Prior Education Research Articles

The effectiveness of a MOOC in basic mathematics and time management training for transfer students in engineering

ABSTRACT When students enter higher education, they can encounter the feeling of unpreparedness. In fact, students who lack the appropriate prior education are less prepared. Therefore developing and implementing appropriate interventions for incoming students is important. This study examined the effectiveness of two new interventions at the Faculty of Engineering Technology, KU Leuven: (1) a basic mathematics MOOC and (2) a time management training. Transfer students were given the opportunity to participate voluntarily. Some preliminary empirical evidence about the effectiveness of the interventions was found, based on analysis of pre- and post-test scores, a satisfaction survey, and a math diagnostic test. This study found statistical evidence for the effectiveness of the math MOOC. Regarding the effectiveness of the time management training, the evidence was marginally non-significant. However, students who participated in the time management training perceived the training as useful. Therefore, we keep organising this training, which focuses on a non-cognitive variable.

Analyzing student teachers\u2019 use of theory in their reflections on mathematics teaching practice

This study was conducted among 269 student teachers at 11 primary teacher training colleges in the Netherlands. To investigate their competence in integrating theory and practice in their reflections on mathematics teaching, a learning environment was designed to evoke theory use in reflections on practice. To be able to systematically describe the use of theory, we distinguished two dimensions, which we called the nature and level of theory use. A Reflection Analysis Instrument was used to univocally code the nature and level of the student teachers’ theory use in the reflective notes of their final assessments into 1740 meaningful units. We found that nearly all student teachers used theory. However, they differed markedly in the way they linked theory and practice and with which depth they used theoretical concepts in their reflections. A remarkable finding of the study was the important influence of prior mathematics education on the nature and level of theory use, especially the low results of the third-year student teachers in their level of theory use. The outcome may have consequences for the design of the teacher education curricula and for the intake of first-year student teachers.

The Role of Engagement in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for the Prevention of Depressive Relapse/Recurrence in Perinatal Women

One core assumption of mindfulness interventions is that engagement via session attendance and at-home mindfulness practices is essential to the program’s efficacy. In two samples of pregnant women who underwent Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Perinatal Depression (MBCT-PD), we aimed to evaluate predictors of engagement as well as associations between engagement and clinical outcomes. Pregnant adult women with depression histories received MBCT-PD in an open trial (N = 49) or a pilot randomized clinical trial (N = 43). Engagement was measured by quantity of at-home practice and class attendance. Clinical outcomes were self-reported depressive symptoms measured at post-intervention and at 6-months postpartum. Potential predictors of engagement included baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. On average, women reported engaging in formal mindfulness practice 3.35 (SD = 1.86) times per week for 13.95 (SD = 7.25) minutes per session. Greater engagement was significantly associated with decreased depressive symptoms at post-intervention and 6 months postpartum, with medium to large effect sizes. The number of children was negatively associated with attendance and occasions of practice, with medium to large effect sizes, although not statistically significant. Prior depressive episodes, age, income, and education were not associated with engagement variables. Engagement is associated with improvements in mothers’ mental health following MBCT-PD. Given the association between mothers’ depression and their parenting behavior, MBCT-PD may be a useful intervention for enhancing parenting skills.

An Assessment of an Outpatient Urology Clinic's Compassion, Comfort and Knowledge of Transgender Care.

Transgender patients face significant barriers to care, including providers who lack compassion, comfort and knowledge. We assessed the preparedness of an outpatient urology clinic in caring for transgender patients by administering a questionnaire to all staff. Institutional review board approval was obtained to administer a questionnaire to assess transgender education, baseline compassion, comfort and knowledge of members of an outpatient urology clinic. Each section included 4 questions based on a 1 to 5 Likert scale. Responses to all questions in each section were summed for a section score of 4 to 20. The questionnaire was completed by 67 members (14 administrative staff, 14 medical assistants or nurses, 20 practicing providers and 19 trainees). Mean (±SD) participant age was 38.0 years (±12.7, range 23 to 74). Overall 26 (38.8%) participants had received some prior transgender education while only 3 (11.5%) said they believed their training was satisfactory. Mean response to the comfort section was 13.4 (±4.4), mean response to the compassion section was 15.9 (±3.5) and mean response to the knowledge section was 11.8 (±4.2). No statistical differences were seen among member responses for each section score. Clinic staff showed a high level of compassion toward the transgender community. However, knowledge of how to properly care for and help these individuals lagged behind. We aim to narrow this gap at our institution by developing educational seminars. Since the patient experience encompasses all parts of the clinic from check-in to check-out, education will be directed at all staff.

Benign Anal Disease: Implementation of an Educational Program Across Specialties

BackgroundBenign anal diseases, including hemorrhoids, fissures, abscesses, fistulas, and anal condylomata, affect 10%-15% of our population. Most patients seen by nonsurgical providers experience delayed treatment. We examined at our institution whether an educational session on anorectal diseases would benefit trainees from medical and surgical specialties. Materials and MethodsThe study took place at Oregon Health & Science University, a primary institutional practice with 130 resident participants. An exploratory study using a 10-point pretest and posttest regarding these diseases was designed and administered to medical subspecialties, including general surgery (GS), emergency medicine, internal medicine, and family medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, and pediatric residents. Intervention was a 50-min presentation highlighting anatomy, history and physical findings, and disease treatment. The posttest was repeated after 6 mo to evaluate retention and overall satisfaction, and differences were evaluated. ResultsWith the exception of GS, posttest scores improved. Internal medicine improved most significantly. GS residents scored better on the pretest than other specialties; their posttest scores, however, declined. The survey demonstrated residents with prior education scored better on the pretest. PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents improved most on their posttest. On 6-mo retest, 17.6% of residents responded and posttest performance was 72%. ConclusionsNonsurgical residents have limited knowledge about benign anal diseases but demonstrate improvement after educational intervention. Surgery residents performed well, but demonstrate regression to the mean, common in test taking, but may also require a more advanced lecture. Formal institutional, regional, and national educational interventions are needed to improve the understanding of these diseases.

Modifiable patient-related barriers and their association with breast cancer detection practices among Ugandan women without a diagnosis of breast cancer.

Most women with breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are diagnosed with late-staged disease. The current study assesses patient-related barriers among women from a general SSA population to better understand how patient-related barriers contribute to diagnostic delays. Using convenience-based sampling, 401 Ugandan women without breast cancer were surveyed to determine how prior participation in cancer detection practices correlate with patient-related barriers to prompt diagnosis. In a predominantly poor (76%) and rural population (75%), the median age of the participants was 38. Of the women surveyed, 155 (46%) had prior exposure to breast cancer education, 92 (27%) performed breast self-examination (BSE) and 68 (20%) had undergone a recent clinical breast examination (CBE), breast ultrasound or breast biopsy. The most commonly identified barriers to prompt diagnosis were knowledge deficits regarding early diagnosis (79%), economic barriers to accessing care (68%), fear (37%) and poor social support (24%). However, only women who reported knowledge deficits—a modifiable barrier—were less likely to participate in cancer detection practices (p<0.05). Women in urban and rural areas were similarly likely to report economic barriers, knowledge deficits and/or poor social support, but rural women were less likely than urban women to have received breast cancer education and/or perform BSE (p<0.001). Women who have had prior breast cancer education (p<0.001) and/or who perform BSE (p = 0.02) were more likely to know where she can go to receive a diagnostic breast evaluation. These findings suggest that SSA countries developing early breast cancer detection programs should specifically address modifiable knowledge deficits among women less likely to achieve a diagnostic work-up to reduce diagnostic delays and improve breast cancer outcomes.

Examining community-based pharmacist perceptions on the care of transgender patients

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine whether community-based pharmacists in North Carolina have the personal confidence, comfort level, and resources needed to care appropriately for and interact with transgender patients. MethodsUsing the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy database, a link to a 25-item questionnaire was e-mailed to all actively licensed community pharmacists in North Carolina. Survey items included pharmacist demographics, prior or current education on transgender health care, comfort regarding care provision for transgender patients, and the ability to care for transgender patients at the practice site. Questionnaire items were developed in collaboration with a pharmacist who actively participates in the care of transgender patients. The questionnaire was pilot-tested among a convenience sample of student pharmacists and pharmacists for feedback on validity and question structure. The survey was open for 30 days with a reminder sent on day 15. Upon survey completion, participants had the option to be entered into a drawing to receive a gift card incentive. ResultsIn total, 342 surveys were completed of 4784 surveys distributed, yielding a 7.1% response rate. Three percent of survey respondents reported receiving education on treating transgender patients during their respective pharmacy school curricula, and 12% of respondents sought other forms of transgender education (i.e., continuing education). Seventy-one percent of respondents viewed the role of the pharmacist as important in the care of transgender patients. Sixty-six percent of respondents were comfortable welcoming transgender patients into their practice sites, and 36% were comfortable asking for pronouns. ConclusionSurvey participants reported a lack of formal or postgraduate education, which describes a need for accessible education on transgender care. North Carolina community-based pharmacists believe that it is within their role as pharmacists to provide gender-affirming care, but they may need additional training to feel comfortable in providing this care.

173-LB: Using a Diabetes Kidney Disease (DKD) Registry to Treat to Multiple Targets (TMT)—A JADE Technology-Based RCT

DKD causes co-morbidities made preventable by attaining multiple targets. Patient empowerment, regular feedback and team-based care assisted by JADE Technology with risk stratification and decision support may improve targets attainment and clinical outcomes. In 2014-2018, 2435 patients1 with DKD2 (age:67.6±9.9 years, DM duration:16.5±9.7 years; BMI:26.9±4.7 kg/m2; A1c:7.9±1.6%; SBP:139±18 mmHg; LDL-C:2.35±1.05 mmol/L; TG:1.92±1.29 mmol/L; RASi:70.0%; statin:74.8%; CVD:32.0%, cancer:5.0%, heart failure:3.9%, ≥3 targets3:33.6%), were randomized to usual care (UC=809), empowered care (EC=819) and team-based empowered care (TEC=807) for 1 year with endpoints defined at year 1 and when study ends. After structured assessment, EC and TEC received JADE report, with EC receiving 3-monthly phone calls by nurses and TEC, additional 3-monthly review by a doctor-nurse team with JADE follow-up reports. Amongst 1837 returnees at 1 year, TEC had the lowest HbA1c and LDL-C and highest proportion with ≥3 targets (TMT)4. Non-returnees had worse risk profiles and were less likely to have familial DM and received prior DM education. At study end (2019)5, TMT group (27/408) had fewer CV-renal-cancer endpoints than non-TMT group (66/676) with RR of 0.678 (95% CI: 0.668-0.687). Empowerment, information support and continuing team-based care improve risk factor control and clinical outcomes in DKD. Disclosure J.C.N. Chan: Board Member; Self; Asia Diabetes Foundation. Consultant; Self; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Medtronic, Merck Sharp &amp; Dohme Corp., Sanofi-Aventis. Research Support; Self; Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca, Lee Powder, Lilly Diabetes, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis. Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Ascensia Diabetes Care. Stock/Shareholder; Self; GemVCare. K.T. Nguyen: Advisory Panel; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Abbott. Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi-Aventis. A. Tan: None. Y.C. Chia: None. C. Hwu: None. E. Hong: None. Y. Thewjitcharoen: None. J. Du: None. S. Yoo: None. R.C. Mirasol: None. E.S. Lau: None. V. Lau: None. A.W.C. Fu: None. M. Mohamed: None. K. Yoon: Advisory Panel; Self; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck Sharp &amp; Dohme Corp., Novo Nordisk Inc. Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. C. Tsang: None. A. Luk: None. Funding Asia Diabetes Foundation

If Everyone Is Doing It, It Must Be Safe: College Students’ Development of Attitudes toward Poly-Substance Use

Background: While binge drinking on college campuses has been a topic of concern for decades, especially among fraternity and sorority members, recreational drug use is on the rise and mixing alcohol and drugs is now more of a concern than ever. Objective: Social learning theory was used as a framework for understanding how students develop attitudes regarding the possible risks and rewards of various behaviors such as binge drinking and drug use. Method: This research reports the results of 13 focus group discussions with 63 college students. A thematic approach was used and revealed several themes: participating in college culture, experimenting is expected, ignoring risk-taking, and resisting peer pressure. Findings: Participants felt as if it was expected that college students would experiment with alcohol and drugs, and that it was just “part of going away to college.” Students reported ignoring the known risks of mixing alcohol and drugs use despite prior education efforts. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that alcohol and drug use on college campuses is, at least in part, driven by a perception of college culture and a poor balancing of the risks and rewards associated with these behaviors.

Relative progress and academic performance of graduate vs undergraduate entrants to an Australian medical school

BackgroundWhether graduate entrants to medical school perform better academically than undergraduate entrants remains controversial. Differences in the discipline backgrounds of graduates may, at least in part, have accounted for differences in the results of comparative studies reported to date. This study aimed to address the dual issues of whether academic performance and progression rates were different between GE and UG students and the extent to which the discipline background of GE students may underpin any differences observed.MethodsRelative academic performance as well as indicators of student progression (supplementary examinations, repeat years, leave of absence, withdrawal from the programme) were compared between graduate entrants (GE) (N = 410) and both school leaver entrants (SLE) (N = 865) and non-standard entrants (some prior tertiary education) (NSE) (N = 148) who combined for the final 4 yr. of a 6 yr. MBBS undergraduate programme in 8 consecutive cohorts from 2006 to 2013 in Western Australia.ResultsExamination scores were generally at or very close to a distinction grade or higher across all groups. Higher mean examination scores were seen for GE versus both SLE and NSE in the first 2 years with no significant differences in the final 2 years. GE from biological science / science backgrounds (N = 241) or physical science backgrounds (N = 26) performed the same as SLE and NSE throughout the programme. GE with a health / allied health background (N = 91), however, performed better throughout. They also performed better when compared to their GE counterparts from a humanities (N = 32) or a biological science / science background. GE had increased odds of withdrawing when compared to SLE (OR 2.50, 95% CI 1.30, 4.79, P = 0.006), but not compared to NSE. NSE had increased odds of repeating at least one level when compared to either GE (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.21, 6.21, P = 0.016) or SLE (OR 4.10, 95% CI 1.93, 8.70, P < 0.001). There were no differences by entry category in the odds of sitting at least one supplementary examination during the programme. There was an increase in the odds of taking at least one leave of absence in both SLE (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.79, 3.63, P < 0.001) and NSE (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.50, 4.07, P < 0.001) compared to GE.ConclusionsBetter academic performance by GE compared to SLE and NSE was predominantly due to higher scores for GE with a health / allied health background. GE were also less likely to have impeded progress during the course.

Factors Influencing Medicine Use Behavior in Adolescents in Japan Using a Bayesian Network Analysis.

Background: Medicine education in Japan was introduced to junior high schools in 2012. However, the effectiveness of existing education programs is limited. In order to develop more effective programs for high school students, the present study investigated the variables that directly influence medicine use behavior and the magnitude of their influence, using a Bayesian network analysis.Methods: A national cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2017. Eighty-three public high schools across Japan were randomly selected, and questionnaires were administered to 15–16 years old 10th grade students. The number of valid responses was 17,437 (effective response rate was 98.46%). Responses were analyzed to measure students’ behavior toward, attitudes regarding, and knowledge of medicines, and awareness of their prior medicine education.Results: Students’ “attitude score” and “awareness of a class” directly influenced their “behavior score.” The “score on attitude,” which had a large influence on “score on behavior,” was directly influenced by “score on knowledge of proper use” and “awareness of class.”Conclusion: The present study argues that acquiring knowledge of appropriate medicine use leads to the acquisition of favorable attitudes, which may result in behavioral change. Therefore, for medicine education, it is expected that incorporating content related to knowledge acquisition for changing attitudes will be important for promoting behavioral change.

Young adults\u2019 attitudes to sharing whole-genome sequencing information: a university-based survey

BackgroundGenomic services are increasingly accessible to young adults starting their independent lives with responsibility for their self-care, yet their attitudes to sharing genomic information remain under-researched. This study explored attitudes of university-based 18–25 year-olds towards sharing personal whole-genome sequencing (WGS) information with relatives.MethodsWe surveyed 112 young adults. Hypotheses were tested regarding the relationships between their preferences for sharing personal WGS information with relatives and factors including their gender, previous genetics-specific education, general educational attainment level and current study in a science, technology, engineering, maths or medicine (STEMM) field.ResultsMost participants were positive about both their intention to share their WGS results with their parents and siblings, and their desire to know their relatives’ results. Being female and having a university-level genetics education were consistently positively correlated with intention to share one’s results with parents and with siblings as well as the desire to know relatives’ results. Additionally, females who had undertaken a genetics course at university had significantly greater intentions and desires than females who had not. Lower general educational attainment was related to a lower intention to share with siblings. Participants who were in a STEMM field had a greater desire to know their relatives’ results.ConclusionsParticipants’ gender and prior genetics education were consistently related to their intentions to share WGS results with relatives and their desire to know relatives’ results. Educational attainment was found to be positively correlated with intention to share with siblings. Being in a STEMM field was related to participants’ desire to know their relatives’ results. These findings indicate that gender and genetics education are particularly important influencers on young adults’ stated sharing preferences. More research is required to examine the dependent variables studied to further understand their influence on attitudes to sharing WGS results. These findings are particularly interesting for information provision and support before genomic sequencing and post-results to improve the outcomes for individuals and their relatives.

How prior experience and self-efficacy shape graduate student perceptions of an online learning environment in computing

ABSTRACTBackground & Context: As graduate programs in computing expand to online environments, existing research is limited in its ability to inform both practical and theoretical understandings of the factors influencing student success.Objective: We explore student perceptions of their learning environment at the understudied intersection of online graduate education, STEM, and adult learning. We focus on how students’ human capital influences self-efficacy and how self-efficacy shapes perceptions of the learning environment.Method: We conduct a survey of students in a large, online MS program in computer science, then examine those findings using descriptive statistics and OLS.Findings: Findings indicate gender variation in both learning and computing self-efficacy and in how positively students perceive the online learning environment. Students with prior online education experiences have lower learning self-efficacy.Implications: Low learning self-efficacy is one potential mechanism for why online students struggle to succeed, even in specialized fields. Adapting support structures, advising, and admissions may help address these challenges.

Likelihood of rural practice in medical school entrants with prior tertiary experience

Background: Workforce decisions of medical students with prior tertiary education, relative to those without, are not known.Methods: Rural workforce outcomes for three separate streams of medical students were compared: school leaver entry (SLE) entered medical school direct (N = 682), non-standard entry (NSE) had some prior tertiary education (N = 123), and graduate entry (GE) (N = 317), had a prior completed degree. All students were at least in postgraduate year 3 in 2018, when current urban or rural medical workforce participation was ascertained.Results: Multivariate logistic regression allowing for the influences of rural background, rural clinical school participation, gender, being born overseas, socioeconomic status, and being a bonded rural scholar, showed that NSE students and GE students had increased odds of being in rural practice relative to SLE students. This increase was more than three-fold for NSE students (OR = 3.41, 95% CI 1.94, 5.99, p < 0.001) and greater than two-fold for GE students (OR = 2.54, 95% CI 1.57, 4.10, p < 0.001).Conclusion: Graduates with prior tertiary education were more likely to enter the rural medical workforce than direct school entrants. This suggests that increasing graduate entry programs may augment the rural medical workforce and that undergraduate programs allowing non-standard entry may have the same benefit.

Evaluation of a Neonatal Resuscitation Curriculum in Liberia.

Neonatal mortality in Africa is among the highest in the world. In Liberia, providers face significant challenges due to lack of resources, and providers in referral centers need to be prepared to appropriately provide neonatal resuscitation. A team of American Heart Association health care providers taught a two-day neonatal resuscitation curriculum designed for low-resource settings at a regional hospital in Liberia. The goal of this study was to evaluate if the curriculum improved knowledge and comfort in participation. The curriculum included simulations and was based on the Neonatal Resuscitation Protocol (NRP). Students learned newborn airway management, quality chest compression skills, and resuscitation interventions through lectures and manikin-based simulation sessions. Seventy-five participants were trained. There was a 63% increase in knowledge scores post training (p < 0.00001). Prior cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training, age, occupation, and pre-intervention test score did not have a significant effect on post-intervention knowledge test scores. The median provider comfort score improved from a 4 to 5 (p < 0.00001). Factors such as age, sex, prior NRP education, occupation, and post-intervention test scores did not have a significant effect on the post-intervention comfort level score. A modified NRP and manikin simulation-based curriculum may be an effective way of teaching health care providers in resource-limited settings. Training of providers in limited-resource settings could potentially help decrease neonatal mortality in Liberia. Modification of protocols is sometimes necessary and an important part of providing context-specific training. The results of this study have no direct relation to decreasing neonatal mortality until proven. A general resuscitation curriculum with modified NRP training may be effective, and further work should focus on the effect of such interventions on neonatal mortality rates in the region.

Level of Prior Education as a Predictor of Academic Performance in the Bio Science Papers

Level of Prior Education as a Predictor of Academic Performance in the Bio Science Papers

The role of demographics in online learning; A decision tree based approach

Research has shown online learners’ performance to have a strong association with their demographic characteristics, such as regional belonging, socio-economic standing, education level, age, gender, and disability status. Despite a growing number of studies exploring factors for successful online learning outcomes, most researchers have utilised one or a combination of very few learner characteristics. Moreover, a limited number of studies scrutinised the impact of individual characteristics on learning outcomes as learners progress in a course. The current research aims to explore the dynamic impact of demographic characteristics on academic outcomes in the online learning environment. We investigated and compared the dynamic influence of six demographic characteristics on online learning outcomes using a sample of 8581 UK based learners across four Open University online courses from four different disciplines. We found region, neighborhood poverty level, and prior education respectively, to be strong predictors of overall learning outcomes. However, at a fine-grain level, such influence varied temporally as the course progressed, as well as between different courses. To conclude with, we discussed the implications for institutional support on adopting a tailored approach towards a more personalised student support system.

Does Familiarization with Virtual Reality Improve Anatomy Learning in a Virtual Reality Environment?

Despite a scarcity in substantive evidence, virtual reality (VR) is heralded as the future of anatomy education. Recent research in our lab suggests that VR headsets are substantially inferior to traditional plastic models as educational tools. This effect appears to be mediated by the VR headsets' inability to create convincing stereopsis. Our study aims to investigate if familiarization with the VR environment improves performance. When presented with a new learning environment (e.g., a room in VR), one may encounter a “novelty effect” where the new environment demands focus and distracts from learning. An introduction to the VR environment prior to learning could minimize this effect. Therefore, we hypothesize that familiarization will improve test scores. Undergraduate university students with no prior formal anatomy education (n=50) will be randomized to a familiarization or non‐familiarization group. The former group is allowed to orient themselves with a VR car engine model, ad libitum. Then, both groups will undergo a learning phase with a VR pelvis model for 10 minutes. Participants will be tested using a 15‐item evaluation, consisting of an equal amount of nominal, spatial, and functional questions, immediately and 48 hours after learning. Preliminary data (n=8) suggest that there are currently no statistically significant differences in short‐ or long‐term evaluation scores (p=0.109, p=0.254, respectively) between the familiarization and non‐familizarization groups. If this trend persists through completion of the study, it would suggest that a familiarization phase does not improve test scores. Data collection and analysis are anticipated to be completed in January 2019. Gaining an understanding of which factors influence VR learning allows it to become a more effective, evidence‐based tool for anatomy education.Support or Funding InformationSelf‐funded.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Accounting education literature review (2018)

This review of the accounting education literature includes 101 articles published during 2018 in five journals: (1) Journal of Accounting Education, (2) Accounting Education, (3) Advances in Accounting Education: Teaching and Curriculum Innovations, (4) Issues in Accounting Education, and (5) The Accounting Educators’ Journal. We update 13 prior accounting education literature reviews by organizing and summarizing contributions to the accounting education literature made during 2018. Articles are categorized into five sections corresponding to traditional knowledge bases: (1) curriculum and instruction, (2) instruction by content area, (3) educational technology, (4) students, and (5) faculty. Research rigor of the empirical articles is discussed and critiqued. Suggestions for research in all areas are presented. Articles classified as instructional resources and cases published in the same five journals during 2018 are listed in appendices categorized by the relevant content area.

Evaluating the impact of an insulin pump discontinuation action plan on patient or caregiver confidence and anxiety.

Insulin pump failure and adverse events are common and therefore anticipatory education is recommended. Research in other chronic diseases shows written action plans improve confidence and adherence during an acute deterioration. However, no similar data exists for patients with type one diabetes mellitus provided with anticipatory education via an insulin pump action plan. This study evaluates whether an insulin pump action plan improves patient and caregiver confidence in managing a potential pump failure without a subsequent increase in anxiety. Adults with type one diabetes mellitus and caregivers of children with type 1 diabetes on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusions across four New Zealand diabetes services participated. Participants completed a questionnaire examining pump-related adverse events and self-reported confidence and anxiety in managing pump failure. An insulin pump action plan and focused education by their diabetes team was provided, with a follow-up questionnaire at least 3months later. 174/270 pump patients participated initially, with a follow-up response rate of 84.5% (147/174). Despite prior provision, many could not recall having an insulin pump action plan at study commencement (101/174, 58%), and of these 92% stated they would have liked one. Patients had good levels of confidence in the reliability of their pump and infusion sets/sites (Likert scores of 4.4/5 and 3.95/5) which was not undermined by the insulin pump action plan. Confidence in managing a potential pump failure showed a small but significant increase (3.66/5 to 3.95/5, p = 0.004) present in both adults and parents, with anxiety also showing a small increase (2.16/5 to 2.38/5, p = 0.012). Patient recall of prior insulin pump action plan education is poor, with the vast majority of patients interested in further written anticipatory education regarding potential pump failure. The provision of an insulin pump action plan increases self-reported confidence in managing unexpected pump failure with a small associated increase in anxiety.