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An objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has been recognised as a reliable but workload-intensive assessment method across health sciences studies. Though a variety of digital marking tools have been employed to improve marking and feedback provision for OSCEs, many of these require specialist software or maintenance. This pilot study examines the development and trialling of Microsoft Forms as a marking and feedback instrument for an OSCE within a Sport and Exercise Therapy module. This study aims to assess whether the use of a non-specialist digital tool, such as Microsoft Forms, might be able overcome limitations in current assessment procedures and ultimately provide a more effective method for marking and feedback provision for an OSCE. Results from OSCE examiners (N = 8) and students (N = 30) who participated in the pilot indicate that Microsoft Forms does have the potential to provide a more effective experience for examiners and ultimately improve upon feedback provision for students when compared with a paper-based marking tool. However, concerns around the form's ease-of-use may ultimately influence its adoption as a marking instrument above current paper-based methods.

"The viscosity of the blood in narrow capillary tubes" by Robin Fahraeus and Torsten Lindqvist ("Am J Physiol" 96: 562--568, 1931) can be a valuable opportunity for teaching basic hemorheological principles in undergraduate cardiovascular physiology. This classic paper demonstrates that a progressive decline in apparent viscosity occurs when blood flows through glass capillary tubes of diminishing radius, which was later designated as the "Fahraeus-Lindqvist effect." Subsequent studies have shown that apparent viscosity continues to decline at diameters that correspond to the arteriolar segments of the systemic vascular tree, where the majority of the total peripheral resistance resides and is actively regulated in vivo. The Fahraeus-Lindqvist effect thus reduces microvascular resistance, thereby maintaining local tissue perfusion at a relatively lower blood pressure. The paper by Fahraeus and Lindqvist can be used as a platform for a plenary discussion of these concepts as well as of the relationships among hematocrit, vessel diameter, red blood cell deformability, and resistance to blood flow and how these factors may affect the work of the heart. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

Background: Treatment burden is an emerging concept in health care literature. It can complicate the patients’ condition and perhaps result in poor adherence to treatment, which is linked to worse clinical outcomes. However, until now there is no definition for treatment burden recognized by all stakeholders. This review was prepared in order to find what available definitions for treatment burden are present in the literature. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was prepared looking for definitions of treatment burden in adult patients. Articles about adults aged 18 years or older from both genders with one or more medical conditions that contained a (new) definition of treatment burden were included. The search approach consisted of conventional systematic review database searching of multiple resources including Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. Two independent reviewers screened the titles and abstracts, and full papers. Results: The searches resulted in 8045 records, of which 16 articles were included. Based on quality appraisal criteria, we decided that two definitions had better evaluations than the rest of the definitions, the first one defining it as the impact of the ‘work of being a patient’ on functioning and well-being, the second as the actions and resources they devote to their healthcare. Conclusion: We consider the definition concentrating on actions and resources patients devote to their healthcare, including difficulty, time, and out-of-pocket costs dedicated to the healthcare tasks such as adhering to medications, dietary recommendations, and self-monitoring as the one probably comprising most domains of Treatment Burden that we have found in our search in the existing literature. However, adding even more domains to this definition and differentiating explicitly between patient's perception and caregiver's perception in the definition could in our opinion result in an improved definition. Also patients' evaluation of this definition is commendable.

Through a previous review of high impact practices at our institution, we identified that health science students have very few opportunities to engage in experiential learning (EL) in the current curriculum. This paper describes our work to transform an existing volunteer opportunity at an allied health clinic, into a meaningful, student-driven, co-curricular EL opportunity. Specifically, we incorporated critical EL elements (i.e. reflection, feedback) into the existing volunteer program and developed five program specific learning outcomes (LO). We then tracked volunteers' self-selected participation in a variety of activities and collected volunteers' and practitioners' assessment of LO achievement. This paper presents LO data from the first offering of this EL opportunity and discusses the challenges we faced and lessons learned through this process so that it may inform other institutions considering implementing co-curricular EL opportunities.

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is a long-standing educational concept in higher education (HE) and has been subjected to ongoing development and ultimate implementation into so-called 'high-risk' programmes. Substantial literature and evidence are available to confirm that PAL is an effective tool for unlocking active learning in medical education. This paper focusses on the effects of same-year/level PAL implementation on the academic performance of tutors and tutees in a health sciences' extended curriculum programme (ECP) at a University of Technology (UoT) in South Africa (SA). A retrospective, longitudinal and quantitative analysis of pre- and post-intervention results of three consecutive ECP student cohorts (2017-2019) was conducted to determine whether same-year/level PAL implementation enhanced academic performance. A total of 138 ECP students participated in this study and a statistically significant difference (p-value <0.05) was found with the overall comparison between the pre- and post-intervention results. Although not all ECP students benefited from this same-year/level PAL intervention, the findings of the study suggest that for the majority of ECP students, same-year/level PAL can be considered as an innovative educational intervention to improve academic success and preparedness for future studies.

In health sector, the academics require the faculty members to publish their scientific or scholarly work to contribute to the ever-evolving knowledge and understanding. It also develops connections with people of same field to promote learning and knowledge as a part of continuing education. Due to lack of formal coaching and instruction at the undergraduate level, regarding research methodology, including hypothesis development, sample size calculation, data collection and ethical approvals, the poorly constructed articles are often rejected by the reviewers. Thorough understanding of manuscript writing makes it potentially strong to be accepted by the editorial team. A quality article is a positive addition to the vast field of scientific research. Thus, to ensure the accuracy of scientific knowledge, the manuscripts have to be evaluated intricately. By addressing the issues responsible for rejections, one can maximize the rate at acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) provides students with an opportunity to take ownership of their learning while developing important higher-order skills necessary for designing innovative solutions to complex modern health problems. In our undergraduate health sciences program, critical thinking, creativity, research skills and innovative thinking are core program learning outcomes, and thus IBL is an important pillar of our curriculum. We have taken a staged approach, integrating IBL into each year of a four-year undergraduate degree program that scaffolds structure and independence to suit undergraduate student needs from the first to third years; this culminates in an independent, student-driven honours thesis in the fourth year. In this paper, we share practical IBL strategies that pair with student needs throughout the four-year continuum and highlight strategies to address challenges at each stage of learning.

This paper aims to validate the English Language Entrance Test for King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Science (hereafter KSAU-ET). It supports the argument regarding using specially designed in-house entrance tests at health universities by showcasing the test's development, administration, and validation process. It presents a new framework for test validation that is informed by various existing frameworks such as Messick (1996), Sireci (1998) and, Weir (2005), with a specific focus on the notions of unitary and practicality. The proposed framework treats validity as a pre-, during, and post-test process that collects evidence from each phase to support the test's overall validity. The data were collected using different tools and through the three stages of the validation process. The test was taken by 474 candidates who applied to join KSAU-HS Stream II medical program. The data confirmed that the test was reliable (alpha > 7) and reasonably meet the university's needs to select the program's top prospective candidates. Nevertheless, the study highlighted the importance of collecting further evidence in future studies and including more selection criteria in the regression model of analysis. Using this framework, the study contributes to the existing body of research that investigate English entrance test validation. It shows that exam validity is a context-sensitive process strongly associated with the purpose for which the exam is used. Finally, the paper discusses pedagogical implications that may help educators at health science universities develop in-house entrance tests in place of standardized tests, which often do not address context, curriculum, or program objectives.

The faculty at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) recognized the potential benefits for collaborative teaching and learning across disciplines. Research and development of an Interprofessional Case Learning Project (ICLP) laid the foundation for the creation and implementation of a problem-based learning course. This course, Interdisciplinary Perspectives of an Infectious Disease--Malaria, introduced innovative interdisciplinary pedagogy into the curriculum of the MCPHS School of Arts & Sciences. Designed by biologists, chemists, historians, and public health faculty, this course introduced senior pre-medicine majors to varied methods and theories as they worked in groups to solve problems related to the incidence, prevention, and treatment of an infectious disease. Students' deliverables included journal-quality research papers and posters presented at the MCPHS School of Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference.

Background: Mentorship is essential for education and career development in health-related fields, yet Sub-Saharan African universities often lack structured programs. To address this, the MedXMentor program was established at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) to provide structured mentorship to undergraduate health sciences students in Uganda. This paper outlines insights gained from implementing the MedXMentor hybrid mentorship program. Methods: Using a mixed-methods approach, the study employed the Kirkpatrick Model of Evaluation to assess mentees' reactions, learning, behavior, and goal achievement. Data were collected via Google Form surveys, feedback forms, mentoring logs, and session attendance records. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis provided a comprehensive understanding of the program's impact. Results: The program served 80 mentees, with 48 participating in one-on-one mentorship and 32 in group sessions. It enlisted 24 mentors, mainly from the medical field. Between April and September 2022, eight online group sessions were held, with an average attendance rate of 52%. These sessions focused on project planning, grant writing, and soft skills development, resulting in improved mentee comprehension and skill acquisition. Mentees reported an enhanced understanding of project planning, grant writing, communication, leadership, and teamwork. Their experiences were categorized into four themes: Mentor Engagement, Goal-Oriented Study, Skills and Professional Development, and High-Yield Mentor-Mentee Engagements. Conclusion and recommendations: Implementing the MedXMentor program proved effective in providing crucial mentorship and equipping students with vital academic and professional skills. The program highlighted its potential to bridge the mentorship gap in low-resource settings. By empowering future healthcare professionals in Africa, MedXMentor exemplifies how mentorship initiatives can drive significant advancements in healthcare education and practice.

Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated environment with noteworthy didactic applications in different educational levels and areas of knowledge. The study of the perceptions of the agents involved about the use of VR in lectures is a fruitful line of research because it has implications in terms of the measures to be taken to improve the training and competence of professors in its use. In this paper, a quantitative, descriptive, and correlational research is carried out on the assessments of a sample of 1638 Latin American university professors on both (i) the didactic use of VR and (ii) the influence of the professors' area of knowledge on these assessments. For this purpose, a validated questionnaire was used, the responses to which were subjected to statistical analysis. As a result, it was found that the ratings of VR are very high, but professors believe that their digital skills for its use are insufficient. In addition, the professors' area of knowledge significantly influences their ratings, being higher in the areas of knowledge in which professors have a better self-concept of their digital skills. Furthermore, gender gaps have also been identified in the answers given, which behave differently according to the area of knowledge. Finally, some conclusions, implications, and recommendations are drawn from the results obtained.

In multilingual Australian classrooms, one of the biggest challenges for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) learners is mastering the academic language they need to succeed at school. Unlike everyday language, academic language refers to the abstract, complex and challenging language that students need to understand, evaluate, synthesise and report on ideas that they learn in the classroom. It may include, for example, discipline-specific vocabulary, or textual conventions typical for a content area. As Goldenberg (2008) says: "If we want students to think like mathematicians, read like historians, write like scientists, we need to teach them these ways of thinking reading and writing" (p. 9). For CALD students in Australian mainstream classrooms, who learn subject content through English, mastery of academic language can prove particularly challenging if they are restricted to "English only" approaches to show what they know and can do. In contrast, a translanguaging approach can enable students to utilize any of the features in their full linguistic repertoires to demonstrate what they know and can do in relation to classroom content (Garcia, Johnson & Seltzer, 2017). This paper reports on an empirical research project that investigated the role of translanguaging (Garcia, 2009) in teaching academic language to CALD students, by setting up collaborative activities in which students worked together to draw upon all of their language and cultural knowledge. During this project, the first author, an academic researcher, collaborated with two classroom teachers (both of whom co-authored this paper) to explore various ways in which teachers could mobilise multilingual teaching pedagogies to support the students' access to and engagement with language and literacy learning. In providing a finely grained account of how a translanguaging approach was applied to literacy and oracy work in a Health Sciences unit, this article demonstrates clearly how CALD students' linguistic resources are fundamental to their cultural identities, and that enabling students to access all of these resources can lead to deeper and richer learning experiences.

This paper proposes social living labs for informed learning as an innovative approach to interprofessional and community education. It presents a new conceptual model and practice framework suited to rapidly changing, information-intensive work and social environments. The proposed approach is theoretically informed and evidence based. It integrates concepts from three complementary fields: Informed learning as information literacy pedagogy that enables using information critically and creatively to learn (information science); interprofessional education as a professional learning model with a cross-disciplinary and community reach (health sciences/medicine); and social living labs as informal learning context and problem-solving process (community development). After reviewing relevant literature, the paper introduces the concepts and research that underpin social living labs for informed learning. Then it presents a new conceptual model and a practice framework to guide their design and implementation. To illustrate the practical application of this approach, a hypothetical scenario envisages health practitioners, librarians and community members collaborating in a social living lab to address health and social challenges related to child obesity. The paper concludes by discussing anticipated benefits and limitations of the approach and possible wider application. As a contribution to theory, the paper uncovers a previously unrecognised synergy between the principles of informed learning, social living labs and interprofessional education. Supporting information literacy research and practice, the paper identifies a significant role for informed learning in community and professional education, and a novel strategy for health information literacy development. The paper is of interest to educators, researchers, and practitioners across information literacy, community development, healthcare, and other professional fields.

This paper describes a study, in the form of multiple field tests, designed to help students in an environmental health science course express and understand the subjective perspectives that they and their classmates hold on important course topics. This study is part of a project using the Q sorting technique found in Q methodology as the basis for a classroom activity, an approach we term Q pedagogy. Q methodology is a research methodology designed to study people's subjectivity and was first formulated by William Stephenson in the 1930s. Results show that the Q pedagogy activity was effective in promoting individual reflection and group discussion among students in the class. Q pedagogy adapts the rich, mixed methods research approach of Q methodology for instruction to advance the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).

This case presents the design and implementation process of multimedia case-based learning modules for a Sex and Gender Specific Health (SGSH) education curriculum. The learning modules were designed to advance understanding of sex and gender differences, increase awareness of gender-specific health issues, and improve clinical knowledge of sex and gender evidence-based medicine. This paper describes the three phases of the project. In the first phase of planning, five diseases actively examined in the medical field were chosen to address sex and gender differences, and the instructional development team specifically adapted a case-based learning framework to provide more authentic and interprofessional learning opportunities for health science trainees. In the second phase, learning modules were structured with multiple revisions incorporating multimedia case-based learning strategies, such as case movie trailers, expert guides, and case solutions. In the third phase, a number of decisions regarding module interface, case videos, and server management were made. Throughout the phases, the instructional designers resolved a number of issues, such as communication with subject matter experts (SMEs), consistency of learning materials, copyright, case movie production tool, closed captioning, server configuration, and dissemination. The design process and challenges described in this paper would be useful for others developing similar instructional materials in a healthcare environment.

In this paper, we critically evaluate the use of a weekly "rapid responses (RR) to learning" process in the context of teaching a graduate course on research methods over a three-year period. The RR process involved use of a short set of open-ended questions about key moments in learning that students complete, in writing, during the last five minutes of each class. The questions asked students to identify salient take-away messages, note when they felt the most and least engaged, name actions taken by anyone that were affirming or confusing, and consider specific "aha" moments. Our specific aim was to assess the following questions: What was the pedagogic value of the RR process? How did it inform our teaching and to what extent were there direct benefits of the process for students as well as for us as teachers? We found that the systematic feedback we obtained in this way supported weekly monitoring of student learning, facilitated response to trouble spots, and assisted in assessment of student engagement and classroom climate. It also provided insight into the efficacy of pedagogic strategies, such as student engagement in metacognitive learning, and models a process of instructors receiving feedback and being flexible to change. For instructors, the process enhanced motivation and professional development; plus, we found benefits in documenting instructor leadership and development. Finally, it facilitated deeper appreciation of the need to better integrate student self-assessment and the development of metacognitive skills as core components of the course.

This paper presents the findings of a study on a fully online Bachelor's level course in Health Sciences at a European University conducted to explore the influence of learning design on the formation and evolution of different types of communities of learning. The impetus for the study came from the well-established effectiveness of community-based learning, a need for understanding learning design and analytics within networked structures and, the lack of theoretical grounding for social network analysis (SNA) in previous literature. Our study uses the Integrated Methodological Framework (IMF) which employs SNA as the key methodology for exploring community-based learning in light of the Communities of Practice (CoP) and Community of Inquiry (CoI) frameworks. The course comprised of three differently designed successive discussion forums spanning three weeks each. Network diagrams and SNA measures clearly showed the impact of the different learning designs on student engagement in the discussion forums. Based on CoP and CoI structural components within the IMF, a comparative analysis of whole-network properties of the three networks indicated the formation of a CoP, initiated and mediated by the tutor in discussion 1, sustained by the students in discussion 2, and disintegrated due to lack of guidance and facilitation in discussion 3. Qualitative analysis on the content of discussion posts revealed the importance of group oriented messages in the formation of the CoP. The paper discusses findings in terms of implications for learning design and analytics in online learning and the role of the tutor in community formation.

Assessing student learning outcomes and determining achievement of the Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCEP) Core Competency of Values/Ethics in a generic pre-professional Bachelor of Science in Health Science (BSHS) program is challenging. A course level Student Learning Outcome (SLO) is: "….articulate the impact of personal values and professional ethics in healthcare decision-making". A program level terminal learning outcome is to "….critically discuss the interface of values/ethics on health outcomes". One university level Essential Learning Outcome (ELOs) that all baccalaureate students are expected to achieve by graduation is Ethical Reasoning. This was equivalent to the IPCEP Values/Ethics core competency. This paper describes a strategy to simultaneously measure the Values/Ethics competency at course, program, and university levels. A narrative analysis (n = 94) using required ethical decision making BSHS student papers was conducted to determine achievement of SLOs/ELOs and the IPCEP Values/Ethics core competency. Eleven items in the grading criteria were linked to outcome criteria for university ELO competency. A point value was assigned to each of these items using a scoring rubric indicating level of achievement. Results indicated that most students were at the Skilled level for the majority of students, and demonstrated adequate achievement of university, program, and course level learning outcomes as well as achievement of the IPCEP Values/Ethics core competency.

The goal of this paper is to describe a group of adult Mexican English learners' ideologies about different APPRAISAL patterns in English-language scientific texts. APPRAISAL is a descriptive framework of the linguistic resources used to convey feelings and attitudes (Martin & White, 2005). This topic is particularly interesting in EAP (English for Academic Purposes)/EFL (English as a Foreign Language) contexts where L1 academic language ideologies proscribe the use of APPRAISAL features in scientific prose and where such proscriptions are followed in some disciplines and national contexts. Spanish-speaking countries often exemplify this. Forty Mexican undergraduate EFL students majoring in Health Sciences read two versions of the same short paragraph with different APPRAISAL resources. They were asked to say which of the two versions corresponded to a published research article and why. Evaluation patterns in their answers were analyzed using the attitude system of the APPRAISAL framework (Martin & White, 2005). The prevalent types of attitudes were valuation and complexity. While most students preferred the more personal text, a minority chose the more impersonal one. The latter group's attitude constructs a language ideology that equates scientific rigor and technicality with impersonal prose; they also show less awareness of the relationship between APPRAISAL resources and writing for specialized audiences.

In an effort to create a meaningful but reduced set of institutional core competencies, the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Core Competency Project was developed. This paper reviews the importance of core competencies as a unifying institutional tool to examine equitable outcomes for all learners across schools and programs and to meet the expectations of external accreditors. Researchers utilized textual analysis to collect data from 60+ accreditors' guidelines and constant comparative analysis to interpret the data. The results of the study highlight a data-informed approach to competency development that engages stakeholders and provides an approach for other institutions to consider. This research study occurred in the midst of community calls for social justice and during a global pandemic, and these social contexts impacted the study in significant ways. It is from a process of rigorous debate paired with passionate calls for change that meaningful core competency definitions emerged. Researchers conclude by reflecting on the lessons learned from core competency development in times of crisis.

Entrepreneurial education has recently become popular at universities of economics almost all over the world. Various teaching methods play a significant role in the development of future entrepreneurs. Therefore, for a student to become a successful entrepreneur, it is essential to find the most effective tool for the teachers to support entrepreneurship education and find the ideal connection between the needs of the students and the right choice of a teaching method. There is a large gap between the needs of the business environment and university studies in this area. The research is based on 214 questionnaires filled in by the students from two different faculties. The paper aims to find and analyse the preferences of teaching methods for management students based on the following criteria: gender, faculty, degree of study. The students expected to be taught by active methods, e.g., expert lectures and business simulators. Differences in the use of teaching methods were the most evident among students from different faculties. The students of economic faculty prefer active methods to a greater extent than students of social studies. On the contrary, special projects and counselling are preferred teaching methods by students in health and social sciences.

Increasing the participation of students of African descent and other minoritized populations in the scientific workforce is imperative in generating a more equitable biomedical research infrastructure and increasing national research creativity and productivity. Undergraduate research training programs have shown to be essential tools in retaining underrepresented minority (URM) students in the sciences and attracting them into STEM and biomedical careers. This paper describes an innovative approach to harness students' entrepreneurial desire for autonomy and creativity in a Summer Research Institute (SRI) that has served as an entry point into a multiyear, National Institutes of Health Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (NIH BUILD)-funded research training program. The SRI was designed as an 8-week, student-centered and course-based research model in which students select their own research topics. We test here the effects of SRI training on students' science self-efficacy and science identity, along with several other constructs often associated with academic outcomes in the sciences. The data shown here comprise analysis of four different training cohorts throughout four subsequent summers. We show significant gains in students' science self-efficacy and science identity at the conclusion of SRI training, as well as academic adjustment and sense of belonging. SRI participants also displayed substantially improved retention in their science majors and graduation rates.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has added considerable complexity to the education and training of health care professionals as well as patient care. Literature suggests that e-Learning and mobile health (mHealth) technologies have great potential, but research studies are sparse, especially in low- to middle-income countries. The paper presents South African health science students' perceptions of the importance, relevance, constraints and future possibilities of e-Learning and mHealth. Students from five universities participated in a modified Delphi. The first phase of student focus groups and interviews (n = 5), established baseline experiences and perceptions of e-Learning and mHealth during and post-COVID-19. These findings informed the design of an online survey (n = 155) for the second phase of the study. The majority of students were familiar with e-Learning, less so with mHealth; however most believed both to be a beneficial complement to theoretical and clinical teaching. Reasons for an integrated Learning Management System (LMS), also known as virtual learning environments, include increased flexibility, access and enhanced learning; and issues of anxiety, reduced interactivity, an absence of context and a lack of discipline- or profession-specific features as reasons against. The perceived importance of particular features of e-Learning and mHealth tools were highlighted. These findings will contribute to the redesign of online work-integrated curricula and the development of an inclusive, student-centred, health sciences-specific integrated and multi-modal LMS directed towards student-centred learning while addressing concerns around the digital divide and social justice.

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) encompasses the active acquisition of knowledge and skills among students in similar social settings where teaching one another enables reciprocal learning. Same-year/ level PAL (SPAL) is applied in theoretical and clinical teaching across medical disciplines worldwide and is regarded as a teaching and learning strategy promoting self-directed learning. However, it is unclear if SPAL is supporting the academic progress and skills development of students placed on extended curriculum programmes (ECP) in health sciences education (HSE) effectively. This paper focuses on ECP tutors and tutees' experiences of SPAL on their academic, personal and professional development. Six qualitative, semi-structured group interviews were conducted with 41 ECP students (14 tutors and 27 tutees) after they had participated in SPAL sessions. Findings indicate that SPAL supports ECP students not only academically, but also improves graduate attributes and leadership development, and promotes adapting to higher education through the establishment of communities of learning. Embedding structured SPAL sessions into ECPs in HSE was found to be central to the success of this teaching and learning strategy.

Inspired by the 'teaching as inquiry' model, we initiated a focusing inquiry on 2,811 English diagnostic tests that were taken in 2014-2015 by first-year students entering the Health Sciences programme at the University of Otago, a programme for aspiring health professionals. That inquiry aimed to improve the first-year paper taken by students who failed the diagnostic test. Counting and categorizing types of errors, we found that about 56% of all sentences written by these students in the reading comprehension section of the test had an error in grammar, punctuation, or spelling. The first part of this paper examines these errors. The second part of this paper explores the implications of these errors for those students. Our subsequent research revealed significant relationships between grammatical and stylistic competency and tertiary success. Quite simply, we found that students who committed errors of grammar, punctuation, and spelling were less likely to gain placement in health professional programmes such as Medicine, Dentistry, or Physiotherapy.

For those receiving funding from the UK HEFCE-funded Open Educational Resource Programme (2009-2012), the sustainability of project outputs was one of a number of essential goals. Our approach for the hosting and distribution of health and life science open educational resources (OER) was based on the utilisation of the WordPress.org blogging platform and search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques to curate content and widen discovery. This paper outlines the approaches taken and tools used at the time, and reflects upon the effectiveness of web strategies several years post-funding. The paper concludes that using WordPress.org as a platform for sharing and curating OER, and the adoption of a pragmatic approach to SEO, offers cheap and simple ways for small-scale open education projects to be effective and sustainable.

In September 2016, Queen's University launched the first, fully online, 4-year Bachelor of Health Science degree program in Canada. This paper reports on the developmental structure, implementation philosophy, and challenges in the development of this competency-based program. All stakeholders directly involved in program development were invited to participate in this qualitative case study. Thirty-five interviews and three focus groups (n=14) were conducted. Interviews and focus groups were transcribed verbatim and data were analyzed using thematic design. Themes included: program vision; desired program outcomes; administrative processes for funding and recruitment; uniqueness of the program; local, regional and international impact of the program; communication and collaborations for program development; and uncertainty in long term outcomes. Findings suggest that during program development, an explicit vision of program goals encouraged buy-in at most levels of the university. There was consensus that the overarching outcome should be to provide a rigorous, high quality program with pathways to professional, basic science, global health and advocacy-based health professions. The online modality was expected to improve accessibility to degree programs, as well as address diverse student learning needs. Innovation played a vital role in the program's development and was founded in educational theory and curriculum development practices.

The rising costs of college tuition, housing, and textbooks can be a barrier to many who seek a certification or degree in a health profession field. Affordable open educational resources (AOER) are an attractive alternative to expensive course materials. The Health Sciences Department at Weber State University created a comprehensive, two semester anatomy and physiology course using only openly available, copyright-free educational resources and an inexpensive, interactive laboratory program. The product is a collection of resources that includes a 1000+ page study guide, more than 230 small formative learning activities, recorded video lectures, and a comprehensive laboratory program that functions in both online and campus-based environments. This paper outlines the steps taken to transition from a traditional textbook-centered anatomy and physiology curriculum to one that offers students a wide range of learning resources for a fraction of the cost. The reduction of course materials costs will save health sciences students at Weber State University more than $375,000 every year.

In this article, we describe a multi-year writing intervention in a highenrollment professional pharmacy course, implemented by a multidisciplinary team of pharmacy and writing instructors. Built around one capstone writing assignment, the "drug information question" paper, the intervention was designed to specifically improve students' writing and health science reasoning skills and their overall scores in the course, since historically students scored low on this assignment. We provide a background of our pharmacy program and an overview of writing in pharmacy, describe the history of the intervention and collaboration between pharmacy and writing faculty, and explain the design and principles of the intervention, the results, and the implications of the study for STEM writing pedagogy. Over the course of four years, starting with a peer-review model, we have gradually added lectures, workshops, and optional and mandatory Writing Center sessions in an effort to improve students' learning and health science reasoning skills. Over the same period of time, student scores on their written capstone in the course improved significantly, and survey results indicated that the students viewed the peer review process and the writing program interventions favorably.