AN INSTRUCTIONAL SCENARIO (LESSON PLAN): THE IMPORTANCE OF BREATHING. IS IT POSSIBLE WITHOUT BREATHING?

This article aims to present a lesson plan entitled “The importance of breathing. Is it possible to live without breathing?” This lesson lasts for one teaching hour. It was carried out through the Cisco WebEx Meetings platform of modern training and concerns the course Nursing Theory II for the 3rd Class of Vocational High School (EPAL), specializing in Nursing Assistant in the Health, Welfare & Wellness Sector. This script material was part of the training of B2 level ICT trainees, organized by the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP) with the co-financing of Greece and the European Union. The article aims to present a lesson plan so that students can deepen their knowledge in the thematic unit of Vital Signs with emphasis on the importance of breathing. More specifically, students learn to define what respiration is, to name and interpret the different types of respiration, but also to know when respirations should be counted. The strategy they relied on is collaborative learning. In particular, by organizing working groups, participation and interaction among students are enhanced. Students were asked to complete an interactive exercise created on e-me content, then worked on a collaborative document (Google forms) and completed a feedback quiz at the end of the lesson. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0790/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Neckio: Motivating Neck Exercises in Computer Workers

Neck pain is common among computer workers who may spend too much time in a static posture facing their display. Regular breaks and variety in one’s posture can help to prevent discomfort and pain. In order to understand how to support computer workers to do so regularly, we surveyed a convenience sample of computer workers (N = 130) regarding their work habits and their attitudes towards neck exercises at the workplace. The survey showed that they are highly motivated, but not able to comply with a neck exercise program. To address this challenge, we designed Neckio, a system that is aimed at encouraging posture variation and facilitating neck exercises at work. Neckio consists in an interactive application and a wireless angulation sensing appliance that can be mounted on the headset that office workers often use for reasons of privacy. Next to providing an interactive exercise program suitable for the workplace, its design places emphasis on an engaging user experience. We report a short-term user experience valuation of Neckio in an actual office environment (N = 10). Participants rated the overall user experience positively and reported to be intrinsically motivated to do the neck exercises. These results indicate the potential of the Neckio as a behavior change support technology to reduce the risk of developing neck pain in computer workers.

MODERNIZING EXERCISE WITH TELE-VIDEO TO REACH A RURAL GERIATRIC POPULATION OF VETERANS

Rural Veterans often lack access to health care. Veterans Affairs (VA) supports telehealth technologies to provide services remotely that are comparable to onsite in-person care. We piloted VA Video Connect (VVC), to deliver an interactive exercise program for Veterans modeled on the VA Gerofit Program, a successful facility-based exercise program. VVC connects an exercise physiologist directly to the home with smart devices. Invitations to join Gerofit were mailed to 216 rural Veterans. Of 17 respondents, 7 (mean age 68) agreed to VVC tele-exercise 1x week for 12 weeks. Two Veterans were lost to follow-up prior to enrollment. Baseline VVC assessments (N=5) were indicative of high functional impairment in comparison to age-based norms: 2-minute step test (67.2 steps, 5th%tile), 30-second chair stands (12.4 stands, 26th%tile), and 30-second arm curls (15.3 curls, 25th%tile). Feasibility, barriers, and program impact will be discussed. Functional impairment indicates need for telehealth to reach Rural Veterans.

Hear It Their Way: Micro-Invalidation and the Burden of “Articulateness”

Given the unconscious nature of many micro-invalidations, conversations about them easily devolve into cycles of accusation, defensiveness, and recrimination. To better understand the specific effects of micro-invalidations, this interactive exercise emphasizes listening, hearing, and empathizing with use of the statement, “You are so articulate.” By stressing and analyzing different segments of this frequently used sentence, learners are presented with an opportunity to consider both sides of oral messaging—the intent of the sender as well as the receipt and interpretation of the receiver. Both intended and unintended consequences are analyzed, opening deeper discussions about the origins and implications of our reactions to other people and their remarks.

A statistical learning exercise based on a modified Rock-Paper-Scissors game

The standard version of the game Rock-Paper-Scissors is interesting in terms of game theory, but less so in terms of Statistics. However, we show that with a small rule change it can be made into an interactive exercise for degree-level students of Statistics that leads to a Bayesian change-point model, for which the Gibbs sampler provides an intuitive method of inference. First, students play the game to generate the data. Second, they are encouraged to formulate a model that reflects their experience from having played the game. And third, they participate in the development of a suitable MCMC algorithm to fit the model.

Mind–body interactive qigong improves physical and mental aspects of quality of life in inpatients with stroke: A randomized control study

Background: Stroke, a medical condition that causes physical disability and mental health problems, impacts negatively on quality of life. Post-stroke rehabilitation is critical to restoring quality of life in these patients. Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of a mind–body interactive qigong intervention on the physical and mental aspects of quality of life, considering bio-physiological and mental covariates in subacute stroke inpatients. Methods: A randomized controlled trial with repeated measures design was used. A total of 68 participants were recruited from the medical and rehabilitation wards at a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan and then randomly assigned either to the Chan-Chuang qigong group, which received standard care plus a 10-day mind–body interactive exercise program, or to the control group, which received standard care only. Data were collected using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Short Form-12, stroke-related neurologic deficit, muscular strength, heart rate variability and fatigue at three time points: pre-intervention, halfway through the intervention (day 5) and on the final day of the intervention (day 10). Results: The results of the mixed-effect model analysis showed that the qigong group had a significantly higher quality of life score at day 10 ( p<0.05) than the control group. Among the covariates, neurologic deficit ( p=0.04), muscle strength ( p=0.04), low frequency to high frequency ratio ( p=0.02) and anxiety ( p=0.04) were significantly associated with changes in quality of life. Conversely, heart rate, heart rate variability (standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals, low frequency and high frequency), fatigue and depression were not significantly associated with change in quality of life ( p >0.05). Conclusions: This study supports the potential benefits of a 10-day mind–body interactive exercise (Chan-Chuang qigong) program for subacute stroke inpatients and provides information that may be useful in planning adjunctive rehabilitative care for stroke inpatients.