Emotions Matter in Learning: The Development of a Training Package for Teachers in Higher Education

Emotions and the intellect interact and affect the quality of learning significantly, for better or for worse. This isoften ignored or seen as irrelevant for teaching practices. A training package for teachers of older students wasconstructed to support kinds of practice which took emotions into account in planning and the classroom. In thespirit of design research intended to solve a practical problem, the package went through several iterations, eachbeing informed by user evaluations of the preceding iteration. The outcome was a tool to support professionaldevelopment. Notably and as useful, the process provided insights about diverse students’ and teachers’attributes, variation in contexts, package adaptation to accommodate these, and areas of further research

Emotions Matter in Learning: The Development of a Training Package for Teachers in Higher Education

Emotions and the intellect interact and affect the quality of learning significantly, for better or for worse. This isoften ignored or seen as irrelevant for teaching practices. A training package for teachers of older students wasconstructed to support kinds of practice which took emotions into account in planning and the classroom. In thespirit of design research intended to solve a practical problem, the package went through several iterations, eachbeing informed by user evaluations of the preceding iteration. The outcome was a tool to support professionaldevelopment. Notably and as useful, the process provided insights about diverse students’ and teachers’attributes, variation in contexts, package adaptation to accommodate these, and areas of further research

Emotions Matter in Learning: The Development of a Training Package for Teachers in Higher Education

Emotions and the intellect interact and affect the quality of learning significantly, for better or for worse. This is often ignored or seen as irrelevant for teaching practices, A training package for teachers of older students was constructed to support kinds of practice which took emotions into account in planning and the classroom. In the spirit of design research intended to solve a practical problem, the package went through several iterations, each being informed by user evaluations of the preceding iteration. The outcome was a toolkit to support professional development. Notably and as useful, the process provides insights about diverse students' and teachers' attributes, variation in contexts, package adaptation to accommodate these, and areas of further research

Collaborative pedagogy:meme-based reflective practice

This session describes a most enjoyable collaborative project in forensic science education, where academics from various institutions joined forces to explore meme making as a pedagogical tool. Students were empowered to engage and reflect on course content by the integration of meme making into taught classes. The collaborative journey of the researchers will be explored whilst showcasing this simple yet effective method for improved academic engagement. The session incorporates an overview of meme making and its application in enhancing student learning. It is supplemented by student-generated memes and survey data which display its effectiveness. Attendees will engage in meme creation to experience the amusement of a class who share in this collaborative learning experience. Allowing students to enjoy those Memes made by the class creates a sense of collective ownership, to encourage a more cohesive and bonded learning community. Collaboration, therefore, enriched both the research process and the understanding of the educational outcomes

Enhancing the student learning experience through memes

Meme-making is an effective method for engaging students and enhancing the learning environment. Memes are a social media cultural phenomenon that the majority of those in Higher Education are exposed to on an almost daily occurrence. This research examined the use of meme-making within the forensic sciences to allow students to reflect on their knowledge. Students studying modules in forensic science across six universities in the UK and USA participated in the study. At the end of a teaching session, students produced a meme (using Meme Generator) to reflect on what they had learned; memes were then shared with the class anonymously via Padlet. This allowed all class members to see and engage with the memes created. At the end of the activity students were anonymously surveyed on their experience using Microsoft Forms and analysis of the results were undertaken using SPSS software.Meme-making was found to be an inclusive learning activity with no limitations, including age (part-time, distance learning and visually impaired students were not part of the study parameters). Results showed that not only did students find the practice fun, but it also helped with the retention of the class content suggesting that the meme-making process is an effective way to enhance the learning environment while engaging students.Student feedback suggests that to maximise participation the educator should stress reflection and learning as the key purpose of generating a meme, rather than being witty or entertaining. The forensic science educator should be mindful of selecting appropriate subject matter for this often-humorous activity

Enhancing the student learning experience through memes

Meme-making is an effective method for engaging students and enhancing the learning environment. Memes are a social media cultural phenomenon that the majority of those in Higher Education are exposed to on an almost daily occurrence. This research examined the use of meme-making within the forensic sciences to allow students to reflect on their knowledge. Students studying modules in forensic science across six universities in the UK and USA participated in the study. At the end of a teaching session, students produced a meme (using Meme Generator) to reflect on what they had learned; memes were then shared with the class anonymously via Padlet. This allowed all class members to see and engage with the memes created. At the end of the activity students were anonymously surveyed on their experience using Microsoft Forms and analysis of the results were undertaken using SPSS software. Meme-making was found to be an inclusive learning activity with no limitations, including age (part-time, distance learning and visually impaired students were not part of the study parameters). Results showed that not only did students find the practice fun, but it also helped with the retention of the class content suggesting that the meme-making process is an effective way to enhance the learning environment while engaging students. Student feedback suggests that to maximise participation the educator should stress reflection and learning as the key purpose of generating a meme, rather than being witty or entertaining. The forensic science educator should be mindful of selecting appropriate subject matter for this often-humorous activity

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570