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Exploring Academic Perspectives on Immersive Scheduling in a UK University
No full textThis study examined how academic staff responded to a cross-institutional change initiative to integrate immersive scheduling into the first-year undergraduate curriculum. Immersive scheduling, also referred to as block or compressed delivery, sought to create a supportive first year experience, to ease students’ transition to university. Adopting an immersive approach is associated with considerable change as academic staff adapt their practice to accommodate the compressed timeframe of modules and embrace learning and assessment methods associated with this delivery format. In this study we undertook semi�structured interviews with 17 academics who were leading the development and delivery of immersive modules or supporting the teaching and learning initiative. Our data indicated that academics played a significant role in the acceptance or rejection of the vision for immersive scheduling. Acceptance was reliant on academics recognising value in the vision, and this varied depending on the extent to which it resonated with local practice. In some cases, the move to immersive scheduling represented a valued opportunity to update pedagogic and assessment practices. However, in other contexts, academic resistance led to dilution of key elements of the vision, with compliance rather than innovation being the outcome. This study also highlights the value of using a combination of module delivery formats to mitigate recognised drawbacks associated with immersive delivery. The paper concludes by proposing recommendations to support the future development of immersive scheduling in higher education institutions
Breaking boundaries: a model of student-led knowledge exchange for higher education
Full text linkKnowledge exchange (KE) is increasingly important in higher education internationally, yet relatively little attention has been paid to it as a pedagogic opportunity for students. This paper draws on 26 interviews with stakeholders within and outside HE to develop a model of studentled knowledge exchange as a guide for learning through KE. The model includes the following elements: Preconditions, Prior Knowledge, Planning and Place, Pedagogic Context and Product, and offers an analysis of different forms of KE which occur between individuals in a learning triad consisting of student, facilitator and external participant. The research foregrounds a social view of learning where valid knowledge comes from diverse participants in the exchange, including students themselves. Students act as a catalyst for multi-directional KE – a finding which challenges the implied hierarchies evident in much of the literature on this topic. The model is offered as a starting point for developing a pedagogy of KE in higher education
Entrepreneurial ecosystem in crisis– Icelandic tourism in times of COVID-19
No full textWhile the tourism sector is acknowledged for its susceptibility to crises, policymakers have long perceived it as a catalyst for regional development in rural economies. Therefore, resilience and adaptability in a crisis situation may be regarded as essential for fostering sustainable tourism development.
This chapter explores the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem's role in contributing to tourism firms’ resilience during a crisis, and thereby, by implication how it may support sustainable tourism development.
Data were collected in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic via semi structured interviews and focus groups with Icelandic tourism managers, owners, sector support professionals, and local administration representatives.
The study offers the first application of the entrepreneurial ecosystem concept to tourism development in times of crisis. The analysis underscores the government's crucial role in averting business failures during the crisis, serving as a safety net, raising its status from a framework condition to a systemic condition. Paradoxically perhaps, the crisis stimulated innovation and entrepreneurship, prompting firms to collaborate and augmenting tourism firms’ resilience. The analysis also reveals the vital role of networks, not only in knowledge transfer but also in providing essential psychosocial support, creating a supportive community for struggling entrepreneurs
The Design, Implementation and Evaluation of an Active Feedback Process: A Pilot Study
No full textThe traditional feedback approach within Higher Education typically hinges on information transmission from teacher to student, though this has been criticised for limiting learner engagement (Winstone et al., 2020). Indeed, experiences within the context of Plymouth Marjon University have revealed that students often ‘just check the grade’, and either do not access feedback, or find it difficult to action feedback within future work. However, an emerging paradigm which emphasises learners' agentic role in generating, processing and enacting feedback (Ajjawi et al., 2023; Pitt & Quinlan, 2022), has demonstrated improvements in learner self-regulation and metacognitive knowledge (Nicol & McCallum, 2022). It has been suggested that the effectiveness of this approach relies on educators creating scaffolded, iterative learning opportunities that develop assessment and feedback literacy, judgement skills, emotional management, and actionable steps (Pitt & Winstone, 2023; Nicol, 2022). Therefore, to combat the aforementioned challenges, there is a need to trial assessment and feedback processes which promote active learner engagement.
In light of the above context, the aims of the current case study were:
1) To develop learners’ assessment and feedback literacy engagement.
2) To support learners’ agentic role in generating, processing and enacting feedback.
3) To evaluate the impact and value of an active feedback process for student learning
Hyperreality, Social Media, and Increasing Opportunities for Young People to Engage with Nature
No full textThis chapter explores people’s engagement with nature by drawing on Jean Baudrillard’s theorising of consumption and hyperreality. Hyperreality refers to the postmodern condition of amalgamating physical and virtual realities and explains the inability of one’s consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality, especially in advanced technological postmodern societies. Baudrillard is probably best known in popular culture for his book Simulacra & Simulation which featured in, and inspired, the science-fiction action film The Matrix starring Keanu Reeves. This chapter briefly examines nature as hyperreal, the affordances offered by Instagram, and parents as consumers of the tools that enable young people’s engagement with (hyperreal) nature. Contrary to popular arguments, this chapter argues that young people’s opportunities for engagement with nature are unprecedented. This chapter explores how social media technology, specifically Instagram, offers new possibilities to appreciate nature that were not available to earlier generations. These opportunities arise from social media platforms like Instagram’s ability to magnify, capture, and share social acts and information. This chapter was developed from the original work of Leather and Gibson, The Consumption and Hyperreality of Nature: Greater Affordances for Outdoor Learning
An Evaluation of Education Policy in England since 2010 and the policy consequences for Small Primary Schools
Full text linkThe fate of small primary schools (pupils aged five – eleven years old) in England is linked to education policy reforms. This paper presents an evaluation of selected education policy reforms in England since 2010 that impact directly on small primary schools. Research was undertaken using a qualitative research methodology that employed a Document Analysis method to create a Policy Document Analysis Frame (PDAF) to evaluate selected education policy reforms and their impact on small schools in England. The impact of the policy reforms was examined through the conceptual lens of Educational Isolation. Educational Isolation identifies the limiting factors of place for a school’s access to the resources required for school improvement. Education policy reform is focused on school improvement. Small primary schools in England are typically located in rural neighbourhoods with sparse populations, resulting in an average of just over 100 pupils per school. The findings suggest that the contextual factors of place and size for small primary schools in England present disadvantages in relation to the selected national education policy reforms. The National Funding Formula, Multi Academy Trusts (groups of schools independently regulated but centrally funded by the state) and National Standards are the key policy reforms driven by neo-liberal ideology that impact directly on the future of small schools. Recommendations are offered to the new 2024 Labour government that would support the re-instatement of small primary schools as an integral part of the Education landscape in England
Extracurricular Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education
No full textEnterprise and entrepreneurship education (EEE) in higher education (HE) is expanding, emphasizing diverse outcomes and teaching methods. This special issue explores extracurricular EEE, which includes voluntary activities like business competitions, networking events, and guest speakers, aimed at enhancing entrepreneurial skills and promoting entrepreneurship as a career. These activities are currently facing challenges in sustainability, engagement and varying availability across institutions. Additionally despite evidence of the positive impacts of employability and entrepreneurial endeavors, research on the value of these activities remains limited. This speical issue intends to address this deficit and includes six research papers examining various aspects of extracurricular EEE and, collectively, providing valuable insights for educators and policymakers to enhance EEE practices
Increased age and reduced physical activity level worsen thermoregulatory pacing behaviour in men during walking exercise in the heat.
Full text linkOlder adults are vulnerable to heat-related morbidity and mortality due to reduced thermoregulatory function associated with aging. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between age and thermoregulatory behaviour during walking exercise in Control (22°C; 40% relative humidity [RH]) and Hot (35°C, 40% RH) conditions. Thirty-six healthy males (age 46 ± 20 (range 19 to 86) years; stature 177 ± 7 cm; body mass 75.7 ± 11.3 kg; BMI 24.2 ± 2.9 kg.m-2; Ʃskinfolds 33.3 ± 10.5 mm; mean ± SD) each completed two experimental trials, one in Control and one in Hot conditions. Each trial consisted of three bouts of 10 minutes walking at a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) of 13, interspersed with 5 minutes of seated rest. Thermoregulatory behaviour was assessed as the ratio between distance walked in the Control and Hot trials. Participants walked 3.8% less in the Hot (2.63 ± 0.46 km) than in the Control (2.73 ± 0.4 km) condition (t(36) = -2.38, p=0.023, d=0.26). Regression analysis demonstrated that age was the primary predictor of thermoregulatory pacing behaviour, explaining 23% of the variance (Std β = -0.475, p=0.003). Including physical activity levels (PASE) increased the variance accounted to 32% (age Std β = -0.396, p=0.011; PASE Std β= 0.319, p=0.038). In conclusion, thermoregulatory pacing behaviour was impaired with increased age and reduced physical activity when undertaking walking exercise at a perceived exertion of ‘somewhat hard’ in hot ambient conditions
Student Academic Representation in the UK: An Exploration of Recruitment, Training, and Impact
Full text linkStudent academic representation is a staple feature in UK and international higher education. It provides a vital quality function whereby students, who are elected representatives of their programme, canvas the opinions of peers to inform quality assurance processes. In the UK, there is increasing regulatory pressure for universities and student unions to be dual owners of representation activity and much work has been done to enact this model. Nonetheless, little is known about the experiences of those serving as student representatives, despite this being a community of thousands of students across the UK, who hold an instrumental position in institutional quality assurance. We developed an instrument (SARA) to evaluate experiences of 773 active student representatives from 15 UK HE institutions. It explored key areas, including recruitment, training, working approaches and development outcomes. Data indicated low engagement in training in some key areas (e.g., representation of diverse groups, data gathering) and a narrow range of working approaches. These patterns may compromise the value of student representation both from the institutional perspective and that of individual representatives seeking to enhance their skills. Recommendations are suggested for enhancing future practice