Learning landslide hazard in a virtual environment at University level combining real case study, collaborative work and innovative tools

Author(s):  
Marta Guinau ◽  
Gloria Furdada

<p>The pandemic situation we are experiencing has forced us to transform face-to-face teaching into virtual teaching. Digital platforms hinder the interaction, discussion and feedback that naturally occur in a face-to-face class, but at the same time, they provide an opportunity to put the focus on the student’s learning rather than on content delivering. Learning include both, inductive and deductive processes; induction can be effectively acquired by using case studies; then, deduction can be achieved through comparison, analysis, generalisation and synthesis.  Digital platforms appear as an optimal resource to facilitate the individual and collaborative tasks and learning processes. In this work we present our experience on the landslide hazard subject (Master’s level) focussed on the student’s learning through the use of digital media.</p><p>Internet information of undeniable quality that can be easily accessed is basic: The Landslide Blog by Dave Petley (https://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/) in Blogosphere hosted by AGU (American Geophysical Union) provides valuable and updated information on landslide events occurring worldwide. The learning activities are structured around several cases selected by the lecturer from the blog to ensure the analysis of the most frequent landslide types. All activities are developed in 8 steps: 1) The teacher presents the learning action (objective, tasks, and assessment guide) using a Genially platform interactive image; 2) Each student selects one of the proposed cases and compile relevant information about it; 3) Each student analyses the landslide characteristics, identifies the landslide type  and classifies it according to Hungr et al., 2014 (available through the educational virtual platform), and recognises the control and triggering factors (one virtual session is programmed and a forum tool is provided to the students to discuss and to solve doubts); 4) Each student selects and organizes the significant information about each case by building an interactive image in Genially; 5) Each student presents each case using his/her interactive image in a virtual session, which is recorded and uploaded to the educational platform; 6) Students peer evaluate the content and design of the interactive images and oral presentations based on the provided assessment guide; 7) During a predetermined time, students collaboratively compile all the information in a Google sheet table to synthesize the geomorphological characteristics, materials involved, mobilization mechanisms and control and triggering factors of the different types of landslides; 8) the synthetic table is discussed and  completed during a virtual session.</p><p>All the knowledge and skills acquired by students with these activities are put into practice in a two-day field trip where students have to identify, characterize and classify different types of landslides as well as their control and triggering factors. The risk situation and the mitigation strategies are discussed in each case and compared to the ones studied through virtual learning. Furthermore, students get used and learn how to clearly present information through virtual tools, as Genially, useful for dissemination purposes.</p><p>Hungr et al. 2014. The Varnes classification of landslide types, an update. Landslides 11(2). DOI: 10.1007/s10346-013-0436-y</p>

Author(s):  
Jenny L. Davis

Identity theory models authenticity as the outcome of person identity verification. In a parallel literature from digital media studies, the concept of authenticity has emerged as a central concern. Through interviews with American adults, I examine authenticity in relation to social media, using an identity theory frame. I show the specific tactics people use to present “true” versions of themselves, and how they censure those who fail to do so. Through participants’ narratives, I distill two principles of authenticity in a digital age: curation and triangulation. These refer to selective practices of sharing and cultivating a consistent image of self across digital platforms and face-to-face interactions. Those who fail to adhere to these principles may be subject to various forms of disconnection—“un-friending,” “un-following,” and/or general social exclusion. Disconnection minimizes interaction opportunities, making it difficult to verify person identity meanings.


Author(s):  
Patrícia Scherer Bassani ◽  
Ilona Buchem

Virtual exchange has been defined as a form of virtual mobility which aims to expand the reach and scope of traditional intercultural learning programs. This paper presents an example of a virtual exchange called InterCult - Intercultural Competences - which aimed to give an opportunity for students from Germany, France, and Brazil to explore intercultural aspects through online collaboration, i. e. to learn differences between own culture and other cultures by communicating and working on tasks together by using digital media. The research path was divided into three phases: project design, virtual exchange, and evaluation. The data collected during the virtual exchange involved the analysis of online conversations in international groups, face-to-face discussions during the classes at the end of each activity in national groups, the videos produced and shared in the online community, online meetings between the teachers, and the results of the online survey. Data were analyzed based on three perspectives: technology; engagement and collaborative work; intercultural competences. Results showed this type of experience is extremely important for a generation who will have to work in multicultural teams and contexts. Virtual exchange has been defined as a form of virtual mobility which aims to expand the reach and scope of traditional intercultural learning programs. This paper presents an example of a virtual exchange called InterCult - Intercultural Competences - which aimed to give an opportunity for students from Germany, France, and Brazil to explore intercultural aspects through online collaboration, i. e. to learn differences between own culture and other cultures by communicating and working on tasks together by using digital media. The research path was divided into three phases: project design, virtual exchange, and evaluation. The data collected during the virtual exchange involved the analysis of online conversations in international groups, face-to-face discussions during the classes at the end of each activity in national groups, the videos produced and shared in the online community, online meetings between the teachers, and the results of the online survey. Data were analyzed based on three perspectives: technology; engagement and collaborative work; intercultural competences. Results showed this type of experience is extremely important for a generation who will have to work in multicultural teams and contexts.


Leadership ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommi Auvinen ◽  
Pasi Sajasalo ◽  
Teppo Sintonen ◽  
Kaisa Pekkala ◽  
Tuomo Takala ◽  
...  

This paper examines the evolution of strategy narration, contributing to ongoing discussions in this field. Our empirical data, gathered from a large Finnish co-operative bank, cover three decades. According to our findings, digitalisation has brought about an epoch change in strategy narration, as top management has strongly adopted digital media in their leadership work, which has replaced ‘traditional’ face-to-face strategy meetings and public presentations by gatherings on digital platforms, including webcasting, intranet and Skype. This has brought about a leadership vacuum, and left organisational members long for their superiors to ‘exercise’ some traditional leadership practices, such as caring and presence, both calling for face-to-face interaction. Thus, leadership roles, in terms of human-to-human interaction, seem to still be desired, and digitalisation has not entirely replaced the importance of the presence of an embodied leader. In our data, the leaders did not resort to intentional fabrication of alternative facts in the post-truth sense, but rather fantasising in the sense that strategising always involves fictional narration without a reference to historical facts as it relates to forthcoming events. Due to this, the post-truth framework of alternative facts and intentional truth bending does not entirely fit in describing strategy narration in business context. However, increasingly digital plurivocal narration with several participants is likely to result in multiple organisational ‘truths’. Therefore, dealing with such ambiguity and the exercise of leadership power requires leaders’ awareness of the flux of quickly evolving digital organisational storytelling.


Aerospace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
Ricardo Palma Fraga ◽  
Ziho Kang ◽  
Jerry M. Crutchfield ◽  
Saptarshi Mandal

The role of the en route air traffic control specialist (ATCS) is vital to maintaining safety and efficiency within the National Airspace System (NAS). ATCSs must vigilantly scan the airspace under their control and adjacent airspaces using an En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) radar display. The intent of this research is to provide an understanding of the expert controller visual search and aircraft conflict mitigation strategies that could be used as scaffolding methods during ATCS training. Interviews and experiments were conducted to elicit visual scanning and conflict mitigation strategies from the retired controllers who were employed as air traffic control instructors. The interview results were characterized and classified using various heuristics. In particular, representative visual scanpaths were identified, which accord with the interview results of the visual search strategies. The highlights of our findings include: (1) participants used systematic search patterns, such as circular, spiral, linear or quadrant-based, to extract operation-relevant information; (2) participants applied an information hierarchy when aircraft information was cognitively processed (altitude -> direction -> speed); (3) altitude or direction changes were generally preferred over speed changes when imminent potential conflicts were mitigated. Potential applications exist in the implementation of the findings into the training curriculum of candidates.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (01) ◽  
pp. e141-e149
Author(s):  
Renato Gonzaga Barreto ◽  
Darío Andrés Yacovino ◽  
Lázaro Juliano Teixeira ◽  
Mayanna Machado Freitas

Abstract Introduction Telehealth consists in the application of technology to provide remote health service. This resource is considered safe and effective and has attracted an exponential interest in the context of the COVID pandemic. Expanded to dizzy patients, it would be able to provide diagnosis and treatment, minimizing the risk of disease transmission. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common vestibular disorder. The diagnosis typically rests on the description of the symptoms along with the nystagmus observed at a well-established positional testing. Objectives The aim of the present study was to propose a teleconsultation and teletreatment protocol to manage patients with BPPV during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Specialists in the vestibular field met through remote access technologies to discuss the best strategy to manage BPPV patients by teleconsultation and teletreatment system. Additionally, several scientific sources were consulted. Technical issues, patient safety, and clinical assessment were independently analyzed. All relevant information was considered in order to design a clinical protocol to manage BPPV patients in the pandemic context. Results Teleconsultation for BPPV patients requires a double way (video and audio) digital system. An adapted informed consent to follow good clinical practice statements must be considered. The time, trigger and target eye bedside examination (TiTRaTe) protocol has proven to be a valuable first approach. The bow and lean test is the most rational screening maneuver for patients with suspected positional vertigo, followed by most specific maneuvers to diagnostic the sub-variants of BPPV. Conclusion Although with limited evidence, teleconsultation and teletreatment are both reasonable and feasible strategies for the management of patients with BPPV in adverse situations for face-to-face consultation.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Fernando Cantú-Bazaldúa

World economic aggregates are compiled infrequently and released after considerable lags. There are, however, many potentially relevant series released in a timely manner and at a higher frequency that could provide significant information about the evolution of global aggregates. The challenge is then to extract the relevant information from this multitude of indicators and combine it to track the real-time evolution of the target variables. We develop a methodology based on dynamic factor models adapted for variables with heterogeneous frequencies, ragged ends and missing data. We apply this methodology to nowcast global trade in goods in goods and services. In addition to monitoring these variables in real time, this method can also be used to obtain short-term forecasts based on the most up-to-date values of the underlying indicators.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 570-578
Author(s):  
Luke Ray Campbell

Responding to the Special Issue call by the Qualitative Social Work: Research and Practice Journal, this article reflects on the challenges faced by a Social Work doctoral student at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) during the Covid-19 outbreak. Having already commenced their fieldwork through a series of Freirean-style dialogical interviews via Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (B.I.N.M.), the nationwide-lockdown demanded a drastic deviation from the intended in-person face-to-face interviews with lone parent participants. Significant academic consideration had already been given to the researcher’s existing academic, professional, and social relationships to north and northwest Edinburgh - the geographical focus within the study - via a process of reflexivity prior to commencing the interviews, yet the shift from discussions in neutral venues (e.g. community centres and public cafes) to dialogues conducted exclusively via digital platforms brought about a radical shift in interpersonal dynamics as both researcher and participant were exposed to each other’s homes, families, and other aspects of domestic life. The change in circumstances bore major implications not only for participant recruitment, but also created an unexpected intimacy within the interviewer-interviewee relationships.


Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 342
Author(s):  
Tine Vekemans

In early 2020, Jain diaspora communities and organizations that had been painstakingly built over the past decades were faced with the far-reaching consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its concomitant restrictions. With the possibility of regular face-to-face contact and participation in recurring events—praying, eating, learning, and meditating together—severely limited in most places, organizations were compelled to make a choice. They either had to suspend their activities, leaving members to organize their religious activities on an individual or household basis, or pursue the continuation of some of their habitual activities in an online format, relying on their members’ motivation and technical skills. This study will explore how many Jain organizations in London took to digital media in its different forms to continue to engage with their members throughout 2020. Looking at a selection of websites and social media channels, it will examine online discourses that reveal the social and mental impact of the pandemic on Jains and the broader community, explore the relocation of activities to the digital realm, and assess participation in these activities. In doing so, this article will open a discussion on the long-term effects of this crisis-induced digital turn in Jain religious praxis, and in socio-cultural life in general.


Author(s):  
Abdul Munir Ismail Et.al

The study aims to highlight the current learning approaches used by postgraduate students to complete their postgraduate studies on time, as studies have shown many students have failed to finish their studies as planned. In particular, this study focuses on factors and methods that are perceived to be most effective by students to help them complete their studies on time.  Methodology: Thisstudy was based on a qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews. The study sample consisted of 14 postgraduate students and one lecturers as respondents. The research instrument was based on interview questions to elicit relevant information on their demography and learning practices. Data were collected and organized into four themes and were subsequently analyzed descriptively.     Findings: The findings showed that face-to-face discussions were the most popular practice adopted by the respondents. The findings also showed several factors had significant impacts on student learning, such as interpersonal relationships between students and supervisors, commitment, financial commitment, and moral support, which needs to be taken into account in helping students to complete on time.     Significance: The research findings can inform all the stakeholders, notably students, supervisors, and administrative officers, factors that have profound impacts on postgraduate students’ efforts to graduate on time.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 96-104
Author(s):  
Didier Haid Alvarado Acosta

In March of 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak forced people to lock themselves inside their homes and begin the process of transitioning from face-to-face activities at work, schools and universities to a 100 % virtual method. Even when Communication Technologies (ICT) and online platforms have seen growth over the past two decades, including various virtual libraries developed by database publishers or web-based training programs that appear to shorten the learning curve (Lee, Hong y Nian, 2002), many people were unprepared for this transition and all of them are now dedicated to entering the new reality. In this order of ideas, the activities that have traditionally required the assistance of the staff have had to adapt with the use of new tools, which meet daily needs. A clear example is the field work collection tasks. In this group, there are different types such as surveys, photographs, reviews or on-site inspections. The current work presents the use of tools for collecting, validating, analysing and presenting data remotely and in real time. All of them based on the ArcGIS Online platform.


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