Master of Science

thesisSurvey research methodology was used to elucidate the practices and opinions of speech-language pathologists (SLP) regarding intervention programming addressing social communication and the inclusion of peers for children who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Survey sections included a) demographics, b) general information regarding AAC, and c) practices regarding addressing social communication and peer interactions in intervention. Results of the study indicated that, although SLPs are addressing social communication and are including peers in intervention, more can be done to individualize intervention for children who require AAC. Further, SLPs were asked questions regarding the means available, opportunities, and instruction provided to children who require AAC who were characterized as "active" or "passive" communicators. Differences were noted in the findings with regard to the services provided to children who require AAC and their communication style. Additionally, results of the current investigation highlight specific problems regarding why SLPs are not including peers in intervention. The clinical practices reported by the participants in this investigation were compared to information that has been reported in the literature as best practice regarding intervention for children who require AAC. Ultimately, the study provides a framework for future research in developing social competence in individuals requiring an AAC system

Creating Connections to Enhance International Student Sense of Belonging

This is a critical action research thesis proposal that explores international student sense of belonging at a United States University campus. As someone who has studied and lived abroad, I understand firsthand the importance of the relationships we foster and how having someone to lean on can be beneficial when you are in a new place. International students do everything in their power to come study in the United States, yet are met with endless barriers due to the laws the government has in place as well as the broader environment of higher education in U.S. society. They want to be here, and we want them to be here, so why is it that we cannot make the adaption process easier for them? This thesis looks at current events and research from the field, as well as historical data, to give insight into why these students might not have a sense of belonging. I then explore the different ways in which international students can foster a sense of belonging on an institution’s campus and propose an intervention for the university setting. My proposed intervention is a mentorship program, that will attempt to give international students that sense of belonging on a United States University campus

Case 3 : Providing Continuing Professional Development in a Developing Country – The One Health Initiative

In Musanze, Rwanda, two NGOs, Gorilla Doctors and Docs4GreatApes, are working on the One Health Initiative to indirectly protect the endangered mountain gorillas. They aim to build capacity and strengthen the public health care of the people who live in close proximity to the gorillas’ habitat. By creating healthier human populations, there will be less risk of disease transmission, such as TB or parasites, to the gorillas, and the overall well-being and development of the area will be improved. An unpublished study by Western University in 2010 identified areas in the public health system in Rwanda that health care professionals felt were lacking necessary knowledge and experience. The goal of the “VirungaOne” initiative is to develop and deliver continuing professional development (CPD) modules to train the nurses who work in the local health centres. This case focuses on the issues Dr. Rick Quinn, the founding director of Docs4GreatApes, faced in discovering the most culturally appropriate and efficacious way to design and deliver the CPD training in a resource-poor setting. It centers around health promotion through education, while incorporating aspects of social determinants of health, environmental health, community health assessment and program evaluation, and aboriginal health

Who does what now? How physics lab instruction impacts student behaviors

While laboratory instruction is a cornerstone of physics education, the impact of student behaviours in labs on retention, persistence in the field, and the formation of students' physics identity remains an open question. In this study, we performed in-lab observations of student actions over two semesters in two pedagogically different sections of the same introductory physics course. We used a cluster analysis to identify different categories of student behaviour and analyzed how they correlate with lab structure and gender. We find that, in lab structures which fostered collaborative group work and promoted decision making, there was a task division along gender lines with respect to laptop and equipment usage (and found no such divide among students in guided verification labs).Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 3 table

A cross-sectional analysis of pharmaceutical industry-funded events for health professionals in Australia

Objectives: To analyse patterns and characteristics of pharmaceutical industry sponsorship of events for Australian health professionals and to understand the implications of recent changes in transparency provisions that no longer require reporting of payments for food and beverages. Design: Cross-sectional analysis. Participants and setting: 301 publicly available company transparency reports downloaded from the website of Medicines Australia, the pharmaceutical industry trade association, covering the period from October 2011 to September 2015. Results: Forty-two companies sponsored 116 845 events for health professionals, on average 608 per week with 30 attendees per event. Events typically included a broad range of health professionals: 82.0% included medical doctors, including specialists and primary care doctors, and 38.3% trainees. Oncology, surgery and endocrinology were the most frequent clinical areas of focus. Most events (64.2%) were held in a clinical setting. The median cost per event was $A263 (IQR$A153–1195) and over 90% included food and beverages. Conclusions: Over this 4-year period, industry-sponsored events were widespread and pharmaceutical companies maintained a high frequency of contact with health professionals. Most events were held in clinical settings, suggesting a pervasive commercial presence in everyday clinical practice. Food and beverages, known to be associated with changes to prescribing practice, were almost always provided. New Australian transparency provisions explicitly exclude meals from the reporting requirements; thus, a large proportion of potentially influential payments from pharmaceutical companies to health professionals will disappear from public view