During the time of COVID-19 lockdown over spring 2020, universities shifted teaching from on-campus blended learning to an emergency remote fully online approach. The aim of this study was to compare Psychology and Veterinary Science undergraduate students’ academic performance with their responses on a self-reported questionnaire regarding their digital capabilities, individual’s characteristics, and the role of environment on their independent learning process over the first COVID-19 lockdown period. Social-Cognitive Theory was adopted to conceptualise students’ behaviour, individuals’ characteristics, and learning environment with their academic performance to a learning framework. A total of 303 students from both disciplines (133 Psychology and 170 Veterinary Science undergraduate students) participated in this study by completing an online questionnaire after following the teaching shift from blended learning to full remote online approach at a UK University during the 2019–2020 academic year. Differences between students’ responses were identified due to their discipline’s curricular structure, students’ study behaviours (i.e., being exposed to unrelated learning activities), and students’ cognitive effort to think critically in the search, evaluation and managing of digital information. Students with high level of self-regulation and digital capabilities were able to keep focused and engaged during the lockdown. Although universities and teachers were “forced” to shift their teaching approach due to the unfortunate disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, most students have coped with the changed teaching delivery mode relatively easy with minimum guidance. However, teachers should further consider how digital technologies could enhance students’ learning flexibility promoting critical thinking.

The UK Lung Cancer Screening trial (UKLS) aims to inform decision makers about the desirability of introducing lung cancer population screening in the UK, and to assess mortality and cost effectiveness. The UKLS pilot started recruitment in 2011 at the Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital and Papworth Hospital, Cambridge. 250,000 individuals were approached, of whom 4000 were identified as at high risk of lung cancer by the Liverpool Lung Project (LLP) validated Risk Prediction Model. Participants randomised to the study arm have a single low dose computed tomography (CT) scan; controls have usual care. We now have data from the first 88,897 people approached. 26.8% responded to the first recruitment questionnaire (‘positive responders’), of whom 12% had a LLP risk score <5% risk of lung cancer over 5 years. 65% of these high risk individuals agreed to participate in the trial. 9.7% of the 88,897 approached provided some basic information but did not wish to participate (‘negative responders’), while 63.5% were non-responders. On examining the age distribution, the 50-55 age group were the least likely to participate and, when they did, practically all had a LLP risk score <5%. The UK Index of Multiple Deprivation score (IMD) was available on 88,896 individuals. Higher socioeconomic status correlated positively with response rate, but inversely with LLP risk score. High risk recruits spanned all national quintiles of IMD in proportion to the approached subjects. Within each IMD quintile, no significant differences in response rate or recruitment were seen between the Liverpool and Cambridgeshire populations, although the overall social demographics of the two areas are quite different, with much more deprivation in Liverpool. Among the positive responders (n=23,794), 45% were never smokers, 14% smokers and 40% were ex-smokers (compared with national figures [all ages] of 54%, 21% and 25% respectively; p<0.0001). Only four high risk individuals were identified amongst the never smoking positive responders (0.04%; none of whom attended clinic). 32.7% of current smokers and 18.4% of ex-smokers were designated high risk. Overall, 6.1% of positive responders were deemed high risk and attended a recruitment clinic. Of the smoking and ex-smoking positive responders (3345 and 9520 respectively), 22.1% were high risk, and 11.3% attended clinic and were recruited into the RCT. UKLS is the first CT screening RCT to select high risk people using a validated risk prediction model at a population level. Only 5% of clinic attendees were 60 or younger (compared to 47% of all 88,897 approached); this may have implications for cost effectiveness of CT screening. As expected, very few never smokers were at high risk. The response rate and clinic attendance is better in ex-smokers than in current smokers. An understanding of the factors influencing high risk individuals’ uptake of CT screening will be important in developing future CT screening programmes, if adopted. Citation Format: John K. Field, David Baldwin, Anand Devaraj, Kate Brain, Tim Eisen, John Holemans, Martin Ledson, Nicholas Screaton, Robert C. Rintoul, Ghasem Yadegarfar, Chris Hands, Fiona E. McRonald, Kate Lifford, David Whynes, Keith Kerr, Richard Page, Mahesh Parmar, David Weller, David Whynes, Paula Williamson, David Hansell, Stephen W. Duffy. United Kingdom lung cancer screening trial (UKLS): First 88897 approaches. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3631. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3631

This investigation explored students' learning behaviour from three different disciplines in relation to the student personal device usage in a lecture theatre environment and its impact on learning and academic performance. 163 Psychology, 253 Life Sciences and 83 Veterinary Science students participated in this study by completing a questionnaire. Differences between the three disciplines have been identified regarding the device usage, (non)/learning activities and multitasking in a lecture theatre. The findings of this investigation contradict previously published literature regarding the student academic performance and the use of their own devices in a lecture theatre, as there was no difference amongst the students from the same discipline. Student learning experience is linked to their individual learning characteristics which may be connected to course characteristics and teaching approach. This study raises questions about the students' behaviour to bring their own devices in a lecture theatre and its implication on multitasking and teaching approaches.

Previous research has found that the flipped classroom (i.e., learning prior to the lecture, and using the lecture time for consolidating knowledge) increases students' deep learning, and has an association with improved grades. However, not all students benefit equally from flipping the classroom, and there may be important individual differences that influence preference for different teaching styles. In the present study, undergraduate Psychology students (n ¼ 200) answered questions about exam preparedness, learning goals, preference for the traditional or flipped classroom, and the Big Five of personality. We found that preference for the flipped classroom had a significant, positive association with agreeableness and the mastery goal. Preference for the traditional lecture was predicted by beliefs about exam preparedness. The results are discussed with a reference to the Big Five paradigm in the context of learning and teaching.

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