Qualitätssicherung im österreichischen Hochschulsystem

Die ?sterreichischen Universit?ten und Fachhochschulen sind gesetzlich dazu aufgefordert, interne Qualit?tssicherungsprozesse und -systeme zu entwickeln. Der Grundsatz der Erstverantwortlichkeit der Hochschulen für die Sicherung von Qualit?t in Lehre, Forschung und Organisation tr?gt der Hochschulautonomie Rechnung, und er kommt durch die im Zuge des Bologna-Prozesses vereinbarten Europ?ischen Standards der Qualit?tssicherung zum Ausdruck. Als Qualit?tssicherungsagentur für den gesamten Hochschulbereich in ?sterreich bietet die AQA Universit?ten und Fachhochschulen externe Begleitung, vermittelt unabh?ngige Expertise und führt Evaluierungen durch. Die AQA hat ihre Leistungen und Verfahren auf Grundlage europ?ischer Standards der externen Qualit?tssicherung für Universit?ten und Fachhochschulen entwickelt. Die Verfahren der AQA stellen die hochschulinterne Qualit?tskultur in den Mittelpunkt: Basierend auf den Erfahrungen mit externen Evaluierungsverfahren und des Hochschulvergleichen, welche die AQA seit 2004 durchgeführt hat, implementiert die Agentur nun ein Verfahren, welches das hochschulinterne Qualit?tsmanagement st?rken soll und den Hochschulen l?ngerfristig eine Zertifizierung ihres Qualit?tsmanagements bietet. Die AQA stellt hierfür die Expertise internationaler Expertinnen und Experten zu Themen des Hochschulmanagements bereit und nutzt Kooperationen mit anderen Qualit?tssicherungsagenturen. Auf l?ngere Sicht k?nnte ein prozessorientiertes "Quality Audit"-Verfahren eine Referenz der externen Qualit?tssicherung für den gesamten ?sterreichischen Hochschulbereich darstellen.     

The dyadic nature of bullying and victimization: testing a dual-perspective theory

For this study, information on Who Bullies Who was collected from 54 school classes with 918 children (M age = 11) and 13,606 dyadic relations. Bullying and victimization were viewed separately from the point of view of the bully and the victim. The two perspectives were highly complementary. The probability of a bully-victim relationship was higher if the bully was more dominant than the victim, and if the victim was more vulnerable than the bully and more rejected by the class. In a bully-victim dyad, boys were more often the bullies. There was no finding of sex effect for victimization. Liking reduced and disliking increased the probability of a bully-victim relationship.     

Factors underlying students' decisions to use mobile devices in clinical settings

University policies prohibiting use of mobile devices by medical students during clinical placements are contradicted by regular use by physicians. Consequently, many students use their mobile devices, which can be beneficial for learning but may put patient privacy at risk. This study explores the reasons underlying students' decisions about using mobile devices in clinical settings. We used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design involving a questionnaire and focus groups. Qualitative data from the questionnaire and focus groups was analysed through thematic analysis. We found students were aware of the risks mobile devices posed to professionalism and medical practice. Despite prohibitions, many made individual decisions to use mobile devices because the benefits outweighed the risks. These students were influenced by an organised, strategic approach to learning and a motivation to comply with the beliefs and behaviours of their medical teams and conform to physicians' directives in order to participate in their community of practice. Many students appear to be transferring everyday use of mobile devices to clinical settings. There is a need to understand and promote aspects of learning that are enhanced by mobile devices in clinical settings, while articulating clear guidelines and boundaries compatible with the professional behaviour expected of students.     

Exploring Views about LARCs Among Parenting Rural Latinx Teenagers,Their Mothers,and Providers: Implications for Sexuality Education and Care

While long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) reduces risk of repeat-births, use remains low among rural Latinx adolescent mothers. This qualitative study identified perspectives about factors that influence LARC use among this population. Participants were dyads of parenting Latinx adolescent daughters and their mothers (n?=?9 dyads) and nurses (n?=?17). Findings revealed themes specific to this vulnerable population including (a) distinct ways LARC characteristics fit into parenting teenagers’ lives, (b) supportive health care climate toward LARCs, and (c) factors that inhibit LARC uptake. The study has implications for sexuality education that seeks to reduce repeat-births among this population.     

Metabolic cost of running is greater on a treadmill with a stiffer running platform

Exercise testing on motorised treadmills provides valuable information about running performance and metabolism; however, the impact of treadmill type on these tests has not been investigated. This study compared the energy demand of running on two laboratory treadmills: an HP Cosmos (C) and a Quinton (Q) model, with the latter having a 4.5 times stiffer running platform. Twelve experienced runners ran identical bouts on these treadmills at a range of four submaximal velocities (reported data is for the velocity that approximated 75–81% VO_2max). The stiffer treadmill elicited higher oxygen consumption (C: 46.7 ± 3.8; Q: 50.1 ± 4.3 ml·kg^?1 · min^?1), energy expenditure (C: 16.0 ± 2.5; Q: 17.7 ± 2.9 kcal · min^?1), carbohydrate oxidation (C: 9.6 ± 3.1; Q: 13.0 ± 3.9 kcal · min^?1), heart rate (C: 155 ± 16; Q: 163 ± 16 beats · min^?1) and rating of perceived exertion (C: 13.8 ± 1.2; Q: 14.7 ± 1.2), but lower fat oxidation (C: 6.4 ± 2.3; Q: 4.6 ± 2.5 kcal · min^?1) (all analysis of variance treadmill comparisons P < 0.01). This study confirms that caution is required when comparing performance and metabolic results between different treadmills and suggests that treadmills will vary in their comparability to over-ground running depending on the running platform stiffness.