Accreditation Approaches for Professional Education Programs: Towards Best Practice.

Accreditation has a central role in the quality assurance of professional education programs, but research on the effectiveness of different models of accreditation is limited. The purpose of this study was to rapidly appraise the evidence for the effectiveness, impact, and feasibility of different accreditation approaches, in order to inform best practices for the accreditation of professional education programs. The study focused on accreditation for programs which produce practice-ready graduates, including for veterinary programs. The authors searched several databases for articles published from 2000 to 2020, using search terms identified during a scoping phase, and applied a "rapid review" methodology in line with contextual, time, and resource requirements. Relevant articles which were classed as empirical or conceptual were included in the study, while papers appraised as solely commentaries or descriptive were excluded from the evidence base. The full-text review included 32 articles. We identified a clear transition in the literature from input- and process-based models (pre- and early 2000s) to outcomes-based models (in the 2000s and early 2010s). Continuous quality improvement and targeted models (including risk-based and thematic) represent more recent approaches in accreditation practice. However, as noted by other scholars, we identified limited empirical evidence for the relative effectiveness of different accreditation approaches in professional education, although evidence for the more recent accreditation approaches is emerging. In terms of best practice in view of the current lack of definitive evidence for the adoption of any specific model of accreditation, we argue that accrediting authorities adopt a contextual approach to accreditation which includes clearly articulating the purpose and focus of their regulatory activities, and selecting and implementing accreditation methods that are consistent with their underlying principles.

Stretchable Inertial Microfluidic Device for Tunable Particle Separation.

Inertial microfluidics is a promising approach for particle separation because of the superior advantages of high throughput, simplicity, precise manipulation, and low cost. However, the current obstacle of inertial microfluidics in biological applications is the broad size distribution of biological microparticles. Most devices only work well for a narrow range of particle sizes. For focusing and separating a new set of particles, troublesome and time-consuming design, fabrication, testing, and optimization procedures are needed. As such, it is of particular interest to design a microfluidic device that can be tuned and adjusted to separate particles of various sizes. This paper reports on the proof of concept for a stretchable microfluidic device that can control the length via a stretching platform. By changing the channel dimensions, the device can be adapted to different particle sizes and flow rate ratios. We successfully demonstrate this approach with the separation of a mixture of 10 and 15 µm particles. Stretching the device significantly improves the focusing and separation efficiency of the specific particle sizes. We also show that there is an optimum stretching length, which results in the best separation performance. The proof of concept reported here is the first step toward designing stretchable inertial microfluidic devices that can be implemented for a wide range of biological and medical applications.

Description and Verification of the Fundamental Current Mechanisms in Silicon Carbide Schottky Barrier Diodes.

Attempts to model the current through Schottky barrier diodes using the two fundamental mechanisms of thermionic emission and tunnelling are adversely impacted by defects and second order effects. This has led to the publication of countless different models to account for these effects, including some with non-physical parameters. Recently, we have developed silicon carbide Schottky barrier diodes that do not suffer from second order effects, such as excessive leakage, carrier generation and recombination, and non-uniform barrier height. In this paper, we derive the foundational current equations to establish clear links between the fundamental current mechanisms and the governing parameters. Comparing these equations with measured current-voltage characteristics, we show that the fundamental equations for tunnelling and thermionic emission can accurately model 4H silicon carbide Schottky barrier diodes over a large temperature and voltage range. Based on the obtained results, we discuss implications and misconceptions regarding barrier inhomogeneity, barrier height measurement, and reverse-bias temperature dependencies.

Tone and style in pharmacy course syllabi.

OBJECTIVE: Syllabi are a part of the teaching and learning experience in pharmacy curricula. Yet, little has been done to understand the effects of these documents. Studies in Psychology and Social Work report important effects of style and tone of syllabi on student perceptions and performance. We sought to describe a cross-sectional pattern in the tone and style of pharmacy course syllabi. METHODS: We retrieved syllabi via US pharmacy institutions and association website searches. The tone was characterized as "warm" or "cold" based on the publications in Psychology and Social Work higher education. QSR NVivo® software was used to code syllabi. Subsequently, categories of style and tone were quantified in a descriptive manner. RESULTS: We retrieved 416 pharmacy course syllabi from 30 public universities (69.8%) and 13 private universities (30.2%) across curricular disciplines. After observing saturation where no new patterns arose, 141 syllabi were analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacy course syllabi were rarely warm in tone and did not fully employ the components of the syllabus as a potential learning tool. This may have important implications on student-teacher interactions, professional development, and student perceptions and academic performance. More work should be done to determine whether and in what manner style and tone may affect pharmacy student learning and engagement.