Providing opportunities for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics undergraduates to engage in authentic scientific practices is likely to influence their view of science and may impact their decision to persist through graduation. Laboratory courses provide a natural place to introduce students to scientific practices, but existing curricula often miss this opportunity by focusing on confirming science content rather than exploring authentic questions. Integrating authentic science within laboratory courses is particularly challenging at high-enrollment institutions and community colleges, where access to research-active faculty may be limiting. The Authentic Inquiry through Modeling in Biology (AIM-Bio) curriculum presented here engages students in authentic scientific practices through iterative cycles of model generation, testing, and revision. AIM-Bio university and community college students demonstrated their ability to propose diverse models for biological phenomena, formulate and address hypotheses by designing and conducting experiments, and collaborate with classmates to revise models based on experimental data. Assessments demonstrated that AIM-Bio students had an enhanced sense of project ownership and greater identification as scientists compared with students in existing laboratory courses. AIM-Bio students also experienced measurable gains in their nature of science understanding and skills for doing science. Our results suggest AIM-Bio as a potential alternative to more resource-intensive curricula with similar outcomes.

Objectives Health and wellness coaching (HWC) interventions have been reported to improve health outcomes for individuals with chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer. However, HWC also holds potential as an effective intervention within a biopsychosocial chronic pain management framework. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of HWC on individuals with chronic pain. Methods Participants were referred by their primary care provider or insurance company to a comprehensive telephonic 12-month pain management HWC program. Relationships between pain outcomes and physical and psychological factors were retrospectively analyzed. Mixed linear-effects modeling explored whether physical and psychological variables were associated with pain outcomes over time. Results Four hundred nineteen participants (female, 58.9%; mean age, 54.8) enrolled in the program and 181 completed the intervention. After 12 months in the program, statistically and clinically significant reductions were observed for pain intensity (Hedges' g = 1.00) and painrelated interference (Hedges' g = 1.13). Linear mixed-effects modeling indicated that improvements in physical functioning and psychological factors were associated with improvements in pain intensity. Discussion Our results provide a novel analysis on the effects of HWC on chronic pain and pain-related interference. HWC appears to be a promising intervention to improve pain-related outcomes in a population with chronic pain. Further investigation of HWC as an intervention for chronic pain is warranted.

Background Bloom’s Taxonomy is a hierarchical model designed to categorize course learning objectives based on the complexity of learning associated with the task. Little is known about performance and abilities of entry‐level allied health students related to Bloom’s Taxonomy within anatomy education. Objective The objective of this assessment was to use exam reviews from 2018’s PAS 501 Applied Anatomy course to re‐create exam items at higher levels of Bloom’s learning. Cohort performance at the “Remembering” level of Bloom’s was compared to 2019 reconstructed questions to determine if graduate‐level PA students are most capable of memorizing anatomy or interpreting more detailed applications. Methods Four “Remembering” questions were selected from the 2018 PAS 501 Abdomen written exam. The regional concepts in these questions were reframed in clinical scenarios and questions where regional anatomy needed to be applied at higher levels of thinking. Statistics of cohort performance in the form of the DI, PBC and the DisI were used to compare the lower‐ and higher‐level Bloom’s questions Results Two questions reframed as clinical scenarios and demonstrated decreases in the DI and an increase in the PBC. Two questions were initially written as basic definition questions and reconstructed to represent a discussion of regional anatomy that required the student to understand and reinterpret the information. One of these questions displayed an increase in the DI and the PBC. Conclusions Higher level Bloom’s questions framed as clinical scenarios (N=2) displayed noted increases in the PBC implying these questions are quality discriminators for students who do well overall and those who do not. Reframing “Remembering,” definition questions to “Understanding” level questions may increase item success for clinically‐minded graduate‐level students. Additional work is required to draw meaningful conclusions from this pilot data. Support or Funding Information N/A

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