Renegotiating the pedagogical peace : a case study in online discussions for undergraduate on campus students

This paper reports an investigation into the ways in which undergraduate students, who are studying on campus, learn in online discussions. The study focuses on student strategies, and the role of text, time and place independence, peer interaction and the influence of the curriculum. It also examines the relationships between online discussions and face to face classes. The study found deep approaches to learning were widely used and were associated with constructivist learning activity, thinking and interacting online in groups in a way that adds value to the classroom, close integration with face to face activity and a positive perception of online discussions and the course as a whole. This case study confirms the relational nature of student learning in a blended learning environment.

To post or not to post : undergraduate student perceptions about participating in online discussions

Computer mediated conferencing (CMC) is now a common feature of blended learning environments where students learn in both face to face and online settings. While many teachers recognize the value of online discussions for learning, students appear to have different perspectives. Consequently, their participation in online discussions is often sporadic and not genuinely interactive. This paper examines these issues and provides student perspectives about participation in online discussions which arose from a case study in a conceptually difficult subject. Systems data indicated low numbers of posted messages. Student interviews provide some insights into this lack of participation, and identify the influence of the curriculum design, especially the nature of the learning activity, and its connection to other aspects of the course, for example, assessment and the regular class sessions. Other influential factors include the student’s ideas about learning, managing demands on their time and their acceptance of CMC. The paper also provides recommendations for improving participation in online discussions.

Assessing and evaluating student contribution to electronic discussions

Tutors in face-to-face teaching and learning contexts, evaluate students' participation in order to provide assessment that contributes towards the students' final grade. Similarly, in on-line learning environments, there is a perceived need to reward the quantity and quality of student interactivity. However, the different nature of the context presents new challenges. Specifically, without the visual cues and immediate feedback, so important in face-to-face communication, the evaluation of students' contributions to on-line learning activities and interaction demands new instructional and assessment skills. A unit of study at an Australian university, using computer mediated communication, was reviewed to address questions related to the appropriateness of an on-line evaluative process.

Round the bend : a brief history of mental health nursing in Victoria, Australia 1848 to 1950's

This paper presents a history of mental health nursing in Victoria, Australia from 1848 to the 1950's, or the asylum years to the era of the mental hospital. The research for this historical overview was conducted as part of a literature review for a mental health nursing doctoral thesis, which included an account of the evolution of the profession from asylum attendant to the present time. The literature reviewed for this project revealed a distinct lack of a coherent, chronological account of the historical development of mental health nursing in Victoria, and this paper seeks to address that knowledge gap.

The use of table and cooking salt in a sample of Australian adults

Dietary sodium, the major source being salt, is associated with hypertension. Australian adults consume more than the recommended amount of salt and approximately 15% of dietary sodium comes from salt added at the table and during cooking. Objective: To determine the frequency of and the demographic characteristics associated with discretionary salt use. Design: A cross sectional survey conducted in shopping centres within Metropolitan Melbourne. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing discretionary salt use and attitudes to salt intake. Outcomes: Four hundred and seventy four surveys were collected (65% female, 77% Caucasian, 64% holding a university qualification). Eighty nine percent of respondents were classified as salt users and 11% as non-salt users. Of the salt users 52% reported that they always or sometimes add salt during cooking and at the table. Those of Asian descent and younger respondents aged 18-24 years were more likely to be salt users (chi2=12.3, df=2, p<0.001; chi2=19.2, df=5, p<0.01). Conclusion: Discretionary salt use remains high. To successfully reduce population dietary salt intake public health campaigns are urgently required and need to include consumer advice to reduce discretionary salt use, whilst reducing the salt added to processed foods. Such campaigns should include younger age groups and should be appropriate for all ethnic backgrounds to raise the awareness of the risks of a high salt diet on health.

Getting the real-time precise round-trip time for stepping stone detection

Stepping stone attacks are often used by network intruders to hide their identities. The Round Trip Times (RTT) between the send packets and corresponding echo packets for the connection chains of stepping stones are critical for detecting such attacks. In this paper, we propose a novel real-time RTT getting algorithm for stepping stones which is based on the estimation of the current RTT value. Our experiments show that it is far more precise than the previous real-time RTT getting algorithms. We also present the probability analysis which shows that our algorithm has a high matching rate and a high accurate rate.