Evaluation of a joint Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics international course in Peru

Background: New technologies that emerge at the interface of computational and biomedical science could drive new advances in global health, therefore more training in technology is needed among health care workers. To assess the potential for informatics training using an approach designed to foster interaction at this interface, the University of Washington and the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia developed and assessed a one-week course that included a new Bioinformatics (BIO) track along with an established Medical/Public Health Informatics track (MI) for participants in Peru. Methods: We assessed the background of the participants, and measured the knowledge gained by track-specific (MI or BIO) 30-minute pre- and post-tests. Participants' attitudes were evaluated both by daily evaluations and by an end-course evaluation. Results: Forty-three participants enrolled in the course - 20 in the MI track and 23 in the BIO track. Of 20 questions, the mean % score for the MI track increased from 49.7 pre-test (standard deviation or SD = 17.0) to 59.7 (SD = 15.2) for the post-test (P = 0.002, n = 18). The BIO track mean score increased from 33.6 pre-test to 51.2 post-test (P less than 0.001, n = 21). Most comments (76%) about any aspect of the course were positive. The main perceived strength of the course was the quality of the speakers, and the main perceived weakness was the short duration of the course. Overall, the course acceptability was very good to excellent with a rating of 4.1 (scale 1-5), and the usefulness of the course was rated as very good. Most participants (62.9%) expressed a positive opinion about having had the BIO and MI tracks come together for some of the lectures. Conclusion: Pre- and post-test results and the positive evaluations by the participants indicate that this first joint Bioinformatics and Medical/Public Health Informatics (MI and BIO) course was a success.The University of Washington AMAUTA Global Training in Health Informatics, a Fogarty International Center/NIH funded grant (5D43TW007551), and the AMAUTA Research Practica Program, a Puget Sound Partners for Global Health-funded grant

Challenge of Transforming Curricula with Computers, High Impact Interventions and Disruption

Conventional educational attainment expectations for school students are generally defined by curriculum documents in each jurisdiction. However, new technologies disrupt societies, so it is pertinent to ask how computers have changed educational expectations. Robert Heinlein put this into perspective in a short story (1957). The protagonist is Holly Jones. She is 15 and a spaceship designer: “I’m very bright in mathematics, which is everything in space engineering, so I’ll get my degree pretty fast. Meanwhile we design ships anyhow. I didn’t tell Miss Brentwood this, as tourists think a girl my age can’t possibly be a spaceship designer.” This demonstrates some early aspirations of how education might change in future where lunar habitats become well established

Challenge of Transforming Curricula with Computers, High Impact Interventions and Disruption

Conventional educational attainment expectations for school students are generally defined by curriculum documents in each jurisdiction. However, new technologies disrupt societies, so it is pertinent to ask how computers have changed educational expectations. Robert Heinlein put this into perspective in a short story (1957). The protagonist is Holly Jones. She is 15 and a spaceship designer: “I’m very bright in mathematics, which is everything in space engineering, so I’ll get my degree pretty fast. Meanwhile we design ships anyhow. I didn’t tell Miss Brentwood this, as tourists think a girl my age can’t possibly be a spaceship designer.” This demonstrates some early aspirations of how education might change in future where lunar habitats become well established

This Is 1987, Not 1980: A Comment on a Comment

A comparison of Baker and de Kanter (1981 , 1983) and Willig (1985) on three points relevant to current policy debates in bilingual education shows that issues driving the original report are moot in 1987 and that Willig provides more useful information, adheres more closely to accepted terminology, and restricts itself to a more relevant body of literature than does Baker and de Kanter. Baker’s “Comment” (1987) that Willig failed to replicate the original study misses the point; Willig represents a conceptual and methodological advance over that study. Moreover, in the years since Baker and de Kanter was issued, a new body of more technically sound research has been produced that is more relevant to current debates