Managing social and intellectual capital to inform design and development of learning objects : issues, applications and technologies

The purpose of this paper is to present and analyse a case example of the development and implementation of a digital learnmg object in context with academic literature in the field. The paper's content describes the creation of a multimedia learning object from conception in 2004 to completion m 2006. Provided is the rationale and outcome of a strategically funded University project aimed at illuminating an industrial case study of good management and communication practices for use in classrooms throughout the entire university. This paper is intended to act as a guide for others. Our experience as academics in successful dialogue With educational technologists will inspire and inform those embarking on similar projects, and aspects of it will generalise to development and implementation Issues for other kinds of learning objects.

Framing the role of technologies in the recognition and development of staff capacities to enhance learning in higher education

There are practical initiatives which can be taken by university management to move institutions forward by engaging a broad range of staff and in cultivating leadership capabilities in teaching and learning. These initiatives are considered in terms of 12 ‘levers of engagement’ currently being implemented in our university, and shown below. Deakin, as a major flexible education provider, is used as an institutional case study of the role of technology in supporting organisational change in higher education. Many of the levers of engagement are evident in other Australian universities.

Bioinformatics technologies

Solving modern biological problems requires advanced computational methods. This book describes the application of well-established concepts and techniques from areas like data mining, machine learning, database technologies, and visualization techniques to problems like protein data analysis, genome analysis, and sequence databases. Chen has collected contributions from leading researchers in each area.

Logistics: Our buildings are always particular to places, access, materials, skills and technologies. How do these limits provide us with architectural opportunities?

Presents a discussion on the relations between architecture and spirituality during the 2005 conference of the Royal Architecture Institute of Australia. Reason behind difficulty encountered by architects to associate architecture and spirituality; Inspiration of Jae Cha of architectural firm Light for designing the Bolivian church; View of Kevin O'Brien of Merrima Design on Aboriginal buildings.

Technologies and considerations for developing internet and multiplayer computer games: a tutorial (extended abstract)

Games are universal and probably as old as humankind. Today the development of computer technology, especially the development of fast networks and the Internet, brings games a faster growth than ever before. Game design and development is now a fast-growing entertainment field, with a lot to offer professionally and creatively. In fact, from IT professional’s point of view, creating computer games provides us with all the usual technical challenges associated with software development, such as requirement analysis, architectural design, rapid prototyping, HCI, parallel and distributed processing, code reuse, programming, performance evaluation, testing and maintenance. It also provides challenges on other exciting aspects, such as storyboarding, screenplays, illustration, animation, sound effects, music, and social impact. By developing a computer game from start to finish, one would be able to acquire multi-disciplinary knowledge to become an IT professional for the modern era.

Conceptualising the effect of self-service technologies on established brands

Self-service technologies (SSTs), such as machine assisted and electronic services are prevalent. Many established brands in industries such as banking, retailing, and hospitality have adopted SSTs to complement or replace existing channels of service delivery, e.g., face-to-face service. However, the influence of SSTs on established brands has not been examined previously. In the light of this, a conceptual model is proposed that incorporates SST-related variables and their influence on brand satisfaction, brand associations, brand attitudes, and brand loyalty, along with customers' future likelihood to reuse the SST. Arguably, these outcomes affect brand equity and the long-term survival of SSTs.

Consumer dissatisfaction with self-service technologies : an empirical exploration of its antecedents

Self-service technologies (SSTs) are commonplace for consumers' use, which is reflected in the growing body of literature that pertains to SSTs. The bulk of this literature has focussed on the adoption of SSTs, while relatively little attention has been given to consumers' consumption and evaluation of SSTs. Arguably, this is an area worthy of exploration in the light of frequent reports of consumers' dissatisfaction with SSTs. Therefore, this paper examines the antecedents of consumers' overall dissatisfaction with an SST encounter, and finds that consumers' dissatisfaction with the attributes of the SST and consumers' perceptions of causal controllability explain 50 per cent of the variance in consumers' overall dissatisfaction with the SST Insights into removing the causes of SST dissatisfaction are offered to managers, which are, arguably, important for consumer retention.

Would Kitty Genovese have been murdered in Second Life? Researching the "bystander effect" using online technologies

The increasing use of online technologies, including ‘virtual worlds’ such as Second Life, provides sociology with a transformed context within which to ply creative research approaches to ongoing social issues, such as the ‘bystander effect’. While the ‘bystander effect’ was coined following a real-life incident, the concept has been researched primarily through laboratory-based experiments. The relationship between ‘virtual’ and ‘real’ world environments and human behaviours are, however, unclear and warrant careful attention and research.

In this paper we outline existing literature on the applicability of computer-simulated activity to real world contexts. We consider the potential of Second Life as a research environment in which ‘virtual’ and ‘real’ human responses are potentially more blurred than in real-life or a laboratory setting. We describe preliminary research in which unsolicited Second Life participants faced a situation in which they could have intervened. Our findings suggest the existence of a common perception that formal regulators were close at hand, and that this contributed to the hesitation of some people to personally intervene in the fraught situation. In addition to providing another angle on the ‘bystander effect’, this research contributes to our understanding of how new technologies might enable us to conduct social research in creative ways.