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Creators: Department of Management and Entrepreneurship

Tuzee: On-demand Tutoring for College Students

Description

For students on a college campus, many courses can present challenges to them academically. Some universities have taken an initiative to respond to this by offering tutoring opportunities at a central location. Generally this provides help for some struggling students, but others are left with many questions unanswered. Two primary reasons for this are that some tutoring services are broad in scope and that there may not be sufficient one-on-one time with a tutor. With the development of a mobile application, a solution is possible to improve upon the tutoring experience for all students. The concept revolves around the formation of a labor market of freelancers, known as a gig economy, to create a large supply of tutors who can provide their services to a student looking for help in a specific course. A strategic process was followed to develop this mobile application, called Tuzee. To begin, an early concept and design was drafted to shape a clear vision statement and effective user experience. Planning and research followed, where technical requirements including an efficient database and integrated development environment were selected. After these prerequisites, the development stage of the application started and a working app produced. Subsequently, a business model was devised along with possible features to be added upon a successful launch. With a peer-to-peer approach powering the app, monitoring user engagement lies as a core principle for consistent growth. The vision statement will frequently be referred to: enhance university academics by enabling the interaction of students with each other.

ContributorsArcaro, Daniel James (Author) / Ahmad, Altaf (Thesis director) / Sopha, Matthew (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2018-05

Engage: Innovating Student Engagement

Description

Arizona State University has prided itself on the mission to become a global leader in innovation, sustainability, and inclusion for students of all backgrounds. To provide the most meaningful experiences and promote student growth both personally and professionally, the university offers over 800 students organizations for involvement and leadership on campus. With a heavy reliance on paper and print materials, large-scale engagement events such as Passport to ASU and Panhellenic Formal Recruitment have become wasteful and inefficient, straying from the goals established by university president, Michael M. Crow. The processes involved within these two events are outdated and limit accessibility for many students, minimizing the opportunity to get involved and connect with their peers. Engage is a company founded by an Arizona State University student, hoping to find feasible solutions to meet the needs and improve the overall student engagement experience. By designing two separate mobile applications for Passport to ASU and Panhellenic Formal Recruitment, Engage has eliminated the need for paper and print materials while simplifying the event processes for incoming students and the organizations. These apps will similarly improve accessibility for all students, allowing users to get involved and connect with peers without limitations such as transportation or time. Innovation is a key focus of Arizona State University, and to stay competitive they must find new ways to improve the student experience and modernize current offerings. Getting involved is often considered one of the defining parts of collegiate life, and the university must work to maximize opportunities and make the transition as effortless and enjoyable as possible. By implementing these two mobile apps, student engagement will reach new heights and realign with the missions Arizona State University was founded upon.

ContributorsFitzgerald, Paige Elizabeth (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Giles, Bret (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2018-05

Reducing Polypharmacy with Mobile Apps Among Mental Health Patients

Description

Polypharmacy among psychiatric patients is a concerning trend. From 2007-2010, 58.2% of women and 41.8% of men reported taking five or more prescription drugs within the last 30 days (CDC, 2014). Negative outcomes include prescription drug abuse, side effects, interactions, treatment failure, patient dissatisfaction, and lack of treatment control. The associated practice challenges have led to the following PICOT question. In persons with mental health issues receiving care at an outpatient mental health clinic, does engaging in mindfulness practice versus no mindfulness practice change polypharmacy use over a 3-month period?

The project purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of Insight Timer mobile mindfulness app at helping patients self-manage distressing symptoms and reduce polypharmacy. Over three weeks, mental health clinic nurse practitioners (NPs) voluntarily recruited patients (n=12) over age 18 using as needed prescriptions (PRNs), and agreed to use Insight Timer mobile mindfulness app for adjunct symptom management. Consenting participants downloaded the mobile app, and completed a brief questionnaire measuring PRN use at the start of app use, and PRN use at their next visit. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated a 10-week mindfulness app trial did not significantly lower total PRN doses compared with pre-app dosing (Z = -.534, p = .593). Paired t-tests revealed no significant change in pre (M = 65.17, SD = 28.64) versus post (M = 67.75, SD = 20.22) OQ45 life functionality results (t(11) = -.420, p = .683) (d = .121) as a result of app use.

Clinically relevant results illustrated 83.33% of participants taking greater than nine PRN doses over the study period used the app six times or more in place of medication. High PRN users employed the app frequently in place of medication regardless of total PRN doses taken. Practice implications and sustainability recommendations include incorporating mobile app use in treatment plans for high PRN users and educating NP’s on the tangible benefits of mindfulness apps in reducing polypharmacy and easing symptom distress on an ongoing basis.
Keywords: mindfulness, mhealth, mobile apps, mobile smart phone, online, RCT, behavior change, polypharmacy.

ContributorsPierce, Albert (Author) / Guthery, Ann (Thesis advisor)

Created2019-04-29