Samarbeidsteknologi og organisasjonslæring : en studie av hva slags betydning bruk av IKT-mediert samarbeidslæring i undervisningen kan ha for organisatoriske læringsprosesser i en utdanningsorganisasjon

Problemområde Avhandlingen fokuserer på organisatoriske endringsprosesser i en utdanningsorganisasjon som bruker ny teknologi i undervisningen, og hva slags betydning bruk av såkalt IKT-mediert samarbeidslæring har for organisatorisk endring og læring. I offentlig retorikk, blant annet gjennom Stortingsmelding 27 (2000-2001), forventes IKT å ha en rolle som katalysator i endring og modernisering av utdanning. Denne antakelsen belyses i denne avhandlingen. Det organisasjonslæringsteoretiske teorigrunnlaget hentes fra Argyris og Schön (1978, 1996), mens IKT-mediert samarbeidslæring drøftes i lys av sosiokulturell læringsteori med utgangspunkt i Säljö (2001). Problemstillingen er som følger: Hva slags betydning har bruk av IKT-mediert samarbeidslæring i undervisningen for organisasjonslæring i en utdanningsorganisasjon? Metode Denne problemstillingen belyses empirisk. Den empiriske undersøkelsen baserer seg på en kvalitativ innholdsanalyse av dokumenter, samt kvalitative intervjuer. Data/Kilder Dataene er hentet fra en utdanningsorganisasjon på Universitetet i Oslo: Avdeling for praktisk-pedagogisk utdanning (PPU) ved Institutt for lærerutdanning og skoleutvikling (ILS). PPU gjennomførte i perioden 2000-2003 et større endringsprosjekt, der omstilling i retning av en mer praksisnær utdanning, ved hjelp av IKT som endringskatalysator, var det mest sentrale trekket ved prosjektet. Dokumentanalysen bygger hovedsakelig på prosjektrapporter og -evalueringer skrevet av prosjektledelsen, men også på følgeforskning knyttet til prosjektet. I tillegg har jeg intervjuet to deltakere i prosjektet. Resultater/hovedkonklusjoner Dataene antyder at det har skjedd store organisatoriske endringer på ILS i prosjektperioden. I første rekke er det det nye pedagogiske opplegget med mappevurdering og casearbeid, som tillegges mest betydning som pådriver for endringene. IKT-elementene i studiet, med hovedvekt læringsplattformen It’s Learning, rapporteres også å ha hatt betydning. Blant annet så antyder dataene at utviklingen av det pedagogiske opplegget ikke kunne ha kommet så langt uten bruk av læringsplattformen. Bruk av IKT-mediert samarbeidslæring i undervisningen har hatt betydning for de organisatoriske læringsprosessene i PPU. Hovedgrunnen synes å være at bruk av IKT-mediert samarbeidslæring har vært et avgjørende element i de organisasjonsdialektiske prosessene. Videre antydes det at bruk av IKT-mediert samarbeidslæring har hatt en viktig betydning for organisatorisk dobbelkretslæring, gjennom å ha tilført det øvrige pedagogiske opplegget en kvalitativt ny dimensjon. Dessuten har samarbeidsteknologien hatt betydning for organisatorisk enkeltkretslæring, siden den har inngått som en del av nye strategier for oppnåelse av de overordnede målene med prosjektet. Når det gjelder organisatorisk deutrolæring, synes det som om samarbeidsteknologien i relativt liten grad har hatt betydning. Resultatene er riktignok forbundet med en relativt stor grad av usikkerhet. Bakgrunnen for dette er at flere forhold bidrar til å svekke undersøkelsen. Eksempelvis så er det vanskelig å vurdere hvorvidt dataene i dokumentene og intervjuene er reliable og valide, og resultatene kan kun generaliseres til organisasjoner som har klare likhetstrekk med PPU. Resultatene i denne avhandlingen kan derfor tolkes som indisier på at bruk av IKT-mediert samarbeidslæring kan ha avgjørende betydning for organisasjonslæring i en utdanningsorganisasjon av ILS sin type. Samtidig må denne betydningen ses i relasjon til det øvrige didaktiske opplegget i organisasjonen. Disse resultatene kan sies å være i tråd med tidligere forskning, som peker på at IKT alene ikke fører til særlige forandringer av utdanningssektoren. Det hevdes at IKT kan være en faktor som kan bidra til varig organisatorisk endring, men dette er avhengig av et samspill med flere andre faktorer

A quantum mechanical model of the upper bounds of the cascading contribution to the second hyperpolarizability

Microscopic cascading of second-order nonlinearities between two molecules has been proposed to yield an enhanced third-order molecular nonlinear-optical response. In this contribution, we investigate the two-molecule cascaded second hyperpolarizability and show that it will never exceed the fundamental limit of a single molecule with the same number of electrons as the two-molecule system. We show the apparent divergence behavior of the cascading contribution to the second hyperpolarizability vanishes when properly taking into account the intermolecular interactions. Although cascading can never lead to a larger nonlinear-optical response than a single molecule, it provides alternative molecular design configurations for creating materials with large third-order susceptibilities that may be difficult to design into a single molecule.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

Stretching the Comfort Zone: Using Early Clinical Contact to Influence Professional Identity Formation in Medical Students

Purpose: To explore first-year medical students’ affective reactions to intimate encounters with severely sick patients in their homes, within a curricular innovation targeting the development of a patient-centered professional identity. Background: Early patient encounters create complex emotional challenges and constitute fertile ground for professional identity formation. The literature indicates that students often learn, largely through the hidden curriculum, to avoid and suppress emotion. This can culminate in mental health problems and loss of empathy. Method: A qualitative descriptive analysis of 28 randomly selected, mandatory, reflective essays focused on a home visit to a previously unknown patient, in an unsupervised group of 4 students, within the context of a structured course called Patient Contact—PASKON. Results: Students described a wide range of affect-laden responses, positive and negative, elicited by the home visits. The observations were typically related to loss of control, struggles to behave “professionally,” and the unmasking of stereotypes and prejudices. Conclusions: Medical students’ initial clinical encounters elicit emotional responses that have the potential to serve as triggers for the development of emotional maturity, relational skills, and patient-centered attitudes. Conversely, they can foreground uncertainty and lead to defensive distancing from patients’ existential concerns. The findings point to a role for structured educational strategies and supervision to assist students in the emotion work necessary in the transition from a “lay” to a “medical” identity.publishedVersio

Group mentorship for undergraduate medical students—a systematic review

Introduction - Mentoring has become a prevalent educational strategy in medical education, with various aims. Published reviews of mentoring report very little on group-based mentorship programs. The aim of this systematic review was to identify group-based mentorship programs for undergraduate medical students and describe their aims, structures, contents and program evaluations. Based on the findings of this review, the authors provide recommendations for the organization and assessment of such programs. Methods - A systematic review was conducted, according to PRISMA guidelines, and using the databases Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and ERIC up to July 2019. Eight hundred abstracts were retrieved and 20 studies included. Quality assessment of the quantitative studies was done using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI). Results - The 20 included studies describe 17 different group mentorship programs for undergraduate medical students in seven countries. The programs were differently structured and used a variety of methods to achieve aims related to professional development and evaluation approaches. Most of the studies used a single-group cross-sectional design conducted at a single institution. Despite the modest quality, the evaluation data are remarkably supportive of mentoring medical students in groups. Discussion - Group mentoring holds great potential for undergraduate medical education. However, the scientific literature on this genre is sparse. The findings indicate that group mentorship programs benefit from being longitudinal and mandatory. Ideally, they should provide opportunities throughout undergraduate medical education for regular meetings where discussions and personal reflection occur in a supportive environment

Cooperative Behavior in the Ultimatum Game and Prisoner's Dilemma Depends on Players' Contributions.

Economic games such as the Ultimatum Game (UG) and Prisoner's Dilemma (PD) are widely used paradigms for studying fairness and cooperation. Monetary versions of these games involve two players splitting an arbitrary sum of money. In real life, however, people's propensity to engage in cooperative behavior depends on their effort and contribution; factors that are well known to affect perceptions of fairness. We therefore sought to explore the impact of relative monetary contributions by players in the UG and PD. Adapted computerized UG and PD games, in which relative contributions from each player were manipulated, were administered to 200 participants aged 18-50 years old (50% female). We found that players' contribution had large effects on cooperative behavior. Specifically, cooperation was greater amongst participants when their opponent had contributed more to joint earnings. This was manifested as higher acceptance rates and higher offers in the UG; and fewer defects in the PD compared to when the participant contributed more. Interestingly, equal contributions elicited the greatest sensitivity to fairness in the UG, and least frequent defection in the PD. Acceptance rates correlated positively with anxiety and sex differences were found in defection behavior. This study highlights the feasibility of computerized games to assess cooperative behavior and the importance of considering cooperation within the context of effortful contribution

Factors influencing mentors’ satisfaction: A study from medical schools in Norway and Canada

Phenomenon: The mentoring of undergraduate medical students has been shown to benefit the mentors; however, detailed information on the factors that influence the satisfaction and motivation of mentors remains unclear. Such knowledge can be useful in sustaining group mentorship programs. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences and perspectives of mentors to ascertain the factors that contribute to satisfaction and motivation. Approach: As part of a larger research project, a survey was sent out to mentors at UiT the Arctic University of Norway, the University of Bergen and McGill University (N=461). Descriptive statistics, linear regression and factor analyses were used to examine the data in order to map factors associated with mentor satisfaction. Findings: The overall response rate was 59% (n=272/461). Mentors reported a high mean satisfaction score of 4.55 (±0.04, median 5.00) on a five-point Likert scale. Six out of nine statements describing how mentors approach group mentoring were strongly correlated with each other. Through factor analysis of the items, we found a dominating factor labeled “Student-centered mentoring approach” which was strongly associated with the level of satisfaction as a mentor. Additionally, highly satisfied mentors took a greater interest in patient-centered medicine and their students’ personal development. Their groups spent more time discussing students’ clinical experiences, societal poverty and health, and patients’ suffering and sickness. Insights: Our findings suggest that high mentor satisfaction, which is important for the pedagogical quality and sustainability of mentor programs, is related to the mentors’ student-centeredness and their interest in topics concerning professionalism. By preparing mentors for their roles and supporting them in developing strategies for establishing good mentoring relationships, the outcomes of group mentoring may be improved both for mentors and students. Interest in students’ personal development and the mentors’ own professional development seem to be indicators of mentors’ satisfaction and should be encouraged in mentorship programs

Medical students as whole persons – tending to the elephants in clinical practice training

BackgroundFor years, we have known that many medical students lose empathy and experience burn out during the last part of their undergraduate education, despite starting with high motivation and above average mental health. The most powerful learning environment is the clinic, where students in the final stages of their program interact with real patients and practice doctor’s skills in authentic environments. We wondered how students at this stage are cared for as learners and novice professionals. We tried to identify explicit and hidden professional norms and competence goals that students are measured by, and sanctioned for not conforming with, in daily practice. We asked: Is there a mismatch between what medical students need to manage in their professional lives and the affordances inherent to the workplace environment where learning takes place?  Can we intervene to mitigate any gaps? MethodInspired by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), we engaged leaders, physicians, residents, and medical students at a small Norwegian hospital in a three-year project aiming to improve students’ motivation, participation, and clinical learning, by strengthening pedagogical and affective support during an 8-week practice period. ResultsMedical students and residents identified needs for preparation and orientation, continuity, and secure relationships where learners are acknowledged as unique individuals. A simple model of learning needs was developed, where educational goals can be arranged on three levels: 1) social survival, 2) medical knowledge and skills, and 3) clinical wisdom

Ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice

Prejudiced attitudes and political nationalism vary widely around the world, but there has been little research on what predicts this variation. Here we examine the ecological and cultural factors underlying the worldwide distribution of prejudice. We suggest that cultures grow more prejudiced when they tighten cultural norms in response to destabilizing ecological threats. A set of seven archival analyses, surveys, and experiments (∑N = 3,986,402) find that nations, American states, and pre-industrial societies with tighter cultural norms show the most prejudice based on skin color, religion, nationality, and sexuality, and that tightness predicts why prejudice is often highest in areas of the world with histories of ecological threat. People’s support for cultural tightness also mediates the link between perceived ecological threat and intentions to vote for nationalist politicians. Results replicate when controlling for economic development, inequality, conservatism, residential mobility, and shared cultural heritage. These findings offer a cultural evolutionary perspective on prejudice, with implications for immigration, intercultural conflict, and radicalization.publishedVersio