580 California St., Suite 400
San Francisco, CA, 94104
Key research themes
1. How do design characteristics of meetings influence the perceptions of sessional staff regarding meeting quality and effectiveness?
This research area investigates the specific meeting design factors that impact how sessional staff perceive the quality and productivity of organizational meetings. Given that sessional staff often participate in meetings as part of their dispersed and contingent roles, understanding how meeting temporal, physical, procedural, and attendee characteristics influence their engagement and satisfaction is critical for improving communication and organizational integration.
Key finding: The study identifies 18 design characteristics across temporal, physical, procedural, and attendee dimensions, with 9 significantly predicting perceptions of meeting quality among working adults, a population that includes... Read more
2. What factors define and measure adequacy of nurse staffing in hospital wards, and how does this relate to sessional nursing staff roles?
This theme focuses on establishing a consensus-based framework and measurable indicators for adequacy of nurse staffing at shift level within hospital wards, highlighting how staffing adequacy relates to direct patient care and nursing workload distribution. Given that sessional nursing staff contribute significantly to hospital inpatient care, understanding these staffing adequacy dimensions is central to optimizing patient outcomes and staff well-being.
Key finding: Through a rigorous three-round Delphi process involving nurses, head nurses, nursing managers, and capacity consultants, six core items related mostly to direct patient care were identified as defining adequacy of shift... Read more
Key finding: This study demonstrated a positive correlation between patient satisfaction and nurse staffing variables such as hours of care per patient day, proportion of registered nurses, and staffing adequacy as realized by nursing... Read more
Key finding: The paper argues that professional role clarity and competency are critical yet often overlooked factors in achieving staffing excellence. It stresses that clear definition and standardized measurement of professional nursing... Read more
3. How do casual or sessional academic staff impact quality assurance, assessment processes, and capacity building in higher education institutions?
This theme examines the roles sessional academic staff play in higher education quality assurance, particularly around student assessment, professional development, and workforce capacity building. As sessional staff deliver a large portion of tertiary education, empirical investigation into their involvement in moderation, evaluation, and institutional support mechanisms informs policy and practice for sustaining teaching quality and academic integration.
Key finding: Through qualitative analysis, this study revealed that sessional staff significantly influence formal quality assurance processes, including assessment moderation, but face challenges due to limited shared understanding of... Read more
Key finding: This national-level project developed and piloted a standards framework to benchmark sessional staff policies and practices across Australian universities. Its case studies demonstrated that institutional commitment to... Read more
Key finding: This study from QUT outlines a multifaceted strategy addressing the complexity and diversity inherent in sessional academic populations. It advocates for institutionally supported, strategic interventions—such as climate... Read more
Key finding: Employing an innovative verbatim drama method, this research illuminated the often invisible and marginalized lived experience of women casual academics. It highlighted issues of voice, job insecurity, and professional... Read more