This article discusses the use of a conference format in teaching a required English composition course. The focus of the course is student research and presentation; thus, simulating a conference was a natural fit for the course's overall goals. Students worked in one of four committees: the Call for Proposals Committee, the Proposal Evaluation Committee, the Program Committee, and the Conference Facilitation Committee. The students chaired or cochaired one of these committees. Although none of the students had presented at a conference or submitted a proposal for presentation, they quickly grasped the professionalism associated with these tasks. Debriefing revealed overwhelming support for the simulated conference approach to teaching research and presentation skills.The impetus for this simulation project came from Halleck, Moder, and Damron's (2002) description of a simulation they introduced in a graduate-level English-as-asecond-language (ESL) writing class. The demographics of their situation differed significantly from mine. They implemented the conference simulation with two groups of graduate ESL students at a large research university; whereas, I teach at a small liberal arts university, and my students are not only undergraduates but also mostly young undergraduates-age 19 to 20 years. Despite these differences, some similarities exist-primarily the "problems" the conference simulation sought to address. For example, Halleck et al. (2002) cited poor attitudes toward the required English composition course, limited understanding of audience, and overall low motivation. As a frequent instructor of sophomore English, I knew the same problems existed for my course as well. Consequently, their initial description of the simulation caught my attention:The simulation required students to organize and participate in a professional conference. In some respects, this simulation was unusual in that it provided students with a general situation that framed the regular activities of the class. Some aspects of the conference frame were already a large part of the class: abstracts, research papers, and oral research presentations. The conference frame introduced a professionally relevant context in which these assignments might occur. Furthermore, it elevated the students to the role of research professionals. (Halleck et al., 2002, p. 332)
Background/aims In an attempt to reduce the impact of COVID-19 and support remote working, many allied healthcare professionals were equipped with video consultation technology. To support this new way of working, profession-specific webinars were delivered and attended by over 50% of the total allied healthcare professional workforce in Scotland. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of these webinars on the knowledge and confidence of allied health professionals in delivering services via video conferencing. Methods Attendees knowledge and current video conferencing use were ascertained immediately before and after webinars. Surveys were also completed at 4 and 8 weeks after the webinar to establish any impact on clinical practice. Results Levels of understanding, knowledge and confidence increased considerably (P<0.001). Follow up at 8 weeks post webinar identified that 75.5% of attendees were using video conferencing, with allied healthcare professional video conferencing activity representing 17% of all national activity by June 2020. Conclusions Upskilling a diverse and dispersed workforce at pace and scale to enable safe remote working has been critical throughout the pandemic. Webinars have proven to be popular with staff to increase their knowledge of and ability to confidently use video conferencing to provide allied healthcare professional services across Scotland.
A handful of research studies have investigated the effect of writing centre tutorials on subsequent revisions. This classroom-based study adds to that research by reporting results from a collaborative study between a composition professor and a writing centre tutor. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of writing centre tutorials on immediate student revisions as well as final drafts. The analysis was extensively framed by the Vygotskyan sociocultural model of language and cognitive development with an emphasis on tutor-student engagement as reciprocal interaction which include directive feedback and consequential revision. This study employed a qualitative design with students in a sophomore-level core composition course. Participants attended a writing centre session concerning their major writing assignment. Data triangulation included analysis of assignment drafts, observation notes, and tutorial transcripts. Findings revealed that students attended to feedback that was directive and straightforward. Additionally, students did not attend to citation feedback unless it was direct and explicit. Furthermore, students sometimes overgeneralized and misapplied the feedback. The findings highlight the impact of individual learner factors as well as the results of directive feedback on revisions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.