Participation in study abroad has tripled in the last two decades, with over 332,000 U.S. undergraduate students studying overseas for academic credit in the 2016/2017 school year (Institute of International Education, 2018). Programs aimed at freshman students are a popular new trend in education abroad. As freshman program offerings increase, so does the urgency to assess the merits and effectiveness of these programs. Existing literature illustrates benefits of the study abroad experience in general, but provides little insight on outcomes for freshman students participating in first-year programs. Through a mixed methods approach, this study seeks to investigate academic and intercultural communication program outcomes of a full, first-year study abroad experience for a single freshman cohort. This study will provide institutional stakeholders their first outcomes assessment of a new and increasingly popular type of educational program. Additionally, the study will inform the field of study abroad through a descriptive analysis of participant data and their perceptions. The results have the potential to serve as a foundation for future research and the development of best practices. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. / Spring Semester 2019. / April 11, 2019. / academic outcomes, first year experience, freshmen, learning outcomes, program evaluation, study abroad / Includes bibliographical references. / Linda Schrader, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Robert A. Schwartz, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Elizabeth M. Jakubowski, University Representative; Patrice Iatarola, Committee Member; Toby Park, Committee Member.

In response to a 1993 oversight board recommendation, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) created a technical training and qualification program to address concerns about a shrinking workforce at defense nuclear facilities. The DOE Technical Qualification Program (TQP) applies to federal employees tasked with oversight, direction, and assistance to contractors at defense nuclear facilities. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the TQP by ascertaining program effectiveness, program applicability, program impact on behavior and performance, and program impact on safety, from the participant perspective. Guided by Kirkpatrick's 4-level training evaluation model as the conceptual framework, this study used a goal-free evaluation approach. This program evaluation used a qualitative case study research design centered on a purposeful sample of 8 TQP participant interviews. Data were analyzed through coding and thematic analysis. Overall, TQP participants felt that the program was ineffective in preparing them for their jobs and that the applicability of the qualification requirements was low. Participants reported that the program did not improve job performance but had a positive impact on safety. Several recommendations were made to improve the program's effectiveness, including a comprehensive program evaluation and updates to training. Implications for social change include positive impacts on facility safety that may result in safer operations at DOE facilities that lead to fewer injuries to workers and the general public, and a reduced probability of release of hazardous materials to the environment. The results of this study may help site training officials improve program effectiveness and worker performance.

Struggling students' poor reading and comprehension skills have continued to be a national problem. A New Jersey Department of Education report showed that of 311,628 middle school students tested in language arts, 26.2% scored at the partial proficiency level and 58.5% scored at the proficiency level. Further review of the middle schools in a local school district revealed that 57% of the students struggled to read and were unable to pass the Benchmark and New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) tests. The purpose of this study was to compare the NJASK test scores when the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA)-alone was used and when the Sonday System reading program was added. Archival data from the 2010 and 2011 school years for 80 at-risk students were examined using a mixed-design (split-plot) ANOVA to evaluate whether addition of the Sonday System resulted in greater reading gains and improved students' NJASK scores. The study followed a quantitative, causal-comparative research design. Constructivist and behaviorist learning theories served as the framework. The results showed no significant improvement in the students' scores when the Sonday System was added to the DRA. There also was no evidence of greater year-to-year improvement in the NJASK standardized test scores when the DRA and the Sonday System were combined; however, by itself, the Sonday System was found effective in other schools. The findings suggest that it is not advisable to combine the DRA with the Sonday System. The professional development project generated from this study might lead to positive social change for administrators, teachers, educators, and stakeholders by increasing their awareness about the best ways to develop and implement reading programs that will have a positive impact on struggling readers.

Thesis (Anaesthesiology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2010. / ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Preoperative evaluation of a patient is the fundamental component of anaesthetic practice. Poor documentation and record keeping on the preoperative evaluation (PEF) form is a big obstacle in attaining good practice and hence improving patient outcome following operative procedures. The aim of the study was to conduct an audit of the anaesthetic preoperative evaluation of general surgery patients at Dr George Mukhari hospital (DGMH), Garankuwa. METHODS: A sample size of 88 record files of general surgery patients who underwent elective surgery during 2008 at DGMH was analysed. The proportion of completeness of information recorded on the PEF used at DGMH was compared with a standardized PEF which uses the global quality index (GQI). RESULTS: Only 75 out of88 patients had PEF in their files. The Modified GQI scores for the sample of75 patients ranged between 33.3% and 100%. The mean Modified GQI score was 72.2 +/- SD 13.9%. The median was 73.3 %, while the lower quartile was 60% and the upper quartile was 80%. The GQI scores were low for the following criteria; 'preoperative diagnostic procedure' (46.7%), 'medications prescribed by surgeons' (46.7%), 'preoperative fasting status' (32%), and deficiency in 'patient's weight' (34.7%) and 'allergies' (34.7%) during the preoperative assessment. Only in 1.3% was the PEF filled completely in accordance with the Modified GQI score. CONCLUSION: The overall quality of the preoperative assessment was inadequate in a number of the ModifiedGQI scores criteria suggesting the need for improvement in preoperative assessment of patients by anaesthetists at this hospital to improve patient outcome.

Student-athletes are a highly visible subgroup of students whose performance and visibility can influence the formation of an institution's image (Zimbalist, 1999). Research must continue to advance understanding of the variables that lead to student-athlete academic success in order to enhance opportunities for student-athletes, improve institutional performance, and address important national priorities for intercollegiate athletics and higher education. The purpose of this study is to identify those precollege and college experience variables that influence student-athlete success at a major Division I institution in the Southeastern United States during a three year period from 2000 to 2003. Study variables included: race; gender; residency; high school grade point average; SAT composite score; scholarship amount; classification; major; Pell Grant eligibility; GPA for each of the first three semesters; number of degree hours each of the first three semesters; number of withdrawals for each of the first three semesters; and participation in an enrichment program. Logistic regression analyses were used to test the data. The precollege variables related to residency and SES were significant predicting variables of student-athlete graduation or non-graduation within six years. Student-athletes from out-of-state were less likely to graduate than in-state student-athletes. Student-athletes from low SES backgrounds, as determined by Pell Grant eligibility, were less likely to graduate than those from higher SES backgrounds. In regard to the college experience variables, sport, more specifically golf, was a positive and significant predictor of graduation within six years. Student-athletes who declared math and science majors at enrollment were significantly less likely to graduate. Higher GPA the second term of enrollment was negatively related to student-athlete graduation within six years. Finally, the number of degree hours student-athletes enrolled in the first, second, and third term was a significant predictor of student-athlete graduation. The overall conclusion of this study is that selected precollege and college experience variables appear to influence six year graduation among student-athletes. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2010. / Date of Defense: October 27, 2010. / College Success, Student-Athletes, College Experience Variables, Precollege Variables, Predicting Graduation / Includes bibliographical references. / Joseph Beckham, Professor Directing Dissertation; Frances Berry, University Representative; Thomas Wetherell, Committee Member; Shouping Hu, Committee Member.

Nursing assessment is the foundation of the nursing process. The focus and type of data collected, during such assessment is central to the effectiveness of the diagnostic process and subsequent planned nursing interventions. Whilst there is a multiplicity of factors that impact upon the diagnostic process, eminent nurse theorists espouse a relationship between assessment formats and diagnostic accuracy. This study evaluates the effectiveness of two types of assessment formats by addressing the following questions. When student and registered nurses use a Gordons Functional Health Pattern (GFHP) assessment format compared to using a Review of Biological Systems (ROBS) assessment format is there a difference in: (1) the number and type of diagnoses identified? and (2) the number of criteria achieved within the Standards for Nursing Care (ANF, 1989)?A developed case study with verified diagnoses was used. Professional actors played the part of the client and followed a standard script. Volunteer student and registered nurses (N=100) were randomly assigned to the two types of assessment formats. They were required to conduct an assessment of the client and state the nursing diagnoses. Data were analysed using Multivariate Analysis of Variance.Results indicated that when both groups of nurses used the GFHP format they stated significantly more correct and more diverse categories of diagnoses and significantly fewer diagnoses which were classified as being incorrect and medical, than when they used the ROBS format. In addition, when student and registered nurses used the GFHP format, they elicited significantly more information that complied with the criteria outlined within the Standards for Nursing Care (ANF, 1989), than when they used the ROBS format.The findings of this study indicate that both student and registered nurses are guided by the cues on the assessment ++ / format. Therefore, the choice and design of nursing assessment forms are critical as they affect diagnostic accuracy.

Information from injury data collections is widely used to formulate injury policy, evaluate injury prevention initiatives and to allocate resources to areas deemed a high priority. Obtaining quality data from injury surveillance is essential to ensure the appropriateness of these activities. This thesis seeks to develop a framework to assess the capacity of an injury data collection to perform injury surveillance and to use this framework to assess the capacity of both injury mortality and morbidity data collections in New South Wales (NSW) Australia to perform work-related or motor vehicle crash (MVC)-related injury surveillance. An Evaluation Framework for Injury Surveillance Systems (EFISS) was developed through a multi-staged process, using information from the literature to identify surveillance system characteristics, SMART criteria to assess the suitability of these characteristics to evaluate an injury data collection, and by obtaining feedback on the characteristics from a panel of surveillance experts using a two round modified Delphi study. At the conclusion of development, there were 18 characteristics, consisting of 5 data quality, 9 operational, and 4 practical characteristics, that were identified as important for inclusion within an EFISS. In addition, a rating system was created for the EFISS characteristics, based on available evidence and reasonable opinion. The evaluation of six injury data collections using the EFISS for their capacity to perform either work- or MVC-related injury surveillance illustrated the inability of any of the data collections to enumerate all cases of either work- or MVC-related injury mortality or morbidity in NSW or to capture all of the data considered necessary for work- or MVC-related injury surveillance. This evaluation has identified areas for improvement in all data collections and has demonstrated that for both work- and MVC-related injury surveillance that multiple collections should be reviewed to inform both work- and MVC-related policy development and injury prevention priority setting in NSW. The development of an EFISS has built upon existing evaluation guidelines for surveillance systems and provides an important step towards the creation of a framework specifically tailored to evaluate an injury data collection. Information obtained through an evaluation conducted using an EFISS would be useful for agencies responsible for injury data collections to identify where these collections could be improved to increase their usefulness for injury surveillance, and ultimately, for injury prevention.

Almost without exception organisations have become reliant on Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT) applications. Although competitive advantage, task efficiency and effective information management are considered to be among the major drivers for investing in IS/IT, recognising, valuing and realising these expected business benefits from their investments has proved to be a complex task for organisations. The track record of the IS/IT industry shows that there are high rates of project failures, budget overruns and cancellations, resulting in the so-called IT productivity paradox. Researchers argue that the current evaluation techniques (primarily financial) are insufficient to identify, track and evaluate benefits obtained through IS/IT projects. Therefore they encourage organisations to employ non-financial techniques that are apparently more suitable for IS/IT investments. There is still much debate, however, concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of the current evaluation techniques in terms of satisfying the IS/IT investment evaluation criteria.Benefit realisation (BR) approaches are among the non-financial techniques suggested by some in order to facilitate organisations to track, identify, measure and optimise business benefits from IS/IT projects. It appears, however, that most organisations worldwide have failed to change their practices, in part due to managerial perspectives and uncertainty of the effectiveness of BR models.The situation in New Zealand in relation to BR is unknown. This research therefore focuses on analysing the perspectives of IT and business/finance managers' towards their current IS/IT practices. Thereby to investigate the influence of three key factors, awareness, use and effectiveness of BR models those were identified from past studies, in New Zealand business context.In order to assess these factors, this exploratory study employed a positivist cross-sectional survey approach and selected five hundred IT-enabled New Zealand organisations across a variety of industry sectors, sizes and localities as the main sample. The results describe local perspectives on current IS/IT evaluation practices and on formal BR models in use. The report further compares and contrasts IT and finance managers' views towards organisations' current IS/IT practices and BR approaches. Finally concludes with recommendations for practice and implications for further research.Although the survey received relatively low levels of response, some preliminary outcomes are evident. The main insight obtained through this study is that among the responding organisations, awareness of formal benefit realisation and use of formal BR models are fairly low. In spite of this low awareness, there is some evidence of the presence of BR practice among nearly one-third of IT respondents and almost half of finance respondents, who indicated the use of in-house developed models. Some of the in-house models encompass important aspects of formal BR approaches. However the extent of their use varies significantly.Many of the responding organisations, in acknowledging their limited awareness of BR, indicated a desire to know more about the formal methods available. Moreover this research's findings are consistent with the similar studies conducted in Australia and UK. Therefore this study emphasises the need for improvement of NZ organisations' current IS/IT practice by incorporating a BR approach in order to better optimise business benefits from IS/IT. This study recommends that organisations identify the missing links in their current practices through a conceptual framework suggested here and to improve their awareness (and likely adoption) of BR in order to better optimise their business benefits and justify their investments in IS/IT.

This thesis investigates the visual aesthetic performance of Web sites. An experiment was conducted in which a Web site, designed with three controlled levels of 'visual enrichment', was evaluated on a number of measures by two subject groups. The measures used represent facets of the Categorical-Motivation model of aesthetics, plus others directly related to the performance of Web sites. The results of the experiment indicate that the drivers of site evaluation were primarily exploratory variables that represent 'novelty', 'interest' and 'fun'. This supports the argument that an important question to consider when designing a Web site is not merely 'can the site's audience use the Web site?', but also 'does the site's audience want to use the Web site?' Visual, audio and interactive appeal are, as the findings show, very important design considerations. This research adds to a body of knowledge that seeks to understand aesthetic phenomena and develops a theoretical framework that will prove useful for the investigation of visual interfaces.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.