Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons^™

Can Self-Determination Theory Be Used To Increase College Student Retention?, Agnieszka Zak-Moskal, Mark J. Garrison

New York Journal of Student Affairs

This paper first introduces self-determination theory (SDT) to retention researchers and higher education professionals. Highlighted are the three basic psychological needs, that when met, are theorized to give rise to intrinsic motivation, which is associated with high levels of human performance. These are the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. This theoretical overview is followed by a discussion of how this theory has been applied to understand the role of intrinsic motivation in fostering educational success. An outline of how SDT can be applied to increase college student retention is presented. The second part of the paper applies the understanding …

Supporting Teaching With Primary Sources At Illinois Wesleyan University, Meg Miner

Scholarly Publications

This report contains a summary of IWU’s participation in Ithaka S&R’s Supporting Teaching with Primary Sources. That work is “an exploratory examination of the pedagogical practices of humanities and social sciences instructors teaching with primary sources¹ at the undergraduate level. The goal of the study is to understand instructors’ undergraduate teaching processes toward developing resources and services to support them in their work.”²   Five Illinois Wesleyan University faculty teaching in the Humanities and Social Sciences were interviewed for this project. Based on the analysis of the interview transcripts, the findings are grouped as follows: the value and …

Provost’S Learning Innovation Grant (Plig) For 2019, Esa M. Rantanen

Articles

This grant allowed for a redesign of the PSYC 714 “Graduate Engineering Psychology” course, offered by the Department of Psychology about every two years since 2013, for online delivery. The grant was awarded on March 29, 2019. Full Project Plan report was submitted on Aug. 16, 2019. The majority of the course redesign work was completed during the fall semester 2019 (2191), including creation of several software programs to support the lab exercises designed for the course. The Preliminary Findings report was submitted on Jan. 10, 2020, and the PSYC 714 course was offered online in the spring semester of …

Challenge, Fantasy, And Curiosity: Activating Students' Intrinsic Motivation Within Information Literacy Sessions, Brandon West, Alan Witt

Milne Library

Student engagement is a consistent challenge for librarians in information literacy instruction, especially in the context of single session learning. Two librarians at a small, public liberal arts college took inspiration from Malone’s (1981) theory of intrinsically motivating instruction to create a lesson plan that caught the imagination of the students and produced enthusiastic participation. This paper explains the theoretical framework used, examines the reasons for its success in this iteration, and discusses potential applications to other information literacy lessons.

Does Anywhere + Anytime = Success? Mobile Learning, Engagement, And Student Success In Higher Education, Sarah Nichter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This study aims to understand the possible impact of mobile learning on engagement and student success in the online environment. The research questions ask what impacts mobile learning has on student engagement, measured with Self-Regulated Learning (SRL); what impact mobile learning has on the SRL constructs of environment structuring, task management, and time management; and what associations mobile learning might have with student success and persistence. One hundred sixty-two undergraduate online students participated in the study through the survey instrument, utilizing the Online Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaire (OSLQ). ANOVA results showed that lower levels of mobile learning use engaged in SRL …

The Future Of International Education: Why Agility Is Now Integral To Strategic Planning, Aaron Clevenger, Elaine Meyer-Lee

Publications

Based on my experience, agility is truly based on the principles of resiliency. Resiliency is an approach to sustainability that focuses on building capacity to deal with disasters, unexpected changes and/or shifts to our daily routines.

● Kampala, Uganda example shows mild disruption, poor maintenance, and insufficient infrastructure creates a lack of resiliency.

At Embry-Riddle, hurricanes are the norm.

First Class Teachers, Second Class Citizens: A Mixed Methods Investigation Of The Predictors Of Organizational Commitment Among Non-Tenure Track Faculty, Melissa Altman

Dissertations, 2020-current

This mixed methods study explored the experiences with, as well as the levels of and predictors of, organizational commitment amongst non-tenure track faculty (NTTF) members. 652 NTTF members from mid-size public comprehensive university with a teaching focus in the SACS COC accrediting region received a confidential electronic survey measuring organizational sense of belonging, dependence on NTTF income, level of underemployment, and engagement with the faculty development center. Control variables included demographic characteristics, length of time in a contingent position, type of appointment (FT or PT), discipline, and possession of a terminal academic degree. The dependent variable was affective organizational commitment …

Achieving Efficient Teacher Talk: A Reflective Analysis Of Teacher-Student Class Communication, Xiaoyin Wang

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of studies on “teacher talk” used in TCSL classrooms. Many of these studies are focused on language interactions between the teacher and the students as well as on the individual functions of “the teachers’ classroom talk.” This article examines the current status of, and problems associated with, teachers’ instructional language, i.e., teacher talk. Based on transcripts of audio recordings of teachers’ instructional language, this study analyzes problems ranging from inaccurate to excessive words in the instructional language and the causes of these problems. This article also validates the study …

The Perverse Dynamics Of University Career: A Narrative Analysis Based On The Personal And Professional Implications, Gustavo González-Calvo, Alejandra Hernando-Garijo, David Hortigüela Alcalá, Ángel Pérez-Pueyo

The Qualitative Report

We seek to describe some of the features and symptoms that define novice university teachers in their attempts to pursue a professional career at university. Presently, university culture revolves around the evaluation of professionals based on the quantity of work published in high-impact journals (“weight evaluations”).This situation not only has its effects at a personal level, but also on the quality of the education that teachers might wish to impart. Nine university teachers -five women and four men- with experience of between three and five years in different knowledge areas were interviewed to ascertain these symptoms. The results reflected the …

The Journey To Antiracism: White Identity Development For White Faculty Members At Predominantly White Higher Education Institutions, Morgan Harthorne

Master's Projects and Capstones

Students of color experience feelings of isolation, exhaustion, and tokenization in predominantly white higher education spaces (Smith, Yosso, Solorzano, 2006). Specifically, students of color feel ostracized and tokenized in the classroom. This experience contributes to an overall culture of Whiteness within higher education and leads to the lack of engagement and belonging of students of color. It also supports the systems of racism and White supremacy within the academy. This field project analyzes the experiences of students of color and provides a series of seven workshops for White faculty to begin their journey toward antiracism in the classroom. This field …

First In College: A Qualitative Exploration Of Experiences Of First-Generation Students, Rebecca Evans, Don Stansberry, Kim E. Bullington, Dana Burnett

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate first-generation students’ perceptions of how their lived experiences have impacted their academic and non-academic success. We utilized focus groups consisting of first-generation students who attended a rural community college and a large, public, metropolitan, research university, and compared their lived experiences. Our findings confirmed some past research that found that a lack of social capital, academic preparation, financial resources, and family support challenge this population of students in their transition to college. However, some of our results contradict past findings which have concluded that part-time enrollment increases the risk of first-generation …

Applied Strategies For Remote Student Teaching Due To Covid-19, Natalie G. Chertoff, Ashleigh B. Thompson

Publications and Research

City University of New York's pre-service teachers in clinical coursework (fieldwork and student teaching) during AY20-21 will face new and emerging challenges. Developing relationships with cooperating teachers, students and families, some of whom may have experienced significant trauma during the pandemic; teaching content remotely; utilizing new technologies — these are just some examples of the topics included in this brief. Sections are intended for pre-service teacher candidates, clinical supervisors, principals and cooperating teachers. Many resources include links to citations so that readers can explore them in greater depth as they think through planning, enacting and assessing remote learning, whether it’s …

Writing Through The Senses In The Basic Writing Classroom, Danielle M. Schull

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study attempts to determine the impact and effectiveness of sensory writing strategies in the initial drafting stages of narrative writing when used in the Basic Writing classroom. Inspired originally by my work with English As a Second Language (ESL) students at a middle eastern international school and the works of feminist theorists, such as Hélène Cixous and Gloria Anzaldua, students use sensory experiences as the foundation for the generation of narrative content. This early draft is then quantitatively and qualitatively compared to previous work completed by the student. I found that certain populations of students, based on gender, classroom …

Teaching The Syllabus At The Community College, Yuemin He

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Reacting directly to the fact that even the best syllabus is worthless to the student who does not read it, this essay draws inspiration from research of the past decade, especially from the learning-focused syllabus concept that was introduced by three researchers at the University of Virginia, and uses a questionnaire to gauge our community college students’ needs. It suggests specific methods to build the bridge between course content instruction and syllabus teaching. Ultimately, it contributes to the discussion of several important syllabus-related questions: How can instructors use the syllabus as a pedagogical tool to build a strong student rapport? …

Tactivities: Fostering Creativity Through Tactile Learning Activities, Angie Hodge-Zickerman, Eric Stade, Cindy S. York, Janice Rech

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

As mathematics teachers, we hope our students will approach problems with a spirit of creativity. One way to both model and encourage this spirit – and, at the same time, to keep ourselves from getting bored – is through creative approaches to problem design. In this paper, we discuss ``TACTivities'' – mathematical activities with a tactile component – as a creative outlet for those of us who teach mathematics, and as a resource for stimulating creative thinking in our students. We use examples, such as our ``derivative fridge magnets'' TACTivity, to illustrate the main ideas. We emphasize that TACTivities can …

Cross-Border Development: A Long-Term Role For Universities, Robert Brian Smith, Nucharee Nuchkoom Smith

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

Low-income economies are experiencing potential serious threats in terms of long-term sustainability and social development. At the same time, most developing economies are grappling with possible disruptions from the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the current COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences. However, every economy has the same goal of elevating its status to that of a developed country. This research uses the narrative/case study approach to examine cross-border development and the role that universities can play as important actors in the development of society. Moreover, this research combines observations and literature analysis. Universities are clearly best placed to play an …

Stress Management And Coping Strategies In Undergraduate Students At A Midwestern State University, Megan Scribner, Pietro Sasso, Laurel Puchner

New York Journal of Student Affairs

This qualitative interview study explored the experiences in a purposive sample of nontraditional and traditional undergraduate students, examining their current stressors and how coping strategies to manage stress developed. The study used Schlossberg’s (1995) transition theory in conceptualizing experiences with stress and Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) transactional theory of stress and coping in defining coping strategies. Four themes emerged indicating that participants used a variety of coping strategies towards maintaining or improving their mental health. Implications for practice are provided to facilitate increased understanding by student affairs professionals of undergraduate students’ coping strategies and stress management.

Campus Apartment Architecture Style And Likelihood To Graduate, Newman Chun Wai Wong, Michael T. Mills, Isabel Araiza

New York Journal of Student Affairs

Because of increased opportunities for social interaction, undergraduate students living on campus are more likely to persist and graduate than their counterparts. Residence hall design also contributes to student interaction. This study explores the relationship between campus apartment design and graduation rates of a sophomore cohort attending a southern public liberal arts university. Initial findings indicate students living in a communal apartment complex were more likely to graduate than those living in traditional complexes; a multivariate logistic regression finds the strongest predictors of graduation are race/ethnicity and semester credit hours earned. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Communication Sciences And Disorders Faculty Perceptions Of Interprofessional Education, Janine L. Schmedding-Bartley, Courtney Karasinski

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Engagement in interprofessional collaborative practice is critical for communication disorders professionals to provide quality clinical services. Given limited research on implementation of interprofessional education (IPE) within communication disorders pre-professional training programs and research highlighting potential barriers to implementation of IPE, this investigation assessed communication sciences and disorders (CSD) faculty attitudes toward IPE. One hundred fifty-eight CSD faculty from accredited CSD graduate programs completed the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale (Norris, Carpenter, Eaton, Guo, Lassche, Pett, & Blumenthal, 2016). Collectively, the faculty supported CSD students learning from and with students from different disciplines and endorsed IPE as beneficial. Faculty with master’s degrees were …

Guiding Students' Clinical Writing And Critical Thinking: Utilizing Scholarly Teaching To Develop And Implement A Clinical Writing Rubric, Bonnie Halvorson-Bourgeois, Mary Riotte, Susan Lambrecht Smith, Lesley Maxwell

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

The purpose of this paper is to describe the scholarly teaching approach used to develop, implement and refine a clinical writing rubric used to provide formative feedback to graduate students in an in-house Speech-Language Pathology graduate clinic. In addition to outlining the approach, details of the rubric and supporting documentation are provided.