Education Commons^™

From Dialogue To Action: Situating Black Lives Matter In A Liberal Arts Education, Jaira J. Harrington

Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the value of teaching a Black Lives Matter course in a liberal arts curriculum. Drawing from original case study experience of teaching the Black Lives Matter course at a predominately white, liberal arts institution, the argument is not only pedagogical, but practical for the times in which education about issues of contemporary significance for all students. Teaching a Black Lives Matter course with a historically-situated, community-grounded and solutions-oriented approach fosters the learning environment of inclusivity to which many campuses aspire. This paper provides a practical blueprint for scholars seeking to creatively integrate …

Promoting Transition To Postsecondary Education: Creating Opportunities For Social Change, J. Christopher Linscott, Carey Busch

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

Multiple studies document that students with disabilities participate at significantly lower rates than their peers without disabilities in post-secondary education, post-school employment, independent living, and community participation. This article exposits a program model at Ohio University, Gateway to Success, which addresses this inequity through a combined effort of various stakeholders. Particular consideration is given to evidence based predictors related to post-school success, the need for intervention, and the social justice implications of increased participation in post-secondary education for students with disabilities.

The Face Of An Intergenerational Community In Higher Education, Narketta N. Myles

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

With a rapidly growing non-traditional student population in higher education, institutions must begin to reshape much of their framework in how to serve a diverse population of students. With this diversifying of perspective, the older adult student must be given due consideration as an underrepresented student population. As we begin to consider this population of underrepresented students, we must examine the barriers and discrimination that older adults face, and the difficulties colleges encounter attempting to serve this population. Then as administrators, student affairs professionals, and faculty we must support initiatives of inclusion and equity that best serve these students.

Who Wrote The Books: A History Of The History Of Student Affairs, Anna L. Patton

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

This historiography offers a critique of the common narrative of student affairs history by considering the ways in which the history of student affairs is mediated by those scholars writing the texts. Student affairs professionals and scholars are regularly engaged in reflection on current practices, trends, and concerns within the field; however, it is equally important to continue looking back into our professional history. In this paper, I employ a process of historiography to critique the way in which the history of student affairs is mediated by those scholars writing the texts. A historiography seeks to tell the history of …

Painting A Picture: Understanding Our Student Parent Profile On Campus, Vicki Squires, Jason Disano

Journal of Global Education and Research

Little information or research exists regarding the profile of student parents on campus even though increasingly more non-traditional and mature students access post-secondary education. This study presents information generated through a telephone survey of students conducted by a research lab on one Canadian campus. The purpose of the research was to uncover more information about this student group with the intent that the data would inform the development of guidelines for allocation of additional childcare spaces on campus as soon as a new childcare centre was completed. Better information on their needs as students and parents would be helpful in …

Migrating Learning Management Systems: A Case Of A Large Public University, Brenda L. R. Such, Albert D. Ritzhaupt, George S. Thompson

Administrative Issues Journal

In the past 20 years, institutions of higher education have made major investments in Learning Management Systems (LMSs). As institutions have integrated the LMS into campus culture, the potential of migrating to not only an upgraded version of the LMS, but also an entirely different LMS, has become a reality. This qualitative research study examines the perspectives of five stakeholders involved with the migration of an LMS at a major research institution in the southeastern United States. Using Lewin’s (1947) Change Management Model and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Model as analogies, this research seeks to understand the role and responsibilities …

The Quest For Respect: Esl Faculty And Programs In U.S. Higher Education, Ildiko Porter-Szucs

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

Relying on data from two nationwide surveys, this study examines the status of ESL programs in primarily U.S. higher educational settings as perceived by professionals in such programs. The focus is on the perceived lack of recognition and on measures taken against it. Survey respondents make suggestions for increasing the field’s visibility and respect on campus through interdepartmental outreach, policy and curricular initiatives, marketing, publishing/presenting, and academic as well as non-academic initiatives involving students.

“Undocumented” Ways Of Navigating Complex Sociopolitical Realities In Higher Education: A Critical Race Counterstory, Alonso R. Reyna Rivarola

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

In the United States, undocumented students must navigate complex sociopolitical realities to access and succeed in higher education. These complex sociopolitical realities are shaped by federal policies on education and immigration, state-specific legislation on education and public policy, as well as general attitudes regarding race, immigration, and nationalism in the U.S. In this manuscript, I weave in counter-storytelling to document some of the ways one undocumented student accessed and navigated U.S. higher education. I begin by reviewing the national and state policy contexts that affect undocumented students in the U.S. I focus a state policy analysis in Utah, as one …

Overview Of Instructional Technology Used In The Education Of Occupational Therapy Students: A Survey Study, Bryan M. Gee, Lisa Salazar, Jessica Porter, Camiel Clark, Theodore W. Peterson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The purpose of this study was to explore the type of instructional technology (IT) master’s degree level occupational therapy educational programs routinely use as a part of their lecture- and laboratory-based instruction. Surveying the administrators of 121 graduate occupational therapy programs in the United States, we found that the majority of the respondents identified their program as using IT in some form for lecture-based courses, with less inclusion of IT for laboratory-based courses. Hybrid instruction, with the majority of the content being delivered face-to-face and the remainder via online, were the trends among the respondents. The findings also indicated that …

Occupational Therapy Students In Norway: Do Their Approaches To Studying Vary By Year In The Program?, Tore Bonsaksen, Mikkel M. Thørrisen, Talieh Sadeghi

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Approaches to studying may be influenced by students’ age, maturity, and experience in higher education. Students’ approaches to studying may develop toward deep and/or strategic approaches and away from a surface approach as they move through the curriculum, which is generally considered a positive development. This study aimed to identify differences in approaches to studying among first-, second-, and third-year students enrolled in an occupational therapy program. Three cohorts of students (n = 160) from one university college completed the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) along with sociodemographic information. One-way analyses of variance were used to …

Master’S Of Occupational Therapy Student Perceptions Of Creative Thinking Across The Academic Program, Angela K. Boisselle, Mary F. Baxter

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

This study was part of a larger study to describe how master’s of occupational therapy (MOT) students define and perceive their own creative thinking across the academic program. This study involved a cross-sectional quantitative study based on the self-reflective creative thinking surveys completed by the MOT students at Texas Woman’s University (N = 136). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce a large number of variables by finding which variables are redundant and measuring the same construct. The PCA resulted in three new components accounting for 68% of the variance. Three ANOVAs were conducted to explore possible differences in …

Against The Clock, Trey Conatser

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

In The Slow Professor, Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber's thoughtful contribution to the conversation on academic labor is to challenge what often goes without saying: that it's good to be more efficient, to be faster, to manage as many tasks as possible at once. How can we practice slowness and pleasure in thoughtful ways for the good of our disciplines and colleagues and, more importantly, for those whom our decisions and actions affect profoundly?

Facilitating An Intergenerational Classroom, Lee Ferrell

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

At the beginning of the 2016-17 academic year, Needham Yancey Gulley published an Inside Higher Edarticle challenging educators to move away from a seemingly dated term—nontraditional—because it labeled students in a way that could harm their opportunities in the classroom. At the same time, there really are differences among and between the generations, as both the academic literature and popular culture attest. Rather than enjoying a cohesive or intergenerational approach, Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers are often pitted against one another in what The Washington Post calls “generational warfare.” This essay considers ways to facilitate an intergenerational classroom …

Why Black Lives (Must) Matter At Uk, Nicole Martin

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

As a university committed to creating inclusive learning environments, we must remember that our pedagogical practices and philosophies are not crafted in insolation from our social, political, and cultural environments. The psychic and emotional injury spurred by the events of the summer of 2016 will continue to reverberate across campus as we move into the fall semester. When we boldly address the lingering effects of trauma through our pedagogical practices, we demonstrate how the campus actively creates space for the civic development of students, staff, faculty, and administration.

University Sustainability: Assessing College Sustainability Rating Systems, James M. Albis

Journal of Environmental Sustainability

This paper seeks to assess the three major university sustainability rating systems in the United States on their ability to drive positive sustainability outcomes. Since the mid-2000s the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, the Princeton Review, and the Sierra Club have attempted to rate universities on their sustainability policies and practices. A wide range of actions are rated by these organizations, from energy usage to transportation to procurement to academic offerings in the field of sustainability. This analysis shows that each organization values sustainability in different ways – for example, academics/co-curricular activities accounted for anywhere from 16%-49% …

Preliminary Evaluation Of The Psychometric Quality Of HeightenTm Quantitative Literacy, Katrina C. Roohr, Hyesun Lee, Jun Xu, Ou Lydia Liu, Zhen Wang

Numeracy

Quantitative literacy has been identified as an important student learning outcome (SLO) by both the higher education and workforce communities. This paper aims to provide preliminary evidence of the psychometric quality of the pilot forms for HEIghten quantitative literacy, a next-generation SLO assessment for students in higher education. We evaluated the psychometric quality of the test items (e.g., item analyses), individual- and group-level reliability, the relationship with student performance and related variables (e.g., grade point average) as well as student perceptions, and differences across college-related and demographic subgroups. Our study used data from a pilot test administered to over 1,500 …

The Final Battle: Constructs Of Hegemonic Masculinity And Hypermasculinity In Fraternity Membership, Alex Zernechel, April L. Perry

College Student Affairs Leadership

This article explores the correlation between membership in a fraternal organization and masculinity identity development. Masculinity is embedded into the very foundation of the American fraternity culture. Fraternal organizations have served as a haven for young men that support the development of hegemonic masculinity and hypermasculinity, while preventing those same students from being exposed to opposing personality traits and challenges to their own idea of masculinity. In this paper, we present literature on hypermasulinity, fraternities, and a synthesis of the two. Based on the information presented, we make a call to action to educators and university administrators to help young …

Where Did They Go: Retention Rates For Students Of Color At Predominantly White Institutions, Kevin S. Mcclain, April Perry

College Student Affairs Leadership

The United States higher education system is comprised of students from various racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. Despite appearing diverse on the surface, many predominantly White institutions (PWIs) encounter impediments in retaining and graduating students of color. Over the past few decades, universities have made tremendous strides to correct past transgressions, which contributed to high dropout and transfer rates amongst students of color. Despite college’s efforts to be inclusive, discriminatory acts still occur on college campuses. Research has shown that campus racial climate contributes to the retention of students of color within the college. This literature review will delve into …

Self-Reflections On Differentiation: Understanding How We Teach In Higher Education, Nykela Jackson, Lesley Evans

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Teachers are called to accommodate the individualized learning needs of a wide range of students. To support prospective and current teachers with this challenge, it is imperative to help them not only understand the theory of differentiated instruction, but how to implement it into practice. Building upon past research in the realm of higher education, this study sought to identify the past teaching experiences and expectations of two former K-12 teachers that formed the philosophy and practices that they bring to teacher preparation courses. Framed by interview questions used in past research with faculty, the two researchers self-reflected on their …

Consistency Of Academic Performance In Higher Education: A Study Of An Irish Business Degree Programme, Julie Byrne, Conor Heagney

The ITB Journal

This study examines the level of consistency of the academic performance of business students, both as a whole and within two fields of study- accounting and human resource management (HRM). The examination results of 177 students are ranked at different stages and compared with the rank of final year exam results. By utilising Spearman's (1 904) coefficient of rank order correlations rather than absolute marks, this paper hopes to facilitate the process of comparison. The research found that the level of consistency increases substantially once students enter the degree irrespective of their field of study.

Civic Engagement: Strategic And Implementation Perspectives Within A Higher Education Institution, Des Moore

The ITB Journal

This paper will give a brief overview of what Civic Engagement means in Higher Education in general with a particular focus on Knowledge Exchange, Service Learning, Community Based Research and Volunteering. Following this, emergent thinking on Civic Engagement in Ireland is presented. Given both the theoretical context and the strategic importance of ensuring Civic Engagement opportunities are offered in a Higher Education Institution some possible organisation arrangements regarding the structured development and implementation of Civic Engagement at strategic and implementation levels are proposed.

Equality Of Access To Higher Education: Discussion Of Emerging Issues Regarding The Performance Of Migrants At The Institute Of Technology Blanchardstown, Brid Ni Chonaill, Ruth Harris

The ITB Journal

This paper presents the findings of a small scale study of the impact of English language competency on the performance of migrants in higher education in Ireland. It is based on a case study of a group of first year Social Studies students at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB). First, relevant terminology will be outlined before focusing on the promotion of equality in higher education by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) – the framework within which the data will subsequently be critiqued. Next, the presence of migrants in the Institutes of Technology (IOTs) will be discussed, before presenting the …

Required Features Of A Virtual Classroom Tool For Use In Higher Education, Arnold Hensman

The ITB Journal

The integration of virtual-classroom systems into the arsenal of e-learning tools represents a major evolution in the landscape of modern distance education. For many courses, standard virtual learning environments (VLEs) provide only a foundation upon which to base a distance learning programme. However, synchronous live online-teaching software such as Microsoft Office Communicator and Adobe Connect allow educators to simulate a real-time classroom environment over the internet like never before. Since these tools are being used more and more within higher education, questions must be asked about how effective they ultimately can be in meeting student learning requirements. More importantly, what …

Color-Blind Contradictions And Black/White Binaries: White Academics Upholding Whiteness, Demerris R. Brooks-Immel Ed.D., Susan B. Murray Ph.D.

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

This qualitative study maps ‘locally situated’ (Twine and Gallagher 2008), contours of whiteness as cultural practice and institutional discourse by examining how white college faculty, staff, and administrators respond to multiracial educational environments and multicultural ideals. Drawing on depth interviews with thirty white administrators, faculty, and staff, this study finds that these white educators adhered to an intermittent form of color-blind racism (Bonilla-Silva, 2009) that enabled them to hold fast to the fiction that race has no meaning in their lives, yet remains the single-most defining dimension of the lives of people of color. This analysis identifies five contextually-embedded manifestations …

Moving The Needle On Equity And Inclusion, Kris De Welde Ph.D.

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

This article, adapted from an invited lecture given by the author, addresses intersectional inequalities in U.S. higher education, particularly as they impact faculty. With a focus on structure, culture, and climate, current data is presented, highlighting the variety of ways in which academia remains stratified. These patterns contribute to continued inequality, inequity, marginalization and discrimination. A secondary focus is on change, on “moving the needle,” exploring specific strategies for how institutions can transform and individuals can labor as change agents for equity and inclusivity.

A Seat At Ksu's Table, Khalilah Lawal

Navigations: A First-Year College Composite

In this essay, author Khalilah Lawal describes her first-year experience at Kennesaw State University by examining the representation of African American students and culture. In her first semester of college, Lawal attends three on-campus events as part of an assignment for KSU 1101. Her essay analyzes the lack of student diversity at one of these events, and compares this experience to more culturally-focused co-curricular opportunities for African American students.

Early Literacy Experiences Of Independent University Youth, Christina Taylor

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

The purpose of this constructivist qualitative study is to describe the early literacy experiences of independent university students at a mid-size public institution in the Rocky Mountain region of the Western United States. Data are collected through single, face-to-face, semistructured one hour interviews with five volunteer participants. The narrative study finds that the parallel experiences in early life and early literacy of the participants relate to their pursuit of higher education and also challenges stereotypes which educators and caregivers may hold about poor and seemingly dysfunctional families. This research informs the best practices of early childhood educators, higher education faculty, …

In Our Time: Advancing Interfaith Studies Curricula At Catholic Colleges And Universities, Eboo Patel, Noah Silverman, Kristi Del Vecchio

Engaging Pedagogies in Catholic Higher Education (EPiCHE)

People who orient around religion differently are interacting with greater frequency than ever before. These interactions, especially in the context of college and university campuses, require young people to grapple with their own identities in ways that previous generations could more easily avoid. Conversations about religious diversity have become elevated at colleges and universities, which has led Drs. Douglas Jacobsen and Rhonda Hustedt Jacobsen to claim that religion is “no longer invisible” in the context of American higher education.

As an organization that works with hundreds of American colleges and universities every year, Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) believes that Catholic …

Critical Analysis Of The Master Plan For Higher Education In California, Joanna M. Oxendine

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

The Master Plan for Higher Education in California is often touted as the pinnacle of success in terms of its contributions to establishing open-access, (nearly) tuition-free higher education for all Californians who wish to pursue it. This perception, though, may be skewed, as it does not take into account the historical context of the Plan, nor its potential flaws and shortcomings. This article provides an analysis and critique of the Master Plan, applying historical and theoretical lenses to frame a more complete picture of the Plan both at its 1960 inception and today. Viability of the Plan in the early …

Assessing Student Progress And Performance Across The Curriculum, Christopher G. Brown, Jennell M. Talley, Bekah Ward Dr., Christopher I. Brandon Jr., Jill Penn, Elisabeth Javazon

Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching and Learning Conference (2017-2019)

Evaluation of student learning is of paramount importance to the educational community and allows reflection on program successes and weaknesses; however, best practices are hotly debated. This project designed and implemented an assessment system in which an identical, mixed-format assessment was given to all levels of students in the Georgia Gwinnett College biology program at the start of the semester for academic years 2014-15, 2015-16 and Fall of 2016. The assessment contained multiple choice and free-response questions, and evaluated lab reports from core courses in the biology program. This system allows for longitudinal assessment of students, provides quick results for …