University Extension Commons^™

Retention Strategies For Online Students: A Systematic Literature Review, Katy Seery, Albert A. Barreda, Stephanie G. Hein, Jokima L. Hiller

Journal of Global Education and Research

The purpose of this paper is to examine online retention research in higher education over a 5-year span (January 2015–March 2019) to further advance research in higher education retention. Through an academic database search, 18 articles were collected from EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, and Research Gate using combinations of the keywords online, retention strategies, and higher education. All articles were analyzed for proposed retention strategies. Retention is a global topic. As such, this study demonstrates the importance of retention and clarifies issues or challenges students encounter, which may cause lower retention rates. The data reviewed suggest the most common retention ...

Cross-Border Development: A Long-Term Role For Universities, Robert Brian Smith, Nucharee Nuchkoom Smith

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

Low-income economies are experiencing potential serious threats in terms of long-term sustainability and social development. At the same time, most developing economies are grappling with possible disruptions from the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the current COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences. However, every economy has the same goal of elevating its status to that of a developed country. This research uses the narrative/case study approach to examine cross-border development and the role that universities can play as important actors in the development of society. Moreover, this research combines observations and literature analysis. Universities are clearly best placed to play ...

Student-Athletes At An Historically Black University (Hbu): Examining The Relationship Between Student-Engagement On Campus And Career Situation Awareness, Gregg Rich, Kenneth Kungu, Ali Boolani

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship between student-athletes’ engagement experiences on campus and their career situation awareness at an historically Black university (HBU) in the Southeastern United States with NCAA Division I affiliation. Data was obtained from a sample (n = 118) of female (n= 45) and male (n = 73) student-athletes using measures from the revised versions of the Student-Athlete Experiences Inventory (SAEI) and the Student-Athlete Career Situation Inventory (SACSI). One-way ANOVA, Pearson product-moment correlation tests, and t-tests were employed to analyze gender, race, year classification, and sport played effects. Following data analysis, three key findings ...

“Ripssl”: A New Reflective Inquiry Protocol To Lift The Lid On Students’ Significant Extra-Curricular Learning Outcomes From Study Abroad, Andrea Reid, Christine Slade, Susan L. Rowland

The Qualitative Report

Education abroad generally has no overarching curriculum outside the formal study component. This paper presents the Reflective Inquiry Protocol for Surfacing Significant Learning (RIPSSL), a new approach for understanding and articulating significant learning from education abroad. Tests of RIPSSL show education abroad students use it to move beyond “it was great” when considering learning from their experiences. Our findings are important for educators and students as they work to recognize and articulate the value of education abroad. RIPSSL provides a reflective educational approach to evidence learning from life experiences by surfacing students’ significant learning in their own words.

Extension Demonstration: Grameen Microfinance Methods And Capital Access For Low-Income Female Entrepreneurs, Mark A. Edelman

Economics Working Papers

A nonprofit community development financial institution and Extension collaborated to conduct a demonstration project to evaluate efficacy of Grameen peer-group microfinance methodology in addressing barriers faced by lowincome women entrepreneurs in a small metro area. Program performance metrics achieved by 284 low-income, culturally diverse, primarily women entrepreneurs over five years included: a loan repayment rate of 99+ percent, increased average client income, savings accumulation at a local bank, and increased opportunities to improve average credit scores. Client surveys indicated peer-group methods, program structure, incentives for individual behaviors and group responsibilities provided opportunity to develop confidence, leadership skills, and teamwork.

Rethinking The Teaching Of Writing In An Era Of Remote Learning: Lessons Learned From A Local Site Of The National Writing Project, Troy Hicks

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

As the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close in the spring of 2020, teacher consultants from a local writing project site were compelled to make their practice public, sharing conversations about what remote learning and the teaching of writing could look like through a series of eight webinars and, subsequently, an open institute in the summer of 2020. Built on principles of the National Writing Project including openness, flexibility, and an inquiry-driven stance toward professional learning, the work of this site’s director and teacher leaders is described as they worked together to think about issues of equity and access ...

Enhancing Hbcu Teacher Education Experience Through Authentic University-School Partnerships, Valeisha Ellis, Patricia Jenkins, Tiffany D. Pogue

Georgia Educational Researcher

This mixed-methods study sought to examine teacher education candidates’ practice-based field experiences and relationships with a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and an urban P-12 school. As informed by the Networked Improvement Community (NIC) and Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) conceptual frameworks, the three phases of data collection indicated highly favorable results of desired objectives for an innovative, authentic field experience for local pre-service teacher candidates and P-12 partners. The study also evidences a positive effect on students’ achievement as a result of this field experience. Recommendations for future research, education preparation programs, and building partnerships with P-12 schools are discussed.

“You’Re Almost In This Place That Doesn’T Exist”: The Impact Of College In Prison As Understood By Formerly Incarcerated Students From The Northeastern United States, Hilary Binda, Jill D. Weinberg, Nora Maetzener, Carolyn Rubin

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry

This qualitative study examines the immediate and lasting impact of liberal arts higher education in prison from the perspective of former college-in-prison students from the Northeastern United States. Findings obtained through semi-structured interviews with formerly incarcerated people are presented in the following three areas: self-confidence and agency, interpersonal relationships, and capacity for civic leadership. This study further examines former students’ reflections on the relationship between education and human transformation and begins to benchmark college programming with attention to the potential for such transformation. The authors identify four characteristics critical to a program’s success: academic rigor, the professor's respect ...

Innovation Of University System In The Field Of Scientific Staff Training In Europe And Uzbekistan: Experience And Problems, Usmonov Botir

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

The need to improve the system of doctoral studies in the Republic of Uzbekistan is dictated by the tasks of the present. In this article, the example of European and Uzbek universities, considered the features of the reforms in the administration of training for scientific personnel undertaken in the last decade in European countries. To solve the problems of the doctoral system, it is proposed to take a number of structural steps to improve the overall quality of specialists in Uzbekistan, to ensure its attractiveness and competitiveness.

Green Delivery: An Arbor Day Foundation Partnership Program, Vincent Malene, Sarah Schilling, David Petersen, Anthony Hare, Cassandra Arritt, Ross Grieb

Honors Theses, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

No abstract provided.

Building Engagement In Facebook: A Case Study With Utah State University Extension Sustainability, Kenna Kesler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how Utah State University (USU) Extension Sustainability uses Facebook to engage followers. The researcher conducted a quantitative content analysis of 504 messages posted to the USU Extension Sustainability Facebook page. Graphics and links were the most common post characteristics used. Text-only posts and posts containing videos were used the least. Food was the most common area of sustainability discussed on the page. Posts containing videos, shared content, or that tagged other pages in Facebook messages experienced statistically significantly higher user engagement than posts without those characteristics. Posts containing hashtags experienced statistically significantly ...

Mpower: Thesis Project For Increased Financial Investment, Sustainability, And Growth For The Mpower: Lead Through The Creed Program, Annabella Sills

Honors Theses

MPower is a leadership and diversity conference hosted annually by the UM Student Union for incoming freshmen. I conducted a meeting with University officials including the Dean of students providing concrete evidence for why the University of Mississippi should increase financial investment for the program. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, our scheduled stakeholder meeting had to be pushed to the fall semester as many departments are unable to collaborate on this project at this time. Therefore, this thesis paper has been adjusted accordingly. My thesis work will be used to collaborate with multiple campus departments to increase the sustainability ...

Increasing Campus Sense Of Belonging Through Llc Participation: To Gems Camp We Go, Maureen E. Bowers, Leah K. Tobin, Jessica Lee, Kristan C. Skendall, Frank J. Coale

Learning Communities Research and Practice

Gemstone seeks to develop students’ research and collaboration skills, foster leadership opportunities, and provide a sense of belonging on a large campus utilizing the Best Practices Model (BPM) and a variety of high impact practices (HIPs), like a Gemstone-specific orientation program called Gems Camp. While studies have demonstrated that LLCs increase students’ sense of belonging, the goal of this study is to explicitly test via propensity score matching if (a) enrollment in the Gemstone Honors Program increases sense of belonging compared to university students not in Gemstone and (b) attendance at Gems Camp increases sense of belonging in Gemstone students ...

Outcome Mapping: Documenting Process In The Métis Settlements Life Skills Journey Project, Brent Hammer, Fay Fletcher, Rebecca Shortt, Mandy Macrae, Alicia Hibbert

The Qualitative Report

Mapping serves as a metaphor for where we are now, where we have been, and where we are going. In this paper the authors illustrate the use of outcome mapping as a methodological framework for documenting the planning, monitoring, and evaluation process for the Métis Settlements Life Skills Journey (MSLSJ) project. The MSLSJ is a multi-year, multi-site, multi-method research project. It is centered on building relationships and facilitating knowledge exchange between the University of Alberta team, Métis Settlement Councils and administrators, and Settlement members. We highlight how the outcome mapping framework enables us to document project processes through the identification ...

Determining Human Development Competency Training Needs Of Fcs Extension Professionals, Alligrace Story, Alisha M. Hardman, Marina D. Denny, Geoff Denny

Southeastern Council on Family Relations Conference

Extension agents with Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) programmatic responsibilities come from a variety of backgrounds but are expected to implement educational programs across FCS knowledge areas. This study examined [state] University Extension personnel’s perceived importance of and perceived ability related to human development competencies. There was a significant difference between how specialists (state-level) and agents (county-level) perceived the importance of three of the five human development concepts. Most agents’ perceived their ability across the human development competencies to be average or just above average. Using the perceived importance and perceived ability data from the agents, next steps include ...

Strips Collaborator Survey: 2019 Results, J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr.

Sociology Technical Reports

The STRIPS (Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips) project has developed collaborative partnerships with more than 35 farmers and landowners who have integrated prairie strips into their farm landscapes. One of the STRIPS project’s guiding principles is to “create and maintain feedback loops for information sharing among team members, farmer/farm landowner adopters, and other stakeholders.” A major goal of these feedback loops is to learn from collaborators who have adopted prairie strips so project staff can help current (and future) collaborators to successfully establish and manage prairie strips.

Conversations With Non-Choir Farmers: Implications For Conservation Adoption. Report For The Walton Family Foundation, Pranay Ranjan, Sarah P. Church, J. G. Arbuckle, Benjamin M. Gramig, Carson J. Reeling, Linda S. Prokopy

Sociology Technical Reports

The following report documents the results and implications for the study, “Conversations with non-choir farmers: Implications for conservation adoption”. We conducted 10 in-person focus groups with farmers (IN=5; IA=3; IL=2) and three online focus groups with non-operating landowners (NOLs) who own land in Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa. This research sought to answer the following research questions:

1) What are viable strategies beyond what WFF is currently investing in to promote agricultural practices that that reduce nutrient runoff?

2) How and under what conditions can policies help to change farmer and landowner behavior? What are potential barriers, particularly ...

Self-Regulation And The Maturing Mind, Laura Ackerwold, Lauren Adrian, Katey Krager

Empowering Research for Educators

No abstract provided.

Identity Development Within Adolescents And How Educators And Parents Can Positively Affect This Development, Charlotte Heim, Ryan Brudelie, Paige Block

Empowering Research for Educators

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Constructivism In Agricultural And Physical Education, Brittani Oyster, Jesse Bobbit

Empowering Research for Educators

No abstract provided.