Education Commons^™

Spring 2010 Follow-Up Survey Of Freshmen Who Entered Western In Fall Of 2008: Descriptive Statistics, John M. Krieg, Beth Hartsoch, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Grant Fosheim

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The Spring 2010 Follow-Up Survey of Freshmen Who Entered Western in Fall 2008 (2nd Year Survey) holds particular importance to Western in that it focuses on student experiences in first year programs and GUR courses. Together with the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Committee for Undergraduate Education, the Office of Survey Research (OSR) created this survey in an attempt to shed light on the efficacy of and satisfaction with programs designed to foster student success early in their Western careers. The 2nd Year Survey consists of a mixture of open ended, multiple choice, and numerical response questions. This …

2010 Exit Survey Of Graduate Students Completing Degrees Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, And Summer 2010, Descriptive Statistics: Addendum, John M. Krieg, Beth Hartsoch, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Grant Fosheim, Michael Barr

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The graduate exit survey is a quarterly survey of all graduate students set to finish their degrees. This survey is fully explained and documented in “2010 Exit Survey of Graduate Students Completing Degrees Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, and Summer 2010” which may be found on the Office of Survey Research’s website (http://www.wwu.edu/socad/osr/). This addendum breaks down the data from that survey by college and department. Hopefully, this data will provide a finer degree of analysis allowing departments and colleges greater latitude in their self-evaluation efforts.

The Heart Of Sustainability: Big Ideas From The Field Of Environmental Education And Their Relationship To Sustainability Education Or What's Love Got To Do With It?, Donald J. Burgess, Tracie Johannessen

Secondary Education

A common raven suddenly begins to call from Cornwall Park. I rush to the front porch trying to see what the commotion is all about. Two adult ravens are flapping high over the green canopy, croaking vigorously. Like vigilant Block Watch captains protecting the integrity of a neighborhood, ravens exhibit exceptional observational prowess coupled with intense fidelity to family and place. I scan the forest with binoculars and notice three raven fledglings perched in a scraggly birch tree at the edge of the forest. Scanning higher, I finally detect a distant bald eagle circling over the urban park where the …

Democracy In Teacher Education: Learning From Preservice Teachers’ Understandings And Perspectives, Allen Trent, Jaesik Cho, Francisco Rios, Kerrita Mayfield

Woodring College of Education Faculty Publications

This article provides an overview of a teacher education inquiry project focused on teaching in a democracy. The research was conducted by the faculty in a university educational studies/foundations department (EDST) as they engaged in a curriculum development and implementation project designed to better prepare teachers for democratic participation and teaching. In this context, ongoing curriculum examination and revision and embedded data collection and analysis are utilized as important activities in evolving a curriculum delivered to teacher education candidates.

This article includes an overview of theoretical perspectives that guide and inform teacher education efforts in this department and presents a …

2010 Exit Survey Of Graduate Students Completing Degrees Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, And Summer 2010: Descriptive Statistics, John M. Krieg, Beth Hartsoch, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Grant Fosheim, Michael Barr

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Executive Summary: The 2010 Exit Survey of Graduate Students Completing Degrees continues the Office of Survey Research’s (OSR) survey of Graduate students first initiated in 2009. The current survey was administered at the end of each quarter to graduate students slated to graduate that quarter. This report summarizes responses from students who graduated in Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, and Summer 2010. With the help of the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, this survey was designed to elicit information on program satisfaction, the frequency and scope of academic interaction on and off campus, barriers to success, and plans …

2010 Exit Survey Of Graduate Students Completing Degrees Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, And Summer 2010: Descriptive Statistics, John M. Krieg, Beth Hartsoch, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Grant Fosheim, Michael Barr

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Executive Summary: The 2010 Exit Survey of Graduate Students Completing Degrees continues the Office of Survey Research’s (OSR) survey of Graduate students first initiated in 2009. The current survey was administered at the end of each quarter to graduate students slated to graduate that quarter. This report summarizes responses from students who graduated in Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, and Summer 2010. With the help of the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, this survey was designed to elicit information on program satisfaction, the frequency and scope of academic interaction on and off campus, barriers to success, and plans …

Electronic Course Evaluations At Western Washington University: A Report Of The Spring Quarter, 2010 Pilot, John M. Krieg, Beth Hartsoch

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Electronic course evaluations are becoming a popular, inexpensive substitute for traditional paper course evaluations. Electronic evaluations are easy to implement, reduce the impact on instructor time, are more uniform in their administration, and can reduce printing and paper costs. Further, some usually unexpected benefits can accrue from electronic evaluations. For instance, students appear to respond in more detail to open ended electronic questions than they would to the same question posed in paper format. While there are clear benefits from electronic course evaluations, there also exist pitfalls. Research suggests students view electronic evaluations as less anonymous thereby bringing into question …

Academic Performance Of Native And Transfer Students, John M. Krieg

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

In the Fall quarter of 2009, Western Washington University enrolled about 900 transfer students, one-third of the incoming freshmen class that quarter. More transfers were later admitted in the winter and spring quarters. Given the large numbers of transfer students attending Western and the likelihood of increased reliance upon transfers in the future, it is important to understand what, if any, performance differences exist between transfer and native students. This report compares academic success of natives and transfers using two measures: grades earned after achieving 90 credits and earning a Western degree. In order to make as precise comparisons as …

Freshmen Who Plan To Transfer (Analysis), Beth Hartsoch, John M. Krieg

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

On the 2009 WELS baseline survey of incoming fall 2009 freshmen, thirteen percent indicate some likelihood of transferring prior to graduation. Western administrators are interested in the retention rate of these students, as well as demographic and educational history characteristics. This is a brief exploratory analysis of these questions.

Usability Of Peer Review Workshops, Margi Fox, Jennifer Jacobs

Writing Research Fellows

Research Question: What happens in a 300-level technical writing class when various peer-review/editing approaches are used?

We were interested in examining and enhancing the effectiveness of peer review/editing workshops in English 302, Introduction to Professional and Technical Writing. We explored several aspects:

• Factors impacting student confidence in their responses to peers’ writing
• Influences of types of workshops, size of groups, type of responses assigned, etc.

Method: During winter quarter 2010, we gave three questionnaires exploring the efficacy of different styles of peer review workshops. A total of forty students from two English 302 classes participated. Workshop types included “speed dating” …

Efficacy Of Interactive Journaling As An Undergraduate Teaching/Learning Device, William Lay, Annemarie Curd, Shanyese Trujillo

Writing Research Fellows

Research Questions:

1. What is the impact on learner attitudes and behaviors revealed by the Karchmer/Bauer study when peer read/respond interaction is used as an instructional technique in journaling?

2. In the perception of the learner, what is the impact on the degree of concept reflection and depth of concept understanding when peer read/respond interaction is used as an instructional technique in journaling?

3. In the perception of the learner, what is the impact on the development of critical thinking skills and achievement of course goals when peer read/respond interaction is used as an instructional technique in journaling?

4. What …

Analyzing Reflective Writing, Ray Wolpow, Jody Bault

Writing Research Fellows

Research Question: What happens in a Secondary Education undergraduate and graduate course(s) when we use a reflective writing rubric that addresses both cognitive and affective capacities/skills in order to demonstrate the proficiency necessary to meet standards for certification?

Method: After examining relevant literature, we defined reflection to be “a careful examination and evaluation of experience, beliefs, and knowledge.” We found that a careful examination and evaluation of an experience, when compared to one’s beliefs and prior knowledge, was considered by most to be the deepest form of reflection. Using a model based on Bain et al. (1999), we found that …

Seeing You, Seeing Me: Social Perspective-Taking As Learning, Terry J. Burant, Francisco Rios

Woodring College of Education Faculty Publications

This paper examines the use of social perspective-taking as learning in an education course in an undergraduate teacher education program. Using curriculum documents, student writing, field notes, faculty journals, and focus group interviews, the study identified the foundational/multicultural content understandings and the emotional responses that social perspective-taking activities promoted. Implications of social perspective-taking in teacher education courses and broader programmatic questions about social perspective-taking pedagogy for teaching and learning are addressed.

Western Educational Longitudinal Studies (Wels) Baseline Survey Of Students Entering As Transfers Fall, 2009, John M. Krieg, Beth Hartsoch, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The 2009 WELS survey of incoming transfer students (the Survey) continues the Office of Survey Research’s (OSR) efforts to collect information on all students prior to the start of their academic careers at Western Washington University. This survey represents the initial contact in a longitudinal process that makes additional inquiries of transfer students when they graduate from the university and again one to two years after graduation. The purpose of the incoming transfer student survey is fourfold: (1) to assess student needs based upon their self-reported characteristics, perceptions, and concerns; (2) to provide data that can assist university assessment and …

Book Review: Why Don't Students Like School? A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How The Mind Works And What It Means For The Classroom By Daniel T. Willingham, Leza Madsen Associate Professor

Western Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Buy, Use, Toss? A Closer Look At The Things We Buy - An Interdisciplinary Curriculum Recommended For Grades 9–12, Facing The Future, Western Washington University

Facing the Future Publications

Some concepts just naturally engage students’ curiosity. Consumption—how we “buy, use, and toss”—is one of those engaging concepts. Because consumption is current, relevant, and real, it is an ideal context for teaching core subject matter and 21st-century skills such as critical thinking and collaboration. Consumption is by nature an inter-disciplinary concept. Students can build math and science skills while calculating the carbon footprint of shipping blue jeans across the ocean, or they can engage in civic discourse during a discussion of how we dispose of our waste. Buy, Use, Toss? is a two-week unit that provides multiple entry points to …

Making Connections: Engaging Students In Language, Literacy, And Global Issues - Student Text, Facing The Future, Western Washington University

Facing the Future Publications

When you watch the news or read about current events in class, you may think, “Why do I need to know what’s happening in the world?” Is it possible that parts of your life could be connected to the life of, say, a doctor at a hospital in Uganda, or to a rainforest in Brazil, or to the economy in India? Making Connections gives you the opportunity to learn about global issues, to see how they connect to your own life, and to identify positive contributions you can make to your community and the world.