Education Commons^™

Assessing Higher Education Learning Outcomes In Civil Engineering: The Oecd Ahelo Feasibility Study, Roger Hadgraft, Jacob Pearce, Daniel Edwards, Julian Fraillon, Hamish Coates

Julian Fraillon

BACKGROUND

Higher education is increasingly a global business. At present, university ranking schemes are heavily reliant on research indicators, while students are likely looking for an excellent teaching and learning environment. Aware of this discrepancy, the OECD has funded the AHELO project.

PURPOSE

AHELO was designed to test the feasibility of an international assessment of higher education learning outcomes. The two test disciplines are civil engineering and economics, together with an assessment of generic skills. The civil engineering test will be reported in this paper.

More than a ranking, AHELO is a direct evaluation of student performance. It is intended …

Academics’ Attitudes Towards Phd Students’ Teaching: Preparing Research Higher Degree Students For An Academic Career, Denise Jepsen, Melinda Varhegyi, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

An exploratory study of 473 academics in a metropolitan university investigated the attitudes of academic spervisors towards training for university teaching for doctoral students. The study investigated academic supervisors’ levels of awareness and knowledge of teacher training opportunities, the relative importance of teaching – both lecturing and tutoring – compared with research in the academic selection process, and the academics’ own entry into and attitudes about PhD students teaching during their candidature. Results indicate that academic supervisors are more aware of short courses and workshops than in-depth teaching certificates and diplomas. In terms of the relative value of aspects of …

Assessing Higher Education Learning Outcomes In Civil Engineering: The Oecd Ahelo Feasibility Study, Roger Hadgraft, Jacob Pearce, Daniel Edwards, Julian Fraillon, Hamish Coates

Dr Daniel Edwards

BACKGROUND

Higher education is increasingly a global business. At present, university ranking schemes are heavily reliant on research indicators, while students are likely looking for an excellent teaching and learning environment. Aware of this discrepancy, the OECD has funded the AHELO project.

PURPOSE

AHELO was designed to test the feasibility of an international assessment of higher education learning outcomes. The two test disciplines are civil engineering and economics, together with an assessment of generic skills. The civil engineering test will be reported in this paper.

More than a ranking, AHELO is a direct evaluation of student performance. It is intended …

The Abcs Of Gfe, Brandon Youker

Brandon W. Youker Ph.D

Goal-free evaluation (GFE) is the process of determining something’s merit intentionally without reference to its stated goals and objectives. The following PowerPoint presentation describes GFE and discusses preliminary attempts at operationalization. The video concludes with a lively discussion where audience members challenge Dr. Youker on GFE's feasibility and merit. . *This presentation is available at The Evaluation Center's website archived as an Evaluation Café presentation: http://www.wmich.edu/evalctr/2012/11/goal-free-evaluation-an-analog-experiment-comparing-goal-free-evaluation-and-goal-based-evalation-utility/

What's Your Pitch? The Power Of Wow! (Worksheet For The Webinar On January 18, 2011), Connie Reimers-Hild

Connie I Reimers-Hild, PhD, CPC

Elevator pitches are created to sell your idea, business, product or service in 30 seconds or less (the time it takes to go from the first floor to the top of the building in an elevator). A great pitch has the power to help anyone...from a University employee to a new entrepreneur to a team working in a high-growth firm.

It’s important to develop and practice an effective pitch, complete with an awesome "Wow Factor," so you are ready to use it under fire (pretend you just stepped onto an elevator with Warren Buffett or Bill Gates)!

This interactive webinar …

Innovation Begins With People: Leading With A New Lens (Workbook), Connie Reimers-Hild

Connie I Reimers-Hild, PhD, CPC

Workbook for Merrick County's Leading Locally class, "Innovation Begins with People: Leading with a New Lens."

Ready, Set...Pitch: Marketing Yourself With A High Five For The Nta Promarks Spring Meeting, Connie Reimers-Hild

Connie I Reimers-Hild, PhD, CPC

A workshop presented at the NTA Promarks Spring Meeting designed to help them develop their elevator pitches using Dr. Connie's High 5 Elevator Pitch method

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer And A Four-Year-Old: Lessons For Leadership & Life, Connie Reimers-Hild

Connie I Reimers-Hild, PhD, CPC

Last week while I was in the shower, my four-year-old daughter, Raquel, walked into the bathroom and asked me an interesting question. “Mom, why doesn’t anyone like Rudolph’s shiny red nose?” My daughter was supposed to be in bed sleeping. I am 99% sure she was lying in bed reflecting on her day.

Many nights I have quietly checked on her before going to bed myself only to find her talking to herself while she makes vivid hand gestures and motions. On this particular evening, her talk and gestures must have focused on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. After thinking about …

Six Questions For Entrepreneurial Leadership And Innovation In Distance Education, Connie Reimers-Hild, James King

Connie I Reimers-Hild, PhD, CPC

Institutions offering distance education courses and programs may benefit by encouraging administrators, faculty, staff and students to be more entrepreneurial. Organizational cultures designed to support this type of environment are characterized by entrepreneurial leadership, innovation and change. This article provides information on how distance education institutions can incorporate entrepreneurial leadership and innovation into their organizations. Six questions for administrators of distance education to consider are presented in an effort to provoke discussion and thought on the importance of incorporating entrepreneurial leadership and innovation throughout distance education organizations.

Leadership And Innovation Program, Connie Reimers-Hild

Connie I Reimers-Hild, PhD, CPC

No abstract provided.

Leading Innovation: Creating A Culture Of Sustainability Workbook, Connie Reimers-Hild

Connie I Reimers-Hild, PhD, CPC

A workbook designed to compliment the workshop, "Leading Innovation: Creating a Culture of Sustainability" and focused on teaching Dr. Connie's 5 Rays of Innovation

Dr. Connie's Top 10 Confidence Boosters, Connie Reimers-Hild

Connie I Reimers-Hild, PhD, CPC

Strengthen your Inner Leader by investing time and resources in your self-confidence. There are a number of confidence building tools, and you have to find and use the tools that best serve you. As a Certified Professional Coach I find the issue my clients struggle with most is confidence. From my research and experience, I have developed Dr. Connie’s Top 10 Confidence Boosters. They are presented in the attached paper.

Copyright Overview For Faculty Educational Fair Use & Best Practices, Monica Brooks, Dena Laton

Dena Laton

No abstract provided.

Reaching For The Brass Ring: The U.S. News & World Report Rankings And Competition, Ronald Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] The behavior of academic institutions, including the extent to which they collaborate on academic and nonacademic matters, is shaped by many factors. This paper focuses on one of these factors, the U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) annual ranking of the nation’s colleges and universities as undergraduate institutions, exploring how this ranking exacerbates the competitiveness among American higher education institutions. After presenting some evidence on the importance of the USNWR rankings to both public and private institutions at all levels along the selectivity spectrum, I describe how the rankings actually are calculated, then discuss how academic institutions alter their …

The 1995 Nrc Ratings Of Doctoral Programs: A Hedonic Model, Ronald Ehrenberg, Peter Hurst

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

We describe how one can use multivariate regression models and data collected by the National Research Council as part of its recent ranking of doctoral programs (Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States: Continuity and Change) to analyze how measures of program size, faculty seniority, faculty research productivity, and faculty productivity in producing doctoral degrees influence subjective ratings of doctoral programs in 35 academic fields. Using data for one of the fields, economics, we illustrate how university administrators can use the models to compute the impact of changing the number of faculty positions they allocate to the field on …

Did Teachers’ Race And Verbal Ability Matter In The 1960’S? Coleman Revisited, Ronald Ehrenberg, Dominic Brewer

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Our paper reanalyzes data from the classic 1966 study Equality of Educational Opportunity, or Coleman Report. It addresses whether teacher characteristics, including race and verbal ability, influenced "synthetic gain scores" of students (mean test scores of upper grade students in a school minus mean test scores of lower grade students in a school), in the context of an econometric model that allows for the possibility that teacher characteristics in a school are endogenously determined. We find that verbal aptitude scores of teachers influenced synthetic gain scores for both black and white students. Verbal aptitude mattered as much for black teachers …

Graduate Pathways: Insights From Australian Graduates In The First Five Years After Completion, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

This presentation explores the outcomes of higher education graduates based on data collected through the Graduate Pathways Survey (GPS) that was conducted in 2008 to gain insight into the pathways of Australian university graduates in the first five years after completion of their undergraduate degree. The presentation explores two key issues: the advancement of people from disadvantaged backgrounds and the net impact of gender on future salary. The findings from this detailed study of 10,000 Australian students provides valuable insight and lessons that are transferable across higher education systems, and helps to better understand the role of universities in the …

In The Loop: One Librarian's Experiences Teaching Within First-Year Learning Communities, Nancy Frazier

Nancy Frazier

Unique as snowflakes, learning communities are formed in countless ways. Some are designed specifically for first-year students, while others offer combined or clustered upper-level courses. Most involve at least two linked courses, and some add residential and social components. Many address core general education and basic skills requirements. Learning communities differ in design, yet they are similar in striving to enhance students' academic and social growth. First-year learning communities foster experiences that have been linked to academic success and retention. They also offer unique opportunities for librarians interested in collaborating with departmental faculty and enhancing teaching skills. This article will …

Generation X: Redefining The Norms Of The Academy, Ronald Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] The members of Generation X are the young faculty members of today and the immediate future. The panelists at this session of the conference were asked to discuss the effects of this generation on academic norms and institutional governance and the types of new models that may be emerging for academia as a result of them. More specifically, they were asked if the attitudes and loyalties of these young faculty members really do differ from that of the Baby Boom Generation, how their attitudes and behavior affect graduate programs, what academic institutions will need to do to attract the …

An Interactive Exploration Of Gender And Engineering: Unpacking The Experience, Debbie Chachra, Lynn Stein, Alisha Sarang-Sieminski, Caitrin Lynch, Yevgeniya Zastavker

Debbie Chachra

The engineering student experience is understood to differ for male and female students; gendered interactions affect the development of academic and professional role confidence, as well as engineering identity. The purpose of this session is twofold. First, we aim to introduce participants to concepts of gender schemas, privilege, and identity using a range of interactive activities, including brainstorming and structured discussion. Second, we intend to share information about and obtain feedback on a Gender Discussion Exploration Kit, which the participants will be encouraged to review, use, and share at their home institutions.

An Interactive Exploration Of Gender And Engineering: Unpacking The Experience, Debbie Chachra, Lynn Stein, Alisha Sarang-Sieminski, Caitrin Lynch, Yevgeniya Zastavker

Caitrin Lynch

The engineering student experience is understood to differ for male and female students; gendered interactions affect the development of academic and professional role confidence, as well as engineering identity. The purpose of this session is twofold. First, we aim to introduce participants to concepts of gender schemas, privilege, and identity using a range of interactive activities, including brainstorming and structured discussion. Second, we intend to share information about and obtain feedback on a Gender Discussion Exploration Kit, which the participants will be encouraged to review, use, and share at their home institutions.

An Interactive Exploration Of Gender And Engineering: Unpacking The Experience, Debbie Chachra, Lynn Stein, Alisha Sarang-Sieminski, Caitrin Lynch, Yevgeniya Zastavker

Yevgeniya V. Zastavker

The engineering student experience is understood to differ for male and female students; gendered interactions affect the development of academic and professional role confidence, as well as engineering identity. The purpose of this session is twofold. First, we aim to introduce participants to concepts of gender schemas, privilege, and identity using a range of interactive activities, including brainstorming and structured discussion. Second, we intend to share information about and obtain feedback on a Gender Discussion Exploration Kit, which the participants will be encouraged to review, use, and share at their home institutions.

An Interactive Exploration Of Gender And Engineering: Unpacking The Experience, Debbie Chachra, Lynn Stein, Alisha Sarang-Sieminski, Caitrin Lynch, Yevgeniya Zastavker

Lynn Andrea Stein

The engineering student experience is understood to differ for male and female students; gendered interactions affect the development of academic and professional role confidence, as well as engineering identity. The purpose of this session is twofold. First, we aim to introduce participants to concepts of gender schemas, privilege, and identity using a range of interactive activities, including brainstorming and structured discussion. Second, we intend to share information about and obtain feedback on a Gender Discussion Exploration Kit, which the participants will be encouraged to review, use, and share at their home institutions.

Problematic Students Of Nasp-Approved Programs: An Exploratory Study Of Graduate Student Views, Leasha Trimble, Sandra Stroebel, Fred Krieg, Robert Rubenstein

Robert L. Rubenstein

This study reports the findings of an electronic exploratory survey of National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Student Representatives. The purpose of the survey was to gather information about the perspective of graduate students concerning problematic peers and their experiences with them in school psychology training programs. Findings suggest that (a) students are unsure whether or not their training programs have an official procedure in place for dealing with problematic students; (b) the problems they observe most commonly involve poor interpersonal skills; (c) consistent with other mental health programs, school psychology graduate students most often talk with their peers or …

Problematic Students Of Nasp-Approved Programs: An Exploratory Study Of Graduate Student Views, Leasha Trimble, Sandra Stroebel, Fred Krieg, Robert Rubenstein

Fred Jay Krieg

This study reports the findings of an electronic exploratory survey of National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Student Representatives. The purpose of the survey was to gather information about the perspective of graduate students concerning problematic peers and their experiences with them in school psychology training programs. Findings suggest that (a) students are unsure whether or not their training programs have an official procedure in place for dealing with problematic students; (b) the problems they observe most commonly involve poor interpersonal skills; (c) consistent with other mental health programs, school psychology graduate students most often talk with their peers or …

Field-Based Experience In Light Of Changing Demographics, Fred Krieg, Joyce Meikamp, Stephen O’Keefe, Sandra Stroebel

Sandra S. Stroebel

Due to changing demographics of students admitted to the School Psychology Training Program at Marshall University Graduate College, it has become imperative to significantly expand field experiences beginning in the first semester to address the lack of educational background of most of the students entering the program. This organized sequence of field experiences continues throughout the program, parallel to classroom instruction, affording opportunities for students to put theory into practice and to interact with professionals in the field, while also allowing for exposure to the public school environment. The collaborative field experience sequence provides the students with early and continuous …

Problematic Students Of Nasp-Approved Programs: An Exploratory Study Of Graduate Student Views, Leasha Trimble, Sandra Stroebel, Fred Krieg, Robert Rubenstein

Sandra S. Stroebel

This study reports the findings of an electronic exploratory survey of National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Student Representatives. The purpose of the survey was to gather information about the perspective of graduate students concerning problematic peers and their experiences with them in school psychology training programs. Findings suggest that (a) students are unsure whether or not their training programs have an official procedure in place for dealing with problematic students; (b) the problems they observe most commonly involve poor interpersonal skills; (c) consistent with other mental health programs, school psychology graduate students most often talk with their peers or …

Unequal Progress: The Annual Report On The Economic Status Of The Profession 2002-03, Ronald Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] Most colleges and universities adopted budgets for the 2002-03 academic year in the spring and early summer of 2002. At that time, a pessimist might have cited several factors – negative rates of return from institutional endowments, a rising unemployment rate, an economic recession, and large increases in college and university enrollments, for example - to predict that faculty members would not see their earnings increase substantially in real terms in the coming year. The good news is that, overall and on average, the pessimists' worst fears proved incorrect. The bad news is that the overall aver-ages don't tell …

Iwant Does Not Equal Iwill: Correlates Of Mobile Learning With Ipads, E-Textbooks, Blackboard Mobile Learn And A Blended Learning Experience, Jeffrey Brand, Shelley Kinash, Trishita Mathew, Ron Kordyban

Trishita Mathew

This research tested the efficacy of a blended learning iteration with iPad tablet computers, an e-textbook and Blackboard's Mobile Learn application connected with a learning management system (LMS). Mobile learning was embedded into the pedagogical design of an undergraduate subject run in two semesters with 135 students. Using design-based research (DBR), an empirical investigation examined four variables including: iPad use; mobile technology use; attitude, including the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) scale; and academic performance. Quantitative analysis with PASW Statistics included descriptive, scaling, correlations, partial correlations and ANCOVAs. Results suggested that students were positive about mobile …

Iwant Does Not Equal Iwill: Correlates Of Mobile Learning With Ipads, E-Textbooks, Blackboard Mobile Learn And A Blended Learning Experience, Jeffrey Brand, Shelley Kinash, Trishita Mathew, Ron Kordyban

Jeffrey Brand

This research tested the efficacy of a blended learning iteration with iPad tablet computers, an e-textbook and Blackboard's Mobile Learn application connected with a learning management system (LMS). Mobile learning was embedded into the pedagogical design of an undergraduate subject run in two semesters with 135 students. Using design-based research (DBR), an empirical investigation examined four variables including: iPad use; mobile technology use; attitude, including the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) scale; and academic performance. Quantitative analysis with PASW Statistics included descriptive, scaling, correlations, partial correlations and ANCOVAs. Results suggested that students were positive about mobile …