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The Next Generation of Learning Outside: Fostering Place-responsive Pedagogy in Initial Teacher Education
No full textThis chapter explores how practice embedded in an outdoor learning (OL) module in initial teacher education (ITE) has evolved in response to place, people, time and context. We exemplify the impact of experiential learning on student participation, engagement and ownership of their education. Drawing on student voice alongside practitioner inquiry, the chapter proposes how teacher development for OL can be supported by Korthagen’s model of realistic teacher education (2017). We make the case for place-responsive pedagogy in teacher training that supports authentic and connected teaching and learning. Student-teachers experience this on different levels as ‘person-learner-teacher’, developing their educational philosophy and professional teaching repertoire. We demonstrate how brave steps in ITE can take learning beyond four walls and develop context-responsive, creative pedagogical approaches to enhance student–teacher understanding, experience and critical engagement (Waite, 2017)
A social worker-led evaluation of the professional capabilities framework
No full textIntroduced in 2012, England’s Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) provided for the first time a service wide mechanism for assessing and developing professional practices against nine domains across education and career span. While innovative for its time, in the intervening decade, the PCF has neither been evaluated or revised. This paper details findings from a British Association of Social Workers (BASW) commissioned social worker-led evaluation of the framework. The evaluation examines how social workers use the PCF within their everyday roles, whether the nine domains can be improved, changed, or removed in any way and, whether the PCF is fit for purpose. The study utilized a mixed-methods research design consisting of an expert panel curated, online, eighteen-point, open-ended survey (n = 278) followed by individual semi-structured interviews (n = 16). The survey sample was representative of the workforce (ethnicity, age). Findings show near 80 per cent of respondents consider the PCF fit for purpose with recommended improvements including: clearer centring of social justice; integration of super domains; an improved career framework; emphasis on reflection; and clearer professional leadership definition. We conclude by calling on BASW to implement these recommendations, and reflect on the potential importance of the PCF to nations outside of the England
Safe with AI at Home: Factors Impacting Older People and Occupational Therapy
Get PDFArtificial Intelligence is being adopted by older people at home in the form of personal home networks. Occupational therapy services do not have explicit guidance to support their practice, and older people may be in a similar information vacuum as their needs change and the complexity of their personal networks increases. This doctoral research study used a literature informed survey, to surface insights from both cohorts. The findings highlight gaps and potential areas of common ground from which to build a new understanding and co-create the means to support safe deployments at home
Automated Defect Identification System in Printed Circuit Boards Using Region-Based Convolutional Neural Networks
Get PDFPrinted Circuit Board (PCB) manufacturing demands accurate defect detection to ensure quality. Traditional methods, such as manual inspection or basic automated object inspection systems, are often time-consuming and inefficient. This work presents a deep learning architecture using Faster R-CNN with a ResNet-50 backbone to automatically detect and classify PCB defects, including Missing Holes (MHs), Open Circuits (OCs), Mouse Bites (MBs), Shorts, Spurs, and Spurious Copper (SC). The designed architecture involves data acquisition, annotation, and augmentation to enhance model robustness. In this study, the CNN-Resnet 50 backbone achieved a precision–recall value of 87%, denoting strong and well-balanced performance in PCB fault detection and classification. The model effectively identified defective instances, reducing false negatives, which is critical for ensuring quality assurance in PCB manufacturing. Performance evaluation metrics indicated a mean average precision (mAP) of 88% and an Intersection over Union (IoU) score of 72%, signifying high prediction accuracy across various defect classes. The developed model enhances efficiency and accuracy in quality control processes, making it a promising solution for automated PCB inspection
Navigating the technopreneurial odyssey: determining how technopreneurial self-efficacy, technopreneurial education and technological optimism cultivate tech-driven entrepreneurial intentions
Get PDFPurpose
This study aims to assess the impact of technopreneurial self-efficacy, technopreneurial education and technological optimism on Generation Z students’ intentions to engage in technopreneurship in South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
The research employed a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design. Data from 304 university students are analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
The findings confirm significant positive effects: technopreneurial self-efficacy has a direct impact on technopreneurship intention, and technopreneurship education mediates this relationship. Moreover, technological optimism moderates the relationships between technopreneurial self-efficacy and intention, as well as between technopreneurial education and intention.
Research limitations/implications
The study contributes to existing bodies of knowledge by expanding the tenets of the theory of planned behaviour, the generation cohort theory and the technology acceptance model by exploring how technopreneurs’ self-efficacy, technopreneurship education and technological optimism influence Generation Z students' intentions to engage in technopreneurship in South Africa.
Practical implications
The study findings can benefit educational institutions and policymakers by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of fostering technopreneurship, which will ultimately drive economic growth and innovation.
Originality/value
This study closes the gaps in the technopreneurship literature in emerging economies and underscores the importance of cultivating a technopreneurial mindset among youth to drive sustainable economic development
The writing workshop or deferred effects
Get PDFPsychoanalysis teaches, then, that the time of teaching is irreducibly strange: what passes does not pass when it passes. The meaning of an experience, the experience of a teaching, does not belong to the present. Nor does it belong to any other time. It is never at home in time. (Nicholas Royle, ‘Literature, Teaching, Psychoanalysis’ in The Uncanny, 2003)Footnote
Scholarly Activity building HE Experience in a FE Environment
Get PDFPurpose – This paper considers the role that scholarly activity plays in the HE experience within an FE College environment and the impact that it has. Delivering Higher Education within the UK Further Education College environment (known as College Based Higher Education) has been a significant feature of the educational landscape within UK higher education over the last 30 years. Critics have pointed to the failure of staff within FE environments to undertake research and scholarly activity, which they determine is fundamental to Higher Education.
Design / Methodology / Approach – This research explores into the notion of scholarly activity and what that means within a CBHE environment, and how this can assist in the creation of a HE culture and thus a HE experience for both staff and students. The research adopts a qualitative approach using interviews with nine staff to gather thoughts on the HE-ness of the provision within the context of scholarship.
Findings – Responses from the interviewees demonstrated a high level of participation in scholarly activity, but which was not necessarily defined or described as such, and did not adopt as narrow a view as may occur within a University, where research prevails. It is evident that staff are keen engage but significant barriers prevail, which inhibits, notably time, funds and teaching commitments. Crucially it is questioned whether CBHE should be looking to mirror a HE culture or whether a new CBHE culture is what is needed.
Originality – The paper addresses approaches to developing a HE experience within college based higher education, also called HE in FE. While this article is UK focussed, it has relevance to a broader international dimension for institutions which are teaching focussed and open to a broader interpretation of scholarly activit
Organ Transplantation in Africa: Confronting Socioeconomic, Cultural, and Infrastructural Hurdles
Get PDFBackground
Organ transplantation is a critical procedure offering life-saving treatment for patients with end-stage organ failure. In Africa, however, the accessibility and development of organ transplantation are severely hampered by numerous barriers. Socioeconomic disparities, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, legal and ethical gaps, cultural resistance, and the dual burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases are among the significant challenges faced. This review aims to comprehensively explore these barriers and propose actionable strategies to address them.
Method
A narrative review was conducted by searching electronic databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and JSTOR. The review prioritized studies addressing the challenges of organ transplantation in Africa, focusing on socioeconomic factors, healthcare infrastructure, cultural beliefs, legal frameworks, and the impact of infectious and non-communicable diseases. Studies offering solutions tailored to the African context were also included.
Results
The review identified several key obstacles, including high costs of transplantation, a limited number of transplant centers, and a critical shortage of skilled healthcare professionals. Cultural beliefs and widespread misconceptions impede organ donation acceptance. Additionally, infectious and non-communicable diseases complicate the transplantation process and outcomes. Weak legal frameworks exacerbate the risks of organ trafficking and unethical practices, while low public awareness further undermines efforts to enhance organ donation rates.
Conclusion
Addressing these multifaceted challenges necessitates a comprehensive approach. Strengthening healthcare infrastructure, enhancing capacity-building programs, developing robust legal and ethical frameworks, and implementing targeted public education campaigns are critical for improving organ transplantation in Africa
Readability of patient education materials on Cardiac MRI
Get PDFAims We assessed the readability level of online patient education materials (PEMs) for cardiac MRI (CMRI) to determine whether they meet the standard health literacy needs as determined by the United States National Institutes of Health and the American Medical Association guidelines. Methods and results We evaluated the readability of CMRI PEMs from 5 websites using the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease (FKRE), Flesch-Kincaid grade level (FKGL), Gunning-Fog Index (GFI), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook index (SMOGI), Coleman-Liau Index (CLI), and Automated Readability Index (ARI). PEMs on British Heart Foundation (BHF) website yielded the highest mean FKRE score while the RadiologyInfo.org (RadInfo) website yielded the highest mean score on the CLI compared to all the other websites. Statistical analysis of individual predictors revealed that average words per sentence (p<0.001) and average syllables per word (p<0.001) were strong determinants of FKRE for the RadInfo PEMs. In contrast, sentences (p = 0.044), words (p = 0.046), average words per sentence (p = <0.001), and average syllables per word (p = < 0.001) were significant predictors of FKRE for the InsideRadiology (InsRad) PEMs. The sensitivity analysis consistently confirmed the robustness and primary influence of average words per sentence and average syllables per word. Conclusion The BHF and American Heart Association emphasize accessible CMRI communication, whereas RadInfo, InsRad, and the European Society of Cardiology PEMs may be less suitable for low-health-literacy audiences. Strategies aimed at enhancing the comprehensibility of patient education materials should primarily focus on reducing the average complexity of words and shortening average sentence lengths