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Using mathematical modelling to understand the role the linker histone dynamics in DNA packaging
Full text linkI was invited to deliver a talk at the International Interdisciplinary Science Conference on Protein Folding and Diseases during December 8-10, 2012, at Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, India. I presented my latest results on the dynamics of linker histone (a protein that plays a major role in DNA packaging) using mathematical modeling and FRAP (Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching) experiments. The mathematical aspect of this research, which is in collaboration with Dr. Michael Hendzel at the Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, has been mainly carried out by Carlos Contreras, a graduate student from Universidad Simon Bolivar, Venezuela.
In the talk, I described how mathematical modelling together with fluorescence microscopy experiments can be used to further the understanding of certain aspects of DNA packaging. In particular, we described the spatio-temporal dynamics of linker histones with different mathematical models that are used to explain fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experimental data. The analysis carried out allowed us to conclude that it is possible to describe feasible mechanisms of association of linker histones to the chromatin structure (DNA and associated proteins) and therefore further our understanding of the role of the dynamics of these proteins in DNA packaging.Nuclear proteins responsible for DNA packaging during the interphase of the cell cycle are highly mobile and their dynamics have a strong influence in the organization of the chromatic structure (DNA and associated proteins). In this talk, we will describe how mathematical modelling together with fluorescence microscopy experiments can be used to further the understanding of certain aspects of DNA packaging. In particular, we will describe the spatio-temporal dynamics of linker histones, nuclear proteins that play a major role in DNA packaging, with different mathematical models that are used to explain fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experimental data. This analysis allows us to conclude that it is possible to describe feasible mechanisms of association of linker histones to the chromatin structure and therefore further our understanding of the role of the dynamics of these proteins in DNA packaging
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No full textSocial Media: Implications for the University was York University’s first attempt at a conference of this nature. They are following up next year with Social Media: Implications for Politics, Religion, Gender.
A trailer for this year’s conference is available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTcn-GeglRM&list=PLB9D30B1B5E99C66E&index=1
Also available is a googledoc where live note taking occurred.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZRUTuYzp3GKB4dO4ecwb2GKgSPEoihj9-2gVV8rHSpI/edit?pli=1
The conference had over 20 sessions that were meant to explore the implications of social media to the university. Personally I found this to be a stretch for many of the sessions. This is perhaps a result of my participation in Social Media and my wanting to know more than what the presenters had experienced.
For example one of the sessions I felt would be most helpful was about building community on twitter. When I asked the presenters which kinds of tweets they found had the best responses and how many times someone on twitter interacted with a given stream before following it they replied that they did not have that data available to them. Their presentation really hinged around the difficulty in knowing who is behind a twitter account and the value of a well branded logo. Neither of which I found to be helpful in building community.
There was a session on how social media offers tools for engagement in which the presenter stressed the fact that one should pick a platform get good at it and then start developing a complementary platform. Pretty basic but good advice
A third session of particular interest stressed the challenge of authorship and identity creation which gave some food for thought.
All in all this was likely a very interesting conference for those beginning their social media journey but for those of us who have already embarked on the journey it didn’t appear tight enough. I am certain that the conference planners will be able to learn from this experience and make their 2nd conference next year a great success.Conference description
The purpose of this conference is to bring together researchers whose interests in the digital economy are positioned at the intersection of social media and the engaged university. Social media enable social interaction through connectivity on the Internet, and therefore lend themselves to any and all aspects of social communication, including those at the university. Given that social media (Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.) are very popular and ubiquitous, it is advantageous to submit their use in universities to a close scrutiny. The main aim of the conference, therefore, is to analyze, discuss, and answer the following four questions:
1. Can universities substantially change the manner in which they achieve their mission by using social media?
2. What are the opportunities, impacts, and challenges of social media on the workings of the university?
3. How innovative and effective is the use of social media for the purposes of research, teaching, and administration in a university setting?
4. Do social media have a critical function in the mobilization and dissemination of knowledge
Libraries, OERs, and Open Access
No full textAthabasca University (AU) and Athabasca University Library have a long history in supporting and promoting Open Access. AU was the first university in Canada to adopt an Open Access Research Policy and has led many other Open Access initiatives. As the university moves to a model that utilizes Open Educational Resources, the AU Library is being called upon to support more courses with Open Access resources. This entails educating faculty, finding open resources, and creating the necessary infrastructure to support OA. This session will discuss the benefits and challenges of supporting OERs with Open Access
Using Open Source Survey Tools for Qualitative Inquiries on Educational Development at a Distance Online University
No full textThis paper presents two open-source survey tools that were used to gather data related to Athabasca University’s (AU) educational development activities. The evaluation framework is qualitative in nature. The fiirst, an LMS-based (Moodle) questionnaire, was used to assess the educational development needs of faculty. The second, a survey (Lime Survey) served to gather qualitative information for an expert review on the usability of course learning objects from both a technical and pedagogical dimension. A comparative review of both online tools provides an educational development perspective on the process and method. The paper analyzes the multiple uses of evaluative instruments as part of a broader discussion on ‘utilization-focused evaluation’ in the context of Higher Education projects.This paper reports on two open source survey tools that were used to gather data related to Athabasca University’s (AU) educational development activities within a qualitative evaluation framework. First, a Moodle questionnaire module was used to assess the educational development needs of faculty. In another instance, Lime Survey served to gather qualitative information for an expert review on the usability of course learning objects from both a technical and pedagogical dimensions. A comparative review of both online tools will be provided from an educational development perspective. It aims to analyze the multiple uses of evaluative instruments as part of a broader discussion on ‘utilization-focused evaluation’ in the context of Higher Education projects.
Open education is an integral part of Athabasca University’s organizational culture as one of the pioneering online and distance teaching universities. Therefore, there is a strong institutional support for open source tools such as Lime Survey and Moodle, which is the university’s learning management system (LMS). The databases and servers for each tool are hosted within different units of the Canadian Open University. This level of technical integration within the institution makes it easier to access and use these open source survey tools as part of the academic practice for both faculty and professionals.
Within this institutional context, integrating open source tools to conduct qualitative inquiries on recent educational development initiatives sponsored by AU‘s Centre for Learning Design and Development can be viewed as a strategic alignment towards supporting innovative teaching and learning activities. In fact, one of the rationales for using Moodle to conduct a needs assessment was building on AU faculty’s familiarity with the LMS to raise their awareness about the Moodle questionnaire module. One of the outcomes is to make use of this feature to gather additional qualitative feedback from students to enhance course design and development. Similarly, the expert review conducted through Lime Survey provided an opportunity for faculty and professionals to test the tool as well as responding to the object of the qualitative inquiry focused on improving future course learning objects design.
Although both qualitative evaluation projects were different in terms of objective and scope, one of the reasons for using these Web-based open source survey tools stem from an institutional commitment to accessibility, flexibility and, ease of use. This factor could have an incidence on participants’ responses and emerging findings from both online qualitative inquiries. At this exploratory stage of the comparative review, it is anticipated that Moodle and Lime Survey will be embedded as part of AU systematic research-based responses to appropriately identify and address educational development needs and challenges
Findings from a survey of openness in assessment and accreditation practices in post-secondary institutions
No full textThis working paper shares the findings and lessons learned from a small-scale survey on perceptions, practices and policies relating to openness in assessment and accreditation in post-secondary institutions. The study was carried out jointly in mid-2012 by Dr Angela Murphy at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Australia, as part of the ORION project, and Gabi Witthaus at the University of Leicester as part of the TOUCANS study, which was a project in the SCORE programme in the UK. One of the aims of both projects was to ascertain perceptions of stakeholders in tertiary education towards the Open Educational Resources university (OERu) concept. The OERu is a global consortium of post-secondary institutions collaborating around the assessment and accreditation of learners’ achievements based on the study of OERs, with the aim of providing affordable opportunities on a massive scale for students who lack the financial means to access traditional higher education.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Canada; University of Southern Queensland (ORION); Higher Education Funding Council(TOUCANS) England
Making Inequality Visible in Management Education, the Academy and the Global Workplace
No full textNeoliberalism
The neoliberal argument is essentially an economic and political philosophy advocating free markets, deregulation, privatization of public assets, more unencumbered free trade, and less government “interference” in economic (and social welfare issues). Neoliberalism promotes a free market economy approach to social issues, to public provision of services and to public spending generally. It has been referred to as “supply-side economics” and for example rejects the view that governments should try and create more employment directly through industry policy or overall “demand management” in favour of a sole focus on the supply of a flexible skilled yet cheap workforce – hence the importance of “work and learning.”
Neoliberal economics supports greater freedom and recognition of the captains of corporations but has now become unstuck with the argument that some financial institutions are “too big to fail” – which means in effect they are “so big that they can depend on society (that is taxpayers) to prop them up when they topple” (Patel, 2009, p19). This is a clear contradiction of the neoliberal philosophy of no government interventions in the market.
Inequality
We live in societies (some would argue in one global society) in which the gap between the richest and the poorest, between those who live full lives in the economically developed countries and those who live “half lives at best” in the less developed countries, is growing (Honderich, 2002, p6). Many workers in Western countries (or the economic North) have experienced a decline in the value of real wages, and they must struggle to stay abreast of inflation even at low inflation rates, while the incomes of the rich continue to climb. The fallout from the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2010-12 attack on national debt will ensure that the “social wage” (public services, education, health care etc) and public pensions will decline in real terms: but not the corporate and bankers bonuses. The following quote is from Macleans magazine (Canada’s oldest current affairs publication and a long-time proponent of free enterprise
Report on the assessment and accreditation of Learners using OER
Full text linkThis is a pre-print draft of a report published by the Commonwealth of Learning, Fall 2013This report shares the findings and lessons learned from an investigation into the economics of disaggregated models for assessing and accrediting informal learners, with particular attention to the OER University (OERu) consortium. It also relies on data from a small-scale survey conducted by two of the authors on perceptions, practices and policies relating to openness in assessment and accreditation in post-secondary institutions (Murphy & Witthaus, 2012). These investigations include the perceptions of stakeholders in post-secondary education towards the OERu concept, combined with a look at economic models for universities to consider in implementing OER assessment and accreditation policies.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Commonwealth of Learnin
Facilitating Constructivist Learning Environments Using Mind Maps and Concept Maps as Advance Organizers
Full text linkConstructivist learning environments, where facilitators build on what learners already know, are grounded in instructional scaffolding. Advance organizers such as mind maps and concept maps are scaffolds that provide students with temporary support as they move toward constructing personally relevant knowledge independently. Examples of mind maps and concept maps are described in order to provide a variety of applications in classrooms for presenting information and evaluating student understanding
“Breaking the rules”: A reflective processual analysis of multidisciplinary academic collaboration.
Full text linkThree academics from different fields collaborated on a study in which we reflected on our group involvement. Although we originally worked together to provide our different perspectives on how to use debates in online courses, we found that our multidisciplinary collaboration evolved into self-study as we each wrote narratives about our own participation which we then discussed and interpreted from our unique perspectives. Despite the fact that our members consisted of someone from nursing, someone from business, and someone in psychology, we all agreed that we engaged in a successful collaboration, as assessed by our desire to work together again and by the joint publication of an article. This paper presents our individual and collective interpretations of our attempts to understand why we were successful in this project, even though we did not follow most of the principles of multidisciplinary collaboration, nor of the usual conventions of our respective disciplines
Using a Design-Based Research Study to Identify Principles for Training Instructors to Teach Online
Full text linkWithin the overall framework of design-based research, this paper reports on a study that focused on evaluating an online training course for online instructors. This intervention was designed as a possible solution to the problem facing many higher education institutions of how to provide quality, accessible training for mostly part-time instructors who are making the transition to teaching online. The research project explored whether the training course had any impact on the participants’ later teaching practice. The major outcome of this research study is the identification of design principles that can be used by other researchers and practitioners designing online instructor training