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The history of Canada's educational offerings for Indigenous students was based in colonial and assimilative practice. As such culturally responsive pre-service teacher education needs to respond not only by moving away from historical practice but with a moral and social imperative through programming that aids reconciliation. Current literature outlines the challenges that both Indigenous and mainstream teacher candidates have in developing efficacy towards transcultural skills development. In an effort to respond to both types of students, during the design and development of a 16-month community-based Bachelor of Education program, that was offered in parallel to a campus based program, a model of blended-education for cultural understanding was developed. Using the "elementary science methods" course as design case, this paper will outline the development of the blended model which paired campus- and community-based students. The challenges and successes of the design were determined through a thematic analysis of instructor observations of the pilot during the 2014-15 academic year. Four key themes emerged as important in fostering transcultural understandings within blended learning practice: student efficacy, relationship building, recognition of cultural bias, and legitimizing traditional ecological knowledge. Each of these will be discussed in the context of the course as well as transformative post-secondary educational experiences.

This paper describes our implementation of digital storytelling within a First Nations community elementary school in eastern Canada. Our aim with this project was to support community engagement in the school, while promoting literacy development, by inviting Elders to share their stories, both traditional and modern lived experiences, with children in a grade 4/5 split class. Positioned as a participatory action research project, anchored in Indigenous methodologies, the project was developed through meetings with community members to build on the strengths of the community. Reflections from students illustrate that working with Elders gave deeper meaning to the stories they heard and performed, and fostered greater engagement in literacy development.

In the winter term of 2016, Cape Breton University launched a revised version of a second year Mi'kmaw Studies course entitled Learning from the Knowledge Keepers of Mi'kmaki (MIKM 2701). This course was designed to be led by local Elders and Knowledge Keepers with facilitation support from university faculty. It was designed by course facilitators as a dual-mode course, with the opportunity for students to participate face-to-face and online, and the excitement it generated quickly went "viral." In this paper, we describe the experiences of the participants in the course through an analysis of their own reflections on the 13 weeks of instruction. The aim of this analysis is to share course design considerations for post-secondary institutions attempting to "Indigenize the academy" at a course level, but also to evaluate the process of co-learning as it was evidenced in the course as a means to address educational complexity and decolonization efforts in the classroom.

The education systems of Inuit Nunangat (the four regions of the Canadian Arctic that are the traditional homes of Inuit) have undergone significant change and continue to experience transitions in terms of purpose, curriculum, administration, and control. A key part of this transition is ensuring that the assessment of student learning is culturally responsive. Hence, the purpose of this study was to explore Inuit educators' culturally responsive assessment practices. Five case studies were conducted in four regions of Inuit Nunangat (Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut, and Inuvialuit) which resulted in a sample of 180 participants. In-depth interviews and focus groups were held with teachers, students, administrators, and Elders. Data were synthesized and resulted in themes related to the challenges and achievements in developing assessment practices that were grounded in Inuit culture, values, and worldview. We conclude recommending that more support and attention are needed to focus on developing culturally responsive assessment tools and understanding the impact of such tools on student success and engagement.

Grassroots organizations have a critical role in supporting learning within many urban communities (Sobeck, Agius, & Mayers, 2007). Unfortunately, many informal organizations are short-lived as funding disappears and volunteer participation wanes. The Unspun Heroes, an informal fibre arts group committed to learning and developing skills related to local fibre arts culture, has been in existence so long that when queried, the members could not easily determine its origins. Through an exploration of 16 Heroes' experiences over the course of one year, it was determined that the Heroes community is sustained, supports learning, and survives at least in part because its organization mirrors that of an informal community of practice (CoP), which supports local community cohesion, intergenerational learning, and positive community action. In this research, the roles and responsibilities of the members within the CoP, as well as the characteristics of the CoP, are discussed with the aim of presenting key factors that support sustaining CoPs for informal learning and well-being. We identified six factors characterizing the CoP that contributed to its longevity: adherence to tradition, stress-busting, social connections, mentoring space, belonging to something bigger, and sharing. Each of these is discussed in relation to the current literature and community context. Finally, from these factors, we share three important considerations for adult learning design for well-being.

Sustainable pre-service teacher education is needed to encourage academic success for under-represented populations, through both culturally responsive and alternative programming options (Carr-Stewart, Balzer, & Cottrell, 2013). In 2013, the Western Canadian University that served as the basis for this case study, implemented a blended learning pilot course in multicultural education for its existing cohort of pre-service teachers, within their Indigenous Focus Teacher Education Program (IFTEP). The aim of the blended pilot was to increase flexibility in participation for the IFTEP students, who were all employed full time as teacher assistants within a local school board. The author examined the design model through qualitative analysis of student interview data, contrasted against observations of activities on the learning management system (LMS). Five themes emerged as important in effective and culturally responsive practice for blended learning design, in this case related to: institutional challenges, student autonomy and the complexity of commitments. This research presents a critical review of the feasibility of adopting blended learning for Indigenous students.

The Periodic Table of the Elements (PTE) is arguably one of the most central topics in chemistry. This article provides a critical review of current teaching practices of the PTE to high-school students and undergraduate university students. It also provides a new teaching model, the "periodic universe", for understanding of the PTE through building on its foundational periodicity. Students learn through a guided re-creation of the PTE from simple periodic simulations and interdisciplinary processes. The periodic-universe teaching model directs students to conceptualize, rather than memorize, relationships between the elements by predicting patterns in progressively challenging simulated worlds. This mixed-method research project consists of both quantitative (n = 58) and qualitative (n = 15) responses from university undergraduate students, demonstrating the utility of inquiry-based learning of the PTE for novice chemistry students. Herein, we position the periodic-universe teaching model in the current educational literature of inquiry and interdisciplinary studies by outlining the function of the model and illustrating its effectiveness on the basis of empirical analysis with undergraduate students in a postsecondary-education setting. The results indicate that knowledge of the PTE increases after instruction with the model, and that nonchemistry-major students have increased engagement, understanding, and appreciation of the importance of periodicity to chemistry when presented with the periodic-universe teaching model.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning became the predominant mode of learning for 33 to 54% of students in Canada's three largest school boards. As inclusive practices continue to grow and online learning is now part of the Ontario curriculum, educators need guidance on how to support K-12 students with diverse learning needs in online and inclusive classrooms. This case study attends to the voice of elementary and high-school students, with and without disabilities who shared their experiences of online learning during the pandemic. It explored the impacts of integrating multiple methods of instruction, assessment, and technology to accommodate diverse learning needs. Results indicated that limited opportunity for connections and lack of structure and guidance were key factors that impacted the students' motivation and ability to learn in the online environment, and age was a determining factor in technology use preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a discussion around the question of data protection, privacy, liability and the resultant policy that has developed both in public K-12 education and post secondary education in Canada. With no central regulation of online protection in Canada educators in some provinces face a digital divide caused by more restrictive policy of one province in contrast to another. To set the stage for the discussion I address the nature of social media and it's use, institutional response to social media in schools with specific reference to the Canadian context. I then propose a potential solution in the form of a social media field trip and analyze three different types field trips I have conducted with graduate students against Moor's (1999) just consequence theoretical framework. Finally, I present implications for practice and possibilities this model could offer K-12 educators to work within current policy, stay safe but still open the doors to social networking and the world.

Gene editing in the brain has been challenging because of the restricted transport imposed by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Current approaches mainly rely on local injection to bypass the BBB. However, such administration is highly invasive and not amenable to treating certain delicate regions of the brain. We demonstrate a safe and effective gene editing technique by using focused ultrasound (FUS) to transiently open the BBB for the transport of intravenously delivered CRISPR/Cas9 machinery to the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a reaction to imposed education systems, traditional land-based education can be viewed as a source of resistance against a capitalist settler state, and most importantly, for the maintenance of Indigenous autonomy and sovereignty. However, formal k-12 learning environments are dominated by values systems and orientations to environmental education that potentially undermine Indigenous land-based education values and approaches. Within Canada, though there is a growing body of literature outlining the advantages of land-based learning for academic success and student well-being in public schools, funding models and policy restrictions have been slower to change and can impede implementation. With this article we hope to add to the growing body of evidence, supporting land-based learning as a legitimate pedagogy in public education. We approach this through a cross-case analysis of the results of two separate research projects and identifying the parallel themes, which emerged: youth resilience, Inuit autonomy, and authenticity in learning. Although our results focus on the development of individuals, within our conclusion we extend the argument toward systemic changes needed in Canadian public education not only as an act of decolonization but in supporting the development of Innumarik. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Collected Essays on Learning & Teaching is the property of Society for Teaching & Learning in Higher Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Research with Indigenous peoples is fraught with complexity and misunderstandings. The complexity of negotiating historical and current issues as well as the misunderstandings about what the issues really mean for individuals and communities can cause non-Indigenous researchers to shy away from working with Indigenous groups. In conducting research for my doctoral dissertation, I was a novice researcher faced with negotiating two very different sets of social contracts: the Western Canadian university's and my Indigenous participants'. Through narrative inquiry of my experience, this article explores issues of ethics, institutional expectations, and community relationships. Guided by Kirkness and Barnhardt's "Four R's" framework of respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility, I aimed to meet the needs of both the groups, but it was not without challenges. What do you do when needs collide? This article shares my process of negotiating the research, the decisions made, and how I came to understand my role in the process as a Settler Ally. It closes with some implications for other researchers who are considering their own roles as Settler Allies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite interest in using electronic health record (EHR) data to assess quality of care, the accuracy of such data is largely unknown. We sought to develop and validate transient ischemic attack and minor ischemic stroke electronic quality measures (eQMs) using EHR data.Methods and Results: A random sample of patients with transient ischemic attack or minor ischemic stroke, cared for in Veterans Health Administration facilities (fiscal year 2011), was identified. We constructed 31 eQMs based on existing quality measures. Chart review was the criterion standard for validating the eQMs. To evaluate eQMs in terms of eligibility, we calculated the proportion of patients who were genuinely not eligible to receive a process (based on chart review) and who were correctly identified as not eligible by the EHR data (specificity). To assess eQMs about classification of whether patients received a process, we calculated the proportion of patients who actually received the process (based on chart review) and who were classified correctly by the EHR data as passing (sensitivity). Seven hundred sixty-three patients were included. About eligibility, specificity varied from 25% (brain imaging; carotid imaging) to 99% (anticoagulation quality). About pass rates, sensitivity varied from 30% (antihypertensive class) to 100% (coronary risk assessment; international normalized ratio measured). The 16 eQMs with ≥70% specificity in eligibility and ≥70% sensitivity in pass rates included coronary risk assessment, international normalized ratio measured, HbA1c measurement, speech language pathology consultation, anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation, discharge on statin, lipid management, neurology consultation, Holter, deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis, oral hypoglycemic intensification, cholesterol medication intensification, antihypertensive intensification, antihypertensive class, carotid stenosis intervention, and substance abuse referral for alcohol.Conclusions: It is feasible to construct valid eQMs for processes of transient ischemic attack and minor ischemic stroke care. Healthcare systems with EHRs should consider using electronic data to evaluate care for their patients with transient ischemic attack and to complement and expand quality measurement programs currently focused on patients with stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education is the property of Canadian Network for Innovation in Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) initiates DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the IgH gene (Igh) to stimulate isotype class switch recombination (CSR), and widespread breaks in non-/gA (off-target) loci throughout the genome. Because the DSBs that initiate class switching occur during the G1 phase of the cell cycle, and are repaired via end joining, CSR is considered a predominantly G1 reaction. By contrast, AID-induced non-/gft DSBs are repaired by homologous recombination. Although little is known about the connection between the cell cycle and either induction or resolution of AID-mediated non-/gA DSBs, their repair by homologous recombination implicates post-G1 phases. Coordination of DNA breakage and repair during the cell cycle is critical to promote normal class switching and prevent genomic instability. To understand how AID-mediated events are regulated through the cell cycle, we have investigated GM1,-to-S control in AID-dependent genome-wide DSBs. We find that AID-mediated off-target DSBs, like those induced in the Igh locus, are generated during G1. These data suggest that AID-mediated DSBs can evade G1/S checkpoint activation and persist beyond G1, becoming resolved during S phase. Interestingly, DSB resolution during S phase can promote not only non-Igh break repair, but also Ig CSR. Our results reveal novel cell cycle dynamics in response to AID-initiated DSBs, and suggest that the regulation of the repair of these DSBs through the cell cycle may ensure proper class switching while preventing AID-induced genomic instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is required for somatic hypermutation and immunoglobulin class switching in activated B cells. Because AID has no known target-site specificity, there have been efforts to identify non-immunoglobulin AID targets. We show here that AID acts promiscuously, generating widespread DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), genomic instability and cytotoxicity in B cells with less homologous recombination ability. We demonstrate that the homologous-recombination factor XRCC2 suppressed AID-induced off-target DSBs, promoting B cell survival. Finally, we suggest that aberrations that affect human chromosome 7q36, including XRCC2, correlate with genomic instability in B cell cancers. Our findings demonstrate that AID has promiscuous genomic DSB-inducing activity, identify homologous recombination as a safeguard against off-target AID action, and have implications for genomic instability in B cell cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipodystrophies are syndromes of adipose tissue degeneration associated with severe defects in lipid and glucose homeostasis. We report here the generation and analysis of Ppargldi, a targeted allele that confers conditional dominant lipodystrophy in mice. The Ppargldi allele was generated by insertion of the Tet activator (tTA) and a tTA-regulated Flag-Pparg1 transgene into the Pparg gene. Unexpectedly, tTA elicits mild lipodystrophy, insulin resistance. and dyslipidemia, and the Flag-PPARγ1 transgene surprisingly exacerbates these traits. Doxycycline can both completely prevent and reverse these phenotypes, providing a mouse model of inducible lipodystrophy. Embryonic fibroblasts from either Ppargldi/+ or the phenotypically similar aP2-nSrebp1c (Sr) transgenic mice undergo robust adipogenesis, suggesting that neither strain develops lipodystrophy because of defective adipocyte differentiation. In addition, Ppargldi/+ adipose tissue shares extensive gene expression aberrations with that of Sr mice, authenticating the phenotype at the molecular level and revealing a common expression signature of lipodystrophic fat. Thus, the Ppargldi/+ mouse provides a conditional animal model for studying lipodystrophy and its associated physiology and gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss various reports within the issue on topics including the importance of uniformity in course design, the growth of nursing program with the flexible strategies in distance learning and a summary about the journal as it bids farewell.

A genetic linkage map was constructed in a backcross family of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, based largely on sequences from bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) ends and untranslated regions from random cDNA's. In most cases, dimoq0hisms were detected using heteroduplex or single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis after specific PCR amplification. The map incorporates a total of 424 markers, including 190 BACs and 165 cDNA's, as well as 69 genes, transposon insertion sites, sequence-tagged sites, microsatellites, and amplified fragment-length polymorphisms. Mapped loci are distributed along 571 cM, spanning all 10 linkage groups at an average marker separation of 1.3 cM. This genetic map provides a framework for positional cloning and a scaffold for integration of the emerging physical map and genome sequence assembly. The map and corresponding sequences can be accessed through BeetleBase (http://www.bioinforrnatics.ksu.edu/BeetleBase/). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]