The University of Buckingham Press Journals
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Delivering Better Value in Special Educational Needs or Will We…
Full text linkThis paper provides a commentary on the national ‘delivering better value’ (DBV) policy devised by the central government, for which various local authorities across the country have been ‘invited’ to take part. It seeks to gain a richer understanding of the reasons for the implementation of this policy and of the overarching system, along with the interconnected agents at play that affect the system, which the DBV is aiming to support and ultimately improve. It is not, however, a potted history as to the reasons why it has been introduced, nor does this paper provide an analysis of the policy. It provides a briefing for educators and academics who work within the system but may not be as familiar with the rationale behind its introduction
“An Introduction to Health Research: From Idea to Publication” – Designing and Implementing a Virtual Hands-On Research Course for Healthcare Students
Full text linkIntroduction: Early exposure to medical research is essential for healthcare professionals, to shape their careers and enhancing patient care. However, students face significant obstacles, such as lack of prior knowledge and mentorship. Malta’s healthcare students lack hands-on research teaching.
Methods: To address this gap in knowledge, a tailored elective virtual research course was designed using the analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation (ADDIE) framework. Titled “An Introduction to Health Research: From Idea to Publication,” the course comprised eight weekly lectures covering theoretical and practical aspects of research. Teaching consisted of didactic teaching and problem-based learning tasks. Conducted via the University of Malta’s DegreePlus program, it allowed hands-on group work and active participation through online conferencing platforms. All students enrolled in the course completed pre- and post-course surveys, to assess whether the course affected students’ perception towards research.
Results: Most (57.14%, CI95%: 32.55 – 78.66) were in pre-clinical years, predominantly female (78.57%, CI95%: 51.68 – 93.16). 85.71% (CI95%: 58.81 – 97.24) lacked research experience or publishing opportunities. Main barriers included lack of opportunity (50.00%), time (21.40%), and training (28.60%). Post-course, significant improvements (p < 0.05) were observed in research knowledge and confidence in conducting research. Qualitative analysis revealed that respondents expressed feelings of “empowerment through education” and appreciation for the “effective course design and delivery” of the course.
Conclusion: Engaging medical students in research during training is crucial despite challenges like limited opportunities and foundational skills. A virtual research course has significantly improved students’ confidence, knowledge, and skills in conducting research, showcasing its potential to enhance research training globally and advance healthcare delivery
Environmental Sustainability in Curette and Cautery Skin Surgery: A Quality Improvement Project on Single-Centre Transformation to Sustainable Practices
Full text linkIn this sustainability quality improvement project, we proposed a new lean pathway for performing curette and cautery minor skin surgery and evaluated our project’s social, patient, economic, environmental and population outcomes. If the new lean pathway is embedded into routine clinical practice, this could potentially lead to £4.08 (excluding VAT) and 1.24 kgCO2e per procedure of costs and carbon emissions savings, respectively. Surgical site infection rates for procedures performed with sterile gloves (n = 12) and non-sterile nitrile gloves (n = 8) were both at 0%. Our small single-centre study demonstrated that transforming to sustainable practices for curette and cautery procedures can lead to significant triple-bottom-line benefits with no obvious adverse postoperative infection risks. We encourage dermatology staff from the public and private sectors, as well as staff from other specialties, to consider adopting the recommendations from the British Society of Dermatological Surgery sustainability guidance when performing curette and cautery procedures
Principled Accommodation: A Moral and Spiritual Dimension in Politics
Full text linkThere are limits to what can be covered in this article. I will not explore the impact of the personal morality of politicians and whether it has an impact on their public life and credibility. This remains a contested issue, not least in ongoing investigations into the behaviour in the office of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Former US President Donald Trump. A recent book by Chris Bryant, who was formerly an Anglican vicar but now is an MP and Chair of the Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges, relates the various ways that MPs have failed to follow the code of ethics expected by those who hold this office. This is a subject that is worthy of an article in its own right, but there is no space for that in this one
The Wisdom of No Crowds: The Reaction of Betting Markets to Lockdown Soccer Games
No full textThe support of home spectators is one of the contributing factors to the home advantage effect in sports matches. The COVID-19 pandemic led to European soccer matches being played without spectators. Contrary to previous findings in the literature, we show that betting markets adjusted promptly to account for a reduced home advantage in both goal difference and the probability of a win. These adjustments proved accurate over a large sample of soccer matches subsequently played without spectators, even though the earliest games appeared to suggest a much bigger change in home advantage
AN EXPLORATION OF THE PERSISTING LEGACY OF IMPERIAL RHETORIC IN MODERN EDUCATION THROUGH A CASE STUDY ON ‘EUGENICS, RACE, AND PSYCHIATRY IN THE CAPE COLONY, 1890–1908: DR THOMAS DUNCAN GREENLEES’
Full text linkThis article examines imperial rhetoric around race and eugenics through a case study of colonial psychiatrist Dr Duncan T Greenlees. Using the lens of colonial psychiatry, the article explores how the legacy of imperialism lives on in British state institutions, such as in the education sector. It argues that educators need to be aware of imperial ideologies around class and race. Only through a firm historical grasp of these imperial myths can educators begin to challenge their own curricula and pedagogies, which are set against powerful global interests with roots in imperialism and colonialism
INTERVIEW—TEACHER TO HEAD TO CEO—SHIFTING ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS
Full text linkMark Ducker recently retired CEO or the STEP Academy Trust reflects on the journey which took him from primary school teacher to CEO of an outstanding multi-academy trust
Models vs. Markets: Forecasting the 2020 U.S. Election
No full textWe present a case study of forecasts for the 2020 U.S. presidential and congressional elections. Specifically, we investigate the accuracy of two competing forecast methods: model-based, statistical projections (from FiveThirtyEight.com) and prediction market prices (from PredictIt). We propose a market-based scoring (MBS) method for evaluating the performance of probabilistic forecasts. Our analysis finds that PredictIt and Five Thirty Eight perform comparably based on traditional metrics such as calibration and accuracy. For market-based scoring, however, we find that, if we ignore PredictIt’s fees and commissions, then Five Thirty Eight forecasts beat the markets overall, but if we factor in fees and commissions, the markets beat Five Thirty Eight. We discuss the implications of this analysis for forecasting future election cycles and betting market design and operations.
Comment: The first version of this article was posted on Researchers. One on October 26, 2020, 1 week before the 2020 U.S. election. That first version serves as a pre-registration of our proposed method before the election outcome is determined. All analysis performed below is based on the pre-registered methods proposed in the first version. The pre-registered article can be found at https://researchers.one/articles/20.10.00004
Taking a Break? The Growing Trend of FY3: Why More Junior Doctors are Taking Time Out after the Foundation Programme and What They Elect to Do?
Full text linkThere is a growing trend of UK doctors taking time out of clinical training following completion of the Foundation Programme. At a time when NHS services are facing unparalleled demand, considering the reasons why early career clinicians are deciding to delay entry into specialist training is paramount. Here, we describe some of the push and pull factors contributing to the “FY3” year phenomenon as well as the avenues doctors explore. Within the NHS, clinical fellowships can offer more flexibility in terms of rota and location compared to specialty training posts whilst also providing clinical experience and the chance to develop highly sought-after skills in teaching, research, and leadership. Similarly, locum rotas can be negotiated and usually offer significantly enhanced pay. Outside of the NHS, healthcare systems in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada actively seek out UK doctors, incentivising them with better work–life balance, increased pay, and improved working conditions, leading many doctors who had intended to return to the NHS to stay abroad. Doctors are also becoming increasingly aware of their transferable skills and the value they can bring to non-clinical roles in the pharmaceutical industry, management consulting, and medical law. Although the FP was originally introduced to address issues surrounding career progression and poor training experiences, current push factors for taking an “FY3” including increasing competition for specialty training posts, an imbalance towards service provision versus training, and high workload suggest systemic issues within the UK health service are undermining this aim and ultimately leading doctors to take time out of training
Investing in March Madness: An Examination of The Relationship Between Sports Betting and Portfolio Construction
Full text linkThis study focuses on three basic ideas: (1) sports betting should be considered an asset class; (2) sports betting contests, with two teams or contenders, are well described by a recently introduced probability distribution, the generalized Poisson binomial (GPB) distribution; and (3) Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), Post-Modern Portfolio Theory (PMPT), and the Kelly criterion can be applied to yield optimal risk-return portfolios in such two contender environments. For the PMPT application, a unique quadratic-binary programming model is developed. March Madness data, based on the NCAA men’s annual championship basketball tournament, will provide examples of these portfolio theory approaches