Gender Composition and Salary Gaps in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Institutions

While the presence of information technology (IT) work is ubiquitous in libraries, an increase in the number of male-dominated IT jobs has not increased the percentage of men (37%) working in female-dominated research libraries. Instead, the introduction of IT work may have resulted in a reorganization of librarians into gendered areas of specialization, changing the nature and degree of gender segregation within the occupation and potentially widening the overall pay gap between male and female librarians. Using data from the ARL Salary Survey, gender compositions and salary gaps of library positions between 1985 and 2010 were compared. Twelve of 17 library positions lost male workers, balancing the gain of men in library IT positions and contributing to a reordering of workers by gender into specializations. At the same time, gender segregation based on vertical hierarchy decreased, as did gender salary gaps. While library IT positions are disproportionately male, women are paid slightly more than men. When compared to similar occupations from the Current Population Survey, library IT positions have a higher percentages of female workers and smaller wage gaps

A Needs Assessment Of The Knowledge, Skills And Use Of Finance Competencies By Human Performance Technology Practitioners

A comprehensive needs assessment method was used in this empirical and evidence base research. The design, development and implementation of this study focused on answering two overarching questions: (1) What finance knowledge do HPT practitioners possess? and (2) How do HPT practitioners use their finance knowledge and skills in their work? An online survey was administered to obtain answers directly from practicing HPT professionals. Sixty seven HPT practitioners participated in the online survey. Every question in the survey, except the demographic and the three open ended questions, sought two levels of answers: Current State (What) and Future Importance (How) of knowledge, skills and use of finance by HPT practitioners. HPT practitioners who are members and non members of the International Society of Performance Improvement (ISPI) were the target population of this research. The sampling frame of this study was the 18,000 subscribers of the ISPI monthly newsletter - PerformanceXpress. An Invitation To Participate was published in PerformanceXpress twice, in January and February, 2010 issues. A prize drawing of five $50.00 VISA gift cards was offered to entice participation. Zoomerang, the Web based online survey software, was used to collect data from participants. According to the Zoomerang final report, there were 330 visits, 89 complete and 14 incomplete surveys. After screening the raw data, there were 67 usable cases for quantitative analysis. This sample size equated to a 95% Confidence Level and +/- 11.95% margin of error to the sample frame population. Survey questions for this research were adapted from Rothwell\u27s Self-Assessment Inventory in the ASTD Models for Human Performance (Alexandria, VA, The American Society for Training and Development, 1999). The content of the online instrument was validated by three expert HPT practitioners. Followed by two reliability tests, (1) five practicing HPT professionals participated in the pilot and (2) a statistical reliability test was conducted to check the internal consistency of survey questions after the closing of the online survey. All feedback from practitioners was considered and changes were made to the survey questions. Changes made were mainly cosmetic and confusing wordings so that the originality of questions was maintained. The IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18 was used to conduct the second reliability test. Cronbach\u27s alpha of .985 of Current State N=38 and .975 of Future Importance N=38 were obtained. Further, Cronbach\u27s alpha ranged from .825 to .957 and was obtained for the 10 dependent variables. Principal factors extraction with Varimax rotation was performed by using SPSS version 18 on 38 items for the sample of 67 in this study. Principal components extraction was used to extract estimated factor components. The sample of this study obtained the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Adequacy score of .95 and the Bartlet\u27s Test of Sphericity score of χ2 (703) = 6205.66, ρ˂ .01 Three components were extracted. The cumulative variance of 79.53% was explained. With a cutoff of .30, all of the variables were loaded in 3 factor components. Although a few survey questions could be combined, eliminated and/or distributed differently among the 3 factor components, after careful consideration, the researcher decided to maintain all the variables as planned and proceeded with the Gap Analysis. This decision was influenced mostly by (1) the small sample size, (2) the high consistency and reliability of the sample responses, and (3) the suggested factor loadings in each component which were congruent with the overarching questions of this research. The gap analysis was conducted by using Stata Data Analysis and Statistical (Stata) software version 10 Hotelling T2 on the ten dependant variables. All of the ten dependent variables obtained the result of T2 = 146.64; F (10,12) = 13.66, p˂ .001, which confirmed and supported the significance of difference between Current State and Future Importance collectively. Next, SPSS version 18 t-test was conducted to obtain individual scores for each of the ten variables. All ten variables obtained statistical significant results ranging from mean scores of -6.03 to -9.82. These results confirmed the need of finance competencies of HPT practitioners. Further, SPSS version 18 was used to conduct a MANCOVA procedure on finding the effect of participants\u27 primary job role and their answers. There was no statistical significance of MANCOVA found. Lastly, the participant feedback on the 3 open ended questions were reviewed and examined. Themes that emerged from the responses to the open-ended questions emphasized the need to link performance to corporate finance, to measure human capital, and to speak the language of finance. The statistical results of this research suggested immediate attention and future research in knowledge, skills and use of finance, not only by HPT practitioners, but also by instructional designers and training professionals. The significance and implications of this research in instructional design, training and HPT were discussed thoroughly in Chapter 5. Most of all, the researcher highlighted and emphasized the pivotal need for the balance of research and practice in our field. Various suggestions were made for future implementations and studies in HPT practice and evidence based research: (1) understand thoroughly what practitioners have to face daily in the workplace, (2) link practice to the theory and research, (3) strengthen the practice with empirical based research, (4) uncover new areas, and (5) arm practitioners with repeatable and practical principles

DRAFT Report:Community Systems Strengthening Toward a Research Agenda

Communities have a long history of acting to preserve and promote the health of their members. Public health researchers, programmers, and funders are increasingly recognizing that community involvement is essential to improving health, especially among populations that are disproportionately affected by HIV. The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, together with civil society organizations and other development partners, created the Community Systems Strengthening (CSS) Framework to help Global Fund applicants frame, define, and quantify efforts to strengthen community contributions engagement (Global Fund 2011). Although the use of a CSS approach in health programming implementation shows promise, it lacks a theoretical framework to guide collaborations with communities. Additionally, it suffers from a paucity of program designs and evaluation practices, an incomplete evidence-based rationale for investing in CSS, and imprecise definitions (e.g., what is meant by “community” and “CSS”).The purpose of this paper is to highlight promising areas for future research related to CSS. Toward this objective, we propose to lay a foundation for a CSS research agenda by using theories and approaches relevant to CSS, reinforced with evidence from projects that employ similar approaches

Analytics in the Business School: Insights from the Literature

The demand for business and data analysts is growing. The business school is well positioned to offer programs to meet these needs. This paper presents both the findings from a review of the existing literature on data analytics job roles, skills required for those roles and also feedback from industry experts on findings. Three different types of articles are included in the design: faculty writing about their personal experiences and observations (faculty voice), data gathered from expert practitioners and other academics (nonresident expertise), and empirical data from online job service platforms (content analysis). The narrative review method is used to integrate these disparate sources of information and deliver cohesive observations. This knowledge can be used to build better analytics programs in business schools

Inpatient mental health professionals\u27 perceptions of the discharge planning process

This study investigated perceptions of the discharge planning process by mental health professionals in a regional inpatient mental health service. The burden of mental illness in Australia is growing, with a corresponding increase in demand for services. Continuity of care and effective discharge planning for people with serious and enduring mental illness is considered a complex and multifaceted process. The aims of this study were to identify actual and ideal stakeholder involvement in the discharge planning process; timing and commencement of discharge planning; frequency of discharge activities; and barriers to efficient discharge planning in the inpatient mental health care setting. A review of relevant literature found overlap and a strong interrelationship in the concepts, definitions and key components of the discharge planning process and continuity of care. A questionnaire was developed for the study that was based on the themes and findings identified in the literature. Response scales were developed for most items on the questionnaire. Those questions without response scales sought participant comments related to particular sections within the questionnaire. Parametric testing of the data was undertaken using basic descriptive statistics, T-tests for matched pairs, reliability analysis of scales, and correlations. Comments provided by participants highlighted issues and gave additional meaning and depth to the quantitative data. The findings of the study identified a need for improved communication and care coordination between all stakeholders involved in the care and planning of discharge for people admitted to the acute inpatient mental health units. High bed demand and pressure to discharge patients prematurely was found to negatively impact on discharge planning. The study also identified a significant gap between actual and ideal involvement of stakeholders in the discharge planning process, and problems associated with timely and effective communication in everyday clinical practice. Barriers to efficient discharge planning were found to impact on the discharge process and limit involvement of patients, carers, hospital health care professionals and community care providers. The study concluded that inpatient mental health workers desire greater involvement in the planning of care, particularly as it relates to preparation for discharge. Perceptions of inequality in the level of involvement and care coordination within the multidisciplinary team lead to feelings of frustration and dissatisfaction, particularly among nurses. Stakeholders directly aligned with the inpatient setting tend to have more involvement in discharge planning than those stakeholders who are community based and who are external to the mental health service organisation. The study also concluded that when discharge planning begins earlier during hospitalisation, barriers related to time, ward factors and communication will have less of a negative affect on the outcome of discharge planning. Discharge planning becomes more effective when communication is more efficient, sufficient time is given to prepare, and relevant stakeholders (including hospital and community health care professionals, the patient and family) become involved earlier in the discharge planning process. Good discharge planning and the facilitation of continuity of care is regarded by mental health professionals as the responsibility of all stakeholders at all levels - this includes the organisation, individual mental health workers, the patient and their family and friends

Regenerating the academic workforce: the careers, intentions and motivations of higher degree research students in Australia

Abstract The main findings of this report are based on the outcomes from the National Research Student Survey (NRSS) conducted in June 2010 across 38 of the 39 universities in Australia. In total 11,710 Higher Degree by Research students (those enrolled in PhD and masters by research degrees, also referred to simply as ‘research students’ in this report) responded to the NRSS, providing a 25.5 per cent response rate across the country. These response numbers represent the largest collection of survey responses from research students ever undertaken in Australia. The report primarily explores the career intentions and motivations of these students. It provides particular emphasis on the interests of Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students (referred to in this report as ‘research students’) in following an academic career on completion of their degree and the support they have received in terms of preparation for university teaching during their candidature. In the context of growing student enrolments and the large numbers of predicted retirements associated with an ageing academic workforce there is a need to examine the career intentions of research students. This report explores the extent to which the current cohort of research students may be a source of replenishment for the academic profession in the context of an ageing academic workforce. It is important to remember that the traditional notion of an academic being someone who has made a linear transition from school to university, to a HDR and on to academia is outdated. Research students come to the HDR from a diverse variety of professional backgrounds and have equally diverse aspirations for their careers after gaining their qualification. Some research students m y already be working in universities in an academic capacity. Many intend to use their research degree as a springboard to a career outside of the university sector. Others undertake a research degree out of interest in the subject matter and simply for the pleasure of studying at an advanced level. Nevertheless, those research students who aspire to an academic career do represent an important source of future academics. The findings of this report raise a number of crucial issues relating to the research degree in Australian universities, the career aspirations of research students and potential issues for the future of the academic workforce over the coming decade. Recommended Citation Edwards, Daniel; Bexley, Emmaline; and Richardson, Sarah, "Regenerating the academic workforce: the careers, intentions and motivations of higher degree research students in Australia: findings of the National Research Student Survey (NRSS)" (2011). http://research.acer.edu.au/higher_education/2