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The forgotten meaning of אוֹת
Full text linkThe Hebrew noun אוֹת is generally understood to refer to a sign, frequently one that is divine or miraculous. This understanding has long informed interpretations of biblical passages and Hebrew inscriptions. The common definition, we argue, is often inapt and fails to account for many instances of the term. From ancient biblical translations to modern scholarship, myriad ad hoc explanations have been suggested for difficult passages featuring this word, none of which are persuasive. We propose that אוֹת has an overlooked constellation of meanings related to proclamations and commitments, which better explains its usage in several biblical passages. Our proposal is further supported by epigraphic and comparative Semitic evidence
Healthcare usage and cost-effectiveness of approach bias modification at 12-months for patients undergoing inpatient withdrawal for alcohol use disorder
No full textIntroduction: There is evidence that approach bias modification (ApBM), a type of computerised cognitive training delivered during inpatient alcohol withdrawal treatment, significantly reduces relapse rate. Our analysis examines, for the first time, whether ApBM is cost-effective compared to sham-trained controls. Methods: Patients at four inpatient withdrawal units were randomized to four daily sessions of ApBM, or sham (control) training. Self-reported data on alcohol use, treatment, and healthcare use was collected over 12-months. We conducted a trial-based cost-effectiveness study of ApBM (versus no ApBM) from a health system perspective. Costs were from relevant Australian 2022 sources. We estimated incremental differences between groups in healthcare costs and abstinence rates using mixed generalised linear models. Results: At 12 months after discharge from the index withdrawal treatment episode, two thirds of participants had accessed acute health care services (i.e., inpatient withdrawal, ambulance, emergency department and hospital inpatient). Results generally indicated non-significant increases in cumulative costs (7743, 201,610, with confidence limits ranging from ApBM being less costly and more effective to more costly and less effective than no ApBM. Conclusion: Although there was evidence of improved abstinence rates in the first 3-months post-discharge, delivering ApBM during acute alcohol withdrawal treatment will not likely generate net benefits over a 1-year period at any willingness-to-pay threshold, due to the continued heavy use of healthcare services in this population. Future research should test whether additional ApBM delivered post-discharge (e.g., via smartphone apps) could extend its relapse prevention effects and ultimately result in cost savings in the long-term.</p
Curriculum devolution under neoliberal pressures:the case of senior secondary music in Victoria, Australia and its international resonances
No full textUnder the pressures of neoliberalism, in Australia, the Victorian senior Music curriculum has been diminished. Neoliberal reforms have prioritised accountability, employability, and standardised outcomes, leading to a re-prioritisation of musical content and knowledge. This has led to reductions in musically specific content and increased focus on non-musical transferable skills. Concomitant has been an emphasis on informal processes within formal curricula. Highlighting implications for creativity, cultural diversity, and pedagogical practice, we contextualise changes to the Victorian example with curricula in the UK and US. Findings reveal a global trend toward more balanced, hybrid models integrating formal and informal learning. The findings inform debates on curriculum design, pedagogical practice, and policy development, highlighting the need for balanced approaches that preserve musical depth while accommodating broader educational goals
Enhancing urban forest connectivity:a multispecies modelling approach in Helsinki
No full textUnderstanding how landscape elements contribute to functional connectivity in a multispecies context is important to inform city planning. We compared the connectivity of urban forest habitats for three vertebrate species with contrasting dispersal modes: the Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans), the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) and European crested tit (Lophophanes cristatus). We used Graphab and Circuitscape, combined with literature- and expert opinion-based parameters to model their dispersal potential. We compared these models with designated existing connections and rerun the models with modelled future connections by the city of Helsinki, Finland. Our results suggest that despite the relatively high share of forests in Helsinki as compared to many capital cities in Europe and beyond, lack of connectivity may disrupt the movement in different ways for all three species. Isolation was mainly a result of either lack of habitat or too scarce connectivity elements combined with high landscape resistance. Isolation varied depending on species’ specific habitat requirements, interpatch-crossing distance and gap-crossing distance. Based on our models of functional connectivity, the designated existing connections were excessively optimistic. The modelled future connections enhanced connectivity, especially if created with sufficient quality for each species, yet only a small fraction of the modelled future connections was realistically convertible as pathways. Nevertheless, our approach can inform city planning by identifying critical connections and places, where strengthening or building functional connectivity would be beneficial. We suggest that city’s green wedges should be converted into a webbed urban green space network.</p
Associations between teacher-student relationship quality and middle and secondary school teachers’ wellbeing:a systematic review
No full textPositive teacher-student relationships have the potential to impact teacher, as well as student, wellbeing. However, in middle and secondary schools, where teachers have contact with more students and less time with each of them, it is less clear how important these relationships are. This study systematically reviewed the literature on the association between positive teacher-student relationships and wellbeing in middle and secondary school teachers. A total of 55 studies were included in the review. Results suggested that positive teacher-student relationships were associated with each of the other aspects of wellbeing outlined in the PERMA model (positive emotions, engagement, meaning, and accomplishment) as well as overall wellbeing. There was wide variation in how teacher-student relationships were measured and defined, with majority of the studies adopting tools and definitions that were formulated for primary school teacher-student relationships, indicating that developing an understanding of what constitutes positive relationships for teachers in middle and secondary school settings through future research would be valuable
Hybrid network governance:methodologies of studying online and offline networking in global climate education policy
No full textPolicy networks connect policy actors across spaces and organizations to advance policy agendas. While much is known about forms of network governance, there is still a lack of research to date on how networks work across online and offline spaces, and the ways that this hybridity of networking arrangements may be influencing policy agendas. In the field of climate communication and education, a range of actors are involved in the network governance of United Nations policy programs through both online and offline networks. In this paper, we examine policy actors’ online and offline hybrid network governance activity. We compare social network analysis of Twitter/X data with broader network ethnography analysis to consider how the focused inclusion of online spaces in network analysis can contribute to a different understanding of the role and functionality of actors in network governance. This paper highlights the value of integrating network ethnography and social network analysis to understand hybrid network governance and actor dynamics in global education policy.</p
Towards reliable generative AI-driven scaffolding:Reducing hallucinations and enhancing quality in self-regulated learning support
No full textGenerative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) holds a potential to advance existing educational technologies with capabilities to automatically generate personalised scaffolds that support students’ self-regulated learning (SRL). While advancements in large language models (LLMs) promise improvements in the adaptability and quality of educational technologies for SRL, there remain concerns about the hallucinations in content generated by LLMs, which can compromise both the learning experience and ethical standards. To address these challenges, we proposed GenAI-enabled approaches for evaluating personalised SRL scaffolds before they are presented to students, aiming for reducing hallucinations and improving overall quality of LLM-generated personalised scaffolds. Specifically, two approaches are investigated. The first approach involved developing a multi-agent system approach for reliability evaluation to assess the extent to which LLM-generated scaffolds accurately target relevant SRL processes. The second approach utilised the “LLM-as-a-Judge” technique for quality evaluation that evaluates LLM-generated scaffolds for their helpfulness in supporting students. We constructed evaluation datasets, and compared our results with single-agent LLM systems and machine learning approach baselines. Our findings indicate that the reliability evaluation approach is highly effective and outperforms the baselines, showing almost perfect alignment with human experts’ evaluations. Moreover, both proposed evaluation approaches can be harnessed to effectively reduce hallucinations. Additionally, we identified and discussed bias limitations of the “LLM-as-a-Judge” technique in evaluating LLM-generated scaffolds. We suggest incorporating these approaches into GenAI-powered personalised SRL scaffolding systems to mitigate hallucination issues and improve the overall scaffolding quality.</p