Validation and Use of an Instrument to Measure the Learning Environment as Perceived by Medical Students

Background: Aiming to inform curriculum changes in medical school, we developed, administered, and validated a 31-question survey to measure the learning environment as perceived by medical students. Description: We administered the survey annually in 4 medical school classes in a Southeastern medical school from May 1994 through May 1997 (N = 619). Evaluation: The survey responses reflected 3 dimensions of the medical school learning environment: the teacher-learner relationship (T-L R), the physician-patient relationship (Phys-Pt R), and self-efficacy. We found that the 3 dimensions are equally valid and reliable for all students, but that the mean values on all 3 dimensions differed by year in school and number of survey responses. Conclusions: As students progress through school, they perceive deteriorating T-L Rs, feel diminishing self-efficacy, and accord less value to the Phys-Pt R. Based on these results, we developed training programs for faculty members to promote teaching attributes known to facilitate relationship formation between teacher and learner, and learner-centered and self-directed learning

The Determinants and Consequences of Information Seeking Among Cancer Patients

This research was designed to examine information seeking behavior among cancer patients. We present a model which identifies the determinants and consequences of information seeking and, in turn, examines the effects of prior variables on four outcome variables: whether patients discussed with their physicians information that they received from other sources, whether the information they obtained helped them make decisions about treatment or care, whether the patient sought a second opinion about his / her diagnosis or treatment, and changes in self-reported stress levels from diagnosis to the time of interview. The model is estimated separately for three groups: patients who sought information from multiple sources including the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service, patients who sought information from multiple sources but did not call the Cancer Information Service, and patients who did not seek information other than from their physician(s). We discuss variables that have similar impacts on outcome variables in all three groups as well as variables that operate differently within the groups. The results indicate that the desire for information and the desire for involvement in medical care decisions are independent factors. Some patients have a strong desire for both information and involvement in making health care decisions. These patients actively seek involvement in their treatment plans. Other patients, however, want to be informed about their disease and treatment but prefer to delegate most decision-making to their physicians. Still other patients choose to delegate information gathering and decision making exclusively to their physicians. We discuss the implications of these results for both patients and providers

Administrative Data Versus Corrected Administrative Data

The purpose of this research was to provide insight into the use of existing administrative data and to identify changes that could be made to improve broad-based use of administrative data. Data were collected on patients hospitalized with pneumonia at a 715 bed hospital in North Carolina in 1996-1997. Patients were selected from administrative databases via diagnosis and charge codes. Outcome variables were length of stay and total hospital charges. Explanatory variables were age, sex, race, insurance type, season of year, admission source (emergency department or other), comorbidity score, care path designation, physician specialty and teaching appointment. These data were collected from administrative data and then from a limited chart review to correct the administrative data. We found no significant differences in economic outcomes between the administrative data and the corrected administrative data. Administrative data appear to be a reliable and cost-effective data source for quality assessment

Effects of Information about Invasive Species on Risk Perception and Seafood Demand by Gender And Race

In this paper we consider the effects of negative and positive risk information on perceived seafood risks and seafood consumption by gender and race. The data is from a Mid-Atlantic survey of coastal seafood consumers. We elicit risk perceptions in three risk scenarios with a dichotomous choice with a follow-up question format. We elicit continuous revealed and stated preference seafood consumption in nine risk and price scenarios. Analysis in four gender and race categories indicates that demographic groups respond to the positive and negative information in different ways. Communication of risk information as risk mitigation policy is a challenge

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Carbon Dioxide Reactivity among Individuals with High Anxiety Sensitivity

Anxiety sensitivity, or the fear of anxiety and anxiety-related sensations, is a risk factor for the development and maintenance of panic attacks and anxiety disorders. Aerobic exercise has been shown to be effective in reducing high anxiety sensitivity by exposing individuals to feared bodily sensations. Research has also demonstrated that an acute bout of aerobic exercise can reduce reactivity to CO2 inhalation in both nonclinical samples and panic disorder participants. The present study examined the effects of acute aerobic exercise on reactivity to CO2 inhalation among individuals with high anxiety sensitivity. Forty-five university students with high anxiety sensitivity (Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 scores > 17) were randomly assigned to either 20 minutes of aerobic exercise or no exercise, after which they completed a 35% CO2/ 65% O2 inhalation task. Significant reductions in ASI-3 scores were reported after exercise/rest for both groups, though the groups did not significantly differ. Both groups also reported significantly greater panic symptoms after the CO2 inhalation, though, again, no group differences emerged. Although brief aerobic exercise was not found to significantly reduce anxiety sensitivity or acute panic symptoms following CO2 inhalation, implications of these results and potential directions for further research are discussed

An Investigation Of The Fundamentals And Mechanics Of Individual And Team Man For Man Defensive Techniques And Principles

It is the purpose of this study (1) to establish the qualities and attitudes for a good defensive player; (2) to investigate the mechanics of individual defensive movements; (3) to examine the variations of the man-for-man defense; and (4) to establish sound coverage of the opponent at the different offensive positions. The major emphasis of this study will be placed on sound defensive coverage as it relates to many game developing situations

Subject to change

My work invites the viewer to experience the moment where the unfamiliar becomes familiar and when the expected becomes unexpected. I am curious about the way that our personal experiences affect how we process information and interact within a constructed environment. Patterns of recurring coincidences and the moment when information aligns are themes that I am continuously pondering. Exploring material, sensory, and spatial relationships in the studio, I contemplate the connections that develop between them. My studio practice begins by finding common threads between different pieces of information. The information used in my work comes from conversations, dreams, reading, and movies to name a few. I create a taxonomy of this information, materials, and visuals. I then transfer this list of information and materials onto paper and organize it into categories. The resulting subject matter becomes the basis of a large-scale drawing, which acts as a second opportunity to edit my ideas and recognize things spatially. Then I create the final work in the form of a sculpture or an installation. Reorganizing the information into a sculptural form allows me to extend into space the concepts taken from my lists. The final step in the process is rationalizing the surroundings by addressing the space around the work and its relationship to the drawings, sculpture, and installation. When selecting materials, I formally respond to color and gravitate towards recognizable materials that have a preexisting identity and intended use that is commonly understood. I aim to challenge that identity by altering the materials and placing them in unfamiliar surroundings that defy their purpose. Doing so allows the viewer to gain a perspective foothold in the work and encourages questioning and exploration of the uncanny. In this thesis, I will compare my process of creating personal taxonomies and the way that I process information to that of other thinkers and artists that I am conceptually and aesthetically align with. I will also consider how my sculptures and installations relate to the concept of the Surrealist object and Josef Albers's ideas of perception used in his classroom matière exercises. Surrealist objects inform my work because they challenge the vocabulary surrounding an object to broaden the scope of associations that the viewer makes with it. I share the goal of the surrealists in that these associations allow the viewers' minds to settle in the zone between the familiar and unfamiliar and creates space for the subconscious mind and the imagination. Josef Albers's matière exercises are based on the idea that a material’s visual language can change depending on its context. With this philosophy in mind, I am expanding this idea past a classroom exercise, and am utilizing this concept to make finished work

"Dovie": A Creative Exploration Of The Effects Of The Economy And Progress On One Woman's Life In Post Civil War Appalachia Prior To World War II

The period between the Civil War and World War II brought sweeping changes and extreme circumstances to the entire country, and many of these events were intensified by the isolation and harsh realities of life in Appalachia. In this work I propose to address the life of a fictional woman who lived in the mountainous regions of North Carolina. In doing so I intend to explore how many people thrived in spite of conditions, and why some towns have vanished from existence

A tale of sight and smell signifying death : Benjy Compson revisited

This essay refutes the long-standing idea that Benjy Compson in Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury is merely an idiot. Instead of focusing on the issue of his language or his concept of time, an analysis of his surveillance techniques reveals Benjy’s various strategies as he exercises his power. The application of Michel Foucault's theories concerning the powers of the disciplinarian gaze forces a change in the terminology with which criticism has labeled Benjy. By the end of the essay, a re-conceptualization of Benjy’s character occurs through a simple change of words: passive to active. This change opens up new doors of understanding and suggests that Benjy is a highly manipulative agent of surveillance, instead of the traditional view that he is a simple, bellowing man-child

How Do We Rate? An Evaluation of Online Student Evaluations

This paper analyses the popular RateMyProfessors (RMP) website where students evaluate instructors in higher education. A study was designed to measure (1) the awareness and utilisation of the RMP website, (2) the internal and external validity of the RMP ratings in measuring teaching effectiveness, and (3) variation in the above across disciplines. It is concluded that the category of ratings, created by the website, establishes an anti-intellectual tone that manifests itself in comments about instructors’ personality, easiness of workload and entertainment value rather than knowledge attained