Education Commons^™

Olivet Nazarene University Academic Advising Assessment: Phase One, Sue Rattin

Scholarship – Academic Affairs Office

Retaining college students has emerged as a top priority for colleges and university administrators; therefore, post-secondary institutions have invested heavily in student success initiatives. Unfortunately colleges and universities fail to view academic advising as key to student success. The comprehensive academic advising assessment at ONU identified key stakeholders and collected information related to the nature and scope of advising sessions, evaluations of academic advisors and student advisor satisfaction with advising activities. Results from the academic advising assessment suggested that Olivet administrators should develop a comprehensive advising program consistent with the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) …

Tutorials: Resource Instruction For Distance Learners, Pam Greenlee

Faculty Scholarship – Library Science

Academic librarians, devoted to providing resources and services for learners, find both opportunity and challenge in the continuing growth of online programs in higher education. The technology tools available for online courses are also available to librarians seeking to support those courses with research and information literacy skills instruction. Researchers have delineated factors necessary for achieving defined learning outcomes with online tutorials. These factors include assignment relevance, faculty collaboration, and student interaction. A fourth issue emerges as equally critical; there must be a single iteration of the tutorial, posted in an unique online location, and subject to dynamic revision. There …

Children In God's House: Teaching Cosmology At A Nazarene University, Stephen Case

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

This is one of a collection of essays that attempts to articulate the common “center pole” around which Nazarene higher educators stand and the theological and pedagogical commitments that draw them together. It is one of a series of values documents for Nazarene educational institutions and was produced and reviewed by 51 faculty at 16 institutions from six countries. The title of the collection, Telos, comes from the Greek term used in the New Testament to address the perfect end, or destination, for which Christians are designed. This essay sets out how understanding and engaging with contemporary theories regarding the …

Integrating Upper Level Content With Introductory Material For Better Learning, With An Example From Mineralogy, Charles W. Carrigan, Priscilla Field Skalac

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

At the start of upper-level courses, many students have difficulty with advanced material that requires a base knowledge of essential concepts in geology and supporting disciplines, along with critical thinking skills. Students have difficulty in 1) recalling introductory course material and connecting it to deeper content, and 2) integrating concepts from supporting courses. We advocate incorporating a broadening concept review into upper level courses. Emphasis is on mastery of introductory material needed to acquire advanced concepts that follow.

Relevance First: How To Engage Preservice Elementary (K-8) Teacher Candidates In A Required Geoscience Course, Priscilla Field Skalac

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

Many preservice elementary teacher candidates enter the required science content classroom with poor self-efficacy attitudes. We should take an approach that will both lead our students towards an understanding of the relevance of the content, as well as self-confidence in their ability to teach geoscience. In one of four required science content courses, Earth and Space Science for Elementary Teachers, we are achieving positive outcomes by redefining our students as our apprentices.

The Church Of The Nazarene: A Denomination And Its Colleges: A Mixed Methods Study, Mark A. Mountain

Scholarship – President's Office

The purpose for this study was to provide a framework for the Church of the Nazarene to examine the ongoing church-college relationship. At the Church of the Nazarene’s centennial, this study sought to examine the balance between institutional mission and academic philosophy on church-relatedness in the Church of the Nazarene’s higher education bodies within the United States.

The qualitative research brought to light several themes. The first was that the Church of the Nazarene is very unique its relationship between church and college. A second theme that was evident was the strong sense of institutional loyalty. And a third was …

Weaving The Curriculum Tapestry: Modifying Upper Level Courses To Facilitate Integration Across The Geology Program, Charles W. Carrigan, Priscilla Field Skalac

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

Having observed students' frequent struggles to acquire mastery of content and skills in upper-level geology courses, we noted students fail to weave together the diverse strands that produce a well-educated geoscientist. After observing students’ struggles to keep up with new content and skills, we determined a course of action that includes application of best pedagogy based on educational research. We incorporate a technique of spiraling basic content and skills across the geology curriculum: content and skills introduced in the entry-level geology course are intentionally reviewed and referenced in each upper-level course.

Facilitating Integration Across The Geology Program: Applying "Weaving The Curriculum" To Petrology And Structural Geology Courses, Charles W. Carrigan, Priscilla Field Skalac

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

Students often encounter difficulty with advanced material in upper-level geology courses. We identified several trends that arise at the beginning of upper-level courses including difficulty in connecting introductory course material to deeper content, integrating skills and knowledge from supporting courses, and integrating material between upper-level courses. Redesigning upper-level courses, we intentionally incorporate relevant material from introductory geoscience courses into upper-level courses, such that students are re-exposed to fundamental concepts they need to master as more advanced concepts are taught.