Sustainability of Preparations Programs Initiated through the Information Technology (IT) Professionals in Health Care Program

In 2010, the Office of National Coordinator (ONC), a branch of the federal government, launched a program called the IT Professionals in Health Care Program. The Program was intended to address the anticipated shortage of skilled workers in health information technology (HIT) and electronic health records (EHRs). According to the National Opinion Research Center (NORC, 2014), the ONC estimated a shortfall of 51,000 HIT workers over 5 years in terms of the number that would be needed to fully support health care providers and facilities in the adoption of EHRs. The growing demand for HIT professionals did not match the number of graduates that the health institutions were releasing into the job market. This pattern necessitated the training of more HIT professionals to reduce the predicted market deficit. The need for persons with specialized skill in HIT once again placed the community colleges in a central role in providing training of a workforce that can meet the market demand for employees with knowledge, skills and competencies in HIT. The current study is intended as a follow-up to that evaluation and seeks to identify the sustainability of the preparation programs initiated through the IT Professionals in Health Care Program in Region D colleges, which are those colleges in a consortium of 11 southern states. The study was conducted as a qualitative study in which 6 program directors at 6 of the 20 participating community colleges in region D were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the sustainability of the Health IT Workforce Development Program. In addition, websites and curriculum guides were analyzed so that the data could be triangulated with the interview responses. Interviews of the 6 program directors revealed that difficulties arose when employers questioned if students completing the program would be ready to take on the responsibilities necessary for the demanding positions that were available in the healthcare IT workforce. The 6 program directors interviewed stated a key area of improvement would have been to add a practicum that allowed for hands on experience as well as ensuring a suitable workload to for the program

Using Concept Mapping to Investigate Engineering Students\u27 Global Workforce Perceptions

This study investigates engineering students’ global workforce perceptions as part of a larger research effort that addresses the global workforce expectation differences between industry and engineering graduates. Approximately 127 undergraduate engineers at a large university in the U.S. responded to the following question: What do you hope/expect to know upon completion of college to better prepare you to work successfully in a global engineering environment? To identify patterns in the responses, an integrative mixed-methods approach called concept mapping is utilized. The concept map visually illustrates and organizes dimensions related to student global workforce perceptions. Students also rated their confidence in attaining these skills as well as the importance of acquiring these skills. By combining the results of the concept map and constructing pattern matches with the rating data we identify gaps that may be used to inform future curriculum development in institutions of higher education

Extensions to a model for tactical planning in a job shop environment

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1987.Bibliography: leaf 82.by Scott Howell Parrish.M.S

Predictors of Persistence, Retention & Completion for First-Generation Graduate Students

Postsecondary education is still considered key for achieving upward mobility and economic success. While access to higher education has over the past three decades, students whose parents did not complete at least a bachelor’s degree continue to be at a distinct disadvantage. Given that most first-generation college students are from low-income and minority backgrounds, this population faces challenges distinct to them- 1) insufficient academic preparation, 2) inadequate financial resources, and 3) deficient support from family members and/or peers that attended college. Yet, while first-generation undergraduate students have been extensively studied with regard to their motivations, challenges, and unique needs for persistence, retention, and completion, their graduate counterparts have not. This mixed-methods study seeks to determine the motivations for pursuing graduate degrees by different populations, especially firstgeneration graduate students, who are the first in their families to pursue graduate degrees, their perceptions of the value of education, necessary social networks of support, and additional support required for a non-traditional population that has often been out of college for over a decade

Low-Melt Poly(amic Acids) and Polyimides and Their Uses

Provided are low-melt polyimides and poly(amic acids) (PAAs) for use in repair of electrical wire insulation, flat or ribbon wire harnesses, and flat surfaces comprised of high-performance polymers such as inflatables or solar panels applications. Also provided are methods and devices for repair of electrical insulation

Low-Melt Poly(Amic Acids) and Polyimides and Their Uses

Provided are low-melt polyimides and poly(amic acids) (PAAs) for use as adhesives, and methods of using the materials for attaching two substrates. The methods typically form an adhesive bond that is hermetically sealed to both substrates. Additionally, the method typically forms a cross-linked bonding material that is flexible

Low-Melt Poly(Amic Acids) and Polyimides and Their Uses

Provided are low-melt polyimides and poly(amic acids) (PAAs) for use in repair of electrical wire insulation, flat or ribbon wire harnesses, and flat surfaces comprised of high-performance polymers such as inflatables or solar panels applications. Also provided are methods and devices for repair of electrical insulation

Prospectus, May 9, 2019

President Obama Speaks at Foellinger Auditorium; Humans of Parkland: Fernando Rodriguez Andrade; Mr. Smith Goes to Springfield; Isolation vs. Interaction on a Multicultural Campus; Meet the Staff; Parkland Soccer Attracts World-Wide Attention; Study Abroad at Parkland; Parkland Celebrates Earth Day with Sustainability Fair; Student Voices Heard at CAS Event; Hunger and Homelessness at Parkland; Parkland students give back on spring break; Humans of Parkland: Nour Kibech; Christmas, Navidad, Natal; Controversial Cartoon Receives Public Backlash; Photoshttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2019/1053/thumbnail.jp

Locomotory mimicry in ant-like jumping spiders (Salticidae)

The jumping spider genus Myrmarachne (Salticidae) contains many different morphological ant mimics that resemble a wide variety of ant species. This mimicry enables Myrmarachne to evade ant-averse predators that confuse the spiders with ants. A conspicuous trait of Myrmarachne, which is frequently mentioned in the literature but has been overlooked experimentally, is locomotory mimicry. In this thesis, I quantified, for the first time, the locomotory pattern of non-ant-like salticids, Myrmarachne, and their presumed models. Indeed, I found that the locomotion of the mimics resembles that of ants, but not of other salticids. I then attempted to identify whether this behavioural mimicry enhances the morphological component of the mimicry signal. The locomotion component was tested by modelling a 3D computer animation based on the morphology of Myrmarachne, and then applying either non-ant-like salticid motion characteristics or ant-like locomotion to the models. These animations were presented to ant-eating salticid predators, which are known to have acute vision, in order to identify any differences in how the predators reacted to each virtual prey type based solely on differences in locomotory behaviour. No significant effect was identified for enhancing the deception, but there was a non-significant trend that hinted at an enhancement of the mimicry signal, suggesting that a more robust finding would be found with a larger sample size. Additionally, ant mimics are unusual in their relationship to their model organism, as the ant models are also potential predators of the mimic. Predation by visual ant species may exert selection pressure on Myrmarachne across some aspects of morphological or behavioural mimicry. In turn, this may select for traits that improve Myrmarachne’s survival in close proximity to their highly aggressive models. Consequently, I investigated whether ant-like locomotion is salient to a visual ant species, Oecophylla smaragdina. I found that the locomotion typical of ants and Myrmarachne is more attractive to ants than non-ant-like salticid locomotion. This suggests that the trade-off of increased resemblance to ants is not just towards being categorised as prey by ant-eating species, but also by being more attractive to ant species. This may place them at greater risk of predation by the model. As a whole, these results suggest that there is selection pressure on Myrmarachne for increased resemblance to a model by locomotory mimicry, despite associated costs when faced with ant-eating predators and when living in proximity to models that are both aggressive and visual