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University Staff (university + staff)
Selected AbstractsThe frontline and the ivory tower: A case study of service and professional-driven curriculumAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2009Sue Lenthall Abstract Objective:,To describe the development of a postgraduate, multidisciplinary program designed to meet the needs of remote health professionals, present formative evaluation findings and to offer an analysis of the difficulties and lessons learnt. Design:,Case study. Setting:,University Department of Rural Health in a remote region. Participants:, University staff, students and stakeholders involved in the development of the remote health practice program. Results:,Formative evaluation suggests that a curriculum driven by service and professional groups, such as the Flinders University Remote Health Practice program, is able to better prepare remote health practitioners and improve their effectiveness. Difficulties in development included a lack of recognition by some university academics of the value of practitioner knowledge and a reluctance to accept a clinical component in a masters program. Lessons learnt included the importance of: (i) respect for practitioner knowledge; (ii) explicit and appropriate values; (iii) high-quality academics with strong service links; (iv) appropriate length of lead time; (v) institutional links between university and both relevant professional organisations and health services; (vi) a receptive university; (vii) location; and (viii) ongoing engagement with services and professional responsive development. Conclusion:,The success of the program was due in large part to the relationship with professional bodies and close links with remote health services. We have described a number of lessons learnt from this experience that can be useful to other educational groups developing or revising their educational programs. [source] Developing a Performance Measurement System for University Central Administrative ServicesHIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2009Marika Arena Central administrative services have recently received increasing attention from practitioners and academics due to the challenging need to both manage scarce resources and provide high-quality services. In this context, performance measurement systems (PMSs) may assume a central role, although an unresolved debate remains on the claimed benefits of accountability and the difficulties that have emerged in defining and managing proper measures. This paper contributes to this debate by presenting the results of a study in which a PMS for central administrative services has been developed and tested through an action research approach drawing on actor network theory. The experiment was carried out in 15 Italian universities and five areas of services were dealt with: student support, research support, accounting, human resources, and logistics and procurement. The highly participative method resulted in a comparable system with a complete set of cost and quality indicators across the participating universities. These data proved to be useful at managerial and policy level, providing insights on the presence of scale effects and on the relative importance of quality dimensions for users of services. Participating in the project encouraged the university staff to use indicators in decision making. [source] The Unfolding Trends and Consequences of Expanding Higher Education in Ethiopia: Massive Universities, Massive ChallengesHIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2009Kedir Assefa Tessema Abstract There have been significant increases in the number of universities and student enrollments in the last fifteen years in Ethiopia. The numerical gains have brought about improved access to higher education for students. The expansion has also diversified fields of study and opened opportunities to pursue higher degrees to a significant number of students. Furthermore, the opportunity created for the university staff includes increased university job security, positions in the university leadership and scholarships for PhD degrees. On the other hand, the downside effects of the massification have worsened the conditions of university teaching staff. Among others, it has resulted in increasing work load and extended work schedules for academic staff. A managerialist culture has evolved that measures teaching against instrumental outcomes. There is a sense of deprofessionalisation and deskilling among staff manifested in practices that are disconnections from professional knowledge, skills and attitudes. As staff are increasingly over-engaged, by taking more weekly class hours and managerial responsibilities, less ,down time' is available to keeping with developments in their fields of specialisation and practice [source] Australian Universities 1939-1999: How Different Now?HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2000Bruce Williams Between 1939 and 1999, when the Australian population increased from 7 to 19 million, university enrolments rose from 14,236 to 681,870. Until 1974 the most notable changes were the increases in the size of universities and of departments (which encouraged greater specialization), continued increases in research expenditures, in the percentage of postgraduate students, and a gradual decline in collegiality. In 1974 the Commonwealth Government assumed full responsibility for government grants to universities and abolished fees at just that time when growth rates in the economy fell sharply. Government influence on the universities increased, and there were some departures from the no-fees policy for international and postgraduate course-work masters and diploma students. Then in 1988 the Government decided to abolish the distinction between universities and colleges of advanced education, to create through amalgamations a smaller number of much larger universities and to set a specific mission for each university in the interest of economic growth. The Tertiary Education Commission was abolished and the universities dealt directly with the Minister and his Department. The Universities became distinctly more managerial, less collegial, and the range of courses and degrees was greatly expanded. There are now legitimate doubts about the quality of some degrees. Student fees came back, but in a way that reduced the financial burden on the government without giving the universities greater freedom. The government sponsored collective bargaining for university staff but as universities were not given the capacity to earn much additional income, increases in salaries increased student/staff ratios and induced a decline in morale. [source] Locally targeted initiatives to recruit and retain nurses in EnglandJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2006DINAH GOULD BSc MPhil PhD RGN RNT Aim, The aim of this study is to provide a detailed account of the locally targeted strategies to improve staffing levels by senior nurses responsible for recruitment and retention in acute trusts in the National Health Service in England. Background, There is a shortfall in nursing numbers throughout England. Some trusts have employed senior nurses with a specific remit to improve recruitment and retention, but little has been published about their work or its success. Methods, Data were collected by telephone using semi-structured interviews with standard probes. The tape-recorded interview data were transcribed verbatim and analysed by content. Results, Of the 156 acute trusts in England, 36 employed a senior nurse to deal with recruitment and retention. Twenty-nine were interviewed. All were using a range of locally targeted initiatives to attract and retain health-care assistants, newly qualified and more experienced practitioners. They also worked closely with university staff to attract and retain student nurses who would later seek employment locally. Different approaches were used to secure the services of different types of staff. Conclusion, This exploratory study has revealed a wealth of valuable data concerning locally targeted recruitment and retention strategies. Further research is needed to examine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the initiatives described. [source] | ||||||||||