Journal articles on the topic 'Effective Demonstration Schools Grant Program'

Universities are exploring ways to better prepare teachers for the classroom and to keep them there. Building cohorts of pre-service teachers is one of the ways currently under scrutiny. The University of Memphis began a new cohort-based, grant-funded program entitled Recruitment and Retention through Reinvention of Teacher Education (3Rs) to prepare middle-school math and science teachers in the summer of 2006. This article presents the results of a qualitative study on the effects of a four-day experiential learning program on the development of the 3Rs cohort of middle school pre-service teachers. Participants indicated that their experience was an effective way to build a graduate student cohort. Close relationships with each other were developed and support from the faculty was noted. Few pressing concerns were voiced. Getting away for an overnight stay, focus on educational best practices, and demonstrating the need and importance of this experience were listed as essential to the program.

Louisiana requires schools to address designated educational standards at specific grade levels. Science is a challenging subject at the middle school level. A hands-on approach has been proven more effective than traditional classroom teaching. A program was developed by a cooperative effort between Louisiana Sea Grant and the LSU AgCenter Dept. of Horticulture within the Coastal Roots Nursery Program. Eight lesson plans were designed to meet 16 standards and 275 students in four schools. Pre- and post-test were given to each grade in addition to the Children's Attitude Toward Environment Scale (CATES). Additional pre- and post-test were given to classes not participating in the program. The evaluations tested both short and long term memory on material contained in the lesson plans. The data was analyzed by school, sex, and grade level.

Background and context: The home healthcare market in Jordan is nascent with little service offered. It suffers from a highly fragmented and underregulated landscape. The limited access to qualified trustworthy home care services, lack of professional home care training, and lack of home health care insurance coverage have added to the heavy in-patient bed demand and delayed hospital discharges especially for disabled or terminally ill patients. Aim: To establish a comprehensive national home care program to improve the delivery of palliative and home care services in Jordan, and to conduct a situational analysis and generate policy recommendations. Strategy/Tactics: We used multiple strategies to reach our objectives. 1. Expansion of home care services at King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) to create a local demonstration project. 2. Building health care professional capacity by offering variety of educational programs. 3. Improving quality of service delivery by generating clinical practice guidelines, such as standards operating procedures and patient and family educational materials. 4. Use the pilot operational and financial data to generate an economic model to inform the development of similar home health care units in hospitals across Jordan. 5. National advocacy and building effective partnership with all related stakeholders to advance national policy. Program/Policy process: Between May 2016 and May 2017, 7818 home care visits were conducted by KHCC. For capacity building; 678 health care professionals were trained in palliative and home care, out of which 366 participants were females (54%). Palliative care was successfully recognized as a specialty by the Jordan Nursing Council and recognized as a subspecialty by the Jordan Medical Council. The palliative and home care standards of practice were included in the health care accreditation council. The analysis of economic evaluation data suggested that home care services decreased in-patient utilization and costs which is advantageous to a country with limited resources. As a result of the advocacy stream and a collaborative network, the national palliative and home care strategic framework was generated, and endorsed by the Ministry of Health. Outcomes: The NHCI resulted in a very successful pilot project and achieved specialty and subspecialty recognition. Furthermore, we were able to build the capacity of health care professionals and policy makers in the palliative and home care sector from public, private and academic institutions. In the advocacy and policy dimension, the Minister of Health officially approved and adapted the palliative and home care strategic framework that was developed by this initiative. What was learned: Cross-sector collaboration and effective partnership resulted in system change and policy advancement. Developing effective economic systems is essential in low resourced countries. The initiative was supported by a joint grant from the USAID and KHCC.

We describe an effort to improve the care of Medicaid and uninsured individuals through a three-way partnership between a Medicaid managed care insurer, front-line providers, and an academic university. The project provided annual funding over eleven years, for research, pilot programs, and demonstration projects. Projects were provider-driven in design and methods. The Medicaid-managed care insurer-funded proposals were vetted by a neutral university team experienced in grant writing and community-based research and scored by a community-based review panel. The grant program ran from 2007 to 2018, funding 41 projects, totaling USD 2,097,842. The partnership of an insurer, a university, and frontline providers was not only viable and sustainable for over a decade, but also flexible, free of project selection issues, and well-received by all stakeholders. Funded providers worked in both urban and rural settings and included hospitals, community non-profits, outpatient clinics, academic and community health partnerships, and public health agencies. The projects generally reflected common issues in the Medicaid and uninsured population needs, such as childhood obesity, and they were consistent with the targeted goals of the program. Broad health foci included child and/or maternal health, chronic conditions, mental health, preventive health, screening, system effectiveness, special populations including refugees, Latinos, and rural individuals, and substance use disorders. Details of the awarded grantee goals, the grants management process, and lessons learned from the partnership are presented. The partnership triad model was effective and stable, with each partner adding unique value. The use of the academic institution to administrate the program provided an arms-length relationship between the insurer and the providers in project selection and allowed assistance to less experienced researchers in community settings.

Science is a challenging subject to teach at the middle school level. The state of Louisiana requires public school teachers to plan their curriculum around Grade-Level Expectations or state mandated educational benchmarks. A program titled Horticulture in a Can has been designed to teach horticulture lessons to middle school students while targeting the state regulated grade-level expectations. All lessons use a hands-on approach as it has been proven more effective than traditional classroom teaching. Horticulture in a Can was developed by a cooperative effort between the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program and the LSU AgCenter's Department of Horticulture within the Coastal Roots Nursery Program. Eight lesson plans have been created to meet twenty-six Grade-Level Expectations for 463 students in 4 schools. Pre- and PostHorticulture tests were given to each class in addition to pre- and postChildren's Attitude Towards the Environment Scale (CATES). All tests were given to both treatment and control classes within each school. The evaluations tested both short and long-term memory on material contained in the lesson plans. The data was analyzed by school, treatment, sex, and grade-level.

Background: For oral health promotion, teenagers represent an important target group, given that appropriate personal oral hygiene and dietary behaviors are established during this period of life. Experiential learning is an educational approach where learning comes through experience. The aim of the Erasmus+ project “Youth Community-Based Oral Health Learning Model” was to assess the influence of a school-based experiential education program on oral health status, knowledge and behavior among a group of schoolchildren in Bucharest. Methods: This longitudinal interventional study started in 2015 and enrolled 120 adolescents from three public schools. At baseline, all subjects were clinically examined and received a questionnaire. They were split into two groups: the test group received three experiential lessons and control group benefited from a demonstration of tooth brushing technique. Results were presented for the test group, 76 schoolchildren, divided in two age groups: 13-14 years and 15-16 years. More children from the test group adopted twice-daily tooth brushing compared to the control group. The level of knowledge was good, but the role of a noncariogenic diet must be emphasized. Conclusions: The oral health program had positive effects on oral health knowledge and behavior among adolescents. The present study indicated that intervention using experiential learning involving dental students was effective in increasing oral health attitudes and behavior among adolescents from 13-16 years of age included in the study.

Abstract Objectives The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) offers complementary education programs to improve public health through improving nutritional behavioral habits in preschoolers in Washington D.C. This study examines the influence of the SNAP-Ed program on changing a set of positive nutritional behaviors in preschoolers to encourage healthier eating habits. These nutritional behavioral changes include recognizing, choosing, and consuming nutritious and healthy foods. Methods The SNAP-Ed program implemented nutritional education in 37 preschools, schools, and community centers located in Washington D.C for Fiscal Year 2019. During the program, the nutritional behavior of 1679 children aged 2 to 5 years old was examined before and after educational interventions. Interventions focused on the types and the related benefits of different groups of foods including fruits, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains. Designed questionnaires were filled out by 130 teachers based on their observations of the children's nutritional behavioral habits. Teachers were asked if children had an increase in the amount of food consumption from different groups. Children were also observed for an increase in independently choosing healthier foods. Results The SNAP-Ed program observed a positive change in all questions in comparison to the beginning of the program. According to the questionnaires, there were 75%, 75%, 78%, and 75% increases in the amount of fruits, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains preschoolers consumed, respectively. After the educational interventions, 78% of preschoolers showcased healthy food choices, 76% of them selected fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria and 75% of them brought fruits and vegetables as a healthy snack. Conclusions SNAP-Ed nutrition education positively changed preschoolers’ nutritional knowledge and established healthier eating habits. Further research, done in multiple states, is essential to enhance the knowledge of preschoolers nationwide. More research can also be done to examine how effective nutritional education was between SNAP eligible and non-eligible preschoolers. Funding Sources Congress, through the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: To build capacity for community engaged, translational research in faculty across the university. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Each year, the Community Engagement Research Core (CERC) of the Penn State CTSI invites applications for one to two Community Engagement Faculty Fellowships. Applicant teams are comprised of a junior or mid-level investigator seeking to expand their work into the CEnR arena under the mentorship of a senior investigator with expertise in community engaged scholarship. The fellow must develop a plan for the mentoring year, including a timeline, activities to be undertaken together, knowledge to be acquired, deliverables, and a budget. The funding supports two course releases or the clinical equivalent for the fellow, and a small budget to support the mentor’s research program. Proposals are evaluated using NIH scientific merit criteria. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We are in our second year of the fellowship program. Two highly qualified fellows are currently working with established community-based mentors. The 2017-2018 fellowship team showcases how an effective mentor-fellow partnership can help move a fellow’s work along the translational spectrum. By working with her mentor, our first fellow’s research has expanded from basic discovery science in a university hospital to development of a neonatal intensive care unit intervention to be employed with parents in the community. The 2018-2019 scholar, who utilized the community engagement research core (CERC) of the PSU CTSI in preparation of a PCORI grant, has since received the PCORI award and is working with her mentor to bring her innovative mental health screenings to the public schools. We are currently evaluating applications for the third year of the program, and please to have engaged applicants from across several Penn State campuses and disciplines. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The fellowship is enjoying early success in terms of fellow productivity, expanding translational research expertise, and fueling interest across the Penn State campuses in community engagement research. Future work will focus on sustainability planning for this type of program, metrics for tracking success, and plans for integrating fellows into a growing community of engaged scholars at the university.

Abstract Objective – Collaboration and working in teams are key aspects of all types of librarianship, but library and information studies (LIS) students often perceive teamwork and group work negatively. LIS schools have a responsibility to prepare graduates with the skills and experiences to be successful working in teams in the field. Through a grant from the university office of assessment, the assessment committee at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Library and Information Studies explored their department’s programmatic approach to teaching teamwork in the MLIS curriculum. Methods – This research followed a multi-method design including content analysis of syllabi, secondary analysis of student evaluation of teaching (SET) data, and interviews with alumni. Syllabi were analyzed for all semesters from fall 2010 to spring 2016 (n = 210), with 81 syllabi further analyzed for details about their team assignments. Some data was missing from the dataset of SETs purchased from the vendor, resulting in a dataset of 39 courses with SET data available. Interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of alumni about their experiences with teamwork in the LIS program and their view of how well the LIS curriculum prepared them for teamwork in their careers (n = 22). Results – Findings indicate that, although alumni remembered teamwork happening too often, it was required in just over one-third of courses in the sample period (fall 2010 to spring 2016), and teamwork accounted for about one-fifth of assignments in each of these courses. Alumni reported mostly positive experiences with teamwork, reflecting that teamwork assignments are necessary for the MLIS program because teamwork is a critical skill for librarianship. Three themes emerged from the findings: alumni perceived teamwork to be important for librarians and therefore for the MLIS program, despite this perception there is also a perception that the program has teamwork in too many courses, and questions remain about whether faculty perceive teaching teamwork as important and how to teach teamwork skills in the MLIS curriculum. Conclusions – Librarians need to be able to collaborate internally and externally, but assigning team projects does not guarantee students will develop the teamwork skills they need. An LIS program should be proactive in teaching skills in scheduling, time management, personal accountability, and peer evaluation to prepare students to be effective collaborators in their careers.

Background Anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders have significant social and economic impacts, which are largely attributable to their early age of onset and chronic disabling course. Therefore, it is critical to intervene early to prevent chronic and debilitating trajectories. Objective This paper describes the study protocol of a CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials)-compliant randomized controlled trial for evaluating the effectiveness of the Mind your Mate program, a mobile health (mHealth) peer intervention that aims to prevent mental health (focusing on anxiety and depression) and substance use problems in adolescents. Methods Participants will consist of approximately 840 year 9 or year 10 students (60 students per grade per school) from 14 New South Wales high schools in Sydney, Australia. Schools will be recruited from a random selection of independent and public schools across the New South Wales Greater Sydney Area by using publicly available contact details. The intervention will consist of 1 introductory classroom lesson and a downloadable mobile app that will be available for use for 12 months. Schools will be randomly allocated to receive either the mHealth peer intervention or a waitlist control (health education as usual). All students will be given web-based self-assessments at baseline and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. The primary outcomes of the trial will be the self-reported use of alcohol and drugs, anxiety and depression symptoms, knowledge about mental health and substance use, motives for not drinking, and willingness to seek help. Secondary outcomes will include positive well-being, the quality of life, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyses will be conducted using mixed-effects linear regression analyses for normally distributed data and mixed-effects logistic regression analyses for categorical data. Results The Mind your Mate study was funded by an Australian Rotary Health Bruce Edwards Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from 2019 to 2022. Some of the development costs for the Mind your Mate intervention came from a seed funding grant from the Brain and Mind Centre of the University of Sydney. The enrollment of schools began in July 2020; 12 of 14 schools were enrolled at the time of submission. Baseline assessments are currently underway, and the first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2022. Conclusions The Mind your Mate study will generate vital new knowledge about the effectiveness of a peer support prevention strategy in real-world settings for the most common mental disorders in youth. If effective, this intervention will constitute a scalable, low-cost prevention strategy that has significant potential to reduce the impact of mental and substance use disorders. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12620000753954; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=379738&isReview=true International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/26796

The purpose of the article is to assess the level of involvement of faculty, postgraduate students and students in research work of department and to suggest mechanisms for enhancing their participation in research on the basis of monitoring the activities of heads of departments. Methodical approaches. The object of the study were 350 heads of departments of 24 higher educational institutions in different regions of Russia. Subject of research – the level of involvement of faculty, postgraduate students and students in the research work of university departments. For monitoring, a special questionnaire was proposed to the department heads. Results. The results of the monitoring of the organization of research work in Russian universities have shown that over the past ten years, the research activities of faculty, postgraduate students and students have increased significantly. This is evidenced by the growing number of departments whose faculty regularly engage in research work. Their number currently stands at 79,1% (in 2003 there were only 67,9% of such departments). The interviewed heads of departments noted that the main forms of faculty research are: the publication of scientific articles (92,3%), the publication of monographs (72,3%), participation in research (70,0%), preparation of applications for participation in grants and program competitions (62,6%). However, among the negative aspects of the organization of research work at the departments, the fact should be noted that 45,6% of the surveyed department heads hardly find time for research work with students, and 3,6% do not conduct any research with students at all. The mechanisms of activating the involvement of faculty, postgraduate students and students in the effective research work of the department are proposed, such as: the organization of scientific seminars for faculty; postgraduate seminars (Schools of young scientists for postgraduate students, as well as for master’s and undergraduate students within the framework of student self-government structures); increased participation of faculty in grant competitions and in contracting with enterprises; increasing of faculty publication activity due to the preparation of monographs and scientific articles and participation in scientific conferences; intensification of students’ research work (scientific circles, participation in contests and conferences, publications). The use of the proposed mechanisms for managing the research work of the department will help to enhance the publication activity of faculty, encourage the development of extracurricular work with students; increase the number of grants won and research conducted.

The study of “Digital Eco-system Development Proved Its Sustainable Success under the Technology & Covid-19 Disruption: Asia’s Silicon Valley (Singapore) & Global ICT Power House (South Korea) ” has its objectives under the context of COVID-19 pandemic and technology disruption as follow; 1)to study the scenario of digital eco-system development of Singapore and South Korea; 2) to study the government’s policy of Singapore and South Korea in its digital eco-system development; and 3) to propose the best Practices of digital eco-system development of Singapore and South Korea for further development in other countries. The qualitative research with document study and e-interview among 25 key informants from all of the relevant stakeholders: the policy, the private sector, and the marginal workers. Narrative description was used. Findings found Best Practices of digital eco-system development from both countries which aligned with most of the findings such as the Boston Consulting Group (2020) and others could be applied in other countries as follow; 1) The strong leadership and concrete and achievable vision from top management of both countries. Holistic, inclusive and sustainable development is the dominant flagship of both countries : The Skill Future of Singapore, and the Digital New Deal of South Korea; 2) The Partnership model with integrated strategy under the Win& Win Principle with clear innovation goals at all levels: “the Skills Future of Singapore” from Engineer Good Program to the last mile people in the Touch Community Services; and the 1) the Meister High schools 2) the Digital Upskill by each own company; 3) the Tax Credit, Tax Incentive measures; 4) the Training Levy Grant system; and 5) the SME Training Consortiums of South Korea. 3)The broad perspective and agile way of working. According to a study by Boston Consulting Group, effective 'Agile leadership' was found to have an impact on all the successful digital transformation projects. Leaders must manage change with a broader mindset and apply agile behavior broadly across the eco-system: Asia’s Silicon Valley” with its fully back up mission of “A Smart Nation”; and the “Korean New Deal” with its futuristic of digital eco-system as its national eco-system composed of its main Digital New Deal composed of the Green New Deal and the Human New Deal overarching social safety net, climate change and economic growth under the sustainable and inclusive development.

Why should international educators encourage research abroad? The work of the students represented in this Special Volume of Frontiers exemplifies the best of undergraduate research abroad. Their research shows an achievement of one, or all, of the goals international educators typically set for learning abroad: linguistic competence, cross-cultural skills, cultural competence, and disciplinary learning. Research abroad often holds strong incentives for successful student learning. Students choose their own research topics, providing intrinsic motivation to move beyond superficial explorations of their topic. Fulfilling faculty expectations for student learning, whether in the form of a paper, thesis, data collection or ethnographic study provides extrinsic motivation. The value of disciplinary learning abroad, especially in course-based programs, disputed on home campuses. Undergraduate research abroad can demonstrate that the cultural context of learning enhances the disciplinary knowledge gained. Disciplinary learning in another cultural context can correct culturally-ingrained research biases. Students gain knowledge difficult to capture without the cultural exposure provided by the experience abroad, which informs their work with nuances of first-hand research, moving it beyond the intellectual. Home-campus faculty may be less skeptical of the merits of sending students abroad for disciplinary learning if that experience results in an increase in knowledge or a demonstration of the application of previously gained disciplinary knowledge in a new context. Developing research skills in an international context means that students must learn how to navigate in another culture. Students must interact with people who are not their peers and who are outside a traditional classroom setting. By approaching organizations and individuals that inform their research, students learn much about the workings of the culture. And success in one attempt to navigate a host-culture can lead to success in further attempts. For the student-researcher, persistence is necessary because their research goal depends on successfully gaining access to the information they require. Cross-cultural skills are the tools that enable student-researchers to accomplish their goals and finish their projects. In order to achieve this in non-English language locations, students must develop a certain level of linguistic competence or, if using an interpreter, basic forms of communication in the host language. They must develop these competencies not only in everyday topics, but also in their fields of research. How will they ask about their topic if they do not learn some of the vocabulary? How will they obtain the help or information they need if they cannot ask people for it in appropriate forms? Since a research project typically requires a number of weeks to complete, student-researchers are likely to use these linguistic skills on an on-going basis. As a result, the linguistic competency gained is reinforced, and becomes more permanent. This cultural and linguistic learning can lead students to develop generalized cross-cultural skills with the assistance of international educators. We can provide valuable help to students doing research by asking them questions that will encourage them to realize that these skills transfer into other cultural situations. Often it requires simple queries: “What did you do to get this information? Did you have someone specific in the culture that gave you good advice? How did you find this person? What steps did you take when you succeeded in doing a piece of your research? When you did not succeed how did you figure out what went wrong? What did you do to try again? Beyond these basic questions, there are larger ones that can spur on student learning: “What did you learn from doing this project that would allow you to do another one in a completely different culture? How did you make sure your project was culturally appropriate? Did you think about making your project useful for local people? How would you share these results in the most effective way?” In posing these questions, we encourage students to examine the specific context of their research, and also to consider a meta-level analysis that places their research in a broader context. The hope is that students will see these skills in the wider global context, and that future cultural learning will be analyzed in a similar manner and transferred into other cross-cultural situations. If we achieve this, then we have certainly met the highest goals of encouraging students to learn to transcend cultural differences in constructive ways and to adapt to differing cultural modes as appropriate. Student research abroad can be a powerful way to accomplish all types of cultural learning. Supporting Undergraduate Research Abroad Even with these benefits, not many undergraduate students undertake research opportunities abroad. Faculty may advise students that research in their chosen discipline is better done at home, given the resources of the home campus. Students may be told that their language skills are not strong enough or that they are simply not mature enough as scholars in their disciplines to conduct relevant research. Students may be encouraged to conduct research or participate in directed study, but not to do field work or participate in experiential learning. A student may be able to receive credit for an internship that requires a substantial paper, but not for an ethnographic study. Moreover, the very idea of conducting research may be daunting to some students. Efforts should be made to advertise existing research opportunities abroad and to encourage new ideas for conducting research. If undergraduate research is endorsed by the highest academic officers of our institutions, our Presidents, Provosts and Academic Deans, faculty are more likely to provide encouragement and support, and then students will be more likely to pursue these options. International educators can assist these efforts by creating programs that offer research options, advertising such programs, and, most importantly, finding funding sources for such efforts. In order for students to take advantage of possible opportunities, it may be necessary to find ways to register students who might otherwise travel abroad independently (and thereby not be registered at their home institutions) in credit-bearing programs that would make them eligible for funding. The National Security Education Program David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarships provides a model that allows advanced undergraduates with strong language skills to apply for funding for individually-arranged, supervised independent study. International educators may also help by designing processes on the home campus that support student research abroad. Research can take many forms, from the use of original documents and artifacts in libraries, archives, and museums, to service-learning, conducting field work, joining a research group, conducting interviews, doing a creative project, or interning or volunteering for an organization. On-campus administrative processes should make clear to students what types of projects are eligible to receive credit. If a student expects to receive credit at their home institution, they need to be able to review easily the criteria for determining whether credit will be granted with the appropriate on-campus authority (e.g. academic dean, department head, or registrar). Receiving credit helps to motivate the student and to validate the undertaking; making the credit-granting process clear can make a big difference to students exploring these options. It also assures that there will be faculty input, if not throughout the project, at least in the determination of granting credit on the home campus. In designing programs abroad with research components, faculty involvement is essential. Indeed, faculty supervision and support can make or break such projects for students. Faculty supervisors on the home campus or abroad will be more likely to agree to support a student researcher if they feel that this is a recognized part of their teaching. The supervision of an independent study can be time-consuming. Do departments consider this supervision when assigning workloads? Is extra compensation provided? Should these financial concerns be addressed in the budgets of the abroad programs? Can students continue follow-up work with faculty after they return home? Faculty supervision of student research abroad may follow various models. In some cases, research is an integral part of a study abroad program. Arrangements may be made to train the student on-site, perhaps as part of a course. The student conducts the research on-site, under the supervision of a resident director, or an on-site faculty member, and the course ultimately becomes a part of the student’s academic record, along with all other courses taken abroad. Another model has a faculty member at the student’s home institution supervising the student, along with some support given by a local faculty member. This model requires effective communication between the student and the faculty member on the home campus. In both cases clear goals need to be established about the nature of the project, research methods, and the final product. Fortunately, many of these formats can follow timelines and processes already developed on the home campus. However, once in the host country, parameters may change. Students may discover new opportunities, or their original ideas and plans may not be feasible. The logistics of conducting research in an international setting may make it impossible to keep to the original goals. In addition to guiding research and assessing the final product, faculty can serve in other important roles. They may introduce students to opportunities to submit their work for publication, present it at professional conferences, or compete for academic awards. Undergraduate research funding from the home institution might require a student to present their findings. Some institutions organize annual opportunities for students to give oral presentations or poster sessions during research fairs or conferences on campus. Others have a journal of student research. Resources and opportunities that are provided to students who conduct research on campus should also be extended to those whose work is done overseas. In many cases students may use the research conducted abroad as the foundation for a senior thesis. Students may choose to conduct independent research abroad. If students do research and are not enrolled in a program (e.g., during the summer) and have been encouraged to do so by their institution, have received funds from their institution, and will perhaps receive credit, their home institution should prepare them for the experience. Faculty and administrators should conduct seminars, orientation programs, and research methodology sessions to prepare students. Institutions should consider offering benefits to individual students that they would normally offer to students going abroad on registered study abroad programs (i.e., access to emergency services). By regularizing these aspects of going abroad, even to conduct independent research, institutions will be better able to track students who are conducting research abroad. At the minimum, students going abroad independently should be directed to information sources on health, safety, and security preparations when traveling to the host country. Additionally, students should be made aware of any legal issues related to doing research, and have their proposals vetted through the usual campus channels such as institutional review boards. Outcomes of Student Research Little data exists on how many students conduct research abroad, or on how this experience affects their academic work when they return to campus as well as their career decisions after graduation. Currently the national data on study abroad from the Institute of International Education’s annual Open Doors report documents only participation in credit-bearing programs. No statistics are kept on the numbers of students conducting research abroad who will not receive credit for their research. Among the questions this lack of data raises are: Are these students more likely to attend graduate school in their major discipline and to look for opportunities to conduct research abroad? Are they more likely to pursue independent research in sites that are less common as study abroad destinations? If they conducted research in a foreign language, are they more likely to study this language at an advanced level? The Lincoln Commission articulates the need for more in-depth international educational experiences, of which research can play an important part: An understanding of the diverse cultures of the world, especially those of developing countries, should be an essential component of the 21st-century education of our nation’s students. Direct exposure to foreign languages and other aspects of these cultures can best be achieved through a meaningful study abroad experience. Broader global awareness among America’s future leaders will, in turn, lead to more effective U.S. foreign policy, greater security from terrorism and economic resilience in the increasingly competitive world of trade. The research benefits discussed above mesh well with the current national interests that call for broader global awareness, and international educators should seriously consider designing and supporting research opportunities as one of their efforts to increase such competencies. Conducting research abroad can be one of the most personally satisfying parts of a student’s undergraduate academic career. These undertakings can also be frustrating and fraught with difficulties unless there is good planning and communication with a students’ academic advisors. International educators can assist in making these opportunities as effective, safe, and rewarding as possible. Faculty and administrators should look for ways to help students overcome the potential barriers to a successful experience, including the credit-approval process, organizing faculty supervision, and accessing information about opportunities, as well as funding. Since undergraduate student research abroad can lead to improved linguistic competence, cross-cultural skills, cultural competence, and disciplinary knowledge, we should do everything we can to develop and promote it. Mell C. Bolen~ Brown University Pat Martin~ University of Pennsylvania About the IFSA Foundation: The IFSA Foundation was founded to assist the continuing advancement of international education through direct and indirect support of study abroad by undergraduate students from U.S. colleges and universities. This is the first foundation whose mission focuses exclusively on the advancement of study abroad as a major component of higher education in the United States The Directors of the Foundation believe that effective study abroad for U.S. students involves minimally a semester length experience and, wherever possible, close academic integration with recognized universities abroad and, in all cases, the provision by the program sponsors of comprehensive student services to maximize the academic and cultural benefit of the experience and provide for the welfare and security of students. The IFSA Foundation intends to concentrate on projects that will provide muchneeded strength to undergraduate study abroad in the United States: scholarships to extend opportunities (particularly among underrepresented groups); start-up funding for underdeveloped areas of semester and full year study abroad programs; and support for the development of innovative projects designed to broaden the scope of the undergraduate study abroad experience. The IFSA Foundation grants are given only to institutions; scholarship grants are not tied to participation of students on any particular program. For more information: http://www.theifsafoundation.org

The scientific discussion concerning the development of the promising approaches for phyto-diversity conservation and the rational use of plant resources in Russian Federation was held at the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences in December 2019. After the reports of leading scientists from biological institutes, a resolution No. 195 dated December 10, 2019 «Global changes in terrestrial ecosystems of Russia in the 21st century: challenges and opportunities» was adopted. The resolution includes a set of priority scientific aims including the development and application of modern technologies for inventory of the plant communities and the development of vegetation classification in Russia. As a result of the opinion exchange between phytocoenologists from different regions, the Concept of Russian Vegetation Classification was proposed. It is based on the following principles. 1. The use of the ecological-floristic approach and the hierarchy of the main syntaxonomic categories applied for the Classification of Vegetation of Europe. 2. Development of the Russian archive of geobotanical relevés and syntaxa in accordance with international standards and with the remote access functions. 3. Application of strict rules for syntaxon names formulated in the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature. The Concept assumes the development of a special program «Russian Vegetation Classification» with the justification of the necessity for targeted funding of the program in Research Institutions and Universities involved for solving this scientific problem on the principle of network collaboration. The final results of this program will be represented in the multi-volume publication «Vegetation of Russia». A shortened version of the Concept (English version was kindly revised by Dr. Andrew Gillison, Center for Biodiversity Management, Cairns, Queensand, Australia) is below. Vegetation classification of Russia Research Program Concept Systematic classification and inventory of plant communities (phytocoenoses) is fundamental to the study and forecasting of contemporary complex processes in the biosphere, controlled among other factors, by global climate change. Vegetation classification serves as a common language that enables professionals in various fields of science to communicate and interact with each other in the process of studying and formulating practical ecosystem-related management decisions. Because plant community types can carry a great deal of information about the environment, nearly all approaches to simulation of changes in global biota are based inevitably on vegetation categories. Phytocoenosis is a keystone element when assessing the biodiversity genetic potential, formulating decisions in biological resource management and in sustaining development across Russian territories. Among the world’s vegetation classification systems, phytosociology is a system in which the concept of plant association (basic syntaxon) is the basic element in the classification of phytocoenoses. The phytosociological approach as applied in this concept proposal, has its origins in the Brussels Botanical Congress in 1910. However, despite the broad acceptance of phytocoenotic diversity as a fundamental methodological tool for understanding biosphere processes and managing biological resources nowadays, we still lack a unified approach as to its systematization at both global and country levels with the consequence that, there is no a single classification system. The results obtained by vegetation scientists working under European Vegetation Survey led by L. Mucina became the effective reference for international cooperation in vegetation classification. In the last 17 years they have produced a system of vegetation classification of Europe, including the European part of Russia (Mucina et al., 2016. «Vegetation of Europe: hierarchical floristic classification system of vascular plant, bryophyte, lichen, and algal communities»). Despite the fact that «Vegetation of Europe» is based on ecological and floristic principles, it nevertheless represents an example of the synthesis of one of the most effective approaches to systematizing vegetation diversity by different vegetation science schools. The synthetic approach implemented in this study assumes full accounting of the ecological indicative significance of the floristic composition and structure of plant community and habitat attributes. The approach has already demonstrated its high efficiency for understanding and forecast modeling both natural and anthropogenic processes in the biosphere, as well as in assessment of the environmental and resource significance of vegetation (ref). The demand for this approach is supported by its implementation in a number of pan-European and national projects: NATURE 2000, CORINE, CarHAB, funded at the state and pan-European levels. Currently, one of the main systems for the study and protection of habitats within the framework of environmental programs of the European Union (Davies, Moss, 1999; Rodwell et al., 2002; Moss, 2008; Linking..., 2015; Evans et al., 2018) is EUNIS (European Nature Information System), the framework of which is a multilevel classification of habitats in Europe has been established. EUNIS was used as the basis for the preparation and establishment of the Red List of European Habitats (Rodwell et al., 2013). It is approved by the Commission of the European Union (EU) (Habitats Directive 92/43 / EEC, Commission of the European Communities) for use in environmental activities of EU countries. In its Resolution of 10.12.2019, the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) expressed the need in a modern vegetation classification for the assessment of the ecosystem transformations under current climate changes and increasing anthropogenic impacts, as well as in development of effective measures for the conservation and rational use of plant resources of Russia. The resolution recommended the development of the Concept of Vegetation Classification of Russia to the Science Council for biodiversity and biological resources (at RAS Department of biological sciences — Section of Botany). As a consequence, a group of Russian vegetation researchers has developed the Concept for Vegetation Classification of Russia and proposed principles and a plan for its implementation. Aim Elaboration of a system of vegetation classification of Russia reflecting the natural patterns of plant communities formation at different spatial and geographical levels and serving as the fundamental basis for predicting biosphere processes, science-based management of bioresources, conservation of biodiversity and, ultimately, rational nature management for planning sustainable development of its territories. Research goals 1. Development of fundamental principles for the classification of vegetation by synthesis of the achievements of Russian and world’s vegetation science. 2. Inventory of plant community diversity in Russia and their systematization at different hierarchical levels. Elaboration and publication of a Prodromus of vegetation of Russia (syntaxon checklist) with an assessment of the correctness of syntaxa, their Nomenclatural validization and bibliography. Preparation and publication of a book series «Vegetation of Russia» with the entire classification system and comprehensive description of all syntaxonomic units. 3. The study of bioclimatic patterns of the phytocoenotic diversity in Russia for predictive modeling of biosphere processes. Assessment of qualitative changes in plant cover under global climate change and increasing anthropogenic impact in its various forms. 4. Assessment of the conservation value of plant communities and ecosystems. Habitat classification within Russia on the basis of the vegetation classification with a reference to world experience. 5. Demonstration of the opportunities of the vegetation classification for the assessment of actual plant resources, their future prognoses under climate and resource use change, optimization of nature management, environmental engineering and planning of projects for sustainable development. Basic principles underlying the vegetation classification of Russia I. Here we address the synthesis of accumulated theoretical ideas about the patterns of vegetation diversity and the significant features of phytocoenoses. The main goal is to identify the most significant attributes of the plant cover at different hierarchical levels of classification: floristic, structural-phytocoenotic, ecotopic and geographical.We propose the following hierarchy of the main syntaxonomical categories used in the classification of European vegetation (Mucina et al., 2016) by the ecological-floristic approach (Braun-Blanquet): Type of vegetation, Class, Order, Alliance, Association. Applying the ecological-floristic approach to the vegetation classification of Russia will maximize the use of the indicative potential of the plant community species composition to help solve the complex tasks of modern ecology, notably plant resource management, biodiversity conservation, and the forecast of vegetation response to environmental change of environment changes. II. We plan to establish an all-Russian archive of geobotanical relevés in accordance with international standards and reference information system on the syntaxonomical diversity coupled with implemented remote access capabilities. At present, the archives in botanical, biological, environmental and geographical institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as those of universities, have accumulated a large mass of geobotanical relevés for most regions of Russia (according to preliminary estimates — more than 300,000). These documents, which are fundamental to solving the most important national tasks for the conservation and monitoring of the natural human environment, need to be declared a National treasure. In this respect, the development of the all-Russian Internet portal for the vegetation classification is an urgent priority. III. The vegetation classification procedure will be based on a generalization of field data (geobotanical relevés) performed in accordance with international standards, using up-to-date mathematical and statistical methods and information technology. IV. The vegetation classification of Russia will be based on strict rules for naming of syntaxa, according to their validity as formulated in the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature, which is constantly being improved (Weber et al., 2020). These underlying principles will help develop the ecological indicative potential of a wide range of vegetation features that can be used to focus on solving a range of global and regional ecology problems, plant resources management, biodiversity protection, and forecasting of the consequences of environmental changes. Prospects for the implementation of the concept «Vegetation classification of Russia» At present, the academic research centers and universities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Murmansk, Crimea, Bashkiria, Komi and other regions have sufficient scientific potential to achieve the goals in the framework of the special Program of the Russian Academy of Sciences — that is, to develop a vegetation classification of Russia. To achieve this goal will require: - organization of a network of leading teams within the framework of the Scientific Program of the Russian Academy of Sciences «Vegetation classification of Russia», adjustment of the content of state assignment with the allocation of additional funding. - approval of the thematic Program Committee by the RAS for the development of organizational approaches and elaboration of specific plans for the realization of the Scientific Program, - implementation of the zonal-geographical principle in organization of activity on developing the regional classifications and integrating them into a single classification system of the vegetation of Russia. - ensuring the integration of the system of vegetation classification of Russia with similar systems in the countries of the former USSR, Europe, USA, China, Japan, etc. Potential organizations-participants in the scientific Program — 18 institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences and 8 Universities. Estimated timelines of the implementation of the concept «Vegetation classification of Russia» — 2021–2030. General schedule for the entire period of research 2021. Approval of classification principles, unified methodical and methodological approaches by project participants. Discussion and elaboration of the rules of organization of the all-Russian archive of geobotanical relevés and syntaxa. 2022–2026. Formation of all-Russian archive of geobotanical relevés and syntaxa. Development of plant community classification and identification of the potential indicative features of units of different ranks based on quantitative methods and comparative syntaxonomic analysis with existing classification systems in Europe, North and East Asia. Justification of new concepts for key syntaxa. The study of environmental and geographical patterns of the vegetation diversity in Russia using up-to-date methods of ordination modeling and botany-geography ana­lysis. 2022. Publication of a Prodromus of vegetation classification of Russia. Schedule for the publication of volumes of the «Vegetation classification of Russia» 2023. «Boreal forests and pre-tundra woodlands» 2024. «Forests of the temperate zone» 2025. «Tundra and polar deserts» and «Alpine ve­getation» 2026. «Steppe vegetation» and «Meadow vegetation» 2027. «Aquatic and bog vegetation» 2028. «Halophytic vegetation» 2029. «Synanthropic vegetation» 2027–2030. Development of criteria for assessing the environmental significance of the plant community syntaxonomic categories for various natural zones based on world criteria. Preparation of the volume «Classification of habitats of Russia and assessment of their environmental significance».

The article describes the need for a staff development on effective teaching methodologies and English conversation for government schools in Tanzania. Given this need a training program was provided and funded from Rotary Foundation and the Rotary Club of Ames District 6000 as a Vocational Training Team (VTT) grant. Objectives of the program were to provide the training program on teaching strategies to staff including improving use of English through dialogue and using donated Amazon Readers with solar panels. Discussion items of the article include development and authorization of the VTT grant with support from the Rotary Club of Moshi-Mwanga. Descriptions of the schools selected for the project is provided along with a report by the training team about the implementation of the program at their campus site. Evaluation of the training program using an interest survey, pre- and post-implementation survey, and post evaluation of the schools is discussed. Information provided about the primary goal of the project to train two faculty or staff as instructional coaches to sustain use of teaching methodologies with secondary school staff members is presented. Access to the development of the trainer texts is provided with reference of the curriculum used for previous projects in Tanzania and published with the AJOTE.

Over twenty years ago, clinical trials and federal grant support for sickle cell disease (SCD) research were not on par with other genetic diseases. Faced with the opportunity to spur research and advance treatments for SCD, and at the recommendation of advisors, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) offered a SCD research funding opportunity starting in 2009 through its Innovations in Clinical Research Awards (ICRA) program. Twenty-eight new grants of $450,000 direct costs over three years and seven renewals were awarded, for a total investment of $17 million dollars. Only about half of the research teams garnered follow-on funding directly related to their ICRA projects, but the financial return on the research investment was substantial (approximately four times the original $17 million or 303 percent). All but one of the ICRA investigative teams published original research reports that acknowledged DDCF as a source of funding; the median number of publications per team was three. Major innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of SCD resulted, including but not limited to demonstration that genetic modification of BCL11A enhancer is a potentially important treatment modality, establishment that plerixafor mobilization is safe and effective for those with SCD, development and validation of a new diagnostic called SCD BioChip, and evidence that hydroxyurea treatment is safe and efficacious in African children. These outcomes show that relatively small research grants can have a substantial return on investment and result in significant advances for a disease such as SCD.

Abstract Background Employment of graduates of medical universities is one of the traditional problems of health care in the Republic of Kazakhstan (RK). The annual graduation of medical universities of RK exceeds 4500 young specialists. Despite this, as well as the positive dynamics of employment, the health care industry continues to experience a shortage of medical personnel. Methods To take effective measures to improve the employment performance of graduates of medical education organizations, to cover the shortage of medical personnel, an analysis was made of the employment of graduates of internship programs at 8 medical universities for the period from 2014-15 to 2016-17 school years Results For three years, medical schools of RK prepared 12019 people, of whom 8921 people studied under the state and 1343 under the rural grant. The total number of employed was slightly more than half of the graduates-6533, which amounted to 54.4%. At the same time, the number of those employed in urban hospitals is 1.5 times higher than the number of those employed in rural medical organizations. High percentages are persons who have continued their studies in residency/magistracy, and this figure tends to increase every year. The trend towards an increase is maintained by the free distribution index for pregnant women and people caring for children under the age of 3 years, for a total of three years it was 1,452 (12.1%) of a person. At the same time, those employed in rural health facilities are only 19.1% of those who studied under the grant and 31.5% of those who studied according to the rural quota. Conclusions Thus, the percentage of employed graduates, as well as graduates who studied under the state and rural grant, barely exceeds 50%. Even the employment of persons trained in rural quotas in rural health care facilities is only 31.5%. Universities do not fully monitor the employment of graduates, especially those who studied under a state or a rural grant. Key messages To create and implement an electronic platform with a complete database of students and graduates. To monitor employment and track the graduate’s work route; to organize employment services at universities.

“Dating Matters®” is a CDC-developed comprehensive, multi-component teen dating violence (TDV) prevention model, made available to the public in 2019. A longitudinal, multi-site demonstration project found that the model significantly reduced TDV during middle school relative to an evidence-based, single-program intervention (Safe Dates; Niolon et al., 2019 ), when implemented across 46 middle schools in four high-risk urban areas with predominantly Black (55%) and Hispanic (28%) youth participants. Research on the costs of implementing TDV prevention strategies is limited, despite recognition within the field of prevention science that such data are critical to widespread dissemination. The current study adds to the available literature on the cost of dating violence prevention by estimating the budgetary impact from the payer perspective of implementing the comprehensive Dating Matters model, compared to Safe Dates, at four sites over four school years to inform prevention planning in communities. Total costs of implementing Dating Matters were relatively stable within sites over time but varied greatly between sites ( M = $175,452 per year; range = $130,149 to $227,604). The mean per-student cost of Dating Matters was $145.40 but also ranged widely ($20.66 to $324.65) across sites and years. Variation was largely driven by staffing costs and number of students served. As expected, total and per-student costs were substantially lower at all sites for the Safe Dates program ( M = $12,148; range = $2,848 to $17,840; $44.81 per student) compared to Dating Matters. This study provides an estimate from the payer perspective to demonstrate the budgetary impact of Dating Matters. These estimates can help inform implementation decisions and planning by potential funders, communities, and organizations as they seek to support and implement effective TDV prevention strategies. It also adds substantially to understanding of the additional costs associated with a move from single-program interventions to community-wide initiatives.

La fidelidad en la implementación de programas está siendo cadavez más reconocida como un componente clave en los programas deprevención efectivos. El presente estudio examina la asociación entre la fidelidad en la implementación y los datos de consumo de drogas entre jóvenes estudiantes en 11 escuelas medias de Nueva York donde se han aplicado programas de prevención de drogas. Observadores entrenados supervisaron la implementación de un programa de prevención aplicado por profesores (N=38), los alumnos participantes (N=1857) completaron cuestionarios sobre el uso de tabaco y alcohol en un periodo de 15 meses. Los resultados indican que los profesores que prefi rieron las clases magistrales cuando impartían el programa, utilizaban con menor probabilidad el debate y la demostración como métodos educativos.Asimismo, los profesores que prefi rieron las clases magistrales fueron valorados por los observadores como menos preparados para dar clase y con menor capacidad de gestión de la clase. Los resultados indican que los factores relacionados con la calidad de implementación predicen significativamente el cambio en los datos de consumo de sustancias entre los estudiantes. AbstractImplementation fi delity is increasingly recognized as a key component of effective prevention programming. The present study examined the association between implementation fi delity and youth substance use outcomes among students in 11 New York City middle schools receiving a drug abuse prevention program. Trained observers monitored the implementation of a research-based prevention program by classroom teachers (N = 38), and participating students (N = 1,857) completed surveys assessing smoking and alcohol use over a 15-month period.Findings indicated that teachers who relied more on lecturing whenteaching the program were less likely to use discussion and demonstration as teaching methods. Teachers who relied on lecturing were rated by observers as being less ready to teach and having poorer classroom management skills. Findings indicated that factors related to the quality of implementation signifi cantly predicted change in student substance use outcomes. Students who were taught by the most skilled providers reported signifi cantly lower increases in smoking and drinking at the follow-up assessments compared to students taught by other providers.These fi ndings suggest that teacher training to enhance implementation fidelity is a crucial component to program success in terms of student behavioral outcomes.

Problem: Teaching genetic diagnosis is required in all medical schools and physician assistant programs. However, with thousands of relevant findings and thousands more rare diseases, lectures and narrative resources are inadequate for the task. Whatever information that is taught is easily forgotten and does not carry over into the clinic. Many rare disease patients suffer through “diagnostic odysseys” (3 to 30 years to correct diagnosis). Approach: We used a commercially available diagnostic decision support system (DDSS) that encompasses all Mendelian disorders with known genes, together with other conditions in their differential diagnosis, and a case-based educational approach to teach diagnostic skills in a way that could then be replicated in the clinic. After a lecture, which included a demonstration using the DDSS with a sample case, 74 students were assigned to replicate the sample case at home and then complete 7 other anonymized cases, all with known rare diagnoses. After each case, students saved the “patient summary” that included the findings entered and differential diagnosis list and submitted it as homework. Students also completed a questionnaire about their experience, including satisfaction. Outcomes: Students were effective at diagnosing rare diseases in 483 of the 514 testing instances, a 94% success rate, with success defined as the correct diagnosis being listed in the differential diagnosis. Eighty-five percent of students rated this interactive learning session “highly,” encouraged us to repeat the assignment next year, and 89% reported that they wanted to use the DDSS during their clinical rotations in the coming year. Next Steps: We plan to refine the cases, add more material on findings, and ensure that all the synonyms students might use are in the software tool. We plan to repeat the program next year and recommend its use more widely in medical education.

The idea of a triple helix for Russia is very attractive, especially at this time, when the government wants to realize the “Knowledge” Economics. The “Knowledge” Economics is effective communication with proven scientific results and real business opportunities with the support of the municipalities and state laws. First, the State's efforts are aimed at young scientists for innovation and business. “Youth Intellectual Club” (YIC) was made to solve these problems. The objectives of the YIC put the active involvement of Fellows of the President of the Russian Federation with the participation of the President of the winners of the Russian Federation for young scientists and grant recipients of the President of the Russian Federation and members of other government programs, and the most promising representatives intellectual youth in the modernization of the Russian education system and economy through the creation of an effective peer-community, uniting the future intellectual elite of the Russian Federation for the development of science and industry of the country. YIC forms the reserve for the development of science, education and innovation at all levels creates an extensive network structure across the country develops in contact with municipalities and businesses information environment for interaction and exchanging of information between intellectual youth, business and public authority, creates and maintain bank of best ideas and initiatives of students and young scientists for modernization and innovative development of Russia. That will help to create and promote an attractive image of a scholar and teacher in the youth environment. YIC also holds conferences, forums, seminars for the formation of students and youth leadership and management skills to work effectively in the knowledge economy. Currently, under the auspices of YIC successfully held two All-Russian competition of innovative projects and ideas of young scientists. Developing an educational program of the club (holding schools, seminars, webinars, constant discussion of youth projects) and proposing many innovative youth projects for businesses are going to be planned. The club is interested in new partners in various areas of science and business and in integration into the European environment. One of the directions of development may be creation of the Youth Intellectual Club of the Baltic countries under the auspices of country’s leaders. This Club will work closer with students and young researchers. It will form the single control system of research and education programs. One of the major steps will be creation of international system of experts for scientific, educational and innovative activities for young people aimed at the problem formulated business communities of the Baltic region.

IntroductionWe five friends clinked glasses in our favourite wine and cocktail bar, and considered our next collaborative writing project. We had seen M/C Journal’s call for articles for a special issue on ‘regional’ and when one of us mentioned the television program, Escape from the City, we began our critique:“They haven’t featured Armidale yet, but wouldn’t it be great if they did?”“Really? I mean, some say any publicity is good publicity but the few early episodes I’ve viewed seem to give little or no screen time to the sorts of lifestyle features I most value in our town.”“Well, seeing as we all moved here from the city ages ago, let’s talk about what made us stay?”We had found our next project.A currently popular lifestyle television show (Escape from the City) on Australia’s national public service broadcaster, the ABC, highlights the limitations of popular cultural representations of life in a regional centre. The program is targeted at viewers interested in relocating to regional Australia. As Raymond Boyle and Lisa Kelly note, popular television is an important entry point into the construction of public knowledge as well as a launching point for viewers as they seek additional information (65). In their capacity to construct popular perceptions of ‘reality’, televisual texts offer a significant insight into our understandings and expectations of what is going on around us. Similar to the concerns raised by Esther Peeren and Irina Souch in their analysis of the popular TV show Farmer Wants a Wife (a version set in the Netherlands from 2004–present), we worry that these shows “prevent important aspects of contemporary rural life from being seen and understood” (37) by the viewers, and do a disservice to regional communities.For the purposes of this article, we interrogate the episodes of Escape from the City screened to date in terms of the impact they may have on promoting regional Australia and speculate on how satisfied (or otherwise) we would be should the producers direct their lens onto our regional community—Armidale, in northern NSW. We start with a brief précis of Escape from the City and then, applying an autoethnographic approach (Butz and Besio) focusing on our subjective experiences, we share our reflections on living in Armidale. We blend our academic knowledge and knowledge of everyday life (Klevan et al.) to argue there is greater cultural diversity, complexity, and value in being in the natural landscape in regional areas than is portrayed in these representations of country life that largely focus on cheaper real estate and a five-minute commute.We employ an autoethnographic approach because it emphasises the socially and politically constituted nature of knowledge claims and allows us to focus on our own lives as a way of understanding larger social phenomena. We recognise there is a vast literature on lifestyle programs and there are many different approaches scholars can take to these. Some focus on the intention of the program, for example “the promotion of neoliberal citizenship through home investment” (White 578), while others focus on the supposed effect on audiences (Tsay-Vogel and Krakowiak). Here we only assert the effects on ourselves. We have chosen to blend our voices (Gilmore et al.) in developing our arguments, highlighting our single voices where our individual experiences are drawn on, as we argue for an alternative representation of regional life than currently portrayed in the regional ‘escapes’ of this mainstream lifestyle television program.Lifestyle TelevisionEscape from the City is one of the ‘lifestyle’ series listed on the ABC iview website under the category of ‘Regional Australia’. Promotional details describe Escape from the City as a lifestyle series of 56-minute episodes in which home seekers are guided through “the trials and tribulations of their life-changing decision to escape the city” (iview).Escape from the City is an example of format television, a term used to describe programs that retain the structure and style of those produced in another country but change the circumstances to suit the new cultural context. The original BBC format is entitled Escape to the Country and has been running since 2002. The reach of lifestyle television is extensive, with the number of programs growing rapidly since 2000, not just in the United Kingdom, but internationally (Hill; Collins). In Australia, they have completed, but not yet screened, 60 episodes of Escape from the City. However, with such popularity comes great potential to influence audiences and we argue this program warrants critical attention.Like House Hunters, the United States lifestyle television show (running since 1997), Escape from the City follows “a strict formula” (Loof 168). Each episode uses the same narrative format, beginning with an introduction to the team of experts, then introducing the prospective house buyers, briefly characterising their reasons for leaving the city and what they are looking for in their new life. After this, we are shown a map of the region and the program follows the ‘escapees’ as they view four pre-selected houses. As we leave each property, the cost and features are reiterated in the written template on the screen. We, the audience, wait in anticipation for their final decision.The focus of Escape from the City is the buying of the house: the program’s team of experts is there to help the potential ‘escapees’ find the real estate gem. Real estate value for money emerges as the primary concern, while the promise of finding a ‘life less ordinary’ as highlighted in the opening credits of the program each week, seems to fall by the wayside. Indeed, the representation of regional centres is not nuanced but limited by the emphasis placed on economics over the social and cultural.The intended move of the ‘escapees’ is invariably portrayed as motivated by disenchantment with city life. Clearly a bigger house and a smaller mortgage also has its hedonistic side. In her study of Western society represented in lifestyle shows, Lyn Thomas lists some of the negative aspects of city life as “high speed, work-dominated, consumerist” (680), along with pollution and other associated health risks. While these are mentioned in Escape from the City, Thomas’s list of the pleasures afforded by a simpler country life including space for human connection and spirituality, is not explored to any satisfying extent. Further, as a launching point for viewers in the city (Boyle and Kelly), we fear the singular focus on the price of real estate reinforces a sense of the rural as devoid of creative arts and cultural diversity with a focus on the productive, rather than the natural, landscape. Such a focus does not encourage a desire to find out more and undersells the richness of our (regional) lives.As Australian regional centres strive to circumvent or halt the negative impacts of the drift in population to the cities (Chan), lifestyle programs are important ‘make or break’ narratives, shaping the appeal and bolstering—or not—a decision to relocate. With their focus on cheaper real estate prices and the freeing up of the assets of the ‘escapees’ that a move to the country may entail, the representation is so focused on the economics that it is almost placeless. While the format includes a map of the regional location, there is little sense of being in the place. Such a limited representation does not do justice to the richness of regional lives as we have experienced them.Our TownLike so many regional centres, Armidale has much to offer and is seeking to grow (Armidale Regional Council). The challenges regional communities face in sustaining their communities is well captured in Gabriele Chan’s account of the city-country divide (Chan) and Armidale, with its population of about 25,000, is no exception. Escape from the City fails to emphasise cultural diversity and richness, yet this is what characterises our experience of our regional city. As long-term and satisfied residents of Armidale, who are keenly aware of the persuasive power of popular cultural representations (O’Sullivan and Sheridan; Sheridan and O’Sullivan), we are concerned about the trivialising or reductive manner in which regional Australia is portrayed.While we acknowledge there has not been an episode of Escape from the City featuring Armidale, if the characterisation of another, although larger, regional centre, Toowoomba, is anything to go by, our worst fears may be realised if our town is to feature in the future. Toowoomba is depicted as rural landscapes, ‘elegant’ buildings, a garden festival (the “Carnival of the Flowers”) and the town’s history as home of the Southern Cross windmill and the iconic lamington sponge. The episode features an old shearing shed and a stock whip demonstration, but makes no mention of the arts, or of the University that has been there since 1967. Summing up Toowoomba, the voiceover describes it as “an understated and peaceful place to live,” and provides “an attractive alternative” to city life, substantiated by a favourable comparison of median real estate prices.Below we share our individual responses to the question raised in our opening conversation about the limitations of Escape from the City: What have we come to value about our own town since escaping from city life?Jane: The aspects of life in Armidale I most enjoy are, at least in part, associated with or influenced by the fact that this is a centre for education and a ‘university town’. As such, there is access to an academic library and an excellent town library. The presence of the University of New England, along with independent and public schools, and TAFE, makes education a major employer, attracting a significant student population, and is a major factor in Armidale being one of the first towns in the roll-out of the NBN/high-speed broadband. University staff and students may also account for the thriving cafe culture, along with designer breweries/bars, art house cinema screenings, and a lively classical and popular music scene. Surely the presence of a university and associated spin-offs would deserve coverage in a prospective episode about Armidale.Alison: Having grown up in the city, and now having lived more than half my life in an inner-regional country town, I don’t feel I am missing out ‘culturally’ from this decision. Within our town, there is a vibrant arts community, with the regional gallery and two local galleries holding regular art exhibitions, theatre at a range of venues, and book launches at our lively local book store. And when my children were younger, there was no shortage of sporting events they could be involved with. Encountering friends and familiar faces regularly at these events adds to my sense of belonging to my community. The richness of this life does not make it to the television screen in episodes of Escape from the City.Kerry: I greatly value the Armidale community’s strong social conscience. There are many examples of successful programs to support diverse groups. Armidale Sanctuary and Humanitarian Settlement sponsored South Sudanese refugees for many years and is currently assisting Ezidi refugees. In addition to the core Sanctuary committee, many in the local community help families with developing English skills, negotiating daily life, such as reading and responding to school notes and medical questionnaires. The Backtrack program assists troubled Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth. The program helps kids “to navigate their relationships, deal with personal trauma, take responsibility […] gain skills […] so they can eventually create a sustainable future for themselves.” The documentary film Backtrack Boys shows what can be achieved by individuals with the support of the community. Missing from Escape from the City is recognition of the indigenous experience and history in regional communities, unlike the BBC’s ‘original’ program in which medieval history and Vikings often get a ‘guernsey’. The 1838 Myall Creek massacre of 28 Wirrayaraay people, led to the first prosecution and conviction of a European for killing Aboriginals. Members of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous community in Armidale are now active in acknowledging the past wrongs and beginning the process of reconciliation.Josie: About 10am on a recent Saturday morning I was walking from the car park to the shopping complex. Coming down the escalator and in the vestibule, there were about thirty people and it occurred to me that there were at least six nationalities represented, with some of the people wearing traditional dress. It also struck me that this is not unusual—we are a diverse community as a result of our history and being a ‘university city’. The Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place was established in 1988 and is being extended in 2019. Diversity is apparent in cultural activities such as an international film festival held annually and many of the regular musical events and stalls at the farmers’ market increasingly reflect the cultural mix of our town. As a long-term resident, I appreciate the lifestyle here.Wendy: It is early morning and I am walking in a forest of tall trees, with just the sounds of cattle and black cockatoos. I travel along winding pathways with mossy boulders and creeks dry with drought. My dog barks at rabbits and ‘roos, and noses through the nooks and crannies of the hillside. In this public park on the outskirts of town, I can walk for two hours without seeing another person, or I can be part of a dog-walking pack. The light is grey and misty now, the ranges blue and dark green, but I feel peaceful and content. I came here from the city 30 years ago and hated it at first! But now I relish the way I can be at home in 10 minutes after starting the day in the midst of nature and feeling part of the landscape, not just a tourist—never a possibility in the city. I can watch the seasons and the animals as they come and go and be part of a community which is part of the landscape too. For me, the first verse of South of My Days, written by a ‘local’ describing our New England environment, captures this well:South of my days’ circle, part of my blood’s country,rises that tableland, high delicate outlineof bony slopes wincing under the winter,low trees, blue-leaved and olive, outcropping granite-clean, lean, hungry country. The creek’s leaf-silenced,willow choked, the slope a tangle of medlar and crabapplebranching over and under, blotched with a green lichen;and the old cottage lurches in for shelter. (Wright 20)Whilst our autoethnographic reflections may not reach the heady heights of Judith Wright, they nevertheless reflect the experience of living in, not just escaping to the country. We are disappointed that the breadth of cultural activities and the sense of diversity and community that our stories evoke are absent from the representations of regional communities in Escape from the City.Kate Oakley and Jonathon Ward argue that ‘visions of the good life’, in particular cultural life in the regions, need to be supported by policy which encourages a sustainable prosperity characterised by both economic and cultural development. Escape from the City, however, dwells on the material aspects of consumption—good house prices and the possibility of a private enterprise—almost to the exclusion of any coverage of the creative cultural features.We recognise that the lifestyle genre requires simplification for viewers to digest. What we are challenging is the sense that emerges from the repetitive format week after week whereby differences between places are lost (White 580). Instead what is conveyed in Escape from the City is that regions are homogenous and monocultural. We would like to see more screen time devoted to the social and cultural aspects of the individual locations.ConclusionWe believe coverage of a far richer and more complex nature of rural life would provide a more ‘realistic’ preview of what could be ahead for the ‘escapees’ and perhaps swing the decision to relocate. Certainly, there is some evidence that viewers gain information from lifestyle programs (Hill 106). We are concerned that a lifestyle television program that purports to provide expert advice on the benefits and possible pitfalls of a possible move to the country should be as accurate and all-encompassing as possible within the constraints of the length of the program and the genre.So, returning to what may appear to have been a light-hearted exchange between us at our local bar, and given the above discussion, we argue that television is a powerful medium. We conclude that a popular lifestyle television program such as Escape from the City has an impact on a large viewing audience. For those city-based viewers watching, the message is that moving to the country is an economic ‘no brainer’, whereas the social and cultural dimensions of regional communities, which we posit have sustained our lives, are overlooked. Such texts influence viewers’ perceptions and expectations of what escaping to the country may entail. Escape from the City exploits regional towns as subject matter for a lifestyle program but does not significantly challenge stereotypical representations of country life or does not fully flesh out what escaping to the country may achieve.ReferencesArmidale Regional Council. Community Strategic Plan 2017–2027. Armidale: Armidale Regional Council, 2017.“Backtrack Boys.” Dir. Catherine Scott. Sydney: Umbrella Entertainment, 2018.Boyle, Raymond, and Lisa W. 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