Socio-emotional support in Higher Education: Evidence from First Year Learning Communities

First-year learning communities (FLCs) are known to improve student integration during the first year at university. The FLC classroom social climate and its potential role in contributing to this positive effect of FLCs have not been studied. The current study wants to elucidate students’ perceptions of the social climate within the Utrecht Undergraduate Pharmacy FLCs by exploring students’ perceptions and perceived value of peer and student-teacher interactions within these FLCs, relate these perceptions to the dimensions of the classroom social climate and clarify which factors help or hinder a positive perceived value. Fourteen first-year students from the cohort 2020-2021 (n=208) participated in semi-structured individual interviews in the first, second, and fourth period of the first year. At year’s end, first year students completed an online questionnaire on the quality of peer and student-teacher interactions. Our results show that FLC interactions are positively valued when students experience academic support from peers and teacher, socio-emotional support from peers and teacher, and active participation in class activities which corresponds to the classroom social climate dimensions student cohesiveness, student involvement and personalisation. Students’ perceived value of interactions was influenced by a variety of factors of which online classes hampered all valued classroom social climate dimensions. Socio-emotional support from peers and teacher was not only one of the most valued classroom climate elements, it also indirectly promoted academic support and active participation. This highlights the importance of socio-emotional support in the classroom, which should receive an increased amount of attention in higher education

Socio-emotional support in Higher Education: Evidence from First Year Learning Communities

First-year learning communities (FLCs) are known to improve student integration during the first year at university. The FLC classroom social climate and its potential role in contributing to this positive effect of FLCs have not been studied. The current study wants to elucidate students’ perceptions of the social climate within the Utrecht Undergraduate Pharmacy FLCs by exploring students’ perceptions and perceived value of peer and student-teacher interactions within these FLCs, relate these perceptions to the dimensions of the classroom social climate and clarify which factors help or hinder a positive perceived value. Fourteen first-year students from the cohort 2020-2021 (n=208) participated in semi-structured individual interviews in the first, second, and fourth period of the first year. At year’s end, first year students completed an online questionnaire on the quality of peer and student-teacher interactions. Our results show that FLC interactions are positively valued when students experience academic support from peers and teacher, socio-emotional support from peers and teacher, and active participation in class activities which corresponds to the classroom social climate dimensions student cohesiveness, student involvement and personalisation. Students’ perceived value of interactions was influenced by a variety of factors of which online classes hampered all valued classroom social climate dimensions. Socio-emotional support from peers and teacher was not only one of the most valued classroom climate elements, it also indirectly promoted academic support and active participation. This highlights the importance of socio-emotional support in the classroom, which should receive an increased amount of attention in higher education

Functional MRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Brain Reorganization After Experimental Stroke

The potential of the adult brain to reorganize after ischemic injury is critical for functional recovery and provides a significant target for therapeutic strategies to promote brain repair. Despite the accumulating evidence of brain plasticity, the interaction and significance of morphological and physiological modifications in post-stroke brain tissue remain mostly unclear. Neuroimaging techniques such as functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) enable in vivo assessment of the spatial and temporal pattern of functional and structural changes inside and outside ischemic lesion areas. This can contribute to the elucidation of critical aspects in post-stroke brain remodeling. Task/stimulus-related fMRI, resting-state fMRI, or pharmacological MRI enables direct or indirect measurement of neuronal activation, functional connectivity, or neurotransmitter system responses, respectively. DTI allows estimation of the structural integrity and connectivity of white matter tracts. Together, these MRI methods provide an unprecedented means to (a) measure longitudinal changes in tissue structure and function close by and remote from ischemic lesion areas, (b) evaluate the organizational profile of neural networks after stroke, and (c) identify degenerative and restorative processes that affect post-stroke functional outcome. Besides, the availability of MRI in clinical institutions as well as research laboratories provides an optimal basis for translational research on stroke recovery. This review gives an overview of the current status and perspectives of fMRI and DTI applications to study brain reorganization in experimental stroke models