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In 2010, the Ontario Universities Quality Assurance Council was established and became responsible for monitoring the quality of university programs, and each university was tasked with establishing institutional quality assurance purposes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the quality assurance process at facilitating change at one Canadian institution.

To better understand the impacts of quality assurance, the authors analyzed 39 self-study documents, which were completed for all academic programs at Queen’s University. Focus groups were also conducted with key stakeholders to gain more insights into the institutional change that resulted from completing these self-studies.

After the analysis of the self-studies and focus groups, three themes emerged as impacts of completing self-studies: teaching and learning, identity and collaboration and resource allocation and strategic planning. This study demonstrates that self-studies completed by departments have value beyond simply meeting the provincial mandate, as they are effective in catalyzing positive institutional change.

The self-study documents were created for the purpose of institutional quality assurance process, not this research study, therefore limiting the data that could be collected.

Four considerations are provided at the end of this study to spark conversations at other institutions when reviewing and assessing the impact of their quality assurance processes.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time self-studies have been analyzed to evaluate the quality assurance process.

This paper aims to examine tensions around play, performance and artmaking as becoming in the mix of expected and taken-for-granted discourses implicit in an after-school ceramics makerspace (Perry and Medina, 2011). The authors look closely at one adolescent girl’s embodied performance to see how it ruptures the scripts for compliant bodies in the after-school program. While these performances take place out-of-school and in an arts studio, the tensions and explorations also resonate with broader issues around student embodied, performative and becomings that run counter to normalized school expectations.

A contemporary approach to nexus analysis (Medina and Wohlwend, 2014; Wohlwend, 2021) unpacked two critical performative encounters (Medina and Perry, 2011) using concepts of historical bodies (Scollon and Scollon, 2004) informed by sociomaterial thing-power (Bennett, 2010).

Playing while painting pottery collides and converges with the tacitly desired and expected ways of embodying student in this after-school artspace. Emily’s outer-space alien persona ruptured expected discourses when her historical body and embodied performances threatened other children. While her embodied performances facilitated her becoming a fully present participant in the studio, she fractured the line between play and reality in violent ways.

As literacy researchers, the authors are in a moment of reckoning where student embodied performances and historical bodies can collide with all-too-real violent threats in daily lives and community locations. Situating these performances in the nexus of embodied literacies, unsanctioned play and thing-power can help educators respond to these moments as ruptures of tacit expectations for girlhoods in school-like spaces.

This paper aims to outline a proof of concept for a framework to support students in reflecting on and in articulating their disciplinary, contextual and professional learning in the workplace. The purpose of the framework was to help students to recognize and articulate their transferable employability skills in preparation for the workplace or further studies upon graduation.

Researchers developed a Learning Evaluation and Reflection Narrative (LEARN) activity to facilitate real-world articulation of workplace learning. A group of work placement students completed pre- and post-work surveys, prompting reflection on their learning goals and behaviors. The Transferable Learning Orientation Survey comprised five constructs: goal orientation, learning belief, self-efficacy, transfer (deep learning) and organization. Subsequently, they completed a written reflection and a mock interview scenario, where they verbally articulated their abilities and the applicability of their skills. Results of thematic analysis are presented.

Survey results demonstrated changes in students’ orientation toward learning. Additionally, students were able to deliver sophisticated responses through engagement in the LEARN framework, articulating recognition and self-awareness of their personal and professional learning, as well as relevance of their learning within and beyond their workplace setting.

The sample is small, and the authors therefore recommend further work to evaluate the effectiveness and practicality of the LEARN framework in larger cohorts and in alternate work environments.

The responses suggest the LEARN framework are worthy of further investigation as a tool for students to articulate lifelong learning skills and behaviors, as it offers an opportunity for students to engage in reflective, deep learning.

This research builds on existing studies on the evaluation of lifelong learning, adapting a framework and testing its implementation in the workplace setting.

This article aims to empirically illustrate the socially supportive role of cancer resource centers in their members' lives.

The authors employ the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the QLQ-C30 to investigate the relationships between social support and respondents' quality of life. The authors also draw on internal cancer resource center data.

The results show that the type of classes respondents engage in at the center, frequency of class/activity attendance, and member-to-member social support do not influence respondents' perceived quality of life. However, employee-to-member support does enhance a respondent's quality of life.

The study suggests that the activity programming at cancer resource centers is a conduit for the socially supportive relationships that form between and among employees and members. Given that the sample site was situated in a high-income, relatively stable suburban locale, the findings may not generalize to all locales.

The study helps inform medical practitioners about the social supportive benefits that cancer resource centers offer cancer patients. This article discusses a cancer center's Connect-to-Care program, which joins together an oncologist and a cancer center representative at a patient's initial cancer diagnosis.

Oncologists and people living with, or affected by, cancer need to be aware of the healing potential of cancer resource centers.

This article links the third-place paradigm with public health. Cancer resource centers emerge as third places where people living with cancer may obtain support from center employees, which enhances their quality of life.

This paper aims to identify a variety of titles and resources to offer both public and academic librarians guidance in establishing and maintaining a definitive core collection of past and present materials.

The annotated bibliography includes CD recordings, films, documentaries, serials, monographs and web sites on rap music and hip‐hop culture. The entries chosen were culled from rap music periodicals, reference works, catalogs and journals.

These resources showcase the innovation of rap's formative years. They trace the broad scope of rap musical styles and document and critique hip‐hop culture.

These selected titles capture distinctive periods in hip‐hop history and help librarians stay current and conscious of what to include in their collections as rap becomes more mainstream and more respectable.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), as part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (DoLS, 2007), was established to provide a legal framework for decision-making in respect of adults who lack capacity to make decisions in relation to their care and residence in England and Wales. The purpose of this study was to explore the DoLS decision-making process from the perspectives of health and social care practitioners when working with individuals with an acquired brain injury (ABI).

A total of 12 health and social care practitioners were interviewed in 2019–2020 about their experiences of using and making or supporting decisions in the DoLS framework with ABI survivors. Data were analysed, and a tentative explanation of variations in DoLS decision-making was developed.

Three distinct approaches emerged capturing different decision-making styles (risk-averse, risk-balancing and risk-simplifying) which appeared to influence the outcome of DoLS assessments. A range of mediating factors seemed to account for the variability in these styles. The wider contextual challenges that impact upon practitioners’ overall experiences and use of DoLS processes in their ABI practice were noted.

The findings highlight a need for changes in practice and policy in relation to how DoLS or similar processes are used in decision-making practice with ABI survivors and may be relevant to the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards that are replacing the DoLS system.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore accounts of DoLS decision-making practices in ABI service.

The Mental Capacity Act (MCA, 2005) provided a new legal framework for decision-making practice in England and Wales. This study aims to explore qualitative research on practitioners’ knowledge and experiences of the MCA in health and social care settings to inform practice and policy.

Four electronic databases and Google Scholar were searched in November 2019 for peer-reviewed, qualitative, English language studies exploring practitioners’ experiences and knowledge of the MCA in health and social care settings. Nine studies were included and appraised for methodological quality. Data were analysed using thematic synthesis.

Data revealed both positive aspects and challenges of applying the MCA in practice within five main themes, namely, travelling the “grey line”, the empowering nature of the MCA, doing the assessment justice, behaviours and emotional impact and knowledge gaps and confidence.

The fundamental principles of the MCA appear to be adhered to and embedded in practice. However, practitioners find mental capacity work remains challenging in its uncertainties. While calling for more training, they may also benefit from further MCA skills development and support to increase confidence and reduce apprehension.

This is the first systematic review to synthesise qualitative literature on practitioners’ experiences and knowledge of the MCA. Findings offer insight into practice experiences of the MCA and provide a basis for the development of training and supervisory support.

The purpose of this paper is to detail the approach used in a project that worked with journal publication, subscription and article processing charges (APC) data. The project aim was to test if the resources allocated by the Matariki Network of Universities, a group of seven medium-sized universities, would pay for APC at the current level of publishing activity.

Data were collated and analysed from three years (2015–2017) for each of the seven partners.

A range of assumptions were made in dealing with the data. It was difficult to identify a subscription package that was common to all the partners. Data were not always consistent and in some instances it was incomplete. An iterative and flexible approach was required in this project. Even though testing had been carried out during planning, changes had to be made as the project was carried out. The timetable had to be flexible as those working on the project dealt with their day-to-day operational priorities and to enable each of the partners to contribute as resources allowed.

As alternative models of scholarly journal publication are evolving, it is important that the implications of these be tested to inform planning. Details of this testing need to be shared so that others can confirm the results, consider the approach and apply lessons learned.

This paper focuses on the details of the investigation so that others interested in repeating this project, or carrying out a similar project, can consider this in their planning.

This study aims to explore innate and sociocultural forces that lead gay men to purchase invasive and non-invasive cosmetic medical treatments.

This work draws on a literature review and personal reflections to identify and interpret patterns and themes on drivers that encourage gay men to use cosmetic medical treatments.

In line with evolutionary theory, the authors suggest that the male proclivity to evaluate a partner’s sexual desirability on the basis of physical appearance and youth remains consistent among gay men. They also posit that sociocultural norms, such as media imagery, portray gay men as physically attractive and youthful. Among gay men, homonormative ideals that define attractiveness fall on a continuum ranging from hyper-masculinity to hypo-masculinity, with each end encouraging gay men to accept different beauty standards.

To date, service researchers have mostly overlooked the role of evolution in consumers’ propensity to purchase professional services. This study sets the foundation for researchers to consider both instinctual and sociocultural norms that encourage consumers to purchase not only cosmetic medical treatments but also professional services in general.

Gay men represent a prime target market for cosmetic medical treatment providers, as their desire for physical attractiveness and youth remains constant as they age.

This study offers novel insights into gay male consumption of cosmetic medical treatments and services from theoretical and practical perspectives.