Casing out teaching and learning online: enhancing fidelity into the mainstream

In this paper we present the rationale and outcome of a University strategically funded project aimed at developing a broad range of cases illuminating good practices in the development and use of digital media and online technologies at Deakin University. The project is aimed at supporting the ongoing implementation of the University&rsquo;s suite of e-learning technologies, Deakin Studies Online (DSO). It was seen as a significant strategic academic professional development initiative by the University in bringing together perspectives on effective teaching and learning in the context of various disciplines and professional fields of practice, with DSO possibilities for enhanced teaching/learning quality, efficiency, accessibility and satisfaction. The &lsquo;case&rsquo; as a useful means of developing practice is outlined, along with the various project processes involving case selection, development, production and promotion. Finally, reflections on the outcomes of the project are considered. A number of positive though largely unintended consequences are identified<br /

STAND’s Proposal for Long-Term Monitoring of Groundwater at Pantex

This report identifies wells that STAND believes should be included in a long-term monitoring plan for the Ogallala and perched aquifers at the Pantex Plant. Most of these wells already exist. To enable managing the (1) uncertainties that result from known data gaps and (2) the contaminant plume, STAND recommends installing a number of additional wells, which are prioritized in Table 1. Well locations are shown on accompanying maps (Figures 1 and 2 illustrating monitoring wells in Ogallala and perched aquifers, respectively). Samples from all wells should be analyzed for metals, VOCs, SVOCs, high explosives, perchlorate, pesticides, herbicides, PCBs, and dioxins/furans. Recommendations on placement of these wells and others are based on our current understanding of the extent of the perched aquifer. Monitoring locations, monitoring frequency, and sample analytes should be adjusted based on information obtained as monitoring continues. This research was completed money allocated during Round 5 of the Citizens’ Monitoring and Technical Assessment Fund (MTA Fund). Clark University was named conservator of these works. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at [email protected]://commons.clarku.edu/stand/1008/thumbnail.jp

Contaminants in the Ogallala Aquifer at Pantex

Contaminants from the Pantex Plant documented to have entered the High Plains (Ogallala) Aquifer include metals, and organic and explosives compounds. This report critically examines some of the reported analyses of groundwater by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for the time period 1998-2003. During the calendar year 2002 Pantex collected and analyzed groundwater samples for metals and radionuclides from 16 wells completed in the Ogallala Aquifer and 18 wells in the shallower perched aquifer. Of the wells in the Ogallala Aquifer, 51 paired-samples (filtered vs unfiltered) resulted in 1123 analytical results for 23 metals. This research was completed money allocated during Round 5 of the Citizens’ Monitoring and Technical Assessment Fund (MTA Fund). Clark University was named conservator of these works. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at [email protected]://commons.clarku.edu/stand/1004/thumbnail.jp

Leadership course evaluation with patient and public involvement

Executive Summary1. This project had two components, the evaluation of a Developing and Enhancing Leadership and Management Skills programme delivered to 150 frontline supervisory and senior managers in North Bristol NHS Trust and the implementation of guidelines for Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in research.2. Evaluation data were collected through three knowledge café events engaging 36 staff. These events were used to facilitate and record meaningful conversations that were focused around five questions. Follow-up interviews were conducted with a further 15 staff.3. The PPI guidelines were applied throughout the project and the experiences of the two service users involved were recorded through ongoing dialogue and review of guideline implementation.4. Data from the events and interviews suggested the programme had benefits for staff. These included the development of new insights and better understanding of the roles and experiences of other leaders in the Trust. Immediate and sustained outcomes were also reported for the individuals and organisation. Staff felt that they moved forward professionally and had insight into the “bigger picture”. They also welcomed delivery from external facilitators who had a refreshing approach.5. Staff were also able to demonstrate new learning. In particular the programme had changed their approach to handling leadership issues and their use of tools and skills. Managers reported taking a different approach to the management of more challenging situations, planning responses rather than reacting and encouraging problem-solving and reflection in staff.6. Staff reflected on a number of issues that affected their ability to apply learning in practice. They commented on the need for a learning culture, with a strategy to support the implementation of new learning. They felt senior managerial support with the implementation of change was crucial. Having the time to implement learning was important and access to ongoing support to implement change would also be helpful, through perhaps knowledge café events or supervision and coaching.7. The service users found their involvement in this research to be largely positive, though there is a need to ensure all academics are attuned to the needs of service users engaged in projects.8. A number of recommendations emerged, such as: continue to include a wide range of staff in the same programme to allow sharing of expertise; consider delivering to an even wider range of staff including team leaders; maintain external consultancy role in delivery; consider post-course follow-up and include this in the initial contracting. There was also a recommendation that the organisation undertake internal reflections that explore the current learning culture and identify ways of supporting staff to implement learning in practice.9. The UWE guidelines for PPI in research were evaluated as being fit for purpose and could usefully guide service user and carer involvement in a range of evaluation and research projects

Public involvement in research: Assessing impact through a realist evaluation

BackgroundThis study was concerned with developing the evidence base for public involvement in research in health and social care. There now is significant support for public involvement within the National Institute for Health Research, and researchers applying for National Institute for Health Research grants are expected to involve the public. Despite this policy commitment, evidence for the benefits of public involvement in research remains limited. This study addressed this need through a realist evaluation.Aim and objectivesThe aim was to identify the contextual factors and mechanisms that are regularly associated with effective public involvement in research. The objectives included identifying a sample of eight research projects and their desired outcomes of public involvement, tracking the impact of public involvement in these case studies, and comparing the associated contextual factors and mechanisms.DesignThe research design was based on the application of realist theory of evaluation, which argues that social programmes are driven by an underlying vision of change – a ‘programme theory’ of how the intervention is supposed to work. The role of the evaluator is to compare theory and practice. Impact can be understood by identifying regularities of context, mechanism and outcome. Thus the key question for the evaluator is ‘What works for whom in what circumstances . . . and why?’ (Pawson R. The Science of Evaluation. London: Sage; 2013). We therefore planned a realist evaluation based on qualitative case studies of public involvement in research.Setting and participantsEight diverse case studies of research projects in health and social care took place over the calendar year 2012 with 88 interviews from 42 participants across the eight studies: researchers, research managers, third-sector partners and research partners (members of the public involved in research).ResultsCase study data supported the importance of some aspects of our theory of public involvement in research and led us to amend other elements. Public involvement was associated with improvements in research design and delivery, particularly recruitment strategies and materials, and data collection tools. This study identified the previously unrecognised importance of principal investigator leadership as a key contextual factor leading to the impact of public involvement; alternatively, public involvement might still be effective without principal investigator leadership where there is a wider culture of involvement. In terms of the mechanisms of involvement, allocating staff time to facilitate involvement appeared more important than formal budgeting. Another important new finding was that many research proposals significantly undercosted public involvement. Nurturing good interpersonal relationships was crucial to effective involvement. Payment for research partner time and formal training appeared more significant for some types of public involvement than others. Feedback to research partners on the value of their contribution was important in maintaining motivation and confidence.ConclusionsA revised theory of public involvement in research was developed and tested, which identifies key regularities of context, mechanism and outcome in how public involvement in research works. Implications for future research include the need to further explore how leadership on public involvement might be facilitated, methodological work on assessing impact and the development of economic analysis of involvement.Funding detailsThe National Institute for Health Research Health Service and Delivery programme

Inapparent infections and cholera dynamics

In many infectious diseases, an unknown fraction of infections produce symptoms mild enough to go unrecorded, a fact that can seriously compromise the interpretation of epidemiological records. This is true for cholera, a pandemic bacterial disease, where estimates of the ratio of asymptomatic to symptomatic infections have ranged from 3 to 100 (refs 1-5). In the absence of direct evidence, understanding of fundamental aspects of cholera transmission, immunology and control has been based on assumptions about this ratio and about the immunological consequences of inapparent infections. Here we show that a model incorporating high asymptomatic ratio and rapidly waning immunity, with infection both from human and environmental sources, explains 50 yr of mortality data from 26 districts of Bengal, the pathogen's endemic home. We find that the asymptomatic ratio in cholera is far higher than had been previously supposed and that the immunity derived from mild infections wanes much more rapidly than earlier analyses have indicated. We find, too, that the environmental reservoir(5,6) (free-living pathogen) is directly responsible for relatively few infections but that it may be critical to the disease's endemicity. Our results demonstrate that inapparent infections can hold the key to interpreting the patterns of disease outbreaks. New statistical methods(7), which allow rigorous maximum likelihood inference based on dynamical models incorporating multiple sources and outcomes of infection, seasonality, process noise, hidden variables and measurement error, make it possible to test more precise hypotheses and obtain unexpected results. Our experience suggests that the confrontation of time-series data with mechanistic models is likely to revise our understanding of the ecology of many infectious diseases.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62519/1/nature07084.pd

The 100 most cited articles investigating the radiological staging of oesophageal and junctional cancer: a bibliometric analysis

Objectives Accurate staging of oesophageal cancer (OC) is vital. Bibliometric analysis highlights key topics and publications that have shaped understanding of a subject. The 100 most cited articles investigating radiological staging of OC are identified. Methods The Thomas Reuters Web of Science database with search terms including “CT, PET, EUS, oesophageal and gastro-oesophageal junction cancer” was used to identify all English language, full-script articles. The 100 most cited articles were further analysed by topic, journal, author, year and institution. Results A total of 5,500 eligible papers were returned. The most cited paper was Flamen et al. (n = 306), investigating the utility of positron emission tomography (PET) for the staging of patients with potentially operable OC. The most common research topic was accuracy of staging investigations (n = 63). The article with the highest citation rate (38.00), defined as the number of citations divided by the number of complete years published, was Tixier et al. investigating PET texture analysis to predict treatment response to neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy, cited 114 times since publication in 2011. Conclusion This bibliometric analysis has identified key publications regarded as important in radiological OC staging. Articles with the highest citation rates all investigated PET imaging, suggesting this modality could be the focus of future research