Education Commons^™

Undergraduate Mentor Demographic Summary, Jacob Coppola, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

Undergraduate Mentors in Freshman Inquiry are placed in a unique position of influence. With each spending one entire year working with a single class, mentors will color the educational experience of over 1,200 Portland State freshmen each year. Given this significant role, it is important that mentors are demographically representative of the PSU student body. By compiling this report, we hope to better understand the composition of the Undergraduate Mentor population, as well as identity possible areas of representational imbalance.

A Profile Of Sophomore Inquiry Students Fall 2011, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

Presents a profile of students enrolled in SINQ courses based on responses to the Prior Learning Survey and demographic and academic university data.

Deepening Students’ Appreciation For Diversity Through University Studies Courses, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

This report gathers assessment data related to the diversity learning goal across levels and multiple years.

A National Research Project Revitalizes And Strengthens A Sig’S Membership, Leadership, And The Quality Of Research In The Field, Steven B. Mertens, Vincent A. Anfara Jr., Nancy Flowers, Micki M. Caskey

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

A recent moratorium has temporarily halted the creation of new Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The AERA SIG Executive Committee, the official governance body that oversees approximately 160 SIGs, requested this moratorium, which was subsequently approved by AERA Council. The purpose of the moratorium is to allow the SIG Executive Committee to gather data to facilitate a more critical examination of issues related to SIGs, including low membership numbers, leadership challenges, and specific membership needs addressed by SIGs. This article offers the Middle Level Education Research (MLER) SIG as an example of a SIG …

A Few Questions We're No Longer Asking About Assessment : The Assessment Landscape And Possible Futures, Todd Lundberg, Gary R. Brown, Robin Jeffers

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

This presentation addresses the current assessment landscape, possible and quickly emerging futures. Presenters, all experienced assessment designers/practitioners, address the topic from a 4-year/national, a 2-year/Washington state, and an educational policy perspective. To guide the conversation, presenters pose "what if" questions based on the changing needs of students and current research into effective pedagogies.

The Impact Of Peer Mentoring At Psu, Portland State University. University Studies Program

University Studies Assessment Research

Since its inception in 1994, the University Studies (UNST) Program at Portland State University (PSU) has led the nation with a unique model of peer mentoring that supports student success and retention at Oregon’s largest and most diverse, urban university.

This report articulates mentors impact on their students and the impact of the mentoring experience on mentors.

What The Students Say...Eportfolio Learning Overview, Krys Roth

University Studies Assessment Research

Undergraduate Mentor Krys Roth analyzed student survey comments and wrote this report summarizing the findings.

A Profile Of Frinq Students Whose Home Language Is Not English, Beth Hooker, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

This analysis revealed that the group of students enrolled in FRINQ who report speaking a language other than English in their homes is made up of immigrants, US born and international students who speak a wide range of languages. These students are likely to be first-generation college students and work fewer hours than their peers. Academically, writing is expressed as the top area where non-native speakers need support and they also express a need for help finding employment. In order to better understand the experiences and challenges for students who speak a language other than English at home, further research …

Mentor Program Assessment 2010-2011, Portland State University. University Studies Program

University Studies Assessment Research

This excerpt from the 2010-2011 Annual Assessment Report summarizes course evaluation information for undergraduate and graduate peer mentors.

University Studies Annual Assessment 2010-2011, Portland State University. University Studies Program

University Studies Annual Assessment Reports

Annual in-depth examination and assessment of Portland State University's general education model, the University Studies Program. The tools and methods used to assess student learning are faculty driven and developed.

Compared To What? Reconsidering Assessment In Higher Education, Gary R. Brown

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

There is, as Peter Ewell has recently observed, a tension between accountability and improvement. Batson elaborates, noting the parallel realization is dawning that tracking student outcomes toward learning goals, while a useful and necessary exercise, does not yield as much value as we had thought. Batson argues that developing an accountability system has provided rewards to faculty and student painfully insufficient to warrant the work such development requires. Batson argues that ePortfolios provide a rich alternative. This presentation will demonstrate with real student ePortfolio case studies nested within the context of organizational ePortfolio to provide an example that suggests Batson's …

Assessment Alchemy: Transforming Data Into Action--Why It Is Mostly Myth And What To Do About It, Gary R. Brown

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

There is evidence that institutions and faculty are doing more to assess their programs and their innovations. But subsequent evidence that assessment and research are useful for guiding productive changes in teaching practice and that they improve the student learning experience remains elusive. This presentation will share the story of several different studies that have produced little impact on practice despite substantial or significant results. In comparison, a few (sometimes small) studies have offered insights and avenues that have demonstrated an impact, though not necessarily in ways we might expect. This session will explore conditions and strategies that can make …

Writing Terminology Compared: Writing Common Core State Standards (Ccss) And The Oregon Writing Standards, Annie Kelsey, Mary Beth Munroe, Amanda K. Sanford, Marta Turner, Linda Vanderford

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

In April 2011, representatives from higher education, districts, and Education Service Districts collaborated to design and draft transition resources for the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards (CCSS). As context for this work, comparisons between the Common Core (adopted in October 2010) and Oregon’s English language arts standards (adopted in 2003) were reviewed using the ELA Crosswalk.

At A Glance Comparison Of Standards, Janis Wurgler, Barb Bamford, Pam Hallvik, Amanda K. Sanford

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This protocol is intended to facilitate collaboration among grade-level or content-area teachers and provide a process for comparing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to the Oregon State Standards (OSS).