Working at the coal face: The contribution of Programme Tutors in supporting practice-based learning in nursing

This paper reports the findings of a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning-funded project to explore key features of effective support for pre-registration nursing students in practice settings. Background The cultivation of positive practice learning environments for students of nursing, including high quality learning support, has been long established as a thorny issue for nurse educators and practitioners. Indeed it was a key theme for the very first nursing research series, supported by the Royal College of Nursing, in the early 1980’s. This included Fretwell’s (1982) work on ward teaching and learning, Orton’s (1981) work on the ward learning environment and Ogier’s (1982) work on the role of the ward sister. Since then there has been an explosion of research in this area. As a profession we have a responsibility to ensure high quality learning support for students in practice settings. If we do not, there will be wide-ranging implications for the quality of patient care, work-related stress, role satisfaction, retention and attrition and professional reputation. Given the significant investment in nurse education and the need to retain nurses in the workforce, it is unsurprising therefore that the practice learning environment has emerged as a key policy issue in the United Kingdom and internationally. Previous research indicates that relationships between the learner and staff are crucial in supporting learning in practice (Pearcey and Elliott, 2004) and that ‘learning is maximised when the learner is effectively partnered with a clinician and experiences are shared’ (Henderson et al., 2009, p.178). In this context, The Programme Tutor (PT) – a role unique to the pre-registration nursing programme at The Open University (OU) – is crucial in facilitating learning in the practice setting. The purpose of the PT role is to work longitudinally with both students and their mentors to support learning in practice and monitor student progress. The PT therefore plays a pivotal role in facilitating learning in the practice setting, aspects of which may have potential for transfer to the wider health education sector. Objectives The overall aim of the project was to critically examine the experiences of a sample of PTs supporting students and mentors on the pre-registration nursing programme at the OU in order to identify the key features of effective PT practice. These features would then inform the continuing development of the programme. Two PTs were recruited as co-researchers on the project, the objectives of which were to: • Explore PT’s experiences of supporting students and mentors • Explore PT’s views regarding student progression • Identify how PTs ‘grow’ into their role • Identify enabling and disabling factors contributing to role effectiveness • Examine the boundaries between the role of the PT and mentor • Explore variations in the PT role across the UK. Data collection and analysis A sample of 20 PTs working on the final practice module of the pre-registration nursing programme, and located across the nations and regions of the UK, was identified. Following ethical approval, telephone interviews were conducted using an interview guide informed by both a review of the literature and the experience of the PT co-researchers. Telephone interviews were used in preference to individual face-to-face interviews in order to accommodate the dispersed geographical spread of participants. The interviews were recorded using digital recording equipment and following transcription, conventional approaches to qualitative data analysis were used to identify common themes across the data. The ethical principles of confidentiality, anonymity and informed consent were upheld throughout the study. The sample was assured that confidentiality would be maintained at all times throughout the project. Anonymity was protected by using pseudonyms both for PTs and organisations. Informed consent was gained at the start of the project and participants were able to withdraw from the project at any stage. Findings suggest that PTs find their role both rewarding and vital in the context of creating supportive learning environments and ultimately supporting students’ transition to become registered practitioners. Being an effective communicator and establishing and maintaining relationships with students, mentors and service managers was described as crucial to the success of the role. Understanding the pressures within practice environments and being able to acknowledge the realities of ‘working at the coalface’ enabled PTs to support both students and mentors in such settings. Conclusion This paper will elaborate more fully the findings of the project, illustrated with reference to verbatim quotes from the data. Although a role unique to the OU pre-registration nursing programme, there may be aspects of the role which could be transferable to other practice-based learning settings. This will be interactively debated with conference delegates. (word count 800) References Fretwell, J. E. (1982) Ward teaching and Learning, Royal College of Nursing, London. Henderson, A., Twentyman, M., Eaton, E., Creedy, D., Stapleton, P. and Lloyd, B. (2009) Creating supportive clinical learning environments: an intervention study, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19, pp.171-182. Ogier, M. E. (1981) An ideal sister, Royal College of Nursing, London Orton, H. D. (1981) Ward learning climate, Royal College of Nursing, London Pearcey, P. A. and Elliott, B. E. (2004) Student impressions of clinical nursing, Nurse Education Today, 18, pp.29-31

Employee Empowerment: The Key to Foundation Staff Satisfaction

Although few in numbers, foundation staff are responsible for managing hundreds of billions of dollars in charitable assets. These staff make crucial decisions about how best to allocate those resources to address some of our most pressing domestic and global challenges -- from child welfare to climate change. Given the important goals that foundation staff members are working to achieve, their performance should be a concern not just to those who supervise them, but to all of us. If we accept the argument that staff experiences are connected to performance, then foundation staff perceptions matter greatly. To better understand the experience of foundation staff, the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) surveyed 1,168 staff members at 31 foundations. The surveys were conducted from 2007 to 2011 as part of CEP's Staff Perception Report (SPR) process. Through these surveys, we collect quantitative and qualitative data from respondents. Though our dataset is limited to the 31 foundations that chose to commission an SPR from CEP, it is the largest dataset that exists about foundation staff members' job satisfaction. We have sought, therefore, to analyze it to understand the answers to some basic questions: How satisfied are foundation staff in their jobs? What contributes to their satisfaction? What the data strongly indicate is that leaders set the tone. Their choices -- about a wide range of issues, including communication, delegation of authority, role definition, availability of resources, provision of feedback, recognition of contributions, and opportunities for learning and growth -- shape staff experiences. These dimensions matter far more than the issues that often are the focus of conversations about staff retention and satisfaction, such as pay levels or workload.Also included in this report are case studies of two foundations whose SPR results were particularly strong: The Commonwealth Fund and The Skillman Foundation. These two foundations' staff members rated highly on satisfaction and a host of other dimensions

Understanding Teacher Morale

This study emerged from discussions within the Policy and Planning Council of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC), a research alliance between Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education and seven surrounding school divisions. The project has two goals. The first goal is to develop an understanding of the factors that impact teachers’ experience of their work in the current PK12 public school context. Although this topic could be, and has been, investigated through a number of lenses (e.g., burnout, trust, motivation), this project focuses on the idea of teacher morale, a choice that will be discussed in detail in the next section of the report. The study addresses the following three questions: 1. How do teachers experience job satisfaction and morale? 2. What are the dynamics between a teacher’s job related ideal and the professional culture of the school that support or hinder the experience of job satisfaction and morale? 3. How do differences between schools related to policy context and social context affect the dynamics of job satisfaction and morale? To answer these questions MERC assembled a research team comprised of a university researcher, graduate students, and a team of school personnel from the MERC school divisions. Over the course of two years, the team developed a conceptual framework for understanding teacher morale, designed a research study that involved observing and interviewing teachers (n=44) across three purposefully selected middle schools in the Richmond region, and then collected and analyzed the data. This report shares both the process and the findings of this collaborative research effort. The second goal of this research project is to support action by local policy makers, school division leaders, central office personnel, principals, and teachers. The study was commissioned by local school leaders not just to document and reflect on teacher morale, but more importantly to do something about it. As argued above, teachers and the conditions of teachers’ work matters for our students, our schools, and the well being of our communities and society. In this regard, this report is only one piece of this project’s action and impact plan. While the report does contain a series of recommendations based on findings and how they can be used, the release of the report is tied to additional dissemination and professional development efforts designed to effect change

Watch out for the preview: The effects of a preview on the usability of a Content Management System and on the user's confidence level

As time moves on, a trend crystallizes that sets new requirements on content management systems. The circle of users shifts from a small technically experienced group to a large network of inexperienced editors. Literature stresses that a higher need for usability is present if personnel with a low grade of human computer interaction expertise is using a system. But how can system designers accomplish a high level of usability? This study suggests a preview as an important factor for strengthening the usability (effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction) of a content management system. The findings of this study support the hypothesis: the results showed that a preview enhances the userspsila satisfaction with the system. Moreover, the study shows that the userspsila confidence to be able to work with the system is an important factor; the results showed positive correlations between confidence and satisfaction and between confidence and effectiveness

Houston Independent School District

Describes the data-driven Accelerating Student Progress, Increasing Results & Expectations (ASPIRE) program, which rewards educators for middle school students' academic growth relative to expectations. Reviews challenges, outcomes, and lessons learned

Customer Relationship Management and Service Quality: a qualitative study

This study examined customer relationship management effectiveness and Service quality on international customers in a single University in the UK higher education sector. We adopted the qualitative research design with focus group interview approach. Focus group discussions were carried out with twelve purposively sample units of analysis from the case University. The study primary data was analysed using thematic template technique with Nvivo 10. The study found that the CRM programme of the case University is effective following the various students‟ oriented social and academic programs. Findings also showed that its CRM program influenced international students‟ satisfaction and positive advocacy behaviour. The study found six emerging themes for evaluating customer relationship management effectiveness in the higher education sector. Thus, recommended the need for strategic policy makers in the higher education sector to enhance investments on building stronger customer relationship management infrastructure.KEYWORDS: Customer Relationship Management, Service Quality, Qualitative Stud

Jefferson Digital Commons quarterly report: October-December 2019

This quarterly report includes: Articles Dean\u27s Research Development Lunch Conference Dissertations Educational Materials From the Archives Grand Rounds and Lectures Journals and Newsletters Population Health Presentation Materials Posters Reports Symposiums What People are Saying About the Jefferson Digital Common