Browsing by Author "Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)"
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Item Open Access Academic culture at the crossroads: the impact of gift income on professional faculties(2010) Campbell, Donna Leslie; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)Item Open Access Creating Belonging for Aboriginal Learners in Elementary Schools(2017) Edwards, Karen; Ottmann, Jacqueline; Hare, Jan; Mendaglio, Salvatore; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy); Walsh, ChristineThe purpose of this study was to uncover and to understand perceptions related to belonging and how a sense of belonging is fostered for Aboriginal learners at the elementary school level. It explored the phenomenon of Aboriginal learners’ sense of belonging in elementary schools, how it is created, and how leaders can facilitate it. The goal was to garner specific suggestions or ideas for what leaders and educators can do to facilitate spaces of belonging for Aboriginal learners via qualitative instrumental case study (Stake, 2008) which included interviews with those working within a school district and Aboriginal learner family members. The findings of this study found that: Belonging is a holistic term involving the entire school community with particular attention being paid to the child and their world, parents are a part of the school’s community and fundamental to the child’s success, and that leaders are key in the inclusion of children and families. Flowing from this was, and is, the hope that this information will be used in elementary schools to foster spaces of belonging, specifically in regard to elementary Aboriginal learners, that will translate into greater engagement in and with school and, as such, increase the likelihood of leading a life of their choosing in the future.Item Open Access Early identification of police leadership potential in Alberta police service(2012) Abela, Graham John; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)Item Open Access Engaged in service: developing a panarchy theory of employee engagement at rural multi-campus colleges(2011) Petersen, Marilyn Kathleen; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)Item Open Access Entrepreneurialism in Alberta's Public University Business Schools: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Approach(2017) Gray, Alison Jayne; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy); Williams-Whitt, Kelly; Woiceshyn, Jaana Marketta; Kowch, Eugene Gary; Kesten, CyrilAlberta’s publicly funded university business schools operate within environments that are challenging and changing. Specifically, Alberta has historically been a significant contributor to Canada’s economy, driven by the energy sector. Recently, low oil prices and geopolitical uncertainties have created a recessionary environment. This boom-bust economy, along with Alberta’s reputation as an entrepreneurial heartland, provide a unique landscape for university business schools that are contending with increased competition, pressures to maintain quality programming, and the need to secure sustainable funding. This research explored the rationale and extent to which publicly funded Alberta university business schools exhibit an entrepreneurial presence. The study sought to understand: (1) the entrepreneurial strategies pursued by Alberta public university business schools; (2) the reasons why entrepreneurialism is a part of the business school strategic plan; (3) how entrepreneurial success is being achieved; and (4) barriers to entrepreneurial success. The outcome of the study was an entrepreneurial business school roadmap model. A sequential mixed methods research design was followed. Phase I consisted of semi-structured interviews with 12 Alberta university business school leaders at two sites. The results of Phase 1 informed the development of an electronic survey that was deployed in Phase 2 to business school leaders and faculty at five publicly funded Alberta university business schools. The results of Phase 1 and 2 were then combined. The core theme that emerged was that “business schools are at the centre of an entrepreneurial ecosystem engaging through entrepreneurship oriented centres, executive education, and pedagogical innovations as a key driver of the institutional entrepreneurial effort.” The evidence suggested that business school entrepreneurial activity occurs in two areas: a) entrepreneurship centres, and b) executive education. Eight clusters comprise the Alberta business school entrepreneurial ecosystem and these clusters became the supporting foundation of the entrepreneurial business school roadmap model. This model depicts the business school playing a central role in extending entrepreneurial activities within the university. The entrepreneurial business school roadmap model may interest policy-makers, leaders, and faculty who develop strategy for business schools. It illustrates the relationship between opportunities, drivers, and outcomes within the entrepreneurial ecosystem using a business school extension approach.Item Open Access Librarians as Faculty Association Participants: An Autoethnography(Library Juice Press, 2014) Wheeler, Justine; Graebner, Carla; Skelton, Michael; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)Item Open Access Readiness for Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Interprofessional Practice (IPP): A Mixed-Methods Study of Healthcare Practitioners at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar(2016-02-19) Mrus, Kristen Jennifer; Jacobsen, D. Michele; Johnson, Bradley; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy); Seneviratne, Cydnee; Jaques, Lorne; Diack, H. LesleyThere is considerable interest, from the healthcare and education domains, for Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Interprofessional Practice (IPP) as means to reform the way in which healthcare professionals are educated and prepared for practice, and to generate shifts in the delivery of care. Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), the leading healthcare provider in Qatar and employer of over 14,000 healthcare practitioners, is seeking to advance uptake of IPE and IPP amongst its clinical workforce. Organization Development (OD) approaches suggest that organizational change results from collective individual behavioural change. Prior research has shown that individual readiness for change is an important precursor to behavioural and organizational change, and advanced exploring attitudes – how one thinks and feels – as a means to understand readiness. This research seeks, therefore, to understand readiness for IPE and IPP amongst HMC’s practitioners through the lens of their attitudes towards IPE, IPP and healthcare teams, and receptivity for organizational change. Using a mixed-methods sequential research design, the researcher collected quantitative data (n = 792) through the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS), and Organizational Change Recipients’ Belief Scale (OCRBS) – and qualitative data (n = 39) through uniprofessional and interprofessional focus groups. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics methods including Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using Principal Components Analysis (PCA), and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with post-hoc tests. Qualitative data was analyzed using Thematic Analysis. The findings from the research suggest that HMC’s practitioners have strong positive attitudes towards IPE, moderately positive attitudes towards IPP and healthcare teams, and demonstrate considerable receptivity for engagement in organizational change, through individual positive attitudes towards change and perceived organizational support for change. The findings also provide insights into existing IPE and IPP initiatives at HMC and perceived enablers for, and challenges towards, greater uptake of IPE and IPP within the organization. The study’s results establish a baseline for an unexplored area of research in Qatar, providing the first glimpse into attitudes towards IPE and IPP amongst practicing clinicians. Recommendations for stakeholders from HMC and Qatar’s healthcare and health professions education domain are also discussed.Item Open Access Student Engagement and Institutional Type at Canadian Universities(2013-04-05) Price, Stephen; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)Despite the widespread use of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) for measuring the engagement of undergraduate university students in Canada, there is very little research exploring the survey or its use. The NSSE is a powerful tool built upon the vast post-secondary education research in the United States, which brings together the work and theories of the leading scholars of higher education. Building on the research of Astin, Pace and Chickering & Gamson, the NSSE has the potential to be a positive change-agent for faculty, administrators and staff seeking to improve post-secondary education in Canada. This study adds to the literature by exploring the effectiveness of the NSSE benchmarks for measuring engagement of first-year students in the Faculties of Biological Sciences and Arts & Humanities. Specifically, the differences in engagement among the three institutional types (primarily undergraduate, comprehensive, and medical-doctoral) in Canada are explored. This study uses ANCOVAs to identify significant differences in benchmark scores due to Faculty and institutional type. Multiple regression analyses are used to build and test models of prediction for the student outcome of grades. The analysis determined that there are statistically significant differences among the three institutional types for the Faculties of Biological Sciences and Arts & Humanities. Students attending primarily undergraduate universities reported higher levels of engagement in both Faculties. Although significant, the differences have small, and in some cases, negligible, effects. The multiple regression analyses determined that the benchmarks are poor predictors of the student outcome of grades. For each of the Faculties of Biological Sciences and Arts & Humanities, a stronger model of prediction for the student outcome of self-reported grade explains approximately 20% of the variance. The most important implications of this research are that faculty, administrators, and staff who seek to improve the undergraduate experience for first-year students in Canada should use program- or Faculty- level analyses of engagement for both measuring engagement and for targeting areas for improvement. The findings indicate that the NSSE, when used with specific groups, is a powerful change-agent that will aid improvement of the undergraduate experience and contribute to increased student learning.Item Open Access Supporting international students with first year transition into Canadian universities: recommendations from Atlantic Canada(2011) Leary, Tamara A.; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)Transitioning into the first year of university can be an exciting and challenging time for many students. It can be an especially difficult experience for international students adapting to not only the newness of post-secondary education but also to a foreign culture. Current research reflects an interest in understanding the trends and challenges for international university students attending foreign universities (Edgeworth & Eiseman, 2007; Gu, Schweisfurth & Day, 2010; Huang, 2008; Ninnes, Aitchsion, & Kalos, 1999; Ren, Bryan, Min, & Wei, 2007; Rosenthal, Russell, & Thomson, 2008; Taras & Rowney, 2007; Wang, Singh, Bird, & Ives, 2008); however, less attention is given to understanding how post-secondary institutions are responding to this research from a services' perspective. This study describes the current state of practice in Atlantic Canada related to the provision of services for first year international students. It outlines and recommends a framework for supporting international students with the transition into first year university.Item Open Access The mainstreaming of university life: a critical examination of social justice policy at four Canadian universities(2008) Nesbitt, Joan M.; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)Item Open Access Traversing a strange land: voices of successful first-generation college students(2012) Brigham, Bettie Ann; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)Beginning in the mid-l 970s and growing steadily decade by decade to today, there has been a concern with first-generation college students who enter college but fail to graduate in numbers commensurate with peers who are not first-generation college students. Much research has been conducted in the United States and Canada as to what makes these students unique and why these students drop out of college. Although attrition studies are plentiful, little research exists regarding first-generation students who do not drop out, but instead persist and graduate from college. This is a qualitative research study using exploratory multiple case study methodology, within a framework of social capital theory to investigate this important issue in a different way. The focus of this study is on first-generation college students who were successful in their journey through higher education and graduated within 6 years of entering directly from high school. The 60 research participants offer personal stories of their journeys through a variety of colleges and universities using thick, descriptive personal testimony reflective of their hopes, struggles, barriers, and eventual success within the cultures and systems of higher education. Themes found to be similar across cases are identified, they are assumed to be meaningful, and recommendations for Higher Educational Institutions (HEis) are presented based on the themes that emerged. Keep right on to the end of the road. --Harry LaudeItem Open Access Using the Delphi method to enhance the transfer of organisational knowledge: a bridge for practitioners and academics(2012) Finley, Donna S.; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)A knowledge transfer gap exists when knowledge is created but not transferred between Practitioners and Academics. The existence of the gap is particularly impactful in organisations struggling to improve performance. Over 25 years as a working Practitioner, I have experienced its persistence and magnitude as organisational leaders struggle to tackle complex problems. The issue is the inability of Practitioners and Academics to effectively transfer knowledge to each other, which itself requires specialised skills and directed resources. The purpose of this research was to reframe the roles and processes that bridge the knowledge transfer gap in order to increase organisational effectiveness. The literature that stimulated my ideas was the notion exposed through Nonaka's (1988) description of middle management. The flow of information is not necessarily a straight line, but involves multiple hand-offs and roles to transfer knowledge from Jarvis' (1999) 'metatheories' (academia) to 'microtheories' (practice). Through this study, I identify seven knowledge transfer roles, differentiated and similarly grouped along a Knowledge Transfer Role Continuum© by their current practices, motivations and acceptance of these roles. Two distinct sets of success factors - one for the knowledge transfer process and another for the individual roles - were extracted, providing the impetus for future research. I also developed a framework called the Translation Process Continuum© that addresses how a variety of processes could begin to bridge the gap. While knowledge translator roles are integral to bridging the gap, they will not be embraced until there is a cultural shift within the academic and practice worlds, and a value placed on each other's contribution. Further, until there is evidence that these roles produce results and compensation and resources applied to support their work, acceptance will be hindered. In my view, research funding bodies are central to initiating this transformation. Finally, through adaptation and experience generated through this research, I propose enhancements to the Delphi method. These extend the current three application categories to eight and modify several design parameters. These recommendations influence panel selection, questionnaire development, data collection, analysis, and reporting, thereby broadening Delphi's flexibility and range of application.Item Open Access Using unstructured questions to enhance critical thinking in an asynchronous, online, introductory financial accounting course(2012) Jensen, Tilly (Machthilda); Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)Stakeholders are concerned that accounting graduates cannot consistently demonstrate critical thinking (CT) skills. Assessments such as unstructured questions have been used successfully in both face-to-face and online senior courses in an effort to enhance CT skill development, but little is known about the impact of such interventions in online junior courses. This study invited students enrolled in an asynchronous, continuous-enrollment, online offering of an introductory accounting course to participate in a control and experimental group. An intervention aimed at enhancing a student's CT skill development was introduced to students in the experimental group. The intervention engaged students in a web-based, active learning method that required them to respond to unstructured questions to which peers provided and assessed reciprocal feedback. Although peer assessments were not included as part of a student's course grade, students received a maximum of 5% based on their rate of participation with the intervention. Two sources of data were collected: 1) survey responses from the experimental group regarding students' experience with the intervention, and 2) differences in the midterm and final exam results between the control and experimental groups. An analysis of the survey data collected from the experimental participants indicated that their perception regarding the impact of the intervention on their learning was generally favourable despite concerns raised about the reciprocal feedback process. However, the validity of the respondents' feedback was put into question because of the significant non-response rate. Based on an analysis of the midterm and final exam grades, the null hypothesis that no statistically significant difference existed between the midterm and final examination results of the control and experimental groups was accepted. This conclusion does not mean, however, that CT cannot be measured, nor does it mean that the intervention did not enhance CT skill development. It is more likely that the results from this study mean that grades were not a sufficient indicator of CT. This interpretation raises the question of what, then, would be an effective measure of CT? The results demonstrate that continued research is required to determine what strategy(s) might be effective in measuring CT.Item Open Access Using unstructured questions to enhance critical thinking in an asynchronous, online, introductory financial accounting course(2012-08-01) Jensen, Machthilda (Tilly); Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)Stakeholders are concerned that accounting graduates cannot consistently demonstrate critical thinking (CT) skills. Assessments such as unstructured questions have been used successfully in both face-to-face and online senior courses in an effort to enhance CT skill development, but little is known about the impact of such interventions in online junior courses. This study invited students enrolled in an asynchronous, continuous-enrollment, online offering of an introductory accounting course to participate in a control and experimental group. An intervention aimed at enhancing a student’s CT skill development was introduced to students in the experimental group. The intervention engaged students in a web-based, active learning method that required them to respond to unstructured questions to which peers provided and assessed reciprocal feedback. Although peer assessments were not included as part of a student’s course grade, students received a maximum of 5% based on their rate of participation with the intervention. Two sources of data were collected: 1) survey responses from the experimental group regarding students’ experience with the intervention, and 2) differences in the midterm and final exam results between the control and experimental groups. An analysis of the survey data collected from the experimental participants indicated that their perception regarding the impact of the intervention on their learning was generally favourable despite concerns raised about the reciprocal feedback process. However, the validity of the respondents’ feedback was put into question because of the significant non-response rate. Based on an analysis of the midterm and final exam grades, the null hypothesis that no statistically significant difference existed between the midterm and final examination results of the control and experimental groups was accepted. This conclusion does not mean, however, that CT cannot be measured, nor does it mean that the intervention did not enhance CT skill development. It is more likely that the results from this study mean that grades were not a sufficient indicator of CT. This interpretation raises the question of what, then, would be an effective measure of CT? The results demonstrate that continued research is required to determine what strategy(s) might be effective in measuring CT.Item Open Access Work-based experiential learning: an assessment of participant and non-participant undergraduate student experiences and perceptions on one university campus(2010) Shea, Robert; Patterson, Margaret (Peggy)