Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Predicting Students' Academic Performance Via Machine Learning Algorithms: An Empirical Review And Practical Application, Edmund F. Agyemang, Joseph A. Mensah, Obu-Amoah Ampomah, Louis Agyekum, Justice Akuoko-Frimpong, Amma Quansah, Oluwaferanmi M. Akinlosotu

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Predicting academic outcomes is complex and influenced by factors like socioeconomic background, motivation, and learning style. Machine Learning (ML) algorithms have become increasingly important due to their ability to analyze large data volumes and identify prediction patterns. Results show ML’s success in predicting academic performance, though effectiveness varies by dataset, algorithm choice, and training features. There is no consensus on the most effective ML method for predicting student performance with broad applicability. Among the five algorithms evaluated in this study, the Random Forest Classifier emerged as the best model, achieving the highest G-Mean and accuracy of 0.9243 and 85.42% respectively. …

Cultural Advocacy And Teachers Of Color, Torine Champion, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

Teachers of color face marginalization and microaggressions that their White counterparts do not have to face. African American teachers experience microaggressions pathologizing their cultural values and communication styles, cultural/ethnic insensitivity, an ascription of their intelligence, and being treated as second-class citizens) that are hurtful, undermining, and disparaging (Brown, 2019). Asian American teachers face gendered, racial, and sexualized expectations on their campuses (Endo, 2015). A study of Latina bilingual teachers revealed that they felt alienated from their colleagues, had larger workloads, and did not have access to support (Amos, 2016). Teachers of color experience inequalities, microaggressions, and marginalization that impact their …

Assessing Leadership Efficacy Of Department Heads: A Study Of Faculty Perceptions At Two Historically Black Colleges And Universities In The Southeastern United States, Demissie L. Karorsa, Monica E. Allen

Journal of Research Initiatives

Transformational leadership (TL) is a leadership approach that inspires followers and encourages their effective engagement to contribute adequately to organizational goal achievement. By inspiring followers to pursue and attain exceptional performance levels, TL accrues high follower satisfaction in their jobs and with their organizations (Asencio, 2016; Banks et al., 2016; Barnett, 2017; Bass & Riggio, 2006). This study examined faculty perceptions/ratings of transformational leadership behaviors of their department chairs at two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the southeastern United States.

A thorough examination of the data collected revealed that the faculty rated idealized attributes (IA) the highest (x̄=2.80, …

Hbcu Faculty Job Satisfaction: Implications For Effective Higher Education Leadership, Demissie Karorsa, Monica E. Allen

Journal of Research Initiatives

Studies show that the success of organizations typically depends on the extent to which leaders promote their employees' job satisfaction and commitment (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). As a result, employees' job satisfaction has received significant attention from business leaders and researchers (Belias & Kouestelios, 2014; Cakmak et al., 2015; Hesli & Lee, 2013; Seifert & Umbach, 2008). Most businesses recognize that enthusiastic, committed, and satisfied employees add value by enhancing customer satisfaction and retention, increasing productivity, and working toward the long-term success of their organizations (Choi, 2016; Cook, 2008). This survey sought to understand Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) …

Critical Literacy And Hip Hop, Sunni Ali

Journal of Research Initiatives

Integrating critical literacy and conscious Hip-Hop in the classroom setting offers numerous benefits. It allows students to engage more effectively in conversations about contemporary topics, enhances their ability to integrate cultural perspectives, and provides a fresh perspective on the challenges they face in school and within their communities.

Integrating critical literacy and conscious Hip-Hop in the classroom setting offers numerous benefits. It allows students to engage more effectively in conversations about contemporary topics, enhances their ability to integrate cultural perspectives, and provides a fresh perspective on the challenges they face in school and within their communities.

When teachers apply a …

Assessment Design And Practices Toward Holistic Learning Of Higher Education Students: Empirical Evidence Via Path Analysis Modelling Approach, Ebenezer Arifa-Yamoah, Esther Adama, Amanda Graf, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

COVID-19 has revolutionised assessment design and practices in higher education; however, there has not been a shift in the overall objective of enhancing that the association between assessments and learning promotes the holistic development of students. In this study, we provide an empirical evaluation of the perceived effects of assessment practices (invigilated examination and alternative assessments) on students’ mental wellbeing, learning processes and academic misconduct. A cross-sectional study design was employed for this study in which a self-reported survey instrument was administered to 380 social science and nursing undergraduate and postgraduate students in a public university in Australia. We explored …

Sport Social Hub: Using The Power Of Collaboration To Develop Hands-On Social Media Competencies, Alisa Agozzino, Brendan O'Hallarn, Peyton Stensland, James Strode

The COSMA Journal

This paper introduces Sport Social Hub, a collaborative, multi-institutional social media exchange inspired by the Commission on Public Relations Education's (CPRE) emphasis on key knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in public relations education. Sport Social Hub engaged students from four universities in topical, sports-themed assignments. These assignments involved creating memes, analyzing historical and contemporary sports photographs, profiling industry professionals with infographics, and developing engagement contests. The paper outlines how Sport Social Hub addresses CPRE's recommended KSAs within social media, collaboration, and creative thinking. Utilizing social media platforms as pedagogical tools, Sport Social Hub aimed to enhance students' social media competencies, …

Educating With Ai, Grace Seo, David Wicks

AI and the Future of Work

This conference track explores the integration of AI within teaching and learning, with a focus on practical approaches that leverage AI technologies to optimize teaching practices and enhance students’ learning experience. The topics include the essential AI literacies in educational contexts, collaborative learning with AI, and the use of AI for enhanced learning assessments.

Human And Sex Trafficking: A Quantitative Examination Of The Knowledge And Awareness Of The College-Aged Population, Margaret Caroline Weiker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is crucial for the public and more specifically those who are a part of vulnerable populations to understand the dangers of both human and sex trafficking. One sub-group of vulnerable populations that are likely to encounter a trafficking situation are college students, as many of these students are unaware of trafficking’s prevalence. While there have been studies of specific populations with prior specialized knowledge, there is little information on the knowledge, perceptions, and awareness levels of the general college-aged population. This study will be quantitatively structured into a two-part survey, seeking to collect data from a sample size of …

In Kinship With The World: Developing A Novel Instrument To Assess Human-Nature Relational Values, Kimberly Post

Educational Studies Dissertations

In the nascent field of human-nature relational values, there is a growing body of literature suggesting their transformative potential in sustainability education. The ability to analytically distinguish relational values from other valuations can both inform pedagogical approaches and help to identify how people understand and value their relationships with the living and more-than-living biospheric inhabitants. To address this need, an overarching question was posited: Can a relational values-specific assessment instrument be designed and validated for use in post-secondary sustainability education? Through a survey of the literature, thematic analysis of validated human-nature connection instruments, and multi-method qualitative research, a pilot instrument …

أثر طرق المعالجة في الحد من الاستجابات غير الجادة للاستبانات الإلكترونية, Othman M. Bani Esaa, Nermeen Nedal Al Shraifin

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدفت المقال إلى الكشف عن أثر طرق المعالجة في الحد من الاستجابات غير الجادة للاستبانات الإلكترونية، ولتحقيق أهداف الدراسة تم استخدام المنهج الوصفي، حيث تم بناء مقياس للرضا الوظيفي وجرى التحقق من صدقه وثباته، وتطبيقه على عينة مكونة من (1642) من معلمي ومعلمات وزارة التربية والتعليم الأردنية، وقسمت العينة إلى(8) مجموعات بتصميم دراسة (4×2) (مجموعات ضابطة دون وجود مراقب ومع التعليمات العادية، (7) مجموعات تجريبية توزعت كالتالي: تعليمات عادية مع وجود مراقب، وتعليمات التعهد بدون وجود مراقب، وتعليمات التعهد مع وجود مراقب، وتعليمات النفاق الاجتماعي بدون وجود مراقب، وتعليمات النفاق الاجتماعي مع وجود مراقب، وتعليمات التغذية الراجعة بدون وجود مراقب، …

Human Capital At Home: Evidence From A Randomized Evaluation In The Philippines, Noam Angrist, Sarah Kabay, Dean S. Karlan, Lincoln Lau, Kevin M. Wong

Education Division Scholarship

Children spend most of their time at home in their early years, yet efforts to promote human capital at home in many low- and middle-income settings remain limited. We conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate an intervention which encourages parents and caregivers to foster human capital accumulation among their children between ages 3 and 5, with a focus on math and phonics skills. Children gain 0.52 and 0.51 standard deviations relative to the control group on math and phonics tests, respectively (p<0.001). A year later effects persist, but math gains dissipate to 0.15 (p=0.06) and phonics to 0.13 (p=0.12). Effects appear to be mediated largely through instructional support by parents and not other parent investment mechanisms, such as more positive parent-child interactions or additional time spent on education at home beyond the intervention. Our results show that parents can be effective conduits of educational instruction even in low-resource settings.

Identifying Key Predictors Of Academic Achievement In A Longitudinal Medical Research Module., Anesu Karen Murambadoro, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, Kevin Garcia Valdez, Kory Deshawn Punch, Natasha N. Quailes, Nina Mourao, Elias Arellano Villanueva, Tyler Torres, Nikhilesh Anand, Bharathi Shrikanth Gadad

Research Colloquium

Background: Research engagement among medical students is often hindered by perceived time constraints, lack of motivation, inadequate facilities, and insufficient supervisory guidance. Only 7% have published research papers. Project-based programs enhance research skills but frequently lack alignment between objectives, teaching methods, and evaluation. In the Rio Grande Valley, there is limited research on these issues. This study aims to analyze the performance of pre-clerkship students in a two-year longitudinal research course.

Aim: We hypothesize that core independent variables (InVar) such as attitudes toward research (R-ATR), cognition (BCRS), self-efficacy, and competency scores will improve throughout the longitudinal Research Module. These …

Use Of Digital Cadaveric Digital Atlases To Improve Student Performance In Neuroanatomy, Kevin A. Garcia Valdez, Anesu Karen Murambadoro, Kory Deshawn Punch, Megan W. Szobody, Tori Sayers, Nina Mourao, Blake Martin, Tyler Torres, Juan Torres, Natasha N. Quailes, Neharika Penmetcha, Sriya Gullapalli, Lois F. Baldado, Isabella Rodriguez, Arjun Bellamkonda, Sridhar Srinivasan, Xiaoqian Fang, Bharathi Shrikanth Gadad, Ricardo Belmares

Research Colloquium

Background: The use of digital platforms to teach various subjects in the pre-clerkship curriculum is a fast-developing field, but their utility compared to traditional in-person didactics is unclear. Partly fueled by the recent demand for remote learning materials and ever-burgeoning access to artificial intelligence, the drive has been to develop materials to meet the demands of the digital age. Our goal is to evaluate the efficacy of the use of a digital atlas to improve learning outcomes in the field of neuroanatomy, namely developing skills in interpreting imaging studies featured on summative examinations. Literature has shown that the implementation of …

Choosing An Appropriate Literature Review Method For Design Science Research: An Analysis Of Past Doctoral Theses, Tichaona Chinyerere, Walter F. Uys

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Design science research (DSR) generates knowledge that informs problem-solving and has emerged as a viable research paradigm in Information Systems doctoral research. Doctoral research students are, however, confused by the number of options available when selecting an appropriate literature review method for design science research. To inform the selection of an appropriate literature review method, we analyzed the literature review types from 35 design science theses and dissertations in Information Systems. Indications are that the most dominant literature review method was descriptive, and the primary purpose was theory building. To meet the objectives of design science research, we suggest using …

Extension Impacts On Onion Ipm: Current Perspectives From The Industry, Gina Greenway, Brian Nault, Silvia Rondon, Stuart Reitz

Journal of Extension

An assessment was conducted to evaluate perceived risk from the most serious pests and diseases facing the allium industry and to identify practices that would improve adoption of integrated pest management (IPM). The survey was administered to growers attending annual onion production and management meetings in Oregon and New York. Results indicate that thrips and thrips-vectored Iris Yellow Spot Virus were perceived as a high-risk problem by 87% of respondents. Demonstrating the efficacy of IPM on a commercial scale and improving collaborative efforts between universities and growers were identified as high impact practices to improve adoption of IPM.

Program Instructional Profile (Pip): A User-Friendly Tool To Support Program Development And Implementation For Extension Professionals, Amy M. Leman, Rebecca Mott, John Tummons

Journal of Extension

Not all Extension professionals enter the workplace with knowledge and experience in program development. Some may possess extensive expertise in their subject matter but need additional training in teaching-related competencies for adult or youth audiences. Even educators with extensive skill and experience benefit from thoughtful and intentional program planning and implementation design. This article describes the Program Instructional Profile (PIP), created for Extension professionals to design and outline the program delivery processes. We explain how to use the PIP and provide insight into the benefits and challenges of the uses for program development and implementation purposes.

Comparing Participant Recruitment Methods For Statewide Needs Assessment Surveys, Amy Harder, Diane D. Craig, Karlibeth Leitheiser

Journal of Extension

Contracting with a paid survey vendor can be costly; are free and low-cost survey recruitment methods a sound option for Extension? The purpose of our study was to assess the feasibility of using free or low-cost recruitment methods as a substitute for contracting with a paid survey vendor when conducting a statewide needs assessment. The demographic characteristics and responses from paid survey panelists were compared with the same data from participants recruited via Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Observed differences suggest that Extension professionals should carefully consider whose perspectives are needed for a needs assessment and make survey recruitment decisions accordingly.

Acknowledgments, Matthew T. Wappett Ph.D.

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Arkansas Parent Survey 2024, Taylor Wilson, Sarah Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

The Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas administered a survey on education topics to a representative sample of 450 Arkansas parents of school-aged children in 2024 and addressed a variety of education-related topics.

The following findings emerged from the survey and are discussed in this report.

Arkansas parents…

• have high expectations for their children attending college.
• would not advise their children to become teachers.
• with children in 4DSW districts show strong support.
• with children in non-4DSW schools are uncertain about adopting a four-day school week.
• believe the 4DSW exceeds academic expectations.
• do not widely utilize tutoring.
• strongly …