Evaluating the Effectiveness of Provosts in Building a Student Learning Assessment-Supportive Organizational Culture: A Multiple-Site Evaluation within the California State University System

Although research on cultivating support for student learning assessment at the institutional level points to the necessary involvement of all campus stakeholders, researchers have commented on the particularly important role of institutional administrators. Most research on the role of administrators in building support for assessment to date has not, however, focused on provosts, even though they are critical because of their power to determine the internal allocation of institutional resources. To address this issue, this study used a 27-question, Likert-scale survey to estimate the extent to which provosts in the California State University system have been successful in building an assessment-supportive organizational culture on their respective campuses. All presidents, provosts, associate provosts, deans, and associate deans in the 23-campus system were surveyed using eight Total Quality Management constructs. Based on the opinions of the 195 administrators that responded, provosts within the system were found to be more effective than not with an overall score of slightly more than seven on a ten-point scale (with ten as “very effective”). Provosts were rated as most effective in terms of “shared vision” and “involvement” and least effective in terms of “quality at the same cost” and “collaboration”, although the average scores on all eight of the constructs were fairly tightly bunched. In addition, multivariate analysis revealed that two measures of institutional size, total enrollment and the number of academic affairs administrators, as well as provostial tenure and percent of graduate students were helpful in explaining variation in overall effectiveness; in particular, higher enrollments were associated with greater effectiveness. Beyond its significance at the institutional and university system levels, this study was important in that it explored the extent to which the collegiate student assessment movement has been institutionalized. However, the study\u27s grounding in Total Quality Management was questioned by many respondents; further research might consider a different theoretical approach. Examining perceptions among different strata of academic affairs administrators could assist in this endeavor. Finally, future researchers might examine other large public university systems to begin painting a national picture of the effectiveness of provosts in building a student learning assessment-supportive culture

A History of American Settlement at Camp Atterbury

This report details the history of 19th and 20th century farm and community settlement within the Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, IN. It also provides a historic context for the identification, evaluation, and preservation of significant historic properties within installation boundaries. This historic context defines property types, poses research questions, and provides evaluation criteria based on the Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center\u27s settlement history, in an effort to develop a comprehensive program of multiple site evaluation

Association Analysis of 94 Candidate Genes and Schizophrenia-Related Endophenotypes

While it is clear that schizophrenia is highly heritable, the genetic basis of this heritability is complex. Human genetic, brain imaging, and model organism studies have met with only modest gains. A complementary research tactic is to evaluate the genetic substrates of quantitative endophenotypes with demonstrated deficits in schizophrenia patients. We used an Illumina custom 1,536-SNP array to interrogate 94 functionally relevant candidate genes for schizophrenia and evaluate association with both the qualitative diagnosis of schizophrenia and quantitative endophenotypes for schizophrenia. Subjects included 219 schizophrenia patients and normal comparison subjects of European ancestry and 76 schizophrenia patients and normal comparison subjects of African ancestry, all ascertained by the UCSD Schizophrenia Research Program. Six neurophysiological and neurocognitive endophenotype test paradigms were assessed: prepulse inhibition (PPI), P50 suppression, the antisaccade oculomotor task, the Letter-Number Span Test, the California Verbal Learning Test-II, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test-64 Card Version. These endophenotype test paradigms yielded six primary endophenotypes with prior evidence of heritability and demonstrated schizophrenia-related impairments, as well as eight secondary measures investigated as candidate endophenotypes. Schizophrenia patients showed significant deficits on ten of the endophenotypic measures, replicating prior studies and facilitating genetic analyses of these phenotypes. A total of 38 genes were found to be associated with at least one endophenotypic measure or schizophrenia with an empirical p-value<0.01. Many of these genes have been shown to interact on a molecular level, and eleven genes displayed evidence for pleiotropy, revealing associations with three or more endophenotypic measures. Among these genes were ERBB4 and NRG1, providing further support for a role of these genes in schizophrenia susceptibility. The observation of extensive pleiotropy for some genes and singular associations for others in our data may suggest both converging and independent genetic (and neural) pathways mediating schizophrenia risk and pathogenesis

Haloperidol differentially modulates prepulse inhibition and p50 suppression in healthy humans stratified for low and high gating levels

Schizophrenia patients exhibit deficits in sensory gating as indexed by reduced prepulse inhibition (PPI) and P50 suppression, which have been linked to psychotic symptom formation and cognitive deficits. Although recent evidence suggests that atypical antipsychotics might be superior over typical antipsychotics in reversing PPI and P50 suppression deficits not only in schizophrenia patients, but also in healthy volunteers exhibiting low levels of PPI, the impact of typical antipsychotics on these gating measures is less clear. To explore the impact of the dopamine D2-like receptor system on gating and cognition, the acute effects of haloperidol on PPI, P50 suppression, and cognition were assessed in 26 healthy male volunteers split into subgroups having low vs high PPI or P50 suppression levels using a placebo-controlled within-subject design. Haloperidol failed to increase PPI in subjects exhibiting low levels of PPI, but attenuated PPI in those subjects with high sensorimotor gating levels. Furthermore, haloperidol increased P50 suppression in subjects exhibiting low P50 gating and disrupted P50 suppression in individuals expressing high P50 gating levels. Independently of drug condition, high PPI levels were associated with superior strategy formation and execution times in a subset of cognitive tests. Moreover, haloperidol impaired spatial working memory performance and planning ability. These findings suggest that dopamine D2-like receptors are critically involved in the modulation of P50 suppression in healthy volunteers, and to a lesser extent also in PPI among subjects expressing high sensorimotor gating levels. Furthermore, the results suggest a relation between sensorimotor gating and working memory performance

Online) An Open Access

ABSTRACT This study aims at providing an organizational learning model based on the organizational culture. The statistical population of study consists of employees in central department of Islamic Azad University and 300 ones are selected as the samples through the random simple method. The research has descriptive and correlative method. The research tool includes Watkins &amp; Marsick&apos;s organizational learning questionnaire (1991) with Cronbach&apos;s alpha of 0.97, and the organizational culture based on Robbins theory with Cronbach&apos;s alpha equal to 0.93. The results of multiple regression analysis indicate that: 1-There is a relationship between the organizational culture and organizational learning. 2-There is a relationship between the organizational culture and its dimensions with organizational learning, and the model of organizational learning based on organizational culture and its dimensions is as follows. Organizational learning= 0.83×organizational culture + 8.916 Organizational learning= 0.29×creativity+ 0.22×risk taking+ 0.12× integrity+21.2

Online) An Open Access

ABSTRACT This study aims at providing a structural model of organizational learning based on the organizational culture. The statistical population of study consists of employees in central department of Islamic Azad University and 300 ones are selected as the samples through the random simple method. The research has descriptive and correlative method. The research tool includes (Watkins &amp; Marsick&apos;s organizational learning questionnaire (1991) and the organizational culture with dimensions of individual creativity, risk taking, leadership style, integrity, coping with conflict, management support, control and reward system according to Robbins theory. The results of path analysis indicate that the organizational culture variable totally has 85% of impact factor on the organizational learning variable. In accurate words, 85% of changes in learning organization as the dependent variable are covered by a set of organizational culture indexes and the rest of cases are predicted by other variables. The individual creativity variable represents the highest degree of internal consistency in external latent variable

Grain hardness and slow dry matter disappearance rate in barley

Barley grain is an important source of energy and protein for ruminant animals. However, feeding must be carefully managed to avoid maladies caused by the rapid breakdown of barley starch in the rumen. The development of slower degrading barley for ruminants may alleviate health problems associated with barley grain consumption. Selection for hard endosperm may result in slower starch degradation and improved feed quality. The objectives of this study were to: examine the effect of grain hardness, variety and environment on dry matter disappearance rate (DMDR); identify accurate and efficient hardness selection tools; and study environmental effects, inheritance and heritability of hardness.To study grain hardness and genetic and environmental effects on DMDR, two genotypes grown at multiple locations in 2004 were analyzed for Single Kernel Characterization System (SKCS) hardness, by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and for in situ DMDR. Genotype by environment interaction influenced DMDR, while neither SKCS hardness nor SEM analysis accurately differentiated DMDR between genotypes. Eight genotypes were grown at multiple locations during 2003 and 2004 to study grain hardness measurement methodology, and genetic and environmental effects on hardness. Genotypes were analyzed for SKCS hardness, milling energy, endosperm light reflectance, feed particle size, protein and beta-glucan. Hardness measurements ranked genotypes similarly across environments. Feed particle size was correlated with milling energy but not other hardness measurements. Hardness measurements appeared to be influenced by protein and beta-glucan.To examine the inheritance and heritability of barley grain hardness, 245 double haploid (DH) genotypes and parents, grown in 2003 and 2004, were analyzed for SKCS hardness, milling energy, protein, beta-glucan, with 100 evaluated for light reflectance. The population exhibited normal distributions for SKCS hardness, milling energy, protein and beta-glucan, suggesting quantitative inheritance for these traits with no apparent epistatic gene interaction. Narrow-sense heritability was 0.75 for SKCS hardness and 0.41 for protein. Light reflectance was not normally distributed, suggesting complementary gene interaction. Broad-sense heritability was 0.53.Barley grain hardness is highly heritable and an efficient tool in making selections in a breeding program. However, breeding for high beta-glucan and protein may be better selection criteria for indirect selection of DMDR