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Gender considerations and influence in the digital media and gaming industry
No full textOccupational segregation is an important issue and can be detrimental to women. There is a strong need for more women in science, engineering, and information technology, which are traditionally male dominated fields. Female representation in the computer gaming industry is a potential way to increase the presence of women in other computer-related fields.Gender Considerations and Influence in the Digital Media and Gaming Industry provides a collection of high-quality empirical studies and personal experiences of women working in male-dominated fields with a particular focus on the media and gaming industries. Providing insight on best methods for attracting and retaining women in these fields, this volume is a valuable reference for executives and members of professional bodies who wish to encourage women in their career progression
So Good, They Named It Twice? A Lacanian Perspective on Virtual Reality from Literature and the Other Arts
No full textThis chapter argues for a less technologically driven notion of “virtual reality,” suggesting that our own on-board computers, our brains, are already engaged in a process of simulating the world around us, rather than being “naturally” immersed within it. Thus we are always at one remove from what Lacan calls the Real; hence the phrase “virtual reality” verges on the tautological. From a Lacanian perspective, humans are unique in their dislocation from the Real, taking up a position in the Symbolic, an order of signs. The rest of the chapter explores how works of art, and literature in particular, can easily be seen to function as “virtual” (immersive and interactive) worlds. The chapter concludes by noting that fantasy literature, in particular, despite its less than realistic appearance, often aspires to go beyond the “virtual,” to lay claim to accessing a world both “Real” and “virtuous.
Practice and Research in Education : University of Bolton Education research student journal.
No full text"University of Bolton Education Subject Group postgraduate and research student activity covers a myriad of topics and the high quality of much of the work deserves wider recognition and an audience, hence the creation of Practice and Research in Education. The papers only represent a very small section of education student research areas being explored but still manage to capture and reflect the vibrancy and breadth of engagement. I hope you enjoy reading them".David Kitchener - University’s Reader in Education and the journal edito
"I think therefore I am " and I'm a postgraduate researcher : Epistemological conundrums and the muddle of definition.
No full textIntroductory paper for the first edition of 'Practice and Research in Education' the University of Bolton education research student journal
Confusion online: does the test for trade mark infringement on the internet differ from that applied to infringement in other spheres?
No full textRecently there has been debate as to whether the test for trade mark confusion is different online. OCH-Ziff v. OCH Capital and Interflora v. Marks & Spencer Flowers Direct reopened the debate as to the role of initial interest confusion and the likelihood of association in defining the boundaries of this provision
Negotiated narratives - the Eleven Commandments
No full textThis presentation is part explanation and part analysis of my practice based PhD at St Mary's University, Twickenham. My research project will create an interactive film script set in contemporary Northern Ireland. The 'script' will be devised specifically with transmedia practices in mind and will be constructed with audience participation. This presentation aims to argue for the creation of a 'prototype' rather than what we usually understand to be a script. In it I describe the ways in which I build audience participation into the writing and devising process. I hope that this work will unearth a model for participative writing practice in transmedia projects, one that will allow the development of a complex narrative that can more effectively mirror the complicated political situation in Northern Ireland
Flexible Surface Acoustic Wave Based Temperature and Humidity Sensors
No full textFlexible surface acoustic wave (SAW) based temperature and humidity sensors were fabricated and characterized. ZnO piezoelectric films were deposited on polyimide substrates by DC magnetron sputtering. ZnO films possess (0002) crystal orientation with large grain sizes of 50∼70 nm. SAW devices showed two wave modes, namely the Rayleigh and Lamb modes, with the frequencies at f
R
∼132MHz and f
L
∼427MHz respectively for a wavelength of 12 μm device. The two resonant frequencies have a temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) of −423ppm/K and −258ppm/K for the Rayleigh and Lamb waves, respectively. The SAW sensors exhibited a good repeatability in responding to cyclic change of humidity. The responses of the sensors increase with the increase in humidity, and the sensitivity increases with the decrease in wavelength. A high sensitivity of 34.7 kHz/10%RH has been obtained from a SAW device without any surface treatment, demonstrated that the flexible SAW humidity sensors are very promising for application in flexible sensors and microsystems
Practice of change management for the improvement of complementary basic education: the case of Malawi
No full textManaging change in education is a complex process. The Malawi education sector has many current trends including Complementary Basic Education (CBE). The practice of Change Management (CM), however, is subtle in education literature and as such limited on how it can be used for the improvement of CBE.This study explores how CM can be practiced in order to improve the CBE programme in Malawi. The inherent characteristics that call for a CBE specific CM framework are its positioning within the education system, stakeholder role complexities, implementation model and size of the programme. The study approaches CBE as a single case holistic. Through a cross-sectional approach, it concentrates on the 2006-2011 period. Key informants, community members and learners were interviewed individually and through focus groups. Content analysis is used to analyse the data. While there is a growing body of literature on CM in education, there is limited applicability to the CBE programme. This study proposes the 3 Step CM Model as a clearly defined framework for practicing CM in CBE and a clear road map for managing change to all stakeholders in CBE.Results from a comparative analysis of CM theories from literature are fused with empirical data to construct a clearly defined change management framework for CBE. Three themes of Planning Change, Implementing Change and Institutionalising Change are discovered as key categories of CM in CBE. Thereafter, a 3 step-CM framework, as intimated above, is constructed based on these themes and overlaps of CM theories as revealed from literature. Factors that influence CM in CBE are categorized under the three steps to provide an elegant CM framework with managerial terms. Factors like Strategy, Evaluation and Communication are exposed as those on which other CM steps hinge on.All data in the study was collected within the CBE programme and so, the findings may not be generalised for other non formal education systems operating elsewhere
Bendable transparent ZnO thin film surface acoustic wave strain sensors on ultra-thin flexible glass substrates
No full textFlexible and transparent (FT) ZnO thin film based surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices using indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes were fabricated on ultrathin flexible glass substrates. The influence of the annealing process and ITO thickness on the optical properties and acoustic wave power transmission properties of the devices was investigated. The performance of the devices improved significantly when the annealing temperature was raised up to 300 °C. The flexible glass based SAW devices exhibited similar power transmission performance, but have a better optical transmittance than those on rigid glass. These FT strain sensors worked well under various applied strains up to ±3000 με with fast response time, and showed excellent linearity of resonant frequency with the change of strain with a sensitivity of ∼34 Hz με−1. The strain sensors demonstrated excellent stability and reliability under cyclic bending. The results demonstrated great potential of applications of the FT-SAW device based strain sensors on flexible glass substrates
E-Journals : towards critical and independent reflective practice for students in Higher Education
No full textPractitioners and students are increasingly asked to reflect upon practice within higher education (HE). Reflection is used in both formative and summative settings. Learning journals are recognised as a significant tool in promoting active learning and regularly used among students and teachers. Current research suggests that the effectiveness of journaling is inconsistent. In representing the use of journals as a process within reflective practice, the purposes of this study were to consider if journals were an effective way in which undergraduates could engage in reflection. This study adopted a constructivist interpretivist position and employed the action research approach. Participants (n = 3) were male, first-year undergraduates on a Foundation Degree in Sports Coaching at a college in the North West of England. Data collection was over a six-month period. At the end of each month, participants were required to submit their e-journals, consisting of five academic themes of their choosing. Summative feedback was offered to the students after each submission which identified their levels of reflection in relation to Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy. In total 43.09% of entries analysed were written in the lowest three levels of the taxonomy; 56.87% were written in the highest three levels, of which evaluation, the highest level, totalled 28.66%. Findings suggested that journals may be used effectively, with all students recording high levels of critical reflection throughout a six-month period. Students made remarkably quick progress in becoming critical in their reflections and Bloom’s Taxonomy provided a vigorous means for assessment. Strengths and limitations of the research process are discussed as are recommendations for future practice