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Developing culturally competent approaches:a reply to ‘Nurturing, nudging and navigating the increasingly precarious nature of cooperation in public health: the cases of vaccination and organ donation’ by Heidi J. Larson and Alexander H. Toledo
No full textPeter and Sam
No full textThe narrative 'Peter and Sam' is the author's personal exemplar of being a holistic practitioner. The experience took place at a hospice that had implemented the Burford NDU model where he practiced one day a week as a holistic therapist. It illustrates how much of holistic practice is intuitive and creative, in response to shifting patterns. Holistic practice is always being open to what is unfolding, moving through chaos held together by the intent to realise holistic practice. It is opening possibility for caring and healing through diverse therapies and generally being mindful of creating an environment that facilitates the person's growth and healing.</p
Examining the validity of automated speech scoring systems:insights from language testing research
No full textInclusive learning development practices: the consequences of flexibility and choice in the hybrid era
Get PDFThe Covid-19 pandemic, and the move to online teaching and learning, has provided opportunities for the learning development (LD) community to find new and innovative pedagogical approaches to providing a more inclusive learning environment. Many of these opportunities are now being incorporated into a new hybrid era of teaching, which seeks to build the ‘best of both worlds’. To embrace this new era of flexibility, hybrid learning and teaching strategies need to be developed rather than merely being a reaction to a global health emergency. Based on the experiences of two learning developers at different UK institutions, this paper reflects on the benefits and disadvantages of a hybrid mode of delivery of one-to-one tutorials, one of the cornerstones of LD provision. Within this paper we define hybrid teaching as a combination of online and physical environments (Gamage et al., 2022).<br/
Enhancing employability and engagement with the university through the student experience leaders (SEL) scheme
Get PDFThe University of Bedfordshire launched a new Education and Student Experience Strategy (2022-2026) that includes expanding students as partners opportunities as a key priority. The Student Experience Leaders (SEL) scheme was launched in 2022 and is managed by the Learning Development Team at the University of Bedfordshire in partnership with the Students’ Union. SEL provides opportunities for students to work with course teams and professional service staff to deliver curricular and co-/extra-curricular projects (aligned to key strategic priorities). SELs also act as representatives for Course Reps within faculties to champion the student voice.We believe that the formal representation partnership co-led by the Students’ Union and Learning Development Team differentiates our scheme from more traditional Peer Assisted Learning schemes. Our approach, therefore, contributes to the wider learning development field in terms of redefining how learning development teams could co-lead students as partners initiatives within their institution.Approximately 30 students have been recruited to the SEL scheme, which consists of nine projects from four faculties and two directorates. The SELs received training on various identified key transferable skills from the Learning Development Team and Students’ Union to support them in their roles. The Learning Development Team have also established and facilitated a community of practices for SELs. The first round of the scheme will conclude in June 2023 and will be evaluated through a narrative-focused and empirical evaluation using a mixed-methods approach. Pre- and post-questionnaires that focus on the transferable skills of SELs and focus group interviews will provide data for evaluation. This session considered the role of a Learning Development Team in leading a student as partners institutional scheme. We discussed how the SEL scheme will inform the future delivery of learning development at the University. We also considered how to best support students as partners in their role and how a learning development team can be effectively promoted through such activity
Does love at first sight actually exist?
No full textThis is a Psychology Subject Spotlight with Dr Joseph Adonu from the University of Bedfordshire. An interactive, cinematic course taster experience to allow students to gain insights into what it's like to study Psychology
Human fetal cartilage-derived chondrocytes and chondroprogenitors display a greater commitment to chondrogenesis than adult cartilage resident cells
Get PDFObtaining regeneration-competent cells and generating high-quality neocartilage are still challenges in articular cartilage tissue engineering. Although chondroprogenitor cells are a resident subpopulation of native cartilage and possess a high capacity for proliferation and cartilage formation, their potential for regenerative medicine has not been adequately explored. Fetal cartilage, another potential source with greater cellularity and a higher cell-matrix ratio than adult tissue, has been evaluated for sourcing cells to treat articular disorders. This study aimed to compare cartilage resident cells, namely chondrocytes, fibronectin adhesion assay-derived chondroprogenitors (FAA-CPCs) and migratory chondroprogenitors (MCPs) isolated from fetal and adult cartilage, to evaluate differences in their biological properties and their potential for cartilage repair. Following informed consent, three human fetal and three adult osteoarthritic knee joints were used to harvest the cartilage samples, from which the three cell types a) chondrocytes, b) FAA-CPCs, and MCPs were isolated. Assessment parameters consisted of flow cytometry analysis for percentage expression of cell surface markers, population doubling time and cell cycle analyses, qRT-PCR for markers of chondrogenesis and hypertrophy, trilineage differentiation potential and biochemical analysis of differentiated chondrogenic pellets for total GAG/DNA content. Compared to their adult counterparts, fetal cartilage-derived cells displayed significantly lower CD106 and higher levels of CD146 expression, indicative of their superior chondrogenic capacity. Moreover, all fetal groups demonstrated significantly higher levels of GAG/DNA ratio with enhanced uptake of collagen type 2 and GAG stains on histology. It was also noted that fetal FAA CPCs had a greater proliferative ability with significantly higher levels of the primary transcription factor SOX-9. Fetal chondrocytes and chondroprogenitors displayed a superior propensity for chondrogenesis when compared to their adult counterparts. To understand their therapeutic potential and provide an important solution to long-standing challenges in cartilage tissue engineering, focused research into its regenerative properties using in-vivo models is warranted.</p
Postural stability of adults with down syndrome–differences between women and men
Get PDFObjective: This study aimed to analyse differences in postural stability (PS) between adults with Down syndrome (DS) and adults without DS of the same age and to compare the PS between men and women with DS. Methods: Twenty-six individuals with DS (mean age 38.4 ± 8.7 yrs.) and 26 individuals without DS (mean age 38.8 ± 9.2 yrs.) participated in the study. Postural stability was measured using a pressure sensing platform MobileMat 3140 (Tekscan) in these modifications of the bipedal stance: a. wide base of support with the eyes open (WO); b. wide base of support with the eyes closed (WC); c. narrow base of support with the eyes open (NO). Six parameters of PS were compared in the statistical analysis: centre of pressure (COP) path length, COP excursion front-back, COP excursion left-right, COP velocity average, time to boundary (TTB) front-back, and TTB left-right. Results: Most PS variables (COP path length, COP excursion left-right, COP velocity average, TTB front-back) indicate significantly lower PS of adults with DS than that of the reference group (p < 0.05). Some PS variables (COP path length and COP velocity average in WC, COP excursion front-back and COP excursion left-right in NO) showed differences between men and women in more demanding conditions, indicating lower PS in men with DS.</p
Reflecting and learning in lockdown: leadership approaches to crisis management
No full textA crisis can be defined as ‘a time of great confusion, disagreement or suffering’, and ‘an extremely difficult or dangerous point in a situation’ (Cambridge Dictionary Online, 2020). In conducting our inquiry for this publication, our attention has been focused primarily on the crisis caused by the Covid- 19 pandemic that, since early 2020, has been impacting globally, nationally, locally and personally at exponentially bewildering rates. However, whilst this has tended to overshadow all others, we are mindful of the coexistence of other significant, overlapping crises. Nested within other concurrent existential crises facing the United Kingdom (UK), such as Brexit, and more global issues such as the climate crises, the #metoo and Black Lives Matter movements, initial corporate responses to the Covid- 19 pandemic were characterised by the speed with which organisations had to respond to the need to re-organise and restructure their work, and to re-think their relationship with their staff and customers/clients/membership. This was the case both in the immediate aftermath of the lockdown, and as restrictions were eased as the first wave of the virus began to wane. To a certain extent, traumatic though it was, locking down proved less problematic than subsequent attempts to restart business
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