Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2005. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-129).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2001. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-139).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Lehigh University, 1997. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-128).

Interactive system developers spend most of their time and resources on user interface evaluation in traditional usability laboratories. Since the network itself and the remote work setting have become parts of usage patterns, evaluators do not have unlimited access to representative users for user interface evaluation. Reproducing the user's work context in a laboratory setting is also difficult. These problems have led to the concept of Remote usability evaluation that takes interface evaluation of any application beyond the laboratory setting. The main aim of this thesis work is to develop a tool that can record problems faced by remote users in the form of text and video. The text report and video, which is a sequence of the user's actions while encountering the problem, would help evaluators in preparing usability problem descriptions. This thesis reports the development of the remote usability evaluation method and the process of usability evaluation performed in enhancing features offered by the tool. / Master of Science

No description available.

This application for PhD by publication is the culmination of a series of investigations concerning the development of a conceptual model of student satisfaction with their higher education (HE) experience. The five core papers that sequentially contributed to knowledge are presented within this application, together with their supporting papers. In particular, the investigations focussed on what were the main determinants of student satisfaction utilising critical incident technique (CIT). New determinants of quality within higher education were identified as a result, namely motivation, praise/reward, social inclusion, usefulness, value for money and fellow student behaviour. The resultant research papers have made an original contribution to knowledge in the area of quality in HE. The rationale for using CIT to gather and analyse data was to investigate its effectiveness in triangulating with existing methods used in HE to measure student satisfaction. The CIT research was triggered by previous research that had developed and tested a student satisfaction questionnaire. CIT is used to gather data that is defined as ‘rich’. It is ideal when researching new areas. The questionnaire was based on the work of Sasser et al (1978) who proposed that service delivery consisted of a ‘bundle’ of goods and services, which incorporated distinct elements (the facilitating goods, the sensual service and the psychological service). The CIT survey instrument subsequently adopted, built upon the seminal work by Flanagan (1954) who developed it to assess the psychological impact (on pilots) when learning to fly. Both survey instruments were used to identify the determinants of quality in higher education from a student’s point of view and ultimately what was considered “critically critical” (Edvardsson & Nilsson-Wittel, 2004). An evaluation of teaching quality was carried out as part of this series during the mid-2000 era, and a comparison made of some of the existing measurement methods used at the time, such as student feedback questionnaires and peer review practices. A review of the potential use of mystery students in higher education was also carried out. This particular study highlighted the lack of confidence (by teaching personnel) in the existing methods for evaluating teaching quality as well as some mistrust of the concept of using mystery students in a classroom setting. A multi-method approach was chosen for this series of studies, because of the merits in using both quantitative and qualitative studies to generate data. Using such an approach provided a sequential method of analysing and presenting the data for this cross-sectional study. The initial student satisfaction questionnaire was a quantitative instrument and gathered data on importance and satisfaction ratings (using a five-point Likert scale) which were further analysed used quadrant analysis. The CIT survey was largely qualitative in nature and gathered written narratives from students about their positive and negative experiences; the resulting data used interpretive thematic analysis to identify key themes and any resulting patterns that could be coded quantitatively for input into the statistical software package SPSS. Each piece of research was underpinned by the existing literature at the time; this has inevitably progressed since then. CIT has been widely used in the service sector and additional determinants of quality within higher education have been identified within the current literature. A number of papers presented with this application have generated academic discussion in the field and these are evidenced by the number of citations for the applicant’s work. Moreover, the applicant’s additional supplementary papers also appended for background information have also been cited within the academic literature. The findings can be applied to teaching practice and within policy documents that support front-line teaching (and other) personnel in higher education.

Children sometimes experience loss and trauma through critical incidents such as unexpected bereavement through accidental death which can have negative psychological effects. In many countries, where there is a school psychology service, it would seem likely that an Educational Psychologist could be involved in order to mitigate such psychological effects. Support led by Educational Psychologists and others is often organised through Critical Incident Response Teams.Since 1994 a range of support offered by Educational Psychology Services in England has been documented in the literature. There is information in the literature about the range of professionals involved and the type of support that is offered. However, it is not clear why some responses/teams are more sustainable and why they vary in structure. The literature broadly specifies critical incident responses, but this research aims to provide a more detailed specification, sharply focussed on the process of developing a Critical Incident Response Team.The present study involved a series of interviews at seven Local Authorities which have Critical Incident Response Teams all of which have been operational for at least five years. Multiple sources of evidence are used, namely semi-structured interviews with lead Educational Psychologists for critical incident support and other Educational Psychologists and professionals who are part of the Critical Incident Response Team. The transcriptions of all the semi-structured interviews were analysed using content analysis and thematic analysis. The findings were used to propose a theoretical model, containing indications of context, personnel and process factors to consider for the development of a sustainable Critical Incident Response Team.

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No description available.

<p>Aim: The aim was to investigate the ambulance nurses experiences during a specific ambulance missions that led to usage of LUCAS ™.Method: Participating ambulance nurses were randomly assigned from a total sample group of 12 women and 39 men. Five women and five men participated. Qualitative interviews were conducted, where the Critical Incident Technique approach was used. Collected interviews were valued using qualitative content analysis.Result: Interview texts were divided into three domains, 10 subcategories could be identified which were sorted into three categories. A theme was finally formulated.The initial alarm data from SOS Alarm is important for the ambulance nurses preparation. There where cardiac arrest situations when the work went well, as well as situations where problems arose. The informants expressed that they should practice on LUCAS ™ to a greater extent than they now are doing. Staff in the emergency room, some time was perceived as stressful and they did not listen. The informants expressed frustration with the major administrative tasks after a LUCAS™ case, on the other hand, the "team spirit" where highlighted, they solve the task together.Conclusion: Developments during ambulance missions where LUCAS ™ will be used depends on, alarm data, resources, situation at the scene, planning, roles, supervision, handling of LUCAS ™ and Case Report Form, relatives and viewer reactions, the receipt at the emergency department and finally that ambulance staff cooperates after the LUCAS ™ mission.</p> / <p>Syfte:<strong> </strong>Syftet var att undersöka ambulanssjuksköterskors upplevelser under ett bestämt ambulansuppdrag som ledde fram till begagnande av LUCAS™.</p><p>Metod: Deltagande ambulanssjuksköterskor lottades ur en total urvalsgrupp bestående av 12 kvinnor och 39 män. Fem kvinnor och<strong> </strong>fem män deltog. Kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes, där Critical Incident Technique metoden användes. Insamlade intervjudata värderades med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys.</p><p>Resultat:<strong> </strong>Intervjutexten kunde delas in i tre domäner, 10 underkategorier kunde identifieras som sorterades i tre kategorier. Slutligen formulerades ett tema. De initiala larmuppgifter från SOS Alarm är viktiga för ambulanssjuksköterskornas förberedelser. Det förekom hjärtstoppssituationer där arbetet gick bra, likväl situationer där problem uppstod. Informanterna uttryckte att de borde öva på LUCAS™ i större utsträckning än de gör i nu läget. Vid en del situationer upplevdes mottagande personal på akutmottagningen som stressade och att de inte lyssnade. Betecknande för informanternas upplevelser vad gäller de administrativa uppgifterna efter LUCAS™ uppdraget var inte positivt, dock betonades "team work".</p><p>Slutsats: Utvecklingen under ambulansuppdrag där LUCAS™ kommer till användning är beroende av; larmfakta, resurser, situationen på plats, planering, roller, arbetsledning, hanterandet av LUCAS™ och Case Report Form, anhöriga och åskådares reaktioner, mottagandet på akutmottagningen och slutligen att ambulanspersonalen samarbetar efter LUCAS™ uppdraget.</p>