Starting out in STEM : a study of young men and women in first year science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses

In late 2011, first year university students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses across Australia were invited to participate in the international Interests and Recruitment in Science (IRIS) study. IRIS investigates the influences on young people's decisions to choose university STEM courses and their subsequent experiences of these courses. The study also has a particular focus on the motivations and experiences of young women in courses such as physics, IT and engineering given the low rates of female participation in these fields. Around 3500 students from 30 Australian universities contributed their views on the relative importance of various school and non-school influences on their decisions, as well as insights into their experiences of university STEM courses so far. It is hoped that their contributions will help improve recruitment, retention and gender equity in STEM higher education and careers.

A dedicated retrieval and transfer service : the QUARTS project

Background The transfer and/or retrieval of a critically patient is inherently dangerous not only for the patient but for staff as well. The quality and experience of unplanned transfers can influence patient mortality and morbidity. However, international evidence suggests that dedicated transfer/retrieval teams can improve mortality and morbidity outcomes. Aims The initial aim of this paper is to describe an in-house competency-based training programme, which encompasses the STaR approach to develop members of our existing nursing team to be part of the dedicated transfer/retrieval service. The paper also presents audit data findings which examined the source of referrals, number of patients actually transferred and clinical status of those being transferred. Results Audit data illustrate that the most frequent source of referrals comes from Accident and Emergency and the Surgical Directorate with the most common presenting condition being cardio-respiratory failure or arrest. Audit data reveal that the number of patients actually transferred or retrieved is relatively small (33%) compared with the overall number of requests for assistance. However, 36% of those patients transferred had a level 2 or level 3 acuity status that necessitated the admission to a critical care area. Conclusions A number of studies have concluded that the ill-experienced and ill-equipped transfer team can place patients’ at serious risk of harm. Whether planned or unplanned, dedicated critical care transfer/retrieval teams have been shown to reduce patient mortality and morbidity.

The pathophysiology of emphysema : considerations for critical care nursing practice

Emphysema is caused by exposure to cigarette smoking as well as alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency. It has been estimated to cost the National Health Service (NHS) in excess of £800 million per year in related health care costs. The challenges for Critical Care nurses are those associated with dynamic hyperinflation, Auto-PEEP, malnutrition and the weaning from invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation. In this paper we consider the impact of the pathophysiology of emphysema, its effects on other body systems as well as the impact acute exacerbations have when patients are admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

Recontextualising policy discourses : a Bernsteinian perspective on policy interpretation, translation, enactment

This paper contributes to critical policy research by theorising one aspect of policy enactment, the meaning making work of a cohort of mid-level policy actors. Specifically, we propose that Basil Bernstein’s work on the structuring of pedagogic discourse, in particular, the concept of recontextualisation, may add to understandings of the policy work of interpretation and translation. Recontextualisation refers to the relational processes of selecting and moving knowledge from one context to another, as well as to the distinctive re-organisation of knowledge as an instructional and regulative or moral discourse. Processes of recontextualisation necessitate an analysis of power and control relations, and therefore add to the Foucauldian theorisations of power that currently dominate the critical policy literature. A process of code elaboration (decoding and recoding) takes place in various recontextualising agencies, responsible for the production of professional development materials, teaching guidelines and curriculum resources. We propose that mid-level policy actors are crucial to the work of policy interpretation and translation because they are engaged in elaborating the condensed codes of policy texts to an imagined logic of teachers’ practical work. To illustrate our theoretical points we draw on data; collected for an Australian research project on the accounts of mid-level policy actors responsible for the interpretation of child protection and safety policies for staff in Queensland schools.

Evaluation of the Mater Mothers' Hospital refugee antenatal clinic

This report describes the evaluation of the Refugee Antenatal Clinic (Mater Mothers' Hospital, Brisbane) which was established in November 2008

The Media and Communications in Australia, [4th Edition]

The most widely used introduction to the Australian media, fully updated to reflect the increasing prominence of the internet in the communication and entertainment industries. Description Traditional media are being reshaped by digital technologies. The funding model for quality journalism has been undermined by the drift of advertising online, demarcations between different forms of media are rapidly fading, and audiences have fragmented. We can catch up with our favourite TV show on a tablet, social media can be more important than mainstream radio in a crisis, and organisations large and small have become publishers in their own right on apps. Nevertheless mainstream media remain powerful. The Media and Communications in Australia offers a systematic introduction to this dynamic field. Fully updated and revised to take account of recent developments, this fourth edition outlines the key media industries and explains how communications technologies are impacting on them. It provides a thorough overview of the main approaches taken in studying the media, and includes an expanded 'issues' section with new chapters on social media, gaming, apps, the environment, media regulation, ethics and privacy. With contributions from some of Australia's best researchers and teachers in the field, The Media and Communications in Australia remains the most comprehensive and reliable introduction to media and communications available. It is an ideal student text, and a reference for teachers of media and anyone interested in this influential industry.

Mindfulness-meditation on the move : implementation of an ACT-based mindfulness practice intervention and training within a University Dance program

As part of the introduction of a broader dance medicine and science related health and wellbeing program, a 9 week mindfulness-meditation ACT-based program was delivered to all students undertaking full-time University dance training (N = 106). The aim of the program was to assist students in the further development of performance psychology skills that could be applied in both performance and non-performance settings. Participant groups were comprised of both male (N = 12) and female (N = 94) students from across all three year levels of two undergraduate dance courses, divided into three groups by mixed year levels due to timetable scheduling requirements. Pre- and post-testing was undertaken utilising the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS-15), a uni-dimensional measure of mindfulness, in addition to qualitative questions checking the current level of awareness and understanding of mindfulness practice and its application. Weekly sessions were conducted by qualified sport and exercise psychologists and covered key practices such as: Mindfulness of Body, Mindfulness of Breathing, Mindfulness of Sounds, ACT-based and general Imagery exercises, Developing Open Awareness, Mindfulness of Emotions, and Developing Inner Stillness. Students were required to maintain a reflective journal that was utilised at the end of each weekly session, in addition to completion of a mid-Semester reflective debrief. Teaching staff additionally attended the weekly sessions and linked the mindfulness practice learnings into the student’s practical dance and academic classes where appropriate. Anecdotal feedback indicates that participation in the mindfulness-meditation sessions and the development of these mental skills has resulted in positive performance and personal outcomes. Observations collated from staff and students, results from the data collection phases and recommendations regarding future applications within dance training settings will be discussed within the presentation.

Expanding Emergency Department capacity : a multisite study

Objectives: To i) identify predictors of admission, and ii) describe outcomes for patients who arrived via ambulance to three Australian public Emergency Departments (EDs), before and after the opening of 41 additional ED beds within the area. Methods: A retrospective, comparative, cohort study using deterministically linked health data collected between 3 September 2006 and 2 September 2008. Data included ambulance offload delay, time to see doctor, ED length of stay (ED LOS), admission requirement, access block, hospital length of stay and in-hospital mortality. Logistic regression analysis was undertaken to identify predictors of hospital admission. Results: One third of all 286,037 ED presentations were via ambulance (n= 79,196) and 40.3% required admission. After increasing emergency capacity, the only outcome measure to improve was in-hospital mortality. Ambulance offload delay, time to see doctor, ED length of stay (ED LOS), admission requirement, access block, hospital length of stay did not improve. Strong predictors of admission before and after increased capacity included: age over 65 years, Australian Triage Scale (ATS) category 1-3, diagnoses of circulatory or respiratory conditions and ED LOS > 4 hours. With additional capacity the odds ratios for these predictors increased for age >65 and ED LOS > 4 hours and decreased for triage category and ED diagnoses. Conclusions: Expanding ED capacity from 81 to 122 beds within a health service area impacted favourably on mortality outcomes but not on time-related service outcomes such as ambulance offload time, time to see doctor and ED LOS. To improve all service outcomes, when altering (increasing/decreasing) ED bed numbers, the whole healthcare system needs to be considered.

Using Web 2.0 to improve software quality

Social media tools are starting to become mainstream and those working in the software development industry are often ahead of the game in terms of using current technological innovations to improve their work. With the advent of outsourcing and distributed teams the software industry is ideally placed to take advantage of social media technologies, tools and environments. This paper looks at how social media is being used by early adopters within the software development industry. Current tools and trends in social media tool use are described and critiqued: what works and what doesn't. We use industrial case studies from platform development, commercial application development and government contexts which provide a clear picture of the emergent state of the art. These real world experiences are then used to show how working collaboratively in geographically dispersed teams, enabled by social media, can enhance and improve the development experience.

Children's perspectives on values and rules in Australian early education

In recent years, issues relating to moral and conventional values have been emphasized in educational policies. This study examines young children’s (100 children aged 4–8 years) own understandings of values and rules for how to treat others and participate in school. Eleven classrooms, within seven different elementary schools in Queensland, were visited. Children were interviewed regarding their views about moral and conventional issues, rules and participation in everyday school life. According to the children, ‘doing the right thing’ in school involved both a concern for others’ wellbeing and for the social order in school, including conventions, rules and behaviour connected with discipline. The children’s responsibility seemed, however, to be to adapt to the (school) system, rather than being an active participant in constructing the system.