Transforming learning with interactive whiteboards: Towards a developmental framework

Victoria, Australi

Mind The Gap: Preparing For The Future Leaders Of Small Private Colleges In New England

At a time when the higher education as a whole is experiencing an incredible leadership turnover and a narrowing pipeline of prepared or willing leaders to step into these important roles, the industry is also experiencing more scrutiny than ever before, creating a challenging time for the leaders of these institutions. Small private colleges in New England, in particular, have their own unique set of complications, which makes finding the right kind of future leaders particularly important. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of 14 small private college presidents amidst an incredibly unique set of factors which substantially complicate the roles for leaders of small, private institutions in New England with modest endowments. The study found two primary roles that the presidents must fulfill: a Leadership Paradox of communication strategies and a Leader/Follower responsibility to its Board. Finally, the emotional consequence of fulfilling these two roles is explained in the Treading Water in a Changing Tide theme. This study fills a gap in the literature related to this specific niche of the industry, at a time when leadership succession and the future of small private colleges is an important conversation for the future of higher education

Placing Irish Social Work in a Global Context: Assembling International Comparisons Through the Literature

There is an absence of literature that places social work practice in Ireland within a global context. This circumstance is obstructive to students and practitioners of social work in Ireland, who must increasingly demonstrate understanding of social work as an international endeavour. Ireland is also steadily more globalised and multi-cultural. In social work, related changes underway include increased transience of persons across national lines, and complex transnational social problems. In this context, social workers may broaden their understanding of Irish practice through drawing upon learning from elsewhere. To facilitate this, critical commentary on the literature in this article operates around two overarching themes of particular pertinence. Firstly, social work education and training in Ireland is critically compared to other global contexts. Secondly, social work practice in Ireland is subjected to international comparison with emphasis on the variance of social problems, and therefore of attendant social work, across the globe. In concluding, global cognisance for social workers in Ireland would seem increasingly pertinent and compelled by processes of globalisation

Influence of Agricultural Trade Publications on the News Agendas of National Newspapers and News Magazines

This study investigated whether news coverage in agricultural trade publications influenced the reporting agendas of national newspapers and national news magazines on a key agricultural industry issue. The study found more evidence that agricultural trade publications\u27 news agendas were influenced by the reporting in national newspapers than the reverse. The findings suggest that because of major daily news organizations\u27 greater organizational resources and readership of potential investors, they have a competitive advantage over trade publications in covering industry stories, despite the greater topical expertise that the trade publications may have

Living with childhood asthma: parental perceptions of risk in the household environment and strategies for coping

Aim To explore parents’ perceptions of environmental household risks to their child’s asthma and to identify the strategies they adopt in relation to these perceived risks. Background The prevalence of childhood asthma is increasing worldwide and especially in the UK. Asthma is more common in areas of socio-economic disadvantage. Household environmental factors have been implicated in some of this increase. A number of factors in the home environment have been found to act as triggers to asthma symptoms, including high humidity levels, poor ventilation, mould, second-hand tobacco smoke and pet allergens. Little is known about how parents, as the main care-givers and decision makers in the home, perceive and cope with the risks posed by these triggers. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of parents of 32 children with asthma aged 4 to 16 years and living in a socio-economically disadvantaged urban community in the North East of England. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using constant comparison techniques. Findings All parents were aware of some of the risks their children faced at home. Some appeared to know more than others and coping styles varied. A typology of three groups of parents was identified: those who actively seek advice and adopt clear preventative strategies (preventers); those who minimize the risks and only react when things go wrong (reactors); and those who engage in compensatory activities in an attempt to trade-off between harms and benefits (compensators). The unifying themes underpinning these different styles are that all parents are motivated to maintain normal family life but that they adopt different strategies to achieve this

Fluoridation policy and practice: a European story separating myths from reality.

Background. Controversy surrounding the addition of fluoride to water has prevailed in public discourse for the past ~ 20 years but recently an anti-fluoride stance has been gaining more traction in the Republic of Ireland undoubtedly assisted by social media with an ever increasing number of local authorities voting to ban the practice of adding fluoride to the water supply. No previous research has examined fluoridation policy and practices across the EU. The aim of this review was to examine water fluoridation policy and practices across the EU to explore how they had come about and what they are based on. Methods. The Office’s with responsibility for fluoridation policy in all 28 EU members were contacted, seeking information on fluoridation policy and practice. Responses were then grouped into common categories by country. Results. Ireland and the UK are the only EU member states currently adding fluoride to water at a whole population level. Some regions in Spain are also fluoridated. None of the other 25 member states had a specific policy on fluoridation and none add fluoride to water currently, although some had in the past. Some policy makers said fluoride was not added because of naturally high levels arising from volcanic regions, presence in other foodstuffs or alternative sources such as tablets and toothpaste were advised. No policy maker contacted could cite evidence of harm except at exceptionally high doses. The rationale for not adding/discontinuing fluoridation of water was cited by some as resistance from anti-fluoride lobby groups, concerns about mass medication, concerns about it being unethical and unecological. Discussion. it appears that countries across Europe discontinued the practice of water fluoridation for a variety of reasons but none of them were due to evidence of harmful or adverse effects. Conclusion. There is no evidence that any country ceased adding fluoride because of evidence of harm. Politicians/elected representatives should act on evidence before advocating for the removal of fluoride from community water schemes which could have potentially serious personal and economic consequences particularly for disadvantaged children

Giving voice to women in the sex industry: A voice-centred relational model based qualitative study

This qualitative, exploratory research examines the barriers that prevent women in sex work in Ireland from accessing co-ordinated health and social care services. Using an adapted voice centred relational model (VCRM), the study examines the experiences of women engaged in sex work. The study underpins a feminist standpoint epistemology theoretical framework, and gives voice to minority groups who remain excluded from research, policy and practice. The findings indicate that women involved in sex work are primarily working indoors, hold precarious legal status and are in Ireland as a response to global migration and economic necessity. Street based sex work too, remains evident with a strong link to family breakdown and addiction. The women discussed their experiences of their health and well-being and the impact of minimal health and social care supports available to them. The research highlights the need for further health and social care service development throughout the country of Ireland that is respectful to the various social determinants which impact on the lives of women in sex work. This study contributes to Irish knowledge and, in particular, pertaining to the psychosocial experiences of women involved in sex work and the Irish health and social care service. It has profound implications for future studies in the field of Irish sex work and proposes a strong case for qualitative research as a tool to address practice and policy change, alongside, extending the debate on sex work both nationally and internationally to include the perspectives of women involved in the sex industry

Enhancing Employability and e-Business Capacities for Arabic-Speaking Residents of Australia through START Online Training

Background: Arabic minority groups in Australia face language barriers and shortage of computer skills, which cause unemployment and/or an inability to establish their own businesses. The unemployment rate for this group is ~ 20.5%, which is 3-times higher than the average unemployment rate in Australia (~7%). The unemployment will get worse due to COVID-19 pandemic. The current provision of computer and language training in Australia is in English, which results in longer training times and higher chances of non-completion. Objective: The Smart Training for Arabic Residents on Technology (START) is an interventional online bi-lingual training that assists Arabic-speaking residents of Australia to establish an online business with minimum resources (money, space, and infrastructure) or at least help them find suitable employment. Methods: START uses Design-Based Research DBR, as it has its own progressive refinement approach. Both qualitative methods (skills assessment interviews, semi-guided observation, and final follow-up interviews) and quantitative methods (practical tests, log analysis/learning analytics, feedback surveys) contribute to evaluation and improvement cycles. Discussion: DBR has not been applied to vocational immigrant education previously. This research project contributes to a better understanding of the relationships between educational theory, designed learning and outcomes, to help advance learning and teaching environments by refining critical factors that lead to success for trainees. Practically, Arabic residents are provided opportunities to master computer and English skills for establishing their own online businesses. This research, however, has some limitations. Usually a team of teacher, learning designer, and researcher is recommended for DBR, but that is not possible in this PhD study. It is also acknowledged that although this study aims for optimal refinement of the START program, through multiple cycles of improvement, realistically it will be difficult to “recreate” the exact learning environment in future programs

Conducting online design-based research: START e-business training as an educational intervention

Design researchers undertake continual refinement, based on findings from analysed data, to make iterative changes to educational research that is particularly concerned with improving the effectiveness of the educational design. This includes generating a range of artefacts that bridge educational theories with practice, resulting in new knowledge that is useful for teaching and learning in complex settings. This research focuses on teaching business skills and computer skills through transformational, reflective, and experiential learning interactions and practices. It is argued that constructivism theory provides a suitable approach for educating adult Arabic-speaking migrants to build on their skills, so they can make sense of their experiences, and continue their professional education. While we teach the Arabic-speaking migrants both business and computer skills directly, we can indirectly enhance English skills, if we focus on different aspects of English as suggested by English for specific purpose theory. This intervention constitutes a new approach to educational design. In developing the intervention, we applied the ADDIE model for instructional design. The learning management system that hosts the educational design is Chamilo. The research design uses quantitative and qualitative data collected through Chamilo including an online survey, data logs, and practical tests and quizzes. As well as data collection methods embedded in Chamilo, participant observations during Skype support sessions provide another data source for evaluating trainees’ learning and design effectiveness. This paper coalesces some considerations and limitations of online design-based research, while it also draws some reflections and action plans to overcome potential challenges in data collection as part of DBR iterative refining processes

The Relationship Between Just Culture, Trust and Patient Safety

PROBLEM: Medical errors are now considered to be the third leading cause of death in the United States, estimated at more than 250,000 deaths per year. The Institute of Medicine’s landmark report, To Err is Human, identified that errors are not the fault of individuals, but systems, processes, and various conditions. In healthcare, the cornerstone of the process by which we learn from errors has been voluntary reporting. The primary barrier to reporting errors is the negative response from administrators, and the potential risk of disciplinary action. An environment of trust and fairness is known as “Just Culture” and is required to promote the culture of safety. Employees must perceive that they will receive fair and just treatment when reporting safety near-misses and incidents. This fosters a culture of safety, which encourages organizational improvements that impact patient safety. PURPOSE: This study identified the relationship between the nurses’ perception of trust and voluntary reporting of incidents in an organization that identifies itself as having Just Culture principles. EBP QUESTIONS: 1. Is Just Culture present in the organization? 2. Is there a difference in the perception of trust between nurse leaders and direct care nurses? 3. Is there a relationship between the level of trust among nurse leaders and direct care nurses and the Just Culture principles? 4. Is there a relationship between the level of trust among nurse leaders and direct care nurses and voluntary reporting of events? METHODS: An anonymous survey was developed utilizing two published tools. A convenience sample of all direct care nurses and nurse leaders (1,580 participants) were recruited to complete the Just Culture Assessment Tool and the Survey of Hospital Leaders. These surveys were available to participants for an eight-week period. OUTCOMES: The results of this study revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the direct care nurses’ and nurse leaders’ perceptions of trust and Just Culture within the organization. The majority of direct care nurses did not perceive that they would be given a fair and objective follow up process regardless of involvement in an event, or that the hospital would investigate the event fairly. When involved in an event, direct care nurses perceived that they would be blamed, and feared disciplinary action. A Just Culture is not a blame-free culture, but fosters accountability. Administrators and nurse leaders need to look beyond the errors, to the systems in which direct care nurses work, and the behavioral choices they make within these systems. SIGNIFICANCE: The findings of this study offer practical methods to developing a trusting and Just Culture. The first step is to assess the Just Culture principles embedded in the organization. An understanding of strengths and weaknesses can assist nurse leaders to ensure a fair and balanced approach to incident investigation. When behaviors and attitudes are aligned, the approach to performance improvement becomes the standard work of all staff