Cynthia J. Finelli

The theory of planned behavior as a model of academic dishonesty in engineering and humanities undergraduates

This study examines the use of a modified form of the theory of planned behavior in understanding the decisions of undergraduate students in engineering and humanities to engage in cheating. We surveyed 527 randomly selected students from three academic institutions. Results supported the use of the model in predicting ethical decision-making regarding cheating. In particular, the model demonstrated how certain variables (gender, discipline, high school cheating, education level, international student status, participation in Greek organizations or other clubs) and moral constructs related to intention to cheat, attitudes toward cheating, perceptions of norms with respect to cheating, and ultimately cheating behaviors. Further the relative importance of the theory of planned behavior constructs was consistent regardless of context, whereas the contributions of variables included in the study that were outside the theory varied by context. Of particular note were findings suggesting that the extent of cheating in high school was a strong predictor of cheating in college and that engineering students reported cheating more frequently than students in the humanities, even when controlling for the number of opportunities to do so.

Discrimination of Retrograde from Anterograde Atrial Activation Using Intracardiac Electrogram Waveform Analysis

THRONE, R.D., et al.: Discrimination of Retrograde from Anterograde Atrial Activation Using Intracardiac Electrogram Waveform Analysis The prevention of pacemaker‐mediated tachycardias requires a safe, reliable method for distinguishing retrograde from anterograde atrial activation by dual chamber pacemakers. In this study, a technique was developed to detect the morphological change that occurs in the waveform of the intra‐atrial electrogram during retrograde atrial activation. The method employed for waveform analysis is based upon statistical correlation. In 19 patients undergoing electrophysiological studies, atrial electrograms were recorded from bipolar endocardial electrodes during sinus rhythm and 1:1 retrograde atrial depolarization while undergoing right ventricular pacing. Data were digitally sampled at 750, 1,000, and 1,500 Hz. Templates of anterograde atrial depolarization were constructed by signal averaging waveforms from an initial sinus rhythm passage. These were used for analysis of anterograde depolarizations from a subsequent passage of sinus rhythm and a passage of known retrograde atrial depolarization. In all 19 cases, a patient‐specific threshold could be derived to separate anterograde from retrograde atrial depolarizations using 1,000 Hz and 1,500 Hz sampling rates. However, at a sampling rate of 750 Hz, separation of anterograde from retrograde atrial activation was possible in only 16/19 patients (84%). We conclude that correlation waveform analysis of a suitably sampled atrial electrogram is a reliable method of discriminating retrograde atrial depolarization from anterograde atrial depolarization in intracardiac electrograms.

Using Structural Equation Modeling to Validate the Theory of Planned Behavior as a Model for Predicting Student Cheating

The purpose of this paper is to validate the use of a modified Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) for predicting undergraduate student cheating. Specifically, we administered a survey assessing how the TPB relates to cheating along with a measure of moral reasoning (DIT- 2) to 527 undergraduate students across three institutions; and analyzed the data using structural equation modeling. Results confirmed using the modified TPB as a model for predicting student cheating and the importance of understanding how cheating varies for students in different periods of moral reasoning development, namely moral consolidation and moral transition.

The time-sequenced adaptive filter for analysis of cardiac arrhythmias in intraventricular electrograms

Implantable antitachycardia devices rely upon schemes for detecting cardiac arrhythmias which utilize rate and its variations; yet rate parameters often identify nonpathologic tachycardias as potentially dangerous and deliver unwarranted therapy. I have developed a predictive filter based upon the time-sequenced adaptive algorithm to be used as a supplement to rate criteria for detecting and identifying serious arrhythmias. The method does not require a fixed template and is independent of a priori patient information. The algorithm also provides arrhythmia diagnosis immediately at the change in rhythm, Algorithmic parameters were determined based upon a training set of patient data, and performance of the technique was evaluated with a completely new test set of 20 arrhythmia passages. The new algorithm yielded a sensitivity and specificity for ventricular tachycardia of 91% and 82% and for ventricular fibrillation of 71% and 93%. Correlation waveform analysis was used to diagnose the same test set of arrhythmias, It yielded a sensitivity and specificity for ventricular tachycardia of 100% and 67% and for ventricular fibrillation of 50% and 100%.

Effects of increased heart rate and sympathetic tone on intraventricular electrogram morphology

Electrogram pattern recognition by way of morphologic analysis has been proposed as a technique that may improve discrimination of ventricular tachycardia from sinus rhythm by antitachycardia devices. The potential impact that increases in heart rate and sympathetic tone could have on such techniques, however, has not been previously determined. A comparative study was undertaken to quantify possible changes in ventricular electrogram morphology using correlation waveform, area of difference, and amplitude analyses in 6 patients during atrial overdrive pacing at cycle lengths of 600 and 400 ms (group A), in 13 patients during infusions of physiologic doses of epinephrine (group B), and in 20 patients undergoing infusions of isoproterenol (group C). Four patients were in both groups A and B. A bipolar intraventricular template of cardiac depolarization during sinus rhythm at rest was compared with depolarization during subsequent passages of sinus rhythm at rest and subsequently increased heart rate. In 36 of 39 patients, waveform configuration as assessed by correlation waveform analysis remained relatively stable during atrial overdrive pacing, epinephrine infusion, and isoproterenol infusion when compared with sinus rhythm at rest. The correlation value did not fall below 0.950 in any patient. Area of difference values for the same 36 patients changed by an average of 6 and 37% during atrial overdrive pacing at cycle lengths of 600 and 400 ms intervals, respectively, by 3% during epinephrine infusion, and by 17% during isoproterenol infusion. In these same patients, there was an average change in electrogram amplitude of -1% during atrial overdrive pacing at 600 ms, 26% during pacing at 400 ms, -1% during epinephrine infusion, and 12% during isoproterenol infusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Work in progress - A mixed-methods approach to developing an instrument measuring engineering students' positive ethical behavior

Ethics education and the drive to produce ethical professional engineers is an important focus of one body of research on engineering education. This research often defines the positive outcome of ethics education as students and professional engineers choosing not to engage in unethical behavior. This paper discusses a portion of a larger research project and details efforts to identify and validate a definition of ethical behavior that includes the decision to engage in a positive behavior, defined as a service to a larger community. Through a series of interviews and focus groups with engineering administrators, faculty, and students, the authors attempt to confirm the construct validity of service participation as ethical behavior. They also investigate the validity of the aspects of service participation to be included as a part of a national survey on engineering ethics education practices and outcomes. They then discuss the final steps that will be taken to test and further validate the development of the service participation portion of the survey.

A case study on research in engineering education: designing, testing, and administering the PACES-2 survey on academic integrity

Most engineering educators excel at planning and conducting technical research in their field, but few are proficient doing this for a project in engineering education. Recently, however, there has been increased emphasis on conducting rigorous research in engineering education. This paper provides practical advice for planning and conducting such research. The authors use their long term project to predict academic dishonesty in engineering college students as a case study representing one approach to research in engineering education. In particular, the authors present the design, testing, and administration of a two-part survey instrument to collect information from college students about their decisions related to cheating

Work in progress - building the survey of engineering ethical development (SEED) instrument

When developing surveys, researchers can readily identify the concepts they intend to study, but how do they create individual survey items that will most accurately measure those concepts? Here we describe the first year of a four-year NSF project in which the E3 Team (Exploring Ethical Decision Making in Engineering) prepared to develop a national survey of the curricular and co-curricular activities, events, and experiences affecting the ethical development of engineering undergraduates. As this survey is likely to be the most comprehensive assessment of ethical development - both in content and scope - ever administered to engineering undergraduates, it is critical the development process includes rigorous and thorough educational research methods. By using such methods, we greatly increase the probability our survey instrument will appropriately measure the determinants of ethical behavior in engineering undergraduates.

Facilitating the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at a Research University

At the University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT), Mary C. Wright is assistant director for evaluation; she is also an assistant research scientist. Cynthia J. Finelli is director of the CRLT North (an engineering outpost of CRLT) and a research associate professor in the College of Engineering, and Deborah Meizlish is assistant director and coordinator of social science initiatives at the Center. Inger Bergom is a doctoral student at the University’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. “I made some changes in my class, but how do I measure their impact?”

The Implications of Academic Dishonesty in Undergraduate Engineering on Professional Ethical Behavior

Student academic dishonesty, commonly referred to as cheating, has become a serious problem at institutions of higher education. This is particularly true of engineering students who, according to previous research, are among the most likely to cheat in college. In addition, research on college students in all fields has indicated that such behavior is more common among students who participate in academic dishonesty at the high school level and that it is correlated with other deviant or unethical behaviors, such as petty theft and lying. If, in fact, such correlations do exist, one might hypothesize that there is also a relationship between academic dishonesty in college and deviant or unethical behavior in professional practice. Placing this relationship in the context of higher levels of academic dishonesty among engineering students only increases the seriousness of the problem for engineering educators, professionals, corporations, and society. To investigate this concern, the authors have undertaken two research projects. The first project focused on the Perceptions and Attitudes toward Cheating among Engineering Students (PACES1). The goal of the research was to develop a better understanding of what students and faculty perceive as cheating and to use this knowledge to help instructors and institutions increase the level of academic integrity. The second project examined the correlation between academic dishonesty and unethical behavior with a majority of the students in the sample having worked for a considerable period of time during their college years. This provided a unique opportunity to study the connection between academic dishonesty and professional behavior within the same sample of individuals. This paper will discuss some of the implications of academic dishonesty on professional ethical behavior and provide an overview of the two investigations conducted by the authors.