Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Wright State University, 2022, Computer Science and Engineering PhD

Inadequate professional training and practices related to health care may result in severe complications to care experiences and outcomes. Moreover, healthcare professionals are as susceptible to the possibility of implicit biases as any other group. Importantly, the health care training is critical and challenging as minor prejudicial beliefs have an adverse influence or serious consequences on patients' health outcomes. Thus, facilitating serious role-playing virtual care practices along with raising awareness of healthcare professionals about the enduring impact of implicit/explicit biases and Social Determinants of Health (SDH) on health outcomes assist to advance the patient-provider relation, care experiences (e.g., healthcare experience and patient care experience), and promote health equity. In addition, employing the “learning by doing” approach for health care practices directly in real-life is less preferred wherein high-risk care is essential. Thus, there is a high scope and demand for the utilization of alternative ways which can facilitate a self-driven and self-motivational digital experiential learning approach with the integration of innovative computer technology that encourages learners to acquire professional development skills. The primary focus of this research is to deliver Computer-Supported Experiential Learning (CSEL) and Computer-Supported Expert-Guided Experiential Learning (CSEGEL) approaches to deliver professional development skills (e.g., healthcare skills). Specifically, this research and development deliver CSEL and CSEGEL approaches-based serious role-playing games or mobile applications as digital experiential learning tools by integrating first-person virtual role-playing scenarios to enhance healthcare skills (e.g., cultural humility, professional communication, awareness of the enduring impact of both social determinants of health and implicit/explicit biases on health outcomes, and compassionate and empathetic attitude) of (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Thomas Wischgoll Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Yong Pei Ph.D. (Committee Member); Michael L. Raymer Ph.D. (Committee Member); Paul J. Hershberger Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Science; Education; Educational Software; Health; Health Care; Higher Education; Information Technology; Public Health; Public Health Education; Special Education; Systems Design

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Franklin University, 2024, Business Administration

The United States Air Force (USAF) purchases billions in arms, equipment, and services to support the Department of Defense and its mission to defend the public from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Program Managers (PM) are the leaders appointed to develop, deliver, and sustain a solution for the capability gaps identified by operational leaders. PMs oversee programs of all sizes across many domains. A substantial proportion of programs fail to meet the triple constraint of cost, schedule, and performance. It is in the interest of the public who funds these purchases to identify the skills that can help PMs deliver programs within the triple constraint. PMs require skills to lead an effective program. The researcher used Katz's (1955) framework to identify the technical, human, and conceptual skills PMs need. The researcher interviewed nine retired USAF acquisition members and identified seventeen PM skills required to deliver programs within the triple constraint alongside other observations about the acquisition field. The seventeen skills include (1) General Military Knowledge, (2) Programmatic Knowledge, (3) Functional Knowledge, (4) Program-specific Knowledge, (5) Technological Proficiency, (6) Leadership, (7) Mentorship, (8) Communication, (9) Relationship Management, (10) Emotional Intelligence, (11) Political Skills, (12) Stakeholder Management, (13) Requirement Management, (14) Problem-solving, (15) Critical Thinking, (16) Outlook, and (17) Continuity. PMs can use the seventeen skills from this study as possible competencies to identify where they excel and need improvement and create a plan of action to improve performance at their current job and prepare for the next. Career managers can use the skill set as criteria to consider in selecting, developing, and retaining PMs to meet today's and tomorrow's needs. Additionally, the USAF should incorporate the seventeen skills into professional development, education, and training. The study further se (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Leo Sedlmeyer (Committee Chair); Charles Fenner (Committee Member); David McCurry (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Anatomy

Under ideal circumstances, surgical skills training should emulate live surgical conditions as closely as possible. While new anatomically accurate models and virtual/augmented reality simulators make surgical anatomical knowledge acquisition more accessible, research shows that these resources are limited in their ability to fully reflect the live human anatomy. As such, the animal and human body donor models have remained the gold standards for surgical simulation. And while there have been studies comparing the porcine and human body donor models, very little is known about Imperial College of London – Soft Preservation (alcohol-preserved) human body donors in the context of surgical training and education. The objective of our study was to examine the alcohol-preservation technique and to further elucidate its utility in general surgery resident education. Utilizing questionnaire-based feedback and semi-structured interviews, we analyzed quantitative and qualitative data obtained from the accounts of general surgery residents and surgical faculty instructors who experienced both the porcine and alcohol-preserved models at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Results indicated that the porcine and alcohol-preserved human body donor models were preferred for different aspects of surgical training. While the porcine model was preferred for its ability to teach tissue-handling and to simulate live blood flow, the alcohol-preserved human body donor model was unanimously preferred for its anatomical relevance, colon suturing/stapling, and reflection of live operating conditions. Surgical faculty specifically noted that while there is anatomical overlap between the two models with the anatomy of the rectum, “the small bowel and colon are dramatically different, which does not give the full breadth of colon resection needed for the human model.” In addition, the alcohol-preserved model was regarded as superior to the formalin-fixed human body dono (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Joy Balta (Advisor); Aslam Ejaz (Committee Member); Melissa Quinn (Committee Member) Subjects: Anatomy and Physiology

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies and Public Affairs, Cleveland State University, 2015, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs

A region's workforce has been described as its greatest asset. Guided by human capital theory and new growth theory, regions have pursued economic development policies to increase the number of college-educated workers and expand the pool of STEM -- science, technology, engineering, and math -- talent. Academic literature and policy interventions have focused on a region's human capital in terms of educational attainment instead of a more fine-grained definition of human capital based on skills and competencies. This dissertation integrates economic and business theory and combines three federal databases to explore regional human capital assets. Findings suggest that policymakers may be overestimating the importance of STEM knowledge requiring a bachelor's degree or higher and undervaluing the importance of soft skills such as communication and critical-thinking. Moreover, results indicate that regions may be best served by crafting distinct human capital interventions that reflect the particular needs of their mix of industry.

Committee: Edward W. (Ned) Hill PhD (Committee Chair); Nicholas C. Zingale PhD (Committee Member); Wendy C. Regoeczi PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Policy; Labor Economics; Public Policy; Urban Planning

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, Economics

Why are some countries richer than others? Modern growth theories assign a pivotal role to human capital accumulation, particularly in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Unfortunately, testing this conjecture is relatively impractical due to data limitations. Standard human capital measures, such as cognitive test scores and years of schooling, are generally unavailable, while more data-abundant alternatives, such as literacy rates, poorly proxy human capital. To mitigate this problem, this thesis presents evidence that adult height is a relatively suitable proxy for human capital. Using data from the early and late twentieth century, I show that taller individuals and populations were, and still are, substantially more productive than their shorter counterparts. Furthermore, my results attribute this outcome to the significant association between adult height and both cognitive and non-cognitive abilities. Chapter 1 studies the contemporary pathways through which taller workers earn more than their shorter counterparts. Earlier studies attribute this “stature premium” to non-cognitive abilities, which are associated with height and rewarded in the labor market. While more recent research suggests that cognitive abilities cause the stature-wage relationship. This paper reconciles the competing views by recognizing that net nutrition, a major determinant of adult height, is integral to cognitive and non-cognitive development. Using contemporary British data from the National Childhood Development Study (NCDS), I show that taller children have higher average cognitive and non-cognitive test scores, and that each aptitude accounts for a substantial and roughly equal portion of the stature premium. Together, cognitive and non-cognitive abilities explain the height premium. Chapter 2 examines the pathways contributing to the stature premium in a historical labor market, early twentieth century Canada. The literature proposes two pathways with which stature p (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Richard Steckel PhD (Advisor); Bruce Weinberg PhD (Committee Member); Trevon Logan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Economic History; Economics; Health; Labor Economics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2008, East Asian Languages and Literatures

As American schools from grades K-16+ create Chinese language programs, American communication with Chinese people in Chinese and by Chinese cultural standards will take place with increasing frequency and in professional contexts once dominated by English and Western culture. As a result, a sizeable task lays ahead for Chinese language pedagogues: what do we expect learners with up to 18 years of formal Chinese instruction to be able to do, professionally, upon graduation? To borrow from the language of business, how can we define 'quality product' in the field of Chinese language pedagogy? To answer this question, the author shadowed four Americans and one Englishman who speak Chinese at work, interviewed them and two Chinese colleagues each on the subject of professional Chinese use, and obtained quantitative evaluations of the foreigners' Chinese skills from the subjects themselves, their colleagues, and three native Chinese language instructors at the Ohio State University. The study found that Chinese people believe professional non-native speakers of Chinese excel at casual conversation, engaging in question and answer with Chinese natives and are generally skilled at demonstrating expertise in their chosen profession. Naturally, the longer an individual had been working in a given domain, the more likely it was that Chinese natives perceived them as experts. Areas in which learners could professionally benefit from improved skills included cultural appropriateness, ability to make cultural references, and professional writing. The study also found that portfolio evaluation conducted by native speakers is an accurate reflection of what native speakers think of non-native speakers' foreign language performances. Based on the research results, it is recommended that Chinese language programs in the United States emphasize culturally-appropriate performance, incorporate domain-specific professional training at advanced levels, and evaluate their learners using (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Galal Walker PhD (Advisor); Mari Noda PhD (Committee Member); Venkat Bendapudi PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Theory; Language