Digital Commons Network^™

Common Data Set 2005-06, Kirk England

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Common Data Set

Western Alumni, Class Of 2005 - Spring 2006 Survey Findings, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Sara Jones, Richard Bulcroft, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Western’s first Alumni Survey was conducted in 1988; it’s development and administration was in response to the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HEC Board) requirement to survey graduates every biennially. Western was done so diligently and reliably since. Twenty years on, as academic concerns have changed, so has the survey; however, the original “fourteen common items” proscribed by the HEC Board have remained. Similarly, the administration of the survey adapted: from a paper-and-pencil only mail-out form to the current on-line and telephone method. Yet regardless of the type of administration, satisfactory response rates have been attained. The current report includes data …

The Freshmen Interest Group (Figs) Program Report: Fall, 2006, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Chris Stark, Patricia M. Fabiano

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

INTRODUCTION In the fall, 2006, the Freshman Interest Group (FIGs) Program entered its eighth interation. To use assessment terminology, the program has passed through its beginning and emergent stages and has entered maturity. Its mission has been crafted, student learning outcomes (SLO's) have been identified, and its identity has solidified. (Please see Appendix One to read the FIGs mission statement, course criteria, student learning outcomes, and other FIGs-related documents.) Yet while maturity has wrought a degree of self-confidence, it has not brought complacency.The program remains one of the most assessed academic programs on campus. Yearly, FIGs administrators and instructors pore …

Figs: Summary Report, Western Washington University. Office Of Survey Research

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Selected excerpts from focus group conducted with FIGS faculty and seminar instructors in Spring '06 by the Office of Survey Research.

Fye Seminars: Summary Report, Western Washington University. Office Of Survey Research

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Selected Excerpts from Focus Groups Conducted with FYE Seminar instructors In Spring ’06 by The Office of Survey Research.

New Student Programs: Summary Report, Western Washington University. Office Of Survey Research

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Excerpts from Focus Groups with Program Coordinators, Students, OSA’s and RA’s about Programs for New Students Conducted Spring ‘06 by the Office of Survey Research.

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Survey Of In-Coming Transfers In Transition, Late Fall Quarter, 2005, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Sara Jones, Richard Bulcroft, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

INTRODUCTION The Western Educational Longitudinal Study (WELS) was conceived as a process to obtain data more relevant to Western and its mission than survey data had been able to obtain previously. Rather than continuing to rely on outside survey forms, researchers developed a Western-specific survey form. Development of this survey took about three years, with researchers soliciting input from dozens of individuals, departments and offices. Along the way, WELS researchers also noted where data was already being collected so that doubling up on survey questions was minimized. The final survey form was considered by all participants to be as thorough …

First-Time, In-Coming Transfers And Freshmen: A Comparison Of Survey Findings, Richard Bulcroft, Joseph E. Trimble, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

This report presents Western Educational Longitudinal Study (WELS) findings from three surveys: 1) the baseline survey of first-time, in-coming transfers administered in the summer and early fall of 2005; 2) the baseline survey of first-time, in-coming freshmen administered in the summer and early fall of 2003; and 3) the follow-up survey of fall, 2003, freshmen, including those who did and who did not take the WELS baseline survey in the spring of 2005.

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Fall, 2005, Baseline Survey Of In-Coming Freshmen, Richard Bulcroft, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Sara Jones, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The Western Educational Longitudinal Study (WELS) was conceived as a process to obtain data more relevant to Western and its mission than survey data had been able to obtain previously. Rather than continuing to rely on outside survey forms, researchers developed a Western-specific survey form. Development of this survey took about three years, with researchers soliciting input from dozens of individuals, departments and offices. Along the way, WELS researchers also noted where data was already being collected so that doubling up on survey questions was minimized. The final survey form was considered by all participants to be as thorough and …

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels) Freshmen In Transition: Students Who Entered As Freshmen In Fall Quarter, 2005, Survyed At The End Of Fall Quarter, 2005, Richard Bulcroft, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Sara Jones, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

This report presents findings from the end-of-fall-quarter, 2005, "transitions" survey for freshmen.

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Fall, 2005 Baseline Survey Of In-Coming Transfers, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Richard Bulcroft, Sara Jones, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The survey questions for the transfer student WELS were developed similarly to the previous WELS surveys. WELS researchers contacted various departments and individuals at Western to discuss information they needed about Western's transfer students. Additionally, WELS researchers conducted a focus group of transfer students in order to obtain insight into the transfer student population at Western and identify areas where transfer students differed from the rest of the Western population. Some questions were chosen to parallel previous WELS surveys. Transfer students were asked questions on a variety of topics including previous educational experiences, transfer student orientation, expectations about their Western …

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels) Transfer In Transition: Students Who Entered As Transfers In The Fall Quarter, 2005, Surveyed At The End Of Fall Quarter, 2005, Richard Bulcroft, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Sara Jones, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

This report presents findings from the end-of-fall-quarter, 2005, "transitions" survey for transfers.

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Fall, 2005, Baseline Survey Of In-Coming Freshmen, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Richard Bulcroft, Sara Jones

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

INTRODUCTION The Western Educational Longitudinal Study (WELS) was conceived as a process to obtain data more relevant to Western and its mission than survey data had been able to obtain previously. Rather than continuing to rely on outside survey forms, researchers developed a Western-specific survey form. Development of this survey took about three years, with researchers soliciting input from dozens of individuals, departments and offices. Along the way, WELS researchers also noted where data was already being collected so that doubling up on survey questions was minimized. The final survey form was considered by all participants to be as thorough …

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Spring 2005, Follow-Up Of Freshmen Entering Fall, 2003, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Richard Bulcroft, Sara Jones

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Technical report for the WELS survey of sophomores in the spring, 2005. Many of these respondents had previously taken the WELS baseline survey in the fall, 2003. Topics include: registering, advising, majors, GURs, work, difficulties, and the use of academic and library technologies.

Evolution And Intelligent Design In Biology Curricula: Secular Science In A Multicultural Public Education System, Morgan Leona Hopson

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Science and religion tend to provide conflicting explanations for natural phenomena, such as the origin of man, as they rely on different epistemological foundations. In the United States, the government is required to maintain a secular presence, while acknowledging and protecting individuals and minority groups of varying faiths and cultures. This becomes problematic as the provision of primary goods by the federal government necessarily implies that the institutions representing these goods must remain secular, whilst not impeding upon cultural and individual rights. Due to the heterogeneous nature of the U.S. populace, it would be impossible to provide a perfectly multicultural …

Oracy To Literacy: How Can Speech-Language Pathologists In The Schools Collaborate With Teachers Regarding Literacy?, Victoria L. (Victoria Louise) Goodall

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The concept of a connection between oral language and literacy is not new. However, prior to the 1990s, this relationship was not given the substantial credit it deserves (Butler, 1999). In attempt to describe this connection, the term “oracy” has been created. The word “oracy” encapsulates the concept of oral communication and comprehension as building the foundation for literacy. Recent research has brought the significance of this idea to the attention of those involved in literacy in the schools. As a result of changes in our understanding of how children become literate, professionals involved in literacy must adapt to broadened …

Moneysense, Angela Martin

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Money is something that permeates everyone’s daily lives. No matter who you are, rich or poor, white or black, college educated or a high school drop out, everyone has to deal with money at some level. Getting a job, opening a savings account, budgeting for one’s monthly bills, and using a credit card are activities that most men and women will experience at some point in their lives. Everyone has to deal with money but few actually receive any type of formal training or education on exactly how to do these things.

Learning by ones mistakes is common when it …

The Impact Of Digitization On Research And Libraries’ Roles, Kristin N. Kohles

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Digitization is a broad term used when describing turning written text, visual media, and audio into a format readable by a computer. It can mean anything from creating the original digitally or transferring a non-digital format into a digital one. This makes it a difficult topic because everyone has their own idea of what it means, and most of their definitions fall into the broad one. This paper will focus on written text being digitized in a variety of ways.

A New Vision Of Art Education, Sharon Naomi Wherland

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In this project I address two societal assumption concerning the discipline of art and their implication for art education. These assumptions are that i) art is primarily a "creative" endeavor with little educational value; and, ii) that the ability to make art requires some sort of rare, innate talent. In my view these are the primary reasons that art is increasingly marginalized in public school programs and our society at large.

Learning Transfer: Lessons Learned From Software Company Professionals, Sandra Ratcliff Daffron, Mary Wehby North

Adult & Higher Education

This article investigates how training and working environments, attitudes, and experiences influence transfer of learning for professionals in the corporate setting. A study of 54 software test engineers, software developers, documentation content managers, technical writers and editors, programming writers, and program managers looks at variables during three phases of the training process: the planning of continuing educations programs, the presentation of the training, and the professional's application of the training after returning to the work setting. Findings indicate that several variables influence strongly successful transfer of learning: involvement in the pre-program planning process and self-motivation to participate, use of a …

From Traditional To Liberal Racism: Living Racism In The Everyday, Francisco Rios, Margaret M. Zamudio

Woodring College of Education Faculty Publications

This article examines hundreds of entries in student journals collected at a university in the Mountain West and captures a striking contradiction between an articulated understanding of racism as “a thing of the past” and the reality of a persistent and pervasive racism. This qualitative study documents everyday racist events taking place in the life of students. These events are coded into either a traditional or modern “liberal” category to demonstrate the link between past and present race projects. The authors conclude that the contemporary “colorblind” discourse of the liberal era suggests an ongoing race project centered on the maintenance …

Negotiation And Resistance Amid The Overwhelming Presence Of Whiteness: A Native American Faculty And Student Perspective, Angela Jaime, Francisco Rios

Woodring College of Education Faculty Publications

This opening stanza of the poem Indian Boarding School: The Runaways by Louise Erdrich (1984) describes the importance of and comfort with returning to one’s home, “the place we head for in our sleep.” In this poem, Erdrich describes the dreams of Native students who runaway from their boarding school experiences (for a detailed account of the culturally horrific, indeed even fatal, boarding school experiences, see Spring, 2006). But the runaways are also moving toward something: their homes where they can be culturally, socially, and spiritually nourished. Home is where the center of the soul belongs. Children of the boarding …

From Traditional To Liberal Racism: Living Racism In The Everyday, Margaret M. Zamudio, Francisco Rios

Woodring Scholarship on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

This article examines hundreds of entries in student journals collected at a university in the Mountain West and captures a striking contradiction between an articulated understanding of racism as “a thing of the past” and the reality of a persistent and pervasive racism. This qualitative study documents everyday racist events taking place in the life of students. These events are coded into either a traditional or modern “liberal” category to demonstrate the link between past and present race projects. The authors conclude that the contemporary “colorblind” discourse of the liberal era suggests an ongoing race project centered on the maintenance …

Instructional Uses Of Web-Based Survey Software, Concetta A. Depaolo, Arthur L. Sherwood

Management

Recent technological advances have led to changes in how instruction is delivered. Such technology can create opportunities to enhance instruction and make instructors more efficient in performing instructional tasks, especially if the technology is easy to use and requires no training. One such technology, web-based survey software, is extremely accessible for anyone with basic computer skills. Web-based survey software can be used for a variety of instructional purposes to streamline instructor tasks, as well as enhance instruction and communication with students. Following a brief overview of the technology, we discuss how Web Forms from nTreePoint can be used to conduct …

University Of South Florida: The First Fifty Years, 1956-2006, Mark I. Greenberg

Western Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Finding My Breathing Space, Laurie Ann Ballew

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In the winter of 2003, we made our third annual snowshoeing trip to Mt. Baker. During our first adventure freshman year, Greg and I saw the breath-taking views that make Artist Point the popular snowshoeing destination that it is. The sky was glacier- water blue, and not even a thumbprint of a cloud marked the horizon. The following year, the weather was overcast, and our group ended up turning back early. In 2003, we planned to go the weekend after finals before heading home for the Christmas holiday. Greg invited his friend JP along, who had never been snowshoeing. On …