Fostering parents-professional collaboration for facilitating the school inclusion of students with ASD: design of the "ToGather" web-based prototype.
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ABSTRACT: Supplementary information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11423-021-10073-w.
SUBMITTER: Mazon C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8638642 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BACKGROUND:The conduct and publication of scientific research are increasingly open and collaborative. There is growing interest in Web-based platforms that can effectively enable global, multidisciplinary scientific teams and foster networks of scientists in areas of shared research interest. Designed to facilitate Web-based collaboration in research evidence synthesis, TaskExchange highlights the potential of these kinds of platforms. OBJECTIVE:This paper describes the development, growth, and future of TaskExchange, a Web-based platform facilitating collaboration in research evidence synthesis. METHODS:The original purpose of TaskExchange was to create a platform that connected people who needed help with their Cochrane systematic reviews (rigorous syntheses of health research) with people who had the time and expertise to help. The scope of TaskExchange has now been expanded to include other evidence synthesis tasks, including guideline development. The development of TaskExchange was initially undertaken in 5 agile development phases with substantial user engagement. In each phase, software was iteratively deployed as it was developed and tested, enabling close cycles of development and refinement. RESULTS:TaskExchange enables users to browse and search tasks and members by keyword or nested filters, post and respond to tasks, sign up to notification emails, and acknowledge the work of TaskExchange members. The pilot platform has been open access since August 2016, has over 2300 members, and has hosted more than 630 tasks, covering a wide range of research synthesis-related tasks. Response rates are consistently over 75%, and user feedback has been positive. CONCLUSIONS:TaskExchange demonstrates the potential for new technologies to support Web-based collaboration in health research. Development of a relatively simple platform for peer-to-peer exchange has provided opportunities for systematic reviewers to get their reviews completed more quickly and provides an effective pathway for people to join the global health evidence community.
| S-EPMC6315246 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Comprehensive school health (CSH) is embraced internationally as the most effective way of promoting the health of students and the school community. It is a framework for supporting improvements in students' educational outcomes while addressing their well-being in a planned, holistic way. While many successful CSH initiatives are brought about by passionate individuals at the grassroots level, these initiatives benefit greatly from effective cross-sector collaborations within and among governments to coordinate policy and funding from the health and education sectors. Governments represent just one group of professionals within the myriad of players involved in implementing CSH in Canada. To be effective contributors to the model, all levels of government need to work together to reduce duplication while at the same time minimizing gaps in the policies and practices that support school health promotion. Collaboration between the health and education sectors within and across governmental boundaries is proving to be an effective mechanism for achieving this. In its first five-year mandate, the Pan Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health has broken new ground in horizontal integration and, as a result, has identified a set of key factors necessary for successful cross-sector collaboration.
| S-EPMC6973905 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This case study provides an in-depth investigation in a professional development project about facilitating collaborative reflection. This was led by a research team from the university with 13 instrumental music teachers from one music school in Styria (Austria) during 2019–2021 (including the initial COVID-19 pandemic). Research questions considered (1) the participants’ descriptions of the collaborative professional development, (2) participants’ uses of reflection tools and indications of their identification with workshop interventions, as well as factors responsible for the outcomes from the reflection tools; and (3) ways participants’ thinking and attitudes may have developed through the workshops, how they defined themselves as a group (if they did), and how they might have gained trust in one another. Inspired by the design-based research approach, practitioners and researchers worked closely together to enhance teaching and learning implementing interventions with collaborative reflections tools. While the first phase (11 workshops) was primarily led by the project-team, the second phase (7 workshops) was participant-led. Data included focus groups and discussion transcriptions from 18 workshops. The impetus of the study included the role of the director and the participants dealing with the interventions, and finally the participants’ descriptions of their experiences in the professionalization process. Literature included collaborative professional development, community of practice, learning communities, self-determined learning, reflective practice, and ethical considerations. Data were analyzed based on thematic analysis and gave rise to five following themes: forming group cohesion, inspiring and appreciating collaboration, bridging theory and practice, identifying deeper thinking and teachers as learners, addressing challenges and potentials during the COVID-19 pandemic, and finally finding the music school’s own identity and sense of importance. Findings highlight the importance of establishing meaningful collaborative reflection through appreciative communication and an atmosphere of trust and respect. To be able to make change in and with an institution, leadership members must be engaged as collaborative stakeholders on an eye-level; collaborative professional development can be used as a resource toward rethinking and reworking the identity of one’s music school and of teaching and learning. Institutions should provide space and continuity for such development. Finally, the study highlights that a collaborative reflective approach can contribute to professional and social growth.
| S-EPMC10457005 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Brain tumours have become the leading cause of child mortality from cancer. Indeed, aggressive brainstem tumours, such as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), are nearly uniformly fatal. These tumours display a unique set of driver mutations that distinguish them from adult gliomas and define new opportunity for the development of precision medicines. The specific association of ACVR1 mutations with DIPG tumours suggests a direct link to neurodevelopment and highlights the encoded bone morphogenetic protein receptor kinase ALK2 as a promising drug target. Beneficial effects of ALK2 inhibition have now been observed in two different in vivo models of DIPG. Nonetheless, such tumours present a huge challenge for traditional economic models of drug development due to their small market size, high failure rate, tumour location and paediatric population. Moreover, a toolkit of different investigational drugs may be needed to fully address the heterogeneity of these tumours in clinical trials. One new business model is suggested by M4K Pharma, a recent virtual start up that aims to align diffuse academic and industry research into a collaborative open science drug discovery programme. Fostering scientific collaboration may offer hope in rare conditions of dire unmet clinical need and provide an alternative route to affordable medicines.
| S-EPMC6824674 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in mainstream classrooms is dramatically impeded by their difficulties in socio-adaptive behaviors. This paper presents a package of mobile applications consisting of both assistive and cognitive rehabilitation applications to support first school inclusion of children with ASD. These applications have been tested in a 3-month intervention in mainstream schools and at home, involving 50 participants (30 children with ASD, half of which was equipped and 20 equipped children with intellectual deficiencies). Benefits on socio-adaptive behaviors and social response in school settings, and socio-cognitive functioning have been assessed. The main results showed that equipped children with ASD improved their socio-adaptive behaviors and their social-response in school settings. Both equipped groups increased their socio-cognitive functioning.
| S-EPMC6207048 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Aims: In addition to medical facts, medical students participating in simulation-based training are supposed to acquire general knowledge, e.g. heuristics to cope with critical incidents. While active participation is considered a major benefit of this kind of training, a large portion of students' time is often spent observing peers acting in the simulator. Thus, we instructionally supported learners with a collaboration script (i.e., a set of scaffolds that distribute roles and activities among learners in group learning situations) during observational phases of a simulation-based training. Our script was designed to help learners focus on heuristics and to facilitate more (inter-)active participation. We hypothesised that scripted learners would benefit from the instructional support with respect to individual and collaborative learning processes as well as individual learning outcomes. Methods: Thirty-four medical students in their 7th to 12th semester participated in this field study with control group design. The independent variable was the collaboration script (with/without). Four voluntary emergency courses with a full-scale simulator were examined. The acquisition of skills related to Crisis Resource Management (CRM) heuristics was one of the learning goals of these courses. The collaboration script induced learners to perform specific activities during and after each observational phase of the training. Further, the script sequenced the order of activities and assigned roles to the learners. Learning processes were measured on an individual level (by means of notes taken by learners during observational phases) and on a collaborative level (by means of learners' comments). Learning outcomes were measured with pre- and post-self-assessment of CRM skills and a brief video-based CRM skills test at the end of the course. Results: The collaboration script had the expected positive effect on individual and collaborative learning processes, leading to an increased focus on heuristic strategies and increased collaborative activity of scripted learners. There was no evidence that the experimental conditions differed regarding the objective measure of individual learning outcomes. However, self-assessment data revealed that students in the control condition perceived a higher improvement of CRM skills throughout the course. We suggest that our script might have helped learners adjust an illusion of their own competency - such an illusion may have appeared in the control group as a result of processing fluency. Conclusions: Findings suggest that simulation-based training in medical education can be enhanced with additional instructional support in the form of collaboration scripts designed to turn observational course phases into more active and better focused learning experiences.
| S-EPMC6120154 | biostudies-other
Project description:Creation of an inclusive environment requires a culture of equity, justice, value and respect for diverse backgrounds, and opportunities for students to engage with communities while addressing issues in science and society. These tasks are particularly challenging for institutions lacking a diverse population. Here, we demonstrate evidence of a successful model for creating an inclusive environment in an interinstitutional course between a large, public, historically black institution and a small, private, primarily white institution. Because many individuals from underrepresented minority groups tend to value communal goals of working together and helping their communities, we incorporated two high-impact practices of community-engaged learning and course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) focused on health disparities research in neighboring communities. Although the research projects varied each semester, they were linked by their impact on and engagement with the community. Students practiced cultural competency skills in both small group projects within the class and engagement activities in the community. We measured the efficacy of CURE components (novel authentic research, scientific process skills, iteration, collaboration, and broader impact) through a combination of direct and indirect assessments, quantitative and qualitative analysis. More than simply scientific skills, students from both institutions developed lasting interest in working with diverse populations as well as respecting and valuing different backgrounds. This inclusive environment, combined with increased interest in research, suggests that this course could potentially serve as a model for interinstitutional collaborations in creating inclusive environments that support the future success of diverse students, eventually changing the STEM research culture.
| S-EPMC7195161 | biostudies-literature
Project description:As cornerstones of biomedical engineering and bioengineering undergraduate programs, hands-on laboratory experiences promote key skill development and student engagement. Lab courses often involve team-based activities and close communication with instructors, allowing students to build connection and community. Necessitated by the pandemic, changes to class delivery format presented unprecedented challenges to student inclusion and engagement, especially for students from underrepresented minority backgrounds. Here, we present a multi-faceted approach for fostering inclusion and community-building in a hybrid bioengineering laboratory course. A basis for this project was an approach for team-based project work which allowed students to have hands-on experience in the lab and collaborate extensively with peers, while abiding by social distancing guidelines. Members of each student team worked together remotely and synchronously on a project. One team member executed the hands-on portion of each lab activity and the remote student(s) engaged in the project via online communication. The hybrid lab course was supplemented with interventions to further promote inclusivity and community, including instructor modeling on inclusion, team-based course content, attention to lab session logistics, and instructor communication. Students responded positively, as indicated by the median ratings in course evaluations for the four lab sections in the following categories concerning course climate (using a 5.0 scale): their overall comfort with the climate of the course (4.8 to 5.0), feeling valued and respected by lab instructor (4.8 to 5.0) and their peers (4.8 to 5.0), peers helping each other succeed in the course (4.5 to 5.0), and the degree to which the experience in the course contributed to their sense of belonging in engineering (4.2 to 5.0). When asked to describe aspects of the class that contributed to inclusivity towards differences, students cited a collaborative environment, course content on implicit bias and inclusivity, and an approachable teaching team. Overall, our approach was effective in fostering a sense of community and inclusion. We anticipate many of these initiatives can transcend instructional format to positively impact future lab course offerings, irrespective of modality.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43683-022-00081-4.
| S-EPMC9274962 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:International collaboration in science has received increasing attention given emphases on relevance, generalizability, and impact of research. Implementation science (IS) is a growing discipline that aims to translate clinical research findings into health services. Research is needed to identify efficient and effective ways to foster international collaboration in IS. Concept-mapping (CM) was utilized with a targeted sample for preliminary exploration of fostering international collaboration. Concept-mapping is a mixed-method approach (qualitative/quantitative) particularly suited for identifying essential themes and action items to facilitate planning among diverse stakeholders. We sought to identify key factors likely to facilitate productive and rewarding international collaborations in implementation research. RESULTS:We identified eleven dimensions: Strategic Planning; Practicality; Define Common Principles; Technological Tools for Collaboration; Funding; Disseminate Importance of Fostering International Collaboration in IS; Knowledge Sharing; Innovative & Adaptive Research; Training IS Researchers; Networking & Shared Identity; Facilitate Meetings. Strategic Planning and Funding were highest rated for importance and Strategic Planning and Networking and Shared Identity were rated most feasible to institute. Fostering international collaboration in IS can accelerate the efficiency, relevance, and generalizability of implementation research. Strategies should be developed and tested to improve international collaborations and engage junior and experienced investigators in collaborations advancing implementation science and practice.
| S-EPMC6883596 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Purpose: While the intellectual and scientific rationale for research collaboration has been articulated, a paucity of information is available on a strategic approach to facilitate the collaboration within a research network designed to reduce health disparities. This study aimed to (1) develop a conceptual model to facilitate collaboration among biostatisticians in a research network; (2) describe collaborative engagement performed by the Network's Data Coordinating Center (DCC); and (3) discuss potential challenges and opportunities in engaging the collaboration. Methods: Key components of the strategic approach will be developed through a systematic literature review. The Network's initiatives for the biostatistical collaboration will be described in the areas of infrastructure, expertise and knowledge management and experiential lessons will be discussed. Results: Components of the strategic approach model included three Ps (people, processes and programs) which were integrated into expert management, infrastructure management and knowledge management, respectively. Ongoing initiatives for collaboration with non-DCC biostatisticians included both web-based and face-to-face interaction approaches: Network's biostatistical capacities and needs assessment, webinar statistical seminars, mobile statistical workshop and clinics, adjunct appointment program, one-on-one consulting, and on-site workshop. The outreach program, as a face-to-face interaction approach, especially resulted in a useful tool for expertise management and needs assessment as well as knowledge exchange. Conclusions: Although fostering a partnered research culture, sustaining senior management commitment and ongoing monitoring are a challenge for this collaborative engagement, the proposed strategies centrally performed by the DCC may be useful in accelerating the pace and enhancing the quality of the scientific outcomes within a multidisciplinary clinical and translational research network.
| S-EPMC6266008 | biostudies-other