Supporting organizational change: Fostering a more flexible approach to course delivery

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) adopted a flexible delivery policy in 1996. The main objective of the policy was to develop a more student‐centred approach to teaching and learning, since QUTs student population is predominantly part‐time, ‘mature age’, already in employment, and very diverse in cultural and academic background For many staff, the policy was threatening: staff were uncertain where they might begin to adapt their traditional face‐to‐face teaching approaches to overcome the limitations associated with time and place, and they were fearful that their teaching role and academic expertise might be superseded by a technological alternative. They lacked confidence to incorporate appropriate and relevant technologies in an innovative and effective way to support student learning objectives. This paper focuses on the implementation of QUTs policy. It highlights the role of a central services department, Teaching and Learning Support Services (TALSS), in providing training and fostering cultural change across the university. The implementation was guided by a model of flexible education and a set of principles underpinning a ‘whole of organization approach to flexible delivery. Strategies for supporting innovators, sharing experience across disciplines, co‐ordinating and focusing the support of educational developers, and embedding staff development processes are outlined The success and limitations of the organizational change strategy are summarized as ‘lessons learned’ to inform ongoing institutional policy and procedures

Disobedient mediation, A

2021 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Historically within the canon of art, specifically painting, the female form and ultimately female identity was understood in binary terms as being an opposite of the heroic male, conveyed as a commoditized trope of the feminine. There was a disruption to the canon of art in 1968 with the invention of the handheld Sony Portapak camcorder. Many female artists adapted video into their artmaking practice for its ability to become an effective communication medium. In its infancy, the medium of video was not yet dominated by male artists and was not taught in most art institutions. Thus, it represented a medium untainted by the baggage of art history. As a result, experimental video became a feminist medium which offered an alternative form of mediation to subvert the patriarchal artistic canon. Artists have the potential to be researchers of perception and Art can become an agent of mediation to breakdown subjective social orders that cloud our consciousness. My work aims to decode and expose the abstracted systems of femininity and the domestic by using the image processing mediums of video and paint. My paintings and videos unveil multiple emotional states from the same female-identifying psyche in order to examine intimate scenes of self-conflict which have been brought on by obsessive cultural programming. By using uncomfortable representations of the domestic and the figure I also intend to highlight the psychological trauma and disrupt the patriarchal lens that is inherent within the canon of art

The Opportunity Cost of Developmental Deed Restrictions for Minnesota Private Forest Owners

1 electronic resource (PDF; 33 pages)The cost of an eight-year developmental deed restriction for nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) owners in Minnesota was estimated by examining the property tax records from 1,200 landowners (1,341 parcels) who enrolled in one of two property tax incentive programs that promote sustainable forest management in 2009. The requirements of these two programs, the Minnesota Sustainable Forest Incentive Act (SFIA) and Minnesota 2c Managed Forest Lands (2c), are identical in nearly every respect except for the minimum enrollment period. The SFIA program requires forest landowners to place a covenant on their property deeds, restricting them from developing their land for a minimum of eight years. The 2c program had no such minimum enrollment period. However, landowners are prohibited from developing their properties while enrolled in the 2c program. The coexistence of these two preferential forest property tax programs provided a unique opportunity to analyze the enrollment choices landowners made and the associated property tax consequences. Each enrolled parcel was classified according to its actual tax savings associated with the landowner’s preferred property tax program (the SFIA or 2c program). Then each parcel’s potential tax savings (or loss) were calculated by assuming it had been enrolled in the SFIA program. Comparing the potential tax savings (or loss) to actual tax savings (or loss) enabled each forest landowner to be classified according to the enrollment decision it should have made if the objective was to minimize its annual property tax liability. While studies have repeatedly shown NIPF ownership motivations include a mix of objectives that are not purely financial (Baughman 1988, Kilgore et al. 2007, Butler 2008). However, this study analyzes a sample of forest landowners’ decisions from a purely financial perspective to quantify the opportunity cost of an eight-year covenant recorded on their property deeds. By linking enrollment choices to the parcel-specific annual property tax savings associated with each program, we estimated the value NIPF owners place on the temporary loss of developmental rights. This study found that a majority of the landowners in our study were willing to forego substantial annual property tax savings ($422 on average) in order to avoid the deed restriction required by the SFIA program. A logistic regression model was developed to identify significant determinants of choosing the SFIA program over the 2c program and estimate the probability of enrollment in the SFIA program over the 2c program. Developmental pressure, as measured by two proximate variables and the level of annual financial savings offered by each program, were highly significant variables in predicting a landowner’s enrollment decision.Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Agricultural Experimental Station and the University of Minnesota Grant-in-Aid Research Program

SEEKING HUMANITY AND FREEDOM AN EXAMINATION OF PRISON WORK ENVIRONMENTS & MATURE COPING IN INCARCERATED WORKERS

Work has taken place in prison environments throughout the history corrections in the United States. Literature on work in prisons usually frames it as a positive means to keep incarcerated individuals busy, teach vocational skills, and maintain prison operations. While research has examined prison environments for incarcerated individuals, no studies have directly examined incarcerated worker perceptions of their work environments. Additionally, research on positive environments or niches (Toch, 1977) within prison have not been linked to measures of intermediate positive change. One concept for measuring intermediate change is mature coping (Johnson, 2002; Johnson, Rocheleau, & Martin, 2016). However, a comprehensive operationalized and validated measure of mature coping has not yet been established.This research addresses the gap in the literature on incarcerated worker perceptions of their work environments and experiences and analyzes the relationship between those perceptions of the work environment and individual levels of mature coping. A mixed method approach was utilized to examine these questions. Surveys of incarcerated workers (n=607) were conducted containing scale measures of work environment, organizational culture, work socialsupport, work satisfaction, and mature coping. These survey results were analyzed using regression models to examine the connections between perceptions of work, work satisfaction, and mature coping. Interviews with incarcerated workers (n=127) were also conducted and analyzed for themes to further examine incarcerated worker perceptions of work, work environments, and the connection to mature coping.This study found that prison work environments can function as positive niches within the larger prison setting when they possess the characteristics of a positive work environment, organizational culture social support, and positive levels of incarcerated worker satisfaction. Additionally, the study found a positive relationship between these positive environments and individual levels of mature coping in incarcerated workers. Implications from these findings as well as policy recommendations and recommendations for future research are discussed

Dermal absorption of selected chemicals under experimental and human exposure conditions to facilitate risk assessment and the development of standards for soil: Final comprehensive report: Findings, analyses, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations on; A. chromium B. benzo[a]pyrene C. phthalate esters D. polychlorinated byphenyls

A literature review of skin permeation data derived from experimental and human exposure studies of chromium, benzo[a]pyrene, phthalate esters, and polychlorinated biphenyls was conducted under sponsorship of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. This survey of the literature had two primary objectives: 1. To gather data to provide a basis for making risk assessments of these agents as soil contaminants. 2. To delineate possible areas for future research. These percutaneous absorption data provide a means for assessing the potential systemic toxic effects that can occur following dermal exposure to the agents. In addition, this review and compilation of health effects was extended to include direct effects on the skin per se as a target organ of toxicity