Curricular Considerations Research Articles

A Model to Train English Language Teachers at Mexican Universities

This work evaluates the preparation of English language teachers at Mexican universities. In order to develop a model for training future English language teachers, curricular, operational, and contextual factors are analysed. Extensive professional teaching of English in Mexican universities is necessary given the extensive social, economic and cultural exchanges within North America that require workers to speak English with a certain level of proficiency. The preparation of English language teachers in Mexico has not been adequately researched and there is little objective data on its status. Therefore, there is a need for systematic empirical information to fully understand the status quo of English teacher training in Mexican universities. A case study of a typical university English teacher training programme provides curricular considerations and information from faculty, students and administrators. As a result, this work proposes a model for English teacher training at the university level and discusses its implications for curriculum development.

Which ideas, when, and why? An experienced teacher's in‐the‐moment pedagogical reasoning about facilitating student sense‐making discussions

AbstractTeaching to support students' sense‐making is challenging. It requires continuous, context‐dependent decision‐making about which student ideas to pursue, when, how, and why. This paper presents a single case study of an experienced teacher, Nadine, as an illustrative case in order to provide a rich description of this teacher's decisional episodes. Specifically, we characterize Nadine's pedagogical reasoning for decisions to make space for or close down student sense‐making while facilitating whole‐class discussions. We analyzed video recordings of (1) Nadine's classroom teaching over the course of two instructional units, (2) classroom moments tagged by Nadine or researchers in the midst of her teaching capturing her rationales for instructional decisions, and (3) interviews about those tagged moments. Using constant‐comparative analytic methods, we identified three dimensions of criteria that Nadine considered in her decisions about whether to pursue student ideas: (1) disciplinary potential, (2) potential for fostering the classroom community, and (3) curricular considerations. We present four episodes that feature Nadine's reasoning, two in which she intentionally made space for student sense‐making and two in which she intentionally closed down lines of student reasoning. Regardless of the decision, the criteria Nadine considered were sometimes aligned, supporting a straightforward decision, and other times created tensions. Across four episodes, we show how Nadine navigated multidimensional criteria; considered students' long‐term trajectories; and considered for whom pursuing sense‐making would be beneficial. We argue that these navigational considerations might serve as focal points as teachers, researchers, and professional learning facilitators make sense of teachers' instructional decisions as they occur during instruction and that leveraging them to open opportunities for discourse with teachers can support complex teaching practices.

Development of Consensus Guidelines for Hematology Fellow Competency in Peripheral Blood Smear Review Utilizing Nominal Group Technique

INTRODUCTION: Graduate medical education (GME) training in hematology in the United States is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Trainees provide patient care that requires manual review and interpretation of peripheral blood smears (PBS). The ACGME milestones were developed with significant input from the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and mandate fellow competency in the interpretation of peripheral blood smears. However, there are currently no publications that define competency or propose consensus recommendations (CRs) for PBS review. The primary aim of this study was to establish CRs on PBS review with a focus at the GME level. METHODS: Nominal group technique (NGT) and constructivist grounded theory (CGT) were selected given the lack of existing published theory and consensus on the methodology of PBS review or other analogous visuospatial skills within GME. A convenience sample of hematologists with expertise in training and assessing fellows was recruited through the ASH Medical Educators Institute. Goal accrual was 5-10 hematologists. Participants were required to regularly review PBSs as part of their clinical practice and attend two 1-hour virtual focus group sessions. The facilitator guide for session 1 was developed a priori to prompt open discussion on PBS review. Dialogue was transcribed and organized into thematic concepts through inductive coding. Data from session 1 were analyzed using a mixed methods approach and were used to develop a facilitator guide for session 2. Draft CRs were created using CGT. Weak and strong consensus were pre-specified as 50 - 69%, and >70% agreement, respectively. CRs underwent iterative review which would continue for a pre-specified minimum of 2, but no more than 3 rounds. RESULTS: Eight academic hematologists (5 men, 3 women) enrolled in the focus group (Table 1). Duration of clinical practice ranged from 5 to 33 years. Clinical focus spanned classical and malignant hematologic conditions. Half had formally instructed trainees in course work on PBS morphology. All routinely worked with fellows. CRs were generated through CGT. Three rounds of review occurred. Participants provided a statement of agree vs. disagree and offered qualitative suggestions for each statement in which they disagreed. Response rates per round were 87.5%, 87.5%, and 100%. The most commonly identified themes included recognition of morphology suggestive of thrombotic microangiopathies and distinguishing between malignant vs. benign white blood cells (WBC), specifically as it pertains to acute leukemias. Strong consensus was reached on multiple aspects of PBS education, including curricular considerations, method of review, and morphology (Table 2). All agreed that trainees should learn PBS review through a systematic approach, although some agreed that this systematic approach is not always used in clinical practice. The group agreed that trainees should be educated through PBS review of patients under their clinical care as well as through formal slide "libraries". Many discussed the changing landscape of PBS education with the advent of digital microscopy, and formed strong consensus that trainees should understand the benefits and limitations of digital microscopy. Group discussion largely focused on disorders of WBCs and red blood cells (RBC) (43% and 48% of all coded statements respectively). Most discussion focused on disorders in which prompt recognition was imperative to avert significant patient morbidity or mortality. However, all agreed that trainees must also be competent in the identification of common conditions, regardless of the degree of clinical importance, including normal peripheral blood smear morphology. The group was unable to reach consensus on how to balance these competing philosophies. CONCLUSIONS: A formal theory of PBS education was systematically developed using CGT. Experts were able to form strong CRs on almost every aspect of PBS review at the GME level. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: We propose that these guidelines serve as a template for future research and curricular development for both PBS review and other visuospatial tasks in medical education. This framework can also be used by organizations, such as ACGME and ASH, when formally reviewing and codifying guidelines on PBS review. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

Aligning the American Health Information Management Association Entry-level Curricula Competencies and Career Map With Industry Job Postings: Cross-sectional Study

BackgroundThe field of health information management (HIM) focuses on the protection and management of health information from a variety of sources. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Council for Excellence in Education (CEE) determines the needed skills and competencies for this field. AHIMA’s HIM curricula competencies are divided into several domains among the associate, undergraduate, and graduate levels. Moreover, AHIMA’s career map displays career paths for HIM professionals. What is not known is whether these competencies and the career map align with industry demands.ObjectiveThe primary aim of this study is to analyze HIM job postings on a US national job recruiting website to determine whether the job postings align with recognized HIM domains, while the secondary aim is to evaluate the AHIMA career map to determine whether it aligns with the job postings.MethodsA national job recruitment website was mined electronically (web scraping) using the search term “health information management.” This cross-sectional inquiry evaluated job advertisements during a 2-week period in 2021. After the exclusion criteria, 691 job postings were analyzed. Data were evaluated with descriptive statistics and natural language processing (NLP). Soft cosine measures (SCM) were used to determine correlations between job postings and the AHIMA career map, curricular competencies, and curricular considerations. ANOVA was used to determine statistical significance.ResultsOf all the job postings, 29% (140/691) were in the Southeast, followed by the Midwest (140/691, 20%), West (131/691,19%), Northeast (94/691, 14%), and Southwest (73/691, 11%). The educational levels requested were evenly distributed between high school diploma (219/691, 31.7%), associate degree (269/691, 38.6%), or bachelor’s degree (225/691, 32.5%). A master’s degree was requested in only 8% (52/691) of the postings, with 72% (42/58) preferring one and 28% (16/58) requiring one. A Registered Health Information Technologist (RHIT) credential was the most commonly requested (207/691, 29.9%) in job postings, followed by Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA; 180/691, 26%) credential. SCM scores were significantly higher in the informatics category compared to the coding and revenue cycle (P=.006) and data analytics categories (P<.001) but not significantly different from the information governance category (P=.85). The coding and revenue cycle category had a significantly higher SCM score compared to the data analytics category (P<.001). Additionally, the information governance category was significantly higher than the data analytics category (P<.001). SCM scores were significantly different between each competency category, except there were no differences in the average SCM score between the information protection and revenue cycle management categories (P=.96) and the information protection and data structure, content, and information governance categories (P=.31).ConclusionsIndustry job postings primarily sought degrees, with a master’s degree a distant fourth. NLP analysis of job postings suggested that the correlation between the informatics category and job postings was higher than that of the coding, revenue cycle, and data analytics categories.

Editors’ Note and Prologue

Editors’ Note and Prologue

Informing the Implementation of Personalized Learning in the Middle Grades through a School-Wide Genius Hour

Over the past decade, personalized learning has emerged as a major aim in the contemporary education systems of many countries. This qualitative case study examined middle school educators’ perceptions of how their school’s collective experimentation with Genius Hour supported the broader implementation of personalized learning. Teachers in the study perceived Genius Hour to foster student self-direction and to engage students through relationships and choice provision. Teachers benefited from experiencing a model of personalized learning in practice and participating in its initial success, although logistical, personal, and curricular considerations kept them from integrating the practice into their classrooms more generally. Implications of the collective experiment with school-wide Genius Hour are discussed, including considerations for practice and future research.

Preparing for advanced practice radiation therapy in South Africa: Conceptual and curricular considerations.

The higher education landscape in South Africa has recently changed with the new National Qualifications Framework, leading to the introduction of four-year degrees in all four radiography disciplines. Additionally, there have been developments in the extension of roles in radiography, while the need for interdisciplinary practice has also been emphasised. The Professional Board for Radiography and Clinical Technology (PBRCT) of the Health Professions Council of South Africa is currently revising the scope of the profession which will now include extended roles. However, the extended role concept in radiation therapy has not received the attention similar to Diagnostic/Medical Imaging. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to provide concept clarification and key considerations for developing a postgraduate curricular framework for training radiation therapists to practise in the envisaged extended roles. For this narrative review, a Boolean search for advanced practice and role extension in radiation therapy was done on all databases (43) available on EbscoHost to source for peer-reviewed articles published between January 1950 and September 2020. A total of 17 articles met the inclusion criteria and were used to frame the discussion. Advanced practice emerged as the more suitable concept as it goes beyond an extension of tasks to include critical characteristics that are necessary to drive transformation in the local social, professional and educational arenas. It is envisaged that some of the key points discussed in this paper could assist the PBRCT in thinking about the implementation of the proposed extended roles for radiation therapists in South Africa.

Backward Design of Chemistry Laboratories: A Primer

Backward Design is a well-known method for curricular development in which an instructor first identifies desired learning ends and then “works backwards” to determine the necessary means to these ends. Unfortunately, its use in the design of undergraduate chemistry curricular components is not necessarily widespread. This paper will provide a primer on how to use Backward Design to develop chemistry laboratory curricula including learning objectives that go beyond chemistry content. In addition to the foundational steps of Backward Design, curricular considerations will be discussed that address aspects of teaching and learning that are unique to the field of chemistry and facilitate a more inclusive, scaffolded, and intentional curriculum. A “Backward Design of Chemistry Laboratories Quick Guide” is provided in the Supporting Information for this paper to assist faculty in the use of the Backward Design curriculum development method.

Preparing Radiologists to Lead in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Designing and Implementing a Focused Data Science Pathway for Senior Radiology Residents.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI-ML) have taken center stage in medical imaging. To develop as leaders in AI-ML, radiology residents may seek a formative data science experience. The authors piloted an elective Data Science Pathway (DSP) for 4th-year residents at the authors' institution in collaboration with the MGH & BWH Center for Clinical Data Science (CCDS). The goal of the DSP was to provide an introduction to AI-ML through a flexible schedule of educational, experiential, and research activities. The study describes the initial experience with the DSP tailored to the AI-ML interests of three senior radiology residents. The authors also discuss logistics and curricular design with common core elements and shared mentorship. Residents were provided dedicated, full-time immersion into the CCDS work environment. In the initial DSP pilot, residents were successfully integrated into AI-ML projects at CCDS. Residents were exposed to all aspects of AI-ML application development, including data curation, model design, quality control, and clinical testing. Core concepts in AI-ML were taught through didactic sessions and daily collaboration with data scientists and other staff. Work during the pilot period led to 12 accepted abstracts for presentation at national meetings. The DSP is a feasible, well-rounded introductory experience in AI-ML for senior radiology residents. Residents contributed to model and tool development at multiple stages and were academically productive. Feedback from the pilot resulted in establishment of a formal AI-ML curriculum for future residents. The described logistical, planning, and curricular considerations provide a framework for DSP implementation at other institutions. Supplemental material is available for this article. © RSNA, 2020.

Teaching for social impact: integrating generational goals and concerns into religious education

Claims of everyone a changemaker and calls for social and environmental responsibility resonate with today’s young adults. Less religious than preceding generations, they tend instead to draw their values and purpose from consumer, cultural, and employment affinities. They also rely on their connectivity, digital or otherwise, for the ability to make an impact in the direction of social change they deem necessary. Yet they are less connected than previous generations to some of the most fundamental means that support change, especially faith, family, and institutional leadership. To have a hand in shaping their generational desire for change, religious educators can design curricula to achieve not just traditional student learning outcomes, but social impact outcomes, too. Toward this end, the article proposes that religious educators approach students of religious education as engaged practitioners of change on a contemporaneous basis as well as in anticipation of their future agency. Doing so would instantiate teaching for social impact as a particular form of the praxis already prevalent in religious education. The article explores this potential through a survey of the cause–concerns and desires of young adults in Australia and the United States; a conceptual analysis of the engaged practice that is grounded in studium, or the zeal for coherence; and a description of what it might look like for religious education to integrate social impact outcomes into curricular considerations on the basis of such studium.

Coming Out, Getting Comfortable: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Plus Inclusion and Curricular Considerations.

Coming Out, Getting Comfortable: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Plus Inclusion and Curricular Considerations.

“You gotta believe in something, something, something”: Evoking literacy lives as nostalgia for the future

We render in this theoretical inquiry, informed by empirical data, understandings of how preservice teachers’ literacy lives come into curricular considerations of future teaching and learning in the secondary English classroom. In doing this work, we wondered about the past, present, and future lives of teachers: how might we understand the teaching of English as profoundly nostalgic work? Building upon the notion of “nostalgia for the future”, and drawing across curriculum theory, literacy research, teaching and teacher education research, and the music of Frank Ocean, we attend to dangerous nostalgia in the current political moment, while also finding nostalgia for the future useful for ways in which through this considering we may envision and enact more just futures. We assert this nostalgia for the future, one necessarily prospective and not solely retrospective, as informed by written reflections authored by preservice teachers and teacher educators, and reflections of teaching activities in undergraduate and internship-year teacher-preparation courses. Ultimately we argue the concept affords a frame for making sense of the past while also orienting preservice teachers forward, building on that past critically for the work of imagining and constructing more just worlds for their future students.

Engaging in building the educational support needed to deliver precision health in Canada.

Canadian healthcare facilities are poised to benefit from the tools of precision health. To do so effectively, however, it is crucial that we align changes in how healthcare professionals are educated in order to ensure they have the skills, knowledge, and training to fully engage with its tools. Here, we propose that the design, development, and delivery of novel educational programs focused on precision health should be prioritized for healthcare professionals, and we suggest some essential curricular considerations to that end. Additionally, it is crucial to see engagement on the part of health leaders, who will ultimately be most responsible for managing the changing needs of frontline staff as the tools of precision health become increasingly available. By engaging directly with educators in establishing new programs for precision health, we can ensure that its promise is fully for healthcare facilities, practitioners, and patients.

The Impact of NOLS Rocky Mountain on the Development of a Sense of Place

Background: One of the core environmental studies learning objectives at NOLS is for students to develop a “sense of place” by experiencing wilderness and exploring relationships with their surroundings. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how students report developing a sense of place after completing a course based out of NOLS Rocky Mountain in Lander, Wyoming. A secondary focus of this study was to understand sense-of-place development through past NOLS research on learning mechanisms. Methodology/Approach: Data were analyzed from 511 NOLS students who answered the open-ended question: Did NOLS help you develop a personal relationship to the places you visited? If so, how? This study utilized a grounded theory approach to design and analysis. Findings/Conclusions: Analyses revealed nine core categories related to developing an expeditionary and wilderness-focused sense of place. The two predominant themes supporting a sense of place were the ability of a NOLS course to facilitate nature appreciation and specific instructor-oriented and NOLS structure-oriented learning mechanisms. Implications: This article offers insights into how NOLS supports a sense of place, clarifies related learning mechanisms, and discusses curricular considerations related to facilitating person–environment relationships within landscapes understood as wilderness.

Nurse Practitioner Transition to Practice: Development of a Residency Program

Nurse practitioner residency programs assist new graduates to transition to practice. This article describes the development of a primary care nurse practitioner residency program at a large academic medical center in the mid-Atlantic region. Organizational factors related to program development and support as well as fiscal and human resource considerations are presented. Curricular considerations inclusive of both clinical and didactic content are presented in conjunction with a curricular outline. Finally, recommendations for nurse practitioner residency program development and expansion within academic and nonacademic medical centers are provided.

Considerations in Placement Decisions for Students With Extensive Support Needs: An Analysis of LRE Statements

Special education consists of specially designed services available for students with disabilities, and should be available across placements. Students with the most significant disabilities continue to be taught in restrictive settings, despite accumulating evidence suggesting their special education services can be delivered effectively in general education settings. Every individualized education program (IEP) must contain a statement describing how the student will be provided a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. The present study used content analysis to examine least restrictive environment statements of 88 students’ IEPs to determine what factors, including supplementary aids and services, were considered in making placement decisions. We further analyzed the classes and activities in which students participated in general education settings. Findings reveal supplementary aids and services were not considered in placement decisions, although a number of factors centering on curricular considerations, environmental demands, student deficit, and personnel requirements were noted in making placement decisions. We further found students primarily participated in non-academic instruction while in general education settings. Implications for policy, practice, and research are included.

Sex education and transgender youth: ‘Trust Means Material By and For Queer and Trans People’

ABSTRACTThe sex education made available to transgender youth has rarely been studied empirically. In this study, we sought to explore the sex education experiences of transgender young people and summarise their recommendations for transgender-inclusive curricula. Qualitative data from 14 transgender youth in the upper-Midwest USA were collected by means of an online questionnaire and group interview. Data was analysed using a consensual qualitative approach. Three themes emerged: (1) sources and reactions to sex education, (2) the importance of trust, and (3) missing information and recommendations. Sources and reactions to sex education included sexual health information sources and the strategies participants employed to supplement the sex education they received. Trust included trustworthy information sources and strong qualities of sexual health resources. Missing information and recommendations included unmet sex education needs, including the scope of information and from whom the information is delivered. Findings suggest that important curricular considerations include the diversity of content, but also the diversity of voices delivering it.

Addressing the Health Impacts of Cannabis Through Interprofessional Education—Institutional and Curricular Considerations

The global wave of cannabis legalization presents a challenge to health professions and health profession educational institutions. While the state of science around cannabis and its use is poor at baseline, changes in the legal and regulatory environment are resulting in rapid changes in the drug, its delivery, and the clinical consequences of its use. Effective institutional responses to this rapidly evolving reality will need to be swift and interprofessional. This article discusses the critical institutional and curricular considerations that academic medical centers and other institutions that teach and train health professions will need to address as they plan their response to cannabis.

Exploring the Impact of Global Studies Experiences on Undergraduate Student Development: Some Curricular Considerations

In this manuscript, the authors detail the initial evaluations of the effects of participation in two iterations of an interdisciplinary learning community with a short-term study abroad opportunity on undergraduate student learning and behavior. The results suggest that the CHE (Cultural, Historical, and Environmental) log tool may be useful in capturing information about students’ interactions with their native and foreign environments and how their experiences further affect their later interactions with their native environment. These findings are discussed in terms of methodological revisions made to the procedures and experimental methods to strengthen the reliability and validity of the conclusions and the implications for integrating teaching and scholarship in mutually beneficial ways.

English Language Teaching and Cultural Implications in Saudi Arabia

Culture and language are inseparable. Language is used both as a means of communication as well as a carrier of culture. Language without culture is unthinkable, so is human culture without language (Wei, 2005). While teaching a foreign language, a teacher needs to accustom himself with the culture of the target language and the culture of learners. However, teachers in different classrooms in different parts of the world still ignore the importance of culture as a part of language study. This study focuses on perception and practices of teachers regarding culture and English language teaching in Saudi Arabia. The data were collected from 121 (60 male and 61 female) teachers of different cultural background through a questionnaire on their perceptions and implication of teaching target culture in the classroom through English language courses. It was revealed that all teachers have knowledge about the aspects of the target culture to some extent, but how they deal with the target culture is affected highly by the curricular considerations and limitations.