Navigating the SoTL Landscape: A Compass, Map and Some Tools for Getting Started

Since the scholarship of teaching and learning entails the design of, and evidence-based inquiry into, teaching, learning and pedagogical practice – faculty new to this field face the challenging task of mastering perspectives, processes and practices that can be disparate to their disciplinary foundations. This paper offers an introductory overview of some essential ideas that help shape the design and intention of SoTL activities, and provides guidelines for undertaking SoTL projects

Troublesome concepts in statistics: a student perspective on what they are and how to learn them

The notion of threshold concepts (Meyer and Land 2002; 2004) has sparked renewed interest in examining what is important for students to learn, and the challenges they may encounter whilst learning (see for example Meyer and Land 2006). Most of these discussions have emerged from the perspective of disciplinary academics, many of whom nominate and exemplify the ‘threshold concepts’ within their discipline or field of study. We felt that the student’s experience of what is ‘threshold’ (Davies 2006) and equally of what seems troublesome (Perkins 2006) was also of significance, and would be potentially informative for the design of teaching, assessment and feedback. In this modest study we sought to take an initial step in this direction. The study is focused on an introductory statistics course, which typically attracts between 300-500 students each semester. Our primary concern was to gain access to the student’s view of what constituted significant learning within the course, and the concepts they found particularly tricky or challenging. We were particularly interested to see if the concepts nominated as ‘important’ or significant in some way by the students aligned in any way with those nominated by the PASS (Peer Assisted Study Session) leaders and the lecturer. We were also keen to consider the types of difficulties students indicated they experienced, as this could inform future course design and teaching strategies

Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge in a secondlevel mathematics course

The term threshold concept derives from education theory to denote concepts that are essential to knowledge and understanding within particular disciplines. Threshold concepts act like doorways that once crossed enable students to comprehend a topic not previously understood. In turn this enables the learner to progress to higher levels of learning. This process can be immediate or drawn out over long periods of time. Grasping the threshold concept transforms the students’ perception of the subject area, and they are better able to relate the topic to wider fields of study (Meyer and Land 2003). However the transformative nature of this process can at times be troublesome and challenging for students (Perkins 1999). In mathematics, once a threshold concept is grasped, the student will see the calculations they are working on in a different light. They will gain insight into what the calculations are doing and how they work. This enables the student to translate the threshold concept to different and more difficult problems. The student is also able to see the relevance of this form of mathematical thinking to other areas of mathematics and to applications beyond the field of mathematics. Very little work has been undertaken to identify the threshold concepts in higher-level mathematics and what is troublesome for students to learn. This paper reports on a study carried out in a large second-level mathematics course at the University of Queensland. The course is taken by students of mathematics, engineering and physical sciences, and covers topics such as advanced ordinary differential equations, vector calculus and linear algebra. Data was collected from course documents and interviews with tutors, and surveys and quizzes completed by students. Analysis of this data identified potential threshold concepts for this content area, and areas of troublesome knowledge experienced by students. This paper reports on the findings from this study, and on the implications of these findings for enhancing learning and teaching of mathematics

The impact of classroom design on collaborative learning

This paper discusses a trial of a recently opened Collaborative Learning Centre at the University of Queensland. The aim of the trial was to see how the space could be used with science students in a first-year introductory statistics course, and what kinds of collaborations the space might encourage. The Centre has a number of spaces designed for collaborative learning, but only one of these was completed at the time of the trial. This space was the largest, accommodating around 100 students in five ‘pods’, each with a main computer and data projector as well as six to eight other computers. It is clear that the space is not just a computer laboratory, with computers to support collaboration rather than being the focus. The trial attempted to use a learning task that would meet such characteristics of the space

Mapping of diabetes susceptibility LOCI in a domestic cat breed with an unusually high incidence of diabetes mellitus

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Genetic variants that are associated with susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D) are important for identification of individuals at risk and can provide insights into the molecular basis of disease. Analysis of T2D in domestic animals provides both the opportunity to improve veterinary management and breeding programs as well as to identify novel T2D risk genes. Australian-bred Burmese (ABB) cats have a 4-fold increased incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to Burmese cats bred in the United States. This is likely attributable to a genetic founder effect. We investigated this by performing a genome-wide association scan on ABB cats. Four SNPs were associated with the ABB T2D phenotype with p values \u3c 0.005. All exons and splice junctions of candidate genes near significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were sequenced, including the genes DGKG, IFG2BP2, SLC8A1, E2F6, ETV5, TRA2B and LIPH. Six candidate polymorphisms were followed up in a larger cohort of ABB cats with or without T2D and also in Burmese cats bred in America, which exhibit low T2D incidence. The original SNPs were confirmed in this cohort as associated with the T2D phenotype, although no novel coding SNPs in any of the seven candidate genes showed association with T2D. The identification of genetic markers associated with T2D susceptibility in ABB cats will enable preventative health strategies and guide breeding programs to reduce the prevalence of T2D in these cats

Mapping of diabetes susceptibility LOCI in a domestic cat breed with an unusually high incidence of diabetes mellitus

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Genetic variants that are associated with susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D) are important for identification of individuals at risk and can provide insights into the molecular basis of disease. Analysis of T2D in domestic animals provides both the opportunity to improve veterinary management and breeding programs as well as to identify novel T2D risk genes. Australian-bred Burmese (ABB) cats have a 4-fold increased incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to Burmese cats bred in the United States. This is likely attributable to a genetic founder effect. We investigated this by performing a genome-wide association scan on ABB cats. Four SNPs were associated with the ABB T2D phenotype with p values \u3c 0.005. All exons and splice junctions of candidate genes near significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were sequenced, including the genes DGKG, IFG2BP2, SLC8A1, E2F6, ETV5, TRA2B and LIPH. Six candidate polymorphisms were followed up in a larger cohort of ABB cats with or without T2D and also in Burmese cats bred in America, which exhibit low T2D incidence. The original SNPs were confirmed in this cohort as associated with the T2D phenotype, although no novel coding SNPs in any of the seven candidate genes showed association with T2D. The identification of genetic markers associated with T2D susceptibility in ABB cats will enable preventative health strategies and guide breeding programs to reduce the prevalence of T2D in these cats

Multi-centre randomised controlled trial of a smart phone-based event recorder alongside standard care versus standard care for patients presenting to the Emergency Department with palpitations and pre-syncope - the IPED (Investigation of Palpitations in the ED) study:study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Abstract Background Palpitations and pre-syncope are together responsible for 300,000 annual Emergency Department (ED) attendances in the United Kingdom (UK). Diagnosis of the underlying rhythm is difficult as many patients are fully recovered on ED arrival; and examination and presenting electrocardiogram (ECG) are commonly normal. The only way to establish the underlying heart rhythm is to capture an ECG during symptoms. Recent technology advances have led to several novel ECG monitoring devices appearing on the market. This trial aims to compare the symptomatic rhythm detection rate at 90 days of one such smart phone-based event recorder (AliveCor Heart Monitor and AliveECG) with standard care for participants presenting to the ED with palpitations and pre-syncope and no obvious cause in the ED. Methods/Design This is a multi-centre hospital ED / Acute Medical Unit (AMU) open label, randomised controlled trial. Participants will be recruited in 10 tertiary and district general hospitals in the UK. Participants aged ≥ 16 years presenting with an episode of palpitations or pre-syncope with no obvious cause and whose underlying ECG rhythm during these episodes remains undiagnosed after clinical assessment will be included. Participants will be randomised to either: (1) the intervention arm, standard care plus the use of a smart phone-based event recorder; or (2) the control arm, standard care. Primary endpoint will be symptomatic rhythm detection rate at 90 days. A number of secondary clinical, process and cost-effectiveness endpoints will be collected and analysed. Analysis will be on an intention-to-treat basis. Discussion The Investigation of Palpitations in the ED (IPED) study aims to recruit 242 participants across 10 hospital sites. It will be the first study to investigate the ability of a smart phone-based event recorder to detect symptomatic cardiac rhythms compared to standard care for ED patients with palpitations and pre-syncope with no obvious cause in the ED. This smart phone event recorder will allow ED patients who have presented with palpitations or pre-syncope to record their ECG tracing if they have a further episode and may increase the rate of underlying rhythm diagnosis. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02783898. Registered on 26 May 2016

Physical activity, mental health and wellbeing of adults within and during the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, in the United Kingdom and New Zealand

Physical activity (PA) participation was substantially reduced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between PA, mental health, and wellbeing during and following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom (UK) and New Zealand (NZ). In this study, 3363 adults completed online surveys within 2–6 weeks of initial COVID-19 restrictions (April/May 2020) and once restrictions to human movement had been eased. Outcome measures included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short-Form, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-9 (mental health) and World Health Organisation-5 Wellbeing Index. There were no differences in PA, mental health or wellbeing between timepoints (p > 0.05). Individuals engaging in moderate or high volume of PA had significantly better mental health (−1.1 and −1.7 units, respectively) and wellbeing (11.4 and 18.6 units, respectively) than individuals who engaged in low PA (p < 0.001). Mental health was better once COVID-19 restrictions were eased (p < 0.001). NZ had better mental health and wellbeing than the UK (p < 0.001). Participation in moderate-to-high volumes of PA was associated with better mental health and wellbeing, both during and following periods of COVID-19 containment, compared to participation in low volumes of PA. Where applicable, during the current or future pandemic(s), moderate-to-high volumes of PA should be encouraged

Physical activity, mental health and well-being of adults during initial COVID-19 containment strategies: A multi-country cross-sectional analysis

Objectives. To assess physical activity (PA), mental health and well-being of adults in the United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, New Zealand and Australia during the initial stages of National governments’ Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) containment responses. Design. Observational, cross-sectional. Methods. An online survey was disseminated to adults (n = 8,425; 44.5 ± 14.8y) residing in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia within the first 2-6 weeks of government-mandated COVID-19 restrictions. Main outcome measures included: Stages of Change scale for exercise behaviour change; International Physical Activity Questionnaire (short-form); World Health Organisation-5 Well-being Index; and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-9. Results. Participants who reported a negative change in exercise behaviour from before initial COVID-19 restrictions to during the initial COVID-19 restrictions demonstrated poorer mental health and well-being compared to those demonstrating either a positive-or no change in their exercise behaviour (p < 0.001). Whilst women reported more positive changes in exercise behaviour, young people (18-29y) reported more negative changes (both p < 0.001). Individuals who had more positive exercise behaviours reported better mental health and well-being (p < 0.001). Although there were no differences in PA between countries, individuals in New Zealand reported better mental health and well-being (p < 0.001). Conclusion. The initial COVID-19 restrictions have differentially impacted upon PA habits of individuals based upon their age and sex, and therefore have important implications for international policy and guideline recommendations. Public health interventions that encourage PA should target specific groups (e.g., men, young adults) who are most vulnerable to the negative effects of physical distancing and/or self-isolation