Site Directors Research Articles

Summative evaluation of a pilot aquatic exercise program for children with disabilities

Background Children with disabilities have lower physical activity levels and participate less in community-based sport and exercise programs than do children without disabilities. This in part is due to environmental barriers and lack of appropriate resources in these programs. Adaptive programs encouraging increased physical activity for children with disabilities are needed, and as these programs are developed, they should be critically evaluated. Purpose The purposes of this article are to describe a pilot aquatic exercise program for children with disabilities, to evaluate the program, and to determine areas of strength and areas needing modifications. Methods A summative program evaluation design was used to assess this twice per week aquatic exercise program lasting 14 weeks. Sixteen children, ages 6-12 years, with developmental disabilities participated in the program. Children swam laps, participated in relay races and water basketball games, and performed arm and leg strengthening exercises using aquatic noodles, foam barbells, and water for resistance. Swimming skills, program evaluation questionnaires, physical activity questionnaires, and interviews of pool site directors were used to determine program outcomes. Results Findings suggest that children made improvements in their swimming skills, parents were satisfied with the program, and children increased their physical activity levels during the program and maintained the increased physical activity levels six months after the program ended. The program continued in some form after the 14-week intervention ended. Conclusions The program was successful in achieving its objectives and recommendations for application of this program are provided.

Writer, Teacher, Person: Tensions between Personal and Professional Writing in a National Writing Project Summer Institute.

notion that of writing must also write has been pervasive since the 1970s. But what should they write? On this question, the consensus has been less clear. In the National Writing Project (NWP), a professional network focused on the improvement of writing instruction and featuring summer institutes in which teachers engage in writing of their own as well as demonstrations of effective teaching practices, tradition has usually favored personal writing, particularly memoir, poetry, and fiction. This emphasis on personal writing has, at times, left the NWP vulnerable to criticism that the writing occurring in its summer institutes is too self-focused, characterizing the personal or creative writing done by teachers during the summer as insufficiently focused on classroom problems and practice. In fact, professional writing has been a part of the writing teachers have engaged in at NWP summer institutes since 1974 (Healy, 1992, pp. 258-259), but the relative emphasis that NWP summer institutes should place on these two kinds of writing has been a point of friendly contention among those involved in NWP, with some NWP site directors arguing for the importance of personal writing, others requiring that teachers also undertake some professional writing, and still others going so far as to insist that most, if not all, writing at the summer institutes take up professional topics. This article redirects this conversation among NWP site directors about the respective roles that personal and professional writing should play toward more productive territory, demonstrating some aspects of the role of writing in professional development that spread beyond the NWP context to research and program development more generally. A case study of one teacher's experience during an NWP summer institute illustrates the dichotomy be

Clients’ Safe Food-Handling Knowledge and Risk Behavior in a Home-Delivered Meal Program

Objective To determine typical handling practices of home-delivered meals, and provide appropriate handling instructions to reduce the risk of foodborne illness by improving consumer handling of home-delivered meals. Design Once permission was given by the home-delivered meal site directors, clients were provided a voluntary survey and requested by the delivery drivers to complete the self-administered questionnaire. The completed questionnaire was collected by the driver the following day. Because of the special needs of the home-delivered meal populations, the questionnaire was made as easy and convenient to answer as possible. Subjects Two hundred fifty-eight male clients (31%) and 575 female clients (69%) whose mean age was 79 years participated in the study. Main outcome measures The respondents’ safe food-handling practices, food safety knowledge, and demographic information were assessed. Average time for delivery and consumption of meals were also measured. Statistical analysis Descriptive statistics (frequency and χ 2 test) of the participants’ handling of home-delivered meals, their general food safety knowledge, and demographic information were reported. Delivery time and consumption time were calculated for each subject. Results Five hundred thirty-six of 869 clients (63%) reported that they ate their meals as soon as they were delivered. Of those clients who did not eat their meals immediately, 234 (82%) stored the cold food in the refrigerator and 142 (58%) stored the hot food in the freezer. More than one-third of the clients (n=277, 35%) reported that they had leftovers and only 34 (15%) ate the leftovers within 2 hours. Significant differences among groups on the basis of a derived food safety knowledge score were observed in terms of whether or not they ate their meal immediately ( P≤0.05). Thirty clients did not report their time of consumption, and the remaining 839 clients consumed their meals an average of 1.22 hours after delivery. Conclusions Time in conjunction with temperature can be used as a hazard control measure to reduce foodborne illness caused by improper food-handling procedures. Careful attention should be paid to the entire period of time from onsite preparation to offsite consumption. Therefore, the success of home-delivered meal programs among older Americans highly depends on multifactorial collaborations. Continued efforts from foodservice providers on safe handling of home-delivered meals are needed to help protect older Americans. At the same time, consumers need more information on handling meals in their homes and a better understanding of the importance of proper handling for prevention of foodborne illness.

Voluntary Physician Switching by Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Individuals

We sought to assess which patient, physician, and organizational factors are related to voluntary physician switching among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. We analyzed the results from a 3-wave survey of patients conducted by the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS), a longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized HIV-infected individuals receiving care in the contiguous United States. Physicians providing care and care site directors were surveyed once. Relationships of interpersonal aspects of care, access and continuity, technical quality of care, and physician and site characteristics to voluntary switching were analyzed using multilevel logistic regression models that nested repeated observations within patients, patients within clinicians, and clinicians within region. Approximately 15% of patients voluntarily changed their usual clinicians during the 2-year study period. In a multivariate model, lower voluntary switching was predicted by patient trust (odds ratio [OR]=0.74; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]=0.61-0.90), physician antiretroviral knowledge (OR=0.26; 95% CI 0.13-0.53), moderate (rather than low or high) HIV patient volume at a care site (OR=0.09; 95% CI=0.03-0.31), and Ryan White Care Act funding (OR=0.27, 95% CI=0.14-0.52). Patients with chronic illnesses may use several markers of specialization and technical quality to make decisions about their care. These results challenge the notion that patients cannot assess the quality of care they receive.

Performance implications of organisational structure and knowledge sharing in multinational R&D networks

Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) are uniquely equipped to acquire knowledge from external sources because they can access pockets of innovation located throughout the world. MNEs can source knowledge externally through foreign direct investment in R&D, a strategy that has become prevalent during the past two decades. Unfortunately, little is known about the performance implications of external knowledge sourcing through R&D internationalisation, nor have researchers determined how organisational structure and intrafirm knowledge-sharing routines affect innovative performance in multinationals that set up R&D sites abroad. This study examines the effect of organisational structure and knowledge sharing on innovative performance in the overseas R&D units of North American, European and Japanese multinationals. An analysis of data from a survey of overseas R&D site directors in 17 countries suggests that innovative performance is enhanced by the lateral and hierarchical exchange of knowledge but suppressed by bureaucratic coordination and control mechanisms.

Incorporating Geriatrics Into Baccalaureate Nursing Curricula: Laying the Groundwork With Faculty Development

In June 2001, the John A. Hartford Foundation of New York awarded the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) a 3.99 million dollar grant to enhance gerontology curriculum development and new clinical experiences in 20 baccalaureate and 10 graduate schools of nursing. Over the 4-year grant implementation period, AACN learned a valuable lesson from the grant's site directors: Faculty development is the single most necessary precursor to the successful implementation and maintenance of geriatric curricular enhancements. Unless faculty members foster positive attitudes toward aging, expand their geriatric nursing knowledge base, and are able to integrate geriatric content into the curricula, progress cannot be made. Enhancing Geriatric Nursing Education project directors recommend that the following steps be taken toward the creation of successful faculty development activities: (1) anoint a champion to mentor and persuade faculty members to embrace gerontology; (2) garner faculty buy-in by engaging the faculty early so that they become active participants in the curricular change process; (3) assess faculty knowledge and comfort level by administering tools developed by the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing and by conducting surveys based on AACN geriatric core competencies; (4) conduct faculty development workshops that include cutting-edge knowledge and research and provide the faculty with opportunities to discuss feelings and stereotypes about aging; (5) elicit the dean's support to encourage and allow time and opportunities for training; and (6) use the many excellent resources that help the faculty integrate geriatric content into their courses. This article will further elucidate such strategies and will highlight the range of faculty development activities in which grant-funded schools engaged.

REU DIRECTORS PUT HEADS TOGETHER

RETURN TO ISSUEPREVNewsNEXTREU DIRECTORS PUT HEADS TOGETHERInterdisciplinary group of Research Experiences for Undergraduates site directors offers advice to NSFCELIA HENRYCite this: Chem. Eng. News 2005, 83, 43, 99Publication Date (Print):October 24, 2005Publication History Published online14 November 2010Published inissue 24 October 2005https://doi.org/10.1021/cen-v083n043.p099Copyright © 2005 American Chemical SocietyArticle Views8Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (544 KB) SUBJECTS:Students Get e-Alerts

Asthma-Related Environmental Practices and Asthma Awareness in California Child Care Centers

Asthma prevalence is increasing. Child care centers can play an important role in controlling asthma morbidity in young children. Therefore, we assessed asthma-related environmental practices in licensed centers and asthma awareness among child care staff. Two cross-sectional surveys were mailed to 1,250 randomly selected California licensed facility child care centers in 2002. Site directors were asked about the presence of items that can trigger asthma and asthma experience in their centers and were requested to distribute surveys to three child care staff members. Staff surveys assessed asthma knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs using previously validated questions. Univariate and multivariate analyses examined frequencies and relations between responses and asthma-related factors. A total of 284 (24%) site directors and 666 (18%) staff members completed surveys. The median number of children enrolled at the centers was 48 (range, 1–1,356), with a median of 2 children with asthma (range, 0–55). During the preceding year, 55% of site directors treated an asthma episode with medication. Dust was the most commonly reported asthma trigger (84%). Although smoking in California child care centers is illegal, tobacco smoke was reported by 7% of centers. Among staff, the mean percentage of correct responses to knowledge questions was 66% (standard deviation ± 15%). Independent predictors of higher asthma knowledge among staff members were asthma training, older age, longer time working in child care, and personal asthma experience. The findings indicate that asthma-related environmental risk factors are commonly reported in child care centers and asthma knowledge among staff varies. Interventions in both areas could improve management and outcomes of children with asthma. (Pediatr Asthma Allergy Immunol 2005; 18[1]:12–24.)

Use of the Community Diffusion Model to Develop Community Partnerships and Overcome Barriers to an Urban College Internship Program

The current scarcity of employment opportunities has increased the importance of the internship experience for graduating college students. However, the development of internship sites is fraught with both internal and external barriers. The goal of this article is to describe the development of an internship program in an urban-based liberal arts college. The article describes the: a) use of the Community Diffusion Model to develop partnerships with community sites, b) multilevel barriers to successful program development and maintenance, and c) strategies used to overcome the barriers. During a threeyear period, 110 students participated in the internship program, 59 undergraduates and 51 graduates. Both graduate and undergraduate students were predominantly female, aged 21 – 45. A total of 60 internship positions based in 31 community partner agencies have been developed. Student participation was highest in the direct service activities, and lowest in education activities. Organizational, individual, task-related, and relationship barriers affected the development and maintenance of partnerships. Organizational barriers proved to be the most difficult of these barriers to resolve satisfactorily, while task related barriers proved the most manageable. Establishing partnerships among stakeholders while anticipating multiple implementation barriers was the important lesson learned. Based upon our experiences, we offer recommendations for the development and maintenance of internship programs to colleges, community institutions/organizations, site and program directors, and policy makers.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

CONNECTION AND CARING: THE ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN ADULT JEWISH LEARNING

This article explores how the role of educational leadership can significantly enhance adult Jewish learning experiences through an in-depth examination of the position of site director at the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, a two-year program of adult Jewish learning operating at more than sixty sites across North America. Applying the literature on moral leadership that is shaped by an ethic of caring, the author shows how these site directors care for their learners and build learning communities. The article explores how the site directors shape, support, and sustain the learning process at this particular program and considers how the role of educational leadership can enhance and enrich adult Jewish learning in other venues.

Development of a Web-based Question Database for Studentsʼ Self-Assessment

Computer-based testing (CBT) for the purpose of the national licensure examination has increased interest among medical students in this modality of testing. The advent of Web-based question-delivery systems for self-assessment and learning has made it possible for students to practice this technology and participate in self-directed learning. Test Pilot(TM) is a Web-based program that provides a fast and easy tool for the development and deployment of online testing. Our objectives for introducing the program were to (1) develop a large database of questions for students' practice and self-assessment; (2) include multimedia tools such as illustrations and short videos to enhance learning; (3) provide a feedback tool for clerkship and site directors regarding student performance; and (4) evaluate this tool in terms of students' frequency of use, students' satisfaction, and its potential effectiveness in enhancing learning. The Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship at the University of Michigan is held at four different sites. In the past, students have been provided with access to floppy disks that contain about 500 self-assessment questions. These questions have been reformatted, updated, and transferred to Test Pilot. Visual illustrations have been added to the questions along with more varied formats, including extended matching, fill-in, and essay questions. The questions are divided into ten-question quizzes. The students get immediate feedback after answering each question and a summary of performance at the end of each quiz. Security, access, and analysis are facilitated because the questions and responses are stored centrally. In addition, Test Pilot captures information regarding individual and collective students' performances. At the end of the rotation, students fill out a form evaluating the Test Pilot program and comparing it with the quiz disks. In addition, we are collecting data regarding the actual use of Test Pilot, which will be compared with the students' surveys and final exam scores. Test Pilot has many benefits, including access control, immediate feedback, automated scoring, interactive learning, and data analysis. The enhancement of material permitted by a Web-based system increases the depth and variety of the learning experience by adding perceptual dimensions. Test Pilot also provides the clerkship director with the capability to obtain improved measurements of student performance and captures the student's self-learning and testing process. It can potentially identify weaknesses or inconsistencies across the different sites and recognize students who may need additional help early in the rotation. Over a one-year period, most students have switched from the quiz disks to Test Pilot. The students reported satisfaction with the Web-based format and found it user friendly. They especially liked the immediate feedback. The students have requested more questions and multimedia options be added. We plan to continue the development and assessment of this learning tool.

Multi Purpose Video Depicts Dietetic Internship

Visualizing reality can inform, motivate, recruit, and orient varied audiences. We developed and produced a 15 minute video to depict our developmentally accredited graduate dietetic internship 1) for The American Dietetic Association internship accreditation site visitors, 2) as an internal and external recruitment tool, 3) to inform undergraduate students, and 4) to help orient our graduate dietetic interns before they begin their internship. As our interns utilize six geographically scattered medical facilities as primary internship sites, we used the video to depict important features of all sites, including the major locations the accreditation team could not visit. As internship director I obtained a small grant to finance the project and was responsible for the overall design, implementation, and evaluation of the video. A dietetic intern and I wrote the script. Throughout the process the six hospital internship site directors, RDs on the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) faculty, and the FCS Dietetics Advisory Council provided input. The University Radio-Television Center produced the video. After the script was approved, interns at each site were responsible for all filming arrangements, including locations, equipment, personnel (interns, hospital staff and volunteers), and securing signed releases. Coordinating those arrangements was valuable experience for the interns, and the script writing intern contributed insightful student perspectives and gained valuable preprofessional experience. I made arrangements at community sites, accompanied the photographer/producer to each site and assisted with coaching the narrator, final editing, music selection and credits. The ADA site visitors rated the video as “excellent,” noting that it “helped [them] understand the overall internship and the different sites.” The video was well received at the annual fall information/recruitment meeting for dietetics students. It was especially popular with the dietetic interns at the semiannual orientation seminar. They obviously enjoyed it throughout, applauding at the end. Although some students will see the video more than once, the impressions and information they gain will vary, depending on their stages of preprofessional development. The video is an effective multipurpose tool for varied audiences.

Three evaluation methods of a community health advocate program.

The title Community Health Advocate (CHA) is one of thirty or more titles used throughout the world for an indigenous outreach worker who is trusted and respected in his or her community and who serves as a bridge between peers and health professionals. In 1992, the Center for Healthy Communities in Dayton, Ohio developed a program to train as Advocates people indigenous to the communities in which they would be working. Since the first CHAs began work in January 1993, the effectiveness of the program has been evaluated from three perspectives: the Community Health Advocates, the managers/directors of the community sites at which the CHAs work, and the clients with whom the CHAs work. Advocates indicated that the training program adequately prepared them for their roles and functions. They also identified systematic frustrations and barriers that made it more difficult for them to perform their job. Community site directors and community leaders indicated that the CHAs were considered a positive force in meeting client needs and facilitating independence, and were very effective in outreach and coordination of resources. A survey of CHA clients revealed an overwhelmingly positive response to the Advocate's work, validating the belief that CHAs can fill an important niche in the health care community. The three evaluation processes described in this paper helped to document the need for and the effectiveness of this program and can serve as a model for similar programs.

The National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN): Potential Applicability for Bio/Biomedical Science and Technology

For several decades the US scientific community has recognized the value of pooling specialized skills and equipment in centralized user facilities. Significant efficiencies are realized within the user community by avoiding unnecessary duplication and by moving projects more quickly to completion. The user facility concept served the nanofabrication community well for over two decades at the National Nanofabrication Facility (NNF) at Cornell. In 1994, the National Science Foundation expanded the concept by integrating NNF-Cornell (Now CNF) with several other nanofabrication programs throughout the country to form the National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN). Within this framework of a “users” network, scientists and engineers have access to state of the art equipment and expertise.NNUN consists of two “full service” hub facilities at Cornell (the Cornell Nanofabrication Facility) and Stanford (the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility), in association with specialized facilities at Howard, Penn State and UC-Santa Barbara. The network is managed by the 5 site directors, who are responsible to NSF program management and to a Network Advisory Board.

Socio‐cultural currents affecting heritage site consideration: The impact of human values on people's attitudes and behaviour

Abstract Many heritage site directors think of market research in simple ‘who, what, when, where’ terms; who came to their site, what did they see, when did they come, and where did they come from? Some also have employed qualitative techniques to probe ‘why’, asking groups of visitors to tell moderators why they were attracted, or not, by some specific exhibit, site or display. Research can offer a far deeper understanding than this basic marketing information. After a brief introduction focusing on the impact of demographics in the next few years, and recent trends in visits to British attractions, the analysis of key attitudinal statements regarding the psychological impact of heritage and technology is examined to see which socio‐cultural trends affect attitudes to these concepts.

ASSESSING THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF UNDEREDUCATED OLDER ADULTS: A CASE FOR THE SERVICE PROVIDER

Abstract In this study 505 undereducated older adults were interviewed about educational needs using a schedule requesting demographic information, open‐ended questions and a checklist of 45 types of educational needs falling into six categories. Simultaneously, 95 nutrition site directors and 83 adult basic education teachers responded to an instrument including the same educational needs questions. Results indicate that older adults with little or no formal education prefer educational experiences that relate to health: personal health care, drug use information, identification and use of local health services, etc. Nutrition site managers also ranked health first. ABE teachers' higher ranked items were predominately in the personal development category: learning to read, to write, and to do math problems. The study indicates the disparity between the expressed needs of older adults and the perceived needs of those who work with them; but, the study further shows that the social service provider has a perception of need closer to the expressed needs of the older participants. Finally, the study supports the establishment of health‐related educational programs for undereducated adults that incorporates basic education.

NUTRITION EDUCATION FOR THE ELDERLY:

The Department of Home Economics and Consumer studies of Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, through funding of the New York City Department of Aging the Title VII program, engaged 20 of its students and an instructor-coordinator in nutrition education presentations at eight selected sites in Brooklyn, New York. Approximately 1,000 senior citizens participated in one or more sessions. Responses from participants, students, and site directors indicated project effectiveness, according to the postevaluation instruments used. A two-fold purpose was served: (1) Educational experience was provided for the elderly, and (2) preprofessional learning opportunity was made available to the students.