Academic Forum

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 12:00pm to 5:00pm.

The 2009 Academic Forum will focus on issues of importance to SH&E professionals who are involved in teaching and counseling students at the college level, as well as research in safety and health. Eligible attendees include full time academicians and members of the Academics Practice Specialty.

Opening Remarks and Lunch

Guest Speakers:

• James “Skipper” Kendrick, CSP; Director, EHS Training; Textron, Inc.; Hurst, TX
• Wayne Jones, Ed.D; Administrator, ASSE Academic Practice Specialty; Southeastern Oklahoma State University; Durant, OK

Concurrent Sessions

Safety Leadership: The Way We Do Things Around Here

Course #A1 - 1:00 –1:40pm

Students often focus on the knowledge of rules and regulations as a way to ensure success as a safety professional. While such knowledge is a critical component to a career as a safety professional, the more intangible concepts of leadership, culture and communication are the keys to overcoming the image of the “safety police” and to becoming a leader that makes a difference. This presentation will look at the concepts of safety leadership, culture and productive communications and how they can be shared with students on a meaningful level. The use of actual case studies will be discussed.

Instructor: Leigh Ann Blunt, Ed.D, ASP; Chair, Safety Sciences; University of Central Missouri; Warrensburg, MO

Developing Higher-Level Cognitive Skills in a Fire Protection Course

Course #A2 - 1:50 – 2:30pm

Traditional textbooks and handbooks in occupational safety emphasize subject-matter content. Using these books for texts in university courses may lead to over-emphasis on skills for acquiring and comprehending factual information. After teaching a traditional fire protection course for several years, the instructor decided to upgrade the course to emphasize development of higher-level cognitive skills.
The traditional course emphasized the two lower levels of mental skills: (1) knowledge and (2) comprehension. The upgraded course uses the same textbook, but emphasizes higher levels of mental skill: (3) application, (4) analysis, and (5) synthesis. Application abilities involve using information in new situations. Analysis skills involve comparing and contrasting different policy options. Synthesis skills involve developing fault-trees to show the logic behind material in the textbook. A useful tool for implementing this shift in emphasis was a Knowledge Survey (KS) – a list of the abilities each student should have when they complete the course.

Instructor: Roger C. Jensen, Ph.D, J.D, P.E., CSP, CPE; Professor, Safety, Health and Industrial Hygiene Department; Montana Tech of the University of Montana; Butte, MT

Using Online Survey Tools to Conduct Safety Research & Safety Program Needs Assessments

Course #A3 - 2:40 –3:20pm

This session will provide attendees with guidelines on how to set up and manage an online survey. It will focus on the use of Student Voice to develop and administer online surveys related to safety research and safety program assessments. Aspects of the survey process will include formatting and layout of the survey instrument, arrangement and wording of the survey items, and analysis of the results. Data analysis issues will include biases introduced through the use of internet based surveys, sampling strategies, response rates, and validity of the results.

Instructors:

• Christopher Janicak, Ph.D, CSP, ARM; Professor of Safety, Graduate Program Coordinator; Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Indiana, PA
• Tracey L. Cekada, Ph.D., CSP, Assistant Professor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA

Break (3:20 – 3:40pm)

Factors Affecting Grade Variation between Graduate and Undergraduate Student

Course #A4 - 3:40 – 4:20pm

Safety & health courses are typically taught by instructors who are keen about the learning process of their students. Instruction methods are typically the same for both graduate and undergraduate students. However, it has always been the case where graduate students grades are typically higher than undergraduate students. This session assesses factors such as gender, age, overall GPA (thus far for undergraduates and BS degree for graduates), and work experience, on the variation of grades, and the effects of combining undergraduates and graduates within the same assignment groups on the grade for that particular assignment.

Instructors:

• Magdy Akladios, Ph.D, P.E., CSP, CPE, CSHM; University of Houston-Clear Lake; Houston, TX
• Kimberly Criddle Straughter, Katy, TX

A Curricular Design Case Study: Creating Real World Safety Leadership

Course #A5 - 4:30 – 5:10pm

This presentation will describe the process of integrating real world learning experiences into an undergraduate safety studies curriculum at Keene State College, an OSHA Ed Center. Session facilitators will describe how the college classroom can provide both real-world learning for students and create practical, business-integrated solutions for local businesses.

Instructors:

• Wayne Hartz, CSP, CIH, CSHM; Asst Professor, Safety Studies; Keene State College; Keene, NH
• Melinda Treadwell, Ph.D; Dean, Professional & Graduate Studies; Keene State College; Keene, NH

Closing Remarks (5:10pm)