Aligning First-Year Academic Learning Experiences at a Small Liberal Arts University

First-year academic experiences in post-secondary education have been widely studied (Pampaka, Williams, & Hutcheson, 2012; Kahu & Nelson, 2018). Rapid expansion of student enrolment has impacted the scope of teaching and learning practices at universities (Zepke, 2018; O’Brien & Iannone, 2017). Much of the focus has been on student success, satisfaction, and retention; however, Brownlee, Walker, Lennox, Exley, and Pearce (2009) suggest that more research on the student learning experience is needed. This organizational improvement plan (OIP) expands on this idea to include pedagogy and course design, as they impact student learning, while exploring institutional identity. Using Bolman and Deal’s (2013) four frames analysis, the steady erosion of first-year teaching and learning practices is attributed to pressures both internal and external to the University. Using appreciative inquiry and Kotter’s eight-stage change process model, two empirically supported approaches for change implementation are discussed. After gauging the change readiness of the institution through a critical organizational analysis and using the plan, do, study, act model, two solutions are proposed: 1) authoring Wise Practices and Considerations for Teaching First-Year Courses document and 2) developing professional learning communities. A systematic and strategic change plan is presented, accompanied by a communication plan approach based on the works of Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingols (2016) and Husain (2013). The full range leadership approach to foster transformational leadership is discussed as an approach for implementing the change plan. The OIP proposes a series of recommendations and future considerations that can be adopted by other institutions as a platform for first-year teaching and learning renewal

The activity coeffiicient of sodium sulfate in seawater

The mean activity coefficient of sodium sulfate in artificial seawater has been measured with a sodium amalgam electrode and a lead amalgam-lead sulfate electrode. The value of 0.378 at 25°C and 35‰ salinity, and other data, suggest that a considerable fraction of the sulfate ion is tied up as a sodium sulfate complex

Staff Perceptions of the Barriers to Mobilizing ICU Patients

Purpose: Whilst early progressive mobilization is known to be safe and beneficial for patients in an intensive care unit (ICU), barriers still exist to its implementation. As part of a broader quality improvement project that had the overall aim of increasing the frequency of mobilization in our ICU, we conducted a survey of ICU staff to investigate their perceptions of the barriers to the early progressive mobilization of ICU patients. Method: A prospective survey of ICU staff in an Australian, tertiary care, public hospital ICU was undertaken. A total of 93 medical, nursing, and physiotherapy staff participated. A purpose-designed survey that investigated staff perceptions of the barriers to the early progressive mobilization of ICU patients was developed. The survey predominantly comprised closed statements requiring responses using a visual analogue scale. Barriers to early progressive mobilization were separated into three sections: patient-related, institutional-related, and other barriers. Results: Patient-related barriers were generally perceived as having the greatest influence on the mobilization of ICU patients, followed closely by institutional-related barriers. The factors that were perceived as most frequently preventing mobilization were hemodynamic instability, reduced level of consciousness, sedation, agitation, impending medical procedure, staff availability, and time constraints. Conclusions: ICU staff perceived that barriers to the early progressive mobilization of ICU patients were multifactorial and most frequently involved patients’ medical condition and resource limitations

Placebo Tests for Causal Inference

Placebo tests are increasingly common in applied social science research, but the methodological literature has not previously offered a comprehensive account of what we learn from them. We define placebo tests as tools for assessing the plausibility of the assumptions underlying a research design relative to some departure from those assumptions. We offer a typology of tests defined by the aspect of the research design that is altered to produce it (outcome, treatment, or population) and the type of assumption that is tested (bias assumptions or distributional assumptions). Our formal framework clarifies the extra assumptions necessary for informative placebo tests; these assumptions can be strong, and in some cases similar assumptions would justify a different procedure allowing the researcher to relax the research design's assumptions rather than test them. Properly designed and interpreted, placebo tests can be an important device for assessing the credibility of empirical research designs

The Effectiveness of Kinesiotaping for Patients with Fractured Ribs: A Single-subject Experimental Design

Purpose: Kinesiotape is an elastic, adhesive tape applied to the skin that has been used extensively to reduce pain associated with various musculoskeletal conditions. Its use in the setting of fractured ribs is less clear. The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate the effect of kinesiotaping for patients with rib fracture(s) on pain levels, pulmonary function, and mobility. Method: We prospectively evaluated five patients admitted with fractured ribs using a single-subject experimental ABAB design. Each phase lasted 24 hours with kinesiotape applied during B phases. All participants received usual medical, nursing, and allied health care. Outcome measures included pain levels (participant-rated), pulmonary function, and maximum mobility. The occurrence of skin irritation was tracked. Results: Considerable variability was seen between- and within-participants for pain levels. There was some evidence, albeit inconsistent, that pain levels were lower when the kinesiotape was in situ compared to when it was not. Pulmonary function and mobility levels showed no consistent pattern between intervention phases. Skin irritation occurred in one participant and another required escalation of medical therapy for pneumonia. Conclusions: Kinesiotaping may reduce pain for patients with fractured ribs but further research, preferably randomized controlled trials with homogenous samples and standardized medication regimens, is required to confirm its effectiveness in the acute care setting