Enhancing the Legitimacy of the World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has faced harsh criticism from developing nations in recent years. Many developing nations feel that the promises they received when they joined the WTO have not been fulfilled. These nations feel that wealthy, industrialized nations like the United States and the members of the European Union are the only ones that have benefited from the organization. Moreover, they feel that these developed nations have benefited at their expense through the WTO\u27s dispute settlement process. Many improvements to the WTO have been proposed. However, the one that seems the most able to help developing nations, the Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL), has not received support from either the United States or the European Union. The Advisory Centre was established in 2001 and is the first center for legal aid in the international system. The goal of the Advisory Centre is to provide developing nations with training and legal assistance in WTO matters. The WTO is an intricate system of rights and obligations, supported by a binding dispute settlement mechanism to ensure compliance. Meaningful participation in the WTO requires a good understanding of these rights and obligations and the ability to participate in its dispute settlement mechanism. The ACWL has the potential to benefit every nation that participates in the WTO, not just developing nations. The ACWL legitimizes the WTO as a whole. When parties are equally represented, the entire system is legitimated. Therefore, both the United States and the European Union would ultimately benefit from supporting this organization

Blended learning versus traditional teaching-learning-setting: Evaluation of cognitive and affective learning outcomes for the inter-professional field of occupational medicine and prevention / Blended Learning versus traditionelles Lehr-Lernsetting: Evaluierung von kognitiven und affektiven Lernergebnissen für das interprofessionelle Arbeitsfeld Arbeitsmedizin und Prävention

Blended learning is characterised as a combination of face-to-face teaching and e-learning in terms of knowledge transfer, students’ learning activities and reduced presence at the teaching facility. The present cohort study investigated long-term effects of blended learning regarding cognitive outcomes as well as self-indicated estimates of immediate learning effects on the affective domain in the inter-professional field of occupational medicine. Physiotherapy students (bachelor degree) at FH Campus Wien – University of Applied Sciences completed the course Occupational Medicine/Prevention either in a traditional teaching-learning setting entirely taught face-to-face (control-group, n=94), or with a blended learning model (intervention-group, n=93). Long-term effects (1.5 year follow-up) on the cognitive learning outcomes were assessed according to four levels of Bloom’s learning objectives. In addition, students estimated potential benefits resulting from blended learning based on four Krathwohl’s learning objectives for the affective domain by means of a six-option Likert scale (n=282). Concerning cognitive outcomes, significant results favouring both groups were found with effect sizes from small to medium. The traditional teaching-learning setting resulted in significantly better results in the upmost aspired learning objective (analysis) at the long-term (p<0,01; r=-0,33). In contrast, the intervention group resulted in significantly better long-term results on learning objective levels 1 (knowledge) and 2 (understanding) (p=0,01; r=-0,20 and, p=0,02; r=-0,17, respectively). Hence, no general recommendation favouring either the classical setting or blending learning can be drawn regarding the cognitive domain. However, students’ self-indications on the affective domain give preference to blended learning, particularly if inter-professional teamwork is a course objective

Pysiotherapy education in Austria - current state-of-the art in the field of neurology

BACKGROUND: Recently, the Austrian professional association of physiotherapists has published a position statement on entry-level competencies assigned to various roles of physiotherapists. The role of a “physiotherapy expert” is mainly characterised by competencies concerning the clinical reasoning process around individual patients. Our network (Öesterreichisches Hochschulnetzwerk Physiotherapie in der Neurologie ÖHPN) specified these competencies for neurological physiotherapy education. However, specific learning content to achieve these competencies, e.g. regarding particular medical diagnoses has not been developed yet. Furthermore, although crucial for enhancing the competency of establishing diagnoses and evaluating therapy effects, particular standardised assessments already taught on a regular basis remain so far unknown. Therefore, the aim of this project is to present the current situation of neurological physiotherapy education in Austria. METHODS: Based on current curricula, lecturers of participating universities of applied sciences will assign medical diagnoses as defined by the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), to be applied to physiotherapy classes, according to the categories “mandatory”, “possible” or “not taught”. Additionally, adapting a method used by Potter and colleagues in 2014, taught standardised assessments will be classified as either “students are exposed to” or “students know how to administer”. Based on the results, consensus will be sought among lecturers on future content in neurological physiotherapy education. RESULTS: Results from the classification process performed by experts from all Austrian undergraduate physiotherapy programmes will be presented and implications will be discussed at the conference. DISCUSSION: A consensus on current content in physiotherapy education will be sought among experts throughout Austria. It is acknowledged, however, that such a consensus only reflects expert opinions. Therefore, prior to establishing a nationwide standard, further activities will be required to enhance scientific rigour and facilitate the translation of findings into practice. Following a systematic screening of the scientific literature including clinical practice guidelines, any necessary adjustments to the consensus statement will be made. The perspectives of students and clinical educators also have to be considered.Gesundhei