Correlates of honor ratings in a clinical clerkship employing a faculty forum evaluation system

5he purpose of this study was to determine whether or not suspected variables affected a surgery clerk's chances of being awarded an honor rating. Findings indicated a significant relationship between a student receiving an honor rating and his or her preceptor's predetermined level of student advocacy, the number of completed patient interview and physical examination write-ups, and final examination scores. There was no significant relationship found between honor ratings and the preceptor's status, the sequence in which the student was discussed or the length of time spent discussing the student at the final evaluation meeting, or the number of clinical faculty present at the meeting. These results lend support to the faculty forum evaluation approach, but suggest a need for further scrutiny of some influencing variables to ensure all students are fairly considered and honor ratings judiciously awarded.     

Comparison of an Online and a Traditional MSSW Program: A 5-Year Study

The purpose of the current study was to compare 5 years of educational outcome data for online and face-to-face MSSW students (N=883) who graduated from University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Social Work. Students’ knowledge (comprehensive exam scores, grade point averages), skills (field evaluation scores), and perception of their graduate social work program were examined. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed significantly higher knowledge scores for face-to-face, and significantly greater skills ratings for online students. Online students possessed significantly more positive perceptions of faculty and their own preparedness for professional practice. Effect sizes for all findings were extremely small, however, and suggest that differences between online and traditional student outcomes have minor practical relevance related to student achievement. Educational and research implications are discussed.     

Public relations supervisors and Millennial entry-level practitioners rate entry-level job skills and professional characteristics

An online survey was administered to 109 Millennial entry-level public relations employees and 56 supervisors regarding entry-level job skills and professional characteristics. The Millennial entry-level workers rated their job performance in the above average and average ranges. The supervisors rated six of the eight job skills and all 16 professional characteristics as significantly poorer than the Millennials rated themselves. The job skills of computer and social media skills were the only two items that did not generate a significant difference. The researcher outlines ways in which faculty, students, employers, and Millennial-aged employees can build learning communities that will help undergraduate students and Millennial workers develop proficient job performance and keep faculty up-to-date regarding current industry trends.     

Response to Mark Lusk

This empirical study examined the association between social work students' ratings of teaching ability and several course, student, and instructor variables. Over 5,000 standardized evaluation forms rating instructors' specific skills and overall effectiveness were collected between 1991-93 at a school of social work in a large urban university. The results showed strong positive relationships between ratings of teaching effectiveness and ratings of skills reflecting course organization, rapport with students, and fair grading. This study supports the legitimacy of student ratings in assessing faculty, and the authors discuss implications for faculty development of the strong relationship between effective teaching and organizational skills.     

Casework with Wives of Alcoholics,Pauline C. Cohen,and Merton S. Krause. New York: Family Service Association of America, 1971. 164 Pages, $5.95 Paperback

During orientation, 58 social work students were tested for dogmatic, authoritarian, and alienated attitudes, as well as for intelligence, to determine if any of these factors would predict graduate school performance At the end of the year, overall performance ratings by faculty could be predicted from students' initial attitudinal responses; however, field instructors' ratings were not related to any of the predictor variables. Results from this study strongly suggest that in addition to involving field instructors more directly in the admissions process, faculty should try new screening devices, such as attitudinal scales.     

Internship training in computer science: Exploring student satisfaction levels

The requirement of employability in the job market prompted universities to conduct internship training as part of their study plans. There is a need to train students on important academic and professional skills related to the workplace with an IT component. This article describes a statistical study that measures satisfaction levels among students in the faculty of Information Technology and Computer Science in Jordan. The objective of this study is to explore factors that influence student satisfaction with regards to enrolling in an internship training program. The study was conducted to gather student perceptions, opinions, preferences and satisfaction levels related to the program. Data were collected via a mixed method survey (surveys and interviews) from student-respondents. The survey collects demographic and background information from students, including their perception of faculty performance in the training poised to prepare them for the job market. Findings from this study show that students expect internship training to improve their professional and personal skills as well as to increase their workplace-related satisfaction. It is concluded that improving the internship training is crucial among the students as it is expected to enrich their experiences, knowledge and skills in the personal and professional life. It is also expected to increase their level of confidence when it comes to exploring their future job opportunities in the Jordanian market.     

The Use of Students in Admissions Interviewing

This paper examines the role of second-year MSW students in group preadmission interviews as cointerviewers with faculty members. The initial findings of these experiences indicated that the ratings of applicants for entry into the MSW program by both students and faculty were very similar and that most applicants, student cointerviewers and faculty saw such a process as valuable in selecting candidates for the program.     

The Clinical Aspects of Case Management and its Role in Graduate Field Education

In graduate social work education, faculty advisors together with practice instructors can improve social work students' skills to link the practical aspects of ‘work responsibilities’ to the clinical underpinnings of case management. Often students are taught the direct services (case management) with a view solely focused on the practical aspects of care, and this curtails the students' opportunity to learn the clinical interventions that exist in all components of social work: to identify, understand and apply clinical dynamics to presenting problems. The authors discuss their work in addressing case management from a clinical perspective with MSW students and recommendations for its inclusion in graduate social work programs.     

Measuring student outcomes: An assessment of service-learning in the public relations campaigns course

This study assesses the effectiveness of service-learning in the public relations capstone course by measuring perceived student learning outcomes. An assessment instrument is proposed and tested via a longitudinal survey of students (n = 210) enrolled in the public relations capstone course at a large southeastern university. Results support a general service-learning assessment instrument for public relations education that includes measures of practical skills, interpersonal skills, personal responsibility, and citizenship, as well as discipline-specific functional, creative, and research skills.     

Licensure as a Dilemma for Social Work Education: Findings of a National Study

Abstract

This paper reports on the first national survey to study the perceptions of MSW social work faculty of the relationship between licensing examinations and social work education. A non-random sample of 242 faculty from 39 systematically selected accredited schools from all states with licensure responded. The questionnaire focused on the impact of the national licensure examination on teaching, curriculum, and students. Among the major findings was that students are perceived as regarding the licensure exam as important to the profession and significant to their future. Faculty, however, only take the examination into consideration in the advisement process. Generally, they are unfamiliar with the examination's content, and they disregard it in curriculum development and in teaching.     

GATEKEEPING IN FIELD PERFORMANCE: IS GRADE INFLATION A GIVEN?

This field note presents the results of a pilot study that explored the use of a new non-numerically rated field performance tool, a vignette matching measure for MSW students. Evaluation of performance in the field has proved to be a difficult task because few if any measures, including competency-based measures, have known levels of reliability and validity. Field instructors rated a sample of 154 students. Over half of the students were rated as exceptional, which may support the long-standing notion that performance ratings are inflated. Implications for social work education and research are discussed.     

Maximizing learning outcomes by videotaping nursing students' interactions with a standardized patient

1. Videotaping is a beneficial instructional methodology to help undergraduate students develop awareness of their strengths and opportunities for growth in therapeutic interactional skills. 2. Educational interventions with undergraduate students provide an opportunity to involve doctoral students in vital instruction, research, and knowledge dissemination through publication and presentation. 3. Allowing novice nurses to view their interactional skills with a simulated patient can reduce the anxiety they experience in first therapeutic encounters with assigned patients. 4. Continuous quality improvement in educational methodology is dependent on listening carefully to students who have invaluable feedback to offer and making appropriate correction as indicated.     

Piloting online WellnessRx learning modules: Demonstration of developmental evaluation

WellnessRx is a health initiative focusing on healthy living through education, knowledge translation, and community engagement. Stakeholders of WellnessRx identified web-based education learning modules on nutrition and physical education as a priority to be integrated into existing health sciences curricula, as well as adapted for use by health professionals. Five learning modules were created with essential knowledge, skills, attitudes and resources or tools for health professional students and practitioners. As part of the ‘developmental evaluation framework’ for WellnessRx, two of these modules were piloted within two health professional student programs. This paper describes the pilot-evaluation experience involving student surveys, focus groups and interviews, and faculty perspectives. For both modules, student pre-post knowledge assessments indicated some improvements in post-module knowledge. Post module evaluations by students indicated benefits with the online delivery being flexible for access, self-health, case-based assessments and useful nutrition and physical activity guides. Challenges for students included their time to do the modules and the activity expectations. Instructors felt each module could be better targeted to different years within an undergraduate program. Through developmental evaluation, the pilot results along with recommendations and lessons learned provided the direction needed to further develop the WellnessRx logic model and proposed learning modules.     

The attractive voice: What makes it so?

Previous research has shown that more attractive voices are associated with more favorable personality impressions. The present study examined which acoustic characteristics make a voice attractive. Segments of recorded voices were rated on various dimensions of voice quality, attractiveness, and personality impressions. Objective measures of voice quality were obtained from spectrogram analysis. Overall, the subjective ratings of voice quality predicted vocal attractiveness better than the objective measures. When vocal attractiveness was regressed onto both subjective and objective measures, the final regression equation included 8 subjective measures, which together accounted for 74% of the variance of the attractiveness scores. It also was found that the measures of voice quality accounted for variance in favorableness of personality impressions above and beyond the contribution of vocal attractiveness. Thus, attractiveness captures an important dimension of the voice but does not cover all aspects of voice quality.This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH40498.     

Student Evaluations and Faculty Members with a Disability

Résumés of hypothetical prospective faculty members were distributed to a sample of 307 university students. They were systematically manipulated as to whether the candidate had a disability. The students were asked to rate the hypothetical prospective faculty members on the basis of teaching and professional characteristics as well as whether they would sign up for a class with them and would recommend hiring them. In terms of teaching characteristics the students were more positive toward the disabled hypothetical prospective faculty members than the non-disabled. It appears that if hired, a faculty member with a disability will start at a level of student acceptance the same as or higher than that of one without a disability. One of the purposes of an affirmative action program is to bring in the protected group on the same terms as others and this purpose appears to be achievable in regard to disability.     

Current Implementation of and Opinions and Concerns Regarding Suicide Education for Social Work Undergraduate Students in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study explored the current implementation status of and opinions and concerns regarding suicide education at schools of social work in Japan. We conducted a survey of faculty members who taught at least one of the social work subjects. About half the respondents had given a lecture of some kind on suicide, and more than 80% agreed that suicide is an important topic to include in social work program curricula. However, more than half indicated they did not have enough knowledge or skills to teach students about suicide, and more than 60% were concerned about adverse psychological effects of suicide education on students. Our findings highlight the importance of providing faculty members with guidelines for teaching students about suicide.     

Nonverbal Decoding Skills and Relationship Well-Being in Adults

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between nonverbal decoding skills and relationship well-being. Sixty college students were administered tests of their abilities to identify the affective meanings in facial expressions and tones of voice. The students also completed self-report measures of relationship well-being and depression. Correlational analyses indicated that errors in decoding facial expressions and tones of voice were associated with less relationship well-being and greater depression. Hierarchical regression revealed that nonverbal decoding accuracy was significantly related to relationship well-being even after controlling for depression.     

Using Adjuncts in Social Work Education: Challenges and Rewards

Adjunct faculty have become an essential addition to social work programs in the United States. Full-time social work faculty have not been able to meet the demands created by continued growth of BSW and MSW programs. The number of doctoral students in social work programs has not kept up with the growth of the programs. A survey of program directors available through the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Director's (BPD) listserv in the United States found that respondents saw adjunct faculty as assets to social work programs. The survey results indicated that adjunct faculty provide a ‘value added’ component. Adjuncts need to receive an orientation and continual training to help prepare them for classroom management and become aware of university policies. Adjuncts can be retained if they receive training, have frequent contact with faculty, and have access to university resources.     

Drug Use/Abuse and Supermarket Workers' Job Performance

In 34 stores of a supermarket chain 1,414 employees were interviewed on their histories of substance use, and were diagnosed for alcohol and drug abuse. The ratings of their job performance were obtained from their supervisors. Many statistically significant correlations were found between measures and indicators of substance use/abuse and the supervisors' ratings of job performance. Greater use of prescribed stimulant medication and greater coffee consumption were both associated with better rated job performance. In summary, while some of correlations found between the substance use measures/abuse and job performance were highly significant, due to the large sample size, this does not necessarily demonstrate that the relationship is strong enough to have practical implications for the hiring practices of management. Whether the degree of the relationship found was sufficient to warrant preemployment drug testing of supermarket employees, given the cost of testing and the privacy questions, is probably moot. There was evidence that, when they are interviewed at or near their workplace, employees tend to deny recent and current substance use more than they deny past substance use, in spite of the promise of confidentiality and anonymity.     

Evaluating the Efficacy of Traditional and Web-Assisted Instruction in an Undergraduate Social Work Practice Class

SUMMARY

This article addresses the dearth of research utilizing a quasi-experimental design and student performance measures in assessing web-assisted instruction in social work undergraduate practice courses. Social work students were randomly placed into two sections of a practice course. The experimental section (n = 18) students received 50% of course lectures with web-assisted instruction while the comparison class (n = 18) received identical lectures delivered in traditional face-to-face format. There were no statistically significant differences on assignments, the midterm exam and a final videotaped exam project between the two sections. These results suggest students in an undergraduate social work practice course learn similarly regardless of course format.