Broader Learning Outcomes Research Articles

The potential influence of cross-linguistic lexical similarity on lexical diversity in L2 English writing

We examined the potential influence of L1–L2 lexical similarity on L2 lexical diversity, to determine whether the robust facilitative effect of lexical similarity that is found in processing and broad learning outcomes extends to this measure of L2 production. Our sample included two matching learner sub-corpora, containing 8,500 and 6,390 English texts, written in response to ninety-five and seventy-one writing tasks, by speakers of nine typologically diverse L1s, in the A1–B2 cefr range of L2 English proficiency. We found that lexical similarity did not influence L2 lexical diversity at any proficiency level. This finding suggests that the facilitative effect of similarity does not necessarily extend to L2 production, at least in the case of certain global measures, like lexical diversity, and certain task-based settings, like the present educational one, where lexical choices are driven primarily by the constrained communicative needs of the tasks. This is supported by the strong task effects that we found, which we quantified using mixed-effects models, whilst also shedding light on the use of lexical diversity as an indicator of L2 proficiency.

Development of a hybrid point-of-care ultrasound curriculum for first year medical students in a rural medical education program: a pilot study

BackgroundThe field of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has advanced in recent decades due to the benefits it holds for medical providers. However, aspiring POCUS practitioners require adequate training. Unfortunately, there remains a paucity of resources to deliver this training, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Despite these barriers, calls for POCUS training in undergraduate medical education are growing, and many medical schools now deliver some form of POCUS education. Our program lacked POCUS training; therefore, we developed and implemented a POCUS curriculum for our first-year medical students.MethodsWe developed a POCUS curriculum for first year medical students in a rural medically underserved region of the United States. To evaluate our course, we measured learning outcomes, self-reported confidence in a variety of POCUS domains, and gathered feedback on the course with a multi-modal approach: an original written pre- and post-test, survey tool, and semi-structured interview protocol, respectively.ResultsStudent (n=24) knowledge of POCUS significantly increased (pre-test average score = 55%, post-test average score = 79%, P<0.0001), and the course was well received based on student survey and interview feedback. In addition, students reported increased confidence toward a variety of knowledge and proficiency domains in POCUS use and their future clinical education and practice.ConclusionsDespite a lack of consensus in POCUS education, existing literature describes many curricular designs across institutions. We leveraged a combination of student initiatives, online resources, remote collaborations, local volunteers, and faculty development to bring POCUS to our institution in a rural and medically underserved region. Moreover, we demonstrate positive learning and experiential outcomes that may translate to improved outcomes in students’ clinical education and practice. Further research is needed to evaluate the psychomotor skills, broader learning outcomes, and clinical performance of students who take part in our POCUS course.

The association between physical education and academic achievement in other curriculum learning areas: A review of literature

ABSTRACTBackgroundAs a curriculum learning area, physical education (PE) has continually struggled to gain status within an increasingly crowded curriculum. This frequently leads to a reduction in available time within the curriculum for PE. In Australia and internationally, this may be explained by a focus on standardised testing, though questions are also raised about the capacity of PE to contribute to broader learning outcomes within the school context. Whilst the links between physical activity (PA) more broadly and cognitive performance, brain development and executive function (EF) have been recognised, the specific role physical education (PE) has on student’s academic achievement (AA) is less well established. Consequently, researchers have sought to evidence the ‘value-add’ of PE in order to justify its relevance and importance in the curriculum.PurposeThis literature review sought to explore the association between physical education (PE) and academic achievement (AA) in other curriculum learning areas. It was guided by the research question, does physical education have measurable educative benefits/impact on student academic achievement in other curriculum learning areas?Data analysisSix databases/database platforms were searched: Informit, Scopus, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, ERIC and Ovid (including AMED, DARE, Cochrane CCTR and CDSR and PsycINFO) for articles published in English between 2004 and 2020. A total of 5,599 unique articles were returned from the searches and alerts after duplicates were removed. Articles were then screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria with 88 articles identified for full text review. This literature review reports on the final 48 peer-reviewed research articles to meet the inclusion criteria.FindingsThe review of the literature suggests mixed findings regarding the association between PE and AA in other curriculum learning areas; the findings are reported as having ‘effect’, ‘no effect’ or ‘inconclusive effect’. Collectively, the ‘effect’ studies indicate that relationships exist between PE, AA and EF. This conclusion is consistent across school settings, study methodology and intervention design. However, the ‘no effect’ studies indicate that there is no relationship between PE, AA and EF. Whilst, the ‘inconclusive effect’ studies collectively indicate an array of inconclusive relationships between a variety of indices associated with PE, PA, AA and/or EF. The ‘no effect’ and ‘inconclusive effect’ conclusions are irrespective of methodology or intervention design, regardless of the approach used and measurement tools, the findings were the same. Studies that increased the amount of PA students were undertaking by the increasing time dedicated to PE did not report any negative impact of student achievement and grades.ConclusionIn regards to the research question, the evidence is highly mixed as to the potential impact PE can have on AA in other learning areas. What is certain from the studies reviewed is that participation in PE does not have any negative impact on student AA. The review highlights a number of limitations with existing literature.

“Wow! They’re Teaching Each Other”: Primary Teachers’ Perspectives of Implementing Cooperative Learning to Accomplish Social and Emotional Learning in Aotearoa New Zealand Physical Education

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore primary teachers’ perspectives of implementing cooperative learning (CL) to accomplish social and emotional learning (SEL) in Aotearoa New Zealand physical education. Method: A qualitative case study design gathered data from 21 teachers at four primary schools using interviews, focus groups, and field notes. Inductive and deductive analysis were used for data analysis. Findings: Four primary themes are presented: emotional processes, social and interpersonal skills, students working it out, and taking time. Findings show that using CL as a pedagogical approach allowed teachers to teach for and accomplish SEL outcomes while accomplishing broader learning outcomes in physical education. However, there appeared to be shortcomings and constraints in the implementation of CL to accomplish SEL outcomes comprehensively. Conclusion: Future research should look to examine and connect professional learning involving pedagogical approaches like CL in physical education to SEL theory and school settings to enhance learning.

The Ob-Gyn and Women's Health Selective Pathway for Senior Medical Students [7O

INTRODUCTION: The content of year 4 of medical school and student to resident transition are the subject of debate. The AAMC has outlined “Entrustable Professional Activities” (EPAs) expected of all physicians on day 1 of residency. An added concern of residency directors is that graduating students may not be adequately prepared for their chosen specialty. To meet these challenges, CalMed-SOM, an LCME applicant school with an active learning curriculum, has designed a 4th year selective pathway. METHODS: Faculty in Ob-Gyn, Anatomy, Pathology, and Medical Education established goals for the knowledge, skills, and attitudes desired of a beginning Ob-Gyn resident and the content and pedagogies required for the pathway based on: 1) specialty specific requirements; 2) broader learning outcomes (e.g. AAMC EPA's and CalMed-SOM core competencies); 3) our collective experience educating residents. Formative and summative assessments were designed to determine students' proficiency levels in the desired competencies. RESULTS: A 4th year Ob-Gyn and Women's Health Selective Pathway was created with 4 clinically integrated experiences: 1) the Clinical Pelvic Anatomy Laboratory (4 weeks), with a surgical skills component using fresh cadavers; 2) Ob-Gyn Surgical Pathology (4 weeks); 3) Diagnostic Imaging (4 weeks); 4) the Ob-Gyn Sub-Internship (8 weeks). Curriculum mapping demonstrated content integration across the 4 years of the curriculum. CONCLUSION: A 4th year pathway in Ob-Gyn and Women's Health can be designed to meet the aspiring Ob-Gyn's need for a curriculum that fulfills general and specialty specific competencies. Assessment results as well as program director and resident surveys will guide further modifications of this pathway.

Facilitation for professional learning community conversations in Singapore

Professional Learning Community (PLC) has steadily grown in importance over the last decade. The growing importance of PLCs lies in its potential to act as a lever for school-based curriculum development and innovation so as to provide diverse learning experiences to satisfy broader learning outcomes beyond academic achievements (e.g., the twenty-first century skills). The growth in PLCs implies greater time investment for teachers to come together to develop new curricula that engage students to meet these broadened set of learning outcomes. However, this also implies that new competencies need to be acquired to productively participate in PLCs. One essential competency is facilitating PLC conversations. This paper describes key findings drawn from participant observations with three Grade 5 PLC facilitators’ involvement in an intervention to explore how PLC facilitators can support teachers’ collective learning with one another on matters of teaching and learning. The findings from the study served to aid in generating a proposed intervention framework consisting of processes, principles, and practices that facilitators can use in PLC conversations.

Learning to care for older patients: hospitals and nursing homes as learning environments.

A significant challenge facing health care is the ageing of the population, which calls for a major response in medical education. Most clinical learning takes place within hospitals, but nursing homes may also represent suitable learning environments in which students can gain competencies in geriatric medicine. This study explores what students perceive as the main learning outcomes of a geriatric medicine clerkship in a hospital or a nursing home, and explicitly addresses factors that may stimulate or hamper the learning process. This qualitative study falls within a constructivist paradigm: it draws on socio-cultural learning theory and is guided by the principles of constructivist grounded theory. There were two phases of data collection. Firstly, a maximum variation sample of 68 students completed a worksheet, giving brief written answers on questions regarding their geriatric medicine clerkships. Secondly, focus group discussions were conducted with 19 purposively sampled students. We used template analysis, iteratively cycling between data collection and analysis, using a constant comparative process. Students described a broad range of learning outcomes and formative experiences that were largely distinct from their learning in previous clerkships with regard to specific geriatric knowledge, deliberate decision making, end-of-life care, interprofessional collaboration and communication. According to students, the nursing home differed from the hospital in three aspects: interprofessional collaboration was more prominent; the lower resources available in nursing homes stimulated students to be creative, and students reported having greater autonomy in nursing homes compared with the more extensive educational guidance provided in hospitals. In both hospitals and nursing homes, students not only learn to care for older patients, but also describe various broader learning outcomes necessary to become good doctors. The results of our study, in particular the specific benefits and challenges associated with learning in the nursing home, may further inform the implementation of geriatric medicine clerkships in hospitals and nursing homes.

Learning outcomes across disciplinary divides and contrasting national higher education traditions

In many quarters, attempts are underway to identify learning outcomes in higher education which are context-neutral or ‘generic’; such measures could provide new ways to assess and compare outputs from higher education. This paper considers potential challenges in using such broad learning outcomes across contrasting disciplinary and national settings. An empirical contribution is provided by an analysis of data from the international REFLEX survey for Norwegian and English bachelor’s degree graduates. This sheds some light on the relationships between graduates’ broad learning outcomes (general competencies), their national contexts and their disciplinary area. It finds variations in competencies across subjects and countries, suggesting that general competencies of the type often suggested as generic learning outcomes may be unstable and problematic to compare across contrasting settings. It highlights the need for comparative research into variations in learning outcomes and graduate competencies consi...

The Council on Accreditation of Park, Recreation, Tourism, and Related Professions

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) adopted recognition standards in 2006 requiring regional and professional accreditors such as the Council on Accreditation of Park, Recreation, Tourism, and Related Professions (COAPRT) to adopt standards and practices advancing academic quality, demonstrating accountability, and encouraging self-scrutiny and planning for change and improvement. COAPRT complied by replacing 45 content-based academic standards with four broad learning outcomes. Programs have flexibility when addressing these outcomes, but must demonstrate opportunities for students to obtain appropriate knowledge and skills, assess student performance, determine whether assessments indicate student achievement at desired levels, and evidence assessment driving curricular decision making. Other new standards require programs to make assessment results available to the public. The process by which COAPRT developed, tested, assessed, revised, and implemented the new standards between 2004 and 2013 is discussed. COAPRT's continuing CHEA recognition is dependent upon implementation of and program compliance with these new standards.

Beyond The Flipped Classroom: Redesigning A Research Methods Course For e3 Instruction

The "flipped classroom" has gained in popularity as a new way to structure teaching in which lectures shift from in-class events to digitally-based homework, freeing up class time for practice exercises and discussion. However, critics note such a teaching strategy continues emphasis on the less effective techniques of the lecture as transmission-based knowledge dissemination. They urge rethinking from single instructional tasks to learning environments that promote not just assignment goals but also knowledge application and broader learning outcomes. What do we want students to be able to do? Instructional design is a formal body of theory that has years of testing and evidence for effectiveness that may provide a framework for re-envisioning course design. A 2013 book by M. David Merrill, First Principles of Instruction, attempts to examine the body of instructional design theory for commonalities and develop a set of general principles and processes that can guide the development of such learning environments for instructors. The emphasis is on project-centered learning with a focus on students applying knowledge in ways that "reverse" action from the end of a course to the beginning to implement effective, efficient and engaging (e3) learning. This paper examines some of the key principles and provides an example of e3 implementation from a research methods class.

Assessing Key Competences across the Curriculum — and Europe

The development of key competences for lifelong learning has been an important policy imperative for EU Member States. The European Reference Framework of key competences (2006) built on previous developments by the OECD, UNESCO and Member States themselves. It defined key competences as knowledge, skills and attitudes applied appropriately to contexts. Now most Member States have incorporated key competences, or similarly broad learning outcomes, into their school curriculum frameworks. This is a necessary but insufficient step towards implementation; for the effective development of learners' key competences, assessment must also change. This article focuses on the challenge of assessing cross‐curricular key competences in primary and secondary education. It is based on a major study for the European Commission (Gordon, et al., 2009), which drew on information gathered and validated with the help of experts in each of the 27 EU Member States. The study's typology of assessment provides a basis for reviewing some recent developments in Member States. Present challenges and innovative responses are addressed, including ‘unpacking’ key competences, ‘mapping’ them to contexts and ‘accessment’ of their full scope and range. Policy developments are considered in the context of the author's work with the European Commission's Thematic Working Group on the assessment of key competences. The article concludes with considerations for policy and practice.

Designing Assessments and Assessing Designs in Virtual Educational Environments

This study used innovative assessment practices to obtain and document broad learning outcomes for a 15-hour game-based curriculum in Quest Atlantis, a multi-user virtual environment that supports school-based participation in socio scientific inquiry in ecological sciences. Design-based methods were used to refine and align the enactment of virtual narrative and scientific investigations to a challenging problem solving assessment and indirectly to achievement test items that were independent of the curriculum. In study one, one-sixth grade teacher used the curriculum in two of his classes and obtained larger gains in understanding and achievement than his two other classes, which used an expository text to learn the same concepts and skills. Further treatment refinements were carried out, and two forms of virtual formative feedback were introduced. In study two, the same teacher used the curriculum in all four of his classes; the revised curriculum resulted in even larger gains in understanding and achievement. Gains averaged 1.1 SD and 0.4 SD, respectively, with greater gains shown for students who engaged more with formative feedback. Principles for assessing designs and designing assessments in virtual environments are presented.

New Assessment Practices in Mathematics

Assessment practices need to change in mathematics classrooms that adopt the curriculum standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). An assessment system that focuses on broad learning outcomes, uses tasks that are aligned with instructional practices, involves students actively in the process, and informs teachers' instructional and curricular decisions is recommended. Such an assessment process requires teachers to identify important mathematical ideas, along with performance standards that describe what students must do to demonstrate that those ideas have been learned. Open-ended questions, observations, interviews, pre- and post-assessments, self- and peer-assessments are strategies that can be used to gather evidence of students learning. Documentation strategies are needed to help teachers organize and manage assessment data. NCTM has provided six standards for assessment that teachers can use as guidelines to help them evaluate the appropriateness of assessment tasks.