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Item Open Access The Australian and New Zealand Virtual Worlds Working Group: A Collaborative Community of Practice(2013) Farley, Helen; Gregory, Sue; Grant, Scott; Butler, Des; Jacka, Lisa; Orwin , Lindy; Jones, Janice K.The Australian and New Zealand Virtual Worlds Working Group has an informal membership of nearly 200 members with an interest in education and virtual worlds within the Australian and New Zealand context. Members come from a variety of academic disciplines and may be teaching or research academics, Research Higher Degree candidates, project managers, virtual world builders and developers. The group acts as an informal Community of Practice, facilitating learning and the transfer of skills through social contact, opportunities to collaborate on projects and publications, and through the sharing of knowledge and experience. This poster provides a snapshot of the activity of this highly active group.Item Open Access Challenges in deploying educational technologies for tertiary education in the carceral setting: Reconnecting or connecting?(ASCILITE, 2022) Farley, Helen; Wilson S; Arthars N; Wardak D; Yeoman P; Kalman E; Liu DWith the COVID-19 pandemic, educators across the globe pivoted to using educational technologies such as lecture capture, video conferencing and discussion boards to reconnect with learners. For incarcerated learners, this was not an option due to the dearth of technologies and internet access in most correctional jurisdictions. As many tertiary education institutions leverage the affordances of digital technologies to increase access to learning and reconnect with learners, they are inadvertently excluding a large cohort, incarcerated learners. Prisons are typically technology poor and prohibit access, at least to some degree, to the internet. This paper examines some of the common challenges to the deployment of educational technology in prisons to reconnect with incarcerated learners. They are classified as physical challenges, operational challenges, attitudinal challenges, and human challenges.Item Open Access The Role of Education in a Recidivism Reduction Strategy(2015) Farley, HelenItem Open Access Sweetening climate information for sugar cane farmers with Second Life machinima(2013) Farley, Helen; Cliffe, Neil; Reardon-Smith, Kate; Mushtaq, Shahbaz; Loch, Adam; Lindesay, JanetteThe economic and environmental viability of farming enterprises depends on good decision making. However, seasonal conditions and weather events can play a major role in determining the outcome of such decisions. Ready access to targeted climate information at time scales appropriate to on-farm decision making and knowing how best to use this information is of growing importance, particularly in regions subject to increasing climatic variability and risk.Item Open Access RejuveNation Island: Attentional Restoration for Pre-Service Teachers in Second Life(2013) Farley, Helen; Murphy, Angela; Jones, Janice K.; Moodie, DonnaThis study seeks to evaluate the restorative impact of pre-service teachers’ online engagement in a simulated natural virtual world environment. Immersive natural environments provide a means of restoration for adults and may present benefits for pre-service teachers who are unfamiliar with the natural world. The use of restorative virtual environments could be extended to schools in urban areas in particular, allowing pupils and their teachers to undertake field trips, and to relax in a calming and restorative context.Item Open Access Digital Learning for Prison Students: the State of Play(2015) Pike, Anne; Farley H, Helen; Hopkins, SusanEducation is seen as one of the puzzle pieces in any strategy to improve reintegration and reduce recidivism. However, education providers are increasingly turning to the online provision of course materials and activities. This excludes prisoners from participating in transformative education as the internet is often prohibited. Given this fundamental mismatch between online education and access to internet in prisons, universities are increasingly looking for ways to ensure effective digital delivery of their courses. This paper outlines innovative solutions from two higher education institutions on opposite sides of the world, both with a track record of providing higher education to prisoners. The OU’s ‘walled garden’ and Open Educational Resources with the UK’s Virtual Campus and the Australian internet-independent LMS coupled with tablet computers, are just some of the technologies being trialled which could be repackaged for other contexts and countries.Item Open Access Digital technologies for learning in prisons: A tale of four projects(2015) Farley, HelenAs universities become increasingly reliant on the online delivery of courses for distance education, those students without access to the internet are increasingly marginalised. Among those most marginalised are incarcerated students who are often from low socio-economic status backgrounds and have limited access to resources. This article reports on four projects that incrementally build on each other, three of which are completed, at the University of Southern Queensland that seek to provide access to higher education for incarcerated students. These projects developed a modified version of Moodle which doesn’t require internet access, but provides the same level of access and interactivity as regular Moodle. EBook readers were also used in two of the projects. A description of the projects, a summary of the results and issues is provided. The projects will be extended to deploy the modified Moodle and personal devices to correctional centres across Australia with a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.Item Open Access Making the Connection: eLearning and mobile learning for prisoners(2015) Farley, HelenItem Open Access Peaceful occupation: The importance of prison education through and beyond lockdown(2023) Pike A; Farley, HelenThis paper argues that engaging prisoners in higher levels of education can alleviate monotony and reduce risk in prisons by promoting critical thinking skills. Introducing digital technologies into prisons to allow greater access to self-paced higher levels of education can therefore help realize the benefits of reduced risk. Lastly, if education is acknowledged for its risk-reducing potential and measured accordingly, perhaps it will be given a higher priority within the prison estate. For prisoners, one of the main challenges with incarceration is monotony, often leading to frustration, increasing the risk of violence on staff and other prisoners. This risk has been accentuated by the increased time in cell, which began during COVID-19 lockdowns and has continued through staff shortages. Prison violence results in more workplace injuries and work time lost to depression and anxiety for prison staff, further reducing staff numbers. Hence, the cost to the prison estate is substantial and effective ways of mitigating such risk is an imperative.Item Open Access Tackling Indigenous Incarceration through Promoting Engagement with Higher Education(2016) Lee C; Farley, HelenItem Open Access Tackling Indigenous Incarceration through Engagement with Higher Education(2015) Lee C; Farley, HelenItem Open Access Perceptions of acoustics in contemporary media: Noise in Stuff(The Acoustical Society of New Zealand, 2022) Boland J; Stubbe A; Reeve W; Farley, HelenThis presentation will examine stories associated with noise or sound in Stuff, a popular news website. It will determine if the news articles presented an accurate description of the technical aspects of the problems, and reflected an understanding of the legislative framework and associated compliance issues. Stuff articles associated with noise or sound were analysed to reveal recurrent themes. The analysis provided some insight into the perceived effect that noise has on the community. The outcomes revealed how the acoustical consulting industry is presented in modern media. It also proposes the creation of a guide that could promote consistency across interaction with media outlets and position acoustics specialists to productively comment on noise-related stories. Media outlets in Aotearoa New Zealand often feature articles that speak to the effects of noise in a variety of commercial and residential situations. Usually, these stories are based around contentious issues involving noise emission associated with transport or industry. Media depictions of acoustics targeted at a non-specialist audience seem to tread a line between accessibility and accuracy. Because news articles are generally written by non-specialists, sometimes without any input from specialists, there can be a skewed understanding of the issues, especially those matters relating to the status of compliance and the efforts undertaken by emitters. More concerning is the possibility that these stories inform public opinion so strongly it could be to the detriment of the associated acoustics, planning and regulatory organisationsItem Open Access Taking eBook Readers to Prisons: A Tale of Two Projects(Springer, 2014) Farley, Helen; Murphy A; Hopkins S; Bedford T; Kalz M; Bayyurt Y; Specht MThis paper reports on a project that was first introduced to World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning attendees in 2012, the PLEIADES project (Portable Learning Environments for Incarcerated Adult Distance Education Students) and discusses how this project evolved into two separate projects; one each from the two technologies originally trialled. PLEIADES introduced a version of an internet-independent version of the Learning Management System (LMS) called Stand Alone Moodle (SAM) and eBook readers to incarcerated students in a correctional centre in Southern Queensland. The Triple ‘E’ Project (Empowerment, E-Learning and E-Readers) using eBook readers similar to those trialled in the PLEIADES project, were rolled out to a further four correctional centres. This paper explores the issues and challenges involved with deploying eBook readers to incarcerated students through the PLEIADES and Triple ‘E’ projects.Item Open Access Using OffLine Personal Devices to Enable Access to Higher Education in Prisons(International Association for Mobile Learning, 2016) Farley, Helen; Macdonald J; Murphy K; Wright J; Lee C; Seymour S; Dyson L; Ng W; Fergusson JItem Open Access The development of virtual world tools to enhance learning and real world decision making in the Australian sugar farming industry(2014) Reardon-Smith K; Farley, Helen; Cliffe N; Mushtaq S; Stone R; Doyle J; Lindsay JIn farming, the outcome of critical decisions to enhance productivity and profitability and so ensure the viability of farming enterprises is often influenced by seasonal conditions and weather events over the growing season. This paper reports on a project that uses cutting-edge advances in digital technologies and their application in learning environments to develop and evaluate a web-based virtual ‘discussion-support’ system for improved climate risk management in Australian sugar farming systems. Customized scripted video clips (machinima) are created in the Second Life virtual world environment. The videos use contextualized settings and lifelike avatar actors to model conversations about climate risk and key farm operational decisions relevant to the real-world lives and practices of sugarcane farmers. The tools generate new cognitive schema for farmers to access and provide stimuli for discussions around how to incorporate an understanding of climate risk into operational decision-making. They also have potential to provide cost-effective agricultural extension which simulates real world face-to-face extension services but is accessible anytime anywhere.Item Open Access Reusable Learning Designs and Second Life: Issues and Strategies(Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), 2009) Farley, Helen; Siemans G; Fulford C: Since 2003, the virtual world of Second Life has captured the imagination of educators, intrigued by the possibilities that such a flexible environment affords. Given the escalating demands on educators’ time and the increasing scrutiny given to the quality of education, it is prudent to consider the possibilities afforded by reusability of key components of educational designs, in turn leading to greater time efficiencies. Instructional Management System Learning Design (IMS LD) is a standard that has emerged as a way of describing learning activities while emphasizing the possibility of reuse and adaptation. This paper examines some of the issues associated with reusability of learning designs created for use in Second Life; specifically those utilizing the IMS LD standard. These issues are divided into two groups: those that are problematic to but not specific to learning in Second Life and those that are more characteristic of Multi-user Virtual Environments (MUVEs). Some possibilities for overcoming those issues are also examined.Item Open Access Making the connection: creating a pathway for indigenous incarcerated students into higher education(2013) Farley, HelenThe University of Southern Queensland (USQ), in collaboration with Bendigo TAFE, OERu (Open Educational Resources University), Queensland Corrective Services, Serco Asia Pacific, the Careers Employment Australia (CEA) Group and Salvation Army Employment Plus, is proposing to develop a complete higher education pathway aimed at widening access for Indigenous and non-Indigenous incarcerated students. USQ’s Indigenous Higher Education Pathways Program (IHEPP), Tertiary Preparation Program (TPP), a Diploma of Arts and a Bachelor of General Studies will be adapted so that students do not require access to the internet to undertake the studies. The Mumgu-dhal tyama-tiyt Certificates I, II and II for Indigenous students who have not completed secondary school will be similarly adapted by Bendigo TAFE. This project will also facilitate continued participation in education or transition into the workplace after release from custody through programs developed by the CEA Group and the Salvation Army. Upon release former incarcerated students will have access to ongoing support through specially developed social media channels.Item Open Access Virtual world technologies & new tools for supporting climate risk decision making in agriculture(2014) Reardon-Smith , K; Farley, Helen; Cliffe , N; Mushtaq , S; Stone , R; Doyle, J; Lindesay, JDigital technologies already serve an important role in the delivery and communication of agricultural information, complementing and expanding the reach of conventional extension services. However, sophisticated digital platforms and their applications in learning environments offer new opportunities which may significantly enhance agricultural knowledge exchange. This paper reports on a project that uses cutting-edge advances in virtual world technologies to develop web-based virtual ‘discussion-support’ tools for the rapid sharing of targeted climate information. These tools are designed to provide a stimulus for discussion, enhanced decision-making and improved climate risk management on farms. The project uses the Second Life virtual world environment to create customized scripted video clips (machinima). These feature real world settings and lifelike avatar actors who model conversations about climate risk and key farm operational decisions relevant to the lives and practices of specific groups of farmers. The system has been trialed with Indian cotton farmers and Australian sugarcane farmers. Further large scale evaluation in a range of agricultural systems will inform continual improvement of the approach. With improved internet access and uptake of mobile technologies, these tools have potential to provide new cost-effective options for real-time information exchange at local, regional, national and even global scales. Such tools may enhance rapid and effective needs-based knowledge sharing, capacity building and online learning opportunities within the agricultural sector; provide increasing opportunity for discussion around risk, decision-making and implementation of sustainable farming practices; and enable agricultural industries to become lead innovators in blended digital and ‘in person’ extension and outreach. Improved climate risk decision-making and management in agriculture is critical to the well-being and long-term sustainability of farming communities and future global food security.Item Open Access Making Moodle Offline and Mobile: Making the Connection(2016) Farley, Helen; Macdonald, J; Ryle, A; Wright, J; Murphy, K; Fowler, JItem Open Access Encke Virtual University Collaboration: Bringing Educators Together in Second Life(2013) Farley, Helen; Ellis, Allan; Hassett , Amanda; Jacobson , NoelThe Encke Virtual University Collaboration brought educators from around the world to an island in Second Life to listen to some presentations from experts in the field, embark on a series of field trips but most importantly to collaborate in teams around a number of topics including bots, communities of practice and gamification. Like the comet Encke, the Encke Virtual University Collaboration had a long tail, with a number of workshops and events, and collaborations developing over the following months.