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The project inspects and discusses improvements of the technical assistance of Change Management support within IT service provider. The primary objective of the procet is to analyse and implement a new software tool to display possible improvements. This project involves whole software development proces including requirements collection, systém analysis, design, implementation. In the first part, the IT service management, especially Change Management area and ITIL methodology is described. In the second part, the analysis of current state of the proces implementation and software tool is discussed and proposed opportunities for improvement. In the end, the results are summarized and possibilities of the future improvements are proposed.

This diploma thesis focuses on career guidance in primary and mainly lower secondary schools. The goal of the thesis is to identify and describe the best practices of career guidance from the perspective of a lower secondary school career or educational counsellor, and also from the perspective of the education system. The theoretical part fulfills this goal by describing inspirational approaches to career guidance in selected European countries (Finland, England and France). Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, the research part examines and describes the work of six career guidance facilitators at four lower secondary schools and one upper secondary school, which were purposefully selected as possible examples of best practice. The outcome of the thesis is a detailed insight into the attitudes and approaches to career guidance of the selected respondents, description of 36 unique career guidance activities, and a set of both systemic and specific recommendations for improving the state of career guidance in lower secondary schools. Although the work is focused on lower secondary schools, its outputs are also applicable to upper secondary schools.

Depuis une vingtaine d’années, les discours promotionnels en urbanisme attribuent à un nombre croissant de lieux et de processus le statut de modèles à suivre ou de bonnes pratiques. Cette thèse vise à comprendre comment les acteurs opérationnels réceptionnent et utilisent ces modèles lorsqu’ils conçoivent d’autres projets urbains. L’approche construite vise à suivre les acteurs au plus près de leurs pratiques opérationnelles. Pour ce faire, la notion de « modèle » est mise de côté le temps de l’analyse pour lui préférer celle de « référence » dont la définition prend une dimension méthodologique. Une référence est la représentation d’un objet utilisée dans une situation autre que celle dans laquelle il a été élaboré. Tout objet (idée, image, ou texte) peut devenir une référence, mais il ne le devient qu’à partir du moment où sa représentation est citée dans une autre situation. La notion de référence est étudiée dans le cadre de situations de conception, les moments au cours desquels les acteurs réfléchissent, discutent, se projettent seuls ou à plusieurs, et prennent des décisions pour la transformation des usages d’un espace. Deux méthodes sont utilisées. Une méthode par entretiens semi-directifs auprès de 30 acteurs opérationnels d’origines variées vise à comprendre la façon dont ces derniers se représentent leurs usages des références. Une méthode d’observation circonscrite de quatre situations de conception au cours desquelles les acteurs sont en train d’élaborer des plans directeurs permet de suivre les usages des références dans des projets en train d’être conçus. Les observations et entretiens réalisés en France et dans l’Oregon aux États-Unis, se complètent et se rejoignent, permettent de découvrir des constantes concernant les usages de références et de redéfinir la notion. Les références sont, au sein d’une grande diversité, urbaines, ancrées et locales. Elles sont utilisées à des fins multiples, aussi bien pour communiquer dans un groupe et y négocier sa place, que pour la forme d’un plan directeur, pour lire un contexte, et pour évaluer des propositions de transformation d’un espace. Cette approche permet d’obtenir une lecture fine de l’usage des références en situation de conception, lecture importante pour le débat actuel de la fabrique de la ville concernant les modèles urbains. En situation, il n’y a pas un modèle mais une multitude de références qui sont citées, mentionnées, analysées ; et chaque plan est le résultat d’un travail articulant le contexte et ces objets cités, des projets, des espaces existants, des formes et objets génériques, et des théories / Over the last twenty years, promotional discourse on urban development has been assigning the labels of “best practice” or “model to follow” to an increasing number of specific sites and processes. My thesis explores how these models are received and used by urban developers and other relevant actors. My approach aims at following actors as closely as possible with regard to their working practices. To do so, the notion of “model” is put aside and favored over by the notion of “reference”, whose definition is methodologically based. A reference is the representation of an object (idea, image, text) that is cited within a design situation other than the one it was initially conceived in. Any object can become a reference, but it only becomes a reference when its representation is cited in another design situation. The notion of reference is studied during multiple stages of urban design: from conception to moments during which actors think, talk and plan alone or collectively, to decision-making about the transformation of spatial uses. Two methods were used. First, I carried out semi-structured interviews with 30 actors with the aim of understanding how actors perceive their use of references. Second, I observed and analyzed four specific situations during which actors were designing urban masterplans in order to understand the use of references in the design process.Both methods were applied in France and in the USA (Oregon) and converged in their results, leading to a more precise understanding of the notion of reference. References are mainly urban, anchored within a territory and local. They have many purposes, from communicating and negotiating within a group, to making design decisions, as well as reading an urban context and evaluating design propositions. The present analysis of how references are used is particularly useful for the current debate in urban studies concerning policy and the mobility of ideas. In the design process, there is not one model but a multitude of urban objects that are cited, analyzed and described. Each masterplan is the result of a coordination between an actual context and these cited objects, projects, existing spaces, generic objects and forms, and theories

Simulation training has been implemented at a small nursing school in the eastern United States to improve the currently low content exam scores in nursing courses. With the guidance of Kolb's experiential learning theory, differences in 8 course content exam scores were investigated for students who received simulation training in the content area before the exam and students who received simulation training after the exam, using a quasi-experimental, comparative design. Archival exam scores from 424 content exams, 212 completed by students who received simulation training before the exam and 212 completed by students who received simulation training after the exam, were used in a multivariate analysis of variance. The difference of the group means was not statistically significant (p = .69) for the pediatric assessment, meningitis, respiratory deviations, and gastrointestinal nursing content exams. However, there was a significant difference, F (4, 47) = 5.192, p = .00; λ = .694; η2 = .316, for the postpartum and neonatal assessment, preeclampsia, and cardiovascular nursing content exams. The results are split, which may be due to inconsistency in the conduct of simulation training across the 8 content areas. The varied outcomes led to the development of a white paper with policy and implementation recommendations for simulation training. Positive social change may occur in the planning of simulation training to promote consistency and best practices, enhancing students' ability to perform safely and competently at the patient's bedside and thus supporting improved patient outcomes.

Despite the abundance of literature regarding potentially effective treatment modalities for Native American clients, researchers have been unable to identify an empirically proven effective treatment modality for this population. Common recommendations/considerations for therapists working with Native clients have been identified throughout literature; however, such findings were gathered by insiders (i.e., Native researchers or trained Tribal staff), which has left questions regarding the efficacy of such recommendations when applied by non-Native therapists. Due to Native American history, elaborate IRB requirements were put in place to ensure ethical research with this population but impedes the research process. I conducted an analytic autoethnography to explore my experiences of working on an Indian reservation as an outsider/Whitegirl marriage and family therapist. Experiences were explored contextually and explanatorily through a postmodern epistemology to determine similarities/differences to common recommendations/considerations in literature. Themes that emerged from the analysis of this study reflected common factors of psychotherapy and MFT rather than aspects of a specific MFT modality. This study contributes to the expansion of knowledge regarding effective practices and therapeutic considerations for Native American clients.

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This study investigates the barriers faced by cities in their efforts to increase the number of urban cyclists and aims to identify best practices to fulfil cities' ambitions. The research explores the multi-dimensional nature of the obstacles and highlights the significance of understanding and addressing them effectively. By examining bike policies, sustainable mobility programs, existing literature, and conducting interviews with experts, this study provides insights into the common themes that prevent cities from achieving their goals. The findings contribute to the development of best practices that can support cities in their ambition to increase urban cycling.This study is a multi-case study, where the study compares the city Malmö and The Hague. The Hague is a leading example for bicycle use, while Malmö strives to become a bicycle-friendly city. The methodology employed in this research includes several components: a literature review to explore barriers and enablers of urban cycling, a theoretical analysis, a comprehensive review of bike policies and sustainable mobility documents in both cities and interviews to delve deeper into recurring themes identified in the document analysis. The discussion section integrates the literature review, theory, and results, highlighting the best practices for promoting urban cycling.In this study, the theory of path dependency is employed, which refers to a process where initial moves lead to further moves in the same direction, limiting future choices. It involves three phases: Preformation, Formation, and Lock-in. Additionally, the theoretical framework incorporates the three factors of path dependence identified by Low et al. (2005). These factors are relevant to the study because they relate to urban planning and active transport. The three factors are: technical, institutional, and discursive. Overall, understanding path dependency and its factors (technical, institutional, and discursive) enables more effective strategies in urban planning and active transportation to overcome barriers and promote sustainable cities.Through an analysis of previous research, theory, and results it becomes evident that the establishment of a support base and the implementation of a combination of hard and soft measures play a crucial role in fulfilling cities' bike ambitions. The support base requires diverse stakeholders to understand and support bike policies. Effective communication help engage stakeholders and expand support. Overplanning with various options enhances policy resilience. Striking a balance between hard and soft measures is crucial for increasing urban cyclists. Hard measures like infrastructure development are initially important, but a balanced approach ensures an effective strategy.By adopting these best practices, cities can successfully increase the number of urban cyclists. However, it is important to emphasize that achieving this ambition goes beyond formulating a policy; it requires the establishment of a support base and a balanced approach that incorporates both hard and soft measures. This study provides cities with insights into potential barriers and enablers, offering guidance for examining their specific urban contexts and working towards their cycling goals.

This study attempts to discern if geologic time is a threshold concept for student understanding of evolutionary theory. A threshold concept enables the learner to unpack other concepts because of its importance in thought construction. In this study three teachers and ten sections of biology were investigated from the same high school. Each teacher used the same activities, in the same sequence, and with identical evaluation methods. Students in the treatment group covered a unit on geologic time prior to completing course work on evolutionary theory. Student misconceptions in both control and treatment groups were assessed using a composite concept inventory administered post and prior to the study. Statistical analysis conducted revealed no statistical evidence to support the contention that the treatment method was more effective than traditional methods of teaching evolution. It was found that students agreed significantly more with evolution post study in both treatment and control groups.

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