Motivating students and improving engagement in biology units using online QS modules

MathBench biology modules represent one example of how biology educators can incorporate materials to improve quantitative skills and reasoning into introductory courses. The MathBench- Australia project not only aims to ensure that the science and the maths content of MathBench (USA) modules are accurate, but also appropriate to an Australian context, and further aid to minimise students’ negative attitude towards quantitative skills and increase student engagement. Hence, in this ideas exchange we will explore the strategies to embed the contextualised MathBench modules in first and second year science units to improve student engagement and students’ QS

Motivating students and improving engagement in biology units using online QS modules

MathBench biology modules represent one example of how biology educators can incorporate materials to improve quantitative skills and reasoning into introductory courses. The MathBench- Australia project not only aims to ensure that the science and the maths content of MathBench (USA) modules are accurate, but also appropriate to an Australian context, and further aid to minimise students’ negative attitude towards quantitative skills and increase student engagement. Hence, in this ideas exchange we will explore the strategies to embed the contextualised MathBench modules in first and second year science units to improve student engagement and students’ QS

Health, education, and social care provision after diagnosis of childhood visual disability

Aim: To investigate the health, education, and social care provision for children newly diagnosed with visual disability.Method: This was a national prospective study, the British Childhood Visual Impairment and Blindness Study 2 (BCVIS2), ascertaining new diagnoses of visual impairment or severe visual impairment and blindness (SVIBL), or equivalent vi-sion. Data collection was performed by managing clinicians up to 1-year follow-up, and included health and developmental needs, and health, education, and social care provision.Results: BCVIS2 identified 784 children newly diagnosed with visual impairment/SVIBL (313 with visual impairment, 471 with SVIBL). Most children had associated systemic disorders (559 [71%], 167 [54%] with visual impairment, and 392 [84%] with SVIBL). Care from multidisciplinary teams was provided for 549 children (70%). Two-thirds (515) had not received an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP). Fewer children with visual impairment had seen a specialist teacher (SVIBL 35%, visual impairment 28%, χ2p < 0.001), or had an EHCP (11% vs 7%, χ2p < 0 . 01).Interpretation: Families need additional support from managing clinicians to access recommended complex interventions such as the use of multidisciplinary teams and educational support. This need is pressing, as the population of children with visual impairment/SVIBL is expected to grow in size and complexity.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited