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Objective: Older adults with asthma (OAA) have elevated asthma morbidity rates. A six-session intervention based on self-regulation theory was shown to improve outcomes. However, wide-spread implementation was difficult due to the in-person design. Our objective was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of an updated intervention for OAA that is completely remote, includes a physician component, and utilizes shared decision-making (SDM). Methods: A pilot study of 12 OAA with uncontrolled asthma and their asthma providers was conducted at three health centers. The remote intervention (titled SOAR) consisted of 4 sessions (2 groups and 2 individual). Asthma providers (both specialists and primary care) were sent updates of progress along with information on how to incorporate SDM into the visit. Implementation (feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness) and clinical (asthma control, asthma quality of life, perceived control, depression, and self-confidence) outcomes were measured. Results: SOAR was found to be feasible, acceptable, and appropriate, with values on validated implementation scales similar to those of in-person behavioral interventions. Asthma providers found the program helpful and intended to change care based on the updates. Asthma control scores improved significantly from baseline (14.2 to 16.8, p = 0.04), as did asthma quality of life (4.2 to 4.9, p = 0.03) and self-confidence to manage asthma (7.1 to 8.5, p = 0.02). There was no change in depression nor perceived control scores. Conclusion: A remote behavioral intervention appeared feasible and acceptable for OAA and their health care providers, and can improve outcomes. Larger scale implementation trials are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the experiences of physical education (PE) teachers regarding online PE lessons for children with ASD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Participants in this study were 16 PE teachers who took part in one-on-one semi-structured phone interviews. Interview data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's recipe for thematic analysis. Result: Four overarching themes were found: (1) we were unprepared for online lessons, (2) challenges of online lessons, (3) parental support, and (4) solution offers. Conclusion: The results revealed that PE teachers were unprepared for the sudden transition to online lessons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. PE teachers started the online teaching with parent support despite the challenges, but they were not satisfied with the online PE model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools switched to online education. Using Japan’s nationwide administrative data, we examine the impact of schools’ ICT equipment and teachers’ IT skills on the provision of online classes, communication with students’ families, and teachers’ working hours in early 2020. To isolate supply-side effects, we exploit differences in ICT resources between public elementary and junior high schools at a municipality level, the level at which ICT resources are decided. We find that basic ICT equipment was critical to implementing online classes, but IT skills were not. However, IT skills were associated with teachers’ working hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish UK Physiotherapy lecturers' perceptions of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional mixed methods electronic survey of UK higher education lecturers, actively teaching pre-registration undergraduate or postgraduate physiotherapy degrees, was conducted between October 2020 and February 2021. Data was converted into proportions with a 95% confidence interval. Likert scale questions were treated as numeric variables with the mean and standard deviation calculated for combined responses. The thematic analysis reported patterns of data extracted from open-ended questions. 96 respondents completed the survey, reporting some positive attributes attached to online learning. 81% (n = 78, 95% CI 72–88) agreed that students developed their digital skills and were able to learn conveniently at their own pace (n = 75, 78%, 95% CI 69–85). However, 62.5% (n = 60, 95% CI 23–72) of respondents felt that students were overall disadvantaged with online learning, with 72% (n = 69, 95% CI 62–80) reporting that online learning was not comparable to face-to-face to teaching. The reasons for perceived student disadvantage were categorised into three themes; 1) a lack of ability in sessions to practice handling techniques, 2) the inability to gauge student understanding and check practical skill competence and 3) the lack of student self-directed practice time. UK physiotherapy lecturers did indicate they would continue to incorporate online learning in the future (n = 84, 87.5%, 95% CI 79–93). Such responses were based on two key themes; an improved work-life balance and the perception that online learning was no more challenging than traditional on-campus delivery. UK physiotherapy lecturers reported that students were disadvantaged with online learning delivery compared to face-to-face teaching. Lecturers indicated a willingness to continue with aspects of online learning across the curriculum, despite suggesting it had a negative impact on students subject understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study includes two separate parts: the objective for part A was to evaluate the practical manual therapy skills of undergraduate physiotherapy students who had learned manual therapy techniques either online or in classroom depending on the phases of the pandemic. The objective for part B was to evaluate in a randomized prospective design the effectiveness of video-based versus traditional teaching of a manual therapy technique. Cross-sectional cohort study (part A) and randomized controlled trial (part B) University of Luebeck, undergraduate physiotherapy students in years 1–3 In part A, physiotherapy students who had learned manual therapy either online (during the pandemic) or in classroom (prior to and after the lock down periods of the pandemic) were videotaped while performing two manual techniques on the knee joint and on the lumbar spine. Recordings were analyzed independently by two blinded raters according to a 10-item list of criteria. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using Cohen's kappa for each item. Performance across cohorts was analyzed using analysis of variance. In part B, students were randomized to learn a new technique on the cervical spine either from a lecturer or from the same lecturer on a video recording (independent variable). Practical performance of the technique was analyzed by two raters blinded to group allocation according to a 10-item list of criteria (dependent variable). Results were analyzed statistically by using ANCOVA with year of study as a covariate. Sixty-three and 56 students participated in part A and part B of the study, respectively. The inter-rater reliability for video analyses for both parts of the study was moderate (k = 0.402 to 0.441). In part A, there was no statistically significant difference across years of study for the practical performance of the technique on the back F(2,59) = 2.271; p = 0.112 or the knee joint F(2,59) = 3.028; p = 0.056. In part B, performance was significantly better when learned from a lecturer and practiced on a peer than when learned from a video and practiced on a rescue dummy (p < 0.001). Practical skill performance can be acquired from videos but immediate skill reproduction is significantly better when the technique is presented by a lecturer in classroom and practiced on peer students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed social work educators to study its impact on social work students. This quantitative study presents the findings of a survey of Master of Social Work students regarding their experiences during the abrupt transition from in-person to remote learning in March 2020. Examining the impact through a change curve lens, the findings revealed that students moved through the change, going from shock and denial to acceptance of the new learning situation. The majority of students had both the technical skills and privacy they needed to learn. However, they did experience an increase in stress and struggled with maintaining concentration while attending remote classes, participating in class, and feeling a connection with students and faculty. They preferred synchronous content delivery and a combination of synchronous and asynchronous delivery. Contributing to an emerging body of literature on the effects of COVID-19 on social work students, the findings from this study suggest that social work students are interested in incorporating remote learning into their education, and social work programs may need to adapt the delivery of their academic content. The findings also indicate a need for comprehensive institutional support to improve remote teaching methods and engage students in learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher education programmes are often tasked with preparing predominantly White, middle class, pre-service teachers to be effective in diverse contexts. Many teacher educators consider practicum experiences critical to forming values and dispositions necessary for the teaching profession. This article focuses on the work of two White, middle-class, pre-service teachers, Charlotte and Seraphina, who volunteered to do their practicum in a remote indigenous community in Australia on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. At the beginning of the practicum, both pre-service teachers' attitudes about the experience were similar; yet, over time they began to develop divergant dispositions or 'positionality towards diversity' relative to their unique backgrounds and APY Lands experiences, highlighting certain sensitivities and biases regarding racial, cultural and linguistic diversity. We focus on how Charlotte and Seraphina interpret their experiences, what this can tell us about their professional development, and the possible implications for teacher educators teaching in post-colonial contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research relating specifically to Anangu (Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara) schools in South Australia and the Northern Territory assert that Aboriginal people living in remote central Australian communities viewed first languages and cultures as central to a good education for their children. The South Australian ten-year Aboriginal Education Strategy (2019–2029) commits to culturally responsive pedagogies (CRP) and bilingual instruction in Anangu schools by 2029. This translation from research to policy has important implications for practice which the authors, five experienced practitioner-researchers in Anangu education contexts, reflect on through a "practice architectures" lens using a narrative methodology. The article explores the complex space that practitioner researchers negotiate and highlights the shifts required in moving from research-oriented arguments to working collaboratively to enacting research findings in practice. The article concludes with reflections on privileging community voices and demands throughout the research-policy-practice continuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The broad discipline of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) has become a global focus for education and employment. Currently, Indigenous students are less likely to engage in STEM programs and careers than in other disciplines such as education, health, social sciences and arts. In Australia, schools and tertiary institutions are investigating opportunities to increase Indigenous participation in STEM. In 2016, the XE Maths project documented a series of six case studies of diverse Australian tertiary programs focussed on increasing Indigenous participation in STEM [Paige et al. 2016. Strengthening Indigenous Participation and Practice in STEM: University Initiatives for Equity and Excellence. Magill: University of South Australia]. This paper documents Charles Darwin University's initiatives, including the Whole of Community Engagement program, which provides pathways and enabling supports to potential university students across six very remote communities in the Northern Territory. Capacity within communities, a long-term commitment and vision, and culturally responsive approaches such as both-ways STEM education are identified as central to increasing remote Indigenous community engagement with tertiary-level STEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the design and implementation of a Diploma of Community Services in Katherine (NT) by RMIT University in collaboration with Sunrise Health Service Aboriginal Corporation (SHS). Method: This is a descriptive case study of how, in response to a need, a city-based Diploma of Community Services (Alcohol and other Drugs and Mental Health) was modified and delivered in the remote region of Katherine in the Northern Territory. The key aspects included organisational agreements, understanding local needs and realities, collaborative development of course design, overcoming funding shortfalls, incorporating two-way learning, managing with sparse resources, and building a conducive learning environment. Results: Of the 24 students who completed the course in the first two iterations of the program, 91% received their Diploma. Workshops conducted as part of the course enabled students to develop cross-agency and cross-sector connections as well as professional collaborations. After graduation, a number of students successfully applied for higher paying positions within their own or alternative services whilst others decided to go onto further study. The program has since been delivered across the NT in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and the remote community of Ngukurr. Discussion: The lessons learnt from this endeavour could be utilised by other remote area health services and city based training organisations to design and deliver courses in remote areas of Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]