The lifelong learning for farmers program of the Commonwealth of Learning relies heavily on innovation platforms to address the critical information gap left by agricultural research and development, which often fails to reach the intended rural farmers. The fundamental tenet is that these activities require a space for stakeholders to collaborate, overcome obstacles, and seize opportunities for agricultural development. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of networking and training on farm income in West Africa. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 1800 households from the study site which cuts through the Kano-Katsina axis in Nigeria and the Maradi axis in the Niger Republic. The probit and mediation models were used to analyse the data. The probit model suggested that the decision to join innovation platforms is significantly influenced by factors such as married status, education, household size, farming experience, and the proportion of males and females in the working class, and young dependents. Furthermore, the probit model shows that the decision of farmers to take part in the training offered by innovation platforms is significantly influenced by factors such as gender, age, years of education, household size, and the proportion of males and females in the working class as well as elderly dependents. The mediation analysis results showed a positive and significant correlation between farm income and membership in innovation platforms (IPs). The direct effect suggested that farm incomes rise by 77.5 % upon joining IPs. Upon breaking down the overall impact into direct and indirect effects, it became evident that participation in IP training mediated nearly 86 % of the total impact of IP membership on farm income. The study concludes that participation in innovation platforms has a positive effect on farm income when they take part in educational programs hosted on the platforms, even after adjusting for observed and unobserved covariates. Consequently, the study suggests that any policy aimed at the welfare of farmers should take participation in lifelong training programs of IPs into account.

Medical education is undergoing various transformations to promote a more personalized and contextual way of learning. In light of this, the innovative \"Self-directed, Problem-oriented, Lifelong learning, Integrated Clinical case Exercise\" (SPLICE) modules were designed, implemented, and evaluated for medical students in the first professional year as a strategy for early clinical exposure in a collaborative and self-directed way of learning. This is a mixed methods study involving first-year medical students. Students were divided randomly into the control and the intervention groups. Six SPLICE modules were administered to the intervention while the control group followed the traditional curricula. The educational outcome was compared using an end-of-module assessment. In addition, 13-item and 8-item questionnaires were administered to students to evaluate the SPLICE and plenary sessions on a 5-point Likert scale. Furthermore, students\' feedback was obtained on a 10-point rating scale and in in-depth small-group interviews. The majority of students perceived that the SPLICE module improved their communication and encouraged meaningful, active learning. Students found the plenary sessions to be well organized, with sufficient interaction with professionals. Students also gave excellent scores for feedback on SPLICE modules, demonstrating the effectiveness of the innovation. In terms of test scores used in assessing learning outcomes, the intervention group outperformed the control group (P < 0.0001). The innovative SPLICE curriculum facilitated early clinical exposure and active self-directed learning. Students perceived SPLICE modules to be highly helpful in terms of promoting meaningful learning and the future application of knowledge.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The very essence of this innovative \"Self-directed, Problem-oriented, Lifelong learning, Integrated Clinical case Exercise\" (SPLICE) curriculum is the team-based learning of integrated pre-, para-, and clinical learning objectives right from the first professional year of study serving as an early clinical exposure. This unique way of learning creates a holistic educational environment by combining both academic and professional development thereby empowering the next generation of physician leaders to take autonomy of their own learning strategies and emerge as competent lifelong learners.

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Diversity work is an area of growing interest for organisations in both the private and public sectors. In a nutshell, the term refers to the work conducted within an organisation that promotes inclusive and equitable engagement with people and communities across social differences such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality and religion. Related research has generated relatively more knowledge about the challenges and problems of diversity initiatives than about effective practices that genuinely foster social equity and inclusion. This article contributes to the latter with a partnership case study involving the United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society (S.U.C.C.E.S.S.), a large non-profit immigrant services organisation headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Specifically, the study presented here focuses on the organisational practices that are constitutive of frontline workers\' engagement with diversity work and learning. It shows that (1) building a diverse and inclusive organisation, (2) supporting continuous learning opportunities at work, and (3) providing diversity training, both directive and generative, form the organisation\'s diversity \"curriculum\". This study also demonstrates that the strength of this workplace curriculum is that it has the potential to challenge the boundary between instrumentalism (harnessing diversity work to business success) and equity activism (prioritising diversity work in its own right), and that it creates space for collective reflection in the presence of others. Conceptually drawing on the practice turn in social sciences, particularly Steven Billet and Jennifer Newton\'s learning practice, and what David Boud terms \"the reflective turn\", this article positions diversity work as a reflective and iterative process of lifelong learning for both organisations and individual workers.
Encourager le travail de diversité en tant que processus d’apprentissage tout au long de la vie : étude de cas en partenariat avec une organisation de services aux immigrants – Le travail de diversité (diversity work en anglais) est un domaine qui suscite un intérêt croissant tant dans le secteur privé que dans le secteur public. Pour faire court, cette expression renvoie au travail mené au sein d’une organisation qui promeut un engagement inclusif et équitable auprès de personnes et de communautés en dépassant les différences sociales comme le genre, la race, l’ethnicité, la sexualité et la religion. Les recherches liées à cela ont produit relativement plus de connaissances concernant les défis et problèmes des projets sur la diversité que sur les pratiques efficaces qui favorisent réellement l’équité sociale et l’inclusion. Cet article contribue à ces dernières en présentant une étude de cas en partenariat avec la United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society (S.U.C.C.E.S.S.), grande organisation à but non lucratif de services aux immigrants, dont le siège se situe au Canada, à Vancouver. L’étude présentée ici est axée en particulier sur les pratiques organisationnelles constitutives de l’engagement des travailleurs sur le terrain en matière du travail de diversité et d’apprentissage. Elle montre que (1) créer une organisation diverse et inclusive, (2) soutenir des possibilités d’apprentissage continu au travail et (3) proposer une formation à la diversité, tant directive que générative, façonne le « curriculum » de l’organisation en matière de diversité. Cette étude démontre également que la puissance de ce curriculum sur le lieu de travail réside dans ses possibilités de repousser les limites entre l’instrumentalisme (qui exploite le travail de diversité pour la réussite de l’entreprise) et l’activisme en matière d’équité (qui priorise le travail de diversité à part entière). S’appuyant sur le plan conceptuel sur le tournant pratique dans les sciences sociales (practice turn en anglais), notamment sur la pratique de l’apprentissage de Steven Billet et Jennifer Newton, et sur ce que David Boud appelle « le tournant réflexif » (the reflexive turn), cet article positionne le travail de diversité en tant que processus réflexif et itératif d’apprentissage tout au long de la vie, tant pour les organisations que pour les travailleurs individuels.
促进多元化工作的终生学习: 一个基于和移民服务组织机构的合作案例分析 – 多元化工作是营利和非营利组织机构越来越感兴趣的领域。简而言之, 该术语指的是在组织机构中开展跨越性别、种族、民族、性取向和宗教等社会差异, 以提升工作的包容性和公平参与性。相关文献更多的研究了促进多元化工作的众多措施面临的挑战和问题, 而对真正促进社会公平和包容的有效实践的研究涉猎较少。基于和中侨互助会 (S.U.C.C.E.S.S.) — 一个总部设立在加拿大温哥华的非营利性组织— 合作开展的案例分析, 本研究对后者文献上进行补足。 具体来说, 本文侧重于研究促进一线员工参与多元化工作和学习的组织行为。调研结果显示以下组织行为形成了建构多元化工作的“课程”: (1) 建立一个多元化和包容性的机构, (2) 支持工作中的持续学习机会, 以及 (3) 提供指导性和生成性的多元化培训。这项研究还表明, 这些组织行为的优势在于他们有可能挑战功利主义 (利用多元化工作取得商业效果) 和平等行动主义 (多元化工作促进多元利益) 之间的界限, 并且提供了有他人在场的集体反思的空间。该研究从理论概念上借鉴了社会科学中的实践理论转向, 特别是史蒂文·比勒 (Steven Billet) 和詹妮弗·牛顿 (Jennifer Newton) 的学习实践理论, 以及大卫·布德 (David Boud) 所倡导的“反思转向”, 将多元化工作定位为组织机构和个体员工具有反思性的, 迭代性的终身学习过程。.

Lifelong learning is a key element of the conceptual framework of active aging. To understand how older adults experience active aging through participation in lifelong learning, the authors conducted a qualitative case study. The research participants were older adult learners attending evening schools aiming to pass the equivalency examination. Data were collected primarily using semi-structured interviews with five older adult learners, and additional data were collected from relevant documents. Data analysis and thematic discussion provided insights into how older adults experience active aging by participating in lifelong learning. Data analysis identified themes of overcoming limited education, taking the equivalency examination, and evolving goals. Thematic discussion revealed that older adults began learning to meet deficiency needs; however, they developed their goals after attending evening schools and passing the equivalency examination. In addition, lifelong learning is an indispensable element of active aging not only because learning is good for older adults\' wellbeing, as reported in the literature, but also because older adults become more active in the systemic change of their environment and in the setting goals for their lives.

This research was aimed at studying the evolution and roles of the Israeli physicians\' professional social network as perceived by the members of the network.
The research examined a case study of RAMBAM/KEHILA professional networks, applying both qualitative and quantitative methods for establishing a grounded theory.
Physicians want to be part of their professional community and consider the network as a place where the \"wisdom of the crowd\" exists. They seek approval for their initial line of reasoning regarding their clinical cases but will consider other approaches if such are suggested by persons of professional repute or if answers are based on evidence-based medicine. The evolved network constitutes an a-political space which has gained the trust of the community and enables physicians of various ranks to share experiences and thoughts. Moreover, the network fosters learning opportunities and the network dynamics have impact on physicians\' professional development.
This unique ten-year longitudinal research examined the evolution of a professional social network. The research findings have practical and social implications. Practically, the study shows the values of professional network as an instrument for clinicians\' lifelong learning and professional development. Socially, the study presents the professional network social role in facilitating social interactions when the network participants are involved in determining its roles and gain trust by avoiding any political or commercial interference.

As the clinical applications of medical genetics and genomics continue to expand, nongenetics professionals increasingly find themselves in the position of managing patients with genetic conditions. To prepare medical students to handle this future practice demand, it is imperative that they obtain skills and confidence in utilizing credible medical genetics resources to care for patients with genetic conditions. To this end, we developed active learning materials to introduce first-year medical students to these resources.
This approximately 2-hour session targeted first-year medical students (123 students) and combined flipped classroom and small-group collaborative case-based learning models. Students first completed a hands-on preclass exercise, which guided them in navigating the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man website, and then attended an in-person small-group classroom activity, which provided the opportunity to apply information obtained from credible medical genetics resources to a patient case. At the conclusion of the classroom activity, students voluntarily completed an anonymous survey.
Results of student postsession surveys showed that, regardless of previous exposure to medical genetics resources, this session increased both confidence in skills and future intention to use medical genetics resources.
Since the majority of students were unfamiliar with using specialized medical genetics resources prior to this educational intervention, the session functioned as a practical introduction to these essential resources. We propose that equipping medical students with skills that support inquiry-oriented learning, particularly in the early stage of training, can cultivate the practice of lifelong learning in medical genetics.

Promoting age-friendly environment is one of the appropriate approaches to support quality of life toward ageing populations. However, the information regarding age-friendly environments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three countries is still limited. This study aimed to survey the perceived age-friendly environments among ASEAN Plus Three older populations. This study employed cross-sectional quantitative research using multistage cluster sampling to select a sample of older adults in the capital cities of Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. The final sample was composed of 2171 older adults aged 55 years and over, including 140 Japanese, 510 Thai, 537 Malaysian, 487 Myanmarese, and 497 Vietnamese older adults. Data collection was conducted using a quantitative questionnaire with 20 items of perceived age-friendly environments with the rating scale based on the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. The score from the 20 items were analyzed and examined high-risk groups of \"bad perception level\" age-friendly environments using ordinal logistic regression. The research indicated the five highest inadequacies of age-friendly environments including: (1) participating in an emergency-response training session or drill which addressed the needs of older residents; (2) enrolling in any form of education or training, either formal or non-formal in any subject; (3) having opportunities for paid employment; (4) involvement in decision making about important political, economic and social issues in the community; and (5) having personal care or assistance needs met in the older adult\'s home setting by government/private care services. Information regarding the inadequacy of age-friendliness by region was evidenced to guide policy makers in providing the right interventions towards older adults\' needs.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of incorporating student-directed (SD) vs instructor-directed (ID) active learning on student performance in a pharmacotherapy capstone course.
METHODS: This 9-credit course was redesigned from exclusively ID case discussions to a format in which half were SD and half were ID. Student performance on evaluation questions derived from SD sessions was compared with that from ID sessions.
RESULTS: Overall, students (n=299) performed better on ID-session questions than on SD-session questions (78.7% vs 75.3%, correctly answered, respectively; p<0.001). For written evaluations, students performed better on ID-session questions than on SD-session questions (79.8% vs 73.9%, respectively; p<0.001). For verbal evaluations, students performed better on SD-session questions than on ID-session questions (79.5% vs 74.5%, respectively; p<0.001). After the course revision, student confidence regarding their ability to think critically, solve problems, make decisions, and pursue lifelong learning was high, and student and faculty feedback was positive.
CONCLUSIONS: Student performance in a pharmacotherapy capstone course remained acceptable when a combination of SD and ID active learning was used, but the addition of SD learning did not translate to better performance on course evaluations.