Team-Based Learning : A Design - Based Research for Business Education in a Private University in Sarawak

Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a student-centred learning approach that is effective to improve students’ learning outcomes, knowledge, and higher-order thinking skills by pro- moting active learning in teams, which are strongly required for business education. There is evidence of improved student learning with TBL, but research on the strategies to im- prove business student learning with the implementation of TBL and descriptions on how does TBL affect learning outcomes among business students are still ambiguous. There- fore, this study was designed to gain knowledge and understanding of the implementation of TBL in business education in a private university in Sarawak. The purpose of this design-based research is to design and develop a TBL learning environment for business students in higher education and evaluate the approach to examine the students’ percep- tion towards TBL and teamwork. Specifically, this study determined the instructional needs of the business students and examined the elements and strategies to improve the TBL activities for business students based on their instructional needs. Finally, the TBL approach was evaluated to determine the students’ perception towards TBL and whether TBL could improve learning outcomes. This study is divided into three phases that are derived from the KEMP’s Model. The three phases are the needs analysis phase, the de- sign and development phase, and the implementation and evaluation phases. Mixed meth- ods were used for data collection among thirty business students and two instructors from a private university in Sarawak. The data collected from the interviews in the needs analysis phase intended to investigate the current instructional issues faced by six business students and two instructors. The findings from the needs analysis and data collected from the semi-structured interviews and an online survey during the design and development phase provided an overview of the elements and strategies needed for the design of the TBL environment from both students and instructors’ perspectives. Finally, data was collected from thirty students during pre and post-implementation surveys using the Evaluation of Team-Based Learning Questionnaire during the evaluation phase. The results of this study found that the current instructional issues faced by the business stu- dents are lack of interactivity, lack of learning skills, insufficient practical exposure, and personal efforts issues. The findings also indicate that TBL activities can be improved based on the four phases of TBL, namely Pre-Class Preparation, Individual Readiness Assurance Process (I-RAP) Test, Team Readiness Assurance Process (T-RAP) Test, and Application Exercises. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) found in the students’ perception towards TBL and teamwork after the implementation of the learning approach. There was also no significant relationship (p>0.05) between the students’ perception to- wards TBL and their learning outcomes. However, the students’ perception towards TBL and teamwork were good. This would indicate that the business students positively per- ceived TBL, and their test scores seemed to have improved with the implementation of TBL. Further studies could be conducted to determine whether TBL was effective for different courses in business education as well as in other subject areas. (Abstract by Author

A Case Study of Pilgrimage as Experiential Learning: Reflections of a Buddhist Pilgrim

This paper narrates my learnings as a pilgrim in India and Nepal based on an analysis of my response to different experiences and observations throughout the journey. The significant impacts of this experience on life were reflected using Kolb’s cycle of experiential learning. The learning process is described based on the four processes of the model: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation. It is believed that pilgrims are motivated to satisfy their needs as indicated in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This article also acknowledges some established key ideas from other pilgrimage scholars. However, this paper presents only the ideas and early findings of the impacts of this pilgrimage experience on life. The long-term effects of pilgrimage are yet to be explored in future studies

Early exclusion of major adverse cardiac events in emergency department chest pain patients: A prospective observational study

Background The current evaluation of patients with chest pain presenting to an emergency department (ED) with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a lengthy process involving serial measurements of troponin. Objective We aimed to validate the diagnostic accuracy of a Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score with single high-sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) for early rule out of 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE), and to compare the TIMI score with combinations of heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) and a modified HEART (history, electrocardiogram, age, risk factors, troponin) score. Methods We recruited 602 consecutive adult patients with chest pain and suspected ACS in the ED. Each patient had TIMI and HEART scores, and a point-of-care H-FABP test. Results MACE occurred in 42 (7.0%) patients within 30 days. A low risk for 30-day MACE was identified by a modified TIMI score of 0 in 65 (11%) patients, and by a HEART score ≤ 2 in 96 (16%) patients. No MACE occurred in these groups, giving both scores a sensitivity of 100% (95% confidence interval [CI] 91.6–100%), and specificity of 11.6% (95% CI 9.2–14.5%) and 17.1% (95% CI 14.2–20.5%), respectively. Use of combined TIMI and HEART scores improved the specificity further to 22.0% (95% CI 18.7–25.6%) without lowering sensitivity. Early H-FABP measurement > 7 μg/L had a sensitivity of 41.5% (95% CI 27.8–56.6%) and a specificity of 91.1% (95% CI 88.4–93.2%) for predicting 30-day MACE. Conclusions A modified TIMI score of 0 or a HEART score of ≤ 2, incorporating a single hs-cTnT level, will identify patients with low risk of 30-day MACE for early discharge within 2 h of ED arrival

A review and reflection on online learning and assessments in higher education after the pandemic

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many higher education institutions to deliver courses using online mode due to the movement restrictions. However, many academicians were under-prepared. Now that the pandemic is over, it is time to reflect on these online teaching practices and consider their suitability and sustainability in this post-pandemic era. This study used a case study approach and examined blended and hybrid learning and online assessments and their use in higher education institutions. It adopted a crowdsourcing approach to gather the relevant literature and was backed by the reflection and experience of the academicians in a branch campus of an Australian university in Malaysia. This study suggests that academicians could still use blended and hybrid learning as an alternative but must upskill themselves. Furthermore, selective online assessments could still be used. This study would be helpful to academicians and policymakers in higher education when deciding the teaching mode and assessments in the post-pandemic era

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701