12244 research outputs found
Sort by
A personalised approach to initial professional development: the Needs Analysis at UWE Bristol
Get PDFThe Needs Analysis was a personalised initial professional development intervention developed in 2022 by the Academic Practice Directorate (APD) at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). It was designed especially for new academic staff at UWE, principally probationary lecturers and senior lecturers. It centred on each participant having a 30-minute one-to-one meeting with a facilitator from the APD. They discussed the participant’s academic practice to date and looked to the new colleague’s development over approximately the next year. Meetings included bespoke signposting to professional development activities relevant to that individual’s needs and interests, including the most appropriate pathway through UWE’s Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. New academics were encouraged to attend a meeting as soon as possible after starting employment.
It was a remarkably successful intervention which far exceeded our expectations. We ran 98 meetings across September 2022 to February 2023. 95% of participants agreed that the meeting was helpful, and 95% also thought that the meeting would influence their professional development (see Table 1). The highly positive comment which opened this article is remarkably pithy, but it aligns to common themes in participant feedback
Greek-spelling predictors; an investigation of literacy- and cognitive-related factors
Get PDFGreek spelling has been less explored than reading, and studies looking at predictors have primarily focused on phonological ability (PA) and rapid automatised naming (RAN). Few studies have been conducted on visual attention span (VAS), although there is growing acknowledgement that spelling involves processes other than phonological ones. We investigated single-word spelling accuracy cross-sectionally with 145 students attending Grades 1–7 in Greece. We conducted regression analyses for the beginner and more advanced spellers separately. We found that only PA was a significant predictor for the beginner spellers after controlling for reading speed and chronological age. For the more advanced spellers, VAS and RAN were significant predictors in addition to PA. The outcome suggests that as the children gain more spelling experience, phonological and visual processes are important. Analyses of the effects on spelling accuracy of the item-related variables printed word frequency and phoneme-grapheme probability supported those obtained from the child-related analyses. The educational implications of the findings are discussed
Guiding principles of generative AI for employability and learning in UK universities
Get PDFThis article explores the implications of Generative AI in higher education institutions, focusing on its impact on academic integrity and educational policy. The study utilises qualitative methods and desk-based research to investigate the adoption of Generative Pre-Trained Transformer and similar programs within academic settings. While some institutions have implemented bans on Generative AI due to concerns about plagiarism and ethical implications, others have embraced its potential to enhance educational practices under ethical guidelines. However, such prohibitions may overlook the advantages of Generative AI and ignore students’ inevitable engagement with technology. The article addresses these challenges by proposing guiding principles for the ethical and efficient application of Generative AI in UK universities, particularly in the realms of employability, teaching, and learning. The article is structured into three main sections: a review of existing literature on Generative AI, an exploration of its benefits and challenges, formulation of guiding principles for its implementation, and recommendations for future research and practical implementation. Through this analysis, the article aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse surrounding Generative AI in higher education, providing insights into its implications for educational policy and practice
A rapid review of designing a code of practice for the music industry and mental health
Get PDFThe contemporary music industry is composed of numerous therapeutic resources, small-scale interventions, technological solutions, triage services, and more. The aim of this rapid review is to identify the mental health issues that members of the music industry may experience, and what will inform the development of a music industry “code of practice” for mental health. Research undertaken internationally within the music industry since the 2016 “Can Music Make You Sick?” study has identified that members of the UK music industry community experience negative mental health symptoms notably more than other industries. Negative mental health symptoms within this review can be defined as panic attacks and/or high levels of anxiety and/or depression. A code of practice is a set of written regulations issued by a professional association or an official body that explains how people working in a particular profession should behave. A code of practice helps workers in a particular profession to comply with ethical and health standards. A code of practice within the contemporary music industry would provide a framework within which music industry members can work. Music industry members are defined herein as anyone involved in and/or working in the music industry. It is important to make this clarification, as many of the studies around mental health in the music industry focus on musicians, whereas all roles in the music industry have the potential to struggle with their mental health. The literature identified fundamental problems relating to mental health and the music industry. Help Musicians’ “Can Music Make You Sick?” study from 2016 found that from over 2,000 respondents, 69% of musicians suffered from depression. In Canada, a small study of 50 respondents found that 20% disclosed suicidal thoughts
5 Minutes On: University Challenge gets the drum & bass treatment
No full textAfter hearing a question about drum & bass on University Challenge, lecturer, author, and long-time dance fan Nathan Filer was inspired.
He posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, asking for people to remix an exchange between the contestants, and host Amol Rajan.
Dozens of people took him up on the offer - and it got millions of views
If you call for papers, the papers call back at you: some thoughts on CfP and selection processes
Get PDFIn her ‘Manifesto to Decentre Theatre and Performance Studies’ (2021), Swati Arora explores the intangible and invisible borders that function to exclude certain people and knowledges, usually indexed by race, gender, class, and geography, from the academy. As a new working group convenor, I’m interested in thinking through what hidden borders might operate through the Call for Paper and panel selection process. What are prospective panellists really being asked to demonstrate? What unofficial knowledges are privileged and who has access to these? How can we reorient this process towards questioning and away from demonstration of knowledge? In this short provocation I reflect my own experience of selecting abstracts and ask what work might be done to develop a more transparent and empowering model of panel curation. This is a short provocation that was prepared for the roundtable discussion on ‘Decolonisation and Solidarity’ as part of the conference, Borderlines IX: Seeking Solidarity and Wonder Through Performance, which took place at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, on 30 June and 1 July 2022
Digital innovation adoption: architectural recommendations and security solutions
No full textThis reference work reviews the architectural requirements of IT systems that are designed to digitally transform business operations. It is a compilation of 7 timely reviews that demonstrate how adopting emerging technologies and examining the security-based concerns can lead to innovation in the business sector. The aim of the book is to guide scholars and business consultants on IT and business frameworks that can help new and existing organizations navigate the challenges posed by disruptive technologies to create a competitive advantage. The reviews are contributed by experts in business and information technology. The chapters cover diverse topics related to technological advancements and digital security measures. Chapter 1 offers insights into accessing and securing patient medical records through a blockchain-based framework, detailing research methodology, scalability, and standards. Chapter 2 discusses cyber threats in IoT-connected cars, addressing vulnerabilities, attack methods, and defense strategies. Chapter 3 focuses on malware analysis and detection using machine learning techniques. Chapter 4 emphasizes on securing IoT-based home automation. Chapter 5 presents an IoT policy and governance reference architecture to ensure integrity and security across devices. Chapter 6 explores organizational security improvements to prevent deepfake ransomware. Finally, Chapter 7 examines the use of machine learning in credit card fraud detection, discussing challenges and control layers
Efficient time series of smoothing and auto-regressive forecasting models for predicting police officer fatalities in the USA
No full textWith police deaths rising, predicting the number of police deaths is now of significant importance and is necessary to take precautions to prevent deaths from affecting the police force, public, and government from an associated reduction in police numbers. The aim of this research is to compare different time series forecasting models and find the most efficient model in predicting police deaths occurring in the USA. The dataset used in this study consisted of details of police officers who had died in service on duty in the USA. A total of 26,269 records between January 3, 1791, and June 3, 2022. The dataset was obtained through the Kaggle website data repository. A total of four smoothing models and four auto-regressive models were used and compared in this research. The smoothing models had better RMSE and MAPE scores, with HWES being the best-performing model. In summary, the HWES model performed the best on the USA police deaths dataset by producing less error compared to the other smoothing and auto-regressive models used in this research
The impact of Covid-19 on lifestyle and dietary habits during and after lockdown in people with neurological conditions, and their perceptions of how these changes have impacted their physical and mental health: a cross-sectional survey study
Get PDFIntroduction:-
Research has shown that the Covid-19 pandemic may have had negative effects on lifestyle factors of people in the UK, however research is limited in terms of the impact on people living with neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s (PD) and spinal cord injury (SCI). This study explores the impact that the pandemic had on mental health and lifestyle factors such as dietary habits, supplement use and exercise in those with MS, PD and SCI.
Methods:-
A cross-sectional, online, questionnaire study was carried out on a cohort of 134 people in the United Kingdom during the Covid-19 pandemic. Participants completed the questionnaire between June 2021–February 2022. Eligibility criteria included being over the age of 18 years, and declaring having been formally diagnosed with either MS (n=27, female=81%), PD (n=84, female=35%), SCI (n=23, female=61%).
Results:-
33% of participants reported an increased consumption of alcohol and 29% a decreased consumption of fruit and vegetables. However, 64% of participants reported no change in diet (p < 0.001). Vitamin D, multivitamin/minerals, probiotic and fish oil were the most commonly consumed supplements by participants. Although intake of any supplement was not significantly impacted by Covid-19 for the total cohort, by condition, and by sex, a generalised linear mixed model indicated SCI participants consumed more supplement types during Covid-19 than before (OR:1.98; 95% CI [1.04, 3.77]). Additionally, 29% of participants reported they contacted their families less than pre-pandemic (p=0.001), and 60% reported they experienced more fatigue since the pandemic. Open-ended questions added quality context to the categorical data.
Conclusion:-
This study suggests that the impact Covid-19 has had on people with neurological conditions is complex and individual, yet the negative effects may be more pronounced than the general public. Overall, there were changes in lifestyle behaviours, some which may be detrimental to health and life quality in these already vulnerable groups. Therefore, these changes need to be considered in the aftermath of the pandemic