More Than Just an Internship: One University’s Collaboration with a Rural School District to Attract, Develop, and Retain School Counselors

This promising practice describes an innovative collaboration between West Virginia University, a land grant institution situated in the middle of rural Appalachia, and Kanawha County Schools, located in Charleston, WV. The partnership aimed to assist the rural school district by supporting children in three elementary schools and by providing the university’s school counseling students an immersion experience in rural schools, with the hope of retaining them in the school district following graduation. The collaboration fulfilled the original mission of the program in two ways; first, the school district retained one-third of the school counseling students who participated. Secondly, the collaboration was met with overwhelming support by district leadership, resulting in an increase in school counseling students entering the program in the next academic year.

366 Impact of Haemonchus Contortus on Feed Intake in Katahdin Sheep Selected for Parasite Resistance

Haemonchus contortous (Hc) infections have decreased profitability of flocks worldwide through loss of production efficiency and in severe cases death. Countless research efforts have been made in order to further understand the extensive impact of this gastrointestinal nematode (GIN). Quantifying the impact feeding behavior after Hc infection may prove vital, in understanding internal effect on growing lambs. The aim of this study was to evaluate Katahdin lambs with extensive genetic evaluation for feed efficiency and behavior utilizing a Growsafe™ system. Katahdin ewes from the Virginia Tech Southwest Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Glade Springs Virginia were divergently selected based on fecal egg count (FEC) EBV and mated to rams (n = 8) of similar genotype. A subset of lambs was selected for feedlot evaluation and transported to West Virginia University. Lambs were fed a complete pellet (16% CP) ad libitum while individual intake was measured in pen-fed groups with a GrowSafe™ system. Half of the lambs from each sire FEC EBV group were infected with 5,000 Hc L3 larvae and observed for 6 weeks alongside uninfected contemporaries. Artificial Hc infection resulted in lambs becoming modestly infected with FEC peaking in week 5 at 324 eggs/g. Infection level was not significant between all 4 groups (P < 0.05). Lambs administered H.C. had observably lower feed intake 2 days after infection. Both infected groups returned to normal intake with their control groups shortly after. Feed intake dropped again at day 10 and remained low until day 16 for LoFEC sired lambs and day 20 for HiFEC sired lambs. Offspring of low FEC rams exhibited an ability to return to normal intake levels earlier than lambs with high FEC EBV sires. Further analysis is needed with greater levels of parasite infection to confirm negative FEC EBV have a shorter duration of lower feed intake.

The utilization of perfused cadaver simulation in urologic training: a pilot study

Background We sought to determine if participating in a surgical training session using perfused fresh human cadavers (PFHC) had a positive effect on urology residents’ confidence in performing open and endoscopic procedures. Methods Urology residents at our institution participated in a surgical training session in the West Virginia University Fresh Tissue Training Program, which utilized fresh cadavers with vascular perfusion. The session consisted of performing different urologic procedures (open and endoscopic) on the perfused fresh human cadavers (PFHC). Residents were given a survey to rate their confidence in different urologic procedures before, after, and 6 months after the session. Each procedure on the survey had 3–6 questions associated with it, with scores ranging from 0 (no confidence) to 4 (great confidence). Scores for each procedure before and after the session were compared. Results Six residents participated in the session. There was an increase in the score for every procedure performed after the session. Scores at 6 month follow up remained higher than the pre-session scores. Conclusion PFHCs offer an excellent opportunity to teach a wide variety of urologic procedures to residents. Incorporation of PFHCs may be very useful in urologic training, and further studies on its use are warranted.

Validating a Simple Mechanistic Model That Describes Weather Impact on Pasture Growth

Mathematical models have many uses. When input data is limited, simple models are required. This occurs in pasture agriculture when managers typically only have access to temperature and rainfall values. A simple pasture growth model was developed that requires only latitude and daily maximum and minimum temperature and rainfall. The accuracy of the model was validated using ten site-years of measured pasture growth at a site under continuous stocking where management controlled the height of grazing (HOG) and a site under rotational stocking at a West Virginia University farm (WVU). Relative forage growth, expressed as a fraction of maximum growth observed at the sites, was reasonably accurate. At the HOG site constant bias in relative growth was not different from zero. There was a year effect due to the weather station used for predicting growth at HOG being 1.8 km from the pasture. However, the error was only about 10-percent. At the WVU site constant bias for relative growth was not different from zero and year effect was eliminated when adjusted for nitrogen status of the treatments. This simple model described relative pasture growth within 10-percent of average for a given site, environment, and management using only daily weather inputs that are readily available. Using predictions of climate change impact on temperature and rainfall frequency and intensity this model can be used to predict the impact on pasture growth.

Barriers to web-based symptom management systems (web-SyMS).

6545 Background: Web-SyMS can reduce the burdens of cancer and its treatment. While patients frequently express willingness to use these systems, only a subset actively engages with them. Some patients may lack the tools and confidence needed to benefit from web-SyMS. We sought to characterize these barriers among community-based cancer patients receiving care across six diverse healthcare systems. Methods: We surveyed patients receiving chemotherapy at three healthcare systems (Baptist, TN; Maine Medical, ME; Dana-Farber, MA) and patients recovering from cancer-directed surgery at three healthcare systems (West Virginia University, WV; Dartmouth-Hitchcock, NH; Lifespan, RI). Surveys were conducted as part of a pre-implementation analysis of eSyM – an EHR-embedded web-SyMS that collects, tracks, and manages patient reported outcomes during cancer therapy. Results: Among 563 respondents, access to tech devices (i.e., tablet, computer, or smartphone) was high: 78% reported access to ≥2 devices and only 5% reported access to no devices. However, confidence using tech devices to accomplish online tasks varied: 45% very confident, 38% somewhat confident, 11% little-no confidence. Compared to medical oncology patients, surgery patients were more likely to report being very confident (57% vs. 31%). There were significant differences based on patients’ self-reported tech confidence (Chi-square P<.05 for all values in the table). Conclusions: Low self-reported tech confidence may identify patients who are at high risk for experiencing the burdens of cancer but may be less likely to benefit from web-SyMS. Addressing this barrier is critical to improving outcomes and addressing disparities. Clinical trial information: NCT03850912. [Table: see text]

Ungrading: why rating students undermines learning (and what to do instead)

Book detailsBlum, S. (2020). Ungrading: Why rating students undermines learning (and what to do instead). West Virginia University Press.