This study aims to increase the level of knowledge about the gerontological knowledge of a sample of registered nurses by creating a portable and concise continuing education seminar that is based upon the fundamental components of the normal aging process. The impact on the learning outcomes of an accredited continuing education seminar that was developed for this study was analyzed. The continuing education seminar focused on some of the major areas of social gerontology pertinent to nursing. Although other variables (age, gender, educational level, and previous gerontological training) were analyzed, none were found to have significant effect on the level of knowledge.

E-learning refers to computer-based learning experiences, self-paced or instructor-led, supported and enabled by information technology. Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), as a major form of e-learning systems, are increasingly adopted in universities and educational institutions for supporting various types of learning. Student engagement is critical for successful teaching and learning in VLEs. In existing VLEs, feeling isolated without adequate supervision from teachers may cause negative emotions such as anxiety. Such emotions may in turn significantly weaken students'motivation to engage in learning activities. In addition, the lack of effective interaction in learning activities also results in poor performance and engagement, even dropouts from online courses. In this thesis, we explore a set of approaches and tools to enhance student engagement and interaction in e-learning environments: (1) extract valuable information from the user posts in online course forums to advise the content organization of web pages; (2) instantly monitor and visualize students' interaction statuses in instructor-led learning; (3) identify and highlight the hotspot time slots and contents of the lecture recordings; (4) dynamically provide biofeedback-based visualization via wearable devices to reduce students' anxiety in self-paced learning.;We present a page-segmentation-based wrapper (eCF-wrapper) designed for extracting learner-posted data in online course forums. It consists of a novel page segmentation algorithm and a decision tree classifier. We also develop a web-based interaction-aware VLE (WebIntera-classroom), which employs a ubiquitous interactive interface to enhance the learner-to-content interactions, and a learning analytics tool to instantly visualize learners'interactions in learning activities. Additionally, we propose a high--granularity Learning Analytics Engine (hgLAE) to play a lecture recording, identify hotspots in a lecture recording and raise students'awareness of these hotspots. A questionnaire survey, interview and case study were conducted to investigate the instruction effect of WebIntera-classroom. Besides, we develop a physiologically-state-aware self-paced learning environment (FishBuddy) to alleviate anxiety and promote student engagement in self-paced learning by using wearable technology. The between-groups evaluation result shows that FishBuddy is useful in promoting student engagement (i.e., the consistency of engagement), and the students' self-reports indicate that FishBuddy is helpful for reducing anxiety and experience of isolation during the self-paced learning exercises.;Finally, the thesis is concluded with a discussion on the future work. Keywords: Virtual Learning Environment; Learning Analytics; Interaction; Engagement; Wearable Technology.

The subject of my graduation theses is „Proposal and Apply into Practice of a System of Learning Organization“. Because of high competitive conduct in the marketplace and continual progress in all of branches, the continual improving is very important for all companies. Many of workers are often irreplaceable. And company is becoming very vulnerable in the case of his inability or leaving. This problem can be solved by transformation of „a learning organization“. It is the complicated process, when is necessary to change an organization structure, to analyse current working stations and to analyse real organization´s requirements (personal audit). Coessential part is an actual description of working stations, determination and evaluation single worker´s competences and fulfilment evaluation. By establishing „a system of a learning organization“ we can get a target for future and also we put aside a risk so-called „irreplaceable worker“. A practical part is targeted on research. The main instruments are questionnairies and interview. The questionnairies are targeted on worker´s satisfaction, competence and evaluation. Gained information can be used for comparation with the previous research and as a base for a proposal. A theoretical part is targeted on methodology that deals with evaluation of workers and also with components of „a system of learning organization“. It means a methodology of working station´s analyse, determination and evaluation single worker´s competences, methodology 360° etc. The purpose of this work is to propose and apply of „a system of a learning organization“.

Una de las preocupaciones que mayormente tienen los países en vías de desarrollo es el efecto de los desastres naturales sobre la educación. Por este motivo, la presente investigación realiza un análisis del efecto de los desastres naturales: Heladas e inundaciones, sobre la generación de resultados educativos, medido como puntaje de pruebas estandarizadas de matemática y lenguaje. Además, se analiza si la tipología de estos desastres podría implicar resultados diferenciados. Para ello, se aplica un modelo de efectos aleatorios con una base de datos panel disponible del estudio Young Lives (Niños del Milenio). En efecto, el estudio confirma la hipótesis de que los desastres naturales evaluados influyen en los resultados educativos por el lado de riqueza del hogar y estado de salud del estudiante. / One of the concerns that developing countries have mostly is the effect of natural disasters on education. Therefore, the present investigation carries out an analysis of the effect of natural disasters: Frost and floods, on the generation of educational results, measured as a standardized math and language test score. Furthermore, whether the typology of these disasters could imply differentiated results. For this, a random effects model is applied with a panel database available from the Young Lives study. Hence, the study confirms the hypothesis that the natural disasters evaluated influence educational outcomes on the side of household wealth and student health status. / Trabajo de investigación

This dissertation explores collaborative approaches to policy and planning across multiple policy areas and stakeholders, and contributes to research in international education development as well as collaborative governance and management on the structures and processes through which persons work collectively-crossing institutional, sectoral and disciplinary divides-to achieve shared goals. Given the growth in policy attention and experimentation among countries to develop and implement approaches and mechanisms to facilitate collaboration across policy boundaries and sectoral silos, the specific goals of the study were to: (a) analyze how collaborative approaches emerge at the national level; (b) identify what factors support the implementation of collaborative approaches; and (c) assess how collaborative approaches affect systemic outcomes. The dissertation uses qualitative research methods of document analysis and interviews, and develops analytical frameworks to address the emergence, implementation and assessment of collaborative approaches policy and planning at the national level. Through its comparative case study of Early Childhood Development (ECD) in two Commonwealth Caribbean countries, Guyana and Jamaica, the dissertation contributes to governance and systems scholarship in ECD. In unpacking the stages through which the establishment of collaborative approaches unfold, the dissertation finds that political factors in the countries’ political contexts held the greatest explanatory value for differences in establishment, and specific drivers motivated progression within and between stages, for example, advocacy, and events that prompt collaborative action, recognition of interdependence, a prior history of collaboration, political will and leadership. The dissertation also provides a framework of the factors (i.e., contextual, structural, technical, and relational) that can influence the implementation of collaborative approaches and applies this framework to the case studies. Findings indicate that each set of factors was important in explaining how stakeholders were able to work collaboratively, but technical and relational factors were the most highly valued and least addressed in the case studies. Finally, the dissertation develops a framework that links key features of collaborative approaches to the systemic outcomes of equity, quality, and sustainability by offering analytical pathways to trace how collaboration can change the way a system functions-in the areas of system resilience, system integrity and system performance. The dissertation combines conceptual and empirical insights to analyze how the functioning of the collaborative entity and process in the case countries influenced their abilities to support equity, quality and sustainability at the systems level.

Introduction: Telehealth allows behavioral health care and specialty services to be extended to rural residents. Telehealth is an important resource for the Alaskan healthcare system, which is tasked with providing services to culturally diverse populations living in remote areas. Training competent providers to deliver telehealth services is vital for the implementation of successful telehealth programs. Yet, the literature is lacking in the area of provider behavioral telehealth competency training. Methods: This study assessed the impact of a Behavioral Telehealth Ethical Competencies Training program on 16 behavioral health providers' development of behavioral telehealth competency. A total of 14 competencies were developed, which required participants to understand the roles and responsibilities of a behavioral telehealth coordinator working at the distal site as well as the roles and responsibilities of the therapist. Video vignettes evaluating the 14 competencies, self-reported competence surveys and follow-up surveys of progress on telehealth goals were utilized to assess effects of the training. Results: Results indicated participants' behavioral telehealth competencies increased following training. Participants reported positive perceptions regarding their competency, and achieved progress on the majority of behavioral telehealth goals set during the training. Conclusions: This study provides a baseline for developing a best practice model for behavioral telehealth service delivery by identifying specific provider competencies for administering effective behavioral telehealth services. A unique continuing education training model, led by content experts including university professors and Alaska Native Elders, incorporating behavioral telehealth, rural ethics, cultural competency and vicarious trauma training is described. Lastly, this study details the use of an innovative video vignette assessment instrument for evaluating the effectiveness of continuing education training.

For a long time there has been a growing conviction among the music graduates from colleges in Texas that the training of music teachers has been limited both from the standpoint of the number of hours offered in music for a degree and of the adequacy of the training received. The trends in music teacher education in Texas need to be evaluated in order to determine whether or not teacher training in this state is adequate. In comparing the adequacy of the school curriculum as far as the number of hours and courses is concerned, McEachern's A Survey and Evaluation of the Education of School Music Teachers in the United States will be used as a source of comparison, since this study is inclusive of the curricula of colleges over the United States.

Purpose - This dissertation in practice is an evaluation study conducted at Iowa State University, entitled, Learning Ecosystem Assessment Review of Needs (LEARN). The evaluation posed these questions: (a) What educational technologies are currently used and what technologies will be needed in the future? (b) What are the attitudes and practices of faculty and students toward online and blended learning? (c) What academic technology support services are used? What are the perceptions of the support provided for the application of academic technologies? Methodology/design - The study was a mixed-methods design employing interviews with deans and focus groups and surveys of faculty and students. Findings - Iowa State University faculty and students use a wide array of academic technologies both in physical and virtual classrooms. The prevailing sentiment regarding the need for future academic technologies is not for new offerings and new features but for easier to use, more reliable technologies, and more timely support. Although Iowa State University has formally adopted online learning by offering numerous programs and courses, the university is in the early stages of adopting blended learning. Implications - The results and implications of the study inform the university on next steps to ready the institution for leveraging technology and preparing for the transformation toward strategic adoption of online and blended learning. The author outlines an organizational learning approach to manage change and promote adoption of blended learning.

The purpose of this study was twofold--first was to investigate how the addition of Channel One to the school day influences student interest in current events. Secondly, to determine how teachers integrate the study of current events into the curriculum. A suburban county school division in the western part of Virginia was selected for the study. The population for this study consists of three groups: (1) all teachers on the faculty at the junior high school and senior high school serving as test sites, (2) all eighth grade Civics students at the junior high school test site, and (3) all twelfth grade U.S. Government students at the senior high school test site. Data was collected via two questionnaires. The responses to the questionnaires was tabulated by calculating percentages to provide data on the research questions. Student relationships considered important to the study were: the differences that exist between students concerning their news habits; opinions about Channel One; reactions to the commercials; and taught and a positive or negative view of the program; the treatment of Channel One in the classroom: and how they judge the quality of the program. Both teachers and students believe students take a greater interest in current events as a result of watching Channel One. The teachers claim Channel One to be an effective tool for instruction in the classroom. Teachers primarily use Channel One for current events discussions. But few integrate the news and information presented into their lessons. Social studies teachers make much greater use of the program than non-social studies teachers. The study concluded that Channel One is perceived as a success. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the impact of an individualized motor activity program on the level of motor development, perceptual-motor development, physical fitness, self-concept, and academic achievement of learning disabled elementary school children. The participants for this investigation were learning disabled children (N=37), CAs 7 to 12 years, with a mean IQ of 98. They were all drawn from self-contained learning disabled classes in three elementary schools. A three factorial design, treatment (E/C) X age (younger/older) X test (pre/post), with repeated measures on the third factor was used to examine the effects of the intervening treatment on all dependent variables. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) statistical analysis technique was used to analyze the total effect of the program on the learning disabled children. The instruments used for pre and posttesting were: (1) Project ACTIVE Motor Ability Test, Level III; (2) Project ACTIVE Physical Fitness Test, Level III; (3) Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale; (4) Thomas' Teacher Rating Scale; and (5) Shape-O Ball Test. The control group participated in a 30 minute traditional physical education program each day for 5 days per week during the 18 weeks of the study. For 5 days per week during the 18 weeks of the study, the experimental group received an individualized motor activity program based on the needs of each individual student. At the completion of the intervention program, the parents and teachers of the children involved in the experimental group were interviewed concerning their views of the impact of the program on the children. When all 12 variables were assessed simultaneously, the MANOVA indicated that there were significant multivariate main effects for age, treatment, and test (p< .05), as well as treatment X test and treatment X age interaction effects (p<.05). The post hoc procedures indicated significant (p <.05) treatment X test interaction which favored the experimental group on all the physical fitness, motor ability, and perceptual-motor variables. Significant treatment X age interaction effect (p <.05) was found on balance, eye-hand coordination, and sit-ups. The results of the teacher and parent interviews demonstrated that they felt that overall the individualized program was very beneficial to those children who participated. It was concluded: (1) the level of physical fitness, motor ability, and perceptual-motor development can be enhanced through participation in an individualized motor activity program; (2) it appears that the global self-concept and academic achievement of learning disabled children cannot be significantly improved through an individualized motor activity program; and (3) the learning disabled child's self confidence as it relates to physical activities as well as social-emotional growth can be enhanced through participation in an individualized motor activity program. / Ed. D.