Learning technology in Scottish higher education ‐ a survey of the views of senior managers, academic staff and ‘experts’

As part of an evaluation of the Scottish Learning Technology Dissemination Initiative (LTDI), a survey was conducted of the views of academic staff, members of computer‐assisted learning and staff development units, and senior managers in all Scottish higher education institutions (HEIs). Most respondents across all subject areas and types of institutions (including those who rated themselves as less experienced with use of C&IT in teaching than their colleagues) believed that learning technology (LT) had moderate to very high potential for improving the way in which students learn. Awareness of the various agencies which have been established to promote its use in HEIs was very high, with few staff being unaware of any of them. Senior staff largely agreed that the value of these approaches lay in the improvement or maintenance of quality rather than in creating efficiency gains. Whilst there was a mostly positive view of the value of learning technology there are still significant barriers to its uptake by staff, the most important being lack of time, infrastructure, software and training, plus a failure (perceived or actual) of institutions to value teaching. The rather pessimistic view of ‘experts’ of the willingness of their less committed colleagues to make use of learning technology contrasted with the generally positive responses obtained from a broad group of 1,000 academic staff on their awareness of and attitudes to it. An analysis of the SHEFC's Teaching Quality Assessment reports during 1992–6 revealed substantial variability between and within subject assessments as to whether specific comments were made about IT provision and its use in learning and teaching

Weight management for overweight and obese men delivered through professional football clubs : a pilot randomized trial

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Roles of Librarians in Advancing Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine [poster]

Includes bibliographical references.Veterinary medical librarians and the EBVMA Librarians Committee are involved in supporting and advancing evidence-based veterinary medicine in clinical care, education, and research. In addition to the important traditional roles of selecting resources and providing access to information, librarians: educate, find the evidence, critically appraise the evidence, and participate in the research process Veterinary librarians are partners in improving practice outcomes by increasing the effectiveness of research teams and facilitating the uptake of research evidence into clinical practice

New academics’ experiences of induction to teaching: an Activity Theory approach

In this article we present findings of a research project investigating the experiences of new academics in the process of becoming effective teachers, using an Activity Theory framework (Engestrom, 2001 ). The research was undertaken in a post-92 university that has shifted from teaching and professional development to prioritise a new emphasis on research. However, all academics have a dual responsibility for teaching and research. The project brought us together as education developers who were involved in the induction of academics into teaching across six departments. We shared a common aim in trying to understand the issues faced by new academics in their various disciplines and departments, in order to improve their induction experience and provide an enhanced CPD offer

Go FIGure: Health Literacy and Freshman Interest Groups

Mizzou offers over 100 Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs), ranging in topic from "Discovering Science" to "Social Justice Issues." Groups of 15-20 freshmen are assigned to the same residence hall community, enroll together in three large-lecture courses, and enroll in a pro-seminar course in essential skills for college success. In Fall 2010, three "literacy" projects were piloted within the FIG pro-seminar: health literacy, financial literacy, news literacy. This poster examines goals, sessions, and lessons learned from the Health Literacy pilot. Originally presented at Medical Library Association Annual Meeting 2011 (Minneapolis)

The phenomena of retraction in biomedical literature

These are the preliminary results of a study that examines the impact of retracted articles in biomedical literature. The study is a continuation of Budd JM, Sievert ME, Schultz TR, JAMA. 1998;280 (3): 296-7, which focused on retractions in the biomedical literature from 1966 to 1997 and found that “retracted articles continue to be cited as valid work…after publication of the retraction.” Originally presented at MOBIUS conference 2010

Physical activity is prospectively associated with adolescent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess whether objectively measured physical activity at mean ages 12 and 14 years are prospectively associated with ultrasound scan liver fat and stiffness (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase [AST], and [gamma]-glutamyl transferase [GGT]) assessed at mean age 17.8 years. Methods: Participants were from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Total physical activity (counts per minute) and minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were measured using ActiGraph accelerometers at mean ages 12 and 14 years. Results: Greater total physical activity and MVPA at ages 12 and 14 years were associated with lower odds of liver fat and lower GGT levels at mean age 17.8 years, such as per 15-minute increase in daily MVPA at age 12 years, the confounder adjusted odds ratio of liver fat was 0.47 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27–0.84). Associations attenuated after additional adjustment for fat mass as a potential confounder (eg, per 15-minute increase in daily MVPA at age 12 years, the odds ratio of liver fat attenuated to 0.65 [95% CI 0.35–1.21]) or a potential mediator (eg, per 15-minute increase in daily MVPA at age 12 years the odds ratio of liver fat attenuated to 0.59 [95% CI 0.32–1.09]). Results did not further attenuate after additional adjustment for insulin resistance. There was some evidence that greater total physical activity and MVPA at age 12 years were associated with the higher AST levels. Conclusions: Adolescents who were more active in childhood have lower odds of fatty liver and lower GGT levels. These findings are likely to be, at least in part, explained by adiposity