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BackgroundMobile devices have become increasingly important to young people who now use them to access a wide variety of health-related information. Research and policy related to the integration of health information and support with this technology do not effectively consider the viewpoint of a younger patient. Views of young people with type 1 diabetes are vital in developing quality services and improving their own health-related quality of life (HRQOL), yet research on their lifestyle and use of Web and mobile technology to support their condition and in non–health-related areas is sparse. ObjectiveTo develop insight into young people with type 1 diabetes and their current use of Web and mobile technology and its potential impact on HRQOL. This can be achieved by constructing an in-depth picture of their day-to-day experiences from qualitative interviewing and exploring how they make use of technology in their lives and in relation to their condition and treatment. The goal was then to build something to help them, using the researcher’s technical expertise and seeking users’ opinions during the design and build, utilizing sociotechnical design principles. MethodsData were collected by semistructured, in-depth qualitative interviews (N=9) of young people with type 1 diabetes aged 18-21. Interviews were transcribed and loaded onto NVivo for theme identification. Data analysis was undertaken during initial interviews (n=4) to locate potential ideas and enhancements for technical development. Latter interviews (n=5) assisted in the iterative sociotechnical design process of the development and provided additional developmental ideas. ResultsSix themes were identified providing an understanding of how participants lived with and experienced their condition and how they used technology. Four technological suggestions for improvement were taken forward for prototyping. One prototype was developed as a clinically approved app. A number of ideas for new mobile apps and enhancements to currently existing apps that did not satisfactorily cater to this age group’s requirements for use in terms of design and functionality were suggested by interviewees but were not prototyped. ConclusionsThis paper outlines the nonprototyped suggestions from interviewees and argues that young people with type 1 diabetes have a key role to play in the design and implementation of new technology to support them and improve HRQOL. It is vital to include and reflect on their suggestions as they have a radically different view of technology than either their parents or practitioners. We need to consider the relationship to technology that young people with type 1 diabetes have, and then reflect on how this might make a difference to them and when it might not be a suitable mechanism to use.

BackgroundThe Internet has revolutionized the health world, enabling self-diagnosis and online support to take place irrespective of time or location. Alongside the positive aspects for an individual’s health from making use of the Internet, debate has intensified on how the increasing use of Web technology might have a negative impact on patients, caregivers, and practitioners. One such negative health-related behavior is Munchausen by Internet. ObjectiveMunchausen by Internet occurs when medically well individuals fake recognized illnesses in virtual environments, such as online support groups. This paper focuses on the aspect of Munchausen by Internet in which individuals actively seek to disrupt groups for their own satisfaction, which has not yet been associated with the wider phenomena of Internet trolls (users who post with the intention of annoying someone or disrupting an online environment). MethodsA wide-ranging review was conducted to investigate the causes and impacts of online identity deception and Munchausen by Internet drawing on academic research and case studies reported online and in the media. ResultsThe limited research relating to motivation, opportunity, detection, effects, and consequences of Munchausen by Internet is highlighted and it is formally linked to aspects of trolling. Case studies are used to illustrate the phenomenon. What is particularly worrying is the ease with which the deception can be carried out online, the difficulty in detection, and the damaging impact and potential danger to isolated victims. ConclusionsWe suggest ways to deal with Munchausen by Internet and provide advice for health group facilitators. We also propose that Munchausen by Internet and Munchausen by Internet trolling should be formally acknowledged in a revised version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual DSM-5. This will assist in effectively identifying and minimizing the growth of this behavior as more people seek reassurance and support about their health in the online environment. We also suggest directions for future research.

In contrast to the helpful sources of guidance and regulations for researchers designing and conducting experiments in cyberpsychology, there is very little guidance available for academics and teachers teaching sensitive issues related to behavior in the online world. There are many potential dangers for psychology students when learning about cyberpsychology, ranging from being exposed to upsetting or illegal behaviour viewed in videos or images, to questioning their own sense of morality and understanding of self, to experiencing harassment or hacking. This paper will highlight our own experiences of teaching cyberpsychology to first and third year psychology students, highlighting some of the potential dangers. We suggest recommendations for academics to ensure that students are protected as far as is possible.

This paper reports on the progress of a current PhD research study. The research study will evolve through four phases and eventually develop a conceptual framework for effective teaching and learning approaches that influence digital inclusion and exclusion of students from diverse backgrounds. It will also seek to identify differences in learner characteristics and how these characteristics impact on needs, experiences and engagement with technology for learning, specifically within a blended learning programme. The research will move away from traditional definitions of diversity and explore the differing characteristics of a varied learner population. The research adopts a critical realist perspective, using a qualitative multi-phase methodology that will evolve sequentially in the future. The focus of this paper is to outline the research to date. Phase 1 and Phase 2 have been completed and are reported in this paper. Findings suggest that digital exclusion cannot be predicted or dealt with by categorising students into groupings of: gender, age, ethnicity, geography, socio-economic status and educational background. Additionally, the findings indicate that digital exclusion is influenced by organisational factors, such as elements of the course content or navigation of the virtual learning environment rather than intrinsic factors such as individual technological skills.

This article introduces a set of case studies that were submitted to us following requests in psychology conferences and publications, and through professional networks. The full versions of the case studies make up the first version of a Psychological Literacy Compendium of Practice that is available online at www.psychologicalliteracy.com. The first part of this article presents a brief synopsis of each case study and categorises case studies to allow those considering introducing psychological literacy activities to easily compare and contrast different approaches. Categories include: when the activity takes place in the curriculum; whether it is a core or elective unit, or optional activity; and assessment strategies. In the second section, we evaluate each case study in terms of which of the nine psychological attributes identified by McGovern et al. (2010) each case study illustrates. This information can be used to assist curriculum design and quality assurance procedures, and highlights the need to define the attributes of psychological literacy that activities are designed to address. Finally, we conclude with a discussion and some suggestions for future work and activities. This article aims to highlight practical ideas to develop psychological literacy and to encourage academics and practitioners to use the Compendium to develop activities to embed psychological literacy within the Psychology curriculum.

The Higher Education Academy (HEA) is committed to enhancing the quality of learning and teaching for all university students in the UK, and the inaugural conference for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, held in April 2012 at Imperial College, London, aimed to showcase research and evidence-based educational innovation in the STEM subjects, including psychology. The research presented in this paper includes nine of the papers presented at the conference, which demonstrate the high quality pedagogical work taking place in the discipline. Before introducing the research, the authors discuss the context in which the conference took place, highlighting the place of psychology within STEM.

Increasingly, educators from all disciplines are using blogs, social networking sites, VLEs and wikis to encourage academic discourse between students. However, a common problem experienced by educators is how these important learning experiences can be assessed and because of this difficulty many are not assessed. For some time now, I have been using online discussions via the University VLE as a way to encourage student debate around key lecture topics (e.g. Taylor, 2002). The key learning outcomes which this assessed activity addresses, in addition to learning more about the topic, are to develop skills in reflective practice, critical evaluation and leadership. This article will review the ways that face-to-face and online academic discourse between students have been assessed, highlighting some of the differences to consider when setting up online discussion activities, compared to face-to-face discussion. I will then provide a case study of the way I set up online discussions and the method I currently use to assess contributions. The final part of the paper will consider the potential for using quantitative content analysis (QCA) and automated methods to assess online participation. (Contains 7 online resources.)

Non-traditional students are increasingly making up a larger part of the student body and can include students from various groupings, for example, differentiated by ethnicity, socio-economic class (SEC), disability, residential location or age. The aim of this initial exploratory study was to investigate whether and how the motivations, identity and concerns of different types of non-traditional psychology students differed from each other. Previous research has either investigated all types of non-traditional students together with no breakdown according to specific category, or focused on one category (e.g. mature versus non-mature students). A questionnaire was sent to a cross-sectional sample of pre-University, first-year, second-year, third-year and graduate students to collect mainly qualitative data. Questions addressed a number of areas: motivation to go to University; post-University aspirations; identity; and student concerns. There were interesting gender differences with regard to the motivations to go to University; with males more likely to give reasons relating to intrinsic factors and females stating extrinsic factors, supporting previous research. The findings relating to identity showed that mature students were more negative in their self-descriptions, but for second-year and third-year students, mature students were more likely to indicate changes to their identity since joining University. It will be interesting in the next stage of planned research to track changes in identity over time; as this study provides just a snapshot at each stage of the degree. The findings showed that student concerns frequently related to the reason for their being classified as a non-traditional student. For example: financial concerns were more often stated by those from lower socio-economic backgrounds; and mature students were more concerned about academic issues, while non-mature students expressed more social concerns. Although these initial observations require further exploration with a larger sample, they are discussed with regard to their implications for the level and type of pastoral support available to different types of non-traditional students. This study is the first stage of a longitudinal project, and further work suggested from these results will be investigated over the remaining two years of the project. For example, students participating in this study will be tracked, a further group of traditional-entry students will be recruited for comparison and further measures will be collected relating to extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. (Contains 5 tables.)

The aim of this paper is two-fold. The first aim is to discuss some observations gained from teaching psychology to computing students, highlighting both the wide range of areas where psychology is relevant to computing education and the topics that are relevant at different stages of students' education. The second aim is to consider findings from research investigating the characteristics of computing and psychology students. It is proposed that this information could be considered in the design and use of psychology materials for computing students. The format for the paper is as follows. The first section will illustrate the many links between the disciplines of psychology and computing; highlighting these links helps to answer the question that many computing students ask, what can psychology offer to computing? The second section will then review some of the ways that psychologists have been involved in the teaching of psychology to computing students, from A/AS level to undergraduate and postgraduate level. The third section will compare the profiles of computing and psychology students (e.g. on age, gender and motivation to study), to highlight how an understanding of these factors can be used to adapt psychology teaching materials for computing students. The conclusions which cover some practical suggestions are presented in the fourth section. (Contains 2 tables.)