Developing Instructional Skills: Perspectives of Feedback in Student Teaching

Feedback is essential for the transformation and development of new teachers. This action research study explored perceptions of feedback givers/receivers in the development of essential teaching skills in a new co-teaching model. Outcomes informed programmatic changes to teacher education trainings and protocols. The research team included teacher education faculty, including the program leader (author 1), faculty (author 2) and K-12 teacher leader (author 3). Student teachers (6), cooperating teachers (7), and university supervisors (3) participated in semi-standard interviews and close-ended surveys. Responses were analyzed for feedback content, frequency, timing, effectiveness, reception and application. Three key components of the feedback process were identified: Goals (What), Relationship (How), and Effect (Change). The relationship between the student teacher receiving and the supervisor providing the feedback significantly influenced student teacher perception and application of feedback. Resulting programmatic changes include cooperating teacher selection criteria, co-teaching training, regular triad team meetings, and rubric-based feedback protocols

Improvement Science in Teacher Preparation at California State University: How teacher preparation partnerships are building capacity to learn to improve

One of the most pressing educational problems in the United States is improving the quality of teacher preparation (Goldhaber, Liddle, & Theobald, 2013; National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, & Institute of Medicine, 2007). Over the last decade the education sector has begun to learn from other sectors -- especially health care -- about the potential power of improvement science as an approach to improving the quality and reliability of educational systems (Bryk, Gomez, Grunow, & LeMahieu, 2015; Coburn, Penuel, & Geil, 2013; Lewis, 2015). Evidence from an effort to improve how beginning teachers are supported in three large urban districts through development and testing of feedback systems demonstrates the promise of improvement science methods for tackling persistent challenges in teaching (Hannan, Russell, Takahashi, & Park, 2015).This Innovation Highlight describes a network-based effort -- the New Generation of Educators Initiative (NGEI), funded by the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation -- that applies the principles and methods of improvement science (Langley, Moen, Nolan, Nolan, Norman, & Provost, 2009) to the challenge of improving how new teachers are prepared in the California State University System. The initiative emphasizes data-driven, continuous improvement by funding teacher preparation programs to routinely collect and analyze the data needed to monitor teacher candidates' progress toward competency in prioritized skills and to use the results of that analysis to (a) inform clinical support and teaching during the school year and (b) identify meaningful programmatic changes.The NGEI-funded teacher preparation programs also receive support from WestEd and SRI, which have developed a multipronged technical assistance strategy that is informed by improvement science. The technical assistance includes in-person trainings, cross-site webinars, monthly coaching calls with each site, annual convenings, and occasional site visits.The first section of this Innovation Highlight explains the theory of improvement science and how approaches that are informed by improvement science differ from other improvement efforts. The second section describes how NGEI has put this theory into practice through improvement science technical assistance for the NGEI grantees. Examples from the NGEI grantees are included throughout to illustrate how improvement science principles have been applied in the teacher preparation context

Body mass index change in gastrointestinal cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is associated with Dedicator of Cytokinesis 1

Background: There have been a number of candidate gene association studies of cancer cachexia-related traits, but no genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been published to date. Cachexia presents in patients with a number of complex traits, including both cancer and COPD. The objective of the current investigation was to search for a shared genetic aetiology for change in body mass index (ΔBMI) among cancer and COPD by using GWAS data in the Framingham Heart Study. Methods: A linear mixed effects model accounting for age, sex, and change in smoking status was used to calculate ΔBMI in participants over 40 years of age with three consecutive BMI time points (n = 4162). Four GWAS of ΔBMI using generalized estimating equations were performed among 1085 participants with a cancer diagnosis, 204 with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, 112 with lung cancer, and 237 with COPD to test for association with 418 365 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Results: Two SNPs reached a level of genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10−8) with ΔBMI: (i) rs41526344 within the CNTN4 gene, among COPD cases (β = 0.13, P = 4.3 × 10−8); and (ii) rs4751240 in the gene Dedicator of Cytokinesis 1 (DOCK1) among GI cancer cases (β = 0.10, P = 1.9 × 10−8). The DOCK1 SNP association replicated in the ΔBMI GWAS among COPD cases (βmeta-analyis = 0.10, Pmeta-analyis = 9.3 × 10−10). The DOCK1 gene codes for the dedicator of cytokinesis 1 protein, which has a role in myoblast fusion. Conclusions: In sum, one statistically significant common variant in the DOCK1 gene was associated with ΔBMI in GI cancer and COPD cases providing support for at least partially shared aetiology of ΔBMI in complex diseases

New Generation of Educators Initiative: Transforming teacher preparation.

The focus of the New Generation of Educators Initiative (NGEI) was to answer the question "What would it take to transform teacher education?" From 2016 to 2019, with support from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, teacher education programs at 10 California State University (CSU) campuses partnered with local school districts to design and demonstrate innovative practices that could transform teacher preparation. This report documents the learnings from multiple participants in this transformative work, including Foundation program staff and representatives from partnerships between universities and school districts

An App-Based Just-in-Time Adaptive Self-management Intervention for Care Partners (CareQOL): Protocol for a Pilot Trial

BackgroundCare partners (ie, informal family caregivers) of individuals with health problems face considerable physical and emotional stress, often with a substantial negative impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of both care partners and care recipients. Given that these individuals are often overwhelmed by their caregiving responsibilities, low-burden self-management interventions are needed to support care partners to ensure better patient outcomes. ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study is to describe an intensive data collection protocol that involves the delivery of a personalized just-in-time adaptive intervention that incorporates passive mobile sensor data feedback (sleep and activity data from a Fitbit [Fitbit LLC]) and real time self-reporting of HRQOL via a study-specific app called CareQOL (University of Michigan) to provide personalized feedback via app alerts. MethodsParticipants from 3 diverse care partner groups will be enrolled (care partners of persons with spinal cord injury, care partners of persons with Huntington disease, and care partners of persons with hematopoietic cell transplantation). Participants will be randomized to either a control group, where they will wear the Fitbit and provide daily reports of HRQOL over a 3-month (ie, 90 days) period (without personalized feedback), or the just-in-time adaptive intervention group, where they will wear the Fitbit, provide daily reports of HRQOL, and receive personalized push notifications for 3 months. At the end of the study, participants will complete a feasibility and acceptability questionnaire, and metrics regarding adherence and attrition will be calculated. ResultsThis trial opened for recruitment in November 2020. Data collection was completed in June 2021, and the primary results are expected to be published in 2022. ConclusionsThis trial will determine the feasibility and acceptability of an intensive app-based intervention in 3 distinct care partner groups: care partners for persons with a chronic condition that was caused by a traumatic event (ie, spinal cord injury); care partners for persons with a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease (ie, Huntington disease); and care partners for persons with episodic cancer conditions that require intense, prolonged inpatient and outpatient treatment (persons with hematopoietic cell transplantation). Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04556591; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04556591 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/3284

The Dosing of Mobile-Based Just-in-Time Adaptive Self-Management Prompts for Caregivers: Preliminary Findings From a Pilot Microrandomized Study

BackgroundCaregivers of people with chronic illnesses often face negative stress-related health outcomes and are unavailable for traditional face-to-face interventions due to the intensity and constraints of their caregiver role. Just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) have emerged as a design framework that is particularly suited for interventional mobile health studies that deliver in-the-moment prompts that aim to promote healthy behavioral and psychological changes while minimizing user burden and expense. While JITAIs have the potential to improve caregivers’ health-related quality of life (HRQOL), their effectiveness for caregivers remains poorly understood. ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study is to evaluate the dose-response relationship of a fully automated JITAI-based self-management intervention involving personalized mobile app notifications targeted at decreasing the level of caregiver strain, anxiety, and depression. The secondary objective is to investigate whether the effectiveness of this mobile health intervention was moderated by the caregiver group. We also explored whether the effectiveness of this intervention was moderated by (1) previous HRQOL measures, (2) the number of weeks in the study, (3) step count, and (4) minutes of sleep. MethodsWe examined 36 caregivers from 3 disease groups (10 from spinal cord injury, 11 from Huntington disease, and 25 from allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation) in the intervention arm of a larger randomized controlled trial (subjects in the other arm received no prompts from the mobile app) designed to examine the acceptability and feasibility of this intensive type of trial design. A series of multivariate linear models implementing a weighted and centered least squares estimator were used to assess the JITAI efficacy and effect. ResultsWe found preliminary support for a positive dose-response relationship between the number of administered JITAI messages and JITAI efficacy in improving caregiver strain, anxiety, and depression; while most of these associations did not meet conventional levels of significance, there was a significant association between high-frequency JITAI and caregiver strain. Specifically, administering 5-6 messages per week as opposed to no messages resulted in a significant decrease in the HRQOL score of caregiver strain with an estimate of –6.31 (95% CI –11.76 to –0.12; P=.046). In addition, we found that the caregiver groups and the participants’ levels of depression in the previous week moderated JITAI efficacy. ConclusionsThis study provides preliminary evidence to support the effectiveness of the self-management JITAI and offers practical guidance for designing future personalized JITAI strategies for diverse caregiver groups. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04556591; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT0455659

A highly stretchable, transparent, and conductive polymer

Previous breakthroughs in stretchable electronics stem from strain engineering and nanocomposite approaches. Routes toward intrinsically stretchable molecular materials remain scarce but, if successful, will enable simpler fabrication processes, such as direct printing and coating, mechanically robust devices, and more intimate contact with objects. We report a highly stretchable conducting polymer, realized with a range of enhancers that serve a dual function: (i) they change morphology and (ii) they act as conductivity-enhancing dopants in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). The polymer films exhibit conductivities comparable to the best reported values for PEDOT:PSS, with over 3100 S/cm under 0% strain and over 4100 S/cm under 100% strain-among the highest for reported stretchable conductors. It is highly durable under cyclic loading, with the conductivity maintained at 3600 S/cm even after 1000 cycles to 100% strain. The conductivity remained above 100 S/cm under 600% strain, with a fracture strain of 800%, which is superior to even the best silver nanowire- or carbon nanotube-based stretchable conductor films. The combination of excellent electrical and mechanical properties allowed it to serve as interconnects for field-effect transistor arrays with a device density that is five times higher than typical lithographically patterned wavy interconnects.status: publishe

Body mass index change in gastrointestinal cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is associated with Dedicator of Cytokinesis 1.

BackgroundThere have been a number of candidate gene association studies of cancer cachexia-related traits, but no genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been published to date. Cachexia presents in patients with a number of complex traits, including both cancer and COPD. The objective of the current investigation was to search for a shared genetic aetiology for change in body mass index (ΔBMI) among cancer and COPD by using GWAS data in the Framingham Heart Study.MethodsA linear mixed effects model accounting for age, sex, and change in smoking status was used to calculate ΔBMI in participants over 40 years of age with three consecutive BMI time points (n = 4162). Four GWAS of ΔBMI using generalized estimating equations were performed among 1085 participants with a cancer diagnosis, 204 with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, 112 with lung cancer, and 237 with COPD to test for association with 418 365 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).ResultsTwo SNPs reached a level of genome-wide significance (P &lt; 5 × 10-8 ) with ΔBMI: (i) rs41526344 within the CNTN4 gene, among COPD cases (β = 0.13, P = 4.3 × 10-8 ); and (ii) rs4751240 in the gene Dedicator of Cytokinesis 1 (DOCK1) among GI cancer cases (β = 0.10, P = 1.9 × 10-8 ). The DOCK1 SNP association replicated in the ΔBMI GWAS among COPD cases (βmeta-analyis  = 0.10, Pmeta-analyis  = 9.3 × 10-10 ). The DOCK1 gene codes for the dedicator of cytokinesis 1 protein, which has a role in myoblast fusion.ConclusionsIn sum, one statistically significant common variant in the DOCK1 gene was associated with ΔBMI in GI cancer and COPD cases providing support for at least partially shared aetiology of ΔBMI in complex diseases

Student Work Placement: Friend or Foe? A study of the perceptions of university students on industrial work placement

At the National University of Ireland Maynooth, Computer Science and Software Engineering students are required to undertake an industrial work placement module as part of their course. The work placement is typically six to eighteen months long and takes place in the penultimate year of the degree. This paper evaluates students’ perception of the quality of the learning experience they received through work placement. The voice of many key players involved in the process is captured, including, the students themselves, members of the academic department and the Industrial Work Placement Office; and importantly this paper is authored by representatives of each of these groups. In particular, the paper evaluates the types of preparations students make prior to commencing a placement, the transferable skills acquired and improved during their placement, and student perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of their placement. A mixed data acquisition model is used for gathering data including questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. The gathered data is analysed and a critique on the findings is presented. The paper concludes with recommendations and considerations for any institution that is interested in offering an industrial work placement component