Can't believe it's the last week of term already

Can't believe it's the last week of term already.  Still lots to try to get finished. Some recent highlights:

Been marking student assignments on the module I run on our MSc Health Psychology programme. Students have to write a case study of a hypothetical person who has a chronic health condition, describe the psychosocial issues they face, then choose and justify a self management intervention that will help them with these issues. Students can choose any condition they wish. Diabetes, HIV and arthritis proved the most popular choices this year.

I've also been writing new modules for the degree restructuring that's currently taking place for next academic year, including: clinical and counselling psychology, applied social psychology and professional skills for psychology graduates. I'm particularly keen on the last of these but finding an assessment strategy that will work for such a large group of students (its a mandatory module) will be a bit of a challenge.

In the last week I've drafted ethics submissions for projects with external collaborators, on the experience of volunteering and of monitoring one's fertility. I'm hoping that dissertation students and/or placement students will work on these in the next six months to a year.

I've also just submitted a research paper on PCOS to a journal - please please PLEASE don't let it be rejected... and have decided to write a blog entry as an excuse to digress from the very long NHS form I have been struggling with...

MY icicle

It was too dark yesterday by the time I blogged to take a pic of MY icicle, so I used one from wiki commons. Here today, in all its splendour is mine...

Been reading some interesting papers today on the theme of fertility monitoring, including:

Diaz, M. (1997). Gender, sexuality and communication issues that constitute barriers to the use of natural family planning and other fertility awareness-based methods. Advances in Contraception, 13(2-3), 303-309. doi:10.1023/A:1006580727579

Severy, L. J., Robinson, J., Findley-Klein, C., & McNulty, J. (2006). Acceptability of a home monitor used to aid in conception: Psychosocial factors and couple dynamics. Contraception, 73(1), 65-71. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2005.07.008

Sinai, I., Lundgren, R., Arévalo, M., & Jennings, V. (2006). Fertility awareness-based methods of family planning: Predictors of correct use. International Family Planning Perspectives, 32(2), 94-100.

Fertility awareness and self-monitoring

Have been doing a lot of literature searching today - looking at peer reviewed research on the use of various self-tests and monitors women can use to detect periods of low and high fertility.

These are used both as methods of natural contraception, and to assist those actively trying to enhance their changes of conceiving.

They have become fairly high tech recently, and some are systems rather than devices, using online data records and incorporating interactivity.

There is also a lot of money to be made/spent on these technologies.  While there is a literature on their efficacy in terms of 'hard outcomes' (conception/non-conception being the most obvious) I've not seen much on the psychosocial impact of using them.

Meanwhile, I have been enjoying watching a big icicle wax and wane outside my study window in the course of the day...