Recognising the development of expert practice in undergraduate research: a TREASURE project update

The difference between novice and expert researchers lies in much more than possession of explicit, discipline-based knowledge and technical expertise. The transition to expert practice involves the contextualised internalisation of this knowledge and understanding, often through a process of deliberate and extensive practice. Acquisition of such tacit knowledge is coupled with the development of attitudes such as self-confidence, pragmatism, criticality and comfort with uncertainty, leading to a capacity to make (often unconscious) expert judgments. While most teaching and assessment during an undergraduate science degree focuses firmly on declarative (and declared) knowledge, undergraduate research projects can provide the first steps in the transition to expert practice. However, we believe that more could be done to make these experiences as effective as possible in developing the knowledge and attributes described above. The TREASURE project aims to help students recognise their transition to expert-like behaviour by asking them to reflect on their research project throughout the semester. This emphasis on process and practice may also help reduce the student’s focus on results or research products as the sole indicator of success and provide useful input to supervisors about student thinking. Results from TREASURE’s first year will be presented

Duration of androgen deprivation therapy with postoperative radiotherapy for prostate cancer: a comparison of long-course versus short-course androgen deprivation therapy in the RADICALS-HD randomised trial

Background Previous evidence supports androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with primary radiotherapy as initial treatment for intermediate-risk and high-risk localised prostate cancer. However, the use and optimal duration of ADT with postoperative radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy remains uncertain. Methods RADICALS-HD was a randomised controlled trial of ADT duration within the RADICALS protocol. Here, we report on the comparison of short-course versus long-course ADT. Key eligibility criteria were indication for radiotherapy after previous radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, prostate-specific antigen less than 5 ng/mL, absence of metastatic disease, and written consent. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to add 6 months of ADT (short-course ADT) or 24 months of ADT (long-course ADT) to radiotherapy, using subcutaneous gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogue (monthly in the short-course ADT group and 3-monthly in the long-course ADT group), daily oral bicalutamide monotherapy 150 mg, or monthly subcutaneous degarelix. Randomisation was done centrally through minimisation with a random element, stratified by Gleason score, positive margins, radiotherapy timing, planned radiotherapy schedule, and planned type of ADT, in a computerised system. The allocated treatment was not masked. The primary outcome measure was metastasis-free survival, defined as metastasis arising from prostate cancer or death from any cause. The comparison had more than 80% power with two-sided α of 5% to detect an absolute increase in 10-year metastasis-free survival from 75% to 81% (hazard ratio [HR] 0·72). Standard time-to-event analyses were used. Analyses followed intention-to-treat principle. The trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN40814031, and ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT00541047 . Findings Between Jan 30, 2008, and July 7, 2015, 1523 patients (median age 65 years, IQR 60–69) were randomly assigned to receive short-course ADT (n=761) or long-course ADT (n=762) in addition to postoperative radiotherapy at 138 centres in Canada, Denmark, Ireland, and the UK. With a median follow-up of 8·9 years (7·0–10·0), 313 metastasis-free survival events were reported overall (174 in the short-course ADT group and 139 in the long-course ADT group; HR 0·773 [95% CI 0·612–0·975]; p=0·029). 10-year metastasis-free survival was 71·9% (95% CI 67·6–75·7) in the short-course ADT group and 78·1% (74·2–81·5) in the long-course ADT group. Toxicity of grade 3 or higher was reported for 105 (14%) of 753 participants in the short-course ADT group and 142 (19%) of 757 participants in the long-course ADT group (p=0·025), with no treatment-related deaths. Interpretation Compared with adding 6 months of ADT, adding 24 months of ADT improved metastasis-free survival in people receiving postoperative radiotherapy. For individuals who can accept the additional duration of adverse effects, long-course ADT should be offered with postoperative radiotherapy. Funding Cancer Research UK, UK Research and Innovation (formerly Medical Research Council), and Canadian Cancer Society

KINETIC FAMILY DRAWINGS AND CLINICAL JUDGMENT: AN EVALUATION OF JUDGES' ABILITY TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE K-F-D'S OF ABUSING, CONTROL, AND CONCERNED MOTHERS.

The purposes of the present study were: (1) to investigate the validity of the Kinetic Family Drawing (Burns & Kaufman, 1970) for use in child-abuse evaluations; (2) to explore variables which may affect the accuracy of clinical judgments based on the drawings. Drawings and social history data were obtained from three groups of mothers, 21 in each group, defined as Abusing, Control, and Concerned mothers. Twelve judges who had varied professional experience and assessment expertise rendered judgments about the mothers' group membership. Judgments were made using: (1) drawings alone; (2) social histories alone; (3) drawings plus social histories combined. Additionally, the artistic quality of the draings was rated by three artists. Results indicated that: (1) judges could not differentiate betwen the mothers' drawings; (2) naive judges were more accurate than clinicians; (3) training in drawing interpretation did not improve judges' accuracy; (4) judgments based on drawings plus social histories were more accurate than judgments based on drawings alone; (5) artistic quality of drawings did not influence judgments of mothers' group membership. Implications of these results were discussed, and suggestions for future research were offered.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1984 .H685. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-04, Section: B, page: 1289. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1984

The effects of vagues vs. explicit communication on the ability to distinguish valid from invalid feedback statements.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-07, page: . Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1977

KINETIC FAMILY DRAWINGS AND CLINICAL JUDGMENT: AN EVALUATION OF JUDGES' ABILITY TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE K-F-D'S OF ABUSING, CONTROL, AND CONCERNED MOTHERS.

The purposes of the present study were: (1) to investigate the validity of the Kinetic Family Drawing (Burns & Kaufman, 1970) for use in child-abuse evaluations; (2) to explore variables which may affect the accuracy of clinical judgments based on the drawings. Drawings and social history data were obtained from three groups of mothers, 21 in each group, defined as Abusing, Control, and Concerned mothers. Twelve judges who had varied professional experience and assessment expertise rendered judgments about the mothers' group membership. Judgments were made using: (1) drawings alone; (2) social histories alone; (3) drawings plus social histories combined. Additionally, the artistic quality of the draings was rated by three artists. Results indicated that: (1) judges could not differentiate betwen the mothers' drawings; (2) naive judges were more accurate than clinicians; (3) training in drawing interpretation did not improve judges' accuracy; (4) judgments based on drawings plus social histories were more accurate than judgments based on drawings alone; (5) artistic quality of drawings did not influence judgments of mothers' group membership. Implications of these results were discussed, and suggestions for future research were offered.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1984 .H685. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-04, Section: B, page: 1289. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1984

The effects of vagues vs. explicit communication on the ability to distinguish valid from invalid feedback statements.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-07, page: . Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1977