Effect of a Gamification Model on a Graduate Level Occupational Therapy Course

Gamification in education refers to the immersion of game elements and game mechanics to enhance student engagement. Elements of gamification include the use of reward systems, leader boards, social activities, badges, missions, challenges, and aspects of free choice in course design. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of applying a gamification model to a graduate level occupational therapy course in assistive technology (AT). This mixed methods study followed two consecutive cohorts of students (N=63 students, 55 females) in a graduate level occupational therapy program as they participated in a gamified course allowing the students to “choose their own adventure.” Data analysis included pre- and post-course questionnaires, in-course and post-course anonymous feedback, and voluntary post-course focus groups. Thematic analysis indicated a positive response between the gamified approach and student engagement. In addition, test and quiz scores were compared to student scores from a non-gamified version of this course. The test and quiz scores for each of the gamified cohorts were statistically significantly higher than the scores of the non-gamified cohort (1st gamified cohort p=0.012 and 2nd gamified cohort p=0.004). Students, however, felt that gamification should be limited to only one or two courses within an academic program to prevent “saturation” of this approach. This study indicates that an effectively designed gamification course may be a useful addition in an occupational therapy program to improve engagement in course content

Fieldwork quality of life: addressing the Occupational Therapy Level II fieldwork student/supervisor relationship

Thesis (O.T.D.)--Boston UniversityOccupational therapy Level II fieldwork (FW) students face contemporary stressors that may interfere with the learning process. Academic programs have a greater number of non-traditional students who must find a balance between academic, family and financial obligations. FW environments have become more stressful as increased productivity levels, shorter treatment durations, and budget cuts control clinic operations. These stressors may result in the FW student expressing higher degrees of anxiety and decreased confidence in performing entry-level skills at graduation. While physician and nursing professions have addressed best practices to manage clinical student stressors and training strategies for supervisors, a review of the occupational therapy (OT) literature reveals no study focusing on FW student well-being. This is surprising given the value that OT places on quality of life and establishing therapeutic relationships with our clients. This doctoral project describes a program directed to OT practitioners who have little or no experience in supervising OT Level II FW students. The program, given as a continuing education course, will provide the participants with training and tools to establish therapeutic relationships with their FW students. The program will use elements of the Intentional Relationship Model (Taylor, 2008) to educate the OT supervisor to use the therapeutic use of self (TUOS) to improve the quality of the student/supervisor relationship. The participants will also be introduced to the Fieldwork Quality of Life (FWQoL), a theoretical framework developed for this doctoral project, which will provide guidelines to assist the OT supervisor in determining if the FW student is having a positive FW experience. The program will use a small group format incorporating lecture, group discussions, video simulations, and provision of standardized questionnaires to assist the FW supervisor in monitoring the student's confidence and anxiety levels. A follow-up program, composed of volunteers from the program, will track their supervision of a FW student to determine program effectiveness

Development of the Trauma Play Scale: Comparison of Children Manifesting a History of Interpersonal Trauma with a Normative Sample.

Experts in traumatology have postulated traumatized children play differently than non-traumatized children. These differences are called posttraumatic play and include the behaviors of intense play, repetitive play, play disruption, avoidant play and negative affect. The purpose of this study is the continued development of the Trauma Play Scale through the addition of a normative sample. The Trauma Play Scale is an observation-based instrument designed to distinguish the play behaviors of children in play therapy with a history of interpersonal trauma when compared to non-traumatized children. The present study compares two samples of children. One group (n=6) currently in play therapy with a history of interpersonal trauma and another group (n=7) considered normally developing (cognitively, emotionally, socially, and physically) by their parents with no known history of interpersonal trauma. Trained raters blind to the trauma history of the children rated a series of eight consecutive video-recorded play therapy sessions for each participant. One-way analysis of variance statistics, including effect sizes were compute to determine the discriminant validity of the Trauma Play Scale. Traumatized children scored significantly higher on the Trauma Play Scale than non-traumatized children on all domains of the scale as well as the overall Average Trauma Play Scale score. Large effect sizes indicated strong relationships between group membership (trauma history versus normally developing) and scores on the Trauma Play Scale

Resolved Depletion Zones and Spatial Differentiation of N2H+ and N2D+

We present a study on the spatial distribution of N2D+ and N2H+ in thirteen protostellar systems. Eight of thirteen objects observed with the IRAM 30m telescope show relative offsets between the peak N2D+ (J=2-1) and N2H+ (J=1-0) emission. We highlight the case of L1157 using interferometric observations from the Submillimeter Array and Plateau de Bure Interferometer of the N2D+ (J=3-2) and N2H+ (J=1-0) transitions respectively. Depletion of N2D+ in L1157 is clearly observed inside a radius of ~2000 AU (7") and the N2H+ emission is resolved into two peaks at radii of ~1000 AU (3.5"), inside the depletion region of N2D+. Chemical models predict a depletion zone in N2H+ and N2D+ due to destruction of H2D+ at T ~ 20 K and the evaporation of CO off dust grains at the same temperature. However, the abundance offsets of 1000 AU between the two species are not reproduced by chemical models, including a model that follows the infall of the protostellar envelope. The average abundance ratios of N2D+ to N2H+ have been shown to decrease as protostars evolve by Emprechtinger et al., but this is the first time depletion zones of N2D+ have been spatially resolved. We suggest that the difference in depletion zone radii for N2H+ and N2D+ is caused by either the CO evaporation temperature being above 20 K or an H2 ortho-to-para ratio gradient in the inner envelope.Comment: Accepted to ApJ. 44 pages 13 Figure

Raising a Small Flock of Sheep in Ohio

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The Ionization Fraction in Dense Molecular Gas II: Massive Cores

We present an observational and theoretical study of the ionization fraction in several massive cores located in regions that are currently forming stellar clusters. Maps of the emission from the J = 1-> O transitions of C18O, DCO+, N2H+, and H13CO+, as well as the J = 2 -> 1 and J = 3 -> 2 transitions of CS, were obtained for each core. Core densities are determined via a large velocity gradient analysis with values typically 10^5 cm^-3. With the use of observations to constrain variables in the chemical calculations we derive electron fractions for our overall sample of 5 cores directly associated with star formation and 2 apparently starless cores. The electron abundances are found to lie within a small range, -6.9 < log10(x_e) < -7.3, and are consistent with previous work. We find no difference in the amount of ionization fraction between cores with and without associated star formation activity, nor is any difference found in electron abundances between the edge and center of the emission region. Thus our models are in agreement with the standard picture of cosmic rays as the primary source of ionization for molecular ions. With the addition of previously determined electron abundances for low mass cores, and even more massive cores associated with O and B clusters, we systematically examine the ionization fraction as a function of star formation activity. This analysis demonstrates that the most massive sources stand out as having the lowest electron abundances (x_e < 10^-8).Comment: 35 pages (8 figures), using aaspp4.sty, to be published in Astrophysical Journa

Complex Structure in Class 0 Protostellar Envelopes III: Velocity Gradients in Non-Axisymmetric Envelopes, Infall or Rotation?

We present an interferometric kinematic study of morphologically complex protostellar envelopes based on observations of the dense gas tracers N2H+ and NH3. The strong asymmetric nature of most envelopes in our sample leads us to question the common interpretation of velocity gradients as rotation, given the possibility of projection effects in the observed velocities. Several "idealized" sources with well-ordered velocity fields and envelope structures are now analyzed in more detail. We compare the interferometric data to position-velocity diagrams of kinematic models for spherical rotating collapse and filamentary rotating collapse. For this purpose, we developed a filamentary parametrization of the rotating collapse model to explore the effects of geometric projection on the observed velocity structures. We find that most envelopes in our sample have PV structures that can be reproduced by an infalling filamentary envelope projected at different angles within the plane of the sky. The infalling filament produces velocity shifts across the envelope that can mimic rotation, especially when viewed at single-dish resolutions and the axisymmetric rotating collapse model does not uniquely describe any dataset. Furthermore, if the velocities are assumed to reflect rotation, then the inferred centrifugal radii are quite large in most cases, indicating significant fragmentation potential or more likely another component to the line-center velocity. We conclude that ordered velocity gradients cannot be interpreted as rotation alone when envelopes are non-axisymmetric and that projected infall velocities likely dominate the velocity field on scales larger than 1000 AU.Comment: 37 pages, 15 Figures, 2 Tables, Accepted to Ap