Fostering Excellence Through an Academic Writing and Researcher Readiness Course in a Doctoral Program

The Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice (FCESCJ) has a diverse population of students characterized primarily by adults over 25, working full-time jobs and with family responsibilities. The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate how the development of an Academic Writing course and an orientation portal at the graduate level can help students (a) improve their academic writing skills, (b) learn the various resources NSU and the FCESCJ offer, and (c) understand the personal and research skills needed to become a doctoral student. The academic writing class is the first required core course for all doctoral students and is offered in an online and blended format. It has been designed for English and Spanish-speaking students. This class uses different teaching strategies, formative assessments, and active learning strategies to promote excellence in a learner-centered environment. The audience for this presentation includes higher education faculty, administrators, and advisors working with non-traditional students at the graduate level. Through our experiences, we have found that students have an increased chance of completing their degree when they receive support and mentoring from a collaborative approach of faculty and other university personnel. Learning Outcomes: Participants will be able to: Appreciate the value and purpose of integrating an academic writing course in a graduate program. Discuss different formative assessments for an academic writing course. Structure an informative portal that presents compelling information about the program of study, college, and university to support student success. Create collaboration environments between college and university centers and departments to support compelling learning experiences

Fostering Excellence Through an Academic Writing and Researcher Readiness Course in a Doctoral Program

The Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice (FCESCJ) has a diverse population of students characterized primarily by adults over 25, working full-time jobs and with family responsibilities. The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate how the development of an Academic Writing course and an orientation portal at the graduate level can help students (a) improve their academic writing skills, (b) learn the various resources NSU and the FCESCJ offer, and (c) understand the personal and research skills needed to become a doctoral student. The academic writing class is the first required core course for all doctoral students and is offered in an online and blended format. It has been designed for English and Spanish-speaking students. This class uses different teaching strategies, formative assessments, and active learning strategies to promote excellence in a learner-centered environment. The audience for this presentation includes higher education faculty, administrators, and advisors working with non-traditional students at the graduate level. Through our experiences, we have found that students have an increased chance of completing their degree when they receive support and mentoring from a collaborative approach of faculty and other university personnel. Learning Outcomes: Participants will be able to: Appreciate the value and purpose of integrating an academic writing course in a graduate program. Discuss different formative assessments for an academic writing course. Structure an informative portal that presents compelling information about the program of study, college, and university to support student success. Create collaboration environments between college and university centers and departments to support compelling learning experiences

Safety and immunogenicity of a variant-adapted SARS-CoV-2 recombinant protein vaccine with AS03 adjuvant as a booster in adults primed with authorized vaccines: a phase 3, parallel-group studyResearch in context

Summary: Background: In a parallel-group, international, phase 3 study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04762680), we evaluated prototype (D614) and Beta (B.1.351) variant recombinant spike protein booster vaccines with AS03-adjuvant (CoV2 preS dTM-AS03). Methods: Adults, previously primed with mRNA (BNT162b2, mRNA-1273), adenovirus-vectored (Ad26.CoV2.S, ChAdOx1nCoV-19) or protein (CoV2 preS dTM-AS03 [monovalent D614; MV(D614)]) vaccines were enrolled between 29 July 2021 and 22 February 2022. Participants were stratified by age (18–55 and ≥ 56 years) and received one of the following CoV2 preS dTM-AS03 booster formulations: MV(D614) (n = 1285), MV(B.1.351) (n = 707) or bivalent D614 + B.1.351 (BiV; n = 625). Unvaccinated adults who tested negative on a SARS-CoV-2 rapid diagnostic test (control group, n = 479) received two primary doses, 21 days apart, of MV(D614). Anti-D614G and anti-B.1.351 antibodies were evaluated using validated pseudovirus (lentivirus) neutralization (PsVN) assay 14 days post-booster (day [D]15) in 18–55-year-old BNT162b2-primed participants and compared with those pre-booster (D1) and on D36 in 18–55-year-old controls (primary immunogenicity endpoints). PsVN titers to Omicron BA.1, BA.2 and BA.4/5 subvariants were also evaluated. Safety was evaluated over a 12-month follow-up period. Planned interim analyses are presented up to 14 days post-last vaccination for immunogenicity and over a median duration of 5 months for safety. Findings: All three boosters elicited robust anti-D614G or -B.1.351 PsVN responses for mRNA, adenovirus-vectored and protein vaccine-primed groups. Among BNT162b2-primed adults (18–55 years), geometric means of the individual post-booster versus pre-booster titer ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]) were: for MV (D614), 23.37 (18.58–29.38) (anti-D614G); for MV(B.1.351), 35.41 (26.71–46.95) (anti-B.1.351); and for BiV, 14.39 (11.39–18.28) (anti-D614G) and 34.18 (25.84–45.22 (anti-B.1.351). GMT ratios (98.3% CI) versus post-primary vaccination GMTs in controls, were: for MV(D614) booster, 2.16 (1.69; 2.75) [anti-D614G]; for MV(B.1.351), 1.96 (1.54; 2.50) [anti-B.1.351]; and for BiV, 2.34 (1.84; 2.96) [anti-D614G] and 1.39 (1.09; 1.77) [anti-B.1.351]. All booster formulations elicited cross-neutralizing antibodies against Omicron BA.2 (across priming vaccine subgroups), Omicron BA.1 (BNT162b2-primed participants) and Omicron BA.4/5 (BNT162b2-primed participants and MV D614-primed participants). Similar patterns in antibody responses were observed for participants aged ≥56 years. Reactogenicity tended to be transient and mild-to-moderate severity in all booster groups. No safety concerns were identified. Interpretation: CoV2 preS dTM-AS03 boosters demonstrated acceptable safety and elicited robust neutralizing antibodies against multiple variants, regardless of priming vaccine. Funding: Sanofi and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)