Walls:Year One Design Studio: A Critical Appraisal

This is a Booklet about a first year design studio in a school of architecture. It describes and reflects on changes that happened in the course over a three year period starting September 2000. The Studio is made up of students from mainstream architecture, and dual courses with landscape and engineering. The booklet is for those who are thinking of studying architecture. It might also be for those already learning and teaching architecture who want to see how other design studios work.

Out of the Shadows: A one day investigation of the politics of architecture explored through the lens of post-conflict, Belfast

This booklet covers the itinerary and some of the findings of a day-long visit to Belfast on the 7th November 2014 by Peter Oborn; Vice President International of the Royal Institute of British Architects. His visit was in response to a motion submitted to the RIBA council (19.05.2014) calling for the suspension of the Israeli Association of United Architects from the International Union of Architects. Despite members of council speaking against the motion it was carried; 23 members voting for, 16 against, and 10 abstentions. Subsequently the RIBA came under considerable pressure to consider its position in such critical contexts. This visit to Belfast was part of a wider fact-finding mission and evidence taking. At its heart was the question: 'Is it appropriate for the institute (RIBA) to engage with communities facing civil conflict and/or natural disaster and, if so, how it can do so most effectively.' The visit was facilitated by Ruth Morrow, Professor of Architecture, School of Planning, Architecture &amp; Civil Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, and Martin Hare, Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) president.

Perce����es e cren��as dos consumidores portugueses acerca dos medicamentos gen��ricos

Disserta����o, Mestrado, Marketing, Instituto Polit��cnico de Santar��m, Escola Superior de Gest��o e Tecnologia, 2014

A qualidade do servi��o prestado pelos Servi��os Acad��micos da Escola Superior ABC

A globaliza����o dos mercados transformou a realidade em que vivem as nossas organiza����es criando a necessidade de, face �� concorr��ncia cada vez mais agressiva, lutar por uma posi����o de destaque no mercado onde se encontram, sendo a ���qualidade��� cada vez mais o fator de destaque. A qualidade vai muito al��m de um produto, hoje em dia a qualidade estende-se ao ensino passando pelos servi��os. A qualidade preocupa n��o s�� a ind��stria como todas as atividades econ��micas, inclusive os servi��os, quer estes sejam prestados por entidades privadas quer por entidades p��blicas. Dentro desta vis��o de ���qualidade��� de servi��os, pretende este projeto de interven����o estudar a qualidade do servi��o prestado, pelos servi��os acad��micos de uma escola de ensino superior p��blico e elaborar uma proposta de medidas de melhoria. Numa primeira fase estud��mos a satisfa����o dos alunos face ao servi��o prestado tendo sido recolhida a opini��o de 120 alunos. De seguida analis��mos os processos e procedimentos dos SAC e posteriormente elabor��mos uma proposta de melhoria para obtermos um servi��o que v�� ao encontro das necessidades do seu p��blico-alvo, correspondendo em tempo e formato ��s suas expectativas, por forma a obter qualidade cont��nua no servi��o prestado. Durante a elabora����o deste projeto conseguimos colocar em pr��tica algumas das medidas propostas, sobre as quais obtivemos resultados e opini��es muito positivas.-Market globalization has transformed the reality in which our organizations live, thus creating an increasingly aggressive competition and the need to fight for a position in the market in which they are where "quality" has become an increasingly prominent factor. Quality goes far beyond a product. Nowadays, quality extends to education and even services. Quality concerns not only the industry and all economic activities including services, whether they are provided by private or by public entities. Within this vision of "quality" in services, this project aims to study the quality of the services provided by the academic department of a higher education school and develop a proposal for improvement measures. At the beginning we studied the extent to which students were satisfied with the service provided and we collected the opinions of 120 students. Then we examined the processes and procedures of SAC and subsequently drafted a proposal aiming to improve and to obtain a service which would meet the needs of our target audience, with time and format corresponding to their expectations, in order to achieve continuous quality in service. During the preparation of this project we were able to put some of the measures into practice, during obtained very positive results and opinions.

Ultrastructure and phylogeny of peridinioid dinoflagellates

Os dinoflagelados s��o um grupo muito diverso de protistas que possuem um conjunto de caracter��sticas pouco comuns. Os peridini��ides s��o dinoflagelados com teca que �� formada por seis s��ries latitudinais de placas, incluindo a s��rie cingular e um anel incompleto de placas intercalares anteriores, embora as ��ltimas estejam ausentes em algumas esp��cies de Peridiniopsis. S��o dinoflagelados com simetria bilateral em rela����o ao plano apical que contem o eixo dorso-ventral. Na s��rie sulcal h�� apenas uma placa posterior que contacta com o limite ventral de duas grandes placas antapicais. Entre os peridini��ides, a presen��a ou aus��ncia de um poro apical e o n��mero de placas no c��ngulo s��o geralmente consideradas marcas filogen��ticas importantes ao n��vel de g��nero ou fam��lia. Actualmente, a defini����o de Peridinium Ehrenberg, o dinoflagelado mais comum de ��gua doce, inclui organismos com combina����es diferentes destas duas caracter��sticas. Trabalhos anteriores sobre a ultrastrutura e afinidade filogen��tica das esp��cies tipo de Peridinium, P. cinctum, e Peridiniopsis Lemmermann, P. borgei tamb��m sugerem a necessidade de reexaminar as rela����es taxon��micas dos peridini��ides. Esta tese combina o estudo ultrastrutural de uma selec����o de esp��cies com hip��teses filogen��ticas baseadas nas sequ��ncias de LSU rDNA, para aumentar o nosso conhecimento das diferen��as e afinidades dentro dos peridini��ides. Tem como objectivo aumentar o nosso conhecimento das caracter��sticas individuais das c��lulas que possam levar a reconhecer sinapomorfias que possam ser usadas como marcadores dos peridini��ides como um todo e dos seus subgrupos. As esp��cies escolhidas para exame pormenorizado foram: Peridinium palatinum Lauterborn, de um grupo com duas placas intercalares anteriores, seis placas cingulares e sem poro apical; Peridinium lomnickii Wo!oszy"ska, de um grupo com poro apical, tr��s placas intercalares e seis cingulares; Peridiniopsis berolinensis (Lemmermann) Bourrelly, uma esp��cie heterotr��fica com poro apical, sem placas intercalares e com seis placas cingulares; e Sphaerodinium cracoviense Wo!oszy"ska, um membro de um g��nero de formas com teca com um tipo de tabula����o marginalmente peridini��ide, com um suposto poro apical e quatro placas intercalares anteriores. Peridinium palatinum difere de Peridinium e Peridiniopsis t��picos, quer em caracter��sticas da teca, quer internas. As diferen��as estimadas entre as sequ��ncias parciais de LSU rDNA de P. palatinum e a esp��cie pr��xima P. pseudolaeve, relativamente a P. cinctum s��o comparativamente grandes e, juntamente com a topologia da ��rvore filogen��tica, apoiam a separa����o de P. palatinum e formas pr��ximas ao n��vel de g��nero. Palatinus nov. gen. foi, ent��o, descrito com as novas combina����es Palatinus apiculatus nov. comb. (esp��cie tipo; sin. Peridinium palatinum), P. apiculatus var. laevis nov. comb. e P. pseudolaevis nov. comb.. As caracter��sticas distintivas de Palatinus incluem uma superf��cie das placas lisa ou um tanto granulosa, mas n��o areolada, um grande piren��ide central penetrado por canais citoplasm��ticos e de onde radiam lobos plastidiais, e a presen��a de uma fiada microtubular hom��loga �� de um ped��nculo. As c��lulas de Palatinus saem da teca pela zona antapicalpos- cingular. Peridinium lomnickii apresenta tabula����o semelhante ��s formas marinhas, produtoras de quistos calc��rios, do g��nero Scrippsiella A.R. Loeblich. Para compara����o, adicion��mos novas observa����es ultrastruturais de S. trochoidea. Peridinium lomnickii tem uma combina����o de caracter��sticas diferente de Peridinium, Peridiniopsis e Scrippsiella. As hip��teses filogen��ticas baseadas em DNA colocam P. lomnickii no mesmo ramo que Pfiesteria Steidinger et Burkholder, Tyrannodinium e outras Pfiesteriaceae, com as quais partilha um "microtubular basket" e uma liga����o peculiar entre duas placas do sulco. As caracter��sticas distintivas do novo g��nero proposto Chimonodinium gen. ined. incluem, al��m da tabula����o, a aus��ncia de piren��ides, a presen��a de um "microtubular basket" com quatro ou cinco fiadas sobrepostas de microt��bulos associados a um pequeno ped��nculo, um sistema pusular com tubos pusulares bem definidos ligados aos canais flagelares, e a produ����o de quistos n��o calc��rios. Peridiniopsis berolinensis partilha v��rias caracter��sticas significativas com Pfiesteria e afins, como um "microtubular basket" com a capacidade de suportar um tubo de alimenta����o, quimiossensibilidade para encontrar presas apropriadas, o modo de nata����o junto ��s presas e a organiza����o geral da c��lula. Hip��teses filogen��ticas com base em LSU rDNA confirmam a afinidade entre P. berolinensis e Pfiesteria bem como a rela����o mais remota com a esp��cie tipo de Peridiniopsis, P. borgei. Estas raz��es justificam a proposta de Tyrannodinium gen. nov., uma nova Pfiesteriaceae que difere de outros membros do grupo por viver em ��gua doce e nos pormenores da tabula����o. Sphaerodinium cracoviense revelou a tabula����o t��pica do g��nero Sphaerodinium, que apresenta um n��mero de placas intercalares superiores e pos-cingulares maior que o que �� t��pico em peridini��ides: 4 e 6, respectivamente. Observa����es em SEM mostraram uma estrutura apical diferente da dos peridini��ides, e um sulco apical numa das placas fazendo lembrar a ��rea apical de alguns woloszynski��ides. Os pormenores do aparelho flagelar e do sistema pusular ligam o Sphaerodinium aos woloszynski��ides em geral e ao g��nero Baldinia em particular, mas n��o aos peridini��ides. O volumoso estigma de S. cracoviense revelou ser extraplastidial e de um modelo ��nico, composto por elementos que se encontram em woloszynski��ides, mas nunca encontrados anteriormente juntos. A an��lise filogen��tica baseada nas sequ��ncias parciais de LSU rDNA tamb��m sugerem uma maior proximidade de S. cracoviense com os woloszynski��ides do que com os peridini��ides. Futuras an��lises pormenorizadas de dinoflagelados peridini��ides, em especial entre os do numeroso grupo de esp��cies com poro apical, ser��o necess��rias para clarificar as suas rela����es taxon��micas; e a produ����o de descri����es melhoradas das caracter��sticas finas particulares das c��lulas ser��o um requisito para perceber a evolu����o dos caracteres dos peridini��ides por forma a podermos identificar marcadores filogen��ticos.

Imagens do envelhecimento e da velhice: um estudo na popula����o portuguesa

Este estudo visa identificar as imagens do processo de envelhecimento e da velhice, as imagens relacionadas com a prepara����o de um envelhecimento bem sucedido e compreender a rela����o entre as mesmas. Pretende-se ainda identificar poss��veis linhas de interven����o que permitam modificar imagens da velhice e da sua prepara����o, capazes de promover activamente um envelhecimento bem sucedido. Optou-se por um estudo de desenho de car��cter transversal, descritivocorrelacional, com recurso �� t��cnica de an��lise quantitativa para correla����es entre diferentes vari��veis s��cio-demogr��ficas. A amostra compreende 800 sujeitos com idades compreendidas entre os 13 e os 87 anos, analisadas as seguintes vari��veis sociodemogr��ficas: idade, g��nero, escolaridade, estado civil, ter ou n��o filhos, se trabalhou ou n��o com pessoas idosas e freguesia de resid��ncia (urbana ou rural). Os instrumentos utilizados foram duas escalas, a ImAge e a ImPreVe. Os principais resultados indicam que: a) os sujeitos que manifestam imagens positivas tendem a preocupar-se com a prepara����o da velhice, a viver no presente mas tamb��m a planear o seu futuro; b) os sujeitos que manifestam imagens negativas da velhice e do envelhecimento tamb��m tendem a preocupar-se com a prepara����o da velhice, a focalizar-se no futuro; c) os sujeitos que manifestam imagens ambivalentes (positivas e negativas, onde h�� ganhos e perdas em simult��neo) tendem a considerar a prepara����o como pouco importante; d) s��o os sujeitos mais velhos e com menor escolaridade quem tende a manifestar imagens negativas e a valorizar a prepara����o da velhice. A promo����o de um envelhecimento bem sucedido deve incidir nas dimens��es individual, familiar, social e institucional, com vista �� altera����o de imagens irreais e baseadas em estere��tipos ou preconceitos (sejam positivas ou negativas), ajustadas �� realidade do normal processo de envelhecimento. Imp��e-se uma mudan��a dessas imagens, desmistificando a sua conjuga����o com o envelhecimento patol��gico e promover activamente estrat��gias adequadas a cada perfil para a promo����o de um envelhecimento bem sucedido.

Pr��ticas de gest��o do design para o subsetor nacional de cer��mica utilit��ria e decorativa

O campo de an��lise do estudo compreende o subsetor de cer��mica utilit��ria e decorativa (CUD) nacional. Nesse contexto, o estudo analisa o papel atual do designer e prop��e novas estrat��gias de gest��o do design, como ferramentas estrat��gicas potenciadoras de inova����o e de valor acrescentado, para o produto e para o desenvolvimento da empresa. A pertin��ncia da investiga����o justifica-se pela necessidade premente da reestrutura����o estrat��gica das empresas do setor face ao cen��rio da crise atual. Os dados mais recentes disponibilizados do subsetor indicam que, de 2002 para 2008, encerraram 36,6% das empresas, o n��mero de trabalhadores reduziu-se em 36,8% e o volume de neg��cios decresceu 32%. Acrescenta-se ainda que, do ano de 2008 para 2012, encerraram 15% das empresas da amostra. Pretende-se com este estudo n��o s�� definir o estado atual da arte e do subsetor mas, ir mais al��m, procurando respostas aos problemas detetados, atrav��s de ferramentas estrat��gicas para a gest��o do design integrado nas estrat��gias de imagem, comercializa����o e produ����o. O estudo compreendeu as seguintes etapas: pesquisa, an��lise de dados e desenvolvimento dos resultados. A etapa da pesquisa correspondeu �� recolha da documenta����o dispon��vel para o contexto do subsetor e da gest��o do design apresentado no estado da arte; a pesquisa de campo a sele����o de empresas da amostra onde se realizaram question��rios (em 2008 e 2012) e entrevistas (em 2008) no universo amostra. Na an��lise de dados, estes foram apresentados e analisados de forma quantitativa e qualitativa (com recurso a lugares estruturais e a palavras-chave) e relacionados com o estado de arte e desenvolvimento de resultados. A ��ltima etapa, desenvolvimento dos resultados, traduz-se pela idealiza����o e constru����o de ferramentas sob a perspetiva da gest��o do design nas empresas: em checklists da defini����o do trabalho do designer e da integra����o do designer nas estrat��gias de gest��o do design, aplicadas ao subsetor; na defini����o das estrat��gias vigentes na amostra; na sugest��o de uma estrat��gia de gest��o de design direcionada para o subsetor e de planos de a����o concordantes com a estrat��gia sugerida. A novidade do estudo est�� presente nas propostas de ferramentas estrat��gicas, onde se define o trabalho do designer, enuncia estrat��gias de gest��o do design direcionadas ao subsetor, define campos de integra����o do designer nessas estrat��gias, caracteriza-se a aplicabilidade de pr��ticas de gest��o do design e sugere-se uma estrat��gia e planos de a����o para aplicar ao subsetor de CUD. De modo a facilitar a aplica����o da investiga����o e da an��lise aqui realizada, redigiu-se um manual de estrat��gias de gest��o do design ��� Cer��mica design mais ��� para disponibilizar e apresentar futuramente ao subsetor e a todos os interessados no tema.