Determination of clinically relevant content for a musculoskeletal anatomy curriculum for physical medicine and rehabilitation residents

To address the need for more clinical anatomy training in residency education, many postgraduate programs have implemented structured anatomy courses into their curriculum. Consensus often does not exist on specific content and level of detail of the content that should be included in such curricula. This article describes the use of the Delphi method to identify clinically relevant content to incorporate in a musculoskeletal anatomy curriculum for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) residents. A two round modified Delphi involving PM&R experts was used to establish the curricular content. The anatomical structures and clinical conditions presented to the expert group were compiled using multiple sources: clinical musculoskeletal anatomy cases from the PM&R residency program at the University of Toronto; consultation with PM&R experts; and textbooks. In each round, experts rated the importance of each curricular item to PM&R residency education using a five‐point Likert scale. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was used to determine consensus at the end of each round and agreement scores were used as an outcome measure to determine the content to include in the curriculum. The overall internal consistency in both rounds was 0.99. A total of 37 physiatrists from across Canada participated and the overall response rate over two rounds was 97%. The initial curricular list consisted of 361 items. After the second iteration, the list was reduced by 44%. By using a national consensus method we were able to objectively determine the relevant anatomical structures and clinical musculoskeletal conditions important in daily PM&R practice. Anat Sci Educ 7: 135–143. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

Leveraging sponsorship: The activation ratio

The accelerated growth of sponsorship has brought increased attention and scrutiny to this relatively new area of marketing and communications strategy. In turn, researchers have focused on defining, understanding and measuring the various aspects of sponsorship. However, detailed research related to the ‘how’ of sponsorship implementation remains limited. A key aspect of implementation is known as activation, which refers to the investment by the sponsor above and beyond the fee required to acquire the official rights to that sponsorship. Activation is normally referred to as a ratio of the additional investment to the cost of the rights fees. Previous studies have offered recommended activation ratios ranging from 1:1 to as high as 8:1 in order to fully reap the rewards of sponsorship. This research seeks to enhance our understanding of sponsorship activation via an in-depth case study, a typical method for exploratory research of this nature. Specifically, we ask (i) what drives activation, (ii) what are the best methods of activation, and (iii) how much should be spent on activation? Findings suggest that management decisions regarding activation focus on the custom development of quality strategies versus increasing the activation ratio. Indeed, a formula based on a variety of factors is recommended since activation tactics and their appropriateness to a specific sponsorship are the cornerstones of sponsorship success. Overall, results present a four-step model including activation drivers, strategic considerations, activation spending, and sponsorship outcomes.     

Incorporating TED Talk assignments into a public-speaking course

Courses: Introduction to public speaking, advanced public speaking, hybrid/survey introduction to communication.

Objectives: At the end of this activity, students will be able to (1) explain the elements of a speaking outline and discover these elements in real-world speech examples, (2) recreate outline formats effectively in their personal speeches, (3) appraise both their own presentations and the presentations of others in order to assess the effectiveness of these presentations, (4) recognize the needed elements of different speech genres and apply those elements when developing and delivering their own speeches, and (5) summarize and synthesize course concepts and apply them to a critical analysis of a real-world speech example.     

Connecting a Museum with Its Community

Abstract The exhibition, Changing Places: From Black and White to Technicolor, at the Levine Museum of the New South, in Charlotte, North Carolina, is more than a story about a changing community—it’s a platform for an experience that engages its local audience.     

Innovative programs for improvement in reading through cognitive enhancement: a remediation study of Canadian First Nations children

Forty-five Grade 3 students from a reservation school in Western Canada were divided into two remedial groups and a no-risk control group. One remedial group was given a classroom-administered cognitive enhancement program (COGENT) throughout the school year. The second group received COGENT for the first half of the year followed by a pull-out cognitive-based reading enhancement program (PREP). Children were assessed across phonological awareness, rapid naming, reading, and cognitive ability at the beginning of the year, mid-term, and at the end of the school year. MANOVA results showed a significant interaction for reading measures, with students receiving classroom intervention over the school year making the greatest gains. Results are discussed in terms of group, remediation program, and individual participant improvements.     

Language,ambiguity, and executive functions in adolescents' theory of mind

Executive functions' (EF) role in adolescents' advanced theory of mind (aToM) was examined. In Study 1, adolescents (N = 189 in 2017, M_age = 13.1 years, 55.6% female from racially/ethnically diverse schools) completed the Flexibility and Automaticity of Social Cognition task (FASC), and shifting and inhibition measures. Study 2 (N = 289 in 2018 and 2019, M_age = 15.7 years, 59.9% female, 56.4% Hispanic/Latino) replicated Study 1 in older adolescents using automated scoring of FASC flexibility. Flexibility of social cognition varied based on ambiguity and language use; automaticity of social cognition varied by ambiguity. The role of EF was less conclusive; shifting and inhibition predicted some flexibility and automaticity measures. Ambiguity, language, and EF, particularly shifting, influence aToM into adolescence.     

National qualifications in Scotland: A lightning rod for public concern about equity during the pandemic

Scotland, traditionally, has high levels of confidence in teachers. Fairness and justice are key concepts in policy and practice in Scottish education. For more than 100 years, the high-stakes assessment system in Scotland, with the Scottish Higher qualification at its heart, has been crucial to that sense of opportunity and justice. However, in 2019–2020, public confidence in high-stakes assessment in Scotland, as in other United Kingdom countries, was dented. In Scotland, the Covid-19 pandemic meant that schools were closed, teachers provided online learning opportunities for pupils working at home and, for the first time in 130 years, it was not possible to run national examinations. To ensure that learners were not further disadvantaged, alternative approaches to gathering evidence for qualifications were instigated. However, these results were challenged as socially unjust and the results that had been nationally moderated were replaced by results based on locally moderated teachers' professional judgement. As Scotland looks to qualifications beyond Covid-19, trust must be re-built. This article reports on a participative research project that sought to understand public perceptions of standards and fairness across a range of key communities following this experience. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data, we analyse factors which affected trust in National Qualifications under the pandemic. The evidence suggests that when considering what matters for qualifications to be trusted, technocratic solutions are likely to be rejected by stakeholders. Understanding and responding to what led to the mistrust of qualifications in Scotland will be crucial to inform its future qualifications system.