Management of a large outbreak of COVID-19 at a British Army training centre: lessons for the future.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed major challenges for infection control within training centres, both civilian and military. Here we present a narrative review of an outbreak that occurred at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) in January-March 2021, in the context of the circulating, highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7. METHODS: Testing for SARS-CoV-2 was performed using a combination of reverse transcriptase PCR and Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs). Testing and isolation procedures were conducted in line with a pre-established symptom stratification system. Genomic sequencing was performed on 10 sample isolates. RESULTS: By the end of the outbreak, 185 cases (153 Officer Cadets, 32 permanent staff) had contracted confirmed COVID-19. This represented 15% of the total RMAS population. This resulted in 0 deaths and 0 hospitalisations, but due to necessary isolation procedures did represent an estimated 12 959 person-days of lost training. 9 of 10 (90%) of sequenced isolates had a reportable lineage. All of those reported were found to be the Alpha lineage B.1.1.7. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the key lessons learnt from the after-action review by the Incident Management Team. These include the importance of multidisciplinary working, the utility of sync matrices to monitor outbreaks in real time, issues around Officer Cadets reporting symptoms, timing of high-risk training activities, infrastructure and use of LFDs. COVID-19 represents a vital learning opportunity to minimise the impact of potential future pandemics, which may produce considerably higher morbidity and mortality in military populations.

Combining hands-on and virtual experiments for enhancing fluid mechanics teaching: A design-based research study

Fluid Mechanics courses comprise both theoretical and laboratory modules. In developing nations, computer-assisted techniques are not commonly applied in Fluid Mechanics instruction. Forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, South American universities are, however, using them for online teaching. This contribution presents an 8-semester (2016–2019) educational intervention over an undergraduate Fluid Mechanics course. It mainly blends physical (hands-on) and virtual experiments (computer fluid dynamics-based simulations) for the laboratory module, which are complemented by flipped classroom-based prompts for the theoretical module. The intervention follows design-based research as a research method and is guided via conjecture mapping and fidelity of implementation standards. Our results suggest that the intervention improves fluid mechanics laboratory instruction, although improvements depend upon the participation of other educational actors such as teaching assistants and laboratory technicians to some extent. Laboratory report grades (the assessment instrument) follow the Gompertz probability distribution. Following UNESCO standards, a portion of the intervention output is shared as open educational resources. This contribution encourages upscaling the educational intervention through the formation of cooperative clusters to build common-pool Fluid Mechanics resources. Learning scientists have underlined the need to better understand laboratory instruction processes. They have been addressed in very few instances in developing countries. We believe that this study has the potential to provide valuable insights on the matter. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.