An Empirical Study on Faculty Perceptions and Teaching Practices of Wikipedia

Some faculty members from different universities around the world have begun to use Wikipedia as a teaching tool in recent years. These experiences show, in most cases, very satisfactory results and a substantial improvement in various basic skills, as well as a positive influence on the students' motivation. Nevertheless and despite the growing importance of e-learning methodologies based on the use of the Internet for higher education, the use of Wikipedia as a teaching resource remains scarce among university faculty.Our investigation tries to identify which are the main factors that determine acceptance or resistance to that use. We approach the decision to use Wikipedia as a teaching tool by analyzing both the individual attributes of faculty members and the characteristics of the environment where they develop their teaching activity. From a specific survey sent to all faculty of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), pioneer and leader in online education in Spain, we have tried to infer the influence of these internal and external elements. The questionnaire was designed to measure different constructs: perceived quality of Wikipedia, teaching practices involving Wikipedia, use experience, perceived usefulness and use of 2.0 tools. Control items were also included for gathering information on gender, age, teaching experience, academic rank, and area of expertise.Our results reveal that academic rank, teaching experience, age or gender, are not decisive factors in explaining the educational use of Wikipedia. Instead, the decision to use it is closely linked to the perception of Wikipedia's quality, the use of other collaborative learning tools, an active attitude towards web 2.0 applications, and connections with the professional non-academic world. Situational context is also very important, since the use is higher when faculty members have got reference models in their close environment and when they perceive it is positively valued by their colleagues. As far as these attitudes, practices and cultural norms diverge in different scientific disciplines, we have also detected clear differences in the use of Wikipedia among areas of academic expertise. As a consequence, a greater application of Wikipedia both as a teaching resource and as a driver for teaching innovation would require much more active institutional policies and some changes in the dominant academic culture among faculty members.

Meanings and perceptions of patient-centeredness in social work, nursing and medicine: A comparative study.

Answering patients' evolving, more complex needs has been recognized as a main incentive for the development of interprofessional care. Thus, it is not surprising that patient-centered practice (PCP) has been adopted as a major outcome for interprofessional education. Nevertheless, little research has focused on how PCP is perceived across the professions. This study aimed to address this issue by adopting a phenomenological approach and interviewing three groups of professionals: social workers (n = 10), nurses (n = 10) and physicians (n = 8). All the participants worked in the same department (the General Internal Medicine department of a university affiliated hospital). Although the participants agreed on a core meaning of PCP as identifying, understanding and answering patients' needs, they used many dimensions to define PCP. Overall, the participants expressed value for PCP as a philosophy of care, but there was the sense of a hierarchy of patient-centeredness across the professions, in which both social work and nursing regarded themselves as more patient-centered than others. On their side, physicians seemed inclined to accept their lower position in this hierarchy. Gieryn's concept of boundary work is employed to help illuminate the nature of PCP within an interprofessional context.

Coping with an HIV infection. A multicenter qualitative survey on HIV positive adolescents' perceptions of their disease, therapeutic adherence and treatment.

HIV-positive adolescents face a number of challenges in dealing with their disease and its treatment. In this qualitative study, twenty-nine HIV-positive adolescents aged 13 to 20 years (22 girls), who live in Switzerland, were asked, in a semi-structured interview (duration of 40-110 minutes), to describe their perceptions and experiences with the disease itself and with therapeutic adherence. While younger adolescents most often thought of their disease as fate, older adolescents usually knew that they had received it through vertical transmission, although the topic appeared to be particularly difficult to discuss for those living with their HIV-positive mothers. Based on their attending physician's assessment, 18 subjects were judged highly adherent, 4 fairly and 7 poorly adherent. High adherence appeared linked with adequate psychological adjustment and effective coping mechanisms, as well as with the discussion and adoption of explicit medication-taking strategies. The setting and organisation of health care teams should allow for ongoing discussions with HIV-positive adolescents that focus on their perceptions of their disease, how they cope with it and with the treatment, and how they could improve their adherence.

Value Processingin Organizations - Individual Perceptions in Three Case Companies

Values and value processes are said to be needed in every organization nowadays, as the world is changing and companies have to have something to "keep it together". Organizational values, which are approvedand used by the personnel, could be the key. Every organization has values. But what is the real value of values? The greatest and most crucial challenge is the feasibility of the value process. The main point in this thesis is tostudy how organizational members at different hierarchical levels perceive values and value processes in their organizations. This includes themes such as how values are disseminated, the targets of value processing, factors that affect the process, problems that occur during the value implementation and improvements that could be made when organizational values are implemented. These subjects are studied from the perspective of organizational members (both managers and employees); individuals in the organizations. The aim is to get the insider-perspective on value processing, from multiple hierarchical levels. In this research I study three different organizations (forest industry, bank and retail cooperative) and their value processes. The data is gathered from companies interviewing personnel in the head office and at the local level. The individuals areseen as members of organizations, and the cultural aspect is topical throughout the whole study. Values and cultures are seen as the 'actuality of reality' of organizations, interpreted by organizational members. The three case companies were chosen because they represented different lines of business and they all implemented value processing differently. Sincethe emphasis in this study is at the local level, the similar size of the local units was also an important factor. Values are in 'fashion' -but what does the fashion tell us about the real corporate practices? In annual reports companies emphasize the importance and power of official values. But what is the real 'point' of values? Values are publicly respected and advertised, but still it seems that the words do not meet the deeds. There is a clear conflict between theoretical, official and substantive organizational values: in the value processing from words to real action. This contradiction in value processing is studied through individual perceptions in this study. I study the kinds of perceptions organizationalmembers have when values are processed from the head office to the local level: the official value process is studied from the individual's perspective. Value management has been studied more during the 1990's. The emphasis has usually been on managers: how they consider the values in organizations and what effects it has on the management. Recent literature has emphasized values as tools for improving company performance. The value implementation as a process has been studied through 'good' and 'bad' examples, as if one successful value process could be copied to all organizations. Each company is different with different cultures and personnel, so no all-powerful way of processing values exists. In this study, the organizational members' perceptions at different hierarchical levels are emphasized. Still, managers are also interviewed; this is done since managerial roles in value dissemination are crucial. Organizational values cannot be well disseminated without management; this has been proved in several earlier studies (e.g. Kunda 1992, Martin 1992, Parker 2000). Recent literature has not sufficiently emphasized the individual's (organizational member's) role in value processing. Organizations consist of differentindividuals with personal values, at all hierarchical levels. The aim in this study is to let the individual take the floor. Very often the value process is described starting from the value definition and ending at dissemination, and the real results are left without attention. I wish to contribute to this area. Values are published officially in annual reports etc. as a 'goal' just like profits. Still, the results/implementationof value processing is rarely followed, at least in official reports. This is a very interesting point: why do companies espouse values, if there is no real control or feedback after the processing? In this study, the personnel in three different companies is asked to give an answer. In the empirical findings, there are several results which bring new aspects to the research area of organizational values. The targets of value processing, factors effecting value processing, the management's roles and the problems in value implementation are presented through the individual's perspective. The individual's perceptions in value processing are a recurring theme throughout the whole study. A comparison between the three companies with diverse value processes makes the research complete

Précarité au cabinet du médecin de premier recours : perceptions de la précarité deleurs patients par 47 médecins romands

Introduction La précarité définit ce dont l'avenir, la durée ou la solidité ne sont pas assurés. Elle se développe notamment lorsque le niveau socio-économique est défavorable. Elle se définit par rapport à la communauté et peut être matérielle ou relationnelle. Le rapport entre précarité et santé peut se comprendre sous l'angle des déterminants sociaux de la santé, énoncés en 2004 par l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé (OMS) : les conditions et les habitudes de vie influencent l'état de santé. Ayant un large accès à la population, les médecins de premier recours (MPR) sont des témoins privilégiés de la précarité et des inégalités sociales. La littérature définit la mission des MPR, mais il est essentiel de connaître leurs points de vue sur la question de la précarité, dans la réalité pratique. Méthode Ce travail de recherche a débuté par une revue approfondie de la littérature concernant les problématiques psychosociales en médecine. Une approche qualitative était ensuite nécessaire, sous forme d'entrevues semidirigées avec cinq différents médecins de la région lausannoise, afin de réaliser un questionnaire à soumettre à 47 autres médecins de premier recours, dans l'ensemble de la Suisse Romande, après validation par la commission cantonale vaudoise d'éthique. Résultats Cette enquête met en évidence l'existence et l'importance de la problématique de la précarité au sein du système de santé en Suisse Romande. Difficile à cerner, complexe et multifactorielle, certains ont tenté de la définir mais chacun l'apprécie différemment selon son vécu et sa sensibilité. Hormis ceux qui renoncent aux soins ou qui recourent aux urgences en dernier recours, la population qui consulte les MPR comporte entre 10 et 20% de patients précaires, proportion en augmentation ces dernières années et dépendant de la localisation. Les MPR détectent la précarité grâce à l'anamnèse psychosociale et certains marqueurs extérieurs. Leurs points de vue sont au coeur de notre question initiale. Pour eux, c'est leur rôle de détecter et prendre en charge, du moins partiellement, la précarité. Ils réfèrent ensuite souvent les patients vers d'autres structures ou corps de métiers mieux spécialisés. Ils ressentent, selon les situations, de la frustration, du surmenage, de l'impuissance mais aussi de la satisfaction personnelle dans ce type de prise en charge. La précarité complique souvent la prise en charge médicale : elle influence la survenue ou l'évolution du problème de santé, augmente le temps de consultation pour les patients précaires, induit une tendance chez les MPR à adapter le traitement ou réaliser moins d'investigations complémentaires en raison des difficultés économiques des patients et entraîne souvent des factures impayées. Les pathologies ou problèmes de santé les plus fréquemment rencontrés dans ces populations sont les troubles dépressifs, les addictions, les douleurs chroniques et le syndrome métabolique. Enfin, au delà du simple constat, les MPR expriment certains besoins pour mieux faire face à la précarité : ils souhaiteraient entre autres un carnet d'adresses utiles, un score mesurant la précarité et une formation continue à ce sujet. Conclusion La précarité est un sujet d'actualité et peut notamment influencer l'état de santé des populations, et inversement. Les MPR sont des témoins essentiels de cette problématique et la clé de sa détection, de par leur accès à une large population. Connaître leurs points de vue paraît donc essentiel si l'on souhaite imaginer des interventions visant à réduire les inégalités en matière de santé, pour une meilleure équité des soins. Entre ce qu'ils ressentent et les problèmes concrets d'organisation des consultations de patients précaires, le risque est un certain renoncement aux soins de la part des médecins, qui accentuerait celui des patients déjà existant. Finalement, la pénurie grandissante des MPR nécessite également de mieux comprendre leur mission et leurs conditions de travail, afin d'aider à redéfinir l'avenir du métier, pour continuer à exister et détecter ces situations à prendre en charge, visant à restaurer une santé solide et équilibrée, physique, mentale et sociale.