Many engineering staff in the Health Service, from craftsmen to professional engineers, enter from outside the service at varying stages in their careers and from a variety of…
Abstract
Many engineering staff in the Health Service, from craftsmen to professional engineers, enter from outside the service at varying stages in their careers and from a variety of previous employments. Whilst more is now being done in the way of basic training via a substantial craft apprenticeship scheme and an honours degree studentship scheme, it is likely that substantial outside recruitment will continue for the foreseeable future. The Health Service is not primarily an engineering organisation, engineering staff total only 10 000 out of a total of 800 000 employees and the main training effort is of course in the medical, para medical, and nursing fields. Thus the engineering side of the Health Service contains numbers of staff trained in their basic trade or profession, but lacking knowledge of areas specialised to the Health Service. Because of their diversity of backgrounds and the breadth of knowledge required in the Health Service there are also gaps in more basic knowledge. Also, given the pace of change in some technologies, updating is necessary for all staff.
Learner-centered interactions determine the look and feel of online courses, influencing the way learners experience them. In this chapter we investigate considerations related to…
Abstract
Learner-centered interactions determine the look and feel of online courses, influencing the way learners experience them. In this chapter we investigate considerations related to three types of interactions: learner–content, learner–instructor, and learner–learner. Learners interact with content through the course structure and layout. They also interact with peers who may be cast in the role of community members, there to provide social support, or they may be more prominently cast as information providers and/or collaborators. The learner is at the center of both content and peer interactions. Instructor interactions set expectations for learners and facilitate learner interactions with content and peers. Instructors are instrumental forces in bringing about connections between learners, enabling the social presence necessary for collaboration. Instructor interaction may also be relational, enabling individualized connections between learners and the instructor. Redesign decisions center on creating a course structure that fits the learner and content and results in a satisfying course experience. We use the power of metaphor to bring into focus the most relevant considerations. In the end, we illustrate the redesign of a single course through the lens of three separate metaphors to demonstrate how metaphor shapes the process, bringing together design and interaction decisions to create unique and elegant course designs.
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Paul Michael Young, Alan St Clair Gibson, Elizabeth Partington, Sarah Partington and Mark Wetherell
Incidents requiring command and control require all personnel from firefighters (FFs) to the incident commander (IC) to make continuous decisions often with limited information…
Abstract
Purpose
Incidents requiring command and control require all personnel from firefighters (FFs) to the incident commander (IC) to make continuous decisions often with limited information and under acute time-pressure. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the stress reactivity of specific roles during the command and control of an immersive, computer-based incident.
Design/methodology/approach
Experienced firefighting personnel undergoing incident command training participated in this study. Participants completed measures of state anxiety and stress immediately before and after taking part in a computer-based simulation of a large-scale incident run in real time. During the simulation personnel assumed one of four roles: IC, sector commander, entry control officer (ECO), and command support officer. Following the simulation personnel then completed measures of perceived workload.
Findings
No significant changes in state anxiety were observed, but levels of stress and perceived workload were related to task roles. Specifically, ICs reported the greatest levels of mental and temporal demands and stress when compared with ECOs.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations include the lack of environmental factors (such as rain, darkness, and noise), a relatively small sample size, and the use of self-reported questionnaires.
Practical implications
The application of immersive training environments as a method of developing FFs experience of incident command roles and skills pertinent to high-acuity, low-frequency events.
Originality/value
The paper represents one of the first attempts to identify the self-reported anxiety, stress, and perceived workload of specific role demands during the command and control of simulated incidents.
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Muhammad Ashraf Fauzi, Syed Radzi Rahamaddulla, Chia Kuang Lee, Zuraina Ali and Umi Nabila Alias
The purpose of this study is to review the work–life balance (WLB) among academics. Academics are the pillars of higher education institutions’ (HEIs) mission to provide quality…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to review the work–life balance (WLB) among academics. Academics are the pillars of higher education institutions’ (HEIs) mission to provide quality education to students and the community, supporting socioeconomic development. Most academics today are overworked and overburdened with duties, forcing them to work longer hours on weekends and at odd hours. This eventually affects their work–life balance and causes boundary conflicts between work and personal life.
Design/methodology/approach
This study proposes a bibliometric analysis to investigate the underlying knowledge structure of this phenomenon by uncovering the past and present themes and predicting future trends of WLB in academia. This review adopts two analyses (bibliographic coupling and co-word analysis), presenting the knowledge structure network. A total of 307 journal publications were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database, revealing significant clusters and themes.
Findings
Findings identified central themes, including the issue of women in academia, predictors and the impact of WLB in academia.
Research limitations/implications
Implications towards research and practice relevant to scholars and practitioners are discussed, particularly in balancing academics, professional work and personal life.
Originality/value
This study presents a state-of-the-art bibliometric analysis by uncovering the knowledge structure of academics’ work–life balance in HEIs.