CS in Schools Evaluation: An industry-school partnership supporting secondary teachers to teach computer programming

The aim of this document is to evaluate the pilot of the CS in Schools initiative. This evaluation provides information about the delivery and implementation of the CS in Schools pilot, considering the perspectives and values of different stakeholders, including teachers and industry volunteers. The document also examines the aims of the CS in Schools program, including factors that act as barriers or facilitators of the program and identifies ways to potentially improve the efficacy of the program. A key aim of the CS in Schools program is to help high school teachers develop their confidence and competence in teaching computer science. In our evaluation, there was evidence to indicate that teachers in the study typically increased their self-efficacy to teach computer programming, with the support offered in the program commonly acting as a kind scaffold for in-service teachers develop their skills and knowledge of coding language and programming. Teachers generally held positive views of the pre-designed resources-inclusive of its scope, clarity and alignment with the curriculum. Moreover, they also frequently liked the in-classroom immediate access to expertise from industry volunteers. This element of CS in Schools speaks to the untapped value of industry-school partnerships in an effective, contemporary STEM education school syllabus. Conversely, some teachers in the study viewed the explicit pedagogy, which mostly underpins the design of the CS in Schools teaching resources, did not align with the pedagogical philosophies they espoused or wanted to facilitate in their learning environment. Other teachers commented that particularly for more advanced students, that the pacing constrained some students in the pilot. Teachers’ lack of familiarly with the content was another concern raised by participates. In relation to the industry volunteers, there was often an altruistic element to their underlying motivations to volunteer in CS in Schools, together with a perception that was a lag or deficit in the use of digital technology in schools and what industry trends. Other motivations for some to participate in the program included an eagerness for a professional challenge and the potential to network with others. Addressing several barriers such as network hardware, software configuration and platforms (e.g. firewalls, password access/ management) in addition to adapting the program to align with individual school needs (e.g. timetables, educator expertise) is likely to improve the efficacy of the CS in Schools program. As the CS in Schools initiative is in its relative infancy, it’s expected that this document will be useful for future iterations of the program and may helpful in addressing perceived areas of improvement and informing future directions of the initiative

Exploring attitudes to inclusion: a case study of changes to inclusion in an independent post-primary school using thematic data analysis

The education of pupils with different or additional learning needs in England has been in a state of change since this was first recognised as a desirable practice in the late 1970s. Changes of government meant different emphases on the purpose of education, and a variety of views on the anticipated outcomes of schooling as the global economy took on greater influence. Ideas of “inclusion” – educating all pupils in mainstream schools as far as possible – began to gain prevalence in the late 1990s, and a debate began about what this might look like for the majority of schools and pupils. It has been difficult to find consensus – even an agreed definition of the term “inclusion” is lacking. Independent schools in England have historically been less inclusive than statemaintained schools, as they have not been subject to the legislative frameworks around Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Independent schools are also often socially and academically exclusive, with admission being constrained by entrance examinations and ability to pay fees. This dissertation is a case study of one independent school in England, exploring how it became more inclusive and examining teacher attitudes to the changes made. It questions teacher attitudes to educational inclusion, barriers and opportunities, and suggests further steps for the case study school. Eight teachers were interviewed – all were at middle management level within the school. The interviews were analysed using thematic data analysis to create a “thematic journey” through the body of interviews collected, and the data used to explore teacher perceptions of the issues raised. The analysis demonstrated that the interviewees held broadly positive conceptions of educational inclusion, although these had been developed more through experience and time spent teaching than through initial or subsequent training. The interviewees were able to give examples of how they had personally worked to include specific students with barriers to learning, as well as ideas for further improvements to inclusion in the case study school. The data is used to suggest improvements to professional practice in the area of inclusion for the author, for colleagues in the case study school, and for other independent schools

What is the impact of long-term COVID-19 on workers in healthcare settings? A rapid systematic review of current evidence

Open Access via the PLOS Agreement Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.Peer reviewe

What is the impact of long-term COVID-19 on workers in healthcare settings? A rapid systematic review of current evidence.

Long COVID is a devastating, long-term, debilitating illness which disproportionately affects healthcare workers, due to the nature of their work. There is currently limited evidence specific to healthcare workers about the experience of living with Long COVID, or its prevalence, pattern of recovery or impact on healthcare. Our objective was to assess the effects of Long COVID among healthcare workers and its impact on health status, working lives, personal circumstances, and use of health service resources. We conducted a systematic rapid review according to current methodological standards and reported it in adherence to the PRISMA 2020 and ENTREQ statements. We searched relevant electronic databases and identified 3770 articles of which two studies providing qualitative evidence and 28 survey studies providing quantitative evidence were eligible. Thematic analysis of the two qualitative studies identified five themes: uncertainty about symptoms, difficulty accessing services, importance of being listened to and supported, patient versus professional identity and suggestions to improve communication and services for people with Long COVID. Common long-term symptoms in the survey studies included fatigue, headache, loss of taste and/or smell, breathlessness, dyspnoea, difficulty concentrating, depression and anxiety. Healthcare workers struggled with their dual identity (patient/doctor) and felt dismissed or not taken seriously by their doctors. Our findings are in line with those in the literature showing that there are barriers to healthcare professionals accessing healthcare and highlighting the challenges of receiving care due to their professional role. A more representative approach in Long COVID research is needed to reflect the diverse nature of healthcare staff and their occupations. This rapid review was conducted using robust methods with the codicil that the pace of research into Long COVID may mean relevant evidence was not identifie

What is the impact of long term COVID-19 on workers in healthcare settings? A rapid review of current evidence. [Protocol]

The objective of this systematic rapid review is to assess the effects of long COVID among healthcare workers and its impact on their self-reported health status, professional working lives, personal circumstances and use of health services. A range of clinical and social science databases will be searched, including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ASSIA. Eligible studies will be those assessing i) the experiences and views of healthcare workers with symptoms of long COVID as well as ii) the impact of long COVID symptoms on health status, working performance, personal circumstances and use of healthcare resources. The eligible population will be healthcare workers with symptoms of long COVID. All clinical and non-clinical staff will be eligible for inclusion, for example, cleaners, domestic staff, receptionists, estate workers

No backstage: the relentless emotional management of acute nursing through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic disordered the routine delivery of health care. We explored nurses' experiences of working in COVID and non-COVID facing roles, focusing on staff in the acute sector of one Scottish health board. The study covered the period between April and July 2021, and was conducted through twenty in-depth interviews. Interactions between patients, family members and nurses changed due to inflection control measures. Staff experienced a range of conflicting emotions, e.g. fear of infection and transmission but a strong sense professional duty to contribute to the pandemic effort. Nurses were dissatisfied with the care they provided and experienced moral dilemmas, distress and injury from the emotional labour caused not only by working under the infection control measures, but also by the virulence and uncertainty of this new disease. We draw on earlier works - Goffman's (1967) presentation of self, Hochschild's (1983) work on emotional labour, and Bolton and Boyd's (2003) work furthering emotional labour - to illustrate that the usual rules and routines of interaction between patients, family and staff were abandoned. Nurses were able to mask their distress and injury, but were often unable to effectively deliver the correct emotional response due to infection control measures, such as protective clothing (PPE) and social distancing. The 'backstage' spaces, important for dealing with the emotion of front stage performances, were missing for those in COVID-facing roles. The isolating work, and the removal of spaces for the donning and doffing of PPE, resulted in limited or no opportunity for humour and the enacting of collective care. Their private space offered little reprieve with the constant media attention on infection levels, death and nursing 'heroes'

Small molecule screening in zebrafish: an in vivo approach to identifying new chemical tools and drug leads

In the past two decades, zebrafish genetic screens have identified a wealth of mutations that have been essential to the understanding of development and disease biology. More recently, chemical screens in zebrafish have identified small molecules that can modulate specific developmental and behavioural processes. Zebrafish are a unique vertebrate system in which to study chemical genetic systems, identify drug leads, and explore new applications for known drugs. Here, we discuss some of the advantages of using zebrafish in chemical biology, and describe some important and creative examples of small molecule screening, drug discovery and target identification

Peri-implant health, clinical outcome and patient-centred outcomes of implant-supported overdentures in the mandible and the maxilla

Abstract Objectives/Aims: The primary aim of this retrospective pilot study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of overdentures on four non-splinted maxillary implants compared to the mandible using locator attachments and secondly to assess patient's opinion of the treatment. Materials and Methods: The treatment protocol used here is summarised as a single-stage surgical approach followed by immediate loading (same day in 12 of 17 patients) of a removable prosthesis in the maxilla and mandible. Most of the implants were installed into fresh extraction sockets. Clinical outcomes were evaluated in 68 southern implants, straight (non co-axis) or angulated (co-axis) in 17 patients. Patients were examined by independent examiners at an average follow-up of 14.5 months after implant placement. Results: Outcomes measured were implant survival, bone loss, bleeding on probing, probing pocket depths and plaque score in addition to quality of life measured with OHIP-14 questionnaires. An overall implant survival of 100% was achieved. The mean marginal bone level (mm) over the entire cohort of 66 measured implants was (1.4 mm; range, 0–5.5). A significant difference (P=0.01) was found between bone level, from implant head to bone contact in the maxilla (M, 0.9 mm; s.d., 1.1; range, 0–4) and the mandible (M, 1.7; s.d., 1.0; range, 0–5.5). The marginal bone-to-implant head distance with the angulated co-axis implants was 1.9 mm (s.d., 1.5; range, 0–5.5) compared to non co-axis, mean 1.2 mm (s.d., 1.1; range, 0–4) (P=0.01). The OHIP-14 overall mean was 3.3 (out of a maximum of 56). Conclusion: The implant survival was 100% and the patients benefited from the overdenture treatment on four non-connected implants. The extremely low OHIP-14 indicated a very high level of patient satisfaction following treatment. The results of this study merit further long-term investigation to fully investigate the success of immediately loading implants in the maxilla as well as cost-benefit. </jats:sec