PHN Research Agenda

30 October 2010

What routine looks like

This week has been more cruise control, with a steady and easy flow of routine activities resulting in a few "products" ~

  • Editorship work resulted in getting manuscripts processed (accept/reject/revise) in a timely manner so that my stats look good on the amount of time for turning around manuscripts.
  • Presentation preparations resulted in having the powerpoint presentations for the two presentations at APHA ready to be unloaded to its website by the deadline.
  • Committee membership attendance resulted in furthering discussions but no decisions with immediate results-some activities fall into the category of fermentation, an important process to arrive at a smooth final product....
  • Teacher work included reading the assigned articles to be prepared for class discussion and grading their second assignment papers. Hopefully, the teaching work results in students with enhanced skills and a feeling of being mentored. Some results are more like secondary consequences which are not results for the primary party.
  • As an author I worked on one of the many manuscripts in the queue (front and back burners) with the result of inching toward a manuscript for submission - note that I say submission because that is the really the only aspect of authorship that I have direct and sole responsibility for.

So, overall, it it felt like a groove, uncomplicated, focused, doable with no threats or looming deadlines. A groove with results as well as opportunities to have intellectual stimulation.

22 October 2010

Productivity comes to Academe

I don't normally think about my work in terms of productivity. I don't make widgets, gadgets or anything else. Productivity of faculty has historically been counted in the form of number of publications, number of grants submissions, and number of advisees. But, a recent Wall Street Journal article has pulled back the lid on Pandora's box.

As the operating budgets of universities have grown much tighter and tuition has risen, a focus on productivity of faculty (as well as of their colleges and universities) is a natural consequence. Natural, but not. Productivity is implicitly, as well as explicitly, linked to profit margins, organizational viability, and supply/demand curves. None of these concepts applies naturally, organically, or ideologically to the provision of higher education.  The capitalist mind-set now exists globally (with the exception of a few notable hold-outs). That mindset has seeped into the corridors and mortar of our universities. What was once viewed a a public good, namely college education, has been turned into a commonplace, sometimes stock traded commodity.

I don't know if this change will turn out be good or not for society as a whole. I only know that it is the current reality to which faculty are having a challenging time adjusting.  If we accept this change as de facto, then we would be wise to proactively say "here's the productivity metrics which we know to distinguish the good from the bad..." For my part, the metrics mentioned in the WSJ article are the predictable metrics, some of which reflect a naive grasp of the realities of our work. (Hence this blog.)

One stand I would take, as I feel are worth some advocacy effort, is to have metrics that take into account all or a combination of the following: (a) not all students will succeed, so allow at least a x% product failure rate; (b) the production of grants, manuscripts and graduating students does not occur on a regularly scheduled basis, so allow for smoothing over time of the rates (at least a 2 year rolling average); and (c) monetize the passion and enthusiasm for knowledge creation generated among peers and students, as a minor adjustment for the less than glamorous monetary rewards, as well as a necessary prerequisite to innovation.

To this last point, I refer the readers to the new report from the National Academy of Sciences,
"Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5." I doubt, but could be wrong, that a focus on productivity will not get this country out of the Category 5 storm they describe.

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15 October 2010

Why I like good students

I am taking this opportuntity to be thankful.

Good students make the life of teachers so much easier. Good students do their homework which makes it easier to have interesting discussions. Good students come ready to share of themselves in potentially vulnerable ways. That helps us all learn. Good students ask the hard to answer questions that deserve to be asked. Good students make connections between their life experiences and what they are learning, and that enriches understanding. Good students put in the hours that it takes to do a good job, to have a job well-done.  Good students don't expect good grades, only fair grades. Good students make us want to give more of ourselves as teacheres.Good students somehow bring out or tap into what we have forgotten that we know.

If only life had only good students....

08 October 2010

PHN Conference

Friday before the conference, we collated handouts, verified that we had the flip chart paper, and double checked the supplies box. Then we loaded those boxes into my car. On Monday morning, we gathered at the hotel and began to sort out what would go where. I felt calm, ready, confident that I had done the best that I could to make the conference a success.

As old friends arrived, I greeted them with warm hugs. As new friends arrived, I extended my hand in a jesture of welcome. Both of my Deans (School of Public Health and College of Nursing) were there to extend their welcomes to the audience. The audience of 50 invitted speakers and participants came mostly from nursing, but also from public health and from economics. Yes, there was a lot of grey hair, but we also had doctoral students participating.

Monday afternoon included an overview by Kris Gebbie of why the conference was important. Pam Mitchell give a nice history of the development of nursing sensitive indicators for acute care. The panel pattern was to address theory, methods and practice issues. We then broke into small groups for discussions. This pattern was repeated on Tuesday morning and early afternoon. On Wednesday, with the guidance of the facilitator, we generated a draft list of reserach themes for public health nursing.

I count the success as having several individuals volunteer to take actions after the conference.The other marker of a success was the several thank you emails that I received afterwards.  Yes, we will present the draft findings at APHA, and yes, we will be writing manuscripts. But, the energy and enthusiasm generated was definitely the most important. 

For those interested in the conference, I have created the PHN page at this blog. We can use it to continue the conversation.