Keeping Our Customers Happy: Myths and Management Issues in “Client-Led” Student Software Projects

In this paper we seek to dispel some of the myths and to address some of the real managerial issues which we believe may have deterred academics from involving commercial and industrial partners as customers in students' software project work. We contend that students know when a project is phoney, when requirements are dreamt up by academics and when the deliverables are of no practical use once a project mark has been assigned. The involvement of an external customer materially affects students' motivation, the quality of work that they produce and their sense of achievement. Put simply, authenticity is the key to a rich, challenging and meaningful educational project experience.     

Spatial characterisation of natural and third-generation artificial turf football pitches

In contrast to the situation with early artificial turf pitches, little information has previously been published on the characterisation of third-generation artificial surfaces. The spatial variation of ball rebound resilience and rotational resistance were measured here under dry conditions, late in the season, for two natural turf football pitches and a recently laid third-generation artificial turf pitch. Data for the natural turf pitches show a wider variation with position on the pitch than for the artificial pitch. The latter surface showed remarkable consistency in both quantities measured. Surprisingly, all ball rebound resilience data and some of the rotational resistance values were found to lie outside current FIFA specifications, possibly due to the level of wear in natural turf at this stage of the season. For the artificial turf, the deterioration in properties over a period of 6 months is significant and suggests more frequent testing is needed. Taking data from various pitch positions, the two measured quantities were shown for the first time, as far as we are aware, to be inversely related for both natural turf pitches. This correlation may be largely attributed to differences in the extent of grass cover and/or soil compaction. For artificial turf, the lack of variation in measured quantities with pitch position precluded the determination of any correlation.     

What will happen to peer review?

The author summarizes the benefits and disadvantages of peer review and discusses a number of examples of difficulties with it that have arisen in the medical literature. In the absence of a generally accepted alternative, she sets out the conditions under which the present system should be operated so as to achieve its purpose.     

Umsetzung subjektiver Sporthäufigkeitsstandards

We examined whether persons higher in dispositional availability of self-control strength are more likely to meet higher subjective standards of exercise frequency. Based on previous research, we assumed the availability of self-control strength to be a precondition for deliberate acts. Subjective standard of exercise frequency refers to a person’s own view of how frequently the person should actually exercise. Ninety-three undergraduates indicated on how many days a week they should exercise in their own view, and also on how many days a week they actually exercise. In addition, they completed a scale measuring dispositional availability of self-control strength. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis with subsequent simple slope analyses revealed the expected finding: Participants higher in dispositional availability of self-control strength were more likely to implement higher standards of exercise frequency. Amongst others, we discuss the finding in terms of advancement of exercise activity.