The Impact of COVID-19 on the Transition of Newly Qualified Physiotherapists from University to Employment: A Qualitative Study

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted university physiotherapy curriculum delivery in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2019 to 2021. Teaching predominantly moved online, with fewer opportunities for practical work. Clinical placements often needed to be re-organised and students’ peer support networks were disrupted. Physiotherapists entering the workforce during the pandemic were equipped with theoretical and clinical skills gained via different means to those qualifying pre-pandemic. This study aimed to explore the experiences of newly qualified physiotherapists who transitioned from student into the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study was undertaken, using semi-structured on-line interviews via Microsoft Teams. Participants were physiotherapists who graduated from a UK university in 2020 or 2021. They were recruited via social media and professional interest groups, with snowball sampling encouraged. A topic guide was developed in collaboration with a research advisory group. Interviews were video recorded and transcribed verbatim. Coding and thematic analysis was undertaken using NVivo 2020 software. Ten participants (5 men, 5 women) were recruited and interviewed between May and June 2022. Seven themes were identified: Curriculum and Teaching, Placement Experience, Bridging Programmes, Job Applications, Experience, Work Culture, Personal Life. Physiotherapists reflected on both the positive experiences of transitioning into the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic altered both physiotherapy education and placement opportunities. Some changes had a positive impact on newly qualified physiotherapists. These included flexible, self-directed learning and non-traditional placement and working opportunities. Challenges, such as attaining relevant clinical hours and loss of hands-on practical time, had potential implications on physiotherapists’ confidence to practice autonomously, placing additional responsibility on practice educators. The study is limited by potential selection bias, due to the recruitment method. Further research could compare the challenges experienced with those pre-pandemic; identifying and understanding similarities and differences. Also exploring this topic from other viewpoints, including university tutors, practice educators and patients

A Case Study in Mindfully Integrating AI Tools into Writing Classes

The proliferation of AI tools for text editing and generation has raised challenging but also interesting questions for writing classes. In this paper, we report on our experiences with an exercise exploring the use of AI in an academic writing class. We first outline our conceptualization of the writing process, breaking down the skills that students need to master the complex task of writing, visualized as a ‘writing pie’. This breakdown allows us to critically assess the capabilities of AI tools against our understanding of writing as a human process. We then share our experiences with an exercise with ChatGPT in an academic writing class, where students evaluate a text with respect to its academic style and suggest improvements. Students then compare their own suggestions to those made by ChatGPT and critically evaluate the output. We include both instructors’ and students’ evaluations to reflect on whether the inclusion of such exercises can aid in achieving the course’s learning outcomes. We share three key takeaways: (1) there is value to having students work with AI; (2) critical evaluation of AI output is key; (3) activities with AI should be evaluated against learning goals

Examining Leadership Practices to Promote a Positive Culture of Research Integrity in Higher Education Institutions

What is new? While Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have, in recent years, placed greater emphasis on promoting good research practices, it is yet relatively unknown what leadership approaches are best suited to cultivating a positive culture of research integrity (RI) in HEIs.  This small-scale exploratory descriptive study therefore sought to uncover initial findings from within the European context on practices research leaders found to be most effective in leading positive change in this space. What was the approach? The design was constructed using semi-structured interviews with five senior research leaders. Countries that were members of the European Network of Research Integrity Offices (ENRIO), with HEIs that were members of the European Association of Research Management and Administration (EARMA) were used as part of the sample selection process.  With the topic being under-researched and the examination being a small-scale exploratory study, opportunistic and purposive sampling were used to recruit participants. What is the academic impact? The overarching leadership style found to promote a positive culture of RI in HEIs was collective, with adaptive and competent boundary spanning characteristics, along with cognisance of the need for continuous professional development.  There was agreement among all participants that change in research culture is occurring, and leaders need to adapt to these changes. RI and open research were seen as integral components to promoting good research practices in HEIs. What is the wider impact? There are multiple facets to promoting a culture of RI in HEIs, with excellent examples in the literature on both leadership and good research practices.  However there is little evidence of which leadership styles create the best conditions for driving a positive culture of RI in HEIs.

Oral communication skills discourse and higher education pedagogy: The underexplored role of students’ spoken language in the global law classroom

This article investigates regulatory frameworks influencing oral communication in the global law classroom. It proposes a policy analysis through the lenses of pedagogical theory. Recent educational research investigating the roles of spoken language in the university classroom identifies oral communication as both a learning outcome and a pedagogical tool for learning. Although classroom interaction and discussions are essential pedagogical tools to learning and assessment in law schools worldwide, the role of disciplinary classroom spoken language is underexplored in the higher education literature. This discussion is particularly relevant as the rise of generative AI has highlighted the importance of verbal communication, with experts suggesting different forms of oral examination as effective alternatives for student assessment. While challenges related to law students’ spoken language have been reported globally, this article examines the discourse surrounding spoken language in Australian legal education as a case study of the global classroom. It seeks to uncover the sources, characteristics and underlying discourses surrounding oral communication skills in national policy, accreditation requirements, and university learning outcomes. This article concludes with brief recommendations for practice and future research

Knowledge Translation from Clinical Education Workshop to Workplace

Challenging situations are frequently experienced by clinical educators (CEs) during allied health student placements. However, there is limited literature reporting outcomes of training of workplace-based CEs to manage such challenges. The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to explore knowledge translation processes adopted in an interprofessional continuing professional development (CPD) workshop and the feasibility of follow up outcome measures. This project recruited CEs who participated in a “Working with Students in Challenging Situations” workshop. Knowledge translation processes including goal setting and outcome measures focusing on workplace application of learning were incorporated in workshop design. Post-workshop knowledge translation and learning outcomes were explored by analysing the nature and achievement of participants’ learning goals. This approach to workshop evaluation highlights current and future learning needs of workshop participants. Participants’ learning goals included information-seeking to support students with complex learning needs, developing proactive educational approaches and critical reflection but rarely focused on their own personal attributes. Post workshop findings indicate variability in effective implementation of learning goals with practice transformation influenced by CE, student and workplace factors. Findings show goal setting could be an important design feature of clinical education CPD workshops. However, workshop participants may require time and support to reflect on their individual professional needs and construct realistic goals that encompass and consider the impacts of educator and workplace factors. Goal attainment measures may be a useful indicator within a suite of measures to track knowledge translation and enhance supervisory practice in response to challenging situations

A Year of Generative AI: Observations from a Survey among University Students in Estonia

The article presents results from a survey about the academic writing practices among the students of the University of Tartu (Estonia). We analyse how the use of generative artificial intelligence has changed between spring 2023 and spring 2024. Our data shows that there has been a small increase in the percentage of students who have used the help of AI while writing: in 2023, 43.9% of the students reported using or having used AI, in 2024 it was 51.6%. AI is most popular among the students of Science and Technology and least popular among the students of Humanities. In 2023, using AI was more common among undergraduates than master’s students, but by 2024 this situation had reversed. Among the activities that students use AI for, gathering ideas is most popular in both years. The biggest change between the two years is that the number of students using AI for summaries and overviews has nearly tripled. The paper discusses the possible reasons for these tendencies, as well as some relevant implications for learning and teaching (academic) writing