A qualitative ethnographic portrait of women's studies

In this research study, I sought to understand and describe the Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) Program at Berea College by exploring it through the experiences of students, faculty, administrators, and alumnae. I designed and implemented a feminist organizational ethnography. Organizational ethnography is a naturalistic, qualitative research tool for understanding organizational communication and culture in organizations. I used qualitative research methods to create a portrait of the WGS Program at Berea College by observing and interviewing students, administrators, faculty, and alumnae, and interpreting their stories using constant comparative analysis. Standpoint theory is the theoretical framework that guided how I collected data because it requires the researcher to begin with the lives of marginalized peoples. It also requires inclusion of multiple perspectives. The overarching research questions of this study are: 1) How is the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Berea College perceived or experienced by its stakeholders (students, administrators, faculty, and alumnae)? 2) How is its reality constructed through the overlapping lenses of each? 3) How does the WGS Program approach, prepare for, and respond to political and economic challenges? I concluded that the WGS Program at Berea College is a model program because the leadership uses student-centered feminist pedagogy and they celebrate diversity, succeed with low resources, and clearly value the experiences and voices of the students. The leadership in the WGS Program at Berea College creates a home on campus where students go to learn about things they can’t find anywhere else on campus.Department of Educational StudiesThesis (D. Ed.

What does it meme? Visual literacy programming in the library through the language of memes [poster]

Poster presented October 18, 2019 at the North Carolina Library Association conference in Winston-Salem, NC. This poster will describe a library outreach and instruction program centered around memes and visual literacy at UNC Greensboro. The program, called Uplifting Memes, will run during the 2019-2020 academic year and feature interactive workshops, guest lectures, and a student art contest to address issues such as understanding information ethics on social media (including fair use of copyrighted materials, Creative Commons, and the public domain); engaging in creativity, communication, and digital rhetoric with images and other visual media; and examining issues of virality, propaganda, and hate speech in internet communications. The poster will detail the planning process, provide examples of workshop curricula, and provide preliminary assessment data from the program

Attitudes of Undergraduate Social Work Students Toward Interprofessional Health Care Practice and Interprofessional Health Care Education

In 2005, the Centre for Collaborative Health Professional Education at Memorial University in Canada commenced an inquiry into the interprofessional education (IPE) of social work students. In the 2005/2006 academic year, undergraduate social work students were introduced to an IPE program at Memorial University for the first time. This interdisciplinary initiative brought together students from pharmacy, nursing, medicine, and social work to develop and encourage interprofessional educational activities with the purpose of increasing collaborative patient-centered practice competencies of students and professionals (Sharpe & Curran, 2006). In the subsequent three academic years (2005/2006, 2006/2007, 2007/2008) Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students explored a variety of IPE modules. This paper summarizes the available literature on the topic of IPE and reports on data collected from three cohorts of undergraduate social work students regarding their attitudes toward interdisciplinary team practice. Data collected are in relation to the Health and Wellbeing of Children module, one of the five module topics in which these students participated over the three-year period. It is proposed that by understanding student attitudes as they are evidenced at this early stage of professional development, valuable information will be provided to educators to inform best practices in the teaching and learning of interprofessional practice skills within the discipline of social work. Finally, the authors provide suggested directions for future research

Qualitatively exploring the impact of a relationship-centered communication skills training program in improving patient perceptions of care

Objective: To explore qualitative patient experience comments before and after a relationship-centered communication skills training to understand patient experience, program impact, and opportunities for improvement. Methods: Qualitative patient experience evaluation data was captured from January 2016 to December 2018 for 483 health care clinicians who participated in the skills training. A random sampling of available open-ended patient comments (N = 33,223) were selected pre-training (n = 668) and post-training (n = 566). Comments were coded for valence (negative/neutral/positive), generality versus specificity, and based on 12 communication behaviors reflective of training objectives. Results: No significant difference was found in the valence of comments, or generality versus specificity of comments before and after the training. A significant decrease was present in perceived clinician concern. “Confidence in care provider” was the communication skill most frequently identified in comments both pre- and post-training. Conclusion: Perceptions of interactions largely remained the same following training. Key relationship-centered communication skills require further attention in future training efforts. Measurements of patient satisfaction and engagement may not adequately represent patient experience. Innovation: This study identified areas for improvement in the training program and offers a model for utilizing patient experience qualitative data in understanding communication training impact

Representation of illness in Familial Amyloidotic Polyneuropathy Portuguese Association newspaper: A documental study

This study explores illness representations within Familial Amyloidotic Polyneuropathy Portuguese Association newspaper. A content analysis was performed of the issue data using provisional coding related to the conceptual framework of the study. All dimensions of illness representation in Leventhal’s Common Sense Model of illness cognitions and behaviors are present in the data and reflect the experience of living with this disease. Understanding how a person living with an hereditary, rare, neurodegenerative illness is important for developing community nursing interventions. In conclusion, we suggest an integration of common sense knowledge with other approaches for designing an intervention program centered on people living with an hereditary neurodegenerative illness, such as familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Statistical process control of manufacturing tablets for antiretroviral therapy

In this study, the manufacturing process of lamivudine (3TC) and zidovudine (AZT) tablets (150+300 mg respectively) was evaluated using statistical process control (SPC) tools. These medicines are manufactured by the Fundação para o Remédio Popular “Chopin Tavares de Lima” (FURP) laboratory, and are distributed free of charge to patients infected with HIV by the Ministry of Health DST/AIDS national program. Data of 529 batches manufactured from 2012 to 2015 were collected. The critical quality attributes of weight variation, uniformity of dosage units, and dissolution were evaluated. Process stability was assessed using control charts, and the capability indices Cp, Cpk, Pp, and Ppk (process capability; process capability adjusted for non-centered distribution; potential or global capability of the process; and potential process capability adjusted for non-centered distribution, respectively) were evaluated. 3TC dissolution data from 2013 revealed a non-centered process and lack of consistency compared to the other years, showing Cpk and Ppk lower than 1.0 and the chance of failure of 2,483 in 1,000,000 tablets. Dissolution data from 2015 showed process improvement, revealed by Cpk and Ppk equal to 2.19 and 1.99, respectively. Overall, the control charts and capability indices showed the variability of the process and special causes. Additionally, it was possible to point out the opportunities for process changes, which are fundamental for understanding and supporting a continuous improvement environment

Good Intentions Are Not Enough: An Examination of Service-Learning On A Public Charter High School Campus

This qualitative case study examines the service-learning program at a charter high school (Austin Charter Academy [ACA]). The two-fold purpose of the study was to: (a) describe and explore the service-learning experience at ACA with attention to the structures of power shaping the program and (b) to examine the role of a White, female administrator in the service-learning program. The research questions for the study were: How does one high school charter community describe their experiences in service-learning programs? Who is being centered and what logics are being reinforced in service-learning projects? The study employed a decolonizing, critical community-based service-learning framework (Santiago-Ortiz, 2018) as its theoretical framework, adding an examination of decision-making processes, structural designs, and power dynamics, and highlighting where ACA’s program perpetuates colonizing notions often found in traditional, mainstream approaches to service-learning. By exploring the experiences of multiple stakeholders, this case study presented a holistic understanding of ACA’s service-learning program. Data for the study were collected through in-depth interviews with ACA staff and community partners, alumni focus groups, document analysis, and autoethnographic data. Using an inductive approach to data analysis, emergent themes were identified across data sources. Findings indicated although ACA’s approach to service-learning has good intentions, when examined with a decolonizing framework one can see misalignment between vision and outcomes for students, staff, and community partners. Without a clear vision and approach, staff have diverse interpretations of service-learning, resulting in confusion for students and families. Additional findings highlighted access to programs have not been equitable, leading to disproportionate outcomes and the need for supports to be put in place. Examining the program from a decolonizing lens presented the ways the current program has upheld colonial notions and centered the academic setting and student need over the community. The findings supported the need for ACA to build in reflective practices to shift their service-learning program from performative to providing authentic, meaningful learning experiences for all parties, in line with a decolonizing framework. Recommendations for policymakers and administrations include revisiting policies and program documentation with a decolonizing framework

Defining Shared Values in Patient-Centered Care: A Case Study

There are limited studies that turn the lens on an organization’s chosen patient-centered care program, and there is a gap in the literature that exists for defining shared values within these models. The purpose of this research was to identify and analyze emergent themes related to various stakeholders. This includes exploring the definition of patient-centered care from the perspective of medical professionals and patients to determine if an association of shared values exists. The research was accomplished through a descriptive, single, embedded-case study to develop defining characteristics of the phenomenon of patient-centered care for patients and medical professionals in a large, urban, acute healthcare setting. The research was conducted using a qualitative case study design with a focused methodological triangulation process that consisted of a cross verification of two sources of data related to the same phenomenon of patient-centered care. The purpose of the triangulation of data was to explain more accurately the complexity and connections from both the patient and medical professional perspective. Triangulation of the data showed that there were clear connections for both medical professionals and patients relating to the value of family inclusion, consistent communications, human connections, and the provision of comfort measures in the patient-care process. Based on the research, it is recommended that medical professionals and the patients they serve have the opportunity to share their voices. Furthermore, it is recommended that health care institutions make an effort to pull together those populations to get to the recognition and understanding of their shared values

A Before-School Counselor Intervention that Promotes Peer Relational Skills and Influences Prosocial Behavior

The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the student experience and perception of change after participating in a before-school counselor intervention focused on learning prosocial behaviors and developing peer relational skills. This evaluation included both how students experienced the program and if they perceived any change in themselves after participating in the program. Qualitative methods are often used in evaluations because they tell the program\u27s story by capturing and communicating the participant\u27s stories (Patton, 2003, p. 2). The purpose of this type of method was to illuminate the process and outcomes of a program. The intent of qualitative findings was to deepen understanding through the eyes of the participants or to put faces on the statistics to deepen understanding (Patton, 2003, p. 2). In order to understand the student experience and perception of change, the researcher interviewed eight students who participated in a 12-week before-school program. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. Analysis of the data resulted in six separate findings. To summarize, the students found the before-school program to be a positive experience where they learned how to make friends more effectively, they felt good about helping others, and they found it difficult to cooperate on a consistent basis. Students evaluated the program as being fun and they spoke about 38 of the 52 activities. The bulk of the program evaluation centered unanimously around four specific activities. And each individual student came away from the 12 week program gaining a personally meaningful and unique skill. This study provided a qualitative evaluation of student perception of a before-school program. These findings are useful for school administrators, superintendents, and school counselors because they provide an understanding of the student experiences of change in group counseling which occurred before-school. This data can be used to support the value of group work outside of the traditional day. This program can be used to provide a model of psychoeducational prevention work to students when time for counseling groups in elementary school is becoming increasingly scarce

Application of Design of Experiments to Flight Test: a Case Study

Modern flight test tends to be a complex, expensive undertaking so any increases in efficiency would result in considerable savings. Design of experiments is a statistical methodology which enables a highly efficient investigation where only the samples needed are collected and analyzed. the application of design of experiments to the design of flight test can result in a significant increase in test efficiency. Increased information is garnered from the data collected while the number of data points required to understand the system is reduced. in this effort, an actual flight test program serves as a case study to compare and contrast five different designs to explore the flight test envelope: the classic subject-matter-expert (SME) generated survey method, the SME-generated points augmented to a relatively fine mesh orthogonal analysis of variance design, an axial central composite design (CCD), a face-centered CCD plus simplex design, and a Simpson-Landman embedded face-centered CCD. the axial CCD is further expanded by a single point to illustrate the flexibility of the design in response to the interests of the test team. the case study data are analyzed using each designed experiment, and the results are compared and contrasted as a cost-benefit relationship between flight test resources expended (i.e. flight hours) and system understanding gained (i.e. statistical confidence and power). the design of experiments methodologies, as applied to this case study, generally show a 50 to 80 percent reduction in flight test resources expended to gain similar levels of understanding of the system under test. These savings can be applied to other programs, used to educate design changes before testing an improved system, allow for flexible investigation into areas of interest to the test team, or replicate the test points resulting in a better understanding of systemic error. in an era of restricted budgets and timelines, careful design and thoughtful analysis of flight test experiments can make the difference between a failed or cancelled flight test program and the successful fielding of a needed capability