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Self-efficacy, the internal belief that one can perform a specific task successfully, influences behavior. To promote critical appraisal of medical literature, rheumatology training programs should foster both competence and self-efficacy for critical appraisal. This study aimed to investigate whether select items from the Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory (CRAI), an instrument measuring clinical research self-efficacy, could be used to measure critical appraisal self-efficacy (CASE).One hundred twenty-five trainees from 33 rheumatology programs were sent a questionnaire that included two sections of the CRAI. Six CRAI items relevant to CASE were identified a priori; responses generated a CASE score (total score range 0-10; higher = greater confidence in one's ability to perform a specific task successfully). CASE scores' internal structure and relation to domain-concordant variables were analyzed.Questionnaires were completed by 112 of 125 (89.6%) trainees. CASE scores ranged from 0.5 to 8.2. The six CRAI items contributing to the CASE score demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.95) and unidimensionality. Criterion validity was supported by the findings that participants with higher CASE scores rated their epidemiology and biostatistics understanding higher than that of peers (P 0.0001) and were more likely to report referring to studies to answer clinical questions (odds ratio 2.47, 95% confidence interval 1.41-4.33; P = 0.002). The correlation of CASE scores with percentage of questions answered correctly was only moderate, supporting discriminant validity.The six-item CASE instrument demonstrated content validity, internal consistency, discriminative capability, and criterion validity, including correlation with self-reported behavior, supporting its potential as a useful measure of critical appraisal self-efficacy.

Expanding on academic continuity planning research in higher education, this article presents two models for transitioning hands-on coursework online. Integrating precedent, case study, and autoethnography methods, the article analyzes higher education leadership and faculty decision-making within the context of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic at The College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. When COVID-19 closed campuses worldwide, 98% of over 1,200 College of Fine Arts class sections were happening in-person; most of those courses required hands-on, applied learning, which is challenging to translate online. With few exceptions, these courses not only continued, but they also demonstrated academic resilience—the ability to survive, adapt, and grow. Academic continuity and planning researchers have reached consensus that institutions need to support high-quality online coursework to effectively manage disruptions; the problem presented in this article is that extant academic continuity models too often conceptualize faculty, students, and staff as a single user with a set of common characteristics and needs related to online learning. Such generalized conceptualizations lead to academic continuity planning strategies and tactics that do not account for the variegated complexities involved in online hands-on education.

This chapter explores how one graduate-level seminar incorporated technology and insights from the science of learning to improve the delivery and assessment of course content. Drawing on the case study, “Technology and Innovation in Higher Education,” an elective seminar for master's and doctoral students taught at The University of Texas at Austin (2015-2017), the authors discuss the benefits of project-based learning, retrieval-based learning strategies, and the use of diverse teams in educational settings. The authors consider how technology was used in this blended-learning/hybrid course to more efficiently and effectively achieve the learning goals. The chapter concludes with practical recommendations for instructors who seek to incorporate insights from the science of learning in their graduate courses.

Este trabalho apresenta resultados de uma revisão da literatura acerca da implementação da metodologia interativa de ensino Peer Instruction (PI). Respondemos às seguintes questões de pesquisa: Em quais contextos de ensino (nível de ensino, país, área de ensino e disciplinas) pesquisadores têm investigado o PI? Que impactos o PI tem produzido na aprendizagem dos estudantes? Quais são os resultados instrucionais da implementação do PI em termos das atitudes dos professores em relação à metodologia e das modificações feitas na estrutura original da metodologia? Quais são os principais aspectos teóricos e metodológicos que pesquisadores utilizam para investigar implementações do PI? Os resultados da literatura apontam que grande parte das publicações foram conduzidas em universidades norte americanas, em disciplinas da área STEM, com destaque à disciplina de Física. A adoção do PI apresenta impactos positivos na aprendizagem conceitual dos estudantes, na habilidade de resolução de problemas e no desempenho acadêmico. Desenvolve sentimentos positivos relacionados à aprendizagem dos conteúdos e à metodologia. Professores realizam modificações ao implementar o PI integrando-o com outras metodologias, demonstrando sua flexibilidade. A maioria dos estudos é apoiada por análises empíricas e estatísticas, mas não por estruturas conceituais ou referenciais teóricos. Esta lacuna apresenta oportunidades para contribuições futuras. This paper presents a review of literature on the implementation of the interactive student-centered teaching method Peer Instruction (PI). We answer the following research questions: In which teaching contexts (education level, country, teaching area and disciplines) have researchers investigated PI? What student outcomes are detailed in PI implementation studies? What are the instructional outcomes of PI adoption among instructors, in terms of teacher attitudes towards the methodology and modifications made to the original structure of the methodology? What are the theoretical and methodological approaches researchers use to study PI implementation? The results of the literature demonstrate that the large majority of publications on PI implementation result from studies conducted at North American universities, in the STEM fields, particularly within the discipline of Physics. PI implementation shows increases in the conceptual learning of students, problem-solving ability and academic performance. Develops students' positive feelings related to content learning and the teaching methodology. Instructors make changes to the implementation of the method and integrate it with other teaching methods, demonstrating the methodology's flexible nature. Most studies on PI implementation are supported by empirical and statistical analysis but are not guided by formal conceptual or theoretical frameworks. This gap presents opportunities for future contributions.