Browsing by Author "White C"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Ancestry testing of "Old Tom," a killer whale central to mutualistic interactions with human whalers
    (Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Genetic Association, 2023-12) Reeves IM; Totterdell JA; Betty EL; Donnelly DM; George A; Holmes S; Moller L; Stockin KA; Wellard R; White C; Foote AD; Baker CS
    Cooperative hunting between humans and killer whales (Orcinus orca) targeting baleen whales was reported in Eden, New South Wales, Australia, for almost a century. By 1928, whaling operations had ceased, and local killer whale sightings became scarce. A killer whale from the group, known as "Old Tom," washed up dead in 1930 and his skeleton was preserved. How these killer whales from Eden relate to other populations globally and whether their genetic descendants persist today remains unknown. We extracted and sequenced DNA from Old Tom using ancient DNA techniques. Genomic sequences were then compared with a global dataset of mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Old Tom shared a most recent common ancestor with killer whales from Australasia, the North Atlantic, and the North Pacific, having the highest genetic similarity with contemporary New Zealand killer whales. However, much of the variation found in Old Tom's genome was not shared with these widespread populations, suggesting ancestral rather than ongoing gene flow. Our genetic comparisons also failed to find any clear descendants of Tom, raising the possibility of local extinction of this group. We integrated Traditional Custodian knowledge to recapture the events in Eden and recognize that Indigenous Australians initiated the relationship with the killer whales before European colonization and the advent of commercial whaling locally. This study rectifies discrepancies in local records and provides new insight into the origins of the killer whales in Eden and the history of Australasian killer whales.
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    Assessing the Feasibility of Retrospective and Prospective Clinical Audit in Farm Animal Veterinary Practice
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-04) Waine K; White C; Dean RS; Hudson C; Huxley JN; Brennan ML
    As a quality improvement tool, clinical audit has been extensively described in the medical literature. There is scant literature on the use of clinical audit in the farm animal veterinary setting. This study describes the process and feasibility of prospective and retrospective data collection for farm animal clinical audit performed at three different farm animal practices in the United Kingdom. Retrospective clinical audit was difficult in all three practices due to barriers in establishing diagnosis and patient identity from clinical records. Prospective data collection proved feasible but depended on adequate case accrual and practitioner engagement. The decision to conduct clinical audit retrospectively or prospectively will depend on the topic to audit, the availability of data and the wishes of the team members involved. Further work is required looking at the use of clinical coding and alternatives to using practice management software to improve retrospective data availability for clinical audit.
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    Distance learning of foreign languages
    (Cambridge University Press, 2006) White C
    This article provides a critical overview of the field of distance language learning, challenging the way in which the field is often narrowly conceptualised as the development of technology-mediated language learning opportunities. Early sections focus on issues of concept and definition and both theoretical and pedagogical perspectives on the field. Emphasis is placed on evident shifts from a concern with structural and organisational issues to a focus on transactional issues associated with teaching/learning opportunities within emerging paradigms for distance language learning. The next section reviews choices and challenges in incorporating technology into distance language learning environments, foregrounding decisions about technology made in particular sociocultural contexts, the contribution of ‘low-end’ technologies and research directions in developing new learning spaces and in using online technologies. The investigation of learner contributions to distance language learning is an important avenue of enquiry in the field, given the preoccupation with technology and virtual learning environments, and this is the subject of section six. The two final sections identify future research directions and provide a series of conclusions about research and practice in distance language learning as technology-mediated interactions increasingly come to influence the way we think about the processes of language learning and teaching.
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    Encouraging Learners to Become Better-informed Consumers of L2 Learning Opportunities
    (EUROKD Egitm Danismanlik Group, 2020-04-29) White C; Bown J
    The notion of language learners as informed consumers developed by Cohen and White (2008) takes up the issue of how best to develop the knowledge, skills and awareness of language learners given the infinite variety of language learning opportunities. The informed consumer approach focused not only on developing awareness of both formal and informal learning environments, but also on enhancing the ability to critically appraise those opportunities and to optimise language learning within them. In this article we trace how the notion of language learners as informed consumers has been drawn on in innovative studies of technology-mediated language learning; a common focus of those studies has been on ways of fostering awareness of the potential of particular technology-mediated learning environments and the relevant knowledge and skills which would support the active and effective use of those environments. We show how strands of the informed consumer approach have been used to investigate expertise and affordances in electronic dictionary use (Levy & Steel, 2015) and the trajectories of distance learners of Chinese (Tasker, 2010). In the latter part of the article we consider the experiences and reflections of learners of Arabic in a study abroad context in Jordan as part of Project Perseverance; findings from that project open up new dimensions of what it means to be an informed consumer of language instruction in relation to specific situational and cultural norms and constraints. To conclude the article identifies not only the distinctive contribution of the informed consumer approach but also how it sheds light on the ways in which individuals seek out and curate personally meaningful sites for language learning within their life worlds.
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    Teachers' and Students' Perceptions on Blended Learning in Tertiary English Language Courses: A Match?
    (Horizon Research Publishing, 2020-06) Tongpoon-Patanasorn A; White C
    Although blended learning has long been recognized in the field of English language teaching, it is often claimed that it has not reached its optimal level of effectiveness in this area. This study aims to examine teachers' and students' perceptions of the design of blended learning in English language courses. The study participants consisted of five English teachers, each of whom had over a year of experience in teaching blended learning courses, and thirty-six students majoring in English. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with teacher participants and focus group interviews with student participants. The interviews were conducted using both face-To-face and phone conversations; each interview lasted about one hour. The focus group interviews were conducted with four to five student participants at a time, and each interview lasted about one hour. Conversations with both the teacher and student participants were conducted in their first language to allow for greater insight. The data from the interviews were transcribed and coded using Atlast.ti, and they were then analyzed using content analysis. To validate the results, the emergent themes were reviewed by the participants. The results revealed that both teachers and students were ready for this new form of language teaching. What is needed is teachers' professional training on how to design blended learning courses beyond the course management system level and how to raise and maintain students' motivation for online learning. Unsurprisingly, teachers are viewed as the main agents in enabling successful English language learning.
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    Towards a learner-based theory of distance language learning: the concept of the learner-context interface
    (Routledge, 2005-01-01) White C
    No abstract available