How Do Former Undergraduate Mentors Evaluate Their Mentoring Experience 3-Years Post-Mentoring: A Phenomenological Study

This phenomenological study involves a unique, longitudinal assessment of the lived experiences of former undergraduate mentors (n=7) in light of their current experiences (i.e., career or advanced schooling). The objective of a phenomenological study is to engage in in-depth probing of a representative number of participants. Specifically, we followed up with graduates of the Nebraska STEM 4U (NE STEM 4U) intervention 3 years post-program, with the overall goal of describing the mentors’ experiences using the lens of their current experiences. This type of longitudinal perspective of mentoring is greatly lacking in the current literature. At the time of the interviews, all graduates were either in a STEM career or STEM-based graduate/professional program. Three major themes emerged: Career, inspiration, and challenges. Each of these themes was further broken down into sub-themes to describe the essence of the mentoring phenomenon for these individuals. This information may be beneficial for any programs that engage undergraduate students in mentoring

Evaluation of Resident Satisfaction in the Current Era: A Local Perspective on a National Issue

Background: Mitigating resident burnout is a high priority for medical centers. Monitoring residents’ overall perceptions of their training environments could be a reliable indicator of potential future burnout. Furthermore, recent national studies suggest procedural specialties have a higher burnout rate and lower satisfaction than non-procedural specialties. In the current study, we utilized institutional data from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) resident survey to better understand trends related to our residency program learning environments over time (2012-2018) and by specialty grouping (procedural versus non-procedural). Methods: Annual ACGME survey results from 2012 to 2018 were retrospectively analyzed to determine trends in resident satisfaction. Specifically, satisfaction was defined as a “very positive” or “positive” response on the survey. Programs with an average of four or more residents were included. The programs were categorized into procedural versus non-procedural specialties and differential trends between the two groups were analyzed. Results: A total of 17 residency programs were included in this study (nine procedural and eight non-procedural), with a combined average satisfaction score (“very positive” plus “positive”) over all years of 89%, which is slightly better than the annual national means (87-88%). Using this combined average score, residents in procedural residency programs rated their satisfaction higher (93%) when compared to non-procedural specialties (87%). Further analysis demonstrated that procedural specialties had higher combined satisfaction scores every year of the study except for 2018. Conversely, residents in non-procedural specialties had a higher “positive” rating when compared to procedural specialties (range of 28.5-44% versus 15-33%, respectively). Conclusion: The results of our study demonstrate that the overall satisfaction scores for our academic center are comparable to or better than the national patterns, with a favorable trend towards the procedural specialties

Life Science Undergraduate Mentors in NE STEM 4U Significantly Outperform Their Peers in Critical Thinking Skills

The development of critical thinking skills in recent college graduates is keenly requested by employers year after year. Moreover, improving these skills can help students to better question and analyze data. Consequently, we aimed to implement a training program that would add to the critical thinking skills of undergraduate students: Nebraska Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math 4U (NE STEM 4U). In this program, undergraduates provide outreach, mentoring, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to K–8 students. To determine the impacts of serving as an undergraduate mentor in this program on critical thinking, we compared undergraduate mentors (intervention group) with nonmentor STEM majors (nonintervention, matched group) using the valid and reliable California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) as a pre/post measurement. Importantly, before the intervention, both NE STEM 4U mentors and nonmentor undergraduates scored similarly overall on the CCTST. However, the posttest, carried out one academic year later, indicated significant gains in critical thinking by the NE STEM 4U mentors compared with the nonmentors. Specifically, the math-related skills of analysis, inference, and numeracy improved significantly in mentors compared with nonmentors

NE STEM 4U: an out-of-school time academic program to improve achievement of socioeconomically disadvantaged youth in STEM areas

Background The Nebraska Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 4U (NE STEM 4U) program was initiated at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) in 2013. NE STEM 4U is a student-run, faculty-led program facilitating problem-based learning (PBL) sessions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for socioeconomically disadvantaged kindergarten through grade 8 (K-8) students. PBL sessions are provided throughout the academic year in a twice-weekly, after-school, informal education program. The instructional material provided after school builds upon the curricula of the school day. Importantly, this program is a partnership between faculty members and administrators in higher education at UNO with community partners of Omaha including Collective for Youth, Beyond School Bells, and Omaha Public Schools. We focus on engaging K-8 youth in after-school immersion experiences in STEM fields using undergraduate students as mentors and facilitators using a model of problem-based learning. Results This program fosters an educational pipeline for students with hands-on experience in problem-solving and critical thinking. The partnerships among the community provide the foundation for success for students across the K-16 pipeline. Conclusions Herein, we describe the model of this program as documented by demonstrated successes to date in an effort to guide others in developing such a model in their city or region. We also provide models for implementation of assessment instruments

Fostering Curiosity, Inquiry, and Scientific Thinking in Elementary School Students: Impact of the NE STEM 4U Intervention

In this qualitative study, we assessed the impact of the NE STEM 4U intervention on elementary school youth in terms of excitement, curiosity, and STEM concepts. The NE STEM 4U intervention incorporates a problem-based learning theoretical framework in an after-school time, weekly or twice-weekly intervention. We assessed student performance over two academic years of participation in the intervention using the Dimensions of Success observational tool. Ultimately, we link this mentor-led program with increases in curiosity, inquiry, and STEM concept gains. Taken together, these findings support after-school interventions in STEM areas as key encouraging excitement in youth and motivation to pursue a career in a STEM content area

Effective eModule Design for First-Year Medical Student Anatomy Curricula

Introduction: It is critical to evaluate student experience with any newly integrated educational resource. In 2018, a Distal Upper Limb (DUL) Anatomy eModule was developed for first-year medical students at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, who have historically identified the DUL as a region of difficulty. This mixed methods study sought to (1) evaluate learner perception of the eModule relative to other resources, and (2) identify eModule content and features that students found valuable. Methods: The DUL eModule was made available to first-year medical students in 2019 (n= 132), 2020 (n=131), and 2021 (n=131) as a voluntary, supplemental resource. In 2019-2021, all eModule users were prompted to complete a post-eModule, pre-exam survey. In 2021, users were also asked to complete a post-eModule, post-exam survey. Both surveys included a combination of Likert-type and free-response questions. Results: In the post-eModule, pre-exam survey, a majority of students from all three years agreed or strongly agreed that the eModule was convenient, preferred compared to a textbook or didactic lecture, and applicable to the gross anatomy lab, though opinions were more split when comparing the eModule to studying from a gross specimen. In the post-eModule, post-exam survey, greater than 75% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the eModule prepared them to answer DUL exam questions, and was a useful adjunct to learning DUL anatomy. In the survey’s free response section, students cited support for the eModule’s cadaveric images, its ability to consolidate/organize information, and its two modes of use, though users reported a need for a figure legend to orient the user, and a desire for a learning evaluation integrated within the eModule. Discussion: While gross anatomy has historically been taught through in-person dissection, student demand for digital, remote learning resources is certain to grow. The findings of this mixed methods analysis will serve to guide anatomy faculty in developing effective digital resources for future novice anatomists.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/emet_posters/1034/thumbnail.jp

Approaches to Managing and Collecting Born-Digital Literary Materials for Scholarly Use

Digital Humanities Initiative Level 1 Start Up funding is requested to support a series of site visits and planning meetings among personnel working with the born-digital components of three significant collections of literary material: the Salman Rushdie papers at Emory University's Woodruff Library, the Michael Joyce Papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Deena Larsen Collection at the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) at the University of Maryland. The meetings and site visits will facilitate the preparation of a larger collaborative grant proposal among the three institutions aimed at developing archival tools and best practices for preserving and curating the born-digital documents and records of contemporary authorship. Initial findings will be made available through a jointly authored and publicly distributed online white paper, as well as conference presentations at relevant venues

Genuine Faculty-Mentored Research Experiences for In-Service Science Teachers: Increases in Science Knowledge, Perception, and Confidence Levels

The overall purpose of this multifocused study was to explore how participation in genuine mentored scientific research experiences impacts in-service science teachers and the knowledge and skills needed for their own science teaching. The research experiences resulted from a partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Omaha Public School District. This Teacher- Researcher Partnership Program facilitated opportunities in inquiry, science content, interaction with laboratory instrumentation and technologies, critical discussion of literature, and dissemination of findings for participating in-service science teacher professional development utilizing an inquiry-based theoretical framework wherein we examined science teacher preparation via inquiry-based methods in the research laboratory. A mixed-methods approach with a convergent typology (i.e., qualitative and quantitative analyses conducted separately and integrated) was used to investigate the impact of the program on teachers. Our research question was as follows: How do teachers define and approach scientific research before and after a genuine research experience? We observed 3 emergent nodes or themes by which teachers indicated significant gains: science content knowledge, confidence, and perception. Moreover, we determined that participation by science teachers in a mentored research experience using current scientific technologies and tools improved teacher confidence in science and inquiry as well as an ongoing commitment to provide similar types of experiences to their students. These data support the need for the participation of in-service science teachers in genuine research experiences to boost technological and pedagogical content knowledge, confidence in process and content, and the perception of translatability to the classroom

Clades of huge phages from across Earth's ecosystems.

Bacteriophages typically have small genomes1 and depend on their bacterial hosts for replication2. Here we sequenced DNA from diverse ecosystems and found hundreds of phage genomes with lengths of more than 200 kilobases (kb), including a genome of 735 kb, which is-to our knowledge-the largest phage genome to be described to date. Thirty-five genomes were manually curated to completion (circular and no gaps). Expanded genetic repertoires include diverse and previously undescribed CRISPR-Cas systems, transfer RNAs (tRNAs), tRNA synthetases, tRNA-modification enzymes, translation-initiation and elongation factors, and ribosomal proteins. The CRISPR-Cas systems of phages have the capacity to silence host transcription factors and translational genes, potentially as part of a larger interaction network that intercepts translation to redirect biosynthesis to phage-encoded functions. In addition, some phages may repurpose bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems to eliminate competing phages. We phylogenetically define the major clades of huge phages from human and other animal microbiomes, as well as from oceans, lakes, sediments, soils and the built environment. We conclude that the large gene inventories of huge phages reflect a conserved biological strategy, and that the phages are distributed across a broad bacterial host range and across Earth's ecosystems