Through the Looking Glass: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed International Branch Campuses’ Academic Experience and Home Campus Relationship

This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the academic experience at international branch campuses (IBCs) and has changed the relationship between the IBC and the home campus. Semi-structured interviews with 26 leaders, academic staff, and students at seven IBCs in Malaysia revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the experience at IBCs in unique ways, including collaboration and communication with the home campus; increasing campus-specific resources for student wellbeing; and playing a larger role in student enrollment, recruitment, and mobility initiatives. Findings provide useful insights for higher education institutions (HEIs) engaged in transnational education (TNE).

An adaptable multi-learner serious game for learning cultural heritage

The current study presents an adaptable light game engine, which is used to produce interactive educational settings focused on cultural heritage. The tool is implemented using inexpensive and open source technologies. In this paper we first discuss the architecture of the application and we then present two games developed by using the proposed engine. The produced games are multi-user and support the collaboration and communication among learners and among learners and instructors. Learners earn marks, badges and certificates as they study the material and complete the quizzes. Various evaluation experiments have been realized to understand the suitability of the produced content in educational activities. The evaluation results of the authentic educational actions were quite positive and supportive by both students and teachers.

Embracing Video Games for Strategic Thinking, Collaboration, and Communication Skills Practice

According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) report, 70% of families have a child who is actively playing video games at home. This pop culture phenomenon has challenged the way teachers think about learning and engagement. This chapter explores how the nature, culture, design, mechanics, and logistics of video games shape the way classroom gamers think. It examines how video games provide a space for strategic practice, the 21st-century skills acquired, and the tools gamers use as experts. Presenting background and context to help better understand why and how video game environments develop strategic thinking, the purpose of this chapter is to encourage educators to embrace video games to harness pop culture experiences as a means to motivate students to develop 21st-century literacy practices and skills. Through the reflections and framework of a teacher's experience who is an active researcher, it also discusses how a popular mainstream video game in the classroom changed her teaching and opened her eyes to a new type of learner.

Creating a small baby program: a single center’s experience

Creation of a small baby program requires special resources and multidisciplinary engagement. Such a program has the potential to improve patient care, parent and staff satisfaction, collaboration and communication. We have described benefits, challenges, and practical approaches to creating and maintaining a small baby program that could be a model for the development of special programs for other sub-populations within in the NICU.

From Leading to Guiding, Facilitating, and Inspiring: A Needed Shift for the 21st Century

In the 21st-century context, problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication are the most valued skills in the workplace. Thus, those in positions often labeled as “leadership” need to make a valuable shift: to guiding, inspiring, and facilitating rather than directing. In this article, I review research on two styles of leadership, transformational and transactional, and relate this research to discussions of the same two types of giftedness. Research on the effectiveness of leaders at engendering creative problem solving has shown the transformational style to be more effective. Leaders are guides in the process rather than the content, facilitators of the gathering and exchange of information from varied sources, and role models as they exhibit effective problem-solving behaviors themselves. As role models, they inspire others to take risks, think innovatively, and collaborate with others. Examples of methods for identifying exceptionally talented leaders and behaviors to observe are provided. In addition, an evidence-based model for igniting, cultivating, extending, and strengthening exceptional talent in leadership is described.

Enabling Collaboration and Communication Across Law Enforcement Jurisdictions: Data Sharing in a Multiagency Partnership

Offenders do not always operate within jurisdictional boundaries and, as such, neighboring law enforcement agencies can benefit from sharing crime data and other investigation-related information with one another, with the shared goal of reducing crime throughout their region. In 2016, one such partnership was formed with seven law enforcement agencies, the District Attorney’s Office, and public health officials in King County, Washington. As part of a larger evaluation of this regional collaboration, the authors assessed the data and intelligence-sharing behaviors of key personnel from each participating agency over an 18-month period. This was done through a series of interviews with key personnel and the use of social network analysis. Results suggest that, although data-sharing networks increased in size and project personnel were able to identify benefits to sharing crime data with one another (e.g., seeing the “bigger picture” regarding crime in their region, using shared crime data to track and combat violent crime), they also identified a number of obstacles associated with cross-jurisdictional data sharing. Findings from this evaluation contribute to the collective understanding and implementation of a regional approach to crime control. If criminal justice agencies plan to work together to reduce crime, data and information sharing are essential. Therefore, it is imperative that agencies are aware of the positive outcomes associated with regional data sharing and the challenges that can arise throughout this collaborative effort.

Review on Assessment and Evaluation of Vitiligo in Primary Care

Vitiligo is an acquired skin disorder characterised by the disappearance of melanocytes, resulting in well-defined white patches that are frequently symmetrically distributed. The lack of melanin pigment makes the lesional skin more sensitive to sunburn. Vitiligo can be cosmetically disfiguring, and it is a stigmatising condition that can lead to serious psychologic problems in daily life. Vitiligo is treated with a variety of topical and systemic medications, phototherapy, laser therapy, and surgical therapy. Corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and vitamin-D analogues are examples of topical treatment modalities. Phototherapy is a highly effective treatment method. It causes repigmentation in the majority of patients with early and localised disease. Because vitiligo is associated with other autoimmune disorders, a multidisciplinary approach is required. Collaboration and communication between primary care physicians and dermatologists are critical. This review aims to assess role of primary care physicians in assessment and management of vitiligo in primary care settings.

Model Pembelajaran Think Pair Share Berbasis Pendidikan Karakter

Buku Pembelajaran Think Pair Share berbasis Pendidikan Karakter adalah salah satu buku model pembelajaran kooperatif yang dikembangkan untuk menjawab analisis kebutuhan mahasiswa dalam hal peningkatan sikap sosial. Buku model ini divalidasi dan dievaluasi setelah penerapan model pembelajaran TPS berbasis Pendidikan Karakter.Buku model pembelajaran kooperatif TPS berbasis Pendidikan Karakter mengembangkan sintaks kemampuan 4C (Critical Thinking, Creative, Collaboration. and Communication). Sistem pendukungnya menggunakan media sosial seperti video, drama, YouTube sebagai produk pembelajaran di dalam kelas. Buku model ini memberikan kemudahan kepada pendidika untuk mengembangkan potensi mahasiswa dalam berkreativitas, kolaborasi, berbagi pendapat/pengalaman dan meningkatkan sikap sosialnya baik di dalam kelas dan di luar kelas. Model ini dirancang untuk memberikan kesempatan kepada mahasiswa untuk berpikir, berbagi pendapat, pengalaman secara berpasangan, dan berbagi kepada kelompok yang lebih besar. Buku model ini juga didukung dengan pendekatan 5 P sebagai pendekatan Belajar berarti Berubah (B3). Pendekatan Penghubung, Pelajaran, Penerapan, Perubahan dan Penutup dengan model TPS berbasis Pendidikan Karakter mempertajam pencapaian tujuan pembelajaran dan dapat meningkatkan sikap sosial peserta didik.

Creation and Operation of a COVID-19 Pooled Testing Collection Site Prior to a CTC Rotation

ABSTRACT Introduction This brief report describes the process, used by the 1st Infantry Division (1ID) and Irwin Army Community Hospital (IACH) at Fort Riley, Kansas, for conducting pooled testing collection of over 2,500 Soldiers prior to a large-scale exercise involving multiple units. Materials and Methods The authors captured after action review comments on the process and results of their pooled specimen collection site. Pooled specimen test results were reviewed and classified according to Aberdeen Proving Ground criteria to determine the percentage of successful and failed pooled specimens. Results 1ID and IACH performed pooled testing collection and shipment of 2,684 specimens divided into 298 pools over 6 flight manifests. Of the 298 pooled specimens, 4 (1.34%) were found to be inconclusive or invalid, and the other 294 (98.7%) had sufficient number of human cells to be certified as SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) positive or COVID-19 not detected. Conclusion Pooled testing collection is a complex process that may continue to be a requirement for mass screening of COVID-19 prior to military operations. While planning should be tailored to the specific mission and unit, key factors that the authors feel are required for pooled testing to be successful in any situation are standardized training and personnel continuity, quality assurance, administrative oversight by the unit, and collaboration and communication between all involved entities.

Interdisciplinary and transferable concepts in bioinformatics education: observations and approaches from a UK MSc course

Bioinformatics is a highly interdisciplinary subject, with substantial and growing influence in health, environmental science and society, and is utilised by scientists from many diverse academic backgrounds. Education in bioinformatics therefore necessitates effective development of skills in interdisciplinary collaboration, communication, ethics, and critical analysis of research, in addition to practical and technical skills. Insights from bioinformatics training can additionally inform developing education in the tightly aligned and emerging disciplines of data science and artificial intelligence. Here we describe the design, implementation, and review of a module in a UK MSc-level bioinformatics programme attempting to address these goals for diverse student cohorts. Reflecting the philosophyof the field and programme, the module content was designed either as ‘diversity-addressing’ – working towards a common foundation of knowledge – or ‘diversity-exploiting’ – where different student viewpoints and skills were harnessed to facilitate student research projects ‘greater than the sum of their parts’. For a universal introduction to technical concepts, we combined a mixed lecture / immediate computational practical approach, facilitated by virtual machines, creating an efficient technical learning environment praised in student feedback for building confidence among cohorts with diverse backgrounds. Interdisciplinary group research projects where diverse students worked on real research questions were supervised in tandem with interactive contact time covering transferable skills in collaboration and communication in diverse teams, research presentation, and ethics. Multifaceted feedback and assessment provided a constructive alignment with real peer-reviewed bioinformatics research. We believe that the inclusion of these transferable, interdisciplinary, and critical concepts in a bioinformatics course can help produce rounded, experienced graduates, ready for the real world and with many future options in science and society. In addition, we hope to provide some ideas and resources to facilitate such inclusion.