Hypothetical rape scenarios as a pedagogical device to facilitate students' learning about prosecutorial decision-making and discretion

The use of scenarios to facilitate learning about the complexities of prosecutorial decision-making is a useful pedagogical device for facilitating student learning about sensitive criminal justice issues such as rape or sexual assault. It is also useful in helping instructors gain insight concerning the premises students carry with them into the classroom. Hypothetical rape scenarios were presented to 178 students who were asked to make decisions as to whether or not to pursue prosecution. Findings suggest that race, sex, age, and education play significant roles in students' decision-making processes. Furthermore, as the rape scenario becomes more complicated, demographic factors play a heavier hand in arriving at decisions concerning the disposition of a case.     

Unveiling their worlds: the use of dialogue as a health-promotion tool for HIV/AIDS education in a poor community in Kenya

Three decades since the onset of HIV/AIDS, 33.2 million people worldwide are infected and prevalence in Kenya is on the rise. This paper contributes to discussions about HIV/AIDS education and draws on the health promotion approach and the emancipatory theory of Paulo Freire. Freire argued that through dialogue people unveil their world. The researchers used the method of dialogue to facilitate parents' and teachers' reflections on sexuality education for the children. The dialogues seemed to facilitate some reflection and showed the attitudes of the community to matters that impact on sexuality education (e.g. gender and sexuality). This paper illustrates how dialogic processes can be useful to the process of constructing realistic and contextually relevant HIV/AIDS education. The challenges for the researcher as an outsider are also discussed.     

Changes in anatomy instruction and USMLE performance: Empirical evidence on the absence of a relationship

Anatomy instruction has evolved over the past two decades as many medical schools have undergone various types of curricular reform. To provide empirical evidence about whether or not curricular changes impact the acquisition and retention of anatomy knowledge, this study investigated the effect of variation in gross anatomy course hours, curricular approach (stand‐alone versus integrated), and laboratory experience (dissection versus dissection and prosection) on USMLE Steps 1 and 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) scores. Gross anatomy course directors at 54 United States schools provided information about their gross anatomy courses via an online survey (response rate of 42%). Survey responses were matched with USMLE scores for 6,411 examinees entering LCME‐accredited schools in 2007 and taking Step 1 for the first time in 2009. Regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between gross anatomy instructional characteristics and USMLE performance. Step 1 total scores, Step 1 gross anatomy sub‐scores, and Step 2 CK scores were unrelated to instructional hours, controlling for MCAT scores. Examinees from schools with integrated curricula scored slightly lower on Steps 1 and 2 CK than those from stand‐alone courses (effect sizes of 2.1 and 1.9 on score scales with SDs of 22 and 20, respectively). Examinees with dissection and prosection experience performed slightly better on Step 2 CK than examinees in courses with dissection only laboratories (effect size of 1.2). Results suggest variation in course hours is unrelated to performance on Steps 1 and 2 CK. Although differences were observed in relation to curricular approach and laboratory experience, effect sizes were small. Anat Sci Educ 6: 3–10. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.     

Merck's One Less Campaign: Using Risk Message Frames to Promote the Use of Gardasil® in HPV Prevention

In 2006, Merck introduced Gardasil® through its One Less campaign, highlighting how the vaccine protects against the transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV) and, potentially, cervical cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine how young women learned about Gardasil and if the One Less campaign influenced the patient's decision to receive/decline the vaccines. Participants primarily learned about Gardasil from television advertising, and felt the campaign addressed the psychometric paradigm hazard factors of control and dread associated with HPV. However, participants reported that physicians/physician's assistants and mothers remained the primary sources of influence when choosing to receive/decline the vaccine series.     

Student perceptions of satisfaction and anxiety in an online doctoral program

Eighty-four students in an online health education doctoral program taking the first course in the program over one year (four quarters) were surveyed in regards to their computer, Internet, and online course anxiety, and overall course satisfaction. An 18-item anxiety tool with domains in computer, Internet, and online learning was administered in the first and last weeks of an educational research course to assess for changes in student anxiety. A 24-item satisfaction tool with domains regarding the instructor, technology, setup, interaction, outcomes, and overall satisfaction was administered at the end of the course. Results show a significant negative correlation between anxiety and student satisfaction. Student anxiety levels were in the relatively moderate range; changes in anxiety levels over time were not significant. Participants who felt anxious when using computers or the Internet, or when taking online courses experienced anxiety with other domains.