Spring Colloquium March 2024

Dr. Godwin Chukwuka Onuoha

Aspen University

School of Nursing & Health Sciences

9:00 am PST

Recording Link

"Implementing Shared Decision-Making and Medication Adherence 

in Hypertensive Patients"

Hypertension is a silent killer, as it is a disease that often lacks symptoms and does not inspire treatment compliance or adherence. Healthcare providers' approach to prescribing medication made it difficult for patients to stick to their prescribed regimen. This quality improvement project evaluated medication adherence before and after implementing the shared decision-making model (SDM). The project analyzed patient medication adherence before and after SDM. It used descriptive statistics to compare medication adherence before and after SDM implementation. Before SDM implementation, 78% of respondents did not follow their medication regimen well, while 17% followed it moderately. Only 5% of those who participated in the survey showed complete commitment. After implementing SDM, 63% of respondents had medium adherence to their medication, 20% had high compliance, and only 17% had low adherence. Using shared decision-making at a primary care clinic increased patient compliance with medication regimens. Factoring in patient values and preferences help doctors ensure treatment compliance. The model may be an excellent tool for improving medication adherence. The project suggests using it to address adherence issues in patients with chronic diseases like asthma, COPD, and diabetes.

Dr. Bekim Dauti

Aspen University

School of Business and Technology

9:00 am PST

Recording Link

"AIOps: The Future of Cloud Computing Optimization"

In this presentation, I will discuss how Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps) can optimize cloud computing workloads and enhance application performance and availability. The popularity of cloud computing has been increasing due to its scalability and flexibility. However, managing complex cloud environments presents significant challenges for IT teams, particularly ensuring optimal application performance and availability. This study analyzes the challenges organizations face in managing cloud environments, such as monitoring and controlling many resources and identifying and resolving issues that affect application performance. The study proposes using AIOps technology to optimize cloud computing workloads. AIOps utilizes Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to monitor cloud resources and application performance metrics in real time, detect anomalies, and identify the root cause of issues. Additionally, AIOps uses automated remediation to resolve problems, such as scaling resources or adjusting configurations. The study evaluates the effectiveness of AIOps through an experiment in Microsoft Azure and proven implementations of AIOps on production cloud workloads. The results demonstrate significant improvements in workload performance, resource utilization, and AIOps' ability to detect and resolve issues impacting application performance. The study highlights the potential benefits of AIOps, such as reducing the burden on IT teams and enabling proactive issue resolution, thus enhancing the efficiency and reliability of cloud environments while improving application performance and availability. I hope you will join me in this session to discover how AIOps can revolutionize cloud computing optimization and enable data-driven decision-making.

Dr. Amy Gerhartz

Aspen University

School of Education

1:00 pm PST

Recording Link

"A Qualitative Case Study of Response to Intervention (RTI) Implementation by Elementary Mainstream Classroom Teachers: Implications for School District Leaders"

The purpose of this study was to discover, through a qualitative instrumental case study, mainstream classroom teachers’ perspectives and knowledge of RTI.  Reflective teaching practices and Cognitive Learning Theory including the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and scaffolding form the theoretical foundation for examining teachers’ instructional practices.  Research questions examined mainstream teachers’ classroom implementation of RTI at the Tier 1 level and their description of RTI expectations.  Seven mainstream classroom teachers from two school districts in the eastern United States participated and shared their perspectives via semi-structured interview questions, a digital demographic survey, and student work samples showing progress and/or achievement.  Data analysis consisted of multiple coding phases including initial hand coding, computer software programming via MAXQDA, and further hand-coding, which generated themes.  Results indicated that mainstream classroom teachers used differentiation to adjust instruction for both whole-class lessons and for interventions.  Participants used standardized assessments, non-standardized data points, and non-measurable cues to determine progress and/or achievement of both whole-class instruction and more individualized interventions.  Participants had a broad understanding of their responsibilities regarding the RTI framework, however, there was room for teacher improvement in both providing interventions and collecting appropriate data via progress monitoring.  These findings contribute new information to the literature by reporting mainstream teacher perspectives on RTI as well as provide insight for school district leaders implementing the RTI framework, particularly at the Tier 1 level.

Dr. Mary Dereshiwsky, Aspen University, School of Education

Dr. Joel Domingo, CityU of Seattle

Dr. Scott Carnz, LIM College, New York

9:00 am PST

Recording Link

"A Little More (Cyber-) Conversation: Exploring the Potential of Online Discussion Forums to Promote Student Learning Community"

Asynchronous discussion forum postings have a long history of use in online courses. But are they the only, or best, way to engage students? In this exploratory qualitative descriptive study, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with eight online faculty and instructional designers to ask them how they view the benefits and drawbacks of asynchronous discussion forums in their current format. Interviewees also shared other additional ways that they engage students and attempt to build effective student learning communities. Results will be useful to faculty, administrators, and curriculum designers in creating maximally engaging learning spaces for communicating ideas effectively with fellow students and online faculty.

Dr. Jarrod Sadulski

Aspen University

School of Arts and Sciences

1:00 pm PST

Recording Link

"Human Trafficking through the Darien Gap - 

One of the Deadliest Crossings in the World"

This Colloquium presentation will be based on current trends that exist in human trafficking and smuggling through the Darien Gap in Latin America, through Central America, and into the United States. On November 14, 2023, I testified to Congress on this topic and a summary of my research presented to Congress will be included in this presentation. In particular, this presentation will explore how traffickers are obtaining victims through exploitation and coercion. This presentation will discuss steps that can be taken to mitigate the threats associated with human trafficking and human smuggling to the United States.

Dr. Gaaya Thurairajah

Aspen University

School of Nursing and Health Sciences

9:00 am PST

Recording Link

"Implementation of Evidence-based Interventions for Nurse Practitioner Handover"

The purpose of this evidence-based quality improvement project is to standardize patient handover among the nurse practitioners in an inpatient pediatric setting. This project measured the decrease in discharge times after improving nurse practitioner handover. The results of the project showed an increase in providing timely care and the project was both clinically and statistically significant. 

Dr. Stephen Kalb

Aspen University

School of Nursing and Health Sciences

1:00 pm PST

Recording Link

"Patient-Centric Ambulatory Clinic Unleashed: The Kaizen Transformation"

Unlocking Healthcare Excellence: Join us as we delve into the evolving healthcare landscape, where today's discerning consumers demand more than just medical services. Explore the critical elements of value in healthcare – speed,  efficiency, transparent costs, digital accessibility, and a patient-centric holistic approach. Discover how the Kaizen for Healthcare Delivery design project pioneers a transformative framework for community-based ambulatory clinics, addressing the challenges of strained resources and outdated models. This webinar aims to empower seasoned and new nursing leaders with the knowledge to build, deploy, and run clinics that redefine healthcare excellence. Be part of the journey towards well-balanced, high-quality care, from birth to geriatrics, fostering employee well-being and retention, and delivering top-tier preventive and supportive healthcare.

Dr. Chinwendu Ufondu

Aspen University

School of Education

9:00 am PST

Recording Link

"Impact of Leadership Emotional Intelligence on the Performance of 

Young Professionals and Non-Professionals" 

It is not yet known how the phenomenon of leadership emotional intelligence impacts the performance of young professionals and non-professionals under thirty – otherwise referred to as Generation Z workers. This study aimed to answer the research questions: (1) How much impact does leadership emotional intelligence have on the performance of Generation Z workers at Al-Kuth, Saudi Arabia? (2) What is the nature and strength of the relationship between the former (independent variable) and the latter (dependent variable)? The study adopted a quantitative research approach and a correlational design in which Likert Scale questions were administered to a stratified random sample of 90 Generation Z workers to collect the primary data. Ordinal Logistics Regression and Spearman’s Correlation models were used to analyze the research questions (1) and (2). The results of the analyses showed that first, leadership emotional intelligence significantly impacts the performance of Generation Z workers, and second, a positive and significant relationship exists between leadership emotional intelligence and the performance of Generation Z workers. The result of the study, thus, concludes that Generation Z workers are inspired to contribute to increased organizational productivity, but inspiring them to contribute significantly to organizational success requires that organizational leaders are passionately committed to exhibiting emotional intelligence while supervising Generation Z workers.