Education Commons^™

Ai-Supported Academic Advising: Exploring Chatgpt’S Current State And Future Potential Toward Student Empowerment, Daisuke Akiba, Michelle C. Fraboni

Publications and Research

Artificial intelligence (AI), once a phenomenon primarily in the world of science fiction, has evolved rapidly in recent years, steadily infiltrating into our daily lives. ChatGPT, a freely accessible AI-powered large language model designed to generate human-like text responses to users, has been utilized in several areas, such as the healthcare industry, to facilitate interactive dissemination of information and decision-making. Academic advising has been essential in promoting success among university students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Unfortunately, however, student advising has been marred with problems, with the availability and accessibility of adequate advising being among the hurdles. The current study …

Vcu And The Virginia Course Materials Survey, Jessica Kirschner

Open and Affordable Course Content at VCU

In Fall 2021, VIVA, Virginia’s Academic Library Consortium, distributed the Virginia Course Materials Survey to a selection of students at Virginia higher education institutions. The survey hoped to explore:

1. The relationship between educational equity and textbook costs, and

2. Which textbook features most benefited students’ learning experiences.

This report presents the results from this survey, focused on Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Included is an executive summary, full report, and data set for the VCU summary level data, available as percentages, and select student quotes from the free response.

Building A Culture Of Collaboration And Shared Responsibility For Educational Equity Work Through An Inclusive Teaching Community Of Practice, Francesca Marineo, Chelsea Heinbach, Rosan Mitola

Collaborative Librarianship

For libraries to be equitable spaces as educational institutions and places of employment, it is necessary that educational equity be a shared, collaborative goal. Unfortunately, equity and inclusion work in libraries has historically been an individual pursuit that falls disproportionately on the shoulders of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) library workers. Communities of practice employ social learning principles to facilitate praxis and offer opportunities to develop shared goals, language, and responsibility. This article explores how we developed and implemented an inclusive teaching community of practice with members of our instruction department in order to foster a culture of …

“They’Re In The Shadows”: School Counselors Share The Lived Experiences Of Latino/A Undocumented Students, Katherine E. Bernal-Arevalo, Sergio Pereyra, Dominiqua M. Griffin, Gitima Sharma

Journal of College Access

Latino/a undocumented students are among the population of students who are in danger of not graduating or pursuing college due to the unique set of challenges they face navigating education in the U.S. This study aims to understand undocumented students' experiences and the factors that impede them from furthering their education. As professionals in education, school counselors can offer a unique perspective on the barriers that college-bound undocumented students face when pursuing higher education. Using a phenomenological approach, data was gathered from counselors (N=14) across 10 school districts. The findings revealed undocumented students are faced with a myriad of challenges, …

Anonymous Gift Given To The Wabanaki Center Will Wabanaki Student Higher Education, Megan Ashe

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

In late November 2020, an anonymous donor gifted $100,000 to the Wabanaki Center at the University of Maine. Working closely with the Center’s coordinator, professor John Bear Mitchell, the pair created the Wabanaki Student Development and Success Fund at the University of Maine Foundation. The money in this fund will go towards Wabanaki students who are pursuing an undergraduate degree. Some money will be made immediately available while another portion of the donation will be used to promote success in the future.

State Of The University Address Delivered By President Ferrini-Mundy, Maria Maxsimic

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

On Feb. 4, 2020, President Joan Ferrini-Mundy delivered the State of the University address to a crowd of community members, faculty and alumni. Dr. Eric Wilmot, a professor in mathematics and statistics, introduced the University of Maine Orono and Machias’ president. During the address, Ferrini-Mundy touched upon a number of different successes that the two campuses had celebrated in the past year. Additionally, she described the challenges that the universities are expected to face this coming year and what the plans are to address the foreseen problems. Ferrini-Mundy acknowledged the beginning of Black History Month, which is celebrated during the …

To And Through College: Investigating Attitudes Towards, Enrollment In, And Graduation From College, Elise Swanson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Postsecondary access and degree completion are increasingly important concerns for individuals and policymakers. This dissertation presents evidence on three distinct strategies for increasing students’ level of preparedness for higher education, rates of postsecondary enrollment, and rates of postsecondary degree completion. The first is an intervention aimed at increasing eighth-grade students’ familiarity with college life. Results from an experimental study indicate that students assigned to participate in campus visits demonstrate higher levels of knowledge about college, are more likely to have conversations with school personnel about college, put forth higher levels of effort while completing a college-related survey, and express a …

Disabled Seek Understanding, Acceptance, Debra Hatch

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Rose-Marie has a hard time concentrating on the things she does and is easily distracted by her surroundings. Taking math tests in a room with calculators sounds like a construction site to her, and every pencil scraping paper rings as purely in her ear as if it were right next to it.

Webber Energy Fuels Sponsors Statewide Research Project To Provide Definitive Answers On Maine Student Aspirations, Kay Hyatt

General University of Maine Publications

Gov. Angus S. King, Jr. announced today that Webber Energy Fuels, a Maine-based company, is funding a $300,000 unprecedented research project that will answer some of the most elusive educational questions about student motivation and aspirations.

Corporate Marketing Whiz, Aspirations Expert Are Wit And Wisdom Of New Syndicated Column For Dads, Kay Hyatt

General University of Maine Publications

The serendipitous meeting of two kindred spirits ̶ a new-product marketing guru with corporate clients around the world and a professor in Maine trying to spread the word about the link between student aspirations, attitude and achievement -- launched a friendship and a nationally syndicated newspaper column.

Umaine Faculty Member Honored For Distinguished Service, Kay Hyatt

General University of Maine Publications

The New England League of Middle Schools has presented its distinguished service award to University of Maine Associate Professor Edward Brazee, recognizing his pioneering work and advocacy of quality education for early adolescents. Brazee, a UMaine faculty member since 1984, received the James P. Garvin Distinguished Service Award before an audience of 4,000 educators and parents at the regional association's annual conference March 23 in Providence.

Umaine Named National Writing Project Site, Kay Hyatt

General University of Maine Publications

The University of Maine has been named an official site of the National Writing Project. The designation connects the state to a network of grassroots programs dedicated to the improvement of student writing and the teaching of writing at all grade levels and across all curricular areas. UMaine was one of only four new sites selected nationally in the competitive grant process this year and is the state's only National Writing Project site.

Umaine Graduate Program Makes National Ranking, Kay Hyatt

General University of Maine Publications

UMaine's graduate program in secondary education is among the top in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report's 1998 Guide to America's Best Graduate Schools. The program is ranked 21st, out of 191, and is tied with the University of California, Berkeley. The rankings of academic quality are based on reputation, student selectivity, faculty resources and research activity.

Students, Governor To Discuss Politics Via Telecommunications, Kay Hyatt

General University of Maine Publications

High school students in four Maine counties will talk politics with Gov. Angus S. King, Jr. on Friday, March 13 without leaving their classrooms. King will connect through a new telecommunications system with students from Presque Isle, Hall-Dale and Old Town high schools, and the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf in Falmouth.

Aspirations Leader Named To Regional Accreditation Board, Kay Hyatt

General University of Maine Publications

Russell J. Quaglia, director of the National Center for Student Aspirations at the University of Maine, has been named a trustee of the New England Association of Schools & Colleges, Inc., the nation's oldest regional accrediting organization, dedicated to establishing and maintaining high standards for all levels of education, pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level.

Report Of The Women In Science And Engineering Initiatives Committee, Women In Science And Engineering Committee, University Of Maine

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Committee was charged with identifying resources at the University of Maine that encourage the participation of women in science and engineering, both as students and as faculty; identifying ways to increase the recruitment and retention of women in these areas and recommending ways that the University can support this effort.

Our work has convinced us that this initiative would benefit individual women as well as contributing to the good of the University and society as a whole. We have found that although some departments and programs are more successful than others in addressing …

Implementation Plan In Response To The Report Of Task Force On The Status Of Women At The University Of Maine, Office Of The President, University Of Maine

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

In December 1987, President Dale Lick commissioned a Task Force on the Status of Women at the University of Maine. The Task Force submitted its report on June 1, 1988. Its findings and conclusions expressed serious concerns related to each area of its charge: (1) the distribution, retention, compensation, advancement, and representation of women at the University and (2) the organizational processes and climate affecting women at the University. The one hundred and four (104) recommendations suggested specific actions to address the concerns defined in the Task Force's findings. This Draft Implementation Plan is an administrative response to each of …

The Status Of Women At The University Of Maine, Task Force On The Status Of Women, University Of Maine

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The major findings of the Task Force on the Status of Women are summarized in the following pages in two parts. In the first we respond to our charge to review data concerning the current status of women in relation to their numbers, distribution, retention, compensation, advancement, and representation at all levels. The evidence here consists primarily of information the University routinely collects and analyzes; the data are reasonably complete and accurate. They also indicate clearly the presence of barriers to the full participation of women in the life of the University.

In the second part we present evidence bearing …

Feelings Of Disabled Reflected In Play, Debbie Zeigler

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

"Don't call me deaf and dumb. I'm not dumb. I can do anything I want to; I just can't hear." "My mom said to never be ashamed of it. It's something I've got to live with." "If I want to have a party, I'll have a party. What's going to stop me? It won't be this wheelchair." "They want to work; they want to have families; they have rights, too." These are some of the feelings of the six disabled persons in a play called, "As Others See Us," a drama in which the characters share their thoughts and experiences …

Privilege Vs. Priority, The Maine Campus

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The new library circulation policy announced by Dr. James MacCampbell is deficient in one area--it does not apply to the faculty. Students who have been at UMO for any length of time know very well that this is nothing extraordinary. Faculty members have long been held above the student as a privileged class. Their extensive library privileges are just one facet of the caste system fostered by university policy.