Seven-year Program Research Articles

Teacher Professional Development @scale: Achieving Quality and Sustainability in Zambia

This paper presents a conceptual model which explains the challenges of providing high quality sustainable, teacher professional development at scale. It provides a framework to support holistic thinking at a systemic level, applicable across different systems. It draws on sociocultural theories of learning and encourages the user to think about the knowledge and skills required by actors at different levels of the system and the structures required to support their learning. It brings together the needs of teachers, school leaders and Education Officers (at the County, District or Provincial level). The empirical evidence for this model comes from a seven-year programme of activity supporting school-based professional development in Zambia. Evaluation findings highlight the importance of the role of mid-level professionals (District and Provincial Officers) in ensuring the sustainability of gains made through development projects. This is important because the professional development needs of those supporting teachers are often neglected.

The quantified analysis of the correlation between medical humanities curriculums and medical students’ performance

BackgroundA high-quality medical humanities (MH) education program is essential to developing a successful medical practitioner and can influence clinical performance. It is also vital to improve the evaluation of MH education to restore harmonious mutual relationships in medical care. However, studies have yet to discuss the correlation between the learning quality and quantity of medical humanities curriculums (MHC) and medical students' scores of clinical curriculums and clinical performance. The study aimed to assess the correlation between the learning quality and quantity of MHC and medical students' performance.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study by analyzing a dataset of students' learning records. After excluding students with missing demographic information (n = 1) and overseas Chinese students (n = 15), the study included six- and seven-year program medical school students (n = 354) at National Yang-Ming University who were admitted between 2012 and 2014. The correlation between learning quality and quantity in MHC and students' following performance was evaluated by multivariable-adjusted regression analyses.ResultsAfter adjusting for potential confounders (gender, residential area, age at enrollment, type of administration, and school program), the number of MHC with good learning outcomes was significantly correlated with clinical curriculum scores (p < 0.05), clerkship performance (p < 0.001), and weighted average mark (p < 0.001).ConclusionsOur study found a correlation between MHC with good learning outcomes and medical students' following performance. A future study of improving the quality of MH education is warranted.

The hiring and management practices of a seven-year extracurricular program to enhance Asian undergraduates’ English as an international language communication skills

ABSTRACT An investigation of how an administrator developed and managed a local extracurricular program in an internationalized Asian university was conducted. The transcript resulting from an interview with the administrator of the extracurricular program and 56 monthly learning units of extracurricular program lesson outlines were analyzed, finding most of the program was led by international students, thereby exposing local students to English speakers from each of Kachru’s Three Circles of English (Inner, Outer, and Expanding). The presence and availability of international users of English and the ways in which they used English with local students benefited the development and implementation of the extracurricular program. The flexibility in the recruitment policy as well as the ways in which the extracurricular program was implemented supported recommendations found in the EIL/ELF literature. Unlike previous research, this study did not find a preference for hiring Inner Circle English speakers.

Problem-based learning and case-based learning in dental education.

BackgroundNumerous novel teaching methods have been developed in recent times for use in medical education. Of these methods, problem-based learning (PBL) and case-based learning (CBL) have attracted the most attention. We evaluated and compared the efficiency of these two teaching methods in dental education and discussed the importance of teachers to these courses. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of PBL and CBL in dental education, and discuss the importance of teachers to the courses.MethodsIn this study, 28 students enrolled in a seven-year program at the College of Stomatology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University were chosen as participants. In the fourth year, PBL combined with independent learning was used to teach students the theory of oral mucosal diseases. During the internship, CBL was used to present specific cases. Both methods were carried out with group discussion. After the PBL course, teachers assessed its effect by the students’ class performance, their ability to collect data, and group cooperation. After the CBL course, its effect was assessed by the students’ ability in history-taking, diagnosis and antidiastole, and case analysis. In addition, the teachers’ roles in both methods were assessed by both the students and the teachers themselves. Data was collected by questionnaire survey and statistically analyzed with SPSS Statistics 20.ResultsPBL significantly improved students’ self-learning abilities in the theory course. CBL helped students make diagnoses and develop treatment plans for actual cases in the internship. Both students and teachers thought that teachers were indispensable to both PBL and CBL. There was no difference between student and teacher views.ConclusionsAlthough PBL and CBL have different focuses, their combination may enhance teaching effectiveness in dental education. Additionally, teachers play an important role in the application of both these teaching methods.

Application of multivariate statistical techniques for investigating climate change and anthropogenic effects on surface water quality assessment: case study of Zohreh river, Hendijan, Iran

In the present study, evaluation of spatial variations and interpretation of Zohrehh River water quality data were made by using multivariate analytical techniques including factor analysis and cluster analysis also the Arc GIS® software was used. The research method was formulated to achieve objectives herein, including field observation, numerical modeling, and laboratory analyses. The results showed that dataset consisted of 11,250 observations of seven-year monitoring program (measurement of 15 variables at 3 main stations from April 2010 to March 2017). Factor analysis with principal component analysis extraction of the dataset yielded seven varactors contributing to 82% of total variance and evaluated the incidence of each varactor on the total variance. The results of cluster analysis became complete with t-test and made water quality comparison between two clusters possible. Results of factor analysis were employed to facilitate t-test analysis. The t-test revealed the significant difference in a confidence interval of 95% between the mean of calculated varactors 1, 2, 6 and 7 between two clusters, but there was no significant difference in the mean of other varactors 3, 4 and 5 between two groups. The result shows the effect of agricultural fertilizers on stations located at downstream of the ASK dam.

BIOSCAN - Revealing Eukaryote Diversity, Dynamics, and Interactions

Between 2010 and 2015, the International Barcode of Life (iBOL) consortium successfully completed the BARCODE 500K project, a $125 million effort that delivered DNA barcode coverage for 500,000 species. BIOSCAN is a seven-year program (2019-2025) that builds on this foundation, expanding coverage of the barcode reference library to two million species and operationalising metabarcoding for eukaryote communities globally. BIOSCAN will scan species assemblages from at least 2,500 ecosystems and will codify species interactions for at least 2,500 sites. DNA barcoding is a well-established approach for rapid, cost-effective species diagnosis, with many applications in support of taxonomy, biosecurity, conservation, and monitoring. Uptake has been particularly significant in hyperdiverse invertebrate groups where morphological approaches to species identification are often limiting (because of the scale of diversity and the small number of expert taxonomists) or inapplicable (for example in associating individuals from different life stages). The barcode reference library maintained as BOLD Systems by the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics in Guelph, Ontario is a significant biodiversity informatics infrastructure for bridging genomics and classical taxonomy, collections research, and field surveys. Effort across multiple years in Canada has delivered a library of reference sequences for the COI mitochondrial barcode that covers most of the known insect fauna for the country, enabling a comprehensive assessment of Canadian arthropod diversity (Hebert et al. 2016, Langor and Sheffield 2019). The Global Malaise Trap Program is expanding lessons learned in Canada to support species inventories in new regions such as Kruger National Park in South Africa. As DNA barcode libraries approach completeness for any site, analysis can employ metabarcoding to lower costs significantly for monitoring programs that track changes in species composition. Data from this program, and from barcode-based exploration in other regions, will greatly expand the fraction of biodiversity that can be monitored and compared over time and space. GBIF has collected more than one billion species records, but around 60% of these are for birds, with another 25% for vascular plants. Metabarcoding offers the opportunity for a wider selection of taxa to be included in global data sets and in support of local conservation and planning. The BIOSCAN program, launched by iBOL in 2019, seeks to operationalise DNA barcoding at the global scale for development of species inventories and preliminary exploration of undescribed diversity, for surveying community composition across the world's ecosystems, and codifying species interactions (the symbiome). BIOSCAN will exploit the latest advances in sequencing platforms to lower costs, increase precision, and accelerate processing of samples, to speed the uptake of DNA barcoding for protecting life on Earth.

EU appoints new research chief

Jean-Eric Paquet, a French national who has served for 23 years in various roles within the European Union, will become the European Commission’s director general for research and innovation, the EC announced on Feb. 21. Currently deputy secretary general, Paquet previously worked on clean energy and industrial strategy. From 2002 to 2004, he served as deputy head of cabinet for the European commissioner for research policy. He has an undergraduate degree in international and public policy from Robert Schuman University in Strasbourg and master’s degrees in European administration from the College of Europe and in German studies from Robert Schuman. Paquet will assume his new role on April 1, replacing Robert Jan Smits. Smits oversaw an increase in Europe’s research budget from €55 billion in 2010 to the current €80 billion and launched Horizon 2020, a seven-year program for research and development that began in 2014. Smits will now become

Academic Performance of Students in an Accelerated Baccalaureate/MD Program: Implications for Alternative Physician Education Pathways.

Over one-third of U.S. medical schools offer combined baccalaureate/MD (BA/MD) degree programs. A subset of these truncate the premedical phase, reducing total time to the MD degree. Data comparing educational outcomes of these programs with those of conventional pathways are limited. The authors reviewed demographic characteristics and medical school performance of all 2,583 students entering Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine from 1999 to 2013, comparing students in the Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME), an accelerated seven-year program, versus non-HPME medical students. They evaluated Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) selection, quintile performance distribution from the Medical Student Performance Evaluation, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, and Match outcomes. A total of 560 students (21.7%) entered through the HPME. HPME students were on average 2.2 years younger and less likely (15/537 [2.8%] versus 285/1,833 [15.5%]) to belong to a racial/ethnic group underrepresented in medicine. There were no significant differences in AOA selection, quintile performance distribution, or USMLE scores. More HPME students entered internal medicine (161/450 [35.8%] versus 261/1,265 [20.6%]), and fewer chose emergency medicine (25/450 [5.6%] versus 110/1,265 [8.7%]) and obstetrics-gynecology (9/450 [2.0%] versus 67/1,265 [5.3%]). The academic performances of medical students in the two programs studied were equivalent. Accelerated BA/MD programs might play a role in ameliorating the length and cost of a medical education. The academic success of these students absent the usual emphasis on undergraduate GPA and Medical College Admission Test scores supports efforts to redefine medical student selection criteria.

"Real-Time" Monitoring of Under-Five Mortality: A Vision Tempered by Reality.

Strengthening civil registration and vital statistics (CVRS) systems in low-income countries is a central component of emerging plans for the post-2015 development agenda [1], and a major investment area for key global health and development funders [2]. A dominant theme in the investment case for CRVS is the potential of such systems to generate valid and timely population data to support sound program planning, management, and evaluation. Can CRVS systems fulfill this promise and produce population data of adequate quality to support policy and program decisions? Few formal studies have addressed this question, and global leaders have called urgently for new evidence to inform the CRVS agenda [3,4]. The PLOS Collection on Real-Time Monitoring of Under-Five Mortality (RMM) contributes to this process by reporting on a seven-year program of work in five countries in sub-Saharan Africa that aimed to develop and test methods for generating annual estimates of under-five mortality, a key measure for health investments, for recent periods. This paper introduces readers to the origins and rationale of the RMM project, describes how it was implemented, and outlines the aims of the PLOS Collection on RMM.

Review of the implementation seven-year screening program for early detection of breast cancer in the Khanty-Mansi autonomous okrug – Yugra

Breast cancer is the leading cancer pathology of the female population and one of the leading causes of death. The possibility of early diagnosis makes a significant contribution to the reduction in mortality from breast cancer. We studied the frequency of breast cancer from 2002 to 2014 by age groups. As part of the screening from 2007 to 2014, 352,780 women were surveyed in the region, which accounted for about 95 % of the total coverage of screening for each round (2 years) – 32 %. 9.4 % of the women surveyed were aimed at further examination. During the initial screening detection rate of breast cancer was 2.8 per 1,000 women surveyed. The sensitivity of the test for the first round was 80 %.

TBL教学模式在神经病学教学中的应用探讨

目的：探讨基于团队学习(Team-Based Learning, TBL)和基于问题学习(Problem-Based Learning, PBL)教学在医学生神经病学教学中的应用。方法：选取2015年9月至2016年1月期间学习的郑州大学医学院七年制临床医学专业278名学生，作为研究对象进行小范围教学试点实验。将278名学生随机分为三组(TBL组、PBL组、对照组)，TBL组使用TBL教学授课，PBL组使用PBL教学授课，对照组使用传统多媒体授课法，学期结束对278名学生进行教学问卷调查和神经病学科理论知识考核，比较各组的教学效果。结果：课题组共发放并收回合格调查问卷253份，统计学分析显示问卷中在“提高学习的兴趣度、加深对理论知识的理解、提高分析问题和协作能力”等项目上，TBL组评分 > PBL组评分 > 对照组评分(P PBL组平均分 > 对照组平均分(P 对照组最高分(P < 0.05)。结论：TBL教学模式和PBL教学模式发挥的教学效果均优于传统教学模式，且TBL教学模式优于PBL教学模式。医学生对TBL教学模式的接受度较高，TBL教学模式是值得推广的一种教学模式。 Objective: To analyze the effect of Team-Based Learning (TBL) and Problem-Based Learning (PBL) methods on medical students’ neurology teaching. Methods: 278 seven-year program students majoring in clinical medicine in the medical college of Zhengzhou University were recruited as the subjects of small-scale experiment teaching from Sep. 2015 to Jan. 2016. All students were randomly distributed into three groups, which were TBL teaching method group, PBL teaching method group and control group with traditional multimedia teaching. At the end of semester we asked them to do a questionnaire survey and assessment of the theoretical knowledge to compare teaching effects. Results: The qualified questionnaires were 253, the statistical analysis showed that the TBL teaching method and the PBL teaching method had inspired student’s learning interest, deepened their understanding of theoretical knowledge and increased their ability of problem-solving and cooperation, especially the TBL teaching method (P < 0.05). The qualified test papers were 271, the statistical analysis showed that students in the TBL teaching method group and the PBL teaching method group had higher average score (P < 0.05) and top score(P < 0.05), especially in TBL group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The effect of TBL teaching method and PBL teaching method are better than that of traditional multimedia teaching, and TBL teaching method is better than PBL teaching method. And medical students give a high acceptability to TBL teaching method and PBL teaching method, especially TBL teaching method, so TBL teaching method should be popularized.

Exploration of teaching reform of biochemistry for seven-year program clinical medical students

Biochemistry is an important basic medical course, and it is also a difficult course. In order to improve the comprehensive ability of seven-year program clinical medical students in Capital Medical University, teaching reform of Biochemistry was carried out. Teaching content was redesigned to strengthen the learning of basic knowledge of Biochemistry and to increase the depth of teaching content, while expanding the content by introducing new achievements and new technology to keep up with the forefront in the development of Biochemistry. Various methods such as the comparative method, case teaching and so on, were used flexibly in the teaching practice in order to improve teaching effects. The experiments carried out in the course were also redesigned and integrated, some distinctive experiments such as designing experiments, comprehensive experiments and innovative experiments were opened to improve students' hands-on ability and to cultivate students' scientific thinking. Key words: Biochemistry; Teaching reform; Seven-year program clinical medicine specialty

Abstract: Collaborative Partnership to Build the Nursing and Midwifery Profession in Rwanda: University of Rwanda College of Nursing and Midwifery and University of Illinois, Chicago College of Nursing

Background: The Rwanda Human Resources for Health (HRH) is a seven-year program to build collaboration and partnership in health education between the Rwandan Ministry of Health (MoH) and many of the leading US educational institutions. The MoH has a commitment to meet the health needs of Rwandan citizens by 2020. The goals of HRH are accomplished through interventions to address the country’s most challenging obstacles in high-quality healthcare: a critical shortage of skilled health workers; challenges in health worker education; and inadequate infrastructure and equipment in health facilities. The School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Rwanda was selected in 2011 to participate in the HRH program. In addition, the MOH has partnered with a consortium of 23 top US institutions of medicine, nursing, health management, and oral health in the Rwanda HRH program. The University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) College of Nursing is a member of the consortium of nursing colleges working with the HRH program in Rwanda. Description: The HRH program is designed so that at the end of the 7 years, there will be sufficient Rwandan educators, infrastructure, and domestic funding to sustain the upgraded health care and health sciences education system after international funding is phased out. The Rwanda HRH Program is heavily focused on raising the skill level of the nursing and midwifery workforce. Since 2012, UIC’s College of Nursing has recruited 9 midwives and 17 nurses to work in locations throughout Rwanda. Lessons Learned: Contributing to global health, particularly for nurses and midwives, is a key goal of the UIC College of Nursing. During the first 3 years of the program, supporting Rwandan faculty by pairing with full-time UIC nursing and midwifery partners has resulted in numerous innovations in educational approaches and clinical practice. In addition we have learned that context is critical to the reciprocal learning that has occurred. Conclusion: Our poster described the highlights of the collaborative work between the members of the UIC faculty and their Rwandan counterparts. We also delineated the role of the UIC College of Nursing in facilitating the collaboration and ongoing support for the HRH- Rwandan team since the inception of the program. Keywords: global health, collaboration, nursing and midwifery, human resources for health

Investigation and reflection of the scientific research quality of the advanced undergraduate clinical students

Objective To investigate the interest, cognition degree, participation degree and current situation of the advanced undergraduate clinical students in our college, to discuss the reason for low level of students' scientific research quality, in order to provide the reference to making research training program s for them. Methods The advanced undergraduates of seven-year and five-year clinical program interned in orthopedics department from January to June in 2014 were selected with cluster sampling method, and investigated anonymously by questionnaires and interview. 120 students were investigated by questionnaire, and 120 effective questionnaires were taken back. 30 students were interviewed. Results The results showed that 90.0 percent (n=108) of students were interested in scientific activity, and 47.5 percent (n=57) of students had participated in scientific lectures. In interviews, students think factors hindering the research on the participation in scientific research are: 1) too many courses and heavy school tasks; 2) absence of relative knowledge; 3) lack of support from college; 4) tough condition for scientific training; 5) immature management system. Conclusion The advanced undergraduate clinical students had great interest in scientific activity, but had few opportunities to take part in, leading to their low level of scientific research quality. A variety of measures should be taken to bolster their scientific training. Key words: Advanced undergraduate clinical students; Scientific research quality; Questionnaire survey; Interview

New Program Combines Residency and Ph.D. Training

New Program Combines Residency and Ph.D. Training

Exploration of humanities practice skill training for seven-year program clinical medicine students by teaching hospital

Medical education should combine clinical professional skills with humanities skills,integrate humanities knowledge into vocational education.Taking 2008 grade seven-year program clinical medicine students in the 2nd affiliated hospital of Harbin Medical University as fostering object,we made researches into students' understanding of doctor-patient relationship before practice and their mastering of skills.Through conducting questionnaire,we got to know the effect of humanities practice skill training for seven-year program clinical medicine students.Meanwhile,we compared students' self evaluation results before and after training,discussed on how to improve medical students' communication skills,cultural skills and the reform direction in an aim to guide students to transit from students to clinical doctor. Key words: Teaching hospital; Clinical medicine; Seven-year program; Humanities practice skills; Exploration and analysis

Experiences of teaching for seven-year program medical students of pediatrics major

Pediatric knowledge was not fully learned by seven-year program medical students of pediatrics major in first five years,so two years of postgraduate was the key period for culturing their pediatric specialty.Students of seven-year program were characterized by strong theoretical knowledge but poor pediatric clinic knowledge,therefore,pediatric clinic teaching should emphasize on basic knowledge and skills,avoid dwelling on specific details at early stage,pay attention to their communicative ability with children and their relatives,combine theory with clinic practice and teach from surface to point.Meanwhile,we aimed at changing them into pediatric doctor through cultivating their clinic skills and scientific research ability. Key words: Seven-year program; Medical students of pediatrics major; Clinic ability; Scientific research ability

Строительство транспортных и энергетических сетей в Балтийском регионе как стимул развития территорий

In light of some new aspects of the EU functioning, particularly, the recovery from the 2008-2009 global crisis, transportation and energy development projects are coming to the forefront in the Baltic region. At the same time, there is a need to consider EU’s recent adoption of a common seven-year financial program (2014—2020), which serves, in effect, as the Union’s budget. Given that, one may conclude that the countries of the Baltic region are entering a new stage of development. We look at the role and significance of transportation and energy projects as an instrument of economic development. Having studied the largest transport and energy projects in the Baltic region, we were able to show that the new infrastructure networks supported the investment expansion of Swedish and Finnish companies into the post-communist countries of the Baltic Region. Which, in its turn, allowed the Nordic investors to expand their domestic markets. The analysis also shows that the experience of private businesses proves a recent theoretical concept — the pyramid of regional development factors. As a result, the actual regional policy of the EU cannot be considered in the narrow sense of the Cohesion Policy alone.

Application of classic cases in teaching for seven-year program pediatric majors

Studying classic cases is one of the applicable methods for student's self-learning,especially at clinical rotation period.Seven-year program pediatric students (2004 grade) from pediatric medical collage,Capital Medical University of China shared classic cases from New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM),reported clinical cases they took part in and summarized their writing of case report.Through these measures,students felt the significance of studying classic cases and noticed that case study played an important role in training of clinical reasoning,multidisciplinary approach,as well as self-learning ability for medical students. Key words: Case study; Case report; Self-learning; Pediatrics; Seven-year program medical students

Discussion on PBL teaching in clinical curriculum for seven-year program students majoring in Chinese and western integrative medicine

As a widely used teaching model in higher medical education,problem-based learning is regard as one of the direction of education revolution in our country.Based on the PBL teaching practice in the second clinical medical college of Guangzhou university of traditional Chinese medicine,the article summarized determination of teaching content,compiling of teaching plan,methods of teaching process and teaching evaluation as well as analyzed some key questions in practicing PBL teaching in seven-year program clinical curriculum. Key words: Seven-year program; Clinical curriculum; Problem-based learning