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Articles 1 - 16 of 16
Full-Text Articles in Education
Assessment Of A Professional Development Program On Adult Learning Theory, Melinda Malik
Assessment Of A Professional Development Program On Adult Learning Theory, Melinda Malik
Higher Education Student Work
Librarians at colleges and universities invested in graduate education must understand and incorporate adult learning theories in their reference and instruction interactions with graduate students to more effectively support the students’ learning. After participating in a professional development program about adult learning theory, librarians in this study reported that, in many ways, they already employed teaching and learning strategies grounded in one or more adult learning theories. They also indicated gaining a greater awareness of student development, enabling them to more successfully tailor their interactions.
Postsecondary Writing: First-Year Students’ Perceptions Of College Writing Preparedness, Kerri E. Hoppe
Postsecondary Writing: First-Year Students’ Perceptions Of College Writing Preparedness, Kerri E. Hoppe
Higher Education Student Work
As access to higher education continues to grow it is important to consider the way students are prepared for college level work. This is especially true in the area of writing, which is considered to be the academic skill most linked to success at the college level (Conley, 2008). This qualitative study investigates college writing preparedness through the perspectives of ten first-year students at a small, liberal arts institution in Massachusetts. The study sought to explore how K-12 institutions and postsecondary schools can work to better prepare students for college writing. Participants described the differences between secondary and postsecondary writing …
The Externship Experience: Developing A Short-Term Experiential Learning Opportunity To Enhance Career Development, Alexandra Finney
The Externship Experience: Developing A Short-Term Experiential Learning Opportunity To Enhance Career Development, Alexandra Finney
Higher Education Student Work
Research supports experiential learning models, focusing on career exploration, as one of the best ways college students can clarify their interests and determine future goals (Orndorff & Herr, 1996). This capstone explored the existing literature on: fundamental career development theories, experiential learning’s connection to career preparation, student populations needing additional career preparation, and ways to address these needs. Typically, sophomore students need but rarely receive this special attention, since they statistically have the highest withdrawal rates (Tobolowsky, 2008). This capstone project was conducted through a mixed methods pragmatic methodological assessment of the development and implementation of Merrimack College’s Externship Experience. …
Study Of The Design Of A First Generation Community College Stem Learning Community, Susan M. St. Pierre
Study Of The Design Of A First Generation Community College Stem Learning Community, Susan M. St. Pierre
Higher Education Student Work
First generation students attending college have difficulties achieving academic success, engaging with their peers and persisting (Jehangir, 2010); are growing in number on college campuses; and are significantly underrepresented in STEM programs of study. This research examined the role that a STEM focused Learning Community (STEM LC) and student participation in Early College programs with STEM exposure have on first generation student achievement engagement and retention. The purpose of the project was to research and design a framework for a community college STEM LC for first generation students as a means to increase academic achievement and student retention for this …
Enhancing The Team Experience In Service Learning Courses, Audrey Falk
Enhancing The Team Experience In Service Learning Courses, Audrey Falk
Education Faculty Publications
Service learning is pervasive in higher education today, with 31 percent of students at Campus Compact member schools engaging in service activities (Campus Compact, 2009) and universities’ missions and strategic planning documents increasingly aimed at developing engaged citizens. Service learning has many potential benefits for college students; among those benefits is the opportunity to develop and practice teamwork skills. The present paper describes the strategies used in a team-based service learning course to support positive team experiences for students.
Rethinking The “Apprenticeship Of Liberty”: The Case For Academic Programs In Community Engagement In Higher Education, Dan W. Butin
Rethinking The “Apprenticeship Of Liberty”: The Case For Academic Programs In Community Engagement In Higher Education, Dan W. Butin
Education Faculty Publications
This article articulates a model for the “engaged campus” through academic programs focused on community engagement, broadly construed. Such academic programs—usually coalesced in certificate programs, minors, and majors—provide a complementary vision for the deep institutionalization of civic and community engagement in the academy that can revitalize an “apprenticeship of liberty” for students, faculty, and academic staff.
Learning Public Health Through Civic Issues, Kathleen Fitzpatrick
Learning Public Health Through Civic Issues, Kathleen Fitzpatrick
Health Sciences Faculty Publications
This course is organized around current challenging health issues, such as mandatory immunization, childhood obesity, health insurance, tobacco control, etc. Activities included issues-focused debates, lecture and video presentations, case study discussions, and guest speakers. Students completed fifteen hours of community-based service learning, many in the Lawrence Math-Science Partnership, an outreach program in which undergraduates work on after-school STEM enrichment activities with middle-school students. Several activities complemented the course issues, allowing college students to make connections between course theory and community needs, while engaging middle-school students in important public health concepts. The SENCER-SALG assessment (N=189/192 (98%) of enrolled students) indicated that …
Teaching Grantsmanship In A Nonprofit Leadership Class, Audrey Falk
Teaching Grantsmanship In A Nonprofit Leadership Class, Audrey Falk
Education Faculty Publications
Proposal-writing skills are critical for employees in a wide range of organizations, particularly in challenging economic times which demand diverse funding sources. This paper describes an innovative and multifaceted approach to teaching proposal writing to students enrolled in a nonprofit leadership course at a large, metropolitan university. The approach included a hands-on, field component in nonprofit organizations, in-depth organizational analyses involving interviews with nonprofit leaders, guest speakers including a grant professional and a foundation officer, grantsmanship textbooks loaned to all students for the semester, and review of students’ completed proposals by a grant professional and the course instructor. Students presented …
“Can I Major In Service-Learning?” An Empirical Analysis Of Certificates, Minors, And Majors, Dan W. Butin
“Can I Major In Service-Learning?” An Empirical Analysis Of Certificates, Minors, And Majors, Dan W. Butin
Education Faculty Publications
This article examines the rise of programs in higher education that award certificates, minors, and/or majors in service-learning. Using Vaughn and Seifer (2008) as a foundation, this study documented and analyzed a total of 31 academic programs that had service-learning at its academic core. Findings from this study suggest that there is indeed a coherent (though far from stable) “field” of service-learning. Moreover, the findings suggest that the strength and structure of a program is strongly dependent on its status; that is, there is a deep dividing line between certificate programs and minors and majors. This has implications for how …
Saving The University On His Own Time: Stanley Fish, Service-Learning, And Knowledge Legitimation In The Academy, Dan W. Butin
Saving The University On His Own Time: Stanley Fish, Service-Learning, And Knowledge Legitimation In The Academy, Dan W. Butin
Education Faculty Publications
Review Essay of Stanley's Fish's book Save the World on Your Own Time,
NewYork, NY: Oxford University Press, 2008
College Students’ Perceptions Of Their "Best" And "Worst" Courses And Instructors, Debra S. Emmelman, Michael Decesare
College Students’ Perceptions Of Their "Best" And "Worst" Courses And Instructors, Debra S. Emmelman, Michael Decesare
Sociology Faculty Publications
This paper presents results from a content analysis of college students' descriptions of their "best" and " worst " courses and instructors. We were interested primarily in two issues: how college students evaluate their courses , and the extent to which they emphasize various dimensions in their evaluations. We found that students evaluated their course experiences along seven interrelated dimensions: factors external to the course, level of tedium, classroom activities, classroom atmosphere, instructor's comportment, workload/assignments/grading issues, and acquisition of knowledge and skills. These dimensions were emphasized to different degrees and tended to vary in oppositional manners according to the type …
Calculus Students’ Difficulties In Using Variables As Changing Quantities, Susan S. Gray, Barbara J. Loud, Carole Sokolowski
Calculus Students’ Difficulties In Using Variables As Changing Quantities, Susan S. Gray, Barbara J. Loud, Carole Sokolowski
Mathematics Faculty Publications
The study of calculus requires an ability to understand algebraic variables as generalized numbers and as functionally-related quantities. These more advanced uses of variables are indicative of algebraic thinking as opposed to arithmetic thinking. This study reports on entering Calculus I students’ responses to a selection of test questions that required the use of variables in these advanced ways. On average, students’ success rates on these questions were less than 50%. An analysis of errors revealed students’ tendencies toward arithmetic thinking when they attempted to answer questions that required an ability to think of variables as changing quantities, a characteristic …
The Limits Of Service-Learning In Higher Education, Dan W. Butin
The Limits Of Service-Learning In Higher Education, Dan W. Butin
Education Faculty Publications
This article takes a critical look at the attempted institutionalization of service-learning in higher education. It asks whether service-learning can become deeply embedded within the academy; and if so, what exactly is becoming embedded. Specifically, this article suggests that there are substantial pedagogical, political, and institutional limits to service-learning across the academy. These limits, moreover, are shown to be inherent to the service-learning movement as contemporarily theorized and enacted. The article concludes by reframing some of the grounding assumptions of service-learning to position it as a disciplinary field more suited for becoming genuinely embedded within higher education.
Disciplining Service Learning: Institutionalization And The Case For Community Studies, Dan W. Butin
Disciplining Service Learning: Institutionalization And The Case For Community Studies, Dan W. Butin
Education Faculty Publications
This article argues that the service-learning field has been pursuing the wrong revolution. Namely, service learning has been envisioned as a transformative pedagogical practice and philosophical orientation that would change the fundamental policies and practices of the academy. However, its attempted institutionalization faces substantial barriers and positions service learning in an uncomfortable double-bind that ultimately co-opts and neutralizes its agenda. This article argues that a truly transformative agenda may be to create a parallel movement to develop an “academic home” for service learning within academic “community studies” programs. This “disciplining” of service learning is the truly revolutionary potential of institutionalizing …
Special Issue: Introduction Future Directions For Service Learning In Higher Education, Dan W. Butin
Special Issue: Introduction Future Directions For Service Learning In Higher Education, Dan W. Butin
Education Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Mathematics Placement Test: Helping Students Succeed, Norma Rueda, Carole Sokolowski
Mathematics Placement Test: Helping Students Succeed, Norma Rueda, Carole Sokolowski
Mathematics Faculty Publications
A study was conducted at Merrimack College in Massachusetts to compare the grades of students who took the recommended course as determined by their mathematics placement exam score and those who did not follow this recommendation. The goal was to decide whether the mathematics placement exam used at Merrimack College was effective in placing students in the appropriate mathematics class. During five years, first-year students who took a mathematics course in the fall semester were categorized into four groups: those who took the recommended course, those who took an easier course than recommended, those who took a course more difficult …