Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? Evaluating the Design of Instructional Animations in Veterinary Education.

Empirical evidence demonstrates that student learning outcomes improve when animations are developed in alignment with the design principles of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML). The extent to which these principles are used in the design of veterinary instructional animations is unknown. In this study, we reviewed the veterinary education literature for articles that discussed specific veterinary medical animations as learning resources. The 30 referenced animations accessed through this search were analyzed to determine whether they used the CTML's 11 major design principles. Analysis revealed that the animations most commonly adhered to only 4 principles: coherence, redundancy, modality, and spatial contiguity. The majority of the 11 CTML principles were used in fewer than 40% of the animations. We also examined the alignment between raters' perceptions of the effectiveness and enjoyment of the animations and adherence to the design principles. Analyses revealed that the animations deemed by raters as most enjoyable and effective did not utilize more design principles than animations they viewed as least enjoyable and effective. The results of this study indicate many missed opportunities to increase learning by developing animated learning resources according to empirically based design principles. Decisions to include specific animations in instruction should be based on whether the resources include elements that have been shown to increase learning rather than subjective perceptions of effectiveness and enjoyment.

Assessing spoken word recognition in children who are deaf or hard of hearing: a translational approach.

Under natural conditions, listeners use both auditory and visual speech cues to extract meaning from speech signals containing many sources of variability. However, traditional clinical tests of spoken word recognition routinely employ isolated words or sentences produced by a single talker in an auditory-only presentation format. The more central cognitive processes used during multimodal integration, perceptual normalization, and lexical discrimination that may contribute to individual variation in spoken word recognition performance are not assessed in conventional tests of this kind. In this article, we review our past and current research activities aimed at developing a series of new assessment tools designed to evaluate spoken word recognition in children who are deaf or hard of hearing. These measures are theoretically motivated by a current model of spoken word recognition and also incorporate "real-world" stimulus variability in the form of multiple talkers and presentation formats. The goal of this research is to enhance our ability to estimate real-world listening skills and to predict benefit from sensory aid use in children with varying degrees of hearing loss.

Exploring the Educational Impact of Using a Single-Point Rubric Through Validation in Interprofessional Education.

There have been few studies regarding the impact on inter¬professional education (IPE) assessments and instruments to support learning and teaching. In this study, a single-point rubric was developed and evaluated to explore its educational impact on supporting learning and teaching. The research question was: To what degree does the single-point rubric support student learning and assist facilitators in developing feedback within the context of IPE? We tested the single-point rubric in the assessments within both interprofessional (IP) foundational and elective courses. One hundred eighty-seven rubrics across two IP courses were completed and collected. Of the 49 students and 17 facilitators who responded to the surveys, 3 students and 5 facilitators completed follow-up interviews. Two of the foundational course developers also participated in interviews. Kane's validity framework guided the validation process. Results showed that facilitators used the single-point rubric to provide structured and potentially helpful feedback. Students agreed with the feedback and could efficiently identify the strengths and weaknesses of their performance from the feedback. Students could use the suggestions from facilitators and their own engagement with the feedback to improve future IP learning. However, some facilitators did not provide students with suggestions for improvement, perhaps because they felt that they were not experienced enough to provide suggestions. Additional training is essential for facilitators to learn how to provide suggestions for improvement. The overall educational impact of the single-point rubric is positive, but future investigation with a larger sample size is required.

Factor Structure and Invariance of an Adolescent Risks and Needs Assessment.

The Washington Assessment of Risks and Needs of Students is a youth self-report screening instrument developed for use by high school and juvenile court personnel faced with the legal and practical challenges of high truancy and dropout rates. It purports to measure six facets of risks and needs of youth relevant to improving school outcomes. In this study, a bifactor model measuring a general factor and six specific factors was examined for fit and invariance across different groups defined by sex and race/ethnicity, with a sample of court-petitioned high school students (N = 937; ages 13-17 years). The results of multigroup confirmatory factor analysis revealed an essentially invariant bifactor structure across the groups. Further analysis of reliability support the use of the general factor to guide decision making for youth at risk for truancy and school failure, and scores deriving from the six specific factors as providing insight on specific areas of risk and need.

Understanding School Truancy: Risk-Need Latent Profiles of Adolescents.

Washington state requires school districts to file court petitions on students with excessive unexcused absences resulting in thousands of youth becoming involved in the court system. Once in the system, decisions are made about the level of risk each youth has for maladaptive behaviors. The Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students was created to assist youth service providers, courts, and schools to identify an adolescent's needs for social, emotional, or educational intervention. However, the profile-based decisions advocated for by test developers lack empirical justification. This study employed latent profile analysis to examine risk and needs profiles of adolescents based on the Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students assessment. Profiles were developed to aid understanding of behaviors associated with school truancy, and examined across outcome variables (e.g., suspensions, arrests) to evaluate evidence in support of predictive claims. Results suggest distinct profiles that differ on important outcomes.

Construcción del índice de vulnerabilidad sexual de las mujeres trans

Objetivo: Construir un índice que determine la vulnerabilidad sexual de las mujeres trans. Material y Método: Estudio mixto realizado entre los años 2020 y 2021 que en su primera fase utilizó el análisis de contenido para textos que describían los conceptos básicos de vulnerabilidad, vulnerabilidad social y riesgo, apoyado con los relatos obtenidos en grupos focales y entrevistas a 14 mujeres transgénero para generar el constructo teórico de vulnerabilidad sexual de las mujeres transgénero. Para la segunda parte, a partir de la información recolectada de 417 mujeres transgénero de las ciudades de Bogotá y Cali que habían participado del estudio "Vulnerabilidad y Prevalencia de VIH en Mujeres Transgénero en tres ciudades de Colombia: Bogotá, Medellín y Santiago de Cali-2019", se seleccionaron las variables que serían parte de un análisis factorial exploratorio para construir la versión preliminar del índice. Resultados: Se construyó el índice de riesgo de vulnerabilidad sexual de las mujeres transgénero compuesto por 3 factores: apoyo social, prácticas sexuales y cuidado de la salud. El índice consta de 10 preguntas que se evalúan como 0 o 1, donde los puntajes más altos evidencian un mayor riesgo de vulnerabilidad sexual. Conclusiones: La vulnerabilidad sexual es un fenómeno construido por factores propios de la experiencia trans e influenciado por las características del contexto donde la persona habita; el índice construido cuenta con buena consistencia interna (alfa ordinal 0,90). Asimismo, se encontró concordancia entre el modelo teórico de la fase cualitativa y los resultados del análisis factorial exploratorio.

Objective: To construct an index to determine the sexual vulnerability of trans women. Materials and Methods: Mixed study conducted between 2020 and 2021, which in its first phase used content analysis for texts describing the basic concepts of vulnerability, social vulnerability and risk. This was supported by accounts from focus groups and interviews with 14 transgender women to generate the theoretical construct of sexual vulnerability of transgender women. For the second phase, from the information provided by 417 transgender women from the cities of Bogotá and Cali, who participated in the study "Vulnerability and HIV Prevalence in Transgender Women in three cities of Colombia: Bogota, Medellin and Santiago de Cali - 2019", variables were selected to be part of an exploratory factor analysis to construct the preliminary version of the index. Results: The sexual vulnerability risk index of transgender women was based on 3 factors: social support, sexual practices, and health care. The index consisted of 10 questions scored as 0 or 1, with higher scores indicating a higher risk of sexual vulnerability. Conclusions: Sexual vulnerability is a phenomenon based on factors which are specific to the trans experience and it is influenced by the characteristics of the context in which the person lives. The constructed index has good internal consistency (ordinal alpha 0.90) and shows concordance between the theoretical model of the qualitative phase and the results of the exploratory factor analysis.

Objetivo: Construir um índice para determinar a vulnerabilidade sexual de mulheres transgênero. Material e Método: Estudo misto realizado entre 2020 e 2021 que, em sua primeira fase, utilizou a análise de conteúdo para textos que descrevem os conceitos básicos de vulnerabilidade, vulnerabilidade social e risco; apoiado por relatos obtidos em grupos focais e entrevistas com 14 mulheres transgênero para gerar o construto teórico de vulnerabilidade sexual de mulheres transgênero. Para a segunda fase, a partir das informações fornecidas por 417 mulheres transgênero das cidades de Bogotá e Cali que participaram do estudo "Vulnerabilidade e Prevalência de HIV em Mulheres Transgênero em três cidades da Colômbia: Bogotá, Medellín e Santiago de Cali-2019", foram selecionadas variáveis que fizeram parte de uma análise fatorial exploratória para construir a versão preliminar do índice. Resultados: O índice de risco de vulnerabilidade sexual de mulheres transgênero foi construído com base em três fatores: apoio social, práticas sexuais e assistência à saúde. Consiste em 10 perguntas que são avaliadas como 0 ou 1, em que as pontuações mais altas evidenciam um risco maior de vulnerabilidade sexual. Conclusões: A vulnerabilidade sexual é um fenômeno baseado em fatores que são específicos da experiência trans e é influenciado pelas características do contexto em que a pessoa vive. Além disso, o índice construído tem boa consistência interna (alfa ordinal 0,90) e mostra concordância entre o modelo teórico da fase qualitativa e os resultados da análise fatorial exploratória.