Comparison of DNA quantification methodology used in the DNA extraction protocol for the UK Biobank cohort

Correlation between UV/Vis (Trinean) and PicoGreen® methods of DNA quantification for DNA concentration < 60 ng/μL. Correlation plot showing all data points (442,859 samples) where DNA concentration measured via UV/Vis is < 60 ng/μL. Samples quantified via one method < 2 ng/ μL and with another method > 10 ng/μL are highlighted with a black cross. (PDF 166 kb

Going SOLO to assess novice programmers

This paper explores the programming knowledge of novices using Biggs' SOLO taxonomy. It builds on previous work of Lister et al. (2006) and addresses some of the criticisms of that work. The research was conducted by studying the exam scripts for 120 introductory programming students, in which three specific questions were analyzed using the SOLO taxonomy. The study reports the following four findings: when the instruction to students used by Lister et al. - "In plain English, explain what the following segment of Java code does" - is replaced with a less ambiguous instruction, many students still provide multistructural responses; students are relatively consistent in the SOLO level of their answers; student responses on SOLO reading tasks correlate positively with performance on writing tasks; postgraduates students manifest a higher level of thinking than undergraduates. Copyright 2008 ACM

Video-Enhanced Dialogic Assessment: online vivas for teacher assessment

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is usually gained at the end of a course in initial teacher education in the UK. It can be gained by overseas teachers if they meet the eligibility criteria. The assessment-only route to QTS for teachers in overseas British curriculum schools is characterised by interviews, lesson observations and assessment of an evidence portfolio that together demonstrate the extent to which a candidate’s practice meets the UK Teachers’ Standards (DfE, 2011). In 2020, international travel for assessors to carry out QTS assessments in British schools overseas was halted because of Covid-19. Against this backdrop most assessments are currently undertaken using a video-enhanced dialogic assessment process (VEDA), incorporating video-enhanced lesson observation and feedback and a digital portfolio assessment. In order to complete the process, a dialogic assessment interview is carried out. It can most easily be imagined as an online viva examination using video-calling software. The VEDA process has the advantage of connecting candidate and assessor in a shared online dialogic space, as outlined by Wegerif (2007), in a process of video-stimulated recall, reflection and dialogue (Nind et al., 2015) combined with exploration of artefacts and evidence of practice. From this perspective, dialogue can encourage reflection on video captured during lessons, elicit tacit knowledge through questioning and discussion, help construct additional evidence and lead to a negotiated appreciation of strengths and areas for development

Video-enhanced dialogic assessment (VEDA) of teaching practice portfolios: the dialogic construction of teachers’ standards evidence in an online space

Initial teacher education in the UK is arguably characterised by the signature pedagogies (Shulman, 2005) of lesson observation and assessment of teaching evidence portfolios that demonstrate how far a trainee’s practice meets the criterion-referenced teachers’ standards (DfE, 2011). This form of assessment will be as immediately recognisable to those undertaking initial teacher education in the UK in the last thirty years as now. In an international independent distance learning (IDL) teacher education programme, these practices can be rendered more challenging by Vide Traditional forms of portfolio assessment by tutors may be hindered by the need for selective evidence, which may lack depth or nuance in an effort to remain within file size or word count limits. To fully understand and assess professional practice carried out at a distance requires a change in assessment practices, and one that brings assessor and assessee closer together, and closer to practice. In recent years, the technological affordances of video-enhanced lesson observation and video calling with desktop sharing functionality have augmented the work of teacher educators (Calandra & Rich, 2014; Hidson, 2020; Marsh & Mitchell, 2014). This has the advantage of connecting candidate and assessor in a shared online dialogic space, as outlined by Wegerif (2007) in a process of video-stimulated recall, reflection and dialogue (Nind et al., 2015) combined with exploration of artefacts and evidence of practice. From this perspective, dialogue can encourage reflection on video captured during lessons, elicit tacit knowledge through questioning and discussion, help construct additional evidence and lead to a negotiated appreciation of strengths and areas for development. The Video-Enhanced Dialogic Assessment (VEDA) process implemented makes use of these principles to complement formative and summative assessment of teaching practices and portfolios. It can most easily be imagined as an online viva voce oral examination, building on similar work in this vein by Carless (2002) and Flores (2018) and addressing logistical issues highlighted by Scott and Unsworth (2018), who used video vivas. Research being carried out in parallel allows the generation of recorded video of each assessment undertaken online, with all dialogic assessment interviews transcribed for closer thematic and linguistic analysis. In addition, semi-structured interviews with candidates and assessors as well as electronic documentary records contribute to the rich data collected. These data are analysed collaboratively by the research team to address one of the project’s key research questions: what evidence of practice is co-constructed through the video-enhanced dialogic assessment interview process? This digital poster presentation will share two key case studies from the ongoing project. One focuses on the trainee teacher for whom formative video-stimulated recall, reflection and dialogue is part of their learning i.e assessment for learning as opposed to assessment of learning (Black and Wiliam, 1998). This explores the nature of feedback and dialogue on a recorded lesson video between trainee and tutor. The other case study will present the summative high-stakes VEDA interview where the assessor must be confident that all the evidence presented demonstrates that the candidate meets the necessary teachers’ standards. It will explore the process of dialogic assessment and frame the outcomes as dialogically-constructed evidence. Finally, the poster presentation will highlight the relevance of Video-Enhanced Dialogic Assessment during the current Covid-19 pandemic, where traditional campus-based teacher education has been interrupted, locked down and forced to seek alternative approaches. It is anticipated that, where possible, this digital poster will make use of embedded hyperlinks to video and audio snippets that have been deemed permissible by the university ethical approval gained for the VEDA project. References Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998) Assessment and classroom learning, Assessment in Education, 5(1), pp. 7–74. | Calandra, B., & Rich, P. (Eds.). (2014). Digital video for teacher education: Research and practice. Routledge | Carless, D., (2002). The 'Mini-Viva' as a Tool to Enhance Assessment for Learning. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 27:4, 353-363, DOI: 10.1080/0260293022000001364 | Department for Education (DfE). (2011). Teachers’ standards. Available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards | Flores, M. A. (2018). Linking teaching and research in initial teacher education: knowledge mobilisation and research-informed practice. Journal of Education for Teaching, 44(5), 621–636. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2018.1516351 | Hidson, E. (2020). Internet Video Calling and Desktop Sharing (vcds) as an Emerging Research Method for Exploring Pedagogical Reasoning in Lesson Planning. Video Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 5, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1163/23644583-00501001 | Marsh, B., & Mitchell, N. (2014). The role of video in teacher professional development. Teacher Development, 18(3), 403–417. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2014.938106 | Nind, M., Kilburn, D., & Wiles, R. (2015). Using video and dialogue to generate pedagogic knowledge: teachers, learners and researchers reflecting together on the pedagogy of social research methods. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 18(5), 561–576. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2015.1062628 | Scott, M., & Unsworth, J. (2018). Matching final assessment to employability: developing a digital viva as an end of programme assessment, Higher Education Pedagogies, 3:1, 373-384, DOI: 10.1080/23752696.2018.1510294 | Shulman, L., (2005). Signature pedagogies in the professions. Daedalus, 134(3), pp.52-59 | Wegerif, R., (2007). Dialogic education and technology: Expanding the space of learning (Vol. 7). Springer

Cohort profile:rationale and methods of UK Biobank repeat imaging study eye measures to study dementia

Purpose: the retina provides biomarkers of neuronal and vascular health that offer promising insights into cognitive ageing, mild cognitive impairment and dementia. This article described the rationale and methodology of eye and vision assessments with the aim of supporting the study of dementia in the UK Biobank Repeat Imaging study.Participants: UK Biobank is a large-scale, multicentre, prospective cohort containing in-depth genetic, lifestyle, environmental and health information from half a million participants aged 40-69 enrolled in 2006-2010 across the UK. A subset (up to 60 000 participants) of the cohort will be invited to the UK Biobank Repeat Imaging Study to collect repeated brain, cardiac and abdominal MRI scans, whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, carotid ultrasound, as well as retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) and colour fundus photographs.Findings to date: UK Biobank has helped make significant advances in understanding risk factors for many common diseases, including for dementia and cognitive decline. Ophthalmic genetic and epidemiology studies have also benefited from the unparalleled combination of very large numbers of participants, deep phenotyping and longitudinal follow-up of the cohort, with comprehensive health data linkage to disease outcomes. In addition, we have used UK Biobank data to describe the relationship between retinal structures, cognitive function and brain MRI-derived phenotypes.Future plans: the collection of eye-related data (eg, OCT), as part of the UK Biobank Repeat Imaging study, will take place in 2022-2028. The depth and breadth and longitudinal nature of this dataset, coupled with its open-access policy, will create a major new resource for dementia diagnostic discovery and to better understand its association with comorbid diseases. In addition, the broad and diverse data available in this study will support research into ophthalmic diseases and various other health outcomes beyond dementia

Diagnosis and management of people with venous thromboembolism and advanced cancer: how do doctors decide? a qualitative study

Abstract Background: The treatment of cancer associated thrombosis (CAT) is well established, with level 1A evidence to support the recommendation of a low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) by daily injection for 3-6 months. However, registry data suggest compliance to clinical guidelines is poor. Clinicians face particular challenges in treating CAT in advanced cancer patients due to shorter life expectancy, increased bleeding risk and concerns that self injection may be too burdensome. For these reasons decision making around the diagnosis and management of CAT in people with advanced cancer, can be complex, and should focus on its likely net benefit for the patient. We explored factors that influence doctors&apos; decision making in this situation and sought to gain an understanding of the barriers and facilitators to the application of best practice

Cohort profile: rationale and methods of UK Biobank repeat imaging study eye measures to study dementia

PURPOSE: The retina provides biomarkers of neuronal and vascular health that offer promising insights into cognitive ageing, mild cognitive impairment and dementia. This article described the rationale and methodology of eye and vision assessments with the aim of supporting the study of dementia in the UK Biobank Repeat Imaging study. PARTICIPANTS: UK Biobank is a large-scale, multicentre, prospective cohort containing in-depth genetic, lifestyle, environmental and health information from half a million participants aged 40-69 enrolled in 2006-2010 across the UK. A subset (up to 60 000 participants) of the cohort will be invited to the UK Biobank Repeat Imaging Study to collect repeated brain, cardiac and abdominal MRI scans, whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, carotid ultrasound, as well as retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) and colour fundus photographs. FINDINGS TO DATE: UK Biobank has helped make significant advances in understanding risk factors for many common diseases, including for dementia and cognitive decline. Ophthalmic genetic and epidemiology studies have also benefited from the unparalleled combination of very large numbers of participants, deep phenotyping and longitudinal follow-up of the cohort, with comprehensive health data linkage to disease outcomes. In addition, we have used UK Biobank data to describe the relationship between retinal structures, cognitive function and brain MRI-derived phenotypes. FUTURE PLANS: The collection of eye-related data (eg, OCT), as part of the UK Biobank Repeat Imaging study, will take place in 2022-2028. The depth and breadth and longitudinal nature of this dataset, coupled with its open-access policy, will create a major new resource for dementia diagnostic discovery and to better understand its association with comorbid diseases. In addition, the broad and diverse data available in this study will support research into ophthalmic diseases and various other health outcomes beyond dementia

Meta-evaluation of a whole systems programme, ActEarly: a study protocol

INTRODUCTION: Living in an area with high levels of child poverty predisposes children to poorer mental and physical health. ActEarly is a 5-year research programme that comprises a large number of interventions (>20) with citizen science and co-production embedded. It aims to improve the health and well-being of children and families living in two areas of the UK with high levels of deprivation; Bradford in West Yorkshire, and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. This protocol outlines the meta-evaluation (an evaluation of evaluations) of the ActEarly programme from a systems perspective, where individual interventions are viewed as events in the wider policy system across the two geographical areas. It includes investigating the programme's impact on early life health and well-being outcomes, interdisciplinary prevention research collaboration and capacity building, and local and national decision making. METHODS: The ActEarly meta-evaluation will follow and adapt the five iterative stages of the 'Evaluation of Programmes in Complex Adaptive Systems' (ENCOMPASS) framework for evaluation of public health programmes in complex adaptive systems. Theory-based and mixed-methods approaches will be used to investigate the fidelity of the ActEarly research programme, and whether, why and how ActEarly contributes to changes in the policy system, and whether alternative explanations can be ruled out. Ripple effects and systems mapping will be used to explore the relationships between interventions and their outcomes, and the degree to which the ActEarly programme encouraged interdisciplinary and prevention research collaboration as intended. A computer simulation model ("LifeSim") will also be used to evaluate the scale of the potential long-term benefits of cross-sectoral action to tackle the financial, educational and health disadvantages faced by children in Bradford and Tower Hamlets. Together, these approaches will be used to evaluate ActEarly's dynamic programme outputs at different system levels and measure the programme's system changes on early life health and well-being. DISCUSSION: This meta-evaluation protocol presents our plans for using and adapting the ENCOMPASS framework to evaluate the system-wide impact of the early life health and well-being programme, ActEarly. Due to the collaborative and non-linear nature of the work, we reserve the option to change and query some of our evaluation choices based on the feedback we receive from stakeholders to ensure that our evaluation remains relevant and fit for purpose