50 research outputs found
NetSci High: Bringing Agency to Diverse Teens Through the Science of Connected Systems
This paper follows NetSci High, a decade-long initiative to inspire teams of teenage researchers to develop, execute and disseminate original research in network science. The project introduced high school students to the computer-based analysis of networks, and instilled in the participants the habits of mind to deepen inquiry in connected systems and statistics, and to sustain interest in continuing to study and pursue careers in fields involving network analysis. Goals of NetSci High ranged from proximal learning outcomes (e.g., increasing high school student competencies in computing and improving student attitudes toward computing) to highly distal (e.g., preparing students for 21st century science), with an emphasis on doing real-world research into relevant and ambiguous problems through technologically-infused and highly collaborative projects and defending them to a clear (and sometimes potentially intimidating) audience. The cognitive goals of the project covered broad areas including analyzing, synthesizing, and visualizing quantitative data, and understanding modeling and network statistics. Attitudinal outcomes included improving attitudes toward the statistical study of networks, self-efficacy, and a sense of agency for continuing to pursue further involvement in college studies and careers
Design of bifurcation junctions in artificial vascular vessels additively manufactured for skin tissue engineering
Construction of an artificial vascular network ready for its additive manufacturing is an important task in tissue engineering. This paper presents a set of simple mathematical algorithms for the computer-aided design of complex three dimensional vascular networks. Firstly various existing mathematical methods from the literature are reviewed and simplified for the convenience of applications in tissue engineering. This leads to a complete and step by step method for the construction of an artificial vascular network. Secondly a systematic parametric study is presented to illustrate how the various parameters in the vascular junction model affect the key factors that have to be controlled when designing the bifurcation junctions of a vascular network. These results are presented as a set of simple design rules and a design map which serve as a convenient guide for tissue engineering researchers when constructing artificial vascular networks
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Understanding practice: the factors that influence management of mild traumatic brain injury in the emergency department-a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework
Background: Mild traumatic brain injury is a frequent cause of presentation to emergency departments. Despite the availability of clinical practice guidelines in this area, there is variation in practice. One of the aims of the Neurotrauma Evidence Translation program is to develop and evaluate a targeted, theory- and evidence-informed intervention to improve the management of mild traumatic brain injury in Australian emergency departments. This study is the first step in the intervention development process and uses the Theoretical Domains Framework to explore the factors perceived to influence the uptake of four key evidence-based recommended practices for managing mild traumatic brain injury.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with emergency staff in the Australian state of Victoria. The interview guide was developed using the Theoretical Domains Framework to explore current practice and to identify the factors perceived to influence practice. Two researchers coded the interview transcripts using thematic content analysis.
Results: A total of 42 participants (9 Directors, 20 doctors and 13 nurses) were interviewed over a seven-month period. The results suggested that (i) the prospective assessment of post-traumatic amnesia was influenced by: knowledge; beliefs about consequences; environmental context and resources; skills; social/professional role and identity; and beliefs about capabilities; (ii) the use of guideline-developed criteria or decision rules to inform the appropriate use of a CT scan was influenced by: knowledge; beliefs about consequences; environmental context and resources; memory, attention and decision processes; beliefs about capabilities; social influences; skills and behavioral regulation; (iii) providing verbal and written patient information on discharge was influenced by: beliefs about consequences; environmental context and resources; memory, attention and decision processes; social/professional role and identity; and knowledge; (iv) the practice of providing brief, routine follow-up on discharge was influenced by: environmental context and resources; social/professional role and identity; knowledge; beliefs about consequences; and motivation and goals.
Conclusions: Using the Theoretical Domains Framework, factors thought to influence the management of mild traumatic brain injury in the emergency department were identified. These factors present theoretically based targets for a future intervention
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Linking GIS and a surface irrigation model to evaluate regional effects of furrow irrigation strategies
The shallow aquifer in Northeast Malheur County, Oregon is polluted with Nitrates at concentrations exceeding federal drinking water standards. Efforts to solve the groundwater problems in this area have focused on developing farm management practices that will increase groundwater quality while maintaining agricultural production. Furrow irrigation is the dominant practice for irrigating row crops in this region. One potential way to improve water quality is to increase furrow irrigation performance on a regional scale. In this study a surface irrigation model, SRFR, was linked to a geographic information system (GIS) for the purpose of evaluating alternate furrow irrigation strategies in Malheur County, Oregon. SRFR is a physically based model that simulates water flow and distribution in irrigated furrows. The model accepts the management parameters that influence the outcome of an irrigation and in return provides measures of water application efficiency, amount of deep percolation, amount of surface run-off, and other performance indicators. The GIS, constructed using ARC/INFO software, contains the spatial data required to run SRFR on individual fields in the region. The data for the GIS were acquired using many different sources and techniques in order to meet the input resolution required by the irrigation model. The primary goal of this research was to develop a tool for evaluating irrigation practices on a regional scale, accounting for the diversity of physical circumstances and management practices that occur within a complex of several hundred farms. The particular application of this tool was for control of nitrate pollution of groundwater in the vicinity of Ontario, Oregon. The integrated system was used to estimate a base condition irrigation that is representative of current irrigation practices. The system was then used to assess irrigation performance using three alternative practices: 1) separate management of wheel and nonwheel compacted furrows; 2) use of an automated control system to vary application set times; and 3) cutback irrigation. Although this represents only a limited assessment of the alternatives that might be considered for the study area, preliminary results suggest that under certain field conditions irrigation efficiency can potentially improve more then 20% over the base condition using alternate strategies. The system demonstrated tremendous potential for identifying trends and variability in system performance in the region
Encouraging and maintaining learning in the workplace and community (LiWC): engaging, supporting and rewarding academics
Since 2007, Victoria University’s Learning in
the Workplace and Community (LiWC) policy
has focused on enhancing the employability of
VU graduates. While the Faculty of Business
and Law (FoBL) at VU has a long tradition of
work-integrated learning alongside a broader
focus on developing students’ Graduate Capabi
lities, the LiWC Policy has intensified the
need for curriculum that specifically engages
industry in assessment tasks. The LiWC policy
requires that 25% of assessment in all courses involve learning in and through the workplace
and community evidenced through LiWC
-compliant assessment tasks.
The university has provided considerable
support for the implementation of LiWC.
Academics already engaging in LiWC showcas
ed their approaches. Central support staff
were available for individual and School consu
ltation. There were opportunities for staff to
engage with the Policy and various workshops
and online resources were geared to realising
LiWC. Teaching and Learning Grants were li
nked to improving or developing LiWC. The
expansive notion of LiWC including diverse teach
ing approaches was stressed so that it
would not be deemed restrictive. LiWC could include live case studies, simulations, student
observations of worksites, working on ‘real’ busin
ess cases or role playing business situations
with feedback from industry practitioners.
A 2010 report (VU, 2010) evaluating the status of
LiWC at VU has identified generally high
levels of compliance with the policy in the F
aculty of Business and Law and some areas of
industry engagement in curriculum that are exem
plary. As expected, the report also identified
areas needing greater attention. This discussion includes the
Faculty of Business and Law’s
strategies for addressing areas
of concern. It will describe
the reporting of LiWC compliance
in the Faculty, identify key reasons for non-compliance and report on the subsequent progress
made in two de-identified teaching areas. The
paper underlines the im
portance of individual
and intensive support for academic staff from
educational developers who understand both
the policy context and the aims of the academ
ics and who can develop creative curriculum
that is also LiWC compliant.
The discussion will also consid
er other means of incentivising
academic staff to undertake curriculum changes to improve student learning outcomes
Modeling for Fidelity: virtual mentorship by scientists fosters teacher self-efficacy and promotes implementation of novel high school biomedical curricula.
This small-scale comparison case study evaluates the impact of an innovative approach to teacher professional development designed to promote implementation of a novel cutting edge high school neurological disorders curriculum. 'Modeling for Fidelity' (MFF) centers on an extended mentor relationship between teachers and biomedical scientists carried out in a virtual format in conjunction with extensive online educative materials. Four teachers from different diverse high schools in Massachusetts and Ohio who experienced MFF contextualized to a 6-week Neurological Disorders curriculum with the same science mentor were compared to a teacher who had experienced an intensive in-person professional development contextualized to the same curriculum with the same mentor. Fidelity of implementation was measured directly using an established metric and indirectly via student performance. The results show that teachers valued MFF, particularly the mentor relationship and were able to use it effectively to ensure critical components of the learning objectives were preserved. Moreover their students performed equivalently to those whose teacher had experienced intensive in-person professional development. Participants in all school settings demonstrated large (Cohen's d>2.0) and significant (p<0.0001 per-post) changes in conceptual knowledge as well as self-efficacy towards learning about neurological disorders (Cohen's d>1.5, p<0.0001 pre-post). The data demonstrates that the virtual mentorship format in conjunction with extensive online educative materials is an effective method of developing extended interactions between biomedical scientists and teachers that are scalable and not geographically constrained, facilitating teacher implementation of novel cutting-edge curricula
Self-efficacy.
<p><b>Retrospective pre-post test self-reported gains in self-efficacy relevant to the study of neurological disorders.</b> Students were evaluated for their self-reported changes in self-efficacy with a retrospective pre-post test analysis. The survey had a total of 54 possible points. Pre-post differences were measured by paired t test and were significant (*p<0.0001). The effect size was measured via Cohen's ‘d’ is very high. (N = 147 total students from 4 schools).</p><p>Self-efficacy.</p