A Post-Secondary Writing Bridge Program for Incarcerated Learners

This chapter discusses a College Bridge Writing Program piloted by the Petey Greene Program inside the Washington D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC) Jail. The program is designed to foster racial and social justice by addressing some of the barriers that prevent incarcerated students from accessing higher education, from succeeding in college-level courses, and more generally, from finding meaningful employment. After providing an overview of the structure and the objectives of the course, the author focuses on the challenges posed by the pandemic and on two of the main features that contributed to the success of the program – the use of learning technology and the role of volunteer tutors, who provided one-on-one support to incarcerated students.

Georgia State University Perimeter College LSAMP Transfer Bridge Program: A Path Forward for Broadening Participation in Stem

Summer Bridge Programs are increasingly becoming a popular strategy for Colleges and Universities to retain more historically underrepresented minority students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Retaining students in STEM disciplines is a necessary first step in order to accomplish the ultimate goal of diversifying the STEM workforce to create innovative solutions for today’s complex problems. In this paper, the authors describe an exploratory and descriptive study of the promising Georgia State University Perimeter College (GSU-PC) Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Transfer Bridge Program. Most summer bridge programs are designed to facilitate seamless entry into college for incoming first year students, but the GSU-PC LSAMP Transfer Bridge program is designed to support the successful transition of underrepresented STEM students transferring from a 2-year to 4-year institution. Early results indicate that the Transfer Bridge participants were significantly more likely to enroll in a 4-year STEM program, receive a STEM bachelor’s degree, enroll in a post-baccalaureate STEM program, and receive a STEM post-baccalaureate degree than a comparison group of non-Transfer Bridge students at Georgia State University Perimeter College.

Effectiveness of the BRIDGE Program: Support for Participation in Group Settings

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. The BRIDGE program is presented to bridge the social needs of children with sensory processing and integration challenges by providing services in dyads, triads, or quartets. This 12-session program focuses on six themes: whole-body listening, personal space, turn-taking, trading objects and toys, listening and communicating personal ideas, and sportsmanship. Data suggest an improvement in social skills and a reduction in the impact of the child’s behavior on the activities of the family. Primary Author and Speaker: Sarah A. Schoen Additional Authors and Speakers: Mim Ochsenbein

Investigation of the Effect of the Deck Material on the Cost in Cable-Stayed Bridges with Different Spans

Recent developments in the social sphere also cause an increase in transportation activities. Increased transport activities lead to the construction of new roads and bridges. Different bridge construction systems are available to overcome large span obstacles. Cable-stayed bridges are more advantageous construction systems than other bridge type building carrier systems in overcoming large spans through suspension cables. Therefore, it is also widely preferred by designers. The biggest factor in the development of cable-stayed bridges is undoubtedly steel cables. Cable-stayed bridges are bridge structures that become lighter with the increase of the span, which has a more expanded flexibility, and that includes a cable system with the effect of nonlinear factors. Costs of cable-stayed bridges vary according to different spans. The span as well as the deck material used in the bridge system have a great effect on the cost. In cable-stayed bridge systems, decks are constructed of reinforced concrete and steel. The costs of cable-stayed bridges are widely discussed around the world; therefore, the effect of the span and deck material on the cost of cable-stayed bridges is being investigated. The main bearing elements of such bridges are cables, decks, and towers, and among these elements, the tower bridge carries all the weight of the bridge, even other external loads such as vehicle, wind, etc. In this study, the three-dimensional model of the cable, deck and tower elements that make up the cable-stayed bridge system was created and analysed using the CSI Bridge Program. The AASHTO LRFD Standards, which are widely used in the analysis of bridge systems with the CSI Bridge program and the design of bridge systems in the world, were used. In the study, the analysis and designs of cable-stayed bridges with reinforced concrete and steel deck at 250, 500, 750, 1000, 1500, 2000 meters span were carried out. The amount of materials and costs used in the analysis and design of the cable-stayed bridge systems were obtained and the results were interpreted.

A Meta-analysis of University STEM Summer Bridge Program Effectiveness

A meta-analysis of university STEM summer bridge programs found that participation had a medium-sized effect on first-year overall GPA ( d = 0.34) and university retention (Odds Ratio OR] = 1.747). Although the analysis reflects the limited available data, it provides much-needed research on programs’ objective effectiveness and guides future program development.

OP0153-HPR BRIDGING GAPS ACROSS LEVELS OF CARE IN REHABILITATION OF PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATIC - AND MUSCULOSKELETAL DISEASES: RESULTS FROM A STEPPED WEDGE CLUSTER RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Background:Previous research show that patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) benefit from rehabilitation, but the health effects are small and decline over time. Later reports reveal that the quality of rehabilitation services varies largely, with lack of coordination and continuity across levels of care. This may weaken the effect on patients’ long-lasting health, ability to self-manage their conditions and achieve their goals. We therefore developed a new, evidence-based rehabilitation program to strengthen the quality and bridge the gaps in rehabilitation services for this patient group.Objectives:To evaluate if a new rehabilitation program (the BRIDGE program) designed to improve the quality and continuity of rehabilitation across levels of care, was more effective than traditional rehabilitation in improving goal achievement, function, self-assessed health and health related quality of life (HR-QoL) in patients with RMDs.Methods:In a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial 8 rehabilitation centres organised in secondary health care and located across all health regions of Norway recruited a total of 374 patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. These patients received either traditional rehabilitation (control) (n=206), or traditional rehabilitation extended with an individually adapted complex intervention consisting of structured goal setting, plans for self-management, motivational interviewing, self-monitored digital feedback, and tailored follow-up support after discharge according to patients’ needs and available resources in primary healthcare (the BRIDGE program) (n=168). Patient-reported data were collected electronically on admission and discharge from rehabilitation, and after 2, 7, and 12 months. The primary outcome measure was patients’ goal achievement measured by the Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) (0-10, 10=best) seven months after rehabilitation stay. Secondary outcome measures were function measured by the 30-seconds Sit-To-Stand Test (30secSTS), self-assessed health and HR-QoL measured by the EuroQol instruments EQ-5D-5L-VAS (0-100, 100=best) and EQ 5D-5L-index (-1 to 1, 1=best). The main comparative analysis was performed on the intention to treat population, using all available data, by linear mixed models adjusted for the baseline scores and for the potentially confounding effects of calendar time and data clustering. Sensitivity analyses were performed on data provided by the per protocol population according to predefined criteria, in addition to centerwise comparisons of the control and intervention groups.Results:No significant treatment effects of the BRIDGE-program were demonstrated either for patients’ goal achievement (mean difference 0.1 [95% CI: -0.5, 0.8], p=0.70) (Figure 1), function (mean difference 0.9 [95% CI: - 0.4, 2.2], p=0.18), self-assessed health (mean difference -0.1 [95% CI: -4.1, 3.9], p=0.98), or HR-QoL (mean difference 0.0 [95% CI: -0.0, 0.0], p=0.99) seven months after rehabilitation. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the findings from the primary analysis. A significant proportion of missing data for the primary outcome measure (29% in the control and 41% in the intervention group), caused by errors in the digital data collection system, may impair the reliability of the results.Conclusion:The BRIDGE program was not shown to be more effective than traditional rehabilitation in terms of improving goal achievement, function, self-assessed health and HR-QoL in patients with RMDs. There is still a need for more knowledge about factors that can improve the quality, continuity and long-term health effects of rehabilitation for this patient group.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Beyond the Bridge

This qualitative study examines the experiences of seven students who were selected to attend a summer bridge program (SBP) located in the U.S. Midwest. Utilizing semi-structured interviews and organizational socialization theory, the study illuminates students’ preconceived notions about what it means to be in an SBP, experiences while in the program, and how those experiences help facilitate a successful transition into the first year of college and beyond. Findings revealed that participating in the SBP positively influenced students’ college experiences and ultimately their persistence to graduation. Recommendations drawn from the study are offered to higher education staff and administrators interested in starting or improving summer bridge or similar programs.