No description available.

This study examined the relationship between teacher absenteeism and teacher characteristics on third through eighth grade achievement as measured by the Mississippi Curriculum Test 2 (MCT2) language arts and mathematics assessment. School year 2012-2013 yearly assessment scores for 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in 1 school district in the State of Mississippi were analyzed to determine if teachers’ rate of absenteeism, age, gender, years of teaching experience, degree and certification influenced student academic achievement. This study was guided by 5 research questions and employed 2 research designs. Correlational research was used to answer research question 1, 4 and 5. Question 1 sought to determine the differences in the magnitude of the relationships between teacher absences and student achievement across schools and grade levels. Questions 4 and 5 sought to determine how accurately teachers’ rate of absenteeism, age, gender, years of teaching experience, degree and certification predicted 3rd through 8th grade student achievement in language arts and mathematics. Questions 2 and 3 were answered using a causal-comparative research design to determine the differences in MCT2 scores of students in Grades 3-8 whose teachers missed 5 or fewer days and students whose teacher missed more than 5 days of school. The findings of this study indicated that there was a small relationship between teacher absences and achievement across grade levels and schools. In addition findings indicated that teacher absences did not impact student achievement in language arts; however; findings revealed that teacher absences had a negative impact in student achievement in mathematics. Finally, age, degree and certification were predictors of student achievement in language and mathematics. The study concludes with recommendations for future research.

It is near universally accepted that empathy is a desirable trait for physicians and physicians in training. Empathy is not simply a desirable trait, it is part of the deontological duty of a physician. When physicians understand their patients they can offer them options which are best suited for them, thus giving patients autonomy. Empathy is especially important for patients in urban and undeserved environments as a weapon against conscious and unconscious bias. Interestingly, the data also suggest that empathy improves patient outcomes in multiple settings. Unfortunately the evidence would suggest that medical students become less emphatic over the course of their training. This paper argues that empathy should be emphasized in medical education and also gives suggestions as to how it can be better incorporated and nurtured in a curriculum. / Urban Bioethics

No description available.

Degree completion is an issue for stakeholders and others concerned with higher education (Astin, 1997; Braxton, 2000; Porter & National Institute of Independent Colleges and Universities, 1990; Selingo, 2001). The research on degree completion in American higher education is extensive. Studies have been conducted on differences in degree completion by demographics (Pascarella, Smart, & Stoecker, 1989; Pritchard & Wilson, 2003), high school performance (Lewallen, 1993; Stage & Rushin, 1993; Tracey & Sedlacek, 1987), and college performance (DesJardins, Ahlburg, & McCall, 2002; Hu & St John, 2001; Tinto, 1997). Other work in higher education however has looked at how to classify students using student types. Astin developed one of these approaches. Despite the voluminous research conducted on persistence, no one has examined the issue of degree completion using Astin's (1993) student typology. The purpose of this study was to explore degree completion among college students. It employed Astin's (1993) student typology to explore differences between degree completers and dropouts. Specifically, it examined differences between degree completers and dropouts within and across Astin types by demographic characteristics, high school academic performance, and college academic performance. The data analyzed in the study were collected from entering freshmen, by cohort, from 1994 to 1997 at three different institutions: a public master's institution in the northeast; a private liberal arts institution in the northeast; and, a public research extensive institution in the mid-Atlantic. There were two sets of data employed in the study. The first set included responses to the Annual Freshman Survey (AFS) of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) (Sax, Lindholm, Astin, Korn, & Mahoney, 2002). The second set included institutional student data records consisting of demographic characteristics of participants and high school and college performance measures. This study examined degree completion among college students using Astin's (1993) student typology framework. The results of this research contributed to the existing body of literature on degree completion. This study was complex and yielded a mix of statistically significant findings. However, four key findings emerged from this study. First, degree completers are more likely to earn better high school grades than dropouts. Second, middle and high-income students are more likely to graduate from college than low-income students. Third, for Status Striver type students, other (non-academic) background variables predict college academic performance in terms of college GPA and total college credits. Fourth, for Social Activist type students, other (non-academic) background variables predict grades earned in college. These findings present a new direction for research on degree completion and research-based student typologies. / Ph. D.

Since the origins of academia, student housing has predominantly remained segregated and has excluded many people groups. Over the course of academic history, many people groups were slowly allowed to attend university and college, with enrollments gradually expanding from solely white men of a certain class to now a wide spectrum of people. Yet the construct of housing in the academic context has largely remained separated by gender, either by floor or by building. Where do other gender identities fit into this norm and how can we make all types of students feel safe and supported? The goal of this project is to address this inadequacy by proposing a gender-inclusive student housing building for the new Virginia Tech Innovation Campus located at Potomac Yard. Through extensive research of student housing in addition to the history of gender and gendered spaces, "Ourhouse" evolved into an architectural solution to the lack of inclusivity. It takes the typical dorm-style student housing to another level by creating safe, genderless spaces while simultaneously catering to the needs of an individual student. The project raises questions of what it means to be inclusive and how we can normalize highly gendered spaces such as bathrooms. By incorporating communal spaces for bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry spaces, this can begin to remove the stigma surrounding gender within those spaces. Single-user restrooms are also available to those who may find that more comfortable. The variety of sizes, privacy levels, and porosity makes the residences agreeable and functional for anyone who lives there. It also retains the sense of community that students receive from living in conventional dorms. "Ourhouse" aims to be a model for the future of gender-inclusive housing that is expressed not only as a system but goes the extra mile by also being embedded within the architecture. / Master of Architecture / As teenagers become young adults and go off to university or college, a large part of their higher education experience is where they live. Student housing has been a special, yet short-lived space where students form their community and meet new friends. Unfortunately, traditional dorms have not always been the most supportive for all types of students and can sometimes lead to uncomfortable and unsafe living situations. Majority of student housing systems are separated by gender which poses an issue for students who do not fit in one of only two categories. Additionally, dorm-style living can provide a sense of togetherness, but isn't the best solution for students who may be older, have children, or elderly family members to take care of. This thesis investigates how student housing is not very well integrated into urban campuses and cities, and how it can cater to a wider range of students. How can gender-inclusive housing become integrated into the design of the building rather than remain a system that plugs in to existing buildings. This thesis explores the intersection of the housing typology of architecture with the life of a college student. Taking a master plan approach to the building, the residential section addresses the lack of important support spaces for students such as study areas, laundry facilities, and access to green spaces outside. The other programming within the building allow it to fit in with the rest of the new Virginia Tech Innovation Campus plan. This thesis aims to "un-gender" the highly gendered realm of student housing and allow all kinds of people to feel connected, secure, and confident as they navigate life at college and beyond.

With globalization and competition the importance of education is increasing daily. Hence the student migration is increasing a lot not just nationally but internationally too. There are students who travel from one place to another…one country to another…one culture to another…It is so important to provide a place where they can come together, communicate with each other and share their social and cultural values. At the same time creating spaces that provides a sense of safety and privacy has become important. The site was located in the hustle and bustle of the city, which itself challenging in terms of maintaining a quite and calm atmosphere. In my thesis I tried to achieve all the above parameters by providing "Courtyard Planning" that is based on ancient archaic notion of "Vastu Purush Mandala"- A matrix of nine planets. A large courtyard at the center also reveals a series of "hidden" secondary courtyard spaces, one after another, as one walks through the complex. These horizontal and vertical spaces give rise to more interaction and communication in order to bridge a cultural gap between students. / Master of Architecture

No

No / This article presents findings from my PhD study entitled Midwifery knowledge and the medical student experience. The research study sought to explore the question: 'What do medical students learn from midwives?' In the first part of this dual-phase project I conducted a Delphi study with an international panel of midwives to examine the concept of 'midwifery knowledge' (MacVane 2013a). Data from the Delphi survey were used to inform the second phase, which employed a longitudinal case study approach to explore medical students’ experiences of working with midwives during a specialist obstetric rotation. Thirteen medical students, who were recruited from a fourth-year cohort, participated in interviews at the start, middle and end of their specialist obstetric rotation. The students spent the majority of the rotation at their local teaching hospital (LTH), but also spent an interim two-week period at a variety of district general hospitals (DGH).

Student governance has been in existence as an integral part of higher education almost since the founding of the first college in colonial America. However, little is understood about the lived experience of students involved in student governance, and specifically those who participate in leadership positions within student government organizations such as the student government president. Therefore, the primary purposes of this study are to highlight experiences of students who served as presidents of a liberal arts college’s student government association and to examine the meanings these individuals construct out of their leadership experiences. This study employed qualitative methods, which included in-depth, open-ended, semi-structured interviews and journaling. The sample was made up of six students who served as student government association presidents at a small, private, liberal-arts college. From the data derived through the interview and journaling processes, an overall picture of the experiences of the participants and the meanings that the participants construct of their experiences was drawn. Based on the results, several themes regarding the participants’ experiences as student government presidents emerged from the data, which include: positive and negative facets of their presidencies, stress as a substantial element during their time in office, dissimilar experiences of women and minority students, varied experiences regarding relationships and conflicts with members of the campus community, the multiple roles required of a student government president, and personal approaches to leadership that a student government president must possess and hone. Conclusions based on the data were included and implications for student affairs practitioners were discussed as well as recommendations for further study were made.