Education Commons^™

Parent-Child Book-Reading Styles, Emotional Quality, And Changes In Early Head Start Children's Cognitive Scores., Keely Cline, Carolyn P. Edwards

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to understand how book-reading style and emotional quality of reading interact and relate to cognitive skills in a sample of at-risk infants and toddlers. Participants included 81 parents and their children participating in Early Head Start programs in the rural Midwest. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to test the hypothesis that parental book-reading style and emotional quality interact and relate to changes in children's cognitive scores for culturally and linguistically families. Results included that there were variations in how book-reading qualities interacted and related to changes in child cognitive scores for families …

The Correlates Of Turkish Preschool Preservice Teachers’ Social Competence, Empathy And Communication Skills, Emine Ahmetoglu, Ibrahim H. Acar

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The purpose of the current study was to examine the associations between Turkish preschool pre-service teacher’s personal and educational characteristics, and their social competence, empathy, and communication skills. A total of 385 state university Turkish pre-service teachers (age range 18 to 32 years) from the early childhood education field completed a Demographic Information Form on personal and educational characteristics, the Social Skills Inventory (SSI) Scale measuring their social competence, The Scales of Empathic Tendency for measuring empathy skills, and a Communication Skills Evaluation Scale measuring communication skills. Bivariate Pearson-correlations, independent t tests, and one-way ANOVAs were used to test study …

Effects Of Peer Mentorship On Student Leadership, Giovanna Walters, Ashley Kanak

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Orienting and welcoming first-year students to campus and to honors programs are often key components of program development. At an institutional level, successful orientation programs can positively affect retention rates from the first to second year. The greater a student’s involvement and integration into the life of the university, the less likely the student is to leave (Tinto). Institutional retention often translates into retention within honors programs as well. The most important benefit of orientation, however, is that students feel welcomed at the university and within the honors program. Not only do they understand the requirements of the program, but …

Evaluating The Application Of Program Outcomes To Study Abroad Experiences, Patricia Joanne Smith, Lawrence J. Mrozek

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Study abroad is a critical component of a comprehensive higher education experience in today’s global society. The Institute of International Education (IIE) reported that, in 2013–2014, 304,467 U.S. students participated in study abroad. This number has more than tripled over the last two decades, and while short-term study abroad is still the most popular, the number of American students spending a semester or a year abroad is also increasing (IIE). According to Kuh, O’Donnell, and Reed, study abroad has been deemed a high-impact practice, and, as an experiential approach to global learning, study abroad has the power to transform the …

Why Not Honors? Understanding Students’ Decisions Not To Enroll And Persist In Honors Programs, Timothy J. Nichols, Jacob Ailts, Kuo-Liang Chang

Honors in Practice Online Archive

In recent years, retention and graduation of honors students have received increasing attention in scholarly literature. In the spring of 2013, as a part of the strategic planning process, the South Dakota State University (SDSU) Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College invited current honors students to complete an online survey aimed at collecting information about the key factors that affected students’ initial decision to enroll in the honors college, the main reasons affecting their decision to continue their enrollment, and the challenges and levels of satisfaction they experienced. Study results indicated that most students were highly satisfied with …

Honors In Practice, Volume 12 (2016), Editorial Material, Ada Long, Dail Mullins, Karen Lyons

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Masthead
Editorial Board
Production Editors
Contents
Editorial Policy, Deadline, and Submission Guidelines
Dedication to Patrice Berger
Editor’s Introduction
About the Authors .
NCHC Publication Order Forms

Honors In Practice: A Publication Of The National Collegiate Honors Council, Volume 12 (2016)--Complete Issue

Honors in Practice Online Archive

CONTENTS

Editorial Policy, Deadline, and Submission Guidelines v

Dedication to Patrice Berger — Karen Lyons

Editor’s Introduction — Ada Long

FIFTIETH-ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Founder’s Award Speech — Bernice Braid

RESEARCH ABOUT HONORS

Evaluating the Application of Program Outcomes to Study Abroad Experiences — Patricia Joanne Smith and Lawrence J. Mrozek

Why Not Honors? Understanding Students’ Decisions Not to Enroll and Persist in Honors Programs — Timothy Nichols, Jacob Ailts, and Kuo-Liang Chang

Effects of Peer Mentorship on Student Leadership — Giovanna Walters and Ashley Kanak

PRACTICAL AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS FOR HONORS

The Challenge of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in …

A Case For Case Studies; The Effective Use Of Case Studies In The College Classroom, Frauke Hachtmann

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Instructors often use case studies to bridge the gap between theory and practice while also bringing research into the learning environment. Case studies allow students to participate actively in the learning process by helping them learn how to think, plan and reason by studying the actions, thoughts and decision-making processes of real people and companies. Educators also often choose case studies in their learning environment because they can accommodate different learning styles, including inductive learners, who learn from examples as opposed to logical development (linear learning). Case studies from this journal are well suited for use in the college classroom …

Noyce Science Teacher Master Of Arts With Emphasis In Science Teaching Program: Meeting Challenges Of 21st Century Classrooms. Unl Noyce Track I, Phase I, Final Report., Elizabeth B. Lewis, Lindsay Augustyn, Amanda Garrett, Lyrica L. Lucas, Aaron A. Musson, Ana Rivero, Andy Frederick

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

To meet the state’s and the nation’s need for more highly qualified science teachers, the 14-month Master of Arts with emphasis in science teaching (MAst) program was established in the College of Education’s Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, along with a Robert Noyce, Track I, Phase I grant from the National Science Foundation, awarded in 2010. This report presents a summary of the accomplishments of this Noyce grant, in which 60 post-baccalaureate science majors and professionals were provided with Noyce stipends to become science teachers. The MAst program is now in its sixth …

Learning Through Personal Connections: Cogenerative Dialogues In Synchronous Virtual Spaces, Stephanie Bondi, Tareq Daher, Amy Holland, Adam R. Smith, Stacy Dam

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

This study describes the role of cogenerative dialogues in a synchronous virtual classroom. Cogenerative dialogues are a way for students and instructors to reflect upon in-class events and work collaboratively during the course to optimize teaching and learning. In the present study, cogen has been found to be a tool for enhancing connections among graduate students in the class leading to a reported increase of motivation and engagement. Cogenerative dialogues were essential in shifting responsibilities so that students took a more active role in their own learning while supporting each other.

The Challenges Of Promoting Instructional Improvement: Teaching Behaviors And Teaching Cultures At Liberal Arts Institutions In The Associated Colleges Of The South, Kent Andersen, Barbara Lom, Betsy A. Sandlin

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

One goal of faculty development is to improve instructional practice (McKee, Johnson, Ritchie, and Tew, 2013; Ouellett 2010; Sorcinelli, Austin, Eddy, and Beach, 2006). This goal accords with the design of the Associated Colleges of the South Teaching and Learning Workshop, a faculty development workshop begun in 1992 for 16 residential, liberal arts institutions that comprise the ACS consortium. We surveyed ACS faculty members and observed that they are most likely to engage independently rather than collaboratively to improve their instructional practice, despite stated desires for collaborative opportunities for such work. We recommend that faculty development programs and institutions promote …

Receive, Reorganize, Return: Theatre As Creative Scholarship, Sara Armstrong, Theresa Braunschneider

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This article focuses on the use of theatre as a mode of creative scholarship, from the research involved in sketch creation to the presentation of that research to academic audiences. We particularly focus on a specific sketch developed by the CRLT Players—one that explores the consequences of subtle discrimination faced by women scientists in research laboratory settings— to illustrate the ways in which theatre can engage audiences with research results. The article explains how participation in such performances promotes a more active exploration of scholarship than simply reading or hearing a presentation. Interactive theatre directs and focuses an audience’s attention …

Designing An Evaluation Of Instructional Consultation In A Higher Education Context, Karen Elizabeth Brinkley Etzkorn, David Schumann, Beth White, Tiffany Smith

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Individual instructor consultation is a common service provided by centers focused on educational development in higher education. The importance of this service has been reflected in its history, increasing demand, and strong anecdotal evidence to its effectiveness. However, the extant literature reveals that comprehensive assessment of consultation effectiveness has proved challenging. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to (a) provide an overview of consultation and summarize the relevant work evaluating this service, and (b) propose a comprehensive process for evaluating consultation services that was piloted at one large research intense university. The goal is to provide a systematic method …

Connect, Change, And Conserve: Building A Virtual Center For Teaching Excellence, Anne M. Schoening, Sarah Oliver

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

In an era of limited fiscal and human resources, educational developers are seeking innovative ways to connect with their constituents. Developing a “virtual” center for teaching and learning (CTL) is one approach to consolidating development resources and reaching busy full time and adjunct faculty. This article will describe the process used to create and sustain a Virtual Center for Teaching Excellence (vCTE) at a diverse, mid sized university campus. This process required connection between departmental faculty developers and stakeholders, change of the campus mindset, and conservation of resources through shared efforts. Challenges faced and recommendations to overcome those challenges will …

Institutionalizing Faculty Mentoring Within A Community Of Practice Model, Emily R. Smith, Patricia E. Calderwood, Stephanie Burrell Storms, Paula Gill Lopez, Ryan P. Colwell

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

In higher education, faculty work is typically enacted—and rewarded—on an individual basis. Efforts to promote collaboration run counter to the individual and competitive reward systems that characterize higher education. Mentoring initiatives that promote faculty collaboration and support also defy the structural and cultural norms of higher education. Collaborative mentoring initiatives, however, support all faculty to be lifelong learners. We analyze a reciprocal model of mentoring—a community of practice for mentoring—that integrates collaborative mentoring into faculty’s daily work. Additionally, we examine the dilemmas, benefits, and costs of institutionalizing a community of practice model for mentoring in higher education. Our analyses indicate …

The Scholarship Of Educational Development: A Taxonomy, Laura Cruz

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This is a visual representation and commentary on a taxonomy for the emerging scholarship ofeducational development.

Good, Fast, Cheap: How Centers Of Teaching And Learning Can Capitalize In Today’S Resource Constrained Context, Michael H. Truong, Stephanie Juillerat, Deborah H. C. Gin

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This article provides leaders and educational developers of Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTL) with innovative and practical strategies on how to increase their centers’ capacity and impact by focusing on quality, efficiency, and cost. This “good, fast, cheap” model represents a promising way that CTL can continue to grow, scale, and innovate in the midst of limited resources. By leveraging existing campus resources, external vendor products, and low cost technologies, CTL are able to remain effective and impactful, without compromising quality or requiring abundant resources. This article will include real use case examples from a CTL at a mid …

Don’T Box Me In: Rubrics For Ártists And Designers, Natasha Haugnes, Jennifer L. Russell

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Two faculty developers at a professional art and design university were met with uneasy faculty attitudes toward grading when they opened their CTL 13 years ago. Conversations revealed that the faculty artists and designers suspected that grading would somehow shatter the fragile muse of creativity, which is so central to the processes of producing art and design. The developers’ quest for transparent, consistent grading, and assessment practices resulted in an approach to rubric creation that taps into artists’ reverence for the critique. This narrative account reveals how the approach allowed an interactive introduction of rubrics as teaching tools, ensured their …

The Use Of Song To Open An Educational Development Workshop: Exploratory Analysis And Reflections, Lawrence Lesser, Song An, Daniel Tillman

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Song has been used by faculty of many disciplines in their classrooms and, to a lesser extent, by educational developers in workshops. This paper shares and discusses a new song (about an instructor’s evolving openness to alternatives to lecture only teaching) and its novel use to open an educational development workshop. Self reported participant data from an exploratory survey suggest that the song was most effective in reducing stress as well as in increasing motivation, morale, engagement, and connection. Practical implications and implementation considerations are discussed regarding the song as well as related creative work.

Subjectivities In The Sandbox: Discovering Biases Through Visual Memo Writing, Bethany Lisi

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Having insider status at an organization under study can present a researcher with benefits and challenges. Insider researchers may have access to honest dialogue with study participants but may also be vulnerable to uncomfortable conversations and organizational conflicts. Insider researchers also have to contend with their own biases they bring to a study. By using the reflexive practice of memo writing, insider researchers can be mindful of their own subjectivities during data collection and analysis. The purpose of this article is to share one approach to memo writing that incorporates visuals into the analysis and reflection. Through my use of …

Systematic Assessment Of A High Impact Course Design Institute, Michael S. Palmer, Adriana C. Streifer, Stacy Williams Duncan

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Herein, we describe an intensive, week long course design institute (CDI) designed to introduce participants to the scholarly and evidence driven process of learning focused course design. Impact of this intervention is demonstrated using a multifaceted approach: (a) post CDI satisfaction and perception surveys, (b) pre /post CDI surveys probing pedagogical confidence and perceptions regarding importance of syllabi components, and (c) pre /post CDI syllabi analysis using a reliable syllabus rubric validated for higher education courses. The combined results of these qualitative and quantitative studies indicate that participants value the CDI experience, believe they learn basic principles of learning focused …

A Faculty Wellness Workshop Series: Leveraging On Campus Expertise, Thomas M. Brinthaupt, Arielle Neal, Sheila Otto

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTL) that suffer from funding and staffing issues must rely on outside resources to enhance their effectiveness. Even if funds and staff are adequate, most CTL can improve their reach and effectiveness by the partnerships they establish across their campuses. In this article, we describe a faculty wellness workshop series that illustrates the strategic leveraging we have been able to accomplish on our campus. The series included free standing faculty workshops devoted to stress management (partnering with Counseling Services), work life balance and workplace civility (with members of our faculty learning communities), voice coaching (with …

Improv(Ing) The Academy: Applied Improvisation As A Strategy For Educational Development, Jonathan P. Rossing, Krista Hoffmann Longtin

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Improvisational theater training (or “improv”) is a strategy employed by many business leaders and educators to cultivate creativity and collaboration amid change. Drawing on improv principles such as “Yes, And…” and “Make your scene partners look good,” we explore the ways in which educational developers might apply principles of improv in 3 contexts: teaching and building classroom community, organizational development, and research collaboration. Faculty developers who successfully engage the principles of improv have the potential to help colleges and universities respond more effectively to complex problems and to manage the uncertainty of the future. By highlighting successful applications of improvisation …

Beyond Survival: Educational Development And The Maturing Of The Pod Network, Leslie Ortquist Ahrens

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Scholarship about the growth of educational development has charted major shifts in developers’ focuses and roles through time and, especially in recent years, has explored the professionalization of the field around the globe. This essay uses a lifecycle analogy to consider the development of one organization, the POD Network (The Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education). After a brief and heady “start up phase,” and a long organizational “adolescence,” characterized by growth and by increasing formalization of processes, governance, and strategy, the POD Network is on the brink of entering a phase of greater maturity.

High Retention Of Minority And International Faculty Through A Formal Mentoring Program, Susan L. Phillips, Susan T. Dennison, Mark A. Davenport

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

In these economic times, retention of new faculty, particularly minority and international faculty, is a high priority. In this study, retention of new faculty from 2006 to 2013 was compared for participants and nonparticipants in a formal mentoring program. Retention was 92% for participating faculty and 58% for nonparticipating new faculty. For African American faculty, retention was 86% for participating and 56% for nonparticipating. Participating international faculty were retained at 100% and nonparticipating at 61%. The results indicate that mentoring programs including both individual and group mentoring provide a supportive community and self validation to new faculty, leading to high …

Toward A New Creative Scholarship Of Educational Development: The Teaching And Learning Project And An Opening To Discourse, Martin Springborg, Cassandra V. Horii

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This invited essay of To Improve the Academy’s special feature on Creative Scholarship presents one example of creative scholarship in educational development as a forward to other forms and approaches in the special feature. This example, the Teaching and Learning Project, merges documentary and art photography traditions with faculty consultation. Following a review of the literatures of visual interpretation and instructional consultation, along with their intersection, the essay presents the Teaching and Learning Project in three ways: (a) as images, analyzed using the disciplinary grounding of the visual arts; (b) as a consultation methodology and an educational development practice; and …