Moving Targets: Instruction with iPads

This contributed paper details a project involving the creation of a mobile instruction ‘classroom in a box’, which consisted of twelve iPads, a laptop and a charging cart. What went well, what was changed, some recommendations, and how the tablets have been most commonly used, in a competitive exposure to library resources called Library Rally in the first year Communication and English classes, are covered

Movement ecology of Australian arid-zone birds

The movements of nomadic species are poorly understood, being highly dynamic over time and space. There is an urgent need to better understand this group as current conservation approaches appear not to be providing adequate protection. In this thesis, I evaluate a survey method to monitor this dynamic group, assess environmental variables driving their movements over time, and explore how rainfall structures the overall avian community. To date, no standardized, large-scale monitoring has been carried out for arid zone or nomadic species. In Chapter 2, I describe a protocol for surveying this group over five years using two survey methods. Detection probabilities and robust density estimates were generated for 64 species and showed the majority fluctuated markedly over time. Line transect surveys were more effective for species richness and abundance measures. This survey method provides the first standardized density estimates for this assemblage and can be easily repeated in future for this and other remote, arid biological communities. The movement characteristics of species with unpredictable, aseasonal movements are very poorly understood and difficult to measure. In Chapter 3, I develop a method for quantifying extent of bird movement by analysing changes in species’ site persistence and variability in inter-annual densities over time, and compare results with existing movement classifications. Continuous variation in extent of species movement indicated that a binary grouping of resident versus nomadic species is inappropriate. Existing movement classifications likely underestimate species movements within arid regions of their distribution, suggesting that caution is needed when using sweeping species-level classifications, especially for Australian birds whose movements can be heavily environment-dependent. Unlike regular migration, which is triggered by seasonal cues such as day length and temperature, movement in nomads is thought to be triggered by less predictable environmental conditions. In Chapter 4, I explore the relative influence of dynamic and static environmental variables on species abundance. Dynamic variables were more important for nomadic versus resident species but static variables were equally important for nomadic and resident species. These findings suggest that habitat structure is important to consider in addition to dynamic environmental features for understanding nomadic species movements. Pulse events are thought to be positively correlated with nomadic species movements and to play an important role in structuring arid biological communities. In Chapter 5, I investigate how structural changes observed in Australia’s arid bird community relate to rainfall and vegetation greenness. The importance of rainfall was mediated through vegetation growth and the community is dynamic at a local level but exhibits stability at a landscape level, underscoring the importance of connectivity between suitable habitats within this landscape to enable species to reshuffle among sites. In sum, my thesis highlights the importance of standardized data for enabling an empirical approach to understanding nomadic and arid-zone bird species. Findings will advance our understanding of these species’ dynamics and lay groundwork for improving protection of this group by identifying further research priorities

Reducing Epilepsy-Related Stigma: Teachers\u27 Implementation of an Epilepsy Education Program

This thesis presents an investigation of teachers’ implementation of Brain Matters, an education program designed to reduce the stigma associated with epilepsy. Five local Grade 12 Biology teachers were interviewed to examine their implementation and consistent with previous research, a multilevel ecological framework was used to understand the factors affecting their implementation. The findings indicate that there were three factors that worked to either facilitate or limit teachers’ implementation of Brain Matters: pedagogical content knowledge and beliefs, characteristics of the resource, and professional development. The results of this study offer developers of stigma-reduction programs insight into the challenges that teachers encounter when implementing innovative resources

The evolving role of the black church in HIV/AIDS outreach and education

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityNearly thirty years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, African-Americans continue to be disproportionately affected by the disease. While many strides have been made in combating the virus, deficits for combating the disease in the black community persist. The church has traditionally been a symbol of hope, spirituality, and knowledge in the African-American population. However, the church has been fractured in its response to the epidemic. The aim of this study is to determine the role the African-American church has played in HIV education and outreach, and predict steps that the church will take in the future. This study also investigates social, political, and religious influences on determining the extent to which the black church as a single entity has addressed HIV and AIDS, and how its response compares to other efforts in the fight against the virus. Numerous articles regarding the HIV epidemic and efforts made by the black church were reviewed. Information spanning the duration of the discovery of the virus was studied, incorporating relevant scientific and social details. It was concluded that the full role of the black church in addressing the spread of HIV has not been realized. The black community and church were slow to act at the discovery of the virus, and have progressed to beginning to incorporate in-house HIV programs, or programs via community partnership, into the church. While most institutions continue to struggle with ideas of homosexuality, black congregations are slowly becoming more progressive, and more receptive to addressing more controversial facets of the epidemic

Online Doctoral Cohort Mentors: Model Implementation and Evaluation

Doctoral students benefit extensively from direct mentorship throughout their degree programs and this mentorship can be particularly beneficial for doctoral students completing their degrees in the online format. This study provides an analysis of the implementation of a Doctoral Cohort Mentor Model at the Online Campus of a mid-sized University. Internal and external needs of online doctoral students were explored. Further, online faculty needs and the experience of the initial group of mentors were evaluated utilizing the focus group method. Data were examined utilizing qualitative coding procedures and the results are discussed in the context of relevant theories pertaining to internal and external aspects of motivation

Social functioning as a mediator between Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and emotional problems in adolescents

Adolescents with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) are at risk for increased feelings of anxiety and depression compared to their typically developing (TD) peers. However, the underlying pathways involved in this relationship are unclear. In this initial study of the ‘social mediation hypothesis’ we examine social functioning as a mediator of emotional problems in a cross-sectional sample of adolescents with DLD and age- and sex-matched controls. Preliminary data from twenty-six participants with DLD and 27 participants with typical language development (TLD, 11-17 years) were compared on self- and parent-reported measures of social functioning and emotional outcomes. There was little evidence of group differences in self-reported social functioning and emotional outcomes, but parent-report of SDQ Peer Problems and Emotional Problems in the DLD group was significantly higher than in the TLD group. Parent-reported peer problems mediated parent-reported emotional problems, accounting for 69% of the relationship between DLD status and emotional problems. Parents of adolescents with DLD, but not adolescents themselves, report significantly higher peer and emotional problems compared to TLD peers. The hypotheses generated from these novel data suggest further investigation into adolescents’ perceptions of socioemotional difficulties and friendships should be examined

Social Justice Practicum in Non-clinical Online Programs: Engagement Strategies and Lessons Learned

Social justice, the equitable distribution of resources within a community, can be nourished through structured practical experiences that align with content in educational programs. A significant body of research demonstrates the benefits of including practicum when training adult learners (Sanabria, & DeLorenzi, 2019). Further, research elucidates the need for formal social justice training, which may increase equity within our society. This paper summarizes the launch of a social justice practicum within seven non-clinical programs offered through an online campus. Facets of student experience are examined through the lens of adult learning theory. Model adjustments and future directions are also discussed

Social Cognition in Adolescents with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): Evidence from the Social Attribution Task

Social cognition impairments may explain social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) in individuals with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). In a novel approach, the Social Attribution Task (SAT) was used to examine this association. SAT narratives were coded from 53 participants [n = 26 DLD; n = 27 typical language development (TLD)] matched on age (Mage = 13;6) and gender (35.9% female). Parents reported SEBD. Adolescents with DLD performed worse than their TLD peers on the majority of SAT indices and had higher peer (d = 1.09) and emotional problems (d = .75). There was no association between social cognition abilities and SEBD. These exploratory findings suggest social cognition should be further examined in this population

Prescribing competency assessment for Canadian medical students: a pilot evaluation

Background: The knowledge and ability to prescribe safely and effectively is a core competency for every graduating medical student. Our previous research suggested concerns about medical student prescribing abilities, and interest in a standardized assessment process. Methods: A multi-year cross-sectional study evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, and discriminative ability of an online prescribing competency assessment for final year Canadian medical students was conducted. Students at nine sites of four Ontario medical schools were invited to participate in an online one-hour exam of eight domains related to prescribing safely. Student feedback on perceived fairness, clarity, and ease of use formed the primary outcome. Exam performance and parity between schools were the secondary outcome.  Results: A total of 714 students completed the assessment during spring final review courses between 2016 and 2018. Student feedback was more favourable than not for appropriateness of content (53.5% agreement vs 18.3% disagreement), clarity of questions (65.5% agreement vs 11.6% disagreement), question layout and presentation (70.8% agreement vs 12.2% disagreement), and ease of use of online interface (67.1% agreement vs 13.6% disagreement). Few (23.6% believed their course work had prepared them for the assessment. Mean total exam score was 70.0% overall (SD 10.4%), with 47.6% scoring at or above the pass threshold of 70%. Conclusion: Our prescribing competency assessment proved feasible, acceptable, and discriminative, and indicated a need for better medical school training to improve prescribing competency. Further evaluation in a larger sample of medical schools is warranted