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The traditional teaching methodologies employed within universities, comprising of lectures and seminars, have come to be scrutinised for their impersonal approach. Recently, social media and networking sites have become increasingly popular as learning and teaching resources in higher education, providing students with increased opportunities for educational engagement. Whilst research has examined the effects of including social media in class and whether it assists students in academic engagement, it remains to be seen whether social media is understood to affect student attitudes towards their learning experiences. Subsequently, this research endeavours to understand student perspectives on the inclusion of social media in higher education and seeks to establish whether the inclusion of social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, can impact on student motivation and goal orientation. Whilst research in this area is increasing, this paper provides valuable insight into student perspectives on the inclusion of social media in higher education, whether they believe motivation and goals to have been affected by it, and the broader reaching consequences of its inclusions with regard to departmental interaction.

This article explores how the secular nature of the Egyptian and Iranian states affected women's divorce rights between 1920 and 1939. Contributing to the existing literature by examining two states which have not been exclusively compared in this field, unique and important insights emerge regarding secularism, gender equality and family law through textual analysis of laws and memoirs. It demonstrates the impact of secular identities on divorce laws; secularism as a tool to challenge or seek power, and the significance of a state's political environment. This article challenges assumptions that secularism had little impact on family law in the MENA region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify and synthesise theories that support the design and delivery of digital learning interventions in nursing and midwifery education. A range of educational and other theories are used to support nursing and midwifery education, including when e-learning interventions are being designed and delivered. However, there is a limited understanding of how theory is applied across the wide range of digital learning interventions to inform pedagogical research and practice. A systematic review. CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE and PubMed were searched using key terms. Studies were screened by independent reviewers checking the title, abstract and full text against eligibility criteria. Due to the theoretical focus of the review, critical appraisal was not undertaken. Data were extracted and synthesised using a descriptive approach. Thirty-four studies were included. Twenty theories were identified from a range of scientific disciplines, with the Technology Acceptance Model and Theory of Self-Efficacy employed most often. Theoretical frameworks were used to inform and explain how the digital learning interventions were designed or implemented in nursing and midwifery education. The sample were mainly undergraduate nursing students and the digital learning interventions encompassed animation, blended approaches, general technologies, mobile, online, virtual simulation and virtual reality applications which were used mainly in university settings. This systematic review found a range of theories that support the design and delivery on digital learning interventions in nursing and midwifery education. While a single theory, the Technology Acceptance Model, tended to dominate the literature, the evidence base is peppered with numerous theoretical models that need to be examined more rigorously to ascertain their utility in improving the design or implementation of digital forms of learning to improve pedagogical research and practice in nursing and midwifery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North Pacific specimens of Melanochlamys sea slugs were examined morphologically (including the male reproductive morphology, shell and external coloration) and were sequenced for three genes (mitochondrial COI and 16S and nuclear H3). Phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses were used to determine the evolutionary relationships and species diversity among the specimens examined. Both molecular and morphological data revealed an unexpected high level of cryptic diversity. At least four distinct species occur on the Northwestern Pacific. Melanochlamys ezoensis occurs in Russia and temperate and cold areas in Japan. Three additional undescribed species occur in Japan and/or South Korea. One of the undescribed species occurs both in South Korea and in Japan, but only in Tokyo Bay, suggesting that it could be non-native in Japan. Two distinct species occur on the Northeastern Pacific coast; Melanochlamys diomedea is widespread from Southern California to Alaska, whereas M. ezoensis was found only in San Francisco Bay, suggesting a human-mediated introduction. This is further supported by the absence of records of M. ezoensis in San Francisco prior to 2001. The species diversity of Melanochlamys in the Northwestern Pacific is much greater than in the Northeastern Pacific; it is hypothesized that differences in geographic and ocean current system complexity might account for different responses to glacial extinction and postglacial expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A preview of the research paper "Collaborative training in breaking bad news to patients," by Samantha Cooke, Ann Wakefield, Carolyn Chew-Graham, and Caroline Boggis is presented, with information on training for doctors and nurses on breaking bad news (BBN) to patients and the use of simulated patients in communication training for nursing students.

Haminoea japonica is a species of opisthobranch sea slug native to Japan and Korea. Non-native populations have spread unnoticed for decades due to difficulties in the taxonomy of Haminoea species. Haminoea japonica is associated with a schistosome parasite in San Francisco Bay, thus further spread could have consequence to human health and economies. Anecdotal evidence suggests that H. japonica has displaced native species of Haminoea in North America and Europe, becoming locally dominant in estuaries and coastal lagoons. In this paper we study the population genetics of native and non-native populations of H. japonica based on mt-DNA data including newly discovered populations in Italy and France. The conclusions of this study further corroborate a Northeastern Japan origin for the non-native populations and suggest possible independent introductions into North America and Europe. Additionally, the data obtained revealed possible secondary introductions within Japan. Although non-native populations have experienced severe genetic bottlenecks they have colonized different regions with a broad range of water temperatures and other environmental conditions. The environmental tolerance of this species, along with its ability to become dominant in invaded areas and its association with a schistosome parasite, suggest H. japonica could be a dangerous invasive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]