Online Oral Examination During Covid-19: A Survey Study on University College Level

In Denmark, oral examination is widely used. During the first period of Covid-19 shutdown oral examination had to be carried out through video conference systems. In Denmark as well as internationally there is little research on the topic. How do students experience examination while sitting at home? How does the technology affect the practice? How do students and teachers deal with nervousness? How is the exam dialogue experienced under digital conditions? In this study we investigate students-and teachers experiences with online oral examination at a university college in Denmark. The study is based on statistical analysis of a survey and qualitative analysis of open text fields. In addition to the overall contentment with online oral examination for both students and teachers, the results indicate that there are conflicting experiences with digital oral examination.During the Covid-19 pandemic, many teachers and students were forced to hold or take online oral examinations by video conferencing. Little research has been done on this topic either internationally or in Denmark. How do students experience examinations while sitting at home? How does the technology affect practice? How do students and teachers deal with nervousness? How is the exam dialogue experienced in a digital setting? In this study, we investigate the experiences of students and teachers with online oral examinations at a university college in Denmark. The study is based on the statistical analysis of a survey and a qualitative analysis of open text fields. Despite overall satisfaction with online oral examinations on the part of both students and examiners, the results indicate that there are conflicting experiences with online oral examinations

360VR PBL: A New Format of Digital Cases in Clinical Medicine

In this paper, we present and discuss an explorative study on the use of a social 360° virtual reality (360VR) for supporting case-based Problem Based Learning (case-PBL) in clinical medical education. In the context of case-PBL, we argue that our social 360VR learning space extends the design and application of cases in medical education by including elements from project-PBL. Three groups tested the learning design as a part of the clinical exercises in their 5. Semester bachelor course. After the social 360VR activity, the students performed a physical examination of the collateral and cruciate ligaments of the knee like the one in the training material. Our preliminary findings indicate that the students immersed in social 360VR collaboratively establish a mutual understanding of how to perform the examination through identifying problems related to the examination and by taking responsibility for their own and the other group members learning

Enhanced differentiation of human embryonic stem cells towards definitive endoderm on ultrahigh aspect ratio nanopillars

Differentiation of human embryonic stem cells is widely studied as a potential unlimited source for cell replacement therapy to treat degenerative diseases such as diabetes. The directed differentiation of human embryonic stem cells relies mainly on soluble factors. Although, some studies have highlighted that the properties of the physical environment, such as substrate stiffness, affect cellular behavior. Here, mass-produced, injection molded polycarbonate nanopillars are presented, where the surface mechanical properties, i.e., stiffness, can be controlled by the geometric design of the ultrahigh aspect ratio nanopillars (stiffness can be reduced by 25.0003). It is found that tall nanopillars, yielding softer surfaces, significantly enhance the induction of definitive endoderm cells from pluripotent human embryonic stem cells, resulting in more consistent differentiation of a pure population compared to planar control. By contrast, further differentiation toward the pancreatic ­endoderm is less successful on “soft” pillars when compared to “stiff” pillars or control, indicating differential cues during the different stages of differentiation. To accompany the mechanical properties of the nanopillars, the concept of surface shear modulus is introduced to describe the characteristics of engineered elastic surfaces through micro or nanopatterning. This provides a framework whereby comparisons can be drawn between such materials and bulk elastomeric materials

“I’m sure that there is something healing in the writing process”: Creative Writing Workshops for People with a Cancer Disease

The University of Southern Denmark has introduced a mandatory course in Narrative Medicine into the curriculum of undergraduate medical students. It is part of a trajectory called ‘Human First’, which aims to improve the students’ empathic abilities by teaching them narrative competencies to draw on in their future clinical encounters as medical doctors. Although, theoretical accounts seem to make a strong case for the utility and value of educational interventions, such as courses in narrative medicine or medical humanities, there has been a lack of empirical studies providing evidence to support such accounts – especially those focusing on the long-term effects and impact on patient care. Our systematic literature search and review of empirical studies regarding the effects of teaching close reading of fictional texts and creative writing to medical and health care students, tentatively confirmed previous indications of positive effects. Larger, multi-site and more rigorous studies that assess the long-term impacts of these educational interventions and adjust for local variations are, however, still in short supply. Finally, we present critical reflections on whether empathy and similar phenomena are at all measurable and discuss the possibility of meaningfully evaluating the utility of curricular interventions such as narrative medicine courses

Collagen Type I Improves the Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells towards Definitive Endoderm

Human embryonic stem cells have the ability to generate all cell types in the body and can potentially provide an unlimited source of cells for cell replacement therapy to treat degenerative diseases such as diabetes. Current differentiation protocols of human embryonic stem cells towards insulin producing beta cells focus on soluble molecules whereas the impact of cell-matrix interactions has been mainly unattended. In this study almost 500 different extracellular matrix protein combinations were screened to systemically identify extracellular matrix proteins that influence differentiation of human embryonic stem cells to the definitive endoderm lineage. The percentage of definitive endoderm cells after differentiation on collagen I and fibronectin was >85% and 65%, respectively. The cells on collagen I substrates displayed different morphology and gene expression during differentiation as assessed by time lapse studies compared to cells on the other tested substrates. Global gene expression analysis showed that cells differentiated on collagen I were largely similar to cells on fibronectin after completed differentiation. Collectively, the data suggest that collagen I induces a more rapid and consistent differentiation of stem cells to definitive endoderm. The results shed light on the importance of extracellular matrix proteins for differentiation and also points to a cost effective and easy method to improve differentiation

Kollaborativ læring i social 360VR: Et systematisk review af et nyt digitalt læringsrum

Virtual Reality (VR) vinder større og større indpas på tværs af uddannelsesniveauer. De seneste års teknologiske udvikling har endvidere gjort VR mere tilgængelig for uddannelsesinstitutioner – særligt foranlediget af udviklingen af 360°VR (360VR). Med 360VR kan undervisere designe aktiviteter, hvor studerende får adgang til at arbejde med autentisk videomateriale fra praksis – det kunne være pædagoger, lærere, sygeplejersker og læger. Gennem et systematisk review viser vi at særligt kollaborativ læring i 360VR er tæt på ikke eksisterende. Med udgangspunkt i tre pilotforsøg, viser vi hvordan man kan arbejde med at designe for kollaborativ læring i social 360VR. Vores resultater peger på, at kollaborativ læring i social 360VR skal forstås ud fra en anden begrebsramme end traditionel VR. I skiftet fra individuel VR til social VR opstår et behov for andre begreber end ”immersion”, ”interactivity” og ”presence” – og vi forslår at udviklingen tager afsæt i begreber som interaktionelle ressourcer og perspektivtagning.Virtual Reality (VR) is rapidly gaining attention across educational levels. Technological advances in recent years have further made VR more accessible for educational institutions - especially due to developments in 360° VR (360VR). With 360VR educators can design activities where students gain access to working with authentic video-footage from practice – be it pedagogues, teachers, nurses or doctors. Through a systematic review we show that collaborative learning in 360VR is almost non-existent. In the paper we present three pilot experiments with collaborative learning in social 360VR. Our results indicate that collaborative learning in 360VR must be understood from a different set of concepts than what is used when working with traditional forms of VR. In shifting from individual to social VR, a need for terms going beyond “immersion”, “interactivity” and “presence” arises - and we suggest that the conceptual framework should be grounded in terms such as interactional resources and perspective-taking