An Effective Investment: Teaching Study Skills to USAF Allied Health Professionals Prior to Extended Training

When study skills are formally taught to students, it enhances their ability to succeed both academically and in the workplace. The teaching of effective study skills can be accomplished in corporate training environments to enhance employee retention and learning capability

Do Academic Supervisors Know What Their Employees Want from Work?

Presenter will discuss the results of a survey which included respondents from the 2020 Academic Chairperson’s Conference on what employees want from work. Results were compared between what employees valued and what supervisors thought employees wanted from work. Conference participants will be asked to consider how the 10 work factors evaluated in this study impact their employees to include faculty. Additionally, we will discuss strategies focusing on key work factors to improve motivation

A Tale 3 Airlines: Customer Service in Summer 2022

Does customer service - good or bad - really matter? Customer surveys from Ryanair, Southwest and Spirit Airline passengers were examined to determine their perceptions on customer service for May through September 2022. Ryanair (n=71) and Southwest (n=102) were rated significantly higher than Spirit Airlines (n=263) in overall rating (

Workplace Bullying, Emotional Abuse, and Harassment in Fire Departments

Firefighters are heroes who save lives and protect property. They are highly revered in societies all around the world and perform under the most stressful of conditions. Drawing on literature from the United States (USA), this chapter reviews the culture, demographics and changing mission of the fire service as a backdrop to workplace harassment and bullying issues. The fire service has unique organizational dynamics that can lead to harassment and bullying and, at the same time, are the critical reasons for working to eliminate intentional and unintentional unfair treatment of women and minorities. Recent literature and studies show that the battle to eradicate harassment and bullying is far from over. More women than men perceived differential treatment based on gender, race and sexual orientation. Moreover, more women than men have reported ill-fitting equipment issues in multiple studies. Recommended solutions include ensuring harassment and bullying are not tolerated by verifying all know that a policy exists and how to follow it. Fire stations should be designed to ensure women have separate sleeping quarters and showers, which afford privacy. Fire station leadership should also ensure firefighting equipment issued to its members fit (to include female-sized equipment and turnout gear) so that firefighters have confidence that the equipment will protect them while they save others. The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has taken steps to identify areas of bullying and discrimination and is working diligently to enforce and develop effective strategies to mitigate these issues. Future research should include continued studies of the US fire service as well as studies of non-US fire services. Additional research should also focus on the effects of bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination on bystanders and volunteer firefighters

Identifying Sources of Anxiety in an Introductory Online Undergraduate Chemistry Course

Learning chemistry in an online environment may have multiple sources of anxiety for students, including chemistry anxiety, math anxiety, computer anxiety, and trait anxiety (personality attribute of proneness to experience anxiety). While previous research has explored relationships between math and chemistry anxiety in a traditional setting, no studies have explored these anxieties in the online modality. Survey data were collected using existing scales (some with minor modifications), with a response rate of 31%. The scales used in this study demonstrated strong reliability. Highest sources of anxiety for each scale were presented. The perceived ease of use scale score was used as the dependent variable. As perceived ease of use increased chemistry anxiety decreased. Furthermore, as chemistry anxiety increased, math, computer, and trait anxiety increased. As computer anxiety increased, perceived ease of use decreased. However, math and trait anxiety did not demonstrate this association. Demographic variables did not influence relationships in this study. To confirm these relationships, future research will explore the influence of these anxieties in online chemistry on learner outcomes, including final course grade and course persistence. The results of this study offer new evidence regarding the influence of multiple sources of anxiety in learning undergraduate chemistry in an online setting. By integrating this knowledge with online course design best practices, educators can provide students with a lower-anxiety learning environment

Does Significant Difference Hold True? Comparing Student Performance in Online vs. Traditional Science Courses

Meta-analysis studies comparing student outcomes in online and traditional courses indicate no significant difference (or a slight improvement in online courses

A Tale of Two Airlines: A Comparative Case Study of High-Road versus Low-Road Strategies in Customer Service and Reputation Management

Does customer service - good or bad - really matter? Customer surveys from Ryanair and Southwest Airline passengers were examined to determine their perceptions regarding customer service for the period of 2012-2013. Southwest Airlines (n=149) was rated significantly higher than Ryanair (n=165) in overall rating (p=.0228), seat comfort (

Preferred Learning Mode, Instructor Competence and Tuition Reimbursement: What our Faculty and Students are Telling Us

This research examined comments in open response areas from 228 faculty and 659 student surveys regarding learning mode preference (classroom, online, video synchronous) instructor competence with technology and the impact of tuition reimbursement on student choice of learning mode. Most faculty and students viewed traditional classroom as the best option for quality interaction and learning. EagleVision Home (synchronous video learning) courses were noted for increased social presence and online courses were viewed as the most flexible option to take a class. Faculty and students emphasized the need for interaction in distance learning environments. Members of both groups highlighted technical issues that impeded faculty and student interaction which hampered learning effectiveness. Some students indicated that online courses had the highest workload of any learning mode. Faculty and students emphasized the need for faculty training and competence with distance learning technologies. Veteran’s Affairs (VA) funded students stated that they would chose an EagleVision Classroom course over an online or EagleVision Home course specifically due to increased VA reimbursement for in-resident courses. Recommendations included conducting future research as new distance learning technologies are deployed. Additionally, future researchers should use qualitative research tools in conjunction with quantitative analysis to gain a more complete assessment of faculty and student perceptions

Unmanned Aerial Systems in the Fire Service: Concepts and Issues

The presentation will summarize current thinking on the application of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) in the Fire Service. Potential use of UASs to save lives, provide safety and save property has generated preliminary research in three major areas of the fire service to include aviation, structure and wildland scenarios. Roadblocks to the effective use of this technology will also be discussed to include possible command and control issues and governmental actions to limit the use of UASs due to aviation safety concerns. The presenters will recommend areas of future research and steps to implement this technology in the fire service. Keywords: Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs), incident command systems, fire, emergency services, National Airspace System integration. Notes: Authors will submit a completed research paper for potential inclusion in the International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics and Aerospace (IJAAA)

A Tale of Two Airlines: A Comparative Case Study of High-Road Versus Low-Road Strategies in Customer Service and Reputation Management

Customer surveys from Ryanair and Southwest Airline passengers were examined to determine their perceptions on customer service for the period of 2012-2013. Southwest Airlines (n=149) was rated significantly higher than Ryanair (n=165) in overall rating (p=.0228), seat comfort (p\u3c.0001), cabin/staff service (p\u3c.0001), and value (p=.0004). Additionally, passengers would recommend Southwest Airlines at a higher rate than Ryanair (p=.0006). Open area comments emphasized that customer service and policies had a large impact on the ratings. Specifically, 53% of Ryanair customers complained about inefficient or unwelcome processes and discourteous or unfriendly service compared to 29% for Southwest Airlines. Ryanair customers complained about check-in procedures, open seating policy, and fees ranging from oversized carry-on bags to fees for printing out boarding passes. The largest area of complaint for Southwest customers concerned how customers were treated for flight delays