Increasing Global Context in Social Work Education: Role of Internationally Experienced Faculty

The infusion of global social work concepts into social work curricula enhances the educational experience and understanding of practice, policy, and research for students at all levels. Having faculty members who participated in global work augments the presentation of these concepts in ways that connect to student learning. Yet, no known research has investigated the role of internationally experienced faculty in promoting a global perspective in social work education and practice. One mechanism for obtaining global experience is through service in the U.S. Peace Corps, an organization that has been available for U.S. citizens to serve their country since the 1960s. In order to determine the impact of this type of service on teaching social work, we surveyed a convenience sample of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in faculty or teaching positions at schools of social work on the connection between their international experiences and social work education. The majority indicated that their international experiences affected how they taught social work, understood the concept of “diversity,” engaged with students in field practice, and advocated for and supported communities. Over half the participants saw a connection between current CSWE Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) and their globally informed academic activities. More research is needed to investigate the perspectives of faculty with other types of international experiences

Identifying barriers to accessing skilled maternal health care in rural Morocco

Over the past 30 years, the Moroccan government has made enormous strides towards improving maternal health care for Moroccan women, but outcomes for rural women remain much worse than those of their urban counterparts. This study aimed to understand the experiences of women giving birth in rural Morocco, and to identify the barriers they face when accessing facility-based maternity care. Fifty-five participants were recruited from villages in Morocco’s rural south to participate in focus group discussions (FGDs), using appreciative inquiry as the guiding framework. Several themes emerged from the analysis of the focus group data. Women felt well-cared for and safe giving birth both at home and in the large, tertiary care hospitals, but not in the small, primary care hospitals. Women who gave birth at the primary care hospitals reported a shortage of some equipment and supplies and poor treatment at the hands of hospital staff. Locating and paying for transportation was identified as the biggest hurdle in accessing maternity care at any hospital. The findings of this study indicate the need for change within primary care health facilities. Au cours des 30 dernières années, le gouvernement marocain a fait d’énormes progrès vers l’amélioration des soins de santé maternelle pour les femmes marocaines, mais les résultats pour les femmes rurales restent bien pires que ceux de leurs homologues urbains. Cette étude visait à comprendre les expériences des femmes qui accouchent dans les zones rurales du Maroc et à identifier les obstacles auxquels elles sont confrontées lorsqu’elles accèdent aux soins de maternité en établissement. Cinquante-cinq participants ont été recrutés dans des villages du sud rural du Maroc pour participer à des discussions de groupes de discussion (FGD), en utilisant l’enquête reconnaissante comme cadre directeur. Plusieurs thèmes sont ressortis de l’analyse des données des groupes de discussion. Les femmes se sentaient bien soignées et en sécurité en accouchant à la maison et dans les grands hôpitaux de soins tertiaires, mais pas dans les petits hôpitaux de soins primaires. Les femmes qui ont accouché dans les hôpitaux de soins primaires ont signalé une pénurie d’équipement et de fournitures et un mauvais traitement de la part du personnel hospitalier. La localisation et le paiement du transport ont été identifiés comme le plus grand obstacle à l’accès aux soins de maternité dans n’importe quel hôpital. Les résultats de cette étude indiquent la nécessité d’un changement au sein des établissements de soins primaires

Modalities for teaching responsible and ethical conduct of research online: Lessons learned from an undergraduate workshop in Utah.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted scientific research, teaching, and learning in higher education and forced many institutions to explore new modalities in response to the abrupt shift to remote learning. Accordingly, many colleges and universities struggled to provide the training, technology, and best practices to support faculty and students, especially those at historically disadvantaged and underrepresented institutions. In this study we investigate different remote learning modalities to improve and enhance research education training for faculty and students. We specifically focus on Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) and research mentoring content to help address the newly established requirements of the National Science Foundation for investigators. To address this need we conducted a workshop to determine the effectiveness of three common research education modalities: Live Lecture, Podcast, and Reading. The Live Lecture sessions provided the most evidence of learning based on the comparison between pre- and post-test results, whereas the Podcast format was well received but produced a slight (and non-significant) decline in scores between the pre- and post-tests. The Reading format showed no significant improvement in learning. The results of our workshop illuminate the effectiveness and obstacles associated with various remote learning modalities, enabling us to pinpoint areas that require additional refinement and effort, including the addition of interactive media in Reading materials

Summary of learning objectives (LO) and question banks.

Summary of learning objectives (LO) and question banks.</p

Map depicting the states of the Intermountain West region in dark blue shading with the locations of the IDERC institutions highlighted.

Map depicting the states of the Intermountain West region in dark blue shading with the locations of the IDERC institutions highlighted.</p

Overview of preliminary workshop organization.

Learning outcomes assessed in an administered as pre- and post-test questions (righthand side of panel) are summarized in Tables 1 and 2 below.</p

Mean number of correct answers in the pre- and post-tests, by learning objective (LO), and breakout group.

Mean number of correct answers in the pre- and post-tests, by learning objective (LO), and breakout group.</p

The LEGACY Girls Study: Growth and Development in the Context of Breast Cancer Family History.

BackgroundAlthough the timing of pubertal milestones has been associated with breast cancer risk, few studies of girls' development include girls at increased breast cancer risk due to their family history.MethodsThe Lessons in Epidemiology and Genetics of Adult Cancer from Youth (LEGACY) Girls Study was initiated in 2011 in the USA and Canada to assess the relation between early life exposures and intermediate markers of breast cancer risk (e.g., pubertal development, breast tissue characteristics) and to investigate psychosocial well being and health behaviors in the context of family history. We describe the methods used to establish and follow a cohort of 1,040 girls ages 6-13 years at baseline, half with a breast cancer family history, and the collection of questionnaire data (family history, early life exposures, growth and development, psychosocial and behavioral), anthropometry, biospecimens, and breast tissue characteristics using optical spectroscopy.ResultsDuring this initial 5-year phase of the study, follow-up visits are conducted every 6 months for repeated data and biospecimen collection. Participation in baseline components was high (98% for urine, 97.5% for blood or saliva, and 98% for anthropometry). At enrollment, 77% of girls were premenarcheal and 49% were at breast Tanner stage T1.ConclusionsThis study design allows thorough examination of events affecting girls' growth and development and how they differ across the spectrum of breast cancer risk. A better understanding of early life breast cancer risk factors will be essential to enhance prevention across the lifespan for those with and without a family history of the disease