University Officials Research Articles

Management Skills and Performance in University Officials From San Martín, Peru

Object: in organizations it is important to hire professionals with skills and abilities that allow them to manage or manage in order to achieve the institutional purposes, so that the performance is efficient and effective, but it is not known if management skills are being taken into account within the professional profile; as well as, according to their work performance, they are ratified in the position of the official. Therefore, it is important to establish the relationship between management skills and performance in university employees. Theoretical framework: It is focused on knowing the skills and their importance of applicability in order to show a better performance; therefore, a better management of the area or institution where they work. Method: deductive study, with a basic type, quantitative research approach and non-experimental design. Results and conclusions: there is a positive, moderate and significant relationship between management skills and the dimension of the performance variable with Spearman's Rho. It was concluded that management skills are positively, moderately and significantly related to the performance of San university officials with a Spearman's Rho of 0.485 and a significance level of 0.01, as well as 26% of variability between variables. Implications of the research: with this research it has been demonstrated that as managerial skills are strengthened they will be reflected in the improvement in the performance of university officials; therefore, the need to work with training and workshops in order to strengthen the first variable.

The Influence of Academic Affairs on PIF

Referencing literature and professional experiences of multiple academic affairs deans in Doctor of Pharmacy degree granting programs, this commentary examines the ways offices of academic affairs (OAAs) play an integral part in the professional identity formation (PIF) of students, faculty, preceptors, and staff. The overlapping roles of academic affairs and other program and university offices are examined with a focus on approaches that impact student PIF. Although size, organizational structure, and roles or responsibilities can vary among OAAs within pharmacy education, 5 focus areas are identified as opportunities where most, if not all, OAAs can positively impact PIF for students. These 5 areas include curriculum design, delivery, and operations; leadership; professional development; student support and progression; and accreditation. OAAs can help to shape PIF within pharmacy education in a variety of ways. Identifying and reflecting upon the 5 focus areas described in this paper may help individuals within OAA units to recognize where PIF efforts may be developed, refined, or assessed within their program. By intentionally layering PIF strategies across these 5 focus areas, OAA personnel and those from other units within and outside of the university system may thoughtfully work together to develop graduates who have increased self-awareness, confidence, and the ability to lead within the profession of pharmacy.

Multilingualism and mismatching: Spanish language usage in college admissions essays

In US K-12 education, the Spanish language is subject to practices and policies that limit its expression, especially among racialized Latinx students. However, higher education claims to view Spanish as a positive form of diversity. We therefore examine college admissions essays to analyze how students strategically deploy Spanish in light of these contradictions. We use two years of undergraduate application essays (n = 276,768) and metadata submitted to the University of California by every self-identified Latinx applicant and a racially representative random sample of non-Latinx applicants. To identify Spanish language usage in the text, we develop a computational mixed methods approach by combining machine translation and human reading. Spanish was used by 33% of Latinx and 15% of non-Latinx students with stylistic variation by class and ethnicity. We also find that lower income Mexican and Central American applicants were the most likely to use substantive forms of Spanish in their admissions essays as well as provide translations into English. We posit that this self-translation is an example of students identifying cultural mismatch between themselves and university admissions offices. This linguistic strategy, which we call strategic Spanish, sheds light on how language, culture, and ethnicity intersect in high-stakes evaluation and also helps surface the potential for machine translation as a method for social scientific inquiry.

English-majored Students’ Perceptions of Their Autonomy in English Language Learning

Learner autonomy is not a new concept in education as it is one of the important goals set for students in any language curriculum, especially when most universities in Vietnam employ a credit-based system that requires students to take more responsibility for their learning. The ability to learn autonomously is considered to be an indispensable and important attribute of a successful language learner. This mixed-method study, hence, aimed to explore English-majored students' perceptions of their responsibilities and identify the key factors influencing their autonomy in English learning. The analysis of the quantitative data revealed that the majority of students perceive themselves as autonomous learners, demonstrating a willingness to take responsibility for their English language learning both inside and outside of the classroom. Besides, the findings reveal that various factors influence autonomous English learning, including a lack of motivation, a lack of learning strategies, and laziness. Some possible solutions suggested through the semi-structured interview involve improving self-regulating skills, strengthening student-student and student-teacher interactions, and getting more support from university officials and others in society. Finally, there were pedagogical implications for developing learner autonomy during the process of English teaching and learning.

A case study showing highly traceable sources of bacteria on surfaces of university buildings

University students predominantly spend their time indoors, where prolonged exposure raises the risk of contact with microorganisms of concern. However, our knowledge about the microbial community characteristics on university campus and their underpinnings is limited. To address it, we characterized bacterial communities from the surfaces of various built environments typical of a university campus, including cafeterias, classrooms, dormitories, offices, meeting rooms, and restrooms, in addition to human skin. The classrooms harbored the highest α-diversity, while the cafeterias had the lowest α-diversity. The bacterial community composition varied significantly across different building types. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria were common phyla in university buildings, accounting for more than 90 % of total abundance. Staphylococcus aureus was the most abundant potential pathogen in classrooms, dormitories, offices, restrooms, and on human skin, indicating a potential risk for skin disease infections in these buildings. We further developed a new quantitative pathogenic risk assessment method according to the threat of pathogens to humans and found that classrooms exhibited the highest potential risk. The fast expectation-maximization algorithm identified 59 %-86 % of bacterial sources in buildings, with the human skin as the largest bacterial source for most buildings. As the sources of bacteria were highly traceable, we showed that homogeneous selection, dispersal limitation, and ecological drift were major ecological forces that drove community assembly. Our findings have important implications for predicting the distribution and sources of indoor dust bacterial communities on university campus.

Perceptions on Traditional Minority Sports: Bases for the Improvement of the Physical Education Curriculum

This study aimed to analyze the current situation of traditional minority sports curriculum teaching in Guangxi universities and to propose future development directions for the curriculum based on the research results. By combining qualitative and quantitative methods, this paper makes data statistics on traditional minority sports from the aspects of current situation, teaching environment and curriculum reform, and analyzes the relevant statistical data. The data collected in this study were 400 students, 73 teachers, and 20 college officials from four universities. The respondents are continuously concerned about the teaching objectives, teaching status and teaching influencing factors of traditional minority sports courses in schools. Through the interviews with the investigators, some useful suggestions are put forward for the future school PE teaching and curriculum reform. Based on the survey and research results, the researcher proposed suggestions for physical education in universities and schools in Guangxi. The researchers proposed updating teaching methods, improving work incentive mechanisms, and constructing excellent ethnic cultural inheritance concepts that have profound significance for enhancing the inheritance and development of traditional minority sports.

Shifting Gears: A case study of bicycle planning and decision-making in Tucson, Arizona

Planners face a complex process from planning projects to final construction and evaluation in cycle planning. Planners tend to coordinate with peers in neighboring cities, advocates, politicians, other policymakers, and researchers to implement cycling plans. Documenting this decision-making process and the sources of information that guide decisions can provide insight into creating better cycling planning research and fostering stronger collaborations. We first provide a brief history of cycle planning in Tucson, Arizona, to demonstrate the current issues and efforts. Then, we present findings from interviews with Tucson planners and an advocate to explore information sources, collaboration, barriers, and opportunities for action for bicycle planning. Our results highlight the need for research presented in consumable ways, particularly through professional networks, and the potential for university outreach offices to assist in public participation and outreach, professional education, and collaboration on data collection and analysis on cycling projects. Focusing on these avenues can strengthen the science to decision-making pipeline. These lessons can also help improve bicycle planning in other communities.

Campus Officials’ Perceptions of Alcohol Policies for College Sporting Events

ABSTRACT Background Excessive alcohol use among college students and the associated consequences experienced is a serious public health concern for university officials. Event-specific drinking occasions, such as “game-day” are of special concern. Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess campus officials’ perceptions of implementing a policy regulating alcohol consumption during tailgating. Methods Researchers used a cross-sectional research design to survey Division-I Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Results Although enforcement varied, most institutions (68.4%) had a policy regulating alcohol during tailgating. Multiple regression analysis revealed that perceived benefits was the only construct predictive of having a policy; therefore, to advance prevention efforts, the advantages of this policy should be emphasized. Discussion Addressing alcohol use on college football game-day is imperative to promoting student health and well-being. Translation to Health Education Practice Health education specialists, presidents, and other university leaders need to take a proactive stance regarding prevention issues, including during college sports events, because they are ultimately responsible for the safety of students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Implementation of suitable information technology governance frameworks for Moroccan higher education institutions

This article aims to present formal governance practices of information technology adapted to the general context of Moroccan universities. The study consists of two main phases: the conceptualization phase and the operationalization phase. During the conceptualization phase, the authors reviewed relevant literature on best practices and their associated frameworks in higher education institutions (HEIs). The results revealed that universities had varying levels of maturity in terms of good practices and often used multiple information system frameworks, which can cause organizational and technical problems. In order to find a solution to this situation, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with chief information officers (CIOs) and university officials from four Moroccan universities during the operationalization phase. These interviews enabled them to propose an effective baseline of best practices and an algorithmic approach to assist managers in choosing between two combinations of frameworks that cover all the mechanisms of the baseline. This solution would enable optimal, agile, and easy-to-implement information technology governance in Moroccan universities while avoiding the multiplicity of frameworks.

Memorable Messages About Mental Health Among International Students in the United States: A Mixed-Method Study

ABSTRACT This study investigated the memorable messages about mental health that international students (N = 199) received from various sources since arriving on campus in the U.S. Utilizing the memorable messages framework, we examined the types of messages (normalizing, strategizing, minimizing) they received and their association with message satisfaction, mental health stigma, and attitude toward help-seeking. The most frequently recalled messages were normalizing messages (49.2%), followed by strategizing messages (31.7%), and minimizing messages (9.5%). Participants who recalled normalizing and strategizing messages reported higher satisfaction and a more favorable attitude toward help-seeking compared to those who recalled minimizing messages. These findings offer theoretical implications for memorable messages and immigrant populations, as well as practical implications for campaign messaging and design. These results can guide university officials in tailoring their efforts to meet the mental health needs of this vulnerable population.

Could this year's problems impact next year?

Just when college officials thought the news about FAFSA couldn’t get any worse, a speaker at this year's American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers hinted that the Education Department's problems may continue into next year.

Novel occupancy detection method based on convolutional neural network model using PIR sensor and smart meter data

Occupancy information, especially the number of occupants, can effectively guide the operation of building systems. Capturing real-time and accurate occupancy information is critical. Passive infrared (PIR) sensors and smart meters have been deployed extensively. To improve the occupancy detection accuracy, this study proposes an innovative occupant number detection approach involving a temporal sequential analysis of occupancy-related data using data fusion from PIR sensors and smart meters with a convolutional neural network (CNN) model. A university office was investigated as a case study. PIR sensors and smart meters were adopted to collect data. And CNN model was established with both various data types and historical data as multi-dimensional model inputs. The model outperformed than traditional ANN models with an improved accuracy by 26.8%. The proposed occupancy detection model was applied to optimize the control strategy of an outdoor air system, which helped to provide comfortable built environment and realize energy savings.

A Markov chain-based approach for assessing respiratory infection risk in a multi-zone office building

Most respiratory infectious disease transmission events occur in indoor environments, and examining the infection risk in different types of multi-zone buildings is critical to the safe reopening and use of public buildings. Appropriate space design influences occupant behavior and virus spread, thereby aiding in mitigating indoor infection risk. This study aims to quickly evaluate the multi-route infection risk in multi-zone buildings with relatively stable occupant populations, and to quantify the effectiveness of spatial interventions at different levels. A Markov chain-based approach was proposed to characterize occupants' time-activity trajectories with low time cost and relatively high accuracy. Four transmission routes are considered, especially for the fine-grained characterization of close contact. A real university office building was selected as a case study to quantitatively evaluate the effects of three non-pharmacological interventions including spatial layout, ventilation, and occupant behavioral control. Results showed that short-range airborne transmission dominated, and optimized combination spatial design interventions reduced the indoor infection risk by up to 10 %. Zone layout intervention was the most effective, with the division of the open-plan office area into three subzones, reducing the risk by 9.6 %, which was superior to the intervention of maintaining a one-meter interpersonal distance. Followed by the furniture layout, without changing the seating capacity and without desktop baffles, the L-shaped table layout worked better reducing the risk by 2.78 %. This study can help architects and managers better understand the risk of indoor transmission in multizone buildings from a spatial design perspective, to select appropriate interventions to reduce the risk.

Wastewater based epidemiology as a surveillance tool during the current COVID-19 pandemic on a college campus (East Carolina University) and its accuracy in predicting SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in dormitories.

The COVID-19 outbreak led governmental officials to close many businesses and schools, including colleges and universities. Thus, the ability to resume normal campus operation required adoption of safety measures to monitor and respond to COVID-19. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of wastewater-based epidemiology as a surveillance method in monitoring COVID-19 on a college campus. The use of wastewater monitoring as part of a surveillance program to control COVID-19 outbreaks at East Carolina University was evaluated. During the Spring and Fall 2021 semesters, wastewater samples (N = 830) were collected every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from the sewer pipes exiting the dormitories on campus. Samples were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 and viral quantification was determined using qRT-PCR. During the Spring 2021 semester, there was a significant difference in SARS-CoV-2 virus copies in wastewater when comparing dorms with the highest number student cases of COVID-19 and those with the lowest number of student cases, (p = 0.002). Additionally, during the Fall 2021 semester it was observed that when weekly virus concentrations exceeded 20 copies per ml, there were new confirmed COVID-19 cases 85% of the time during the following week. Increases in wastewater viral concentration spurred COVID-19 swab testing for students residing in dormitories, aiding university officials in effectively applying COVID testing policies. This study showed wastewater-based epidemiology can be a cost-effective surveillance tool to guide other surveilling methods (e.g., contact tracing, nasal/salvia testing, etc.) to identify and isolate afflicted individuals to reduce the spread of pathogens and potential outbreaks within a community.

Building CapaCITY/É for sustainable transportation: protocol for an implementation science research program in healthy cities

IntroductionImproving sustainable transportation options will help cities tackle growing challenges related to population health, congestion, climate change and inequity. Interventions supporting active transportation face many practical and political hurdles. Implementation...

Exploring the relationship between contextual factors and health-promoting lifestyle profile (HPLP) among medical students: A cross-sectional study.

The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between health-promoting lifestyle profile (HPLP) among medical students and contextual factors such as gender, age, field of study, academic level, marital status, history of physical and mental illnesses, and smoking. The present research was conducted in a cross-sectional method in 2021 on 500 students of Shiraz University of Medical Students. An e-questionnaire link was sent to them via email. The research tool was the HPLP questionnaire consisting of 52 questions in six domains in a 4-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24 with one-sample t-test, independent t-test, analysis of variance, and Tukey's post hoc test. A total of 500 students fully answered the questions completely. All components of a healthy lifestyle-except for exercise-obtained a score higher than the cut-off point. The component of Self-Actualization (spiritual growth) (3.035 ± 0.68) had the highest score, while the lowest score was related to exercise and physical activity (2.126 ± 0.60). Married individuals had a better average health score compared to singles (p = 0.047). The average health score did not have a significant relationship with gender, but significantly related to age, field of study (p < 0.001), history of mental illnesses (p < 0.001) and Smoking (p < 0.001). It seems that university officials should pay more attention to the health domain of students' lifestyles, such as nutrition, the development of exercise and physical activities, and the management of stress and mental health. Additionally, providing necessary awareness and considering training courses, as well as developing sports and recreational facilities, can be effective in creating a better environment for the growth and development of students and ensuring their well-being.

What is the ideal time to begin tapering opioid agonist treatment? A protocol for a retrospective population-based comparative effectiveness study in British Columbia, Canada

IntroductionOpioid agonist treatment (OAT) tapering involves a gradual reduction in daily medication dose to ultimately reach a state of opioid abstinence. Due to the high risk of relapse and overdose...

Paperless Technologies in Universities: Examination in Terms of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT)

This study aims to determine the factors affecting the use of paperless technologies by university office staff and academicians. The study sample comprised 726 academics and administrative staff from 10 public and 3 foundation higher education institutions in Turkey. Care was taken to ensure that the selected universities had switched to paperless processes or that work was largely conducted through digital tools. When the path analysis results were examined, it was determined that performance expectation, effort expectation, and social impact positively affected the intention to use paperless technologies. In addition, intent to use has a mediating role on the effect of social influence, effort expectation, and performance expectation on actual usage of paperless technologies. Our hypotheses were supported. According to the research results, social impact, effort to be spent, and the performance of paperless technologies effectively encourage academic and administrative staff at universities to use paperless technologies.

The Prevalence of Anxiety Among University Students in the United Arab Emirates Following the COVID-19 Lockdown.

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its consequential lifestyle changes, is anticipated to contribute to increased anxiety levels, particularly among university students who already contend with significant academic stress. We aim to assess the prevalence of anxiety among university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the COVID-19 lockdown period. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among students enrolled in UAE universities. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized to gather demographic data, assess anxiety levels using the generalized anxiety disorder-7 scale, explore potential factors associated with heightened anxiety, investigate the impact of increased anxiety on academic performance, and identify coping mechanisms employed post-lockdown. Of the 369 participating students, anxiety levels were minimal in 87 (23.6%), mild in 163 (44.2%), and moderate to severe in 119 (32.2%) subjects. Moreover, increased anxiety levels were significantly correlated with poor/fair sleep quality (p=0.002). Importantly, students with moderate to severe anxiety levels exhibited poorer performance in exams and assignments (p=0.001) and encountered difficulties in maintaining focus on studies (p<0.001). The predominant coping mechanisms employed by students included self-distraction, prayer, and maintaining a positive attitude. The majority of students in our study experienced mild to severe levels of anxiety following the COVID-19 lockdown period. We hope that our findings will prompt university and government officials to implement effective screening and preventive strategies to adequately support university students in future public health crises.

Letter from the Former Editor-in-Chief for 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 periods: Happy 30th volume and 35th Birthday, European Journal of Therapeutics!

Dear Colleagues, I am very pleased to share this editorial with you in commemoration of the 35th Anniversary and the 30th Volume of the European Journal of Therapeutics (Eur J Ther), formerly Gaziantep Medical Journal (Gaziantep Med J), where I served as Editor-in-Chief with great honour between 2011-2012 and 2013-2014. The journal, which started its publication life in 1990 with the great efforts of Dr. Sabri Güngör, was initially published in two issues a year [1]. In 2009, it continued as three issues a year [2], and in 2014, during the period of our Editor-in-Chief, it started to be published as four issues a year [3]. While celebrating the thirty-fifth Anniversary and the thirtieth Volume of the journal in the February 2024 issue (Vol: 30, No: 1), I would also like to express my great happiness that it will be published six issues a year from now on. When I was the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, there was no professional publisher support. We had not received any financial support during that time. So, we had to work hard to publish the issues on time. We managed to publish issues in both online and print versions. We used our university's printing office. I must indicate that I am very grateful to the director and workers of the printing office for their enormous help in publishing the printed issues of the journal at that time. As the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, I compiled all the previously published issues, converted them into PDF files, and formed the archives of the journal. We made the first attempt to increase the number of editorial board members by including foreign editors. It was one of the steps to becoming an international journal. We started to accept articles written in English. After all this work, we applied for indexing the journal with different organizations, and we received positive returns. I believe that the former, current, and future editors are fighting in a long-term relay race as players of the same team. As one of the former Editor-in-Chiefs, I would like to express that I will always provide all the support I can for the further development of the journal, and I would like to thank all the editors who have contributed to the further development of the journal through this editorial. Yours sincerely