Assessing multiple object tracking in young children using a game

Visual tracking of multiple objects in a complex scene is a critical survival skill. When we attempt to safely cross a busy street, follow a ball’s position during a sporting event, or monitor children in a busy playground, we rely on our brain’s capacity to selectively attend to and track the position of specific objects in a dynamic scene. This ability to visually track simultaneously moving objects in a continuously changing and multisensory environment is a critical component of nearly all forms of visual-motor coordination. While methods for assessing Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) in adults are well established, due to challenges associated with designing a MOT task suitable for young children, we have little understanding of MOT abilities under the age of 5 years. To better understand how and when young children learn to track multiple objects, we designed, implemented and evaluated TrackFX, the first game-based MOT task running on a touch tablet designed for children as young as 30 months old. We present findings from an empirical study of 31 children between the age of 30 and 58 months and implications for game-based learning.     

Navigating the turbulent waters of academia: the leadership role of programme managers

The focus of our paper is the leadership role of programme managers in the higher education sector. In particular, we highlight the complex and paradoxical nature of the programme leader’s role, and provide an insight into leadership in this challenging and dynamic environment. We identify cognitive and behavioural complexity as necessary capabilities for programme managers to ensure they can navigate the turbulent river system of academia. The Integrated Competing Values Framework describes some leadership behaviours appropriate for the programme manager’s role. We also argue how critical observation skills, reflection and self-awareness can assist programme managers to provide leadership in this uncertain environment. Our paper concludes with a discussion of areas for future research and important practical implications for universities.     

Trusted by whom? TDRs,standards culture and the nature of trust

The first part of this paper examines the notion of trust within the suite of standards that anchor the trustworthy digital repository (TDR) concept. The second part traces the short and confusing trajectory of the TDR project at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and explores the extent to which the failure of LAC TDR should be understood in relation to organizational funding, operational decisions, TDR standards culture or other factors. In the conclusion I suggest that the notion of trust within TDR standards culture is itself evolving in a positive direction that emphasizes user perceptions of trust rather than seeking to establish objective evidence of trust.     

咸咖啡

一个想家的男人一定很爱家,很在乎家,他一定很有责任感。他在晚会上遇见了她,她很出众,有很多男孩追求,但没有人注意到他。晚会结束后,他邀请她去喝咖啡,她很吃惊。     

Latent Variable Analysis: A New Approach to University Ranking

This study applies a Bayesian latent variable analysis to the task of determining rankings of universities in the UK and US, on the basis of a set of quality‐related measures. It estimates the degree of uncertainty in the rankings and permits the assessment of statistically significant differences across universities. It also provides a methodology for determining the weighting of various measures that is based on the patterns embedded in the data and compares the latent variable rankings with traditional weight‐and‐sum rankings. Overall, the methodology contributes to a better understanding of ranking efforts and illustrates the need for caution in interpreting distinctions published in traditional ranking systems.