Large Group Discussions Research Articles

The “Clinical Neuroscience Method:” Using Learning Tools to Embed Neuroscience Concepts into a Clinical Framework

OPEN ACCESSFebruary 6, 2013The “Clinical Neuroscience Method:” Using Learning Tools to Embed Neuroscience Concepts into a Clinical Framework Demian Rose, MD, PhD Demian Rose, MD, PhD University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9340 SectionsAboutAbstract ToolsDownload Citations ShareFacebookTwitterEmail AbstractAbstract Introduction: The fields of clinical psychiatry and clinical neurology should effectively explain the processes of the central nervous system (CNS). However, it is unclear if trainees in either specialty are exposed to didactic tools that frame higher order CNS processes such as decision making, belief formation, or memory reconstruction in brain-based scientific language. This resource is an active learning tool meant to incorporate cognitive neuroscience concepts and language into a clinical curriculum. It was originally designed for use in psychiatry residency programs, and the text will often imply its use in psychiatry training. Because it is based on functional neuroanatomy, however, it can easily be modified to teach learners with differing levels of neuroscience knowledge, including medical students, neurology residents and practicing psychiatrists and neurologists. Methods: The resource is designed to be modular so that educators can integrate cognitive neuroscience concepts and paradigms into typical “in the trenches” clinical discussions. The 2-hour session includes a PowerPoint presentation as well as small-group activities, and large-group discussions. The materials may be modified into a 1-hour educator-led demonstration. Results: In various forms, this approach to incorporating cognitive neuroscience and the language of brain systems into psychiatry didactics has been used by the author over the past 5 years within the University of California, San Francisco Department of Psychiatry's residency training program. The feedback from the 2010–2011 academic year was largely positive, with trainees rating the overall value of each course an average of 4.36 out of 5, and the clinical relevance of each course 4.29 out of 5. Based on a number of learner comments, the team-based approach in particular was very well-received. Discussion: The teaching tools included herein are designed to transform the language of biologic discussion as it relates to behavioral presentations from that of molecules, receptors, and cells into that of circuits, systems, and functions. In this way, we can best prepare our trainees to be neuroscience-ready on the wards, in the office, and throughout their careers. Educational Objectives By the end of this session, learners will be able to: Take any clinical sign or subjective experience and contextualize it within the normal pattern of brain processing.Link basic neuroscience findings with behaviors and self-reports through the action of brain circuits and systems. Sign up for the latest publications from MedEdPORTAL Add your email below FILES INCLUDEDReferencesRelatedDetails FILES INCLUDED Included in this publication: Clinical Neuroscience Method Instructor's Guide.doc Clinical Neuroscience Method Templates and Hand-outs.ppt Clinical Neuroscience Method.ppt To view all publication components, extract (i.e., unzip) them from the downloaded .zip file. Download editor’s noteThis publication may contain technology or a display format that is no longer in use. Copyright & Permissions© 2013 Rose. This is an open-access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license.KeywordsBrain ProcessingNeurosciencesBrain Circuits and Systems Disclosures None to report. Funding/Support None to report. Loading ...

Advanced Spiritual Care in Palliative Care (P5)

3. Create an informed and effective clinical, education, and institutional approach to pediatric palliative care. It is often said that ‘‘children are not little adults’’ and nowhere is this more true than in the area of pediatric palliative care (PPC). Although all palliative care shares basic principles, there are clearly many differences. Even the term ‘‘pediatric palliative care’’ tends to conflate diverse age groups with distinct needs, ranging from the perinatal to the neonatal, through childhood, and onto adolescence. For all its uniqueness, PPC is vastly underserved, with few individuals specifically trained or even working in pediatric palliative care; yet children and families have these needs across the country. Adult palliative care clinicians are therefore faced with the challenge of how best to help children and families in their community. This workshop endeavors to help professionals tailor their expert palliative care skills to the needs of this population. The workshop will begin with an interdisciplinary team overview of what is unique and similar in adult and pediatric palliative care. This will be followed by small group case studies and a large group discussion. The three cases are: a fetus prenatally diagnosed with Trisomy 13; a school-age child with a poor prognosis where the parents are seeking maximal (and burdensome) treatment; and an adolescent with cancer that is potentially treatable, but who is refusing the treatment his parents want for him. Multiple issues will be discussed ranging from supporting parents in their grieving and decision making, to coping with clinicians’ own emotional response to the suffering of children, and much in between. The workshop will conclude with small-group and facilitated discussion of concrete steps toward expanding adult-oriented palliative care clinical and education programs to attend to the needs of children and their families. The audience is encouraged to bring suggestions and ideas to share with each other.

The U.S. training institute for dissemination and implementation research in health

BackgroundThe science of dissemination and implementation (D&I) is advancing the knowledge base for how best to integrate evidence-based interventions within clinical and community settings and how to recast the nature or conduct of the research itself to make it more relevant and actionable in those settings. While the field is growing, there are only a few training programs for D&I research; this is an important avenue to help build the field’s capacity. To improve the United States’ capacity for D&I research, the National Institutes of Health and Veterans Health Administration collaborated to develop a five-day training institute for postdoctoral level applicants aspiring to advance this science.MethodsWe describe the background, goals, structure, curriculum, application process, trainee evaluation, and future plans for the Training in Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (TIDIRH).ResultsThe TIDIRH used a five-day residential immersion to maximize opportunities for trainees and faculty to interact. The train-the-trainer-like approach was intended to equip participants with materials that they could readily take back to their home institutions to increase interest and further investment in D&I. The TIDIRH curriculum included a balance of structured large group discussions and interactive small group sessions.Thirty-five of 266 applicants for the first annual training institute were accepted from a variety of disciplines, including psychology (12 trainees); medicine (6 trainees); epidemiology (5 trainees); health behavior/health education (4 trainees); and 1 trainee each from education & human development, health policy and management, health services research, public health studies, public policy and social work, with a maximum of two individuals from any one institution. The institute was rated as very helpful by attendees, and by six months after the institute, a follow-up survey (97% return rate) revealed that 72% had initiated a new grant proposal in D&I research; 28% had received funding, and 77% had used skills from TIDIRH to influence their peers from different disciplines about D&I research through building local research networks, organizing formal presentations and symposia, teaching and by leading interdisciplinary teams to conduct D&I research.ConclusionsThe initial TIDIRH training was judged successful by trainee evaluation at the conclusion of the week’s training and six-month follow-up, and plans are to continue and possibly expand the TIDIRH in coming years. Strengths are seen as the residential format, quality of the faculty and their flexibility in adjusting content to meet trainee needs, and the highlighting of concrete D&I examples by the local host institution, which rotates annually. Lessons learned and plans for future TIDIRH trainings are summarized.

A Comparison of 2 Case Delivery Methods: Virtual and Live

Background and Purpose. Time, safety issues, and patient availability often limit the amount of hours that professional physical therapist students are able to spend in the clinical setting. Therefore, there is a need to develop educational approaches that afford students the opportunity to engage in meaningful practice with realistic patient scenarios in order to develop clinical-reasoning skills. The authors propose patient experiences delivered through technology.Methods. A sequential, mixed-methods design was used to study 2 methods of delivery (large group discussion [LGD] and patient simulation [VP]) on clinical reasoning, knowledge acquisition, transfer of knowledge, and students' perception of their learning. Students were randomly assigned to either LGD or VP groups to complete 6 patient cases related to course material.Results. There were no significant differences between groups for clinical reasoning as measured by the Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT); however, there were within-group differences for the simulation group only. Additionally, qualitative data revealed differences between groups in clinical reasoning and level of engagement.Discussion and Conclusion. There were no significant differences between the 2 delivery methods; however, the simulation group did score higher on all objective measures. The VP offers students the benefit of working independently and reduces faculty group facilitation time. Thus, patient experiences holds promise as a tool to teach clinical reasoning as well as knowledge acquisition and transfer of knowledge skills.BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEPhysical therapist programs require students to practice their clinical-reasoning skills in a clinical setting. Literature indicates clinicalreasoning skills develop through substantial exposure to and reflection on real patient cases.13 However, time, patient safety issues, and patient availability often limit the amount of time that students are able to spend in the clinical setting. Therefore, there is a need to develop educational approaches that engage students in meaningful practice with realistic patient scenarios in order to promote the development of clinical-reasoning skills. Computer technology may provide an alternative case delivery method to increase student exposure to realistic patient scenarios.Computer-simulated or virtual patients are being used in health professional programs to teach history taking, examination, and diagnosis skills, exposing students to realistic patients in a safe environment.4'11 Medical students use a web-based simulation program, DxR Clinician,® to complete a history, perform an examination, diagnose, and design a treatment program. To the authors' knowledge, there are no studies reporting the use of this technology in physical therapy. As the medical version of DxR Clinician was not appropriate for physical therapist students, 2 of the authors (KH, JED) worked with DxR Development Group to modify its existing patient simulation program. A description of the development process and initial testing of the simulation has been published.12As is true with any instructive methodology, design of educational technology should be grounded in sound pedagogy and based on accepted-learning theory. Constructivism and active learning provide a theoretical framework for the use of patients. The constructivist theory, for example, suggests that effective learners must develop their own depiction of information and advocate that this is best achieved through realistic situational contexts and multiple experiences.13 Realistic situational contexts and multiple experiences are consistent with what we know about the development of clinical-reasoning skills, in that clinical-reasoning skills develop over time with substantial experience with realistic patients.2Active-learning strategies advocate the engagement of students in the learning process by requiring meaningful and self-reflective learning. …

Preparing Students to Be Academicians

Medical schools have the responsibility of producing future leaders in academic medicine, yet few students choose academic medicine as a career. In 2009, the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences joined forces to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to careers in academic medicine through the redesign of an existing annual summer program for medical students. Since 2004, AMSA had hosted the Medical Education Leadership Institute, a weeklong program that attracted medical students from across the country who were interested in gaining teaching skills. In the redesigned sixth annual program, the authors expanded the curriculum to include principles of leadership, of medical education scholarship (or project development), and of academic medicine career-building. The purpose of this article is to describe the features of this comprehensive program and to share the lessons learned from its development and implementation. The authors also describe the multifaceted approach they used to evaluate the program, which featured a rubric they derived from social cognitive career theory.

Interprofessional Education

The past decade witnessed momentum toward redesigning the U.S. health care system with the intent to improve quality of care. To achieve and sustain this change, health professions education must likewise reform to prepare future practitioners to optimize their ability to participate in the new paradigm of health care delivery. Recognizing that interprofessional education (IPE) is gaining momentum as a crucial aspect of health care professions training, this article provides an introduction to IPE programs from three different academic health centers, which were developed and implemented to train health care practitioners who provide patient-centered, collaborative care. The three participating programs are briefly described, as well as the processes and some lessons learned that were critical in the process of adopting IPE programs in their respective institutions. Critical aspects of each program are described to allow comparison of the critical building blocks for developing an IPE program. Among those building blocks, the authors present information on the planning processes of the different institutions, the competencies that each program aims to instill in the graduates, the snapshot of the three curricular models, and the assessment strategies used by each institution. The authors conclude by providing details that may provide insight for academic institutions considering implementation of IPE programs.

Teaching Peace When Students Don't Know (About) War

This paper examines the challenge of engaging upper division political science students in participatory learning about peace and conflict resolution. Every other year, a Politics of Peace class (upper division, geared towards seniors but without formal prerequisites, enrollment capped at 48 students) is offered as part of the political science department’s international relations/comparative politics offerings. While a clear interest in the class exists (always oversubscribed with students asking to be added to waiting list), past experience has shown that teaching peace and conflict resolution can face a double challenge. The first problem deals with a small knowledge base. Many students are drawn to the idea of studying peace but have very little understanding of the majority of the world’s conflicts. When examples are mentioned in class or in the readings in order to illustrate a particular approach to conflict resolution, class time can be taken up with histories of specific conflicts often leaving much less time to focus on the approaches to their resolution because of a basic lack of knowledge about international developments. In other words, there is a danger that a peace and conflict resolution class turns into a survey class of the world’s conflicts. The second challenge is pedagogical. To fully understand, appreciate and internalize the nature of peace studies, it is helpful to provide the students with a learning environment that challenges existing power relations including those traditionally found in academia. A critical approach to pedagogy, especially one that borrows from Paolo Freire seems to lend itself quite naturally to the teaching of peace and conflict resolution. By moving from what Freire called a banking to a problem-posing concept of education, students and teacher are much freer to engage with the study of peace and conflict resolution. However, when students and/or teacher/facilitator are very used to the banking concept, this approach to learning can be disconcerting and combined with the students’ lack of understanding of global developments can be experienced as sometimes frustrating and possibly off-putting rather than as engaging. The challenge then is to develop a teaching model that overcomes both the knowledge gap and allows students to explore the study of peace and conflict in a manner that can facilitate their full engagement. In this paper I offer an overview of a range of teaching techniques designed to address this two-fold challenge. I will discuss a variety of assessment and participation techniques through which the students are encouraged to both learn specific content and the practice of conflict resolution. Because I experienced the two-fold challenge outlined above when I first taught the course in the spring 2010 semester, the following account will first explain how the class was taught then before explaining the changes that I implemented as a way of overcoming those obstacles. The learning techniques used range from small break-out group as well as large group discussions; written analyses of track I and track II diplomacy, student presentations and, a conflict mediation simulation. I added this last component to the syllabus based on student demand for the inclusion of conflict resolution skills into the syllabus and because I hoped it might help in working both on strengthening the students’ knowledge base and add a valuable experiential learning component. This semester’s experience will thus add an interesting test case to see whether the actual experience of a short mediation exercise adds to the students’ learning experience and to their understanding of the complexity involved in learning about peace and conflict. While student feed-back has shown that students want to move beyond the traditional lecture format and are actively calling on innovation in teaching, there are nonetheless a number of limitations that still need to be addressed. I conclude by offering some recommendations as to how these might be overcome.

Advancing the health and quality-of-life of girls and women after traumatic brain injury: Workshop summary and recommendations

Purpose: To disseminate findings from an international workshop regarding priority issues for girls’ and women's health and quality-of-life after sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods: A workshop was held prior to the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Conference 2010. The purpose of the workshop was to highlight the unique health issues experienced by women after a TBI, to identify research, education and policy gaps and to develop strategies to promote women's health. Presentations by researchers and consumers as well as large group discussions formed the basis of the recommendations.Results: Twenty researchers, clinicians, consumers and community agency personnel attended from five countries. Significant gaps in service provision in the community were identified as were unique issues for the short- and long-term effects on maturation and ageing, reproductive and sexual health, mental health and life satisfaction. The workshop led to the development of an international task force and recommendations for future directions.Conclusion: Women and girls experience unique outcomes after a TBI. The workshop identified research, policy, education and service priorities for the promotion of health and quality-of-life within this population.

Designing Interactive Seminars to Teach Clinical Management of Chest Pain: Lessons from the Trenches

OPEN ACCESSJanuary 6, 2012Designing Interactive Seminars to Teach Clinical Management of Chest Pain: Lessons from the Trenches Kendalle Cobb, MD, S. Beth Bierer, PhD Kendalle Cobb, MD Cleveland Clinic Google Scholar More articles by this author , S. Beth Bierer, PhD Cleveland Clinic Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.8450 SectionsAbout ToolsDownload Citations ShareFacebookTwitterEmail AbstractAbstractThis module contains a chest pain case specifically designed for instructional purposes to help third-year medical students build upon prior knowledge, develop data-collection skills, synthesize complex information, and formulate and test hypotheses. The case also provides opportunities for learners to discuss women's chest pain, a frequently overlooked symptom, and explore biases (i.e., alcohol use, smoking, poor diet, etc.) that may impact patient care. Ideally, instructors who use this teaching case should be clinicians with content expertise and can recognize third-year medical students' level of knowledge. These clinicians should also possess the ability to lead large-group discussions. Previous experience with case-based instruction is not essential for those who want to adopt this case for clerkship teaching. Curriculum planners should allot approximately 1–2 hours for students to discuss this case depending upon group size (usually 20–30 learners). We hope that this teaching case serves as a template for institutions that wish to implement a case-based curriculum for clerkship teaching. Consequently, we have also included a file that describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of how we used clinical cases to deliver a 16-week curriculum to third-year medical students enrolled in an integrated clerkship (surgery, internal medicine, and family medicine). Our experience demonstrates that it is feasible for busy physicians to teach clerkship students in large-group settings using instructional cases of patients. The vast majority (over 90%) of our students indicated on the clerkship evaluation that case-based instruction enhanced their diagnostic acumen, helped them integrate knowledge across disciplines, encouraged discussion among students and faculty, and featured challenging clinical cases. Additionally, over 70% of our faculty have continued to teach case-based seminars 3 years after we first implemented our case-based clerkship curriculum. These findings are significant given current challenges to retain talented clinical instructors and create active learning environments for students. Educational Objectives By the end of this case, learners will be able to: Identify differential diagnosis of nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms that includes nongastrointestinal causes.Distinguish potentially life-threatening causes of nausea that require hospitalization.Demonstrate how the family history and social history can broaden the differential diagnosis of a common symptom such as heartburn.Identify biases that might interfere with clinical reasoning in determining the cause of symptoms. Sign up for the latest publications from MedEdPORTAL Add your email below FILES INCLUDEDReferencesRelatedDetails FILES INCLUDED Included in this publication: Instructor's Guide.doc Take Two TUMS and Call Me in the Morning.ppt Designing an Interactive Seminar Series for Third Years.doc Resource Description.doc Take Two TUMS and Call Me in the Morning Student Case.doc To view all publication components, extract (i.e., unzip) them from the downloaded .zip file. Download editor’s noteThis publication may contain technology or a display format that is no longer in use. Copyright & Permissions© 2012 Cobb and Bierer. This is an open-access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike license.KeywordsSmokingChest PainAngina PectorisInferior Wall Myocardial InfarctionNausea Disclosures None to report. Funding/Support None to report. Loading ...

Video laboratories for the teaching and learning of professional ethics in exercise physiology curricula

Student researchers in physiology courses often interact with human subjects in classroom research but may be unfamiliar with the professional ethics of experimenter-subject interactions. This communication describes experiences related to an interactive video used in exercise science and general biology courses to help students become aware of, sensitive to, and comfortable with implementing professional ethics into their own thinking and behavior as researchers before entering the laboratory. The activity consisted of a filmed exercise physiology experiment complemented with interactive question sheets followed by small- and large-group discussion and culminating with individual student reflections. Student written responses from multiple courses indicated that students were able to 1) identify and consider the ethics of experimenter-subject interactions from the movie, 2) generalize broader ideas of professional ethics from those observations, and 3) consider their observations in terms of future experiments they would be conducting personally and how they should interact with human subjects. A majority of students indicated a positive reaction to the video and identified specific aspects they appreciated. It is hoped that this report will encourage other instructors to consider the use of interactive videos in the teaching and learning of professional ethics related to their courses.

Teaching communication and compassionate care skills: An innovative curriculum for pre-clerkship medical students

Background: Physicians require communications training to improve effective and compassionate care. Clinicians discuss challenging communication issues in existing hospital “Schwartz Rounds.”Aims: To improve communication skills, the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University designed “Schwartz Communication Sessions” for the mandatory 2-year pre-clerkship Doctoring course. Alongside learning interviewing, physical examination, and professionalism skills, the new Schwartz curriculum provides medical students with the rationale and proficiency for effective communication with patients, families and the healthcare team.Methods: First-year students experience a graduated curriculum of three sessions on themes such as empathy and professionalism using innovative methods. Sessions highlight cases and videos depicting successful and ineffective interactions, large and small group discussions, role play and skills practice, guest patient presentations, and multi-disciplinary panels. The second-year students’ session focuses on communications with challenging patients.Results: Students and faculty rate the sessions highly on effectiveness of enhancing communication skills, gaining perspective in healthcare communication, and appreciating the complexities of healthcare situations. Expansion of the program using case-based sessions for clerkship students is planned for a continuous and graduated experience.Conclusions: Integrating a pre-clerkship communications curriculum may help improve future physicians’ interactions with patients and families. Implications of this curriculum for medical education are discussed.

A Multi-Modal Active Learning Experience for Teaching Social Categorization

This article details a multi-modal active learning experience to help students understand elements of social categorization. Each student in a group dynamics course observed two groups in conflict and identified examples of in-group bias, double-standard thinking, out-group homogeneity bias, law of small numbers, group attribution error, ultimate attribution error, and moral exclusion. Students individually wrote papers detailing their observations. The author then carefully structured students' small and large group discussions so students could present and compare their findings orally. Pretest–posttest analyses revealed that students had a more complete and accurate understanding of social categorization after participating in this assignment than they did after merely reading the relevant textbook chapter.

Use of a simulation game for HIV/AIDS education with pre-service teachers

The article describes the use of a simulation game in HIV/AIDS education with pre-service teachers in Johannesburg, South Africa. The use of a simulation game, as novel experiential pedagogy, was an attempt to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS and to demonstrate that anyone can be at risk of HIV infection. Using a generic qualitative research design, the data were collected over a three-year period by way of video recordings of the simulation game, recordings of large and small group discussions afterwards, and via questionnaires and written reflections by the education students four weeks afterwards. Content analysis and discourse analysis led to the construction of three main themes. First, we found that the novelty factor of the simulation game for raising HIV/AIDS awareness was confirmed both during the game itself and after a period of time had elapsed. Second, in light of many education students’ naivety about the intersection of biological, socio-cultural and economic issues at play in the spread of HIV, the game prompted more reflexivity about the disease and helped to broaden the participants’ discussions. Lastly, the data revealed the disjuncture between theory and practice in HIV/AIDS education. We propose that in raising awareness of HIV and AIDS, educators should move towards more engaging and challenging pedagogies that address the learning needs of the ‘new’ generation of university students.

Research training needs in Peruvian national TB/HIV programs

BackgroundThere are few published reports of research training needs assessments and research training programs. In an effort to expand this nascent field of study and to bridge the gap between research and practice, we sought to systematically assess the research training needs of health care professionals working at Peruvian governmental institutions leading HIV and tuberculosis (TB) control and among senior stakeholders in the field.MethodsSix institutional workshops were conducted with the participation of 161 mid-level health professionals from agencies involved in national HIV and TB control. At each workshop informants completed a structured questionnaire and participated in small and large group discussions. Additional data and institutional commitment was obtained through in-depth interviews from 32 senior managers and researchers from the Ministry of Health, academia and NGOs.ResultsParticipants exhibited an overwhelming receptivity for additional research training, observing a gap between current levels of research training and their perceived importance. Specialized skills in obtaining funding, developing research protocols, particularly in operational, behavioral and prevention research were considered in greatest need. Beyond research training, participants identified broader social, economic and political factors as influential in infectious disease control.ConclusionsThe needs assessment suggests that future training should focus on operational research techniques, rather than on clinical skill building or program implementation only. Strengthening health systems not only requires additional research training, but also adequate financial resources to implement research findings.

State University of New York Upstate Medical University College of Medicine

State University of New York Upstate Medical University College of Medicine

“Knowledge is Power”: Educating Children About Their Parent's Mental Illness

Given the prevalence and associated vulnerabilities of children of parents with a mental illness (COPMI) it is essential to develop appropriate interventions. While education is an important component in many interventions, little is known about what topics are covered, delivery mode, and the efficacy in meeting the needs of this target group. Eighteen facilitators responsible for delivering COPMI programs across Australia were interviewed, fifteen of whom include education about mental illness in their treatment programs. According to program facilitators, education about mental health was important because they believed that knowledge equates to power, and can be cathartic. Education chiefly consisted of signs, symptoms, and treatments of various mental illnesses. The dominant mode of delivery was small and large group discussion. When delivering education, there was some consideration for children's ages. However, there was less differentiation in programs according to the diagnosis of parents' mental illness. Clinical and research implications conclude the article.

Research and Teaching About the Deep Earth: Understanding the Deep Earth: Slabs, Drips, Plumes and More; Virtual Workshop, 17–19 February and 24–26 February 2010

Images and models of active faults, subducting plates, mantle drips, and rising plumes are spurring new excitement about deep‐Earth processes and connections between Earth's internal systems and plate tectonics. The new results and the steady progress of Earthscope's USArray across the country are also providing a special opportunity to reach students and the general public.The pace of discoveries about the deep Earth is accelerating due to advances in experimental, modeling, and sensing technologies; new data processing capabilities; and installation of new networks, especially the EarthScope facility. EarthScope is an interdisciplinary program that combines geology and geophysics to study the structure and evolution of the North American continent. To explore the current state of deep‐Earth science and ways in which it can be brought into the undergraduate classroom, 40 professors attended a virtual workshop given by On the Cutting Edge, a program that strives to improve undergraduate geoscience education through an integrated cooperative series of workshops and Web‐based resources. The 6‐day two‐part workshop consisted of plenary talks, large and small group discussions, and development and review of new classroom and laboratory activities.

Dealing with Extension's Partners: What's Ethical?

A 90-minute staff development session was created to examine ethical issues of working with Extension's external partners. The session used a two-part case (included), as well as small and large group discussion to frame issues related to working with funders and partners outside of Extension. The participants in the session worked out ideas and guidelines for dealing ethically with external partners. The case discussion technique was rated highly on evaluations of the session.

Community‐based Participatory Research: Development of an Emergency Department–based Youth Violence Intervention Using Concept Mapping

Emergency departments (EDs) see a high number of youths injured by violence. In Ontario, the most common cause of injury for youths visiting EDs is assault. Secondary prevention strategies using the teachable moment (i.e., events that can lead individuals to make positive changes in their lives) are ideal for use by clinicians. An opportunity exists to take advantage of the teachable moment in the ED in an effort to prevent future occurrences of injury in at-risk youths. However, little is known about perceptions of youths, parents, and community organizations about such interventions in EDs. The aims of this study were to engage youths, parents, and frontline community workers in conceptualizing a hospital-based violence prevention intervention and to identify outcomes relevant to the community. Concept mapping is an innovative, mixed-method research approach. It combines structured qualitative processes such as brainstorming and group sorting, with various statistical analyses such as multidimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering, to develop a conceptual framework, and allows for an objective presentation of qualitative data. Concept mapping involves multiple structured steps: 1) brainstorming, 2) sorting, 3) rating, and 4) interpretation. For this study, the first three steps occurred online, and the fourth step occurred during a community meeting. Over 90 participants were involved, including youths, parents, and community youth workers. A two-dimensional point map was created and clusters formed to create a visual display of participant ideas on an ED-based youth violence prevention intervention. Issues related to youth violence prevention that were rated of highest importance and most realistic for hospital involvement included mentorship, the development of youth support groups in the hospital, training doctors and nurses to ask questions about the violent event, and treating youth with respect. Small-group discussions on the various clusters developed job descriptions, a list of essential services, and suggestions on ways to create a more youth-friendly environment in the hospital. A large-group discussion revealed outcomes that participants felt should be measured to determine the success of an intervention program. This study has been the springboard for the development of an ED-based youth violence intervention that is supported by the community and affected youth. Using information generated by youth that is grounded in their experience through participatory research methods is feasible for the development of successful and meaningful youth violence prevention interventions.

Examining Emergency Department Communication Through a Staff-Based Participatory Research Method: Identifying Barriers and Solutions to Meaningful Change

We test an initiative with the staff-based participatory research (SBPR) method to elicit communication barriers and engage staff in identifying strategies to improve communication within our emergency department (ED). ED staff at an urban hospital with 85,000 ED visits per year participated in a 3.5-hour multidisciplinary workshop. The workshop was offered 6 times and involved: (1) large group discussion to review the importance of communication within the ED and discuss findings from a recent survey of patient perceptions of ED-team communication; (2) small group discussions eliciting staff perceptions of communication barriers and best practices/strategies to address these challenges; and (3) large group discussions sharing and refining emergent themes and suggested strategies. Three coders analyzed summaries from group discussions by using latent content and constant comparative analysis to identify focal themes. A total of 127 staff members, including attending physicians, residents, nurses, ED assistants, and secretaries, participated in the workshop (overall participation rate 59.6%; range 46.7% to 73.3% by staff type). Coders identified a framework of 4 themes describing barriers and proposed interventions: (1) greeting and initial interaction, (2) setting realistic expectations, (3) team communication and respect, and (4) information provision and delivery. The majority of participants (81.4%) reported that their participation would cause them to make changes in their clinical practice. Involving staff in discussing barriers and facilitators to communication within the ED can result in a meaningful process of empowerment, as well as the identification of feasible strategies and solutions at both the individual and system levels.