Simulation in higher education: Choice, challenges and changing practice

Advances in educational technologies continue to offer educators choice and challenges across phases of learning and educational settings. Dramatic changes in simulation technologies over the last two decades offer pilots, miners, engineers, doctors and nurses the opportunity to practice the skills required of their profession. However, simulation is yet to be fully embraced within initial teacher education (ITE) to prepare the next generation of teachers. This paper draws on historical literature in the field and the auto ethnographic experiences of the author to examine the benefits, choices and challenges of adopting simulation within ITE. The study includes the re-envisioning of Micro-teaching 2.0 (Ledger &Fischetti, 2019) and incorporates Gartner’s (1995) hype- cycle; the life-cycle status of technologies, to represent the historical uptake of simulation in ITE. The study highlights the benefits of simulation as a preparatory tool for developing and empowering graduates with the skills required to perform the art and science of teaching. It challenges the lack of uptake of simulation in ITE programs and calls for more research into the field

What are the benefits of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme for teaching and learning? Perspectives from stakeholders in Australia

The report was commissioned by the IB and builds on existing studies on the Middle Years Program. It is the first study to comprehensively examine key ‘insider’ stakeholder perspectives of the benefits of the MYP for teaching and learning in Australia. Specifically it examines the perspectives of seventeen MYP teachers, five MYP Coordinators and six school principals from three public and two private schools, and four representatives from governing bodies and public education authorities. A qualitative research design involving case studies, semi-structured interviews and document analysis was used to gather rich data about insiders’ and key stakeholders’ perspectives of the impact of MYP on teaching and learning addressing the following research questions: 1) What are the impediments and enablers of offering the MYP? 2) What are the benefits of the MYP for teaching and learning? 3) What are the challenges of the MYP for teaching and learning

Preservice teachers’ confidence and preferred teaching strategies using TeachLivE™ Virtual Learning Environment: A two-step cluster analysis

TeachLivETM, a mixed reality learning environment originating from University of Central Florida (2011), has recently been introduced to the Australian preservice teaching context by Murdoch University (2016) and the University of Newcastle (2017). This paper, the first of a program of research mapping the implementation of TeachLivETM within the Australian context, captures preservice teachers’ (PSTs) reflections on their initial interactions with the mixed reality learning environment. The study highlights preferred teaching strategies and teaching confidences during initial interactions in the simulation laboratory and introduces a quality measure within the reflective practice process. A Two-Step Cluster analysis of 322 PSTs was conducted. Results showed a positive impact of reflective practice and revealed that most preservice teachers preferred ‘Questioning’ and ‘Direct Instruction’ methods of delivering micro-teaching lessons. The authors offer a typology of teaching strategies, confidences and a quality measure for teacher educators

Home ovulation tests and stress in women trying to conceive: a randomized controlled trial.

STUDY QUESTION: Does the use of a digital home ovulation test have any effect on the level of stress in women seeking to conceive? SUMMARY ANSWER: No difference was found in levels of stress between women using digital ovulation tests to time intercourse compared with women who were trying to conceive without any additional aids: in addition, their use did not negatively impact time to conception in users but may provide additional benefits, including an increased understanding of the menstrual cycle, reassurance and confidence in focusing conception attempts to the correct time in the cycle. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: It has been suggested that timing of intercourse in such a way that it coincides with ovulation by using ovulation tests can lead to emotional distress; however, no study has been conducted to investigate this hypothesis specifically, until now. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE AND DURATION: The study was performed over two complete menstrual cycles as a prospective, randomized, controlled trial including quantitative and qualitative methods. The intervention (test) group were given digital ovulation tests to time intercourse to the most fertile time of the cycle and the control group were provided with the current National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for increasing the chances of conception (intercourse every 2-3 days) and asked not to use any additional methods to time when ovulation occurs. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING AND METHODS: A total of 210 women who were seeking to conceive were recruited from the general UK population. A total of 115 women were randomized to the test group and 95 to the control group through block randomization. The positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were used to measure subjective stress levels, the Short-Form 12 health survey was used as a measure of general health and well-being and urine samples were measured for biochemical markers of stress including urinary cortisol. Qualitative data were collected in the form of a telephone interview upon study completion. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: There was no evidence for a difference either in total stress as measured using the PSS or in total positive or negative affect using the PANAS questionnaire between the test and control groups at any time point for the duration of the study. During cycle 1, for example, on Day 6, the difference in total stress score (test-control) was -0.62 [95% confidence interval (CI) -2.47 to 1.24] and on the day of the LH surge, it was 0.53 (95% CI -1.38 to 2.44). In addition, no correlation was observed between time trying to conceive and levels of stress, or between age and levels of stress, and no evidence was found to show that stress affected whether or not a pregnancy was achieved. There is also no evidence that the biochemistry measurements are related to whether a pregnancy was achieved or of a difference in biochemistry between the treatment groups. The use of digital ovulation tests did not negatively affect time to conception and with an adequately sized study, could potentially show improvement. To ensure that the results of this study were not affected by chance, we used a number of different methods for measuring stress, each of which had been independently validated. LIMITATIONS AND REASONS FOR CAUTION: Randomization occurred before the start of the study because of the need to provide the ovulation tests in readiness for Day 6 of the first cycle. As a consequence, a number of women fell pregnant during this period (22 and 13 in the test and control groups, respectively). A further 15 women were either lost to follow-up or withdrew consent prior to study start. Pregnancy rate was higher overall in the test group, so to ensure that there were sufficient data from women who failed to become pregnant in the test group, we implemented an additional biased recruitment. This second cohort may have been different from the first, although no significant differences were observed between the two phases of recruitment for any of the information collected upon admission to the study. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Women who seek medical advice while trying to conceive should not be discouraged by health care professionals from using digital ovulation tests in order to time intercourse. The cohort of women recruited to this study initially had no evidence of infertility and were looking to conceive in a non-medical setting. A separate study to assess the impact of home ovulation tests in a subfertile population would be of interest and complementary to the present study. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This study was funded by SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics, GmbH, manufacturer of Clearblue(®) pregnancy and ovulation tests. SPD Development Company Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH; together referred to as SPD. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01084304 (www.clinicaltrials.gov)

Connecting for innovation: Four universities collaboratively preparing pre-service teachers to teach in rural and remote Western Australia

In 2010 a group of teacher educators from four universities, experienced in rural and remote education, formed the Tertiary Educators Rural, Regional and Remote Network (TERRR Network). The collaborative goal was to improve the quality of graduates taking appointments beyond the metropolitan areas of Western Australia. The TERRR Network developed a research project to improve the capacity of universities to prepare teachers for employment in rural and remote locations. A range of outcomes emerged from the project, including: 1) the development of seven rural and remote-oriented curricula modules linked to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers; 2) a cross-institutional field experience, and; 3) the development of a community of practice involving the Department of Education, universities and schools to address the logistical implications of placing pre-service students in rural and remote locations. This paper reports on the five phases of the project design, with a focus on learning in the field and concludes with reflections on the collaborative process used by the four universities in order to ensure that research evidence informs future policy and program development