Purpose The disruption caused by the pandemic declaration and subsequent public health measures put in place have had a substantial effect on teachers’ abilities to support student engagement in technology education (TE). The purpose of this paper is to explore the following research question: How do TE teachers see emergency remote teaching (ERT) transitions to blended learning into the next academic year affecting their profession? Design/methodology/approach A snowball and convenience sampling design was used to recruit specialist teachers in TE through their professional organization and were asked to respond to the question: What are your concerns about the future of teaching TE remotely? The qualitative data collected from the participants (N = 42) was analyzed thematically (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Findings The analysis revealed that the switch to ERT impacted the teachers’ ability to support hands-on competency development owing to inequitable student access to tools, materials and resources, all of which affected student motivation and engagement. As a result, teachers raised questions about the overall effectiveness of online learning approaches and TE’s future and sustainability if offered completely online. Originality/value This research is the first of its kind exploring the experiences of TE teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In answer to the challenges identified by teachers, the authors offer a blended learning design framework informed by pandemic transformed pedagogy that can serve as a model for educators to use when designing blended instruction.

Project-based learning (PjBL - to distinguish from problem-based learning - PBL) has become a recurrent practice in K-12 classroom environments. As PjBL has become prominent in K-12 classrooms, it has also surfaced in post-secondary institutions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the research that has studied a variety of science, technology, engineering and mathematic subjects using PjBL in post-secondary classrooms. Eleven articles (including qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods) were included. The format includes: an introduction and background (which defines PjBL and STEM), research methods, quality appraisal used, results, and a discussion, future research and a conclusion. Two tables and two figures are included. In this paper, theoretical backgrounds and key terms were identified, followed by a literature review discussing four themes: content knowledge, interdisciplinary skills, collaboration and skill development for future education and careers. Results suggested that there is a positive connection between content knowledge learning and PjBL in collaborative settings. Additionally, some negative perceptions arose regarding teamwork situations. Interdisciplinary skills were achieved, but quite limited in post-secondary classrooms. PjBL and STEM were perceived to be important for future education and careers. Future research needs to be completed and institutional curriculum changes informed by the results of this research need to occur to further explore interdisciplinary courses and the use of PjB

The way individuals interpret and reinterpret their experience is central to meaning-making and impacts teaching and learning. Grounded in Mezirow’s transformative learning theory, this research explores whether pandemic-related emergency remote teaching manifested as a “disorienting dilemma” for technology educators. Teachers negotiated curricular outcomes between physical aspects of making and doing, as well as creative problem solving through design, resulting in a pandemic transformed pedagogy. Thematic analysis revealed that making and doing was severely challenged due to decreased communication, student motivation, and engagement. However, most concerning to educators was the heightened disparity in equity and access in their most vulnerable and at-risk students. In conditions of fear and trauma, little is known about the impact a chaotic way of being has on learners and educators. While we cannot predict what the “new normal” will look like for schools, and what the long-term effects of emergency remote teaching will be, our research demonstrates that the disorienting dilemma COVID-19 presents will continue to shape the pandemic transformed pedagogy of technology educators.

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Background Vancomycin is one of the most commonly used antibiotics to treat known or suspected invasive Gram-positive infections, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and it is responsible for 5% to 7% of all cases of acute kidney injury (AKI). 1,2 While the side effects of vancomycin were historically attributed to impurities in formulation, 3-5 higher vancomycin trough concentrations have also been associated with an increased incidence of nephrotoxicity. 6,7 Elevated serum vancomycin trough concentrations between 30 mg/L and 65 mg/L are a risk factor for AKI in hospitalized patients. 8 Alerts issued by clinical decision support systems (CDSS) may be useful to identify and prevent the occurrence of AKI among patients on nephrotoxic drugs, particularly vancomycin. 9 In a previous study concerning the effect of alerts for rising creatinine on treatment outcomes in patients on nephrotoxic drugs, it was found that the relative risk of serious renal impairment was almost half of the risk as compared to without the use of alerts. 10 Another prior study found a stronger benefit in alerts involving laboratory value-drug combination alerts than drug laboratory values alone. 11 Furthermore, vancomycin-related alerts were among the most frequently triggered alerts of all preset 544127P MTXXX10.