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Vaccination and Immunization

Learning Module

Abstract

This learning module has been created as part of a National Science Foundation grant, "Assessing Complex Epistemic Performance in Online Learning Environments." In this project, we are creating a knowledge sharing environment that elicits a great deal of structured peer interaction. This supports the development of a culture of professional collaboration that is today so important in professions such as medicine.

Introduction

For the Participant

Welcome to the Vaccination Team Based Learning exercise. To facilitate your work in this part of the course we will be using the Scholar system. Scholar is a "social knowledge" platform that combines social media features with knowledge sharing and learning management software. Information about how its features work can be found on the Tutorials Page - which you can always get to by clicking the "Help" button in the top-right corner of this screen.

You will:

  • Comment on updates in the Community app
  • Make an update in the Community app
  • Write a clincal case study in the Creator app that demonstrates your capacity to translate the concepts addressed into clinical practice, peer review others' case studies, write a self-review reflecting on the processes of peer review. Your completed clinical case study will be published to the community and your personal profile page.

If you are viewing this as an update in your activity stream and you would like to look ahead, you can find the whole learning module here. However these updates will be released one by one into your activity stream, and you will receive notifications to start your case study, peer review others case studies, then revise and write a self-review.

This learning module has been created as part of a National Science Foundation grant in which we are creating a knowledge sharing environment that elicits a great deal of structured peer interaction. This supports the development of a culture of professional collaboration that is today so important in the medical profession. As part of the project, we will be seeking your opinions and user suggestions about this enviroment and its processes of collaboration.

In order for us to comply with the requirements of studying this course we need everyone to take the IRB Consent Survey. This item should appear as the next Update in your Activity Stream, so please check it out next.

Comment: How do you think new media and communications technologies might impact peer collaborations in the medical profession? If you want to react to another participant's comment, start your comment with @Name?

For the Instructor

This introduction should be posted to the Class Community when you are ready to start the Vaccination Series for students. Modules 1 - 5 have detailed instructions of what students should do for each segment.

After posting this Introduction press the Distribute Survey button to post the Survey link to the Class Community.

Update 1: Vaccination Concepts

For the Participant

For this first update, you have several resources:

Resource 1: Immunization Basics PowerPoint

Immunization Basics

Resource 2: Podcasts, starting here at 26 minutes ... and continuing here for the first 11 minutes.

Podcast 1:

Resource 3: "You Call the Shots" web-based immunization training course module from the CDC found at this link.

Resource 4: Principles of Vaccination Document from the CDC

Principles of Vaccination

Resource 5: General Rules of Immunization

GeneralRulesImmunizationCDC.pdf

Make an Update: From the topics listed below, choose one that particularly interests you. Decide among team members who address which topic, so there us a good mix. Or decide on another relevant topic that deserves attention. Make your update (instructions below). Read other course participants' updates and comment on at least 3-5 of them (or more!). Note for instance, interesting insights, significant points they have made, critical issues they have raised, other issues they might address, related concepts that could be added, etc. If you are mentioning another person's comment, start with @Name.

  1. Active versus passive immunization
  2. Live versus inactivated vaccines
  3. Subunit, conjugate and synthetic vaccines
  4. Adjuvants in vaccine formulations
  5. Vaccine storage and handling
  6. Recent advances in vaccine technology
  7. Basis of immunologic memory
  8. Relative safety of vaccines
  9. Adverse reactions to vaccines
  10. Technological hurdles for generating and administering vaccines
  11. Social/public policy hurdles for generating and administering vaccines
  12. Timing/spacing of vaccinations in infants
  13. Timing/spacing of vaccinations in adults
  14. Vaccinating pregnant women
  15. Vaccinating immunosuppressed persons
  16. Contraindications to vaccination
  17. Invalid contraindications to vaccination

How to make this update: Go to the your community page, pull down the menu behind the community name, and select "Updates". (Note: do not make your update on your personal profile page, because from here they only go to people who you have chosen as peers; from the community page, your updates go to the members of the community.) Your update should be approximately 250 words. Add images, diagrams, and embedded videos that you might find on the web or other sources. Acknowledge your sources.

If you have any questions about this ativity or using Scholar, post them in the comment box below this update and the course admins or other students will respond.

For the Admin

Update 2: Talking to Parents About Vaccines

For the Participant

For this update you will review the document CDC "Talking to Parents About Vaccines."

Talking with Parents about Vaccines for Infants

Comment: The question of vaccination is frequently the subject of contentious public discussion. For some parents, this may prompt anxiety. What, in your view, are the key messages that you as a medical professional can bring to this discussion in order to reassure parents? Use the comment box below this update for your response and discussion with other course participants.

For the Admin

Peer Reviewed Case Study

For the Participant

You are now going to write a peer reviewed vaccination and immunization case study, review others' case studies, revise your case study for publication and sharing with other members of the group, and write a self-review of the way in which your work evolved through the peer review process.

Create a case study instance of a child or adult who may be in need of one or more vaccinations, in an advanced or developing society. Your case study could be a real one that you find in the medical literature, or on the web. Or it could by a hypothetical case that you have created in order to illustrate some important medical and human communication issues. Your case could be typical, or it could be unusual in some revealing ways.

You will recieve this request through the Creator Space in Scholar. You should have a "Notification" in the tab above, inviting you to join the project. If you need help navigating the Creator Space, you can refer to Section 3 of the Scholar Tutorials. Be sure to change the TITLE to reflect your Case Study Topic and use the STRUCTURE tool to organize your sections and headers.

In your case study:

  • Include a case description which is sufficiently detailed for your peer professional to be able to offer a well-informed second opinion.
  • Apply key concepts and define key concepts to interpret the case.
  • Recommend a course of medical action.
  • Script the way you are you going to put your immunization case to possibly-anxious parents.

Here is the peer review rubric:

Questions? Please add them to the Comments box below and we will help you find an answer!

For the Admin