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Whether manually or through the use of software, a non-linear information organization framework known as mind mapping offers an alternative method for capturing thoughts, ideas and information to linear thinking modes such as outlining. Mind mapping is brainstorming, organizing, and problem solving. This paper examines mind mapping techniques, advantages, and disadvantages of hand-drawn maps and using mind mapping software. Several mind mapping software applications are compared on a number of product dimensions. Survey results provide a descriptive profile of mind map users in education, government and business sectors.

Introduction: Emergency medicine (EM) is one of few specialties with variable training lengths. Hiring a three-year graduate to continue fellowship training in a department that supports a four-year residency program can lead to conflicts around resident supervision. We sought to understand hiring and clinical supervision, or staffing, patterns of non-Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) fellowships hosted at institutions supporting four-year residency programs.Methods: We performed a web-based, cross-sectional survey of non-ACGME fellowship directors (FD) hosted at institutions supporting four-year EM residency programs. We calculated descriptive statistics. Our primary outcome was the proportion of programs with four-year EM residencies that hire non-ACGME fellows graduating from three-year EM residencies.Results: Of 119 eligible FDs, 88 (74%) completed the survey. Seventy FDs (80%) indicated that they hire graduates of three-year residencies. Fifty-six (80%) indicated that three-year graduates supervise residents. Most FDs (74%) indicated no additional requirements exist to supervise residents outside of being hired as faculty. The FDs cited department policy, concerns about quality and length of training, and resident complaints as reasons for not hiring three-year graduates. A majority (10/18, 56%) noted that not hiring fellows from three-year programs negatively impacts recruitment and gives them access to a smaller applicant pool.Conclusion: Most non-ACGME fellowships at institutions with four-year EM programs recruit three-year graduates and allow them to supervise residents. This survey provides programs information on how comparable fellowships recruit and staff their departments, which may inform policies that fit the needs of their learners, the fellowship, and the department.

Abstract: Great effort has been invested in increasing STEM achievement among students, but feelings of low status among underrepresented or otherwise vulnerable students may be creating additional challenges. The present study assessed how perceptions of social status within the classroom—termed subjective social status—aligned with objective course performance and differed by sex, first-generation status, work status, and race/ethnicity among 713 students enrolled across three introductory statistics classes. Findings indicated that final exam score was moderately related to ratings of subjective social status, suggesting that factors besides objective course performance may influence classroom subjective social status. When asked to explain how they evaluated their standing in the course, students reported five main themes, including both academic achievement with respect to exam scores and their understanding of course content. When examining differences by status-based identities in subjective social status, we found that female and first-generation students had lower subjective social status compared to their male and continuing-generation peers, although results were less robust for first-generation status. Likewise, working students reported lower subjective social status relative to non-working students, despite showing no difference in final exam score. In contrast, although Asian/Asian American students outperformed Latine students, there were no differences in reports of subjective social status between Asian/Asian American, Latine, and white students. Taken together, results suggest that factors beyond course performance may relate to students’ subjective social status, and subjective social status may contribute to disparities in academic performance, especially by sex and work status.

The efficacy of the various pedagogies that are used in human anatomy laboratories has been extensively debated. Nevertheless, an important question remains relatively unexamined-how the learning experience in the anatomy laboratory impacts students' mastery and application of anatomical knowledge beyond the laboratory setting. In this study, the effect of a prosection-based anatomy laboratory on overall comprehension and mastery of anatomical knowledge was evaluated in an upper division undergraduate anatomy curriculum that consists of a mandatory lecture course and an optional laboratory course. This flexible curricular structure permitted assessing the merit of laboratory learning on the written examination performance of the lecture course. In 2019 and 2022, the anatomy laboratory was taught in-person using prosections, while in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic related regulations, it was taught remotely with live-streaming of prosections using document cameras. In both in-person and remote instructive formats, written examination scores of the lecture course were compared between two cohorts of students: Those enrolled in lecture only and those enrolled in both lecture and laboratory. Results showed that the cohort enrolled in both lecture and laboratory courses consistently outperformed the lecture-only cohort by one full letter grade. Furthermore, when the degrees of improvement on written examination scores were compared between the two instructive formats, in-person laboratory had a greater increase compared to remote laboratory. Altogether this study demonstrates that the prosection-based anatomy laboratory enhances students' mastery of anatomical knowledge beyond the laboratory setting by promoting comprehension of spatial relationships of anatomical structures.

Presents social scientists' claim that IQ scores can determine a person's social, educational, and occupational future at an early age. Echoes the Platonic idea that each individual should be put to the use for which nature intended, and that IQ, which is thought to be hereditary, can effectively predict this use. (58 citations) (EMH)

Abstract Background Computational approaches in STEM foster creative extrapolations of ideas that extend the bounds of human perception, processing, and sense-making. Inviting teachers to explore computational approaches in STEM presents opportunities to examine shifting relationships to inquiry that support transdisciplinary learning in their classrooms. Similarly, play has long been acknowledged as activity that supports learners in taking risks, exploring the boundaries and configurations of existing structures, and imagining new possibilities. Yet, play is often overlooked as a crucial element of STEM learning, particularly for adolescents and adults. In this paper, we explore computational play as an activity that supports teachers’ transdisciplinary STEM learning. We build from an expansive notion of computational activity that involves jointly co-constructing and co-exploring rule-based systems in conversation with materials, collaborators, and communities to work towards jointly defined goals. We situate computation within STEM-rich making as a playful context for engaging in authentic, creative inquiry. Our research asks What are the characteristics of play and computation within computational play? And, in what ways does computational play contribute to teachers’ transdisciplinary learning? Results Teachers from grades 3–12 participated in a professional learning program that centered playful explorations of materials and tools using computational approaches: making objects based on rules that produce emergent behaviors and iterating on those rules to observe the effects on how the materials behaved. Using a case study and descriptions of the characteristics of computational play, our results show how familiarity of materials and the context of play encouraged teachers to engage in transdisciplinary inquiry, to ask questions about how materials behave, and to renegotiate their own relationships to disciplinary learning as they reflected on their work. Conclusions We argue computational play is a space of wonderment where iterative conversations with materials create opportunities for learners to author forms of transdisciplinary learning. Our results show how teachers and students can learn together in computational play, and we conclude this work can contribute to ongoing efforts in the design of professional and transdisciplinary learning environments focused on the intersections of materiality, play, and computation.

Although there is no consensus on availability of teaching jobs, teaching jobs are available in specific geographic areas and in selected specialties. Career counseling and placement personnel cannot guarantee jobs to certified teachers, nor can they discourage them. Experiential learning is essential in a tight job market. (Author/BEF)

Abstract Background/Objective: A growing number of biomedical doctoral graduates are entering the biotechnology and industry workforce, though most lack training in business practice. Entrepreneurs can benefit from venture creation and commercialization training that is largely absent from standard biomedical educational curricula. The NYU Biomedical Entrepreneurship Educational Program (BEEP) seeks to fill this training gap to prepare and motivate biomedical entrepreneurs to develop an entrepreneurial skill set, thus accelerating the pace of innovation in technology and business ventures. Methods: The NYU BEEP Model was developed and implemented with funding from NIDDK and NCATS. The program consists of a core introductory course, topic-based interdisciplinary workshops, venture challenges, on-line modules, and mentorship from experts. Here, we evaluate the efficacy of the core, introductory course, “Foundations of Biomedical Startups,” through the use of pre/post-course surveys and free-response answers. Results: After 2 years, 153 participants (26% doctoral students, 23% post-doctoral PhDs, 20% faculty, 16% research staff, 15% other) have completed the course. Evaluation data show self-assessed knowledge gain in all domains. The percentage of students rating themselves as either “competent” or “on the way to being an expert” in all areas was significantly higher post-course (P < 0.05). In each content area, the percentages of participants rating themselves as “very interested” increased post-course. 95% of those surveyed reported the course met its objectives, and 95% reported a higher likelihood of pursuing commercialization of discoveries post-course. Conclusion: NYU BEEP can serve as a model to develop similar curricula/programs to enhance entrepreneurial activity of early-stage researchers.

Large-scale audiovisual data that measure group learning are time consuming to collect and analyze. As an initial step towards scaling qualitative classroom observation, we qualitatively coded classroom video using an established coding scheme with and without its audio cues. We find that interrater reliability is as high when using visual data only - without audio - as when using both visual and audio data to code. Also, interrater reliability is high when comparing use of visual and audio data to visual-only data. We see a small bias to code interactions as group discussion when visual and audio data are used compared with video-only data. This work establishes that meaningful educational observation can be made through visual information alone. Further, it suggests that after initial work to create a coding scheme and validate it in each environment, computer-automated visual coding could drastically increase the breadth of qualitative studies and allow for meaningful educational analysis on a far greater scale.

Background: Stress and mental health outcomes are negatively correlated among university students throughout the world. Reports of differences in stress perception by gender exist, but there is limited data on students from sub-Saharan African countries. This study describes the burden of perceived and financial stress; characterizes mood and degree of anxiety symptoms; examines stress coping mechanisms, including resilience and repetitive negative thinking (RNT); and explores how students at a Ghanaian university believed the COVID-19 pandemic affected these measures. Methods: Students (n = 129) were recruited from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana from October 2020 - January 2021. Validated surveys were used. Participants were asked “Are your answers to the questions affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?” Results: No differences in mean scores were observed between genders. For female students, financial stress was positively associated with RNT (p = 0.009), negative mood (p = 0.002), and anxiety (p < 0.001). Males were more likely to report decreased stress during the pandemic (p = 0.002), but there was no difference in mental health outcomes by perceived stress (PS) change category among males. Effects of the pandemic on mental health outcomes were mixed, but substantial proportions of students reported improvements or no change in financial stress, mood, anxiety, and RNT. Limitations: Students from one university particiapted in this cross-sectional survey. Conclusions: This study adds to the understanding of how higher education students are experiencing stress and are coping with the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

Abstract Background There have been increasing calls for integrating computational thinking and computing into school science, mathematics, and engineering classrooms. The learning goals of the curriculum in this study included learning about both computational thinking and climate science. Including computer science in science classrooms also means a shift in the focus on design and creation of artifacts and attendant practices. One such design practice, widespread in the design and arts fields, is critique. This paper explores the role of critique in two urban, heterogenous 8th grade science classrooms in which students engaged in creating computer games on the topic of climate systems and climate change. It explores and compares how practices of critique resulted from curricular decisions to (i) scaffold intentional critique sessions for student game designers and (ii) allow for spontaneous feedback as students interacted with each other and their games during the process of game creation. Results Although we designed formal opportunities for critique, the participatory dimension of the project meant that students were free to critique each other’s games at any time during the building process and did so voluntarily. Data indicate that students focused much more on the game play dimension of the design than the science, particularly in those critique sessions that were student-initiated. Despite the de-emphasis on science in spontaneous critiques, students still focused on several dimensions of computational thinking, considering user experience, troubleshooting, modeling, and elegance of solutions. Conclusions Students making games about science topics should have opportunities for both formal and spontaneous critiques. Spontaneous critiques allow for students to be authorities of knowledge and to determine what is acceptable and what is not. However, formal, teacher-designed critiques may be necessary for students to focus on science as part of the critique. Furthermore, one of the benefits to critiquing others was that students were able to see what others had done, how they had set up their games, the content they included, and how they had programmed certain features. Lastly, critiques can help facilitate iteration as students work to improve their games.

Abstract The British Pharmacological Society (BPS) developed a new core curriculum for undergraduate pharmacology degrees. To do this, a modification of the Delphi Process was used. Initially, a pharmacology educator workshop was hosted to explore the core attributes expected of pharmacology graduates. We then developed these discussions into knowledge, skills, and attitudes statements and sent them, in the form of a questionnaire, to our Expert Group, which included pharmacology professionals from across academia and industry. In an iterative process, the Expert Group were asked to rank each statement according to how much they agreed it was a core graduate attribute. Where there was disagreement, statements were modified according to feedback. After three rounds of questionnaires, we had a draft core curriculum which was then finalized through a discussion workshop with the education community. In this workshop, practical aspects of curriculum implementation were discussed and the potential for the Society to develop resources to support it considered. The revised core curriculum is freely available on the Society website: https://www.bps.ac.uk/media‐library‐assets/library/undergraduate‐pharmacology‐core‐curriculum. Several examples exist of the curriculum making an impact within and beyond the United Kingdom, where it has been utilized in a quality assurance context, as a tool for curriculum review and also to guide building new programs. Through a series of further expert workshops, the BPS Education and Training committee is currently developing more granular learning outcomes to accompany the core curriculum alongside recommended resources to enable delivery. In addition, this expanded curriculum is also being reviewed and updated to ensure it is fully inclusive and represents the diversity of pharmacology educators and learners worldwide.

Reggio Emilia philosophy understands teaching as relationship (Malaguzzi, 1994). Høveid and Finne (2014) extend the notion of relationship as a space created between two people shaped by how we enter and engage in that space. Pedagogical relationships are influenced by how we understand our identity, which, in this study, is defined as the inner and outer forces that shape who we are (Palmer, 2017). This study will explore how identity enters teaching in profound ways; when teaching is relationship, identity is pedagogy. Residing in an ecological paradigm and theoretically situated in feminist, critical, and humanist theory, as well as the work of Dewey, I engage with a group of teachers in a narrative inquiry into teacher identity, utilizing appreciative inquiry as a structure for our conversation. Together, we seek to co-construct and illuminate how we might consider pedagogy through reflections on our evolving teacher identities and explore how identity might be seen to shape pedagogical relationships.

Introduction Although shared decision making (SDM) is optimal for trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) counseling, resources to assess residents' clinical competency and communication skills are lacking. We addressed this gap by developing and testing an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to evaluate whether learners were able to use SDM in TOLAC counseling. Methods We created three simulation scenarios with increasing complexity to assess the skills of residents in their first, second, or third postgraduate year in using SDM in TOLAC counseling. All cases involved a standardized patient requesting a TOLAC consultation. Residents were provided with a medical history and instructed to counsel and develop a care plan. A 10-item scoring rubric was used, and each item was rated 0 (absent), 1 (partial), or 2 (complete). Three coders independently rated the encounters; discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Results Over 3 years, 39 residents participated in 60 OSCE encounters. The majority provided complete discussions of the clinical issue (93%), chances of success (72%), and maternal and fetal risks (100% and 85%, respectively) but obtained partial assessments of understanding (78%). Discussions of benefits were typically absent, with the exception of the maternal benefits (47%). More than 40% of residents did not discuss the patient's goals, 53% lacked discussion of uncertainties related to TOLAC, and half failed to explore the patient's preference, with most deferring a decision to a future encounter. Discussion Residents consistently discussed diagnosis, prognosis, and maternal risks yet infrequently addressed goals and preferences—two critical elements of SDM.

As recent scholarship emphasizes the value of social learning, this article describes a course redesign that sought to encourage such social learning. This multi-year course redesign includes altering a daily writing assignment to make it more specific and to make it a contribution to the learning of a study group. Data was collected and evaluated to explore the effectiveness of this change. The author also offers reflections on how the course redesign encouraged social learning via study groups and how the redesign made daily class discussions more deliberate and robust.

Infectious diseases are likely contributing to large-scale declines in chinook salmon stocks in the Pacific Northwest, but the specific agents and diseases involved, and the prevalences in migratory salmon, are mostly unknown. We applied a high-throughput microfluidics platform to screen for 45 infectious agents in 556 out-migrating juvenile chinook salmon, collected from freshwater (FW) and saltwater (SW) locations in the Cowichan River system on Vancouver Island, Canada, during 2014. Nineteen agents (5 bacterial, 2 viral, and 12 parasitic) were detected, with prevalences ranging from 0.2% to 57.6%. Co-infections between Candidatus Branchiomonas cysticola Toenshoff, Kvellestad, Mitchell, Steinum, Falk, Colquhoun & Horn, 2012, Paranucleospora theridion Nylund, Nylund, Watanabe, Arnesen & Kalrsbakk, 2010, and gill chlamydia, all associated with gill disease, were observed in SW samples. We detected agents known to cause large-scale mortalities in Pacific salmon (Ceratonova shasta (Noble, 1950), Parvicapsula minibicornis Kent, Whitaker & Dawe, 1977), and agents only recently reported in Pacific salmon in BC (Ca. B. cysticola, P. theridion, Facilispora margolisi Jones, Prosperi-Porta & Kim, 2012 and Parvicapsula pseudobranchicola Karlsbakk, Saether, Hostlund, Fjellsoy & Nylund, 2002). Wild and hatchery fish were most divergent in agent profiles in FW, with higher agent diversity in wild fish. Differences in prevalence largely dissipated once they converged in the marine environment, although hatchery fish may be infected by a greater diversity of agents sooner after ocean entry by virtue of their more rapid migration from nearshore to offshore environments.

The paper provides detailed reflections on the educational, economic and social circumstances that impact on the lives of many disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people. Drawing largely on primary research data collected in Romania, Germany and the United Kingdom, three illustrative case studies are presented for consideration focusing on: life in residential care and youth offending institutions; experiences of educational vulnerability; and human trafficking. The methodological approach adopted across the research projects explored, was shaped by the demands and expectations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). All of the reported data reflects the views of children and young people who were interviewed as part of three research projects. It is argued that the difficult and challenging circumstances that many children and young people find themselves in, place them at significant disadvantage and increased vulnerability in terms of their social and educational development and life chances.

Objective: We utilized a population dataset to compare outcomes for patients where surgery was independently performed by trainees to cases led by a consultant. Summary of Background Data: Emergency laparotomy is a common, high-risk, procedure. Although trainee involvement to improve future surgeons' experience and ability in the management of such cases is crucial, some studies have suggested this is to the detriment of patient outcomes. In the UK, appropriately skilled trainees may be entrusted to perform emergency laparotomy without supervision of a consultant (attending). Methods: Patients who underwent emergency laparotomy between 2013 and 2018 were identified from the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit of England and Wales. To reduce selection and confounding bias, the inverse probability of treatment weighting approach was used, allowing robust comparison of trainee-led and consultant-led laparotomy cases accounting for eighteen variables, including details of patient, treatment, pathology, and preoperative mortality risk. Groups were compared for mortality and length of stay. Results: A total of 111,583 patients were included in the study. The operating surgeon was a consultant in 103,462 cases (92.7%) and atrainee in 8121 cases (7.3%). Mortality at discharge was 11.6%. Trainees were less likely to operate on high-risk and colorectal cases. After weighting, mortality (12.2% vs 11.6%, P = 0.338) was equivalent between trainee- and consultant-led cases. Median length of stay was 11 (interquartile range 7, 19) versus 11 (7, 20) days (P = 0.004), respectively. Trainee-led operations reported fewer cases of blood loss >500mL (9.1% vs 11.1%, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Major laparotomy maybe safely entrusted to appropriately skilled trainees without impacting patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

History of present illness: A 59-year-old woman presented to the emergency department (ED) with right eye pain. She had a history of cataract surgery in the right eye three months prior. The patient was seen at an outside ED eight days prior and reportedly had normal vision, normal eye pressures, with a large corneal ulcer and hypopyon in the anterior chamber. She was given subconjunctival injections of antibiotics and discharged with antibiotic drops. She was seen by a retina specialist the next day and had no evidence of endophthalmitis. On her second ED presentation, she had worsening right eye pain. Workup included normal intraocular pressures bilaterally and visual acuity with only light-perception in the affected eye. An ultrasound of her right eye was performed and is shown in figures 1 and 2. Significant findings: The patient’s ultrasound revealed an attached retina and a complex network of hyperechoic, mobile, membranous material in the posterior segment. Discussion: Endophthalmitis is a bacterial or fungal infection inside the vitreous and/or aqueous humors. The classic presentation is painful vision loss in a patient with recent ophthalmologic surgical intervention, an immunocompromised patient, or a septic patient. The specific bacteria or fungus causing the infection will vary depending on the reason for infection (post-surgical vs sepsis). Ultrasound findings typically include low amplitude mobile echoes, vitreous membranes, and thickening of the retina and choroid.1 Treatment for endophthalmitis includes direct, intraocular antibiotic injections by an ophthalmologist; hence, disposition for these patients would include admission for ophthalmology consultation. If there is a blood source of infection rather than a direct ocular inoculation, IV antibiotics should be initiated. Patients should also receive tetanus vaccination if tetanus status is outdated. In this case, the patient was diagnosed with endophthalmitis of the right eye. Ophthalmology performed a tap of the posterior segment, which was sent for cultures, and gave intravitreal injections of antibiotics.

The term ‘flexible education’ is now firmly entrenched within Australian higher education discourse, yet the term is a contested one imbued with a multiplicity of meanings. This paper describes a process designed to elucidate how the idea of flexible education can be translated into teaching models that are informed by the specific demands of disciplinary contexts. The process uses a flexible learning ‘matching’ tool to articulate the understandings and preferences of students and academics of the Built Environment to bridge the gap between student expectations of flexibility and their teacher's willingness and ability to provide that flexibility within the limits of the pedagogical context and teaching resources. The findings suggest an informed starting point for educators in the Built Environment and other creative disciplines from which to traverse the complexities inherent in negotiating flexibility in an increasingly digital world.

A study in three countries (Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Uganda) assessed progress against the Paris Principles for Aid Effectiveness (AE) in three sectors – water, health and education – to test the assumption that the water sector is lagging behind. The findings show that it is too simplistic to say that the water sector is lagging, although this may well be the case in some countries. The study found that wider governance issues are more important for AE than having in place sector-specific mechanics such as Sector-Wide Approaches alone. National political leadership and governance are central drivers of sector AE, while national financial and procurement systems and the behaviour of actors who have not signed up to the Paris Principles – at both national and global levels – have implications for progress that cut across sectors. Sectors and sub-sectors do nonetheless have distinct features that must be considered in attempting to improve sector-level AE. In light of these findings, using political economy approaches to better understand and address governance and strengthening sector-level monitoring is recommended as part of efforts to improve AE and development results in the water sector.

Technology is an increasingly important component of education. Children’s mathematical interactions with technology have become a focus of mathematics education research, but less research has investigated constructs that contribute to these mathematical interactions. Attributes of children and technology play a key role in mathematical interactions and both children and technology can modify attributes during these interactions. Grounded in the Artifact-Centric Activity Theory and linked to recent developments in research on technology in mathematics education, this qualitative study extended an earlier exploratory study to investigate attribute modification. In particular, this study examined patterns of attribute modification evident during fifth grade students’ mathematical interactions with two mathematics virtual manipulative touchscreen tablet apps. Results included three categories related to attribute modification: (1) reactive attribute modification (linear progression or repeated repetition); (2) unperceived attributes and opportunities for proactive modification; and (3) proactive modification (seeking equilibrium, seeking disequilibrium, or seeking equilibrium and disequilibrium). Findings have implications for designers, teachers, and researchers of educational technology.

Abstract Introduction Medical students are often challenged academically in the classroom. Peer tutoring is an excellent method to not only enhancing students' learning, but also increasing metacognition and self-regulation. This module provides a tutor training for medical students by presenting overview of theory so students learn how to instruct others on how they learn, as opposed to what they know. Methods The overall session takes approximately 2 hours to complete. During this time learners view a PowerPoint presentation for background information on learning theory and approaches to tutoring. Learners are then administered a tutor training assessment, which is discussed and feedback is provided. Results This session has been successfully incorporated into the curriculum offered to medical students at a college of medicine. Faculty evaluations demonstrate participant satisfaction and have improved the program over time. Student reactions to the program have been overwhelmingly positive. Students comment that they learned new information and felt more prepared to enter tutor sessions. At the university where the program was developed, students have reported less frustration with the quality of the tutors. Discussion Peer tutoring requires more than sharing knowledge. This resource provides medical students with the theoretical background they need to be effective peer tutors.

Objectives: Institutions with a positive cultural climate make community members from all backgrounds valued and included, and treated equitably. Such an environment is optimally suited to prepare future dentists well for leading a diverse team of staff members and addressing the oral health care needs of increasingly more diverse patient populations. The objectives were to assess how many United States and Canadian dental schools had participated in a climate study at their parent institution and/or had conducted their own climate study, which topics these studies had addressed, how they collected their data, from whom they collected data, and how the findings affected these academic units. Methods: In January 2020, 54 of the 78 dental school deans in the United States and Canada responded to a web‐based survey (response rate: 69%). Results: Forty‐six parent institutions (85%) and 27 dental schools (50%) had conducted climate studies. Eighty‐seven percent of parent institutions assessed the climate overall and the climate for specific groups (70%), such as for persons from underrepresented minority backgrounds (67%) or different religious backgrounds (59%). Most parent institution and dental school studies utilized surveys to collect data from faculty (parent institutions: 76%/dental schools: 96%), staff (74%/93%), administrators (72%/93%), and students (72%/89%). Overall, climate study results positively affected parent institutions' and dental schools' humanistic environment (61%/63%) and the recruitment of faculty (46%/50%), students (46%/46%), and staff (41%/43%). Conclusions: Climate studies are a widely accepted practice at dental schools and their parent institutions. Their results can play a vital role in shaping the climate of these academic units by fostering efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suggestions for engineering design and problem-solving projects that can make mathematics and physics more attractive subjects for post GCSE O-level students are presented. Such projects can also help students understand difficult or abstract concepts. Spring powered wheeled vehicles, simulated solar heaters and wind power devices are amongst the design and make projects described.

In this study, we analyzed the principal questionnaire contained in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K) database regarding the extent to which school-based management was reported as having been implemented differently by public and by private elementary school principals. Statistical analyses indicated many differences in the degree of influence reported to be present on the part of principals, parents, and other groups on important decisions made at schools. Differences in school-based management between our public and private elementary school principals were linked to the extant literature. Moreover, recommendations for further research were discussed.

This article examines the conditions for learners to engage in a joint project as well as the conditions for the development of specific collaboration skills. To better understand engagement in collaboration and the associated skills, we draw on the results of an experiment using multi-touch, multi-user tactile tables. We sought to measure the effects on learner engagement of such a socio-technical training device by comparing three different forms of instrumentation for collaborative activity: a tactile horizontal table and vertical table; a vertical table alone; digital tablets with a vertical table. This allows us to compare how the design of these spaces influences the involvement of individuals in collaboration and the collaborative skills developed.

Background. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in critically ill patients. Renal replacement therapy is prescribed for as many as 70% of critically ill patients in AKI and may be provided in the form of intermittent or continuous dialysis including intermittent hemodialysis, sustained low-efficiency dialysis, and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). CRRT is commonly used for unstable critically ill patients, as it involves a slow continuous process. The nursing work involved with CRRT is highly complex and the learning requirements are challenging; therefore, it is important to identify nursing practices. Purpose. A national survey was conducted to gain insight into CRRT nursing practices. Methods. The design for this study was descriptive using a survey. The target population for this survey was ICU nurse educators at Canadian teaching and community hospitals. Topics in the survey included staff education, CRRT ordering and initiation practices, vascular access, filters and filter life, fluids used, anticoagulation methods, adverse events, and greatest concerns. Findings. One hundred and twenty-nine surveys were sent out and 73 were returned for a response rate of 57%. Thirty-six hospitals used CRRT and of these, 73% had used CRRT for more than eight years. The findings revealed that educators identified achieving and maintaining competence as their greatest concern related to CRRT practices. Conclusion. The findings of this research revealed that consistent training programs were not the norm. The complexity of caring for patients on CRRT requires consideration of when to introduce to staff the technology and care of patients on CRRT and how to sustain their competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurse educators are challenged to keep up with highly specialised clinical practice, emerging research evidence, regulation requirements and rapidly changing information technology while teaching very large numbers of diverse students in a resource constrained environment. This complex setting provides the context for the CaseWorld project, which aims to simulate those aspects of clinical practice that can be represented by e-learning. This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of CaseWorld, a simulated learning environment that supports case based learning. CaseWorld provides nursing students with the opportunity to view unfolding authentic cases presented in a rich multimedia context. The first round of comprehensive summative evaluation of CaseWorld is discussed in the context of earlier formative evaluation, reference group input and strategies for integration of CaseWorld with subject content. This discussion highlights the unique approach taken in this project that involved simultaneous prototype development and large scale implementation, thereby necessitating strong emphasis on staff development, uptake and engagement. The lessons learned provide an interesting basis for further discussion of broad content sharing across disciplines and universities, and the contribution that local innovations can make to global education advancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments are increasingly adopting behavioral science techniques for changing individual behavior in pursuit of policy objectives. The types of “nudge” interventions that governments are now adopting alter people’s decisions without coercion or significant changes to economic incentives. We calculated ratios of impact to cost for nudge interventions and for traditional policy tools, such as tax incentives and other financial inducements, and we found that nudge interventions often compare favorably with traditional interventions. We conclude that nudging is a valuable approach that should be used more often in conjunction with traditional policies, but more calculations are needed to determine the relative effectiveness of nudging.

Learners enjoy the convenience of being able to take online courses, yet many reports missing the face-to-face contact with their peers. This researcher has sought to tap into the vision of Ferratt & Hall (2009) whereby educators and technology designers are encouraged to extend the vision of online learning to "virtually being there and beyond." Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine innovative synchronous technology and pedagogy as a means of promoting social presence in online learning. The inquiry was quantitative in nature. Through adapting Garrison and colleagues' community of inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer 2000) it was noted that students perceived the use of synchronous Centra technology to be beneficial in promoting a sense of social presence in online learning. Through one-on-one conversations within Centra, it was discovered that the use of this technology also had a positive effect on student retention. There was a correlation between learners' perception that the instructor promoted an atmosphere of online community and there being a sense of social presence. There was evidence of satisfaction with instructor as evidenced by high student evaluation ratings. Instructor ratings were above the department mean and the university mean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study in three countries (Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Uganda) assessed progress against the Paris Principles for Aid Effectiveness (AE) in three sectors - water,1 health and education - to test the assumption that the water sector is lagging behind. The findings show that it is too simplistic to say that the water sector is lagging, although this may well be the case in some countries. The study found that wider governance issues are more important for AE than having in place sector-specific mechanics such as Sector-Wide Approaches alone. National political leadership and governance are central drivers of sector AE, while national financial and procurement systems and the behaviour of actors who have not signed up to the Paris Principles - at both national and global levels - have implications for progress that cut across sectors. Sectors and sub-sectors do nonetheless have distinct features that must be considered in attempting to improve sector-level AE. In light of these findings, using political economy approaches to better understand and address governance and strengthening sector-level monitoring is recommended as part of efforts to improve AE and development results in the water sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The readily measured benefits of herbicides must be balanced against the risks imposed upon society, the environment, and the long-term sustainability of agricultural economies. Integrated weed management (IWM) approaches are one means to achieve this balance. The decision models of weed scientists and Ohio farmers were developed and compared to identify gaps in knowledge. The results indicate that farmers understand but do not practice IWM. The failure to adopt may be attributable to gaps in their understanding of the human role in weed dispersal, their focus on the risks associated with weeds without recognition of their ecological benefits, and the tendency to overlook risks associated with management. However, educators may also fail to promote IWM within the frame of farmers'' experience and belief structure. Targeted communication efforts that address key misperceptions, and highlight the cost-effective nature of integrated approaches, may increase adoption of IWM and ultimately increase sustainability of the agro-ecosystem. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the move of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to educate medical staff about how they will respond to a radiological or nuclear emergency. In May 2002, the agency convened a roundtable meeting to discuss the state of preparedness of hospital emergency departments and of emergency services clinicians. From these discussions, CDC has developed guidelines for hospitals and clinicians about mass casualty management of patients involved in a radiological emergency. Furthermore, it developed new training and education products for the clinician tool kit which include "Medical Response to Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism" and "Emergency Management Pocket Guide."

The article discusses the implication for teaching and teacher education through home school communication in the rural South Africa. The approach was a collaborative model between the students and parents. It offers information on the traditional method, setting, and the voluntary participants on the conducted studies then analyzed. Finally, the findings falls into three categories; struggles to learn, current problems in education, and wishes for the future followed by their discussion.

The article focuses on a study that aims to compare the views and expectations of Thai parents and Western teachers. The research is based on the premise that cultural background has a very strong though often subtle influence on people's values, views and behaviors. The study showed that the two groups shared many similar views about education. It cites the implications of the study.

This article features two essays presenting the major argumentative positions advanced by teams Robert E. Pruett and James E. Sayer and Norbert H. Mills and David E. Tucker, regarding the topic: Resolved: that teaching and research are mutually-exclusive activities. Pruett and Sayer upheld the affirmative position on the resolution, while Mills and Tucker upheld the negative. In the traditional sense, it is easy to claim that the function of a professor is twofold: to be an effective and creative teacher and, at the same time, be able to accumulate and disseminate knowledge through research. Regardless of what is said, teaching has become subservient to research and, while the responsibility of faculty members is to remain current in their fields, research is a separate activity that does not necessarily make one a better teacher and certainly is exclusive from the teaching function. N. Mills and D. Tucker contend that there is no constituency because teaching has been devalued and separated from research.