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Recent Submissions

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Open Access
Reimagining reflective activities in your blended and online teaching
(2024) Éowyn, Campbell; Brian, Gilbert; Nicole, Sandblom
Reflection is an essential component of high-quality experiential learning for students (Kaipainen et al, 2020; McRae et al., 2018). Using the DEAL model (Ash and Clayton 2009, Loy et al. 2021) in F18, we developed activities to be included as an Online and Blended Component of learning in our course. We asked students to reflect formally and repeatedly on their feedback, and to use these activities to plan next steps in their learning. After several years of iterative improvements to these activities, we wanted to understand how students use reflection. Using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2006), we are reviewing several cohorts of consenting participants to assess whether students’ perceptions of learning align with our course outcomes. Since this data involves three years of teaching in a variety of modalities, we also gain insights into student perceptions of the effects of online and blended course delivery on their learning. In our session, we will briefly review our learnings to date and then, through surveys, engage participants by asking them to examine their own experiences with reflection techniques in connection to teaching and learning in blended and online environments. Lastly, participants will have opportunities to explore developing questions that can inspire more thoughtful reflection in their own teaching contexts. At the end of the session for our session outcomes, participants will have examined how reflection fits into their own teaching practice, generated questions for reflection, and identified building blocks to incorporate these techniques. Ash SL, Clayton PH. 2009. Generating, deepening, and documenting learning: The power of critical reflection in applied learning. Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education. 1(1): 25-48. Braun V, Clark V. 2006. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 3: 77-101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Kaipainen E, Braun R, Arseneault R. 2020. Experiential learning plan for University of Calgary (2020-25). Contributors: Reid L, Stowe L, Kenny N, Barker S, Johns C, Christie C, King L, Hillmo J. Available from https://ucalgary.ca/provost/sites/default/files/EL%20Plan%202020-25.pdf [Accessed 27 January 2021]. Loy K, Huh R, Snow J, Redmond A. 2021. Learning Module: Critical Reflection. Available from: https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/resources/module/critical-reflection [Accessed 12 January 2022]. McRae N, Pretti TJ, Church D. 2018. Work-Integrated Learning Quality Framework, AAA [White paper, PDF file]. Available from: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-advancement-co-operative-education/sites/ca.centre-advancement-co-operative-education/files/uploads/files/wil_quality_framework_-_aaa_-_for_posting.pdf [Accessed 27 January 2021].
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Open Access
Impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the seasonal pattern of hospitalizations for acute respiratory diseases among children in Alberta, Canada
(2024) Lukac, Christine D; Simms, Brett; Kwong, Grace P.S.; Holodinsky, Jessalyn K.; Johnson, David W.; Kellner, James D.
Introduction: Acute infectious respiratory diseases (ARD) among children generally have a biennial pattern – peak incidence is highest every other winter. This seasonal pattern of ARD was interrupted in 2020 by SARS-CoV-2 and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI). We conducted a population based retrospective cohort study in Alberta, that measured the impact on (i) the weekly incidence of hospitalizations to quantify healthcare use, (ii) the weekly percent of PICU admissions to monitor clinical severity, and (iii) the weekly average age at discharge to characterise the affected population. Methods: From Apr 2003-Dec 2023, all hospital discharges and PICU admissions for ARD (i.e. bronchiolitis, pneumonia, influenza-like-illness, and croup) among children < 18 years old were identified in the provincial hospital Discharge Abstract Database. Weekly incidence of hospital discharge was calculated using population denominators. Weekly percent PICU admissions was calculated using all hospital discharges as the denominator. Weekly average age at discharge was calculated from birth to discharge in months. Seasonal autoregressive-integrated-moving-average (SARIMA) models predicted the expected weekly outcomes from Apr 2020 onward. Incidence ratios and percent change compared observed versus expected outcomes. Analyses were conducted in R version 4.2.2 (2022-10-31) and R studio build 2022.12.0+353. Results: There were 63,776 hospitalizations for ARD among children from Apr 2003-Dec 2023: 22,963 (36.01%) for bronchiolitis, 23,977 (37.44%) for pneumonia, 10,833 (16.97%) for influenza-like-illness, and 4,984 (7.81%) for croup. Of the hospitalizations, 4,167 (6.53%) included a PICU admission. The average weekly incidence of hospitalization for ARD per 100,000 children decreased 12.71-fold during Dec 2020-Feb 2021 (0.82 observed vs. 10.42 [95%CI 5.11, 15.73] expected) and increased 1.51-fold during Dec 2022-Feb 2023 (16.28 observed vs. 10.77 [95%CI 4.71, 16.83] expected). The average percentage of PICU admissions steadily increased from 4.07% (95%CI 1.22%, 6.91%) in Dec 2003-Feb 2004 to 10.48% (95%CI 8.36%, 12.60%) in Dec 2019-Feb 2020. There was no significant change in the percentage of PICU admissions in Dec 2020-Feb 2021 and Dec 2022-Feb 2023, 11.17% (95%CI 0.00%, 26.32%) and 11.86% (95%CI 9.33%, 14.39%) respectively. During each winter season, the average age at discharge decreased to 25 months (95%CI 17.85, 33.74) annually. Similar patterns for incidence of hospitalizations, percent PICU admissions, and average age at discharge were observed for bronchiolitis, pneumonia, influenza-like-illness, and croup. Discussion: SARS-CoV-2 and NPI had significant impacts on provincial hospitalization for ARD among children. Initially hospitalizations for ARD decreased 12.71-fold during Dec 2020-Feb 2021. With SARS-CoV-2 vaccine availability, increased population immunity, and relaxation of NPI, hospitalizations for ARD increased 1.51-fold during Dec 2022-Feb 2023. However, there was no change in clinical severity based on percent PICU admissions, and no change in affected population based on average age at discharge.
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Open Access
Gambling Policy Framework
(Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2024-03-27) Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
This document presents the latest evidence around gambling-related harms and the policies that can mitigate them. The overarching message of the Framework is that to reduce gambling-related harms, focus must shift from the individual who gambles to the context in which gambling takes place. To that end, it proposes nine evidence-informed recommendations towards a public health approach to gambling.
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Open Access
Parallelization of Bayesian Phylogenetics to Greatly Improve Run Times
(2024-03-24) Yang, David; Zhang, Qingrun; Gordon, Paul; Liao, Wenyuan; van der Meer, Franciscus Johannes
Phylogenetic analyses are invaluable to understanding the transmission of viruses, especially during disease outbreaks. In particular, Bayesian phylogenetics has great potential in modeling viral transmission due to the numerous phylogenetic models that can be incorporated. Currently, the availability of user-friendly software and accessibility to sequence data makes phylogenetic analyses easy to perform. However, to date, Bayesian phylogenetic analyses are still limited by long computational run-times which are especially unfavorable during ongoing and evolving disease outbreaks that demand real-time phylogeny results. Current optimization methods of Bayesian phylogenetic analysis mainly focus on iteration-level parallelization and mostly overlook the potential of larger-scale parallelization approaches. In this thesis, we provide an in-depth overview of topics including phylogenetic analysis, relevant biological information, and phylogenetic analysis optimization methods. We also proposed a novel parallelized Markov Chain Monte Carlo method that greatly improved Bayesian phylogenetic run times and integrated the approach into a data pipeline to allow for the direct analysis of viral samples. We demonstrated the validity of our methods by performing phylogenetic analyses on two sets of HIV simulation data and one set of real-world SARS-CoV-2 data. Our results suggested that the parallelization of MCMC in Bayesian phylogenetic analyses drastically reduces run times by 29-fold without causing significant deviations in parameter estimates and predicted phylogenetic trees.
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Open Access
Augmented QArt: Interactive Art Recreation by Mobile Augmented Reality
(2024-03-21) Booshehrian, Mahnaz; Alim, Usman; Hushlak, Gerald; Sharlin, Ehud
The integration of technology into art galleries and museums has opened new avenues for enhancing visitors' experiences and addressing challenges related to accessibility, interactivity, and artistic attraction. Inspired by Picasso’s Cubism paintings and Augmented Reality technology, this thesis explores the design of aesthetically detectable codes, known as QArt codes, to enhance accessibility and visual appeal and to enrich traditional art experiences in settings where space and time are limited. The project aims to answer questions about how technology can be leveraged to enhance artistic environments, offer interactive access to artwork information, and seamlessly blend the actual and virtual realms. Through the implementation of QArt codes, people can easily access and explore various artworks, including Picasso's Harlequin paintings, while saving time and money. This approach offers visitors a chance to learn about different aspects of the artwork, such as style, techniques, and historical context. Interacting with QArt codes provides an engaging and memorable experience, leaving a lasting impression on visitors. A qualitative user study conducted at the end of the project revealed that QArt codes can provide a nuanced understanding of Picasso's artistic range and insight into the Cubism style through multiple dimensions. Overall, QArt codes are an effective and captivating way to share artworks with the world.