Accounting for diversity in older adults’ digital inclusion and literacy: the impact of a national intervention

In many parts of the world, older adults continue to face significant barriers to digital inclusion, but the source of that inequality is not well understood. However, we do not know enough about differences among older people seeking to improve their digital skills. Examining the impact of a national three-year digital inclusion programme reaching more than 580,000 older adults in Australia, this study explores factors that affect digital skills and literacy later in life. A mixed-methods approach involving a two time-point survey (N = 337) along with participant interviews (N = 30) examined the effectiveness of programme elements. A latent class analysis was applied to examine differences in the way older adults engage with digital technologies. Qualitative analysis helped to detail those differences. Programme outcomes were far from uniform, reflecting diverse motivations, lifecourse experiences, needs and capabilities among older adults, countering much existing research that tends to elide those differences. With reference to the concept of situated literacies, we highlight the importance of life experiences, needs and motivations to the outcomes of digital inclusion interventions. Our findings emphasise the need to disaggregate older adult internet users, and account for differences in life experiences, needs and motivations in the design and delivery of digital inclusion interventions at scale.

A Systematic Approach for Assessment of Attainment in Outcome-based Education

The capabilities expected to be attained by learners, after learning a course or programme, are called course outcomes (CO) and programme outcomes (PO), respectively. The objectives of outcome-based education (OBE) are to ensure realization of grooming graduates with all the theoretical, practical and soft skills required to make them competent and industry-ready professionals. This article discusses the implementation of an assessment system for analysing the attainment of outcomes in OBE. It is a web-based application for evaluating the attainment of COs, POs and programme educational objectives (PEOs) in institutions of higher learning. Recently, OBE and choice-based credit system (CBCS) have become prevalent in institutions of higher learning. The significance and benefits of OBE and CBCS are recognized by all stakeholders, including accrediting agencies. The process for establishing and refining, the vision and mission of the institution, vision and mission of the department offering the programme, COs, POs and PEOs are discussed. The procedure and rubrics for assessing the attainment of the outcomes are also discussed. Accreditation is an honouring mechanism used to assess the standards and quality of the education offered by a programme to a student at an institution of higher learning. The article discusses a systematic approach for assessment of attainment of outcomes by graduates of a programme in an autonomous engineering college following OBE with CBCS.

Programme Outcome Attributes related to Complex Engineering Problem Capability: Perceptions of Engineering Students in Malaysia

Programme outcomes (POs) are the attributes that reflect the student skills expected to be acquired upon graduation. The Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) under Board of Engineers Malaysia requires 12 POs with complex engineering problems (CEP) and knowledge profiles to be incorporated in engineering programmes. Despite considerable research on outcome-based education (OBE), the OBE implementation with regards to the PO attributes and domains incorporating CEP characteristics are still questionable and vaguely implemented by the programmes. This paper presents two PO attributes related to problem solving and development/design for solution based on the perceptions of 301 engineering students in Malaysia. This paper aims to determine the student’s level of understanding on the PO learning domain and to analyze significant factors contributing to their PO attainment. A quantitative method using a questionnaire survey was adopted targeting a random probability sampling of respondents. Descriptive (percentage frequency, relative importance index) and statistical analyses (reliability, normality, correlation) were used to analyze the data. The findings show that the students perceived both POs as cognitive domains and they believed that lecturer’s roles in facilitating students on the subject matter has contributed significantly to their PO attainment. This study is limited to an engineering programme from one institution of higher learning (IHL) in Malaysia. However, the findings provide important insights on the students’ level of understanding of PO attributes and the OBE practices on CEP in the programme. This study can be extended to other IHLs to gauge the students’ understanding related to other PO attributes stipulated by the EAC. Keywords: Programme Outcomes, Cognitive Domain, Problem Analysis, Design of The Solution, Engineering

Effective Implementation of Complex Engineering Problems and Complex Engineering Activities in Malaysian Engineering Curricular

The Engineering Accreditation Council Standard 2020 requires the stipulated 12 programme outcomes that address complex engineering problems (CEP) and complex engineering activities (CEA) to be incorporated in the engineering programmes. However, the implementation of outcome-based education with regards to CEP and CEA is still in the infancy stage. This study was carried out to give an overview of the implementation of complex engineering problems and activities in Malaysian engineering programmes in relation to the types of assessment used to address CEP and CEA, and the typical weightage and taxonomy level of CEP and CEA employed in these assessments. A survey questionnaire was administered to 256 engineering educators from 25 universities to enquire about the implementation of CEP and CEA in their engineering programmes, particularly in the online teaching and learning during the Covid19 pandemic. The findings showed that most of the programmes addressed complex engineering problems in assignments or projects as compared to final examinations or mid-term tests. Complex engineering activities were found to be addressed in Final Year Project, Industrial Training and Integrated Design Project and laboratory courses. The findings in this study could act as a guideline for educators to enhance the teaching and learning activities incorporating CEP and CEA elements, and hence facilitating the continual quality improvement for an engineering programme. Keywords: Complex Engineering Problems, Complex Engineering Activity, Engineering Accreditation Council, Outcome-Based Education

Curriculum Mapping of Undergraduate Medical Programmes: Recommendations for Future Directions

Background: Medical schools are expected to churn out all-rounded healthcare professionals who are competent in the prerequisite knowledge and skills necessary to address the everchanging health needs of the society. This is usually made possible through innovation and strategy, one of which involves the continuous review and renewal of all the components of existing teaching and learning plans through a blueprinting process called curriculum mapping. This blueprint allows for curriculum goals development, together with management, reviewing and organizing its contents. As curriculum mapping of medical programmes was in its infancy stage at the time of this research, this study focusses on reporting the perspectives of the curriculum leaders on future directions for curriculum mapping of undergraduate medical programmes in South Africa. Method: Purposive sampling was used in a qualitative study among fourteen academics involved in medical curricula at all eight medical schools. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and analysis was done by thematic analysis. Results: Curriculum planners have specific expectations of curriculum mapping of undergraduate programmes as a possible future strategy to drive curriculum review and renewal in the country. Although some agreement exists about the characteristic features, any mapping platform created should meet the specific institutional requirements that will address their challenges. Conclusion: Finally, a national mandate from the authorities will be required to achieve curriculum benchmarking and collaboration amongst the medical schools to standardize undergraduate medical programme outcomes.

How soon should patients be eligible for differentiated service delivery models for antiretroviral treatment? Evidence from Zambia

Background: Most differentiated service delivery (DSD) models for HIV treatment, which are intended to improve ART programme outcomes, require that a patient have spent >6 or >12 months on antiretroviral treatment (ART) ART for eligibility. Attrition from ART programmes, however, is highest among those newly initiated and thus ineligible for DSD models. Because some patients are enrolled "early", prior to 6 or 12 months on ART, we were able to evaluate loss to follow-up among patients in Zambia enrolled in DSD models after differing intervals on ART. Methods: Data were extracted from electronic medical records of patients (>15 years) enrolled in DSD models from October 2019-March 2020. We compared 12-month loss to follow-up (LTFU), defined as "lost to follow-up", "inactive", or "stopped ART" at 9-15 months after DSD enrolment, among patients enrolled in six DSD models after <6 months, 6-12 months, and >12 months on ART, with those enrolled with <6 or <12 months on ART termed "early enrollers" and those enrolled with >12 months termed "established". We adjusted for age, sex, urban/rural status, and duration of ART dispensing. Results: Of 88,556 patients enrolled in a DSD model, 4% (n=3,143) and 8% (n=6,714) had initiated ART <6 months or 6-12 months before DSD entry, respectively. Early enrollers were less likely to be LTFU at 12 months than established patients (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) [95% confidence interval] for <6 months on ART 0.72 [0.62-0.83]; aRR 0.74 [0.67-0.82] for 6-12 months on ART) for almost all DSD models and dispensing durations. A limitation of the analysis is that early enrollers may have been selected for DSD participation due to providers' expectations about future retention. Conclusions: Patients enrolled in DSD models in Zambia after less than a year on ART were more likely to be retained in care 12 months later than were patients established on ART at DSD enrollment. Offering enrollment to at least some newly-initiating ART patients may improve ART programme outcomes.

Examining Ghana’s Cash Transfer Programme Outcomes in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality from Conversation and Membership Categorisation Analyses Perspectives

Since the start of cash transfer programmes in developing countries in the late 1990s and its spread, studies have demonstrated a variety of outcomes comprising education, health, and nutrition for the poorest households. These studies focused on macro analysis of programmes’ outcomes but paid little attention to an indepth micro study of the everyday intersubjective accounts and actions of local community focal persons and caregivers, which construct programme outcomes. The objective of this study is to highlight the everyday concrete outcomes of a cash transfer programme in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality in Ghana. This study draws on Foucault’s notion of subjectivation and discourse to construct a conversation and membership categorisation analyses framework to explore community focal persons’ and female caregivers’ conversations from focus group discussions. The Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty cash transfer programme in Ghana is the empirical case. This article demonstrates that caregivers and poor households arehappier, practice joint decision-making, and have cohesive social relations in poor households. Thus, localised programme outcomes improved participation in the decision-making, happiness, and social cohesion of beneficiary poor households. Evaluation mechanisms for programme outcomes could consider the everyday intersubjective accounts, practices of focal persons, caregivers/beneficiaries in poor households at the micro-level. Keywords: Social Protection, Ethnography, Discourse, Subjectivation, Governmentality

Incubators, accelerators and urban economic development

We combine theory and evidence on incubator and accelerator programmes and their effects on urban economic development. These structured co-working programmes have grown rapidly. However, a rich descriptive literature reveals little about their impact on participants or surrounding urban areas. We situate programmes in a conceptual framework of co-location tools, theorise objectives and benefits and report findings from systematic, OECD-wide reviews of the evaluation literature. These evaluations provide evidence that accelerators and incubators raise participant employment, with accelerators also aiding access to finance. Ecosystem features such as university involvement and urban economic conditions also influence programme outcomes. However, evaluation evidence is less clear on detailed intervention design. We consider wider lessons and lay out an agenda for future research.

Integration of medical device design training in clinical teaching - A case study

Dental practitioners often encounter situations that require customising the prosthesis to satisfy the needs of patients. Artificial devices called dental appliances or prosthesis is custom fabricated for the functional, aesthetic, and psychological wellbeing of patients (Chu et al. 2013). The patient’s complaints may vary from missing natural teeth to extensive maxillofacial defects, and there is no single best rehabilitative therapy for these conditions. Designing our product is the choice, and this demands adaptive expertise, i.e., the ability to generate potential solutions (Mylopoulos et al. 2018). Maxillofacial Prosthodontics applies a variety of learning methods like systematic simulation laboratory exercises, See One, Do One, Teach One (SODOTO method), and supervised clinical practice to train the routine technical skills and clinical practice. To maximise the outcomes in the complex prosthetic treatment, the course specialists designed an “Interdisciplinary Device Development program (IDDP)”—a value-added course for the postgraduates in collaboration with the Biomedical Instrumentation Engineering Faculty of our Institution. IDDP is the first of its kind challenge-based learning model in Dentistry that uses innovations to deal with rehabilitation care beyond routine practice. This paper aims to present our IDDP model and programme outcomes.

Student Attaintment of Skill Sets Through Capstone Course in Diploma in Civil Engineering Programme

Engineering education has become challenging compared to previous decade, the readiness of graduates before entering employement world is vital for the academician. Students are expected to possess all generic skill sets as needed by a qualified engineer including knowledge profile, engineering ability, communication, teamwork, and other relevant skills. In Malaysia, engineering graduates should possess 12 programme outcomes (PO) according to ETAC requirement, throughout the whole curriculum structure in diploma level. However, capstone course in Diploma Civil Engineering in UiTM only measures 3 main programme outcomes which are problem solving and scientific skills, communication skills, and ethics in engineering. The implementation of capstones course is reviewed for 3 consecutive semesters and student attaintment based on grade and programe outcomes is observed. This paper provides the assesment tools that had been mapped to programme outcomes through out 14 week lesson plan for final year students in Diploma Civil Engineering.This study was conducted in UiTM Pasir Gudang to measure the attainment of student’s skill set based on programme outcomes stated in the syllabus. It shows that, a graduate is considered to be good in communication skills and ethics in engineering but average in problem solving skills and scientific skills. Thus, a few recomandations have been made to improve the skills attainment among students at the faculty level.