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‘I wasn’t me, grieving in my room. I was Spiderman’: Gaming, Loss and Self-Care following COVID-19
Get PDFBuilding on Stroebe and Schut’s (1999) ‘dual process model’ (DPM), this paper draws on data from a survey of young people who identify as regular gamers (n=450) and semi-structured follow-up interviews (n=20) to understand video games as a form of self-care, and the positive and problematic encounters gamers experience in relation to immersion and escapism. The work is situated in relation to game/leisure studies, and extant research on different types of loss (bereavement; social opportunities; employment). We argue that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, self-reported responses to play function as a form of oscillation between ‘loss’ and ‘restoration’ in the DPM, and that the act of play and its post-hoc rationalization is a crucial form of coping for young people, and an opportunity for meaning-making whilst grieving. Our contribution is to demonstrate how video games can and should be considered as a catalyst for grief management
Exploring the responses of non-churchgoers to a cathedral pre-Christmas son et lumiere
Get PDFTwo conceptual strands of research within the field of cathedral studies have theorised the capacity of Anglican cathedrals to engage more successfully than parish churches with the wider non-churchgoing community: one strand has explored mobilising cathedral metaphors, and the other strand has explored the notion of implicit religion. Both strands illuminate the power of events and installations to soften the boundaries between common ground and sacred space. Drawing on a quantitative survey among 978 people who attended the pre-Christmas son et lumiere at Liverpool Cathedral during December 2022, the present study analyses the qualitative responses of 123 participants who never attend church services. Three categories of themes emerged from these data, concerning the Cathedral itself, the installation, and discordant experience.
Contribution:
Situated within the science of cathedral studies, this paper draws on original qualitative data to illuminate the experiences of participants who never attend church services when engaging with the pre-Christmas son et lumiere at a major cathedral. Conceptualised within the framework of implicit religion these data confirmed how the son et lumiere succeeded in softening boundaries between the sacred and the secular and provided a deeply moving experience. As one participant said, ‘I am not religious, but I had the best experience ever’
How to develop bite-sized educational content for a new generation of technology learners: A case study
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Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on microplastic occurrence in aquatic environments: A three-year study in Taihu Lake Basin, China
No full textThe impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on microplastic (MP) occurrence in aquatic environments deserves an in-depth study. In this study, the occurrence of MPs and environmental flux of plastics before (2019) and during (2020 and 2021) the pandemic were comparatively investigated in various aquatic compartments in the Taihu Lake Basin in China. The field-based investigations from 2019 to 2021 for Taihu Lake have shown that, at the onset of the outbreak, the MP abundance declined at a rate of 62.3 %, but gradually recovered to the pre-pandemic level. However, the amount of plastics being released into aquatic environments showed a declining trend in 2020 and 2021 compared to those in 2019, with decrease rates of 13.7 % and 15.8 %, respectively. Characterization analysis of MP particles and source apportionment framework implied that while the contributions of tire abrasion and domestic waste to MP occurrence were depleted owing to the reduction in human activity during the pandemic, weathering and fragmentation of retained plastics contributed to the recovery of stored MPs. This study provides insights into the anthropogenic influences on MP occurrence, and supports policymakers in managing and controlling plastic contamination in large freshwater systems in the “new normal” phase
Enhancing the Usability, Visibility, and Responsiveness of an Airline Reservation System: A User-Centered Design Approach
Get PDFThis paper presents the idea, design, and prototype of a flight search and airline booking system based on the perspective of user-centered design. The system is first sketched roughly on paper in the form of a sketched plan and implemented through the proper system by connecting with the rapid API to develop a responsive web application. Booking travel tickets is a hassle and quite stressful because there is a chance that the webpages take time, and several decisions to make, hard to choose a discounted or less expensive flight, and the user will have to put in a lot of effort with many browser tabs may leave open. If a user is looking for the lowest travel options within a range of dates, they need to search a lot of websites looking for better options. As UX designers, it is our responsibility to do some user research and identify the problem areas, then we will recommend some design options based on the research findings. After that, we will create a wireframe and prototype before jumping into web design by collecting all the requirements and analyzing the problems. We will be focusing on UI controls such as location picker, date picker, color contrast, accessibility, and so on. In this paper, we present the design and development of a user-centered flight search and booking system for the airline industry. Our goal is to create a system that would meet the needs and preferences of a diverse set of users. This paper will summarize the design, development, and implementation of an airline reservation system. We have used bubble.io to design the overall system and MYSQL as the database management system for this webpage. Our objective is to upgrade the current website by improving the usability, visibility, and responsiveness of the functions that the user will experience while buying a flight ticket. We have generated and managed the design documentation and a perfect user-based online flight booking system
Subjects as Individual Disciplines: Examining Ofsted's Curriculum Research Reviews
No full textIn this blog, Dr Katy Bloom, Associate Professor of Initial Teacher Education at York St John University, explores the thinking behind Ofsted’s ‘Curriculum Research Reviews’ and why they are important for subject, faculty, and curriculum leaders in schools
Innovation in Music: Technology and Creativity
No full textInnovation in Music: Technology and Creativity is a groundbreaking collection bringing together contributions from instructors, researchers, and professionals. Split into two sections, covering composition and performance, and technology and innovation, this volume offers truly international perspectives on ever-evolving practices
