Education Commons^™

Leadership Of Heart And Mind: Examining The Mind And Skill Sets Of Student Sustainability Leadership, Holly E. Parker Med

Muskie School Dissertations

The purpose of this comparative case study was to deepen the understanding of post-secondary student sustainability leaders' motivations and identify the skills they have employed in order to inform the development of curricular and co-curricular sustainability leadership learning experiences. The study sought to answer three central research questions: What motivates students to become sustainability leaders in higher education settings? How do student sustainability leaders describe their role and effectiveness as leaders and in collaboration with or comparison to university personnel responsible for moving the institution's goals of sustainability forward? What leadership qualities and skills have student sustainability leaders used to …

Substance Use Prevention: Communication And Strategies To Reduce Alcohol, Marijuana, And E-Cigarette Use Among College Students, Emily Bauer

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Substance use among college students impacts universities, communities and student outcomes across the United States. Based on the Monitoring the Future study (MTF), college students have a higher prevalence of past 30-day alcohol use at 63% than their non-college peers (59%) (2016). Nearly one-third of college students (32%) have had five or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks (2016). Monthly marijuana use for college students has remained steady at 22% (2016). Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is 6.9%, which is gaining in popularity but still lower than traditional cigarettes (8.9%) (2016). There are many prevention communication strategies …

The Incidence And Impact Of Workplace Incivility: A Quantitative Study Comparing Public University Staff Member Experiences In The Northeast, Tracy St. Pierre

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Workplace Incivility (WI) is a construct similar to sexual harassment or bullying - it is unwanted behavior and can cause negative emotions for those who experience it. However, it lacks a clear definition or legal repercussions that have been established for sexual harassment and bullying. Thus, incivility is able to thrive in the workplace with little intervention and can create adverse consequences for employees and the organization. Several studies demonstrate that up to 96% of employees have experienced WI (Porath & Pearson, 2010, p.64). Employees who experience WI reduce their work effort and decrease productivity by “venting” to co-workers (Cortina …

Education On Burnout And Self-Care At The University Of Southern Maine School Of Social Work: A Case Study, Noelani S. Hansen Msw

All Student Scholarship

Social work practitioners can experience symptoms of burnout at high rates, and sometimes are not able to effectively engage in self-care to combat these symptoms. For social work students, learning the signs of burnout and how to practice self-care are crucial tools. However, there is scant information in the literature on burnout and selfcare in social work curricula. This case study looks at the education on burnout and selfcare in the University of Southern Maine (USM) School of Social Work. Social work professors were interviewed on how they teach about burnout and self-care, and undergraduate and graduate students were interviewed …

Community Driven Student Leadership: The Doce Approach, Courtney Caouette, Jordan O'Hearn, Stacy Henson-Drake, Michaela Stone, Gabrielle Lodge

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Universities and the communities in which they reside must maintain an interdependence to thrive. The USM LAC Druker Office of Community Engagement (DOCE) follows a unique model of student-faculty collaborative leadership to model how public universities can partner with their communities. Developing long-lasting community-university relationships holds mutual benefits. DOCE connects students, faculty and staff with over 90 community partners. As a synergetic cooperative team, we believe community engagement is essential in the growth and learning of the whole student, faculty and staff of USM.

Our recent Community-Based Participatory Research (CPBR) works in integrating the classes and curriculum of the Social …

Empowering Metacognition In The Writing Center, Katelyn Parsons, Deanna Richards, Garrett Erb, Jake Angelico, Vic Schalk

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Anxiety about writing often impedes students from writing. This “writing paralysis” is often seen at the Writing Center. In order to become better writers, writers need to reflect, ask questions, and practice writing. These strategies enable the development of a metacognitive process that empowers student writers to understand why certain rhetorical conventions are chosen over others. The Writing Center encourages metacognition by facilitating writing strategies with student writers. This project explores how the Writing Center’s work assists the process of metacognition by asking questions about student writing processes and drawing on students’ knowledge of different genres and intended audiences. We …

Conflict Competence Among Undergraduates: Exploring The Impact Of Fear Of Negative Evaluation, Erica E. Leighton Ma

All Student Scholarship

According to a study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workplace conflict costs employers up to $359 billion annually (as cited by CPP Global, 2008). Considering this cost, teaching the current generation of college students to effectively manage conflict is a charge for colleges and universities who aim to prepare students to successfully enter the workforce after graduation. Current methods of conflict resolution training, however, lack consistency and show varying levels of success. Developing effective tools depends on a clear understanding of barriers students face in learning to effectively resolve conflicts. In looking to examine these barriers, this study explored …

Grant Writing In Higher Education, Amos Bean

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The primary aim of this capstone was to elicit feedback from public health and grant writing practitioners and funders in order to gather data that can be used to supplement teachings and readings for a course in the Muskie School of Public Service Masters in Public Health (MPH) graduate program. Two overarching questions served as the basis for this endeavor. The primary question for public health and grant writing practitioners was, “What are the most important lessons you have learned that you think graduate students who are writing their first proposals should know?” The primary question for funders was, “What …

A Simulation To Improve The Clinical Nursing Instructor’S Teaching Of Ethics To Students In The Clinical Setting, Cynthia S. Randall Dnp

All Student Scholarship

Ethical knowledge and skill is crucial to the discipline of nursing and is considered foundational knowledge for nursing practice (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2008). Nurses who assume roles in clinical teaching may be clinically competent but may have limited nursing education experience or knowledge in clinical instruction. The purpose of this project was to improve the educational experience of clinical instructors in the teaching of ethics to students in the clinical setting. This DNP capstone was a quality improvement project with a mixed method design using simulation as a teaching strategy. Eight clinical instructors from a university based baccalaureate nursing …

An Outdoor Classroom To Improve The Student Experience And Connect The Community, Chelsea Malacara

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

An opportunity to learn outdoors unites students to their surroundings and closes the gap between human and nature. Outdoor spaces contribute to ecological literacy and are critical to a well-rounded education. The University of Southern Maine community places emphasis on environmental stewardship through classroom instruction and campus projects. The Gorham campus has 9 acres of wooded area plus unused greenspace. I am proposing the construction of an outdoor classroom. The proposal will include interviews from various stakeholders, a site assessment, and a digital and 3D model of the outdoor classroom that will be created per the Site Planning and Design …

Becoming A 21st Century University: How Usm Can Use Online Education To Meet The Needs Of Its Adult Student Population, Amy Gieseke

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The 21st century has been, and will continue to be, a time of great change within the world of higher education. One key demographic change lies in the growing number of adult students seeking educational opportunities. Higher education institutions, such as the University of Southern Maine, have not historically been structured to serve the needs of this important and growing student population. In the coming years, significant changes in structure and organizational mission will be critical to address the needs of these students and to capitalize on the influx of revenue they could bring to a financially struggling institution. This …