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Project-based learning is popular among educators and has been touted as an educationally viable option for all learners, yet limited empirical research exists to demonstrate its effectiveness with students with disabilities. In this paper, the authors investigate the alignment of project-based learning elements with high leverage practices in special education and enhanced anchored instruction, a similar problem-based learning approach with an evidence base with students with disabilities. Project-based learning shares multiple common elements with high leverage practices and enhanced anchored instruction, suggesting that it has the strong potential to be an effective approach for use with students with disabilities. Systematic research needs to be conducted with various groups of students with disabilities across grade levels and content areas to support the claim "project-based learning for all." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-developed diagnostic competence is an essential prerequisite for successful teaching and significantly contributes to students' academic and personal development. However, teachers often fail to adequately assess student characteristics such as performance, motivation, or anxiety. Diagnostic competence should already be promoted during teacher education to prepare teachers early for real diagnostic situations and to avoid negative consequences of possible pedagogical mistakes. This paper compares a teacher-centered, a problem-based, and a digital simulation-based intervention for training different aspects of diagnostic competence in a sample of N = 166 preservice teachers regarding their effectiveness. We found advantages for the simulation-based intervention regarding intrinsic motivation and interest, disadvantages for the teacher-centered intervention regarding a systematic approach in the diagnostic process and disadvantages for the problem-based intervention regarding extraneous cognitive load. Results are discussed in particular in terms of their practical implications for teacher education and increasingly digital teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess student nurses understanding and skills in the application of antimicrobial stewardship knowledge to practice. Design: Quantitative. Methods: Cross‐sectional survey. Results: Five hundred and twenty three student nurses responded across 23 UK universities. Although students felt prepared in competencies in infection prevention and control, patient‐centred care and interprofessional collaborative practice, they felt less prepared in competencies in which microbiological knowledge, prescribing and its effect on antimicrobial stewardship is required. Problem‐based learning, activities in the clinical setting and face‐to‐face teaching were identified as the preferred modes of education delivery. Those who had shared antimicrobial stewardship teaching with students from other professions reported the benefits to include a broader understanding of antimicrobial stewardship, an understanding of the roles of others in antimicrobial stewardship and improved interprofessional working. Conclusion: There are gaps in student nurses' knowledge of the basic sciences associated with the antimicrobial stewardship activities in which nurses are involved, and a need to strengthen knowledge in pre‐registration nurse education programmes pertaining to antimicrobial management, specifically microbiology and antimicrobial regimes and effects on antimicrobial stewardship. Infection prevention and control, patient‐centred care and interprofessional collaborative practice are areas of antimicrobial stewardship in which student nurses feel prepared. Interprofessional education would help nurses and other members of the antimicrobial stewardship team clarify the role nurses can play in antimicrobial stewardship and therefore maximize their contribution to antimicrobial stewardship and antimicrobial management. Implications for the Profession: There is a need to strengthen knowledge from the basic sciences, specifically pertaining to antimicrobial management, in pre‐registration nurse education programmes. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution. Impact: What Problem Did the Study Address?: Nurses must protect health through understanding and applying antimicrobial stewardship knowledge and skills (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2018); however, there is no research available that has investigated nurses understanding and skills of the basic sciences associated with the antimicrobial stewardship activities in which they are involved. What Were the Main Findings?: There are gaps in student nurses' knowledge of the basic sciences (specifically microbiology and prescribing) associated with the antimicrobial stewardship activities in which nurses are involved. Problem‐based learning, and activities in the clinical setting, were reported as useful teaching methods, whereas online learning, was seen as less useful. Where and on Whom Will the Research Have an Impact?: Pre‐registration nurse education programmes. Reporting Method: The relevant reporting method has been adhered to, that is, STROBE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to virtual learning formats during the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated substantial curricular adjustments to the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine. This study compares student satisfaction and academic performance between the pre-pandemic (up through March 25, 2020) and pandemic (after March 25, 2020) periods. Standard end of course surveys for first year (M1) and second year (M2) courses and exam scores were compared between the pre-pandemic and pandemic groups. The median exam scores for problem-based learning generally increased for M1 and M2 courses during the pandemic, whereas Anatomy scores showed variability with some declining and some remaining stable or inclining. End-course evaluations indicated a significant decrease in student-perceived effectiveness for PBL, Lecture and Anatomy during the initial pandemic period. However, survey ratings for the learning environment improved in later courses, suggesting adaptation over time. Notably, Anatomy exam scores and course ratings improved significantly later in the pandemic which may be attributed to the development of virtual resources and early introduction of in-person sessions. This study provides insight into the dynamic effects of the pandemic on medical education, enhancing understanding of student experiences and academic outcomes during this challenging time. This study underlines adaptations in the curriculum that were effective, highlighting the resilience of the curriculum and students in maintaining quality education during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper aimed primarily at the practitioner is to offer foundational information regarding reciprocal-reflective approach to learning (RRAL). Presentation and explanation include conceptual and theory grounding of the processes to be initiated by a manager for collaboration with an employee. A detailed model reflective of the approach is presented. Conceptual and practice-aimed information may be adapted for training and development. Design/methodology/approach: Explanations of employee learning often place the manager in role(s) of teacher, guide, coach and/or expert. Proposed here is an approach in which manager and individual employee, jointly, make use of a learning approach which is representative of an experiential, action or problem-based form of learning from which they both can learn. The manager can initiate the process in which both participants collaborate to identify some specific, shared learning goals aimed at the matters under consideration. Other goals, likely more personal in the case of each participant, may also be identified and efforts made to help one another attain progress regarding such goals. The RRAL process as explained mirrors a bifurcation of instrumental behaviors (focus on learning activities) and emotional behaviors (caring and sharing resulting in a strengthened relationship and trust). Findings: Relying on research that clearly identifies various supportive behaviors on the part of the manager, a detailed example of a plan is provided. The plan is driven by shared aims, focus, feedback and adjustment. In addition to individual learning goals, the manager has the opportunity to make her/his own role adjustments that lead to positive, supportive actions stimulating the quality of the relationship with the employee including the building of trust. Practical implications: Using the example provided as a guide can be very helpful to a manager with limited experience in instigating employee learning and change. Initial use may be regarded as an experiment subject to much analysis and discussion by both participants as they contemplate how to work together in future reciprocal learning endeavors. Originality/value: Currently, there is little research available that expresses how manager and employee can work as partners on some matter (change, problem, improvement) in a collaborative, reciprocal fashion. This paper, as an example, should demonstrate that skills and knowledge of both participants can improve and progress made regarding the issue at hand. The RRAL can be fashioned by the participants to yield progress and a more positive relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the construction of cryptographic schemes based on hard lattice problems has gained immense popularity. Apart from being quantum resistant, lattice-based cryptography allows a wide range of variations in the underlying hard problem. As cryptographic schemes can work in different environments under different operational constraints such as memory footprint, silicon area, efficiency, power requirement, and so on, such variations in the underlying hard problem are very useful for designers to construct different cryptographic schemes. In this work, we explore various design choices of lattice-based cryptography and their impact on performance in the real world. In particular, we propose a suite of key-encapsulation mechanisms based on the learning with rounding problem with a focus on improving different performance aspects of lattice-based cryptography. Our suite consists of three schemes. Our first scheme is Florete, which is designed for efficiency. The second scheme is Espada, which is aimed at improving parallelization, flexibility, and memory footprint. The last scheme is Sable, which can be considered an improved version in terms of key sizes and parameters of the Saber key-encapsulation mechanism, one of the finalists in the National Institute of Standards and Technology's post-quantum standardization procedure. In this work, we have described our design rationale behind each scheme. Furthermore, to demonstrate the justification of our design decisions, we have provided software and hardware implementations. Our results show Florete is faster than most state-of-the-art KEMs on software platforms. For example, the key-generation algorithm of high-security version Florete outperforms the National Institute of Standards and Technology's standard Kyber by 47%, the Federal Office for Information Security's standard Frodo by 99%, and Saber by 57% on the ARM Cortex-M4 platform. Similarly, in hardware, Florete outperforms Frodo and NTRU Prime for all KEM operations. The scheme Espada requires less memory and area than the implementation of most state-of-the-art schemes. For example, the encapsulation algorithm of high-security version Espada uses 30% less stack memory than Kyber, 57% less stack memory than Frodo, and 67% less stack memory than Saber on the ARM Cortex-M4 platform. The implementations of Sable maintain a tradeoff between Florete and Espada regarding software performance and memory requirements. Sable outperforms Saber at least by 6% and Frodo by 99%. Through an efficient polynomial multiplier design, which exploits the small secret size, Sable outperforms most state-of-the-art KEMs, including Saber, Frodo, and NTRU Prime. The implementations of Sable that use number theoretic transform-based polynomial multiplication (SableNTT) surpass all the state-of-the-art schemes in performance, which are optimized for speed on the Cortext M4 platform. The performance benefit of SableNTT against Kyber lies in between 7-29%, 2-13% for Saber, and around 99% for Frodo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous barriers hinder the effective delivery of neurologic care as well as the education of health care professionals in the low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study assessed the knowledge of the participants after Comprehensive Neurocritical Care Course (CN3C) in the LMICs. Data from 177 participants were collected and analyzed. The pre- and postcourse test scores of the participants were compared. There was improvement in their posttest scores (pretest score: 16.45 ± 5.35 vs posttest score: 24.96 ± 6.74; P < .01). The CN3C course improves the overall knowledge of neurocritical care in the participants, as evident by the posttest scores., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2025 International Anesthesia Research Society.)

The health disparities between rural and urban populations in Australia, driven by socioeconomic, environmental, and healthcare access factors, highlight the urgent need for rural-focused medical education. The Melbourne Medical School's Rural Health Discovery program addresses this need by integrating adult learning principles within a redesigned curriculum that includes the Rural Health Foundations and Integrating Rural Health topics. These Discovery topics engage medical students from diverse backgrounds through a blend of self-directed learning, problem-solving, and immersive clinical placements in rural settings. By aligning with andragogical principles-such as fostering autonomy, practical relevance, and experiential learning-the program prepares students for the unique demands of rural healthcare practice. Students are introduced to the complexities of rural health, including the social determinants affecting rural communities, through asynchronous modules, case studies, and team-based learning. This innovative curriculum, which is flexible and inclusive of rural and metropolitan students, represents a strategic model for promoting rural healthcare careers, addressing workforce shortages, and ensuring equitable health outcomes for underserved communities., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: Ethics approval is not necessary for this manuscript. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Objective: This study examines a novel teaching model that integrates the development and use of a Medical Cloud Dictionary with project-based learning (PBL). We investigate whether this integrated approach improves teaching effectiveness, enhances student learning outcomes, and reduces teaching pressure compared to traditional PBL., Methods: One hundred student volunteers were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 50) and a control group (n = 50). Both groups studied seven respiratory-disease-related modules over a single semester (4 months). The experimental group utilized a PBL approach enhanced by the Medical Cloud Dictionary, which provided organized, up-to-date medical information and facilitated collaboration. The control group received traditional PBL-based teaching. Student performance was assessed using theoretical exams, comprehensive case analyses, and clinical practice reports. Feedback questionnaires and interviews were conducted with the experimental group's students and teachers. Statistical analyses included a Mann-Whitney U-test and chi-square tests to compare outcomes between groups., Results: The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher overall scores than the control group (Mann-Whitney U = 22037.5, p < 0.001). Their pass rate reached 100% vs. 98.6% in the control group (χ²=10.145, p < 0.05), and their excellence rate was 22.9% vs. 2.9% (χ²=62.477, p < 0.001). Feedback indicated improved learning efficiency, enhanced independent learning, and reduced teaching pressure. Both students and teachers expressed a desire to continue and expand the integrated mode., Conclusion: Integrating a Medical Cloud Dictionary with PBL can stimulate students' academic engagement, improve their mastery of medical knowledge and practical skills, and foster a stronger desire for independent learning. It also qualitatively enhances teaching quality and strengthens teacher-student relationships. Overall, this integrated teaching model can improve the quality and effectiveness of medical education, benefiting both teachers and students., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Clinical Medicine School of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University [Approval No.202301221]. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Consent for publication: All authors consent to publication. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: Due to limited musculoskeletal education, students pursuing orthopaedic surgery often feel unprepared for residency. Clinical rotations provide some education; however, prior to the development of the Ortho Acting-Intern Coordinated Clinical Education and Surgical Skills (OrthoACCESS) curriculum in 2019, no standardized didactic curriculum existed. Over time, students desired interactive, case-based learning opportunities. Our objective was to design a flipped-classroom, blended learning curriculum and evaluate its ability to improve medical student orthopaedic knowledge., Design: OrthoACCESS 2.0 is a 16-week, open-access curriculum consisting of didactic lectures, case discussions, and learning resources. The curriculum was evaluated using pre-curriculum, post-case discussion, and post-curriculum surveys. Likert-item questions were evaluated with paired Wilcoxon signed-rank analysis. Free text responses were reviewed for emerging themes., Setting: Lectures were presented weekly in-person for students at OrthoACCESS institutions with pre-recorded lectures available for non-rotating students. Faculty-led virtual case discussions consisted of 3 case presentations and breakout rooms for discussion. Learning resources (e.g., Anki Cards, "scut sheets") were posted to the website., Participants: OrthoACCESS 2.0 was hosted from June to October 2023 with 35 participating institutions. All 226 student registrants completed the pre-curriculum survey and 69 completed the post-curriculum survey. Forty students attended at least 8/16 case discussions., Results: In the post-curriculum survey, 68% of participants reported "quite" or "extremely" strong orthopedic knowledge, compared to 23% beforehand (p < 0.001). Postcase discussion surveys revealed significant increases in knowledge associated with each lecture and case discussion (p < 0.001). The greatest student-reported benefits were the broad coverage of orthopedic topics (n=41) and learning how to think like an orthopaedic surgeon (n=20). The greatest barrier to attendance was clinical obligations during case discussions (n=44)., Conclusions: This flipped-classroom, blended learning curriculum has improved medical student foundational orthopaedic knowledge nationally. This model may be valuable for other specialties with limited undergraduate medical exposure., (Copyright © 2024 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Neuroanatomy is essential to clinical neurosciences and is one of the most difficult components of the anatomy curriculum. Flipped classrooms are one of the pedagogical approaches that have been found to enhance students' abilities and encourage in-depth learning. The current study aims to assess the attitudes and effects of flipped classrooms on neuroanatomy teaching among medical students compared to traditional classrooms., Methods: A quasi-experimental study was carried out during the period January through June 2023. The effectiveness of teaching neuroanatomy in flipped classrooms versus traditional classrooms was assessed using formative assessment and a pre-designed structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of four sections assessing different domains on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)., Results: The total sample reached 214 students. Most students' attitude statements covering skills, knowledge and learning process, and length of time were significantly in favor of flipped teaching at the expense of traditional teaching. Then mean examination grades were significantly higher for pre-test flipped and post-test flipped in comparison to pre-test and post-test traditional examination., Conclusions: Although the flipped classroom is an effective method of learning neuroanatomy as compared to traditional classes, it faces some challenges in its implementation. Such challenges need awareness and solutions from educational institutions., (© 2024 American Association of Clinical Anatomists and British Association of Clinical Anatomists.)

Objectives: To explore the effectiveness of two educational strategies for teaching empathy to medical students, focusing on their skills and on the theoretical knowledge and self-perception of empathy by patients, professors, and observers., Methods: This is a randomized controlled study. Clerkship students were divided into two groups: an active group - Role Play and Reflection Group(RRG), and a more traditional group - Lecture Presentation Group(LPG). They were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the Jefferson Empathy Scale(JSPE), ESWIM Empathy Scale, CARE, empathic skills through simulated patient encounters, and a theoretical knowledge test., Results: A total of 169 students were included. The RRG had higher scores (d=0.81) and greater gains (d=0.82) in empathic skills than the LPG. However, there were no significant differences in knowledge or other scales. Upon assessing skill acquisition (Post-Pre gains), there was a significant increase in both groups for all outcomes, except for JSPE in the LPG group and ESWIM for both groups., Conclusion: Medical empathy can be taught, and active learning methodologies can lead to better outcomes, especially on the ability to provide empathic care., Practice Implications: These findings reinforce existing literature and helps medical schools make informed decisions regarding their teaching methodologies., Trial Registry: https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-8rwx89c., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine whether participating in a team-based simulation intervention would improve nursing students' empathy and commitment to addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) and interprofessional teamwork attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Outcomes were compared for intraprofessional versus interprofessional team participation., Background: Nursing students must learn strategies to address SDOH, but this content is not well integrated in curricula. Teaming Up for Community Health was created to provide SDOH experiential team learning., Method: Eighty-five nursing students participated in the intraprofessional comparison group or interprofessional intervention group. Surveys were completed before and after the intervention and two months later., Results: Participants had heightened empathy and commitment to addressing SDOH at baseline. Interprofessional teamwork beliefs and behaviors improved for both groups., Conclusion: Experiential learning about SDOH should focus on improving students' self-confidence and performance. Based on the study results, experiential team learning should be threaded through curricula., Competing Interests: The authors have declared no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 National League for Nursing.)

A key facet to typical undergraduate or graduate global public health programs is an applied practice experience (a practicum) that culminates in shared results and public presentations (e.g., research posters, conference and working papers, needs assessments). Requirements vary by program but may be between 80 and 200 hours of experiential learning. While not required by all undergraduate programs in global public health, a practicum occurs as part of a semester of coursework or internship experience after students have declared the major/minor or have completed an expected number of courses. Some students report that the practicum experience, while essential to their career development and future opportunities, presents certain challenges in terms of access. Practicum opportunities can be rife with assumptions that social networks, privilege, and implicit bias affect and even predict the ability to secure an effective, doable, and career-advantageous project. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic meant that much of the applied and experiential aspects of a practicum were necessarily shifted from "realworld" experiences to virtual and "remote" contexts. This article highlights insights from students enrolled in undergraduate global public health programs who were planning "real-life", more "traditional" practicum experiences, and had to necessarily move to "remote" and online engagement. These cases suggest that participation in virtual fieldsites is seen as legitimate, fulfilling for students and stakeholders, and can increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the public health curricula; fostering best practices in career development.