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Several studies have explored the uses and benefits of social media hashtag communities in higher education… Yet, more research is needed to examine communication structures and strategies for personal branding in educational social media hashtag communities. In other words, to understand the dynamics, characteristics, and strategies for faculty, university staff, and graduate students need to brand themselves professionally in social media hashtag communities. This research aims to explore social network structures, dynamics, influencer characteristics, and personal branding strategies of the #AcademicTwitter online community. X (formerly known as Twitter) data on #AcademicTwitter from 2021 were retrieved and analysed using social network and quantitative content analysis. Our study found that most of the recurrent users in the community were scholars (faculty and researchers) predominantly from the STEM field. However, the most influential users were media/fan pages (a profile account created for different purposes such as sharing tips in academia, publishers, etc.) and other professionals (freelancers or university staff). Our research sheds light on the current practice of disclosing specific teaching and research interests or expertise in social media bio profiles for personal branding, especially among scholars. Unique communication contexts such as social media hashtag communities still bring challenges to the dissemination of information, relationship building, and personal branding strategies. Our results also provide recommendations for scholars (faculty and researchers), graduate students, university staff, and practitioners to improve communication practices and personal branding strategies on social media hashtag communities.

Education on sustainability is a crucial goal that requires a transformative shift in teacher education to drive meaningful changes oriented to action. A cross-sectional study with an exploratory design investigated preservice science teachers' perceptions regarding teaching sustainable citizenship, specifically focusing on the climate crisis and earthquakes-tsunamis. The study was conducted in two Chilean universities with similar teacher preparation programs. The team designed a podcast series, which was used and evaluated by the 13 participants through action research. Three group discussions explored their perceptions of the resources, as well as the aims and challenges of teaching sustainable citizenship and the podcasts. We used Grounded Theory steps, including triangulation by the researchers to ensure reliability, to qualitatively analyse the data. The results reveal a constraint on teaching in areas where the participants lacked the necessary preparation and background knowledge as students and preservice teachers. The main challenges were related to interdisciplinarity, the social dimension of socio-scientific issues and context-responsive teaching methods. The perceived aims were the development of students' critical thinking, informed positioning, and encouraging active citizen participation. Preservice teachers found the podcast series to be a valuable new epistemic and pedagogical resource that can support their efforts to teach sustainable citizenship and implement pedagogical strategies. The autonomous usage of the device triggered reflection processes, particularly regarding the human rights perspective, which unveiled the socio-political dimensions inherent in science education. It promoted personal re-positioning as active citizens and educators and empowered them to seek out and pursue the changes needed to reshape future classrooms. We discuss these findings in the context of teacher preparation and the use of educational technology in teacher education.

This research investigated the relationship between school principals' toxic leadership behaviors and teachers' perceptions of organizational gossip using the relational screening model. The sample consisted of 276 teachers selected through a simple random sampling method from public schools in Sakarya province. The Toxic Leadership Scale and Organizational Gossip Perceptions Scale served as data collection tools. Data analysis revealed that teachers' perceptions of toxic leadership and organizational gossip did not statistically differ based on gender or professional seniority. However, perceptions varied according to the school type in which they worked. The study found a positive relationship between teachers' perceptions of school principals' toxic leadership behaviors and levels of organizational gossip. Toxic leadership is a significant predictor of organizational gossip. The findings underscore the need for more research on the relationship between toxic leadership and organizational gossip, emphasizing the importance of reinforcing these results with qualitative studies.

Home-school communication is fundamental to parent involvement and student success. This essay and discussion article outlines the broad range of opportunities currently available for teachers to communicate with parents and associated strategies. The most frequent one-way modes of communication used with parents are discussed (websites, newsletters, email, texts, apps, report cards) as well as popular two-way interaction strategies (phone calls, home visits, parent-teacher conferences, virtual meetings). Key barriers to parent-teacher communication are also discussed, including racial stereotypes, language, teacher training, technology, and time, as well as the potential impact of a pandemic. Future directions for research in the area of school-home communication are also proposed. Ultimately, every communication exchange between teachers and parents occurs within the context of what has gone before and sets the stage for future interactions.

What is power? What is knowledge? What is the link between power and knowledge? This paper interrogates the relationship between knowledge and power in the context of Guinea's epidemic crises and political events. It draws on observational data collected during the Ebola epidemic (2013-2016), the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022), and the ongoing military transition in the country since September 2021. The article first looks at the conception of the relationship between power and knowledge in decolonial literature and the writings of Amadou Hampâté Bâ. The text then describes this relationship in the context of the Ebola and COVID-19 epidemics, and in the ongoing political transition. Finally, the analysis provides an epistemological reflection on knowledge-situated in Guinea to rethink the conceptual and empirical research perspective on the production and circulation of (academic) knowledge in the country's knowledge ecology.

The pedagogical competency of preschool teachers is critical in shaping the learning path of young learners in today's world. Modern early childhood education, by focusing on the development of crucial skills like teamwork, innovation, and problem-solving, lays the foundation for long-term learning and success. This research delved into the shift in global research outputs over time, spotlighted significant contributors including publications, authors, and countries, and surveyed the prevalent themes discussed. From 1993 to 2023, 1163 out of 2034 papers from the Scopus database were analysed. A quantitative bibliometric approach was utilized, rooted in the 7C-21 framework, using with the PRISMA model to assure a structured and exhaustive review process. The findings indicated a rising emphasis on promoting pedagogical competency in early-grade teaching force, as seen through increased scholarly contributions. Principal contributors, such as journals, authors, and countries, play a pivotal role in encouraging collaboration and the spread of knowledge. The research underscored the necessity for holistic training programs for 21st-century preschool teachers, spotlighting themes like early childhood educator training and the cultivation of pedagogical competence. The study also documented a transition towards practices driven by evidence and cutting-edge methodologies to meet the ever-changing learning requirements of young learners.

There is currently little research on the use of podcasting as a learning tool in the tertiary-level foreign language classroom. Here we attempt to partly fill that gap through a multiple case study of three university teachers who use this technology in their courses in Spanish as a foreign language. We obtained data for analysis primarily in two ways, through individual interviews with the teachers on two separate occasions and by compiling a corpus of all the podcasts (227 in total) the three teachers had used in their classes, most of them student-created. Given this last fact, our analysis focuses especially on the creation of podcasts by students and the teacher's role in the process. Our findings show that podcasting as an educational tool can offer significant benefits for language learning. Student-produced podcasts, in particular, provide students with a context to practice their foreign language speaking skills, but reading and writing skills are also heavily engaged in the process of writing a script for what they will say in their podcast. The production of podcasts can also be highly motivating for students if the final product is posted online on an open-access host site; this means that native speakers of the target language could be among the potential listeners. On the downside, the process of having students produce podcasts requires considerable time and preparation on the part of both teachers and students, and students who are shy or less comfortable with technology may find the task challenging.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged education systems as a whole, which had to act on emergency and without previous experience. The aim of this study is to examine the Spanish Government's response to the lockdown scenario through social media and the current (post-pandemic) activity. We collected the Twitter output of the 11 accounts linked to educational and cultural bodies and institutions of the Spanish Government and the interaction of citizens with them. We undertook analyses of social media output in pandemic and post-pandemic times. At the same time, we conducted a content analysis of the 126 tweets posted during the pandemic that had the greatest impact. The results point to increased production during the pandemic and a peak in interactions during the period of strict lockdown. The qualitative analysis reveals that Twitter is mainly used as an information and unidirectional communication board, where the Spanish Government's commitment to resources and tools based on open licences stands out, offering alternatives for Education in times of COVID-19, mainly to teachers. Finally, the analysis has allowed us to identify elements of success in social media communication.

The study focuses on the preservation and transmission of Gannan Tea Picking Opera knowledge after the Cultural Revolution in 1949 using qualitative research methods such as interviews and observations with seven key informants. The following findings were obtained, which can be divided into three distinct periods: The tortuous development phase from 1949 to 1966 marked significant growth and development, with the establishment of specialized schools and the implementation of the "three reforms" contributing to knowledge transmission and preservation. The survival dilemma period from 1966 to 1976 during the Cultural Revolution imposed constraints on artistic expression, but the return of artists from rural areas and their role in recruiting apprentices supported the continuity of Gannan Tea Picking Opera. Finally, the Ganzhou Gannan Tea Picking Opera Troupe and educational institutions contributed to the revival of this traditional art form during the period of rebirth from 1976 to 2023. Retired artists continue to play a vital role in knowledge preservation and dissemination, reflecting the enduring resilience of Gannan Tea Picking Opera.

Genome Sciences Education Outreach (GSEO) has developed innovative programs that bring leading-edge science to teachers and students in K-12 schools. Disseminating educational materials equitably and accessibly to teacher stakeholders to maximize reach and impact is challenging for many programs. Traditionally, programs connect materials with teachers through local networks, in-person professional development sessions, and at regional and national conference presentations. The need for curricular changes in 2020 spurred the proliferation of online and digital educational materials and professional development opportunities. These digital materials--now available to a worldwide audience--require a shift in dissemination strategy to enhance the potential reach of these materials both locally and nationally. This manuscript reports a case study of a dissemination approach, to create a collaboration between GSEO and CommLead (the communications master's program at the University of Washington) to promote education materials developed by the publicly-funded Genes, Environment and Me Network (GEMNet) program. This manuscript describes the development and the ad hoc implementation and evaluation of a social media campaign to expand the reach of the GEMNet curricula. With a targeted social media campaign on Facebook, GSEO was able to dramatically and affordably increase the reach of the GEMNet curricula and expand the potential impact and utilization of educational materials to a nationwide teacher audience, highlighting the potential for other similar collaborations to efficiently enhance the dissemination strategy of other education outreach programs.

Social networks have grown rapidly in recent years, enabling the application of social web technologies to the scientific process and creating platforms that enhance communication between researchers. The aim of this research is to go one step further and investigate whether the use of more general social networks, such as Twitter (currently X) or Facebook, is also becoming more widespread for scientific research, thus contributing to the visibility of scientists and their collaborative networks. Social media analysis is carried out using the Brandwatch platform to assess the use of generalist social networks in research, and compared with the use of scientific social networks through an online survey of university professors. The resulting conclusions show that scientific mentions in networks are rare and that, despite the importance of researchers having a profile in a social network, which allows them to give greater visibility to their results and receive feedback from their colleagues, many of them are still unaware of its usefulness.

Postsecondary education enrollment is declining across the United States. The U.S. Department of Education's Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) initiative focuses on increasing the college-going rate of students living in low-income neighborhoods through targeted university-community partnerships (UCPs). Here, we reflect on our program's use of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to explore family postsecondary perspectives during the pandemic with the goal of developing community-level interventions. We outline the implementation of this approach in defining community, sharing planning power with partners, and responsive sampling. Reflection on the relevance, inclusion, and value of CBPR in education research is included.

There has been a call to amplify the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and expand its reach by engaging with audiences outside the academy. In this paper, we share our journey in crossing disciplinary boundaries and creating a SoTL-informed infographic for public consumption. As the field of SoTL continues to evolve, infographics hold tremendous potential to communicate SoTL to various stakeholders, including educators, students, administrators, policymakers, and the public. We outline best practices in infographic development and the potential of infographics as a tool for taking SoTL public, emphasizing their visual appeal and effectiveness in conveying complex information. We conclude by discussing the implications of using infographics to advance SoTL communication. The efforts of our group serve as a valuable example of how infographics can be used to bring SoTL knowledge out of academia and into the public domain.

This practice report provides an overview of a podcast series designed to support first-year student transition to university and promote wellbeing and belonging. The podcast was established in 2017 in a compulsory first year law subject (Legal Institutions and Methods) at La Trobe University, Australia. The podcasts record interviews with students who have recently completed the subject and are designed to (a) give interviewees an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and (b) provide advice to future commencing law students (i.e., their peers). The podcast is a form of peer-to-peer mentoring that requires a relatively small investment of resources and provides on-demand support to students as they commence their law studies. The concept is readily adaptable to other disciplines.

In order to demonstrate the effect of using podcasts on the development of A1 level students' oral reading, reading comprehension, pronunciation skills, and related discriminative listening skills of Turkish learners abroad, an 8-week podcast-supported listening practice was conducted with a group of 12 participants learning Turkish as an elective course at a university in Central Europe with the aim of improving discriminative listening skills. In this single-group quantitative design research, pretest and post-test were conducted, and the data sources were the Turkish Language Teaching as a Foreign Language A1 Level Discriminative Listening Skill Test and the discriminative listening worksheets were used in the skill development application process. As a result of the research, it was determined that the use of podcasts is effective in improving the discriminative listening skills of those learning Turkish as a foreign language at the A1 level abroad.

Communication through social media is a phenomenon whose relevance has involved the consideration of online discourse in the language teaching context. This article explores the functionality of Twitter (now called "X") for science dissemination within the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language. To do this, 100 tweets from the accounts @WWF and @Greenpeace were gathered and analysed from the perspective of digital discourse analysis and communicative language teaching. I argue that using these tweets encourages the development of key competencies, provides room for the practice of integrated skills, and enhances the application of 21st-century skills. Conclusively, science dissemination tweets may be considered adequate for teaching and learning English.

This article explores the multifaceted role of education in strengthening crisis communication strategies, particularly using the 2023 Kahramanmaras Earthquake as a primary case study. It delves into the crisis communication techniques employed during the earthquake, highlighting challenges in coordination, communication gaps, and the inadequate use of technology in emergency response efforts. The study emphasizes the necessity of enhancing coordination among response teams and employing digital platforms for real-time information sharing. It also proposes recommendations to increase public awareness and outlines future research perspectives. In summary, this research underscores the critical importance of education in reinforcing crisis communication strategies, offering practical insights for their development based on the experiences from the Kahramanmaras Earthquake.

Data collection, use, leveraging, and sharing as a business practice and advantage has proliferated over the past decade. Along with this proliferation of data collection is the increase in regulatory activity which continues to morph exponentially around the globe. Adding to this complexity are the increasing business disruptions, productivity and revenue losses, settlements, fines, and penalties which can amount to over $15 million, with many penalties now being ascribed to the organization's leadership, to include the Board of Directors (BoD), the CEO and members of the senior leadership team (SLT). Thus, boards of directors can no longer ignore and in fact must embrace data privacy as a critical part of doing business in the digital world. In fact, not embracing data privacy as a critical part of their strategy, not only puts their stakeholders and stockholders at risk, but also places the future success of their organization in jeopardy. Additionally, increasingly through legal, regulatory, and normative occurrences, Boards are being pressured into taking a more active role in the data privacy activities in their organizations. Therefore, it behooves the BoD to be proactive vice reactive toward their data privacy endeavors.

Educational podcasts have become an increasingly prevalent media used to disseminate profession-specific information through easily accessible means. Despite the potential of educational podcasts as convenient and effective medium, there is a dearth of literature dedicated to the topic. Thus, using the Uses and Gratification framework, the psychometric properties of the "Educational Podcasts Motivation Scale" were examined, as well as the motivational factors that influence intention to listen to educational podcasts and recommend podcasts to others were explored. A sample of individuals in the field of education (n = 606), such as in-service K-12 teachers and higher education professors, were recruited for this study. This sample were randomly divided, and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted with the first set (n = 312) to identify underlying constructs, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) were employed with the second set (n = 294). The scale demonstrated strong psychometric properties and five distinct motivational factors were identified: Information Gathering, Flexibility in Use, Social Interaction, Entertainment, and Professional Encouragement. Several motivational factors had significant associations with the constructs of "intention" and "word-of-mouth". This paper demonstrates both the unique motivational factors related to listening to educational podcasts and the motivational factors that overlap with other forms of media. Further examination of the underlying motivations to listen to educational podcasts is warranted.

Biomedical engineering (BME) undergraduate curricula have begun to address gaps in diversity, especially in response to the newly proposed ABET diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) criteria. However, there is a significant lack of teaching resources, and pedagogical training available for those interested in including DEI into their course material. This is not restricted to BME and permeates many STEM fields. Thus, new engaging techniques to incorporate DEI into STEM teaching must be developed and tested. A mandatory undergraduate BME course at Stony Brook University was redesigned, to include DEI concepts directly into course content. Instructor generated resources were presented and discussed throughout the semester. These resources focused on introducing prominent scholars, engineers, and researchers, who rarely make it into textbook discussions, and their discoveries and contributions. A graded project was incorporated that asked students to generate their own resources, with the understanding that an overarching goal was to develop a library of information to be shared with our student population. After one semester, over seventy biographies have been collated. This approach worked well to highlight individual accomplishments of diverse scholars. Students appeared to be engaged with the discussion (observed through body language and participation), and appreciated researching a prominent engineer outside of those typically discussed. In the future, it will be important to link highlighted engineers more closely to course content, and to include key findings more directly within topics that are under discussion. Importantly, these efforts must be included within the graded course content to help ensure engagement, retention, and understanding.

Health professions educators often use social media to share knowledge; however, it is unclear what specific dissemination and knowledge translation (KT) processes are occurring and the implications of this sharing for health professions education (HPE). This study explored how educators have used social media as a mechanism of dissemination and KT in the literature. A critical scoping review methodology, informed by Engeström's Activity Theory, was employed. Twelve databases were searched and studies that: (a) addressed health professions educators; (b) described the use of social media for dissemination or KT; (c) focused on a regulated health profession; (d) focused on undergraduate or graduate education; and (e) were published in English or French between 2011 and 2021 were included. Data were analyzed using numerical and qualitative content analyses. Of the 4859 articles screened, 37 were eligible for inclusion. Social media may facilitate knowledge sharing in HPE, but there is a lack of conceptual clarity on what is meant by 'dissemination' and 'KT'. Who is responsible for sharing knowledge, what knowledge is being shared, and the target audiences are not always clear. Multiple factors (e.g., affordances, opportunity costs) influence how social media is used as a mechanism of dissemination, and it remains unclear whether and how it is used as a mechanism of KT. Concepts like KT and dissemination, which are often borrowed from other disciplines, must be critically evaluated for their relevance and suitability if they are to be appropriately applied to HPE and in particular to social media. Educators looking to use social media to teach students about KT should consider whether this use of technology truly aligns with their stated learning outcomes.

Service-learning, especially from a critical perspective, is a method of education that aims to bring students into relationships with community members to foster mutual understanding and give opportunity for shared learning and service. Universities that are compelled by their faith to seek justice may be the most effective at implementing service-learning programs when they are grounded in the justice and love of God. Herein, I report on a service-learning program that aims to advance the Christian mission by serving the least of these. I discuss lessons learned along the way and give examples from our partners.

This article critically assesses the hospitality premise on which the project-practice of decolonizing the curriculum rests, investigating the texture and limitations of the hospitality that Global North universities seem willing to offer their many Others, including students, staff, and stakeholders, particularly in the form of knowledges and pedagogies. It investigates how the guests-strangers are treated within the Global North Universities, their knowledges posited as a separate category within the epistemic system rather than integrated into being a part of the system; guests relegated to unpaid servants when obliged to shoulder the lion's share of the work in addressing the unfair, racist systems which devalue them and their knowledges. Embedding the discourse of decolonizing the university in and with postcolonial concepts, the article highlights the profoundly unequal power relationships between hosts and guests that continue to inform even the best-intentioned Global North higher education institutions, self-declaredly dedicated to decolonization efforts. It argues for pressing need on the part of the Global North universities to deepen their awareness of the historical legacies of coloniality and its matrix of power, and consequently reflect on the treatment of Global South guests and knowledges. This long, hard look at their role of host is necessary for a true committment to decolonising the university spaces and rendering them genuinely hospitable, and to transforming the unequal power dynamics and the impacts on guests-stranger Others.

This paper presents a systematic framework of the most needed Vocational Education and Training (VET) reforms in The Azores, a Portuguese outermost region. Our report is based on a participatory research approach involving the perspectives of five different groups of stakeholders. Our data was collected in 18 virtual world-café sessions (n = 164 participants--58 trainees; 21 trainers; 42 institutional representatives; 21 unemployed people registered at local public employment agencies; and 22 businesspersons; M age = 45.20; 60.37 women). Based on content analysis, we identified three main priorities to restructure vocational training policies: (a) VET perception and valorization, comprising strategies to disseminate a more positive social representation of VET in the region; (b) horizontal coordination between stakeholders, including effective ways of coordinating and sharing information; and (c) vertical coordination in terms of VET improvements of "curricula," funding models, and investments in the sector's human capital. Our correspondence analysis did not show significant differences regarding the prevalence of the three priorities across the five groups of stakeholders. We interpret and contextualize our results according to relevant publicly available data about the region, and an integrated governance lens to inform policy design in outermost territories.

This study explores the mechanisms that underlie the effect of school marketing strategies on parents' perceived school attractiveness, particularly emphasizing the mediating role of parents' perceptions of being welcomed in urban schools. Additionally, we investigated how schools' marketing strategies work differently among parents with different value orientations toward schooling. Structural Equation Modeling and Cluster Analysis Data were applied to analyze 510 questionnaires collected from parents. Two experiential marketing strategies, namely, one-way disseminating materials and interactive social networking, impacted parents' perceived attractiveness of schools differently with the feeling of being welcomed mediating the relationship between parents and schools. Additionally, parents' value orientations toward schooling could be classified into three profiles. The results suggest that schools should consider parents' needs and preferences concerning their children's schooling and employ appropriate marketing strategies to engage different types of parents. To facilitate this outcome, individualized interaction is necessary to accommodate the diverse needs of parents. The overall structural equation model validates the mechanism of experiential marketing in influencing parental perceptions, and the cluster analysis underscores the need to explore the complex relationship between parents' educational priorities and their interpretation of marketing strategies.

The need to make evidence and implications of educational research widely available has prompted a burgeoning interest in knowledge mobilisation, which is a set of strategies supporting the active and intentional dissemination of research knowledge. For this, it is important to consider who might be the intended audience and end-users of this knowledge, as this impacts decisions throughout the research process. Researcher-teacher collaborations are effective contexts for knowledge-building and sharing, where both partners have different but equally valuable roles and contributions to make to the conduct, analysis and dissemination of research. This paper illustrates the value and uses of teacher-composed written and video cases of colleague coaching. The cases were generated as part of the Zooming project, a seven-school, 3-year research-practice partnership focused on developing teachers' data literacy and capacity to coach colleagues in this. To craft the cases, the teachers reflected on their coaching practices and relationships and identified what would be most useful for new coaches to know. The cases proved to be engaging tools for research dissemination, especially to a professional audience. In addition, the case writing challenged teachers to reflect on and analyse their coaching actions and the assumptions they brought to collegial coaching. The cases as data also provided researchers with a deeper level of insights into what teachers viewed as salient when coaching colleagues in data use. Teacher case composition offers a useful approach to knowledge co-production and a pathway to research dissemination by and for teachers and researchers.

The purpose of this pilot study is to learn whether and to what extent, the introduction of podcasts and podcasting into teacher education classes improves the educational experience for preservice teachers. A survey and individual interviews were analyzed through the lens of Garrison et al.'s (2000) model of community inquiry, which involves three elements essential to educational experiences in online environments: cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence. Among the key findings was that aligning instructional purpose with student podcasting had the greatest influence on student engagement.

Nanolearning represents an educational methodology rooted in personalisation and the individualisation of the educational process, leveraging contemporary information technologies. Nanolearning, closely intertwined with self-regulated learning, entails an individual's capacity to plan, monitor and regulate their learning process, objectives and strategies. In nanolearning, information is presented in small, discrete fragments, necessitating students to autonomously manage their time and educational progress, thereby determining when and what to study. Nanolearning and TikTok can synergistically intersect, yielding innovative pedagogical approaches. TikTok, a popular social platform for sharing concise video clips, introduces a novel mode of information dissemination and interpersonal communication. Background: The introduction of a flexible education system that meets the individual requirements of a student is a burning need of our time. The study hypothesis is as follows: Will nanolearning be able to change the self-regulatory competence of the experiment participants and how exactly? Objectives: The current study aimed to determine nanolearning effectiveness in the context of students' self-regulation development. Methods: This was done using a self-regulation questionnaire addressed to a sample of 120 students of the Kokshetau University named after A. Myrzakhmetov. As a nanolearning platform, this study benefited from the TikTok app. Results: The results showed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores than the control group on goal setting, environmental structuring, task strategies, time management, help-seeking and self-evaluation. Conclusions: The results obtained can help develop a set of activities for the optimisation of the educational process to improve student professional competence.

Marijuana use among U.S. college students is the highest since the mid-1980s. Because knowledge about marijuana and confidence in the knowledge are related to changing marijuana laws and marijuana-related messages ubiquitous in college students' information environment, we examined their relationships with use. The Structural Equation Modeling method was used to analyze the relationships using survey responses from 249 college students in an adult-use marijuana legal state. Marijuana health knowledge was related to less use, and law knowledge was related to more use. Both relationships were mediated by perceived risk. Confidence in knowledge was related to more use directly as well as indirectly via lower peer disapproval and lower perceived risk. Among various marijuana message channels, peers were the most influential, contributing to lower health knowledge and higher confidence in knowledge.

Effective communication skills are pivotal in health care, particularly when conveying distressing information to patients and their families. However, medical education still lacks the adoption of a universal model that can be incorporated into the curricula to train and assess students in effectively communicating with patients. This study aims to assess the impact of training undergraduate medical students to deliver bad news effectively using the Empowering Medical students' skills in BReaking bAd news with Compassion and Empathy (EMBRACE) module. This randomized case-control study involved medical students from the first, second, and third professional years (study group, n ¼ 75; control group, n ¼ 75). For the study group, the EMBRACE modules were distributed. Then, a 1-hour training session on effectively delivering bad news was followed by a multiple-choice question test and objective structured clinical examination with response, interpretation, and communication skills stations. Participants' feedback was obtained on a five-point Likert scale. There was a highly significant improvement in knowledge and skills among the study group compared to controls with a P value less than 0.0001. Of the participants, 98.76% perceived that the training equipped them with practical skills, and 98.77% felt that the facilitator had demonstrated the steps of delivering bad news clearly and effectively. Only 4.44% of participants were confident in effectively interacting with patients before the session, and an overwhelming 81.11% gained confidence in their communication skills after the training. With demonstrated significant improvement in knowledge and skills, this study supports the adoption of EMBRACE modules in undergraduate medical education, ultimately improving patient experiences, doctor-patient relationships, and health outcomes.

With the development of science over the years, people have increasingly realized the importance of science communication. Unfortunately, very little research has focused on helping medical students develop the capabilities of science communication. To improve medical students' science communication and evaluate the effectiveness of New Media through mobile clients in health science communication, a competition was held among medical undergraduates. Outstanding works were selected for publication on our official health science communication WeChat account. Furthermore, the participants volunteered to complete a questionnaire survey to help us assess students' awareness of science communication. Our analysis revealed that students had a strong willingness to serve society and to participate in science communication work. Students generally agreed that science communication work had excellent effects on professional knowledge and related skills. In addition, the correlation results showed that the greater students' willingness to participate in health science communication was, the greater their sense of gain. New Media effectively expand the influence of students' popular science works. Our findings suggest that competition in science communication has a positive impact on enhancing students' awareness and capabilities in science communication. In addition, New Media are an effective way to improve students' scientific communication efficiency. However, we also noted that students' participation rate and enthusiasm for scientific communication were not high. Further research is needed to determine the reasons for this situation and potential strategies to further improve students' science communication.

Much of the data produced and consumed by students, teachers, and educational managers is in textual format. Text Mining (TM) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) have been applied in the educational context in different ways. Ideally, such applications combine computational, linguistic, pedagogical, and psychological aspects. This article aims to gather and analyze scientific publications that have applied TM and NLP techniques in textual corpora from distance-higher education through a Systematic Literature Review. Eight scientific databases were searched (ACM DL, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ArXiv, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, and ERIC), and publications from 2017 to 2021 were selected. 718 unique publications were screened to identify primary research capable of characterizing this scientific area. 52 resulting publications were fully analyzed, and some consolidated results include: 38% of works had the professors as end users, followed by students (27%) and managers (25%); the English language was present in 50% of publications, followed by the Portuguese language (13,5%) and others languages; the text mining tasks most used were text classification (27%), sentiment analysis (17%), information extraction (15%), chatbot (15%) and topic modeling (13%); LDA (Latent Dirichlet Analysis) was the technique most used (19%); the Python language was the programming language most prevalent (42%), and 54% of works do not mention any educational construct or theory. Thus, this article presents an unprecedented overview of the field of Educational Text Mining (ETM) in distance higher education and analyses the main results obtained, aiming for future research in the area.

This study examined the effects of cognitive and affective-based trust on knowledge sharing among students, which influences learning performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was conducted with 730 participants, and analysis was carried out using structural equation modeling (SEM) based on the uses and gratifications (U&G) theory. The results showed that cognitive and affective trust significantly affects students' knowledge sharing behavior on Facebook, which further influences learning performance. This study also showed that social media had become a tool for social interaction and learning, which is crucial to students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This case study describes how two librarians transformed an international information literacy course by creating a scaffolded open pedagogy experience for students to build transferable skills while exploring how information is produced, disseminated, and interpreted across the world. The authors discuss how we collaborated on the project to incorporate open pedagogy, tools, and strategies to enhance learning. The result was a scaffolded course using open pedagogy to help students engage with global information issues. Using Pressbooks, students published multimedia content exploring topics including global news media, censorship, misinformation, and digital divides. Then students chose to either openly license their work, share it publicly while retaining their copyright, or hide it from public view. Additionally, students used Hypothesis to socially annotate reading assignments outside of class. We reflect on our experience revising this course, what worked and what did not, and how we will adapt the course in the future.

Background: There has been a rapid increase in the number of, and demand for, organisations offering behavioural science advice to government over the last ten years. Yet we know little of the state of science and the experiences of these evidence providers. Aims and objectives: To identify current practice in this emerging field and the factors that impact on the production of high-quality and policy-relevant research. Methods: A qualitative study using one-to-one interviews with representatives from a purposeful sample of 15 units in the vanguard of international behavioural science research in policy. The data were analysed thematically. Findings: Relationships with policymakers were important in the inception of units, research conduct, implementation and dissemination of findings. Knowledge exchange facilitated a shared understanding of policy issues/context, and of behavioural science. Sufficient funding was crucial to maintain critical capacity in the units' workforces, build a research portfolio beneficial to policymakers and the units, and to ensure full and transparent dissemination. Discussion and conclusion: Findings highlight the positive impact of strong evidence-provider/user relationships and the importance of governments' commitment to co-produced research programmes to address policy problems and transparency in the dissemination of methods and findings. From the findings we have created a framework, 'STEPS' (Sharing, Transparency, Engagement, Partnership, Strong relationships), of five recommendations for units working with policymakers. These findings will be of value to all researchers conducting research on behalf of government.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in rapid changes to head and neck cancer (HNC) services. Multidisciplinary team (MDT) face-to-face appointments were converted to telehealth appointments (telephone and video-call) to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. The literature exploring HNC patient experience of these appointment types is limited. Aims: To explore patient experience of telehealth appointments at one UK centre during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the variables that may influence patient preference for virtual or face-to-face appointments. Methods & Procedures: A survey-based study design was used, with closed questions and open text options to capture the views of the participants. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Open text data was used to add depth to the findings. Outcomes & Results: A total of 23 participant surveys were returned. Six categories were identified: Usability; Information receiving & giving; Satisfaction; Emotions and comfort; Rapport; and Travel time and cost. Overall, participants gave positive responses to each category and indicated that telehealth appointments met their needs. Areas for clinical consideration are highlighted. Variables such as age, travel distance from hospital site, fear of COVID-19 and information technology (IT) access did not appear to influence patient preference for appointment type. Conclusions & Implications: Going forward, telehealth may be considered for use in combination with face-to-face appointments in the HNC pathway. Areas for further development include a 'telehealth screening tool' that may help to identify those patients most appropriate for these appointment types, or who require support to access them.

Background: Despite the enactment of disability laws/policies in India, research shows that caregivers of adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities experience inadequate formal supports/services due to dissemination barriers and lack of awareness about them. To address discrepancy between caregivers' support needs and the professionals' understanding of their needs, the study proposed to conduct a caregiver needs assessment so that culturally-tailored programs are developed. Method: A strengths-based mixed methods needs assessment was conducted with a convenience sample of 100 caregivers in Hyderabad, India. One hundred caregivers completed the survey and 15 caregivers participated in semi-structured interviews. Results: Caregivers needed more and improved formal supports/services, particularly from the government. Caregivers faced systemic and attitudinal barriers, and personal impediments to accessing them. Needs differed by care recipients' intellectual disability level, gender, and intellectual disability related conditions. Conclusions: Researchers, service providers and policymakers need to adopt innovative strategies to improve formal supports/services access.

COVID-19 disproportionally impacted the health and well-being of older adults--many of whom live with chronic conditions--due to their higher risk of dying and being hospitalized. It also created several secondary pandemics, including increased falls risk, sedentary behavior, social isolation, and physical inactivity due to limitations in mobility from lock-down policies. With falls as the leading cause of preventable death and hospitalizations, it became vital for in-person evidence-based falls prevention programs (EBFPPs) to pivot to remote delivery. In Spring 2020, many EBFPP administrators began re-designing programs for remote delivery to accommodate physical distancing guidelines necessitated by the pandemic. Transition to remote delivery was essential for older adults and persons with disabilities to access EBFPPs for staying healthy, falls and injury free, out of hospitals, and also keeping them socially engaged. We collaborated with the Administration on Community Living (ACL), the National Council on Aging (NCOA), and the National Falls Prevention Resource Center (NFPRC), for an in-depth implementation evaluation of remotely delivered EBFPPs. We examined the process of adapting and implementing four EBFPPs for remote delivery, best practices for implementing the programs remotely within the RE-AIM evaluation framework. This enhances NFPRC's ongoing work supporting dissemination, implementation, and sustainability of EBFPPs. We purposively sampled organizations for maximum variation in organization and provider type, geographic location, and reach of underserved older populations (Black, Indigenous, or other People of Color (BIPOC), rural, disabilities). This qualitative evaluation includes provider-level data from semi-structured interviews (N = 22) with program administrators, staff, and leaders. The interview guide included what, why, and how adaptations were made to EBFPP interventions and implementation strategies using Wiltsey-Stirman (2019) adaptations framework (FRAME), reach, and implementation outcomes (acceptability, feasibility, fidelity, and costs; Proctor et al., 2011), focusing on equity to learn for whom these programs were working and opportunities to address inequities. Findings demonstrate remote EBFPPs made planned and fidelity-consistent adaptations to remote delivery in partnership with researchers and community organizations, focusing on participant safety both in program content and delivery. Supports using and accessing technology were needed for delivery sites and leaders to facilitate engagement, and improved over time. While remote EBFPP delivery has increased access to EBFPPs for some populations from the perspective of program administrator, leaders, and staff (e.g., caregivers, rural-dwellers, persons with physical disabilities), the digital divide remains a barrier in access to and comfort using technology. Remote-delivered EBFPPs were acceptable and feasible to delivery organizations and leaders, were able to be delivered with fidelity using adaptations from program developers, but were more resource intensive and costly to implement compared to in-person. This work has important implications beyond the pandemic. Remote delivery has expanded access to groups traditionally underserved by in-person programming, particularly disability communities. This work will help answer important questions about reach, accessibility, feasibility, and cost of program delivery for older adults and people with disabilities at risk for falls, those living with chronic conditions, and communities most vulnerable to disparities in access to health care, health promotion programming, and health outcomes. It will also provide critical information to funders about elements required to adapt EBFPPs proven effective in in-person settings for remote delivery with fidelity to achieve comparable outcomes.

Objectives: This study evaluated the effects of reading different versions of a fotonovela about diabetes in resource-poor settings in South Africa. Design: An experimental study was conducted with 411 participants, comparing a fotonovela with a younger protagonist, a similar fotonovela version with an older protagonist and a no message control condition. Differences between the two fotonovela versions were analysed for two age groups of readers (25-49 years, and 50 years and older). Setting: Community centres in vulnerable communities in the South African provinces of the Western Cape, the Northern Cape and Gauteng. Method: In the experimental conditions, participants completed a questionnaire after reading one of the fotonovela versions. Participants in the control condition answered similar questions without having read a fotonovela. Results: Both fotonovela versions resulted in more diabetes knowledge than the control condition. Limited positive effects were found for attitudes and behavioural intentions. In the younger participant group, age similarity between the protagonist and readers resulted in knowledge gain, while in the older participant group, no such effect was found. In both age groups, no age similarity effects were found for attitudes or behavioural intentions. Conclusion: This study confirms that fotonovelas can be an effective means of health communication. Furthermore, for a narrative on a health topic for which age is relevant, it can be beneficial to choose a young protagonist. For readers from the same age group, the impact of the story on knowledge acquisition may then be greatest, while for older readers, the age of the protagonist does not seem to influence the knowledge effects of the story.

Using the metaphor of a publication "pipeline," this article offers practical tips for early-career scholars to take their ideas from concept to publication. Too often, conference presentations do not continue to publication, limiting the potential for dissemination of research work throughout the field and impeding professional scholarly growth. Here, experienced scholars share what they have found helpful to maximize publication productivity.