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Youth with a history of traumatic or non-traumatic acquired brain injury are at increased risk for long-lasting cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, and physical sequelae post-injury. Such sequelae have great potential to negatively impact this population’s academic functioning. Consistently, poorer academic achievement and elevated need for educational supports have been well-documented among youth with a history of acquired brain injury. The current paper reviews the literature on neuropsychological, psychiatric, and academic outcomes of pediatric acquired brain injury. A discussion of special education law as it applies to this patient population, ongoing limitations within the field, and a proposal of solutions are also included.

Abstract Background International Task Force (ITF) guidelines established a grading scheme to support treatment of dry eye disease based on clinical signs and symptoms. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of dry eye on vision-related function across ITF severity levels using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. Methods Non-interventional, cross-sectional study of prescription treatment-naïve dry eye patients seeking symptom relief at 10 ophthalmology and optometry practices. Clinicians assessed corneal and conjunctival staining, tear break-up time, Schirmer’s test (type I with anesthesia), and best-corrected visual acuity. Patients completed the OSDI questionnaire and OSDI overall and domain (Symptoms, Visual Function, and Environmental Triggers) scores were compared across ITF guidelines severity levels (1–4). Results Of 158 patients (mean age, 55 years) enrolled, 52 (33%) were ITF level 1, 54 (34%) ITF level 2, and 52 (33%) ITF levels 3/4 combined. No significant differences were observed in most baseline characteristics. Overall OSDI scores (mean [standard deviation]) were 26.5 [20.0] for ITF level 1, 33.8 [17.5] for ITF level 2, and 44.9 [26.1] for ITF level 3/4 cohorts (P

Abstract Scientific practices describe behaviors scientists engage in while investigating the natural world. Educators should be aware of different science practice frameworks to better understand their students' progression for learning science practices across the K-20 spectrum. For example, a high school AP instructor would benefit from understanding both the K-12 frameworks their students have already experienced and the future undergraduate frameworks their students are moving toward. We were interested in exploring educator familiarity with the scientific practices outlined in the Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices, the Advanced Placement Science Practices, and Vision & Change Core Competencies. In practice, all science educators are teaching the same set of core principles around which these different frameworks are built. Under this view, it is a missed opportunity to not consider or draw on different frameworks to expand one’s teaching practice. Using a cognitive constructionist approach, we describe the implementation of the “Science Practice Frameworks Concept Map Activity,” designed to (1) introduce educators to scientific practices contained within Science Practice Frameworks and (2) show educators that despite these science practices targeting different student populations they are, at their core, very similar and often overlap. We present data showing a positive shift in educator familiarity with Science Practice Frameworks and present examples of participant concept maps that help us begin to understand how educators perceive the frameworks and the relationships between them, ensuring that educators are better prepared to guide students through a comprehensive understanding of science practices.

Societal Impact Statement Humans are dependent upon plants for oxygen, food, textiles, and medicines. Climate change and deforestation represent serious threats to our planet, causing significant disruptions to our ability to access and utilize these plant resources; this makes a botanically literate workforce and plant science careers more important than ever. Unfortunately, the current state of botanical career opportunities and training programs in the United States remains unclear. This study focuses on the current employment trends of government and private sector botanists and what skills future plant scientists will need to be successful in these careers. Summary Plant science plays a crucial role in our society and in ongoing efforts to address many global challenges, including food insecurity and climate change. Yet, despite a predicted increase in plant science career opportunities in the United States, the botanical career landscape outside of academia is not well understood. To further our understanding of the training required for non‐academic botanical careers, the botanical sub‐disciplines used on the job, and career challenges faced by plant scientists, we surveyed 61 scientists working in government and 59 scientists working in the private sector in the United States. In both career sectors, > 80% of survey participants reported recent hires at the bachelor's degree level. New personnel with master's degrees were more commonly reported in the government sector (95%) than in the private sector (69%). Most plant scientists working in government reported a focus on plant ecology and resource management. By contrast, most industry/non‐profit work involved horticulture and biotechnology, with some specific skills spanning both sectors. Notably, one prediction made nearly a decade ago appears to be manifesting: plant scientists seem to be retiring more quickly than they are being replaced. Survey respondents reported that attempts to hire full‐time staff are met with obstacles, including insufficient funding. Plant science professionals in both career sectors emphasized their routine use of botanical skills developed as students, highlighting the need for effective training at the undergraduate level. We discuss the implications of these findings and present several recommendations for preparing future generations of plant scientists and increasing the scientific community's botanical capacity.

Societal Impact Statement Botanical careers are more important than ever, given that environmental challenges such as climate change and deforestation threaten plants daily and because plants contribute to solutions to these problems. Plants act as our sources of food, medicine, textiles, and oxygen, which means finding ways to mitigate these environmental challenges is crucial. Despite this, little is known about what career opportunities exist for botanists outside of academia and how well academia is training graduate students for these careers. This study centers on the current state of academic botanical careers and how well students completing post‐baccalaureate degrees (herein referred to as graduate students) are being prepared to fill careers within the botanical workforce. Summary Plant science plays a crucial role in our society and in ongoing efforts to address many global challenges, including food insecurity and climate change. Despite a predicted increase in botanical career opportunities, little is known about how well academia is training graduate students for careers outside of academia. To further our understanding of the current state of academic training for botanical careers, we surveyed 85 faculty and 40 graduate students working in academia in the plant sciences in the United States. We found that the top challenges to university professors in academia are lack of support staff and funding, whereas students completing their post‐baccalaureate degrees cited finances and lack of supportive mentoring as their top challenges. Despite the fact that most graduate students surveyed wanted a career at a research‐intensive university, many botanists in academia are retiring without being replaced by more botanists. Faculty expertise is also misaligned with needs from industry and government employers, causing challenges to training graduate students for these careers outside of academia. Although our data point to a lack of career opportunities within academia, we also note that current graduate student education still emphasizes such careers and is not properly preparing graduate students for the careers they are more likely to obtain within the private and government sectors. We discuss the implications of these findings and present several recommendations for preparing future generations of plant scientists for more realistic career trajectories.

ABSTRACT The subject of scientific literacy has never been more critical to the scientific community as well as society in general. As opportunities to spread misinformation increase with the rise of new technologies, it is critical for society to have at its disposal the means for ensuring that its citizens possess the basic scientific literacy necessary to make critical decisions on topics like climate change, biotechnology, and other science-based issues. As the Guest Editors of this themed issue of the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, we present a wide array of techniques that the scientific community is using to promote scientific literacy in both academic and nonacademic settings. The diversity of the techniques presented here give us confidence that the scientific community will rise to the challenge of ensuring that our society will be prepared to make fact-based and wise decisions that will preserve and improve our quality of life.

ABSTRACT As the amount and complexity of scientific knowledge continues to grow, it is essential to educate scientifically literate citizens who can comprehend the process of science and the implications of technological advances. This is especially important when educating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college students, since they may play a central role in the future of scientific research and its communication. A central part of decoding and interpreting scientific information is the ability to analyze scientific research articles. For this reason, many different approaches for reading scientific research articles have been developed and published. Despite the availability of numerous ways of analyzing scientific research articles, biology students can face challenges that may prevent them from fully comprehending the text. We sought to address student challenges with science vocabulary and content knowledge by adding structural supports to in-classroom article discussions through the use of annotated articles from the Science in the Classroom initiative. We describe the pedagogical approach used for discussing scientific research articles within a required biology course. In this context, we found that students’ scientific literacy skills increased at the end of the semester. We also found that, for each article discussed, the majority of students could interpret graphical representations of article results and that they could identify and comprehend components of the experimental design of the study.

ABSTRACT The 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic and distrust for popular media have highlighted the need for effective methods of direct communication of biomedical science to the public. It is presently unclear how well nonexperts can learn from primary scientific sources and what factors predict such learning in the general public. The present study examined three modalities for learning about biomedical science directly from study investigators: primary scientific articles, annotated primary scientific articles presented online with interactive learning features, and TEDTalks about scientific studies presented by a study investigator. Each modality presented the same study, “Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain” (L. Xie, H. Kang, Q. Chen, Y. Liao, et al., Science 342:373–377, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1241224). Knowledge about the study’s scientific content was assessed before and after the randomly assigned learning modality using multiple-choice questions. Participants included a sample of college psychology students and a sample of community-dwelling older adults. Cognitive tests were used to assess individual differences in working memory, processing speed, science literacy, and semantic knowledge. Surveys were used to assess trust in science and scientists, attitudes toward science, and attitudes toward cognitive tasks. Results indicated that both younger and older adults can learn basic biomedical science from a primary source. Knowledge gains were observed in all three learning modalities with no evidence of age group differences. Notably, the largest learning gains for undergraduates and older adults were observed in the primary scientific article condition, followed by the TEDTalk, and the annotated paper. Baseline knowledge about the science study topic and adoption of “scientific attitudes” (e.g., open-mindedness) predicted learning across age groups and learning modalities. These findings suggest that science educators, communicators, and outreach professionals should consider methods of promoting science literacy in the general public through direct access to primary scientific sources.

ABSTRACT Learning to read primary scientific literature (PSL) is an important part of developing scientific literacy skills. First-year students entering college often have little previous exposure to PSL and therefore face initial barriers in learning how to engage with PSL. Annotations have been shown to be a useful tool in undergraduate education and have potential for guiding students in developing higher-level reading strategies. In this study, we collected both qualitative and quantitative data to test the hypothesis of whether annotated PSL aids in the development of reading strategies for novice students learning to read PSL. Our qualitative results showed that annotations help students (i) break down PSL into manageable pieces, (ii) summarize the text, (iii) identify key information, and (iv) distinguish between different sections of PSL. Quantitatively, we saw no significant influence of annotations on the development of reading strategies for students learning to read PSL. Overall, our study provides a window into better understanding of specific strategies that students employ in reading PSL. Collectively, we suggest incorporating annotated PSL with some scaffolding social activities as an effective strategy to bring novice readers up the on-ramp of scientific literacy.

Improving the rate at which individuals enter into STEM careers remains a national concern. STEM fields are currently facing a crisis with respect to filling jobs with qualified workers, suggesting that STEM jobs are available yet remain open and waiting for qualified graduates. Although researchers have previously investigated variables such as demographics and attrition rates for the lack of STEM graduates available to fill these job vacancies, there is a critical need for additional research examining the impact of additional career-related variables. To explore the impact of a biology-focused career development course (CDC), we surveyed 277 biology majors in their final semester who participated in the CDC. Respondents were asked to describe their perceptions of the professional development modules contained within the CDC and to describe what they would have done differently had the CDC been available earlier in their academic career. We grounded data analysis in science and biology identity frameworks. In agreement with earlier identity studies, we found that engagement with the CDC enhanced student's performance/competence in biology and recognition as a biologist, two factors that are important for identity formation. Additionally, we show that students prefer to have the CDC earlier in their academic careers. Collectively, our data advance our understanding of career development of biology majors in two novel ways. First, we provide much needed qualitative data highlighting the mechanisms underlying the biology-focused CDC. Second, we provide both quantitative and qualitative data focused on the timing of the CDC, a topic which has not yet been purposely explored in biology.

ABSTRACT Primary Scientific Literature (PSL) has been used in undergraduate classrooms as a way to engage students with the research process and to increase science literacy. Most curricula lack any formal training for undergraduates to critically read PSL even though most undergraduate science courses require students to engage with PSL at some level. In addition, there are limited studies exploring the process by which expertise in reading PSL develops in undergraduates. In this study, we adapted behaviors that expert and novice PSL readers exhibit into a quantitative assessment tool, the PSL Reading Strategies Assessment, to evaluate undergraduates’ development of reading strategies when learning to read PSL. Factor analysis and reliability measures were implemented to determine the structure of our assessment tool. Our results show the PSL Reading Strategies Assessment is sensitive enough to measure differences among student populations, suggesting that it can be used as a diagnostic tool to guide instructors and researchers as they change curricula, implement new teaching strategies, and strive to develop students’ science literacy. Moreover, our data show that developing expert-like reading strategies in students learning to read PSL is not easy. Simply reading a PDF does little to promote the development of reading strategies in students learning to read PSL.

ABSTRACT A growing body of literature shows that primary scientific literature (PSL) is a valuable and useful tool for science, technology, engineering, and math education. We currently have a relatively limited understanding of how skills relating to reading PSL progress through academic careers, i.e., the process by which expertise in reading PSL develops. In this study, we built on previous work showing clear differences in strategies that experts use to read PSL that are not often available to or documented with novice PSL readers. Using the five core concepts (5CCs) of biology, outlined in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology, as a framework for student engagement with PSL, we investigated whether the 5CCs can be used to (i) increase student engagement with PSL, (ii) provide a context for PSL, and (iii) integrate student prior knowledge when reading PSL. Second, we investigated whether a 5CCs-based, semester-long intervention could shift student reading habits to be more expert-like. As no direct assessment for this exists, we instead measured student motivation for reading PSL, their Biology identity, and their perceived learning gains in science. We found that, through the use of the 5CCs as a framework for reading PSL, students were able to integrate previous knowledge and engaged with PSL constructively. Additionally, we saw positive shifts in student motivation for reading PSL, student Biology identity, and student self-reported learning gains in Biology. Taken together, the 5CCs, as a disciplinary framework, have great potential as a pedagogical tool for increasing student engagement with PSL in Biology classrooms.

ABSTRACT As educators, we should not assume that students are progressing toward intended STEM careers simply because they have persisted and received a STEM degree. In addition to learning biology content and scientific skills, students need guidance in making optimal career choices. In this study, we present seven career development modules designed specifically to motivate students to consider their successes as scientists and to consider applying their biological knowledge and scientific skills to a range of biology careers. These modules highlight the value and the utility of a biology degree and are, therefore, designed to increase students’ self-confidence as well as their science and biology identities. The career development modules presented here are easy to implement and, in our experience, encourage engagement and class discussions. Our analyses confirm that these modules collectively increase student science and biology identities, two predictors for entry into STEM careers.

Increasingly, communicating science to the public is recognized as the responsibility of professional scientists; however, these skills are not always included in graduate training. In addition, most research on science communication training during graduate school, which is limited, has been program evaluation or literature reviews and does not report on or seek to understand graduate student perspectives. This research study provides a comprehensive analysis of graduate-level science communication training from the perspective of STEM graduate students. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study aimed to investigate where graduate students are receiving science communication training (if at all), what this training looks like from the student’s point of view, and, for graduate students that are engaging in science communication, what do these experiences look like. This study also explores how graduate students define science communication. Taken together, these results will give graduate students a voice in the development of science communication trainings and will remove barriers and increase equity in science communication training.

ABSTRACT Challenges in integration of concepts persist among undergraduate biology students. The 5 core concepts (5CCs) of biology presented in Vision and Change provide a comprehensive, concept-based description of the knowledge of biology, summarized in five main biological scales and five overarching principles that dictate natural biological phenomena and processes. The goal of this study was to collect information on students’ interpretations of three introductory biology topics, (i) aquaporins, (ii) aerobic respiration, and (iii) DNA transcription, while associating their knowledge of these topics with the 5CCs. During three separate exam review sessions, students of a conventional lecture-based introductory biology class were asked to provide short responses of how each of the 5CCs related to the given class topic. An inductive coding analysis of student responses was performed to reveal the main connections students made between each of the three topics and the 5CCs. We found that for some core concepts it was easier for students to draw connections to a simple topic, such as aquaporins, while for other core concepts it was easier to draw connections to a multistep phenomenon, such as aerobic respiration. Although student connections were simple associations between a CC and a class topic, exploratory studies such as this one can be an important step toward designing teaching practices that are aligned with Vision and Change recommendations and could advance student conceptual understanding and integration of biological knowledge.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how online adjunct higher education faculty members perceive the role of using social media sites as instructional approaches. A purposeful sampling was used, and adjunct online higher education faculty members were invited to participate. An adjunct faculty member was defined as a person who taught part-time higher education courses; therefore, the faculty member was not hired as a full-time faculty member. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative researchers explore phenomena examining the lived experiences and participants behaviors; in this study, online adjunct instructors’ perceptions on classroom instructional social media online approaches were examined. Participants in this study were trained to teach higher education online courses and these teachers were the experts on the topic. The design for this study was an exploratory case study in which the participants were online adjunct instructors who taught at online higher education institutions in the Northeast. The case study approach was the most appropriate. The focus was the external events participants’ lives. Findings – Three themes emerged from the analysis of the in-depth interview process. Based on the adjunct online higher education instructors’ perception on the use of social media teaching approaches in the classroom, the themes that emerged were uniformity of purpose vs personal beliefs need for justification importance student engagement and facilitation vs direct instruction. Themes reflected online teaching approaches higher education institutional missions and student learning and engagement outcomes. Research limitations/implications – In this study, adjuncts’ perceptions expressed and themes found may not be characteristic of other adjunct instructors’ views. In qualitative studies, participants are asked open-ended interview questions, which may have been a limitation for this study. Quantitative questions, such as the impact of using social media as an instructional approach, were not asked. In this study, adjunct online higher education instructors were invited to share their views on the study topic. Additionally, qualitative researchers are limited by the data collection method and the data analysis process. Therefore, researchers who would like to repeat this study on adjunct online higher education teachers’ perspectives may be unable to duplicate the research. Practical implications – The significance of this study is the need for a renewed global initiative in higher education to promote the use of social media training for online adjunct faculty members. Online higher education faculty members’ reflections on using social media tend to be recorded from a personal rather than a professional point of view. Social implications – The implication for online higher education leaders is to review mission statements and reevaluate how the use of social media may impact student learning outcomes, student career readiness and student engagement opportunities. Originality/value – The need for a renewed global initiative in higher education to promote the use of social media training for online adjunct faculty evolved as the significance of the study. Because inclusion requirements and workshop training for the use of social media in online higher education classrooms vary among higher education institutions, online adjunct faculty social media classroom practices and perceptions widely vary.