Large Multi-campus University Research Articles

Salary Differences Between Schools of Medicine and Schools of Public Health for Nonclinical PhD Faculty: A Case Study of One Large Multicampus University System.

There are no evidence-based findings to assist professionals with advanced public health and social science degrees in choosing the appropriate academic location. A cross-sectional case study in 2019 was conducted using publicly available online data of full-time, nonclinical, doctoral-level academic faculty in schools of public health (SOPHs) and schools of medicine (SOMs), within one large university system. Analyses included descriptive statistics and generalized linear regression models comparing salaries between school types by academic rank, after gender and race/ethnicity adjustment. The study included 181 faculty members, 35.8% assistant, 34.1% associate, and 30.1% full professors. After accounting for race/ethnicity and gender, SOM assistant and associate professors had 9% (P = .03) and 14% (P = .008) higher mean salaries than SOPH counterparts. Findings suggest slight salary advantages for SOM faculty for early- to mid-career PhDs in one university system. Factors such as start-up packages, time to promotion, and grant funding need further exploration.

The Relationship Between Work During College and Post College Earnings.

Prior research suggests that undergraduates employed during term time are less likely to graduate. Using transcript data from a large multi-campus university in the United States, combined with student earnings data from state administrative records, the authors find that traditional-age students who worked for pay during college on average earned more after leaving college than similar students who did not work. This post-college earnings premium is on par with the benefit from completing a degree, even after controlling for demographic and academic achievement characteristics, across various student sub-groups, and including models that account for selection bias. Implications of these findings for theories of education and social stratification, and for educational policy are considered.

Does the use of annotated exemplars by nursing students predict academic performance? A cohort study

AimsTo examine the usefulness of the annotated exemplar as an academic support strategy, and explore the characteristics of students who were more likely to engage with this academic support tool. Additionally, to identify if there was any influence on the academic performance in the assessment activity among those who engaged with the annotated exemplar. BackgroundAnnotated exemplars have the potential to target students en masse and provide meaningful, task specific comments that guide students prior to assessment submission. Effective strategies to support student learning are needed as nursing students are increasingly entering tertiary studies from non-traditional backgrounds. DesignA cohort study was used to collect administrative data, academic grades and annotated exemplar usage statistics. SettingA large multi-campus university in NSW, Australia during Spring semester 2016. ParticipantsSecond year undergraduate students enrolled in a single unit in the Bachelor of Nursing Program. MethodsQuantitative data related to marks, grades and usage information; and demographic data and contact details were extracted from the online learning management system and student electronic records. ResultsOf the 1120 students enrolled in the unit, 49.5% of students engaged with the annotated exemplar. Students more likely to engage with the tool were older, female, born outside of Australia and had higher hit rates on the online learning management site. Of those who engaged with the annotated exemplar, there was no demonstrated increase in assessment mark. ConclusionTo improve student performance it is essential that feedback is engaging and effective. While, in this study, use of the annotated exemplar was not reflected in student marks, it is unclear how students may have performed without access to the exemplar. Further research is required to explore the reasons why students did not engage with the annotated exemplar and, for those who did, why the intervention did not impact on assessment mark.

Language support improves oral communication skills of undergraduate nursing students: A 6-month follow-up survey

BackgroundWith the widening of participation in higher education, it is essential in the discipline of nursing that students are able to communicate proficiently to deliver quality patient care. However, undergraduate students can experience significant difficulties with spoken communication critical to professional nursing, which places them ‘at risk’ of failure during the nursing course. ObjectivesTo examine the relationship between students' use of academic literacy support and oral communication skills. DesignProspective, correlational survey design. SettingA large multi-campus university in Western Sydney, Australia. ParticipantsA total of 1699 assessment ratings of first and second year nursing students were completed at both baseline and at the 6-month follow-up in 2015. MethodsThe CLIP index was embedded as an assessment requirement in four clinical skills-based units and assessed at the end of each semester in the first two years of the Bachelor of Nursing program. In this study, first and second year students were assessed in Semester 1 at baseline and also six months later in Semester 2. ResultsFrom Semester 1 to Semester 2, the mean CLIP scores improved from 15.8 (SD: 3.7) to 17.2 (SD: 3.3) and all four components of the mean CLIP index improved. The smallest improvement was in the area of pronunciation while the lexical component had the greatest improvement. In addition, students who attended an academic literacy consultation or workshop for oral language support were over 1.5 times more likely to achieve an improvement in CLIP score (AOR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.26 to 1.98). ConclusionThe CLIP tool can be used to track and monitor students' oral language skills over the course of their study, and identify ‘at risk’ students requiring additional support through on-campus language support programs.

Surviving and Thriving at a University in the United Kingdom

While considerable research on college student surviving and thriving has been conducted in the United States, fewer studies exist that examine these phenomenon multinationally. This mixed methods study, conducted at a large multi-campus university in the United Kingdom, examines factors purported to contribute to college student retention and engagement in a British context. Data were collected and analysed in the five theme categories of belonging, student support services, academic engagement, decision-making and resilience. Significant differences were found in student engagement by metropolitan vs. suburban campus, and in levels of engagement in academic and student life by gender.

Performance Management in Academic Libraries: A Balanced Scorecard Approach for Digital Services

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the Balanced Scorecard could be used as a performance management tool in academic library digital services at a large multi-campus University in Ghana, the University of Education, and Winneba. Despite the fact that it was initially designed for private sector commercial organisations, the Balanced Scorecard has been found useful by non-profits such as libraries. The study demonstrates the contribution of digital library services to the strategic goals of universities by aligning strategic digital library initiatives to the four Balanced Scorecard perspectives which are: customer; finance; internal processes; and learning and organisation. The study is expected to contribute to efforts at finding strategic measures to sustain digital library services in academic libraries.

Monitoring trends in research student experience

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present approaches effectively used by a large multi-campus Australian university to improve the research student experience as a direct result of their feedback. These approaches include: identifying trends in the research student experience and areas needing improvement through the Research Student Satisfaction Survey conducted by the University in 2009, 2011 and 2013; prioritising and implementing improvement solutions; and monitoring the improvement actions to measure their efficiency based on student feedback, and to identify areas warranting further improvement attention.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative study was undertaken with research students.FindingsThe study outlines the need for universities to have a systematic approach in measuring and enhancing the experience of research students. Systematic approach enables the university to take timely action to enhance student experience.Research limitations/implicationsUndertaking analysis of the survey at faculty or school level. Increased accountability on Associate Deans (Research) to implement improvements at faculty level.Originality/valueThe paper is based on ten years of study in a large multi-campus university.

Hawks and doves: The influence of nurse assessor stringency and leniency on pass grades in clinical skills assessments

BackgroundRater variability in performance-based assessments is well-documented, yet limited research has explored this in undergraduate nursing programs. MethodsA prospective follow up study design was used to determine the extent of assessor stringency in clinical skills assessments in an undergraduate nursing program at a large multi-campus university in Sydney, Australia. Grades for students' clinical skills assessments in three units (semesters one, three and five) were extracted from an administrative database. Results were matched to student demographic data (age, gender, language spoken at home, country of birth) and the assessor. ResultsA total of 2339 graded clinical skills assessments of students in the undergraduate nursing program were available for analysis, representing 75% of students enrolled in three nursing skills units. Overseas-born students had lower pass grades than Australian-born students (78% vs. 85%; p<0.001). Significant variability was seen in pass grades across units (χ2: 32.32, df: 2, p<0.001), campuses (χ2: 17.81, df: 2, p<0.001) and assessors, with pass grades ranging from 36% to 100%. In multivariate analysis, students assessed by the most lenient assessors were over seven times more likely to pass than students assessed by the most stringent assessors (AOR: 7.76; CI: 5.64-10.67; p<0.001). ConclusionsThe strongest predictor of a student passing their nursing skill assessment was the leniency of the assessor. A proactive approach to detecting and correcting variability in clinical skills assessments, including reviewing assessor training and support, is needed in light of the high-stakes nature of these assessments.

Opportunities for Real-Time Digital Reference Service

Summary This article explores the opportunities that real-time digital reference service can offer to a variety of library settings from the independent public library to the large multi-campus university or the multi-national corporation. There are many occasions when a real-time digital reference service will be the optimal solution for a portion of a library's reference service. The authors' goal is to offer their original ideas, and examples from the literature, that will stimulate thought about real-time digital reference services that could be offered by your libraries. The numerous ideas and examples should provide the reader with workable methods for extending the reach of reference service to under-served populations.

“As long as it doesn't spill over into class”: harms arising from students’ alcohol use, and the role of policy in reducing them

While there is considerable evidence about the prevalence of student alcohol use, little empirical work has examined the range and level of exposure to alcohol-related risks facing student populations, and the views of key stakeholders about these. This study was conducted at a large multi-campus university in order to gauge the scale and severity of students’ alcohol-related problems, and ways in which these may be mitigated. Student perspectives on campus based policy making with respect to alcohol were also canvassed. This study utilised a range of evaluative instruments, including standardised questionnaire protocols, structured interviews and focus groups. Data gained from students showed a large level of exposure to alcohol-related harm, and staff informants reported student harms such as drink-driving, interpersonal aggression, social nuisance, inadequate security, sexually risky behaviour, and physical malaise. As a group, students seem receptive to campus-based policies that have a harm reduction focus, but are less supportive of institutionalised measures aimed at the student body. Given the divergence of views about the harms arising from student drinking, and a general repudiation of institutional policy measures which may lessen these, the development of harm-reducing policy on alcohol remains challenging.

Ethical dilemmas and human rights considerations arising from the evaluation of a smoking policy in a health promoting setting

One of the key challenges in managing the Health Promoting Workplace is the development of an effective policy for the control of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). This paper explores the ethical consequences raised when the implementation of such a policy was evaluated in a large multi-campus university. In a three-stage evaluation, the first stage involved a qualitative enquiry with the Health and Safety Committee to obtain the management perspective on the working of the policy. A survey of the perception of the ETS policy and smoking behaviours with a representative sample of staff and students constituted the second stage. In the final stage the Health and Safety Committee was engaged with the findings of stages 1 and 2 to develop a response to the evaluation. The ethical implications which arise from this evaluation centre, firstly, on the underlying reasons for undertaking an evaluation. Secondly, consideration is given to the consequences of applying utilitarian principles to smoking policy for the minority who smoke and thus find their work or study patterns affected by a smoking ban. Such a ban limits their autonomy and while it may be helpful (beneficent) in terms of their longer-term physical health, it may have harmful (maleficent) effects on their psychological wellbeing and the potential for negative consequences if they choose to contravene the ban on smoking. The implications of addressing this situation are explored.