Higher Education Commons^™

21st Century Skills Required In Eswatini's Higher Agricultural Education Curriculum, Zanele Muntu Gule Ms, Edwards A. Alademerin Prof, Marietta P. Dlamini Prof

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The skills gap between agricultural education graduates from the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) and what employers are searching for is growing. Literature informs that this is mostly owing to the world's rapid changes, with ICT serving as the primary change engine, necessitating new sets of abilities from graduates as well as up-to-date teaching and evaluation methodologies in higher education institutions. These demands prompted the researchers to first establish the set of 21^st century skills that UNESWA graduates must acquire in order to thrive and participate fully in today's market. The study's purpose, therefore, was to develop a set of …

Graduate Medical Education In The Mountain West, Mohit Pande, Nicole Diaz Del Valle, Yashesvi Sharma, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet examines Graduate Medical Education (GME) metrics in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah). The original report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) includes data from all 50 states and includes measures of graduate medical education and the facilities needed to conduct graduate medical education. This fact sheet builds upon data previously published in fact sheets on Nevada medical residencies for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 graduating classes of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) School of …

Student And Faculty Diversity At Public Research Universities In The Mountain West, Maryam Raja, Riley Ruff, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet examines data on student and faculty diversity at public research universities in the Mountain West region. This fact sheet examines data from a New America report by Olivia Cheche which explores data on the 106 R1 (Research Very High) universities in the U.S. as designated by Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Federal Grants & Loans Received By Nevada Higher Education Institutions, Riley Ruff, Miguel Soriano Ralston, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet examines data on federal funding provided to public colleges and universities in Nevada. The original HEA Group report includes data on federal funding for public and for-profit higher education institutions in the U.S.

Public, Private, And For-Profit Higher Education Institutions In The Mountain West, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet examines data from a New America report by Olivia Cheche which explores higher education data for each congressional district in the United States. Data include the number of colleges/universities, total expenditures, total amount of Pell grant money awarded, and number of Pell grant recipients for each congressional district. This fact sheet presents the percentage of public, for-profit, and private colleges and universities in each congressional district in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.

Nevada Medical Residencies, 2023, Annie J. Vong, Emily J. Daclan, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet highlights medical residency data for the 2021, 2022, 2023 graduating classes of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) School of Medicine. This fact sheet presents the number of residency program matches at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV and the UNR School of Medicine and reveals where Nevada medical school students pursue their residencies, and updates findings from a 2022 fact sheet exploring 2021 and 2022 graduating class data.

2024 Graduate Program Rankings, Unlv & Unr, Emily J. Daclan, Isabelle G. Graham, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet presents the 2024 graduate program rankings for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and for the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) based on the data published in the U.S. News and World Report. The graduate program categories reported in U.S. News and World Report include business, medicine, engineering, nursing, law, public affairs, education, fine arts, health, science, social sciences, and humanities.

2023-2024 Median Earnings Four Years After Graduation From Unlv & Unr, Isabelle G. Graham, Emily J. Daclan, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet presents data from The HEA Group examining 2023-2024 median earnings four years after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). Median earnings are presented for the following undergraduate areas of study: business; hospitality; fine arts; education; engineering; medical; sciences and mathematics; and social sciences and humanities.

Using Self-Efficacy Theory To Design Arduino Instruction For Novices: A Replication Study, Donald M. Johnson, Michael Pate, Christopher M. Estepp, George Wardlow

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

A replication study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of an instructional treatment based on self-efficacy theory when used with novice Arduino microcontroller users. Students (n = 32) in an introductory university agricultural systems technology course participated in a lesson on Arduino microcontrollers, circuit breadboarding, and Arduino programming which included four hands-on practice tasks, designed to provide students with positive mastery, vicarious and social persuasion experiences. Next, students completed a laboratory activity and were provided additional opportunities for mastery, vicarious, and social persuasion experiences. The one-group pretest-posttest design indicated the instructional treatment had significant (p < .001) and large effects in increasing students’ interest in Arduino, breadboarding self-efficacy, programming self-efficacy, and Arduino knowledge. These findings were consistent with the original study and provided additional evidence for self-efficacy theory as an effective model for developing instruction for novice Arduino users. Students’ written comments provided additional insight concerning the instructional treatment.

Sex Trafficking In Southern Nevada, Julianna Jovillar

Student Research

Southern Nevada is facing a sex trafficking epidemic that continues to impact people in the state. Thus, in this brief, I investigate Southern Nevada’s sex trafficking crisis. Based on recent sex trafficking studies and the current legislature, it is apparent that although Southern Nevada is aware of the problem, more can still be done to stop it. As a result, this policy work explores sex trafficking in Southern Nevada, addresses stigmatization as a causal factor, provides political context, and offers policy recommendations related to child victim aid and protection to be considered for legislation.

Investigating Students’ Career-Readiness In The Agricultural Sciences: A Phenomenological Case Study, Jean A. Parrella, Holli R. Leggette, Theresa P. Murphrey, Christi Esquivel, Anna Bates

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The agricultural industry lacks qualified workers, suggesting students may not participate in opportunities that effectively develop their employability skills. We used a phenomenological case study approach to investigate Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students’ career-readiness and factors influencing career-readiness. We conducted interviews with 19 juniors and seniors. Open coding procedures revealed five emergent themes—Career Advice-Seeking Behavior,Employability Skills Development, Network Establishment, Relevant Experiences, and Personal Growth. Findings indicate that students do not take advantage of University resources to help them with career preparation. Findings also revealed a lack of employability skills development, especially relating to …

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Unlv Academic Health, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

While the metrics above focus on degrees produced, UNLV Academic Health is more broadly defined as it is:

• Creating an environment where people feel valued in order to attract and engage excellent students, staff, and faculty.
• Advancing research and discovery to improve the health and care of our community.
• Providing high value, high quality, state-of-the art, interprofessional care for ALL members of our community.
• Committing to continuous improvement in healthcare education by leveraging technology, and promoting interprofessional education and collaborative practice.
• Serving as an engaged and responsive member of the community.

UNLV Academic Health will diversify our economy as high- …

“Why You Always So Political?”: A Counterstory About Educational-Environmental Racism At A Predominantly White University, Martín Alberto Gonzalez

Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education

Using critical race counterstorytelling, I tell a story about the experiences of Mexican/Mexican American/Xicanx (MMAX) undergraduate students at private, historically and predominantly white university in the Northeast. Drawing on in-depth interviews, participant observations, pláticas, document analyses, and literature on race and space and racism in higher education, I argue that the racially hostile campus environment experienced by MMAX students at their respective university manifests itself as a form of educational-environmental racism. Through narrated dialogue, Aurora (a composite character) and I delve into a critical conversation about how educational-environmental racism is experienced by MMAX students through a racialized landscape in the …

Engaging Hyflex: Bridging The Remote/In-Person Engagement Gap Through Instant Polling Slides, Yvonne Houy

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

To provide learning opportunities for unpredictable student needs during the pandemic, I offered HyFlex courses in Spring and Fall 2022. Students could either attend my class in person or remotely through WebEx. Engagement by remote students increased dramatically after I started using Slido’s instant polling to create opportunities for communicating opinions and could gauge comprehension through open-ended and multiple choice responses live.

In the first half of my first HyFlex semester engagement among the in-person students was high, with a consistent 100% of students speaking at least once to the whole class during each class session. However, one-third of remote …

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Social Justice, Equity, And Inclusion, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

UNLV continues to be one of the most diverse universities in the nation, fostering an environment of welcoming communities and supporting students, faculty, and staff. Metric data survey results have been completed to help inform and improve culture for the institution, working towards progressive updates on our 2030 goals.

Education Gender Gaps In The Mountain West, 2022, Miguel Soriano Ralston, Lana Kojoian, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet examines data from the Brookings Institution publication “Boys Left Behind: Education Gender Gaps Across the U.S.” authored by Brookings Senior Fellow Richard V. Reeves and Research Analyst Ember Smith. The original report includes data on gender gaps in college degree attainment, high school graduation rates, and test scores throughout the U.S. This fact sheet highlights the percentage of women and men with college degrees, percentage of women and men graduating on time, Math and English test score gender gaps, and rankings of education gender gaps in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and …

Of Boys And Men: Why The Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, And What To Do About It, Richard Reeves

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Boys and men are struggling. Profound economic and social changes of recent decades have many losing ground in the classroom, the workplace, and in the family. While the lives of women have changed, the lives of many men have remained the same or even deteriorated. Our attitudes, our institutions, and our laws have failed to keep up. Conservative and progressive politicians, mired in their own ideological warfare, fail to provide thoughtful solutions.

The father of three sons, a journalist, and a Brookings Institution scholar, Richard V. Reeves has spent twenty-five years worrying about boys both at home and work. His …

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Philanthropy And Alumni Engagement, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

Engaging alumni begins when students enroll at UNLV and become part of the Rebel family. Our engagement is crucial to developing alumni who understand the importance of supporting the university through their time, talent, and resources. Creating this culture of involvement and engagement will lead to a greater percentage of alumni who are engaged, contribute regularly, and collaborate with us to address our needs.

Measurement And Scale Development Skills For Public Health Doctoral Scholars, Manoj Sharma

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Web-based synchronous teaching is gaining popularity all over the world. In web-based synchronous teaching, both pedagogical robustness and the building of content expertise are mandatory. I taught a new doctoral course, HED 763 Measurement and Scale Development in Social and Behavioral Health in the Spring of 2022. The specific teaching techniques that I used were (a) enhanced pedagogical features that included delivery as web-based synchronous, organizing the course in Canvas and making it available from day 1, recording all lectures beforehand in Panopto, utilizing case studies, employing WebEx and its breakout sessions feature, guest lectures, and having weekly skill-building activities …

Increasing Student Engagement: Case-Based Teaching And Learning, Necole Leland, Lisa Nicholas

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Case-based learning (CBL) is an active learning approach using hypothetical or real life problems that help learners develop clinical judgment and problem-solving skills (Bastable, 2023). CBL can be used in multiple settings, including the classroom, the clinical environment, and simulation. CBL can be used in most disciplines to bring real life scenarios to life for learners. Learners identify the problem in the case, develop multiple approaches to solving problems, discuss different viewpoints or assumptions, propose alternate decisions, and weigh consequences (Young & Paterson, 2007). CBL helps make connections that transfer theoretical knowledge to practical application (Billings & Halstead, 2020). CBL …

Uncovering Teaching Faculty Personas To Understand Comfort Levels In Using Technology In Their Online Classes, Suzanne Becker, Ted Weisman

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Faculty’s knowledge about, and comfort with, the use of technology tools are key components in online teaching. Faculty are not only expected to be adept with basic computer functionality, like creating and editing documents and managing files, but also in navigating their institutions Learning Management System (LMS) and utilizing course teaching technologies and tools. Together these areas comprise a significant portion of design and facilitation of an online course and are related to learning outcomes. When engaging with the online learning environment, it is thus critical for each instructor to consider their personal level of comfort utilizing various online technology …

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Socio-Economic Development, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

UNLV is a cornerstone of the community and remains integral to economies at the local, state, and regional level. Socio-economic development leverages our strengths at UNLV and is essential to the continued growth, development, and diversification of our region and state.

Collaborative Two-Stage Testing: A “Less Sad And Intimidating” Way To Test, Andrew Kauffman

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Traditional individual testing discourages collaboration, increases student anxiety, and does not provide timely and useful feedback. Two-stage tests are an alternative method of assessment that deepens learning while also promoting higher-order thinking skills, such as collaboration, communication, and peer instruction. In a two-stage test, students first complete and turn in the test individually and then, working in preassigned groups of 3 to 4, answer the same test questions again. The individual part of the test is weighted at 85%, while the group part is weighted at 15%. To encourage total participation and address concerns about fairness, students are told that …

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Meetings: Associations With Student Engagement And Workforce Development, Joanne Ullman, Sadie Bylund, Jessica Castillo, Christina Saliba

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

No abstract provided.

Using The Touchstones Discussion Method For Common Reader Discussions​, Nathan M. Slife, Chelsie Hawkinson

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The Touchstones Method empowers students to find their voice within an inclusive and collaborative discussion.

Instructors can use this method to facilitate discussions of the UNLV Common Reader Program. This program provides incoming undergraduate students with a common intellectual experience discussing a select text.

Principles from the Touchstones Methods can used to facilitate conversation of any text that is used in this Common Reader program.

Counseling Skills For Educators, Craig Hall

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is touted as a diverse campus. Indeed, students represent a wide range of demographics concerning race, gender, identity, socioeconomics, physical and mental ability issues, as well as non traditional students and those the intersectional representation of multiple demographic groups. It is incumbent upon educators to provide safe spaces for all students. This is an equitable practice. How can educators be more equitable? By using counseling skills in their education such as: empathy, active listening, belief in the capabilities of students, and avoiding labeling students. It must be noted that the use of counseling skills …

Why Ask That? Low Stakes Questions Build Engagement, Van Whaley

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

A few low-stakes questions during the term build engagement, encourage persistence, and can improve learning outcomes.

During labs, students work together to learn Anatomy & Physiology… plus answer these Engagement Booster Questions.

The Need
Students need to meet classmates. After two years of online-only education, returning to in-person labs is a new experience many students find uncomfortable and challenging.

The Existing Resources
Students in the same lab have several similarities that include enrolling in the same lecture section, similar schedules, the same completed prerequisites, similar majors, and career aspirations.

The Goal
Building engagement between students should help more students complete …

Working Smarter, Not Harder: Using Canvas Outcomes To Promote Student Success, Jacob D. Thompson, Beth Barrie

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Promotes the adoption of Canvas Outcomes. Canvas Learning Outcomes can bolster student success, improve program assessment and course design, and ease assessment burdens on administrators, colleges, departments, and faculty.

Ai And The Future Of Academic Integrity, Jesse Fitts, Rachel Bovard

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

In this poster, we provide recommendations for assignment types in light of the AI chatbot ChatGPT.

Interweaving Research And Teaching, Monika Neda

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

This work describes a teaching practice that is based on creating an assignment for students to work on a research project. The students will use methods learned in the class to solve a research problem and then present their findings though a class presentation.