Scheduling is a valuable but untapped resource for school reform. Nationwide, educators and administrators have focused on the manner in which time is allotted to various subject areas during the school day. One of the school improvement efforts that has influenced secondary scheduling is the block schedule. In Virginia secondary schools, the Alternate Day Block Schedule has become an innovative effort for school improvement. In this scheduling arrangement, students attend six to eight blocks of classes over a two-day period. One-half of the classes meet in double instructional blocks one day, while the remaining classes meet the next day. With so much public scrutiny of teacher effectiveness and student achievement, schools are required to incorporate change. The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze staff development training prior to the implementation of an Alternate Day Block Schedule and to describe how teaching practices changed due to the schedule implementation. The study involved interviewing the teaching staff, administrators, and parents of a case study site which had used the Alternate Day Block Schedule for the past three years. The case study and document reviews were conducted using interviews to gather in-depth information from administrators, teachers, and parents. Information obtained from the interviews were then further studied to find responses that were either similar or extremely different. The majority of the interview responses reflected a consensus of opinion regarding the overall success of the alternate day block schedule. There were, however, two areas of the research that provided differences of opinions regarding the effectiveness of the block schedule: staff development and teaching practices. Responses by teachers and parents to interview questions revealed that schools considering moving to a block schedule model would benefit from in-depth study of the staff development provided and the evaluation of teaching practices gained from the training. / Ed. D.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:17:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Henrique Valle Belo Ribeiro Angelo.pdf: 1411502 bytes, checksum: f3f0a741a628ecacfc95ad413171e9a2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-01-24 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Some metacontingency experiments have been working with intermittent cultural consequences in analogue ways to operant ratio schedules. The transition from lower ratio to higher ratio sometimes were followed by a slight instability in the previous selected cultural practice. Only one experiment showed a ratio strain from continuous production of cultural consequence to an analogue of VR2. In all experiments, the raise in ratio was gradual and only ratios 2 and 3 were used. To access some variables that can contribute to the ratio strain, two experiments were conducted. Subjects had the task to insert numbers in a computer game gaining both individual and/or cultural consequences. The elder subjects were substituted for new ones during all experiments. In both experiments, after a period of selection, the ratio for cultural consequence liberation was increased to 2, than, after a stability criterion has been achieved, the ratio was abruptly increased to 10. In the first experiment there was no changes in the aggregate production when the ratio was raised and then the metacontingency was discontinued (analogue of operant extinction). The pattern of production continued for a long period of extinction until the pattern dismisses. The second experiment showed a ratio strain when the ratio was raised from 2 to 10. The results were discussed in terms of different forms of cultural transmission, the format of rules generated by the subjects and the contact with the cultural consequence / Alguns experimentos sobre metacontingências têm trabalhado com consequências culturais intermitentes de formas análogas a esquemas operantes de razão. A transição de razões mais baixas para razões mais altas algumas vezes foram seguidas por uma leve instabilidade na prática cultural previamente selecionada. Somente um experimento mostrou uma distensão da razão na mudança de produção contínua da consequência cultural para um análogo de VR2. Em todos os experimento, o aumento na razão foi gradual e somente as razões 2 e 3 foram usadas. Para avaliar algumas variáveis que podem contribuir para a distensão da razão, dois experimentos foram conduzidos. Os participantes tinham a tarefa de inserir números em um jogo de computador liberando tanto consequências individuais quanto culturais. Os participantes mais antigos foram substituídos por novos durante todos os experimentos. Em ambos os experimentos, depois de um período de seleção, a razão para a liberação da consequência cultural foi aumentada para 2, então, depois de um critério de estabilidade ser atingido, a razão foi abruptamente aumentada para 10. No primeiro experimento não houve mudanças na produção agregada quando a razão foi aumentada e a metacontingência foi então descontinuada (análogo de extinção operante). O padrão de produção contínua por um longo período de extinção até que o padrão deixou de ocorrer. O segundo experimento mostrou uma distensão na razão quando a razão foi aumentada de 2 para 10. Os resultados foram discutidos em termos de diferentes formas de transmissão cultural, o formato das regras geradas pelos participantes e o contato com a consequência cultural

Reinforcer assessments have largely relied on the use of progressive ratio (PR) schedules to identify stimuli that function as reinforcers. PR schedules evaluate the reinforcing efficacy of a stimulus by measuring the number of responses produced in order to access a stimulus as the number of required responses increases. The current evaluation extends the literature on reinforcer assessments by measuring responding under a progressive force (PF) schedule, in addition to progressive ratio requirements. We compared responding under PR and PF schedules with two children with autism using a multielement design embedded within a reversal experimental design. Results were mixed and implications for further development of reinforcer assessment methods (particularly PF schedules) are discussed.

This thesis considers three physician scheduling problems in health care systems. Specifically, we focus on improvements to current physician scheduling practices through the use of mathematical modeling. In the first part of the thesis, we present a physician shift scheduling problem focusing on maximizing continuity of care (i.e., ensuring that patients are familiar with their treating physicians, and vice versa). We develop an objective scoring method for measuring the continuity of a physician schedule and combine it with a mixed integer programming model. We apply our methods to the problem faced in the pediatric intensive care unit at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, and show that our schedule generation approach outperforms manual methods for schedule construction, both with regards to solution time and continuity. The next topic presented in this thesis focuses on two scheduling problems: (i) the assignment of residents to rotations over a one-year period, and given that assignment, (ii) the scheduling of residents' night and weekend shifts. We present an integer programming model for the assignment of residents to rotations such that residents of the same type receive similar educational experiences. We allow for flexible input of parameters and varying groups of residents and rotations without needing to alter the model constraints. We present a simple model for scheduling 1st-year residents to night and weekend shifts. We apply these approaches to problems faced in the Department of Surgery Residency Program at Emory University School of Medicine. Rotation assignment is made more efficient through automated schedule generation, and the shift scheduling model allows us to highlight infeasibilities that occur when shift lengths exceed a certain value, and we discuss the impact of duty hour restrictions under limitations of current scheduling practices. The final topic of this thesis focuses on the assignment of physicians to various tasks while promoting equity of assignments and maximizing space utilization. We present an integer programming model to solve this problem, and we apply this model to the physician scheduling problem faced in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University Hospital and generate high quality solutions very quickly.

Presently, owners are interested in evaluating the feasibility of investing in the construction of new building projects based on cost and time constraints. They need to therefore have an idea about the project construction costs, the time required to finish construction of a project in its conceptual phase, and about the implementation of feasibility study. Because due to associated risks, construction cost estimates and schedules are vital to any project. The research’s objective is to develop a methodology that can be used to create an integrated computer model that helps owners and designers generate construction cost estimates, and derive the baseline schedule for any proposed building project at its feasibility stage. All the relevant data used within the model is collected from the literature and is stored in comprehensive databases designed for this purpose. The data is based on 2011 RSMeans publications and consist of around 4,000 previously constructed projects. The model is developed in a Microsoft environment using Microsoft Excel 2007 and Microsoft Project 2007. This model uses deterministic and stochastic approaches to execute all necessary calculations for the conceptual cost estimate and baseline schedule. A deterministic approach relies on realistic data while a stochastic one relies on incorporating the uncertainty and risk available in calculating the cost and duration of any construction building project. The model is user friendly, flexible and executes all the necessary calculations quickly. The successful development of the model would help owners and investors identify the cost and baseline schedule of proposed projects at the early stages of the project life, so that they have an idea of the budget required for construction and the time needed to recover their investment.

Missed appointments by patients are a major problem for health care professionals. To combat this issue, some optometrists use a pre-appointing system in which patients are scheduled for an annual exam a year after their initial visit. Prior to that subsequent appointment, clinic staff often try to contact the patient to confirm the appointment. This study examined baseline levels of appointment keeping, analyzed existing processes for pre-appointing patients, and introduced a revised process package to improve appointment keeping at an eye care clinic. This package included training, mailed postcard reminders and two phone call reminders. Results indicate appointment keeping by pre-appointed patients increased over baseline. The intervention was also shown to be cost-beneficial.

This study analyzed the academic impact of year-round calendar schools as compared with the academic achievement of traditional calendar schools. The population studied was the 1998 public elementary schools in Texas. The academic impact was based upon the 1998 Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test administrated by the Texas Education Agency. The two groups of schools studied were Texas elementary schools that were on a year-round calendar schedule, and the Texas elementary schools on a traditional calendar schedule. Multiple regression statistics were used, in addition to means, and differences between the means of variables. Year-round schools (YRE), when compared to the means of traditional schools, have means lower in math scores (6.16 percent) than traditional schools. Year-round schools have fewer African Americans students (2.78%), White students (21.06%), and special education students (.25%). Year-round schools are higher in population size (72.72students), Economic Disadvantaged students (15.87%), Hispanic students (23.46%), and Mobility (3.23%).

This study was designed to determine the effects of two different schedule types on mathematics achievement in public high school students. The instruments used included the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, given annually to all students in grades 3 through 11, the Texas Algebra I end-of-course examination, given as a district option to Algebra I students, and student final course grades as determined by classroom teachers. The study compared students' performance in these three areas during the 2004-2005 academic year in one suburban school district in North Texas. The study considers the type of schedule, either traditional or 8-block, between students in teachers' classes who teach the same course on both schedules concurrently. This study also investigates a qualitative aspect by including a short opinion survey of teachers' perceptions regarding student academic performance, teacher satisfaction and retention, and the ability to accomplish curricular goals. Findings from this research suggest course schedule does not have significant effects on student academic performance as measured using analyses of covariance comparisons with a 0.05 alpha-level, leading to the conclusion that a particular course schedule does not adversely impact student performance on academic measures. However, in some comparisons conducted within the course of the research, statistically significant results emerged. Qualitative data generated from a survey of teacher perceptions regarding the benefits of the two scheduling types, traditional 50-minute verses alternating day 8-block, suggested teachers preferred a traditional schedule over that of a block schedule design. Most teachers who responded to the survey instrument expressed the perception that traditional daily meeting classes allowed their students to be more successful. Additional research into the effects of scheduling types on students academic performance are suggested and would include examining larger population samples, a narrower study of specific courses within the field of mathematics, or an expansion of the content areas explored to fields such as science, languages, or non-academic core subjects, including the fine arts.

This study attempted to determine if the type of class schedule (traditional, A/B block, or accelerated block) used in Texas public high schools significantly affects students' achievement results, attendance rates and dropout rates. One thousand four hundred ninety (1490) Texas high school principals were surveyed to determine the type of schedule currently in use on each campus, the type of schedule previously used on each campus, the length of time the current schedule has been in place on each campus, and the length of time that the previous schedule was used on each campus. This study is particularly significant in that this research provides information to assist principals in determining if block scheduling is instrumental in improving achievement in reading and mathematics, in improving attendance and in lowering dropout rates. The results of the study indicated that the use of a particular type of schedule: traditional, A/B block, or accelerated block is not directly correlated to improved achievement, attendance, or dropout rates. An expectation that the implementation of a traditional, A/B block, or accelerated block schedule will be the sole factor to cause improved student achievement, improved attendance rates or improved dropout rates is inappropriate. Ultimately, campus and districts officials must assure that effective teaching practices are occurring on each campus, regardless of the schedule type. Currently, a projected (Texas) state education funding shortfall is causing school district administrators to review cost-saving options for the 2003 - 2004 fiscal year. There is discussion in many districts regarding the fact that traditional scheduling is more economical than A/B block or accelerated block scheduling. The results of this study indicate that the decision to move campuses from A/B block or accelerated block to traditional scheduling might be made as a cost-saving move without negatively impacting student achievement, attendance rates or dropout rates.

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of alternative contingencies on instruction following by an ABA design. Three college students consistently pressed keys 1-5-3 and 4-8-6 in the presence of the written instruction "Press 153" or "Press 486." During condition A, the contingencies for following and not following the instruction were the same: CON FR5 FR5 and CON FR20 FR20. During condition B, the contingencies for following and not following the instruction were different: CON FR20 FR5. For one participant, the schedule of reinforcement was then changed to FR30. The results showed that subjects followed instructions when the schedule of reinforcement was the same for instruction following and not following.