Peer mentoring for radiotherapy planning skills development: a pilot study

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Bridge ◽  
N. J. Ellemor ◽  
M. Carmichael ◽  
G. Gibson

AbstractIntroductionThis study aimed to determine the potential role and guidelines for implementation of skill-based peer mentoring for radiotherapy planning education.MethodsAfter four weekly mentoring sessions, both Year 3 mentors (n=9) and Year 2 mentees (n=9) were invited to complete a short online questionnaire relating to the impact of the initiative. The tool contained a mixture of Likert-style questions concerning student enjoyment and perceived usefulness of the initiative as well as more qualitative open questions that gathered perceptions of the peer mentoring process, implementation methods and potential future scope.ResultsSeveral key discussion themes related to benefits to each stakeholder group, challenges arising, improvements and potential future directions. There were high levels of enjoyment and perceived value of the mentoring from both sides with 100% of the 18 respondents enjoying the experience. The informal format encouraged further learning, while mentors reported acquisition of valuable skills and gains in knowledge.ConclusionsPeer mentoring has a valuable and enjoyable role to play in radiotherapy planning training and helps consolidate theoretical understanding for experienced students. An informal approach allows for students to adopt the most appropriate mentoring model for their needs while providing them with a free space to engender additional discussion.

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-39
Author(s):  
Bachar Kahil ◽  
◽  
Buthina Alobidyeen ◽  

The objective of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the use of social media apps as a procedural learning tool during COVID-19. The primary aim of this research is to assess the impacts of content quality, task technology fit, vividness, and anxiety on perceived usefulness, and the impact of PEOU on and PU desire to use for procedural learning. Data was collected through an online questionnaire from 313 Tiktok users. The findings revealed that content quality, task technology fit, and vividness have a significant influence on overall effectiveness. The results also indicated that PEOU and PU have a strong favourable effect on the purpose to use for procedural learning. The structural equation modeling result revealed that all of the hypotheses were supported.


2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Zajac

Abstract The purpose of this opinion article is to review the impact of the principles and technology of speech science on clinical practice in the area of craniofacial disorders. Current practice relative to (a) speech aerodynamic assessment, (b) computer-assisted single-word speech intelligibility testing, and (c) behavioral management of hypernasal resonance are reviewed. Future directions and/or refinement of each area are also identified. It is suggested that both challenging and rewarding times are in store for clinical researchers in craniofacial disorders.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Eni Susilawati

The research objective is to analyze the impact of the participation of online  ICT teacher training to increase the number of accessibility the learning content of features in Rumah Belajar. This research used the quantitative research approach with descriptive quantitative analysis methods to be able to describe how the increase in accessibility features of Rumah Belajar and utilization in learning in school. Samples were selected in this study are all online training participants at 15 locations online training that has been conducted by Pustekkom in 2015 and 2016 in 2015. The data was collected using a questionnaire and a list of open questions in accordance with the purpose of research. The results showed that 1) online ICT teacher training participants, after completing the Pustekkom  training online  using become more motivated to access other feature in Rumah Belajar; 2) The order of the percentage of the intensity level of accessibility to the other features of Rumah Belajar are: Sumber Belajar 23%, BSE 23%, Bank Soal 21%, Kelas Maya 13%, Lab Maya 6%, Karya Guru 4%, Wahana Jelajah Angkasa 4%, Peta Budaya 4% and Karya Komunitas 2%, and ICT training online using the application PKB Rumah Belajar can be used as a reference for efforts to develop a web-based learning applications, in particular for the development of Rumah belajar portal belongs Pustekkom Kemendikbud. Tujuan penelitian yaitu untuk menganalisis dampak keikutsertaan diklat online  TIK guru Belajar terhadap peningkatan jumlah aksebilitas konten pembelajaran pada fitur-fitur rumah belajar. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan penelitian kuantitatif dengan metode analisis kuantitatif secara deskriptif untuk bisa menggambarkan bagaimana peningkatan aksesbilitas fitur-fitur rumah belajar dan pemanfaatannya dalam pembelajaran di sekolah. Sampel yang dipilih dalam penelitian ini adalah semua peserta diklat online  pada 15 lokasi diklat online yang telah dilaksanakan oleh Pustekkom pada tahun 2015 dan 2016. Pengumpulan data menggunakan kuesioner dan daftar pertanyaan terbuka sesuai dengan tujuan penelitian. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa 1) peserta diklat online TIK Guru, setelah mengikuti diklat online Pustekkom, menjadi lebih termotivasi untuk mengakses fitur-fitur lainnya dalam Rumah Belajar; 2) Urutan prosentase tingkat intensitas aksesbilitas terhadap fitur-fitur Rumbel selain Pengembangan Keprofesian berkelanjutan (PKB) adalah: Sumber Belajar 23%, Buku Sekolah Elektronik (BSE) 23%, Bank Soal 21%, Kelas Maya 13%, Lab Maya 6%, Karya Guru 4%, Wahana Jelajah Angkasa 4%, Peta Budaya 4% dan Karya Komunitas 2%; dan 3) diklat online TIK menggunakan aplikasi PKB. Rumah belajar bisa dijadikan referensi bagi upaya pengembangan aplikasi pembelajaran berbasis web, khususnya bagi pengembangan portal Rumah Belajar milik Pustekkom Kemendikbud.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 2225-2252
Author(s):  
E.V. Popov ◽  
V.L. Simonova ◽  
O.V. Komarova ◽  
S.S. Kaigorodova

Subject. The emergence of new ways of interaction between sellers and buyers, the formation of new sales channels and product promotion based on the use of digital economy tools is at the heart of improving the business processes. Social networks became a tool for development; their rapid growth necessitates theoretical understanding and identification of potential application in enterprise's business process digitalization. Objectives. We explore the role of social media in the digitalization of business processes, systematize the impact of social networks on business processes of enterprises in the digital economy. Methods. The theoretical and methodological analysis of social networks as a tool for digitalization of company's business processes rests on the content analysis of domestic and foreign scientific studies, comparison, generalization and systematization. Results. We highlight the key effects of the impact of social networks on the business processes of the company; show that the digitalization of business processes should be considered in the context of a value-based approach, aimed at creating a value through the algorithmization of company operations. We determine that social networks are one of the most important tools for digitalization of company's business processes, as they have a high organizational and management potential. We also systematize the effects of social media on company's business processes. Conclusions. We present theoretical provisions of the impact of social networks on business processes of enterprises, which will enable to model and organize ideas about the development of digital ecosystems and the formation of business models.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Matheakuena Mohale

The 2016–17 Audit Report by the Auditor General points to the deterioration in audit results of South African municipalities. This deterioration confirms the perennial dysfunctionality of municipalities, at least from the governance perspective. Corporate governance is a function of leadership. Municipal councils are, therefore, responsible for the overall performance of municipalities they lead. Sound regulatory framework, good plans, clear strategies, policies, and systems are inadequate if not supported by highly gifted and ethical leadership. The Auditor General’s Audit Report suggests that local government struggles the most in the area of ethics. The Principal-Agent Theory argues that appointed officials are more likely to subvert the interests of an organisation. However, this article argues that the primary source of problems in municipalities is a combination of ineptitude and unethical political leadership taking root. This conclusion is based on the empirical comparative cases of eight municipalities in the Free State Province.  The conduct of councillors makes it difficult to attract and retain professionals in municipalities, resulting in notable deficiencies in the delivery of services. Essentially, councillors are the root cause for governance failure in municipalities arising from a number of factors. Findings in this study contribute towards the understanding of the impact of leadership in the failure of municipalities to meet good governance and developmental objectives. Further, they deepen the theoretical understanding of the political-administrative interface.


Author(s):  
Rana A. Saeed Al-Maroof ◽  
Mostafa Al-Emran

Google classroom can work in unidirectional process as it can serve the teachers’ strategies and styles on one hand and students’ perception, understanding, and effective participation in different classroom skills on the other hand. The ac-ceptance of Google classroom is affected by different factors. Some of them are still not clearly specified and discussed in previous research; therefore, they need further investigation. Based on the previous assumption, this study is an attempt to examine the factors that affect the students’ acceptance of Google classroom at Al Buraimi University College (BUC) in Oman. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was adopted to formulate the hypotheses of the current study. The data was collected through an online questionnaire with 337 respondents. The Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) approach was used to assess both the measurement and structural models. The results of the study prove that both the perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) positively influence the behavioral intention, which in turn influence the actual usage of Google classrooms. This study helps the decision makers of the higher educational institutions to have a better understanding of the effectiveness of us-ing Google classroom by their students. It is assumed that it helps in measuring the level of students’ acceptance to the previously mentioned technology.


Author(s):  
Hasan S. Alamri ◽  
Wesam F. Mousa ◽  
Abdullah Algarni ◽  
Shehata F. Megahid ◽  
Ali Al Bshabshe ◽  
...  

Objective: Little is known about the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 among the health care workers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May till mid-July among 389 health care workers from government and private hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a pre-structured online questionnaire that measured adverse psychological outcomes, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the distribution of depression and anxiety among health care workers. Results: A high level of anxiety was recorded among the health care workers, and 69.3% of health care workers below the age of 40 were found to have depression. There was a significant increase in depression among staff with chronic health problems (72.1% vs. 61.9%; p = 0.048). High anxiety levels were detected among young staff compared to others (68.7% vs. 43.8%; p = 0.001). Moreover, 82.1% of the female staff were anxious, as compared to 55.6% of the males (p = 0.001). Conclusions: We found increased prevalence of adverse psychological outcomes among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia during the outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, there is a need for proper screening and development of corresponding preventive measures to decrease the adverse psychological outcomes.


Author(s):  
Carolin Siepmann ◽  
Pascal Kowalczuk

AbstractSmartwatches are the most popular wearable device and increasingly subject to empirical research. In recent years, the focus has shifted from revealing determinants of smartwatch adoption to understanding factors that cause long-term usage. Despite their importance for personal fitness, health monitoring, and for achieving health and fitness goals, extant research on the continuous use intention of smartwatches mostly disregards health and fitness factors. Grounding on self-determination theory, this study addresses this gap and investigates the impact of health and fitness as well as positive and negative emotional factors encouraging or impeding consumers to continuously use smartwatches. We build upon the expectation-confirmation model (ECM) and extend it with emotional (device annoyance and enjoyment) as well as health and fitness factors (goal pursuit motivation and self-quantification behavior). We use structural equation modeling to validate our model based on 335 responses from actual smartwatch users. Results prove the applicability of the ECM to the smartwatch context and highlight the importance of self-quantification as a focal construct for explaining goal pursuit motivation, perceived usefulness, confirmation and device annoyance. Further, we identify device annoyance as an important barrier to continuous smartwatch use. Based on our results, we finally derive implications for researchers and practitioners alike.


Author(s):  
Yolanda Marcén-Román ◽  
Angel Gasch-Gallen ◽  
Irene Isabel Vela Martín de la Mota ◽  
Estela Calatayud ◽  
Isabel Gómez-Soria ◽  
...  

Today’s COVID-19 situation can affect university Health Sciences students’ psychological health. This study aimed to analyze the stress caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Health Sciences students from the University of Zaragoza (Spain) almost 1 year after the pandemic began. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with a sample of 252 university students who completed a self-administered online questionnaire. It evaluated the impact of perceived stress with a modified scale (PSS-10-C), and assessed anxiety and depression on the Goldberg scale. Students presented stress (13.1%), anxiety (71.4%) and depression (81%). Females (81.7%) and the third-year Occupational Therapy students (p = 0.010) reported perceived stress. Nursing students perceived less stress (OR: 0.148; 95% CI: 0.026 to 0.842). University students developed stress and anxiety due to COVID-19 almost 1 year after the pandemic began. Psychological support measures for these groups should be prioritized.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Jansen-Kosterink ◽  
Lex van Velsen ◽  
Miriam Cabrita

Abstract Background The uptake of complex clinical decision support systems (CDSS) in daily practice remains low, despite the proven potential to reduce medical errors and to improve the quality of care. To improve successful implementation of a complex CDSS this study aims to identify the factors that hinder, or alleviate the acceptance of, clinicians toward the use of a complex CDSS for treatment allocation of patients with chronic low back pain. Methods We tested a research model in which the intention to use a CDSS by clinicians is influenced by the perceived usefulness; this usefulness, in turn is influenced by the perceived service benefits and perceived service risks. An online survey was created to test our research model and the data was analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. The study population consisted of clinicians. The online questionnaire started with demographic questions and continued with a video animation of the complex CDSS followed by the set of measurement items. The online questionnaire ended with two open questions enquiring the reasons to use and not use, a complex CDSS. Results Ninety-eight participants (46% general practitioners, 25% primary care physical therapists, and 29% clinicians at a rehabilitation centre) fully completed the questionnaire. Fifty-two percent of the respondents were male. The average age was 48 years (SD ± 12.2). The causal model suggests that perceived usefulness is the main factor contributing to the intention to use a complex CDSS. Perceived service benefits and risks are both significant antecedents of perceived usefulness and perceived service risks are affected by the perceived threat to autonomy and trusting beliefs, particularly benevolence and competence. Conclusions To improve the acceptance of complex CDSSs it is important to address the risks, but the main focus during the implementation phase should be on the expected improvements in patient outcomes and the overall gain for clinicians. Our results will help the development of complex CDSSs that fit more into the daily clinical practice of clinicians.


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