I put together this paper of worked examples for the Gorard (GS) and Allen & Vignoles (D) segregation indices. It measures the extent of school segregation within a geographical area using Free School Meals (FSM) as an indicator.
The concept of ‘Wicked problems’ is often used to refer to complex problems such as climate change or social inequality. Rittel and Webber (1973 –open access) outline 10 characteristics of ‘wicked problems’: 1 ‘Wicked’ does not been mean ‘evil’ here, but in set in contrast to ‘tame’ problems which are potentially solvable, even if they are very complex. 2
There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem.
Wicked problems have no stopping rule.
Solutions to wicked problems are not true-or-false, but good or bad.
There is no immediate and no ultimate test of a solution to a wicked problem.
Every solution to a wicked problem is a "one-shot operation"; because there is no opportunity to learn by trial and error, every attempt counts significantly.
Wicked problems do not have an enumerable (or an exhaustively describable) set of potential solutions, nor is there a well-described set of permissible operations that may be incorporated into the plan.
Every wicked problem is essentially unique.
Every wicked problem can be considered to be a symptom of another problem.
The existence of a discrepancy representing a wicked problem can be explained in numerous ways. The choice of explanation determines the nature of the problem's resolution.
The social planner has no right to be wrong (i.e., planners are liable for the consequences of the actions they generate).
Here are 12 questions we face regarding the assessment of students in higher education -- this list is by no means exaustive. If you are convinced any of these are not ‘wicked problems’ I’d love to hear from you. Some of these are UK specific, but every country will have its own version of the problem. The same problems are true of other sectors of education as well.
Is the UK degree classification system fit for purpose?
Should/ can student work be assessed anonymously?
Are some courses under assessed or over-assessed?
Is a degree from one university the same standard as the same class of degree from another UK university?
Is a degree from a UK university equal to a degree (in the same subject) from a university in another country?
What say should students have in how they are assessed?
(When) does an assessment accommodation (e.g. for disability) provide an advantage? E.g. how much extra time in exams is needed to gain an unfair advantage?
Could a student object to a form of assessment for moral, ethical or religious reasons? How should they be accommodated (if at all)?
Are assessment regulations across a university consistent? Should they be?
Are students able to avoid particular topics of types of assessment through strategic module choice?
Are too many students getting ‘good degrees’? Why is the growth in the number of students getting good degrees often cited as evidence of falling standards?
Why (in the UK) do we call marks ‘percentages’ when we rarely give marks above 80 or below 30?
Are we under assessing formatively and over assessing summatively? (From Juliet Eve)
I'm delighted to see that staff at the University of Plymouth have developed new materials on Inclusivity in teaching and learning practices in Higher Education. I've only have a brief look so far, but the site is well presented and the materials are of good quality.
I'd be meaning to give Linux a try for the past couple of years. I recently bought a new PC installed with Windows 8.1, so decided to give Linux a try on the old PC.
This post documents my experience for the Linux-curious than giving actual instructions on how to get started. It is also based on my current understanding and two weeks experience. It is not an expert view!
What is Linux?
Linux is an Operating System (OS), like Windows used by most PCs and OS X used by Apple computers. In lay speak it is the thing that holds everything else together.
How much is Linux and where do I buy it?
This is probably the wrong question for a variety of reasons. You don't go into PC World or computer store and pick a copy of Linux up off the shelf. Linux can be downloaded for free (and legally). It is open source so people can develop their own versions of Linux and give it away or sell it as they see fit.
This is leads to a second point about Linux. You don't just go to the Linux website and download a copy of 'Linux'. Lots of different versions of Linux are available – these are known as 'distributions' or 'distros.' These can be downloaded and installed for various internet sites. I chose to use Ubuntu as that seemed to be the distribution of choice for the Linux virgin. Other distros include Debian and Mint. Magazines such as Linux Format often come with a disk with a particular distribution on.
How do I install it?
I'll tell you how it did it as I'm sure that there are other, possibly better or more expert ways. I had my two PCs next to each other. I got on my new PC (pretty high spec) running Windows 8.1 and I went to the ubuntu website and burned a copy of Ubuntu 14.04 onto a blank DVD (it has to be a DVD, it won't fit on a CD). I made sure everything that was on my old PC has been transferred to the new PC (a process beyond the scope of this blog post). I put the Ubuntu DVD into the DVD drive of the old PC and followed the instructions. I opted to allow the installation to delete my Windows 7 installation though it appears you can run Ubuntu alongside Windows 7 without major problems (but alongside Windows 8 is another matter apparently).
I won't go through the installation process in detail, but it was pretty straightforward.
Is it basically free Windows?
Screenshot from Ubuntu 14.02.2 running Gnome desktopIt's an operating system and it looks a bit like Windows at first glance, but that's where most of the similarity ends. The biggest initial difference is that Linux makes extensive use of the command-line (CTRL+ALT+T) to install software and perform other functions. Some of these commands are similar to MS-DOS, familiar to those who remember pre-Windows PCs from the 80s and 90s. In reality though knowledge of MS-DOS probably isn’t that useful. It is useful to buy a book about Linux commands. I purchased the Kier Thomas' Working the Ubuntu Command-line prompt, just £1.15 for the Kindle version.
The Ubuntu distro comes with some software pre-installed. This includes the Office suite LibreOffice (which can also run on Windows as a free alternative to MS Office) and the familiar browser Mozilla Firefox. It also comes with software to play CDs and DVDs.
Not all software is available for Linux, at least not officially. My eldest son is something of a Minecraft enthusiast, and although apparently possible to run Minecraft on Linux I have yet to get it working. Most familiar Windows software has its Linux 'equivalents' though they may not look exactly the same. Programs like Skype have Linux versions.
Installing software (including updates) is the thing that is most different and I'll save the details for another post (though there's plenty of information online).
Where their any teething problems?
Apart from the learning curve I wish I could say there were not problems. However, I did experience problems with the system crashing. This was solved by installing the GNOME desktop. Basically, from what I understand, some old graphics cards cannot cope with the latest versions of the Ubuntu desktop. I don't know the spec of my old PC graphics card, but it was second hand and only cost me £10. It coped with running Windows 7, but Ubuntu 14.04 was too much for it.
Will I be giving up Windows 8.1?
I don't like Windows 8 at all. It's not as bad as Vista and had it not been for Windows 7 I might have tried Linux a few years back. However, Windows is too familiar to give up and I'm yet to feel confident enough to rely on Linux for everything. I use software such as Minitab and Nvivio which I don't believe work in Linux. There is however WINE (which stands for WINE is not an emulator) which can be used for running Windows software though I've yet to try it.
Downsides to Linux Ubuntu
* Steep learning curve, especially the command line
* Some software difficult (or impossible) to run.
* Above mentioned problem with my graphics card.
Upsides
* Fast. It runs as quickly on my old 4GB of RAM PC as Windows 8.1 on my new 16GB PC.
* Free. Nothing to lose if it I can't get on with it.
* Ubuntu comes with Libre Office, Firefox and some other software pre-installed so you can get going straight away.
* So far I have solved most of my problems by looking online e.g.on the Ubuntu website.
Life was lonely at times and we had no holidays. My father 2 was strict and possessive. Apart from a regular job [coalman] he was in charge of a stable of nine horses. This meant being available seven days a week and not being able to go anywhere. We paid a visit to his father 3 once a year at Offenham (2 miles away) on Boxing Day (circumstances permitting).
My routine on Sundays would be to accompany my father to the stables for mucking out, return home about 11 o’clock for breakfast, back to the stables at about 12:30 for giving the horses midday bait. From the stables to the Royal Oak pub where I stayed outside until about 1:30 then from there to the King’s Head where I stayed outside until closing time at 2pm then home to dinner.
How boring , mum went and had a nap upstairs and dad went to sleep in his armchair. I wasn’t allowed out on Sundays so I amused myself as best I could.
Sunday evenings weren’t too bad. Mum, Dad and I went out together usually for a walk and visiting various pubs en route but finishing at the King’s Head where in the evenings they had a children’s room where I had company. The same happened on Saturday nights.
Schooldays
I started school at four years of age at Evesham Council Infants School in Swan Lane 4 which as far as I can remember was quite pleasant. Headmistress was Miss Nightingale.
At seven years of age I went to the senior boys girls upstairs boys downstairs. On arrival we found that the former headmaster who had a reputation as a violent man had just retired. We were pleased about that but disappointed that the man who took his place was equally violent.
My first class teacher was Miss Hill, the only female teacher in the school. The male teachers all ruled by fear with a stick and a clout across the ears which usually produced the results they were aiming for. In those days I can’t recall any bullying in the playground unlike today! I was pretty average in my schoolwork but I did join a higher class for maths.
I think the most pleasant and rewarding time at school was going to woodwork on Wednesday mornings from age 11 until I left school at 14.
First job
I left school in 1932 in the middle of a slump and mass unemployment, therefore, apprenticeship were difficult to find. Even the tradesmen themselves were on the dole. I managed to get a job, apprenticed to painter and decorator. After the first morning I realised he just wanted a lackey and he said he would only keep me until I was sixteen. He was only going to pay me five shillings a week. I went back in the afternoon and told him what to do with his job.
The next day I applied for a job as an errand boy for the Home & Colonial, grocery stores, 5 at ten shillings a week and got it. It was a hard slog, as labour was plentiful and cheap. The hours were long, about sixty-four hours a week. Weekends were worst – Friday 8:30am till 9pm, Saturday 8am till 10:45pm/11pm.
I remember my first Saturday. I hadn’t finished work at 10:15pm and my father came to see if I was still working. The manager said I would be another half an hour. My father replied that that was ok as long as I was there and he knew were I was.
Teenage Years
My teenage years were quite pleasant, the leisure time not work! We went around in a small group and had plenty of laughs and larked about but never got into any trouble. The highlight would be an occasional day trip to Barry Island or Weston-super-mare.
At work I progressed to “First Hand” at the wage of two pounds two shillings a week – not bad when a market gardener’s labourer was getting one pound fifteen shillings. However I didn’t want to remain in the grocery trade for the rest of my life.
In 1939 preparations were being made for war – conscription was being introduced for twenty year olds and then twenty-one year olds had to register for national service followed by older men up to the age of forty in stages.
War broke out in September 1939 and everything changed. The blackout and rationing were introduced and shops had to close early at about 5pm.
I registered for service in October 1939. In November I had to go to Worcester for a medical examination.
On Thursday 15th February 1940 I had to report for military service at the barracks of the Worcestershire Regiment at Norton, near Worcester. We all thought the war would be short and were looking forward for the holiday with pay! As things turned out this was far from what was going to happen.
Unremarkable by the standards of many eclipses, but remarkable nonetheless. Although this was partial one there as enough break in the cloud to make it almost as spectacular as the August 1999 I witnessed in Cornwall. I've just been watching it back, listening through my gaming headphones. The sound of the birds is as exciting as the eclipse itself.
This year I'm hearing a lot about 'the crit' from participants enrolled on the Assessment and Feedback module I teach as part of the PGCert course. 'Crit' is associated with stress, fear and anxiety, yet is evidently part of the culture of Art and Design subjects.
I found this video online. I do feel very sorry for the student.
I don’t like to write posts on why you shouldn’t do something, but this practice has a special place in my personal Room 101. I like personal Dropbox and similar services, but trying to use free accounts to work on shared projects to save a few quid is not a worthwhile economy.
Some organisations use personal Dropbox accounts to share data on collaborative projects. This article tells you why you shouldn’t. I’ve used the example of Dropbox here, but most of the competitors (e.g. OneDrive) work in much the same way.
Free space on Dropbox is limited to 2GB per user. However, as the saying goes, it’s a bit more complicated than that.
How Dropbox works differently to a disk drive
How space on a physical hard drive works
Imagine I have a 2GB disk drive on my desk and Milly has a 2GB disk drive on her desk. We each have 1GB of data on our disk drives. Between us we have 4GB of space, of which 2GB is used. Suppose then Molly comes along and wants to put her 1GB data onto one of the drives. Molly put her 1GB onto my drive. So now on my desk is a 2GB drive with 2GB of data and on Milly’s desk is a drive with 1GB of data (with 1GB of space still free). Milly, Molly and I all need access to this 3GB of data. If I need to access the data on Milly’s drive I unplug the drive from Milly’s computer and plug it into mine and use the data and vice versa. So between the three of us we have 3GB of data plus 1GB of space.
How Dropbox works when sharing fires
Suppose now want to share the 3GB of data through our Dropbox account. Milly, Molly and I find out about Dropbox. We each set up our own 2GB account. We agree to share our files. 2GB+2GB+2GB=6GB so we have plenty of space for our 3GB of shared files, right? That’s basically Dropbox is, isn’t it?
So first I upload my 1GB of data to my Dropbox account. My Dropbox account says that I have used 1GB of my 2GB space. Great! I share the 1GB of files with Milly and Molly and they accept my invitation. However, they suddenly see that they have 1GB of data in their own Dropbox too and they haven’t put anything in yet! Milly does the same and all three of us have 2GB in our Dropbox. Molly tries to share her files, but she can’t—there is no room.
Mandy then comes along to work on a project with Milly. Mandy has 1GB of data in her Dropbox account. Milly has given up trying to get access to Molly’s data so just has my data and her own data in Dropbox. She can’t accept Mandy’s invitation until she deletes something. She decides to delete my data so she can accept Mandy’s data (as Mandy’s data is now more important). Now Milly needs to ask Molly and me to send her individual files to work on from our so we can put them back into our Dropbox.
So 4 people with 4GB of data and seemingly 8GB of space only actually have 2GB between them for shared files.
The wrong solution
Ok, so what we really need is more space. Because we we’ve introduced a lot of people the good people at Dropbox have given us 4GB space instead of 2GB. This can now work as we now each have 4GB of space and 4GB of data to share. But this isn’t a long term solution. Along comes a colleague from Australia who wants to share 1GB of data with me and I need 5GB of space. I will have to either buy new space or hope Dropbox gives me some more. Either way I get wound up and don’t have access to the data I’m supposed to see.
Part of the problem here is that 2GB is very small amount of data in the 21st century. Photos, videos, and audio recordings take up a lot of space so 2GB gets filled pretty quickly. I have a 1TB hard drive in my home Desktop which is about half-full. To really keep all our data safe we each probably need about 500GB of space. Dropbox know this of course and know they you want to pay your further storage (fair enough—it’s their business and they’re good at it).
A better solution
For a team project we need one big space to which everyone on a project has access. So instead of hitting the limits of lots of individual Dropbox accounts (or similar) we need a single big space (500GB+) of which we (and our collaborators) can access through our own passwords. A solution like Dropbox for Business (from £11pm for, 5 users, unlimited space) is in order.
