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Collaborative trust in UK Further Education procurement strategies
No full textIn recent times, government led consortium strategies for collaborative procurement of major capital projects in the Further Education (FE) sector have been heralded as a vehicle to obtain best value and improve levels of quality. Yet there is still evidence of low levels of client satisfaction, owing mostly to poor cost and time predictability. The study aim explores the extent to which trust is a necessary part of this process and a viable tool in collaboratively procuring more successful UK Further Education projects. It gives greater understanding of how trust building mechanisms and initiatives can be designed and implemented for improving project outcomes. A review of literature identifies a framework for measuring the extent of trust building mechanisms under three group categories namely motivational, ethical, and organisational initiatives as the independent variables (IVs). The degree of trust is measured through established trust-related attributes and behaviours as the dependent variable (DV). A mixed method approach of quantitative and qualitative methodologies is adopted, with the former using survey questionnaires and subjecting data to correlation analysis. The quantitative survey was administered electronically with 41 responses to the pilot and 79 replies received for the main study. The research population is restricted to those contracting, consulting and client organisations that have had experience of collaboratively procured Further Educational projects. The qualitative approach consists of eight semi-structured interviews where raw data is coded using content analysis and sorted into themes from transcribed recording for analysis.Study findings provide an insight as to why organisations may feel vulnerable about vesting trust in their partners and these include scepticism of realisable benefits, opportunism and inequitable working relationships. Potential trust building measures to overcome such dilemmas are presented such as, professional development, senior management commitment and team workshops. Furthermore, quantitative study findings have determined that there is a correlation of 0.87 between these trust building mechanisms/initiatives (IVs) and the degree of trust in collaborative working (DV) suggesting a very strong influence with p≤0.05. Future research is recommended to further explore how certain trust building initiatives linked to co-location, integrated project insurance and risk workshops can be designed and implemented in developing a framework for increasing trust in partnering strategies
Thinking through practice: applied design informing real- world experiential pedagogy
No full textRecognising the importance of applied practice as pedagogic method, this chapter seeks to re-situate both embodied and non-cognitive processes at the heart of teaching and learning-a return step towards democracy and education. Echoing Sternberg's theory that creative thinking should be considered 'three dimensional', this study charts the evolution of the Experiential Learning Orbicular (ELO), a paradigm which allows for pedagogically holistic and multi-directional application. Recording the reflective experiences of eleven research assistants/makers, Sutton's 'Maker Project' highlights how experience and sensory/emotive responses inform real-world experiential learning; a principle not well represented within Kolb's existing paradigm. Each Maker Project case study places the participant central within the learning experience, as prescribed by Beard, stimulating an immersive educational experience. Ancestral learning, collaboration and co-creation, sensory perception and emotive response all become common qualities throughout the studies. The findings from this research endorse the evolution of the Experiential Learning Orbicular, and its potential for supporting a deeper learning experience throughout all levels of education. The chapter concludes with reflections on how to apply this research to current innovation in teaching delivery. A pedagogical paradigm informed by real-world applied design experience provides a structure that is meaningful, reflective, and accessible for lifelong learners. INTRODUCTION The UK education sector is in crisis with robust evidence for the ongoing regression of skills in arts and design education, and the related decline of crafts emphasising this long-term trajectory. 1 Sternberg, Kumar and Robinson all discuss the negative impact of an increasing test culture within education where academic hierarchy devalues vocational learning, especially creative subjects. This is decimating the Further and Higher Education environments, both experiencing heavy year-on-year regression in student numbers studying creative subjects. The regression in arts and humanities-based subjects within schools over the past decade is undeniable, with a 40% decrease in key stage 4 students taking exams in the arts, design technology and music at GCSE level. 2 The same subjects studied at GCE A-Level are equally sobering, despite an increase of 5-15% from 2021 to 2022; in reality, within the past decade numbers have dropped by 44%. The negative impact of these figures on adult education, not simply reduced numbers but regression in creative, technical and practical skills, accentuates the relevance and importance of this research study. Within and beyond the arts the 'how, why', and 'what' questions o
Media Representations of Offending Behaviour
No full textPublic and societal opinions and attitudes towards crime and criminal behaviour have been, and continue to be, heavily influenced by the media representations of such behaviour. The reporting on, and depictions of offending behaviour, criminal justice processes and treatment of those who offend can influence perceptions of offending behaviour and impact public attitudes towards crime and punishment. This chapter explores the intersection between media and crime, with specific interest into how it impacts the public.Firstly, we will define crime and the appearance, use, and prevalence of it in the media, with recognition of affecting cultural norms, journalistic choices, and socioeconomic pressure. Television, newspapers, films, and social media present discourse of crime from unique angles, in their own individual ways. From the early Penny Press to contemporary digital mediums, crime reporting has evolved in line with technological advancements and public consumption demands, changing the narratives to suit. Theoretical frameworks, such as Cultivation Theory and Moral Panics, reveal the impact and outcomes of heightened fear of crime and preference for punitive measures. The prioritisation of certain narratives is outlined in theories of Agenda-Setting and Framing, influencing justice policies and public opinion on judicial staff.This chapter addresses fictional and real portrayals of crime, with the perpetuation of stereotypes to amplify or distort particular cases with widespread societal emotive reactions. Social media and viral crimes stories have created new patterns of reporting, encouraging awareness, and in some cases, copycat behaviours. We conclude with an exploration of future trends with a look towards broader policy implications of the media’s influence on offending behaviours, criminal justice, and the public
Amino clay – Copper phytate hybrid coating A sustainable approach to flame retardancy in textiles
No full textFire accidents are a significant cause of fatalities and property damage worldwide, with flammable textiles, especially cotton, posing a notable risk due to their widespread use and high susceptibility to ignition. To address this issue, we developed an innovative, environmentally friendly fire-retardant coating, inspired by traditional Indian practices of applying mud (clay) coatings in homes for enhanced safety. Our dual-layer coating consists of a primary layer of amino clay (AC) providing initial protection, and a secondary layer of copper phytate, which can be easily applied using a simple dip-coating technique. The coated cotton achieves a remarkable limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 61.3 %, signifying substantial fire resistance. Furthermore, in vertical flammability tests, the treated cotton immediately self-extinguishes upon ignition with no afterglow, demonstrating its high efficacy in fire prevention. This study highlights the potential of our coating to contribute to sustainable and economical fire safety solutions, aligning with global needs for enhanced fire protection in textile applications.[Display omitted]•For the first time, an amino clay (AC)-based fire-retardant coating is reported.•A combination of amino clay and copper phytate is used through the dip-coating method to create a fire-retardant coating for textiles.•The coated cotton achieves a remarkable limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 61.3 %, signifying substantial fire resistance
The Liberal Arts Paradox in Higher Education: Negotiating Inclusion and Prestige
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Exploring gameplay to support the development of leadership skills in post-registration district nursing a mixed-method study
No full textBackground:Board games are increasingly used in education to support skills such as communication, decision-making and teamwork. This study explored their role in developing leadership skills among post-registration nursing students at a UK university.Methods:Strategy-based board games were introduced to promote team collaboration, strategic thinking and social interaction. Participants, enrolled in a district nursing programme, identified leadership skills during gameplay. Data were collected through questionnaires, written debriefs and group discussions.Results:Key themes included role awareness, decision making, conflict resolution and communication. Participants reported increased self-awareness, stronger leadership insight and improved teamwork and communication.Conclusions:Board games offer a practical, engaging approach to developing leadership skills in nursing education through active learning and team interaction.Implications for practice:Board gameplay encourages increased awareness of leadership styles and personality types, which impacts the quality of patient care, improves communication within teams and enhances staff morale, wellbeing and overall team performance
Psycho-Intelligent Dialogue Agents for Enhancing Emotional Self-Regulation in Autistic Teenagers
No full textAutistic adolescents often experience the inability to identify their emotions and self-regulate them, thus creating the impulse for the construction of intelligent assistive technologies. Building on this premise, this work proposes a novel Psycho-Intelligent Dialogue Agent (PIDA) system, which attempts to incorporate advances in affective computing, contextualized reasoning , and psychotherapeutic dialogues, in aiding emotional self-regulation with teenagers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This system integrates a visual emotion recognition model with an adaptive conversational bow. To train the emotion classifier for real time application trained using transfer learning techniques based on the VGG16 architecture of deep convolutional neural networks, it was trained on a specialized dataset comprising of autistic children's facial expressions and achieved an accuracy of 71% at a 5-emotion recognition task. The Effect recognition module serves the context-aware dialogue manager in real time adapting and personalizing the emotional regulation frameworks to be employed. PIDA's dialogues are based on the principles of clinical psychotherapy, with psychotherapeutic techniques and intervention strategies which are individually tuned to the emotional state and contextual parameters of the situation. The system was designed and built salted with caregiver integration features to enable guardians to monitor progress and active participant in the personalization of the intervention. Primary experimental results reflect the feasibility of this dimension in emotional awareness and emotional regulation and coping strategies. To support we provide uninterrupted emotional assistance to autistic young people and offer flexible support resources during and in between emotional therapy appointments
Effects of intervention implemented in MOOC discussion forums contributing factors and participation analysis
No full textDiscussion Forums are important collaborative spaces to enhancelearning experiences, however, the research shows that they are usedsparingly. Hence, there is a need to design innovative strategies topromote participation in the Discussion Forums. A Moderator AugmentedExtended Discussion Forum was created based on the Learner-CentricMOOC Model. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of thisintervention on participation and course completion, as well as identifythe factors influencing forum participation through the extended UTUATmodel. Data was collected from MOOC course logs and a survey. PartialLeast Square-Structural Equation Modelling and Necessary ConditionAnalysis were used to determine the intentions to use the DiscussionForum. The results indicate that usage of the forum was instrumental inincreasing participation and motivation to complete the course.Subsequently, the results from the extended Unified Theory ofAcceptance and Use of Technology model indicate that PerformanceExpectancy, Self-Efficacy, and Discussion Forum uniqueness were themajor factors influencing the Behavioural Intention and UsageBehaviour. The study concludes that the Augmented Discussion Forumfacilitated peer learning, improved participation, and enhanced learnerperformance, thus resulting in better course completion rates. Thesefindings provide course designers, course instructors, MOOC developers,peer researchers, and academicians with insights into the optimizationof forums and adoption of learner-centric strategies while designingDiscussion Forums and related activities
Parallel Recommendation for Multi Interactive Resources in Mobile Networks Based on Label Attributes and Behavior Sequence
No full textWith the rapid changes in the mobile network environment and the dynamical user's interest, existing recommendation algorithms are unable to provide resources that meet user needs, which means both the accuracy and efficiency of resource recommendation are not good enough. Therefore, this article proposes a parallel recommendation algorithm for multi interactive resource based on label attributes and behavior sequences in mobile network. The proposed method first obtains users' preferences for resources based on label attributes to increase the accuracy of recommendation; and then computes the similarity between resources to remove the redundant resources and improve recommendation efficiency. Then, Deep Convolution Generative Networks (DCGN) is used to process interaction data between multiple users and resources. Here, the input interaction behavior sequence is fed into a dual Gated Linear Unit (GLU) , and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) based on attention mechanism is used to extract the change of user's interest. At the same time, a feature crossover module is used to learn the target resource connection to make recommendations more relevant. Finally, a Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) is used to output the user resource interaction score to complete the resource recommendation. Experimental results show that the Normalized Discounted Cumulative Gain (NDCG) and hit rate are 0.35 and 0.18 respectively when the length of recommendation list is 8, with minimum Logloss 0.2567 and maximum Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC) 0.9157, which means the coverage rate of proposed resource recommendation is high. The resource recommendation takes 46.72 seconds to process large-scale data, which indicates that the proposed algorithm has high recommendation efficiency