Analyzing Diversity and Equity in Virtual Classrooms

Around the country, school systems are trying to navigate through the ever-changing impact COVID-19 has caused. School districts scramble to equip teachers and students with technology as the world transitions to a mostly virtual setting. This document gives an overview of challenges educators encountered shifting from traditional face-to-face learning to virtual learning. This chapter also analyzes how differentiation and the use of multiple communication platforms help to address equity and diversity in the virtual setting.

Innovative Patient Involvement During Covid-19: Keeping Patients at the Heart of HTA

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures in the United Kingdom resulted in significant challenges and created opportunities for innovation to keep patients at the heart of HTA. The introduction of the Coronavirus Act 2020 and the associated public health guidance meant that NICE's conventional HTA methods were no longer feasible. NICE introduced rapid, innovative updates to patient and public involvement (PPI), decision-making meetings, and consultations to harness the expertise of patients and the public to ensure guidance addressed the expected concerns and identified barriers which could impact access. This article describes the PPI support for NICE's rapid shift to virtual meetings and virtual engagement. We utilize the authors' experience and patient and public contributor feedback to understand the experience of participating in a virtual setting and identify four themes: accessibility; inclusivity; transparency; and intrapersonal relationships and committee dynamics. The article also considers how patient representatives participated in, and facilitated, the development of guidance for a hypothetical technology to keep patients and the public at the heart of expedited and novel HTA processes to identify and understand the expected patient concerns and potential barriers for when a technology would be introduced.

Evaluation of virtual assessment

BackgroundThe study emerged from the necessity to reschedule an in-person long case examination to an online platform for Physician Associate students’ final clinical examination. The group had already experienced a delay in taking this clinical examination due to missing clinical hours, during Covid-19 restrictions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the experiences of students and examiners for a high stakes’ clinical examination online. Research suggests that the long case is the only clinical examination that promotes holistic assessment. However, a disconnect between the patient’s presence and the student in the virtual environment was a key finding in this study. Methods This was an evaluation research study, using the Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model, which provided a framework to establish the effectiveness and/or success of an online format for a high stakes’ clinical examination. All students and examiners were invited to take part in virtual interviews. ResultsResults suggest that both students (n=5) and examiners (n=7) agree that, while the stress of a face-to-face examination was lessened for the student, this was balanced by a new stressor of potential internet problems. All agreed that a virtual setting for a high stakes assessment is not transferable, with both groups citing the lack of opportunities to ‘read the patient’ and ‘showcase their physical exam skills’ as challenging. Conclusions Our study suggests that, in the context of balancing the risks of the pandemic with graduating healthcare professionals, the online format was a success. The benefits cited included the preparation of students for real life situations in a clinical setting, with a healthcare system now more reliant on virtual consultations, and the capacity to offer increased opportunities for formative assessment of consultation and clinical reasoning skills. However, recommendations suggest that the long case could be planned so that student and patient are in the same setting to perform a ten-minute physical exam, confirming the finding that questions on ‘how to’ examine a patient are no substitute for ‘doing’.

Digital Storytelling for Bereaved Individuals in a Virtual Setting

An emerging body literature exists highlighting the use of Digital Storytelling as an educational, and/or therapeutic intervention. Authors of this manuscript have studied Digital Storytelling as a narrative bereavement intervention designed to help individuals make meaning of adverse life events, like the death of a family member. Until recently, Digital Storytelling is typically delivered in person. The purpose of this article is to describe the steps to implementing Digital Storytelling as a bereavement intervention in a completely virtual setting, using Zoom technology. Best practices and lessons learned for the virtual delivery of Digital Storytelling are provided.

The Focus Group Must Go On: Lessons Learned from Conducting Virtual Focus Groups

The Covid-19 pandemic has presented a multitude of challenges in conducting research with human subjects. In response, researchers have found creative ways to complete these studies using alternative methods that incorporate social distancing. Fortunately, numerous technologies exist today that allow individuals to connect with one another over short and long distances. The current study describes the development of LifeBio Memory: an app-based product that utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve an existing life story intervention designed for persons living with dementia (PWD). Seven focus groups (n=35), originally planned in-person, were successfully converted to a virtual setting. Groups were hosted using a Zoom platform, lasted 75-90 minutes (Mean = 85; SD = 5.3), and consisted of participants from 14 different states: One group of community-dwelling PWDs with early-stage dementia (n=5); two groups of current and former users of the original LifeBio program (n=12); and four groups of residential care staff and directors (n=18). Virtual focus group delivery was determined to be an acceptable and feasible alternative to traditional in-person formats. Topics discussed in this poster will include: 1) recruitment procedures, 2) screening protocols, 3) methods for sharing materials, 4) guidance for providing technology support, and 5) communication strategies to increase retention. Further discussion will focus on challenges faced when collecting data in a virtual setting, tips for successful facilitation, advantages to using virtual alternatives, and other lessons learned from the virtual field.

Think-Pair-Share as a Springboard for Study Buddies in a Virtual Environment

Many powerful teaching techniques have not yet fully transitioned from face-to-face use to the new remote instructional paradigm forced on teacher educators and teacher candidates during the pandemic. Experiences by candidates and by instructors in this new environment need to be compiled and shared as we head forward into structures and situations. This article describes how one such technique, Think-Pair-Share (Lyman, 1981) inspired assigning Study Buddies in a co-taught graduate level teacher education course, Managing Culturally Responsive Classrooms, in the summer of 2020. Two teacher candidates, two professors and Dr. Frank Lyman, offer insight and suggestions about this practice, its possibilities and its limitations as the course moved from a traditional implementation to a virtual setting.

Impacts of the Virtual Landscape During the COVID-19 Pandemic on the 2020 Application Cycle

Introduction/Objective In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 application cycle adapted to a mostly virtual setting. This project focused on the impact of these changes on the 2020 application cycle with the elimination of in- person away rotations and interviews, as well as the implementation of new virtual opportunities for learning and interacting with residents and programs. Methods/Case Report This study was conducted through an anonymous survey sent out to programs that engaged in social media usage in the 2020 application cycle. The survey was made available to program directors, faculty, residents and the matched applicants and focused on their usage and opinion of impact of virtual opportunities, virtual interviews and social media encounters. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) A total of 17 program directors/faculty, 17 residents and 19 matched applicants completed the survey across 91 programs surveyed. Virtual opportunities that were offered across these programs include: open houses, sub-internships, didactic lectures, grand rounds, Q&A sessions, and virtual facility tours. Responses showed that 4 programs (16%) moved applicants up on their rank list based on pre-interview virtual interactions. From the applicant perspective, 13 (76.5%) said virtual opportunities impacted the way they evaluated programs with 13 (68.4%) ranking programs higher and 3 (15.7%) ranking programs they otherwise would not have ranked. On the other hand, 21 faculty/residents (80.7%) felt that applicants missed out on fully experiencing the program due to lack of in person interviews and away rotations. However, 14 programs (56%) interviewed more candidates and offered more interview days during the 2020 application cycle. Applicants also applied to a greater number of programs with 42% of surveyed applicants applying to more than 50 programs, however none attended more than 30 interviews. Conclusion In conclusion, adaptations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have provided an unexpected opportunity to explore the impact of the virtual landscape on residency recruitment.

Efficacy of the FIBROWALK Multicomponent Program Moved to a Virtual Setting for Patients with Fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Proof-of-Concept RCT Performed Alongside the State of Alarm in Spain

FIBROWALK is a multicomponent program including pain neuroscience education, therapeutic exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness training that has recently been found to be effective in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). This RCT started before the COVID-19 pandemic and was moved to a virtual format (i.e., online videos) when the lockdown was declared in Spain. This study is aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a virtual FIBROWALK compared to Treatment-As-Usual (TAU) in patients with FM during the first state of alarm in Spain. A total of 151 patients with FM were randomized into two study arms: FIBROWALK plus TAU vs. TAU alone. The primary outcome was functional impairment. Secondary outcomes were kinesiophobia, anxiety and depressive symptomatology, and physical functioning. Differences between groups at post-treatment assessment were analyzed using Intention-To-Treat (ITT) and completer approaches. Baseline differences between clinical responders and non-responders were also explored. Statistically significant improvements with small-to-moderate effect sizes were observed in FIBROWALK+TAU vs. TAU regarding functional impairment and most secondary outcomes. In our study, the NNT was 5, which was, albeit modestly, indicative of an efficacious intervention. The results of this proof-of-concept RCT preliminarily support the efficacy of virtual FIBROWALK in patients with FM during the Spanish COVID-19 lockdown.

Teaching Radiology to Medical Students in Canada; a Virtual, Integrative, Clinical Approach

Purpose: To construct, apply, and evaluate a multidisciplinary approach in teaching radiology to Canadian medical students. Methods: A multidisciplinary team of radiology and other disciplines experts designed an online 5-session course that was delivered to medical students. The topics of each session were clinical cases involving different systems. The target audience was medical students of Canadian schools. Pretests and post-tests were administered before and after each session respectively. An evaluation survey was distributed at the end of the course to gauge students’ perceptions of this experience. Results: An average of 425 medical students attended the live sessions. For each session, 405 students completed both the pre-tests and post-tests. In general, students scored an average of 56% higher on the post-test than on the pre-test. The final course survey was completed by 469 students. The survey results show that more than 98% of students found the course to meet or exceed their expectations. Over 80% of students agreed that the course increased their interest in radiology and about 81% agree that the topics presented were excellent and clinically important. The ratings in the final survey results also indicate that students increased their confidence in basic radiology skills after completing the course. Conclusions: The implementation of an integrative clinical approach to teaching radiology in a virtual setting is achievable. It provides efficient use of educational resources while being accessible by a large number of students across different medical schools.

Virtual Arbitration Hearings: the New Normal?

This paper addresses the notion and legal framework for virtual hearings in international arbitration. The authors first examine the existing laws in different jurisdictions and how they tackle the issue both when it comes to litigation and when it comes to arbitration, followed by analyses of various institutional arbitration rules, including recent changes thereof and pertinent case law on the matter. They further examine the general idea of a virtual setting for the hearing against legal and technical objections frequently encountered in practice. In particular, the interplay of technical capabilities and legal standards such as “due process” and the “right to present one’s case” is assessed. Finally, the authors identify possible pathways to replacing the classical in-person hearing with the virtual one and the key legal and practical considerations to be assessed before deciding to proceed with it.