University Service Research Articles

Paramedic student and preceptor experiences of a clinical facilitator model during ambulance clinical placements: A qualitative study

Introduction: Ambulance service clinical placements are fundamental to paramedicine student education, but the quality and safety of these placements can be highly variable. Inspired by positive results from a nursing facilitator model, this study reports on a collaboration between an Australian university and ambulance service that introduced a paramedic clinical facilitator for undergraduate paramedic students during their ambulance clinical placements. This article describes the experiences of a clinical facilitator model for paramedicine students and their preceptors during the study period. Methods: This study follows an exploratory qualitative research methodology. After implementation of the paramedic clinical facilitator model, two focus groups with paramedicine student participants and two semi-structured interviews with their paramedic preceptors were conducted. Intimate observations were recorded in a reflexive logbook by the facilitator, which was kept for data analysis. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants, and thematic analysis was used to code data and conceptualise themes. Results: Three broad overarching themes were conceptualised from the data: 1) increased educational opportunities, 2) improved clinical placement management and 3) greater student support and welfare. Both paramedicine students and paramedic preceptors felt that the paramedic clinical facilitator model improved the quality of ambulance clinical placements for undergraduate paramedicine students. Conclusion: This study suggests that a paramedic clinical facilitator model improved the safety and quality of ambulance clinical placement experience for paramedicine students and preceptors. Universities and ambulance services could consider implementing a paramedic facilitator model for ambulance clinical placements in their local contexts.

Satisfaction in university students: a study of library services

The university library is a fundamental element in the mission of Higher Education Institutions since it provides a space to obtain information that serves as a basis for scientific knowledge. The objective of this research was to measure the satisfaction of students in the areas of Engineering and Technological Development with library services in a public university in southeastern Mexico. The method was quantitative, descriptive and correlational, with a non-experimental cross-sectional design. The population was 5,278 students and through simple random sampling with 95 % confidence and 5 % error, a sample of 360 students was obtained. The instrument reported a reliability through Cronbach's Alpha of α=0,896. The exploratory factor analysis showed a KMO of ,907, Barlett's test of sphericity gave significant values (X2= 2356,439, gl= 171, p≤ ,000) explaining a total variance of 55,517 % which demonstrates a valid and reliable instrument to measure student satisfaction with library services, the data evidenced a sustainable factor model to measure the construct in four dimensions: accessibility, services, human resources and functionality. The results reported that 25,8 % of the students were dissatisfied, indicating the highest degree of dissatisfaction in the availability of computers and Internet access. This research provides data to be considered for the continuous improvement of library services and contributes with methodological aspects that can be extrapolated to other contexts

Developing a minimum data standard for student mental health services in the UK: A qualitative study with staff from university support services

AbstractObjectiveThis study is part of the Student Counselling Outcomes Research and Evaluation (SCORE) initiative that is pooling university counselling service data to improve datasets and evidence for counselling in this sector. This study aimed to explore university counselling staff views about which data should be included in a national minimum data standard (MDS) to provide evidence for counselling in the sector.MethodSemi‐structured focus groups were conducted with university counselling staff including counsellors, service leaders and mental health advisors. They explored data to include in an MDS, current data collection practices, service and sector level data collection barriers. Two researchers performed content analysis involving identifying fields for inclusion. Thematic analysis was used to identify contextual issues surrounding data collection. Ten focus groups were conducted with 41 participants across 26 university counselling services.ResultsContent analysis identified fields of information for the MDS within the categories of student characteristics, demographics, clinical assessment and service evaluation. Thematic analysis explored context and culture surrounding data collection, barriers and facilitators, institutional influence and ideal data collection practices. This highlights the need for service support and training around data collection, clear processes, and adequate IT infrastructure and staff resources.DiscussionThese findings will inform the development of an MDS as part of the SCORE study. The next stage will involve further development of the MDS and piloting in services. The longer term aim is to implement an MDS across university counselling services, enabling the growth of evidence for the sector which may allow increased funding and service provision.

Collaborative Mentorship: Two Innovative Approaches for New Faculty Success.

Much like the transition from novice to experienced nurse, the transition of an experienced nurse to a nurse faculty member can be difficult and daunting. One way to prepare new nurse faculty is to establish a mentorship program. The Mentor the Mentors project (seasoned faculty) and the Mentorship Academy (new faculty) provided knowledge, tips, and resources to mentors and new nurse faculty to achieve faculty success, satisfaction, and retention. The Mentor the Mentors project and the Mentorship Academy were implemented for 1 year. Time-lines were established for mentors for how often to meet with mentees. Selected orientation topics, such as university support services, promotion and tenure guidelines, active learning strategies, learning management system navigation, and university guidelines, were reviewed with mentees. Two-group midpoint and endpoint surveys were utilized for this descriptive pilot study. All mentors reported that they felt very supported and confident in their abilities to mentor to new faculty. All of the mentees reported that their participation in the Mentorship Academy empowered them to succeed in their new faculty role. Information gained will guide future program planning for faculty mentorship. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(X):XXX-XXX.].

Leveraging students' voices: understanding ways university support services can strengthen student support

AbstractStudent diversity in higher education is increasing, and to reduce barriers to students’ full and equitable participation, universities often provide accessibility and wellbeing support services to accommodate their needs. However, a more student-centred approach is required to respond to the challenges for many students with accessibility requirements or disabilities who are insufficiently accommodated, impacting negatively on their achievement and wellbeing. This study explored students’ (n = 60) beliefs about the ways in which support may not have accommodated their needs effectively, and their suggestions for how this could be improved. Students were considerate of the high demand support services were under and offered a range of high leverage solutions for strengthening and enhancing what is already available. Overall, students recommended accessible, personalised and student-centred support, which facilitated their own sense of agency and empowerment. Where these attributes were lacking, support was deemed catering to them ineffectively or partially. In addition, the findings of this study raised questions as to whether the available support is sufficiently targeted to the diverse experiences of students with chronic health conditions. By leveraging students’ voices, the higher education sector can gain deeper insight into ways to support students to reach their full potential.

Development and Preliminary Validation of Health Service Measurement Scale (HSMS) for Measuring Effectiveness of Health Care Services in Universities

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a Health Service Measurement Scale (HSMS) for measuring the effectiveness of health care services in public sector universities. For data collection, a deductive method was used. Based on review of literature, a survey questionnaire was developed and administered to 484 teachers from three public universities of Malakand division: university of Swat, university of Malakand and University of Sheringal (SBBU) upper Dir. The scale was developed based on DeVellis (2003) four phase scale development procedure. Factor Analysis technique was utilized for assessing factors which affect the health care services in universities. This study identified four important factors affecting the health care services in universities. These factor were clear communication skills, professional behavior, clinical competency and patient satisfaction. The scale may be used to enhance the effectiveness of the health care units inside the universities regarding provision of necessary treatment as per the approved protocol of health industry. The findings of this study further provide key insights to the management to review the health services and policy makers to enact effective health care policies for the universities. The limitations of the study along with recommendations are provided for future research.

Environmental and Economic Analysis of Reusable and Single‐Use Food Packaging Formats in University Campus Food Services

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to assess the environmental and economic impacts of the various food packaging systems offered in university food services in Canada. Toronto Metropolitan University's food service was chosen as a test case. Three systems exist in this setting: single‐use polypropylene (PP) containers, reusable PP clamshells and compostable bagasse clamshells. The goal is to understand which system has the most favourable impact regarding the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts' (TRACI 2.1) 10 impact categories and which system is the most financially viable through a cost analysis. The scope includes a cradle‐to‐grave life cycle assessment (LCA) consisting of raw material extraction and production, transportation, usage and end‐of‐life disposal. This study investigates the environmental impact of each packaging system for 10 000 meals consumed by students. This research follows two ISO standards, 14044:2006, and 14040:2006. These standards involve defining the goal and scope, completing a life cycle inventory (LCI) analysis, completing a life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) and interpreting the life cycle. LCI information is extracted using SimaPro v9.0. The study results reveal that the reusable PP clamshell has the least environmental impact when compared to the two other single‐use packaging alternatives for nine of the 10 environmental impact categories. The single‐use PP container has the most significant environmental impact due to its harmful material extraction, production processes and end‐of‐life emissions. The sensitivity analysis determined that if reused a minimum number of 37 times, the reusable clamshell (RU) remains favourable to the single‐use formats in nine of the 10 impact categories. Furthermore, the cost analysis reveals that the reusable packaging format is the most financially favourable when reused 16 times or more. This research concludes that single‐use food packaging options have a more significant environmental impact than reusable PP clamshells. Based on the research findings, purchasing a less harmful detergent, sourcing the packaging locally and reducing the loss rate of reusable PP clamshells could produce an even more favourable environmental impact for the reusable food packaging system.

Penerapan Algoritma K-Means Untuk Clustering Penilaian Layanan Berdasarkan Indeks Kepuasan Mahasiswa Universitas Nurul Jadid

Student Satisfaction Index has a very important role in the university environment as it is closely related to the accreditation assessment process. In this context, Nurul Jadid University faces shortcomings in calculating student satisfaction, which has the potential to disrupt the efficiency of time use and have an overall negative impact. As a solution, this research aims to cluster student answers using the K-Means algorithm implemented through the Streamlit web platform with the Python programming language. The results showed that this approach was able to produce excellent clustering, with an accuracy rate of 97%. The main objective of this research is to improve efficiency in the process of measuring student satisfaction levels, with the hope of making a significant contribution to improving the quality of university services and the process of evaluating university accreditation more efficiently. As such, this research has important implications in improving the overall performance of the university in the face of challenges.

Enhancing service excellence: analyzing natural language question answering with advanced cosine similarity

<span lang="EN-US">Information related to student services in higher education must be produced and disseminated in various forms. Covid-19 pandemic, student services with a remote model related to this question and answer become very important. To carry out this automation process, the advanced cosine similarity method is used to check the similarity of the questions to the database and statistics to calculate the similarity value of each word. The proposed paper proceeds with three phases. The first stage to solve this problem is the data processed in question; the professional next step is word insertion. It converts alphanumeric words to vector format. Each word is a vector that represents a point in space with a certain dimension. The recommended advanced cosine similarity data still must be analyzed into a statistical approach. We will measure accuracy to get results so that optimal results and answers are obtained, research procedures are carried out based on literature study, initial data collection and observation, system development, system testing, system analysis, and system evaluation. This research implemented in universities with student chat automation applications providing an accuracy 83.90% given by natural language question answering system (NLQAS) so that it can improve excellent service in universities.</span>

Analysis of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Diagnosis and Treatment Pattern by Age

Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) can occur at any age, including childhood and adolescence, and pain-related TMDs can affect growth and quality of life. In the present study, recent trends in the diagnosis and treatment of TMDs in children and adolescents were analyzed over a 10-year period. Using 10 years of data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) and Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Dental Hospital, patients between 0 and 19 years of age diagnosed with K07.6 (temporomandibular joint disorders) were analyzed by 5-year bins. Both datasets indicated a higher prevalence in females (1.2-fold in HIRA, 1.5-fold in JBNU) and in ages 15 to 19 years (72.1% in HIRA, 74.7% in JBNU). HIRA reported a 42.3% increase in prevalence per 100,000 people, from 651.4 in 2011 to 927.0 in 2020. JBNU reported K07.66 (masticatory muscle disorders) as the most common diagnosis in subjects under 10 years of age and K07.60 (internal derangement of temporomandibular joint) in those over 10 years of age. In addition, both were treated mainly by a combination of physical therapy and medication, and the treatment rate increased in accordance with age. Because TMDs can affect various structures in the orofacial region and cause pain that tends to differ with age, an early and specific diagnosis appropriate for age is important for treatment. Therefore, pediatric dentists need to promptly recognize TMDs in children and adolescents and consult with specialists as the prevalence increases.

Relevant factors to implement continuous improvement in administrative services of public universities: an action research study

The research presented in this article focuses on enhancing the quality of administrative services in a higher education institution, addressing the scarcity of concrete examples of continuous improvement in public services. The study investigates the applicability and effectiveness of continuous improvement methodologies in a public service context, emphasising the distinct challenges faced by public institutions, such as a culture of silos, in implementing process improvements. The article employs an action research methodology, which involves researchers collaborating with university administrative personnel to identify improvement opportunities, implement solutions, and measure the impact of these initiatives on service quality. The impact of continuous improvement initiatives on the quality of administrative services offered by the university is assessed through participant perceptions, service user feedback, and the improvement of main processes within the university departments. The research identifies several barriers and facilitators to continuous improvement within the university’s administrative services, including organisational culture, employee involvement and commitment, communication, goal clarity, and resource availability. The study provides insight into how these factors influence the success of continuous improvement efforts. Based on the findings, the study offers recommendations for deploying continuous improvement workshops at the university. These recommendations aim to address the identified barriers, leverage facilitators, and enhance the overall quality of administrative services. The article contributes to understanding continuous improvement in public service contexts and provides practical guidance for implementing such initiatives in higher education institutions.

EXPLORING THE LINK: HOW SERVICE QUALITY INFLUENCES STUDENT SATISFACTION AND FOSTERS LOYALTY IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Student loyalty has improved the sustainable development and survival rate of private universities. The quality of universities' services is an important indicator for measuring the results of private universities. This research aims to explore the mediating role of satisfaction between service quality and student loyalty. The researcher used a random sampling method to collect data from 493 responses of students in private universities in Guangxi. Using SmartPLS 4 software, the relationship between structures was analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) structural equation method. The results indicated that service quality affected student satisfaction, which in turn influenced loyalty. However, service quality had no significant direct impact on loyalty. The impact of service quality on loyalty was indirect, as mediated by satisfaction. Therefore, while improving the quality of university services, university managers should pay more attention to the improvement of student satisfaction, and continuously promote the close connection and recognition of students with colleges and universities, to stimulate and consolidate the loyalty of students.

A 12-month longitudinal naturalistic follow-up of cariprazine in schizophrenia.

Cariprazine, a third-generation antipsychotic (TGAs), has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of schizophrenia with good tolerability profile. Actual real-world literature data are lacking, particularly when exploring its efficacy in the long term. The present study examined the effects of cariprazine treatment on specific psychopathological domains with a particular focus on outcomes and side effects in real-life experience, after a long-term treatment. The present 12-month longitudinal naturalistic study included a sample of subjects with a DSM-5-TR diagnosis of schizophrenia, recruited in the outpatients' psychiatric services of university and community hospitals in Italy, naturally treated with cariprazine. The assessments included: a sociodemographic data sheet, the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-5 (SCID-5), the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and the St. Hans Rating Scale (SHRS). The PANSS was also administered after 6 (T1) and 12 (T2) months of treatment with cariprazine while the SHRS at T1. The total sample consisted of 31 patients, 15 males and 16 females. A significant decrease of the PANSS' subscales, Marder factors and total mean scores emerged at both T1 and T2 with respect to T0. Extrapyramidal symptoms occurred in a minority of patients and in mild or mild/moderate forms: no patient showed moderate forms of psychic/motor akathisia or dystonia, three subjects showed moderate parkinsonism. This study confirms a good efficacy profile of cariprazine in both positive and negative symptoms in patients with Schizophrenia, combined with a good tolerability profile in extrapyramidal symptoms.

Describing values in tension and neoliberalism at a mission-driven, private university: a qualitative case study of faculty service workload

ABSTRACT Faculty workload tension exists between espoused service and social justice-oriented university missions and neoliberal academic values of scholarship. The tension has significant consequences for attracting, advancing, and retaining faculty from minoritized racial, ethnic, and gender groups. A case study qualitative approach was conducted to investigate perspectives on the valuing of faculty service at a private university with a clearly articulated service and social justice-oriented mission. Interviews were conducted first with department chairs (n = 26). Themes from these interviews were then shared with faculty (n = 153) and leadership (i.e. deans and provosts) via a web-based survey for comments on refining themes. Final analysis yielded a meta-theme (Values in tension), four themes (The paradox of faculty service, we are stretched thin, workload nimbleness and confusion, and inequity in burden and advancement) with diverging perspectives based on race and gender of participants. Implications are drawn for university leadership and culture related to faculty workload and advancement.

Efficacy of Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Hong Kong University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose: This study examined the efficacy of a 10-week internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) program “REST Online” for Hong Kong university students with mild to moderate levels of psychological distress. Method: A total of 206 Hong Kong university students were randomized into: (1) web-based and (2) app-based iCBT, and (3) waitlist control (WLC) groups. Results: Compared with the WLC group, the participants in the two iCBT groups showed a significant reduction in psychological distress, depression and anxiety symptoms, and negative thoughts and emotions, and significant increase in positive thoughts and emotions, with medium to large effect sizes. The positive effects were sustained at the 3-month follow-up test. No significant intervention effects were found between the two iCBT groups except for anxiety symptoms. Discussion: The findings were discussed in terms of program design and service delivery, and suggestions for delivering digital mental health service in Hong Kong universities were proposed.

Disentangling the secondary school effects in the assessment of university inefficiencies

ABSTRACT The inefficacy of the Italian university system has been discussed in the relevant scientific literature, mainly using data from single universities or survey data. This paper uses the data provided by the National Student Archive related to eight cohorts of first-year students who enrolled in Italian universities between 2010 and 2018 to study the risk of dropout and churn during the 1st year. Revisiting the model of Tinto, to include in the analysis the possible effect of university services and linking each student to the high school attended before enrolment, the work has two primary aims: (i) to investigate the determinants of university failure, focusing on how strategic factors – such as students’ mobility choices, previous educational background, and university policies addressed to improve digital communication and services – affect the probability of experiencing churn or dropout; (ii) to disentangle the secondary school effect on these two outcomes by adopting a two steps procedure which relays on multilevel logistic models. Results allowed us to estimate adjusted indicators of inefficiency, which are suitable for comparisons across universities that offer degree programmes in the same disciplinary field and provide evidence on the role played by the secondary school attended in determining substantial inequalities at entrance.

Exploration of Factors Influencing Slow Employment

This article focuses on the causes and characteristics of the phenomenon of "slow employment" of college graduates and its far-reaching impact on individuals and society in the context of current social and economic development. Through a review of relevant literature and theoretical research, the article outlines the definition of "slow employment", i.e., the state in which some graduates, after completing their studies, choose to further their studies, internships, travels or other non-employment activities, or fail to find a suitable job for a long period of time.It is found that the phenomenon of "slow employment" is the result of multiple factors, such as the popularization of higher education, changes in the job market and personal values. The article constructs a research model, and through questionnaire survey and data analysis, explores the influence of individual perceived behavioral control, prior and posterior social capital, and educational environment on the willingness of "slow employment". The results show that factors such as personal behavioral control, family background, educational experience and social network affect graduates' employment choice and speed to different degrees.Eventually, the article puts forward a series of targeted solution strategies, including strengthening the employment guidance services of colleges and universities, optimizing the educational environment, and enhancing the individual's career planning ability, aiming to provide support for the smooth employment of college graduates, and at the same time, provide a scientific basis for the government and colleges and universities to formulate the employment policy, in order to promote the stable development of the social economy.

Healthcare Students' Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Peers with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The present study investigates healthcare students' affective, behavioral, and cognitive attitudes toward hypothetical peers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the effect of the ASD label on their attitudes. The MAS scale for ASD persons in the postsecondary education (Matthews et al., 2015) was translated and adapted in Greek according to the guidelines of World Health Organization (2016). Participants (n = 444) were randomly divided into three equal groups and completed their demographic information. Each participant read the three vignettes of the Greek-adapted MAS scale describing a communicative interaction with one hypothetical fellow student with autistic characteristics in three different social situations but in each group, the vignette's character was labeled differently (High-functioning, typical college student, and no-label). Students in the High-functioning group demonstrated more positive affective, behavioral, and cognitive attitudes toward the vignette characters than students in the no-label condition. Furthermore, students in the typical student group reported more rejective behaviors toward the vignette characters than students in the high-functioning group, implying that atypical behavior evokes rejection and stigmatization, while the label did not. Male students presented more positive cognitive attitudes across study groups in comparison to female students, while previous contact with individuals with ASD did not seem to impact significantly attitudes. The findings of the study indicate that knowledge of an ASD diagnosis leads to greater acceptance and have important implications for future research, disability policy makers, and university support services.

Évaluation et prise en charge du psychotrauma complexe chez l’enfant et l’adolescent : présentation d’un dispositif expérimental

Recent public mental health policies on psychotrauma call for the development of research and information aimed at the general public, as well as the creation of new tools to improve the assessment and care of people suffering from the impact of traumatic events. There are also recommendations that these aspects be broken down according to age group (child and adolescent/adult) and conditions of exposure to the traumatic event (simple/complex). The establishment of the psychotherapies, psychotrauma and resilience unit (U2PR) at the university hospital service for child and adolescent psychiatry (SHUPEA) in Brest, France, is based on an experimental approach to treating complex psychotrauma in children and adolescents, focusing on three recommended areas (care, prevention, research). This article sets out its foundations, with the aim of contributing to exchanges with other professionals and services involved in supporting children and adolescents in distress. It describes the project's internal workings, its links with care partners in the departmental medical-social network, the socio-political motives behind the project, the reflections arising from group work, and the theoretical-clinical basis that strategically structures the implementation of its axes.

A PROJECT-BASED APPROACH TO MANAGING THE INTERACTION OF DIGITAL UNIVERSITY STAKEHOLDERS

The article is devoted to the issues of managing the interaction of university stakeholders in the modern digital space. Higher education institutions of this day are unique entities, in many ways with dissimilar business processes and management priorities. Therefore, along with the existing general principles of the development, implementation and operation of single window services, the problem of developing a single window with unique services that take into account the specifics of the business processes of an individual university is relevant. To solve it, a comprehensive study was carried out on the phenomenon of groups and features of stakeholders' requirements, as well as issues of the formation of adapted single window university services. This made it possible to create a model that systematizes the interaction of stakeholders within a digital university based on a project approach. The paper reflects the main aspect of the model, which is related to distance learning and the control of learning outcomes.