DEAL MODEL CRITICAL THINKING RUBRIC

DEAL Model Critical Thinking Rubri

Clinicians’ adherence to local antibiotic guidelines for upper respiratory tract infections in the ear, nose & throat casualty department of a public general hospital

Background: In Malta, resistance to antibiotics constitutes a major threat to public health. This study aims to assess clinicians’ adherence to local antibiotic guidelines when treating cases of acute otitis media, acute tonsillitis and rhinosinusitis, that present to the ear, nose and throat (ENT) casualty department in Malta’s public general hospital, as well as to recommend methods for improving adherence and minimising overprescribing. Methodology: Data on first line antibiotic prescribing regimens was retrieved from ENT casualty sheets between February and March 2015 for adult patients (>12years) diagnosed with acute otitis media, acute tonsillitis and persistent rhinosinusitis. On an audit form, aspects of the prescribed antibiotic were benchmarked to local infection control antibiotic guidelines of 2011 to evaluate adherence. Results: From 1010 casualty records, 188 were antibiotic prescriptions, of which 93 (49.4%) were correctly indicated as per guidelines. From the indicated prescriptions 81 (87%) were assessable, out of which full adherence was only observed in 6 (7%) of prescriptions. All of these were for rhinosinusitis. Full adherence in rhinosinusitis was found to be 43%, whilst no adherence was found in the other infections. The most prescribed antibacterial for all three infections was co-amoxiclav. Conclusion: The current antibiotic guidelines have not been adequately implemented as adherence to antibiotic choice alone was low in all infections. This may have an impact on antibiotic-resistant rates and infection incident rates. Hence to improve adherence to local antibiotic guidelines, it is recommended that these should be clear, regularly updated, well disseminated and reinforced. The addition of a care pathway may further improve appropriate antibiotic use.peer-reviewe

The cognitive underpinnings of non-symbolic comparison task performance

Over the past twenty years, the Approximate Number System (ANS), a cognitive system for representing non-symbolic quantity information, has been the focus of much research attention. Psychologists seeking to understand how individuals learn and perform mathematics have investigated how this system might underlie symbolic mathematical skills. Dot comparison tasks are commonly used as measures of ANS acuity, however very little is known about the cognitive skills that are involved in completing these tasks. The aim of this thesis was to explore the factors that influence performance on dot comparison tasks and discuss the implications of these findings for future research and educational interventions. The first study investigated how the accuracy and reliability of magnitude judgements is influenced by the visual cue controls used to create dot array stimuli. This study found that participants performances on dot comparison tasks created with different visual cue controls were unrelated, and that stimuli generation methods have a substantial influence on test-retest reliability. The studies reported in the second part of this thesis (Studies 2, 3, 4 and 5) explored the role of inhibition in dot comparison task performance. The results of these studies provide evidence that individual differences in inhibition may, at least partially, explain individual differences in dot comparison task performance. Finally, a large multi-study re-analysis of dot comparison data investigated whether individuals take account of numerosity information over and above the visual cues of the stimuli when comparing dot arrays. This analysis revealed that dot comparison task performance may not reflect numerosity processing independently from visual cue processing for all participants, particularly children. This novel evidence may provide some clarification for conflicting results in the literature regarding the relationship between ANS acuity and mathematics achievement. The present findings call into question whether dot comparison tasks should continue to be used as valid measures of ANS acuity

Personalisation of learning and reflective frameworks: Example from an industry-focused, post-graduate transdisciplinary degree

The New Zealand government has determined strategies to encourage research-driven innovation which include close collaboration between industry and the academic communities. In response to such direction, the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) has developed a set of research-based, transdisciplinary qualifications grounded in real-world industry contexts. To assist learners in undertaking successful research inquiry, the transdisciplinary curriculum development team has developed an online training needs analysis instrument that enables learners to identify their readiness to undertake transdisciplinary research. The training needs analysis tool is supported by a reflective framework which assists the learner to self-reflect upon their levels of skills and knowledge against internationally-accepted standards. The intention of such tools is to enable the learner to commence the process of self-empowerment within the learning environment

Creating digital self-reflective frameworks to encourage learner autonomy in post-graduate courses

The almost universal acceptance of constructivist views of education has firmly placed the learner at the centre of the teaching and learning experience. This acceptance has required educationalists to critically review existing educational strategies, techniques, methods and beliefs. Learner autonomy, the ability to take charge of one's own learning, is based on the concept that learners have the capabilities to reflect on their current skills and identify areas of development. Interactive self-reflective frameworks enable learners to firstly, make independent and informed decisions about their learning needs and secondly, establish a personalised learning plan to address the needs identified. This paper explores how the development and implementation of a digital self-reflective framework for post-graduate study in transdisciplinary education contributes to wider acceptance of the conceptions of learner autonomy

An exploration of strategies used by dressage horses to control moments around the center of mass when performing passage

Background Locomotion results from the generation of ground reaction forces (GRF) that cause translations of the center of mass (COM) and generate moments that rotate the body around the COM. The trot is a diagonally-synchronized gait performed by horses at intermediate locomotor speeds. Passage is a variant of the trot performed by highly-trained dressage horses. It is distinguished from trot by having a slow speed of progression combined with great animation of the limbs in the swing phase. The slow speed of passage challenges the horse’s ability to control the sagittal-plane moments around the COM. Footfall patterns and peak GRF are known to differ between passage and trot, but their effects on balance management, which we define here as the ability to control nose-up/nose-down pitching moments around the horse’s COM to maintain a state of equilibrium, are not known. The objective was to investigate which biomechanical variables influence pitching moments around the COM in passage. Methods Three highly-trained dressage horses were captured by a 10-camera motion analysis system (120 Hz) as they were ridden in passage over four force platforms (960 Hz). A full-body marker set was used to track the horse’s COM and measure balance variables including total body center of pressure (COP), pitching moments, diagonal dissociation timing, peak force production, limb protraction–retraction, and trunk posture. A total of twenty passage steps were extracted and partial correlation (accounting for horse) was used to investigate significant (P < 0.05) relationships between variables. Results Hindlimb mean protraction–retraction correlated significantly with peak hindlimb propulsive forces (R = 0.821; P < 0.01), mean pitching moments (R = 0.546, P = 0.016), trunk range of motion, COM craniocaudal location and diagonal dissociation time (P < 0.05). Discussion Pitching moments around the COM were controlled by a combination of kinematic and kinetic adjustments that involve coordinated changes in GRF magnitudes, GRF distribution between the diagonal limb pairs, and the moment arms of the vertical GRFs. The moment arms depend on hoof placements relative to the COM, which were adjusted by changing limb protraction–retraction angles. Nose-up pitching moments could also be increased by providing a larger hindlimb propulsive GRF

The Articulated Learning: An Approach to Guided Reflection and Assessment

The value of reflection on experience to enhance learning has been advanced for decades; however, it remains difficult to apply in practice. This paper describes a reflection model that pushes students beyond superficial interpretations of complex issues and facilitates academic mastery, personal growth, civic engagement, critical thinking, and the meaningful demonstration of learning. Although developed in a service-learning program, its general features can support reflection on a range of experiences. It is accessible to both students and instructors, regardless of discipline; and it generates written products that can be used for formative and summative assessment of student learning

The role of biomechanical analysis of horse and rider in equitation science

Equestrian sports are unique in that they involve the participation of two athletes that differ greatly in morphology yet are able to move together harmoniously; experienced riders not only move in phase with the horse, they can even improve the consistency of the horse’s movements. The motion of the horse imposes perturbations on the rider that differ in magnitude and direction according to gait. In faster gaits where suspension phases are present, the rider must accommodate greater vertical and horizontal accelerations of the horse’s trunk through three-dimensional movements of their axial body segments. The rider, in turn, can improve the horse’s performance through correct training, or cause it to deteriorate through faults in the rider’s position or incorrect application of the aids. This review addresses the current state of knowledge of the biomechanics of the horse-rider interaction, with reference to the ways in which the emerging field of equitation science can help to improve equine welfare by enhancing rider awareness of horse behaviour and movement, as well as the impact of the rider on the horse

Generating, Deepening, and Documenting Learning: The Power of Critical Reflection in Applied Learning

Applied learning pedagogies—including service-learning, internships/practica, study abroad, and undergraduate research—have in common both the potential for significant student learning and the challenges of facilitating and assessing that learning, often in non-traditional ways that involve experiential strategies outside the classroom as well as individualized outcomes. Critical reflection oriented toward well-articulated learning outcomes is key to generating, deepening, and documenting student learning in applied learning. This article will consider the meaning of critical reflection and principles of good practice for designing it effectively and will present a research-grounded, flexible model for integrating critical reflection and assessment