Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Persons engaged in primary research on sensitive topics are often required to obtain informed consent for these interviews. In some cases, IRB’s require written consent before a respondent may participate in a survey. Since most surveys are now conducted by telephone, the requirement for written consent poses significant problems for research.

The argument against written consent is threefold. First, the elements of informed consent can be incorporated into an oral consent, with respondent understanding and agreement documented by an interviewer. Second, the absence of written consent may not imply unwillingness to participate in a telephone survey. Third, any correlation between non-return of written consent forms and survey end points (e.g., morbidity and mortality, literacy, mobility, and salience of the topic) may produce serious bias in the written consenter sample. Unfortunately, there is very little quantitative data on the effects of written consent on participation and bias in telephone surveys. This paper draws upon the experience of two large-scale surveys on sensitive topics conducted among normal populations to address these issues.

The Survey of Sexual Assault on Active Duty U.S. Air Force Women involved a long telephone survey on sensitive topics (physical and sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other traumatic events) among a large sample (n=2018) of active duty women. A second telephone survey of “Subjects Experimentally Exposed to Anticholinestrase Agents” also involved a long, potentially sensitive interview among male veterans. Both surveys required advance mailing of informed consent statements. The first study did not permit contact if a signed consent form was not returned, except for a sub-sample to test for bias. The second study permitted contact efforts among non-returns, who did not refuse. The findings of the two study demonstrate that non-return does not imply refusal to participate, while it does introduce serious bias into the survey results.

Publication Type: Poster Presentation
Abstract: This poster show the results of action research that compares the fluency of student written output in two classes that have been instructed through different methodologies. Despite limitations to non-experimental means, the study illustrates the differences in student ability based on the method with which they are taught.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The past decade we have witnessed a proliferation of international criminal tribunals. Their proceedings are governed by a very rudimentary legal framework, certainly compared to domestic criminal justice systems. As a result, the participants in international criminal proceedings have a large discretionary freedom as to their role perception and role performance. The paper discusses –among other things- three issues:
· The objectives of international criminal trials remain uncertain; as a result, no clear choice for a model of criminal procedure –accusatorial v. inquisitorial- has yet been made.
· Participants in international criminal trials come from all legal systems in the world and have difficulty in dissociating themselves fully from these systems.
· Pre-trial investigation tends to be relegated to national systems; however, international criminal tribunals carry the responsibility for the fairness of the trial. What consequences should this have for the conduct of participants in these trials?

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: Objectives/Intent:
Effective written and oral communication skills are critical for pharmacists. In response to encountering students who were not proficient in communication during the experiential year, four assessment measures were used to identify P1 students who did not demonstrate proficiency in communication.

Methods/Process:
For the first assessment, a pre-admission interview was conducted with each applicant. Secondly, a “Pharm Speak” exercise required students to read a pharmacy-related script containing medical terms and drug names. This exercise was videotaped and maintained as a baseline for future communication exercises. A “Pharm Write 1” exercise assessed students’ ability to write a well-structured, grammatically correct essay, and for the fourth assessment, “Pharm Write 2”, students summarized and evaluated a journal article.

Results/Outcomes:
For each assessment, evaluation rubrics were developed to rank the exercise as acceptable (A) or not acceptable (NA). Students with two or more scores of NA (8 of the 121 students) were referred to the English as a Second Language (ESL) Department. Based on input from ESL, a remediation program is developed for each student, and the student’s progress is monitored and assessed throughout the program.

Implications:
It has been our experience that students with communication deficiencies are able to navigate through the didactic portion of the curriculum, however, find themselves unable to function under the stress of experiential rotations. Students identified early on as having deficient communication skills are provided with a structured remediation plan. Students unable to show improvement will not advance through the program as per current curricular progression policies.

Publication Type: Session Presentation
Abstract: Language use is inseparable from the creation and transmission of culture. Nonetheless, culture is still presented in many FL curricula as an “extra”. Presenters discuss, through specific examples, how the development of students’ cultural competence goes hand in hand with the development of their oral and written competencies