The LRC now has a permanent subscription to the resource Box of Broadcasts (BoB). It can be found on the LRC Moodle pages, under Electronic Resources.
BoB is an online shared streaming service which allows you to record, search and view extracts of programmes on over 60 digital and freesat television and radio channels. You can record programmes 7 days in advance or you can retrieve them 30 days after they have been broadcast. Programmes from BBC1, BBC2, BBC4, Radio 4, Radio 4 Extra, ITV1, channel 4, channel 5 and More 4 are automatically archived.
You can also create playlists and extracts which you can then save and use in your presentations.
If you have any problems using BoB, please come and ask us in the LRC.
The Learning Resource Centre is holding a celebration event for those who have taken part in the loyalty card scheme.
The loyalty card scheme is a yearly initiative, run by the LRC, to encourage students and staff to read more fiction. The student or staff member obtains a loyalty card and gets their card stamped for every fiction book they have read. Once the student or staff member has read 6 books, they are then entered into a prize draw.
This year’s celebration event will be on the 18th April, between 3:30 and 4:30pm in the LRC. Students and staff can sign up and hand in completed cards until the 16th April.
The LRC now has a confirmed speaker for its loyalty card event.
Darren O’Sullivan is a local author and ex-PRC student. Darren has enjoyed success with his novel, ‘Our Little Secret’ and his second psychological thriller, ‘Close Your Eyes’ is out later this year. One lucky winner will receive a Waterstones voucher and three runners up will receive copies of Darren’s novel, ‘Our Little Secret’.
This week we heard the news that cosmologist and scientist Stephen Hawking died at the age of 76. He worked as a Professor at Cambridge University and became famous for his research in to cosmology - especially black holes. His book A Brief History of Time became a bestseller.
Black hole CC0 https://pixabay.com/en/black-hole-nebula-stars-space-2483571/
The BBC have put together a Stephen Hawking quiz if you want to test your knowledge of the famous scientist.
In October 2017, Cambridge University put Hawking's PhD thesis online for the first time and the demand to read it crashed the system. It was read two million times.
They are valid academic sources of information and can be used as sources of background reading and research for dissertations and assignments.
They are published sources of information with copyright restrictions and must be cited and referenced when used as part of your academic work. ARU has instructions on how to do this using the Harvard system on their website.
Theses will have reading lists and bibliographies like books and journals which may lead you to other sources/ authors you can read.
Looking through recent theses in your field may give you an idea of the sorts of issues currently being researched. It may help you pinpoint what you want to choose for your research topic or give you background for a job interview.
Some research written up in theses may also be summarised in academic journals so you may want to search the author (or the Professor who supervised the research) in a journal database too to see if you can find more context or read a summary.
Where are they stored? How do I find them?
Most universities have their own repository - usually online. ARU's for example is here. These online databases/ websites give open access to a University's research. Stephen Hawking's PhD thesis is on Apollo - the name Cambridge University have given their online repository.
However, you can be forgiven for thinking that trawling through every University's online repository one by one - especially if you don't know which University to look for - is not ideal. These online resources make this easier.
EThoS (Electronic Theses Online System) is the British Library's online repository for over 475,000 doctoral theses awarded by universities across the UK. Most are available in digital format but details of how to get a copy is given if the digital copy isn't available.
NDLTD (Networked Digital Library or Theses and Dissertations) offers access to theses mainly from America and Canada but there are some from other countries.
On life...
❝One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away❞ - Interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, June 2010
Are you a Health and Social Care, Sports or science student? Perhaps you have to learn about the skin as a beauty student or about health and fitness as a public services student? Do you want some different activities to help you revise the human body for your exams?
Human Skeleton
https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=241967&picture=human-skeleton
The LRC has the ideal online learning resource for you on their Electronic Resources Moodle page. If you are a tutor and would like to put the link on your course pages, please let the LRC know and we will send you the relevant information.
Primal Pictures provides a complete and medically accurate online 3D model of the human anatomy. It is derived from genuine medical scan data that has been interpreted by a team of anatomists and then translated into 3D images by graphic specialists. Parts of the body can be seen in different layers by digitally peeling the layers back or adding them on. All text is written by medical specialists.
In addition to graphics, there is information on
aging (how that part of the anatomy ages),
clinical conditions,
case studies (sports, health & social care or medically related) to discuss or on which to answer questions
module quizzes to test your knowledge.
In the top right hand area, you will notice some pages have interactive learning activities. These can be colouring and labeling activities (a great way to mix revision and mindfulness!), 'click a structure' activities where you can click over an image to see what areas are called and also links to the module quizzes.
There is a demonstration video from YouTube below but a link to the tutorial video to help you use the resource is available on the Electronic Resources page with the link to the resource itself. If you are tutor and would like a member of LRC staff to give a demonstration (to students or staff) or take a hands-on training session for this resource, please contact the LRC. Further help is also available by just coming in and asking us! We'd be happy to help.
This week the LRC had a stand at the College's second Be Healthy Stay Safe Be Green this year. This time we went green with planters and piggy banks made out of old plastic bottles. Thank you to everyone who donated these and the seeds we planted.
LRC's Be Healthy Stay Safe Be Green stand Photo: Peterborough Regional College
We also had a tree of encouragement. On the leaves were written some words of encouragement. Students were asked to take one from the tree and replace with a leaf of their own (with their encouraging words). This proved a popular idea with students.
Some of the words left on the tree at the end were:
Spring is just around the corner.
You need to be in the darkness to see the stars
If everything goes not right, go left!
Never give up!
Get a goal in life and never let it go until you have achieved it.
Today is a good day to smile.
Keep trying your best.
Always stay positive, fight the demons.
Trusting Health Information on the Internet
BBC's Trust Me I'm a Doctor recently did some features on using the internet to find health information and whether we should trust health apps. The links are here if you want to find out more.
