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Examining the psychosocial affordances of online learning: Perceptions of gifted adolescents and their teachers
No full textThis thesis investigated the psychosocial affordances of online learning as perceived by gifted adolescents, teachers, and counsellors across six gifted high schools in Saudi Arabia. Research on educational technology for gifted students is limited, especially in fostering psychosocial development through online learning. Gifted adolescents, diverse in social competence and psychosocial needs, often struggle with poor self-concept and social adjustment during adolescence. Drawing on Erikson’s (1963) Theory of Psychosocial Development and Gibson’s (1966, 1977, 1979) Affordance Theory as a framework, this study attempted to fill this gap by examining how online learning environments address the psychosocial needs of gifted students and evaluated their impact on psychosocial development. The study employed dataset triangulation, using quantitative analysis of strength-based survey results and qualitative assessment of participant attitudes, opinions, and behaviours, organising survey and interview data into thematic clusters.Data collected from 300 gifted students, ten gifted teachers, and six school counsellors revealed that online learning enhanced creativity and academic quality for gifted students. Technology was viewed as essential for self-directed learning and career readiness. However, opinions varied regarding its efficacy in addressing psychological needs and building community. Teachers prioritised learner-centred approaches and recognised their evolving role as facilitators in online environments yet exhibited varying levels of digital expertise. Educators expressed a favourable attitude towards digital tools for academic purposes, highlighting their potential to optimise the learning experience and address students’ psychological well-being. Qualitative data highlighted educators’ multifaceted role in fostering effective communication, creating positive learning environments, and supporting academic skill development. Overall, this study informs stakeholders about the value of psychosocial affordances in online learning environments.</p
Tunable Properties of YBa2Cu307-x Superconducting Thin Films enabled by Varying the Energy Distribution of the Plume with Target to Substrate Distance
No full textSince the discovery of superconductivity, high-temperature superconductors (HTS) such as Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBCO) have remained at the forefront of research due to their exceptional critical current density ( ) and high critical temperatures. These properties make YBCO appealing for applications in Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUIDS), electricity transmission lines and Magnetic Resonance Imaging magnets. Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) has emerged as a versatile technique for fabricating high-quality YBCO thin films, enabling enhanced flux pinning, increased critical current density, and optimized surface morphology through precise control of deposition conditions and defect engineering - both of which are pivotal areas of research. Recent research has focused on optimizing the fabrication of ultra-thin films (A critical deposition parameter, the Target-to-Substrate Distance (TSD), plays a key role in determining film properties and surface morphology by influencing multiple deposition parameters, including energy distribution of the plume, flux rate, and surface diffusion rates. This work systematically investigates the structural and electromagnetic properties of YBCO thin films as a function of TSD, focusing on electromagnetic properties, film thickness, critical temperature, crystallinity, stoichiometry, surface morphology and growth modes. Reference to plume propagation models and growth processes were also used to aid this analysis. Characterization techniques including Magnetization measurements, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), were employed to provide a comprehensive evaluation. Notably, high crystallinity and critical current density were preserved over a large 50mm TSD range under a high laser fluence. Unexpectedly, this trend remained substantial despite a decrease in total film thickness with increasing TSD. Remarkably, while the performance remained largely unchanged, surface properties and other structural features are shown to be easily tunable as a function of TSD, which would be desirable for a broad range of potential applications in electronics and energy handling.Further structural analysis, including lattice parameters, oxygen content and formation mechanisms, was conducted via XRD to understand the preservation of these properties. This study presents the first report of a triple layered strain structure emerging from a monolayered deposition in YBCO thin films fabricated via PLD on single crystal substrates. This phenomenon, observed over this large 50mm TSD range, was identified by the presence of a triple peak in −2 scans, despite significant variations in growth mode and thickness between layers. This multilayer strain formation is attributed to significant deviations from typical deposition conditions, particularly high laser fluence which amplifies strain throughout the film. A precise balance between the competing effects of TSD and laser fluence is required to facilitate this formation, as these parameters influence not only structural and electromagnetic properties but also the transition between monolayer and multilayered strain formation.These findings demonstrate significant potential for advancing ultra-thin YBCO superconducting films, particularly in single-photon detectors and electronic applications. The results obtained in this work also suggest that a similar simplicity, which is overlooked due to space and design constraints in PLD chambers, can be adopted in other areas of science and technology, and potential applications where PLD process is the key fabrication technique.</p
Design of Passive Gravity Compensators for Linear Motion Based on Permanent Magnets
No full textThe abstract for this item has not been populated.</p
Characterising Non-Intentional Supraharmonic Emissions from Inverters in Power Grids: Review and Challenges
No full textSupraharmonic emissions, referred to as voltage/current waveform distortions in the 2–150 kHz range, have been identified as an emerging power quality concern. With the increased number of non-linear devices connected to the power grid, such as photovoltaic inverter systems, supraharmonic disturbances are expected to increase. Despite being a source of supraharmonic emissions, power electronic equipment has become a ubiquitous technology due to recent advancements. Similarly, researchers around the world have started studying these emissions; however, complete systematic knowledge concerning supraharmonic emissions is yet to be achieved. This paper uniquely delves into characterising emissions using existing knowledge, significantly improving the understanding of their complex micro-level interactions and highlighting emerging challenges. The paper presents a comprehensive summary integrating existing studies on supraharmonic emissions in five key areas: emissions, propagation and attenuation, measurement techniques, modelling and simulation, and mitigation.</p
Developing nursing students’ knowledge in breastfeeding [DESTINI] Project
No full textBackground: Globally, healthcare providers, including Registered Nurses, often lack the expertise needed to fully support breastfeeding women, contributing to unmet World Health Organization breastfeeding recommendations. Many new nurses frequently feel unprepared to assist in neonatal and paediatric settings. Furthermore, the growing diversity among nursing students requires innovative approaches to meet varied learning needs. Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) offers a promising framework to address these challenges in nursing education.Aim: The aim of the Developing nursing students’ knowledge in breastfeeding [DESTINI] Project was to explore how LCT could inform the design and development of an online breastfeeding education module. Specifically, the project focused on how nursing students developed knowledge and investigated their learning experiences of the LCT informed learning materials.Methods: A case study methodology approach was used to achieve the research aims. The thesis was organised as a series of four published papers. Paper 1 explored nursing students’ knowledge of breastfeeding and the sources of that knowledge. Paper 2 reviewed the application of LCT in the biological and health sciences and assessed its suitability as a framework for nursing education. Findings from Paper 2 also informed the design of the breastfeeding module and the analysis of the research project data. Paper 3 described the LCT-based design of the breastfeeding module and presented a thematic analysis of students’ experiences, based on semi-structured interviews. Paper 4 reported on students' knowledge development during the breastfeeding module, analysing both coursework artefacts and interview data.Findings: The project revealed that while nursing students had a solid understanding of lactation physiology, they struggled with practical breastfeeding support. Nursing students’ knowledge sources included both personal experiences and formal education. The LCT informed breastfeeding module was well-received, with students appreciating its unique structure. The Specialization dimension of LCT provided insight into how students fluidly integrated personal experiences with theoretical knowledge illustrating a non-linear path towards becoming the 'right kind of knower' in nursing practice.Discussion: The project demonstrated the effectiveness of LCT as a framework for course development and analysis in nursing education. It highlighted the significance of bringing students’ informal knowledge into conscious awareness, allowing them to critically examine and consider these insights. This process created opportunities to align informal knowledge with formal learning experiences, particularly in skills like breastfeeding support. Integrating personal experiences into nursing education proved valuable for building both knowledge and professional identity. The dynamic, non-linear nature of knowledge acquisition and knower development revealed by the Specialization dimension of LCT, offer new insights into the learning process for nursing education.Conclusion: The DESTINI project demonstrated that applying LCT in nursing education can effectively support the development of both disciplinary knowledge and professional identity. The module structure, based on the concept of the semantic wave, enabled students to bridge the gap between abstract theoretical concepts and practical applications. The Specialization dimension illustrated that knowledge development in nursing is not a straightforward progression, instead students moved dynamically between different forms of knowing, meaningfully integrating personal experiences with theoretical knowledge. These insights have implications for nursing education design and delivery.</p
Groups and Their Actions in Unbounded Kasparov Theory
No full textThis thesis presents a number of new approaches to the treatment of group actions in unbounded Kasparov theory. Its results are motivated by the desire to incorporate into spectral noncommutative geometry several formerly problematic examples. We extend unbounded Kasparov theory to encompass conformal group and quantum group equivariance. We use this, along with tools from geometric group theory, to study the geometry of group C*-algebras and Fell bundles. We prove a nontriviality result for Kasparov modules built from group actions on CAT(0) spaces. We also study the geometry of group extensions using the unbounded Kasparov product.We introduce a new multiplicative perturbation theory that enables us to treat conformal actions on both manifolds and noncommutative spaces. As examples, we present unbounded representatives of Kasparov’s γ-element for the real and complex Lorentz groups and display the conformal (2)-equivariance of the standard spectral triple of the Podleś sphere. In pursuing descent for conformally equivariant cycles, we are led to a new framework for representing Kasparov classes. Our new representatives, conformally generated cycles, are unbounded, possess a dynamical quality, and also include known twisted spectral triples. We define an equivalence relation on these new representatives whose classes form an abelian group surjecting onto KK-theory.We also develop a new framework for the treatment of parabolic features in noncommutative geometry, in the form of the notion of tangled cycle. Tangled cycles incorporate anisotropy by replacing the unbounded operator in a higher order cycle that mimics a Dirac operator with several unbounded operators mimicking directional Dirac operators, allowing for varying and dependent orders in different directions, controlled by a weighted graph. Our main examples of tangled cycles fit into two classes: hypoelliptic spectral triples constructed from Rockland complexes on parabolic geometries and Kasparov product spectral triples for nilpotent group C*-algebras and crossed product C*-algebras of parabolic dynamical systems.</p
Building belonging for regional student retention in higher education: A case study
No full textBelonging has been identified as important to student retention, engagement, achievement and wellbeing in higher education. It has been challenging for universities to foster, particularly in non-traditional student cohorts and in regional areas. This article aims to identify how belonging has been experienced and supported on four regional campuses of one Australian university (University of Wollongong) enrolling a high proportion of non-traditional students. It focuses on belonging’s role in the students’ successful progress beyond the first year of their university studies. The study examines the experiences of students through focus groups discussing what aspects of their campuses had contributed to students’ success. This study extends previous work on belonging by describing how belonging is successfully cultivated in regional campuses through specific staff and student interactions that had built a culture of community and support, and how the belonging that resulted contributed to student retention. The study’s findings demonstrate how principles from theory and research about practices that support student belonging can be successfully enacted in a university setting with students from regional and equity backgrounds.</p
Are school canteens in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven set up for universal school meal programs?
No full textUniversal school meal programs aim to provide all students with access to nutritious, balanced meals at school. They are recognised internationally for improving students’ health, learning outcomes and reducing the stigma around food assistance. Following a successful pilot program in one Illawarra school, members of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Food Futures Taskforce, including the Health Promotion team at the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Healthy Cities Australia and researchers from the University of Wollongong are working together to explore how these programs could be implemented across the whole Illawarra and Shoalhaven region. Their shared goal is towards creating healthier and more inclusive school food environments to improve the rising concern of food insecurity across the region. As a first step, mapping the available infrastructure already in schools to support the wider roll out of such a program is important. Many school canteens already contain essential kitchen infrastructure, such as ovens, fridges, freezers, and food preparation areas. Recognising this existing capacity helps to highlight the untapped potential within schools to support universal meal provision without requiring major new builds, but rather through strategic investment and coordination. Therefore, this report presents the results of an early mapping activity of current canteen infrastructure across Illawarra and Shoalhaven schools which helps to understand schools potential readiness to support a broader rollout of universal school meals. This work highlights existing strengths and opportunities that can guide future planning and investment, laying the groundwork for an equitable and sustainable approach to school meal provision across the region.</p
Covid cover-up: secrecy, censorship and suppression during the pandemic
No full textDuring the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, most health authorities, governments, and mass media organizations presented a single official view concerning lockdowns, masking, distancing, and vaccines. The methods used against contrary views can be classified into four types: flooding, ignoring, censoring, and attacking. The method of information flooding involves presenting dominant views in a unified front, overwhelming contrary views by volume and consistency. The method of ignoring includes the absence of research on alternative approaches, failure to report on research contrary to orthodoxy, and not mentioning challenging views. Censoring involves active measures to prevent the circulation of contrary information and views. Attacking includes steps taken to silence and penalize scientists, doctors and others with heterodox views and campaigns to discredit alternatives to recommended approaches. These four types of methods are interrelated, forming an ecology of information control.</p
Commemoration of a Nation: The Infatuation with Anzac in Australia’s WWI Centenary
No full textThis thesis is a political, social, and economic history of Australia’s WWI centenary commemorations (2014-2018). It addresses the power of the Anzac myth in modern Australia by investigating how it was used for political and commercial gain during the centenary period. The centenary presented a prime opportunity to further promote the national emotional investment in the ‘Anzac legend’ as the foundation of Australian national identity. An examination of commemorative events, speeches and exhibitions, many endorsed by the federal government, alongside media coverage, television series and various attempts to ‘commodify’ the centenary, reveals the extent of political and commercial exploitation of Anzac during this period. It equally demonstrates a substantial overestimation of the extent of public engagement with the Anzac narrative across the four years of the centenary.Twelve case studies of commemorative practices, events and products present a multifaceted analysis of Australian commemorations of the centenary of WWI. These assess: the success and failings of the official, government ‘Anzac Centenary Program’; how the centenary was represented in print media news outlets and television entertainment; and the corporate desire to financially capitalise on the romanticisation of Anzac. Several case studies document and assess the extravagant expenditure and political rhetoric that the Australian federal government engaged in to maintain the place of Anzac in the national identity.Through these case studies, the thesis reveals the extent to which the actual history of WWI was manipulated or suppressed to maintain a singular, idealised vision of the Anzac legend that was believed to be politically and commercially advantageous. Simplistic, ahistorical and nationalistic representations, aimed at encouraging community cohesion and support for the military, overwhelmingly predominated. Critical voices were subjected to censure and more nuanced representations of war were sidelined. Academic scholarship was almost entirely discarded to ensure this mythology was preserved.Consequently, Australian public knowledge of war history was not significantly diversified during the centenary period, and the oversaturation of commemorative, mythologised information created a national sense of exhaustion and disengagement. The thesis thus also analyses the appearance and trajectory of what came to be termed ‘commemoration fatigue’- a phenomenon that underscored the substantial overestimation of public investment in Anzac and the centenary. Ultimately, its findings call into question the power that the Anzac legend still holds in contemporary Australia and whether it will continue as the key foundation for the Australian national identity.</p