Timothy Griffin

Bio: Timothy Griffin is an academic researcher from University of Western Sydney. The author has contributed to research in topics: Blended learning & Educational technology. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 10 publications receiving 321 citations. Previous affiliations of Timothy Griffin include University of Sydney.

Between joy and sorrow: being a parent of a child with developmental disability

Abstract: Between joy and sorrow: being a parent of a child with developmental disability Aim. This study explored the experiences of parents who have children with significant developmental disability. Background. Prevailing societal and professional assumptions of parental crisis and maladjustment in response to the ‘tragedy’ of having a disabled child did not accord with the authors’ practice experience. Whilst parents confronted numerous difficulties, most of them appeared to manage with optimism and remarkable resourcefulness. Research design. The study, using an interpretive methodology informed by phenomenology, intensively explored the experiences of six parents of children with significant developmental disability. Findings. Although they experienced much anguish and sorrow, the parents also spoke of hope, love, strength and joy. Interpretation of the parents’ experiences revealed the themes of ‘joy and sorrow’, ‘hope and no hope’ and ‘defiance and despair’, mediated by ‘the tensions’. Conclusions. This phenomenological interpretation provides insight and understanding into the parents’ experiences and has implications for practice, education and research in nursing.

Developing Quality in E-Learning: A Framework in Three Parts

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce and describe the features of a new e‐learning quality framework developed for a large multi‐campus university. The framework is explicitly designed to improve the quality of e‐learning sites and the quality of online student learning, by developing the skills of the academics who design the sites.Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper. It examines a range of existing models and literature on evaluative frameworks in e‐learning and positions the new framework within that context. It describes the features that distinguish the new framework from existing models and explains how these differences are tailored to develop the e‐learning design skills of academic staff and to encourage greater engagement with e‐learning quality initiatives across the university.Findings – The paper identifies several features of the new framework that differ from other models and explains the inclusion of these features in terms of the support they provide fo...

Quality in the e-landscape: A collegial and developmental approach

Abstract: Since the appearance of e-learning in the tertiary education sector a range of approaches have been used to enhance the quality of online learning environments. Building on these approaches, at the University of Western Sydney our approach is one of developing quality e-learning sites in a collegial and developmental manner, as a central part of overall good teaching practice. Our view is that, in order for the process to be truly collegial and developmental, it needs to be supported across all levels of the academic environment and, importantly, it should be adopted by academics rather than being imposed upon them. A central aspect of the collegial and developmental approach is that academics should be provided with the skills and support to be the drivers of quality in the e-landscape. This paper introduces a project that applies this developmental and collegial philosophy to building quality in our online learning environments in a whole of enterprise context.

Evolution of blended learning in a large enrolment subject : what was blended and why?

Abstract: This paper outlines the model of blended learning which has evolved in a large enrolment undergraduate subject offered across multiple campuses. The pedagogical rationale, management and administrative imperatives, and student expectations which have informed the development of the model are discussed. The current design uses weekly online selfdirected learning activities supported by an online tutor, maintains weekly face-to-face lectures which are positively evaluated by students and well attended throughout the semester, and has reduced the number and changed the function of face-to-face tutorials. Student and teaching staff evaluations of the current blended learning model are included along with challenges for ongoing development.

E-Moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online

Abstract: E-Moderators are \"the new generation of teachers and trainers who work with learners online\" (p. viii) using Computer-Mediated Conferencing (CMC) as a learning tool, regardless of the subject they are teaching. They are the focus of E-Moderating, a recent book which provides both a theoretical framework for developing online learning using CMC (part one), and a wealth of practical advice (part two). The book is supported by a Web site. The author, Gilly Salmon, a distance education specialist with the Open University Business School in the UK, provides a five-step model of effective online education, along with copious examples of how the model relates to real-life online learning contexts. Salmon proposes that, by basing learning on a constructivist model, it is e-moderators that can make the difference in online education as they convene, direct, summarize, and archive synchronous and asynchronous discussions.

Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education: Faculty Inventory. Institutional Inventory.

Abstract: Arthur Chickering is Distinguished Professor of Higher Education at Memphis State University. On leave from the Directorship of the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Memphis State, he is Visiting Professor at George Mason University. Zelda Gamson is a sociologist who holds appointments at the John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan.

Preparing for Blended e-Learning

Abstract: Blended and online learning skills are rapidly becoming essential for effective teaching and learning in universities and colleges. Covering theory where useful but maintaining an emphasis on practice, this book provides teachers and lecturers with an accessible introduction to e-learning.Beginning by exploring the meaning of 'e-learning', it supports tutors in identifying how they plan to use technology to support courses that blend online and face-to-face interactions. Illustrated by a range of case of studies, the book covers: designing quality, appropriate effective and online learning efficient and sustainable e-learning activity providing appropriate feedback to learnersdevising student activities and sourcing learning resources managing online and offline interactionsPacked with practical advice and ideas, this book provides the core skills and knowledge that teachers in HE and FE need when starting out and further developing their teaching course design for blended and online learning.

Physicians’ Perceptions of Patients’ Social and Behavioral Characteristics and Race Disparities in Treatment Recommendations for Men With Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract: Objectives. A growing body of evidence suggests that provider decisionmaking contributes to racial/ethnic disparities in care. We examined the factors mediating the relationship between patient race/ethnicity and provider recommendations for coronary artery bypass graft surgery.Methods. Analyses were conducted with a data set that included medical record, angiogram, and provider survey data on postangiogram encounters with patients who were categorized as appropriate candidates for coronary artery bypass graft surgery.Results. Race significantly influenced physician recommendations among male, but not female, patients. Physicians’ perceptions of patients’ education and physical activity preferences were significant predictors of their recommendations, independent of clinical factors, appropriateness, payer, and physician characteristics. Furthermore, these variables mediated the effects of patient race on provider recommendations.Conclusions. Our findings point to the importance of research and interventi...