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Headspace Demand Management Strategy: Including lived experience voices to optimise digital solutions in youth mental health
No full textBackground:
At Headspace Bondi Junction a surge in referrals followed COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, causing longer wait times for young people accessing mental health support. In response, a clinical redesign project was initiated.
Key solutions were the implementation of the health technology platform ‘Innowell’ to guide intake and assessment, and a peer worker acting as a digital navigator in young people’s mental health care journeys.
Aims:
· Decrease wait times:
o Intake triage within 2 days compared to 8 days
o Assessment within 2 weeks compared to 8 weeks
o Psychological treatment within 1 month compared to 3 months
· Reduce young people reporting ‘waiting too long’ for psychological treatment from 82% to 30%
· Increase scores on an experience of service survey in domains of participation in care and the impact of care:
o Participation: improve to 95% from 91%
o Impact: improve to 70% from 65%
Methods:
The project adopted a 5-stage implementation methodology with each stage co-designed with young people. Evaluation is mixed-methods, incorporating qualitative interviews with staff, young people and carers.
Results:
Preliminary results demonstrate positive trends:
· Wait times:
o Intake within 4 days
o Assessment within 2.14 weeks
o Psychological treatment within 1.13 months
· 30% of young people reporting ‘waiting too long’
· Experience of service:
o Participation: 89%
o Impact: 68%
Conclusions:
Including lived experience voices in digital youth mental health interventions is vital and impactful. However, refinement is needed to optimise integration of a peer workforce
Chronic pain prevalence, opioid use, and primary care provider prescription patterns
No full textBackground: Opioid medications are one of the most common approaches adopted by primary care providers for chronic pain management but are usually not recommended beyond 3 months. Research studies in chronic pain management at primary care settings remains lacking, and the usual investigations relying majorly on large surveys or questionnaires can lead to bias by missing a large proportion of population.
Aims: Our study aims to provide an overview of chronic pain patients and the primary health care they’ve received using a novel artificial intelligence based machine learning algorithm.
Methods: This study used observational U.S. Medicaid claims data (n>7 million) among 6 geographically different states to identify chronic pain patients in primary care between January 2017 to December 2019. The performance of 8 different machine learning classification algorithms were evaluated to model the risk factors of chronic pain patients prescribed opioids by primary care providers.
Results: Our study demonstrated a prevalence of 25.9% (average age 33.0±19.7 years, 64.0% female) of chronic pain among Medicaid claimants, and 6.5% (average age 37.5±19.4 years, 67.5% female) were considered as high-impact chronic pain. The top 3 performing algorithms for accuracy were XG Boost (0.814), Random Forest (0.810) and Ada Boost (0.806).
Conclusions: With machine learning algorithms, our study yielded a previously under-recognized vulnerable age group of children and adolescents under 18 years old as one of the major risk factors of having an opioid prescription from a primary care provider
From the ground up: Weaving a tok Stori of quality education
Get PDFQuality education is an often-heard term that has no single meaning. In this paper, we use the metaphor of mat weaving to structure an exploration of various elements that inform quality education. To form the mat, a warp of literature-derived threads is woven with the weft of practitioners’ ideas of quality education. These local perspectives were gifted through tok stori, a Melanesian oral form, through a session held at the OCIES 2022 Conference at the Fiji National University. The session brought together frontline educators from diverse Pacific settings to explore the dynamics of quality across contexts ‘from the ground up’, a seldom investigated direction. The woven discussion includes explorations of tensions between colonial pasts and the present, and points to hopeful expectations about the not-yet-here. The resultant mat balances prevalent notions of quality that flow from distant places into Pacific settings with locally derived positional understandings, and in so doing offers contextual flesh and currency to some of the key concepts valued by regional initiatives
Post-Pandemic Lessons Learnt from Student Reflections: A Case Study of Diploma-level Students at the Fiji National University
Get PDFThe global pandemic led to an expansion of research pertaining to education in the new normal. Lived experiences of students were mostly documented through surveys or in-depth online interviews due to movement restrictions. One issue with such approaches is that students are guided by set questions and have limited opportunities to cathartically reflect upon their experiences. With this in consideration, a case study approach was used with the overarching aim to explore the lived experiences of students in Fiji during the global pandemic using an online reflective assessment. As part of their coursework, students were required to complete a reflective assessment which was based on their pandemic-related experiences. Sixty submissions which met the inclusion criteria of the current study were included based on purposive sampling. Findings from this study support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 as it confirmed myriad student experiences including financial, learning, lifestyle, and mental health challenges. Students also reflected upon the notion of 'social distancing versus social disrespect’ as in the case of Fiji, the phrase ‘it takes a whole village’ is not just a metaphor but literal as the concept of individualism is quite alien to this socio-cultural context. Positive reflections were also documented including revival of traditional systems (‘veisa’ - barter system), strengthening social connectedness using technology and demonstration of values such as resilience and genuine care. This research also suggests the value of reflective assessments using online platforms to avoid the constraints and encourage students to mine their own lives for insight away from a traditional classroom setting
Year 5 Buddha Triad: Article
No full texthttps://gandhari-texts.sydney.edu.au/edition/schist-buddha-triad
The experiences of sessional academics in undergraduate science education during the COVID-19 pandemic
Get PDFThe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the higher education sector is undeniable. Sessional academics had to adapt to online teaching practices from their traditional teaching practices (e.g., face-to-face laboratories) with little to no training or prior experience. Recent literature describes the anecdotal experiences of individual teaching staff (or teams), such as lack of social interaction and communication (Bartolic et al., 2022; Pather et al., 2020).
Sessional academics play a crucial role in the higher education sector, as they are responsible for a majority of face-to-face laboratory teaching and other teaching activities. Due to the sudden transition to online teaching, these casual staff had to learn new software and tools, while isolated in a home environment and often with increased home responsibilities (Bartolic et al., 2022). This project aimed to capture the individual experiences and circumstances of sessional science teaching academics during the pandemic in order to keep a record of what happened and to draw together threads for future online teaching.
The study was conducted with the tutors and demonstrators within the faculties of Science at The University of Sydney and Deakin University. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 teaching assistants at these institutions located in different states. The states and institutions had different responses to COVID-19, which led to different impacts on the sessional staff. Lack of interaction with students, difficulty in monitoring student engagement, and most importantly, job insecurity, were the main causes of dissatisfaction and anxiety. It was mentioned by some participants that teaching online could provide flexibility in terms of work-life balance, while some stated that it was difficult for them to separate work from personal life due to working from home. Most participants agreed that the level of support they received from the university management and unit coordinators was adequate although the support could have been better.
Interesting findings from the interviews will be highlighted in this presentation alongside proposed future directions to support sessional academics.
REFERENCES
Bartolic, S. K., Boud, D., Agapito, J., Verpoorten, D., Williams, S., Lutze-Mann, L., Matzat, U., Ma Monica Moreno, M. M., Patsie Polly, P., Tai, J., Marsh, H., L., Lin, L., Burgess, J., Habtu, S., Rodrigo, M. M. M., Roth, M., Heap, T. & Guppy, N. (2022) A multi-institutional assessment of changes in higher education teaching and learning in the face of COVID-19, Educational Review, 74(3), 517-533.
Pather, N., Blyth, P., Chapman, J. A., Dayal, M. R., Flack, M. S., Fogg, Q. A., Green, R. A., Hulme, A. K., Johnson, I. P., Meyer, A. J., Morley, J. W., Shortland, P. J., Štrkalj, G., Štrkalj, M., Valter, K., Webb, A. L., Woodley, S. J., & Lazarus, M. D. (2020). Forced Disruption of Anatomy Education in Australia and New Zealand: An Acute Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Anatomical Sciences Education, 13(3), 284-30
The Wicked Problem of microplastics – an interdisciplinary solution
Get PDFWICKED PROBLEMS
Traditional university education equips students with deep discipline knowledge and skills. However, our planet faces many challenges and wicked problems that require solutions to span disciplines and need graduates with essential transferable skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, prioritisation, communication and teamwork. Our students require a flexible, open mindset that facilitates interdisciplinary problem solving. One such challenge is the microplastics pollution which has extended into all corners of the globe. This messy, multifaceted problem lacks clear boundaries and defies simple solutions. Such complex problems are best tackled with interdisciplinary approaches to break down boundaries between disciplines and generate new ways of thinking and integrated solutions.
AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
In 2022, academics from the Science Schools within the Faculty of Science, Medicine Health at the University of Wollongong (UOW) partnered with undergraduate students, industry professionals and academics across other faculties to design and deliver a one-day interdisciplinary education event. This extracurricular activity brought together over thirty, mostly third year, undergraduate students across science, law, environmental engineering, public health, and geography and sustainable communities to tackle the issue of microplastics, and their impact on environmental and human health. The students were allocated to teams and provided a schema to identify one critical source or pathway of microplastics waste and to explore solutions to reduce its impact. Students used the strengths of their varying disciplines and considered the role of individuals, local government, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), industry and/or corporations when developing a solution through a one-slide infographic/poster and three-minute pitch.
IMPACTS ON STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
Our initiative was purposefully aimed at third-year students to provide further work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities pre-graduation and to focus on developing skills that may have been impacted during the pandemic and the move to online activities. Student feedback was very positive and highlighted key learnings about the benefits of networking, students putting themselves back out there socially and professionally, alongside combining expertise and developing creativity. Students enjoyed the topic area and gaining experience and confidence in presenting their ideas to others. At the same time student attendees, and our student partners gained recognition of their extracurricular involvement through a UOWx certification, noting key employability skills developed through their involvement. Students were also invited to a field trip to sample microplastics at a local beach in partnership with the Australian Microplastics Assessment Project (AUSMAP). The ongoing challenge is to work towards embedding such opportunities within curricula which involves navigating complex university governance structures, internal funding and staff models, course constraints and timetabling. The presenters welcome discussion
Exploring students’ and employers’ perspectives of creativity in STEM
Get PDFCreativity is known to have an impact on innovation and advancements in new technology with the goal to benefit society. Creativity allows exploration of new ideas and inventions which is present in great findings within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). To inspire new generations of brilliant and innovative scientists, this study aims to further the research conducted into the relationship creativity has with STEM education and employment.
This presentation will describe students’ and employers’ perceptions of creativity. Self-reflective, introspective surveys were distributed to first-, second- and third-year undergraduate chemistry, mathematics and engineering students, as well as pre-service teachers and employers. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with undergraduate students. Likert scale survey questions were analysed using Remark Office and SPSS. Short answer survey questions and interview questions were analysed using content analysis to identify common themes.
Some commonly identified themes for students’ definition of creativity include novelty of ideas, unique ideas, innovation, thinking outside the box and imagination. Students believe that links exist between creativity and job retention, promotion and attainment. They also believe that employers view creativity as important, but not as important as other skills. Some mismatches between student perceptions and employer perspectives were also found.
By inspecting trends in students’ perceptions and comparing these to employers’ perspectives, it is possible to identify what changes (if any) need to be made to the education system to meet employers’ expectations. This may allow creative students to be prominent when transitioning into the workforce, encouraging future advancements in STEM as an industry
Wake up and smell the bloody Eucalyptus!! Using pluralistic pedagogical approaches to decolonise curricula and advance botanical awareness in first-year undergraduate biology
Get PDFThe weaving of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander knowledges into higher education curricula is a priority of Universities Australia and remains an ethical obligation for all educators to right the wrongs of the past and make noise to fill the ‘Great Australian Silence’ (W.E.H. Stanner’s 1968 Boyer Lectures). To do so in a culturally respectful way necessitates both co-design and decolonisation of oppressive/restrictive western scientific frameworks. Alternative ways of acquiring and holding knowledge do exist!
Similarly, as Biology educators, we must address the ‘Botanical silence’ in Science curricula, where animals are generally prioritised at the expense of plants. This is a symptom of Plant Blindness - a term coined to encapsulate the tendency to ignore plants in our everyday lives (Wandersee & Shussler, 1999). As educators, we have a duty to address this organismal bias.
In response, we have conceived a new Practical, ‘Bulu – shadow of a tree’, whose content sits in the shadows cast by the behemoth of western science (e.g., Indigenous knowledges, plants, sensorial experiences, Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)). We highlight the constraints of western knowledge acquisition by exploring subjective, botanical, sensory experiences (smell, touch, and taste) that create deep, personalized, place-based memories for students, spawning familiarity and belonging.
This outdoors Practical class requires deep observation of plant morphology as we expose the hidden beauty of plants - leaf aromas. We use native plant species, focusing on Eucalyptus spp., to instigate a series of self-reflections to explore the role of subjectivity in Science (Botany) and intellectual property of researchers and their discoveries. Can we objectively describe smells as a means of sharing knowledge? If not, should we abandon our senses and limit our own knowledge acquisition to methodologies sanctioned by colonialist frameworks; frameworks historically used to control First Nations knowledge? Who benefits from the Eucalyptus industry?
We will detail how we have employed olfactory pedagogies to enhance place-based learning methodologies thereby initiating conversations, creating campus belonging and stimulating critical reflections on a range of ethical, methodological, and legal (ICIP) aspects of native plants, their products, and derived industries.
REFERENCE
Wandersee, J., & Schussler, E. (1999). Preventing Plant Blindness. The American Biology Teacher, 61, 82-86. https://doi.org/10.2307/4450624