Academics’ work and the concept of “profession” : an Australian case study

Universities in Australia and elsewhere have changed considerably in recent years. Inevitably, this has meant that the work of academics has also changed. Academics’ work is of importance because they are key players in universities and universities matter to the nation economically and intellectually in advancing knowledge and its practical application. Through the changes and challenges that have characterised academia in recent years, there is an assumption that academics’ work is representative of a profession. This research study investigates how academics construct their own perspectives regarding the academic "profession". The study is theoretically informed by Freidson’s theory that conceptualises professions as occupations if they are in control of their work rather than it being under the control of either the market or of their employing institutions. Two research questions guide this study. The first question investigates how academics might construct their work in ideal terms and the second one investigates the extent to which such constructions might constitute a "profession". A qualitative case study was conducted within two Australian universities. In all, twenty academics from ten disciplines took part in the study that consisted of a focus group and fifteen individual interviews. The study was conducted in three phases during which a conceptual framework of academics’ work was developed across three versions. This framework acted both a prompt to discussion and as a potential expression of academics’ work. The first version of the framework was developed from the literature during the first phase of the study. This early framework was used during the second phase of the study when five academics took part in a focus group. After the focus group, the second version of the framework was developed and used with fifteen academics in individual interviews during phase three of the study. The third version of the framework was the outcome of a synthesis of the themes that were identified in the data. The discussion data from the focus group and the individual interviews were analysed through a content analysis approach that identified four major themes. The first theme was that academics reported that their work would ideally be located within universities committed to using their expert knowledge to serve the world. The second theme was that academics reported that they wanted sufficient thinking time and reasonable workloads to undertake the intellectual work that they regard as their core responsibility, particularly in relation to undertaking research. They argued against heavy routine administrative workloads and sought a continuation of current flexible working arrangements. The third theme was that teaching qualifications should not be mandated but that there should be a continuation of the present practice of universities offering academics the opportunity to undertake formal teaching qualifications if they wish to. Finally, academics reported that they wanted values that have traditionally mattered to academia to continue to be respected and practised: autonomy, collegiality and collaborative relationships, altruism and service, and intellectual integrity. These themes are sympathetic to Freidson’s theory of professions in all but one matter: the non-mandatory nature of formal qualifications which he regards as absolutely essential for the performance of the complex intellectual work that characterises occupations that are professions. The study places the issue of academic professionalism on the policy agenda for universities wishing to identify academics’ work as a profession. The study contributes a theory-based and data-informed conceptual framework for academics’ work that can be considered in negotiating the nature and extent of their work. The framework provides a means of analysing what "academic professionalism" might mean; it adds specificity to such discussions by exploring a particular definition of profession, namely Freidson’s theory of professions as occupations that are in control of their own work. The study contributes to the development of theories around higher education concepts of academic professionalism and, in so doing, links that theoretical contribution to the wider professions field.

An exploration of the maturity model concept as a vehicle for higher education institutions to assess their capability to address student engagement : a work in progress

Gaining a competitive edge in the area of the engagement, success and retention of commencing students is a significant issue in higher education, made more so currently because of the considerable and increasing pressure on teaching and learning from the new standards framework and performance funding. This paper introduces the concept of maturity models (MMs) and their application to assessing the capability of higher education institutions (HEIs) to address student engagement, success and retention (SESR). A concise description of the features of maturity models is presented with reference to an SESR-MM currently being developed. The SESR-MM is proposed as a viable instrument for assisting HEIs in the management and improvement of their SESR activities.

The maturity model concept as framework for assessing the capability of higher education institutions to address student engagement, success and retention : new horizon or false dawn?

While the engagement, success and retention of first year students are ongoing issues in higher education, they are currently of considerable and increasing importance as the pressures on teaching and learning from the new standards framework and performance funding intensifies. This Nuts & Bolts presentation introduces the concept of a maturity model and its application to the assessment of the capability of higher education institutions to address student engagement, success and retention. Participants will be provided with (a) a concise description of the concept and features of a maturity model; and (b) the opportunity to explore the potential application of maturity models (i) to the management of student engagement and retention programs and strategies within an institution and (ii) to the improvement of these features by benchmarking across the sector.

Towards semantic search and inference in electronic medical records : an approach using concept-based information retrieval

Background This paper presents a novel approach to searching electronic medical records that is based on concept matching rather than keyword matching. Aim The concept-based approach is intended to overcome specific challenges we identified in searching medical records. Method Queries and documents were transformed from their term-based originals into medical concepts as defined by the SNOMED-CT ontology. Results Evaluation on a real-world collection of medical records showed our concept-based approach outperformed a keyword baseline by 25% in Mean Average Precision. Conclusion The concept-based approach provides a framework for further development of inference based search systems for dealing with medical data.

The concept of smart cities

Rapid urbanization has resulted in migration of people in urban areas and spatial expansion of urban infrastructures, consequently causing many undesirable malaises and challenges. Concerned with the uncontrolled growth of cities and the associated malaises, there have been numerous initiatives to promote a more rational development of cities. The idea of making cities smart is one of the most promising initiatives which have been a subject of research and development in modern cities. Despite the many activities and initiatives to promote smartness in cities, there is little agreement on what constitute smartness in a city. This inevitably leads to a diversified ways of defining smart cities. By reviewing the existing definitions of smart cities, this paper proposes a framework to define and measure a city’s smartness in a more correct manner.

AEHRC & QUT at TREC 2011 Medical Track : a concept-based information retrieval approach

The Australian e-Health Research Centre and Queensland University of Technology recently participated in the TREC 2011 Medical Records Track. This paper reports on our methods, results and experience using a concept-based information retrieval approach. Our concept-based approach is intended to overcome specific challenges we identify in searching medical records. Queries and documents are transformed from their term-based originals into medical concepts as de ned by the SNOMED-CT ontology. Results show our concept-based approach performed above the median in all three performance metrics: bref (+12%), R-prec (+18%) and Prec@10 (+6%).

Wayfinding : a simple concept, a complex process

Wayfinding is the process of finding your way to a destination in a familiar or unfamiliar setting using any cues given by the environment. Due to its ubiquity in everyday life, wayfinding appears on the surface to be a simply characterised and understood process, however this very ubiquity and the resulting need to refine and optimise wayfinding has lead to a great number of studies that have revealed that it is in fact a deeply complex exercise. In this paper we examine the motivations for investigating wayfinding, with particular attention being paid to the unique challenges faced in transportation hubs, and discuss the associated principles and factors involved as they have been perceived from different research perspectives.We also review the approaches used to date in the modelling of wayfinding in various contexts. We attempt to draw together the different perspectives applied to wayfinding and postulate the importance of wayfinding and the need to understand this seemingly simple, but concurrently complex, process.

From IKEA model to the lean construction concept: A solution to implementation

The productivity of the construction industry worldwide has been declining over the past forty years. One approach to improving the situation is by the introduction of lean construction. The IKEA model has also been shown to be beneficial when used in the construction context. A framework is developed in which the lean construction concept is embodied within the IKEA model by integrating Virtual Prototyping (VP) technology and its implementation is described and evaluated through a real-life case implementing the lean production philosophy. The operational flows of the IKEA model and lean construction are then compared to analyze the feasibility of IKEA-based lean construction. It is concluded that the successful application of the IKEA model in this context will promote the implementation of lean construction and improve the efficiency of the industry.

Investigating the deployment of project management : a new perspective based on the concept of certification

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary description of the doctoral thesis investigating the field of project management (PM) deployment. Researchers will be informed of the current contributions within this topic and of the possible further investigations and researches. The decision makers and practitioners will be aware of a set of tools addressing the PM deployment with new perspectives. Design/methodology/approach – Research undertaken with the thesis is based on quantitative methods using time series statistics (time distance analysis) and comparative and correlation analysis aimed to better define and understand the PM deployment within and between countries or groups. Findings – The results suggest a project management deployment index (PMDI) to objectively measure the PM deployment based on the concept of certification. A proposed framework to empirically benchmark the PM deployment between countries by integrating the PMDI time series with the two dimensional comparative analysis of Sicherl. The correlation analysis within Hoftsede cultural framework shows the impact of the national culture dimensions on the PM deployment. The forecasting model shows a general continual growth trend of the PM deployment, with continual increase in the time distance between the countries. Research limitations/implications – The PM researchers are offered an empirical quantification on which they can construct further investigations and understanding of this phenomenon. The number of possible units that can be studied offers wide possibilities to replicate the thesis work. New researches can be undertaken to investigate further the contribution of other social or economical indicators, or to refine and enrich the definition of the PMDI indicator. Practical implications – These results have important implications on the PM deployment approaches. The PMDI measurements and time series comparisons facilitate considerably the measurement and benchmarking between the units (e.g. countries) and against targets, while the readiness setting of the studied unit (in terms of development and cultural levels) impacts the PM deployment within this country. Originality/value – This paper provides a summary of cutting-edge research work in the studied field of PM deployment and a link to the published works that researchers can use to help them understand the thesis research as well as how it can be extended.

Exploiting medical hierarchies for concept-based information retrieval

Search technologies are critical to enable clinical sta to rapidly and e ectively access patient information contained in free-text medical records. Medical search is challenging as terms in the query are often general but those in rel- evant documents are very speci c, leading to granularity mismatch. In this paper we propose to tackle granularity mismatch by exploiting subsumption relationships de ned in formal medical domain knowledge resources. In symbolic reasoning, a subsumption (or `is-a') relationship is a parent-child rela- tionship where one concept is a subset of another concept. Subsumed concepts are included in the retrieval function. In addition, we investigate a number of initial methods for combining weights of query concepts and those of subsumed concepts. Subsumption relationships were found to provide strong indication of relevant information; their inclusion in retrieval functions yields performance improvements. This result motivates the development of formal models of rela- tionships between medical concepts for retrieval purposes.

Plant-produced cottontail rabbit papillomavirus L1 protein protects against tumor challenge : A proof-of-concept study

The native cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) L1 capsid protein gene was expressed transgenically via Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation and transiently via a tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) vector in Nicotiana spp. L1 protein was detected in concentrated plant extracts at concentrations up to 1.0 mg/kg in transgenic plants and up to 0.4 mg/kg in TMV-infected plants. The protein did not detectably assemble into viruslike particles; however, immunoelectron microscopy showed presumptive pentamer aggregates, and extracted protein reacted with conformation-specific and neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. Rabbits were injected with concentrated protein extract with Freund's incomplete adjuvant. All sera reacted with baculovirus-produced CRPV L1; however, they did not detectably neutralize infectivity in an in vitro assay. Vaccinated rabbits were, however, protected against wart development on subsequent challenge with live virus. This is the first evidence that a plant-derived papillomavirus vaccine is protective in an animal model and is a proof of concept for human papillomavirus vaccines produced in plants. Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Can a parent do too much for their child? An examination by parenting professionals of the concept of overparenting

Is there a point where parental effort can be too much? While the link between parenting effort and the wellbeing of children has been firmly established, contemporary discussion has proposed that extreme levels of parental protection of and responsiveness to children could be counterproductive. Research has not yet addressed this phenomenon to ascertain if overparenting is a genuinely different type of parenting approach. The purpose of the present study was to gain insight into the parenting actions considered by parenting professionals (psychologists and school guidance counsellors) to be overparenting. One hundred and twenty-eight professionals responded to an online survey about their observations of overparenting, with eighty-six respondents providing lists of the types of actions they believed were behavioural examples of the term. The survey data revealed that certain types of actions were considered to be indicative of overparenting, and that particular beliefs and outcomes may be involved in this parenting approach. Implications for parenting advice and education programs, and further research are discussed.

Application of Resilience concept for enhanced management of water supply systems

This paper presents an approach to developing indicators for expressing resilience of a generic water supply system. The system is contextualised as a meta-system consisting of three subsystems to represent the water catchment and reservoir, treatment plant and the distribution system supplying the end-users. The level of final service delivery to end-users is considered as a surrogate measure of systemic resilience. A set of modelled relationships are used to explore relationships between system components when placed under simulated stress. Conceptual system behaviour of specific types of simulated pressure is created for illustration of parameters for indicator development. The approach is based on the hypothesis that an in-depth knowledge of resilience would enable development of decision support system capability which in turn will contribute towards enhanced management of a water supply system. In contrast to conventional water supply system management approaches, a resilience approach facilitates improvement in system efficiency by emphasising awareness of points-of-intervention where system managers can adjust operational control measures across the meta-system (and within subsystems) rather than expansion of the system in entirety in the form of new infrastructure development.