Informing Writing: The Benefits of Formative Assessment

Examines whether classroom-based formative writing assessment - designed to provide students with feedback and modified instruction as needed - improves student writing and how teachers can improve such assessment. Suggests best practices

3D-Wound Imaging: Precise, Consistent, and Efficient

Background: The most common method of obtaining wound measurements is the hand-ruler method. Studies show that the hand-ruler method results in the most inaccurate measurements with the lowest interrater reliability. Studies also show that using 3D-wound imaging yields the most accurate measurements with the best interrater reliability. 3D-wound imaging technology also increases efficiency by allowing users to obtain images and document assessments using one device at the bedside. Purpose: The purpose of this project is to make the process of assessing wounds more efficient by decreasing the time spent on photographing, measuring, and documenting wound assessments by implementing the use of 3D-wound imaging technology and software. Methods: Prior to the implementation of the 3D-wound technology, a baseline time of completing skin rounds assessments of wounds including imaging, measuring, and documentation was obtained via questionnaire asking nurses the average time they have experienced in completing all skin rounds duties including imaging, assessing, and documenting wounds. During implementation of 3D-wound imaging, start and end times were obtained through the 3D-wound software reporting dashboard. Other information collected included the number of wounds and number of patients that were seen. Post implementation data was analyzed 2-months after implementation. Evaluation/Results: After 2 months, the results showed a decrease in time to image wounds, conduct a full assessment and complete documentation by an average of 4.73 hours or 59%. Implementation of 3D-wound technology also allowed for realignment of the skin rounds team and decrease the number nursing personnel required on the team. Implications for Practice: Streamlining the process of wound assessment and documentation by implementing the use of 3D-wound imaging technology can be rolled out to the entire hospital, including outpatient clinics. A more widespread use of the technology can lead to decreased man-hours across the facility and therefore decreased costs. Conclusion: Future studies can show how clinicians use the accurate data provided by the 3D-wound imaging device in making treatment decisions which can ultimately lead to faster healing and decreased hospital bed days

Asynchronous video interviews in selection: A systematic review and five empirical investigations

It has become very popular to conduct employment interviews using new digital technologies, including synchronous and even asynchronous video interviews. In contrast to this wide usage in practice, less is known about how these technologies influence psychometric properties and selection outcomes. Findings gained from traditional face-to-face interviews cannot easily be transferred to digital interview formats. In addition, scholars have recently called for increased theory development to overcome the numerous limitations of cross-media comparisons and explain why and how technology should influence selection outcomes. While a variety of theories on media usage, media choice and media adaption exist, their applicability and explanatory value for technology usage in the area of employment interviews is rarely addressed. The present dissertation addresses this notable gap in the literature through both a systematic review of conceptional frameworks on technology usage in employment interviews as well as empirical results on understudied digital interview formats. In doing so, it identifies promising avenues for future research and provides information for HR practitioners about how to design their selection systems. More specifically, the current dissertation encompasses a comprehensive review of technology usage in employment interviews and five empirical studies on the specific format of asynchronous video interviews. The review integrates several theoretical perspectives on the topic, including the unitary perspective on technology-enhanced interviews, major theoretical directions in media research, and research on differences in psychometric properties and selection outcomes due to technology, into a comprehensive working model. The empirical portion of the dissertation presents five exploratory studies on asynchronous video interviews that explore research questions on blind spots in the literature or address urgent issues concerning the use of technology in today’s selection practice. The first study addresses interrater agreement and the importance of structured evaluation formats in a nonapplicant sample of N = 111 participants. The second study investigates the influence of social bandwidth on the accuracy of interview ratings in a sample of non-applicants with N = 279 participants. The third study provides first results on the validity of asynchronous video interviews in the field of high-stakes selection with N = 899 real applicants. The fourth study assesses the impact of personalized communication via video messages on applicant reactions in asynchronous video interviews with a non applicant sample of N = 98 participants. Finally, the fifth study explores rating inflation due to preparation time in a non-applicant sample of N = 51 participants. This dissertation contributes to the literature in several ways: The review provides an up-to-date, multi-perspective overview of the field and integrates several previous research strands into a single framework on technology usage in employment interviews. The empirical studies provide promising initial results concerning the psychometric properties of asynchronous video interviewing, specifically with respect to reliability and validity, but also highlight possible pitfalls--like rating inflation--that might appear when preparation time is introduced into the process design. In addition, the studies further highlight the extraordinary importance of structure in interviews, even though further study is required to better understand the exact nature of the relationship between structure and technology in employment interviews

Classification of lower extremity movement patterns based on visual assessment: reliability and correlation with 2-dimensional video analysis

CONTEXT: Abnormal movement patterns have been implicated in lower extremity injury. Reliable, valid, and easily implemented assessment methods are needed to examine existing musculoskeletal disorders and investigate predictive factors for lower extremity injury. OBJECTIVE: To determine the reliability of experienced and novice testers in making visual assessments of lower extremity movement patterns and to characterize the construct validity of the visual assessments. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University athletic department and research laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of 30 undergraduate and graduate students who regularly participate in athletics (age = 19.3 ± 4.5 years). Testers were 2 experienced physical therapists and 1 novice postdoctoral fellow (nonclinician). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): We took videos of 30 athletes performing the single-legged squat. Three testers observed the videos on 2 occasions and classified the lower extremity movement as dynamic valgus, no change, or dynamic varus. The classification was based on the estimated change in frontal-plane projection angle (FPPA) of the knee from single-legged stance to maximum single-legged squat depth. The actual FPPA change was measured quantitatively. We used percentage agreement and weighted κ to examine tester reliability and to determine construct validity of the visual assessment. RESULTS: The κ values for intratester and intertester reliability ranged from 0.75 to 0.90, indicating substantial to excellent reliability. Percentage agreement between the visual assessment and the quantitative FPPA change category was 90%, with a κ value of 0.85. CONCLUSIONS: Visual assessments were made reliably by experienced and novice testers. Additionally, movement-pattern categories based on visual assessments were in excellent agreement with objective methods to measure FPPA change. Therefore, visual assessments can be used in the clinic to assess movement patterns associated with musculoskeletal disorders and in large epidemiologic studies to assess the association between lower extremity movement patterns and musculoskeletal injury

Using an audience response system to calibrate dental faculty assessing student clinical competence.

In order to best prepare students to become competent and confident practitioners in a clinical environment upon graduating dental school, it is imperative for them to receive consistent and productive feedback from the supervising faculty. Through academic engagement, and more specifically faculty calibration, it may be possible to eliminate the disconnect that sometimes exists between faculty expectations and terminology, and those of the students. In terms of definitions, academic engagement reflects faculty scholarly development activities that support integration of relevant, current theory of best practices consistent with the school\u27s mission, expected learner outcomes, and supporting strategies.1-6, 32 The difficulty lies in finding an effective, yet cost efficient way to conduct that faculty calibration and ensure that students are receiving consistent and reliable feedback in order to mold them into the most competent clinicians they are capable of becoming. It can be stated that professional faculty engagement is the cornerstone of providing consistent and calibrated clinical instruction to students for patient centered care learner outcomes.7-11 A significant part of faculty engagement with professional students is to provide foundational knowledge, attitude and skills for both formative and summative assessment of competence.12-18. We hypothesize that the introduction of faculty calibration to the clinical faculty will result in more consistent feedback, leading to more predictable results and ultimately more competent clinicians. This, in turn, will increase student perception of clinical faculty yielding an increase in the belief that they are receiving quality, accurate and consistent instruction.24-30

Integrated solutions for total asset management through “RIVANS”

Purpose: Examine the extent of integration in delivering value from design and construction (DC) activities for total asset management (TAM) and operations post-completion. DC and operations and management (OM) are both addressed. The problem owners are those in roles and organisations responsible for integrating DC with OM. The goal is to show the extent of integration between actors along the project lifecycle. Relationally integrated value networks (RIVANS) provide the conceptual lens for the analysis. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed method approach was used. A questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews were employed. Findings: There is a lack of engagement between DC and OM. The trend is moving counter to integration. BIM is not found to be a technical solution. Research limitations/implications: The mixed method helps extend the RIVANS perspective. Further research to understand and support integration is needed, especially qualitative research to provide greater granular understanding. Practical implications: The identified trend away from integration poses management challenges in delivery and for sustainability in use. Supply chains engage specialists, yet internal and interorganisational collaboration require management attention to value creation. This includes the DC-OM interface. Both sides can benefit from increased engagement. Social implications: Infrastructure and property provision will continue to fall short of user and environmental functionality without improved integration. Originality/value: A contribution to the project and asset management interface is made, showing low integration, disengaged asset management. BIM is unable to plug the gaps. The RIVANS analytical lens provides a perspective for improvement

Accuracy of telepsychiatric assessment of new routine outpatient referrals

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies on the feasibility of telepsychiatry tend to concentrate only on a subset of clinical parameters. In contrast, this study utilises data from a comprehensive assessment. The main objective of this study is to compare the accuracy of findings from telepsychiatry with those from face to face interviews.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>This is a primary, cross-sectional, single-cluster, balanced crossover, blind study involving new routine psychiatric referrals. Thirty-seven out of forty cases fulfilling the selection criteria went through a complete set of independent face to face and video assessments by the researchers who were blind to each other's findings.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The accuracy ratio of the pooled results for DSM-IV diagnoses, risk assessment, non-drug and drug interventions were all above 0.76, and the combined overall accuracy ratio was 0.81. There were substantial intermethod agreements for Cohen's kappa on all the major components of evaluation except on the Risk Assessment Scale where there was only weak agreement.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Telepsychiatric assessment is a dependable method of assessment with a high degree of accuracy and substantial overall intermethod agreement when compared with standard face to face interview for new routine outpatient psychiatric referrals.</p

Commercialization Analysis of SBIR Funded Technologies

The United States Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program invests $2.2 billion annually into domestic innovation stimulation. The Department of Defense (DoD) contributes almost$1 billion of that investment; of which the Air Force accounts for 25%. Commercialization, either the transfer to programs of record or further industrial investment, is the program’s objective. Data from this research indicates that Air Force programs have a 7.6% commercialization rate; representing an opportunity to improve. Leveraging best practices from industry; this research provides a method to align investments with needed capabilities. This method exploits established user need taxonomies, the DoD Joint Capability Area (JCA) listing and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s SBIR taxonomy, to categorize SBIR efforts. This categorization allows for needs based innovation portfolio management. Metrics are developed that identify several technologies of interest that over perform and underperform relative to the overall portfolio. This development of metrics and visualization tools provides managers a new means to control and improve their innovation investments. This needs based mapping facilitates sharing and coordination amongst aerospace SBIR stakeholders. This thesis concludes by recommending improvements to the existing JCAs, the SBIR topic development process and the establishment of an aerospace SBIR community of interest