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Integration and Teamwork between Home and International Students Through Outdoor Education
Tagged: EducationTeamwork
Developing an Understanding of Integration and Teamwork between Home and International Students Through the use of Outdoor Education
Higher education institutions such as universities, academies and colleges, are now a popular post-secondary option (Stewart & Knowles, 2000). There is a vast change from secondary education to higher education, so students must adapt very early within the first year to ensure a strong and stable foundation is made for the following years. University graduates have an important task of transition from university to work (Wang et al., 2017), and to enhance the chances of employment, communication and team cooperation have to be of a high standard (Liu and Chen, 2012).
A way in which universities can aid students is by equipping them with a wide range of transferable employable skills (Kalfa and Taksa, 2017). Students can excel through higher education when transferable skills in teamwork, task management, problem solving and leadership are developed (Prichard, Bizo, & Stratford, 2006). According to Hassall et al. (2005), employers believe that educational institutions such as universities, do not focus on the development of personal transferable skills and knowledge areas. Numerous research (Dyball et al., 2007; Kemp & Seagraves, 1995; Wisker, 1994) has been conducted which suggests teamwork and oral presentations have a number of benefits in higher education, ranging from improvements in self-confidence, communication, problem-solving and peer bonding. For example, Wisker (1994) stresses that teamwork and oral work, can help the development of a number of transferable skills. Dyball et al. (2007) study also shows that group activities can have a positive impact, by increasing student's productivity and performance.
Academic ability and didactic teaching methods are key priorities which universities focus on when trying to develop students subject knowledge, but do not prioritise the development of ones behavioural and emotional skills (Buller & McEvoy, 1990; Roberts, 2009). There are several pre-existing transferable skills frameworks that have been proposed, but Washer (2007) put these frameworks into one set of essential transferable skills for universities, to ensure greater student success. The framework consists of communication, working with others, problem solving, learning how to learn, the use of information technology, numeracy, and personal and professional development. Mclean, Shaban & Murdoch-Eaton (2011), conducted an investigation into the skills, but not this particular framework, and found that when these transferable skills are implemented, it has a positive impact towards student's independent learning. For this to have an impact, universities must implement transferable skills into their programmes. Universities say that they produce graduate attributes which match Washer (2007) framework. Each university has their own set of graduate attributes, they are different from other institutions but are often similar. For example, the University of Glasgow's graduate attributes are: academic ability, personal qualities and transferable skills (Gla.ac.uk, 2018), while the University of Hertfordshire say they will develop students' knowledge, skills and attributes (Herts.ac.uk, 2018). Even though universities say this, they fail to express how these attributes are supported. They are not always clear, as they do not explain how they can be achieved.
Effective teamwork consists of accepting responsibility for your own work and sharing credit, whilst listening and taking into account peers/colleagues ideas and suggestions. Communication and interaction is vital, regardless of what environment you are in when working with others, to ensure for a successful outcome. However, research suggests that meaningful interactions between home and international students are not achieved in a class or on a university campus (Leask, 2009). Volet and Ang (1998) conducted research into internationalisation in higher education institutions in Australia, and identified a lack of integration between the Australian students (home students) and Asian students (international students). They described this non-existent interaction as "one of the most worrying aspects of internalisation in higher education". Further research by Robertson et al. (2000) investigated this and the results showed that international students felt isolated from their Australian classmates. The previous research has then been reinforced by Leask (2001), who studied the integration between home and international students in their own institution, University of South Australia. With one in four of the students at this university being international, they were concerned with levels of interaction between both sets of students. Students from 95 different countries were questioned and stated that they were very dissatisfied with the amount of integration they had with home students. The same result occurred when questioning the home students. Home students and academic staff both agreed that even if they tried enhancing the integration between both sets of students on campus, it probably would not last off campus. The reasons behind this could be due to language barriers, social differences, fear of saying something wrong and past experiences with the other students (Leask, 2009). Zimitat (2008) found that if inadequate preparation or support is given to international and home students when they are put together to complete group tasks, then valued and meaningful integration will not be achieved.
Research has found that, an individual's cognitive ability can be developed when there are meaningful interactions (Ryan and Hellmundt, 2005; Sheets, 2005), and offer opportunities for effective learning (Ryan and Viete, 2009). Where there are environments which encourage group-learning, individuals realise that their understanding of different situations and materials differs from other group members (Arkoudis et al., 2013). When learners then recognise these differences, they have a chance to discuss their understandings with group members to settle these differences (King, 1996). This type of approach to learning can "play a role in thinking and securing engagement, learning and understanding in higher education" (Hardman, 2008). Awareness of own and other cultures can also be established through interactions between peers. Culture is not defined by particular parameters, as each individual is defined by their own specific attributes (Doherty and Singh 2005; Signorini, Wiesemes, and Murphy 2009). Gordon Allport (1954), devised the contact hypothesis, which is also known as the 'Intergroup Contact Theory'. The idea of Allport's theory states that "under appropriate conditions interpersonal contact is one of the most effective ways to reduce prejudice between majority and minority group members". The way in which to achieve this is to promote an opportunity for independent and cooperative interactions, to try and reclassify people saying "us and them" to "we" (Desforges et al., (1991); Dovidio and Gaertner, (1999).
In relation to this evidence, some Higher Education institutions provide Outdoor Education (OE) courses with the intention of trying to develop students understanding of teamwork, and integration between home and international students (Buller, McEvoy and Craun, 1995; Cooley, Burns, and Cumming, 2015). These OE courses require students in small groups to complete team problem solving activities that require communication and intense teamwork, whilst in a wilderness environment (Hattie et al., 1997). Breunig, Connell, & Young (2010) and Gass, Garvey, & Sugarman (2003), have showed that OE can improve communication, group cohesion, decision-making, leadership, interpersonal skills, self-awareness and confidence. OE courses are a social and enjoyable experience, which can help enhance integration through the use of team building challenges such as raft building. Thus, ensures students communicate and work together, preparing them for higher education life (Harvey and Drew, 2006). Individuals can input their ideas and communicate with one another when they are placed into groups to complete tasks, developing integration (Barcelona, 2002; Star, 1989). OE has been widely researched as an effective learning technique for students, resulting in several theories being used to explain their benefits. An example of one of these theories is Dewey's experiential learning theory (1938). This specific theory states that it is important for students to learn through direct experiences, which creates a learning environment where students learn through exploration and reflection (DeLay, 1996).
It is noted that students seem to remember what they have learnt more when experiential learning takes place (Dewey, 1938; Dart et al., 2000). To examine this, semi-structured video diary rooms were used in the present study to evaluate learning experiences (Poole, 2007). This approach takes the participants away from other members, into a private space, to ensure participants can express their thoughts in a relaxed and comfortable environment (Cooley, 2015). Unlike one-to-one interviews, participants are allowed to think and speak at their own pace without the pressure of someone watching them, thus hopefully leading to more meaningful and descriptive answers.
Two studies (Noyes, 2004; Buchwald, Schantz-Larsen, and Delmar 2009) used video diary room entries to explore deep into children's thoughts during life-changing situations. This offered children the freedom to say anything they thought to allow for a meaningful and descriptive passage of speech. It was found that both studies, along with benefits, had downfalls in their methods. Limitations such as trustworthiness and credibility of results were some of the main points noted from the studies, due to participants not completing entries when they had negative experiences and they could also pre-plan their responses as they knew when the entries had to be completed by. From this the probability of a social desirability bias was inevitably increasing. Another limitation that was also found was the answers the children gave were often irrelevant and off-course, due to there not being an interviewer present and no set questions. The present study investigated whether students in higher education were willing to be as open and truthful when sharing their observations/experiences, just as they tried to do with the children in Noyes and Buchwald's study.
Therefore the present qualitative longitudinal study aims to see whether the effect of a 5 day OE course can help develop an understanding of teamwork and integration between home and international postgraduate students. The students were from several universities courses and comprised of various ethnic backgrounds and nationalities. They were invited to take part on an OE trip, based in the rural North West countryside. While they were there they underwent numerous team building challenges and various team sporting activities, whilst being observed to see how they cooperated and worked together over the duration of the course. The willing participants were questioned over several time points; prior, during and after the course, using semi-structured video diary room entries, which has never been used longitudinally before. The questions were open-ended to allow participants to speak freely about their thoughts and experiences. They were used to see whether the participants encountered any challenges, experienced any interactions with different cultures, or if they had observed any advantages or differences over time. The answers were then collected and thoroughly analysed using a thematic analysis approach, enabling for codes and themes to be identified from a rich and descriptive data set. Allowing for an insight into how home and international students perceived the course.
All nine participants (M age = 33.22; SD = 5.18) were postgraduate students at a large, multicultural urban university in the UK. Five participants were female, and four were male. Overall, most were of different ethnicities and study in three different university departments: Biosciences, Psychology and Sport Science. The sample contained a mixture of home (n= 3) and EU/International (n= 6) students, with less than half (n= 4) speaking English as their first language (Table 1). Pseudonyms were allocated to the participants to hide their identities.
Pseudonym Age (Years) School Nationality English as first language
Josh Jones 27 Sports Science British Yes
Cheng Wang 26 Biosciences Chinese No
Agapi Papadopoulos 31 Psychology Greek No
Steve Williams 32 Psychology British Yes
Emma Smith 28 Sports Science British Yes
Vladlena Smirnov 33 Psychology Russian No
Arman Jadav 45 Biosciences Indian No
Fleur Van De Hoorn 30 Sports Science Dutch No
Olivia Wilson 36 Psychology Canadian Yes
Table 1. Details of participants
The OE Course:
The OE trip aimed to enhance participants' teamwork, problem solving, communication skills and integration, which could then hopefully become transferable to every day university life. Throughout the course, they participated in a variety of engaging outdoor challenges which were delivered by trained instructors. All the challenges and activities used required the groups to use teamwork to successfully achieve the given objectives. Activities ranged from raft building, to more technical high rope courses. Outside of the activities students also had a house cleaning regime, and there was time to socialise and relax in the evenings.
Before the study took place, the nine participants involved were each given an information sheet about what the study would entail, and asked to complete a consent form stating their willingness to take part. They then completed a questionnaire for general demographic information. Data was collected on campus, and during a five day residential course at an outdoor pursuits centre in the rural North West. There were seven time points in which participants were asked to answer questions over the duration of the study. The first lot of questions were given to the participants one week prior to the course, the next were given at the end of each day they were at the outdoor pursuit centre, and two follow-up sessions were provided. The first follow-up session was conducted a week after they had completed the five days, with the second one being three months later.
The baseline questions prior to the study consisted of the participant's hopes and expectations of the OE course. The questions which were asked at the end of each of the five days, related to what they had experienced, what challenges they had faced, and if they had noticed any differences. Reflection questions relating to future changes were then asked during the follow-ups. The process by which this data was collected was through the use of semi-structured video diary rooms. This is where participants were instructed to read question cards placed in front of them out loud, then provide a detailed response to each.
Semi-structured video diary rooms:
The use of semi-structured video diary rooms were used as a method to collect the data in the present study. The process compromised of the nine willing participants being placed in a private room and positioned in a chair. They were then given a set of questions in which they had to respond in front of a video camera. The questions were varied throughout the days (Table 1.1), to ensure a real insight into participant's experiences and observations. The semi-structured video diary room questions were broad to encourage students to respond with open-ended answers. From doing this, it stopped participants from answering with a simple 'yes/no', as the answers required a lot of detail and meaning (Smith, 2007).
The present study focused on the seven 'understanding' questions related to the study (Italicised in table 1.1). Through doing this, it enables for more in-depth data into how the participants understood the course, team members and experiences.
Time point Questions
Baseline Tell us a bit about yourself including your name, where you're from, what you like doing and why you're on the Coniston trip?
What do you hope to learn on this course?
Do you have any concerns about the course?
Tell us about your experience of working with people from different backgrounds and cultures during your time at the university?
What challenges do you expect to face regarding how well an international group is able to work together?
Day 1 What have been your first impressions of the course?
Thinking about what you previously said you wanted to learn on the course, have these hopes changed in any way since completing the first day?
What challenges do you expect to face regarding how your group is working together?
After working on tasks with your group today, have you noticed any cultural differences?
How do you think the international makeup of your group will impact your experience while at the camp?
Day 2 Tell us a bit about your experiences today?
What have you learnt so far on the course?
How has your behaviour affected how your group has worked together positively or negatively?
How have you found the interaction between students from different backgrounds and cultures?
Are there any challenges you as an individual have faced today working in an international group and how have you overcome them?
Day 3 What has been your most memorable experience today?
Have you noticed any changes so far in how you work in a group?
To what extent have you thought about how you can use the skills you are developing here when you're back on the campus?
Have you observed any advantages about being in an international group?
To what extent has the interaction between students with different backgrounds or cultures changed throughout the camp?
Day 4/5 How was your final activity and how well were you able to apply what you have learned so far on the course?
To what extent have you developed the skills that you identified at the beginning of the course? Looking back are there any other skills you wish you had prioritised?
Are there any changes you want to make when you are back on campus and are there any skills that you want to develop further?
What have you learned from working in an international group that you could use during your academic work or future employment?
What has affected how well your international group work together?
Follow-up 1 What is your main memory of your time at the Raymond Priestley Centre?
On reflection what if anything do you feel you learned or gained while at the Raymond Priestley Centre?
How confident are you that you will be able to apply what you've learnt back on campus in the future?
To what extent do you intend to stay in contact with people who you met at the Raymond Priestley Centre and why?
Has the Raymond Priestley Centre had any impact on how you feel about working in an international environment?
Follow-up 2 What are your strongest memories of the Raymond Priestly Centre course?
To what extent have you reflected on your time at the Raymond Priestly Centre?
To what extent has your experience at the Raymond Priestly Centre changed how you work with others from different nationalities?
Following your visit to the Raymond Priestly Centre do you perceive there are any differences in how home and international students tend to work in groups. If so what differences have you observed?
How did you find giving Diary Room Entries?
How has giving diary room entries impacted your experience at the course both during and since?
Table 1.1. Semi-structured video diary room questions.
Data Analysis:
Relating to the main research question, the analysis focused on the understanding of integration and teamwork. Fifty seven relevant diary room entries were collected during the duration of the study; 5 before, 36 during, and 16 after the course had finished. The duration of each entry ranged from 3 minutes 23 seconds to 19 minutes 33 seconds (M= 8 minutes 57 seconds), resultant to a total of 8 hours 29 minutes of video recording.
The diary room entries were recorded on a video camera and transcribed verbatim. An inductive thematic analysis was used after the diary rooms took place. Using the thematic analysis approach allowed us to understand a rich and descriptive data set, where codes and themes could be identified. A semantic approach was taken, which means the themes are identified just from what the participant has said, without making assumptions about the underlying meanings or structures of the answers given (Braun and Clarke, 2006).
When analysing the transcripts obtained from the diary rooms, guidelines produced by Braun and Clarke (2006) and Howitt (2010) were followed to increase organisation and clarity of the collected data (Table 1.2).
Step What was done Description of study process
1 Familiarise yourself with the data obtained. Although the data used in the study was previously collected and transcribed, watching, listening and checking the data again ensured accurate analysis and further familiarisation.
2 Produce primary codes. Every sentence or section of text was given a code, using qualitative analysis software (Nvivo 10.0.641).
3 Look for themes. From looking at the codes, themes were able to be produced due to the similarities within them.
4 Review themes which are generated. Themes which were created were reviewed to ensure internal homogeneity and external heterogeneity prevailed (Patton, 2003). Themes were added, removed and merged together.
5 Define and refine themes. Definitions and names were given to the themes, with direct quotes from participants.
6 Repeated at different time points. With this being a longitudinal study, we conducted data analysis for each participant at various time points throughout the course.
Table 1.2. Braun and Clarke (2006) and Howitt (2010) step by step guide of data collection.
Focusing on the seven main understanding questions (Table 1.3) allowed for a meaningful insight into the participants understanding of integration and teamwork skills. From completing thorough thematic analysis of the answers obtained, codes were identified from the transcripts produced and then subsequently put into overarching themes (Table 1.4). Each theme groups something relevant about the data and relates it to the research question. A meaning or level of pattern response within the data set is represented by each theme (Braun and Clarke, 2006). This is done to acquire a broader level of analysis.
Baseline What challenges do you expect to face regarding how well an international group is able to work together?
During 1.4: After working on tasks with your group today, have you noticed any cultural differences?
1.5: How do you think the international makeup of your group will impact your experience while at the camp?
2.4: How have you found the interaction between students from different backgrounds and cultures?
3.4: Have you observed any advantages about being in an international group?
3.5: To what extent has the interaction between students with different backgrounds or cultures changed throughout the camp?
Follow-up F2.4: Following your visit to the Raymond Priestly Centre do you perceive there are any differences in how home and international students tend to work in groups. If so what differences have you observed?
Table 1.3. Semi-structured video diary room questions. Note: The abbreviations '1.4' etc. are the day and the question number. F2.4 is follow-up 2.
Table 1.4
A thematic analysis of the themes obtained from all participants when answering the seven understanding questions.
First level themes Second level themes Third level themes
Group work challenges Communication
Different outlooks
Language barriers
Different ideas
Cultural differences Many differences
Impact of international makeup Communication
Poor understanding
Not clear enough
Poor communication
Interaction between different cultures Communication
Advantages of international group Broader ideas
Overcoming language barriers
Explaining things
Making sure everyone understands
Repeating things
Slowing down when talking
Differences in how students work Noticeable difference
No noticeable difference
Home: prefer individual work
International: prefer group work
Worked the exact same as before
It was noticed that participant's answers to some of the questions were similar at the seven time points. From analysing this, it was noticed that participants were able to cluster into two main groups based on their content and trajectory of learning. The two main groups were labelled as 'Group A' and 'Group B' (Table 1.5). Group A consisting of the four English as first language participants, and Group B containing the participants whose first language was not English.
Table 1.5. Each group of participants
The noticeable differences in responses to the questions between both groups at the various time points of the study are shown below. Quotes from one participant in the group are given, but provides a general perspective on the type of responses given as a whole group.
Baseline:
Group A "Well one obvious thing is the language barrier, that would obviously be the most obvious challenge" – British male
Group B "Yeah I suppose just dealing with how different people feel about sort of getting into things and the activities yeah" – Greek female
As shown, prior to the course, Group A were language focused, they expected the most obvious challenge they would face when working in a culturally diverse group would be the language barriers. Blume and Board (2013) states that language use differs between every individual and people express themselves in different ways, with meanings of utterance not always being agreed. Group B were more concerned about the cultural practical differences when getting into the activities. Thinking that these practical culture differences may hinder the success of the team. Chamberlain (2005) proposes that these difficulties occur due to "simple lack of understanding of different cultures".
After working on tasks with you group today, have you noticed any cultural differences?
Group A No, not really, no not at all. We all got along exactly as I had imagined we would get along, so no not at all" – Canadian female
Group B "I found some cultural differences regarding the outspokenness of some people and the less outspokenness of some people. I think that might be a cultural thing" – Dutch female
How do you think the international makeup of your group will impact your experiences while at camp?
Group A "Certain people didn't get involved because of the sort of language barriers" – Canadian female
Group B "In terms of my experience, I just will learn more about different cultures in a sense" – Russian female
After completing the first day of the course, Group A didn't notice any cultural differences as of yet, but think the international makeup of the group could impact their teamwork in the coming days. Therefore, from the answer in baseline and day 1, you can see that the English as first language students think the complications derived from the international students, rather than themselves. Differences in personality between cultures were noticed by Group B participants, with them reflecting on what they will learn about different cultures throughout the course. Group B are showing that they are willing to learn about other cultures, whereas at this point in the study, Group A appear as if they did not want to.
Group A "The only thing would be maybe when explaining things you do to make sure that you're a bit clearer with what we plan to do" – British female
Group B "It's very hard for me to express a whole idea very perfectly so that people can understand me" – Chinese male
By day 2, Group A realised that the language complications in camp may also be due to them not explaining situations as clearly as they could be. They have started to realise that they may speak too fast to their international peers, and this may be the issue to why these participants do not get involved as much as they want them to. Group A are finding ways to overcome this, by explaining situations and ensuring everyone in the group understands. Conversely, Group B thought it was their own personal language issues causing their team to struggle when communicating. This could have been instilled into them by Group A participants, due to the way they came across when working in a group on the first few days.
Group A "Yeah probably the best advantage is slowing down when trying to explain rules, not rules, when trying to explain the group ideas" – British male
Group B "Being in an international group, the biggest advantage is that people from different cultural backgrounds tend to have different ideas about the same task" – Chinese male
The previous day, Group A quoted that they needed to explain things more clearly when communicating with participants in Group B. They implemented this into the following day and thought it was the best advantage they observed as a team. Making for more meaningful interactions between both groups of participants. A variety of ideas from different cultural backgrounds was the biggest advantage observed by Group B. From this question, it has shown that the cultural differences are now being adapted to by both groups.
Group A (2 males) "All the Indian individuals stuck together and all the Asian, Eastern Asian stuck together and now it's just much more intermingling" – British male
Group A (2 females) "There's no difference whatsoever that I can see myself anyway, whether people have had different thoughts I'm not sure" – Canadian female
Group B (Dutch and Chinese) " I don't think that the backgrounds or cultures have had a lot of influence on that" – Dutch female
Group B (Greek, Indian and Russian) "Now we are not in different sub-groups, we are having different groups, or just we are communicating across the groups, every single person is comfortable interacting" – Indian male
From the previous question, it seemed as though the interactions between home and international students were improving. Within both groups, answers for the following question differed (table above), meaning both groups divided into two further sub-groups. Coincidentally, the males and females split into sub-groups from Group A. When asked if the interaction had changed, the males thought it had, witnessing a lot more intermingling between different cultures. On the other hand, the females did not notice any changes in the interaction. When it came to Group B, the Dutch and Chinese student also did not notice any changes, but the Greek, Indian and Russian students did, saying everyone is now comfortable with communicating across different groups.
Group A "No, I don't think I have observed any differences from what I would have perceived before the course and what I perceived afterwards" – British male
Group B "I think what I observed so far is the home students here, they prefer to work individually really. I would say international students prefer to work in a group" – Russian female
When both groups were asked whether they perceived any differences in how home and international students work in groups, Group A participants said they did not notice any differences in how they worked before or after the course. Group B had a different feeling towards this, as they did observe differences in how home and international students work in a group. They stated that home students would rather work on their own, while international students prefer to work in a group.
From the given results, it can be said that the English as first language students and English not as first language students perceived the course very differently. The majority of answers given were different prior to the course, during the course and all the way to the follow-up, three months after the course had ended. Prior to the course and on the first day, Group A participants were very language focused and worried about the barriers present due to the international students not being able to communicate effectively in a group, putting the blame onto these students. Group B also noticed the cultural differences but were willing to accept them and progress as a team. Advantages were observed by both groups in the next few days, with participants doing more to enable successful interactions between everyone. Slightly divided opinions occurred within the groups, but after the course was complete Group A didn't perceive any differences while group B did perceive differences, showing that the course benefitted the non-English as first language students a lot more. With the follow-up two taking place three months after the course had finished, this could've affected the responses as the participants had their summer break in-between.
This longitudinal qualitative study examined whether a 5-day OE course could help home and international students develop an understanding of teamwork and integration between the different cultures and nationalities present. The participants completed numerous team building activities and challenges each day, and were then questioned on their experiences from the day through the use of semi-structured video diary rooms. This approach gave the respondent flexibility when answering about their experiences, while allowing the researcher to aim the questions to a particular area of interest (Smith, 2009). To explore whether this study was effective, the participants were also questioned before and after the course. For the duration of the study, a thematic analysis approach was used when analysing the data, which allowed for a rich and descriptive data set.
Conducting the study in this way enabled for the possibility of meaningful interactions between home and international students to be met. It provided an environment which differs from a university setting, ensuring participants had to work in a team and communicate effectively with other people to successfully complete the given activities. Participants are being challenged both physically and mentally when completing each task, which can cause conflict within a group (Howden, 2012). Although disagreements between people are not ideal, if they are well managed it provides an opportunity to break down barriers such as communication and teamwork.
It was found that, developing an understanding of integration and teamwork could be gained from the use of this 5-day OE course. Home and international students perceived the course differently, with both sets of students having different experiences. From thoroughly analysing the data it was evident that participants were able to cluster into two groups based on the similarities in their learning. One group consisted of participants with English as their first language (Group A: 3 UK and 1 Canadian), with the other group containing participants where English was not their first language (Group B: 1 Chinese, 1 Dutch, 1 Indian, 1 Greek and 1 Russian). Prior, and for the first few days of the course, Group A were language focused, and were concerned about the language barriers and issues revolving around working with international students. The following days, they found ways in which they could overcome these barriers and noticed an improvement in how the team was working. When asked if they had observed changes in interaction half way through the course, opinions were split, with males and females having different thoughts. Males noticing a change in interaction, stating that participants with different cultures are now bonding with one another. However, females did not witness any changes in interaction. After the course had ended, males and females in this group both agreed that they have not noticed any differences in the way home and international students work in a group. From this evidence, it came be assumed that Group A participants bonded but did not generalise with the different cultures present. The aim of the study did not entirely work for this group of participants.
Prior, and during the entirety of the course, Group B noticed differences in cultures and were pleased to learn and adapted around them to ensure the team worked efficiently. With Group A participants being the more dominant group members and taking the lead, Group B participants felt as though the language barriers were from their own doing. Yet again, when asked if the socialisation between different cultures had changed after the third day, opinions were divided. Over half of them thought it had changed, as everyone was now bonding with each other, whereas the others did not notice a change in interaction. Group B had a different opinion to Group A after the course, as they specified that they had noticed a difference in how home and international students work in a group. They stated that home students would rather work individually, but international students would rather work in a diverse group.
The study has shown that OE can offer a pathway in which home and international students can develop an understanding of integration and teamwork, but it is not significant enough to say that OE is a successful way in which to achieve the desired outcome. From the course, all participants encountered challenges relating to the different cultures present, both sets of students found ways to try and overcome these issues, but international students were able to adapt around them more than home students. The understanding of different cultures did develop for all participants over the duration of the course, with teamwork skills also improving. However, this improvement in understanding and teamwork did not have any effect on the way English as first language participants worked on a university campus after the course. For these students, it showed that OE did not benefit their integration with international students in any way. The English not as first language participants did notice a difference on the university campus, with different international cultures working together and integrating more with each other, showing that the OE course did benefit them.
The present study aligned with a thesis conducted by Sam Cooley (2015), and aimed to explore whether the role of OE could help facilitate and develop an understanding of integration and teamwork skills between home and international students, using semi-structured video diary room's to investigate the students' learning experiences before, during and after. Both studies had similar environments and activities, and were conducted in the same way. However, the present study examined the understanding aspect of integration and teamwork on a five-day OE course, whereas Cooley (2015) examined the development of just group work skills on a three-day OE course. Cooley found that motivations for attending the course when the participants arrived at the OE centre varied; some hoping to develop interpersonal skills through group work, while others exhibited negative attitudes towards group work and uncertainty in why they were attending. Students then benefitted from the course as greater awareness of areas in need of improvement were displayed, along with enhanced competence. Overall, his study concluded that OE courses can offer an environment where interpersonal and intrapersonal skills of participants can be developed. Further research is required to see whether the effects of this study can impact student development long-term. The findings in the present study also suggests that participants can enhance their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, along with the majority being able to develop an understanding in integration and teamwork between home and international students. In comparison to Cooley's study, the present studies explored whether this understanding of integration and teamwork reflected back on a university campus, seeing if it would have long-term effects. Unfortunately, it was found that, there was not a significant improvement of integration and teamwork between home and international students on a university campus post-intervention.
However, a meta-analysis of 96 studies that measured OE outcomes was conducted by Hattie et al. (1997). From these 96 studies, it was found that OE had a total of 40 benefits. These 40 benefits were made up of six main themes: leadership, academic, interpersonal, personality, self-concept and adventuresome. In the studies which included a follow-up session, a further 0.17 effect was noticed (equalling a total effect size of 0.51), compared to the smaller effect size (0.34) gained when measures were taken immediately after the OE course ended. This proposes that the benefits gained by the participants while they were on the OE course were sustained when they had returned back to university. From this study, you can see that OE courses can, in many ways, benefit participants inter and intrapersonal skills during and after their time on the courses.
While the present study and other research suggests that students' teamwork improved, along with a number of other benefits gained from OE courses, there is still a gap in literature which focuses on the long-term benefits OE has on students in higher education. The evidence gained from follow-up sessions while students are back on a university campus was solely based on student's comments on what they think, rather than observing and systematically collecting evidence on how they work with others after the course.
Whilst this study is a key step in helping both home and international students develop an understanding of integration and teamwork, it is important to identify a number of limitations. Firstly, although the use of semi-structured video diary rooms were used due to them being a modern way in which to obtain data compared to the traditional interview techniques (Cooley, 2015), they still have their limitations. Rich data was generally obtained, but some transcripts lacked detail, which was also a factor in Novakovic (2014) study. With the interviewee being in a private room, alone, with nothing but a video recorder in front of them, there was an inability to follow-up their answers. If something was said that required further clarification, it was impossible to do using this interview technique. Further probing may have been beneficial to obtain what was required from the interviewee. To solve this, the wording of the diary room questions needed to be faultless to circumvent interviewee's misinterpretations, or step-by-step questions could've been used to ensure interviewee's maintain attention and can be guided through self-reflection of experiences.
Secondly, the timing of the questions are another potential limitation to the study. At least one week before and one week after the course is the ideal amount of time that questionnaires should be administered (Hattie et al., 1997; McEvoy, 1997; Scrutton and Beames, 2015), as if it completed any sooner it may distort participant's responses about their OE experiences. In this study, the second follow-up questions were completed three months after. Within this time the participants had their summer term in university meaning they were not on a university campus. With this follow-up question relating to whether they had observed any changes in the way home and international students worked in a group on a campus, the answers given may not have been representative of what was actually occurring. It is a long time in which they have to remember what changes, if any, they have witnessed, meaning they may not even remember and could possibly be giving false answers. From this, it may not be a true reflection or reliable data. For example, one participant said "I think because it's been the summer holidays since I've done it, I haven't really had that much of an opportunity to work within groups of home or international students".
Finally, the study was very broad, with lots of different themed questions being asked. As 'understanding' was the focus of this study, only seven questions out of the 35 asked were relevant. This limited the data obtained in this area of interest, so a full understanding of experiences was not gained.
If the study was to be done again, the questions would be written in a way to ensure it is more specific to the area of interest of this study. This will guarantee every answer at every time point is relevant, giving a larger more detailed data set. Also, it would be more beneficial to analyse the data set blind. It was ironic that the English as first language participants clustered together, same with the non-English as first language participants. As they gave similar answers to questions, there was no hesitation when clustering them together as this was a perfect outcome to write about, but this may have only occurred due to the responses not being anonymised. It may have been the same outcome if it had been anonymised, but the thought of having these two sets of participants split perfectly, it was hard to resist clustering them together. To make sure it is more reliable in the future I would code the answers blind, to prevent any possible interpreter bias.
Higher education institutions fail or often avoid exposure to diverse group work (Halualani et al., 2004), but initial evidence has revealed that OE courses can provide this. The interactions experienced by these home and international students led to the development of understanding different cultures, integration and teamwork, along with developing a sense of belonging among students. To utilise these benefits, future research is needed. This can look at ways in which universities can promote culturally diverse teamwork, by using more focus groups or group work tasks within lectures. As there is also minimal evidence into how the learning from OE is transferred back onto a university campus, more research needs to be done in this area.
In summary, a unique longitudinal qualitative method of collecting data was established in the current study. The study supports the need for higher education institutions to provide OE courses, as it has the ability to allow students to express their learning experiences, as well as representing a variety of positive outcomes. The participants were willing to take part in the study and showed how comfortable they were when providing in-depth answers relating to their experiences and observations. The varied responses between English and non-English as first language participants showed that students had totally different feelings on the same aspect of teamwork challenges, but this allowed for a rich data set which focused on the research question. A real insight into how different cultures and nationalities perceived teamwork, integration and cultural barriers was captured, resulting in an interesting amount of dissimilar opinions. Not only did OE enhance the understanding of integration and teamwork, it also confirmed that there are possibilities for individual development which can benefit students long-term.
Overall, this novel qualitative longitudinal study has shown that there are potential ways in which home and international students can develop an understanding of integration and teamwork, through the use of a five day OE course. The environment in which OE courses are held promote the development of teamwork skills and increases self-confidence, which in turn lead to the encouragement of social interaction and self-reflection (Mezirow, 2000). Although aspects of these were improved, it was noticed that student's perceptions of understanding integration and teamwork varied throughout the duration of the study. It was evident that English as first language students had different thoughts on this compared to non-English first language speakers, allowing for clustering of these sets of students to form two groups, due to similarities in the content and trajectory of learning. The majority of the benefits gained were by students whose first language was not English, due to them feeling as if their knowledge on understanding different cultures grew throughout the study. Conversely, students whose first language was English, struggled to adapt to the culturally diverse grouping from the start. From the responses provided through the semi-structured video diary rooms, an abundance of themes were identified that showed the benefits OE can provide. Personal and group relationships were also acknowledged, which can possibly explain the reason why some students experienced further benefits compared to others. However, prior to the course, both sets of students had different feelings on how they thought they would work in a culturally diverse group, along with what challenges they thought they were going to encounter during the course. Therefore, students may have had preconceived ideas which may have impacted their interaction and teamwork. Participants with English as first language were mainly language focused, noticed advantages in overcoming these language barriers during the course, but did not notice any differences in teamwork between different cultures after the course. On the other hand, participants with English not as a first language, noticed these cultural differences and tried to adapt themselves around them, along with observing changes in teamwork between different cultures after the course ended. The study has shown that OE courses can definitely help students develop an understanding of teamwork, as all students unanimously stated that they witnessed improvements in how the groups operated as the course proceeded. Whilst requiring further validation on if OE courses can emphatically help develop an understanding of integration, the use of semi-structured video diary rooms has proven to be a successful method in collecting an informative data set.
All Answers Ltd. (November 2018). Integration and Teamwork between Home and International Students Through Outdoor Education. Retrieved from https://ukdiss.com/examples/outdoor-education-integration-and-teamwork.php?vref=1
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All Answers Ltd. November 2018. Integration and Teamwork between Home and International Students Through Outdoor Education. [online]. Available from: https://ukdiss.com/examples/outdoor-education-integration-and-teamwork.php?vref=1 [Accessed 21 January 2022].
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Benefits of Electronic Communications for Business Team Members
Our hypothesis for this report is going to be the following- Electronic communications is beneficial for communications between colleagues at a firm....
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The announcement provided details of the training required to ensure eligibility to provide the national flu service in 2015-16. This has resulted in more people needing face to face training than was anticipated.
In light of this LPCs across the North East have commissioned two additional face to face training sessions. They will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead. Full details of dates, times, venues and costs can be accessed by visiting the Northern Pharmacy website http://www.northernpharmacy.net/. The site must also be used to register for attendance at one of the sessions. Capacity at each session is limited to 25 delegates so we would advise to book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. It is unlikely the LPC will be able to put on any further training.
Remember you are not obliged to use the LPC commissioned training you can use any provider. Some other providers are listed on the Northern Pharmacy website as well as the PSNC website.
The National Minimum Standards for Immunisation Training and the associated Core Curriculum for Immunisation Training set out the knowledge and skills that healthcare professionals undertaking vaccination services need to have. Pharmacists who will provide the flu vaccination service must have completed practical training in vaccination that meets these requirements. NHS England has determined that pharmacists providing the flu vaccination service need to attend face-to-face training for both injection technique and basic life support training every two years. This requirement means that a pharmacist who undertook face-to-face training for both injection technique and basic life support in 2014 would not need to undertake face-to-face training in 2015. Assuming the service continues to be commissioned in 2016, the pharmacist would then need to undertake face-to-face training in order to continue to provide the service. Pharmacists who last undertook face-to-face training in 2013 would need to undertake face-to-face training in 2015, prior to providing the flu vaccination service.
The LPC is delighted that the green light has now been given to the National Pharmacy Flu Service. The PSNC have released all the details and documentation you will need. Below is a summary and links to help you.
Community Pharmacy Influenza Vaccination service advanced service 2015/16.
All the pieces are now in place for the national community pharmacy influenza vaccination service advanced service 2015/16. The service will run from September 2015 until 29 February 2016.
At that page you will be able to download documents referenced later in this message e.g.
This requirement means that a pharmacist who undertook face-to-face training for both injection technique and basic life support in 2014 would not need to undertake face-to-face training in 2015. Assuming the service continues to be commissioned in 2016, the pharmacist would then need to undertake face-to-face training in order to continue to provide the service. Pharmacists who last undertook face-to-face training in 2013 (or before) would need to undertake face-to-face training in 2015, prior to providing the flu vaccination service. In light of this requirement your LPC may be able arrange some local training sessions, please contact your LPC immediately if you do need to attend face to face training in 2015 and would be interested in attending local training.
Participating pharmacists must familiarise themselves fully with the content of this document. For example it includes information in relation to eligible patient groups.
You must download and read a copy of this document. Once you are satisfied that you understand the content you must sign the document and retain it in the pharmacy.
To fully complete the DoC pharmacists must be familiar with the content of the service specification and PGD.
The DoC approach has been agreed by NHS England, NHS Employers and PSNC.
The patient must consent to being vaccinated. A patient consent form is included at Annex D of the Service specification.
Payment will be £9.14 per dose of vaccine administered. The pharmacy will also be reimbursed for the cost of the vaccine at the list price of the vaccine administered. An allowance at the applicable VAT rate will also be paid.
Claims for payment for the service and reimbursement of vaccine costs are to be made via a form sent to the Pricing Authority as part of the end of month script bundle submission process. Contractors should download and print copies of the claim form from the NHS BSA website. Payment claims for vaccinations administered during February must be submitted to the Pricing Authority by the 5th of March in line with the FP34C process.
As in previous years LPCs in the region will be using Pharmoutcomes (PO) to manage the community pharmacy flu service.
Pinnacle has developed a flu template that mirrors the requirements of the national service, all pharmacies across the north have been given access to that template. It is a requirement of the national advanced service that a patient's GP is notified each time one of their patients receives a vaccination via another healthcare professional, PharmOutcomes will automatically carry out this function for you. As soon as you save details of the vaccination a notification letter will be sent to the relevant practice.
Also, by recording details of each vaccination at your pharmacy you will be maintaining a record which you can use to reconcile payments received from the BSA against the claims you have made.
EHC Training & Sexual Health Update - 20 more places added.
Following our announcement of the EHC training on the 24th September the original and increased number of places filled up rapidly. We have now been able to increase the number of places to accommodate a further 20 more people.
If you were not able to book on first two times you now have an opportunity to attend.
Click here to access the event and booking details. Make sure you book asap to avoid disappointment.
It is unlikely we will be able to add any more people to this session.
We are sorry to all of you with vaccine stock who are itching to get going! The LPC have been trying to agree a local interim service with NHS England, and this has been delayed as NHS England have decided that a revised PGD is needed (The LPC don't agree, but that's another story).
We have been told that everything necessary for a local service will be in place by Monday 14th or Tuesday 15th. In the meantime, we have been told that the national service MAY be launched anyway sometime next week.
As soon as we have anything concrete we will let you know, so please keep looking at Pharmoutcomes.
In the meantime, can we suggest that you complete the Declaration Of Competence for providing flu vaccination to get ready for providing the national service? It looks quite daunting, but the training you have undertaken is perfectly adequate for completing it. The DoC is below.
PSNC / NPA Flu Webinar - Local Contractors still awaiting Flu Service Details.
Please see below details of a PSNC / NPA Webinar for Flu.
Disappointingly the LPC have not received details of the locally commissioned NHS service nor the nationally commissioned NHS service.
We understand the frustatrions of contractors who are ready to go and have had vaccines deliveries already unfortunately until the local NHS team or the national team release details you will not be able to vaccinate via the NHS.
We are constantly reviewing the situation and will be in touch as soon as we have details from either service.
In the meantime you may find the webinar below useful.
As the flu season begins we know many contractors and pharmacy teams are eager to start offering the new Advanced Service. Find out how to make flu vaccinations a success in your pharmacy by tuning in to a joint NPA / PSNC webinar on Wednesday 16th September at 7.30pm. As the webinar is a joint event with PSNC, non-NPA members will also be able to sign up and tune in.
Please see the communication below from NHS England regarding the flu season.
The LPC flu team has been working behind the scenes with local commissioners to ensure that vaccinations can start from the 1st of September via locally commissioned service in case the national service has been delayed however we have not had final confirmations yet. Please keep an eye on your email / twitter / facebook feeds for further information. As soon as we have information regarding either the national service or the locally commissioned service we inform. Until then unfortunately you will not be able to start vaccinating.
As flu season approaches, we are writing to all practices and pharmacies to summarise this year's programme and to emphasise the importance of maximising uptake of seasonal flu vaccine in eligible groups. We hope you find the attached briefing useful.
With the start of the new MenB immunisation programme from 1st September 2015 Public Health England have asked us to distibute the information below regarding to all pharmacies.
From the 1st September, the Men B vaccine will be added to the NHS Childhood Immunisation Programme to help protect children against meningococcal group B disease which can cause meningitis and septicaemia which are serious and potentially fatal illnesses.
Babies born after the 1st July 2015 will be offered the MenB vaccine with their other routine vaccines at two months, four months and 12-13 months of age.
In addition babies born between the 1st May 2015 and the 30th June 2015 will also be offered the MenB vaccine with their remaining primary immunisations and 12-13 month vaccines as part of a one off catch-up programme.
Fever of ≥38◦C (occasionally ≥40◦C) vaccine is common in infants when Men B vaccine is administered at the same time as the other routine primary immunisations. As a result parents are being advised to administer paracetamol at the time, or shortly after vaccination with MenB, with two further doses at 4-6 hourly intervals to reduce the incidence and severity of fever.
Parents are being advised to source paracetamol prior to attending the surgery for vaccination. Parents who are unable to access paracetamol will be provided with a 5ml sachet by the GP surgery at the time of vaccination and advised to obtain further supplies for the second and third doses. Therefore it's likely that there will be an increase in parents presenting to community pharmacies requesting paracetamol.


The private sector is the biggest contributor to overall house building, accounting for four-fifths (80%) of all homes completed in the 12 months to end September 2017.
In 2007 and 2008 (years to end September) the number of private sector homes started per year were around 18,500 to 20,000, while completions were just under 20,000 to 21,500 per year. Private sector led new build housing was hit particularly hard by the recession. The number of homes completed dropped steeply over the period between 2008 and 2009 then continued to decrease more gradually to under 10,000 in 2012. Since then, the number of homes completed has increased each year, except in 2016, bringing completions in the latest year to just over 14,000 in the year to end September 2017.
Between July and September 2017, 3,263 private sector led homes were completed; 17% (464 homes) more than the same quarter in 2016 (see Chart 6). This brings the total for the year to end September 2017 to 14,041, which is 9% (1,194 homes) more than the 12,847 completions in the previous year.
Meanwhile there were 3,146 private sector led starts between July and September 2017, down 14% on the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for the year ending September 2017 to 13,591, which is 6% (805 homes) more than the 12,786 starts in the previous year.
Map B shows the rates per 10,000 head of population (based on the latest mid-2016 population estimates) of private sector led new build completions in each local authority for the year to end September 2017.
The highest completion rates have been in Midlothian, East Lothian, Fife, the City of Edinburgh. The lowest rates meanwhile, have been in West Dunbartonshire, Argyll & Bute, Inverclyde, and Dundee City.


text:
package com.hhx.base.dao.orm;

import java.util.List;

import org.apache.ibatis.annotations.Param;

import com.hhx.manage.common.Pager;

public interface BaseDAO<T> {

	public int add(T t);

	public T queryById(Object id);

	public Integer update(T t);

	public Integer delete(Object id);

	public Integer queryCount(@Param("entity") T t);

	public List<T> queryList(@Param("entity") T t, @Param("page") Pager<T> page);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Return to Play with Rhyne Park
How one league pulled off a sandlot season and returned to play
Rhyne Park Girls Softball is a recreational league outside of Atlanta, Georgia that brings over 200 players from different schools together each season.
Despite over 20 years of playing ball in the community, no one at Rhyne Park could have anticipated the challenges brought on by the 2020 season.
Navigating COVID-19 Closures
Like many youth sports programs across the country, Rhyne Park's Spring season was suddenly cut short when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) case numbers surged, and federal and local governments began implementing safety guidelines to slow the spread.
Rhyne Park had already drafted teams and started practicing when they received the news from the county. The park was being shut down.
"Everyone thought we would only miss one or two weeks," said league president April Voris. But as the shelter-in-place went on, they realized it would be a while before they could return to the field.
During this time, April recognized the importance of maintaining constant communication with the players' parents. The board worked diligently to keep everyone informed on the latest updates through email, website posts, and social media.
After several weeks, when COVID-19 restrictions began to lift, the board surveyed members about the options for a return to play, allowing them to vote on what they were most comfortable with. The vast majority voted to return for a shortened sandlot-style season.
Setting New Guidelines
Prior to re-opening for the sandlot season, the Board met virtually many times to discuss what new measures were needed to keep players and their families safe. Many of these new protocols came from U.S. Softball's established guidelines as well as community regulations. They included measures such as:
Health and safety rules posted at the park
COVID waivers required for participation
Closing the dugouts for social distancing
Protocols for reporting if you get sick or are exposed to someone who is sick
The park re-opened in June, allowing the sandlot season to kick-off. The season was free and optional, with players attending when they could, wearing whatever uniform they had. The goal was to make it a fun, safe, and pressure-free mini-season for the girls and their families. Over 80 players participated over the four-week season.
"Sandlot was spawned totally out of the impacts of COVID. We had never done it before," said April. "We really saw a lot of positive feedback."
Return to "Normal" Play
After a successful sandlot season with extensive safety measures, many parents and players were comfortable returning in the Fall. Nearly 120 players registered to play. April attributes this to giving parents the opportunity to see the league's safety measures in action.
Their safety guidelines remain in place for the Fall season, including social distancing efforts, keeping equipment separate, sanitizing dug-outs between games, and wearing masks when possible. In order to set a good example for members, Board members always wear masks while at the park.
One parent even donated customized gaiters as a fundraiser for the league.
"We have gotten really good feedback. They were really grateful that we were having sports and had done so much preparation to be able to return to play," said April. "I think what they have seen is that their kids are actually doing better at home because they have been outside participating in an activity and gotten to see their friends and have social interaction."
Sports Connect Made it Easy
Rhyne Park leaned on their Sports Connect integrated tools for a successful return to play. Some of the tools that helped the Rhyne Park Board navigate these new waters included:
Waivers in Registration: "Being able to integrate our COVID waiver right into registration was super helpful. I didn't have to go in and do it later."
Email Communication: "It's really easy to use and saves the Board a lot of time because I don't have to download all the emails and send out communication from another program."
Texting: "If for some reason I have to cancel games or there's an immediate need for communication, texting is a really nice feature that we use."
Best-in-Class Support: "When we have a question, we have been able to use the support widget. We have also used the training videos which have been very helpful."
Integration with GameChanger Team Manager: "We finally have all of our coaches using it, so when we do a schedule update, it's all integrated. The integration is fantastic."
Three Key Take-Aways From Rhyne Park
As Rhyne Park moves on to their Fall season, April says there are three main takeaways from their successful sandlot experience that can be applied to any league navigating the impact of COVID-19.
Don't be afraid to over-communicate. "There's no such thing as over-communication right now. Parents want to know what's going on.
Have your plan in place. "What we found is people want to know you have a plan, and then they're more comfortable.
Families appreciate being asked their opinion. "We didn't just make a decision. Before the sandlot season, we respected how they felt and listened to what the majority of the league wanted."
Serving Our Partners
Our youth sports partners across the nation are at many different stages of return to play. Some are still on hold, some are hosting shortened seasons, and some have successfully resumed with new safety measures. Like you, our top priority is the safety of your players and members. We are proud of our partners' resilience during a difficult season and look forward to serving you as players get back on the field.
For more information on the ways Sports Connect can help your organization safely return to play, check out our Emergency Response Guide.
2022 Q3/Q4 Association Product Enhancement Highlights
Partner Website Series

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Commercial interior design is in for a bumpy ride
The interior design industry has not historically been obsessed with—or even interested in—data. It's a
The interior design industry has not historically been obsessed with—or even interested in—data. It's a phenomenon all too familiar to Amanda Schneider, the founder of ThinkLab, a market research agency that seeks to bring a quantitative approach to a highly qualitative industry. "We have to sell 'why research' more than what we actually do," she tells Business of Home. "[As designers], we are a bunch of passionate individuals that really trust our guts."
Since ThinkLab was acquired by Sandow in 2018 (the firm was originally named Contract Consulting Group), Schneider has been working on both privately funded studies for manufacturers as well as wider-scope research that brings a data-driven approach to the big questions of the industry. And the biggest question of the moment of course is: How are designers dealing with the disruption of COVID-19?
The answer, in a nutshell: The commercial interior design industry is in for stormy weather.
ThinkLab's study, the Industry Impact Report, polls everyone from individual design firms to manufacturers to real estate professionals with a vested interest in design. To take the temperature of the industry, it focuses on four key indicators, including bid activity, hiring, project cancellations and overall sentiment.
The study captures a wide range of data, but much of it points to a slow recovery, especially for commercial designers. (Schneider says ThinkLab's audience heavily skews towards the contract side of the industry.) For 20 percent of the design firm respondents, bid activity had virtually stopped in recent weeks—a leading indicator that points to difficult times ahead.
"While we feel like many manufacturers are working through a backlog, we're seeing that people are down already, but sadly the worst is yet to come," she says. "What hits A&D firms first trickles through the rest of the industry later."
Layoffs have also escalated, with twice as many respondents saying their firms were laying people off in recent weeks as opposed to mid-July. No surprise, given that the data shows that project cancellations doubled in early August.
Maybe the simplest distillation of the study is a statistic that simply asks how "good" general business conditions are. At the start of pandemic, 58 percent of respondents who work for commercial firms said it was "bad." Nineteen weeks in, that number had only gotten worse, up to 78 percent. Meanwhile, only 33 percent of residential designers thought the industry was in bad shape, a number that has slowly been declining since the early days of COVID-19. "We are seeing sentiment toward recovery much, much stronger from the residential side," says Schneider.
It's important to acknowledge the boundaries of Schneider's study. All told, it captures more than 2,000 data points, spread out over weekly reports gathered since March, with the number of respondents each week ranging from just over 100 to just under 400. In other words, it's a quick snapshot of the industry's mood, not an exhaustive survey of every designer in America.
Schneider herself is quick to acknowledge what studies like this can and can't do, pointing out that the results should be interpreted as directional, not statistical. However, she says that the findings reflect interviews that ThinkLab has conducted in the field, and that there's no denying that the mood in the world of contract design is a bit gloomy.
And where, pray tell, are all of the contract manufacturers and commercial designers headed? Home, of course.
"I think you're going to see a lot of people going where the money is, and the money [right now] is in residential," she says. "We're having a lot of conversations with contract furniture people about how they can get to residential. I'm talking to a lot of my unemployed designer friends on the commercial side—they're going to take whatever projects they can get, and if that's in residential, they're going to do it."
Homepage photo: Shutterstock
Tags: bumpy, Commercial, design, Interior, ride
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Caring for a loved one with ALS can bring out some of the best qualities in a person ‒ commitment, compassion, and resilience among them. At the same time, it is a stressful, emotionally draining, and sometimes overwhelming role. Being a caregiver to someone with ALS means new responsibilities and considerations as well as unexpected challenges including how to talk about the disease with friends and family.
There is no single approach to communicating the news of an ALS diagnosis, providing updates, or requesting support. However, many caregivers would agree that finding reliable information about the disease and its symptoms is an important first step. Understanding what ALS is and how it affects your loved one who has been diagnosed can help everyone adjust to the reality of the disease and answer questions from friends and family who, more often than not, will know very little about ALS.
Lianne Johnston, ALS Canada Regional Manager for the Champlain Region, says she often sees some family members or friends withdraw altogether because they are too uncomfortable. "People can be so afraid to say the wrong thing that they say nothing, or they avoid you." This can be particularly hurtful when it happens with a close connection or relative. On the other hand, says Lianne, "it is sometimes the people you least expect who come to the table, who stay in touch and who offer their support." She believes there is no way to anticipate people's reactions, especially when the subject is one as difficult to talk about as an incurable disease like ALS, so it is important to remember that when someone withdraws it is often because they are unable to confront their own fears.
When supporting caregivers, Melissa tries to remind them that "friends and family often want to help but don't always know how." Learning how to communicate your needs can be tremendously helpful. During Henry's last weeks in hospice, Shirley was with him the whole time. She remembers how much she appreciated having one person coordinate a personal care team to bring home-cooked meals and to offer her a few hours of respite. Having one of her friends as a "point person" to help with scheduling meant that Shirley didn't have to respond to each request individually. Looking back, she is grateful for each act of kindness she received and happy to share her story in the hope that her experience will encourage other men and women caring for a loved one with ALS to face the challenges that come their way.


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There are two kinds of events in life: those we can prevent and those we can only prepare for. Now that we've colored this survival kits review in prepping tones, let's start "repairing that roof" while the sun is still shining. It's always better to prepare or prevent than to be left to repair and repent.
Keeping that in mind, proper survival kits definitely put you in a place where luck can find you. Amidst collapsing infrastructure, cut off communications, and natural forces having their way with your surroundings, a little luck goes a long way. Short of casting Hermione's undetectable extension charm on our BOBs, we can never pre-pack for everything that can go wrong in life. That's why it's so important to choose the right survival kit and cover as much ground as possible.
How We Chose The Best Survival Kits?
The survival kits that climbed our list are the top of the heap, made of budget-friendly choices. Prepping preaches a life beneath our financial potential. Speaking of which, these products offer a resounding bang for the buck.
Prepping is a marathon, not a sprint (ideally), to use a cliché. It's a slow process of acquiring relevant skills primarily and thinking about your stash later. Therefore, this survival kits review fixates on products that'll leave more than just moths in your wallet.
This is one of best survival kits available. Except for food, that is. You will get all the tools you can think of, but the food supply will have to come from somewhere else.
The lack of any filler tools is very good to see. Everything in this survival kit is 100% useful in case of an emergency. Companies all too often try to jack up the price by including a bunch of no-good, cheap tools; fortunately, this is not the case with this kit.
Shipping is 100% free for all domestic orders within the USA. The order usually ships within 48 hrs, followed by an e-mail with your tracking number.
The kit holds: a dynamo flashlight, a 2-man tent, 2 sleeping bags, 2 rain ponchos, 12 water pouches (4.2 oz), 2 x 8 hrs hand warmer, knife and pliers, hand saw, duct tape, 2 x light stick, 5-in-1 whistle, bottle for water filtration, 50 ft of rope, and heavy-duty gloves, among other items.
The first aid kit contains 60 pieces: bandages, alcohol pads, antiseptic towelettes, butterfly closures, N95 breathing mask, ice pack, and iodine pad, to name a few items.
There's also a dedicated pack, containing the essentials for male/female hygiene purposes.
The emergency bucket, unlike its predecessor, offers food as well. The shelf life of the perishables is 5 years. Survival Frog offers to monitor the expiration date of your purchased food and alert you when it's about to expire.
Food and water upgrades can be purchased for extra days of potential sustenance. Customization add-ons can even broaden the emergency kit to another person(s).
Another benefit of this kit is the ability to purchase its "refresher." It's designed to replace anything perishable within the bucket kit, without buying another one. It's basically a zip bag packed with food, light sticks, water purification tablets, and a 66-piece first aid kit.
The "main" thing encompasses: food bars worth 3600 kcal (we would prefer to see 4800, but hey), emergency Aqua Blox drinking water, 16.9 oz per day, dynamo flashlight and radio, mylar blankets, dust masks, 66-piece first aid kit, multi-tool, light sticks, ponchos, 50 ft of rope, work gloves, waterproof matches, duct tape, a tent, toilet chemicals and bags, a can opener, etc.
You can invest an additional 17.97$ in your survival kit for a toilet seat accessory and use the bucket container as a portable restroom.
Like its "bigger cousin," this Survival Frog kit can serve many purposes in a survival situation. It is your food and water source, an impromptu tool shed, and a restroom, if need be. Unlike the said cousin, this Guardian bucket offers 4800 kcal worth of energy bars, but cuts on water-purifying tablets. The golden standard is 20, this survival kit features only 10 of them.
As far as shelter and warmth go, the offer is pretty regular. You'll have available a tent, mylar reflective blankets, and plastic hooded ponchos. The light and communication segment begins with a 4-in-1 dynamo mix between a flashlight and a radio, 5-in-1 whistle, emergency 30-hour candle, green glow sticks good for 12 hrs, and waterproof matches.
Survival tools per se go as follows: Blue tarp, 7 x 5 ft, ideal for ground or tent cover, solid steel pry bar (7″ x ½"), intended to be used as a multi-tool, rugged 16-function army knife, duct tape, a pair of leather-palm work gloves for blister prevention, sewing kit, plastic safety goggles, and N95 dust mask.
The kit also includes a rich supply of hygiene and first aid supplies.
We are back to 3600 kcal total, coming from emergency food bars. You'll also get 18 water pouches. Since they use Datrex pouches, the overall quantity is 18 x 4.2 oz or 1245ml. The backpack itself being dark blue shouldn't attract all that much unwanted attention. The orange parts definitely don't help, though.
Besides the usual preparedness fluff, we don't get all that much info about the product, something a lot of companies dealing in survival gear should change post haste.
Alongside the already mentioned food bars and Datrex pouches, the kit also contains 4 hand & body warmers, emergency hooded poncho, matches, 5-in-1 whistle, 2 packs of tissues, a knife with 13 functions, 41-piece first aid kit, 3 AAA battery, LED flashlight, and a pair of work gloves.
The picture on the site also mentioned blankets, but they're not present in the general product description. Maybe they considered blankets and body warmers to be the same thing, it's anybody's guess. All in all, this is a pretty affordable little emergency kit; nothing flashy, but it'll get the job done.
This is a pretty confusing product, to be honest. Not in terms of quality or assortment, but regarding the amount of people it can sustain for 72 hrs. The official title says 2-person, but their description says 4. The description intro says "4 of everything," the bullet points say 2. It's a rather tricky puzzle and not the kind you want solved the moment the kit arrives at your doorstep.
So, we can definitely "disperse the fog of war" on this one and say it's a 2-person pack for 72 hours. It's a budget option, for sure, but this survival kits review was envisioned as a budget guide anyway.
The pack features: 4800 kcal in food bars and 6 packets of water, 2 lightsticks with 12 hrs of juice, 2 ponchos and survival blankets, 2 dust masks and pairs of nitrile gloves, a whistle, and a 33-piece first aid kit. This emergency kit is smaller than the previous ones mentioned, so it's also more portable and doesn't take up too much space, wherever you decide to store it.
William Butler Yeats said that life was just a long preparation for something that'll never come. If you agree with this quote, first congratulations on the ability to ignore evident facts, second, this was not an article for you.
If you, however, realize that the increase in calamities such as natural disasters, power outages, terrorist attacks, and economic collapses is very real, then you'll find this guide more than helpful.
The products presented are some of the most budget-friendly options on the market. They are a good balance between economy and quality. You should never sacrifice the latter in favor of the former.
You are offered a good mix of basic survival tools like knives, pliers, lightsticks and flashlights, whistles, blankets, tents, ponchos, gloves, masks, and food items mostly embodies in high-calorie energy bars and water pouches and/or packets. The shelf life of the food items is usually somewhere around 5 years and some companies offer replacements after that time without having to buy the rest of the kit. We wish you many replacements in the future.
Personal hygiene products and first aid kits are also on the menu and equally as represented within every survival kit. The number of pieces varies from one product to the other, but they all have the "bear bones" required for giving immediate medical attention and keeping yourself clean.
Us preppers know bad things are coming and going all the time. Be that as it may, let's remember the beginning of this survival kit review and choose to prepare and prevent rather than repair and repent.


"I never stop learning. So I do internships around the world to improve and see new things"
The decision was made in the Kindergarten. In this age I knew that I am going to be a chef.
My region, Europe and the whole world.
I never stop learning. So I do internships around the world to improve and see new things.
Creativity and spontaneousness shoud be more encouraged. And they should work with more regional products.
Keep your focus and your goals on!
I'm always looking for young, dynamic quality people.
In Switzerland we are the recycling world champions. I'd like to see this recycling behaviour around the world.
There are no awkward guests, just guests. I always try to turn every situation in a positive way.
Spending time with my family and my friends. Bicycle and yoga are other hobbies.
My heart and my passion.
With respect, which starts with the welcoming. My team is the most important capital and I need to be their inspiring example.
At least not with Tripadvisor. But do they really have to be rated?
Peter Knogl, Kevin Felling, Alain Schmidlin and me.


The framework programme is designed to improve management of migratory flows at the level of the European Union and to strengthen solidarity between Member States. It has four dimensions. The first concerns integrated management of external borders, with the setting up of an External Borders Fund. The second concerns asylum policy, with the prolongation of the European Refugee Fund. The third concerns the social, civic and cultural integration of Non-EU Member Country nationals, with the setting up of a European Integration Fund. The fourth concerns the fight against illegal immigration and the return of Non-EU Member Country nationals residing illegally in the EU, with the setting up of a European Return Fund.


Okay, okay. I know it may be somewhat "old school," but I love using a hard copy daily planner. To be fair, there is still a lot of people that agree with me. Just ask Erin Condren's 500k following on Instagram 😃 A lot of my fellow paper lovers like a planner that includes goal settings sheets, checklists and loads of extra paper and places for notes as well. This keeps you on task, but also gives you a space to brainstorm and think deeper - these are things you just can't really get with an app.


Alvin Kamara was the number #4 ranked RB and the #21 ranked player overall. His elite ranking was helped by his higher games played (15). Based on average fantasy points he is the #5 RB. He peaked early in the season. He averaged 25.3 FPs in his first 4 games and 13.3 FP in his final 5 games. He is young, so his late season drop-off should not be an indicator of an overall downward trend heading into next season. Based on a relatively low standard deviation, Kamara can be considered a consistent fantasy player. Our projected ceiling for Kamara when he 'goes off' is 36 fantasy points (his average is 18.2FPs) with a floor of 4 points. Alvin Kamara (2019 Season Projection: 218 Rush, 944 Yards, 8.3 TDs, 89 Rec, 783 Yards, 4.2 TDs) is projected to deliver comparable fantasy value in 2019 where his projection based rank has him as the #3 player at his position.
He has demonstrated the solid year-to-year improvement that you look for in a younger player. His average Fantasy points increased by 25% this season.
Alvin Kamara played in 15 games in 2018. He was the #4 ranked fantasy RB based on total fantasy points. He averaged 18.2 FP per game (#5 ranked based on average). He is holding steady season-to-season in terms of per game fantasy ranking. He is stronger in certain categories which are bolded below.
He averaged 20.9 FD points and 24.2 DK points per game. We used his second highest game as his ceiling and second lowest as his floor. On DraftKings his floor was 10.8 and on FanDuel it was 10.3 fantasy points. He had a relatively high ceiling. On DraftKings it was 44.1 and on FanDuel it was 31.6 FPs. He has had more bad FanDuel games (below average by 20%) than good games (20% above average), and the same was true on DraftKings.


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