公共图书馆立足于数字化时代的合理性

在新兴数字技术的冲击下,公共图书馆经历着蜕变,在其遭遇威胁的同时,也面临着转机。本文透过维多利亚州立图书馆等案例解析,从理性的角度俯视数字化环境下的种种争论。可以发现,图书馆是由公众资金支持的机构,服务民众是其不可推卸的使命。因而,为了保证图书馆立足于数字化时代的合理性,我们必须透视技术的本质,了解民众的真正需求。     

Analysing the professional development of teaching and learning from a political ethics of care perspective

This paper uses Tronto's political ethics of care as a normative framework to evaluate a model of teaching and learning professional development. This framework identifies five integrated moral elements of care – attentiveness, responsibility, competence, responsiveness and trust. This paper explicates on each of these elements to evaluate the piloting and implementation of a teaching and learning professional development model at a South African higher education institution. The political ethics of care was found to be a useful normative framework for a group of higher educators to reflect on the process of engaging in teaching and learning professional development in that it revealed the importance of differential power relations, the importance of working collaboratively and being attentive to the needs of both caregivers and care receivers.     

A cross-age study of the understanding of five chemistry concepts

A sample of 100 students from junior high school physical science, high school chemistry, and introductory college chemistry were examined for understanding of five chemistry concepts. The concepts addressed were chemical change, dissolution of a solid in water, conservation of atoms, periodicity, and phase change. The amount of experience with the concepts (grade level) and reasoning ability (developmental level) were examined as possible sources of variation in student understanding. Differences in understanding with respect to grade level were found to be significant for the concepts of chemical change, dissolution of a solid, conservation of atoms, and periodicity. However, few of the students in the college chemistry sample exhibited sound understanding of chemical change, periodicity, or phase change. The use of particulate terms (atoms, ions, molecules) increased across the grade levels. Reasoning ability proved to be a significant factor for student understanding of conservation of atoms and periodicity. An examination of the number and types of misconceptions across the grade levels revealed several interesting patterns and suggested sources for the students' alternative conceptions.     

The Role of Artists in Sites for Learning

Socially engaged, participatory and educational arts activities have been recognised by artists as a legitimate area of creative practice for a considerable time. Current policy initiatives around social inclusion and life long learning demonstrate that this government has a keen interest in the transformative nature of creativity and participation in arts activity. This paper explores the significance of the, Arts Council's Artists in Sites for Learning Scheme and a related piece of research within the context of recent cultural agendas and governmental policy initiatives. The research examined the ‘forms of engagement’ that occur between artists, participants and others and concludes that the role the artist inhabits within this form of creative practice is multifaceted and highly sophisticated. This paper also raises key issues concerning the ‘value’ and critical assessment of this form of practice and the need for appropriate support for (and evaluation of) it in the future.     

Fair dealing for criticism and review in scholarly publishing

UK Copyright law (CAPD 1988) defines the requirements for qualification for copyright protection in the UK and for many of the permitted acts. A defence against infringement of copyright is provided for under the terms of fair dealing for the purposes of criticism and review, but use of this defence must be assessed on the nature and extent of the use of copyright material in each case. Industry practice and guidelines exist for use of some text material, but not for the fair dealing use of other copyright material such as images and artwork, the inclusion of which was a major change in the CAPD 1988 act from earlier UK copyright acts.     

Effects of contextual cues previously paired with footshock or illness on behavior and pain sensitivity in the rat

Rats were used in four experiments to study the effects on behavior and pain sensitivity of exposure to a context previously paired with footshock or injection of the emetic drug lithium chloride (LiCl). Exposure to a context previously paired with footshock or injection of LiCl provoked the species-typical defense response of freezing (Experiments 1A and 1B). Exposure to a context previously paired with footshock additionally produced hypoalgesia when rats were tested using the tailflick test (Experiment 1A). By contrast, exposure to a context previously paired with injection of LiCl produced hyperalgesia when rats were tested using the tailflick test (Experiment 1B). However, exposure to a context previously paired with injection of LiCl did provoke hypoalgesia when rats were tested for pain sensitivity using either the hotplate or formalin tests (Experiment 2), which was mediated by the release of endogenous opioid peptides (Experiment 3). These results are discussed with reference to the processes governing associative regulation of defensive behavior and pain control.