When digital native meets analogue reality : a case study of ICT skills in first year university students

Recently claims have been made that all universities will in coming decades merge to become just a few mega-institutions offering online degrees to the world. This assumes a degree of literacy with ICT (information and communication technology) amongst potential students, who are often regarded as 'digital natives'. Far from being digital natives, many students have considerable trouble using ICT beyond the ubiquitous Facebook. While some students are computer literate, a substantial proportion lack the skills to prosper under their own devices in an online tertiary education environment. For these students a blended learning experience is needed to develop skills to effectively interact in the virtual environment. This paper presents a case study that specifically examined the ICT capabilities of first-year university students enrolled in the School of Civil Engineering and the Built Environment at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Empirical data are presented and curriculum strategies articulated to develop ICT skills in university undergraduates.

From vision to reality : views of primary school principals on inclusive education in New South Wales, Australia

This paper discusses the findings of a research study that used semi-structured interviews to explore the views of primary school principals on inclusive education in New South Wales, Australia. Content analysis of the transcript data indicates that principals’ attitudes towards inclusive education and their success in engineering inclusive practices within their school are significantly affected by their own conception of what “inclusion” means, as well as the characteristics of the school community, and the attitudes and capacity of staff. In what follows, we present two parallel conversations that arose from the interview data to illustrate the main conceptual divisions existing between our participants’ conceptions of inclusion. First, we discuss the act of “being inclusive” which was perceived mainly as an issue of culture and pedagogy. Second, we consider the mechanics of “including,” which reflected a more instrumentalist position based on perceptions of individual student deficit, the level of support they may require and the amount of funding they can attract.

Using mobile technology and augmented reality to increase data reliability for environmental assessment

Climate change and land use pressures are making environmental monitoring increasingly important. As environmental health is degrading at an alarming rate, ecologists have tried to tackle the problem by monitoring the composition and condition of environment. However, traditional monitoring methods using experts are manual and expensive; to address this issue government organisations designed a simpler and faster surrogate-based assessment technique for consultants, landholders and ordinary citizens. However, it remains complex, subjective and error prone. This makes collected data difficult to interpret and compare. In this paper we describe a work-in-progress mobile application designed to address these shortcomings through the use of augmented reality and multimedia smartphone technology.

Perception of Brownfield Sites : Myth or Reality?

The scarcity of large parcels of land in well-serviced areas is one motivator for redeveloping industrial or commercial property that is abandoned or underused and often environmentally contaminated – so-called brownfield land. Poor industrial waste disposal practices caused by industrial activities including gas works, factories, railway land and waste tips have contributed to many instances of contaminated land identified as brownfield sites. It is estimated there are between 10,000 and 160,000 brownfield sites in Australia, with Queensland accounting for around 4000 of these.

Principals, Teachers, and Student's Perception of the Information and Communication Technology in Kuwait Secondary Schools (Rhetoric and reality)

ICT integration has been advocated to provide opportunities to improve students’ achievement and engagement through transforming the educational setting. A valuable tool that contributes in enhancing and developing students’ cognitive skills for lifelong learning, ICT integration has introduced a new educational philosophy, shifting the role of students into a more central position in the pedagogical processes. Kuwait, as with many other countries, has recently planned ICT integration to develop its citizen’s capacities. This study sought to capture the principals’, teachers’, and students’ perceptions of ICT integration in pedagogical activities, as well as how ICT is being used for learning and teaching activities in three ICT leading Kuwaiti secondary schools. Interviews with principals, teachers, and students were conducted, along with an open-ended questionnaire for the teachers, researcher observations, and document analysis. The findings revealed that ICT integration in Kuwait needed to be reinforced to accomplish the ICT integration objectives. A call for further support for teachers, and a reconsideration of the ICT integration strategies were also recommended.

The doctrine of command responsibility in the midst of war : legal fallacy or reflection of reality

The history of war is blighted with astonishing reminders of man’s ability to cast his sense of humanity aside and inflict unspeakable harm upon one another. The ruthless bombing of Dresden, the callousness of the Nazi concentration camps and the massacre of the Tutsis are but a few of the atrocities that have haunted our past. In response to these atrocities, society has imposed an ever-increasing number of laws and rules to regulate warfare. Amongst these is the doctrine of command responsibility. The doctrine of command responsibility states that a commander is criminally liable for the crimes of his subordinates if he knew or should have known of their crimes. This paper will examine whether the doctrine is an appropriate and realistic legal standard to hold commanders accountable to or whether the doctrine is more a reflection of social sentiment and legal rhetoric. If the doctrine, and indeed the law of war in general, is unrealistic then the law cannot fulfil its purpose - that is, the prevention of atrocities. Instead of being solely a reflection of moral authority and social sentiments the law must also be a tool that guides and shapes the decisions and actions of the military through the chaotic and brutal nature of war...

Augmented Reality Process Modelling Tool

Video presented as part of BPM2011 demonstration(France). In this video we show a prototype BPMN process modelling tool which uses Augmented Reality techniques to increase the sense of immersion when editing a process model. The avatar represents a remotely logged in user, and facilitates greater insight into the editing actions of the collaborator than present 2D web-based approaches in collaborative process modelling. We modified the Second Life client to integrate the ARToolkit in order to support pattern-based AR.

Perception and reality : meeting Australia’s physical activity guidelines for 12-18 year olds

Governments regularly publish empirically derived minimum physical activity (PA) guidelines for youth, in response to the ongoing trend of youth physical inactivity. The purpose of this investigation was to explore parents’ awareness of the national PA guidelines for youth, and adolescents’ and their parents’ perceptions of adolescent PA, and compare these to self-reported adolescent PA. A total of 115 adolescents (aged 12-14) and their parents completed questionnaire assessments. Parents responded to questions concerning their awareness of the national PA guidelines, and whether they believed their child to be sufficiently active. Adolescents completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents, and questions concerning their perceived level of PA. Adolescents were deemed sufficiently active if they participated in an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA each day. Overall, 104 (90.4%) adolescents and their parents had complete data sets and were included in the analysis. Of the 45 (43.3%) sufficiently and 59 (56.7%) insufficiently active adolescents, 42 (93%) and 41 (69.5%) respectively believed that they were active enough for good general health. Additionally, 41 (91.1%) parents of active and 44 (74.6%) parents of inactive adolescents either agreed or strongly agreed that their child participates in sufficient PA for good general health. Twenty-four (53.3%) parents of active adolescents were unaware of the national PA guidelines, with 10 (22.2%) neither aware or unaware, and 11 (24.4%) aware. Similar results were found for the parents of inactive adolescents with 31 (52.5%) unaware, 17 (28.8%) neither aware or unaware, and 11 (18.6%) aware. These results suggest that the youth PA guidelines are being inadequately received by both adolescents, and their parents. Opportunities to effectively communicate these guidelines such as embedment in curriculum for adolescents, or the dissemination of materials for parents, should be maximised by appropriate authorities.

Sustainable and affordable housing : a myth or reality

The Australian government has released a draft National Building Framework that will likely tighten the building standard for new houses to meet higher sustainability requirements. There are uncertainties about the impact this could have on the cost of housing and the supply of affordable housing. This paper aims to provide evidence-based conclusions on the possibility of delivering sustainable and affordable housing for low income people. The case studies are gathered from Brisbane and Gold Coast. Case studies are analysed by unpacking the features that were included to meet sustainability and affordability goals for housing. This paper outlines the key factors for their success and also challenges for replication of the projects. The study shows that the key success drivers for delivering sustainable and affordable housing are providing planning incentives, subsidies for increased energy efficiency, supportive regulatory frameworks and appropriate allocation of infrastructure charges. It shows that government can prioritise their resources to support affordable and sustainable housing for low income people.

Integrated multi-professional teams in primary care : rhetoric or reality?

Integrated multi-professional teams are crucial to ongoing health system development and need to be responsive to the increasing demands of health care such as the burgeoning rate of chronic diseases. Integrated multi-professional teams also constitute a fundamental pillar of health service delivery in primary care worldwide. The aim of these teams is to deliver care beyond simple co-location of healthcare providers, through implementing integrated practice together, rather than as a group of independent disciplines. The challenges of developing and implementing integrated multi-professional teams in busy primary care clinical environments is addressed in this paper through a conceptual framework specifically designed for primary care and a case study analysis of examples of teamwork in Australian primary care.

Urban consolidation : reality or fantasy

Urban consolidation has been a policy objective of many local and state governments in Australia for the past decade. Densification of city centres and other identified activity centres is a sensible solution to a plethora of policy objectives including: growth management, housing affordability, housing choice and infrastructure utilisation etc whilst preserving the fabric of existing neighbourhoods. However despite the plethora of supportive policies and ripe redevelopment sites, urban sprawl continues to permeate city fringes and affordable urban densification in the post GFC environment slips into the “too hard” basket. This article discusses current issues facing the development industry, highlighting factors contributing to the disequilibrium between demand and supply in the medium to high density residential markets.

Raising awareness of Australian Aboriginal peoples reality : Embedding Aboriginal knowledge in social work education through the use of field experiences

Effective social work practice with Aboriginal peoples and communities requires knowledge of operational communication skills and practice methods. In addition, there is also a need for practitioners to be aware of the history surrounding white engagement with Aboriginal communities and their cultures. Indeed, the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) acknowledges the importance of social workers practising cultural safety. Engendering knowledge of cultural safety for social work students is the opportunity to listen and talk with Aboriginal people who have experienced the destructive impacts of colonisation and the subsequent disruption to family and community. This article discusses the use of field experiences within a Masters of Social Work (Qualifying) Program (MSW) as an educational method aimed at increasing student awareness of contemporary Aboriginal issues and how to practice effectively and within a culturally safe manner.

Paper-based mixed reality sketch augmentation as a conceptual design support tool

This undergraduate student paper explores usage of mixed reality techniques as support tools for conceptual design. A proof-of-concept was developed to illustrate this principle. Using this as an example, a small group of designers was interviewed to determine their views on the use of this technology. These interviews are the main contribution of this paper. Several interesting applications were determined, suggesting possible usage in a wide range of domains. Paper-based sketching, mixed reality and sketch augmentation techniques complement each other, and the combination results in a highly intuitive interface.

From true story to Morning Glory : fantasy and reality in journalism movies

Many movies have been made about journalists, including some of cinema’s all-time classics. Fewer have been made about the process of journalism, however, and fewer still have captured that process in a way which reflects the reality of a hyperactive, stressedout trade that at its best confronts power and risks everything to expose its abuse. Those deemed to come close to that gritty realism regularly feature in those polls of the films journalists themselves think are the best representations of their oft-maligned profession. These are the films in which journalists like to think they see themselves. They are part of the professional mythology of journalistic practice.