Students with Disabilities in Distance Education: Characteristics, Course Enrollment and Completion, and Support Services

This study describes the characteristics, enrollment, and completion rates of students with disabilities and the support services they received over a three-year period. Between 1998 and 2001 a total of 604 students with disabilities enrolled in undergraduate courses at Athabasca University, which represents 1.5% of the student population. More than half (52%) had a physical disability, 20% had a learning disability, 20% had a psychological disability, 4% had some form of visual impairment, and 3% had a hearing impairment. Of these students 56.6% completed one or more of the courses in which they were enrolled. Their overall course completion rate (including early withdrawals) was 45.9%, somewhat lower than that of the general university population. Most students received a variety of types of assistance and accommodation through the Office for Access for Students with Disabilities. Only 7% of students with disabilities received no support services. Students who received more types of support services tended to have somewhat more success in terms of course completions, and certain types of disabilities appeared to be more amendable to certain types of assistance

The innate immune response of large and small airway epithelium to respiratory pathogens in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

PhD ThesisChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a smoking‐related inflammatory lung disease in which small airways remodelling contributes to loss of lung function. Bacterial colonisation in clinically stable COPD patients may play a role in persisting inflammation despite smoking cessation. I propose that the innate immune response from small airway epithelium is more potent than from large airway epithelium, an effect which may be dampened by cigarette smoke, favouring persistent bacterial colonisation in COPD. Nineteen patients with COPD and eleven healthy volunteers were recruited for investigation. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) differential cell counts and cytokine levels were analysed. Standard BAL culture and culture‐independent bacterial DNA analysis were performed. Submerged cultures of epithelial cells from large (LAEC) and small (SAEC) airway were established. Pro‐inflammatory cytokine release in response to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and non‐typeable Haemophilus influenzae whole cell lysate (HI) was investigated. Increased neutrophil % and cytokine levels (IL‐8, IL‐6, IL‐1β) were detected in COPD BAL samples compared to controls. Culture‐independent microbiological assessment demonstrated bacterial DNA in BAL samples from both COPD patients and controls: the diversity of bacterial species identified was significantly less in COPD samples. Primary airway epithelial cell cultures were successfully established from 16 COPD patients and 10 healthy controls. LAEC and SAEC from COPD patients and controls demonstrated an increase in IL‐8 release in response to combined CSE (5%) and HI. This effect was greater in SAEC, but no significant difference was observed between disease and control cell responses. The same pattern was observed for IL‐6 release. Corticosteroid pre‐treatment (1nM Dexamethasone or 17‐Beclomethasone monopropionate) did not suppress the cellular responses observed. Differences in large and small airway innate immune responses may be important in COPD pathogenesis. This is important to consider in modelling the disease in‐vitro and in the development of new therapeutic targets.Wellcome Trus

Students with disabilities: Their experience and success at Athabasca University

Preliminary findings of a study examining the experience and success of Athabasca University students with disabilities, over a three-year period, are presented in this session. Student characteristics, including the nature of their disabilities, as well as enrollment and course completion data are reviewed and discussed in terms of services and assistance received

Applying Constructionist Principles to Online Teacher Professional Development

This report explores the first iteration of a teacher professional development courseletgrounded in constructionist theory and activities. This online teacher professional development(oTPD) courselet provided opportunities for teachers to engage in just-in-time, ongoingTPD within a social networking site for educators. The topic of the oTPD was Roboticsand Hands-on Activities in the Classroom. The courselet was designed for teachers who areinterested in integrating constructionist pedagogies into their practice. Key findings of thefirst delivery of the oTPD courselet point to a need for flexible access, sharing of resources,and support for constructionist pedagogical activities as a PD value for participants. Findingsfurther support the potential for an ongoing online community of practice around roboticsin the classroom. The approach taken in this oTPD courselet of study continues toinform a model of oTPD delivery within a social-networking-enabled environment

Traditional methods of treatment in Bucovina in scientific works of Romanian researchers (second half of 19th – first half of 20th century)

У статті подано огляд основних праць румунських дослідників ІІ половини ХІХ – І половини ХХ ст. (С.Ф. Маріана, Є. Нікуліце-Воронку, Д. Дана, А. Горовея, Т. Памфіле та ін.), в яких висвітлена тема народної медицини, що практикувалася східнороманським населенням Буковини. Корпус матеріалів містить величезний пласт народознавчих знань, зібраних румунськими етнографами в означений період шляхом польових досліджень, і представляє важливу частину знань в цій царині

A Comprehensive Assessment of Nutritional Status and Factors Impacting Nutrition Recovery in Hospitalized, Critically Ill Patients Following Liberation from Mechanical Ventilation

Disease related malnutrition is a concern for the critically ill, however there is a paucity of research examining nutrition recovery in survivors of critical illness. Prior to the development of nutrition interventions to enhance recovery from critical illness, a more comprehensive understanding of the nutrition recovery trajectory and factors influencing the early stages of ward-based recovery is required. Thus, the overarching purpose of this thesis was to produce a comprehensive body of work that enhances our understanding of various facets of nutrition recovery in the hospitalized, critically ill patient following liberation from mechanical ventilation (LMV). To explore and characterize nutrition recovery, I first evaluated: 1) the feasibility of performing common measures of nutritional status during the first seven days following LMV, 2) nutrition intake following LMV, and 3) meal and food intake patterns of patients prescribed non-modified oral diets following LMV. The compilation of these findings illustrated some of the factors that contribute to compromised nutrition recovery in patients following LMV. To better understand nutrition following LMV, feasibility of performing common measures to assess nutritional status was evaluated. Recruitment and retention into the study were also assessed to evaluate the capacity to investigate nutrition recovery. As part of this study, critically ill adults (>18 years) who received mechanical ventilation (MV) for at least 72 hours were recruited. Over a 6-month recruiting period, 538 patients were screened, and of the patients identified as meeting the study eligibility criteria (n=65), 35% consented to participate (n=23). Of the patients who participated (n=19, 42% male, aged 35-85 years), 32% were lost to follow-up prior to the seventh day following LMV. Common methods to assess body composition (weight, mid-upper arm circumference, and bioelectrical impedance analysis to calculate phase angle) and physical function (hand-grip dynamometry) were obtained on greater than 70% of occasions they were to be measured, however, use of standardized and previously validated protocols to obtain these measures was not practical in this patient population. Protocol deviations occurred for 94%, 45%, and 44% of occasions that mid-arm circumference, bioelectrical impedance, and hand-grip strength were measured, respectively. Primarily, the disposition of recovering critically ill patients (decreased level of alertness, muscular weakness, discomfort and pain) precluded proper acquisition of these measurements. Nutrition intake was measured using weighed food records during the first 7 days following LMV. Of the 227 meals served over 125 study days, energy and nutrient intake was successfully measured for 92% of meals. For all days patients were receiving enteral nutrition (EN), the volume of EN formula delivered could be extracted from the chart. Large variations in daily protein (range: 0-151 g/d) and energy (range: 0-2306 kcal/d) intake were observed across all study days. For patients receiving nutrition exclusively via EN (n=48 days), protein and calorie intake was >75% of prescribed on 77% and 88% of occasions, respectively. In contrast, for days that patients received an oral diet as their sole source of nutrition (n=54 days), protein intake was never >75% of prescribed and energy intake was >75% of prescribed on only 24% of occasions. Meal and food intake patterns were examined in a subgroup of 9 patients who had been prescribed a regular (non-texture or fluid modified) diet for at least one day over the study duration. Only 55% and 56% of the total amount of protein and calories provided, respectively were consumed. Although there were no significant differences between the amounts of calories and protein consumed between main meals (195, 255, and 231 kcal and 9, 11, and 9 g protein for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, respectively) considerable individual variation in eating patterns between the patients was observed with respect to the amount of protein and calories consumed at meals and which meals (breakfast, lunch or dinner) the most was consumed. To further characterize dietary prescription practices and use of EN following LMV, a retrospective chart review (n=134, 55% male, mean age 61 years) was conducted. We observed 16% of patients who received EN while ventilated had it discontinued concomitantly with LMV. However, considerable variation in the use of EN therapy and type of oral diet prescriptions in patients prior to hospital discharge was observed. Only 55% of patients who survived the hospital admission ever received a regular, non-modified diet without supplementary EN at the time of hospital discharge, and one in five patients were still receiving EN at the time of hospital discharge. Collectively, these results advance our insight into nutrition recovery following critical illness from a Canadian perspective. Feasible and validated tools to properly assess nutritional status in this unique group of patients are required, as is the need for the development of interventions to enhance protein and energy intake in recovery. Due to the heterogeneity of the patients observed, nutrition interventions delivered by practicing clinicians should be as individualized as much as possible to achieve optimal outcomes

Community Building and Computer-Mediated Conferencing

This study examined the relationship between community cohesion and computer-mediated conferencing (CMC), as well as other variables potentially associated with the development of a learning community. Within the context of a graduate-level course in instructional design (a core course in the Masters of Distance Education program at Athabasca University) students participated in asynchronous online discussion groups as an integral part of their course activities. Upon completion of the course, a questionnaire based on Rovai's (2002) Classroom Cohesion Scale (CSS) was administered to examine the relationship between community cohesion and students' perception of their CMC participation as well as other selected variables. The CSS was comprised of two subscales: the Connectedness subscale and the Learning Community subscale. Results revealed a significant positive correlation between community cohesion and passive CMC involvement (i.e., reading postings) but not with more active CMC involvement (e.g., making postings, replying to others' postings). Significant positive correlations were also found between course satisfaction and community cohesion (both the Learning Community and Connectedness subscales) and between program satisfaction and community cohesion (only the Connectedness subscale)