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Evaluation Of An Orientation Program For First Semester Nursing Students At Glendale Community College, Virginia Dumas

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

In Fall 1999, Maricopa Community College District (MCCD), implemented a new Health Care Integrated Educational System (HCIES). As part of that implementation, a district wide nursing program was introduced to the students. To help with the process of transition a specialty orientation program has been designed by nursing faculty for first semester nursing students as an extension of the general orientation program for Glendale Community College. The purpose of this evaluation practicum was to determine if the specialty orientation program was meeting the needs of the nursing students. There were two research questions for this practicum. "What is an appropriate …

Creation Of A Leadership Development Handbook For Asia Pacific Assemblies Of God Leaders, Benjamin M. Kaufman

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Few issues will be as important in the new millennium as the development of leaders. Character and managerial leadership competencies and skills are particularly important to those who lead the churches and Christian colleges and universities in the new era. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to create a handbook, including implementation and evaluation plans, that Asia Pacific Assemblies of God leaders can utilize for their own character and managerial development.

Six research questions guided this research. First, what broad content categories need to be addressed in the leadership development handbook? Second, within each of the categories, what issues …

Development And Implementation Of A Program To Increase Communication And Collaboration Among Early Adopters Of Instructional Technology At The Elementary Level, Debbie Lind

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide a means of communication for teachers at several elementary schools. Isolation is a common issue facing K-12 teachers sustained by the organizational constraints of traditional methods of education. Few opportunities for interaction and collaboration were provided by the school district. Interaction is needed to change the image of teachers from independent instructors to members of a community of practice like other professions.

The writer developed an Intranet site that utilized synchronous and asynchronous communication technology to create an online learning community. To facilitate collaboration the discussion board and chat facility were supplemented with …

Development Of A Diagnostic Assessment System To Improve The Motn Ation Of Admitted Students To Matriculate Into The Nursing Program At D’Youville College, Melanie S. Macneil

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Enrollment in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at D'Youville College is below expectations. Although the decline in application rate reflects a national and international trend, the matriculation rate needs to improve. Without adequate numbers of matriculated nursing students at D 'Youville, the nursing program faces closure.

The purpose of this project was to develop a diagnostic assessment system to improve the motivation of admitted students to matriculate into the nursing program at D'Youville College. The research questions concerned information in the literature about motivation to matriculate by students in nursing programs, the specific content and design for …

Development Of A Comprehensive District-Wide Student Service Plan To Enhance Student Success At Tarrant County College, Lonzetta R. Smith-Allen

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Tarrant County College (TCC) is a comprehensive community college dedicated to the mission of providing quality education in response to the expectations of the people of Tarrant County. The institution holds student success and learning as top priorities and is dedicated to providing meaningful educational experiences in support of these priorities (Tarrant County College, 2000a).

In recent years TCC has faced many challenges, including state accrediting agency mandates, changing demographics, technological advances, community demands and increased competition, that have necessitated institutional change. The changes are affecting who is being taught as well as the services that are being required.

Similar …

The Development Of A Strategic Continuous Improvement Process Implementation Guide For The North Carolina Department Of Administration, George E. Millsaps Jr.

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The North Carolina Department of Administration (DOA) is under pressure by the North Carolina legislature and governor's office to increase both the quality of services provided, and decrease the cost of providing services. The pressure is on mission expansion, reduction in the number of positions, and limiting budgetary growth primarily to cost of living increases in salary.

The leadership of the department knows of no other reasonable way to respond to these pressures except through the implementation of continuous improvement or total quality management (TQM). However, the department has attempted to implement quality initiatives four times in the past with …

The Promotion And Integration Of Service Opportunities For Young Men Beginning College, Patrick Conway Brother

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report represents the effort of a university residence hall director to implement a program to attract and increase men's participation in a volunteer service program. The preliminary investigation examined the different volunteer service opportunities available to students of a small Catholic residential campus in the Midwest.

Strategies that were planned to attract and increase men's participation included (a) publishing a resident hall newsletter highlighting volunteer service, (b) designing a program with clearly defined tasks and short time commitments, (c) videotaping the actual service site, (d) designing a promotional brochure spelling out the specifics of the program, (e) Planning and …

Reducing Disciplinary Referrals And Academic Failure Rate Of Seventh- And Eighth-Grade Students, Melad Smith Jr.

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum addressed the excessive disciplinary referrals and the academic failure rate of 7th- and 8th-grade students of Charlton County High School in Folkston, Georgia. The data collected during the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 school years served as the basis of this practicum. During the 1998-1999 school year, the 7th and 8th grades accounted for 46. 9% of all high school referrals, and an alarming 23. 5% of total students in 7th and 8th grade failed academic courses in social studies, math, science, and English. During the 1999-2000 school year, a preliminary investigation was implemented to curtail the academic and discipline …

Improving And Enhancing The Afterschool Program At Brookside School, William E. Kayal

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report explains the progress of a program for participants who benefited more than the typical nonparticipants in an afterschool extended-day program. Schubert (1997) stated, "To develop school experience that genuinely engage students and teachers in citizenship, gives meaning and direction to their lives" (p. 82). Results of the study showed that the participants' development was a complex process about the natural reciprocity between self and others with an emphasis on building relationships and providing programs to support student needs. The staff members have always demonstrated through modeling that students are the school's first priority.

Students commented that staff interest …

Parents In Partnership With Children To Improve Student Readiness Skills, Glenda G. Miller

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

In compliance with Goal 1 of Goals 2000: Educate America Act of 1994 (U.S. Department of Education, 2001), all children should enter school with all developmental skills in place, ready to learn. In the 2000-2001 school year, educators reported that a large majority of kindergartners continued to enter school with less than the expected chronological-age-level skills, and it is their anticipation that this goal will continue to be unmet. Partially due to the lack of agreement on what readiness constitutes and the lack of availability of programs that are designed to focus on appropriate developmental programs for preschoolers, children continue …

Development Of A Strategic Plan To Integrate Leadership And Management Concepts Throughout Frankford Hospital School Of Nursing Curriculum With Plans For Implementation And Evaluation, Jo Ann Runewicz

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem is that a gap exists between the Frankford Hospital School of Nursing (FHSN) curriculum design, increased National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) passing standards, and the revised NCLEX-RN examination that has integrated leadership and management concepts. The FHSN curriculum design does not adequately prepare students to address leadership and management concepts that are being tested on the NCLEX-RN.

The purpose of this project was to develop a strategic plan to integrate leadership and management concepts throughout the FHSN curriculum. A plan for implementation and evaluation was also developed. The following five research questions were addressed: (1) …

Development Of A Licensed Practical Nurse To Registered Nurse Program With Plans For Implementation And Evaluation, Bonny Ross

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

To become registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) must repeat a significant amount of their learning experiences. This duplication results in unnecessary frustration, time, and expense for the student. The purpose of the project was to develop an LPN to RN program with plans for implementation and evaluation.

Six research questions were proposed: (1) Is the problem of duplication of learning experiences for the LPN to become an RN significant enough to support the development of a specific program? (2) How would an LPN curriculum articulate with the present RN curriculum at St. Francis? (3) What are the appropriate …

Enhancing School Climate To Improve Teacher And Student Morale: An Ethnographic Study, Mark Register

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Through an ethnographic process, the researcher sought an enhanced school climate that would result in improved morale among teachers and students at Sacred Heart School. The opportunity provided was to take the school beyond the level of solid and move it toward the status of being regarded as a major private educational institution.

Data were obtained for this project through surveys and personal interviews of faculty members, parents, students, and alumni in the attempt to describe past and current school climate and culture accurately. School archives were researched to gain further information concerning the philosophical foundation on which this institution …

Teaching Children How To Learn: A Program To Teach Self-Regulation Skills, Connie C. Lawrence

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes an intervention to train teachers how to instruct and support self-regulated learning in the classroom. An analysis of 4th- and 7th-grade student responses on a modified Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia, & McKeachie, 1991) revealed that, although 43% of the students indicated that they always or almost always use some self-regulation skills, 23% stated that they never or almost never use them. In a private school where the mission is to equip future learners, 50% of the students should be using self-regulation skills all or most of the time. An analysis of the teaching …

How Can Increasing Parent Involvement Improve Student Performance In Reading And Math?, Mary O. Jones

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

In 2000, parents were less likely to be involved in school than in the previous decade. Increasing parent involvement may be related to improved student performance and prevention of poor performance in students. This practicum was conducted at 1 elementary school in a small, rural school district to investigate how to increase parent involvement and how that increased involvement would affect student performance in reading and mathematics.

Teachers were surveyed about school needs and identified parent involvement as the needed area of improvement. Parents were surveyed about participation in the school, and a set of strategies was designed to involve …

Improving Teacher Intern Self-Evaluation Through The Use Of Preservice Experience, Pamela Sanders

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum involved an analysis of the relationship between preservice experience and the self-evaluation of teaching ability of 1st-year teacher interns in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The preservice experience was part of the Teachers For Chicago (TFC) program. The practicum took place at an elementary and a high school in the CPS that implemented the program between July 2000 and June 2001.

As part of the practicum, a survey was developed by the researcher and the program's independent evaluator. The 110 selected teacher interns in the practicum were a heterogeneously mixed group of aspiring educators with common beginning teaching …

Development Of A Mul Tl-Media Course On The World Wide Web For Orientation Of Registered Nurses To Transcultural Concepts, Sandra L. Bassendowski

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

International Services, Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST), offers educational and work opportunities to nursing students and faculty. These opportunities are in developing countries and require individuals with skills and knowledge in transcultural nursing. Currently, there is no formal orientation course available as preparation for international assignments. The problem is that nursing students and faculty are not provided with a standard level of orientation prior to working in developing countries.

The purpose of this study was to determine the competencies needed by nursing students and faculty to work in other countries and to develop an online orientation course …

Comprehensive Evaluation Of Critical Thinking Skills And Attitudes Of Students In The Department Of Nursing At Rockford College, Kathleen A. Schultz

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem addressed in this study was that there had been no evaluation of improvement in the critical thinking (CT) skills and attitudes of nursing students related to the nursing curriculum. No mechanism existed to obtain student input.

The purposes for this project were to determine if there were longitudinal changes in CT skills and attitudes during the sophomore and junior years of the nursing curriculum and if there were cross sectional differences in CT test scores between sophomore, junior, and senior students. In addition a mechanism was developed to obtain feedback from nursing students related to the improvement in …

Development Of A Two-Year Diploma Nursing Program That Includes A Career Mobility Track And Plans For Implementation And Evaluation To Replace A Three Year Program, Rosemary E. Saunders

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Southside Regional Medical Center (SRMC) in Petersburg, Virginia had experienced an increased demand for registered nurses because of growth in the population of its service area and a decrease in the number of graduates from its nursing program. The three-year hospital-based diploma nursing program had a decrease in the number of applicants to the school and an increase in attrition of enrolled students. The purpose of the project was to develop a two-year hospital-based diploma nursing program that included an educational track for career mobility and plans for implementation and evaluation from the current three-year program.

The development research methodology …

Development Of An American Indian Studies Program For The Tohono O’Odham Community College, Byron Lee Blackwell

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The Tohono O'odham Community College opened a tribal Indian college in the fall 2000 semester. The Tohono O'odham Reservation was previously referred to as the Papago Reservation; the name was changed in 1986. The problem was that there was no curriculum in American Indian Studies at the college. In the past the Papagos always had to leave the reservation if they wanted to pursue higher education in American Indian studies.

The purpose of the applied dissertation was to develop a product. The purpose of the applied dissertation project was to design an American Indian Studies Program for the tribal college …

Development Of A Pediatric Specialization Track In The Occupational Therapy Program At College Misericordia, Lalit J. Shah

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem under investigation was that there were no classes offered that culminated into a specialization track in the occupational therapy (OT) curriculum. The purpose of this applied dissertation project was to develop a specialization track in pediatrics in OT curriculum at College Misericordia that would provide students with multiple options to complete their educational requirements and also provide specialized training.

There were four research questions for this study: ''What are the advantages of a specialization in pediatrics at College Misericordia?" "What are appropriate components to be included in the development of a specialization program in pediatrics at College Misericordia?" …

Development Of An Educational Curriculum For Tuskegee University’S Laboratory Animal Technician Staff With A Plan For Implementation And Evaluation, Helene Rodriguez Mcconnell

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

As the field of biomedical research grew, regulating research programs became more difficult for the federal government to manage internally. Biomedical research institutions were given authority and responsibility for ensuring their research personnel were trained to perform their duties involving laboratory animals.

The proposed project's purpose was to develop a curriculum for Tuskegee University's laboratory animal technician staff. The following research questions guided this project:

1. What is the demand for the new curriculum?

2. What is required to ensure compliance for biomedical research?

3. What data are needed to assess the participant's learning needs?

4. How should this data …

Development Of A Leadership Development Program At The Dallas Market Center With A Plan For Implementation, Rudy Sanchez

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The Dallas Market Center (DMC) does not have a formal program to develop its employees into leadership roles. Therefore, the Dallas Market Center is at risk of losing its competitive advantage to other wholesale merchandise marts. Consequently, the purpose of this project was to design a leadership development program for the Dallas Market Center to be offered to employees in an effort to develop leadership skills and/or competencies that will in turn benefit DMC.

There were four research questions to be investigated. First, "What are the core competencies needed to be developed within the DMC leadership program?" Second, "What are …

Development Of An Associate Of Applied Science Degree In Interpreting For The Deaf At The Community College Of Southern Nevada, Sandra L. Workman

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The associate of applied science degree in deaf studies has been in place since 1 994 and 4 is transferrable as a prerequisite toward a four-year deaf studies degree. The Community College of Southern Nevada (CCSN) has the only deaf studies program in the state. If a student wants to pursue a degree in interpreting for the deaf, the student must go out of state. In July, 1 997, the governor of Nevada signed a law stating that American Sign Language is a fully developed, autonomous, natural language with distinct grammar, syntax, and art forms. However, the current administrations at …

The Use Of Cooperative Learning Strategies To Effect Changes In The Level Of Participation In Social Studies Option Classes Of Pre-Service Teachers, D. Norma Fisher

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to involve pre-service teachers who took courses in the Social Studies Option, in a program of cooperative learning activities in an effort to increase their participation in the learning process. The library and other resources that were needed to facilitate students' independent learning were inadequate. The students relied on note-taking from lectures, and those notes were repeated in written assignments and also memorized and repeated in written examinations. Although Internet linked computers were available; they were inadequate to meet the needs of the college community. Twenty-five Social Studies Option Students were able to …

Implementation Of Performance Assessment Tasks To Improve Third-Grade Achievement, Christine Gary-Johnson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Performance assessment tasks are activities in which students demonstrate in a variety of ways their ability to think creatively and critically in producing a product. The research question that guided this. project was, Can the. implementation of performance assessment tasks improve 3rd-grade achievement as measured by the Baltimore Quarterly Assessment (Baltimore City Public School System, 1996a)? The participants in the program were 74 third-grade students, a cadre of 3 classroom teachers, 1 master teacher, 1 consultant teacher, 1 instructional support teacher, 1 Chapter I teacher, 1 parent liaison, and 2 administrators at Rosemont Elementary. School #63 in Baltimore, Maryland. Extensive …

Comparison Of Safety Knowledge Transfer In Employees From Oscar-Ma Yer Davenport Using Computer-Aided And Traditional Methods Of Training Delivery, Barbara L. Durant

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Developments in the use of technology in computing and telecommunications have created a demand in the workplace for individuals with advanced sets of skills. Due to these developments there has been an increase in the range of options in training design and delivery. The problem prompting this study was that it was unknown if the computer-aided instruction (CAI) was an effective means to deliver the necessary safety knowledge.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of computer-based training (CBT) versus the traditional lecture method. The research hypothesis for the study was; "Is there a significant difference in …

Development Of Plan To Establish Safety Committees At Miami-Dade Water And Sewer Department, Holly A. Word

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem under investigation was that it was unknown that the absence of safety committees could influence workers' compensation costs to Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. The purpose of this study was to develop a plan to establish safety committees. This plan may promote employee participation by increasing safety awareness that may reduce the overall rate of employee injuries. The research question for this study was, " What should be included in a plan to establish safety committees at Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department?"

Deliberations of formative and summative committees were established to develop criteria of the safety committee program …

Comparison Of Reading Levels Of Students In A Computer Assisted Instructional Reading Program To Students In A Traditional Reading Program, Raquel Chin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem for this study was no available data documenting the impact of the computer assisted instruction (CAI) program on the reading levels of students in Pines Middle School's eighth grade reading program. Previous studies have suggested that students in CAI reading programs do increase their reading levels.

The research question for this study was "Will students participating in the computer assisted instruction reading program achieve significantly higher reading levels, as determined by the STAR assessment, than students instructed in the traditional reading program?" The quasi-experimental research methodology was applied because the investigator compared treatment effects in a setting that …

Development Of A Process For Evaluating Locomotive Engineer Classroom Training At Amtrak, John A. Ward

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Amtrak did not have a written process for evaluating its locomotive engineer classroom-training programs. The purpose of this study was to develop a process based on relevant literature, evaluation models of other railroads, and feedback from formative and summative committees. There was one research question: What is an appropriate evaluation process to develop for the Amtrak locomotive engineer classroom-training programs?

The study followed eight procedures, including reviewing appropriate literature, drafting an evaluation process, obtaining feedback from formative and summative committees, and submitting the evaluation process to Amtrak. The evaluation process developed by the study resulted in two documents: policy and …