Education Commons^™

Western Washington University Libraries Diversity Plan (2013-2016), Western Libraries Diversity Committee, Rebecca M. Marrall

Libraries and Learning Commons Diversity Committee Documents

Created in 2011, and revised in June 2013 by the 2011 – 2013 Diversity Committee, this document houses the initiatives developed by the Western Washington University Libraries Diversity Committee. The 2013-2016 Western Libraries Diversity Plan is organized into the following areas, with affiliated projects in every section:

• Recruitment & Retention: The Diversity Committee will provide useful tools for recruiting diverse, qualified personnel.

• Employee Training & Development: The Diversity Committee will provide opportunities for employee development, with the goal of culturally competent personnel.

• Outreach & Instruction: The Diversity Committee will provide useful tools for including diverse voices in …

Teachwashington Noyce Teacher Scholarships/Stipends, Donald J. Burgess, Bruce Larson

Secondary Education

The goal of the TeachWashington Noyce Program is to contribute to a larger vision to permanently increase the number of secondary mathematics and science teachers prepared at Western Washington University without sacrificing the proven quality of our graduates.

Does History Matter? A Cautionary Tale For The Tuning Project, Johann N. Neem

History Faculty and Staff Publications

There is good reason to be concerned about the future of academic history and, more generally, the liberal arts. As increasing numbers of Americans seek higher education, colleges are under pressure to serve directly the vocational needs of students and businesses. Recent efforts to defend the liberal arts therefore emphasize the development of "transferable skills." A liberal education, advocates argue, prepares students for high-level jobs because it fosters critical thinking, analytical skills, and creativity. There is evidence that these skills may be developed more effectively in the liberal arts than in vocational fields.

Teaching Students "At-Risk", Elie Hartman

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The United States is facing catastrophic drop-out rates of one student every twenty-nine seconds, or one million per year (Governors Association in the United States, as cited in Smyth, Down, & Mclnemey, 2010, p. 38). These are the students who are categorized as “at-risk”: students who live in poverty, are homeless, are Black or Hispanic, do not speak English as their first language, or face other barriers, from mental disabilities to broken families, that might make them likely to drop out of school, commit crimes, and end up on the streets or prison. Despite so many of these youth dropping …

Wels 2012 Survey Of Alumni Who Graduated Summer 2010 Through Spring 2011 Descriptive Statistics, John M. Krieg, Beth Hartsoch, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Peter Felt

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Executive Summary: Every other year the Office of Survey Research (OSR) contacts recently graduated Western students to inquire into their current activities and ask for their retrospective thoughts on their Western experience. In the spring of 2012 we surveyed alumni who completed their undergraduate degrees between summer, 2010 and spring, 2011. This report details the questions asked on that survey and summarizes responses for the university and by college and department. Initially, OSR solicited responses using e-mail contacts. These were initiated in July, 2012. Nonrespondents received two additional requests and then OSR contacted non-respondents by telephone to request their participation. …

Does The Creation Of An Outline Prior To Writing A Draft Enhance The Quality Of Students’ Papers?, Karen Bradley, Michael Manley

Writing Research Fellows

Research Question: Does the development of an outline prior to writing an extensive research paper positively impact the quality of the student’s final paper?

Evidence-Based Interventions For Immigrant Students Experiencing Behavioral And Academic Problems: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Aydin Bal, Aaron B. T. Perzigian

Woodring Scholarship on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The purpose of the present research review is to identify effective, high quality school-based interventions for immigrant students with disabilities or academic and behavioral problems. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to synthesize international research studies. Initial and criteriabased selection processes yielded six intervention studies published between 1975 and 2010. Two of the studies are academic interventions while four are behavioral interventions. Three studies were conducted in the United States while the remaining three in Israel, Canada, and Norway. The identified studies were evaluated against the quality indicators of special education research. Three experimental studies met the minimum …

2012 Exit Survey Of Graduate Students Completing Degrees Fall 2012, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, And Summer 2012: Descriptive Statistics, John M. Krieg, Beth Hartsoch, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Peter Felt, Michael Barr

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The 2012 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 students completing their graduate degree. This report summarizes responses from students who graduated in Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, and Summer 2012. Of the 343 recipients of this degree during this time, OSR received valid responses from 247 (a response rate of 72.0%). With the help of the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, this survey was designed to elicit information on program …

Sequencing A Literature Review Paper, Peter Smith

Backward by Design Mini-Studies

In Fall 2013, I attended the Backwards by Design workshop sponsored by the Writing Instruction Center and led by Carmen Werder and Shevell Thibou. At that time I was just beginning to think about a new course, LIBR 320: Archives and Special Collections Studies. The purpose of the course is to engage students with the primary sources available in the Heritage Resources unit of Western Libraries, including the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Special Collections, and University Archives. Using the collections, students gain knowledge of and respect towards the institutions of special collections and archives globally, experiencing them locally.

Learning …

Assessment Project Write-Up: Phil 112, Ethical Question Activity, Michelle Saint

Backward by Design Mini-Studies

I regularly teach Phil 112: Introduction to Moral Issues. This is a 100-level, 3 credit hour course that is intended to introduce students to philosophy in general and the study of ethics in particular. One of the most significant goals I have for the course is getting students to understand how to engage in ethical inquiry. I don’t want them to learn just the content of ethical theories that other people have previously developed; I want them to develop the skills that will permit them to engage in ethical inquiry themselves. The most significant threshold concepts covered in this class …

Reinforcement By Error Analysis Of Multiple: Threshold Concepts In Advanced Spanish Composition, Sean Dwyer

Backward by Design Mini-Studies

This year, I taught a course in advanced Spanish grammar, Spanish 302. This course provided me with an opportunity to build on a procedure I developed and refined in the Backwards by Design writing instruction workshops in 2012 and 2013 for emphasizing one of the threshold concepts in basic Spanish, noun-adjective agreement. This year’s enhanced procedure, which could not be implemented easily at the 100 level, is proving to serve as a gateway to greater understanding on the part of my students of their individual strengths and weaknesses.

Backwards By Design 2013/2014 Assessment Project, Jasmine Goodnow

Backward by Design Mini-Studies

The Backwards by Design workshop inspired me to think deeply about how to construct meaningful assignments that would help students learn not only content and knowledge but application and deep understanding. I wanted to create enduring understanding that students would apply in their careers. Tourism can be a tool for social, environmental, and economic justice; however, this is not part of the current tourism industry’s paradigm. Thus, my task is to teach course curriculum through the lens of justice, not capitalism. REC 379 Foundations of Ecotourism is a course about the history, concepts, principles, marketing, and planning of ecotourism. I …

Backwards By Design, Summer 2013 Retreat Assessment, Matt Holtmeier

Backward by Design Mini-Studies

At the 2013 TLA retreat, the main task I set for myself was building a new course around the film and television of the Pacific Northwest. The main challenge of this course was how to create a syllabus centered on the media of a ‘region’ rather than a particular concept or genre. The guiding question for developing this course was what aspects of the Pacific Northwest films and television were able to contribute to. Since our retreat was focused on 'threshold concepts,' and this course was primarily focused on content rather than skills (studying media of the region as opposed …

Climate Change: Connections And Solutions - Recommended For Grades 9-12, Facing The Future, Western Washington University

Facing the Future Lessons

Climate change is a complex, interconnected global issue that cuts across many disciplines. This curriculum is aligned with national science and social studies standards and may be used in other classes as well. Appropriate disciplines are suggested for each lesson.

The 2-week unit begins with an introduction to climate change. During the first week, the foundation is laid for understanding some of the forces behind climate change. Students learn basic scientific phenomena related to climate change, beginning with the carbon cycle and the greenhouse effect and concluding with an analysis of different fuel types.

Climate Change: Connestions And Solutions - An Interdisciplinary Curriculum Recommended For Grades 6-8, Facing The Future, Western Washington University

Facing the Future Lessons

Climate change is a complex and interconnected global issue that cuts across many disciplines. This curriculum is aligned with national science and social studies standards and may be used in other classes as well. Appropriate disciplines are suggested for each lesson.

The 2-week unit begins with an introduction to climate change. During the first week, the foundation is laid for understanding some of the forces behind climate change. Students learn basic scientific phenomena related to climate change, beginning with the carbon cycle and the greenhouse effect and concluding with an analysis of different fuel types.

Student Attitude Toward Mathematics At The Middle And High School Level, Anna Berglund

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The question of attitude toward mathematics is one of great importance and one that is associated with large implications for students. Studies on student attitude focus on determining the relationship of attitude to the perceived relevance of mathematics to future academic and career choices. Student attitude toward math in middle and high school can affect student enthusiasm for taking advanced math courses in high school and college and can largely determine future career choices. For these reasons generating positive attitudes toward mathematics among middle and high school students is an important goal of mathematics education.

Off-Campus Student Life Survey, Heather Rees

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In Spring quarter of academic year 2011-2012, 3,571 students at Western Washington University were emailed to solicit their participation in the Off-Campus WWU Student Life Survey. This survey was sponsored by the Campus Community Coalition and was intended to generate a more accurate picture of the experiences of Western students living off-campus in Bellingham. One thousand twenty four students (28.7%) responded and 901 (25.2%) completed the survey in its entirety. Sixty seven percent of respondents were female, 80% (712) of students self-identified as Caucasian/white and 42.8% were seniors. Eight hundred and forty six (94%) of respondents indicated they were renters. …

Is Jefferson A Founding Father Of Democratic Education?, Johann N. Neem

History Faculty and Staff Publications

This response argues that it is reasonable to consider Thomas Jefferson a proponent of democratic education. It suggests that Jefferson's education proposals sought to ensure the wide distribution of knowledge and that Jefferson's legacy remains important to us today.