Quarterly Progress Research Articles

A Post-Merger Value Realization Framework for a Large Community Hospital.

To capture the value of the Scarborough Health Network amalgamation, a value realization framework (VRF) was developed, based on three themes and nine goals. Each goal was mapped to key strategies and indicators that signalled our delivery of value to the community. Value was achieved when indicators moved in the desired direction. The VRF acknowledged that integration is a journey and identified value in the short, medium and long term. Four quarterly VRF progress reports were completed, illustrating a positive story of the post-merger period. The VRF provided a standardized framework for tracking and monitoring strategies for a successful organizational transition.

Effect of preceptor-initiated referral system on advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students' rotation progress and graduation rate

IntroductionThe objective of this study was to determine whether the referral and monitoring system developed at Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (BUCOPHS) for advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students is successful in improving on-time and overall graduation rates and decreasing rotation failures. MethodsIn May 2014, a formalized process for referral and monitoring of APPE students was established. This allows preceptors to recommend (via the electronic final evaluation form) additional monitoring or intervention in the areas of professionalism, time management, drug information, communication, and therapeutic/drug knowledge. The experiential education director subsequently meets with referred students and develops a customized longitudinal plan to help each student improve in the identified areas. Data collected for students who were referred included the rotation block, rotation type, preceptor type, and the specific areas recommended for monitoring and referral. In addition, each student's quarterly progress, specific assessments outlined in each student's customized longitudinal plan, number of failed rotations, on-time graduation, and overall graduation status was recorded. The university's institutional review board approved the study. ResultsBetween May 2014 and April 2017, a total of 36 students were referred to the experiential education office for monitoring and/or intervention. Of these, 35/36 (97.2%) graduated on time. There were eight students who failed one APPE; no students received more than one failure. ConclusionsDevelopment of a referral and monitoring system for preceptors aids in retention of professional pharmacy students and increases on-time and overall graduation rates.

Supporting e‐learning in enterprise: the TE3 project

PurposeThe Technology Enhanced Enterprise Education project (TE3) promotes the use of learning technologies to enhance enterprise and entrepreneurship education in the 12 HEI partners of the Mercia Institute of Enterprise (MIE). This paper describes the formal processes and procedures underpinning TE3, describes issues around material development and use, and comments on the lessons learned and added value outcomes experienced by community members.Design/methodology/approachTE3 works as a community of practice with regular events and online support for the sharing of materials and experience. Materials developed with TE3 funds are made available to all partners to download, adapt, and use for educational or research purposes. Community learning is captured via quarterly progress and end‐of‐project forms which ask educators to reflect on the lessons they have learned, and to note any added‐value benefits that have emerged as a result of material development.FindingsSince its creation in August 2003, over 13,000 students have been registered to learn about enterprise using TE3 developed materials, and over 500 members of staff have been involved with TE3 through projects or training events. Educators have reported that TE3 has led to increased skills and knowledge for both themselves and their students, and increased the pool of resources available. Added‐value outcomes include increased research output, increased links with small firms, and links between academics and educators from different institutions that may not otherwise have arisen.Practical implicationsTE3 demonstrates how enterprise educators can work together to share resources and expertise, whilst embedding enterprise education within a sustainable local context, either as a dedicated module, or within a student's normal programme of study. The lessons learned by TE3 as a whole will be of use to those supporting enterprise educators, and those learned by individual TE3 projects can inform good practice in the use of e‐learning to support enterprise students.Originality/valueTE3 has successfully supported educators and facilitated the spread of enterprise education to students in West Midlands HEIs across all subject disciplines. It is now moving into a second phase which will concentrate on dissemination of the materials produced and in supporting the community of educators that has emerged.

Application of a Three-Level Evaluation Plan for Monitoring Child Progress and Program Effects

Early intervention programs for at-risk and handicapped infants often do not have adequate evaluation systems for collecting the necessary information for making sound decisions about child progress and program impact. To address this problem a description of a comprehensive three-level evaluation plan for measuring child progress and program impact is discussed. Level 3 evaluation is focused on determining general program impact through measuremnt of enrolled children's progress toward developmental milestones. Level 2 evaluates quarterly child progress through the administration of a program-relevant, criterionreferenced tool. The information generated from this program-relevant tool also provides the necessary information for the development of Individual Education Plan. Level 1 evaluation is desgned to determine weekly child progress toward specific instructional objectives by administering brief probe tests. Two years of data collected on at-risk and handicapped infants participating in an early intervention program are presented to illustrate the practical application of this evaluation plan.

Readers Write

Although letters in praise of the Quarterly's progress have previously been excluded, an editor would have to be repulsively proud of his humility not to share the enthusiastic reaction of a most distinguished leader in our field.–DS