Optimizing the Pedagogical Efficacy of Moodle

Course Management Systems (CMS) such as Moodle, D2L, and Blackboard are often used as auxiliary resources for both traditional and online courses. As CSB/SJU faculty, many of us are developing and using creative CMS resources with the goal of positive pedagogical impact. How is the effectiveness of these resources assessed? Which resources are found most useful by students? How can faculty maximize the pedagogical value of CMS? This Thursday Forum presentation shows participants the results of a study directed toward answering these questions. During three introductory financial accounting courses conducted in 2009, 2010, and 2011, Camtasia videos, assignment solutions, notes, slides, WebEx recordings, homework discussion forums, and other Moodle resources were available to students. Analyses were performed to determine whether student Moodle use correlated with student performance. A pre- and post-course exam was administered to assess student learning as related to Moodle use. In addition, a student survey was conducted to gather evidence about which resources were deemed most useful by students and to compare student perceptions of usefulness with actual use. The forum presentation also shows how to track student use of Moodle resources via the direct and indirect assessment methods used in the study. Examples of student preferred resources are also shown

Five-County Validation of the Indiana Risk Assessment System – Pretrial Assessment Tool (IRAS-PAT) using a Local Validation Approach

Local jurisdictions are increasingly using pretrial risk assessment instruments to assess risk of pretrial misconduct and inform release decisions. We adopted a local validation approach to examine the predictive validity of Indiana Risk Assessment System – Pretrial Assessment Tool (IRAS-PAT) assessments in 3,739 unique pretrial defendants across five Indiana counties. Jail, court, and pretrial risk assessment records were matched within each jurisdiction to examine pretrial misconduct outcomes (i.e., any arrest, any new arrest, and any failure to appear) during the case processing period. Area Under the Curve (AUC) estimates showed good-to-excellent levels of predictive accuracy for total scores for all outcomes (AUC Range: 0.67-0.72). Multivariable models showed defendants assessed at High (OR Range: 5.42-8.62) and Moderate (OR Range: 2.56-3.08) risk had higher rates of pretrial misconduct relative to those assessed at Low risk. Findings provide strong evidence for the predictive accuracy of IRAS-PAT assessments overall, though some item-level considerations are noted

Strangelets: Who is Looking, and How?

It has been over 30 years since the first suggestion that the true ground state of cold hadronic matter might be not nuclear matter but rather strange quark matter (SQM). Ever since, searches for stable SQM have been proceeding in various forms and have observed a handful of interesting events but have neither been able to find compelling evidence for stable strangelets nor to rule out their existence. I will survey the current status and near future of such searches with particular emphasis on the idea of SQM from strange star collisions as part of the cosmic ray flux.Comment: Talk given at International Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter, 2006. 8 pages. 1 figur

Social support among people with mental illnesses on probation

Objective: Justice-involved people with mental illnesses, in general, experience poor criminal justice outcomes (i.e., high rates of recidivism and probation revocations) and are at increased risk of homelessness, unemployment, stigma, trauma, and poor physical health. Low social support is repeatedly associated with worse mental health outcomes in the general population but little is known about social support among probationers with serious mental illnesses. Method: To address these gaps in the literature, we used an observational cross-sectional study design and data from a large, randomized controlled trial of specialty mental health probation to examine self-reported social support and its relationships with mental health functioning and other outcomes for individuals with serious mental illnesses on supervised probation. Results: Probationers who self-reported lower levels of social support also reported greater mental health symptomatology and reported lower quality relationships with their probation officers. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Low social support among probationers with mental illnesses has important implications for mental health and criminal justice practice and policy. Coordinating services between the criminal justice and mental health systems to offer opportunities for social support and meaningful community engagement for those with mental illnesses who are on probation could improve a number of mental health and criminal justice outcomes for this population. Peer support and supported employment services, for example, in addition to outpatient mental health services, could be two strategies that could address social isolation and help individuals living with mental illnesses optimize their recovery and rehabilitation

Raising the Bar: Improving Evaluations of Mental Health Courts

Mental Health Courts (MHCs) connect mentally ill offenders to community-based mental health treatment in an effort to reduce the endemic recidivism that often characterizes this population. Previous studies attempting to evaluate the effectiveness of MHCs in reducing recidivism have focused on the evaluation of individual MHCs. These studies have yielded inconsistent results, suggesting that distinct factors may influence the effectiveness of a given program. More recent studies have focused on multi-site or meta-analytic evaluations of MHCs, some of which have identified distinct characteristics of both participants and MHC programs that predict decreased recidivism. This study expanded upon recent studies by examining whether MHC graduation status or co-occurring substance use at program entry were associated with decreased recidivism. Data were requested from the Ramsey County Mental Health Court for both program participants (N = 58) and a matched comparison group of offenders (N = 40). Results demonstrated partial support of the Court’s effectiveness in decreasing pre- and post-program recidivism for participants. Graduates of the MHC experienced greater decreases in postprogram recidivism. In contrast to previous research, results also showed that participants with co-occurring substance use experienced greater decreases in post-program recidivism than participants without co-occurring substance use

Correlates of suicide risk among Black and White adults with behavioral health disorders in criminal-legal systems

Background: Adults with behavioral health disorders in criminal-legal systems are at heightened risk of suicide relative to the general population. Despite documented racial disparities in criminal processing and behavioral health treatment, few studies have examined racial differences in suicide risk in this already high-risk population. This study examined 1) the correlates of suicide risk in this population overall and by race and 2) the moderating role of race in these associations. Methods: We investigated correlates of clinician-rated suicide risk at baseline in a statewide sample of 2,827 Black and 14,022 White adults with criminal-legal involvement who engaged in community-based behavioral health treatment. Regression-based approaches were used to model suicide risk and test for evidence of interaction effects. Results: Findings showed the strongest correlates of suicide risk were greater behavioral health needs, evidence of self-harm, and a primary mental health diagnosis or co-occurring diagnosis. In race-specific analyses, correlates of suicide risk were mostly similar for both Black and White clients, with a couple exceptions. Interaction terms testing between-group effects on correlates of suicide risk were non-significant. Conclusions: Adults with behavioral health disorders in criminal-legal systems experience similar risk factors for suicide as the general population. Similar to prior research, we found that Black adults, in particular, are at lower risk for suicide overall. Contrary to expectations, we found similarities in correlates of suicide risk across race in our sample of felony-level adults with behavioral health disorders in the criminal-legal system. Prior research shows that behavioral health professionals should be cognizant of cultural factors when developing a comprehensive approach to suicide care and treatment. Our findings show correlates of suicide risk are largely stable in Black and White adults involved in criminal-legal systems, suggesting culturally responsive treatment for suicide risk should target shared risk factors

Validating Imputation Procedures to Calculate Corrected Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths, Marion County, Indiana, 2011-2016

Objectives: Understanding the scope of the current opioid epidemic requires accurate counts of the number of opioid-involved drug overdose deaths. Given known errors and limitations in the reporting of these deaths, several studies have used statistical methods to develop estimates of the true number of opioid-involved overdose deaths. This study validates these procedures using a detailed county-level database of linked toxicology and vital records data. Methods: We extracted and linked toxicology and vital records data from Marion County, Indiana (Indianapolis), during a 6-year period (2011-2016). Using toxicology data as a criterion measure, we tested the validity of multiple imputation procedures, including the Ruhm regression-based imputation approach for correcting the number of opioid-involved overdose deaths. Results: Estimates deviated from true opioid-involved overdose deaths by 3% and increased in accuracy during the study period (2011-2016). For example, in 2016, 231 opioid-involved overdose deaths were noted in the toxicology data, whereas the corresponding imputed estimate was 233 opioid-involved overdose deaths. A simple imputation approach, based on the share of opioid-involved overdose deaths among all drug overdose deaths for which the death certificate specified ≥1 drug, deviated from true opioid-involved overdose deaths by ±5%. Conclusions: Commonly used imputation procedures produced estimates of the number of opioid-involved overdose deaths that are similar to the true number of opioid-involved overdose deaths obtained from toxicology data. Although future studies should examine whether these results extend beyond the geographic area covered in our data set, our findings support the continued use of these imputation procedures to quantify the extent of the opioid epidemic