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Digital Health as a silver lining: exploring pregnancy digital health usage amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textBackground: Digital health tools such as apps are being increasingly used by women to access pregnancy-related information.
Aims: Conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigated pregnant women’s usage of digital health tools and self-monitoring behaviours. In addition, views and interest in theoretical pregnancy app features: (1) a direct patient-to-healthcare-professional communication tool and (2) a novel body measurement tool was assessed.
Methods: Using a mixed methods approach, 108 pregnant women were surveyed and 15 currently or recently pregnant women were interviewed online between November 2020 to May 2022.
Results: We found that the COVID-19 pandemic had far-reaching impacts on the experiences of pregnant women – from their experiences with healthcare to their relationships with themselves and their social circle. Most participants said that they would use the theoretical app features we described and also identified a gap in the availability of evidence-based educational information. Other features that they would include in a pregnancy app were a “Digital Wallet” and a desire for a holistic pregnancy app that allowed for more continuous and personalised care. The main factor that influenced how likely participants were to use pregnancy apps were concerns about data privacy and security.
Conclusions: This study highlights the gaps and needs of pregnant women and should inform all stakeholders designing pregnancy digital healthcare. This study offers a unique insight into the experiences of pregnant women during a very particular and unique period in human history
The use of digital health to communicate medication and health-related goals of care for older people with polypharmacy
No full textBackground: Identifying goals of care of older people can optimise health and medication management, however these conversations are often sidelined due to several barriers. Digital health has the potential to allow individuals to communicate their goals of care to their healthcare practitioners, however little is known about the preferences of older adults.
Aim: To explore digital technologies that older people would prefer to use to document and communicate their health and medication-related goals of care.
Methods: A questionnaire was developed to explore the preferences and types of digital technologies older people (≥65 years) would use to communicate their goals of care. Questions included exploring older adults’ willingness to use digital technologies and their preferred options. The questionnaire was administered within two settings: a) hospitalised older adults admitted to Royal North Shore Hospital, and b) community-dwelling older adults. Responses were analysed descriptively.
Results: Currently, the questionnaire has been completed by 24 hospitalised and 70 community-dwelling older adults, mean(SD) age 76.4(7.3) and 74.7(7.0), respectively. Community-dwelling older people (n=44, 63.9%) were more willing to using digital health to document goals of care compared with hospitalised older adults (n=13, 54.2%). Both community-dwelling and hospitalised older adults expressed that Email (n=25(43.9%), n=5(15.6%)) and Websites (n=11(19.3%), n=8(25%)) were the preferred options to communicate goals of care to their healthcare practitioners.
Conclusions: Preliminary results suggests that older people are willing to document and communicate their goals of care using digital health technologies
Acceptability and feasibility of CIRCUS: An online Cognitive Behaviour Therapy intervention for multiple health behaviours in women
No full textBackground: Australian women have experienced increased stress recently due to competing roles that women fulfill, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Women who experience higher stress levels are more likely to engage in sub-optimal health behaviours. By providing support to manage stress, low mood, and the realities facing women, we aim to reduce reliance on unhelpful coping strategies such as alcohol use, sedentary behaviour, and poor nutrition. eHealth is an ideal platform for deploying such support as it overcomes the structural, geographical and social barriers to accessing health care. CIRCUS is a 7-module eHealth intervention developed in consultation with Australian women and has been tailored to their needs.
Aims: This study evaluates the acceptability and feasibility of the CIRCUS intervention for use by Australian women.
Methods: Women aged over 18-years completed an online baseline assessment of multiple health behaviours and then trialled CIRCUS for 3-weeks. Participants provided feedback on elements of the intervention content, design and presentation at a 3-week follow-up. Website analytics also recorded number of visits to the CIRCUS site.
Results: 190 women consented to the study with 73 completing the baseline assessment and 44 accessing the CIRCUS intervention online. 15 completed the 3-week follow-up assessment. Satisfaction and usage data will be reported.
Conclusions: The majority of those who accessed CIRCUS were satisfied with its content and format, however, the low transition of participants from baseline assessment to use of the intervention and to follow-up suggest modifications to the methodology are necessary
Nostalgic and Precarious: The Affective Power of Objects in Olga Ravn’s The Employees (2018)
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Olga Ravn’s The Employees: A workplace novel of the 22nd century (2020 [2018]) is made up of statements by the employees - both human and humanoid - of the Six-Thousand Ship, detailing their interactions with the objects that have been brought on board to increase productivity. The cryptic objects, collected by the employees in nearby missions to the planet New Discovery, are described as being a mix between biological and technological and diffuse sounds and smells stimulative to the senses, “as if the objects only existed to awaken particular feelings ... by way of their form and material.” Set in the future, I argue The Employees ultimately mobilises longing for an irrecoverable past, and an impossible future, to criticise the inherently anxious work-focused, late-capitalist society of the twenty-first century. To do so, I will engage with affect theory to shed light on how Ravn’s novel conceptualises work. By considering affect as shared and political, I will connect it to nostalgia, an affect which I will be claiming also has a political dimension. It is through a nostalgic longing for a different reality that the employees will be confronted with their own alienation, as the unattainability of dreams of happiness (Sara Ahmed) and of the “good life” (Lauren Berlant) is exposed. The shattering of such illusions is what will ultimately lead the humanoid employees to revolt, while the humans remain attached to a doomed promise of the “good life”. In the end, I will show how the novel illustrates that a sense of precarity is not exclusive to those who are captive of a flexible, casualised labour market, but to everyone who must work to remain alive. 
Su’esu’e manogi: Conceptualising the fragrances of equity in higher education. A case study from Oceania
Get PDFEquity policies in higher education are focused on dismantling barriers and redressing inequalities that restrict the participation and success of students from historically excluded groups. In some Universities across Oceania, ‘underrepresented’ includes students of Pacific heritage alongside students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, rural areas, students with disabilities and LGBTIQA+ students. Despite good intentions, equity policies can often contribute to the problems they seek to address with an overt focus on equity groups and identities. Little attention is directed towards reviewing the education ecosystems that create barriers to higher education. My research adopts an Indigenous Pacific (Sāmoan) framework, ‘Su’esu’e manogi, in search of fragrances’ as a conceptual tool to critically analyse and understand historical and contemporary manogi (fragrances) that frame and inform current equity policies and discourses in Oceania. Manogi is used as a metaphor to represent the worldviews, theories and ideologies that underpin equity policies and discourses. Using a case study, I present the findings of research that reviewed equity policies and discourses at the University of Auckland and their implications for Pacific learners. I found a series of tensions and disharmonies in manogi based on the interpretation of equity subscribed to by the institution. Equity policy discourses that are disparaging produce disharmony and unpleasant pungent manogi when they are based on deficit framing and are relegated to the periphery of higher education priorities. Equity policy discourses that are harmonious and produce sweet aromatic manogi for Pacific students are framed by commitments to social justice and sustainable development, recognise the principle of difference and the impact of structural factors on achievement. Drawing on the inspiration of the Rethinking Pacific Education Initiative for Pacific Peoples (RPEIPP) and “Revisioning education in Oceania: Walking backwards into the future together,” my research presents timely considerations for collective rethinking and revisioning of equity in Oceania
Bayesian Inference and Gravitational Waves in undergraduate computational physics
Get PDFIn undergraduate physics coursework, students learn about principles and theories which underpin important research, some of which are supplemented by experimental and computational projects offered in laboratory-oriented subjects. The discovery of gravitational waves (GW) was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2017 as it has opened countless windows of opportunities for new research in astronomy and astrophysics. In this talk, we discuss how we can introduce the detection of GWs, both in theory and in practice, in third year undergraduate physics coursework via hands-on laboratory projects. The aim of this lab is not only to give students an insight to a cutting-edge research topic, but also to introduce Bayesian inference. Bayesian inference is a widely used statistical tool which prevails among diverse research areas including science, engineering, health care, social science, sports etc. Despite its broad applicability in various physics experiments, Bayesian inference is often overlooked or under-discussed in undergraduate physics courses. Furthermore, undergraduate coursework strongly focuses on the theoretical aspect of physics with a lack of mention about ongoing research work.
The third-year Laboratory and Computational physics subject at The University of Melbourne, offers 17 laboratory projects ranging from experimental condensed matter physics, observational astrophysics to theoretical particle physics. Students are required to select four projects of their own preference and are given 18 supervised hours (3 hours x 6 days) across 2 weeks to work on each project. We take advantage of the flexibility of laboratory subjects to introduce Bayesian inference, a versatile statistical tool, while discussing its application in the context of GW data analysis.
We now discuss the design of this laboratory project. In the first half of this lab project, we introduce the concept of Bayesian inference in two separate sections: (i) analytically through simple mathematical exercises and (ii) using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), a widely used method for random sampling, to demonstrate practical applications of Bayesian inference in data analysis. Students write their own MCMC algorithm in the Python programming language for two separate scenarios: (a) to reconstruct the provided dataset using MCMC sampling, and (b) to find the posterior distribution of a model parameter, assuming an appropriate model for the dataset. Students plot their results and discuss the performance of the algorithm they have written in both cases.
In the second half of the lab project, students are given a set of mock output data of a real GW search algorithm (BayesWave). The algorithm is fundamentally built on Bayesian inference, but students are not required to know in detail how the algorithm works due to the time constraint and the complexity of the algorithm. Upon discussing the general principles of BayesWave, students are required to extract relevant information from the data, perform the relevant analysis and interpret their findings using plots. Again, all of the analyses are done in Python. Students are required to report their daily progress, present their results and discuss their findings via a laboratory log book.
This abstract intends to put forward a new teaching activity that has been developed recently and offered as part of the third-year Laboratory and Computational physics subject at The University of Melbourne since March 2023. No formal study and/or survey has been conducted to assess student feedback. However, this lab has received positive responses in terms of enrollments. Students who have completed the lab have also found it to be engaging and thought-provoking, based on informal conversations. Furthermore, it is evident through lab reports and assessments that students are able to take away important key concepts, as well as learnt to present their work (written and visually) in a scientific manner. This work is supported by the Laby Foundation
Are we developing career-readiness skills in science graduates?
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As students transition from university education to employment, they require a range of skills and competencies to ensure future career readiness, including technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, effective communication, social network building, cultural awareness, resilience, and adaptability (Jackson, 2018; Roberts, 2016; Tomlinson, 2017). A number of these attributes are captured within the Threshold Learning Outcomes for Science graduates (Jones et al., 2011). The fluidity of careers also requires a greater emphasis on the development of metacognitive and reflective abilities so that graduates will have the capability, capacity, and confidence to use their personal resources appropriately and flexibly, regardless of environment. However, recent research has suggested that generic skill development is lacking in undergraduate science curricula (Sarkar et al., 2020). The work presented here aimed to understand more about the employability skills viewed as important by academics, students, graduates, and industry whilst also gauging perceived levels of attainment and confidence in those skills.
DESIGN AND METHODS
The confidence and capability of academics to prepare Science students to be career ready was explored by conducting surveys and community-of-practice style workshops. The perspectives of industry employers, students, and graduates was sought via surveys and focus groups. This information was then used in a co-creation workshop to identify effective ways of providing career pathways and industry connections to students as well as to develop employability skills.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Survey results identified four key employability skills that were deemed important by all groups, but which industry felt were underdeveloped in graduates, and in which students were not confident. These were: working in a team and acknowledging other viewpoints, effective time management, communication to various audiences and making confident decisions. Discussions held in the academic-specific workshop identified key roadblocks to the effective implementation of employability skill development. These were: lack of opportunity/time to integrate skills into existing curricula, engaging students to participate, and assessment of the skills. The co-creation workshop then captured industry and academic insights facilitating the development of potential methodologies to overcome these roadblocks to help in teaching the key skills identified. Outcomes will be used to develop national best-practice guidelines for the integration of employability skill development. This may facilitate changes to the Science curriculum to ensure graduates are career ready.
REFERENCES
Jackson, D. (2018). Developing graduate career readiness in Australia: Shifting from extra-curricular internships to work-integrated learning. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 19, 23-35.
Jones, S., Yates, B., & Kelder, J. (2011). Science Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Statement. Australian Learning & Teaching Council, Sydney.
Roberts, S. (2016). Capital limits: Social class, motivations for term-time job searching and the consequences of joblessness among UK university students. Journal of Youth Studies, 20, 1–18.
Sarkar, M., Overton, T., Thompson, C. D., & Rayner, G. (2020). Academics’ perspectives of the teaching and development of generic employability skills in science curricula. Higher Education Research & Development, 39(2), 346–361.
Tomlinson, M. (2017). Forms of graduate capital and their relationship to graduate employability. Education + Training, 59, 338-352
SciX: Scalable and sustainable authentic research experiences for high-school students
Get PDFIn NSW, the new Year 12 Higher School Certificate Science Extension course recommends students find university mentorship to support their individual research projects. The SciX high-school outreach program (unsw.to/scix) has been developed and refined to meet this demand in an equitable, sustainable, scalable, effective and quality-controlled way.
SciX centres around an intensive one-week authentic research experience with online pre-work and post-summer-school Q&A sessions. High school students select a research area and are placed in small groups led by SciX mentors, usually paid PhD researchers. Students are taught disciplinary research topics and tools, and then supported to develop their individual hypothesis and conduct their research. Qualitative and quantitative surveys show that students really enjoy the experience – especially their interaction with mentors, increase their self-identification as a scientist and develop crucial transferable and scientific skills.
Through their role as SciX mentors, paid PhD students are supported in developing important professional skills, e.g., in supervising, mentoring, teaching and management. Project development and delivery is carefully scaffolded with training, structured support and regular reviews. Time expectations are clearly set and reasonable to avoid interfering with PhD progression.
The success of the program is clearly demonstrated by its strong increasing enrolments, now exceeding 150 students annually. The program is clearly addressing equity, diversity and inclusion goals, with our 2023 enrolments 63% female, 40% fee-waiver positions supporting students from a low socioeconomic, regional or rural area.
This talk will be targeted at those interested in supporting research for high-school and/or undergraduate (pre-Honours) research students through supervision and/or program design. As inspiration for how you might deliver this enriching student experience, I will describe how SciX has addressed key challenges, specifically careful project design, program design appropriate to the local context, securing funding and developing a scalable team structure
Chemistry students’ changing attitudes to online assessments
Get PDFFrom 2019 onwards, there has been a significant shift in the digital assessment landscape, along with a shift from in-person, paper-based invigilated assessment, to online and remote assessment. This was, in part, a response to COVID-19, but e-assessment was being investigated and pursued by universities well before then. E-assessment can offer many advantages. It provides greater flexibility in assessment with students able to sit remotely and at various times. It allows greater automation with assessment software producing individual assessments with randomisations for each student, and catering for diverse needs with supportive software; reducing staff workload with automated marking and potentially saving money. More importantly, digital assessment has the potential to transform assessment into more authentic forms, including incorporating software used by real scientists into the assessment process (JISC, 2020).
However, with this shift to digital, and especially remote assessment, questions are raised about the integrity of the assessment, and what other impacts remote assessment may have on students. To further complicate this issue the widespread access to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools like Chat GPT raises questions regarding integrity and fairness of assessments, as well as what level of difficulty assessment tasks should incorporate to circumvent GenAI answers, or how to incorporate the use of GenAI in assessment tasks.
Using an in-term, multiple choice test from a first-year general chemistry course as our study environment, we have tracked changes in how students perceive digital assessment from 2019 onwards, over the COVID pandemic, and with the arrival of Chat GPT and other GenAI tools. A total of 447 students were surveyed using either a paper-based survey handed out at the start of the test for those sitting in person, or an online survey accessed via a link presented after completion of the test for those sitting remotely.
Our guiding research question was: How have student attitudes towards digital assessment changed with these significant world events; especially focusing on their confidence in university resources, and the integrity of assessment?
We have previously reported on students losing confidence in university resources during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and students sitting remotely having concerns for the integrity of the assessment, believing it is easier to cheat in an exam, and being less likely to agree that the exam is secure against cheating. Now we investigate if the additional changes with the widespread availability of generative AI like ChatGPT further causes concern, or if the effects of ChatGPT are insignificant compared to the existing effects of remote exams.
REFERENCES
JISC (2020). The future of assessment: five principles, five targets for 2025, Retrieved from https://repository.jisc.ac.uk/7733/1/the-future-of-assessment-report.pd