Implementation of a constructivist-oriented training for kinesiology graduate teaching assistants

Increasingly, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are not assisting faculty instructors, but finding themselves in the role of lead instructor, particularly in physical activity courses. Despite this responsibility, GTAs receive little or no pedagogical training and often feel unprepared to teach. Conversely, college and university physical education teacher education (PETE) programs grounded in constructivist principles provide a strong nurturing environment for teacher growth and are increasingly commonplace. Constructivist methods foster learners’ active involvement by utilizing real-life learning situations that they perceive as relevant to their own lives – situations that are contextual and holistic. While constructivist PETE programs have been studied, constructivist kinesiology GTA training has not. Alignment (curricular elements reinforcing each other and fitting together logically) is a goal of constructivist teaching. Built on a pilot study that revealed the absence or poor articulation of three key curricular elements - student learning objectives (SLOs), learning cues, and teacher-provided feedback, this dissertation study was conducted to implement and evaluate a constructivist-oriented program to train new university GTAs to enhance their teaching effectiveness through alignment of these three elements. This study utilized a qualitative research design, focusing on process, understanding, and meaning, rather than product. The sample was purposeful and non-probabilistic. The primary participants were 11 GTAs new to the physical activity instruction program at a public university in the United States. I led a three-hour constructivist-oriented training session with this group in the week preceding the fall semester, and observed each GTA teach on three occasions, offering feedback, mentoring, and support. I conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with each GTA, two undergraduate students taught by each GTA, and the director of physical activity instruction. I analyzed the data (observation field notes, interview transcriptions, orientation/training documents, lesson plans, and syllabi) using constant comparison. The training/mentoring intervention enhanced the ability of most GTAs to align SLOs, learning cues, and feedback in the execution (although much less so in the written planning) of their lessons. Most of the new teachers shared that the training session reduced their anxiety regarding their upcoming teaching assignment, and nearly all agreed or strongly agreed that the training had been useful, had increased their pedagogical knowledge, and had increased their self-confidence regarding their teaching. All the GTAs described the semester-long mentoring as beneficial, particularly because most were eager to receive feedback on their teaching performance. In turn, most undergraduate students interviewed expressed that they felt their instructor had been successful in presenting a well-sequenced curriculum that fostered their learning

Pharmaceutical Approaches to HIV Treatment and Prevention

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection continues to pose a major infectious disease threat worldwide. It is characterized by the depletion of CD4+ T cells, persistent immune activation, and increased susceptibility to secondary infections. Advances in the development of antiretroviral drugs and combination antiretroviral therapy have resulted in a remarkable reduction in HIV-associated morbidity and mortality. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) leads to effective suppression of HIV replication with partial recovery of host immune system and has successfully transformed HIV infection from a fatal disease to a chronic condition. Additionally, antiretroviral drugs have shown promise for prevention in HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis and treatment as prevention. However, ART is unable to cure HIV. Other limitations include drug-drug interactions, drug resistance, cytotoxic side effects, cost, and adherence. Alternative treatment options are being investigated to overcome these challenges including discovery of new molecules with increased anti-viral activity and development of easily administrable drug formulations. In light of the difficulties associated with current HIV treatment measures, and in the continuing absence of a cure, the prevention of new infections has also arisen as a prominent goal among efforts to curtail the worldwide HIV pandemic. In this review, the authors summarize currently available anti-HIV drugs and their combinations for treatment, new molecules under clinical development and prevention methods, and discuss drug delivery formats as well as associated challenges and alternative approaches for the future