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Background: Blended online courses, which combine synchronous and asynchronous online activities, have expanded rapidly in higher education. How to enhance student engagement in such courses is unclear, although it is recognized that student engagement is malleable through instructional strategies. Objectives: Given the above, this study aims to examine the influence of categories of strategies on student engagement in blended online courses. Methods: A conceptual framework of instructional strategies indicated as fostering student engagement in the relevant literature was first presented, divided in eight categories (structure, pace, relevance, active, choice, relationships, explanations, guide). Then a research framework linking the categories of strategies to student engagement dimensions (emotional‐cognitive, social, behavioral) was built and tested in blended online courses. Data collected in various disciplines and university levels at four universities (n = 482) were examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results and Conclusions: The structural model examination confirmed the combined effects of categories of instructional strategies on student engagement in such courses in all disciplines. Particularly, this study revealed that 1) establishing trusting relationships, 2) demonstrating the relevance of activities, content, and resources, and 3) maintaining a sustained course pace significantly impacted student engagement in blended online courses in all disciplines. Takeaways: This study draws upon the blended learning literature to bring together key instructional strategies that foster student engagement while highlighting empirical quantitative evidence of their effects on student engagement in blended online courses. Detailed measures of categories of instructional strategies and student engagement dimensions also provide reliable instruments for future research. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter?: Student engagement has important repercussions on perseverance, in‐depth learning, satisfaction, and academic success.Blended online courses merge the benefits of synchronous interactions and online flexibility in terms of time, place, or even study pace.Student engagement is influenced by contextual variations like course modalities and instructional strategies.The literature lacks a quantitative large‐scale portrait of how instructional strategies influence student engagement in blended online courses in higher education. What does this paper add to the existing body of research?: Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to examine the effects of eight categories of instructional strategies on emotional‐cognitive, social, and behavioural dimensions of student engagement.Emotional‐cognitive engagement is largely affected by instructional strategies, while social and behavioural engagement are moderately affected by these.Establishing trusting relationships; demonstrating the relevance of activities, content, and resources; and maintaining a sustained course pace have the most significant effects on student engagement in blended online courses. Implications of study findings for practitioners: Teachers should explicitly support students in the process of developing interpersonal relationships in blended online courses to foster student social engagement, that is, interactions and sense of connectedness between them.Ensuring a sustained pace, dynamism, and a diversity of teaching and learning activities, both synchronously and asynchronously, promotes student engagement in blended online courses.Highlighting or demonstrating the relevance of activities and contents fosters emotional‐cognitive and behavioural student engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper examines what new materialist and posthumanist frameworks can offer learning science research in diverse maker learning environments. We explore what is gained by grappling with the entanglements between humans, non‐humans and more‐than‐humans. To do this, we draw on Karen Barad's ethico‐onto‐epistemology and agential realism where she redefines connections to the shared world by attuning to the entangled matter that is created within intra‐actions. We use this framework across four international cases: digital media camps, a university‐level classroom‐based makerspace, a Saturday outdoor makerspace workshop and a classroom‐based museum makerspace. Each case study attends to how intra‐actions enact agential forces in maker education research—forces that posthuman and new materialist frameworks help us see. In so doing, these case studies challenge many of the assumptions prevalent in the learning sciences about mattering and its implications in research sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Blended synchronous learning (BSL) represents several contexts that enable to bring remote students into the classroom, in real time, by the means of videoconferencing, web conferencing and virtual world. As BSL seems to be more and more implemented in many higher education institutions, especially in the current context of the COVID‐19 pandemic, and given the recent interest and scarce published research in BSL, more studies are needed on this kind of learning. The purpose of this research was to explore students and instructors perspective regarding their experience in BSL, according to three dimensions: pedagogy, technology and organization/logistics. To meet the study objective, a qualitative methodology was adopted. The study participants were remote students (n = 4) and face‐to‐face students (n = 4) enrolled in a graduate program in education offering only blended synchronous courses, and instructors (n = 5) in this program. Semi‐structured interviews were selected as the data collection method. Nine sub‐themes in reference to the three dimensions emerged from the study participants. They have also highlighted some challenges associated with BSL. The results reported in this study should provide faculties and higher education administrators with additional information and guidance, based on empirical data, on the use of BSL if they wish to implement it in academic programs. Moreover, in regard to the challenges revealed by the study participants, the results will permit to surpass the obstacles when implementing BSL successfully. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Blended synchronous Learning (BSL) is more and more used in higher education.BSL may be a good alternative for higher education institutions in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic, as it permits to reduce the number of involved students in face‐to‐face activities, by offloading some students to online from their home or a remote site.Despite its gain in popularity, little research has been performed on BSL and this research is somewhat sparse.Further research and recommendations are needed for faculties and higher education administrators to assist them in ascertaining what works and what does not in BSL. What this paper adds: The purpose of this study was to report on students and instructors experience on BSL, with remote students participating from multiple sites and face‐to‐face students from a single site.Students and instructors perspectives were explored using three dimensions: pedagogy, technology and organisation/logistics.Challenges associated with BSL were highlighted by the study participants Implications for practice and/or policy: The results of this study will guide faculties in designing and implementing BSL for their students.The challenges highlighted in the study results should be taken into account when implementing BSL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The introduction of digital literacy practices has created a tension in academia, with many academics challenging the view that critical thinking can be fostered on social networks. A quasi-experimental study was conducted on two sections of university-level writing classrooms to determine if there were meaningful differences in the quality of writing and peer feedback generated through in-class draft workshops using traditional methods as compared to draft workshops using a blogging platform. The results indicated that blogs produced a higher quality of writing as measured by grades, f(42) = 11.512, p < .002 and acceptance scores, f(42) = 8.364, p < .006. Furthermore, blog-mediated peer workshops produced a statistically significantly higher number of critical comments, f(42) = 120.438, p < .000; and directive comments, f(42) = 33.861, p < .000. There were no statistically significant differences in the number of editing comments, f(42) = .001, p < .974, and traditional draft workshops produced a statistically significant higher number of naïve comments, f(42) = 14.119, p < .001.Within the study, critical comments were found to correlate positively with learning outcomes, b = 1.115, t(41) = 2.716, p < .01. The findings suggest that blogging software improved learner performance and fostered complex literacy skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Review of Sociology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cross-country comparisons of the skill premium between USA and Canada show differences in the returns to higher education between the two countries since the 1980s. This paper analyses whether such differences could be related to differences in skill distribution and worker sorting across firm size between the two countries. Estimation of the wage structure by size for male non-unionized workers in the private sector reveals that selectivity effects on wages are present and similar in both countries. There are significant and substantial cross-country differences in the returns to education among large firms, especially for younger workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to understand the impact of cultural differences on mobile learning adoption through identifying key adoption characteristics in Canada and Turkey, which have markedly different cultural backgrounds. A multi-group analysis was employed to test the hypothesised relationships based on the data collected by means of survey questionnaires from 190 and 163 undergraduate students in Turkey and Canada respectively. The results indicated that there is a strong relationship between culture and adoption behaviour, and there are major differences in patterns between the adoption behaviours of the two countries. Implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L'accès aux universités prestigieuses, les mieux classées et dotées de ressources, quoique peu étudié, représente une dimension additionnelle des inégalités en éducation au Canada. La théorie de l'inégalité maintenue efficacement (IME) soutient que les groupes favorisés vont dominer l'accès aux institutions les mieux classées peu importe le palier scolaire. Cet article teste cette hypothèse en utilisant les données uniques de milliers d'élèves du Conseil Scolaire Public de Toronto (TDSB) qui ont été suivis à partir de la neuvième année jusqu'à leur entrée dans un établissement postsecondaire. Ces données ont ensuite été associées aux données de classement des universités, de leur revenu, de leurs dépenses et de leurs fonds de dotation. Une série de modèles statistiques à niveaux multiples indique que l'entrée dans la hiérarchie universitaire ontarienne tend à refléter les inégalités dans l'accès général aux universités. Les femmes, les étudiants d'origine asiatique, et les étudiants issus des quartiers ayant des statuts socio-économiques élevés sont plus susceptibles d'entrer dans les universités les mieux classées et dotées de ressources; tandis que les étudiants qui s'identifient comme Noirs et hommes, sont moins susceptibles d'entrer dans ces institutions. Les avantages du statut socio-économique élevé et de l'origine asiatique sont seulement partiellement expliqués par les variables académiques comme variables médiatrices. Ceci suggère que le statut culturel joue un rôle dans l'élaboration du choix universitaire, alors que le sexe ainsi que les autres inégalités raciales sont dus en grande partie aux processus du parcours académique. Access to highly ranked, prestigious, and well-resourced universities represents an additional yet understudied dimension of educational inequality in Canada. The theory of effectively maintained inequality contends that advantaged groups will dominate access to the best-positioned institutions within any credential tier. This paper tests this hypothesis using unique data on thousands of Toronto District School Board students that were tracked from Grade 9 to their entry in Ontario postsecondary institutions, and then linked to data on university rankings, incomes, expenditures, and endowments. A series of multilevel models shows that entry into Ontario's university hierarchy tends to mirror inequalities in general access to universities. Female, Asian-origin, and students from higher socioeconomic neighborhoods are more likely to enter higher ranked and better resourced institutions, while students who self-identify as black and male are less likely to enter such institutions. High socioeconomic status and Asian-origin advantages are mediated only partly by academic variables, suggesting that status cultures play a role in shaping their university choices, while gender and other racial inequalities emerge largely through academic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaboration between the education and service providers assists with the development of enhanced clinical and educational experiences for students. This paper describes an innovative collaborative program developed by the School of Nursing, University of Ballarat and Grampians Psychiatric Services, Ballarat Health Services. Mental health clinical nursing staff are the student off-campus clinical supervisors and on-campus lecturers, supported by two jointly appointed co-ordinators. Program evaluation reveals that this collaborative approach assists in the provision of a supportive learning environment, increases enthusiasm about psychiatric nursing and draws on relevant mental health nursing skills in the university and service sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many South African university students either do not complete their degrees or take a prolonged time to meet the minimum degree requirements, with significant cost implications. Identifying malleable drivers of academic success is an important starting point in designing policies and programmes to improve student outcomes. To this end, we assess grit and intrinsic motivation as possible predictors of academic success, where motivation type is coded using text analysis of open‐ended responses. We also investigate interactions between these traits. In line with existing literature, mostly in the United States and Canada, our results show that higher levels of grit are related to higher grades among Economic and Management Science students in a South African University. We further note intrinsic motivation as a significant predictor of grit levels. Our findings suggest that grade outcomes might be improved by interventions focusing on building grittiness in students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cheating at the post‐secondary level is a skewed phenomenon. While personality and environmental factors are associated with cheating, few studies account for the zero inflation when predicting cheating behaviour. Aim: In this study, we explore a person‐situation interaction hypothesis where teacher autonomy support (AS) could modify the relation between students' honesty trait and premeditated cheating. Sample: Participants were 710 college students and 31 teachers. Methods: Teacher and student reports of teacher AS were collected and students also completed self‐reports of honesty and premeditated cheating. Results: Given that cheating had a zero‐inflated negative binomial distribution, we can investigate two separate outcomes: likelihood of cheating and magnitude of cheating. Predictably, student honesty trait predicted lower likelihood and magnitude of cheating. AS, whether student‐ or teacher‐reported, moderated the relation between honesty and likelihood of cheating. In low perceived AS teaching environments, student honesty was associated with cheating likelihood. However, there was no such relation in high perceived AS teaching environments. Conclusions: Students' honesty generally predicts lower cheating. However, the educational environment provided by the teacher influences the strength of this association. The less autonomy‐supportive students perceive the educational environment, the more their personality is important in predicting the likelihood of cheating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Higher Education Quarterly is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article conveys the results of a reflexive investigation of the managerial practices and entrepreneurial discourses that shape the academic trajectories of early career scholars. Beginning with the experiences of early career scholars in research‐intensive universities in Canada and Hong Kong, the authors explore some of the social and political‐economic relations that are reshaping higher education systems across the world. Drawing on experiences navigating university governance, funding and performance management processes, the authors explore how participation in the marketised relations of higher education inserts people into competition with colleagues within and beyond a single university context, instrumentalises and constrains relationships with civil sector collaborators, and produces a shared sense that nothing one does is ever enough. In this way, the article illuminates some of the ways a new global knowledge economy conditions academic life. 摘要: 本文探討學術管理主義和企業論述如何塑造新晉學者的學術軌跡, 並匯報相關反思性研究的結果。本文以任職加拿大和香港研究型大學的早期新晉學者為例, 開始探討一些正在重塑全球高等教育體系的社會和政治經濟關係。作者利用新晉學者如何探索大學治理、資金和績效管理流程的經驗, 從而了解高等教育界的市場化關係如何將競爭意存植入在大學界的同事之間、令到與公民社會的協作關係工具化、並產生一種感到工作慣常不達標的意存。通過上述的方法, 本文闡明了新型全球知存經濟影響學術生活的一些方式。 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile apps take advantage of the ubiquity of mobile phones and can be used to share unique pedagogical experiences with multimedia content not yet available in curriculums. This preliminary study used a quasi‐experimental pretest‐posttest design to examine changes in self‐reported empathy toward sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) minority people. We also report on the associations between gender and a physiological measure of emotional activation, skin conductance level (SCL), on self‐reported empathy. The main results of this study that examined 57 undergraduate students at a Canadian University whom interacted with a queer history app individually were the following: Preliminary evidence that (1) students' empathy toward SO and GI minorities can be measured using a modified version of the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE). (2) Statistically significant increases in empathy toward SO and GI minorities pre to post app interaction. (3) Students' pre‐ and post‐empathy levels were statistically significantly higher toward SO than GI minorities. (4) Female students had statistically significantly higher self‐reported empathy toward SO and GI minorities than males. (5) Male students had statistically significantly higher SCL than females. (6) Statistically significant interaction between SCL grouping and questionnaire administration on GI minority empathy. Findings and implications are discussed in lieu of the contributions that mobile apps can play to support social change, in particular, by fostering empathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how art and design education can contribute to the imperative of climate change and help societies adapt to living more sustainably. Drawing on methods from arts‐based research and qualitative case study, it reports on an investigation into what can be learned from creating environmental art installations with preservice teachers (those training to be K‐12 teachers), as part of an environmental art education programme in a leading Canadian university. Findings support that preservice teachers experienced behavioural and attitudinal shifts towards sustainability after engaging in the processes of creating environmental art; involvement in the programme also provided opportunities for building community, engaging multiple domains of learning, modelling sustainable art‐making practices and prompting environmental activism. The results of this study inform a developing pedagogy for environmental art education in higher education settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article examines social mobility among the children of immigrants, whose population has become increasingly diverse over time. Methods: Using data from Canadian censuses, we focus on group differences by racial minority status in two aspects: (1) intergenerational progress in educational attainment, which indicates the ability to achieve higher education regardless of parents' education, and (2) the relationship between education and labor market outcomes, which reveals the ability to convert educational qualifications into economic well‐being. Results: Our analysis in general paints a very positive picture for the children of immigrants regarding the first aspect, while mixed results are evident for the second aspect. In particular, some racial minority groups are characterized by high educational attainment and average earnings, while some experienced low education mobility across generations and low labor market returns to education. Conclusion: The results suggest that there are divergent paths of socioeconomic integration among the second‐generation racial minority groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Public Administration is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Review of Sociology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Public Administration is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this student-faculty partnership research study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a blended four-year Bachelor of Education Elementary Program at a Canadian university using the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) framework. Data was collected from the first graduating cohort of students from the B.Ed. program in partnership with four Undergraduate Student Research Assistants (USRA). The students in this study completed online surveys and participated in focus groups at the end of their first and fourth years in the program. The study participants provided recommendations for improving the quality of the program based on the five NSSE benchmarks and the use of digital technologies. The main recommendations that emerged from this study were that student and faculty interactions, outside of the classroom, could be enhanced through the use of web-based conferencing tools to support 'virtual' office hours. Course assignments that incorporate peer mentoring activities through the use of social media applications could provide richer opportunities for active and collaborative learning. Creating more intentional connections between academic coursework and field placements through the use of Google applications could help to strengthen the relationship between theory and practice in the program. Enriching educational experiences could be expanded through the use of social media applications to promote and communicate student led academic and social events. A supportive campus environment could be improved by the development of a digital 'road map' and co-curricular record for the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CONTEXT Although health professions education scholarship units (HPESUs) share a commitment to the production and dissemination of rigorous educational practices and research, they are situated in many different contexts and have a wide range of structures and functions. OBJECTIVES In this study, the authors explore the institutional logics common across HPESUs, and how these logics influence the organisation and activities of HPESUs. METHODS The authors analysed interviews with HPESU leaders in Canada (n = 12), Australia (n = 21), New Zealand (n = 3) and the USA (n = 11). Using an iterative process, they engaged in inductive and deductive analyses to identify institutional logics across all participating HPESUs. They explored the contextual factors that influence how these institutional logics impact each HPESU's structure and function. RESULTS Participants identified three institutional logics influencing the organisational structure and functions of an HPESU: (i) the logic of financial accountability; (ii) the logic of a cohesive education continuum, and (iii) the logic of academic research, service and teaching. Although most HPESUs embodied all three logics, the power of the logics varied among units. The relative power of each logic influenced leaders' decisions about how members of the unit allocate their time, and what kinds of scholarly contribution and product are valued by the HPESU. CONCLUSIONS Identifying the configuration of these three logics within and across HPESUs provides insights into the reasons why individual units are structured and function in particular ways. Having a common language in which to discuss these logics can enhance transparency, facilitate evaluation, and help leaders select appropriate indicators of HPESU success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Review of Sociology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Context Health professional student evaluation during experiential training is notably subjective and assessor judgements may be affected by socio-cultural influences. Objectives This study sought to explore how clinical preceptors in pharmacy conceptualise varying levels of student performance and to identify any contextual differences that may exist across different countries. Methods The qualitative research design employed semi-structured interviews. A sample of 20 clinical preceptors for post-baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy programmes in Canada and the Middle East gave personal accounts of how students they had supervised fell below, met or exceeded their expectations. Discussions were analysed following constructivist grounded theory principles. Results Seven major themes encompassing how clinical pharmacy preceptors categorise levels of student performance and behaviour were identified: knowledge; team interaction; motivation; skills; patient care; communication, and professionalism. Expectations were outlined using both positive and negative descriptions. Pharmacists typically described supervisory experiences representing a series of these categories, but arrived at concluding judgements in a holistic fashion: if valued traits of motivation and positive attitude were present, overall favourable impressions of a student could be maintained despite observations of a few deficiencies. Some prioritised dimensions could not be mapped to defined existing educational outcomes. There was no difference in thresholds for how student performance was distinguished by participants in the two regions. Conclusions The present research findings are congruent with current literature related to the constructs used by clinical supervisors in health professional student workplace-based assessment and provide additional insight into cross-national perspectives in pharmacy. As previously determined in social work and medicine, further study of how evaluation instruments and associated processes can integrate these judgements should be pursued in this discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Checklists are commonly used in the assessment of procedural competence. However, on most checklists, high scores are often unable to rule out incompetence as the commission of a few serious procedural errors typically results in only a minimal reduction in performance score. We hypothesised that checklists constructed based on procedural errors may be better at identifying incompetence. Objectives This study sought to compare the efficacy of an error-focused checklist and a conventionally constructed checklist in identifying procedural incompetence. Methods We constructed a 15-item error-focused checklist for lumbar puncture ( LP) based on input from 13 experts in four Canadian academic centres, using a modified Delphi approach, over three rounds of survey. Ratings of 18 video-recorded performances of LP on simulators using the error-focused tool were compared with ratings obtained using a published conventional 21-item checklist. Competence/incompetence decisions were based on global assessment. Diagnostic accuracy was estimated using the area under the curve ( AUC) in receiver operating characteristic analyses. Results The accuracy of the conventional checklist in identifying incompetence was low ( AUC 0.11, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 0.00-0.28) in comparison with that of the error-focused checklist ( AUC 0.85, 95% CI 0.67-1.00). The internal consistency of the error-focused checklist was lower than that of the conventional checklist (α = 0.35 and α = 0.79, respectively). The inter-rater reliability of both tools was high (conventional checklist: intraclass correlation coefficient [ ICC] 0.99, 95% CI 0.98-1.00; error-focused checklist: ICC 0.92, 95% CI 0.68-0.98). Conclusions Despite higher internal consistency and inter-rater reliability, the conventional checklist was less accurate at identifying procedural incompetence. For assessments in which it is important to identify procedural incompetence, we recommend the use of an error-focused checklist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Reflective writing is a popular tool to support the growth of reflective capacity in undergraduate medical learners. Its popularity stems from research suggesting that reflective capacity may lead to improvements in skills such as empathy, communication, collaboration and professionalism. This has led to assumptions that reflective writing can also serve as a tool for student assessment. However, evidence to support the reliability and validity of reflective writing as a meaningful assessment strategy is lacking. Methods Using a published instrument for measuring 'reflective capacity' (the Reflection Evaluation for Learners' Enhanced Competencies Tool [ REFLECT]), four trained raters independently scored four samples of writing from each of 107 undergraduate medical students to determine the reliability of reflective writing scores. REFLECT scores were then correlated with scores on a Year 4 objective structured clinical examination ( OSCE) and Year 2 multiple-choice question ( MCQ) examinations to examine, respectively, convergent and divergent validity. Results Across four writing samples, four-rater Cronbach's α-values ranged from 0.72 to 0.82, demonstrating reasonable inter-rater reliability with four raters using the REFLECT rubric. However, inter-sample reliability was fairly low (four-sample Cronbach's α = 0.54, single-sample intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.23), which suggests that performance on one reflective writing sample was not strongly indicative of performance on the next. Approximately 14 writing samples are required to achieve reasonable inter-sample reliability. The study found weak, non-significant correlations between reflective writing scores and both OSCE global scores ( r = 0.13) and MCQ examination scores ( r = 0.10), demonstrating a lack of relationship between reflective writing and these measures of performance. Conclusions Our findings suggest that to draw meaningful conclusions about reflective capacity as a stable construct in individuals requires 14 writing samples per student, each assessed by four or five raters. This calls into question the feasibility and utility of using reflective writing rigorously as an assessment tool in undergraduate medical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Public Administration is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The increase in available student placements at colleges and universities, the implementation of provincial and federal postsecondary education policies, and the rise of the educational aspirations of families and individuals have all led to the massification of Canadian higher education. Based on Merle's typology of the forms of democratization, this article attempts to revisit the theory of equality of opportunities by critically analyzing the link between massification of higher education and social equity. The results of an analysis of longitudinal data from the (YIT) Youth in Transition Survey show that at the age of 24 in 2008, approximately 77% of young Canadians have pursued studies in a college or university. If access to postsecondary education is now higher, to what extent has it improved social equity? The article shows, in light of the Merle's typology, that mass university education is achieved in part under the seal of a segregative democratization, while college education tends to be egalitarian. L'augmentation de la capacité d'accueil des collèges et des universités, la mise en œuvre de politiques provinciales et fédérales de développement de l'enseignement postsecondaire et la montée des aspirations scolaires des familles et des individus ont contribué à massifier l'enseignement supérieur canadien. En se basant sur la typologie des formes de démocratisation de Merle, le présent article tente de revisiter la théorie de l'égalité des chances en s'interrogeant sur le lien entre la massification de l'enseignement supérieur et l'équité sociale. Les résultats obtenus à partir de données longitudinales provenant de l'Enquête auprès de jeunes en transition (EJET) montrent qu'à l'âge de 24 ans en 2008, environ 77 % des jeunes Canadiens ont poursuivi des études dans un collège ou une université. Si l'accès aux études postsecondaires est aujourd'hui plus élevé, dans quelle mesure celui-ci a-t-il amélioré l'équité sociale? L'article montre, à la lumière de la typologie de Merle, que la massification de l'enseignement universitaire se réalise en partie sous le sceau d'une démocratisation ségrégative, tandis que l'enseignement collégial a tendance à être égalisateur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context The merits of informal learning have been widely reported and embraced by medical educators. However, research has yet to describe in detail the extent to which informal intraprofessional or informal interprofessional education is part of graduate medical education ( GME), and the nature of those informal education experiences. This study seeks to describe: (i) who delivers informal education to residents; (ii) how often they do so; (iii) the content they share; and (iv) the teaching techniques they use. Methods This study describes instances of informal learning in GME captured through non-participant observations in two contexts: a palliative care hospice and a paediatric hospital. Analysis of 60 hours of observation data involved a process of collaborative team consensus to: (i) identify instances of informal intraprofessional and informal interprofessional education, and (ii) categorise these instances by Can MEDS Role and teaching technique. Results Findings indicate that 84.8% of GME-level informal education that takes place in these two settings is physician-led and 15.2% is nurse-led. Organised by Can MEDS Role, findings reveal that, although all Roles are addressed by both physicians and nurses, those most commonly addressed are Medical Expert (physicians: 35.7%; nurses: 27.5%) and Communicator (physicians: 22.3%; nurses: 25.0%). Organised by teaching technique, findings reveal that physicians and nurses favour similar techniques. Conclusions Although it is not surprising that informal interprofessional education plays a lesser role than informal intraprofessional education in GME, these findings suggest that the role of informal interprofessional education is worthy of support. Echoing the calls of others, we posit that medical education should recognise and capitalise on the contributions of informal learning, whether it occurs intra- or interprofessionally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Education scholarship ( ES) is integral to the transformation of medical education. Faculty members who engage in ES need encouragement and recognition of this work. Beginning with the definition of ES as 'an umbrella term which can encompass both research and innovation in health professions education', and which as such represents an activity that is separate and distinct from teaching and leadership, the purpose of our study was to explore how promotion policies and processes are used in Canadian medical schools to support and promote ES. Methods We conducted an analysis of the promotion policies of 17 Canadian medical schools and interviews with a key informant at each institution. We drew on an interpretive approach to policy analysis to analyse the data and to understand explicit messages about how ES was represented and supported. Results Of the 17 schools' promotion documents, only nine contained specific reference to ES. There was wide variation in focus and level of detail. All key informants indicated that ES is recognised and considered for academic promotion. Barriers to the support and recognition of ES included a lack of understanding of ES and its relationship to teaching and leadership. This was manifest in the variability in promotion policies and processes, support systems, and career planning and pathways for ES. Conclusions This lack of clarity may make it challenging for medical school faculty members to make sense of how they might successfully align ES within an academic career. There is a need therefore to better articulate ES in promotion policies and support systems. Creating a common understanding of ES, developing guidelines to assess the impact of all forms of ES, developing an informed leadership and system of mentors, and creating explicit role descriptions and guidelines are identified as potential strategies to ensure that ES is appropriately valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context The use of roles such as medical expert, advocate or communicator to define competencies is currently popular in health professions education. Can MEDS is one framework that has been subject to great uptake across multiple countries and professions. The examination of the historical and cultural choices of names for roles generates insight into the nature and construction of roles. One role that has appeared in and disappeared from roles-based frameworks is that of the 'person'. Methods In order to examine the implications of explicitly including or excluding the role of the 'physician as person' in a competency framework, we conducted a contrastive analysis of the development of frameworks in Canada and the Netherlands. We drew upon critical social science theoretical understandings of the power of language in our analysis. Results In Canada, the 'person' role was a late addition to the precursory work that informed Can MEDS, and was then excluded from the final set of Can MEDS role names. In the Netherlands, a 'reflector' role was added in some Dutch schools and programmes when Can MEDS was adopted. This was done in order to explicitly emphasise the importance of the 'person' of the trainee. Conclusions In analysing choices of names for roles, we have the opportunity to see how cultural and historical contexts affect conceptions of the roles of doctors. The taking up and discarding of the 'person' role in Canada and the Netherlands suggest that as medical educators we may need to further consider the ways in which we wish the trainee as a person to be made visible in the curriculum and in assessment tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The construct of 'preparation for future learning' ( PFL) is understood as the ability to learn new information from available resources, relate new learning to past experiences and demonstrate innovation and flexibility in problem solving. Preparation for future learning has been proposed as a key competence of adaptive expertise. There is a need for educators to ensure that opportunities are provided for students to develop PFL ability and that assessments accurately measure the development of this form of competence. The objective of this research was to compare the relative impacts of basic science instruction and clinically focused instruction on performance on a PFL assessment ( PFLA). Methods This study employed a 'double transfer' design. Fifty-one pre-clerkship students were randomly assigned to either basic science instruction or clinically focused instruction to learn four categories of disease. After completing an initial assessment on the learned material, all participants received clinically focused instruction for four novel diseases and completed a PFLA. The data from the initial assessment and the PFLA were submitted to independent-sample t-tests. Results Mean ± standard deviation [ SD] scores on the diagnostic cases in the initial assessment were similar for participants in the basic science (0.65 ± 0.11) and clinical learning (0.62 ± 0.11) conditions. The difference was not significant ( t[42] = 0.90, p = 0.37, d = 0.27). Analysis of the diagnostic cases on the PFLA revealed significantly higher mean ± SD scores for participants in the basic science learning condition (0.72 ± 0.14) compared with those in the clinical learning condition (0.63 ± 0.15) ( t[42] = 2.02, p = 0.05, d = 0.62). Conclusions Our results show that the inclusion of basic science instruction enhanced the learning of novel related content. We discuss this finding within the broader context of research on basic science instruction, development of adaptive expertise and assessment in medical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Learners can focus on mastery (i.e. task orientation) or on learning relative to others (i.e. ego orientation). Previous research suggests task orientations are optimal for learning, a benefit usually linked to the suggestion that qualitative comments are better for learning than quantitative comparisons (i.e. grades). Yet, it is not clear if the observed effects are attributable to the feedback orientation (i.e. task versus ego), feedback format (i.e. comments versus numerical scores), or an interaction between the two. Here, we aimed to clarify the effects of feedback orientation and feedback format during simulation-based training in endotracheal intubation. Methods Forty-one medical students were randomly assigned to four feedback conditions: Task-oriented Numerical; Ego-oriented Numerical; Task-oriented Comment, and Ego-oriented Comment. Participants performed a total of 20 trials of endotracheal intubation. Pre-test, post-test and retention test assessments included the use of hand motion analysis and a global rating scale ( GRS). Participants rated feedback credibility, self-assessment and self-confidence using Likert-type scales. Analyses of variance were used to examine group differences. Results Participants' performance did not differ significantly on the easiest (p > 0.2) or two complex variations of intubation (p > 0.3). For the moderately difficult variation, analyses of hand motion and GRS data revealed significant group differences at post-test (p < 0.05), but no differences on the retention test. Analysis of participants' perceptions showed significant interactions whereby the Ego-oriented Numerical group rated feedback credibility (p < 0.01) higher than the Task-oriented Numerical group; the two Comment groups did not differ. Some participants recounted negative experiences with the feedback they received. Conclusions Medical students responded to feedback in ways that challenge previous education research. Specifically, students preferred and improved more in the short term (but not at retention) when receiving Ego-oriented feedback in Numerical form. Although learning retention did not differ significantly across feedback conditions, students' perceptions of themselves and of the teacher and training environment did differ and the implications for trainees' future learning must be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context An increasing number of medical students are engaging in international medical electives, the majority of which involve travel from northern, higher-income countries to southern, lower-income countries. Existing research has identified benefits to students participating in these experiences. However, reports on the impacts on host communities are largely absent from the literature. Objectives The current study aims to identify host country perspectives on international medical electives. Methods Questionnaires were delivered to a convenience sample of supervisors hosting international elective students ( n = 39) from a Canadian medical school. Responses represented 22 countries. Conventional content analysis of the qualitative data was used to identify themes in host supervisor perspectives on the impact of international medical electives. Results Host country supervisors identified that in addition to the benefits realised by the elective students, supervisors and their institutions also benefited from hosting Canadian students. Although some host supervisors denied the occurrence of any harm, others expressed concern that international elective students may negatively impact the local community in terms of resource use and patient care. Host country supervisors also identified potential harms to travelling students including health risks and emotional distress. Ideas for improving international electives were identified and were largely centred around increasing the bidirectional flow of students by establishing formal partnerships between institutions. Conclusions This research provides important insights into the impacts of international medical student electives from the perspective of host country supervisors. This research may be a starting point for further research and the establishment of meaningful partnerships that incorporate the self-identified needs of receiving institutions, especially those in lower-income settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

doi: 10.1111/j.1741-2358.2011.00540.x Assessing the oral health of an ageing population: methods, challenges and predictors of survey participation Objectives: To examine predictors of participation and to describe the methodological considerations of conducting a two-stage population-based oral health survey. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional survey (telephone interview and clinical oral examination) of community-dwelling adults aged 45-64 and ≥65 living in Nova Scotia, Canada was conducted. Results: The survey response rate was 21% for the interview and 13.5% for the examination. A total of 1141 participants completed one or both components of the survey. Both age groups had higher levels of education than the target population; the age 45-64 sample also had a higher proportion of females and lower levels of employment than the target population. Completers (participants who completed interview and examination) were compared with partial completers (who completed only the interview), and stepwise logistic regression was performed to examine predictors of completion. Identified predictors were as follows: not working, post-secondary education and frequent dental visits. Conclusion: Recruitment, communications and logistics present challenges in conducting a province-wide survey. Identification of employment, education and dental visit frequency as predictors of survey participation provide insight into possible non-response bias and suggest potential for underestimation of oral disease prevalence in this and similar surveys. This potential must be considered in analysis and in future recruitment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Review of Sociology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article makes an explicit comparison between the reconfiguration of tertiary language education in Europe, the USA and Canada. It argues that, despite certain minor differences between continents, the same trends are operative across the Atlantic. It then examines each of them, illustrating how similar forces are at work in shaping higher education language teaching, how analogous policy frameworks are being employed to channel them and how parallel challenges and responses can be detected transatlantically. The conclusion is that unifying efforts and connecting initiatives has highly beneficial effects for advancing the application of higher education language policy worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter presents pertinent topics for institutional leaders to consider in developing and maintaining a community college athletic program. The authors present a “road map” for institutional decision makers involved in expanding, eliminating, or maintaining athletic teams and programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Geographer is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Comments on the article 'The challenge of change: Canadian universities in the twenty-first century,' by David M. Cameron, which appeared in the 'Canadian Public Administration' journal. Nature and extent of the challenge of change at Canada's universities; Validity of the assertion that universities have been slow to adapt and become more entrepreneurial; Universal perspective on provincial funding.

Examines the economic returns to total investment in graduate study in Canada. Costs of post-secondary education; Details on earnings by degree and selected field of study; Assessment of social returns to investment in graduate studies.