Cognitive scientists are pretty adept at coordinating multiple methods and perspectives; it is what we do. Teaching other people to do it is harder, especially when the other people are whole classes of undergraduates in one of the new cognitive science majors or specializations. The challenge is to provide students with (a) a sufficient understanding of some of the methods used in the contributing fields, (b) the strengths and weaknesses of these methods, and (c) how they can be coordinated in interdisciplinary research to achieve new understanding. Inquiry is a web-based curriculum for introducing students to the range of research methods employed in cognitive science. This tutorial provides an opportunity to hear about Inquiry and the ideas it embodies, to interact with it in a group setting, and to help and be helped to improve undergraduate education in cognitive science. To promote active understanding of the research methods that are introduced, the course materials are interactive. For example, instead of just providing a definition of cognitive science, students are guided to construct their own characterization after identifying and classifying a variety of phenomena as cognitive or not. They are then challenged to test the adequacy of their characterization in light of other phenomena and characterizations advanced by other students. Such devices as animation, pop-up windows, and a dynamic menu system also increase students' engagement. The materials are organized into semi-independent modules that can be selected and recombined to meet the objectives of particular courses. To provide integration to the different methods, research on memory provides a common theme, but examples from a variety of other domains are offered as well. The core modules for the course are divided into empirical strategies and modeling strategies. The range of empirical strategies addressed includes observational and correlational techniques, causal reasoning, including the use of directed graphs, and various experimental designs. The modeling strategies include mechanistic modeling, mathematical modeling, symbolic modeling, and neural network modeling. The final set of modules (not yet available) focus on the integration of research techniques; cases examined include neuroimaging and memory research on the hippocampus. In addition to the materials for student use, a variety of tools have been designed to enable instructors to utilize these modules and to supplement them with material of their own or found elsewhere on the web. The instructors' site also offers reports of web usage organized by student or by module and a “lab manual” that provides ideas and guidance for in-class projects designed to make the material more concrete. In one of the in-class projects, students are given a complex mechanism (e.g., a Pachinko Machine) and are given the task of understanding how it works and of communicating that understanding in writing or in a diagram. In another class, students watch raw footage of an amnesic patient (K.C.) being questioned by a psychologist and are then asked to diagnose his memory deficit on the basis of the interview. In a more extensive project, each student is asked to construct an interesting experiment in a field of their choice, to envision possible results, and to say something about what each possible result would mean. This tutorial will provide hands-on experience with both the web-based modules for students that have been developed so far and the tools and lab manual designed for instructors. Participants will be invited to incorporate some of these modules and tools into their own courses, and will receive guidance in doing so. Since the design of the materials is ongoing, participants also may provide feedback on how to make the Inquiry site (http://inquiry.wustl.edu) more useful to students and instructors at a broad range of educational institutions.
Health care undergraduate students are expected to practice evidence-based after they graduate. Previous research indicates that students face several problems with transferring evidence-based practice to real patient situations. Few studies have explored reasons for this. The aim of this study was to explore beliefs, experiences and attitudes related to third year students' use of evidence-based practice in clinical physiotherapy education among students, clinical instructors and visiting teachers. In total, six focus group interviews were conducted: three with 16 students, two with nine clinical instructors and one with four visiting teachers. In addition, one individual interview and one interview in a pair were conducted with clinical instructors. Interviewing three different participant-categories ensured comparative analysis and enabled us to exploit differences in perspectives and interactions. Interpretive description guided this process. Four integrative themes emerged from the analysis: "attempt to apply evidence-based practice", "novices in clinical practice", "prioritize practice experience over evidence-based practice" and "lack role models in evidence-based practice". Students tried to search for research evidence and to apply this knowledge during clinical placements; a behaviour that indicated a positive attitude towards evidence-based practice. At the same time, students were novices and required basic background information more than research information. As novices they tended to lean on their clinical instructors, and were more eager to gain practical experience than practicing evidence-based; a behaviour that clinical instructors and visiting teachers often supported. Students noticed a lack of an EBP culture. Both students and clinical instructors perceived a need for role models in evidence-based practice. Clinical instructors are in a position to influence students during clinical education, and thus, important potential role models in evidence-based practice. Actions from academic and clinical settings are needed to improve competence in evidence-based practice among clinical instructors, and future research is needed to investigate the effect of such efforts on students' behaviour.
Many aspects of the management of acutely disturbed behaviour have only relatively recently come under systematic scrutiny. Perhaps regrettably one of the last amongst the range of strategies that may be employed to be subjected to rigorous examination has been physical restraint. Considerable debate has recently taken place around what represents good practice in this sensitive and controversial area but the continuing dearth of research in some aspects of this area of practice has meant that this discussion has arguably been over reliant on 'expert' opinion. Questions continue regarding some fundamental issues of restraint, including the relative risks involved in alternative approaches, and anxieties have been expressed about the potential for injuries and death to result from restraint. This article outlines the results of a survey that sought to explore the incidence of deaths associated with restraint in health and social care settings in the UK. The outcome of an initial analysis of the cases identified is then discussed, with reference to the literature on restraint-related deaths, in order to identify the implications for practice.
