Search results for: professional skepticism

Authors: Mahinaz Saad

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Little empirical data exists regarding smartphone usage for news consumption in the UAE, and no previous research explored undergraduate female university students’ usage of smartphones. This represents a gap in the professional literature and makes it an important area to examine. Uses and Gratifications theory is used to study the motivations of consumers for adopting a particular type of communication tool. This theory is an audience-centred approach to understanding mass communication that assumes audiences are active consumers of media and explains why and how people seek out specific media to satisfy needs. This theory is particularly relevant given the rapid development of new communication technologies. Situated within this theoretical framework, this study utilised a quantitative research design to explore respondents’ (N=488) how and why respondents use their smartphones. Further, this study explored the relationship between mobile news use and the use of other mediums for news access and how different gratifications predict mobile hard news use and mobile soft news use. Results revealed that smartphones often replace traditional media as a news source and have become students’ primary source of news. Results also revealed that different gratifications can be used as a predictor of mobile hard news and soft news and that most students use their smartphones to access soft news. These results are fundamental in allowing us to predict possible future trends relating to news consumption in the UAE and the myriad ways in which the media landscape is changing.

Keywords: uses and gratifications, smartphones, university students, news consumption

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Authors: Luen Chow Chan

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With the advocacy of green transportation and green traveling, cycling has become increasingly popular nowadays. Physiology and bike design are key factors for the influence of cycling efficiency. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the significance of bike-frame geometric factors on cycling efficiency and muscle activation for different body sizes of non-professional Asian male cyclists. Participants who represented various body sizes, as measured by leg and back lengths, carried out cycling tests using a tailor-assembled road bike with different ergonomic design configurations including seat-height adjustments (i.e., 96%, 100%, and 104% of trochanteric height) and bike frame sizes (i.e., small and medium frames) for an assessable distance of 1 km. A specific power meter and self-developed adaptable surface electromyography (sEMG) were used to measure average pedaling power and cadence generated and muscle activation, respectively. The results showed that changing the seat height was far more significant than the body and bike frame sizes. The sEMG data evidently provided a better understanding of muscle activation as a function of different seat heights. Therefore, the interpretation of this study is that the major bike ergonomic design factor dominating the cycling efficiency of Asian participants with different body sizes was the seat height.

Keywords: bike frame sizes, cadence rate, pedaling power, seat height

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Authors: V. Santamarina Campos, M. de Miguel Molina, S. Kröner, B. de Miguel Molina

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With this contribution, we want to show how the AiRT system could change the future way of working of a part of the creative industry and what new economic opportunities could arise for them. Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), also more commonly known as drones, are now essential tools used by many different companies for their creative outdoor work. However, using this very flexible applicable tool indoor is almost impossible, since safe navigation cannot be guaranteed by the operator due to the lack of a reliable and affordable indoor positioning system which ensures a stable flight, among other issues. Here we present our first results of a European project, which consists of developing an indoor drone for professional footage especially designed for the creative industries. One of the main achievements of this project is the successful implication of the end-users in the overall design process from the very beginning. To ensure safe flight in confined spaces, our drone incorporates a positioning system based on ultra-wide band technology, an RGB-D (depth) camera for 3D environment reconstruction and the possibility to fully pre-program automatic flights. Since we also want to offer this tool for inexperienced pilots, we have always focused on user-friendly handling of the whole system throughout the entire process.

Keywords: virtual reality, 3D reconstruction, indoor positioning system, RPAS, remotely piloted aircraft systems, aerial film, intelligent navigation, advanced safety measures, creative industries

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Authors: Aleksandra Zysk, Pawel Badura

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Recognizing and controlling vocal registers during singing is a difficult task for beginner vocalist. It requires among others identifying which part of natural resonators is being used when a sound propagates through the body. Thus, an application has been designed allowing for sound recording, automatic vocal register recognition (VRR), and a graphical user interface providing real-time visualization of the signal and recognition results. Six spectral features are determined for each time frame and passed to the support vector machine classifier yielding a binary decision on the head or chest register assignment of the segment. The classification training and testing data have been recorded by ten professional female singers (soprano, aged 19-29) performing sounds for both chest and head register. The classification accuracy exceeded 93% in each of various validation schemes. Apart from a hard two-class clustering, the support vector classifier returns also information on the distance between particular feature vector and the discrimination hyperplane in a feature space. Such an information reflects the level of certainty of the vocal register classification in a fuzzy way. Thus, the designed recognition and training application is able to assess and visualize the continuous trend in singing in a user-friendly graphical mode providing an easy way to control the vocal emission.

Keywords: classification, singing, spectral analysis, vocal emission, vocal register

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Authors: Joanne M. Emmens

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This paper makes use of the case notes of a single psychoanalytically informed psychotherapy of a now 72-year-old man over a four-year period to explore the potential of qualitative data to be incorporated into a research methodology that can contribute theory and knowledge to the wider professional community involved in mental health care. The clinical material arising out of any psychoanalysis provides a potentially rich source of clinical data that could contribute valuably to our historical understanding of both individual and societal traumata. As psychoanalysis is primarily an investigation, it is argued that clinical case material is a rich source of qualitative data which has relevance for sociological and historical understandings and that it can potentially aluminate important ‘gaps’ and collective blind spots that manifest unconsciously and are a contributing factor in the transmission of trauma, silently across generations. By attending to this case material the hope is to illustrate the value of using a psychoanalytic centred methodology. It is argued that the study of individual defences and the manner in which they come into consciousness, allows an insight into group defences and the unconscious forces that contribute to the silencing or un-noticing of important sources (or originators) of mental suffering.

Keywords: dream furniture (Bion) and psychotic functioning, reverie, screen memories, selected fact

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Authors: Moshe Davidian, Shlomo Mark, Yotam Lurie

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With the rapid development of technology and the concomitant growth in the capability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems and their power, the ethical challenges involved in these systems are also evolving and increasing. In recent years, various organizations, including governments, international institutions, professional societies, civic organizations, and commercial companies, have been choosing to address these various challenges by publishing ethical codes for AI systems. However, despite the apparent agreement that AI should be “ethical,” there is debate about the definition of “ethical artificial intelligence.” This study investigates the various AI ethical codes and their key ethical values. From the vast collection of codes that exist, it analyzes and compares 25 ethical codes that were found to be representative of different types of organizations. In addition, as part of its literature review, the study overviews data collected in three recent reviews of AI codes. The results of the analyses demonstrate a convergence around seven key ethical values. However, the key finding is that the different AI ethical codes eventually reflect the type of organization that designed the code; i.e., the organizations’ role as regulator, user, or developer affects the view of what ethical AI is. The results show a relationship between the organization’s role and the dominant values in its code. The main contribution of this study is the development of a list of the key values for all AI systems and specific values that need to impact the development and design of AI systems, but also allowing for differences according to the organization for which the system is being developed. This will allow an analysis of AI values in relation to stakeholders.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, ethical codes, principles, values

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Authors: Marta Tryzna, Shahd Al Shammari

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Though Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is the only official language in GCC states, including Kuwait, and traditionally the preferred vehicle for literacy in the Arab countries, recent studies in Qatar and the UAE observe a growing role of English, particularly in literacy and knowledge transmission contexts. The present study examines the attitudes to Arabic and English and the use of both languages in literacy-related domains based on a sample of bilingual Arabic-English undergraduates (N=522) at a private university with EMI in Kuwait. The results indicate that Arabic (Kuwaiti dialect) is associated with familial interactions, Arabic-English bilingualism predominates in interactions with classmates, friends, on social media and at work, while English is prevalent in literacy-related contexts such as reading books, magazines, or online material, domains traditionally associated with MSA. Attitudes towards Arabic and English are equally positive according to the majority of the respondents, who report being comfortable expressing themselves and projecting their identity in both languages. No statistically significant differences were found comparing the importance of Arabic and English in the sample. Future trends were identified based on high agreement on the importance of speaking English with children and low agreement on speaking only Arabic at home. The study corroborates recently observed trends in the GCC favoring bilingualism across personal, academic and professional domains, with English becoming the preferred language of literacy among young bilingual Kuwaitis.

Keywords: bilingual, English, Arabic, EMI, identity

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Authors: Victoria L. Malakhova

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The research is devoted to multimodal content and its effectiveness in developing students’ linguistic and intercultural communicative competences as an indefeasible constituent of their future professional activity. Description of multimodal content both as a linguistic and didactic phenomenon makes the study relevant. The objective of the article is the analysis of creolized texts and the effect they have on fostering higher education students’ skills and their productivity. The main methods used are linguistic text analysis, qualitative and quantitative methods, deduction, generalization. The author studies texts with full and partial creolization, their features and role in composing multimodal textual space. The main verbal and non-verbal markers and paralinguistic means that enhance the linguo-pragmatic potential of creolized texts are covered. To reveal the efficiency of multimodal content application in English teaching, the author conducts an experiment among both undergraduate students and teachers. This allows specifying main functions of creolized texts in the process of language learning, detecting ways of enhancing students’ competences, and increasing their motivation. The described stages of using creolized texts can serve as an algorithm for work with multimodal content in teaching English as a foreign language. The findings contribute to improving the efficiency of the academic process.

Keywords: creolized text, English language learning, higher education, language and communication competences, multimodal content

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Authors: Victoria Appatova

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internal and external, that are largely shaped by the student’s perceptions. Since 2006, the ELE concept has been studied by an international group of scholars through the creation of an ELE survey which was administered in nine countries and translated into five languages. The survey compares students’ perceptions of their learning environments and self-efficacy across A student’s effective learning environment (ELE) is comprised of multiple factors, both cultures as well as distinguishes similarities and differences in the students’ needs related to their learning. The main objectives of this international project include the following: Determine a system of components constituting ELE from the perspective of students and other academic populations Analyze students’ expectations, and their chances to succeed in college based on their expectations Conceptualize a comprehensive approach for assessing the effectiveness of a learning environment Compare the actualization of the ELE concept in American schools versus other national educational systems Compare student perceptions of ELE with those of faculty, administrators, and professional staff Four major factors influencing student learning across cultures and various national educational systems were determined: students’ initiative in using support services; learning skills; external comfort; and curriculum. Recent changes in the students’ perceptions, resulting from technology advances and a rapid shift to online learning, are being explored. The findings call for administrative and pedagogical actions which would cultivate more equitable education systems.

Keywords: learning environment, student perception, global perspectives, self-efficacy

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Authors: Rasha A. Salameh

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This research attempts to evaluate the treatment provided by the Qatari media to the decision to allow Saudi women to drive, and then activate this decision after a few months, that is, within the time frame between September 26, 2017 until June 30, 2018. This is through asking several questions, including whether the political dispute between Qatar and Saudi Arabia has cast a shadow over this handling, and if these Qatari media handlings are used to criticize the Saudi regime for delaying this step. Here emerges one of the research hypotheses that says that the coverage did not have the required professionalism, due to the fact that the decision and its activation took place in light of the political stalemate between Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which requires testing the media framing and agenda theories to know to what extent they apply to this case. The research dealt with a sample of five Qatari media read in this sample: Al-Jazeera Net, The New Arab Newspaper, Al-Sharq Newspaper, The Arab Newspaper, and Al-Watan Newspaper. The results showed that most of the authors who covered the decision to allow Saudi women to drive a car did not achieve a balance in their writing, and that almost half of them did not have objectivity, and this indicates the proof of the hypothesis that there is a defect in the professional competence in covering the decision to allow Saudi women to drive cars by means of Qatari media, and the researcher attributes this result to the political position between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, in addition to the fact that the Arab media in most of them are characterized by a low ceiling of freedom, and most of them are identical in their position with the position of the regime’s official view.

Keywords: Saudi women, objectivity, hate speech, stereotype

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Authors: V. K. Arora, Amit Rastogi

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To understand the anchor pile behaviour and to predict the capacity of piles under uplift loading are important concerns in foundation analysis. Experimental model tests have been conducted on single anchor pile embedded in cohesionless soil and subjected to pure uplift loading. A gravel-filled geogrid layer was located around the enlarged pile base. The experimental tests were conducted on straight-shafted vertical steel piles with an outer diameter of 20 mm in a steel soil tank. The tested piles have embedment depth-to-diameter ratios (L/D) of 2, 3, and 4. The sand bed is prepared at three different values of density of 1.67, 1.59, and 1.50gm/cc. Single piles embedded in sandy soil were tested and the results are presented and analysed in this paper. The influences of pile embedment ratio, reinforcement, relative density of soil on the uplift capacity of piles were investigated. The study revealed that the behaviour of single piles under uplift loading depends mainly on both the pile embedment depth-to-diameter ratio and the soil density. It is believed that the experimental results presented in this study would be beneficial to the professional understanding of the soil–pile-uplift interaction problem.

Keywords: flat under-reamer anchor pile, geogrid, pullout reinforcement, soil reinforcement

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Authors: Rubaiyat Jahan, Nasreen Sultana Mitu

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This paper examines the theoretical construct of transformative practices, and reports some evidence of transformative practices from a couple of Bangladeshi English teachers. The idea of transformative practices calls for teachers’ capabilities to invest their intellectual labor in teaching with an assumption that along with the academic advancement of the learners, it aims for the personal transformation for both the learners as well for themselves. Following an ethnographic research approach, data for this study were collected through in-depth interviews, informal talks and classroom observations for a period of one year. In relevance to the English classroom of the Bangladeshi context, from this study, references of transformative practices have been underlined from the participant teachers’ views on English language teaching as well as from their actual practices. According to data of this research, some evidence of transformative practices in the form of critical language awareness and personal theories of practices emerge from the participants’ articulation of the beliefs on teaching; and from the participant teachers’ classroom practices evidence of self-directed acts of teaching, self-directed acts of professional development, and liberatory autonomy have been highlighted as the reflections of transformative practices. The implication of this paper refers to the significance of practicing teachers’ articulation of beliefs and views on teaching along with their orientation to critical pedagogical relations.

Keywords: critical language awareness, personal theories of practice, teacher autonomy, transformative practices

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Authors: Yaser Kazemzadeh, Keyvan Molanoruzy, Mojtaba Izady

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The balance is the key component of motor skills to maintain postural control and the execution of complex skills. The present study was designed to evaluate the impact of soft knee pads on static and dynamic balance of male athletes. For this aim, thirty young athletes in different sport fields with 3 years professional sport training background and thirty healthy young men nonathletic (age: 24.5 ± 2.9, 24.3 ± 2.4, weight: 77.2 ± 4.3 and 80/9 ± 6/3 and height: 175 ± 2/84, 172 ± 5/44 respectively) as subjects selected. Then, subjects in two manner (without knee and with soft knee pads made of neoprene) execute standard error test (BESS) to assess static balance and star test to assess dynamic balance. For analyze of data, t-tests and one-way ANOVA were significant 05/0 ≥ α statistical analysis. The results showed that the use of soft knee significantly reduced error rate in static balance test (p ≥ 0/05). Also, use a soft knee pads decreased score of athlete group and increased score of nonathletic group in star test (p ≥ 0/05). These findings, indicates that use of knees affects static and dynamic balance in athletes and nonathletic in different manner and may increased athletic performance in sports that rely on static balance and decreased performance in sports that rely on dynamic balance.

Keywords: static balance, dynamic balance, soft knee, athletic men, non athletic men

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Authors: Hollie M. Lewis

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A large body of corroborating research provides evidence that traditional undergraduate engineering education fails to provide students with a role and identity that requires social concern and moral reasoning. Engineering students demonstrate a low level of engagement with social and political contexts, which further declines over the course of engineering education. This detachment is thought to stem from beliefs that the role of the engineer is purely to design machines, systems, and structures. In effect, engineers objectify the world. The purpose of this paper is to provide an ecofeminist critique of engineering education and pose the benefits of social justice pedagogies incorporating ecofeminist discourse. The challenges currently facing the world stem from anthropocentric industrialization, an agenda that is historically absent of Environmental, Feminist, People of Color, and Indigenous voices. A future in which the global collective achieves its Sustainable Development Goals requires its engineers to have a solid understanding of the broader social and political contexts in which they manage projects. Engineering education must convey the influence of the professional role of engineer and encourage the practice of critical reflection and social perspective-taking, priming students with the skills to engage with varying perspectives and discourses. There will be discussed the facets of social justice pedagogies that aid students in surpassing threshold concepts in social justice.

Keywords: feminism in engineering, sustainable development, engineering education, social justice pedagogies

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Authors: Sarvada Nand

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Teacher quality is directly proportional to the achievement level of students. Recent researches reveal that the teacher learning communities enhance the quality of teacher. It is a proven fact that community does help in enhancing teachers’ self-esteem as professionals, their teaching skills and enhancing classroom transaction that results in the higher achievement of students. The purpose of this study is to develop TLC and provide them platform where they share their views and ideas on various academic issues. The study examines how teachers conceptualize TLCs, up to what extent TLC help in developing professionalism among teachers and how they prepare themselves for the days to come. In this study, pre-test in five subjects, Hindi, English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies was conducted and a questionnaire was designed to judge the teachers' attitude towards teaching practice. After completion of the project duration of three and a half-month, an exercise of post-test was conducted in all the above subjects. The post tests show tremendous improvements in achievement level of those students who were regular in their classes and were attended through this new method. A visible shift in teacher’s attitude is seen for the better. They were able to realize their own potentials. There was a group of Facilitators formed to perform continuously supervision and monitor in regular intervals so that they could easily handle the challenges, and factors much important for the attainment towards the fulfillment of the objectives.

Keywords: teacher learning communities, best practice, teacher professionalism, student achievement

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Authors: Malathi Balakrishnan, Gananathan M. Nadarajah, Saraswathy Vellasamy, Evelyn Gnanam William George

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The purpose of the study is to explore how the fun game-learning approach enhances teacher trainers’ higher order thinking skills. Two-day fun filled fun game learning-approach was introduced to teacher trainers as a Continuous Professional Development Program (CPD). 26 teacher trainers participated in this Transformation of Teaching and Learning Fun Way Program, organized by Institute of Teacher Education Malaysia. Qualitative research technique was adopted as the researchers observed the participants’ higher order thinking skills developed during the program. Data were collected from observational checklist; interview transcriptions of four participants and participants’ reflection notes. All the data were later analyzed with NVivo data analysis process. The finding of this study presented five main themes, which are critical thinking, hands on activities, creating, application and use of technology. The studies showed that the teacher trainers’ higher order thinking skills were enhanced after the two-day CPD program. Therefore, Institute of Teacher Education will have more success using the fun way game-learning approach to develop higher order thinking skills among its teacher trainers who can implement these skills to their trainee teachers in future. This study also added knowledge to Constructivism learning theory, which will further highlight the prominence of the fun way learning approach to enhance higher order thinking skills.

Keywords: constructivism, game-learning approach, higher order thinking skill, teacher trainer

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Authors: Thaiurie Govender, Shannon Verne

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The Fourth Industrial Revolution has ushered in an era where technology significantly impacts various aspects of life, including higher education. Blended learning, which combines synchronous and asynchronous learning, has gained popularity as a pedagogical approach. However, its effective implementation is a challenge, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and technological obstacles faced in South Africa. This study focused on lecturers' teaching and learning practices to implement blended learning, aiming to understand the teaching and learning strategies used with the integration of digital tools to facilitate the blended learning approach within a private higher educational institution in South Africa. Using heutagogy and constructivism theoretical frameworks, the study aimed to uncover insights into the lecturer’s teaching and learning practices to overcome challenges in designing and facilitating blended learning modules. Through a qualitative analysis, the themes of student engagement, teaching and learning strategies, digital tools, and feedback emerged, highlighting the complexities and opportunities in a blended learning classroom. The findings emphasize the importance of tailoring methods to students' needs and subject matter, aligning with constructivist principles. Recommendations include promoting professional development opportunities, addressing infrastructure issues, and fostering a supportive learning environment.

Keywords: blended learning, digital tools, higher education, teaching strategies

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Authors: Kate Barnett-Richards, Marie Sams

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As the need for integration between students and industry grows, classroom practitioners must find ways of engaging students whilst also involving industry professionals to help shape the changing nature of university level education. As part of a project funded by the Disruptive Media Learning Lab at Coventry University, traditional case study based seminars on two modules were replaced by interactive live cases. Utilising Google+ as a social media platform allowed students and industry professional to come together and share ideas on a range of current issues. As technology becomes an ever increasingly important part of the higher education landscape, classroom practitioners need to adapt and find ways of utilising technological tools which can enhance the overall classroom experience. Given that many of these innovations come from the individuals involved in delivering classroom based sessions it is vital to share ideas, experiences and best practices so as to allow and encourage others to use the numerous free tools and platforms available. This poster presents the reflections, challenges, and problems faced by education practitioners when engaging students with industry partners in live case study discussions via Google+ within a classroom setting. It is expected that this poster will be of interest to a number of academics and teaching fellows who may be considering utilising social media tools to connect their students with industry.

Keywords: case study, Google+, practitioner, reflections.

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Authors: Esther Matthews

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This paper looks at ways of translating new metaphors: those conceived and created by authors, which are often called ‘original’ metaphors in the world of Translation Studies. An original metaphor is the most extreme form of figurative language, often dramatic and shocking in effect. It displays unexpected juxtapositions of language, suggesting there could be as many different translations as there are translators. However, some theorists say original metaphors should be translated ‘literally’ or ‘word for word’ as far as possible, suggesting a similarity between translators’ solutions. How do literary translators approach this challenge? This study focuses on Spanish-English translations of a novel full of original metaphors: Nada by Carmen Laforet (1921 – 2004). Original metaphors from the text were compared to the four published English translations by Inez Muñoz, Charles Franklin Payne, Glafyra Ennis, and Edith Grossman. These four translators employed a variety of translation methods, but they translated ‘literally’ in well over half of the original metaphors studied. In a two-part translation exercise and questionnaire, professional literary translators were asked to translate a number of these metaphors. Many different methods were employed, but again, over half of the original metaphors were translated literally. Although this investigation was limited to one author and language pair, it gives a clear indication that, although literary translators’ solutions vary, on the whole, they prefer to translate original metaphors as literally as possible within the confines of English grammar and syntax. It also reveals literary translators’ desire to reproduce the distinctive character of an author’s work as accurately as possible for the target reader.

Keywords: translation, original metaphor, literature, translator training

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Authors: John Battersby, Rhys Ball

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After the 15 March 2019 Mosque attacks in Christchurch, the New Zealand security sector has had to address its training and preparedness levels for dealing with contemporary terrorist threats as well as potential future manifestations of terrorism. From time to time, members of the academic community from Australia and New Zealand have been asked to assist agencies in this endeavour. In the course of 2018, New Zealand security sector professionals working in the counter-terrorism area were interviewed about how they regarded academic contributions to understanding terrorism and counter-terrorism. Responses were mixed, ranging from anti-intellectualism, a belief that the inability to access classified material rendered academic work practically useless - to some genuine interest and desire for broad based academic studies on issues practitioners did not have the time to look at. Twelve months later, researchers have revisited those spoken to prior to the Brenton Tarrant 15 March shooting to establish if there has been a change in the way academic research is perceived, viewed and valued, and what key factors have contributed to this shift in thinking. This paper takes this data, combined with a consideration of the literature on higher education within professional police and intelligence forces, and on the general perception of academics by practitioners, to present a series of findings that will contribute to a more proactive and effective set of engagements, between two distinct but important security sectors, that reflect more closely with international practice.

Keywords: academic, counter terrorism, intelligence, practitioner, research, security

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Authors: Mei-Ying Liao, Lee-Ching Wei, Jung-Hsiang Tseng

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The main purpose of this study was to explore the process of planning and execution of the music learning center in preschool. This study was conducted through a collaborative action research method. The research members included a university music professor, a teaching guide, a preschool director, and a preschool teacher, leading a class of 5-6-year-old children to participate in this study. Five teaching cycles were performed with a subject of bird. In the whole process that lasted three months, the research members would maintain the conversation, reflection, and revision repeatedly. A triangular validated method was used to collect data, including archives, interviews, seminars, observations, journals, and learning evaluations to improve research on the validity and reliability. It was found that a successful music learning center required comprehensive planning and execution. It is also important to develop good listening, singing, respect, and homing habits at the beginning of running the music learning center. By timely providing diverse musical instruments, learning materials, and activities according to the teaching goals, children’s desire to learning was highly stimulated. Besides, peer interactions improved their ensemble and problem-solving abilities. The collaborative action research enhanced the preschool teacher’s confidence and promoted professional growth of the research members.

Keywords: collaborative action research, case study, music learning center, music development

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Authors: Arth Bohra, Marwa Mahmoud

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In this paper, we utilize computer vision to develop a tool for youth coaches to formulate set-piece tactics for their players. We used the Soccernet database to extract the ResNet features and camera calibration data for over 3000 corner kick across 500 professional matches in the top 6 European leagues (English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga). Leveraging the provided homography matrix, we construct a feature vector representing the formation of players on these corner kicks. Additionally, labeling the videos manually, we obtained the pass-trajectory of each of the 3000+ corner kicks by segmenting the field into four zones. Next, after determining the localization of the players and ball, we used event data to give the corner kicks a rating on a 1-4 scale. By employing a Convolutional Neural Network, our model managed to predict the success of a corner kick given the formations of players. This suggests that with the right formations, teams can optimize the way they approach corner kicks. By understanding this, we can help coaches formulate set-piece tactics for their own teams in order to maximize the success of their play. The proposed model can be easily extended; our method could be applied to even more game situations, from free kicks to counterattacks. This research project also gives insight into the myriad of possibilities that artificial intelligence possesses in transforming the domain of sports.

Keywords: soccer, corner kicks, AI, computer vision

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Authors: Stephen Hernandez, Nikita Sharma

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The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged as a worldwide pandemic at the beginning of 2020. The pandemic and its impact reached the shores of the United States by the second week of March. Once infections started to grow in numbers, early intervention programs, including those providing home-based services, recognized that to reduce the spread of the virus, many traditional in-person therapeutic interventions were going to be impossible due to social distancing and self-quarantine requirements. Initially, infants, toddlers, and their families were left without any services from their educators and therapists, but within a few weeks of the public health emergency, various states, including New York, approved the use of teletherapy/virtual visits for early intervention service provision. This paper will detail the results of a survey from over 400 E.I. service providers about their experiences utilizing teletherapy to deliver services to children in early intervention programs. The survey questions focused on how did COVID-19 stay-at-home orders impact E.I. services for young children with special needs? Sub-questions included topics such as availability of the parents, the amount of time that babies remained engaged, as well as the perceived success of teletherapy as a viable option to provide service by both parent and professional. The results of this study found that therapists found teletherapy to be a viable manner of providing services and could be very effective on a case by case basis.

Keywords: early intervention, teletheraphy, telehealth, COVID-19

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Authors: Rajae Tahri, Omar Chokairi, Asmae Saadi, Souad Chaouir

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Background: The factors motivating students to choose a medical career is a long-standing topic of publication and discussion. To our knowledge, no national study on the motivation for choosing medical studies has been published to date. Population and methods: This is an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study of first-year medical students at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Rabat. An anonymous questionnaire comprising 16 questions was developed and distributed to students during Embryology tutorials. The students were free to fill it in or not. The number of students who consented to participate in the survey was 266. The variables studied are the socio-demographic variables of the students and the reasons for choosing medical studies. Results: The most strongly and frequently chosen reasons for choice by our students were saving lives (64.9%), helping others (62.1%), love of medicine (57%), and reducing suffering (56.5%). The comparison of the results according to gender showed a significant difference between the degree of self-motivation of girls compared to that of boys (p <0.001). The reason that stood out the most for them was teamwork. The presence of a health professional in the family was associated with strong extrinsic motivation (p = 0.005). Conclusion: Understanding medical student career choices would improve our knowledge of the factors that influence medical student learning and performance. This knowledge will make it possible to adapt the educational strategies to maintain the motivation of the students throughout their course as well as during their exercise.

Keywords: motivation, motivational profiles, medical studies, Morocco

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Authors: Nagaletchumi Balasubramaniam, A. Mohd Isa

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Engineers have a leading role in planning, designing, building and ensuring a sustainable future. Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) acknowledges this role by assigning sustainable development as one of the expected traits that a UNITEN student should have upon graduation, formalized as the Programme Outcomes 7 (PO7): Students graduating from the Bachelor of Electrical and Electronics (BEEE) program will have the ability to demonstrate knowledge of the impact of professional engineering solutions in environmental contexts and the need for sustainable development. This paper explores how PO7 is integrated within the BEEE (Hons) program in UNITEN under the framework of Outcome Base Education (OBE). Five technical core courses were specifically assigned by UNITEN to reflect attainment of PO7. Under UNITEN’s definition, the attainment criterion of a PO is set as 70/40. This means that 70% of the students taking the course achieve at least 40% of the full marks. The paper first gives an overview of the overall OBE system as applied in UNITEN, particularly describing the key and supporting courses approach adopted for each PO. Then, the paper reviews the mechanism in which PO7 is taught and assessed in the five assigned courses. Data on PO7 attainment from four of the five courses are collected and analyzed for two student cohorts to investigate the interrelationship between the courses assigned to PO7. It was found that the five courses have different mechanisms for assessing PO7, and that generally PO7 is attained for the assigned courses. This reflects positively on the UNITEN method for integrating sustainable development within the engineering undergraduate programme.

Keywords: direct assessment, engineering education, outcome base education, programme outcome, sustainable development

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Authors: Susan Lewis

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The assessment of learning outcomes at the program level has attracted much international interest from the perspectives of quality assurance and ongoing curricular redesign and renewal. This paper examines program-level learning outcomes in the field of music and technology, an area of study that has seen an explosion in program development over the past fifteen years. The Audio Engineering Society (AES) maintains an online directory of educational institutions worldwide, yielding the most comprehensive inventory of programs and courses in music and technology. The inventory includes courses, programs, and degrees in music and technology, music and computer science, music production, and the music industry. This paper focuses on published student learning outcomes for undergraduate degrees in music and technology and analyses commonalities at institutions in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. The results of a survey of student learning outcomes at twenty institutions indicates a focus on three distinct student learning outcomes: (1) cross-disciplinary knowledge in the fields of music and technology; (2) the practical application of training through the professional industry; and (3) the acquisition of skills in communication and collaboration. The paper then analyses assessment mechanisms for tracking student learning and achievement of learning outcomes at these institutions. The results indicate highly variable assessment practices. Conclusions offer recommendations for enhancing assessment techniques and better communicating learning outcomes to students.

Keywords: quality assurance, student learning; learning outcomes, music and technology

Procedia PDF Downloads 185

Authors: Andres Calderon

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In order to avoid detection and punishment, cartels have recruited the help of third parties to organize, execute and disguise the anticompetitive practices cartel members have agreed upon. These third parties may take the form of consultancy firms, guilds or professional advisors that do not perform an economic activity in the market where the collusion takes place. This paper takes a look into how national competition authorities and national legislators have dealt with the emergence of the cartels’ facilitators in Latin America. Following the practice of other jurisdictions such as United States (Toys R' Us, Apple), European Union (AC Treuhand), United Kingdom (Replica Kits, Hasbro) and Spain (Urban, Snap-On), some countries (e.g. Argentina, Chile) in Latin America have started to conduct investigations and find antitrust liability in cartels’ facilitators for helping others to violate their national competition laws. Some countries (e.g. Peru and Colombia) have also amended their legislation to amplify the subjective scope of application in order to include cartels’ facilitators. The Latin American case is one of special relevance because public officials are often prone to promote or indulge agreements between competitors in sectors of political interest. A broad definition of cartels’ facilitator, consequently, could lead to the prosecution of punishment of public officials that may hinder the competitive process.

Keywords: anticompetitive practices, cartel, collusion, competition, facilitator, hub and spoke

Procedia PDF Downloads 165

Authors: Oktawia Braniewicz

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The phenomenon of emigration and migration increasingly affects Poland's borders as well. For this reason, it is necessary to examine the level of protection of Human Rights in Polish Centres for Foreigners. The field study covered 11 centers for Foreigners in the provinces Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region, Lubelskie Region, Lodzkie Region, Mazowieckie Region and Podlaskie Region. Photographic documentation of living and social conditions, conversations with center employees and refugees allow to show a comprehensive picture of the situation prevailing in Centres for Foreigners. The object of reflection will be, in particular, the standards resulting from art. 8 and 13 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and article 2 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The degree of realization of the right to education and the right to respect for family and private life will be shown. Issues related to learning the Polish language, access to a professional translator and psychological help will also be approximated. Learning Polish is not obligatory, which causes problems with assimilation and integration with other members of the new community. In centers for foreigners, there are no translators - a translator from an external company is rented if necessary. The waiting time for an interpreter makes the refugees feel anxious, unable to communicate with the employees of the centers (this is a situation in which the refugees do not know either English, Polish or Russian). Psychologist's help is available on designated days of the week. There is no separate specialist in child psychology, which is a serious problem.

Keywords: human rights, Polish centres, foreigners, fundamental freedoms

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Shang-Hua Wu, Rong-Chi Chang, Horng–Twu Liaw

Abstract:

Nowadays, competencies of e-learning project personnel are very important in assisting them in offering courses, serving students in an effective way, leveraging advantages, strengthen their relationships with potential students, etc. among e-learning platforms, MOOCs has recently attracted increasing focuses in distance education since it can be conducted for a large numbers of virtual learners. Nonetheless, since MOOCs is a relatively new e-learning platform, top concerns have been paid to what competencies are important for e-learning personnel to consider. Taking this need, this research aimed to carry out an in-depth exploration of competency requirements of MOOCs (e-learning) project personnel in Taiwan vocational schools. Data were collected through thorough literature reviews and discussions and competency analysis was carried out using Delphi technique questionnaires. The results show that that MOOCs (e-learning) project personnel’ professional competency lie in three main dimensions, among which ‘demand analysis competency’ (i.e., containing 10 major competences and 48 subordinate capabilities) is the most important competency, followed by ‘project management competency’ (i.e., comprising 6 major competences and 31 secondary capabilities), and finally ‘digital content production competency’ (i.e., including 12 major competences and 79 secondary capabilities). As such, in Taiwan context with different organizational scales and market sizes, the e-learning competency items and unique experience/ achievements throughout the promotion process obtained in this research will provide useful references for academic institutions in promoting e-learning.

Keywords: competency analysis, Delphi technique questionnaire, e-learning, massive open online courses

Procedia PDF Downloads 285

Authors: Svetlana Ignatjeva, Jelena Slesareva

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The aim of the study is development and adaptation of the method to analyze and quantify the indicators characterizing the relationship between a company and its employees. Diagnostics of such indicators is one of the most complex and actual issues in psychology of labour. The offered method is based on the questionnaire; its indicators reflect cognitive, affective and connotative components of socio-psychological attitude of employees to be as efficient as possible in their professional activities. This approach allows measure not only the selected factors but also such parameters as cognitive and behavioural dissonances. Adaptation of the questionnaire includes factor structure analysis and suitability analysis of phenomena indicators measured in terms of internal consistency of individual factors. Structural validity of the questionnaire was tested by exploratory factor analysis. Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. Factor analysis allows reduce dimension of the phenomena moving from the indicators to aggregative indexes and latent variables. Aggregative indexes are obtained as the sum of relevant indicators followed by standardization. The coefficient Cronbach's Alpha was used to assess the reliability-consistency of the questionnaire items. The two-step cluster analysis in the space of allocated factors allows classify employees according to their attitude to work in the company. The results of psychometric testing indicate possibility of using the developed technique for the analysis of employees’ attitude towards their work in companies and development of recommendations on their optimization.

Keywords: involved in the organization, loyalty, organizations, method

Procedia PDF Downloads 356