How Do Students Learn Together?

Recent years have seen a shift in engineering education as universities seek to produce engineers capable of dealing with the complex challenges facing society. When facing these challenges, engineers will not only need to rely on technical knowledge and skills but will also be expected to collaborate with others from different fields and backgrounds. Engineers will also need to be aware of the impacts their solutions will have on society and in terms of sustainability. In response, an increasing number of universities are turning to programs based on project-based learning, where groups of students from different disciplines work on complex real-world problems.Existing research tends to view such programs through the lens of learning outcomes and benefits rather than through the students’ experiences and their process of learning. There is a lack of studies that address the social aspects of project-based learning, in particular how groups engage in the social regulation of learning over the length of a project in interdisciplinary groups. This thesis aims to address these gaps in the research by examining collaborative learning and the regulation of learning in student groups taking part in project-based interdisciplinary groupwork at Chalmers University of Technology.Two papers are incorporated within this thesis. The first paper analyses reflective writings by students to examine the challenges groups faced when taking part in undergraduate research and the coping strategies they employed in response. This revealed the actions and processes the groups engaged in during collaborative learning. The second paper uses qualitative interviews with students to investigate how groups regulate their learning as a group in interdisciplinary, project-based courses. The findings identify the different kinds of social regulation of learning employed by the student groups during the different phases of the project and factors that affected their regulation. When looked at together, the papers show the impact that desirable challenges, uncertainty, autonomy, and group composition have on both collaborative learning and social regulation of learning.The thesis concludes with a discussion of how groups’ learning, and regulation of learning can benefit from scaffolding and the introduction of suitable coping strategies while maintaining the groups’ autonomy

Using Challenge Episodes to Identify Social Regulation in Collaborative Groupwork

In recent years, researchers have shown increased interest in the question of how groups regulate their collaborative work and how this in turn affects their learning experience. There is a lack of empirical studies that explore social regulation in student group work. This study in progress attempts to identify instances of social regulation of learning in group work through examining challenges that students experience throughout interdisciplinary group projects. Building on existing conceptual work, we target different dimensions of social regulation – Planning, Monitoring/Performance and Evaluation. Data is collected from four courses within Tracks – a ten-year educational initiative, aiming to respond to the changing educational needs of future engineers. Within Tracks, students meet and learn collaboratively across programme boundaries and take on relevant challenges with a basis in real-world problems together. Students were asked to self-report in form of reflective writings about challenges and coping strategies. First results indicate that groups employed different forms of social regulation though their affiliation with different study programs made it difficult to schedule collaborative, synchronous meetings. Our findings further highlight the role of motivation in collaborative group work and stimulate a discussion about ‘desirable challenges’ that act as catalysts for learning in group work

Tracking social regulation of learning in interdisciplinary group work

Recent years have seen a growing interest in how student groups regulate their learning when taking part in collaborative and interdisciplinary project-courses that are increasingly becoming popular in Engineering Education programs. While there is a rich research landscape on self-regulated learning, more empirical studies are needed on social regulation of peer-learning in collaborative group work. This study addresses this gap by conducting a narrative comparative case study to document shared regulation in three student groups from three project-based courses. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with members from those interdisciplinary groups working on real world challenges. The interviews were analysed for regulation episodes and synthesised into narratives representing key aspects of the groups regulative behaviours. The results are expected to highlight numerous instances of social regulation of learning within the various groups’ at different stages of the project. Preliminary results presented here demonstrate challenges faced by a group when attempting to socially regulate their learning, underlining the importance of scaffolding for collaborative learning. Findings from the full study will highlight the important role that social regulation processes play in group learning and add to the current understanding of the interplay between different modes of social regulation in groups

Structured sedation programs in the emergency department, hospital and other acute settings: protocol for systematic review of effects and events.

BACKGROUND: The use of procedural sedation outside the operating theatre has increased in hospital settings and has gained popularity among non-anesthesiologists. Sedative agents used for procedural pain, although effective, also pose significant risks to the patient if used incorrectly. There is currently no universally accepted program of education for practitioners using or introducing procedural sedation into their practice. There is emerging literature identifying structured procedural sedation programs (PSPs) as a method of ensuring a standardized level of competency among staff and reducing risks to the patient. We hypothesize that programs of education for healthcare professionals using procedural sedation outside the operating theatre are beneficial in improving patient care, safety, practitioner competence and reducing adverse event rates. METHODS: Electronic databases will be systematically searched for studies (randomized and non-randomized) examining the effectiveness of structured PSPs from 1966 to present. Database searches will be supplemented by contact with experts, reference and citation checking, and a grey literature search. No language restriction will be imposed. Screening of titles and abstracts, and data extraction will be performed by two independent reviewers. All disagreements will be resolved by discussion with an independent third party. Data analysis will be completed adhering to procedures outlined in the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews of Interventions. If the data allows, a meta-analysis will be performed. DISCUSSION: This review will cohere evidence on the effectiveness of structured PSPs on sedation events and patient outcomes within the hospital and other acute care settings. In addition, it will examine key components identified within a PSP associated with patient safety and improved patient outcomes.Trial registration: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42013003851

When the working day is through: The end of work as identity?

This article seeks to present a counter-case to the ‘end of work thesis’ advocated by writers such as Beck, Sennett and Bauman. It argues that work remains a significant locus of personal identity and that the depiction by these writers of endemic insecurity in the workplace is inaccurate and lacks empirical basis. The article draws upon case study data to illustrate how, across a range of workplaces, work remains an importance source of identity, meaning and social affiliation

Characterization and quantification of necrotic tissues and morphology in multicellular ovarian cancer tumor spheroids using optical coherence tomography

The three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroid model is a critical tool for high-throughput ovarian cancer research and anticancer drug development in vitro. However, the 3D structure prevents high-resolution imaging of the inner side of the spheroids. We aim to visualize and characterize 3D morphological and physiological information of the contact multicellular ovarian tumor spheroids growing over time. We intend to further evaluate the distinctive evolutions of the tumor spheroid and necrotic tissue volumes in different cell numbers and determine the most appropriate mathematical model for fitting the growth of tumor spheroids and necrotic tissues. A label-free and noninvasive swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) imaging platform was applied to obtain two-dimensional (2D) and 3D morphologies of ovarian tumor spheroids over 18 days. Ovarian tumor spheroids of two different initial cell numbers (5,000- and 50,000- cells) were cultured and imaged (each day) over the time of growth in 18 days. Four mathematical models (Exponential-Linear, Gompertz, logistic, and Boltzmann) were employed to describe the growth kinetics of the tumor spheroids volume and necrotic tissues. Ovarian tumor spheroids have different growth curves with different initial cell numbers and their growths contain different stages with various growth rates over 18 days. The volumes of 50,000-cells spheroids and the corresponding necrotic tissues are larger than that of the 5,000-cells spheroids. The formation of necrotic tissue in 5,000-cells numbers is slower than that in the 50,000-cells ones. Moreover, the Boltzmann model exhibits the best fitting performance for the growth of tumor spheroids and necrotic tissues. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can serve as a promising imaging modality to visualize and characterize morphological and physiological features of multicellular ovarian tumor spheroids. The Boltzmann model integrating with 3D OCT data of ovarian tumor spheroids provides great potential for high-throughput cancer research in vitro and aiding in drug development.Histology service provided by the Tissue Pathology Shared Resource was supported in part by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Grant P20GM103639 and National Cancer Institute Grant P30CA225520 of the National Institutes of Health. Research reported in this publication was supported in part by a Stephenson Cancer Center Trainee Research Award funded by the National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant P30CA225520 awarded to the University of Oklahoma Stephenson Cancer Center. Open Access fees paid for in whole or in part by the University of Oklahoma Libraries.Ye

Informing efficient randomised controlled trials: Exploration of challenges in developing progression criteria for internal pilot studies

Objectives: Designing studies with an internal pilot phase may optimise the use of pilot work to inform more efficient randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Careful selection of preagreed decision or 'progression' criteria at the juncture between the internal pilot and main trial phases provides a valuable opportunity to evaluate the likely success of the main trial and optimise its design or, if necessary, to make the decision not to proceed with the main trial. Guidance on the appropriate selection and application of progression criteria is, however, lacking. This paper outlines the key issues to consider in the optimal development and review of operational progression criteria for RCTs with an internal pilot phase. Design: A structured literature review and exploration of stakeholders' opinions at a Medical Research Council (MRC) Hubs for Trials Methodology Research workshop. Key stakeholders included triallists, methodologists, statisticians and funders. Results: There is considerable variation in the use of progression criteria for RCTs with an internal pilot phase, although 3 common issues predominate: trial recruitment, protocol adherence and outcome data. Detailed and systematic reporting around the decisionmaking process for stopping, amending or proceeding to a main trial is uncommon, which may hamper understanding in the research community about the appropriate and optimal use of RCTs with an internal pilot phase. 10 top tips for the development, use and reporting of progression criteria for internal pilot studies are presented. Conclusions: Systematic and transparent reporting of the design, results and evaluation of internal pilot trials in the literature should be encouraged in order to facilitate understanding in the research community and to inform future trials

Adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy for gastric cancer using epirubicin/cisplatin/5-fluorouracil (ECF) and alternative regimens before and after chemoradiation

Chemoradiation is now used more commonly for gastric cancer following publication of the US Intergroup trial results that demonstrate an advantage to adjuvant postoperative chemoradiotherapy. However, there remain concerns regarding the toxicity of this treatment, the optimal chemotherapy regimen and the optimal method of radiotherapy delivery. In this prospective study, we evaluated the toxicity and feasibility of an alternative chemoradiation regimen to that used in the Intergroup trial. A total of 26 patients with adenocarcinoma of the stomach were treated with 3D-conformal radiation therapy to a dose of 45 Gy in 25 fractions with concurrent continuous infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The majority of patients received epirubicin, cisplatin and 5-FU (ECF) as the systemic component given before and after concurrent chemoradiation. The overall rates of observed grade 3 and 4 toxicities were 38 and 15%, respectively. GIT grade 3 toxicity was observed in 19% of patients, while haematologic grade 3 and 4 toxicities were observed in 23%. Our results suggest that this adjuvant regimen can be delivered safely and with acceptable toxicity. This regimen forms the basis of several new studies being developed for postoperative adjuvant therapy of gastric cancer