Workshop Sessions Research Articles

Matching energy targets, stakeholders’ needs and modelling choices in developing urban energy scenarios

In order to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals, cities need to develop robust energy transition strategies relying both on the local capacity of combining social, economic and environmental perspectives in the decision-making process and on the collaboration between different actors to achieve knowledge and data integration. Scenarios are well-established methodological instruments to guide decisions in energy and spatial planning and have been employed to compare possible future pathways and envision the consequences of implementing decarbonization measures. However, qualitative and quantitative scenarios approaches are often disconnected. With the primary goal of supporting the implementation of the energy plan, this study develops for the City of Gothenburg a participatory method to support the alignment of qualitative and quantitative scenarios approaches. Decarbonization actions and drivers of change were discussed and prioritized in workshop sessions with representatives from the energy supplier(s), municipal administrations (city planners, environmental department), and researchers to develop relevant qualitative scenarios descriptions. Based on this, a list of requirements for quantitative scenarios analysis is developed to be, in a next step, translated and integrated into urban building energy models. Findings indicate the importance of early knowledge integration from different fields and highlight the lines of advancement in urban energy modelling to facilitate decision-making towards successful implementation of decarbonization targets.

Communication, an important link between healthcare providers: a best practice implementation project.

This project aimed to improve communication skills of medical laboratory staff and the quality of health services. Communication is the basis of all interpersonal actions; optimal and efficient communication needs permanent awareness and training in order to learn these skills. The healthcare industry is a constantly changing field, so communication becomes a very important tool that contributes to change. This project has been conducted following the JBI framework to improve the communication process in a medical laboratory. A baseline audit involved 30 multidisciplinary healthcare providers (HCP). Using audit criteria provided by JBI, data for clinical audits were collected using a completed audit questionnaire based on direct observation and interview of participants, and checking the records. Once the information had been gathered, the team involved in the project implemented a three sessions workshop focused on communication to solve/improve identified barriers. A follow-up audit was conducted to assess the outcomes of the intervention. The implementation of the project resulted in the evolution of the participants and the cohesion of the healthcare team. The baseline compliance with best practice for audit criteria shows that only a part of those involved in the study benefited from training communication. Lack of time for team briefings and interactions led to different points of view. In the pandemic context, the implementation of the communication improvement strategy was conducted online, with all 30 HCP participating in training sessions. After the follow-up audit, the evolution was demonstrated by the improvement of the HCP compliance compared with the two audit criteria identified with the insufficient compliance in the basic audit. Effective communication is a necessity to meet patient needs and to provide high-quality services. The healthcare team received training for communication focused on interpersonal communication.

Promoting ASC in the primary education classroom: The role of teacher training

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to study the effect of the changes in the strategies to stimulate self-concept used by teachers, that received training, in the academic self-concept of its students. A quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-application measures was used. A total of 36 secondary school teachers and 814 students participated. The program consisted of four months of workshop sessions and accompaniment in the classroom. It was found that changes in the teaching strategies mediated the effect of the intervention on students’ self-concept. In addition, the change in the students’ type of self-concept depended on the change in the teachers’ specific strategies. In conclusion, the training program designed for stimulating academic self-concept was effective in promoting strategies in teachers that increased student’s self-concept. Thus, it can be concluded that the intervention is an approachable methodology to support the development of self-concept, potentially impacting students’ academic success. The findings contribute to the design of future interventions in school contexts for the improvement of students’ self-concept.

Training promotores to lead virtual hereditary breast cancer education sessions for Spanish-speaking individuals of Latin American heritage in California

BackgroundAwareness about hereditary breast cancer and the preventative steps to minimize disease risk is lower in Hispanic/Latina individuals than non-Hispanic White women in the United States. For this reason, we developed a promotor-based hereditary breast cancer education and risk identification program for self-identified Hispanic/Latina women, which included training promotores in basic genetics and hereditary breast cancer. This study explored promotores’ experiences receiving training and participating in virtual practice sessions as well as changes in knowledge about hereditary breast cancer.MethodsA total of ten promotores underwent a two-week basic training led by the promotores organization and an eight-hour in person hereditary breast cancer training workshop. Demographic information along with pre- and post-training surveys were completed by ten promotores who participated in the training workshop. Surveys were given to determine changes in knowledge of hereditary breast cancer and genetics. Of the ten promotores, two were selected to lead community education sessions and participated in 6 semi-structured interviews. All interviews and practice sessions were conducted using a virtual platform.ResultsThe data revealed that after the 8-h workshop and practice sessions, promotores felt confident about their ability to conduct virtual education sessions with the community. Interviews identified key facilitators to success such as a supportive environment, practice presentations, and personal motivation. Learning the online platform was considered the biggest challenge by the promotores, as opposed to learning complex genetics topics.ConclusionsThese results provide further evidence supporting promotores’ willingness and ability to provide health education on relatively complex topics. It also offers insight into the challenges of presenting information to vulnerable populations using an online platform and the additional support that is required to ensure a positive outcome.

Creating tactile graphics in school settings: A survey of training experience, competence, challenges, and future support needs

This study investigated training experience, self-reported competence, challenges, and future support needs of Teachers of Students With Visual Impairments (TVIs) in creating tactile graphics. The researchers developed an online survey to gain information about what training the teachers previously experienced, how competent they perceived in tactile graphic creation skills, and their challenges and support needs. Almost half of the participants had no training experience in creating tactile graphics. Participants with training responded that attending conference or workshop sessions and searching online resources were relatively more helpful. The participants with more than 3 days of training experiences self-rated their competencies than those with less training. As a lack of time and resources was identified as challenges, we suggest using online tactile graphics supporting TVIs to save time and efforts for creation work across various subject areas. Supporting the needs in three-dimensional printing requires more training experiences in hardware/software skills and collaborations with experts to create realistic hands-on materials for learning of students with visual impairments.

The intersection of trauma-informed futures and the coloniality of sexuality: building futures consciousness with Kenya’s LGBTQI+ community

PurposeThe purpose of this study is threefold: to pilot research on the role that trauma-healing and resilience play in developing futures consciousness/literacy; to explore how this informs the coloniality of sexuality; and to engage economically marginalised young gay and bisexual men in exploring future scenarios for the wider LGBTQI+ community in Kenya.Design/methodology/approachThis study used participatory action research to pilot the study. Workshop sessions focused on exploratory futures using an integral futures framework. Futures tools used consisted of the futures triangle, polak game and a two-by-two matrix scenario building exercise.FindingsParticipants found that previous psychosocial support and mental health counselling enabled them to address past traumas, find healing and begin a productive journey of unpacking their understanding of agency and engage with developing personal and communal futures thinking – all prerequisites for effectively addressing decoloniality.Originality/valueThis research represents the only study of the four-way intersection of trauma-healing, futures consciousness/literacy, the queer community in Africa and decoloniality and coloniality of sexuality.

Investigating evolutionary relationships through cluster analysis: A teaching science with big data workshop session

Biochemistry is a data-heavy discipline, yet teaching students to work with large datasets is absent from many undergraduate Biochemistry programs. Ensuring that future generations of students arevbv confident in tackling problems using big data first requires that educators become comfortable teaching big data skills. The activity described herein introduces educators to working with big data and a framework for generating sequence similarity networks using JupyterLab and Python. This article reports a session from the virtual international 2021 IUBMB/ASBMB workshop, "Teaching Science with Big Data."

Research priority setting for paediatric rheumatology in the UK.

The evidence base that underlies the management of children and young people with paediatric rheumatic diseases is deficient. In this field, there are many crucial unanswered questions. The UK Paediatric Rheumatology Clinical Studies Group, supported by UK National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network: children and Versus Arthritis, elicited ideas for research priorities from paediatric rheumatologists, trainees, allied health-care professionals, nurse specialists, patients, parents of patients, carers, and charities. These ideas were collected through online surveys and face-to-face meetings. A modified Delphi process was used, which included online research priority ranking surveys and a consensus workshop. A longlist of 55 disease-specific research priorities and 37 general research priorities were voted on in the first survey. A list of 11 top general research priorities was produced. The top ten disease-specific research priorities were discussed in depth at a Delphi workshop to determine their final ranking. This Health Policy paper will help to guide clinicians, academics, and funding bodies to prioritise research in paediatric rheumatic diseases, specifically in areas of unmet patient needs.

THE WAYANG AND ITS ENCHANTING LITTLE PUPPETEERS: EXPLORING COGNITIVE ABILITIES OF CEREBRAL PALSY CHILDREN THROUGH PERFORMANCE

Wayang Kulit or shadow theatre, an ancient theatrical performance practice has given opportunity and space for researchers to explore the possibilities of creating a stimulating environment for performance and cognitive development among cerebral palsy children. This study looks at how three important performative elements in Wayang Kulit performance, “story-telling, role-playing and space” are explored for the development of cognitive abilities; i) to learn, ii) to sequence and iii) to reason, among cerebral palsy children. The study employs an action-research methodology which looks at participation-observation and artistic processes ranging from drama/theatre approaches to speech and vocal exercises. To assist the children in achieving the intended goals, “sensitive assistance” approach was also employed whereby teachers/facilitators assist the children during the workshop and training sessions. The cerebral palsy children were not only the participants of the workshops but more importantly, were the performers, storytellers, musicians, and puppeteers. Findings of this study show the children could, a) memorize the script (ability to learn), b) present the script in a story-telling manner (ability to sequence), c) role-play (to reason), and d) understand the mechanism of the performative setting (on and off stage). In addition, the study shows that through the sessions conducted via Wayang Kulit performance, the children learned to communicate, respond to each other, and also express themselves emotionally.

An approachable, flexible and practical machine learning workshop for biologists.

SummaryThe increasing prevalence and importance of machine learning in biological research have created a need for machine learning training resources tailored towards biological researchers. However, existing resources are often inaccessible, infeasible or inappropriate for biologists because they require significant computational and mathematical knowledge, demand an unrealistic time-investment or teach skills primarily for computational researchers. We created the Machine Learning for Biologists (ML4Bio) workshop, a short, intensive workshop that empowers biological researchers to comprehend machine learning applications and pursue machine learning collaborations in their own research. The ML4Bio workshop focuses on classification and was designed around three principles: (i) emphasizing preparedness over fluency or expertise, (ii) necessitating minimal coding and mathematical background and (iii) requiring low time investment. It incorporates active learning methods and custom open-source software that allows participants to explore machine learning workflows. After multiple sessions to improve workshop design, we performed a study on three workshop sessions. Despite some confusion around identifying subtle methodological flaws in machine learning workflows, participants generally reported that the workshop met their goals, provided them with valuable skills and knowledge and greatly increased their beliefs that they could engage in research that uses machine learning. ML4Bio is an educational tool for biological researchers, and its creation and evaluation provide valuable insight into tailoring educational resources for active researchers in different domains.Availability and implementationWorkshop materials are available at https://github.com/carpentries-incubator/ml4bio-workshop and the ml4bio software is available at https://github.com/gitter-lab/ml4bio.Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Qualifying as an Academic Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist During a Pandemic: Top Tips for Trainee Led Training and Research Activities

Combining clinical and academic roles during psychiatric training can be challenging but equally enriching. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has complicated many aspects of psychiatric training, including changes of service provision, clinical duties, training activities and academic opportunities. In this interactive Workshop session, tips and strategies for balancing academic and clinical responsibilities during psychiatric training will be discussed based on real-life experiences and literature recommendations. The impact of the pandemic and what skills could be useful to flexibly tackle the challenges that come with an ongoing public health crisis while working to satisfy academic and clinical requirements in a set period of time will also be considered. The speaker will also include additional resources to improve such soft skills for participants.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Using a 3D Brachial Plexus Board to Facilitate Learning Anatomy

The anatomy of the brachial plexus is a topic that, for instructors, has been difficult to teach and, for the learner, difficult to visualize and master. However, understanding and applying the anatomical relationships of the brachial plexus is extremely important as it helps understand the implications of clinical scenarios such as nerve injury in patients with crush injuries, nerve entrapments, and spinal cord injury. Evidence supports the effectiveness of utilizing kinesthetic methods of teaching and learning the brachial plexus. In this study, we assessed the use of a 3D brachial plexus board model in learning the intricacies of the brachial plexus and its innervations in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. A series of three workshops were held in which, twelve year‐one Physical Therapy Student participants from the University of the Incarnate Word were randomized into two groups and attended three brachial plexus workshops over the course of three weeks. At the first workshop, one group learned how to build the brachial plexus using a 3D board model and the other group learned how to draw the brachial plexus utilizing the online resource, Draw It to Know It. At the second workshop, the groups switched and at the third workshop, both groups were combined to build the brachial plexus using the 3D board followed by mapping out the innervation to all the muscles of the upper limb. Each workshop session lasted 2‐hours in which participants followed along with a live demonstration led by senior peer students. Participants completed a pre‐assessment and post workshop questionnaire to evaluate their knowledge, retention, and engagement through their participation in the three brachial plexus anatomy activities. Sixty‐seven percent of participants completed the “Building the Brachial Plexus Questionnaire”, fifty percent of participants completed the “Drawing the Brachial Plexus Questionnaire”, and seventy‐five percent of participants completed the “Post Workshop Questionnaire”. Out of the nine participants that completed the “Post Workshop Questionnaire” five reported feeling “pretty confident” in their knowledge of the brachial plexus, and two reported feeling “completely confident.” In addition, five participants reported that building the brachial plexus was more engaging and one reported that drawing was more engaging. On the first preworkshop self‐assessment the participants achieved a median score of 55%. An increase in scores was observed on the second (one week later) pre workshop assessment which had an average score of 67%. Overall, all respondents reported that the brachial plexus board was a useful learning tool in understanding the 3D structure of the brachial plexus. In conclusion, we obtained positive feedback regarding the use of the 3D brachial plexus board to enhance the student’s understanding of the components and relationships of the brachial plexus. The effectiveness of utilizing this method of anatomy instruction will need to be assessed further and across additional cohorts due to small sample size.

Teaching Essay Writing: When Good Intentions Lead to Bad Outcomes

This warning narrative explores the tension in student‐centered learning between attempting to teach individual students the skills of scientific writing in good faith versus encouraging student responsibility. There are often protocols to facilitate student learning that systematically apportion tasks between different members of staff. These protocols are reliable and well‐established, but in the face of a failing student, plainly some aspect of the protocol has gone wrong. Has the student fallen through a gap in the system, has a busy instructor given insufficiently personalized teaching, or has the student failed to take responsibility for their student‐centered learning? We conclude that deviating from protocols, even with due caution and substantive teaching experience, can still lead to conflicts.In this narrative example, the author, a physiology educator, failed to follow protocol and ended up creating predictable problems for his colleagues. The author made this mistake despite the fact that he has also been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship (UK) and has also written a book “Writing for Biomedical Sciences Students” for Macmillan Study Skills. The tension between the student needing skills and the student needing to take responsibility highlights how learning in good faith (and teaching in good faith) is at the core of student‐centered learning. The case study looks at an anonymized group email trail among faculty to explore the sequelae of an optional “essay help session” for a group of students who have failed an essay assignment.As the author ran an active learning workshop session for 8 students, a latecomer interrupted the proceedings to complain about her original mark in the form of not understanding what was wrong with the original failed essay. In our system, remarking is neither encouraged nor allowed except in extraordinary circumstances. The author, falling into the situation of wanting to teach in good faith, skimmed the essay during the class and found it on first glance to have only a series of subtle problems. The promise “to look into it after class” resulted in a series of group emails that suggested that the author ‐‐ despite extensive efforts to avoid the obvious conflict between faculty ‐‐ had undermined the original tutor while being absorbed by a student's aims that may have been in bad faith from the beginning. The student definitely took responsibility for addressing their failure, but not necessarily by learning the skills being taught. Despite the instructor's explicit recognition of the potential conflicts and acknowledgment of the important roles of other instructors, the conflicts can still arise.

International English Learners’ Perspectives on Multimodal Composing and Identity Representation Via Multimodal Texts

Multimodal composing is the construction of meanings through a combination of semiotic modes such as visual, audio, and textual to create multimodal texts. Studies have investigated the application of multimodal composing in the English language, in content area classrooms, and within various educational ESL and EFL contexts. However, the examination of international English learners’ (ELs) perspectives on multimodal composing and identity representation via multimodal texts at post-secondary level has not been fully explored. This study aims to investigate how a group of six international multilingual ELs in a university Intensive English Program (IEP) use multimodal semiotic resources to express ideas and how they reveal their social and literate identities through the processes and products of multimodal composing in a workshop. The study was situated in the framework of sociocultural and literate identities theory. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, workshop observation notes, video-recorded workshop sessions, participants’ multimodal compositions, and the researcher’s logs. Social semiotic multimodal discourse analysis (MDA) and grounded theory were the primary data analysis methods. Participants revealed a variety of perspectives on multimodal composing. They were found to use a combination of words and images to compose paper-based and computer-based multimodal texts constructed from their personal journey learning English regardless of their age, gender, nationality, and social context. Various identities such as those of an international student, an English learner, a writer, a researcher, and a goal-achiever were observed in the data analysis process.

A Virtual, Multi-Session Workshop Model for Integrating Patient and Public Perspectives in Research Analysis and Interpretation

The importance and value of engaging patients and the public as co-researchers (i.e., “patient engagement in research”) is becoming more evident, and guiding methods must be available for researchers conducting their work at different points along the engagement spectrum. This article provides a virtual workshop model for integrating patient and public stakeholder perspectives in data analysis and interpretation. The model is based upon a critical reflection on the methods that underlaid the consultation stage of our scoping review on patient and caregiver preferences for cardiac surgery. It involves four virtual workshop sessions held on separate days, each achieving the unique goals of (a) establishing participants’ technological literacy within the virtual platform, (b) obtaining responses to the research question, (c) introducing participant perspectives into research analysis and interpretation, and (d) prioritizing research findings or future research agendas. Further, a description of the considerations related to virtual engagement, including those pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion; features of the virtual platform; and roles for the research team are provided. This paper contributes toward a methodological toolkit for patient engagement in research, especially as an adjunct to research with otherwise minimal patient engagement. It also adds to the emerging literature on practical approaches to patient engagement in research as more engagement is occurring virtually.

Teaching and learning how to handle tools and machines in vocational educational workshop sessions

ABSTRACT The importance of students developing the knowledge required to handle different tools and machines is specified in the curriculum of vocational education as well as emphasized in research. However, there are very few studies that focus on the learning processes that take place when teachers and students attend to tools and machines as a vocational learning content in workshop teaching sessions. This article aims to shed light on these processes by exploring how tools and machines are constituted through the interaction between vocational teachers and students in Swedish upper secondary vocational education. Leaning on the theoretical and methodological framework CAVTA (Conversational Analysis and Variation Theory Approach) when analysing video-recorded lessons, the study shows that the teaching about tools and machines takes place as a result of suddenly emerging problems that the students encounter. The study also shows that the teaching about tools and machines is conducted through the framing method of individualization, which leads to situations in which some students are given the opportunity to learn specific things about tools and machines, and others are not, even within the same session.

Performance analysis of neuro linguistic programming techniques using confusion matrix

<span>During numerous qualitative surveys, swish patterns and visual kinesthetic dissociation (V/KD) were employed to examine attitudes and past occurrences. Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) workshops in both hypnotic and non-hypnotic experimental sessions were held for forty days. Results demonstrated that negative sentiments and various emotional factors were significantly higher in 10-days’ workshop sessions as compared to 40 days’ sessions. Following the qualitative sentiments recollection, NLP workshops with various activities in the fear and stress indexing segment were increased in length. The NLP procedure was followed by the decreased negative emotional intensity in both groups; also, the results have been improved when using swish patterns and V/KD techniques. The performance analysis shows the results of improving emotional and sentimental factors in various NLP workshops. The workshops ranged in length from five to forty days. The specifications for workshops were selected based on the human mind's pre-determined conditions. The performance factors of two significant NLP techniques used in NLP workshops were compared and both techniques' performance factors were found to be adequate in terms of modifying behavior patterns. Using the confusion matrix, the overall accuracy percentage between V/KD and swish patterns is calculated, and an increase from 0.65 to 0.83 in the stressed parameters is shown.</span>

A Workshop on How to Find Current Topics For Research

Conducted in a 2-hour online workshop session format in November 2021, this community service program aims to share my practical experiences as an Indonesian researcher on finding current research topics, specifically in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching and learning. The participants of this online workshop were seventeen (17) lecturers in the English Language Education program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Conducted synchronously in a Zoom platform, the workshop started with my presentation on three main points: (1) “my ways” in finding research topics, (2) my published articles that might provide writing ideas for the participants, and (3) reasons why the participants need to write and publish their work in an academic journal. This presentation session was ended by a question and answer session from the participants. Some reflective questions for Indonesian researchers and ideas for future community service programs were also presented.

The Effect of Interactive Education Program in Preventing Stunting for Mothers with Children under 5 Years of Age in Indonesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Stunting is still a major public health issue that has had a direct impact on the country’s growth and development. Parents play a significant role in tackling the nutritional intake of children, considering their impact on the selection and quantities of food products obtainable to children. However, there is currently no specific parenting education program targeted at stunting prevention in Indonesia. AIM: This study aimed to assess the effect of interactive education programs on preventing stunting for mothers with children under 5 years of age in Indonesia. METHODS: This study was conducted using a randomized controlled trial single-blinded at the Public Health Center Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from January to November 2019. The participants included the mothers of children under 5 years of age and reported the main role of feeding the child at home. The parenting program comprises 12 session workshops, biweekly within 6 months. Regression models were used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on the outcome by intervention group over time (from baseline to follow-up). RESULTS: This study enrolled 64 people, 32 in the intervention group and 32 in the control group. There were substantial main effects or interactions for sickness in the past week and .an increase in age; children across all categories grew less stunted. Dietary diversity showed improvement for intervention caregivers compared to control. This was evidenced by improved ratings in the practice of more varied diets. The magnitudes of the effects on dietary diversity ranged from 0.30 to 0.53. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the effectiveness of educational programs on preventing stunting among children under 5 years of age. This study provides a new approach to stunting prevention, which can provide basic evidence of healthcare policy improvements in prevention programs in the local community.

Teaching and assessing strategies for an undergraduate manufacturing processes course: Experiences of 9 years

The Manufacturing Processes course includes the main principles of the processes, engineering materials, tools, machines, and examples of manufactured goods. Transferring the up-to-date knowledge to the students may change over time although core topics remain the same. This paper aims to attract attention to the need for change to obtain a well-prepared course content that combines theory and practice. For this purpose, the study is structured in two phases. In the first phase, teaching and grading activities for an Industrial Engineering undergraduate course is considered for nine years period. Statistical analysis confirm that workshop sessions have a positive effect on students’ success. To identify the overall learning experience during the course and the awareness of flipped classrooms, a feedback questionnaire is conducted in the second phase. The questionnaire results verify that students can benefit from audio-visual course materials that are shared with them before the class. Case discussions and hands-on practices may be helpful to increase the success of undergraduate engineering students for courses like Manufacturing Processes. However, strict health-safety regulations and unexpected occasions such as pandemics may restrict hands-on learning. Learning environments equipped with new technologies can replace traditional methods soon when it is not possible to conduct such training physically.