Mapping next generation learning spaces as a designed quality enhancement process

The learning spaces of higher education are changing with collaborative, agile and technology-enabled spaces ever more popular. Despite the massive investment required to create these new spaces, current quality systems are poorly placed to account for the value they create. Such learning spaces are typically popular with students but the impact they have on learning outcomes is difficult to capture. Taking a design-research approach, this paper presents a way of assessing the value of learning spaces in context through systematically mapping the expectations reified in their designs. While presenting a series of specific tools that support this mapping exercise, this paper also contributes to a larger conversation about the sorts of tools and processes the academic community might use in accounting for the quality of its work.     

Management and leadership in UK universities: exploring the possibilities of change

This paper considers the case for reform of management structures in UK universities and offers proposals for change. The model of top-down, performance-led management that characterises many institutions is both outmoded and ill-suited to the challenges of an increasingly turbulent higher education sector. Drawing on the experiences of a university that introduced a new scheme of performance management, I explore alternative approaches to leadership and management, collaborative or partnership working designed to improve employee voice and the need to re-evaluate approaches to Human Resource Management. I conclude with a five-point model for change.     

Preliminary development of a questionnaire to assess peer athlete mentoring functions: the Athlete Mentoring Questionnaire (AMQ)

Using a multiphase approach, the purpose of the present study was to develop a psychometrically sound questionnaire to measure protégés’ perceptions of peer athlete mentoring functions. Phase 1 consisted of three stages: (a) item development, (b) assessment of content validity via think-aloud interviews with peer mentored athletes, and (c) assessment of content validity via an expert rating panel. In phase 2, 377 Canadian National team and varsity athletes who were peer mentored completed an initial 42-item version of the Athlete Mentoring Questionnaire (AMQ) and its factor structure was examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), and hierarchical ESEM (ESEM-within-CFA). Measurement invariance testing was also performed in phase 2. The final version of the AMQ contains 34 items that measure six peer athlete mentoring functions. It is hoped that the development of the AMQ will spur research in the emerging area of peer athlete mentoring.     

Differences in forearm strength,endurance, and hemodynamic kinetics between male boulderers and lead rock climbers

This study examined differences in the oxygenation kinetics and strength and endurance characteristics of boulderers and lead sport climbers. Using near infrared spectroscopy, 13-boulderers, 10-lead climbers, and 10-controls completed assessments of oxidative capacity index and muscle oxygen consumption (m?O₂) in the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP), and extensor digitorum communis (EDC). Additionally, forearm strength (maximal volitional contraction MVC), endurance (force–time integral FTI at 40% MVC), and forearm volume (FAV and ΔFAV) was assessed. MVC was significantly greater in boulderers compared to lead climbers (mean difference?=?9.6, 95% CI 5.2–14?kg). FDP and EDC oxidative capacity indexes were significantly greater (p?=?.041 and .013, respectively) in lead climbers and boulderers compared to controls (mean difference?=??1.166, 95% CI (?3.264 to 0.931?s) and mean difference?=??1.120, 95% CI (?3.316 to 1.075?s), respectively) with no differences between climbing disciplines. Climbers had a significantly greater FTI compared to controls (mean difference?=?2205, 95% CI=?1114–3296 and mean difference?=?1716, 95% CI?=?553–2880, respectively) but not between disciplines. There were no significant group differences in ΔFAV or m?O₂. The greater MVC in boulderers may be due to neural adaptation and not hypertrophy. A greater oxidative capacity index in both climbing groups suggests that irrespective of climbing discipline, trainers, coaches, and practitioners should consider forearm specific aerobic training to aid performance.     

Sport expertise in perception–action coupling revealed in a visuomotor tracking task

We compared the visuomotor coordination of tennis players with different levels of expertise (Super-Experts, Experts and Non-Experts) in a visuomotor tracking (VMT) task. Participants were asked to track a moving target which could rebound on the sides of a 2D screen. Results indicated that the VMT task allowed the discrimination of expertise. Multiple regression analysis revealed that performance could be explained by the temporal adaptation of participants to rebounds and the number of movement adaptations. Compared to Non-Experts, the Experts had a shorter perturbation time with higher adaptation and regulation. This corresponds to a better perception–action coupling and the predominant use of a prospective control process. Results also indicate that perception–action coupling capacities are transferable to virtual tasks, and allow us to reveal processes of visuomotor coordination that differentiate experts and novices.     

Determining friction and effective loading for sled sprinting

Understanding the impact of friction in sled sprinting allows the quantification of kinetic outputs and the effective loading experienced by the athlete. This study assessed changes in the coefficient of friction (µ_k) of a sled sprint-training device with changing mass and speed to provide a means of quantifying effective loading for athletes. A common sled equipped with a load cell was towed across an athletics track using a motorised winch under variable sled mass (33.1–99.6 kg) with constant speeds (0.1 and 0.3 m · s^?1), and with constant sled mass (55.6 kg) and varying speeds (0.1–6.0 m · s^?1). Mean force data were analysed, with five trials performed for each condition to assess the reliability of measures. Variables were determined as reliable (ICC > 0.99, CV < 4.3%), with normal-force/friction-force and speed/coefficient of friction relationships well fitted with linear (R² = 0.994–0.995) and quadratic regressions (R² = 0.999), respectively (P < 0.001). The linearity of composite friction values determined at two speeds, and the range in values from the quadratic fit (µ_k = 0.35–0.47) suggested µ_k and effective loading were dependent on instantaneous speed on athletics track surfaces. This research provides a proof-of-concept for the assessment of friction characteristics during sled towing, with a practical example of its application in determining effective loading and sled-sprinting kinetics. The results clarify effects of friction during sled sprinting and improve the accuracy of loading applications in practice and transparency of reporting in research.     

Success or Failure in a Core University Unit: What makes the difference?

Factors which have been identified as contributing to student academic success at the degree and program level in tertiary study include mode of study, student age, previous tertiary qualifications and past academic performance. Limited published Australian research is available, however, on student academic success in individual subjects. This study investigated identifiable patterns related to the academic success of three separate cohorts of students in an Early Childhood second-year Language, Literature and Literacy unit (N = 601). The data support previous research findings with regard to the effect of mode of study, previous university qualifications and past academic performance on academic success in this subject. In contrast with most previous studies, this study found a significant relationship between previous study at TAFE (college study at a Technical and Further Education institute) and failure in an academic unit, perhaps due to the timing of this unit in the students' overall program. Further implications for Early Childhood teacher education are discussed.     

Boot-insole effects on comfort and plantar loading at the heel and fifth metatarsal during running and turning in soccer

Plantar loading may influence comfort, performance and injury risk in soccer boots. This study investigated the effect of cleat configuration and insole cushioning levels on perception of comfort and in-shoe plantar pressures at the heel and fifth metatarsal head region. Nine soccer academy players (age 15.7 ± 1.6 years; height 1.80 ± 0.40 m; body mass 71.9 ± 6.1 kg) took part in the study. Two boot models (8 and 6 cleats) and two insoles (Poron and Poron/gel) provided four footwear combinations assessed using pressure insoles during running and 180° turning. Mechanical and comfort perception tests differentiated boot and insole conditions. During biomechanical testing, the Poron insole generally provided lower peak pressures than the Poron/gel insole, particularly during the braking step of the turn. The boot model did not independently influence peak pressures at the fifth metatarsal, and had minimal influence on heel loads. Specific boot-insole combinations performed differently (P < 0.05). The 8-cleat boot and the Poron insole performed best biomechanically and perceptually, but the combined condition did not. Inclusion of kinematic data and improved control of the turning technique are recommended to strengthen future research. The mechanical, perception and biomechanical results highlight the need for a multi-faceted approach in the assessment of footwear.