Schools Commission Research Articles

Developing empathy in healthcare professions students: protocol of a mixed-methods non-controlled longitudinal intervention study.

Despite the necessary focus on clinical skills and knowledge during the tertiary education of healthcare professionals, the literature highlights the importance of developing psycho-social competencies. Empathy, a cognitive-behavioral attribute linked to various benefits for patients and healthcare professionals, is one such competency. Pedagogical approaches to successfully develop empathy in tertiary healthcare students are available. However, these approaches are often integrated piecemeal throughout the tertiary education journey. Research on a more empathy-focused curriculum is scarce. This manuscript describes the design of a study that aims to examine the effects of a more empathy-focused curriculum on empathy in tertiary healthcare profession students in Singapore. Freshmen dentistry, medicine, nursing, and pharmacy students enrolled in a novel curriculum with a strong empathy focus will be recruited for the study and followed for the program's extent. Mixed-methods data collection at various time points will be conducted. Quantitative data will be collected on cognitive-behavioral empathy, intentions to provide empathic care, and engagement in courses of the curriculum. Qualitative data on perceptions of patient care and empathy in relation to relevant courses of the curriculum will be collected to provide context for quantitative findings. Ethics approval was granted by the Departmental Ethics Review Committee of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore (Ethics ID: SSHSPH-214).

Public Primary Schools Committee Strategies for Soliciting Stakeholders’ Contributions to Enhance Food Availability in Moshi District, Tanzania

The study examined the implementation of public primary schools committee strategies for soliciting stakeholders’ contributions to enhance food availability in Moshi District, Tanzania. The issue of food availability is of paramount importance, particularly in the context of primary schools, as it directly impacts the well-being and education of the pupils. Effective strategies to engage stakeholders in this endeavor are crucial for sustainable and comprehensive solutions. The Public Primary Schools Committee recognizes the significance of collaboration and engagement with various stakeholders to address the challenge of food availability. The study utilized a convergent design under a mixed research approach. The target population consisted of 2061 population and the sample was 306 including public primary schools, meal coordinators, head teachers, chairperson of the school committee and pupils. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23, employing methods such as sorting, frequency, percentages, and means. Qualitative data underwent transcribing and contextual analysis. The findings revealed that school committees demonstrated a moderate agreement on the strategies for soliciting stakeholders’ contributions to ensure food availability in public primary schools. The study concluded that school committees have promising strategies like announcing parent meetings, connecting parents to online platforms via What’s Up where announcements regarding food contributions can be made, implementing self-reliance activities to add nutrition to the food, collaborating with stakeholders including community-based organizations among others for soliciting stakeholders’ contributions to ensure food availability in public primary schools in Moshi district. The study recommended that school administrators should strengthen the role of school committees to encourage teamwork and oversee food- feeding programs through official education policies.

Summer bridge program characteristics and outcomes at institutions within the southeastern region of the United States

BackgroundIn response to the effort to increase minority enrollment in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors, STEM summer bridge programs were created to help minorities with the transition from high school to college with the long-term goal of increasing the diversity of professionals in STEM. The goal of this research is to collect and examine STEM summer bridge program information for institutions in the southeastern region of the United States. The institutions chosen for review have obtained accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The states include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.ResultsThis study conducted a manual search via institution websites that resulted 107 non-STEM and 77 STEM summer bridge programs that have published reports as well as those who have not published reports to the extent that the information is documented and available. A survey was sent to collect information such as individual program characteristics and program goals. There were 25 non-STEM and 28 STEM summer bridge program respondents. The responses of program goals to the specific programs were compared to manual search results.ConclusionsThe results show a need for more published reports for summer bridge programs, especially ones that target incoming freshmen in the STEM majors. Comparing the program goals from the survey and the manual search resulted in inconsistencies. This can be implied that the summer bridge program websites need to be more explicit program goals and be kept up to date. By doing this, applicants can interpret the benefits of participating in the summer bridge program.

Outcome of RT-PCR in the Diagnosis of Patients with COVID-19 Symptoms: A Study in a COVID-19 Referral Hospital

<i>Introduction: </i>Corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) (COVID-19) outbreak was first reported in China rapidly spread around the world within short period causing global public health emergency. COVID 19 is a highly infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The initial symptoms were fever, cough, dyspnea, myalgia or fatigue, headache, hemoptysis, diarrhea and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Hence in diagnosis of COVID-19 RT-PCR of viral nucleic acid is regarded as the reference standard to detect the COVID-19 positive cases. <i>Objective: </i>The aim of this study was to determine the outcome of RT-PCR of the patients with COVID-19 symptoms. <i>Methodology: </i>This was a cross-sectional prospective study carried out in the department of Radiology and imaging in collaboration with the department of Virology and COVID unit in IbnSina Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh during January, 2022 to June, 2022. A total of 239 OPD patients with COVID-19 symptoms aged above 18 years were enrolled in this study. The collected data were cleaned, edited and entered into computer for analysis. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 23.0. The ethical clearance of this study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of School of Public Health & Life Science, University of South Asia, and Dhaka, Bangladesh. <i>Results: </i>In this study a total of (n=239) patients with COVID-19 symptoms were enrolled. According to age distribution, the majority., 142 (59.42%) patients belonged to the age group >52 years, which was the highest and followed by 44 (18.42%) age group (43-52) years, 36 (15.06%) (33-42) years, 14 (5.85%) (22-32) years and 3 (1.25%) <22 years. According to sex distribution, the majority, 167 (69.85%) were male and 72 (30.12%) were female. Distribution by symptoms, all the patients239 (100%) had general weakness and followed by sneezing 221 (92.46%), fever 236 (98.74%), headache 228 (95.39%), cough 232 (97.07%), respiratory distress, 225 (94.14%), cough and SOB, 237 (99.16%), loss of smell, 212 (88.74%), lac of apatite, 224 (73.72%), asthma 218 (91.21%) and pneumonia, 118 (49.37%). In RT_PCR lab test results, the majority 195 (81.58%) were observed COVID-19 Negative (-) and 44 (18.41%) were observed COVID-19 Positive (+). Among the positive cases, the majority 26 (60%) were male and 18 (40%) were female. <i>Conclusion: </i>This study prevailed around 20 % of the patients with COVID-19 symptoms got COVID-19 Positive in RT-PCR lab test results. Therefore, the patients with COVID-19 symptoms must conduct RT-PCR lab test for their being sure of their COVID-19 affection. At the same time, the male are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than their counter part female.

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver (NAFL) Patients: An Exploratory Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital

<i>Introduction:</i> Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NLFD) is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver that exceeds 5% of hepatocytes, along with the development of progressive steatosis and related conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can display a diverse range of histological presentations, including simple accumulation of fat in the liver (steatosis), nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has a prevalence of 25%, impacting around 1 billion people globally. Objective: This study aimed to ascertain the demographic and clinical characteristics of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). <i>Methodology:</i> This was a cross-sectional prospective study carried out in the Department of Radiology and imaging in IbnSina Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh during January, 2023 to June, 2023. A total of 189 confirmed non-alcoholic fatty liver cases by CT scan, aged above 18 years were enrolled in this study. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 23.0. The ethical clearance of this study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of School of Public Health & Life Science, University of South Asia, and Dhaka, Bangladesh. <i>Results:</i> A total of 189 confirmed non-alcoholic fatty liver cases were enrolled in this study. According to age distribution, the maximum 113 (54.49%) patients were above 52 years and minimum 3 (1.58%) were between (18-22) years, and followed by 38 (20.10%) (43-52) years, 25 (13.22%), (33-42) years and 10 (5.29%) (22-32) years. The maximum 105 (55%) were male and 84 (45%) were female. The majority 132 (70%) were from urban area and 57 (30%) were from rural area. The majority 82 (43.38%) were involved in indoor job and followed by 50 (26.45%) outdoor job, 28 (14.81%) business, 20 (10.58%) not applicable and 9(4.76%) others. The BMI of the male patients was observed 132 (33.6 ± 9.5) kg/m<sup>2</sup> and the BMI of the female was 57 (35.5 ± 8.7) kg/m<sup>2</sup> (p=0.157). The maximum of the patients 70 (89.94% had Diabetes mellitus (DM) and followed by 66 (87.83%) Hypertension (HTN), 9 (4.76%) Cirrhosis, 8 (4.23%) Hyperlipidemia and 45 (23.80%) had Thyroid. The patients were suffering from abdominal pain, Nausea-34 (17.98%) Abdominal pain, Vomiting- 27 (14.28%), Follow Up-36 (19.04%), U. Abdominal pain-56 (29.62%) U. Abdominal pain, Jaundice-31 (16.40%) and U. Abdominal pain, Nausea-5 (2.64%). <i>Conclusion:</i> This study investigated, the majority of the NLFD patients (54.49%) were >52 years. The maximum patients were male. The majority of the patients (70%) were from urban area. The maximum patients were involved in indoor jobs. 89.94% patients had diabetes (DM). The majority of the patients suffered from U, Abdominal pain, 56 (29.62%). The difference of BMI between male and female was not observed statistically significant but both male and female patients suffered from obesity.

Knowledge Attitude and Practice (KAP) and Health Impacts of MRI Among the Patients Attending MRI in Dhaka City

<i>Introduction:</i> Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important diagnostic method in modern clinical medicine. Patients’ knowledge about MRI is of utmost importance for optimizing the workflow, safety, and patient comfort and saving valuable time for the MRI department.<i> Objective:</i> The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) and health impacts of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) among the patients attending in Dhaka city. <i>Methodology:</i> This was a cross-sectional prospective study carried out at the department of Radiology and Imaging in Islami Bank Central Hospital & Popular Diagnostic Center, Dhaka, Bangladesh during January, 2022 to June, 2022. A purposive random sampling technique was used and a total of 200 cases referred for MRI, from OPD, aged above 15 years were enrolled in this study. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 23.0. The ethical clearance of this study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of School of Public Health & Life Science, University of South Asia, and Dhaka, Bangladesh. <i>Results:</i> A total of (n=200) cases referred for MRI, from OPD, aged above 15 years were enrolled in this study. The majority 85(42.5%) patients belonged to the age group (46-60) and followed by 72(36%),(36-45) years, 22(11%), (26-35) years, 13(6.5%), (15-25) years and 8(4%), >60 years. The maximum132 (66%) patients were male and the minimum 68(34%) were female. The maximum, 61(30.5%) were graduate and followed by 50(25%) HSC, 30(15%) SSC, 21(10.5%) Primary and 6(3%) had no formal education. Among the study patients, 110(55%) had previous knowledge about MRI. 35(17.5%) patients had previous knowledge about the health effect of MRI.74 (37%) patients had seen close contact of relative/family member to face MRI examination. 196(89%) patients opined conversation is very important before MRI examination. 177(88.5%) patients felt nervous to conduct MRI test and 92(46%) patients practiced MRI before. The maximum 110(55%) felt discomfort. 86(43%) patients opined MRI took long time. 100(50%) of the patients observed metal effect during MRI, 78(39%) patients had MRI phobia and the maximum 18(9%) patients had allergic reaction. <i>Conclusion:</i> This study investigated (55%) study patients had previous knowledge about MRI. (17.5%) patients had previous knowledge about the health effect of MRI.(37%) patients felt to have close contact of relative/family member is needed during MRI test,(89%) patients had positive attitude to conversation before MRI examination, 177(88.5%) patients felt nervous to conduct MRI test and (46%) patients practiced MRI. The major impact of MRI on health was discomfort and MRI phobia.

Building a No Cost Undergraduate Community Speech Clinic

Aim: This study aimed to explore the clinic learning models through student perspectives using that insight to explore how these students viewed a newly established speech clinic program and understand the organizational and learning benefits and limitations of the clinic and how it can be improved for future service for student learning.
 Methods: This exploratory study utilized an observation analysis to understand how the student-led functioning of the clinic fits into both the learning models of Bloom’s Taxonomy and Bandura’s Triadic Reciprocal Model of Causality and the factors that contribute most to these learning models. These models were chosen due to the systemic and progressive nature of learning that reflects the academic mission of the university’s accrediting body: the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. A mixed closed and open-ended student questionnaire was utilized to gain insight into themes that influence the student-led learning model.
 Results: The clinic was overall seen as a place of relationship building and skills development. The main contributors to this relationship-building and skills development lie in the ability of students to apply what they have been learning in the classroom to a functional situation, as well as the opportunity to serve the community and build confidence and leadership skills.
 Conclusion: Student leadership roles in the clinic are leading to self-efficacy which is seen in the highest level of Bloom’s Taxonomy and Bandura’s Triadic Reciprocal Model of Causality.

Clinical internship environment and caring behaviours among nursing students: A moderated mediation model.

Caring behaviour is critical for nursing quality, and the clinical internship environment is a crucial setting for preparing nursing students for caring behaviours. Evidence about how to develop nursing students' caring behaviour in the clinical environment is still emerging. However, the mechanism between the clinical internship environment and caring behaviour remains unclear, especially the mediating role of moral sensitivity and the moderating effect of self-efficacy. This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of moral sensitivity and the moderating function of self-efficacy on the association between the clinical internship environment and caring behaviours. A cross-sectional design used acceptable validity scales. The hypothesised moderated mediation model was tested in the SPSS PROCESS macro. This survey collected data from 504 nursing students in an internship at a teaching hospital in Changsha, China. This study was pre-approved by the ethics committee of the medical school (No. E2022210). Informed consent was obtained from all students. The clinical internship environment (B = 0.450, 95% CI = [0.371, 0.530]) and moral sensitivity (B = 1.352, 95% CI = [1.090, 1.615]) had positive direct effects on nursing students' caring behaviours. Clinical internship environment also indirectly influenced students' caring behaviours via moral sensitivity (B = 0.161, 95% CI = [0.115, 0.206]). In addition, self-efficacy played a moderating role between the clinical internship environment and caring behaviours (B = 0.019, 95% CI = [0.007, 0.031]), as well as the relationship between the clinical internship environment and moral sensitivity (B = 0.006, 95% CI = [0.003, 0.010]). Moral sensitivity mediates the effect of the clinical internship environment on caring behaviour, and self-efficacy strengthens both direct and indirect effects. This study emphasises the importance of self-efficacy in developing moral sensitivity and caring behaviours in nursing students.

국경을 넘는 고등교육 질 보장을 위한 인증 동향 탐색

This study aims to compare and analyze accreditation standards based on the 「Guideline for Quality Provision in Cross-border Higher Education」proposed by UNESCO and OECD and suggest improvement measures. For this purpose, we examined the definition of university quality through literature analysis. We compared and analyzed the accreditation areas and detailed criteria of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in the United States. As a result of the systematic review and analysis, the current accreditation standards of university institutional assessment certification lacked measurement factors for effectiveness in measuring university quality. Therefore, this study recommends that future accreditation criteria evaluate improvements in institutional effectiveness and student learning outcome assessment. Governments and universities can utilize the results of this study in the design of accreditation standards that can enhance international applicability and induce university quality improvement.

Improving access to family planning for women with disabilities in Kaduna city, Nigeria: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster-randomized controlled trial with integrated process evaluation

BackgroundGlobally, women with disabilities are less likely to have access to family planning services compared to their peers without disabilities. However, evidence of effective interventions for promoting their sexual and reproductive health and rights remains limited, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. To help address disparities, an inclusive sexual and reproductive health project was developed to increase access to modern contraceptive methods and reduce unmet need for family planning for women of reproductive age with disabilities in Kaduna city, Nigeria. The project uses demand-side, supply-side and contextual interventions, with an adaptive management approach. This protocol presents a study to evaluate the project’s impact.MethodsA pragmatic cluster-randomized controlled trial design with surveys at baseline and endline will be used to evaluate interventions delivered for at least 1 year at health facility and community levels in comparison to ‘standard’ state provision of family planning services, in the context of state-wide and national broadcast media and advocacy. Randomization will be conducted based on the health facility catchment area, with 19 clusters in the intervention arm and 18 in the control arm. The primary outcome measure will be access to family planning. It was calculated that at least 950 women aged 18 to 49 years with disabilities (475 in each arm) will be recruited to detect a 50% increase in access compared to the control arm. For each woman with disabilities enrolled, a neighbouring woman without disabilities in the same cluster and age group will be recruited to assess whether the intervention has a specific effect amongst women with disabilities. The trial will be complemented by an integrated process evaluation. Ethical approval for the study has been given by the National Health Research Ethics Committee of Nigeria and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.DiscussionDefining access to services is complex, as it is not a single variable that can be measured directly and need for family planning is subjectively defined. Consequently, we have conceptualized ‘access to family planning’ based on a composite of beliefs about using services if needed.Trial registrationISRCTN registry ISRCTN12671153. Retrospectively registered on 17/04/2023.

Public Primary Schools Committee Strategies for Soliciting Stakeholders’ Contributions to Enhance Food Availability in Moshi District, Tanzania

The study examined the implementation of public primary schools committee strategies for soliciting stakeholders’ contributions to enhance food availability in Moshi District, Tanzania. The issue of food availability is of paramount importance, particularly in the context of primary schools, as it directly impacts the well-being and education of the pupils. Effective strategies to engage stakeholders in this endeavor are crucial for sustainable and comprehensive solutions. The Public Primary Schools Committee recognizes the significance of collaboration and engagement with various stakeholders to address the challenge of food availability. The study utilized a convergent design under a mixed research approach. The target population consisted of 2061 population and the sample was 306 including public primary schools, meal coordinators, head teachers, chairperson of the school committee and pupils. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23, employing methods such as sorting, frequency, percentages, and means. Qualitative data underwent transcribing and contextual analysis. The findings revealed that school committees demonstrated a moderate agreement on the strategies for soliciting stakeholders’ contributions to ensure food availability in public primary schools. The study concluded that school committees have promising strategies like announcing parent meetings, connecting parents to online platforms via What’s Up where announcements regarding food contributions can be made, implementing self-reliance activities to add nutrition to the food, collaborating with stakeholders including community-based organizations among others for soliciting stakeholders’ contributions to ensure food availability in public primary schools in Moshi district. The study recommended that school administrators should strengthen the role of school committees to encourage teamwork and oversee food-feeding programs through official education policies.

Стенограмма семинара «Активизация применения конкурентного законодательства для преодоления отрицательных эффектов существенной рыночной власти в экосистемах цифровых платформ: альтернативные варианты, аргументы противоположных сторон»

The seminar is devoted to alternative legal ways in enhance competition policy enforcement towards large digital platforms and their ecosystems. Effects-based, or rule of reason competition enforcement that requires case-specific economic analysis shows limited effectiveness due to excessively lengthy decision-making process, which is not always compensated by the decrease of legal errors. The presentation of Professor Y. Katsoulacos (Emeritus Professor, Athens University of Economics and Business, Affiliated Chair Professor, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics (JUFE), former Commissioner of the Hellenic Competition Commission, Chair of Scientific Committee and Coordinator of Competition and Regulation European Summer School and Conference CRESSE www.cresse.info), classifies the main approaches to reform in terms of changing the substantive standard of competition law, the legal standard, reallocation the burden of proof in competition cases, as well as in terms of the choice between ex ante regulation and ex post law enforcement.

Effects of traditional Chinese culture-based bibliotherapy on the spiritual health of patients with liver cancer

BackgroundLiver cancer is a serious global health problem and is associated with poor spiritual health. Bibliotherapy is beneficial in improving health outcomes in cancer patients, yet there is a lack of empirical evidence of its effect on the spiritual health of liver cancer patients in China. The study aimed to investigate the effects of bibliotherapy based on Chinese traditional culture on the spiritual health of patients with liver cancer in China. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hunan Normal University School of Medicine and registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry with the registration (No: 2021260), which registration in June 30th 2021.MethodsA total of 60 patients with liver cancer were divided into the intervention group (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30) through WeChat. The intervention group received bibliotherapy therapy based on traditional Chinese culture, while the control group received routine care. Spiritual health was assessed using the Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List (SAIL) and compared before and after the intervention between the two groups. The chi-square test and t-test were used to analyze the intervention effects.ResultsThe two groups were comparable in all baseline characteristics including the SAIL score. After 5 weeks of intervention, the score of SAIL increased significantly from 96.76 ± 15.08 to 106.93 ± 13.82 in the intervention group (t = − 29.380, p < 0.001), while no significant difference in SAIL score was observed in the control group (from 95.27 ± 16.40 to 95.31 ± 16.24, t = − 0.189, p = 0.852). Similar patterns were also observed in its three dimensions of connecting with oneself, connecting with the environment, and connecting with transcendence.ConclusionsOur study showed that bibliotherapy based on traditional Chinese culture using the WeChat platform can greatly improve the spiritual health of patients with liver cancer and has the potential to be widely applied to cancer patients to improve their well-being.

Effectiveness of a comprehensive tele-empowerment programme on self-care behaviours, uncertainty and readmission of patients with heart failure: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

IntroductionHeart failure (HF) as a long-term clinical syndrome is associated with inadequate self-care behaviours, a feeling of uncertainty and frequent hospitalisation. In recent years, empowerment has evolved for improving chronic...

U.S. History as Part of a Core Curriculum

U.S. History as Part of a Core Curriculum Megan Birk (bio) It never occurred to me that I would write a Texas-centered piece for The Middle West Review, but desperate times call for additional information. Much of the emphasis on the "civics crisis" in the U.S. over the last ten years focused on K-12 curriculum, and the startling lack of historical and governmental knowledge attained before high school graduation. But the problem runs deeper than K-12, with increasingly fewer institutions of higher education including U.S. history in their core curriculum. Texas is among the states that continues to require U.S. history as part of a public college education. Added in 1955, the relevant section of the Texas Education Code reads in part: "A college or university receiving state support or state aid from public funds may not grant a baccalaureate degree or a lesser degree or academic certificate to any person unless the person has credit for six semester hours or its equivalent in American History."1 In the middle of the Cold War, these six credits joined the six already required in Government/Political Science that were included by the Texas Legislature in 1929. Among the others states with such a mandate are California, which has "American Institutions" graduation options, and Georgia's universities which must include U.S. history with state content. Texas's requirement is not static. Recent adjustments to this law included adding equivalent surveys in Mexican American History, Native American History, African American History, U.S. Women's History, and others. At a time when departments across the country, but particularly in the Midwest, are facing death by a thousand cuts, these six hours help keep departments in Texas open. However, the shrinking campus cores, the diminishing number of degree plans allowing electives and minors, and the limitations on financial aid that cover only what is in the degree plan are affecting us all. Some [End Page 177] of us have the added issue of eyeing each legislative session with no small amount of concern about the future of tenure and the academic freedom to teach accurate U.S. history. Each time the administrative positions on campuses change hands there is worry about the ratio of full-time to contingent faculty. The six hours of required history are stabilizing to a degree. There is, however, a caveat. While history core classes provide a solid foundation of funds to colleges and departments as steady sources of Student Credit Hours (SCHs) and enable faculty to advertise and recruit for other history classes, this is by no means a monopolized system for four-year institutions. Students in Texas have been pushed into dual enrollment classes, which allows qualified students to take "college classes" in high school and earn credit prior to graduation. More and more students are arriving on campuses "core complete" because of this program designed to save the state, and ostensibly some parents, tuition money, but it comes at the cost of diminishing credit hours for departments and serious concern about the quality and content of dual enrollment classes in high school buildings. Texas also has a robust system of community colleges that are often partnered with their local university. The faculty at these institutions teach a wide array of U.S. history offerings that can be transferred to four-year schools, and many of them employ faculty with PhDs. Ironically, this surge of dual enrollment enthusiasm provided short term boosts to graduate programs across the state, as local teachers worked nights to earn the hours needed to teach those classes in high school. According to the accrediting standards of SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges), eighteen hours of graduate credit are the minimums required to teach core curriculum history courses for college credit. In other words, someone doesn't even need to earn a master's degree to hypothetically qualify. A temporary increase in graduate students with the potential result of fewer undergraduates down the road was a brutal catch-22 for many departments. At my university of thirty-thousand-plus students, our history department is staffed by approximately twenty tenured and tenure-track...

Building Preservice Teacher Resiliency with Trauma-Informed Case Based Instruction

At least one in four children in the United States has experienced one or more traumatic events (National Child Traumatic Stress Network Schools Committee [NCTSN], 2008). Children exposed to trauma bring a host of psychological and physical stressors to the classroom. Teachers can positively impact a student's ability to cope with these events and develop resilience (Brooks, 1994), but not without a physical and emotional toll on their well-being. This paper investigates one teacher education program's attempt to better support preservice teachers (PTs) in meeting these challenges by examining the impact of trauma-informed case-based instruction on PTs self-reported resilience and efficacy with Trauma Informed Instructional Practices (TIIP). Before partaking in a teacher education summer study abroad program, 26 PTs completed both the Conner-Division Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC) and Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) to determine baselines for resilience and efficacy. During the program, eight PTs participated in a special topics course on trauma-informed practices utilizing case-based instruction (treatment group). At the completion of the program, all 26 PTs were reassessed on both scales. Results indicated that PTs made significant gains on both measures, but those who were in the trauma-informed case-based instruction group had significantly greater gains in resiliency than the control group. The findings support the use of case-based instruction for enhancing PTs&rsquo; resiliency. Implications are provided for embedding resiliency scaffolds for case-based reasoning through a trauma-informed lens. &emsp

“I Alone Can’t Stop the Spread”: Mid-Level Conduct Professionals Sensemaking Through COVID-19

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how mid-level student conduct professionals (SCPs) made meaning of their professional and mid-level leadership experiences during their institutions’ immediate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study draws on sensemaking as a theoretical lens and literature related to mid-level professionals and student conduct practice to ground its inquiry. Interview data was collected and analyzed from four senior-level student conduct professionals within a single State within the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation region. Findings center on three key themes voiced by the participants: the importance of maintaining operational processes, feelings of middleness, and reflections on student and personal wellbeing. Discussion and implications for professionals and postsecondary organizations confronting the short- and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are offered. Here, we highlight the valuable roles student conduct professionals play within postsecondary organizational life and the need for greater attention to these practitioners in both research and practice.

Nêhiyawi-pîkiskwêwina maskwacîsihk : Spoken Dictionary of Maskwacîs Cree

ABSTRACT: This paper details the development of nêhiyawi-pîkiskwêwina maskwacîsihk: Spoken Dictionary of Maskwacîs Cree (in progress). Since 2014, this joint project between the Maskwacîs Education and Schools Commission (MESC) and the Alberta Language Technology Lab (ALTLab) has sought to record carefully pronounced, isolated spoken audio for the approximately 9,000 entries in the Maskwacîs Dictionary of Cree Words (Maskwachees Cultural College 2009), as well as to fill lexical gaps through elicitation, to record example sentences for as many of these entries as possible, and to make these recordings publicly available online. Between 2014 and 2018, approximately 700 hours of audio and close to 120,000 recordings for 20,300 carefully spoken word and phrase types were gathered in elicitation sessions. After extracting and annotating the relevant Cree vocabulary, these audio clips were compiled in a novel, publicly accessible online Speech Database as well as through itwêwina , the intelligent bilingual online Cree–English dictionary. The entries in this database are currently in the process of orthographic standardization, gloss standardization, and linguistic analysis. Simultaneously, native speakers of Cree are re-reviewing the database's entries to ensure pronunciation quality and verify definitions where needed. In this paper, we discuss the origins of this project; the original elicitation sessions; the postprocessing, standardization, and validation of the recordings; and means by which these recordings can be publicly accessed online.

Building Preservice Teacher Resiliency with Trauma-Informed Case Based Instruction

At least one in four children in the United States has experienced one or more traumatic events (National Child Traumatic Stress Network Schools Committee [NCTSN], 2008). Children exposed to trauma bring a host of psychological and physical stressors to the classroom. Teachers can positively impact a student's ability to cope with these events and develop resilience (Brooks, 1994), but not without a physical and emotional toll on their well-being. This paper investigates one teacher education program's attempt to better support preservice teachers (PTs) in meeting these challenges by examining the impact of trauma-informed case-based instruction on PTs self-reported resilience and efficacy with Trauma Informed Instructional Practices (TIIP). Before partaking in a teacher education summer study abroad program, 26 PTs completed both the Conner-Division Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC) and Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) to determine baselines for resilience and efficacy. During the program, eight PTs participated in a special topics course on trauma-informed practices utilizing case-based instruction (treatment group). At the completion of the program, all 26 PTs were reassessed on both scales. Results indicated that PTs made significant gains on both measures, but those who were in the trauma-informed case-based instruction group had significantly greater gains in resiliency than the control group. The findings support the use of case-based instruction for enhancing PTs’ resiliency. Implications are provided for embedding resiliency scaffolds for case-based reasoning through a trauma-informed lens.

SWOT Analysis on Implementing Project Management Tool for Digitalization Media of Education Management

School administration assignments is an important part of an education management system in school and a common complicated work in every start of education year especially for boarding-type schools. A School committee have to prepare many things related to students and teachers necessity, teachings materials, dormitories equipment and others in limitation of time. The lack of preparation time make some assignment can not fulfilled or delivered on determination time. In this research, not only many cases will be identified from teachers and schools committee related to effectiveness in maximizing their time to finish their assignments, but also SWOT analysis as a strategic planning and management technique usually used to help a person or organization identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats will be conducted in this area. SWOT analysis will be combine with project management tool to organize the teachers and school committee assignments. This paper supposed to explore many advantages from project management tool that can generate new perspective in managing complicated administration works. The exploration is carried out using the SWOT analysis method to school administrative management. And finally, this papers can proposed a new assignment model and framework in boarding school type to increase their work effectiveness and reduce wasted time.