scholarly journals Using Kolb’s Learning Cycle to Improve Student Sustainability Knowledge

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Katherine Watson ◽  
Joshua Pelkey ◽  
Caroline Noyes ◽  
Michael O. Rodgers

Engineers are increasingly called upon to develop and implement innovative solutions that serve a growing population, while simultaneously exploiting fewer resources and minimizing environmental impacts. As such, improvements in undergraduate curricula are needed to train students to operate under a sustainable development paradigm. A learning-cycle-based sustainability module was adapted and implemented in a cornerstone design course within a civil engineering program at a large, research-intensive institution in the United States. One cornerstone cohort participated in a peer-lecture version of the module, while the second cohort participated in a peer-discussion version. Concept maps, scored using three different methods, were used to measure changes in students’ sustainability knowledge. A self-report survey was used to measure changes in students’ perceptions of their sustainability knowledge and skills. Students in both the peer-lecture and peer-discussion cohorts demonstrated improved sustainability knowledge networks and confidences after participation in the module. However, peer-lecture students showed greater improvements in knowledge connectedness (a feature of expert-like knowledge) than peer-discussion students. Regardless of cohort, cornerstone students demonstrated greater gains in knowledge and confidence than did a cohort of capstone students who participated in an earlier implementation of the module. Future implementations may be most impactful if the peer-discussion format is integrated into early design courses.

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-138
Author(s):  
Cecilia Adekoya

A reinterpretation piece: For Rossana Deplano, learning goes beyond memorisation and her article wishes to provide an alternative that can help students shift from learning for tests to learning meaningfully. The article considers the method of using concept maps, which are similar to mind maps, but are formed as hierarchies, starting with the topic and expanding to various points. Rossana also believes that the road to meaningful learning needs the involvement of the teacher to help the students make connections between the prior and new knowledge. Taking all of this into consideration, the article inspired me to think about my own learning experience, and I reinterpreted the piece in the form of a poem, called ‘Cycle’. It is loosely linked to Kolb’s learning cycle, simplified as ‘do, think, conclude, adapt’.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1231-1242
Author(s):  
Celeste Domsch ◽  
Lori Stiritz ◽  
Jay Huff

Purpose This study used a mixed-methods design to assess changes in students' cultural awareness during and following a short-term study abroad. Method Thirty-six undergraduate and graduate students participated in a 2-week study abroad to England during the summers of 2016 and 2017. Quantitative data were collected using standardized self-report measures administered prior to departure and after returning to the United States and were analyzed using paired-samples t tests. Qualitative data were collected in the form of daily journal reflections during the trip and interviews after returning to the United States and analyzed using phenomenological methods. Results No statistically significant changes were evident on any standardized self-report measures once corrections for multiple t tests were applied. In addition, a ceiling effect was found on one measure. On the qualitative measures, themes from student transcripts included increased global awareness and a sense of personal growth. Conclusions Measuring cultural awareness poses many challenges. One is that social desirability bias may influence responses. A second is that current measures of cultural competence may exhibit ceiling or floor effects. Analysis of qualitative data may be more useful in examining effects of participation in a short-term study abroad, which appears to result in decreased ethnocentrism and increased global awareness in communication sciences and disorders students. Future work may wish to consider the long-term effects of participation in a study abroad for emerging professionals in the field.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason A. Randall ◽  
Aiste Guobyte ◽  
Laure Delbecque ◽  
Louise Newton ◽  
Tara Symonds ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a chronic gastrointestinal disease that often presents during one’s most productive years and is characterized by colon inflammation. Key symptoms and impacts in adults are well-known, however, experiences among pediatric populations have not been well documented. The purpose of this study was to understand the health-related quality of life and symptomatic experience of children (2–11 years) living with UC. Methods Qualitative, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted. Children aged 5–11 years were interviewed, as well as their parents/caregivers in matched dyads. Parents/caregivers of children aged2–4 years were interviewed within a parent/caregiver-only cohort. All participants were recruited from the United States. Interviews were coded using thematic analysis. Results Key symptoms and impacts reflecting the lived experience of UC were identified following thematic analysis, generating a conceptual model. A total of 32 participants (20 parents/caregivers and 12 children) were interviewed. Results identified a substantial burden of UC in children. All children and parents/caregivers reported that they/their child experienced stomach/abdominal pain. Other symptoms discussed by over 75% were blood in stool, diarrhea/loose stools, stool urgency, incomplete evacuation, stool frequency, and feeling gassy/passing gas. The most frequently discussed impacts by over 75% of participants were on emotional and practical aspects, seriously affecting quality of life. Conclusions Qualitative analysis of the interviews identified a substantial burden of UC on children, with a profound impact on their lives. The symptomatic experience is reflective of adults and adolescents. A high level of agreement between parents/caregivers and children was demonstrated regarding the perception of the presence or absence of symptoms. Children aged 8–11 years showed higher levels of agreement with parents/caregivers than did younger children, indicating appropriateness of self-report of symptom data in the 8–11 years age group.


Author(s):  
Mark Wiggins ◽  
David O'Hare

Inappropriate and ineffective weather-related decision making continues to account for a significant proportion of general aviation fatalities in the United States and elsewhere. This study details the evaluation of a computer-based training system that was developed to provide visual pilots with the skills necessary to recognize and respond to the cues associated with deteriorating weather conditions during flight. A total of 66 pilots were assigned to one of two groups, and the evaluation process was undertaken at both a self-report and performance level. At the self-report level, the results suggested that pilots were more likely to use the cues following exposure to the training program. From a performance perspective, there is evidence to suggest that cue-based training can improve the timeliness of weather-related decision making during visual flight rules flight. Actual or potential applications of this research include the development of computer-based training systems for fault diagnosis in complex industrial environments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 258-267
Author(s):  
Lisa Yamagishi ◽  
Olivia Erickson ◽  
Kelly Mazzei ◽  
Christine O'Neil ◽  
Khalid M. Kamal

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate opioid prescribing practices for older adults since the opioid crisis in the United States.<br/> DESIGN: Interrupted time-series analysis on retrospective observational cohort study.<br/> SETTING: 176-bed skilled-nursing facility (SNF).<br/> PARTICIPANTS: Patients admitted to a long-term care facility with pain-related diagnoses between October 1, 2015, and March 31, 2017, were included. Residents discharged prior to 14 days were excluded. Of 392 residents, 258 met inclusion criteria with 313 admissions.<br/> MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Changes in opioid prescribing frequency between two periods: Q1 to Q3 (Spring 2016) and Q4 to Q6 for pre- and postgovernment countermeasure, respectively.<br/> RESULTS: Opioid prescriptions for patients with pain-related diagnoses decreased during period one at -0.10% per quarter (95% confidence interval [CI] -0.85-0.85; P = 0.99), with the rate of decline increasing at -3.8% per quarter from period 1 and 2 (95% CI -0.23-0.15; P = 0.64). Opioid prescribing from top International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision category, "Injury and Poisoning" decreased in prescribing frequency by -3.0% per quarter from Q1 to Q6 (95% CI -0.16-0.10; P = 0.54). Appropriateness of pain-control was obtained from the Minimum Data Set version 3.0 "Percent of Residents Who Self-Report Moderate to Severe Pain (Short Stay)" measure; these results showed a significant increase in inadequacy of pain relief by 0.28% per quarter (95% CI 0.12-0.44; P = 0.009).<br/> CONCLUSION: Residents who self-report moderate- to severe pain have significantly increased since October 2015. Opioid prescriptions may have decreased for elderly patients in SNFs since Spring 2016. Further investigation with a larger population and wider time frame is warranted to further evaluate significance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (28_suppl) ◽  
pp. 312-312
Author(s):  
Megan Mullins ◽  
Jasdeep Kler ◽  
Marissa Eastman ◽  
Mohammed Kabeto ◽  
Lauren P. Wallner ◽  
...  

312 Background: Population aging and improving cancer survival rates are resulting in a growing population of older cancer survivors in the United States (US). As a result, there is an increasing need for longitudinal, population-representative data for interdisciplinary cancer research among older adults. The US Health Retirement Study (HRS) is an ongoing population-representative cohort of US adults over age 50 that contains rich interview and biomarker data on health during aging. Interviews have collected self-reported cancer diagnoses since 1998, but these self-reports have not been validated. We compared first incident cancer diagnoses self-reported in HRS interviews against diagnostic claims from linked Medicare records. Methods: We examined the validity of first incident cancer diagnoses self-reported in biennial HRS interviews from 2000 through 2016 against ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnostic claim records among 8,242 HRS participants aged ≥65 with 90% continuous enrollment in fee-for-service Medicare, using the claim records as the gold standard. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, and k for first incident cancer diagnoses (all cancers combined, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, and each of bladder, breast, colorectal/anal, uterine, kidney/renal, lung/bronchus, and prostate cancers) cumulatively over the follow-up, and at each biennial study interview. Results: Self-reports of first incident cancer diagnosis (agnostic of site) between 2000 and 2016 had 73.2% sensitivity and 96.2% specificity against Medicare claims (k = 0.73). For site-specific self-reports, sensitivities ranged from 44.7% (kidney) to 75.0% (breast), and specificities ranged from 99.2% (prostate) to 99.9% (bladder, uterine, and kidney). Results were similar in sensitivity analyses restricting to individuals with 100% continuous fee-for-service Medicare enrollment and when restricting to individuals with at least 24 months of Medicare enrollment. Conclusions: Self-reported cancer diagnoses in the HRS have reasonable validity for population-based research on cancer and aging across cancer types. Apart from breast cancer, cancer site specific analyses will greatly benefit from the improved validity of self-report with Medicare claim linkage.


Author(s):  
Rahul Aggarwal ◽  
Nicholas Chiu ◽  
Rishi K. Wadhera ◽  
Andrew E. Moran ◽  
Inbar Raber ◽  
...  

We evaluated the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension (defined as a systolic blood pressure [BP]) ≥140 mm Hg, diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg, or a self-reported use of an antihypertensive agent) among US adults, stratified by race/ethnicity. This analysis included 16 531 nonpregnant US adults (≥18 years) in the three National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles between 2013 and 2018. Race/ethnicity was defined by self-report as White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, or other Americans. Among 76 910 050 (74 449 985–79 370 115) US adults with hypertension, 48.6% (47.3%–49.8%, unadjusted) have controlled BP. When compared with BP control rates for White adults (49.0% [46.8%–51.2%], age-adjusted), BP control rates are lower in Black (39.2%, adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.71 [95% CI, 0.59–0.85], P <0.001), Hispanic (40.0%, aOR, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.58–0.88], P =0.003), and Asian (37.8%, aOR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.55–0.84], P =0.001) Americans. Black adults have higher hypertension prevalence (45.3% versus 31.4%, aOR, 2.24 [95% CI, 1.97–2.56], P <0.001) but similar awareness and treatment rates as White adults. Hispanic adults have similar hypertension prevalence, but lower awareness (71.1% versus 79.1%, aOR, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.58–0.89], P =0.005) and treatment rates (60.5% versus 67.3%, aOR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.66–0.94], P =0.010) than White adults. Asian adults have similar hypertension prevalence, lower awareness (72.5% versus 79.1%, aOR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.58–0.97], P =0.038) but similar treatment rates. Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans have different vulnerabilities in the hypertension control cascade of prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control. These differences can inform targeted public health efforts to promote health equity and reduce the burden of hypertension in the United States.


Author(s):  
Lia D’Addario ◽  
Tony Kuo ◽  
Brenda Robles

Lay Summary A major problem in the United States is the overconsumption of high sodium foods. These foods often put people at higher risk of hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. Recent public health efforts have tackled this problem by making it easier to select/purchase healthier, lower sodium foods in different settings. Hospital employees are one such group that has been the focus of these interventions. Presently, little is known about what explains sodium-related dietary behaviors among hospital employees. To address this gap, we used data from a survey of hospital staff who were exposed to sodium reduction interventions in the workplace to examine how their knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported health status affected their sodium consumption. A key finding was being in “good health” and having the belief that salt intake matters for health predicted decreased sodium consumption among the survey participants. These and other study findings provide context and insights into ways in which further sodium reduction could be achieved among at-risk hospital employees.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Tai Seih ◽  
Vi Thanh Tra ◽  
Marketa Lepicovsky ◽  
Yi-Ying Chang

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused hundreds of millions of cases and millions of deaths, resulting in the development of COVID-19 phobia. To prevent getting COVID-19, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in many countries encourage people to protect themselves via several strategies, such as wearing face masks or using sanitizers when washing hands. However, at times, such supplies for preventing COVID-19 are limited. In this study, we examine the relationship between COVID-19 phobia and panic buying behavior from an economic perspective and test if identity fusion plays a buffering role for this phenomenon. Data was collected from September 4th to November 1st in 2020 across three countries (the United States, Germany, and Taiwan). A self-report measure of panic buying behavior was developed and culturally cross-validated. Moderation analyses were conducted focusing on the study objectives. Results show that the economic factor in COVID-19 phobia predicts panic buying behavior, and this effect is buffered by identity fusion. It is worthy to note that this buffering effect emerged only in the Taiwanese sample, not in the American or German samples. Implications of identity fusion theory in human behavior are discussed.


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