Australian Catholic University

About: Australian Catholic University is a education organization based out in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 2721 authors who have published 10013 publications receiving 215248 citations. The organization is also known as: ACU & ACU National.

When Is a Sprint a Sprint? A Review of the Analysis of Team-Sport Athlete Activity Profile

Abstract: The external load of a team-sport athlete can be measured by tracking technologies, including global positioning systems (GPS), local positioning systems (LPS) and vision-based systems. These technologies allow for the calculation of displacement, velocity and acceleration during a match or training session. The accurate quantification of these variables is critical so that meaningful changes in team-sport athlete external load can be detected. High-velocity running, including sprinting, may be important for specific team-sport match activities, including evading an opponent or creating a shot on goal. Maximal accelerations are energetically demanding and frequently occur from a low velocity during team-sport matches. Despite extensive research, conjecture exists regarding the thresholds by which to classify the high velocity and acceleration activity of a team-sport athlete. There is currently no consensus on the definition of a sprint or acceleration effort, even within a single sport. The aim of this narrative review was to examine the varying velocity and acceleration thresholds reported in athlete activity profiling. The purposes of this review were therefore to (1) identify the various thresholds used to classify high-velocity or –intensity running plus accelerations; (2) examine the impact of individualized thresholds on reported team-sport activity profile; (3) evaluate the use of thresholds for court-based team-sports and; (4) discuss potential areas for future research. The presentation of velocity thresholds as a single value, with equivocal qualitative descriptors, is confusing when data lies between two thresholds. In Australian football, sprint efforts have been defined as activity > 4.00 m·s-1 or > 4.17 m·s-1. Acceleration thresholds differ across the literature, with > 1.11 m·s-2, 2.78 m·s-2, 3.00 m·s-2 and 4.00 m·s-2 utilized across a number of sports. It is difficult to compare literature on field-based sports due to inconsistencies in velocity and acceleration thresholds, even within a single sport. Velocity and acceleration thresholds have been determined from physical capacity tests. Limited research exists on the classification of velocity and acceleration data by female team-sport athletes. Alternatively, data mining techniques may be used to report team-sport athlete external load, without the requirement of arbitrary or physiologically defined thresholds.

Harnessing the affordances of Web 2.0 and social software tools: can we finally make "student-centred" learning a reality?

Abstract: This paper highlights the importance of considering the educational affordances of information and communication technologies (ICTs), in particular the raft of new and emerging Web 2.0 and social software tools that offer rich opportunities for collaboration, interactivity, and socio-experiential learning. The authors argue that perceived affordances, which are a function of individual users’ or learners’ perceptions and views, are of central significance, and encourage educators to empower learners with freedom and autonomy to select and personalize the tools and technology available to them, as well as allowing them to determine how best to use the technology to support their learning. While “student-centered” learning has become somewhat of a mantra for educators in recent decades, the adoption of social software tools driven by appropriate pedagogies may offer an opportunity for this goal to be truly realized. Introduction: The affordances of ICTs for education The term “affordances” is generally attributed to the perceptual psychologist, J. J. Gibson (1977, 1979), who used it as a core component of his ecological theory of human perception. The term is now used in a range of fields, including but not limited to cognitive psychology, industrial design, human-computer interaction (HCI) and interface design, and artificial intelligence. Overall, an affordance is an action that an individual can potentially perform in their environment by using a particular tool (Affordance, 2007). In other words, an affordance is a “can do” statement that is not necessarily pre-defined by a particular functionality, and refers to any application that enables a user to undertake tasks in their environment. For example, telephones allow the placing and receiving of calls, which in isolation are not affordances, but which substantively enable the affordances of communication and information exchange. Salomon (1993) advocates analyzing information and communication technologies (ICTs) from the perspective of their educational affordances. According to Kirschner (2002), educational affordances can be defined as the relationships between the properties of an educational intervention and the characteristics of the learner that enable certain kinds of learning to take place. Conole and Dyke (2004) draw on social and educational theory to propose a taxomony of the educational affordances of ICTs, which include the identified themes of: accessibility, speed of change; diversity; communication and collaboration; reflection; multimodal and non-linear learning; risk, fragility, and uncertainty; immediacy, monopolization, and surveillance. They believe that the taxonomy will be useful as a “checklist” for practitioners, to assist them in making informed decisions about the use of different ICT technologies, and also to help increase their awareness of the properties of different tools and resources. This awareness will be beneficial as they design and develop learning activities and teaching plans. In this paper, the authors first discuss the affordances of the new wave of social software tools that are beginning to pervade our classrooms and institutions. They then argue for a broader view of affordances that recognizes the central role of the user or learner in determining the possibilities and uses of the technologies available, before using this as a starting point to discuss the potential—and need—for truly student-centered learning to come to fruition in a Web 2.0 era. Web 2.0 and social software tools and their affordances “Web 2.0” refers to an apparent second generation or improved form of the World Wide Web that emphasizes collaboration and sharing of knowledge and content among users. While Web 2.0 does not entail radical changes in the technical specifications of the Web, most proponents of the concept describe it in terms of new possibilities and applications. O’Reilly (O’Reilly 2005a, 2005b) believes that these new applications have emerged due to a changing socio-cultural context, giving rise to the perception of revolutionary new uses for the same technologies. Characteristic of Web 2.0 are the socially-based tools and systems referred to collectively as social software, which includes but is not limited to web logs (blogs), wikis, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) and podcasting feeds, peerto-peer (P2P) media sharing applications, and social bookmarking utilities. These new tools make possible a new wave of online behavior, distributed collaboration, and social interaction, and are already having a transformative effect on society, triggering changes in how we communicate and learn. A few examples will illustrate the new forms of communication and participation enabled by social software tools. Users are now engaged in creative authorship by being able to produce and manipulate digital images and video clips, tag them with chosen keywords, and make this content available to their friends and peers worldwide through Flickr, MySpace, and YouTube. Other individuals write blogs and create wiki spaces where like-minded individuals comment on, share, and augment these sources, thereby engaging in a new genre of dynamic “personal publishing” (Downes, 2004). Advocates of Web 2.0 assert that the terms “co-creation” and “users add value” encapsulate the practices of those who participate in and use social software, showing that that is not just an assembly of tools, but a set of concepts, practices, and attitudes that define its scope. This can be exemplified by contrasting two sites, Encyclopædia Britannica Online (2007) and Wikipedia (2007), the former maintained by a commercial organization and the latter by an open community. In Wikipedia, users can participate and create content, and in doing so become “prosumers” (both consumers and producers). This openness is the characteristic hallmark of Web 2.0, in which users mix, amend, and recombine content, collaboratively and open to a global audience, inviting revision and commentary. Moreover, the added dimension of scale means that the more people using the tools, the greater the network effect. The combined efforts and collective intelligence of hundreds of individuals can result in the co-production of resources such as Wikipedia entries, illustrating the power of the “wisdom of crowds” (Surowiecki, 2004). The “wisdom of crowds” concept acknowledges that when working cooperatively and sharing ideas, communities can be significantly more productive than individuals working in isolation. It is this “architecture of participation” (Barsky & Purdon, 2006, p. 65) that ensures that Web 2.0 is continually responsive to users. So, what does Web 2.0 mean for education? The advent of this new wave of tools and technologies provokes us to consider the implications for and potential applications to formal spaces of learning in colleges and universities (Berg, Berquam, & Christoph 2007). Social software applications can also be viewed as pedagogical tools that stem from their affordances of information discovery and sharing. Anderson (2004) observes that: “The greatest affordance of the Web for educational use is the profound and multifaceted increase in communication and interaction capability” (p. 42), which is even more evident in Web 2.0 when compared to the set of linked information sources that characterized “Web 1.0.” Drawing on extant Web 2.0 research and practice, some examples of the affordances of Web 2.0 and social software tools are as follows: • Connectivity and social rapport. Social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Ning, and Friendster attract and support networks of people and facilitate connections between them. They are representative of what Gee (2004) calls affinity spaces, in which people acquire both social and communicative skills, and at the same time become engaged in the architecture of participation of Web 2.0. In these spaces, users engage in informal learning, and creative, expressive forms of behavior and identity seeking, while developing a range of digital literacies. • Collaborative information discovery and sharing. Data sharing is enabled through a range of software applications, and experts and novices alike can make their work available to the rest of the virtual world, for example through personal and collaborative blogs. Social bookmarking tools such as del.icio.us, Furl, and Digg allow people to build up collections of web resources or bookmarks, classify and organize them through the use of metadata tags, and share both the bookmarks and tags with others. In this way, users with similar interests can learn from one another through subscribing to the bookmarks and tags of others, and actively contribute to the ongoing growth and evolution of the “folksonomy” of web-based information and knowledge. • Content creation. Web 2.0 emphasizes the pre-eminence of content creation over content consumption. Anyone can create, assemble, organize, and share content to meet their own needs and those of others. Open source and open content (cf. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007; MERLOT, 2006; Beshears, 2005) initiatives, as well as copyright licensing models like Creative Commons (2007), are helping fuel the growth of user-generated content. Wikis enable teams and individuals to work together to generate new knowledge through an open editing and review structure. • Knowledge and information aggregation and content modification. The large uptake of RSS, as well as related technologies such as podcasting (Curry, 2004) and vodcasting (which involve the syndication and aggregation of audio and video content, respectively), is indicative of a move to collecting material from many sources and using it for personal needs. Hilton (2006) describes these technologies as part of a move from “producer push” to “demand pull,” whereby students are now accustomed to obtaining and consuming content “on demand.” There is also a trend towards the unbundling of cont

Impact of teamwork on missed care in four Australian hospitals.

Abstract: Aims and objectives Investigate effects of teamwork on missed nursing care across a healthcare network in Australia. Background Missed care is universally used as an indicator of quality nursing care, however, little is known about mitigating effects of teamwork on these events. Design A descriptive exploratory study. Methods Missed Care and Team Work surveys were completed by 334 nurses. Using Stata software, nursing staff demographic information and components of missed care and teamwork were compared across the healthcare network. Statistical tests were performed to identify predicting factors for missed care. Results The most commonly reported components of missed care were as follows: ambulation three times per day (43·3%), turning patient every two hours (29%) and mouth care (27·7%). The commonest reasons mentioned for missed care were as follows: inadequate labour resources (range 69·8–52·7%), followed by material resources (range 59·3–33·3%) and communication (range 39·3–27·2%). There were significant differences in missed care scores across units. Using the mean scores in regression correlation matrix, the negative relationship of missed care and teamwork was supported (r = −0·34, p < 0·001). Controlling for occupation of the staff member and staff characteristics in multiple regression models, teamwork alone accounted for about 9% of missed nursing care. Conclusion Similar to previous international research findings, our results showed nursing teamwork significantly impacted on missed nursing care. Teamwork may be a mitigating factor to address missed care and future research is needed. Relevance to clinical practice These results may provide administrators, educators and clinicians with information to develop practices and policies to improve patient care internationally.

Little Voices and Big Ideas: Lessons Learned from Children about Research

Abstract: Over the past three decades social researchers have increasingly engaged children in projects that explore their experiences, views, and understandings. In this paper the authors share the observations of children involved in a project exploring family homelessness, particularly about what they think is important when conducting research with children and ways in which their views were implemented in the design and delivery of the project.

The mental health nurse practitioner in the emergency department: An Australian experience

Abstract: This paper describes the establishment of a mental health nurse practitioner (MHNP) position in New South Wales, Australia. The authors report on a MHNP role that functions collaboratively within a large inner city emergency department. Attention is centred on what constitutes advanced mental health nursing practice in the emergency department setting. Three areas associated with the work of MHNPs--therapeutic techniques, prescribing and care coordination and referral--are highlighted to explore the scope of the MHNP role. The authors propose that the success of this position is based on a process of consultation and evaluation, partnership between disciplines and clinical services and the role maintaining a truly nursing focus rather than attempting to replace or replicate psychiatric medicine.