Spring Colloquium March 2022

Dr. Colleen Marzilli

Aspen University, School of Nursing and Health Sciences/BSNPL-Austin,

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time

“Cultural Competence in Pre-Licensure Nursing Students”

This research determined the level of cultural competence (CC) in pre-licensure nursing students and examined the relationships between demographic variables and CC scores. The study also measured whether demographic data predicts the level of CC and explored the perceptions of CC among pre-licensure nursing students. The design consisted of a convergent parallel mixed-methods design using data from a 2021 online survey with a qualitative interview component of full-time nursing students enrolled in a pre-licensure nursing program. Demographics were evaluated with descriptive statistics and CC was measured with The Nurses’ Cultural Competence Scale (NCCS). The findings showed a level of CC among nursing students that is surprising. This information is presented as well as three themes that emerged from the qualitative strand of the study. Conclusions suggest that nursing students may benefit from experiences with culturally diverse patients. Targeted educational opportunities that focus on providing meaningful experiences may also increase the knowledge and skills that nursing students need to provide culturally competent care in their future practice as a registered nurse.

Recording- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ozuM-rrKM2luVndZ7Z7eVTLZeA8rBnVZ/view?usp=sharing

Dr. Linell Kam

Aspen University, School of Education

1:00-2:00pm Pacific Time

“Cultural-Sensitive Education and Its Actualization”

The gap between cultural-sensitive education and its actualization in inter-cultural relationships continue to impact many industries such as education, business and healthcare, to name a few. Although cultural-sensitive education are new offerings and positions across industries, they fail to actualize this knowledge in building relationships (Chin & Trimble 2015). The aim of this study was to examine the participants’ responses of their cultural-sensitive origins and then, whether their results would provide a credible educational model in cultural-sensitive actualization. This case study is a qualitative interpretive research approach that relies on subjective or non-numerical data to study people in their particular situation in their natural settings (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994). The cross-industry struggle with not only communication but also cultural understanding interaction continues to block meaningful progress towards organizational goals and objectives. This inter-cultural relationship building challenge is examined through primary level teachers’ perspectives in the public school system of Hawai’i. Hawai’i’s diverse and multi-ethnic population spans decades in its inter-cultural relationships and marriages and this study’s primary level student classroom provide a situational context for linking Hawai’i’s unique culture and its intangible spirit of Aloha as components examined for its cultural-sensitive contributions in the actualization process. The case study analyzes participant responses’ cultural-sensitive profile, their curriculum development and instructional practice and links their cultural-sensitive approach to this researched theoretical framework. Lewin’s theoretical framework and its 3-stage action plan reveal Hawaii’s spirit of Aloha. as a tangible foundational concept, essential to the participants’ cultural-sensitive origins and their actualization in their respective student classrooms.

Recording- https://drive.google.com/file/d/10WC3WhmKZ4IcEL18MCul2Z74u35BNbvK/view?usp=sharing

Dr. Heather Frederick

Aspen University, Center for Graduate Studies

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time

“You Can’t Pour from an Empty Cup: Tone Your Vagus Nerve and Upgrade Your Teaching Practice”

Stress impacts the autonomic nervous system (ANS), resulting in poor physical and psychological outcomes. Learning how to effectively manage stress results in increased stamina, cognitive function, and emotional aptitude – all of which are required to navigate a classroom successfully. This interactive presentation contrasts the historical view of the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic versus parasympathetic) with the new understanding provided by Dr. Stephen Porges’s Polyvagal Theory. Attendees will learn how to restore balance to their body and their mind through vagal toning exercises, setting the stage for optimal performance both inside and outside the classroom.

Recording- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PvQ4ZsRhJ975YKdYiAcAunWylz-o2B8j/view?usp=sharing

Dr. Donald Dunn

Aspen University, School of Education

1:00-2:00pm Pacific Time

“Support Systems for Doctoral Students”

Doctoral students find there are many needed support systems to complete their dissertation. Twelve university online dissertation students evaluate, rank, and modify four categories of support based on a literature review. The results are what these experts believe all students should have to be successful. The four categories are a committee, a community, a cohort, and capital in the form of resources and templates.

Recording- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rg2sRw0Uu9jSBfti5LndWoVAVNrGTI97/view?usp=sharing

Dr. Daniel Zimmerman

Aspen University, School of Business & Technology

3:00-4:00pm Pacific Time

"The Seven Anchors Revisited- 2022"

When students graduate high school or college, they are simply not prepared to tackle the world around them. The security blanket has been lifted and now the “real-world games” have started. In 2010, I wrote a book called the Seven Anchors, The Common Sense, Beginner's Guide to Success. The goal of this book was to help the unemployed, undereducated, and those that were green to the world of business. This concept was stemmed by speaking with and assisting thousands of Online University students from around the world. Hearing their stories, hearing their struggles, and their victories inspired me to develop seven points of emphasis, or Seven Anchors. Now, in 2022, this idea is being revisited and re-written for a new type of individual, a new generation, a new mindset, and a better-informed student that is expecting more than just the ethereal motivation from gurus like Tony Robbins “NLP”, Bob Proctor- “Law of Attraction”, or Ester Hick “Channeling Abraham." Three of the seven anchors that will be discussed include starting a new job, personal and professional development, to being creative.

Recording- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UO0-SEUHmIQTdcb7n15JqY-y35kMefAu/view?usp=sharing

Kevin Baker

Aspen University, School of Education

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time

“Innovation, Buy-in and Psychological Safety”

Successful innovation is critical to the long-term success and sustainability of all organizations, and yet innovation initiatives fail more often than not. The buy-in and support of middle managers is vital to the success of these undertakings. An online survey will be conducted with college administrators (middle managers) working in the college of applied arts and technology system in Ontario, Canada. When data collection ends, structural equation modelling will be employed to evaluate relationship between the alignment of these administrators’ innovative predispositions, their organizations’ innovations climates, and the incidence of workplace deviance. This study also examines the role of psychological safety as a moderator of the relationship between innovation predisposition/climate misalignment and the incidence of workplace deviance. This is first reported study attempting to link the psychological safety and negative and positive workplace behaviors. Assuming that these hypotheses are correct, the presence of psychological safety may reasonably be seen as the facilitator of middle managers’ buy-in and support for organizational innovation initiatives – even and especially in instances of innovation predisposition/climate misalignment.

Recording- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1asBIKcMIFWvNONbaX2GQJBcNNODG2Rrl/view?usp=sharing

Dr. Amanda Ziemendorf

United States University, College of Nursing & Health Sciences

1:00-2:00pm Pacific Time

“Leveraging Communication and Policy Adherence for Professionals and Organizations”

A goal-oriented approach and effective communication are at the core of organizational and individual professional success. The power of positive, strategic communication is arguably under-recognized and under-valued as a low-cost initiative both individuals and organizational leaders can leverage. A special focus within strategic communication is policy-based communication, which can be foundational for accurate, protective messaging within the professional workplace. The purpose of this one-hour discussion is to present an overview of innovations while offering strategies geared toward saving time, shaping culture, and unifying the narrative with the organizational mission.

Recording- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T1H0rjA3OBZzCbuv5Ve1dfPy8nyaCkxI/view?usp=sharing

Dr. Shirin Kassih

Concordia University Chicago

3:00-4:00pm Pacific Time

“Perspectives of High School Teachers Toward Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic”

The urgent need to transition rapidly to exclusively online learning environments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges in the K-12 education system. This study sought to address the problem of the lack of exploration into the effectiveness of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This quantitative study explored the effectiveness of online learning based on teachers’ perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing high school teachers’ experiences with two different online learning programs, “remote” and “virtual” at a public K-12 school district in southern California, based on the existence of the three forms of presence of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework: cognitive, social, and teaching. For the purposes of this study, remote learning took place through teacher-developed online courses and virtual learning took place through vendor-developed online courses. Data were collected using the CoI survey instrument. The results indicated that teachers providing instruction in the remote are more likely to perceive a stronger sense of community of inquiry than teachers providing instruction in the virtual. It can be determined that when teachers design their own content, include engaging learning materials, and facilitate live interactions within their courses, they perceive higher levels of cognitive, social, and teaching presence than teachers using a pre-designed learning content developed by other educators.

Recording- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gX0cd-MtlFfa53cf_l2TpLjz1FMBVEmQ/view?usp=sharing

Dr. Danessa Thomas

Walden University

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time

"Healthcare Leader Strategies for Leveraging Electronic Health Records"

Healthcare organizations may incur significant losses of productivity and profit because of the absence or incomplete implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). EHRs are important to healthcare leaders because they enhance communication between providers and patients, reduce unnecessary costs, and increase adherence to clinical guidelines. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that some successful healthcare leaders used to leverage EHRs in their organization to increase profit and productivity. The participants were nurse managers from four healthcare organizations that successfully implemented an EHR system in Georgia. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data from semistructured virtual interviews and public organizational documents. Four themes emerged: the importance of effective communication between EHRs, the usability of software for EHRs, requiring accurate documentation, and additional training for the medical staff. The key recommendation of the study is to ensure that the medical office staff effectively communicate with other providers to provide smooth transitions of a patient’s care. Implications for social change include improving efficiencies through coordination of healthcare services, enhancing clinical decision-making, and providing better healthcare at a lower cost to patients.

Recording- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WMSY2H3A_ilEbDXbVs-HqXlFXkyTW70-/view?usp=sharing