Faculty Perspectives Research Articles

Aiming for Alignment

First-generation college students comprise a sizable number of the student population in colleges and universities across the nation. As faculty are tasked with teaching and supporting these students in their courses, it is important to consider the alignment of faculty perspectives and the needs of first-generation students. This study explored the perspectives of 176 post-baccalaureate students and 54 faculty at a large, urban Hispanic-serving university in California, with nearly 77% of the campus population consisting of first-generation students and 65% of Latinx students. Data collection consisted of surveys completed by faculty as well as first-generation and non-first-generation students. Although first-generation and non-first-generation students did not differ significantly in their ratings of faculty’s teaching practices, the means were lower for more items among the first-generation students. Findings also indicate that greater alignment is needed between how faculty teach and what first-generation students need to succeed, most notably in the lower ratings of faculty teaching by students versus faculty themselves and the differing themes emerging from qualitative analyses of participants’ responses.

Evolution of Research Culture in Pakistan: A SWOT Analysis from the Perspective of Humanities and Management Faculty

This qualitative study takes on to gauge the evolution of research culture in Pakistan. Primarily it revolves around SWOT analysis of past, present, and future. It seeks expert opinions of faculty members of the Departments of Humanities, and Management Sciences of COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus on open-ended questions. The study finds a recent emergence of certain features of research culture identified in the literature and foresees it’s further strengthening in the coming days based on some assumptions

Barriers to Pediatric Palliative Care: Trainee and Faculty Perspectives Across Two Academic Centers.

Objective: Barriers to palliative care for children with serious illness include system constraints and vastly different training and attitudes toward palliative care. This study aimed to explore trainee and faculty physician perceptions of barriers to palliative care across two pediatric centers to (1) examine differences between trainees and faculty and (2) compare these data with previous studies. Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted in fall 2021 among pediatric trainees and faculty physicians at three pediatric hospitals in two pediatric centers in the western United States. Surveys were distributed through hospital listservs and analyzed descriptively and through inductive thematic analysis. Results: There were a total of 268 participants: 50 trainees and 218 faculty physicians. Of the trainees, 46% (23) were fellows and 54% (27) were pediatric residents. Trainees and faculty reported the same four most common barriers, which were consistent with previous studies: family not ready to acknowledge an incurable condition (64% trainees and 45% faculty); family preference for more life-sustaining therapies than staff (52% and 39%); uncertain prognosis (48% and 38%); and parent discomfort with possibility of hastening death (44% and 30%). Other barriers commonly reported included time constraints, staff shortages, and conflict among family about treatment goals. Language barriers and cultural differences were also cited. Conclusions: This study examining palliative care across two pediatric centers suggests that providers' perceptions of family preferences and understanding of illness persist as barriers to the delivery of pediatric palliative care services. Future research should examine family-centered and culturally mindful interventions to better elucidate family perspectives on their child's illness to align care.

Pharmacy faculty perspectives on Cultural Competence education in pharmacy schools

Background: Faculties that teach cultural competence are in a great position to identify training gaps and improve the depth of teaching for pharmacy students. Objective: To assess the perspective of faculty on their perceived confidence and extent of teaching cultural competence (CC) content in the pharmacy curricula. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an adapted version of the Self-assessment of Perceived Level of Cultural Competence (SAPLCC) questionnaire. Data analysis included factor-level and item-level analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Out of the 70 study participants, 77.1% were female and the average age was 47.97 (±10.52). Faculty with prior training reported a higher level of confidence to teach CC content in three areas, “addressing population health needs” (p = 0.007), “ recognising disparity-related discrimination” (p = 0.017), and “recognising social determinants of health” (p = 0.03). The faculty’s years of experience had a positive impact on both the extent of teaching CC and confidence. Conclusion: Study findings indicate a gap to address training needs for faculty development on CC to prepare students for an increasingly diverse patient population.

Assessment of virtual education during the covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of faculty members and students: a cross-sectional descriptive study in northwest Iran

BackgroundSince the coronavirus outbreak, many countries have replaced traditional education with virtual education in order to prevent the disease spread, and also avoid stopping education. The aim of the present study was to assess the virtual education status at Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences during the covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of students and faculty members.MethodsThis is a descriptive-cross-sectional study that was conducted between December 2021and February 2022. The study population included faculty members and students who were selected by consensus. Data collection instruments included demographic information form and a virtual education assessment questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using independent T-test, one sample T-test, Pearson Correlation, and ANOVA test in SPSS software.ResultsA total of 231 students and 22 faculty members of Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences participated in the present study. The response rate was 66.57%. The mean and standard deviation of assessment scores of students (3.3 ± 0.72) were lower than those of faculty members (3.94 ± 0.64), which showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.01). User access to the virtual education system (3.8 ± 0.85) and lesson presentation (4.28 ± 0.71) obtained the highest scores from the perspective of students and faculty members, respectively. There was a statistically significant association between employment status and the assessment score of faculty members (p = 0.01), and the field of study (p < 0.01), the year of university entrance (p = 0.01), and the assessment score of students.ConclusionThe results showed a higher than mean assessment score in both groups of faculty members and students. There was a difference between faculty members and students in terms of virtual education scores in the parts that require the creation of better processes and more complete capabilities in the systems, which seems that more detailed planning and reforms will improve the process of virtual education.

Defining success in healthcare education: US dental student and faculty perspectives.

Academic metrics and clinical performance are necessary but alone insufficient in describing success in dental education. This paper identifies themes critical for dental student success as commonly cited by both dental students and faculty. Dental faculty interviews and pre-doctoral D2/D3/D4 student focus groups at two dental institutions generated data for thematic analysis. Themes were individually identified then merged, compared, and contrasted to establish a definitive list of key themes reflected in student and faculty comments. Twenty-five pre-doctoral students participated in one of four focus groups (two focus groups at each dental institution). Thirteen dental education faculty across two institutions participated in structured interviews. Thematic analysis produced five overlapping themes identified by both students and faculty across the two institutions: seeking understanding, collaborative spirit, personal ownership, organization, and broadened perspective. Faculty-specific themes identified long-term retention, a strong moral compass, and self-sufficiency as critical for student success. Student-specific themes identified their most successful peers to have a positive attitude, a perspective focused on personal investment and self-care, as well as access to professional mentors. Both faculty and students in dental education perceive behaviors illustrative of a growth mindset as hallmarks of success in the oral healthcare profession. Relatedly, students exemplifying resilience and/or grit must believe their efforts to be worthwhile and impactful.

Early skills laboratory warnings: Laboratory faculty perspectives on student barriers for progression to experiential education

IntroductionThis study characterized faculty perceptions of student barriers to achieving an Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) level 2 or higher in the Patient Care Provider domain. MethodsPharmacy skills laboratory faculty participated in a nominal group technique (NGT) session. Participants reflected on two questions: “What behaviors would result in a student not achieving a rank of EPA readiness level 2 or higher?” and “What knowledge and skills would result in a student not achieving a rank of EPA readiness level 2 or higher?” Participants developed a ranked list using silent brainstorming, idea generation, clarification, and discussion. ResultsTwo NGT sessions were conducted. Group 1 reported (lack of) professionalism, (inability to perform) physical skills, (lack of) critical thinking and interpreting data gathered during physical skills, and (inability to achieve) programmatic outcomes and mile makers exams as barriers. Group 2 ranked behaviors as lack of independence, not taking roles and responsibilities seriously, inability to follow instructions, lack of classroom engagement, and disorganized and unable to prioritize. Group 2 ranked knowledge and skills of significant errors when making medication recommendations, inability to identify accurate medication history, inability to perform tasks with time constraints, poor patient communication, and inability to identify resources. ConclusionsPharmacy skills laboratory faculty can identify behaviors, knowledge, or skills that may prevent a student from achieving an EPA readiness level 2 or higher such as lack of professionalism and poor critical thinking skills and should be empowered to identify early warning signs for students' success and progression to experiential education.

Faculty Perceptions of Community College Student Retention and Persistence

Student retention and persistence tracking have become more prominent at community colleges. While it is known that community colleges have low completion rates, these institutions need help finding ways to retain and persist their students. This study explored the faculty perspective of retention and persistence strategies. Using a phenomenological tradition, 32 faculty members were recruited to participate from a community college in Northern Florida. Three themes emerged from the data, a sense of belonging, engagement, and communication. This data is significant because there is limited research about faculty perceptions of student retention and persistence. The data further describes how faculty members address retention and persistence in the classroom.

Faculty and Resident Perspectives of the Complexity of Wellness Program Implementation: A Qualitative Exploration.

Developing and implementing a wellness curriculum in a family medicine residency program is a complex process. We developed and implemented a new wellness curriculum in line with the national wellness conversation with a focus on the allocation of dedicated resources, the use of evidence-informed interventions, and the goal to be responsive to the feedback of both residents and residency leadership. Our research aim was to better understand the complexity of wellness curriculum implementation with a focus on identification of challenges to implementation. We developed a wellness program with structured curricular elements initially focused on evidence-informed skill development that iterated after year 1 to include more process-oriented elements. For the years 2016-2019 we collected and analyzed qualitative, open-ended survey questions, anonymous resident curriculum feedback, and faculty observation forms to assess resident and faculty perspectives on the new curriculum. One hundred eighty-three survey invitations were sent with 122 total responses (66.7% response rate). Forty-eight of 56 residents responded to at least one survey. We analyzed responses along with the additional qualitative data that revealed several themes impacting the work of residency wellness curriculum implementation. These included how to manage curricular time, where the locus of control for the curricular content resides, and how residents and faculty differ in their definitions of wellness. We believe programs will be well positioned if they further investigate the complex structures at play that influence residency wellness, including both systemic factors and individual and community level interventions, and design curriculum that is well-defined, includes essential elements, and is informed by resident participation.

Investigating Faculty Perception of Hybrid Teaching: A Case Study

Florida International University has made a significant investment to develop hybrid classes, including financially incentivizing faculty to redesign their courses for the hybrid format through a semester-long training. To assess the success of these courses, student success and satisfaction have been examined. However, prior to this study faculty satisfaction with teaching in this format had not been formally investigated. The case study presented here involves three full-time, experienced hybrid faculty with the goal of understanding college faculty perceptions of teaching a hybrid course. Understanding faculty perspectives of the hybrid modality is a necessary component for universities to consider when making informed decisions about the resources that should be invested in hybrid teaching.

A Scoping Review of Experiential Learning in Public Health Education From the Perspective of Students, Faculty, and Community Partners

Background: Experiential learning is increasingly important in public health education. Purpose: Based on 33 studies, this is the first scoping review that provides clarity on the types of experiential learning activities (ELAs) used in public health education and the evaluation results from the perspectives of three stakeholders involved: students, faculty, and communities/external agencies. Methodology/Approach: A total of 1,912 citations were sourced from six electronic databases (Education Resources Information Centre, ProQuest Central, PubMed, Scopus, STM Source, and Web of Science) and manual searches (reference lists of included studies) independently by two researchers. A random-effects meta-analysis using forest plots and a meta-synthesis using a thematic synthesis approach were conducted. Findings/Conclusions: There was a diverse range of community-, classroom-, and work-focused ELAs used. Meta-analysis revealed positive outcomes in student satisfaction, problem-solving, and communication skills. This was triangulated with the meta-synthesis results, which also indicated an overwhelmingly positive attitude toward experiential learning by all three stakeholders. Implications: Future educational programs should consider the factors that contributed to the positive experiences from all three stakeholders’ perspectives, address the various challenges highlighted in this review to refine the experience, and assess the negative experiences of faculty, and community/external agencies in greater detail.

Identifying Knowledge Gaps: A Needs Assessment Examining Fellow and Faculty Perspectives Regarding Palliative Care in the Emergency Department (Sci235)

Identifying Knowledge Gaps: A Needs Assessment Examining Fellow and Faculty Perspectives Regarding Palliative Care in the Emergency Department (Sci235)

A sequential mixed-methods study of a technology-enabled support system promoting student-to-teacher success

ABSTRACT In this study, researchers conducted an examination of the consequences, both positive and in need of improvement, of a large college of education’s student support process (SSP). The SSP was put in place by college of education leaders in order to better support the teacher education students enrolled throughout its teacher education program, through both their coursework and student teaching experiences. Researchers used multiple methods to examine the SSP’s purposes and objectives, the SSP’s strengths and challenges, and the typical students being served via the SSP (e.g. in terms of demographics, also to understand impacts). Researchers collected and analyzed institutional data as well as data derived via the self-reported perspectives of faculty and staff engaged throughout all stages of the SSP. Findings are offered, as are implications for internal as well as external audiences including but not limited to college of education faculty, staff, and leaders, potentially within and well beyond the United States (US).

Blue-Blood Pig Thorax Model Increases Residents' Confidence in Internal Mammary Dissection.

Preparation of the recipient vessels is a crucial step in autologous breast reconstruction, with limited opportunity for resident training intraoperatively. The Blue-Blood-infused porcine chest wall-a cadaveric pig thorax embedded in a mannequin shell, connected to a saline perfusion system-is a novel, cost-effective ($55) simulator of internal mammary artery (IMA) dissection and anastomosis intended to improve resident's comfort, safety, and expertise with all steps of this procedure. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the use of this chest wall model on resident's confidence in performing dissection and anastomosis of the IMA, as well as obtain resident's and faculty's perspectives on model realism and utility. Plastic surgery residents and microsurgery faculty at the University of Wisconsin were invited to participate. One expert microsurgeon led individual training sessions and performed as the microsurgical assistant. Participants anonymously completed surveys prior to and immediately following their training session to assess their change in confidence performing the procedure, as well as their perception of model realism and utility as a formal microsurgical training tool on a five-point scale. Every participant saw improvement in confidence after their training session in a minimum of one of seven key procedural steps identified. Of participants who had experience with this procedure in humans, the majority rated model anatomy and performance of key procedural steps as "very" or "extremely" realistic as compared with humans. 100% of participants believed practice with this model would improve residents' ability to perform this operation in the operating room and 100% of participants would recommend this model be incorporated into the microsurgical training curriculum. The Blue-Blood porcine chest wall simulator increases trainee confidence in performing key steps of IMA dissection and anastomosis and is perceived as valuable to residents and faculty alike.

Medical Faculty Perspectives Toward Cadaveric Dissection as a Learning Tool for Anatomy Education: A Survey Study in India.

Cadaveric dissection, as a learning tool, has been a part of Indian medical education. Worldwide, with reforms in medical education and the introduction of new learning modalities, cadaveric dissection has been complemented with other modalities such as living anatomy and virtual anatomy. This study aims to collect the feedback of faculty members regarding the role of dissection in the present context of medical education. The method of the study involved a 32-item questionnaire to collect responses; they were collected using the 5-point Likert scale along with two open-ended questions. In general, the closed questions covered these sections: learning styles, interpersonal skills, teaching and learning, dissection, and other learning modes. The principal component analysis was used to explore the multivariate relationships among the items' perceptions. The multivariate regression analysis was conducted between the construct and the latent variable to develop the structural equation model. Four themes, PC1 (learning ability with structural orientation), PC2 (interpersonal skill), PC3 (multimedia-virtual tool), and PC5 (associated factors) had positive relation and were treated as a latent variable motivation for dissection, and theme 4 (PC4, safety) had a negative correlation and was treated as a latent variable repulsion for dissection. It was found that the dissection room is an important place for learning clinical and personal skills, along with empathy, in anatomy education. Safety issues and implementation of stress-coping activities during the induction phase are required. There is also a need to use mixed-method approaches that integratetechnology-enhanced learning such as virtual anatomy, living anatomy, and radiologicalanatomy with cadaveric dissection.

Augmenting the flipped classroom experience by integrating Revised Bloom's Taxonomy: A faculty perspective

AbstractIn a recent scenario, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) job placement rates have decreased since the pandemic started. MBA job placement rates are down since the pandemic started. What’s most alarming: the decline in MBA jobs (34%) has been steeper than the decline in overall jobs (27%), for the period between May 2019 and May 2020. The mere delivery of theoretical concepts, lack of practical knowledge and lag in imbibing soft skills have been identified as hurdles in the progress of MBA education. Some of the predominant industry‐needed skills need to be improved among MBA students. To address this issue, the author suggests integrating flipped classrooms with the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RBT) as a new paradigm for delivering MBA education. The flipped classroom is a pedagogical approach in which direct instructions move from group learning to individual learning. This study primarily aims to understand the faculty perception of the pre‐, in‐ and post‐class activities facilitated using an integrated model of a flipped classroom and RBT (FC+RBT) among MBA students. The study's target population is the faculty members working in MBA institutions across Tamil Nadu, India. The findings of this study will be helpful for MBA institutions to enhance the quality of MBA education and empower management graduates to imbibe employability skills.

Faculty Perspectives on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Building a Foundation for Pediatrics

Pediatric departments and children's hospitals (hereafter pediatric academic settings) increasingly promote the tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as guiding principles to shape the mission areas of clinical care, education, research, and advocacy. Integrating DEI across these domains has the potential to advance health equity and workforce diversity. Historically, initiatives toward DEI have been fragmented with efforts predominantly led by individual faculty or subgroups of faculty with little institutional investment or strategic guidance. In many instances, there is a lack of understanding or consensus regarding what constitutes DEI activities, who engages in DEI activities, how faculty feel about their engagement, and what is an appropriate level of support. Concerns also exist that DEI work falls disproportionately to racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine, exacerbating what is termed the minority tax. Despite these concerns, current literature lacks quantitative data characterizing such efforts and their potential impact on the minority tax. As pediatric academic settings invest in DEI programs and leadership roles, there is imperative to develop and use tools that can survey faculty perspectives, assess efforts, and align DEI efforts between academic faculty and health systems. Our exploratory assessment among academic pediatric faculty demonstrates that much of the DEI work in pediatric academic settings is done by a small number of individuals, predominantly Black faculty, with limited institutional support or recognition. Future efforts should focus on expanding participation among all groups and increasing institutional engagement.

Destructive Leadership and Organizational Culture as the Predecessors of Academic Mobbing

While global trends like university rankings and neoliberal policies have changed the operation of the higher education systems worldwide, they brought a new managerial understanding that prioritized competition and quantification of performance over collegiality and quality. This transformation rendered values like trust and professionalism hollow, weakened the relationships among faculty and directors, and eventually prepared a suitable ground for mobbing to flourish. The study aims to examine the phenomenon of academic mobbing from the perspectives of Turkish faculty based on Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Model. 12 semi-structured in-depth interviews with the targeted faculty working at different universities in Ankara, İstanbul, Konya and Eskişehir were conducted. The major findings of the study were as follows: the perpetrators of mobbing were the directors who adopted autocratic and laissez-faire leadership styles and had good relationships with in-group members; academic culture was described with threat, fear, jealousy, humiliation, high-powerdistance and collectivisms, all of which triggered mobbing; the targeted faculty were determined, strong and self-confident in nature as well as impulsive and aggressive at times; mobbing predominantly ended in resignation, psychological and psychosomatic problems, and the lack of belonging; the top two coping strategies were getting social support and facing the mobbers; and the most frequent suggestions were for leaders to ensure meritocracy, for faculty to leave the institution the soonest time possible, and for the state to create a mobbing law. Finally, it is recommended that democratic and transformative leadership styles be used at universities and independent expert groups inspect them.

Sexual and reproductive health teaching in undergraduate medical education: A narrative review.

Contraception use, undesired pregnancy, and abortion care are common medical experiences that most physicians will encounter for their patients. Future physicians should therefore have some formal education on these topics. In this narrative review, we focused on how medical education approaches these sometimes polarizing yet fundamental topics. We assessed the published literature on sexual and reproductive health education in undergraduate medical education from 2000 to 2021, screening 868 articles and including 52 articles. We included articles that discussed contraception, emergency contraception, pregnancy options counseling, abortion, and ethics related to sexual and reproductive health. Included studies came from 14 countries and described both preclinical and clinical education. Studies assessed medical student knowledge, the effectiveness of educational interventions and medical school faculty perspectives on sexual and reproductive health curricula. Medical educators have employed a variety of approaches to teach sexual and reproductive health including simulation, objective structured clinical examinations, team-based learning, narrative medicine, online modules, and flipped classrooms. Students generally received sexual and reproductive health education favorably, demonstrating increased knowledge and comfort with these topics after an education session. Studies also identified curricular gaps and deficiencies in student knowledge, which may indicate a need for improved and consistent medical school education on contraception and abortion.

Practices and Issues in Distributed Leadership at University Level: Evidence from the Perspectives of Faculty

The idea of distributed leadership is relatively evolving but revealed the lacked understanding of the definition or concept made it more disputed. There is extensive work done on this concept, but not in the context of higher education, especially in Pakistan. This research intended to explore the extent of practices with existing complications in implementing distributive leadership in universities. It also aimed to explore the practices and issues in Distributed leadership at the higher education institutions in Lahore, Pakistan. The study used a quantitative descriptive survey design, with a questionnaire on the dimensions linked to leaders’ distributed leadership practices. A sample of 125 participants was selected using a simple random technique from the four selected public and private universities in Lahore, Pakistan. The results proposed that the practicing distributive leadership in the university faced multifaceted hindrances, proceeding in the directions towards organizational structure; vision; values and beliefs; collaboration and cooperation; roles and responsibility; making decisions and initiatives.