A view through the looking glass: co-creation and innovation for student voice and wellbeing in distance education

This paper showcases innovative co-creation practice undertaken by a Student Voice and Wellbeing Group (SVWG) created in the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport, Open University (OU). Ways of doing, seeing, being and believing student voice are discussed alongside the inception of the SVWG, sharing the whys and how's of its strategic approach and the depth and breadth of its student members′ participation. Underpinning this work is the concept that student voice and wellbeing are inextricably connected and are everyone's responsibility (Mander, 2021). The impactful student-staff partnership established through this model illustrates an authentic and dialogic practice that centres students as the drivers, rather than the passengers, for enacting change. As an artefact of innovative practice, the authors showcase a newly published bilingual digital student wellbeing handbook. This example is of interest to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) seeking innovative models for promoting marginalised voices through co-production. The authors′ reflections and recommendations invite policymakers to re-evaluate existing student voice and wellbeing strategies and practices

A view through the looking glass: co-creation and innovation - a recipe for success

This session showcases innovative co-creation activities and research practice undertaken by the Student Voice and Wellbeing group from the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport at the Open University (OU). The group works in partnership to strengthen student voice and facilitate opportunities for empowering students which ensure the student voice is heard, listened to and acted upon.Creating such opportunities amplifies students’ voices, offering potential to address awarding gaps for any student group. This work communicates the message that students’ voices and wellbeing are inextricably connected and are everyone’s responsibility (Mander in Brown and Mander, 2021). The student-led session recounts the inception of the group, sharing the whys and hows of its strategic approach and leadership, and the depth and breadth of the students’ participation. It reports on research activities which evaluate the impact on under-represented students of participation in staff recruitment processes. The presentation is a platform to challenge, stimulate and diversify traditional student voice practice and is relevant for an international audience.A focus upon promoting positive mental health and wellbeing is a core value of the group. The presentation proudly introduces a newly published bi-lingual, digital student wellbeing handbook, co-created by Student Ambassadors and staff members. Resources include thought-provoking contributions of artwork, poetry, stories and activities based upon the five ways of wellbeing connect, give, take notice, keep learning and be active promoted by MIND, a UK based mental health charity. The main strength of this resource is that it draws directly on student experience, and what students feel best supports their wellbeing while studying. These activities share insight and expertise, helping facilitate deeper learning of barriers to student experience. They identify creative, pioneering approaches to improvement in the equality of student experiences and outcomes. The presentation will be of interest to other HEIs seeking innovative models for promoting marginalised voices through mental health and wellbeing projects, and brings potential for policy makers to re-evaluate existing student voice and wellbeing strategies and practice

Genetic diversity, colony chemical phenotype, and nest mate recognition in the ant Formica fusca

Recognition of relatives is often crucial for adaptive social behavior, but availability of recognition cues may limit adaptation. Social insect workers direct altruism toward relatives through nest mate recognition. We studied whether genetic diversity increases nest mate recognition cue diversity and weakens nest mate recognition behavior in the ant Formica fusca that has both multiple and single queen societies in sympatric populations. Despite larger genetic diversity in multiple queen than single queen colonies, we found no differences in chemical recognition cue diversity or aggression toward non-nest mates in behavioral bioassays. The results suggest that the relationship between individual genotypes and the colony chemical phenotype is a complex interaction of genes and the environment, including the social setting of the colony and that increase in genetic diversity does not increase cue diversity to levels that would cause informational constraints on recognition behavior in the species. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.

Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer: updated clinical practice guidelines

Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) is an autosomal dominant cancer syndrome that is characterised by a high prevalence of diffuse gastric cancer and lobular breast cancer. It is largely caused by inactivating germline mutations in the tumour suppressor gene CDH1, although pathogenic variants in CTNNA1 occur in a minority of families with HDGC. In this Policy Review, we present updated clinical practice guidelines for HDGC from the International Gastric Cancer Linkage Consortium (IGCLC), which recognise the emerging evidence of variability in gastric cancer risk between families with HDGC, the growing capability of endoscopic and histological surveillance in HDGC, and increased experience of managing long-term sequelae of total gastrectomy in young patients. To redress the balance between the accessibility, cost, and acceptance of genetic testing and the increased identification of pathogenic variant carriers, the HDGC genetic testing criteria have been relaxed, mainly through less restrictive age limits. Prophylactic total gastrectomy remains the recommended option for gastric cancer risk management in pathogenic CDH1 variant carriers. However, there is increasing confidence from the IGCLC that endoscopic surveillance in expert centres can be safely offered to patients who wish to postpone surgery, or to those whose risk of developing gastric cancer is not well defined.No Stomach for Cancer DeGregorio Foundation DD & DF Heads Charitable Trust University of Otago New Zealand Health Research Council Programme 17/610 Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology POCI-01-0145-FEDER-3016