'Duck to water' or 'fish out of water'? Diversity in the experience of negotiating the transition to university

Winstone and Hulme present a critical discussion of the notion of transition to university. They argue that the common emphasis on the challenging nature of the transition fails to acknowledge the diversity in students’ experiences; for some students, the liminality and discomfort experienced during this critical period in their educational journey can be a transformational and empowering rite of passage. Rather than homogenising students’ experiences, Winstone and Hulme argue that it is beneficial to explore the transition experience through the lens of students’ expectations and subsequent experiences and to view the transition to university as part of a trajectory of transition experience within a student’s educational journey. The chapter also presents practical suggestions for engaging multiple student voices in understanding and facilitating positive transition experiences

Surgeons' Experience of Learning Psychological Skills: A Preliminary Evaluation of a Psychological Skills Training Course

INTRODUCTION: A range of human factors have been shown to impact on surgical performance although little is known about the impact of training on the views of surgeons towards these factors or how receptive surgeons are to such training. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was an observational pilot study using a short questionnaire designed to elicit views of surgeons towards a range of human factors prior to, and immediately following, a course designed to address human factors in surgical performance. Focus groups were also conducted before and immediately after the course to elicit views. RESULTS: Of all the human factors assessed, decision-making was rated on a visual analogue scale as having the biggest impact on performance both before and after the course. In general, views of human factors changed following the course, most notably an increase in the extent to which work stress, interpersonal difficulties and personality were believed to affect performance. Three themes emerged from the focus groups: (i) personal professional development; (ii) the relationship between trainer and trainee; and (iii) the changing perspective. CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons from a range of specialties are receptive to training on the impact of human factors on performance and this study has shown that views may change following a course designed to address this. Further training to address the theory-practice gap is warranted in addition to an evaluation of its effectiveness

Efficacy of a Microbial Reality Simulator (AMRSim) as an education tool for antimicrobial stewardship teaching for veterinary undergraduates

Antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary clinical practice with effective infection prevention and control (IPC) measures is important in reducing the use of antibiotics. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the AMRSim tool (simulating the pre-surgical preparation of a dog patient) in influencing the knowledge, confidence levels and perception of veterinary students towards antimicrobial resistance (AMR), asepsis and IPC contributing to pre-surgical sterility. A quasi-experimental study was conducted as a voluntary sign up series of facilitated workshops independent from the curriculum for the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Science degree program students at the University of Surrey vet school. 69 students from years 1-4 participated in the study (41; experimental group) from February to March 2020. Participants completed Jisc® online questionnaires, before (7-10 days), during (only experimental group) and after (7-10 days) the workshop. Data were analysed with Mann-Whitney U Tests. At baseline, no statistically significant differences were found between the experimental and control groups on any of the pre-tests for baseline IPC knowledge questions (p > .05). Post-tests indicated some significant improvements for the experimental group in that they agreed that they would be more likely to carry out IPC behaviours in future veterinary practice than the control group (U = 527.50, p < .001). They also demonstrated improved IPC knowledge about whether to use antibiotics when preparing an animal for surgery depending on the type of surgery undertaken (U = 432.00, p = .043). Post workshop questionnaire responses indicated that the learning experience with the AMRSim tool was enjoyable (100% positive), engaging (97% positive), changed attitude of participants towards asepsis and its role in AMR (82.5% positive) and that they understand more about asepsis than before (80% positive). Percentage of participants who felt “very/extremely informed” about IPC increased 3-fold from 26% (before) to 79% after the workshop. Participants further agreed that they would be more likely to adhere to IPC measures in clinical placements in the remainder of their undergraduate years due to the learning archived at the workshop. Further pedagogical research is being carried out using the AMRsim tool within the curriculum as this project continues

Threshold Concepts of Research in Teaching Scientific Thinking

Development of scientific thinking through its components can be challenging. Therefore, pedagogical solutions that help teachers to understand the students' challenges in learning and to overcome these difficulties are helpful. Research over the past 15 years has highlighted the theory of threshold concepts, that is, the concepts that are key to deep understanding in specific disciplines. Much of the work on the threshold concepts framework was originally related to discipline-specific learning at the undergraduate level, however, more recently the threshold concept framework has been extended to include the concepts in learning to be a researcher. This chapter proposes how doctoral supervisors might be able to use threshold concepts to help students in learning scientific thinking

Students’ difficulties during research methods training acting as potential barriers to their development of scientific thinking

Students are likely to develop scientific thinking skills through participation in research methods training courses, so any difficulties experienced during these courses might then act as potential barriers to the development of these skills. This chapter begins by reviewing common difficulties experienced by students during this training, which are categorised into the following themes: Affective Issues with Research; Negative and Naïve Conceptions of Research; and Cognitive Complexity of Research. Some of the pedagogical approaches to dealing with students’ issues are briefly discussed before presenting a qualitative phenomenological investigation of the undergraduate experience of research methods training. This chapter ends by discussing practical implications of the investigation’s findings to aid research methods instructors in reducing the chances of barriers forming