Leveraging Guided Pathways to Improve Financial Aid Design and Delivery

To address low completion rates, postsecondary leaders are championing a “guided pathways” approach that puts students on a prescribed route towards graduation. Designing solutions to address low completion rates is complex; in addition to academic roadblocks, insufficient financial resources coupled with a complicated financial aid system can intensify barriers to completion, especially for students whose continued enrollment is highly dependent on financial aid. Without a comprehensive approach that specifically addresses financial aid funding shortages, students will continue to struggle to complete their programs of study. Opportunities exist to redesign the financial aid system so that the current guided pathways movement more holistically addresses the barriers to completion. This paper presents an overview of the guided pathways approach, addresses financial aid policy barriers to enrollment and program completion, and highlights recommendations for strengthening the guided pathways approach, such as forging partnerships with employers to provide training to students while in college, offering Federal Pell-eligible students the opportunity to pay a discounted rate of tuition, and investing in student peer debt advisors

Understanding Loan Use and Debt Burden Among Low-income and Minority Students at a Large Urban Community College

This study examined a sample of community college students from a diverse, large urban community college system in Texas. To gain a deeper understanding about the effects of background characteristics on student borrowing behaviors and enrollment outcomes, the study employed descriptive statistics and regression techniques to examine two separate samples of students consisting of 1) loan recipients and 2) non-loan recipients. Chen’s heterogeneous research model served as the conceptual framework in the selection of predictors of interest and outcome variables. This study primarily focused on the relationship between borrowing and enrollment outcomes of low-income and racially/ethnically diverse students. Results show that students taking on debt at Metropolitan Community College (a pseudonym) are primarily female, Black, over the age of 20, low-income, and not academically prepared. While race/ethnicity did not significantly influence cumulative debt amount, race/ethnicity did account for significant differences in the likelihood of completion or transfer for both loan recipients and non-loan recipients

Giving Up on a Course: An Analysis of Course Dropping Behaviors Among Community College Students

Excessive course dropping is costly to students and institutions. Using longitudinal transcript data, this study investigated course withdrawal patterns among 5900 students at a large, racially/ethnically diverse community college district in Texas. Two-thirds of the students dropped at least one course, and 13.5% of the total course enrollments resulted in withdrawal. Course withdrawal rates were significantly higher among students who were: male, African American, age 20–24, GED holders, academically underprepared, enrolled part-time, and had a cumulative college GPA of less than 2.0. Science, mathematics, and writing courses had high drop rates, as did Second Start and fully online courses. Dropping 20% or more of attempted courses was associated with 44% lower odds of a successful enrollment outcome. We hypothesize that community college students are rational, act in their own self-interest, and perform a cost–benefit analysis with the knowledge they possess when deciding whether to drop a particular course. However, students often overuse or misuse the course withdrawal function. Despite acting in self-interest at the moment, the decision to drop a course is often not in students’ long-term best interest, and excessive course dropping can resemble a ‘cooling out’ mechanism by which students’ reduce their aspirations toward degree completion. Recognizing community college structures and rules (e.g., withdrawal procedures, tuition refund policy) influence course dropping decisions, we describe academic policies and classroom practices that can help reduce course withdrawals. We believe that reducing course attrition is a foundational, yet often overlooked, mechanism for reducing community college attrition

Financial Aid Packaging at Community Colleges: Which types of awards packages increase student persistence?

Increasing college costs, coupled with decreasing financial aid has raised public concerns over the affordability of higher education. For the past four decades, the nation has seen the cost of tuition rise at levels that exceed inflation, and financial assistance rates that have not kept pace with that growth. Studies suggest that these financial resources play a role in influencing college attendance decisions and persistence for low-income students. This study examines the characteristics of zero-EFC students as compared to non-zero EFC students and determines the extent to which a gift-aid only, and gift-aid plus loans awards package affects the likelihood of persistence. Also, it explores the relationship between the ratio of loans-to-gift-aid, and the likelihood of persistence across income levels. By employing logistic regression, this study aims to determine if there are differential effects among financial aid award packages, and if the ratio of a loans-to-gift-aid package affects persistence by income status. Results demonstrated that a gift-aid only package, and a gift-aid plus loans package negatively influenced the enrollment outcomes of zero-EFC students and positively influenced the enrollment outcomes of high-income students. Additionally, when examining the ratio of loans-to-gift-aid for students with a gift-aid and loans package, results showed that the higher the ratio of loans to gift-aid, the higher the likelihood of persistence for all income levels. In an era where the rising costs of a college education are becoming more difficult to cover with present levels of financial aid, earning a higher education credential is possible if students are willing to take on educational debt. A comprehensive higher education plan that acknowledges financial barriers as fundamental obstacles to the college success of its lowest income students is necessary to preserving equal opportunity to upward social mobility

Humanos virtuales para la intervención en TEA: una breve revisión del alcance

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder may present social-communicative and behavioral deficits. Recently, research on treatment and diagnosis has shifted its focus to the application of new technologies. Among them is virtual reality, which guarantees a high sense of realism to the experience and allows the implementation of a virtual agent that facilitates the use of the application. In social skills interventions, it has been mostly chosen to implement a virtual agent with a human appearance. Virtual humans guide the user-system interaction through the use of verbal and nonverbal language. They can be equipped with responsiveness: the ability to provide responses to the user based on data recorded during the use of the technology. Responsiveness is functional when the goal is to create an interaction similar to that of everyday life, as it allows for behavioral responses and, at a more sophisticated level, vocal responses. Considering virtual agents capable of holding a conversation with the user, to date three different methods have been implemented that make communication more or less realistic. This brief review proposes a synopsis of relevant virtual humans’ features and highlights some key ASD research areas wherein virtual humans are implemented for diagnosis and treatment. A total of 11 studies were selected and their analysis was summarized into 7 main categories. Finally, the clinical and technological implications of the results found were discussed.Los individuos con trastorno del espectro autista pueden presentar déficits socio-comunicativos y conductuales. Recientemente, la investigación sobre el tratamiento y el diagnóstico se ha centrado en la aplicación de nuevas tecnologías. Entre ellas se encuentra la realidad virtual, que garantiza un alto sentido de realismo a la experiencia y permite la implementación de un agente virtual que facilite el uso de la aplicación. En las intervenciones de habilidades sociales, se ha optado mayoritariamente por implementar un agente virtual con apariencia humana. Los humanos virtuales guían la interacción usuario-sistema mediante el uso de lenguaje verbal y no verbal. Estos pueden estar dotados de responsividad: la capacidad de proporcionar respuestas al usuario basadas en los datos registrados durante el uso de la tecnología. La responsividad es funcional cuando el objetivo es crear una interacción similar a la de la vida cotidiana, ya que permite dar respuestas conductuales y, a un nivel más sofisticado, respuestas vocales. Considerando los agentes virtuales capaces de mantener una conversación con el usuario, hasta la fecha se han implementado tres métodos diferentes que hacen que la comunicación sea más o menos realista. Esta breve revisión propone una sinopsis de las características de los humanos virtuales relevantes y destaca algunas áreas de investigación clave del TEA en las que se implementan humanos virtuales para el diagnóstico y el tratamiento. Se seleccionó un total de 11 estudios y su análisis se resumió en 7 categorías principales. Por último, se discuten las implicaciones clínicas y tecnológicas de los resultados encontrados.Educació

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of adolescent patients with osteosarcoma

O Osteossarcoma (OS) é uma neoplasia maligna que afeta o tecido ósseo, sem causa aparente, acomete mais o esqueleto apendicular, principalmente fêmur e tíbia de crianças e adolescentes. O tratamento consta de cirurgias de ressecção do tumor ou amputação de membros associados à quimioterapia. Quanto mais cedo se descobrir e tratar o OS, e quanto menor for a sua extensão melhor o prognóstico. Objetivo: Conhecer as características clínicas e epidemiológicas do paciente adolescente portador de OS atendido no Hospital do Câncer do Ceará (HCC) no Município de Fortaleza. Para isso foi investigado dados clínicos e epidemiológicos referentes aos pacientes adolescentes (de 10 à 19 anos) portadores de OS. Método: Realizou-se um estudo documental retrospectivo através dos prontuários dos pacientes atendidos nesse hospital no período de Janeiro de 2006 a Dezembro de 2007. Os dados foram coletados através de uma ficha semi-estruturada que constava de questões referentes às características clínicas e epidemiológicas dos pacientes, além dos dados de identificação. Foram selecionados 29 prontuários, sendo utilizados 26 para análise, pois 03 estavam incompletos por abandono de tratamento ou transferência hospitalar. Resultados: O OS foi mais frequente em pacientes do sexo masculino (57,7%), com idade entre 10 e 15 anos (73,1%), de raça afro-descendente (50%) e que residiam no interior (73,1%); 30,8% apresentavam história de câncer na família. O sintoma em comum detectado na queixa principal foi a dor (24 pacientes), seguida do aumento do volume local (20) e trauma prévio (08). O fêmur foi acometido em 65,4% dos casos, com ocorrência de metástase (76,9%), quase sempre ao diagnóstico e sua maioria (15 pacientes) para o pulmão. O tratamento consistia em quimioterapia (96,2%) associada a ressecção cirúrgica (69,2%) e amputação (73,1%) ou substituição por endoprótese. Outras especialidades como a fisioterapia foi prescrita em 42,3% dos casos tendo início no período do pós-operatório (23,1%) e geralmente para tratar as complicações. O paciente portador de OS se caracteriza por ser homem, afro-descendente, proveniente do interior e com antecedentes familiares de câncer. Conclusão: É necessário e importante conhecer as características clínicas e epidemiológicas do paciente portador de OS, redirecionando o olhar dos profissionais de saúde para a importância da inclusão de uma equipe multidisciplinar ao diagnóstico.Osteosarcoma (OS) is a malignant neoplasia that affects the bone tissue with no known cause. It most commonly affects the appendicular skeleton, mainly the femur and tibia bones, in children and adolescents. The surgery treatment consists of a resection of the tumor or amputation of the affected limb, associated with chemotherapy. The earlier it is diagnosed and treated, and the smaller it is, the better the prognosis will be. Objective: The main objective of this study was to present the clinical characteristics and epidemiology of adolescent patients from the Ceará Cancer Hospital (HCC) in the city of Fortaleza. Clinical and epidemiologic data about these patients, who ranged from the age of 10 to 19 years old, was investigated in order to fulfill our objectives with this study. Method: A retrospective cohort study was developed gathering information from patients’ charts from the above-mentioned hospital from the period of January 2006 to December 2007. The data was collected through a semi-structured form that consisted of questions that appraised both the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the patients, as well as the demographic data. After selecting 29 cases, only 26 were used for the analysis due to either incomplete information, abandonment of treatment, or hospital transference. Results: Our results show that Osteosarcoma was found to be more frequent in male patients (57.7%), in patients between 10 and 15 years old (73.1%), in afro-descendant patients (50%), and in patients that came from more rural areas (73.1%). This study also shows that 30.8% of the patients presented a family history of cancer. The symptom that these patients seemed to have in common was pain (24 patients), followed by an increase of local volume (20 patients), and previous trauma (8 patients). The femur bone was affected in 65.4% of the cases, with occurrence of metastasis (76.9%), almost always during the diagnosis and with the majority (15 patients) to the lungs. The treatment consisted of chemotherapy (96.2%) associated with the surgical resection (69.2%) and amputation (73.1%) or limb replacement. Other treatments such as Physical Therapy were prescribed in 42.3% of the cases, mostly during post-surgery (23.1%), and generally just to treat the complications. Conclusion: This study suggests that the common profile of a patient with Osteosarcoma is male, afro-descendant, coming from the more rural areas and presenting a family history of cancer. In conclusion, this study suggests the importance of knowledge about both clinical and epidemiological characteristics of Osteosarcoma patients, so that there is more regard from health professionals concerning multidisciplinary teamwork at the time of the diagnosis

Understanding Loan Use and Debt Burden Among Low-income and Minority Students at a Large Urban Community College

This study examined a sample of community college students from a diverse, large urban community college system in Texas. To gain a deeper understanding about the effects of background characteristics on student borrowing behaviors and enrollment outcomes, the study employed descriptive statistics and regression techniques to examine two separate samples of students consisting of 1) loan recipients and 2) non-loan recipients. Chen’s heterogeneous research model served as the conceptual framework in the selection of predictors of interest and outcome variables. This study primarily focused on the relationship between borrowing and enrollment outcomes of low-income and racially/ethnically diverse students. Results show that students taking on debt at Metropolitan Community College (a pseudonym) are primarily female, Black, over the age of 20, low-income, and not academically prepared. While race/ethnicity did not significantly influence cumulative debt amount, race/ethnicity did account for significant differences in the likelihood of completion or transfer for both loan recipients and non-loan recipients

COMPETENCIA TÉCNICA EN LABORATORIOS DE ENSAYOS ANALÍTICOS. EXPERIENCIAS DE LA UNIDAD DE GESTIÓN DE LOS SERVICIOS CIENTÍFICO-TÉCNICOS DECA

Un laboratorio debe producir datos analíticos de precisión y confiabilidad suficientes en un plazo aceptable y a un costo admisible. Para los laboratorios acreditados por la norma 17025 este objetivo cobra una importancia mayor, siendo la participación en Ensayos de Aptitud (EA), como control de la calidad externo, la forma superior de demostrar su competencia técnica. El DECA (anteriormente Departamento de Estudios sobre Contaminación Ambiental, hoy en día, Unidad de Gestión de los Servicios Científico-Técnicos DECA (UG SCT-DECA)) perteneciente al Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas de Cuba, con larga tradición de trabajo en el campo del medioambiente (entre ellos la caracterización de aguas, aguas residuales y residuos sólidos), logró su primera acreditación por el Órgano Nacional de Acreditación de la República de Cuba (ONARC) en 2001 y ha mantenido una participación regular en EA. El objetivo del presente trabajo es demostrar la competencia técnica de la Unidad de Gestión de los Servicios Científico-Técnicos DECA (UG SCT-DECA) en los servicios analíticos que brinda, mediante los resultados que ha obtenido en la participación continuada en Ensayos de Aptitud. Teniendo en cuenta los EA (nacionales e internacionales) en el período 2008-2019, se emplearon diferentes indicadores para medir el desempeño en los mismos, así como herramientas gráficas que permitieran visualizar el comportamiento en el tiempo. Se pudo evidenciar la competencia técnica mantenida por el DECA en los servicios analíticos que brinda, fortaleciendo con ello la calidad y confiabilidad de los resultados que entrega a sus clientes, lo que ha permitido la fidelización de un

Overweight and obesity in schoolchildren from Brandsen and its relationship with socio-environmental characteristics of residence

Introducción: Los factores socioambientales desempeñan un papel esencial en la etiología del sobrepeso (S) y la obesidad (O) y constituyen el llamado “entorno obesogénico”. Los objetivos del presente trabajo son: a) estimar las prevalencias de sobrepeso y obesidad en escolares de 3 a 14 años del partido de Brandsen (Provincia de Buenos Aires) y b) analizar la probabilidad de ocurrencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en relación a las condiciones socioambientales de residencia. Población y métodos: Se relevaron peso y talla de 989 escolares, de ambos sexos, de 3-14 años de edad. Se determinaron S y O según los criterios de la International Obesity Task Force. Las prevalencias fueron comparadas entre sexos y edades. Los datos socioambientales, obtenidos a partir de encuestas, fueron procesados mediante Análisis de Componentes Principales (catPCA). Se empleó un Modelo Lineal Generalizado (link logit) para las variables S y O. Resultados: El 15,8% de los escolares presentó S y el 7,2% O, encontrándose diferencias estadísticas no significativas entre sexos y edades. El primer eje del análisis catPCA, discriminó con valores positivos los casos que presentaron las mejores condiciones socioambientales y negativos las más desfavorables. Hubo mayor probabilidad de niños obesos asociada a condiciones socioambientales adecuadas (mayor nivel educativo de padres, mayores ingresos y mejor acceso a servicios públicos), en tanto que se observó mayor probabilidad de niños con sobrepeso asociada a ambientes menos favorecidos. Conclusiones: Se concluye que la población escolar de Brandsen presenta elevadas prevalencias de sobrepeso y obesidad. La probabilidad de presentar sobrepeso es mayor en los niños provenientes de hogares con condiciones socioambientales desfavorables. La obesidad, en cambio, lo es en aquellos hogares que reúnen condiciones socioambientales favorables.Introduction: Environmental factors play an important role in the etiology of overweight (S) and obesity (O), constituting the "obesogenic environment”. The objectives of the present study are: a) to estimate overweight and obesity prevalences in 3 to 14 years-old schoolchildren from Brandsen (Provincia de Buenos Aires), and b) to analyze the probability of occurrence of overweight and obesity in relation to the socioenvironmental conditions of resident. Population and methods: Weight and height were measured in 989 boys and girls aged 3 to 14 years. S and O were estimated following the criteria suggested by the International Obesity Task Force. The prevalences of S and O were compared between genders and ages. The socio-environmental information was gathered according to surveys and processed by Categorical Principal Components Analysis (catPCA). Generalized Linear Model (link logit) against the variables S and O was employed. Results: S was found in 15,8% of schoolchildren and O in 7,2%. None significative statistics differences between both genders and ages, were found. The first axis of the catPCA discriminated the cases that presented better socio-environmental conditions with positive values and those with more unfavorable conditions with negatives values. Higher probability of obese children was associated with better socio-environmental conditions (higher educational level of parents, higher income and better access to public services), and higher probability of overweight children was associated with less favored environments. Conclusions: The schoolchildren population of Brandsen presents high overweight and obesity prevalences. The chance of presenting overweight is higher in children from households with adverse socio-environmental conditions. On the contrary, obese children are to be more found in households which have more favorable socio-environmental conditions.Fil: Cesani Rossi, María Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Luis, María Antonia. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Torres, María Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras; ArgentinaFil: Castro, Luis Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Quintero, Fabian Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Luna, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Bergel Sanchís, María Laura. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Oyhenart, Evelia Edith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentin

ESTUDIO SOBRE LA MOTIVACIÓN Y LA PRODUCCION DE SERVICIOS DEL PERSONAL DE SALUD DE LA REGION DE SALUD DE TACNA - 2012

Introducción: El presente trabajo se realizó en la Región de Salud de Tacna, y se estudió al personal asistencial y Administrativo, en los aspectos de motivación en relación con la producción, a fin de determinar el impacto que tienen los niveles de motivación, satisfacción y jerarquía en la producción de servicio. Tipo de estudio descriptivo, transversal. Se obtuvo una muestra de 152 personas, aleatoria estratificada. Material y Métodos: La obtención de datos se efectuó a través de encuesta de motivación con factores específicos de la motivación, satisfacción posición o jerarquía, se evaluó las respuestas. Resultados: Los resultados se muestran en tablas encontrándose un mediano porcentaje de motivación en relación con el suelo recibido (88.59%) y los ascensos (77.84%), por otro lado, la evaluación del desempeño fue buena en forma global por cada grupo ocupacional. Conclusiones: Se comenta que para este caso las correlaciones entre la motivación y la producción son consistentemente en un rango medio. Se recomienda que los datos obtenidos en las encuestas sirvan para centrarse en estrategias que aminoren la no motivación y de que puedan mejorar la satisfacción. Aun cuando este estudio no apoya la tesis de que la motivación estimula la producción, se debe procurar que los trabajadores estén motivados a fin de lograr una organización más poderosa y eficiente