Workshop Sessions Research Articles

Providing online social support to student writers: Virtual teaching strategies for positive engagement

One of the challenges for writing tutors during the pandemic has been trying to find ways to replicate on-campus contact and support for students. In response, this teaching practice-focused paper looks at ways to provide social support to students online with the aim of increasing engagement and enjoyment in the writing process. The paper is based on a workshop session given at the EATAW Conference, in which eight different strategies for engaging remote student writers were presented, discussed, and evaluated. These strategies are: establishing networks of peer support, providing a weekly social meeting, organising writing events, encouraging blog writing, helping students with planning and providing check-in points, helping with time management, sharing recommendations for other kinds of writing, and sharing recommendations for ways to enjoy writing. All of these strategies were developed by the author at a post-1992 teaching-focused university in the south of England during the pandemic. The paper examines the needs for these strategies and how academic writing tutors may use them in practice to engage remote writers, drawing on the conference workshop discussion. The paper concludes with some recommendations for EATAW to further support writing in remote contexts.

Improved Resilience and Sustainable Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage Areas to cope with Climate Change and Other Hazards based on Innovative Algorithms and Modelling Tools

Our proposed framework aims to efficiently train a network of fellows on the field of the resilience of Cultural Heritage (CH) areas and historic cities against Climate Change (CC) and other types of hazards. Towards this direction, the proposed framework aims to introduce a research framework for downscaling the created climate and atmospheric composition as well as associated risk maps down to the 1x1 km (historic area) scale, and specific damage functions for CH ma-terials. Applying atmospheric modelling for specific CC scenarios at such refined spatial and time scales allows for an accurate quantitative and qualitative impact as-sessment of the estimated micro-climatic and atmospheric stressors. Our proposed framework will perform combined structural/geotechnical analysis of the CH sites and damage assessment under normal and changed conditions, based on the cli-matic zone, the micro-climate conditions, the petrographic and textural features of building materials, historic data for the structures, the effect of previous restoration processes and the environmental/physical characteristics of the surrounding envi-ronment. The data coming from installed monitoring system will be coupled with simulated data and will be further analysed through our data management system, while supporting communities’ participation and public awareness. The data from the monitoring system will feed the Decision- Support-System (DSS) so as to pro-vide proper adaptation and mitigation strategies. The produced vulnerability map will be used by the local authorities to assess the threats of CC (and other natural hazards), visualize the built heritage and cultural landscape under future climate scenarios, model the effects of different adaptation strategies, and ultimately prior-itize any rehabilitation actions to best allocate funds in both pre- and post-event en-vironments. To train the fellows, our approach will make use of extensive workshop and training sessions, as well organise summer schools.

Mechanistic modeling of generic orally inhaled drug products: A workshop summary report.

In silico mechanistic modeling approaches have been designed by various stakeholders with the goal of supporting development and approval of generic orally inhaled drug products in the United States. This review summarizes the presentations and panel discussion that comprised a workshop session concentrated on the use of in silico models to predict various outcomes following orally inhaled drug product administration, including the status of such models and how model credibility may be effectively established.

UNDERSTANDING MOTIVATIONS FOR PARTICIPATING IN EVIDENCE-BASED FALL PREVENTION PROGRAMS ON ZOOM

Abstract The pivot to remote delivery of NCOA evidence-based programs has increased participant reach due to eliminating geographic or transportation barriers. Despite the convenience of participation in one’s own home, challenges for helping patients adhere to behavior change remain. This paper will present data from one community-based organization’s NCOA evidence-based falls prevention program implementation of Bingocize, Tai Chi, Otago, and SAIL on Zoom. Across all programs, only 36% of people who registered for workshops attended the first session. Participants, on average, only attended 27% of the sessions in a given workshop. To explore the barriers and facilitators to attendance in order to encourage patients to change health behavior, we used a mixed-methods approach to evaluate reasons for suboptimal adherence among n=735 participants across the 4 programs. We performed sub-group analysis to examine barriers and facilitators by the self-reported attendance rate. We conducted semi-structured interviews with n=14 participants, focusing on those who had less than 50% attendance for the workshop they registered for, and also received n=234 survey responses. For participants who attended >50% of workshop sessions, class enjoyment was the most cited facilitator of attendance. However, for those who attended < 50% of workshop sessions, email reminders were the most cited attendance facilitator. Results from this project provide critical information about specific barriers that different sub-groups of older adults face regarding participation in NCOA evidence-based programs to develop strategies to help motivate patients for health behavior change.

Five Poems

The first four of the five texts included here, none of them long, were all inspired by university poetry-writing workshops I’ve either attended (‘For Saint-Exupéry’) or given (the following three). Concerning ‘For Saint-Exupéry’, the instruction was to write a poem containing the word ‘graveyard’. ‘Are You Ready’: write a poem beginning ‘Are you ready to’. ‘Summers in Nettlebed’: the requirement was to write a villanelle. ‘New Vaccine’: write a poem in quatrains on the theme of discovery (theme inspired by Brian Patten’s poem ‘The Small Dragon’ which begins ‘I’ve found a small dragon in the woodshed’). The latter three poems were written during the workshops, as in fact I do the exercises I set and write along with the students in real time. I have given poetry-writing workshops to third-year English students several times since 2016, either as part of the Printemps des Poètes events at Artois, co-organised with my colleague Mireille Demaules, our librarians and staff of our Service culture, or as ‘stand-alone’ sessions. I would add, after Louise Glück who states in her introduction to Proofs & Theories: Essays on Poetry (1994) that her poetry and her scholarship spring from the same impulse that, to me, both teaching and research, as I try to practise them, are in themselves deeply creative acts.Finally, a song lyric (for the source cf below). I was kindly invited by Claire Hélie when she and Elise Brault were leading a Paris III POEM workshop session on dialect poetry to recite a poem, and recited the lyrics of ‘Gunman’ as a poem. It is intended as a sort of affectionate imitation (in no wise a parody) of Linton Kwesi Johnson, whose ‘Inglan is a Bitch’ I have taught.

Implementing a simulation-based curriculum for hybrid intracavitary/interstitial brachytherapy using a new, commercially available, US/MR/CT-compatible gynecologic phantom

To establish a simulation-based workshop for teaching hybrid intracavitary/interstitial (IC/IS) brachytherapy skills using a new, commercially available US/CT/MRI-compatible gynecologic phantom prototype. The VIOMERSE gynecological trainer phantom consisted of tissue-like colloid material and was US, CT, and MRI-compatible. We designed a hands-on workshop incorporating the phantom prototype to teach skills for hybrid IC/IS brachytherapy including pre-implant planning, procedural steps of implant placement, and post-implant evaluation. The workshop impact was evaluated with pre- and post-workshop surveys and responses were analyzed with Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test. Thirteen residents, divided into small groups, attended one of three separate 1-h workshop sessions held during the gynecologic education block. Workshop steps included IC applicator placement, tumor mapping and pre-planning desired location and depth of needles for hybrid IC/IS application, IS needle labelling and insertion, image review of needle placements, comparison of IC-alone versus IC/IS brachytherapy plans. Responses to questions ascertaining knowledge, confidence, and ability in planning and executing hybrid IC/IS procedures all demonstrated significant improvement from pre- to post-workshop. In response to whether the session was an effective learning experience, all residents rated the workshop with a score of 9 (n = 1) or 10 (n = 12) out of 10, with a score of 10 indicating "strongly agree." Implementation of a hybrid IC/IS brachytherapy workshop utilizing a new, commercially-available phantom prototype was successful, with clear, subjective benefit for the residents in our program. This experience may inform continued efforts towards standardizing brachytherapy curricula across programs and increasing trainee exposure to interstitial procedures.

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Announcements

Educational interventions to improve detection and management of cognitive decline in primary care-An Italian multicenter pragmatic study.

Timely detection of cognitive decline in primary care is essential to promote an appropriate care pathway and enhance the benefits of interventions. We present the results of a study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention addressed to Italian family physicians (FPs) to improve timely detection and management of cognitive decline. We conducted a pre-post study in six Italian health authorities (HAs) involving 254 FPs and 3,736 patients. We measured process and outcome indicators before the intervention (1 January 2014 to 31 December 2016) and after the intervention (1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019). One interactive face-to-face session workshop was delivered by local cognitive disorders and dementia specialists and FP advisors at each HA, in the period September 2017-December 2017. The session focused on key messages of the local Diagnostic and Therapeutic Care Pathway (DTCP) or regional guidelines: (a) the role of the FP for a timely suspicion of cognitive decline is fundamental; (b) when cognitive decline is suspected, the role of the FP is active in the diagnostic work-up; (c) FP's knowledge on pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions is essential to improve the management of patients with cognitive decline. An overall improvement in diagnostic procedures and management of patients with cognitive decline by FPs after the intervention was observed. The number of visits per year performed by FPs increased, and the time interval between the first FP consultation and the diagnosis was optimized. Neuroleptic use significantly decreased, whereas the use of benzodiazepines remained steadily high. Non-pharmacological interventions, or use of support services, were underrepresented even in the post-intervention. Differences among the participating HAs were identified and discussed. Results from this study suggest the success of the educational intervention addressed to FPs in improving early detection and management of cognitive decline, highlighting the importance to continue medical education in this field. At the same time, further initiatives of care pathway dissemination and implementation should promote strategies to enhance interactions between primary and secondary care optimizing the collaboration between FPs and specialists.

School food programmes in the Pacific Islands: exploring opportunities and challenges for creating healthier school food environments.

The school setting can provide an environment that supports healthy behaviours, including the provision of food. School food activities, that is, school feeding, are commonplace globally, but not well understood in the Pacific Islands region. The aim of this research is to explore learnings associated within existing school food programmes (SFP), and adoption resistors in those Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICT) without SFP, with the intent of improving current and future SFP interventions. This observational cross-sectional study utilised four facilitated workshop sessions to explore SFP within an existing framework. Pacific Islands region. Fourteen participants representing the education and health sectors from eleven PICT, and two participants representing regional organisations. Most countries reported some form of related policy, but key critical constraints to the use of SFP included local food environments, strategic alignment to organisational priorities, advocacy and organisational leadership, and community and cultural connections and collaboration. There are opportunities for integration of SFP into existing frameworks (i.e. Health Promoting Schools), increased collaboration, greater professional development and awareness activities, improved monitoring and evaluation, improved awareness of SFP and promotion of healthy eating for the wider school community. Given the current health, social and economic challenges faced by countries and territories in the Pacific Islands region, SFP should be considered as an opportunity for food provision and associated nutrition education for students and their wider community. Further research is needed to understand the critical constraints of SFP in this region and how to support stakeholders to advocate for, develop and sustain SFP that are contextually and culturally appropriate.

Implementing pathways to anesthesiology: Promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and success.

Implementing pathways to anesthesiology: Promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and success.

Experiences of caregivers of community-dwelling older persons with moderate to advanced dementia in adapting the Namaste Care program: a qualitative descriptive study

BackgroundGlobally many older persons with dementia are living at home to maintain independence within the community. As older persons with dementia transition from early to moderate or advanced stages of dementia they require more support from family members and friends to complete their daily activities. Family and friend caregivers, however, often report a lack of preparation for their caregiving role. There are few psychosocial programs that can be delivered by caregivers of community-dwelling older persons with moderate to advanced dementia. Namaste Care is a psychosocial intervention, predominantly used in long-term care, to improve the quality of life of persons with advanced dementia. Namaste Care provides multisensory stimulation for persons with dementia through meaningful activities such as music, massage, aromatherapy, and nutrition. There have been limited attempts at adapting Namaste Care for use by caregivers in the community.There is a need to involve caregivers in adapting programs and understanding their experiences in research involvement so that strategies can be put in place for a positive experience. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of caregivers who participated in workshop sessions to adapt Namaste Care for community-dwelling older persons with moderate to advanced dementia.MethodsA qualitative descriptive design was used. Six caregivers residing in Ontario, Canada attended virtual workshop sessions (i.e., by phone or videoconference) that were guided by the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Patient Engagement Framework. Caregivers completed individual post-workshop interviews. Experiential thematic analysis was used to analyze interviews and post-interview researcher notes.ResultsKey findings were that caregivers had a positive experience in adapting Namaste Care by learning how to improve their caregiving skills and being supported to engage in research through multiple facilitators such as flexible scheduling and an inclusive and respectful environment. Having designated time for discussions between caregivers was perceived as important to forming partnerships within the group to support co-creation of knowledge.ConclusionFindings support the need to improve caregiver research engagement processes by ensuring that caregivers can benefit through learning opportunities and discussions and empowering caregivers to value their contributions in adapting interventions.

Assessment of knowledge and management of dentofacial traumatic injuries among Zanjan medical interns students (2021-2022)

Background and Aims: Maxillofacial traumas are common injuries caused by accidents and occurrences such as falls or injuries. In this study, we examined the knowledge and practice of medical interns in this field, due to the fact that after the accident general physicians and medical interns are the first line of treatment.
 Materials and Methods: A two-part questionnaire was prepared including knowledge and practice that presents different scenarios of trauma emergencies. Questionnaires were distributed among medical interns. A total of 152 questionnaires were received and the data was analysed, statistically
 Results: The results obtained from this study showed that the level of dependent parameters, i.e. knowledge and practice of participants did not have a significant relationship with independent variables, i.e. age, gender and the duration of internship expressed as months past. On the other hand, it was found that there is a low level of knowledge and poor practice (mean score of 22.2 and 55.5, respectively) among medical interns.
 Conclusion: A focused training program is highly recommended and workshop sessions should be held to elevate the level of awareness and practice regarding dental trauma among medical interns.

Playfulness and Creativity as Vital Features when School Children Develop Game-based Designs

The presence of digital technologies in classroom settings is relentlessly getting stronger and has shown to have powerful playful qualities. In recent years, digital game-based learning (DGBL) has been introduced in schools. In this paper we explore game-based design activities to unfold playful and creative actions and interactions among children. The study is based on two cases, where game design activities were applied in both analogue and digital form. The unit of analysis is game design activities. The research questions posed in this study are: (1) What activities develop when school children design games in two similarly framed workshop cases, where one included analogue material and the other a combination of analogue and digital material?, and (2) How do children interact in a learning environment framed by purely analogue-based material as opposed to a learning environment framed by a combination of analogue and digital material? A thematic analysis identified three themes: exploratory activities; combinational activities; and transformative activities. These themes suggest that the game design workshop sessions including only analogue material facilitated playfulness promoting creative actions in children’s production of different ideational considerations. In a mixed activity combining analogue and digital material, creativity in the form of fluency was represented by the way the children produced their ideas, which opened up for playfulness, e.g. in the form of humour. The analysis showed that a procedural activity design including pre-designed theme framing children’s constructions facilitated an open-ended activity.

Educational Development - Challenges, Opportunities, Tools and Techniques

: As pointed out by many researchers, the ongoing pandemic has been a catalyst for educational development. With the increasing need for reskilling and lifelong learning, the current model of technology-enhanced learning needs updating, and so does also the university programmes for bachelor's and master's students. This study is based on an online brainstorming session and submitted development plans in the HEaD (Higher Education and Digitalisation) project, a five-year initiative for technology-enhanced educational development. HEaD is a development project aimed at supporting university teachers to work with research and development in the field of technology-enhanced and lifelong learning. As the research strategy, an action research approach was used, with the purpose of improving the educational process where authors also have the roles of teachers and facilitators. The aim of the study is to describe and discuss pilot project members' perceptions of challenges, opportunities, tools and techniques in higher education development. Data gathered from workshop discussion summaries and project plans were thematically analysed. Ideas from the workshop sessions were written down and saved with the use of the digital notice board Padlet. Results from the thematic analysis have been grouped into the four predefined categories of challenges, opportunities, tools and techniques. Findings show that course participants and project members have interesting ideas that have the potential to reinforce the current educational model at the university. Several tools and techniques that could support synchronous as well as asynchronous online learning will be tested and evaluated. Both the workshop summaries and the project plans show a high degree of creativity, but on the other hand, the method descriptions were scarce and would need improvement. The conclusion is that the project has had a good start if seen as development, but that there is a need for improvement and more input to achieve the intended core idea of research and development.

A General Surgery Resident Active Learning Curriculum for Quality Education

INTRODUCTION: Formal resident education regarding quality improvement (QI) and process improvement (PI) is limited in general surgery, nationwide. Development and delivery of an active learning QI curriculum increased general surgery resident education and participation in quality initiatives. METHODS: A total of 60 general surgery residents participated in monthly active learning lecture and workshop sessions. Sessions progressed through the selection and completion of a PI project, including scope, key stakeholder buy-in, data collection, process mapping, implementation, standardization, and auditing. A focused framework based on an adapted Lean methodology for healthcare QI was used. RESULTS: Before curriculum development, no active QI learning was integrated into the educational curriculum and 1 of 60 residents were engaged in scholarly activity related to PI. Project ideas derived from resident workflow hardships contributing to burnout and resident dissatisfaction. Next, residents were divided into 4 implementation teams, each tasked with completing components of the project, including preliminary data, stakeholder discussions, process mapping, and implementation. Monthly group sessions discussed completed tasks. Engagement in process improvement education yielded all residents participating in at least 1 QI project, and 13% of residents engaged in a second QI initiative. Overall, residents initiated 6 QI projects across 2 institutions during the process of the QI curriculum (Table). Table. - Curriculum Sessions and Objectives Session number Topic Workshop activity 1 Identify Opportunity Focus groups Root cause analysis 2 Process Selection Project scope Stakeholder engagement Preliminary data 3 Process Mapping Process map current and ideal workflows 4 Intervention Ideate interventions Implementation plan 5 Barriers Overcoming barriers 6 Data Collection Metrics Data analysis 7 Standardization and Auditing Internal standardization Audit sheet creation Identify auditing frequency 8 Continuous Improvement Identify opportunities for further improvement CONCLUSION: An active, ongoing learning curriculum model for QI education is an effective methodology for designing and engaging surgery residents in QI initiatives. Additionally, this model provides residents with the necessary tools to identify and change areas in need of improvement in their daily work.

Innovative teaching in a new normal: creating new ways to deliver virtual information literacy and research support training

With the pandemic bringing unprecedented circumstances for us all, at the University of Essex we moved our in-person information literacy (IL) and research support (RS) training online. We wanted to see the unexpected situation as an opportunity for improvement, which required innovation and creativity. In this paper, we will share the lessons we have learnt in our shift to online teaching. We begin by giving a brief background of the training we offered prior to the pandemic, highlighting how this training was rarely online, with a greater emphasis on in-person support. We then give an overview of the technologies we used to develop our virtual offer of IL and RS training in a range of different formats, including online tutorials using LibWizard, mixed-media webpages using LibGuides, YouTube videos, and running virtual workshop sessions using Zoom. We then discuss what has and hasn’t worked in our aim to increase the scope and interactivity of our IL and RS training, before considering the feedback we received from participants. Finally, we explore how we intend to broaden our offer further in the future based on the lessons learned and reflect on how this will influence future decision making. Ultimately, we aim to make the most of the positives we’ve seen and offer a mix of online and in-person IL and RS training, with consideration toward how we do this sustainably amongst the continued uncertainties around the ‘new normal’. Overall, we hope that our paper demonstrates how challenging situations can lead us to innovate in new and interesting ways.

Competition-based active learning instruction for drone education

ABSTRACT This paper presents a competition-based active learning approach that prepares undergraduate students for careers in the drone industry. The competition-based learning (CBL) approach focuses on preparing students for three key drone industry requirements (1) drone assembly, testing, and validation using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts, (2) simulation of drone flight missions and (3) manual and semi-autonomous drone piloting. The CBL curricular modules were developed using the Interactive-Constructive-Active-Passive (ICAP) framework of cognitive engagement. These modules immersed students in the technical challenges corresponding to the three essential drone industry requirements. The approach was implemented through fourteen (14) drone workshops that culminated in a final drone piloting competition at a STEM research university in the United States. Ninety-seven (97) students from various backgrounds with little to no prior experience in building drones participated in the competition as part of 22 teams in total. Multiple assessment methods were used to evaluate the students' progress and the perceived drone-related skills gained by the end of the workshops. Assessment methods included data from direct formative (weekly or biweekly curricular milestones), direct summative (drone piloting for multiple flight tests), indirect quantitative (Likert-style feedback survey about student perceptions), and indirect qualitative (descriptive feedback comments) tools. Direct quantitative assessments indicated that most students successfully reached the technical milestones of the workshop sessions and gained practical drone piloting skills. The indirect quantitative assessment revealed that students perceived the workshops to be a valuable experience in their drone industry skills and knowledge. Indirect qualitative analysis of the feedback comments revealed that students perceived CBL as an engaging and effective method of introducing drone technology.

A Pilot Study to Examine the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Virtual Adaptation of an In-Person Adolescent Diabetes Prevention Program.

Background: Rates of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are alarmingly high among racial/ethnic minority youth. The current study examines the virtual adaptation of an in-person peer-led youth diabetes prevention program. Methods: The initial phase involved the study team adapting workshop sessions from an in-person to a virtual format (Zoom). We conducted a 2-h feasibility pilot in December 2020 and implemented the full 12 session pilot program from June to September 2021 with 14 prediabetic adolescents recruited from our hospital-based general pediatric clinic. Weekly sessions were led by trained peer educators and focused on promoting healthy eating and physical activity using behavioral techniques (e.g., goal setting, brainstorming, and problem solving). Results: The virtual adaptation of our program was shown to be feasible and acceptable among our pilot participants. We were able to deliver the same workshop content and behavioral skills development as the in-person workshop using a variety of Zoom features. Conclusions: Our peer-led youth diabetes prevention program was successfully adapted and implemented in a virtual format and was well accepted by at-risk youth. Future research is needed to examine the impact of virtual youth lifestyle interventions on behavioral and clinical outcomes such as weight and diabetes risk.

73 Building Models for Animal Production and Management with System Dynamics

Abstract The learning objectives of this workshop session are to be able to define system dynamics (SD), the core variables used in SD simulation (stocks, flows, and auxiliaries), and mental models. In order to achieve this, participants will build a small, simple SD model and run several preliminary tests to explore changes in dynamic behavior patterns. Several other case studies will be presented and discussed. By completing the exercises and interacting with the case study material, participants will gain a greater appreciation for the ways in which systems analysis using models can help address complex animal science or general agricultural resource problems as well as engage students in active and problem-based learning.

Implementation and Outcomes of a National School-Based Mental Health Program for Middle School Students in Chile.

BackgroundChile’s national school-based mental health program, Skills for Life (SFL), has demonstrated effectiveness in improving behavioral and academic outcomes in first- through third-grade students. The current study assessed the feasibility and outcomes of SFL’s program for sixth- through eighth-grade students.MethodsWe assessed the percentage of students who participated in the program and longitudinal changes on teacher-reported Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation Re-Revised (TOCA-RR) scores, youth-reported Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Chile (PSC-Y-CL) scores, grade-point average, and school attendance from sixth to eighth grade (2016–2018) for SFL’s workshop intervention. Linear mixed effects models analyzed the association between outcome variables and workshop attendance.ResultsOf the 30,649 sixth graders who attended the 754 participating schools in 2016, 28,204 (92.0%) were screened with the TOCA-RR. Of the 1829 students who screened at risk, 1344 had available workshop data for seventh grade, with 86.9% of them participating in most (≥ 7) workshop sessions. Workshop attendance was significantly associated with improvements in school attendance and peer relationships (a TOCA-RR subscale) in eighth grade.ConclusionsWith high rates of behavioral health screening and workshop attendance, this study demonstrated the feasibility of implementing SFL’s middle school program on a national scale. Higher workshop attendance by at-risk students was associated with better school attendance and peer relationships in eighth grade, as well as better but not significantly different outcomes on other measures (e.g., teacher-rated school performance and aggressive behavior in the classroom). Overall, these findings provide preliminary evidence of the feasibility and benefits of SFL’s middle school program.