Abdominal peer learning: advantages and lessons learned.

Transitioning From Peer Review to Peer Learning: Report of the 2020 Peer Learning Summit

Remote learning opportunities increase access to public health training. Innovative approaches are needed to promote active engagement and learning when tackling more complex, adaptive challenges that are nuanced, lack quick and easy solutions, and require a transformation of values and beliefs. The Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center's (RM-PHTC's) training framework considers the complexity of the challenge (technical to adaptive) when selecting the learning modality. Remote learning opportunities on adaptive challenges are addressed using virtual workshops, online courses, ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) series, and communities of practice that include a combination of multiple sessions, cohort-based learning, peer learning, practice-based application, and live, interactive sessions. The specific modality chosen depends on the audience and amount of content delivery. Virtual workshops are single events that encourage peer learning using a blend of instruction and practice-based work. Online courses deliver content to learning cohorts through an online platform combined with multiple, facilitated "live learning sessions." ECHO series include a short delivery of content, combined with multiple, facilitated, face-to-face, case-based learning sessions with a cohort of peers. Communities of practice encourage a bidirectional peer exchange of resources, approaches, and challenges through online sharing platforms and virtual meetings. Using the Kirkpatrick training evaluation model, learners of public health reported that their understanding of the subject matter improved and that they had identified actions that they would apply to their work. In qualitative feedback, learners shared feedback on elements that facilitated learning on adaptive challenges, including interactive breakout groups with peers and practice-based applications. Remote learning opportunities increase access for public health professionals in rural areas and encourage knowledge exchange region-wide. The RM-PHTC's training framework matches learning opportunities that address adaptive challenges with modalities that include elements that encourage the sharing of ideas and cocreation of solutions.

Background. There is evidence that any learning experience should happen in a safe learning environment as students interact, experiment and construct new knowledge. It is therefore important to investigate a learning environment from student perspectives on what elements will make them feel safe. Objective. This study aimed to identify the elements contributing to a safe learning environment for millennial optometry students. Methods. An intrinsic qualitative case study was undertaken with undergraduate optometry students from the University of the Free State, South Africa (N=68). An open-ended questionnaire was completed after applying nine different teaching-learning methods based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle. To supplement the data, two focus group interviews (N=17) were also conducted. Results. The response rate to the questionnaire was 99.42%, and 15 students participated in the focus group interviews. Students feel safe in an environment where they are familiar with each other, the educators and the surroundings. Peer learning also creates a safe and familiar environment. These elements create an environment where they feel safe to ask questions. Students value an environment where they can learn without influencing their marks or disadvantaging patients. They enjoy learning from their peers but also need personal contact with educators. Elements such as consistency and an achievable objective have also been identified. Conclusion. The study findings suggest that to respond to the real learning environment needs of students, insights must be gained into their experiences and perceptions, thereby identifying their needs and suitable learning environment to optimise learning pedagogies.

BackgroundAccording to WHO only 25% of women in the health workforce are in senior positions. Underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in biomedical research has contributed to gender bias in...

Learning contexts

ABSTRACTThe Flipped Classroom (FC) method is used widely in higher education, with studies claiming various benefits. However, to date, little work has focused on what makes FCs effective for student learning. This study presents data collected from interviews with 14 UK-based undergraduate students, investigating their perceptions of participating in a series of FC sessions. Findings indicate that the FC format discouraged a significant number of students from attending. However, students who did attend the flipped classes reported valuing the resultant learning opportunities and enjoying the experience. This study sheds light on the learning process within the FC. Challenges in implementing the FC were highlighted both by students who attended and by those who did not. We conclude that implementing the FC should not be undertaken lightly or be seen as a quick fix; at minimum, it requires staff willingness and opportunities for engagement and peer learning.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that 700 000 people die every year by suicide. An Arts Health education program was co-designed for pre-registration nursing students to conduct a risk assessment for self-harm and suicide with empathy and compassion. Nursing researchers collaborated with clinicians, a theatre professional and filmmakers to develop an engaging, authentic and evidence-based short film to be embedded in a nursing program. The education program was evaluated by second-year pre-registration students in a multiple-methods study. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently. Quantitative data were collected using surveys and revealed that the debriefing session which followed the education program fostered reflection, peer learning and critical thinking. To explore the students' perceptions of the short film, qualitative data were collected using five open-ended questions. This data was analysed to identify common themes from the qualitative data on student engagement with the short film. Four themes emerged: (1) The importance of asking risk assessment questions; (2) Making connections; (3) Developing empathy; and (4) Wanting to learn more. This Arts Health education program deepened the student's understanding of the importance of risk assessment and provided an opportunity to practice these skills in a safe environment. Conducting a risk assessment to identify the potential for self-harm and suicide is an important clinical skill that should be mastered by all nurses. It requires communication skills that show empathy and compassion so that the person develops trust to disclose their thoughts of harm.

Departments of Transportation (DOTs) need to mobilize workers under harsh weather conditions for winter operations.Traditional snowplow driver training at INDOT is usually conducted annually before the snow season; therefore, it does not replicate the conditions which drivers will be exposed to during winter operations. To this point, some state DOTs have incorporated simulators in their snowplow driver training. Despite this raised interest, few studies have (1) surveyed other state DOTs about the use of this equipment in winter operations driver training, or (2) provided a systematic consideration of all factors involved in the decision to use driving simulators in snowplow driver training. To fill these gaps, the present study synthesizes information from previous literature, revises current information from INDOT, and surveys other state DOTs to identify the benefits and challenges of driving simulators for snowplow driver training. A mixed methods approach was utilized including a review of current INDOT practices, interviews with stakeholders, a survey of other state DOTs, and results from a pilot training. Based on the findings, the researchers recommend that INDOT continues to explore the use of driving simulators for training purposes in addition to the yearly snowplow driver training, due the ability to reinforce learning in a safe environment. Moreover, the research team suggests the following areas for further research: evaluating optimal simulator “seat time,” peer learning in simulator training, and the impact of experience level and work assignment in the perception of driving simulator training effectiveness.

It is an ongoing challenge in higher education context to design appropriate learning tasks for students that balances the diversity in student knowledge and variable skills with student's potential to learn under guidance. Obtaining feedback from students on what they know is made more complicated when students are passive during learning activities. In this paper we report on a project that ran over 2 years in which 67 students (28 in 2005; 39 in 2006) from culturally diverse socio-historical backgrounds used an anonymous knowledge sharing tool, the dynamic frequently asked questions (DFAQ) to engage with authentic learning tasks in an Organisational Learning Module. The module was part of the Organisational Psychology honours degree programme at a higher learning institution. The students used the DFAQ tool to consult with both peers and faculty staff. DFAQ is a special purpose web-based tool with a Short Message Services (SMS) interface. A thematic analysis was conducted on students' experiences gathered from focus group discussions. Artefacts from DFAQ are also analysed. The paper reports that DFAQ mediated the educator's access to the students' level of understanding and the potential to learn under guidance. The DFAQ tool therefore allowed the educator to provide students with appropriate guidance that met individual students' knowledge gaps. The paper concludes that DFAQ mediated access to the gap between actual and potential development, stimulated knowledge sharing, peer learning and impacted on pedagogical designs of learning tasks.

Multilingual transformer models like mBERT and XLM-RoBERTa have obtained\ngreat improvements for many NLP tasks on a variety of languages. However,\nrecent works also showed that results from high-resource languages could not be\neasily transferred to realistic, low-resource scenarios. In this work, we study\ntrends in performance for different amounts of available resources for the\nthree African languages Hausa, isiXhosa and Yor\\`ub\\'a on both NER and topic\nclassification. We show that in combination with transfer learning or distant\nsupervision, these models can achieve with as little as 10 or 100 labeled\nsentences the same performance as baselines with much more supervised training\ndata. However, we also find settings where this does not hold. Our discussions\nand additional experiments on assumptions such as time and hardware\nrestrictions highlight challenges and opportunities in low-resource learning.\n

Total crop management (TCM) is a holistic approach to crop production that integrates data collection and interpretation to facilitate decisions that produce a uniform, high-quality, and marketable crop. Our objective was to determine if integrating TCM into poinsettia ( Euphorbia pulcherrima ) production experiences at two separate land-grant universities would improve student confidence in greenhouse potted plant production decision-making skills. Students produced containerized poinsettias and collected data on the greenhouse environment [light, temperature, and relative humidity (RH)], plant growth, media properties, irrigation water quality, and pest populations weekly at Purdue University (PU) (2011 and 2013) and Iowa State University (ISU) (2013) or biweekly (2015). Students were provided with self-assessments at the beginning and end of each course with statements about TCM and the various components comprising TCM activities. For nearly every statement at both institutions, self-assessments in confidence and understanding increased on the pre- to postsemester surveys. The systematic data collection combined with discussion and reflection provides an opportunity for peer instruction and learning. We believe TCM increases student confidence in their greenhouse plant production skills.

Der Beitrag geht der Frage nach, wie Lehr- und Lernprozesse im Lese- und Literaturunterricht der Grundschule in der digitalen Welt gestaltet werden müssen, damit Kinder mit heterogenen Lernvoraussetzungen sich in gemeinschaftliche Aushandlungsprozesse einbringen, individuelle Lernfortschritte machen und relevante Kompetenzen erwerben können (Hauck-Thum 2021, 77). Vorgestellt werden vorläufige qualitative Ergebnisse des Forschungsprojekts Digitale Chancengerechtigkeit (DCG), das den Zusammenhang zwischen sozialer Herkunft und Lese- und Literaturunterricht unter den Bedingungen der Kultur der Digitalität untersucht. In den Blick genommen werden Gesprächsrunden zwischen Lernenden aus dritten Klassen während der Auseinandersetzung mit Büchern und multimodalen Texten auf Basis des Buchs «Die Olchis sind da» von Erhardt Dietl. Als Gesprächsanlässe dienen Herausforderungen, die von den Kindern gemeinsam gelöst und medial umgesetzt werden. Erste Auswertungen deuten an, dass Kleingruppengespräche über Literatur allen Kindern Teilhabe ermöglichen, wenn sie herausfordernd sind, an informell erworbene (digitale) Wissensbestände anknüpfen und subjektive Lesarten zulassen. Ein entsprechender Lese- und Literaturunterricht, der individuelle Kenntnisse, Belange, Ideen und Fantasien von Kindern berücksichtigt und fördert sowie sie zu gemeinschaftlichen Reflexionsprozessen anregt, erhöht die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass alle Kinder die ihnen gebotenen Lerngelegenheiten zum Kompetenzerwerb nutzen können (Giesinger 2007, 364). Dadurch leistet die Grundschule einen wichtigen Beitrag zu mehr Bildungsgerechtigkeit und bereitet Kinder darauf vor, aktuellen und zukünftigen Herausforderungen gemeinschaftlich zu begegnen.

Coding bootcamps targeting diverse learners are increasingly popular. However, little research has focused on the student experience of these courses: what pedagogic practices make learning coding meaningful for them and why. In a previous paper, we proposed a conceptual framework outlining three dimensions of learning opportunities in relation to coding: functional, collaborative, and critical & creative. The aim of the current paper is to characterise the pedagogic practices and learning outcomes highlighted by university coding bootcamp students as beneficial and then explore how they might map on to the dimensions in this framework. This study uses a mixed method design with quantitative and qualitative data from a sample of 36 students attending a Summer School in Coding, Data Analytics and Machine Learning. We use thematic analysis to describe how three main pedagogic approaches – guided hands-on, peer learning and contextualisation – were experienced by learners. The study suggests that mapping pedagogic practices to the dimensions of the framework can be of value to those designing courses to suit the diverse interests of students seeking an introduction to coding.

The article reveals general social skills that are the most important requirement for ensuring mutually ben-eficial interaction and establishing interpersonal relationships. Social skills are also useful in increasing children's access to learning opportunities. This article presents a variety of peer teaching methods that are most effective if the child has the necessary skills to participate. Peer learning is a teaching method in which students learn from each other. This method promotes teamwork and makes the subject easier for everyone in the class to understand.

In this paper we take inspiration from Levin’s (2003) provocation “can universities ever become a greenhouse for education in action research?” His assertion that creating action research learning opportunities within universities is possible becomes particularly relevant in the context of a changing Higher Degree Research (HDR) landscape, notably in Australia. The increasing emphasis on industry-focused doctorates and the demand for post-doctoral career pathways beyond academia necessitates a deeper understanding of supporting engaged and impact-oriented research training. To address these challenges, we present a reflexive discussion centred around the HDR Participatory Action Research (PAR) Collaborative—a year-long peer-learning initiative designed to cultivate a community of practice on transdisciplinary participatory research among graduate researchers at the University of Technology Sydney. This was conducted as a participatory action research project, with a systems-thinking orientation. We articulate lessons learned around the blockers and enablers for training HDR candidates engaged in participatory research to tackle wicked problems and ways to enhance HDR researcher development in this area, including the prototyping of new peer learning and mentoring approaches. By aligning with Levin’s emphasis on practical and useful knowledge, we highlight the importance of curriculum design for synchronous and asynchronous hybrid delivery, collective peer learning practices, and transdisciplinary orientations to research as crucial factors for success in action research programs within the academic context. By addressing the evolving needs of HDR training and research cultures, our study contributes to the ongoing dialogue on holistic and integrative research approaches and ways to support them within higher education.