Creating effective education programs for students with autism spectrum disorder is challenging for schools for a variety of reasons, most notably because of the increase in population, a widespread lack of expertise, and the variability in the presentation of the disorder itself. This study takes a systems approach to understanding how to meet the needs of students with autism. It examines the reliability and validity of an observational tool that was designed to analyze the quality of an educational program for students with autism spectrum disorders. The Best Practice Measures for Educating Students with Autism: Lesson Observation and Document Audit Matrix (Autism LODAM) was created by synthesizing the relevant research on those program elements that are essential to an appropriate education for all students with autism. It is a tool created specifically for school systems and is designed to assist program administrators in analyzing their specific needs and creating steps for change. The study examined content validity, interrater reliability and predictive validity. Overall, the Autism LODAM was determined to be a reliable and valid measure of program quality for students with autism spectrum disorders. It can be used by schools to help them more systematically understand the present state of their educational program for this population, and more importantly can be used to outline specific areas for improvement. It is hoped that this study and the Autism LODAM can help generate real change in the quality of education for students with autism on a broad scale by providing a comprehensive tool that will measure all elements of program quality for this unique population.

Zhang, Lucy Chen, Master of Public Policy, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan, Canada, 2013. Policy Evaluation: A Case Study of Genome Canada Programming, 2000-2011. Supervisor: Dr. Peter W. B. Phillips The policy evaluation literature on research programing generally focuses on the cost-benefit of different choices in research systems. This thesis applies evaluation tools to assess the fit between project allocations and the strategic goals of Genome Canada, a major research funding organization in Canada. Genome Canada (GC) was established in April, 2000, to provide funding and information resources related to genomics research. The research targets many key areas, such as health, agriculture, environment, forestry, energy, mining and fisheries. Since then the scientific community has partnered with government, the private sector, and international organizations to fund research projects on genomics related subjects. Four open competitions (I, II, III and Applied Genomics in Bio-products and Crops or ABC), combined with a wide array of more targeted projects, have collectively been allocated more than C$2 billion in total investment for the 2000-2014 period. This study assesses how well these research projects fit the stated goals of Genome Canada. The study assesses the fit between the goals and research investment decisions of GC. As a first step in this research, we conducted a review of Genome Canada operations to develop the background understanding of the system and its structure. After reviewing the goals, structure, selection processes and progress reports, we found that there was no explicit assessment of the fit between the stated goals and resource allocation decisions. This study targets to fill this area. Second, we investigated the methods used by GC to develop and implement their goals. Once we understood these methods, we developed a research approach to assess the fit between the goals and the outputs. The model was built to test each project against the stated overall program objectives, namely to: develop and implement a coordinated strategy for the technology in Canada; bring together industry, governments, universities, research hospitals and the public to support large-scale genomics and proteomics research projects; provide accessibility to science & technology platforms to researchers; and assist in attracting co-funding for projects from both domestic and international investors. Third, we determined that the review processes contain scientific, financial and management criteria. By using the STATA tool, we tested the relationship between the stated goals of the organization and the share of funds allocated to specific projects both in the total pool of investments and the open competitions. The analysis revealed that the overall fit for the entire investment program between 2001 and 2011 was about 35%, which is quite reasonable for such an analysis. We found the most important variable affecting resource allocation was the quality of the principal investigator. Other stated goals of GC were either less important or insignificant. By segmenting the analysis into the open-competition investments alone, we discovered the fit deteriorated (R2 of 34% dropped to 22%), which suggests the directed investments are a stronger fit with the goals. While we could not conclusively determine the cause, it might be attributed to either weaknesses in the competitive process or a particularly effective and strategic effort by Genome Canada staff. Further analysis would be needed to determine this.

The purpose of this study is to analyze medical dosimetry programs in the United States with regard to their assessment data and specific program characteristics. I identified participating programs through the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) program directory web page for medical dosimetry programs. Once I acquired the email addresses of each program director for all 18 programs, I emailed the program directors requesting their participation in the study. Six program directors responded to the email request and sent all the needed data for the study. The specific data evaluated in this study is assessment data for all four student learning objectives (SLO’s) identified by the JRCERT and program effectiveness data (i.e. certification pass rates, job placement rates for graduates, and attrition rates). I correlated the assessment data and program effectiveness data for each program to look for significance in comparison to the length of time a program received accreditation by the (JRCERT), length of each program academically, and the degree granted by each program. For the variables, I ran a Pearson Correlation and a linear regression, which also provides a significance value for the linear regression. The findings of the study illustrated no significance within the data when comparing it to the specific program characteristics. The study did illustrate some predictability within the linear regression, but did not illustrate any significant linear regression among the data points. This illustrates the dependent variables do not correlate with the independent variables, but are able to explain some of the variability in the dependent variable. Program accreditation is an important aspect for any medical dosimetry program and should be an integral part of the daily mechanisms. Educators need to continually look for ways to improve their assessment endeavors to help improve their programs and student success. Based on the findings of this study, research should continue on assessment data in the field of radiologic sciences and specifically in the field of medical dosimetry with larger population groups.

Trata-se de um estudo exploratório cujo objetivo foi avaliar o “desempenho" dos serviços de saúde que executam o DOTS/TS Domiciliar no Programa de Controle da Tuberculose (PCT) em Unidades de Saúde do Município de Ribeirão Preto. Utilizou-se como referencial metodológico os enfoques básicos para avaliação da qualidade da atenção médica Estrutura-Processo-Resultado proposto por Donabedian (1980) e modificado por Tanaka e Melo (2001) e Starfield (2002). Elaborou-se os seguintes indicadores: Cobertura, Aproveitamento dos recursos, Agilidade do desempenho, Monitoração da administração da medicação e Tempo gasto por visita domiciliar. Os dados foram coletados em 4 PCT por meio da Técnica de Observação Sistemática das visitas domiciliares, realizadas pelo profissional de saúde responsável pela supervisão do tratamento do paciente durante o mês de julho de 2003. Foram acompanhados todos os pacientes que no período em estudo receberam DOTS/TS no domicílio e aqueles que foram incluídos na supervisão durante a coleta de dados. A avaliação do desempenho foi realizada na relação de indicadores e complementada em função da análise por indicador a partir da média e do intervalo de confiança. Os indicadores estudados mostraram que o planejamento de recursos, a organização do trabalho pela equipe de saúde, a definição de funções e a sistematização das ações no processo de tratamento do doente de tuberculose podem influenciar no melhor desempenho do serviço de saúde em termos de cobertura, aproveitamento dos recursos, agilidade, monitoração da administração da medicação e tempo gasto por visita domiciliar. Assim, perante as restrições de recursos humanos e materiais no setor saúde, existe a necessidade de reconsiderar outras formas de supervisão e/ou integração das atividades de tratamento e controle da doença a outras estratégias de intervenção que resultem no uso racional dos recursos, melhor cuidado de saúde e sucesso do tratamento. / This exploratory study aimed to evaluate the “performance" of health services that execute Domiciliary DOTS/TS in the Tuberculosis Control Program (TCP) at Health Units in Ribeirão Preto. The methodological reference framework was based on the basic focuses for medical care quality evaluation Structure-Process-Outcome proposed by Donabedian (1988) and modified by Tanaka and Melo (2001) and Starfield (2002). The following indicators were elaborated: Coverage, Use of recourses, Performance agility, Medication administration monitoring and Time spent per home visit. Data were collected in 4 TCP by means of the Systematic Observation Technique of home visits, realized by the health professional who was responsible for supervising the patient’s treatment in July 2003. All patients were accompanied who were receiving domiciliary DOTS/TS during the study period, as well as those included in the supervision during data collection. The performance evaluation was accomplished in the indicator list and complemented in function of the analysis per indicator, based on mean values and confidence intervals. The studied indicators demonstrated that the planning of resources, the health team’s organization of its work, the definition of function and the systemization of actions in tuberculosis patients’ treatment can influence in the sense of achieving a better performance by the health service in terms of coverage, use of resources, agility, medication administration monitoring and time spent per home visit. Thus, in view of health sector restrictions in terms of human and material resources, there is a need to reconsider other forms of supervising and/or integrating treatment and control activities with other intervention strategies that can result in the rational use of resources, a better healthcare and a successful treatment.

The purpose of the present research was to identify the differences between some various schooling aspects at one U.S. high school and one girls Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) high school. In particular, the studied objectives include lessons plan, program assessment, teacher credentials, school culture, and intramural activities. This study was conducted using a mixed-method approach. The obtained results allowed making some specific recommendations that could be considered by the Saudi teachers and school administrations to improve simultaneously the learning process, employee satisfaction, as well as students’ engagement and motivation. This case study will help to improve both systems through sharing success strategies. Also, it will help families who moved from the United States to Saudi Arabia or the opposite to understand the differences between these education systems for their children’s success. After the data collection and analysis, the researcher concluded that there is no one of these educational systems better than the other. If we could merge these two school systems, we would have the best educational system for students’ future success.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Carleton University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-163). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Trata-se de um estudo exploratório cujo objetivo foi avaliar o “desempenho” dos serviços de saúde que executam o DOTS/TS Domiciliar no Programa de Controle da Tuberculose (PCT) em Unidades de Saúde do Município de Ribeirão Preto. Utilizou-se como referencial metodológico os enfoques básicos para avaliação da qualidade da atenção médica Estrutura-Processo-Resultado proposto por Donabedian (1980) e modificado por Tanaka e Melo (2001) e Starfield (2002). Elaborou-se os seguintes indicadores: Cobertura, Aproveitamento dos recursos, Agilidade do desempenho, Monitoração da administração da medicação e Tempo gasto por visita domiciliar. Os dados foram coletados em 4 PCT por meio da Técnica de Observação Sistemática das visitas domiciliares, realizadas pelo profissional de saúde responsável pela supervisão do tratamento do paciente durante o mês de julho de 2003. Foram acompanhados todos os pacientes que no período em estudo receberam DOTS/TS no domicílio e aqueles que foram incluídos na supervisão durante a coleta de dados. A avaliação do desempenho foi realizada na relação de indicadores e complementada em função da análise por indicador a partir da média e do intervalo de confiança. Os indicadores estudados mostraram que o planejamento de recursos, a organização do trabalho pela equipe de saúde, a definição de funções e a sistematização das ações no processo de tratamento do doente de tuberculose podem influenciar no melhor desempenho do serviço de saúde em termos de cobertura, aproveitamento dos recursos, agilidade, monitoração da administração da medicação e tempo gasto por visita domiciliar. Assim, perante as restrições de recursos humanos e materiais no setor saúde, existe a necessidade de reconsiderar outras formas de supervisão e/ou integração das atividades de tratamento e controle da doença a outras estratégias de intervenção que resultem no uso racional dos recursos, melhor cuidado de saúde e sucesso do tratamento. / This exploratory study aimed to evaluate the “performance” of health services that execute Domiciliary DOTS/TS in the Tuberculosis Control Program (TCP) at Health Units in Ribeirão Preto. The methodological reference framework was based on the basic focuses for medical care quality evaluation Structure-Process-Outcome proposed by Donabedian (1988) and modified by Tanaka and Melo (2001) and Starfield (2002). The following indicators were elaborated: Coverage, Use of recourses, Performance agility, Medication administration monitoring and Time spent per home visit. Data were collected in 4 TCP by means of the Systematic Observation Technique of home visits, realized by the health professional who was responsible for supervising the patient’s treatment in July 2003. All patients were accompanied who were receiving domiciliary DOTS/TS during the study period, as well as those included in the supervision during data collection. The performance evaluation was accomplished in the indicator list and complemented in function of the analysis per indicator, based on mean values and confidence intervals. The studied indicators demonstrated that the planning of resources, the health team’s organization of its work, the definition of function and the systemization of actions in tuberculosis patients’ treatment can influence in the sense of achieving a better performance by the health service in terms of coverage, use of resources, agility, medication administration monitoring and time spent per home visit. Thus, in view of health sector restrictions in terms of human and material resources, there is a need to reconsider other forms of supervising and/or integrating treatment and control activities with other intervention strategies that can result in the rational use of resources, a better healthcare and a successful treatment.

Online Writing Instruction (OWI) programs, like online learning classes in general, are becoming more popular in post-secondary education. Yet few articles discuss how to tailor course assessment methods to an exclusively online environment. This thesis explores video analytics as a possible course assessment tool for online writing classrooms. Video analytics allow instructors, course designers, and writing program administrators to view how many students are engaging in video-based course materials. Additionally, video analytics can provide information about how active students are in their data-finding methods while they watch. By means of example, this thesis examines video analytics from one semester of a large western university’s online first-year writing sections (n=283). This study finds that video analytics afford stakeholders knowledge of patterns in how students interact with video-based course materials. Assuming the end goal of course assessment is to provide meaningful insight that will help improve student and teacher experience, video analytics can be a powerful, dynamic course assessment tool.

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