John C. Griffith

A comparison of online and traditional chemistry lecture and lab

While the equivalence between online and traditional classrooms has been well researched, very little effort has been expended to do such comparisons for college level introductory chemistry. The existing literature has only one study that investigated chemistry lectures at an entire course level as opposed to particular course components such as individual topics or exams. Regarding lab courses, only one study is available and it involves moderating variables that are largely uncontrolled. In this work, we compared the student pass rates, withdrawal rates, and grade distributions between asynchronous online and traditional formats of an introductory chemistry lecture as well as its associated lab course. The study was based on the 823 university records available for the 2015–2016 academic year. Student pass and withdrawal rates between the two modes were quite similar and did not appear to be statistically significant. However, grade distributions for both the lecture and lab differed between the two learning modes, showing significant statistical associations. Online students were more likely to earn As in both lecture and lab while traditional in-person students were more likely to earn Cs or Ds. Further research should include replication of this study with a larger data set. Additionally, this study should be repeated in three to five years to determine if advances in course design, standardization and delivery platforms further reduce or eliminate differences between learning modes. Future studies should also use qualitative tools for a better understanding of why students fail or withdraw from courses.

Workplace Bullying, Emotional Abuse and Harrassment in Fire Departments

Firefighters are heroes who save lives and protect property. They are highly revered in societies all around the world and perform under the most stressful of conditions. Drawing on literature from the United States (USA), this chapter J. C. Griffith (*) · D. L. Roberts Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus, Daytona Beach, FL, USA e-mail: griff2ec@erau.edu; rober596@erau.edu # Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018 P. D’Cruz et al. (eds.), Special topics and particular occupations, professions and sectors, Handbooks of Workplace Bullying, Emotional Abuse and Harassment 4, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5154-8_15-1 1 reviews the culture, demographics and changing mission of the fire service as a backdrop to workplace harassment and bullying issues. The fire service has unique organizational dynamics that can lead to harassment and bullying and, at the same time, are the critical reasons for working to eliminate intentional and unintentional unfair treatment of women and minorities. Recent literature and studies show that the battle to eradicate harassment and bullying is far from over. More women than men perceived differential treatment based on gender, race and sexual orientation. Moreover, more women than men have reported ill-fitting equipment issues in multiple studies. Recommended solutions include ensuring harassment and bullying are not tolerated by verifying all know that a policy exists and how to follow it. Fire stations should be designed to ensure women have separate sleeping quarters and showers, which afford privacy. Fire station leadership should also ensure firefighting equipment issued to its members fit (to include female-sized equipment and turnout gear) so that firefighters have confidence that the equipment will protect them while they save others. The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has taken steps to identify areas of bullying and discrimination and is working diligently to enforce and develop effective strategies to mitigate these issues. Future research should include continued studies of the US fire service as well as studies of non-US fire services. Additional research should also focus on the effects of bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination on bystanders and volunteer firefighters.