A Comparative Analysis Of Computer-Assisted Instruction And Traditional Lecture Instruction For Administration And Management Topics In Physical Therapy Education

Technological advancements and competition in student recruitment have challenged educational institutions to expand upon traditional teaching methods in order to attract, engage and retain students.  One strategy to meet this shift from educator-directed teaching to student-centered learning is greater computer utilization as an integral aspect of the learning environment. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of utilizing Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) to teach administration and management content in Physical Therapy (PT) education. It was hypothesized that CAI is equally effective for assimilation of information when compared to traditional lecture instruction (TLI).  The sample consisted of third-year entry-level PT students enrolled in an Administration and Management course.  Thirty-three of forty students who met the inclusion criteria consented to participate.  Both the Mercy College and Seton Hall University IRB boards approved the project and all students signed informed consents.  Participants were randomly assigned to the control (TLI, n=16) or experimental (CAI, n=17) group. Each participant completed a pretest on the material to be covered and a demographic survey to assess grade point average (GPA), gender, age and computer literacy. Students then attended the course in the designated medium and took a post-test at the end of the semester.  There were no significant differences between the two groups for GPA, age or gender. Both groups showed significant improvement from pretest to post-test (51.5±12.7 to 80.6±7.8; p<0.001), and (52.0±9.5 to 85.1±6.1; p<0.001), respectively. No significant difference was found between the groups for baseline knowledge (52.0±9.5 vs. 51.5±12.7; p=0.905), final exam scores (80.6±7.8 vs. 85.1±6.1; p=0.073) or final course grades (90.2±3.0 vs. 90.5±3.1; p=0.763).  The hypotheses that CAI is equally effective for assimilation and retention of information presented in a professional management and administration PT class, when compared to TLI, was supported. Areas for further analysis include examining student satisfaction levels, work efficiency and long-term retention of material.  With both teaching methods found to be equally effective, educators can utilize CAI to promote a student-centered experience for the high tech learners of today.  Hiring faculty from remote locations to fill positions for which candidates are unavailable locally, and allowing instructors to teach multiple sections of the same course at different geographic campuses, is also possible with CAI. Additionally, if the instructor or student is absent or a lecture is not finished in the classroom, the material can be placed online. This new evidence supports the use of CAI in teaching administration and management material to PT students, providing institutions of higher learning with an alternative teaching strategy to meet the needs of today’s students

Executive summary: heart disease and stroke statistics--2014 update: a report from the American Heart Association.

Each year, the American Heart Association (AHA), in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies, brings together the most up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke, other vascular diseases, and their risk factors and presents them in its Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update. The Statistical Update is a critical resource for researchers, clinicians, healthcare policy makers, media professionals, the lay public, and many others who seek the best available national data on heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular disease-related morbidity and mortality and the risks, quality of care, use of medical procedures and operations, and costs associated with the management of these diseases in a single document. Indeed, since 1999, the Statistical Update has been cited >10 500 times in the literature, based on citations of all annual versions. In 2012 alone, the various Statistical Updates were cited ≈3500 times (data from Google Scholar). In recent years, the Statistical Update has undergone some major changes with the addition of new chapters and major updates across multiple areas, as well as increasing the number of ways to access and use the information assembled. For this year's edition, the Statistics Committee, which produces the document for the AHA, updated all of the current chapters with the most recent nationally representative data and inclusion of relevant articles from the literature over the past year. This year's edition includes a new chapter on peripheral artery disease, as well as new data on the monitoring and benefits of cardiovascular health in the population, with additional new focus on evidence-based approaches to changing behaviors, implementation strategies, and implications of the AHA's 2020 Impact Goals. Below are a few highlights from this year's Update. © 2013 American Heart Association, Inc

Cell diversity and network dynamics in photosensitive human brain organoids

© 2017 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature. All rights reserved. In vitro models of the developing brain such as three-dimensional brain organoids offer an unprecedented opportunity to study aspects of human brain development and disease. However, the cells generated within organoids and the extent to which they recapitulate the regional complexity, cellular diversity and circuit functionality of the brain remain undefined. Here we analyse gene expression in over 80,000 individual cells isolated from 31 human brain organoids. We find that organoids can generate a broad diversity of cells, which are related to endogenous classes, including cells from the cerebral cortex and the retina. Organoids could be developed over extended periods (more than 9 months), allowing for the establishment of relatively mature features, including the formation of dendritic spines and spontaneously active neuronal networks. Finally, neuronal activity within organoids could be controlled using light stimulation of photosensitive cells, which may offer a way to probe the functionality of human neuronal circuits using physiological sensory stimuli