Peer assisted learning in health education.

There are many forms of Peer Assisted Learning (PAL). There are well-established theoretical models as to why PAL is proven to be effective across educational sectors. To maximise gains from PAL careful consideration needs to be given to the roles of peers. Evidence suggests that PAL projects with clearly defined roles for interaction result in strongest outcomes. Effect Sizes (ES) from meta-analyses of peer assisted learning indicate ES of between 0.25-0.50. Outcomes can be social and emotional as well as academic. PAL generally requires adaptation of existing resources and can be cost-effective to implement compared to other educational developments.

Dyslexia in higher education: Implications for maths anxiety, statistics anxiety and psychological well-being

This study examined levels of mathematics and statistics anxiety, as well as general mental health amongst undergraduate students with dyslexia (n = 28) and those without dyslexia (n = 71). Students with dyslexia had higher levels of mathematics anxiety relative to those without dyslexia, while statistics anxiety and general mental health were comparable for both reading ability groups. In terms of coping strategies, undergraduates with dyslexia tended to use planning-based strategies and seek instrumental support more frequently than those without dyslexia. Higher mathematics anxiety was associated with having a dyslexia diagnosis, as well as greater levels of worrying, denial, seeking instrumental support and less use of the positive reinterpretation coping strategy. By contrast, statistics anxiety was not predicted by dyslexia diagnosis, but was instead predicted by overall worrying and the use of denial and emotion focused coping strategies. The results suggest that disability practitioners should be aware that university students with dyslexia are at risk of high mathematics anxiety. Additionally, effective anxiety reduction strategies such as positive reframing and thought challenging would form a useful addition to the support package delivered to many students with dyslexia.

Uniformity and diversity in religious education in Northern Ireland

This paper considers the tension that can exist in the aims of religious education between the desire to encourage open-minded, critical thinking through exposure to diverse traditions, ideas and cultures and the encouragement, overt or otherwise, into uniformity whereby learners take on the values of a particular tradition, culture or ideology (say of a religion, family or school). The particular situation of teaching religious education to post-primary school pupils in Northern Ireland is considered, and evidence cited to suggest that the Northern Ireland Core Syllabus in Religious Education has tried to impose a particular non-denominational Christian uniformity on pupils and teachers through its use of religious language. This has contributed to a culture of 'avoidance' in relation to the teaching of broad Christian diversity. The article concludes that there is a need for an ongoing and meaningful dialogue to discover what kind of balance between uniformity and diversity is best in teaching religious education in Northern Ireland, and notes that this also requires the reassessment of fundamental issues such as the aims of education and the relationship between secular and religious values in publicly funded schools. © 2004 Christian Education.

Cultivating creative learners in higher education: Engaging students in anatomy through art

Introduction
Nursing and midwifery students often struggle to engage with bioscience modules because they lack confidence in their ability to study science (Fell et al., 2012). Consequently many have difficulty applying anatomical and physiological information, essential to providing safe and effective patient care (Rogers, 2014; Rogers and Sterling, 2012); therefore a need exists for nurse educators to explore different methods of delivery of these important topics to enhance current curricula (Johnston, 2010). Inspired by the reported success of creative methods to enhance the teaching and learning of anatomy in medical education (Noel, 2013; Finn and McLachlan, 2010), this pilot study engaged nursing students in anatomy through the art of felt. The project was underpinned by the principles of good practice in undergraduate education, staff-student engagement, cooperation among students, active learning, prompt feedback, time on task, high expectations and respect for diverse learning styles (Chickering and Gamson, 1987).

Method
Undergraduate student nurses from Queen’s University, Belfast, enrolled in the year one ‘Health and Wellbeing’ model were invited to participate in the project. Over a six week period the student volunteers worked in partnership with teaching staff to construct individual, unique, three dimensional felt models of the upper body. Students researched the agreed topic for each week in terms of anatomical structure, location, tissue composition and vascular access. Creativity was encouraged in relation to the colour and texture of materials used. The evaluation of the project was based on the four level model detailed by Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2006) and included both quantitative and qualitative analysis:• pre and post knowledge scores• self-rated confidence• student reflections on the application of learning to practice.

Results
At the end of the project students had created felt pieces reflective of their learning throughout the project and ‘memorable’ three dimensional mental maps of the human anatomy. Evaluation revealed not only acquisition of anatomical knowledge, but the wider benefits of actively engaging in creative learning with other students and faculty teaching staff.

The project has enabled nurse educators to assess the impact of innovative methods for delivery of these important topics.

Challenges in secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases: A review of the current practice

With the changing demography of populations and increasing prevalence of co-morbidity, frail patients and more complex cardiac conditions, the modern medicine is facing novel challenges leading to rapid innovation where evidence and experiences are lacking. This scenario is also evident in cardiovascular disease prevention, which continuously needs to accommodate its ever changing strategies, settings, and goals. The present paper summarises actual challenges of secondary prevention, and discusses how this intervention should not only be effective but also efficient. By this way the paper tries to bridge the gaps between research and real-world findings and thereby may find ways to improve standard care.