ABSTRACT
CONTEXT The ongoing coronavirus pandemic required us to quickly adapt and familiarise ourselves with new skills and technologies in the shift to online teaching. Irregular communication due to extended lockdowns has meant that while knowledge on effective online teaching has been developed, this knowledge has not been properly disseminated to our junior teaching staff. As they operate predominantly in student-facing positions, it is essential that our junior staff be equipped with information on best practice in online teaching as well as with an awareness of the resources available to support them. PURPOSE OR GOAL To address the gap outlined above, we developed a new professional development program for our junior teaching staff, focusing mainly on online teaching. The goal was to share our collective knowledge on best practice in online teaching, and to demonstrate how various technologies could aid in promoting active learning in an online setting. The program also aimed to initiate a community of practice around teaching and the online teaching space. APPROACH OR METHODOLOGY/METHODS In designing our program, we considered student feedback from previous semesters, and more recent feedback on the online teaching experience from 2020. The final program covered the following topics: general advice, navigating Zoom and physical setup for online teaching, online tools for active learning, engagement within teaching teams, online feedback, and blended synchronous learning. Tools and technologies showcased in the program were embedded in the delivery to allow first-hand experience. ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES An exit survey indicated that in general, participants found the program useful, with an average rating of 8.27 (out of 10). The top areas that participants indicated that they would like more assistance were quizzes and tools for active learning (31%), providing feedback to students (22%), and blended synchronous learning (20%). Zoom (12%) and the physical setup for online teaching (15%) did not rank highly, in line with our observation that a large percentage of participants had some prior experience with online teaching in 2020. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY In summary, we piloted a professional development focused mainly on online-teaching for junior staff. The program was well-received, and the collected feedback will used for implementation and improvement of future run. Copyright © Lionel Lam, Raquel de Souza, Catherine Sutton, Eduardo Araujo Oliveira, Glen Currie, Ryan Hoult, Leila Meratian Esfahani, Leigh Canny, Christopher Honig, and Gavin Buskes, 2021.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Research examining state vocational rehabilitation agency (SVRA) sponsored service patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic is needed to improve employment outcomes among multiply marginalized persons of color with disabilities (i.e., African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans or Alaska Natives, Latinx, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Island¬ers). Scarce attention has been paid to examining outcome inequities in the crisis. OBJECTIVE: This study applied a stratified bootstrap data expansion approach to assess the relationship between race/ethnicity, gender, level of educational attainment at closure and em¬ployment outcomes among target group members. METHODS: National fiscal year (FY) 2019 Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)-911 case records (N =114,229) closed between January 20, 2020 (date of first reported COVID-19 infection in the U.S.) to June 30 2020 were extracted and re-sampled across multiple trials using bootstrap procedures to increase logistic regression model accuracy. RESULTS: The findings indicated that African Americans, Asian Americans and Native Ameri¬can or Alaska Natives were statistically significantly less likely to achieve successful employment than non-Latinx Whites. Success probabilities in the COVID-19 pandemic were 'poorest'for Na¬tive American or Alaska Native VR consumers followed by African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx, non-Latinx Whites, and then Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. African Americans and Native Americans or Alaska Natives were more often closed unsuccessful because they could not be located when compared to non-Latinx Whites. CONCLUSIONS: These findings call for new targeted SVRA service initiatives. © 2022 National Rehabilitation Association. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the literature about Coro- navirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and health and rehabilitation implications for persons of color, including those with multiple marginalized statuses (i.e., racial/ethnic minority and disability), and map out research gaps. Several themes emerged from this review that included disproportionate burdens of infections, hospitalizations and deaths;structural racism as a driver of inequity;diminished employment opportunities, and limited data on race and disability. The findings revealed the existence of serious evidence gaps relating to multiply marginalized people of color with disabilities within the COVID-19 context. A clear need exists for more research on COVID-19 outcomes disaggregated by disability and race so that the field has a fuller understanding of the impact of the pandemic on people of color with disabilities. Additionally, minority serving institutions (e.g., HBCUs and TCUs), as experts in addressing marginalized communities' needs, should play a leadership role in equity research. © 2022 National Rehabilitation Association. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Objectives To evaluate whether intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM) with optional alarms (FreeStyle Libre 2) improves glycaemia as measured by HbA1c and sensor-based gluco-metrics, patient reported outcome measures (PROMS) and cost-effectiveness compared with selfmonitoring of blood glucose (SMBG). Design Flash UK is a multicenter, open-label, two arm, parallel, randomised controlled trial delivered in 7 specialist hospital diabetes clinics and 1 primary care centre. Participants 156 people with Type 1 diabetes, age 16 years and over treated with either multiple daily insulin injections or insulin pump therapy with HbA1c 7.5%-11% were randomised. Interventions Participants were randomised (1:1) to the FreeStyle Libre 2 (n = 72) or standard care with SMBG (n = 69). Participants were reviewed at 4, 12 and 24 weeks post-randomisation. Education and treatment optimisation was provided to both groups at randomisation, 4 and 12 weeks. Participants in the SMBG arm wore blinded glucose sensor (Freestyle Libre Pro) during the last 2 weeks of the study;all participants wore a 2-week blinded sensor prior to randomisation. All study visits were conducted either inperson or virtually owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was HbA1c at 24 weeks, analysed by intention to treat. Secondary outcomes included glucose time in range (3.9 to 10mmol/l), time below and above range and glucose variability. PROMS included EQ-5DL-5L, Type 1 Diabetes Distress Scale, Diabetes fear of injecting and self-testing, Diabetes Eating Problem Survey, Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction, Patient Health Questionnaire and The Glucose Monitoring Satisfaction Survey. Economic evaluation included healthcare resource use, insulin usage and Freestyle Libre 2 utilisation. Results & Conclusion Results and conclusions will be presented during the 15th International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes, April 27 to 30th Barcelona, Spain and Online.