Excelsior College employees receive award for effective practices at OLC Innovate 2016

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Excelsior College employees, Erin Blauvelt and Kimberly Barss, were among the award recipients for the 2016 OLC Effective Practice Award from The Online Learning Consortium (OLC), the leading professional organization devoted to advancing the quality of online learning worldwide. The award was given to them at the upcoming OLC Innovate conference on April 20 in New Orleans.

OLC’s Effective Practice Awards recognize effective techniques, strategies and practices to advance quality and access to online programs. Effective practices are peer reviewed and evaluated within the framework of OLC’s five pillars of quality in online education: access, learning effectiveness, faculty satisfaction, student satisfaction and scale.

Erin Blauvelt of New York is a multimedia instructional designer for the College. Her day-to-day operations include selecting, planning, designing, creating and editing multimedia instructional activities and materials for all learners, including learners with disabilities.

“I believe the most effective practice that one can use in developing online learning programs is to look at your course, materials, and activities from the point of view of the learner,” said Blauvelt. “This could be of our average student (aged 37 with a full time job and family), a student with a certain learning preference, or a student with a disability, as we are serving through this award-winning project.”

Kim Barss of Texas is an instructional designer for the College. She works with a team of faculty program directors and subject matter experts looking for ways to apply best practices in learning theory, instructional design, multimedia learning theory, and accessibility standards. This is done to ensure that the course content maximizes student learning, engagement, and ultimately success.

“With respect to our accessibility project, much of what made it successful came from the support from leadership, having a well-organized and clearly articulated mission and plan, and wonderful colleagues who worked hard and were committed to the ADA accessibility project goals here at Excelsior as we were,” said Barss.

“We are delighted to honor the outstanding commitment and accomplishments of this year’s field of effective practice recipients,” said Kathleen S. Ives, D.M., chief executive officer and executive director, Online Learning Consortium. “Their inspired practices reveal their dedication to advancing online education and exemplify the innovation taking place throughout the online learning community.”

More information about the OLC Effective Practice Awards can be found online at http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/about/olc-awards/effective-practices/.

 

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About Excelsior College

Excelsior College (http://excelsior.edu) is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

 

About Online Learning Consortium

The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) is the leading professional organization devoted to advancing the quality of online learning worldwide. The member-sustained organization offers an extensive set of resources for professional development and institutional advancement of online learning, including, original research, leading-edge instruction, best-practice publications, community-driven conferences and expert guidance. OLC members include educators, administrators, trainers and other online learning professionals, as well as educational institutions, professional societies and corporate enterprises. Visit http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/ for more information.

What I Learned at the Royal College of Nursing Conference

Posted on by Nursing Staff

By Fran Ludwig

Fran Ludwig, MS, RN
Fran Ludwig, MS, RN

I had no expectations as I traveled across ‘the pond’ to England to attend the Royal College of Nursing conference-my primary goal was to present with my colleague Bonny Kehm on our work with person centered care and baccalaureate nursing education. Certainly, I was interested in networking and meeting nurses from around the world but I honestly did not know what to expect.

It was in the poster presentations that I found common ground with colleagues from around the world. This is what I learned from a nursing colleague from Belfast, Ireland.

Melanie Jan Legg is the Head of Practice Development at Marie Curie: a Hospice program in Belfast, Ireland. Her poster presentation was on the “Implementation of Schwartz rounds in a hospice to develop workforce resilience and team building.” The Schwartz Rounds model is an evidence-based forum for health care staff to come together to talk about the emotional and social challenges of caring for individuals. The Schwartz Centre for Compassionate Healthcare was founded in 2009 to promote kindness and compassion in health care and is now common not only in the UK but in the US as well.

These rounds, quite different from traditional medical rounds, provide staff members with the opportunity to openly and honestly discuss the social and emotional issues they face in caring for patients and families in today’s health care setting. The focus is on the human element of caring.  Research findings have shown that caregivers are better able to make personal connections with patients as well as colleagues when they have greater insight into their own response and feelings.

Legg has implemented Schwartz Rounds at Marie Curie to improve upon the care provided within the hospice setting as well as to move the staff toward a more person-centered, compassionate care model. Her findings supported previous findings that not only did staff appreciate the chance to speak about their own feelings, they in fact felt able to provide more compassionate care. Legg’s next challenge: to assist nursing staff actually incorporating this new found knowledge into a person-centered care approach.

In summarizing her work, Legg stated “Caring has gone out of nursing in so many ways and we need to re-emphasis that we are here to care for the person as well as look after our nurses.”

Reference: Legg, M. (2016, January) Implementation of Schwartz rounds in a hospice to develop workforce resilience and team building. Poster presented at the Royal College of Nursing International Conference, Telford, England.

Interview Workout: Getting in Shape for Your Next Interview

Posted on by Excelsior Staff
Alicia Audino, Assistant Director of Career Services
Alicia Audino, Assistant Director of Career Services

Interview Workout: Getting in Shape for Your Next Interview
Monday, April 25, 2016 | 7 – 8 pm EDT

For many of us, interviewing can be a grueling exercise that leaves us questioning whether we measure up to the competition. Like any other competition, it’s important to be in peak condition. It takes preparation, training, dedication and persistence to rise above the other competitors.
In this web chat we’ll get you in shape for your next interview. We’ll discuss key training tips for your warm up (interview preparation), the day of your competition (the interview itself) and your cool down period (wrap up and follow up). We look forward to you joining us for this interesting and interactive discussion on getting in shape for your next interview.

Registration Link: http://interviewworkout.eventbrite.com/?aff=successfiles

Interview with Devi Momot

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In March 2016 and as part of the NCI’s IWICS, Dr. Jane LeClair hosted Devi Momot. Devi is the CEO and Acting CISO of Twinstate Technologies®, and has been at the helm since 2007. An award-winning certified Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York, as well as on the Federal level, Twinstate Technologies is recognized for its 48-year legacy of innovation, entrepreneurship, and exceptional customer experiences.

Upholding the organization’s for-tomorrow culture, Momot is moving the company swiftly into the future, her pioneering vision and exacting execution leading the way for the business and the clients it serves. She has assumed diverse positions with Twinstate Technologies throughout her three-decade tenure. From early on, she demonstrated not only an expertise for technology but also for business. Her foresight and action has directly contributed to significant successes in the company. She personifies leadership and is considered a trusted advisor by internal and external stakeholders alike.

Devi is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®) by (ISC)2, the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, Inc. Certifications by (ISC)2 are internationally revered. She has core cybersecurity leadership certifications from the SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Networking and Security) Institute, including the GIAC Security Leadership Certification (GSLC®) and the GIAC Information Security Professional (GISP®).

Momot received a certificate in “Leading Professional Service Firms” from the Harvard Business School for completing this intensive leadership development program. She has a Bachelor of Science from Excelsior College of New York, a certification in Telecommunications Management from Golden Gate University, and an Associate degree in Electrical Engineering from Mohawk Valley Community College.

 

Interview with Jivika Govil

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In January 2016 and as part of the NCI’s IWICS, Dr. Jane LeClair hosted Jivika Govil. Jivika is an Information Security professional with significant and varied experience in Information Technology including international adeptness in cybersecurity. She has written over 30 research papers on data intelligence, telecom networking, and cybersecurity domain which have been published and presented in several IEEE or ACM international conferences that are noticeably used by several countries such as China, Malaysia, Korea, Canada, Singapore. Owing to her scientific achievements, she was also nominated for ‘Who’s Who in the World’.

Jivika actively promotes women in engineering and has formed the Women Engineer Development Society (WEDS) which strives to exemplify women as role models. She hopes to inspire other women to meet their full potential by influencing, guiding and directing them. In addition, Ms. Govil’s technical experience and organization development skills led to her selection as an editorial board member for IT and computer science related journals.

Ms. Govil holds a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Master of Information System Management. Additionally, she graduated with honors in Information Technology engineering from Maharishi Dayanand University (MDU) in India where she received accolades for exceptional performance and successfully promoting new ideas.

Webinar: Insider Threat – User Behavior Analytics

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One April 25, the National Cybersecurity Institute (NCI) at Excelsior College hosted a webinar on “Insider Threat: User Behavior Analytics”.

As insider threats become more sophisticated, organizations must employ security capabilities that can quickly assess, identify, and analyze user behavior.  User Behavior Analytics (UBA) helps enterprises detect insider threats, targeted attacks and financial fraud.  UBA gives responsible folk visibility into user behavior, allowing them to devise efficient ways to detect malicious or negligent users, and to fix the problem.  The goal of this webinar was to help those involved in protecting data to understand UBA enough to converse about it intelligently.See webinar in full screen

The webinar provided a brief look at the insider threat problem from the beginning down to modern times and also discussed how User Behavior Analytics can efficiently and effectively address Insider Threats.

The webinar was presented by Derek Smith. Derek is currently IT Program Manager at the IRS. Formerly, he worked for a number of IT companies including Computer Sciences Corporation and Booz Allen Hamilton. Derek spent 18 years as a special agent for various government agencies and the military. He has also taught business and IT courses at several universities for over 20 years. Derek has also recently published his third book entitled Conversational User Behavior Analytics. He has served in the US Navy, Air Force and Army for a total of 24 years. He completed an MBA, MS in IT Information Assurance, Masters in IT Project Management, and a B.S in Education.

 

Webinar: Center for Academic Excellence -Knowledge Unit Mapping Series – Part 2

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On April 20, the National Cybersecurity Institute (NCI) hosted a webinar on “Center for Academic Excellence – Knowledge Unit Mapping – Part 2”.See webinar in full screen

Excelsior College is taking the initiative to produce quality members of the workforce in Cybersecurity. As a Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense the college continues to align their course and program outcomes to the standards put forth by the NSA.

The webinar is part of a new series that focuses on Knowledge Unit Mapping. This second webinar focused on Basic Data Analysis, Introductory Programming, and Fundamental Security Design Principles and what Excelsior College is doing to assure learners have the proper skills to be outstanding members of the Cybersecurity workforce.

The webinar was presented by Dr. Andrew Hurd. Dr. Hurd is the Faculty Program Director for Cybersecurity at Excelsior College. He is responsible for curriculum development and degree requirements for the Bachelors and Master degrees in Cybersecurity. Prior to joining Excelsior, Dr. Hurd worked at Hudson Valley CC and SUNY Albany. He holds dual Bachelors of Arts in Computer Science and Mathematics, a Masters in the Science of teaching mathematics, and a PhD in Information Sciences specialized in Information Assurance and Online Learning. Dr. Hurd also won the SUNY Chancellors award for Excellence in Teaching in 2012 while working at HVCC.

 

Urinary Incontinence Research with Associate Degree Nursing Students

Posted on by Nursing Staff

Photo of Sharon AronovitchSharon Aronovitch, PhD, RN, CWOCN,  conducted a study with associate degree nursing students’ to determine if their beliefs, attitudes, knowledge of urinary incontinence (UI) impacted their clinical judgment when caring for a patient who is experiencing UI.  Aronovitch is lead faculty program director of the graduate nursing program at Excelsior.

This was a non-experimental study using a convenience sample of associate degree nursing students from a distance-based and traditional associate degree nursing programs. The 501 participants in the study had completed the urinary incontinence component of the respective school’s curriculum. Each student received an email containing an introduction to the study which included a link to the study instruments, Urinary Incontinence Scales, developed by Joan Shade Henderson and a demographic sheet.

The response rate was low (16.97%, n=85; N=501) with the distance-based associate degree nursing students having a higher participation rate and nine participants did not identify a school affiliation. The participants mean scores  for the Beliefs Scale (93.69, SD 12.18, maximum score 138) and the Attitude Scale (91.01, SD 12.01, maximum score of 120) demonstrated a positive impact on the care the associate degree nursing student provided to patients experiencing urinary incontinence. The scores for the Facts Scale (25.61, SD 2.79, maximum of 35) indicated a high recall of UI knowledge and the Actions Scale (41.76, SD 19.64, maximum of 75) demonstrated the critical thinking required to manage UI was only moderate.

Warning Bells Ring: But too Late?

Posted on by Excelsior Staff
The electrical industry is just one industry that relies on SCADA systems.
The electrical industry is just one industry that relies on SCADA systems.

It seems that someone has finally gotten the message that our critical infrastructure is in danger! A recent article in nbcnews.com, U.S. Infrastructure Can Be Hacked With Google, Simple Passwords, quotes authorities as saying that “…the 2013 hack of the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye Brook, N.Y., was a “frightening new frontier” of cybercrime that’s “scary to think about.” Since this realization comes nearly three years after the event, one has to wonder what remote cave authorities have been living in all these years.

For some time those with a vested interest in cybersecurity have been sounding the alarm that our critical infrastructures are in grave danger.

Just to recap, our nation’s critical infrastructure consists of sixteen sectors that have been deemed critical by Presidential Policy Directive 21 (PPD-21) for the countries viability. They have been identified as: the Chemical Sector, Commercial Facilities Sector, Communications Sector, Critical Manufacturing Sector, Dams Sector, Defense Industrial Base Sector, Emergency Services Sector, Energy Sector, Financial Services Sector, Food and Agriculture Sector, Government Facilities Sector, Healthcare and Public Health Sector, Information Technology Sector, Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector, Transportation Systems Sector, and the Water and Wastewater Systems Sector.

Those with malicious intent, for better word, hackers, have for years been intent on gaining access to those systems. They are particularly interested in gaining control of the SCADA systems to those critical sectors. SCADA, the Acronym for Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition,  a type of  industrial control system, is an integration of computer monitoring systems and physical processes. Essentially, if you can hack into the SCADA system of a critical sector, you can physically control the operations of the sector. With a few keystrokes you can open and close switches or valves and generally wreak havoc on a system.

For example, a water utility in Illinois was hacked and a pump was destroyed, centrifuges were damaged at an Iranian nuclear facility, SCADA systems in the Ukrainian power grid were attacked resulting in a blackout in the region, a nuclear plant in the US was attacked in 2003 resulting in a shutdown, the list goes on, but the attack on the dam in Upstate NY currently has grabbed headlines. Chris Francescani, in writing the above mentioned nbcnews.com article quotes FBI computer crime investigator Mike Bazzell as saying “This stuff has been happening undetected for years, and now this is one of the first times that it’s surfaced publicly.”

As intent as hackers are in gaining control of our systems, the good guys, that’s us, must be equally intent on preventing that from happening. Since most critical sectors are privately owned enterprises, this must be a coordinated and cooperative effort by businesses, government agencies and cyber professionals to prevent a major catastrophe from striking our nation. For years cyber experts have been warning about a cyber Pearl Harbor occurring should hackers gain control of our systems. Slowly, steadily it appears they have been doing so. To forestall their efforts, attention and funding is beginning to show up to bolster our defenses. In his latest budget proposal, President Obama has called for a $14 billion increase in cyber security initiatives to help protect our critical infrastructure. Let’s hope it’s enough, and not too late.

Learn more about protecting our critical infrastructures here.

Sources

Department of Homeland Security (n.d.). Critical Infrastructure Sector. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors

Francescani, C. (2016, April 3). U.S. Infrastructure Can Be Hacked With Google, Simple Passwords. NBC News. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-infrastructure-can-be-hacked-google-simple-passwords-n548661

Rashid, F. Y. (2011, November 18). Cyber-Attackers Breach SCADA Network, Destroy Destroy Pump at Water Utility. eWeek. Retrieved from http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/CyberAttackers-Breach-SCADA-Network-Destroy-Pump-at-Water-Utility-614710

Reiten, G. (2012, September, 27). Chinese Hackers Blamed for Breach of Telvent’s SCADA-Related Network. Powermag. Retrieved from http://www.powermag.com/chinese-hackers-blamed-for-breach-of-telvents-scada-related-network/

Shalal, A. (2015, February, 2). Obama seeks $14 billion to boost U.S. cybersecurity defenses. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-budget-cybersecurity-idUSKBN0L61WQ20150202

Excelsior College announces new professional and technical writing concentration for students

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Excelsior College’s School of Liberal Arts (SLA) will be launching a new Professional and Technical Writing concentration on April 6.

According to research conducted by O*Net, projected technical writing jobs will increase between now and 2022 with more than 50,000 employees and 22,600 job openings in the field.  The introduction of the Professional and Technical Writing Concentration to the College curriculum will help students reach their educational goals and encourage some to pursue careers in professional writing.

The Professional and Technical Writing (PTW) concentration offers training on nationally-recognized writing competencies.  The PTW concentration targets students who want to enhance their skills for career advancement or add a writing credential to their bachelor of science liberal arts  (or any related) degree.  Courses in technical, scientific, and medical writing will include practice in professional editing, use of various communication media, and writing for the global marketplace and for new media. Graduates with strong writing skills are poised for employment and advancement in health care, technology, pharmaceutical, government, science, and the military.

“The market for graduates with a professional or technical writing credential is well-documented, and employer reports indicate the need for all employees to have solid writing skills,” said Joseph Bocchi, program director in the School of Liberal Arts.

“While the concentration allows Excelsior students to apply existing writing courses offered by the School of Health Sciences and the School of Business and Technology, SLA has been developing a core of new courses that require hands-on application of skills as learning outcomes,” said Bocchi.  “The concentration offers students the chance to apply their knowledge and experience within an academically rigorous program that provides skills for real-world applications across disciplines.”

To learn more about the PTW concentration, visit the Liberal Arts PTW concentration page.

 

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About Excelsior College

Excelsior College is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and designated as a Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and the US Department of Homeland Security.

What’s in Your Toolbox?

Posted on by Excelsior Staff
Vicki Pocorobba, Student Success Coach
Vicki Pocorobba, Student Success Coach

Have you ever had one of those days when you just can’t seem to get motivated? When you can’t seem to find time for yourself, your work, family AND schoolwork?  I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all had those days, especially as adult learners with busy lives trying to balance so many things at once.

As a Success Coach, I talk to students every day with the goal of supporting them in developing skills that help them to succeed not only in school, but in life.  I’m curious about how they turn things around when they’re struggling to motivate. I ask them this for two reasons:

  • to help them pinpoint what works/has worked, so they can re-use that tool in the future, and
  • to learn from them so that I can share these successful strategies with other students.

Many of our students already have an effective toolbox that they utilize on a daily basis.   Below are a few strategies I have learned from some of our students.  Maybe you do something similar, or maybe you can borrow one of these “tools” the next time you’re needing a little something to keep you moving forward:

  • Talk the talk – expect that you will do well, say it out loud and follow up on your actions – that way, you are setting yourself up to succeed.
  • Plan for it, expect it, achieve it.
  • Focus and challenge yourself because you are responsible for your own success.
  • Do not procrastinate, set your mind to it and just do it!
  • Listen to a great song that gets you motivated!
  • Choose a positive self-affirmation and post it somewhere so you see if often.
  • Create your own self-fulfilling prophecy – don’t say “I can’t”, instead, say “I can” and “I will”

If you have other strategies that work for you, I’d love to hear about them.  Post them in the comments below.

What I Learned at the Royal College of Nursing’s 100 year Celebration

Posted on by Nursing Staff

By Bonny Kehm, PhD, RN
Faculty Program Director, BS Nursing Program

Last month I had the honor of attending and presenting at the Royal College of Nursing Education Forum International Conference and Exhibition in England. The conference titled, Partners in practice –the global perspective, brought together nurses from all over the world who have a commitment to education. The conference was stimulating and informative and I had an opportunity to meet nurses from all over the globe.

One in particular was the keynote speaker, Dr. Tracy Levett-Jones, professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Newcastle, Australia. She spoke about the need to teach nursing students empathy. She also discussed the meaning of empathy, significance, and application in nursing education. Behavioral Empathy, as Levett-Jones presented, is the gold standard and synonymous with compassion. This type of empathy requires a conscious decision and doesn’t come naturally.

I encourage all nurses to attend and present at conferences as they provide one with not only an opportunity to continue professional development, but with a feeling of being inspired and invigorated about our profession.

*My presentation and attendance to this conference was supported by the Robert E. Kinsinger Institute for Nursing Excellence, Tau Kappa At-Large Chapter – Research Dissemination Scholarship, and FPDSC Professional Research Grant awarded by Excelsior College.