Actual and Ideal Role Perceptions of Instructional Supervisors in the Public Schools of Virginia

The problem of this study was to determine if differences existed in the perceptions of selected public school instructional supervisors regarding the amount of actual and ideal time allocated for identified supervisory roles. The study was conducted during the 1986-87 school year in Virginia. A questionnaire, developed by the researcher, was field tested through a six-week pilot study with 100 instructional supervisors in Virginia. Upon validation of the instrument, it was mailed to a randomly selected sample of 363 instructional supervisors in Virginia. A total of 220 respondents (60.6%) returned the questionnaire. Significant differences were found in perceived allocation of actual and ideal time for curriculum development, staff development, program evaluation, providing resources, disseminating information, instructional leadership, and performing administrative duties. Significant differences were also found between supervisory titles and allocation of actual and ideal time for program evaluation and performing administrative duties. In addition, significant differences were found between the perceptions of males and females regarding the amount of actual and ideal time they allocated for program evaluation. Conclusions were based on the findings in this study. It was concluded that instructional supervisors in Virginia are not spending as much time on the selected supervisory roles as they would like. They are spending too much time performing administrative duties. It was also concluded that younger supervisors (30-39) spend more time for staff development, providing resources, and providing instructional leadership than older supervisors. In addition, instructional supervisors with doctorates spend more time for curriculum development, staff development, disseminating information, and instructional leadership than supervisors with other degrees. Furthermore, female supervisors spend more time for curriculum development, staff development, program evaluation, and instructional leadership than male supervisors. Yet, a graduate degree in supervision and a supervisor\u27s gender did not have much influence on the allocation of actual and ideal time for some supervisory roles. Other conclusions relating to the demographic data variables and the allocation of actual and ideal time for the seven identified supervisory roles were drawn

Can You Hear What I See? Nonverbal Communication and the Changing Face of TML

Business training and education are changing. Organizations have experienced dramatic changes in their structure, competitive environment, and the demographics and demands of their employees. As a result, organizations are seeking new and innovative ways to train employees. At the same time the evolution of technology mediated learning tools (TML) has resulted in flexible, interactive, engaging, learning technology tools that promote experiential learning, analytical thinking and problem solving. Simulation based technology mediated learning (SimTML) tools are gaining popularity in practice. SimTML facilitates lifelike environments that utilize animated pedagogical agents (APAs) which employ nonverbal communication traits in their interaction with the user. The effect is a lifelike, face-to-face interaction, between the user and the APA. The result is a flexible, interactive, engaging, TML tool that promotes experiential learning, analytical thinking and problem solving. This paper explores current SimTML technology, how we interact with learning technology, and provides selection and evaluation principles for organizations to use when evaluating SimTML tools for their own training programs

Junior High School Teachers\u27 Perceptions of Math Instruction for African American Students

A mathematics achievement gap exists between 8th grade African American students and other ethnic groups. Guided by the conceptual framework of constructivism, the purpose of this case study was to examine 8, Grade 8 math teachers\u27 perceptions of factors contributing to mathematical performance gap in their African American students and what instructional strategies can be used to help reduce the achievement gap in southwest Georgia. Data were obtained through interviews and classroom observations and were coded and analyzed using typological analysis, followed by inductive analysis. The results of the data revealed teachers perceived recruiting and retaining African American teachers and providing professional development on the various co-teaching strategies, could help lower the achievement gap between African American students and other ethnic groups in the area of mathematics. Based on the findings, a professional development plan was created which addressed co-teaching, aligning instruction to the needs of African American students\u27 culture, and implementing different instructional strategies in the math classroom. The implementation of this project may contribute toward positive social change by helping teachers support 8th grade African American students\u27 performance in mathematics thus improving math achievement

Health Information Systems: Design Theor, Principles, and Application

Can a system be designed to increase user autonomy? This question, which is especially important in the healthcare industry are addressed in this project. Advancements in medical knowledge have resulted in patients living longer with chronic disease, an increased number of treatment options, and more complex decisions for patients. Patients are increasingly relying on information technology to obtain information regarding their healthcare decisions. As a result they are more informed, more autonomous. Autonomy is the ability to make decisions for oneself without undue influence or duress. Two dimensions of autonomy have been identified as being important to patients; decision-making and information gathering. It is proposed here that patient decision support systems can aid patients in gathering information in order to make informed decisions, resulting in a more autonomous patient. The design science paradigm frames this project. Design principles are developed to address a void in the literature regarding the evolution of information systems in the healthcare industry. The principles embrace the current principles and ethical guidelines in both the medical and computing professions. The instantiation of these design principles results in a patient decision support system for advance directives. The impact of the system on user autonomy will be tested at medium sized hospice in Central Florida. Contributions are made to both theory and practice through the development of a set of design principles and the application that embodies them

An Electric Utility Learns to Adapt: A Singerian Organization Approach

This paper discusses how one (anonymous) utility company is developing an Energy Service Company (ESCO) to prepare for the move to a competitive environment. ESCO’s specialize in the design and implementation of energy conservation measures, such as lighting retrofit projects, updating heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, and cogeneration projects. As the result of a recent federal mandate to update aging systems, military bases have become a primary client of ESCOs. Other clients include state and local governments, universities, and hospitals

Triage and Ongoing Care for Critically Ill Patients in the Emergency Department: Results from a National Survey of Emergency Physicians

Introduction: We conducted a cross-sectional study at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to elicit emergency physician (EP) perceptions regarding intensive care unit (ICU) triage decisions and ongoing management for boarding of ICU patients in the emergency department (ED). We assessed factors influencing the disposition decision for critically ill patients in the ED to characterize EPs’ perceptions about ongoing critical care delivery in the ED while awaiting ICU admission.Methods: Through content expert review and pilot testing, we iteratively developed a 25-item written survey targeted to EPs, eliciting current ICU triage structure, opinions on factors influencing ICU admission decisions, and views on caring for critically ill patients “boarding” in the ED for >4-6 hours.Results: We approached 732 EPs at a large, national emergency medicine conference, achieving 93.6% response and completion rate, with 54% academic and 46% community participants. One-fifth reported having formal ICU admission criteria, although only 36.6% reported adherence. Common factors influencing EPs’ ICU triage decisions were illness severity (91.1%), ICU interventions needed (87.6%), and diagnosis (68.2%), while ICU bed availability (13.5%) and presence of other critically ill patients in ED (10.2%) were less or not important. While 72.1% reported frequently caring for ICU boarders, respondents identified high patient volume (61.3%) and inadequate support staffing (48.6%) as the most common challenges in caring for boarding ICU patients.Conclusion: Patient factors (eg, diagnosis, illness severity) were seen as more important than system factors (eg, bed availability) in triaging ED patients to the ICU. Boarding ICU patients is a common challenge for more than two-thirds of EPs, exacerbated by ED volume and staffing constraints

Encouraging Ethical Behavior in Organizations: Punishment as Magnitude of Consequences

Recent ethical failures at some large and once-respected organizations have affected the lives of many people and have illustrated that encouraging ethical behavior is of increasing importance. Ethical behavior on the part of authority figures encourages ethical behavior in subordinates. But codes of ethics must be enforced as well: ethical behavior must be rewarded, while unethical behavior must be punished. Rewards and punishments should be visible to have an impact. Use of groupware is one way to get participation in ethical processes in distributed organizations. Since it has been shown that one’s level of moral reasoning increases with education (Kohlberg 1969), universities should also encourage ethical behavior. This paper adapts Jones (1991) model of ethical decision making and applies it to ethical issues in a university context. Specifically, the study examines the effect of authority and proximity in a groupware environment on the decision concerning the level of punishment for a student guilty of cheating

Designing an Academic Project Management Program: A Collaboration between a University and a PMI Chapter

The demand for project management skills in industry is increasing resulting in a higher demand for project management educational programs. Universities are addressing industry demand by developing project management courses, degree offerings and certificate programs that focus on both technical and general project management skills. While teaching project management skills has been widely covered in the literature, little focus has been given to close collaboration with industry in developing university project management programs that reflect industry demands and provide opportunities to work with project management professionals and with “real world” projects. As a case study, we report a collaborative effort between one university and a local chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI) that results in the development and implementation of an undergraduate project management minor program. We describe the evolution and process of developing a program in which project management professionals from the PMI are actively engaged in student learning by serving a variety of roles in the classroom. We describe the lessons learned over the evolution of the program, as well as refinements to the courses, conducted in order to enhance the grounding of formal education with practical industry experience resulting in an academically rigorous and practical education

Stuck in the Middle: Reflections from the AMCIS Mid-career Workshop

Studies often show that mid-career faculty are some of the unhappiest people in academia. Many mid-career faculty have tenure, have more freedom to pursue different types of projects, and have many options ahead. Yet, mid-career faculty members also deal with the personal politics that arise during the tenure process, with figuring out what to do with the newfound freedom, and with finding their own way among the many options in an academic career path. As a junior faculty member, one often has a singular goal: obtaining tenure. However, mid-career faculty members need to concern themselves with not only becoming a “full” professor but also figuring out what to do once they have reached that milestone and feeling full in their overall career path. In this paper, we discuss the challenges associated with being a mid-career faculty member based on research and insights discussed in the mid-career workshop offered at the Americas Conference on Information Systems. We offer examples of how to support mid-career faculty through workshops and mentoring relationships. We also provide insights on how individuals at different career stages can support and understand the challenges among mid-career faculty in information systems

Information Technology and Sustainable Development

A recent United Nations (UN) study concludes that degradation of the world\u27s ecosystems over the past century …could have devastating implications for human development and the welfare of all species.” (United Nations, et al., 2000, p. 6). The report calls for an ecosystems approach to environmental problems that would foster sustainable development, development capable of meeting the needs of today without sacrificing resources needed by future generations. The ecosystems approach would take a holistic view of problems; include the public in the management of ecosystems; integrate social and economic information with environmental information to address the ecosystems “information gap”; and bring urban planning into ecosystem management, as urbanization places severe pressures on ecosystems today. This paper argues that ecosystems management constitutes a wicked problem (Rittel and Webber, 1973) or a mess (Ackoff, 1999), and that Singerian inquiring organizations (Churchman, 1971; Courtney, Paradice and Croasdell, 1998; Richardson, Courtney and Paradice, 1999) can provide a framework for ecosystems management. A study of infrastructure decision making in Houston, Texas (Lomax, et al., 1998) is presented as an example of using the Singer model in ecosystem management. The objective of the study is to develop decision support systems for Houston\u27s infrastructure systems, including roads, sewers, water supply, and drainage. A very broad perspective on infrastructure decision making is being taken. The relationships among built, human and natural environments are being considered. Preliminary results show that infrastructure decision environments are indeed wicked, that the Singerian model does provide a useful framework in which to investigate them, and that decision factors tend to cluster into political, need, economic, and environmental categories. The wicked domain presents special problems for DSS development. However, an effective DSS may be help alleviate the present lack of under development