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To foster a "wellbeing curriculum" in a climate with an increasingly competitive graduate jobs market, we believe it is critical to support undergraduate career development and to develop positive peer and educator relationships, particularly for non-vocational degree programs. However, these relationships between undergraduate wellbeing and their career development or peer/educator relationships have not been specifically examined. This study used a mixed methods approach to examine if poor career development or university engagement (quality of relationships with peers or educators, use of the university careers and counselling services, time studying) were associated with psychological distress for students in non-vocational degree programs. Undergraduates (biomedical science; n=1100) from five Australian universities participated in a survey to investigate relationships between psychological distress, as determined by their responses to the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales, and their career development or university engagement. Almost half of the students lacked confidence in their "future employment and job prospects." Students? psychological distress was significantly correlated with lack of confidence with their career development, poor relationships with their peers and educators and little use of the counselling service. Further exploration of these factors in student focus groups highlighted stress associated with academic competition between students and a critical need for undergraduate career development, especially industry placements. We provide pivotal recommendations to promote undergraduate and educator wellbeing, by developing a „wellbeing curriculum? that supports career development and positive relationships between students and their peers and educators, particularly vital for non-vocational degrees.

This paper explores a system that attempts to maximize high school students' sense of choice when selecting elective subjects. We propose that individual schools can tailor the combinations of subjects they offer in order to maximize the number of prospective students who can study their preferred subjects, potentially increasing enrolment numbers and academic outcomes while also reducing administrative overheads. We analyze the underlying computational problem encountered in this task and describe a suitable AI-based optimization algorithm that we have made available for free download. We also discuss some outcomes of using this method on a small number of case study schools.

As a society, we can get so engrossed in using the World Wide Web (WWW) also known as the web. We look for, read about and interact with different people, text, images, videos etc. that we often take for granted how we are doing this. We all use a web browser, we must, to get around the web. Yet, do we ever stop to give much thought to this gateway to the web? The web browser can be fittingly described as a transparent technology. This is in the sense that we don't really stop to think about the browser and its features, we just unconsciously absorb and use it. This paper reports on a study that explores just how effectively we understand and use our web browser applications. The study was focused on people's perceived awareness of desktop web browser functionality, what features they are using/aware of and most importantly what understanding they take from these? The findings show that the majority (69%) of the five hundred and twenty-eight participants studied do not fully understand what the padlock feature on their web browsers represents. In fact, the findings highlight that many of the participants feel that the padlock represents a safe website which it clearly does not. This paper succinctly draws attention to the fact that the current desktop web browser application design is not fit for purpose. In summary, the research pushes for more effective web browser application designs; it provides design recommendations aimed at achieving web browser consistency and creating designs that promote safety, trust, and confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in technology are currently helping to speed up the globalisation of 'super' languages. One can argue that at the same time technology might be used to help reverse the decline of less widely spoken languages. Cada Dia (CD) is a social learning method which uses online web meeting platforms, in combination with asynchronous learning management systems, to enhance the language learning experience. CD provides an immersive learning strategy to encourage authentic conversations in a real time environment to create dynamic and meaningful learning encounters. Using a vignette data analysis technique in combination with a survey research method, this paper is a reflection on the analysis of learners' experiences during an eight week Cada Dia Welsh (CDW) pilot study; its aim is to gain an understanding of online social learning methods for minority language learning. Central to the research was understanding online pedagogical practices with a particular emphasis on authentic conversation for minority languages such as Welsh.

Where Cartesian philosophy distinguishes the perceiving and perceptual mind from the body, phenomenology constitutes the experiential/experiencing body as the subject, giving rise to the affective potential of art. An immersive world of digital connections, smart cities and the Internet of Everything dramatises the centrality of relationship, the intertwining of Self and Other, in the lived environments of human experience. This article addresses the contextual, disciplinary and practical challenges encountered in developing an ambitious interactive public art project embedding SMART technology on the coastal fringes of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales (UK). It examines the processes and problems involved in delivering a stimulating aesthetic experience in and on a complex site, for a complex audience profile. It traces, in particular, the dependence of a multi-disciplinary project team on the theoretical and practical effects of affect in their ongoing effort to produce engaging, provocative, socially inclusive interactive public art, in and through human-centred design techniques.

The visual is a dominant mode of information retrieval and understanding however, the focus on the visual dimension of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is still quite weak in relation to its predominant focus on usability. To accommodate the future needs of the visual learner, designers of e-learning environments should advance the current attention on usability and functionality to include aesthetics, the visual and the affective. The challenge lies in finding a way to fully address the needs of the visual learner. This paper explores the role of visual aesthetics in improving engagement in online learning.

In an era where an increasing number of people find it challenging to grasp scientifically accurate environmental data, the need for more engaging museum exhibits to convey this information has never been more crucial. This article discusses Daptec Flat Holm which is a data physicalisation technology project on Flat Holm Island, Wales. Flat Holm Island is designated as a site of special scientific interest and is a local nature reserve. This project aims to understand how we might improve people's engagement with environmental data through a multi-sensory museum exhibit. To achieve this, the project team applied a new creative approach to make the presentation of environmental data more engaging to a diverse science museum audience. Employing a user-centered methodology, this study reveals insights derived from three distinct user experience investigations conducted during the summer of 2022. The main contribution lies in how the researchers have extracted the nuances from the audience reactions and then identified potential audience types, their points of engagement, as well as their challenges. In detail, the findings illustrate how the application of a vignette data analysis technique revealed distinct audience types, including passive observers, active users, engaged ambassadors, disinterested participants, critical friends, and enthusiastic collaborators. In summary, the paper offers recommendations into how we might further engage a broader audience in technology mediated environmental museum exhibitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of experiences and, in particular, educational experiences is a complex matter and involves not only using effective technologies and applying cognitive triggers, but there is a need to "think outside the box" in order to also design for the affective dimension of human experiences; the impressions, feelings and interactions that a learner might/could have with the online content and technology. The purpose of this article is to delve deep into this complex entity and, in doing so, to identify how one might approach designing for "holistic" educational experiences. The article presents a case study describing the journey of a group of learning technologists and educators through the design and development phases of an action research online ABCD module, and it highlights the learner"s experiences. It discusses the development of a learning, research and development framework to support the ABCD learning experience and, in particular, what was actually required to undertake the design for this learning experience. In summary, the article reports on a learning, research and development framework that provides solutions and support to a number of aspects involved in the design of holistic learning experiences and, in particular, the often neglected, yet complex, issues around experience design. (Contains 1 note, 1 table and 1 figure.)