Psychology

Incarcerated students face a number of additional challenges to those faced by most other students studying at a distance. Lack of internet access is especially problematic for those studying in a sector that is increasingly characterised by online and flexible course offerings. In this paper, we report on a project that will attempt to address the digital challenges that hinder access to higher education and provide inclusive learning experiences for incarcerated students. The trial utilises mobile yet secure digital technologies – namely Stand-Alone Moodle (SAM) and eBook readers – to improve access to resources and is about to be trialled with a small sample of incarcerated students participating in the Studying to Succeed course within the Tertiary Preparation Program (TPP) at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). In this paper, we discuss the current provision of higher education in prisons and the challenges resulting from increased reliance on mobile learning technologies in higher education generally. We discuss the potential of the trial project to address digital divide experienced by incarcerated students as compared to the general student population. It is hoped that students will be participating in learning experiences more closely related to those experienced by students outside of the prison system and they will be acquiring relevant e-literacy and e-research skills. In addition, USQ will be fulfilling its obligation in relation to equity of access; and will be addressing the Australian Government’s agenda of increasing participation in higher education by socially and economically disadvantaged groups.

"Immersive natural environments provide a means of restoration for adults and may present benefits for pre-service teachers who are unfamiliar with the natural world. The use of restorative virtual environments could be extended to schools in urban areas in particular, allowing pupils and their teachers to undertake field trips, and to relax in a calming and restorative context. This paper
reports on a project that investigates the potential restorative benefits of immersion in simulated natural environments in virtual worlds. A cohort of pre-service teachers were taken into the
simulated environment and reported that the island produced strong positive feelings in respondents, akin to being in a natural environment. However, it was also clear that a lack of familiarity with virtual environments diminishes the beneficial impacts of this immersion."

Open Educational Resources are widely discussed in higher education circles and open education practices are being upheld as the second generation of OERs that have the potential to make education freely available to all students. The OERu is a collaborative initiative between 12 institutions globally that is intending to offer courses free of charge to students using only OERs and open practices. This poster presents preliminary results from a research study conducted with 110 representatives of higher education institutions around the world, of which 12 were official; members of the OERu. The study was aimed at identifying the extent to which higher education institutions are currently implementing open policies and practices as well as explore the challenges faced by institutions when considering implementing open initiatives. Results from the study indicate that although higher education institutions are aware of and interested in open education resources and initiatives such as the OERu, there are a number of challenges that need to be overcome before these initiatives are sustainable and more widely adopted.

Incarcerated students face a number of additional challenges to those faced by most other students studying at a distance. Lack of internet access is especially problematic for those studying in a sector that is increasingly characterised by online course offerings. This paper reports on a trial project that will attempt to address the digital challenges that hinder access to higher education by incarcerated students, and to provide them with inclusive learning experiences. The trial utilises Stand-Alone Moodle (SAM) and eBook readers with a small sample of incarcerated students participating in the Tertiary Preparation Program (TPP) at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). This project potentially addresses the digital divide experienced by incarcerated students as compared to the general student population. It is anticipated that students will participate in learning experiences more closely related to those experienced by students who study in online environments, that and they will acquire relevant e-literacy and e-research skills.

There have been mixed reviews about the potential of e-readers to enhance higher education. At first glance, e-readers appear to have significant potential to provide students with access to course content and learning materials. There are a number of considerations and obstacles to be addressed, however, before these devices are ready for widespread adoption. This paper reports on a pilot study using e-readers to provide students without internet access, with access to electronic course content. Course readings were converted into ePub format and were made available to a cohort of 16 incarcerated students via e-readers. This paper provides an overview of the steps undertaken as well the challenges and obstacles encountered in converting the readings to ePub format.

This article provides an overview of the key findings of a recent Accenture Research study on the e-skills shortage in South Africa. Within the context of e-skills demand, the article reveals the challenge of accurate assessment in the face of inconsistent demand data and presents the need for a standardised definition of e-skills demand. It also highlights key factors constraining the supply of e-skills in South Africa and the critical role of education in this regard. To further inform and support the e-skills development context in South Africa, the article offers insights into the necessity and value of collaboration between government, industry and educators. This was identified in interviews with players from the information and communication technology (ICT) industry and tertiary education sector as well as from a benchmarking study on the ICT policies and key learnings of six countries.

This study proposes that EI measured using self-report tools should be redefined as measuring Emotional Competency, and that EI measured using ability models should be the model that is considered as measuring Emotional Intelligence. To support this claim, the present study compared the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (Mayer, Salovey & Caruso, 2002) and a self-report measure of EI (Schutte et al., 1998) to examine the extent to which these two instruments are measuring the same construct. In addition, the overlap with a trait measure of cognitive thinking styles, the Thinking Styles Inventory (Sternberg & Wagner, 1992), was explored to identify the extent of the overlap of these measures with alternative measures of lower order personality traits. The performance-based measure was observed to be unrelated to both the self-report measure of EI and thinking styles. Self-reported EI on the other hand showed evidence of moderate relationships with thinking styles and also shared factor space. The relations with the demographic characteristics of a sample of employees from a diverse South African consulting firm (N=308) showed evidence of divergent patterns between the two measures. Implications of the results for the validity of EI as a single construct are discussed.

In this study we explore the association between thinking styles and emotional intelligence. Participants (N = 309) completed Sternberg's Thinking Styles Inventory (TSI) and the Schutte Self-Report Inventory (SSRI) for emotional intelligence. Statistical analysis of the scores of the participants on the two instruments indicates that there is an overlap between the TSI and the SSRI, and suggests that they measure similar constructs. The results show that thinking styles are significant predictors of emotional intelligence and that participants who have high emotional intelligence prefer more complex and creative thinking styles.

The field of mobile learning is becoming more capable of supporting high quality learning experiences and students are increasingly demanding greater mobility and flexibility. As a result, Higher Education Institutions are increasingly considering the implementation of institutional mlearning strategies. We present the aims and approach of a three year project to be conducted by the Australian Digital Futures Institute to develop an m-learning evaluation framework (MLEF) that will aid the selection and justification of m-learning initiatives. The framework will be encapsulated in an easy to use online evaluation toolkit which will consist of: a standardised evaluation framework, resources and guidelines; an m-learning maturity model; a database of mlearning exemplars; and an interactive mobile user model. The project is a collaborative initiative between USQ, ANU and UniSA and is supported through the Australian Government's Collaborative Research Networks (CRN) program. Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) methods will be used to develop outputs and deliverables.

An exploratory study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence based on Mayer and Salovey’s (1990) trait model of emotional intelligence and cognitive thinking styles based on the theory of mental self-government. Emphasis was placed on the influence of emotional intelligence and thinking styles on choice of study field. Participants were 309 students from a Gauteng university. Students registered with the humanities (n=99), management (n=41), sciences (n=131) and engineering (n=38) faculties were compared on the Schutte Self-Report Inventory for emotional intelligence (Schutte et al., 1998) and on the Thinking Styles Inventory (Sternberg & Wagner, 1992). A relationship was found between complex and creative thinking styles and high emotional intelligence. Results from the stepwise multiple regression analysis procedures indicated that the subscales of thinking styles could be significant predictors of emotional intelligence. Students from different faculties were found to have the same level of emotional intelligence and similar thinking styles.

Emotional intelligence has attracted a considerable amount of attention over the past few years specifically with regard to the nature of the underlying construct and the reliability and validity of the psychometric tools used to measure the construct. The present study explored the reliability and validity of a trait measure of EI in relation to an ability measure in order to determine whether the tools can be considered as measuring conceptually valid constructs within an occupational environment. The study also examined the overlap with a trait measure of cognitive thinking styles to determine the potential for separating the trait and ability EI into two unique and distinguishable constructs. Participants included 308 employees from four different workforces within a diverse South African consulting firm. The results of the study identified a number of psychometric concerns regarding the structural fidelity of the instruments as well as concerns about the cultural bias evident in both measurement instruments. Evidence for the discriminant and incremental validity of the two instruments was, however, provided and recommendations are made for the reconceptualisation of trait EI as an emotional competence and ability EI as an emotional intelligence.

Incarcerated offenders face a number of additional challenges to those faced by most other students studying at a distance. Lack of internet access is especially problematic for those studying in a sector that is increasingly characterised by online course offerings.

This paper outlines a project underway at the University of Southern Queensland and the Southern Queensland Correctional Centre in Gatton that is aimed at addressing this challenge. A standalone version of Moodle is being developed that will run on a server and an isolated network of computers within the education centre of the prison. Satellite Moodle will run independently of the internet and will not be able to connect to any computers or networks outside the education centre. The features of Moodle will be modified to allow students to access their coursework and engage in forum discussions. Library resources and course readings will be provided on eReaders, without internet connectivity.

It is expected that the project will result in numerous benefits, among them: students will be participating in learning experiences more closely related to those experienced by students outside of the prison system; they will be learning relevant IT skills, e-literacy and e-research skills; USQ will be fulfilling its obligation in relation to equity of access; and will be addressing the Federal Government’s agenda of increasing participation by socially and economically disadvantaged groups in higher education. Satellite Moodle will also enable USQ to provide internet independent versions of courses to students in other areas that do not have access to the internet.

Moodlemoot 2012 Theme: •Slip, Slop, Slap - Breaking Barriers The project supports at risk students in the form of incarcerated students who are often from Indigenous or low socio-economic backgrounds.

Education programmes offered by tertiary learning institutions are becoming more reliant on online content and digital offerings. As a result it is becoming harder to provide education opportunities to incarcerated offenders that are not permitted access to the internet. This paper is a review of initiatives that have been undertaken by education providers across Australia to provide improved access to digital learning materials for incarcerated students. This literature review has been compiled to inform a proposal to be submitted by the University of Southern Queensland that will provide incarcerated students with the opportunity to engage in a tertiary education pathway programme using innovative learning technologies without requiring access to the internet. The literature review covers official government publications, literature produced by non-government organisations and also academic publications on this issue. The paper concludes with a discussion of the limitations of existing initiatives and the extent to which the proposed initiative will overcome these limitations.

USQ is  developing and piloting a version of our Learning Management System (LMS) called Self-contained Moodle (an internet-independent version of the USQ student’s StudyDesk) that can operate independently without needing an internet connection. SAM  will enable students to view and use the course materials and learning support features of the USQ LMS in a simulated online environment without having any possibility of gaining access to the internet. We are also investigating using eBook readers, which have no wireless or 3G connectivity capabilities, for students to access course and reference materials in order to extend learning beyond the computer lab and into personal and leisure time (for example, after routine daily lock-down). This paper presents an overview of the project and discusses some of the issues and early findings encountered.

The potential of mobile technologies to enhance the learning experience for students has been recognised by researchers and educators. Few learning institutions, however, have moved beyond piloting and developmental studies and embedded well-financed and highly visible mobile learning strategies into everyday learning and teaching practices. The aim of this project is to develop a comprehensive framework for evaluating the impact and sustainability of mobile learning initiatives within Higher Education.

This poster presents the findings from a research study that was developed to evaluate the networking and collaboration trends amongst online conference participants particularly with regard to the use of conference provided social media sites in comparison to collaborative tools that form part of the conference software, such as integrated chat. The data was extracted from three sources, participation analytics collected using Blackboard analytics, content analysis of actual social media and collaborative discussions occurring during the conference and a summative online survey.

Higher Education is being challenged to change and grow like never before in response to a new cohort of connected, self-motivated, well-informed and savvy generation of students. The drive to develop new and innovative methods for teaching online and distance education students is accompanied by a roller coaster ride through uncharted loops and tunnels.  This poster  presents a graphical account of the frustrations, challenges and small successes experienced at various points in the road during the development and implementation of an innovative solution for enhancing the educational experiences of incarcerated students.

Incarcerated offenders face a number of additional challenges to those faced by most other students studying at a distance. Lack of internet access is especially problematic for those studying in a sector that is increasingly characterised by online course offerings. In July 2011 the authors formally embarked on a project to develop a solution for some of the barriers to participation in HE experienced by incarcerated students. The project involved collaboration between a number of departments within the university and with external stakeholders including Queensland Correctional Services.

The original aim of the project was to develop a version of Moodle, called Stand-Alone Moodle or SAM that would function on a network of computers used from education inside the prison that were independent of the internet and separated from the main prison computer network. The version of Moodle would provide the students with the same learning experience and study desk functionality that was available to other students. The use of SAM in would also be supported by the use of eBook readers. The inclusion of eBook readers was aimed at enable students to access more course and reference materials than presently available to them as well as alleviate the need to print learning materials in future.

The project was to be deployed in project will be deployed in Semester 1 2012 with a maximum cohort of fifteen incarcerated students enrolled in course TPP7120 Studying to Succeed as part of the Tertiary Preparation Program at the Southern Queensland Correctional Centre near Gatton.

It was early on in the project approval application procedure that the authors began to worry that they had bitten off more than they could chew.  The first requirement faced was that the e-Readers to be used for the project were not allowed to have any internet access such as Wi-Fi or 3G capability, no SD card slot and no external battery. We eventually found 17 models of the very unpopular discontinued Sony SD-350. One reviewer on the website commented, who would ever want an e-reader without internet access or SD card slots. Well, we do!

The poster offers a glimpse at these retrospectively amusing project bumps and discuss ways in which future innovation pioneers may be able to overcome some of the quick sand pits along the way.

Open educational resources and open education practices have the potential to lower costs and increase participation in higher education. One hundred and ten individuals from higher education institutions around the world participated in a survey aimed at identifying the extent to which higher education institutions are currently implementing open educational resources and open educational practices. The study explores the drivers and challenges faced by institutions considering the implementation of collaborative assessment and accreditation services for courses based on open educational resources, such as the Open Educational Resource University concept. Differences between institutions that are participating in the Open Educational Resources University and non-members are examined. Results from the study indicate that although higher education institutions are aware of, and interested in, open educational resources and open educational practices, there are a number of challenges that need to be overcome to achieve their potential.