Clinical simulation is a teaching strategy to assist nursing students to connect classroom knowledge to the clinical setting. Teaching clinical simulation requires special training, but many nursing faculty who teach clinical simulation do not receive clinical simulation training. The purpose of this study was to determine if the effects of formal versus informal simulation training impacted nursing faculty's self-ratings of their competency in facilitating simulation and identify areas for needed educational support. A quantitative descriptive approach was used and grounded in the National League for Nursing and Jefferies (NLN/JSF) theoretical framework. This framework focuses on the relationship between teacher, student, and educational experience. Data on 102 faculty members from prelicensure nursing programs in Maryland completed the Debriefing Assessment for Simulation in Healthcare (DASH-SV) survey. Data analysis using the independent-samples t-test revealed no significant difference in nursing faculty's perceptions regarding how they facilitate clinical simulation between nursing faculty who are formally trained to teach clinical simulation and those who are not. However, there was a significant difference in one element of the DASH-IV which measured the skill of helping students achieve or sustain good performance. The data will contribute to the nursing simulation literature by providing a better understanding of what faculty members perceive as their strengths and weaknesses in teaching clinical simulation. The findings of this study can influence positive social change in nursing by providing nursing administrators with information about faculty perceptions of clinical simulation and influence decisions on training of nursing faculty in using clinical simulation.

Literature examining the impact of the student learning accountability movement on faculty perspectives is insufficient, as little is known about how faculty perceive the requirements related to federal, state, and institutional accountability initiatives. This case study investigated the threat posed by the accountability movement on the stability of faculty engagement, while exploring how faculty perceptions of the movement will impact institutional and state policy. Using Levin's system of accountability as the framework for this study, the central research question explored how understanding faculty perspectives on the student learning accountability movement could promote policy within an institution. Data were gathered via a qualitative survey of 140 instructional faculty and from 21 semi-structured interviews with instructional faculty, accountability specialists, and state coordinating board officials. Data from the surveys and interviews were inductively coded, and then analyzed through detailed categorical aggregation. Findings indicated a discord with what Levin calls the feedback loop in an accountability system. Transparency related to institutional governance, not distinctively academic freedom and faculty engagement, was found to be a key component of a successful accountability system. Results of the study contribute to positive social change by providing higher education institutions with practical recommendations to address accountability pressures through a model for a faculty-driven accountability system.

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Purpose To assess radiography faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of online courses. Methods An original survey instrument was created by selecting items from 3 instruments used in prior research and adding unique questions designed to elicit demographic data from faculty. The sample included a national dataset of radiography faculty members employed in Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology–accredited programs in the United States. Results Findings showed that faculty perceptions of online course effectiveness are not affected significantly by faculty position, type of institution, faculty age, or years of teaching experience. Positive perceptions of the effectiveness of online courses moderately increased with years of teaching online courses, number of online courses taught in the past 5 years, and perceived competence with the use of technology. Faculty satisfaction with interaction in online courses moderately increased as the years of teaching online courses increased. However, the number of years of teaching online courses was not related to faculty satisfaction with teaching online courses or faculty satisfaction with institutional support. Online technology acceptance had a moderately positive relationship with perceived ease of use and a strong positive relationship with perceived usefulness of online technology. In addition, the use of technology-enhanced learning methods had a strong positive relationship with technological self-efficacy. Conclusion Radiography faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of online courses improved with experience in teaching online courses and competence with use of technology. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of online technology were related directly to online technology acceptance. Furthermore, faculty members with technological self-efficacy were more likely to use technology-enhanced learning methods in the online environment.

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Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Stephen L. Benton / This study examined relationships between faculty perceptions of their academic department chair’s overall effectiveness and their ratings of his/her personal characteristics and administrative methods. The experimenter analyzed secondary data obtained from the Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) Center’s Feedback for Department Chairs system. Data came from 604 department chairs and their corresponding 9,125 faculty members across the years 2003 to 2007. Faculty completed the 70-item Faculty Perceptions of Department Head/Chair Survey, and their department chair responded to the 30-item Department Head/Chair Information Form. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of department chair ratings revealed three underlying dimensions of administrative responsibilities, ranked in order of importance: Departmental Operations, Faculty Enhancement, and Research and Assessment. EFAs of faculty ratings determined one factor explained the department chair’s personal characteristics—Flexibility/Adaptability—and one factor explained the department chair’s performance of administrative methods—Communication and Coordination. Items with high component matrix coefficients were summed to produce scales with high reliability for each factor. Multiple regression analysis indicated that faculty ratings of the department chair’s Flexibility/Adaptability and Communication and Coordination explained 83% of the variance in their ratings of the department chair’s overall effectiveness (p < .001). Ratings on Communication and Coordination explained the most variance. Faculty ratings of the department chair’s performance of administrative responsibilities also explained 83% of the variance in their ratings of the chair’s overall effectiveness (p < .001). Faculty Enhancement showed the strongest relationship. The findings help to explain the underlying dimensions of the academic department chair’s effectiveness and the role of faculty ratings in evaluation.

An increasing number of community colleges in the United States are becoming baccalaureate-granting institutions. Proponents of the community college baccalaureate (CCB) argue that the CCB provides students with access to higher education, while others argue the CCB will compromise the community college's core values. The purpose of this study is to explore faculty members' intention to support the CCB transition. Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior provides the theoretical framework for the study. The theory assumes that changes in behavior are intentional and, therefore, can be planned. This theory posits that attitudes, subjective (social) norms, and perceived behavioral control predict intentions to support a behavior and, ultimately, to behave in a certain way. Full-time faculty members from two community colleges in Florida were invited to participate in the Web-based survey; 95 of the 317 faculty members invited to participate in the study chose to complete the survey, representing a 30% response rate. Pearson product-moment correlations were calculated among the direct measures and their underlying beliefs indicate significant relationships among (a) attitude and behavioral beliefs (r = .46, p = .01) and (b) subjective norms and normative beliefs (r = .48, p = .01). Correlation analysis among the direct measures and behavioral intention indicate significant relationships among (a) attitude and behavioral beliefs (r = .82, p = .01), (b) subjective norms and normative beliefs (r = .22, p = .05), and (c) perceived behavioral control and behavioral intention (r = .34, p = .01). The multiple linear regression analysis indicated the linear combination of attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control account for 69% of the variability in faculty members' intention to support the CCB transition, with greatest the contribution from perceived behavioral control, (b = .87), followed by attitude (b = .22), and subjective norms contributing the least (b = .05). The findings from this study can be used to reflect upon CCB transitions that have already occurred or are in process. In addition, the findings can inform future efforts by community colleges to develop more effective and efficient processes for making the transition to CCB institutions. Lastly, the findings provide insight of the CCB transition from a faculty members' perspective, as well as to contribute to existing literature on the theory of planned behavior.

Hundreds of thousands of students earn credit toward both high school and college each year through dual credit programs. This research project used qualitative methods to elicit the story, the shared reality, of faculty who spend their time with these students. It is an important story to tell as legislators, community college and public school administrators, parents, and students are motivated to see these programs not only continue, but grow. System influence diagrams (SIDs) depicting the dual credit teaching experience on high school and college campuses were developed for two separate groups of community college faculty. The models were used for comparing the high school and college dual credit teaching environments. The results of this study support other research, suggesting there are important differences between the high school and college environments when teaching dual credit students. From an overall perspective, faculty found the community college campus environment superior to teaching on the high school campus for reasons related to facilities and technology, a sense of belonging in the larger organization, and the integration of dual credit students into a more traditional college environment. / text

Health science faculty striving to be academically competitive can adopt debriefing after simulation-based activities to help transition occupational therapy and physical therapy students from classroom skills to clinical competence. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover the perceptions and experiences of health science faculty during and after their adoption of debriefing after simulation-based activities. The theory of diffusion and experiential learning theory were used as a conceptual framework. The research questions related to the perceptions and experiences of faculty from their training sessions and implementing debriefing sessions after simulation-based activities in their courses and how these experiences related to their adoption of debriefing. A university-wide e-mail was used to recruit participants. Twelve participants who met the selection criteria of current employee, received debriefing training, and utilized debriefing in their courses volunteered. Virtual interviews, memo notes, and reflexive journaling were collected, analyzed, and coded to identify themes. The faculty's perceptions and experiences of learning were initially critical and skeptical; for trialing, faculty were nervous and awkward; for adopting and experimenting, faculty were curious to learn different techniques; and for overall perceptions, faculty felt debriefing was a valuable teaching style that increased student learning and performance. This study helps fill the gap and contributes to positive social change in health science academia by providing insights to innovative teaching strategies that promote improved clinical competence in health science students.

Health care administration programs have transitioned to using the competency approach to better prepare graduates for workplace success. The responsibility of preparing graduates lies with the program faculty, yet little is known about faculty perceptions of the competency approach. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the perceptions of graduate-level health care administration faculty about the competency approach, the approach's effect on graduate preparedness, and employer expectations. Adult learning theory and the theory of self-efficacy were used as the theoretical foundations for the study. Faculty demographics related to personal information, workplace/teaching experience, and program information served as the independent variables, while survey item perception ratings were the dependent variables. Nonprobability sampling of graduate-level health care administration faculty (n = 151) was used and data were collected using an online survey developed by the author. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t tests, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regressions were used to examine and describe faculty perceptions. Findings indicated that faculty generally support the use of the competency approach and that it effectively prepares graduates. Teaching in a CAHME-accredited program predicted perceptions about the approach adequately addressing employer expectations (β = .343, p < .05). Issues including need for standardization and use for accreditation versus educational purposes were identified. Social change implications include contributing to professional development efforts for faculty and improving the quality of health care administration graduates and the future leadership of the industry.