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Assistive Technology Symposium 2019

conferences

Dr Huseyin Dogan and Dr Paul Whittington from the BU Human Computing Interaction Research Group, hosted the second Assistive Technology Symposium at Talbot Campus in support of the BU2025 Strategic Investment Area of Assistive Technology. The Symposium was a fusion of research domains, including digital health, education technologies and user experience.

The Symposium was opened by a keynote presentation by Steve Tyler, Assistive Technology Director at Leonard Cheshire, who discussed the current developments in Assistive Technologies and the potential challenges. Steve also described the Leonard Cheshire projects, including MySense, a Predictive Health Analytics system that non-intrusively monitors to provide a holistic view of the person.

Other presentations during the day included the current BU research projects of SmartAbility and FACETS, as well as by the BU Additional Learning Support department, who discussed learning strategies through metacognition. We also welcomed speakers from the Dorset Integrated Care System, London Grid for Learning and Diversity and Ability. The Symposium was concluded by a panel discussion with the speakers, to discuss the developments and challenges of assistive technology.

The Symposium delegates have expressed positive feedback from the event, including “a number of very useful and insightful presentations”, “the Symposium was beneficial because it was an opportunity to meet like-minded people” and “good to know what is going on at BU”.

BUHCI would like to thank all of the speakers and delegates for a successful Assistive Technology Symposium and we will host the third Symposium in 2020.

The presentations from the Symposium can be downloaded here.

EDULEARN held in the beautiful city of Palma (on Love Island!): Assoc Prof Jacqui Taylor presents paper and poster

Centre for Excellence in Learning, conferences, staff profile pages


I recently presented a paper and poster at the EDULEARN19 Conference. The paper reported a study which measured different elements of psychological literacy in students across five different disciplines. Sarah Coady, a voluntary Psychology Research Assistant, helped me with some of the data analysis and for this work she won a BU co-creation Award in May. Also, I presented a poster with the title ‘Psychological literacy for all’, to show how psychological literacy is relevant for students of all disciplines. Both papers are published by IATED in the Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies.

Enhancing Postgraduate Research Cultures – UKCGE Annual Conference

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research

The Doctoral College plays a central role in the development of the postgraduate research community, culture and environment here at BU. On 1st & 2nd July 2019, the Doctoral College Research Skills and Development Officer (Natalie Stewart) attended the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) Annual Conference with this year’s theme ‘enhancing postgraduate research cultures’ hosted at the University of Salford, MediaCity, Manchester.

The conference had a strong focus on how institutions can support positive PGR cultures and communities in which students can realise their potential. We explored the value of PGR education, listened to experiences of PGR students and discussed what a thriving PGR culture looks like. We also heard from Dr Mark Bennett from FindAUniversity who surveyed prospective PGRs on their expectations of a research degree, findings of which could help inform future provisions.

Day 2 was filled with thought-provoking oral presentation and workshops facilitated by colleagues from Heriot-Watt University, Birmingham City University, Imperial College London and University of Bath. They had us discussing and reflecting on our institutional support for PGRs in particular the activities and events we offer and whether these are actually what students want, how we measure event success, how we support PGRs ‘writing up’ and those PGRs approaching their Viva Voce examination. (If you would like to know how the Doctoral College currently supports these areas please get in touch). For further conference highlights you can view the #UKCGE19 twitter feed.

I look forward to working closely with PGRs and colleagues to further enhance the PGR research culture here at BU.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any thoughts or ideas you would like to discuss regarding PGR support. PGRs can freely submit feedback and suggestions via the anonymous RDP Feedback Survey which remains open year round.

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Are UK universities more ethical than police organisations?

conferences

Last week saw BU Lecturer in Criminology and former British police sergeant: Dr Richard Heslop, delivering an invited paper at the Fourth Annual Canterbury Centre for Policing Research Conference.

The conference was held at Canterbury Christchurch University, UK, between 19 – 20 June; on the theme of: ‘Austerity and Ethics: A Paradox for Professionalism’.

A sub-theme of this year’s conference was the forthcoming significant developments in police education in England and Wales, under the Police Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF).[1] The PEQF has been developed to professionalise the public police and to reform perceived problematic aspects of police culture and improve ethical standards. The PEQF provides UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with a key role in police education. From January 2020, all new police recruits will be required to obtain a degree level qualification before joining the police or in the initial years of service.

In his paper entitled:  ‘Are UK universities more ethical than police organisations?’ Dr Heslop compared police organisations and HEIs from the perspective of their ethical behaviours and practices. After discussing historical and contemporary ethical problems in policing, Dr Heslop explored how, in recent years, universities, academics and students have also faced scrutiny and censure in relation to a range of unethical behaviours and practices. These include:

  • Racism on campuses
  • The ‘scandal’ over the pay and ‘perks’ of senior university staff
  • Sexual misconduct by academics and students
  • ‘Lad-cultures’ on campuses
  • Bullying and harassment of university staff
  • ‘Mis-selling’ of degree courses
  • Lack of transparency in some HE institutions.

Dr Heslop concluded that universities are no more ethical than the police and his paper contributes to a body of literature which cautions against assumptions that involving HEIs in police education will lead to improvements in the practices of the police [2].

Dr Heslop is seeking critical feedback on this paper and will be pleased to supply a copy to colleagues with the inclination and time to review it.

 

 

[1] Police Education Qualifications Framework available at: https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/Learning/Policing-Education-Qualifications-Framework/Pages/Policing-Education-Qualifications-Framework.aspx

[2] See, for example: Heslop, R (2011). Reproducing police culture in a British university: an exploratory study of police foundation degrees.  Police Practice & Research: An International Journal, 12(4), 293-312.

‘Reaching out’: Exploring Interdisciplinary Approaches to Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention in Young People

conferences

To mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2019, the Institute for Mental Health warmly invites you to attend:

‘Reaching out’: Exploring Interdisciplinary Approaches to Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention in Young People

Date: Friday 13 September 2019

Time: 09:30-16:00

Venue: Michael Tippet Room, Staff House, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT

Register now

The programme will feature keynote talks from researchers in Suicide and Self-Harm, Dr Jo Robinson, Dr Maria Michail and Dr Anna Lavis. You will also hear the latest in interdisciplinary research at the University of Birmingham from our Early Career Researchers and current PhD students.

Keynote speakers:

Professor Jo Robinson leads Orygen’s suite of research programmes around suicide prevention. She currently coordinates several research projects in collaboration with Australian and overseas universities. Professor Robinson’s work focuses on improving our knowledge about the best approaches to reduce suicide risk among young people. This includes developing programs, testing novel approaches that specifically target at-risk youth, and translating the research evidence into practice and policy. She has also been involved in the development of several government-commissioned community resources and has contributed to numerous advisory panels and expert committees.

Dr Maria Michail is a Senior Birmingham Fellow in the Institute for Mental Health at the University of Birmingham. Dr Michail leads an established research programme on youth suicide prevention. She has significant experience working in primary care settings and collaborates closely with the UK Royal College of General Practitioners to develop and evaluate educational resources support GPs in the assessment and management of suicidality in primary care.

Dr Anna Lavis is a Lecturer in Medical Sociology and Qualitative Methods and a member of the Institute for Mental Health. Her work explores individuals’ and informal caregivers’ experiences and subjectivities of mental illness and distress across a range of social and cultural contexts, both offline and on social media. Her research to date has particularly focused on eating disorders, psychosis and self-harm, with theoretical emphases on gender, bodies and embodiment, concepts and ethics of care, and the intersections of mental health and material culture.

Full details to follow.

Please contact imh@contacts.bham.ac.uk for more information.

Assistive Technology Symposium 2019

conferences, Fusion

Dr Huseyin Dogan and Dr Paul Whittington have organised an Assistive Technology Symposium on Monday 24th June 2019 in Share Lecture Theatre, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, 09:00 – 17:00.

The 2nd Assistive Technology Symposium at Bournemouth University will be a fusion of research domains: Digital Health, Educational Technologies, Human Computer Interaction, Inclusion, Learning Strategies through Metacognition, Smart Technologies, and User Experience. Download Assistive Technology Symposium 2019 Programme.
We have presentations from a range of speakers including academics, researchers and postgraduate students, including a keynote presentation from Steve Tyler, Assistive Technology Director of Leonard Cheshire. The Symposium will conclude with a Panel discussing collaborative projects and future Assistive Technology research.
There is no cost to attend the event, but delegates are required to register online through Eventbrite at:
Registration includes refreshments and a finger buffet lunch (please advise by email of any dietary requirements). Tickets will be available on a first come first served basis and there is a maximum capacity of 60 delegates.
If you have any questions regarding the event, please do not hesitate to contact Dr Paul Whittington by email: whittingtonp@bournemouth.ac.uk

Placement Development Advisor and Doctoral student Vianna Renaud presents at the AUA Annual Conference

conferences, student research

It was with great pleasure that I presented at the recent Association of University Administrators Annual Conference at the University of Manchester. With the conference theme of ‘HE: Fit for the Future?’, it was a wonderful opportunity to share the key observations and learning gained by my fellow UK delegates during the 2018 AUA Study Trip to Sweden.

Representatives from six British institutions including the University College London, BPP, De Montfort University, University of Portsmouth, and Anglia Ruskin University were chosen where I was proud to represent BU. Recording our observations whilst visiting various Swedish institutions and HE associations, the report has just been released on the AUA website.

One element of Swedish Higher Education that we found quite intriguing was that of taking a ‘Fika’ break. Essentially what we would term as a communal coffee break with a sweet bun or pastry, we found it taking place twice a day everywhere that we went where all members of a team would gather and chat. Enforced by senior managers, it was deemed to be a necessary part of everyday work life on campus as it was an extension of cultural traditions. For the British delegates observing, we felt that by implementing such a system in the UK HE sector, or our own adaptation of it, there would be clear advantages and benefits. Whilst we could see this positively impacting staff morale, establishing and developing closer relationships with both direct and indirect colleagues, growing a greater awareness of campus life, amongst many others, there was a certain amount of uncertainty around senior management being supportive of these short breaks, particularly given the current stress regarding resourcing.

During our conference presentation, my co-presenter Faith Marsh from BPP London and I gave the attendees time to explore at their tables their thoughts on if and how they could foresee implementing a Fika break into their daily patterns. It became very clear that everyone who attended unanimously agreed that whilst a daily break would be frown upon and ultimately impossible, the idea of a weekly or fortnightly staff break would be possible. We discussed how we could all take the initiative forward at our own campuses and given how many of us have been in contact since, we shall see how things progress along the Swedish way!

For further information and the report:

Swedish study tour 2018 – Welcome