Education Commons^™

Key Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction Among Academic Staff In The University, Victor Amadi Stephen

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications and Presentations

Job satisfaction (JS) undoubtedly impacts significantly on the productive capacity and general well-being of academic staff within universities. Poor JS affects not only individual performance but also broader institutional goals and may culminate in a decline in staff morale, disloyalty, constant labor migration and unending industrial actions by labor unions within the university. Enhancing job satisfaction can improve staff’s quality of service, staff retention, productivity, and the overall academic quality of the institutions. This study reviews factors associated with job satisfaction among academic staff in universities, and how these factors independently contribute to overall job satisfaction. This study draws on …

What Comes After The Critique Of The Corporate University? Toward A Syndicalist University, Clyde W. Barrow

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

For the past three decades, university faculty have produced a cascade of contemporary protest literature that routinely criticizes the knowledge factory, academic capitalism, managed professionals, college for sale, the university in ruins, the corporate corruption of higher education, and University, Inc. University faculty are regularly warned about the fall of the faculty, the last professors, and the last intellectuals. This article reviews the historical development of the corporate and neoliberal university, but it takes the next step of asking what is to be done after the critique of the corporate university. It calls on faculty to engage in a variety …

Family-Centered Theory Of Change: A Conceptual Framework For Improving Teaching And Learning In Undergraduate Stem Courses, Juan Salinas, Parwinder Grewal, Jose J. Gutierrez, Nicolas A. Pereyra, Dagoberto Ramirez, Elizabeth Salinas, Griselda Salinas, Virginia Santanas, Can Saygin

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are often characterized as Hispanic enrolling (rather than serving) that practice deficit-based systems that continue to marginalize Latinx and other underrepresented students, especially in STEM fields. Extant research on HSIs stresses the importance of investigating the value of grassroots advocacy groups as external influencers of institutional servingness through deeper engagement with the Latinx community. Using a novel family-centered theory of change that addresses diversity, equity, and inclusion, we integrated intersectionality and servingness into a family-integrated education serving and transforming academic framework. We investigated the potential transformational impact of this framework on students, families, faculty, and administrators at …

Food Security: At The Intersection Of Entrepreneurship, Engineering, And Agriculture, Noe Vargas Hernandez, Sylvia Robles, Joanne Rampersad-Ammons

RGV STEM ED Conference Proceedings 2023

No abstract provided.

Research Experiences Via Integrating Simulations And Experiments (Revise): A Model Collaborative Research Project For Undergraduate Students In Co2 Sorbent Design, Anthony Griffin, Neziah Smith, Mark Robertson, Bianca Nunez, Jacob Mccraw, Haoyuan Chen, Zhe Qiang

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Undergraduate research experiences are an instrumental component of student development, increasing conceptual understanding, promoting inquiry-based learning, and guiding potential career aspirations. Moving one step further, as research continues to become more interdisciplinary, there exists potential to accelerate student growth by granting additional perspectives through collaborative research. This study demonstrates the utilization of a model collaborative research project, specifically investigating the development of sorbent technologies for efficient CO2 capture, which is an important research area for improving environmental sustainability. A model CO2 sorbent system of heteroatom-doped porous carbon is utilized to enable students to gain knowledge of adsorption processes, through combined …

Research Experiences Via Integrating Simulations And Experiments (Revise): A Model Collaborative Research Project For Undergraduate Students In Co2 Sorbent Design, Anthony Griffin, Neziah Smith, Mark Robertson, Bianca Nunez, Jacob Mccraw, Haoyuan Chen, Zhe Qiang

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Undergraduate research experiences are an instrumental component of student development, increasing conceptual understanding, promoting inquiry-based learning, and guiding potential career aspirations. Moving one step further, as research continues to become more interdisciplinary, there exists potential to accelerate student growth by granting additional perspectives through collaborative research. This study demonstrates the utilization of a model collaborative research project, specifically investigating the development of sorbent technologies for efficient CO2 capture, which is an important research area for improving environmental sustainability. A model CO2 sorbent system of heteroatom-doped porous carbon is utilized to enable students to gain knowledge of adsorption processes, through combined …

Exploring Integrated Active Learning Practices In An Accelerated Fully Online Graduate-Level Course At A Hispanic Serving Institution, P. Ming-Tsan Lu, Seokmin Kang

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of the study aimed to explore integrated active learning (IAL) practices in a graduate-level fully online, accelerated course at an HSI, with a focus on students’ perceptions, and to evaluate the implementation of integrated active learning based on student feedback and reflections. Course instructors started implementing IAL practices for the same course in 2022. Data from before and after IAL implementation in terms of course syllabi and course designs on Blackboard, the LMS used in the HSI, were collected. To investigate students’ perceptions, survey methods were also conducted. Findings revealed that graduate students overwhelmingly preferred IAL over traditional …

Exploring The Impact Of A Student-Faculty Partnership Program At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Alyssa G. Cavazos, Lesley Chapa, Javier Cavazos Vela

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Guided by a strength-based framework and counter-storying lens, we use a qualitative case study approach (Cook-Sather, 2020; Cook-Sather & Motz-Storey, 2016) to explore students’ experiences with a teaching partnership program. A Students as Learners and Teachers (SaLT) model to student-instructor partnership positions students as consultants in a faculty member’s course in which they are not currently enrolled (Cook-Sather, 2020). Following a case study analysis with student and faculty partners in a SaLT program at a HSI, several themes were identified. Themes emerging from student participants included: empathy, personal growth, solidarity, and feedback awareness. Faculty partners’ themes included: receptivity, resistance, and …

To Cancel Debt Or Not To Cancel Debt: Evaluation Of Debt Cancellation Or Provide A Tax Credit, Jose Jay Vega, Jan Smolarski, Nikki Shoemaker, Kelly Noe

School of Accountancy Faculty Publications and Presentations

U.S. students are facing unprecedented student loan debt levels, roughly $1.75 trillion. The Biden Administration is proposing a debt relief program that will cancel student loan debt up to $20,000 for Pell Granted individuals. However, the current plan has faced substantial legal challenges and political pressure, and as suggested, it could increase the current inflation crisis. However, the size of the inflation effect is subject to debate. On the lower end, student debt relief may add only about 0.2% points to annual inflation. Proponents have also circulated linking student loan repayment to income levels. We propose an alternative approach to …

Student Evaluations Of Teaching Are Mostly Awfully Wrong, Noel Otu, Ntiense E. Otu

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) have been used, researched, and debated for many decades. It is a common practice in higher education institutions, with the supposed purpose of improving course quality and effectiveness, but with unintended consequences of encouraging and motivating poor teaching and causing grade inflation. There is strong evidence that SET “effectiveness” does not measure teaching effectiveness. This paper reviews empirical research examining common concerns about the usefulness (positive and negative) and accuracy of SETs. The findings reveal that student satisfaction relates to their anticipated/expected grades in their courses; hence, they want to get good grades and their …

Reflections On Universities, Politics, And The Capitalist State: An Interdisciplinary And Intergenerational Discussion With Clyde W. Barrow, Clyde W. Barrow, Heather Steffen, Isaac Kamola

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since its publication in 1990, Clyde W. Barrow’s book, Universities and the Capitalist State: Corporate Liberalism and the Reconstruction of American Higher Education, 1894-1928, has been a touchstone text for generations of scholars studying higher education. This conversation between Barrow, Heather Steffen, and Isaac Kamola examines the book’s legacy in order to explore how the interdisciplinary study of higher education has changed over the past three decades. In doing so, they examine the space and place of academic knowledge and academic labor, offering an interdisciplinary discussion of critical praxis within the university.

Managing Enrollment Strategically Both Formally And Informally, Magdalena Hinojosa, Paula Luff, Pj Woolston

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications and Presentations

The chief enrollment management officer (CEMO) is often responsible for optimizing institutional enrollment in ways that exceed the direct authority and responsibility of that office. To be successful, the CEMO needs to develop a high level of influence across the campus. Three particularly effective ways that the CEMO can exert influence to improve the student experience is by shaping institutional process, organizational structure, and overall culture.

Perceptions Of Collegial And Uncollegial Behaviors After A University Consolidation: A Quantitative And Qualitative Analysis Of How Faculty Viewed Members Of Their New Academic Units, Dora E. Saavedra, Jennifer Lemanski, Kristine M. Wirts, Shawn P. Saladin, Joanne Rampersad

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

Much has been written about collegiality in academe, most notably by Cipriano (2011), Buller (2006, 2012), and Cipriano and Buller (2012, 2017), Flaherty (2013). Concomitantly, awareness has increased about instances of abusive supervision (Gere, 2020), incivility (Andersson & Pearson, 1999), microaggressions (Sue & Rivera, 2011) bullying and mobbing (i.e., group bullying) in the workplace and in higher education (Cowan, 2009), Duffy (2009), Lutgen-Sandvik (2006), Lutgen-Sandvik and Tracy (2012), Heeman (2007), Lutgen-Sandvik & McDermott (2011), and Taylor (2012). Instances of incivilities have continued to be a concern as evident in the journal article in Nature titled: “Astronomers victimized colleagues—and put historic …

The Justice Challenge: Honors Endeavors Innovative Pedagogies Through The Grand Challenge Scholars Program, Jonathan Kotinek, Rebecca C. Bott-Knutson, Leigh E. Fine, Joy L. Hart, William Ziegler, Paul Knox, Timothy Nichols, Susan Sumner, Heidi Appel, Mark C. Andersen

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Honors practitioners from fourteen colleges and programs across the country at land-grant, public, and minority-serving institutions partner with agricultural experts to secure a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Higher Education Challenge grant focused on the themes of food justice, climate justice, and sustainable agriculture. Authors describe the program’s origin, objectives, and curricular outgrowths, highlighting its efficacy for empowering students in areas of systems thinking, career readiness, leadership in the service of addressing social needs, and learning through civic engagement.

Comparison Of Undergraduate Student Writing In Engineering Disciplines At Campuses With Varying Demographics, Immanuel Edinbarough, Jesus Gonzalez, Ruth Pflueger, Robert Weissbach, Johanna Bodenhamer

Informatics and Engineering Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Writing is generally recognized as fundamental to the formation and communication of scientific and technical knowledge to peer groups and general audiences. Often, persuasive writing is an essential attribute emphasized by industries and businesses for a successful career in STEM fields. Nevertheless, the current scenario is that students in STEM fields, with their increased demand for more specialized skills in fewer credit hours combined with a lack of emphasis on writing from engineering faculty members, make addressing this need difficult. In addition, students in engineering fields often do not value writing skills and underestimate the amount of writing they will …

Small Groups: Effectiveness In A University Classroom And The Role Gender Plays In Group Interactions, Nikkie Saldivar Hodgson, Savannah Margaret Hanson

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

Previous studies demonstrate that working in small teams enhances motivation, enthusiasm, and cooperative learning when compared to traditional learning methodology (Davies, 2009; Gaudet, Ramer, Nakonechny, Cragg, & Ramer, 2010). The purpose of this study is to understand the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of working in small groups in classrooms, and the effects that gender roles have. The present survey (N=138) reports on the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of working in small groups on assignments and projects in college level courses. Using a self-recording paper-and-pencil instrument, the researcher asked if the respondents have had the opportunity to work in small groups and how …

A Leadership Journey: How Advising Shapes An Institutional Culture, Jacquelyn Jones, Melissa Welker, Jonikka Charlton, Janna Arney

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although we know advising can be conceptualized as a critical component of an integrated and comprehensive student success strategy on a campus, it is often difficult to implement. This chapter will provide a case study of the development and execution of a leadership initiative at an American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) institution to transform advising in service of the goals of student equity and success. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's advising model grew out of a convergence of a handful of key momentum points including strategic planning processes and the use of emerging data surrounding …

Enhancing Engagement And Qualitative Output Of Technical Projects Through Competing Team Assignments, Immanuel Edinbarough, Jaime Taha-Tijerina, Aditya Akundi

Informatics and Engineering Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper discusses the benefits of engaging engineering student teams through competition in technical development projects. The University of XXX is a minority serving institution situated in the developing region of the XXX state, where recently, there has been a great expansion of advanced manufacturing industries, including innovative aerospace companies. These industries look for engineering and technology students who are creative thinkers and capable of addressing complex engineering problems. The best of student output often comes out with a friendly competition. Hence, two student teams were assigned with the same sponsored project to come out with innovative solutions. The project …

Demystifying Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Among Students In Higher Education, Sundra D. Kincey, Aziza Zemrani, Theresa L. Bailey

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the unique components of diversity, equity, and inclusion is essential for institutions of higher education to increase student success outcomes and to prepare graduates for the world of work. This chapter will focus on how diversity, equity, and inclusion as a single entity is perceived by enrolled students, particularly minority students, and how institutions may help to increase students' awareness of such topics and the impact on their lives upon graduation. Discussions will lend themselves to strategies that institutions may employ to demystify these terms for enrolled students. Specific focus will be given to the use of inclusive competencies …

Introducing Global Citizenship In Language Teacher Education Through The Un’S Sustainable Development Goals, Ramsés Ortín

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The present chapter describes a pedagogical intervention administered in an undergraduate ESL teacher training program. The purpose of this pedagogical innovation was to train future language teachers to incorporate Global Citizenship related objectives into their future practice by using the United Nation’s Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) as reference. Pre-service teachers (N = 10) taking part in this study participated in a three-phase training in which they were first introduced to the topic, then, asked to apply the discussed approach to the design of language learning materials, and finally, they completed a reflection task. The analysis of the last task …

Understanding Student Learning Pathways In Traditional Online History Courses: Utilizing Process Mining Analysis On Clickstream Data, Matt Crosslin, Kimberly Breuer, Nikola Milikic, Justin T. Dellinger

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

This study explores ongoing research into self-mapped learning pathways that students utilize to move through a course when given two modalities to choose from: one that is instructor-led and one that is student-directed.

Design/methodology/approach

Process mining analysis was utilized to examine and cluster clickstream data from an online college-level History course designed with dual modality choices. This paper examines some of the results from different approaches to clustering the available data.

Findings

By examining how often students interacted with others, whether they were more internal or external facing with their pathway choices, and whether or not they completed a …

Enhancing Student Learning Of Global Warming Through Reflective Writing, Liang Zeng, Guang Zeng

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The National Academy of Science has published studies showing strong scientific evidence that global warming is caused by human consumption of fossil fuels, yet recent surveys have shown young adults in the U.S. are disengaged or disagree with this fact. Accordingly, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published learning objectives to educate the world population on global warming and renewable energy by 2030. In this paper, we introduce a reflective writing activity physics educators can employ to foster a deeper understanding of global warming in introductory college physics and physical science courses, without overloading their teaching time.

Historias Americanas: Implementing Mexican American Studies In K-12 Social Studies Curriculum In The Rio Grande Valley, Maritza De La Trinidad, Stephanie Alvarez, J. Joy Esquierdo, Francisco Guajardo

Mexican American Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This essay contributes to the growing literature on Mexican American Studies in K-12 within the broader field of Ethnic Studies. While most of the literature on the movement for Ethnic Studies within Texas and across the nation mainly focuses on the impact of Ethnic Studies courses on students’ academic success, this essay highlights a professional development program for K-12 social studies teachers in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas entitled Historias Americanas: Engaging History and Citizenship in the Rio Grande Valley, funded by a federal grant. This essay provides an overview of Historias Americanas, the objectives and structure of …

Empowered Stakeholders: Female University Students’ Leadership During The Covid-19-Triggered On-Campus Evictions In Canada And The United States, Haorui Wu, Marla Perez-Lugo, Cecilio Ortiz Garcia, Frances Gonzalez Crespo, Adriana Castillo

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The study of disaster-specific leadership of female university students has been largely neglected, especially during on-campus emergency eviction and evacuation. Based on the COVID-19-triggered, on-campus evictions across Canada and the United States, this cross-national partnership examined the out-of-province/state and international female university students’ leadership during the entire eviction process. Through in-depth interviews, this study revealed the female university students’ leadership behaviors during three stages: (1) pre-eviction: their self-preparedness formed an emotional foundation to support others; (2) peri-eviction: their attitude and leadership behavior enabled them to facilitate (psychologically and physically) their peers’ eviction process; and (3) post-eviction: they continued to support …

Covid-19 Student Mental Health Check Ii, Dianna Blankenship, Irma S. Jones

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

The year 2020 will forever be known as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected the entire population in one way or another. What began in January 2020 still has the world population firmly in its grip a year later. The students’ responses, in their own words, to changes in living, daily `routines, and health fears can be seen in the following paper. In this article, the responses of students in several undergraduate classes at a Hispanic serving institution in south Texas were collected and synthesized. The 155 responses were divided into seven frequently observed and repeated themes: …

Philosophizing In Tongues: Cultivating Bilingualism, Biculturalism, And Biliteracy In An Introduction To Latin American Philosophy Course, Alexander V. Stehn

Philosophy Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article describes my ongoing attempts to more successfully engage the full linguistic repertoires and cultural identities of undergraduate students at a “Hispanic Serving Institution” (HSI) in South Texas by teaching a bilingual Introduction to Latin American Philosophy course in the “Language, Philosophy, and Culture” area of Texas’ General Education Core Curriculum. By uncovering the diverse identities, worldviews, and languages of those who were historically excluded from the Eurocentric discipline of philosophy through the conquest and colonization of the Americas, Latin American philosophers offer us new ways of thinking and living by challenging Anglocentric language, philosophy, and culture. As part …

Covid-19 Student Mental Health Check, Dianna Blankenship, Irma S. Jones

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced many changes in the lives of our students and families. In this article, the responses of students in criminal justice classes at a Hispanic serving institution in south Texas were collected and synthesized. The 252 responses were divided into seven frequently observed and repeated themes: jobs and job related, school and courses, graduation, routine, family, positivity, and groceries/shopping. Findings for this time period matched what much of what the national and international news and reports have all reported. It indicates that, as teaching professionals, we must be mindful to provide the added support to assist …

Acknowledging And Affirming University Students’ Linguistic And Cultural Capital In An Education Course, J. Joy Esquierdo

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In order to effectively prepare K-12 teachers to serve linguistically and culturally diverse students, it is vital to provide opportunities for them to develop their intra- and intercultural understandings. This paper describes how a faculty member designed and delivered a teacher preparation class centered on culturally relevant approaches. Students enrolled in this course completed assignments that were designed to guide them through an intracultural reflection to then expand their understandings to an intercultural context. Considering the students’ diverse linguistic and cultural experiences, assignments and projects provided opportunities for them to recognize their linguistic and cultural wealth in order to build …

Year Two: Effect Of Procrastination On Academic Performance Of Undergraduate Online Students, Irma S. Jones, Dianna Blankenship

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Procrastination presents problems not only for undergraduate students, but also for undergraduate faculty, and the effects of student procrastination on academic performance is a joint concern. This two-year follow up study seeks to better understand the relationship between academic performance and the actual time of submission of assignments relative to the deadline imposed on those submissions. The authors investigated the effect of academic assignment submission time and the academic grades earned before, on, and after the assignment submission deadline. These results continue to suggest that the earlier assignments are submitted, the higher the grades tend to be. Therefore, online faculty …

Learning To Teach In Mixed-Reality Simulated Virtual Environments At A Hispanic Serving Institution (Hsi), Veronica Lopez-Estrada, Carmen Pena, Denise Love

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty at a Hispanic serving institution shifted from face-to-face to totally online teaching. The authors describe two assignments for teacher candidates that required them to design and deliver lessons that focused on practicing two high-leverage practices utilizing Mursion, a mixed-reality simulation (MRS) software and platform. MRS sessions were delivered through Zoom video conferencing and were delivered asynchronously. Benefits, challenges, and limitations of using MRS in conjunction with Zoom in online courses were identified and discussed. Detailed logistics for planning, preparing, and executing MRS effectively were provided. The authors describe implications for remote learning …