Development of flexible education systems for technology students : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Computer Systems Engineering at Massey University

The pressures on educational institutions to keep pace with the changes in educational theory and technology are growing rapidly. There is now more competition between education providers, especially in the tertiary and career training sectors, this has meant that students and industry is demanding more input into the education process. As a result a more flexible approach is being taken to the delivery of courses. This thesis describes the development and implementation of a flexible learning approach applied to technology related subjects. It addresses the work carried out in relation to a specific aspect of the Bachelor of Technology degree as taught at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Issues have been addressed in educational programme design, material presentation, and a major focus for implementation has been computer mediated assessment mechanisms. A guide has been developed to assist the educator in increasingly applying flexibility to subjects undertaken within the Bachelor of Technology degree reflecting the specific needs of the New Zealand industrial and educational sectors. Key words: Flexible education, flexible learning, computer mediated education, computer assisted learning, computer simulation is assessment, computerised marking, computer mediated assessment

Assessing Online Collaborative Discourse

This qualitative study using transcript analysis was undertaken to clarify the value of Harasim’s Online Collaborative Learning Theory as a way to assess the collaborative process within nursing education. The theory incorporated three phases: (1) idea generating; (2) idea organizing; and (3) intellectual convergence. The transcripts of asynchronous discussions from a two-week module about disaster nursing using a virtual community were analyzed and formed the data for this study. This study supports the use of Online Collaborative Learning Theory as a framework for assessing online collaborative discourse. Individual or group outcomes were required for the students to move through all three phases of the theory. The phases of the Online Collaborative Learning Theory could be used to evaluate the student’s ability to collaborate. It is recommended that group process skills, which have more to do with interpersonal skills, be evaluated separately from collaborative learning, which has more to do with cognitive skills. Both are required for practicing nurses. When evaluated separately, the student learning needs are more clearly delineated

A different crossroads:Meeting the devil in cultural studies

The Crossroads Conference in Paris, July 2012 offered an international perspective on cultural studies. After the event, seeing mention of cultural studies in the context of Nazi Germany opened up questions about the history of cultural studies, its ambitions and position in the contemporary, neo-liberal academy. Drawing on various conjunctures in personal and social life, the article reflects on the challenges for cultural studies when set against knowledge of European history

Factors Influencing Uptake of Risk-Reducing Salpingo-Oophorectomy by BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers

Germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are associated with significantly increased risks for ovarian cancer. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) currently recommends that female BRCA mutation carriers undergo risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) after age 35; however, not all women elect this option. The purpose of this study was to prospectively survey women with BRCA mutations currently undergoing ovarian cancer screening about their intention to have an RRSO and the various factors influencing their decision. Of the 26 women who completed our survey, 26 (100%, CI: 86.8-100) plan to undergo an RRSO in their lifetime. The average woman reported 6.7 motivations and 2.9 barriers to RRSO, indicating that in our population women tend to have more reasons for electing, rather than avoiding, this surgery. We further found that while most women appeared to share the same motivations for surgery, they often had unique barriers that were not common to others. The most important reasons in favor of surgery included a desire to reduce one’s risk for ovarian cancer and live longer for family members. The most important barrier to RRSO was fear of the symptoms related to menopause. We believe these results will assist healthcare providers when discussing the option of RRSO with BRCA mutation carriers undergoing ovarian cancer screening

Social Mobility and Equality of Opportunity Geary Lecture Spring 2010

Ladies and gentlemen, director, colleagues and friends: it is a great honour and a pleasure to be asked to deliver this year’s Geary lecture, coming, as it does, on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). Over the years many eminent economists and sociologists have given the Geary lecture, but I believe that I am one of the few who knew Roy Geary personally because we were colleagues here during the last few years of his life. Roy Geary was the most eminent Irish statistician of the 20th century. But during the short time in which I knew him he was less concerned with statistical problems and more with the social problems of contemporary Ireland. So I hope that the topic of my lecture is one that Roy would have found both intellectually interesting and of some practical relevance. For a large part of my professional life I have worked on social mobility and so it will come as no surprise that this is the topic of my talk. Recently, governments and political parties have discovered, or rediscovered, social mobility and in some cases they have made its promotion a central theme in