Flexible working policies and environments in UK Local Authorities: current practice

The research surveys the uptake of 'modern' or flexible working practices in UK Local Authorities, especially as it impacts on property and office accommodation. Nearly all permit flexible starting and finishing times for as many employees as is practical while forms of accredited hours working for at least some appropriate employees are policy in a majority. Flexible practices with property and ICT implications, working from home without a dedicated work station, formal policies, 'hot' desking, flexible offices and satellite or drop-in offices are less common (ca 10%) but have grown significantly in the last two years. A number of councils also report being at the stage of planning pilots. Five detailed case studies are reported. Three authorities have expanding strategic programmes for 'workstyle' changes or new ways of working. One has shifted its emphasis away from such plans toward higher density office usage only and one was awaiting the election result before anticipated permission to start. These cases do all come from authorities in areas of much higher than average property values and costs. While they have seen savings, they emphasise that the initiatives were equally about better work life balance and improved office environments. Green benefits and service enhancements are harder to quantify but are believed to have been achieved. Higher density of net space utilisation has uniformly been achieved. Executive commitment and clear member support are seen as critical strategic success factors. Clear liaison between HR, Property/ Facilities and ICT has been essential to operational success. Entrenched management attitudes and, at least initially, staff reluctance to change, are cited as the major drawbacks. Accounting and valuation practices can also be a barrier. Similar messages are provided by a variety of pilots, some undertaken deliberately as strategic tests, others as much more of an ad hoc response to local circumstances. Most have not, or not yet, seen net office space reduced. The more successful pilots were not 'just' either property or HR policy initiatives: indeed there is some evidence that initiatives involving only one of the two functions have been less successful. Service areas most frequently cited as being involved in changes are various property functions. Trading Standards and Social Services are other areas where the real or potential development of flexible working and shared desking is highlighted though the latter in particular is also cited as an area where workers in the office have particular mutual support needs. Higher density officing for less mobile workers is, in principle, an option more widely available. Workplace strategy should reflect future service delivery models, asset management plans and organisational development. New ways of working have been a tool for achieving changes in culture and delivery, but were, and are, a challenge to traditional mindsets. They will involve senior property professionals in a range of issues with which they have not traditionally been associated. Future property and workplace strategy will be driven by an authority's service models and aspirations as to working culture: but will also be a tool, alongside organisational development (OD) and ICT, to achieve change and improvement

Assessing the perceived impact of Computer-Assisted Instruction on physical therapy education

Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) is becoming more common in allied health education. Research on CAI has provided mixed results. The purpose of this study was to compare uses of CAI in entry-level physical therapist (PT) and physical therapist assistant (PTA) programs. Secondary purposes included determining faculty attitudes toward CAI, determining how faculty select and evaluate CAI, and describing faculty perceptions of CAI and the computer-based licensing exam. Results indicate no significant differences in the amount of CAI in PT and PTA programs. Positive aspects reported include improved knowledge of technology and improved independence with information gathering. Negative aspects reported include cost and lack of time for integration. Respondents indicate that CAI can develop higher-level thinking skills when designed and integrated appropriately, however respondents agree that psychomotor skills should not be taught via CAI. Respondents were unsure whether high or low aptitude students benefit more from CAI, and they were unsure whether one type of learning style (auditory, visual, or kinesthetic) benefits more. Results indicate that programs do not have formal selection criteria, and evaluation procedures reported included student outcomes and course evaluations. Finally, 64% of PT and 56% of PTA respondents indicated CAI adequately prepares students for the licensing exam, and 34% of PT and 40% of PTA respondents indicated the computer-based licensing exam influenced their decision to integrate CAI. Six concepts describing participant\u27s perceptions of CAI in physical therapy education emerged from qualitative data. They were: (1) CAI develops computer skills, (2) CAI is an instructional tool, (3) CAI improves communication, (4) CAI can provide factual learning, but the instructor must use the CAI so that higher-level skills are attained, (5) Instructors must consider the context before integrating CAI, and (6) CAI has limitations

Promoting metacognitive regulation through an on-line environment

The constantly evolving world of work is causing a great deal of emphasis on the need for graduating students to demonstrate a range of generic skills to enable them to be both employable and able to adapt easily to new requirements. However, research indicates that secondary schooling is not preparing students adequately for learning independently. This study sought to explore strategies for developing and supporting the metacognitive skills of higher education students. In particular, it sought to explore how university students\u27 cognitive self-regulation could be supported in an on-line environment designed to engage them in the self-monitoring integral to metacognitive development. The field of selfregulation and metacognition was explored through a literature review leading to the articulation of an instructional model for metacognitive development. This model was used as the basis for the design of an on-line environment, Mark-UP, that had students annotate and transform text-based readings to engage them in the monitoring processes that are integral to metacognitive regulation within the domain of reading comprehension. An inquiry was undertaken in the form of design-based research. A product was designed, developed, and trialed. The methodology, a form of action research, involved the exploration of two aims. One aim was narrow and focused on the usability of the product and the value subjects placed on it. The second aim sought to explore how the product engaged learners in monitoring their learning. There were 126 subjects participated in the research. Data was gathered in the forms of a questionnaire about subjects\u27 self-perceptions as self-regulating and their attitudes to Mark-UP, interviews with 12 subjects, and subjects\u27 portfolios of work developed as they used the product. Data was interpreted through a constant comparative approach to develop understandings about how subjects used the product and its value as an environment to promote the planning, monitoring, and evaluation within cognitive selfmonitoring. Findings revealed that Mark-UP was an effective means of engaging subjects in the processes of metacognitive planning, monitoring, and evaluation. However, the experience of using Mark-UP was not the same for all subjects and differences were found in outcomes among the diverse range of subjects. The research provided the basis for the formulation of guidelines forfuture implementations of the product and for further research into metacognitive regulation. Some refinements to the interface of Mark-UP are proposed as well as suggestions for further exploration into the area of metacognitive regulation of learning are made. Specifically Mark-UP was found to be most valuable for learners who are metacognitively moderate rather than those who might be weak or strong. The findings suggested that flexibility is needed to provide an adequate level of scaffolding for weaker learners while allowing metacognitively stronger students the opportunity to practice existing regulatory strategies. It was also found that the cyclical process of planning, monitoring, and evaluation is an ongoing one that requires learning environments to provide regular feedback to stimulate these processes. The study found that the affective components of self-regulation are integral to the development of metacognitive regulation, leading to the conclusion that future environments to develop metacognition should incorporate elements to meet learners\u27 needs with regard to self-concept, motivation, and the development of volitional strategies

Situating mHealth in the workplace: a coordination studies perspective

A central assumption of extant mHealth literature is that the technology empowers health care staff and leads to increased efficiency in service delivery. This assumption foregrounds the transformative potential of mHealth and the active appropriation of the technology, but obscures how it integrates with existing workplace arrangements. To interrogate the limitations of this dominant assumption, this research examines how mHealth is coordinated in the workplace in practice, and the perceptions and experiences of health care staff of the place mHealth takes in their daily concerns. In this way the research reveals how existing workplace arrangements influence the way that mHealth operates in practice, and builds on extant research to clarify how this can shift responsibility for the success of the implementation onto those staff with the least recognition and security. An interpretive case study explores the coordination of mHealth in the workplace, and analyses unexpected outcomes to identify their implications for theory and practice. In order to highlight this phenomenon the research focussed on the experiences of the clinic staff who were responsible for mHealth implementation, but were not the end users and who did not receive direct benefits themselves. The analysis drew on coordination studies to identify social and artefact-based coordination mechanisms, as well as the significance of relationships in mHealth in the workplace, yielding robust evidence that social coordination mechanisms rather than the fitness for purpose of the specific technology shaped the coordination process. Issues arising from the specific setting also influenced coordination in important ways that were not predicted in the official training material. The research makes three theoretical contributions that advance understanding of mHealth in the workplace through abduction. First, it identifies two novel coordination mechanisms: role flexibility and covert routines. Second, through the novel concept of multiple accountability, it challenges one of the key integrative principles proposed in the coordination studies perspective, problematising it and proposing that relationships between health intermediaries and local communities are far more influential for the coordination of mHealth than extant theory has so far proposed. Third, it carries important implications for future mHealth (and, more broadly, technology coordination) scholarship, providing evidence that existing coordination mechanisms and relationships may be as influential as the transformative potential of the technology itself. The research also contributes to practice by enhancing understanding of how health intermediaries may be empowered to effectively employ mHealth in the workplace. In a context of policy and funding uncertainty, this research contributes to an emerging literature identifying the practical mHealth issues primary health care staff face in a resource-poor environment, interrogating approaches that fail to recognise these realities

Implementing computer assisted cognitive remediation in a high secure forensic psychiatric setting

Introduction This thesis has two aims. The first was to systematically review the literature on the effect of computer assisted cognitive remediation (CACR) for schizophrenia on psychosocial functioning, with a focus on methodological quality and efficacy. The second aim was to evaluate the implementation of CACR in a high secure forensic setting. Method Database searches and hand searches returned 16 randomised controlled trials of CACR that included a functional outcome measure. These were reviewed against predefined quality criteria and effect sizes were calculated. In addition, an uncontrolled pre-post test design was used to evaluate the implementation of CACR in a high secure forensic hospital. Attrition rates, predictors of attrition, and participant feedback were evaluated, along with symptom and functional outcomes. Results The systematic review found a range of methodological limitations. Studies that did not share these limitations did not provide evidence that CACR improves psychosocial functioning. However, CACR may be effective in improving functional outcomes when delivered alongside interventions targeting functional skills. The experimental study found a high attrition rate; poor adherence to the treatment protocol; no clinical, risk or demographic factors to distinguish treatment completers from those dropping out during treatment; and few improvements to performance on treatment activities or functional outcome measures. Conclusion The systematic review indicates that more methodologically rigorous research is required. Future studies with a general psychiatric population should examine the effect of CACR delivered in conjunction with interventions that aim to develop functional skills. Motivational deficits may have undermined the outcomes of the experimental study and it will be important to ensure the delivery of CACR in forensic psychiatric settings is designed to incorporate strategies for enhancing motivation. In addition, using CACR to target functional outcomes may be inappropriate within a high secure forensic setting. The role of CACR as in managing risk and enhancing the outcomes of other interventions should be explored

Proceedings of the 1993 Conference on Intelligent Computer-Aided Training and Virtual Environment Technology, Volume 1

These proceedings are organized in the same manner as the conference's contributed sessions, with the papers grouped by topic area. These areas are as follows: VE (virtual environment) training for Space Flight, Virtual Environment Hardware, Knowledge Aquisition for ICAT (Intelligent Computer-Aided Training) & VE, Multimedia in ICAT Systems, VE in Training & Education (1 & 2), Virtual Environment Software (1 & 2), Models in ICAT systems, ICAT Commercial Applications, ICAT Architectures & Authoring Systems, ICAT Education & Medical Applications, Assessing VE for Training, VE & Human Systems (1 & 2), ICAT Theory & Natural Language, ICAT Applications in the Military, VE Applications in Engineering, Knowledge Acquisition for ICAT, and ICAT Applications in Aerospace

Proceedings of the 25th International Seminar of the ISME Commission on Research. Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil

This book includes twenty-three contributions developed form papers presented at the 2014 Research Commission Seminar of the International Society for Music Education (ISME). This was the 25th biennial ISME Research Commission Seminar, making it the most established research gathering of its type in the world. Over three hundred and seventy pages of peer-reviewed contributions are penned by scholars from the five continents working in the field’s state-of-the-art. Embracing diverse methodologies authors focus on topics including early childhood, inclusion, creativity, performance, perception, instrumental teaching, teacher education, primary, post-primary and informal education. Founded in 1954, affiliated to UNESCO and present in over eighty countries, ISME is the premiere international organisation for music education