Other Education Commons^™

Educational Stakeholders' Perspectives On School-Based Obesity Prevention Programs, Todd Yatchyshyn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood obesity is a worldwide problem that can lead to adverse health conditions. In several rural Pennsylvania communities, over one third of elementary students are characterized as overweight, having a body mass index above the 85th percentile. The purpose of the study was to investigate educational stakeholders' perspectives about school-based obesity-prevention programs. The conceptual framework focused on cognitive theory, the theory of planned behavior, and the trans-theoretical model of health behavior change, which postulates that an individual's readiness to change is the most important factor of intervention programs. Qualitative interview data were gathered from 18 educational stakeholders. Inductive code-based analysis …

Pace 9/11 Oral History Project, Maria T. Iacullo-Bird, Ellen Sowchek, Jennifer Thomas

Cornerstone 2 Reports : Community Outreach and Empowerment Through Service Learning and Volunteerism

No abstract provided.

Laser Cutting Informatics, Charlotte Becket

Cornerstone 2 Reports : Community Outreach and Empowerment Through Service Learning and Volunteerism

No abstract provided.

Listening To Students: Building Bridges, Shira Klein, Magalí Armillas-Tiseyra, Alexis Kuerbis

History Faculty Articles and Research

“Cross-disciplinary” has become a buzzword in academia. Here we offer a student-based perspective on the benefits of cross-disciplinary discussion, based on our experience in New York University’s Graduate Forum. Founded ten years ago by Catharine Stimpson, then dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS), the forum brings together graduate students across the university to present their research to each other. This cross-disciplinary discussion has taught us to build bridges between fields and people. By describing how this experience has enriched our work, we hope to inspire other institutions to initiate similar programs.

Once a month, ten doctoral …

Mainstream Teacher Attitudes Toward English Language Learners, Cristina Gonzalez Dekutoski

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze data from practicing mainstream K-12 teachers currently enrolled in graduate courses at a large, urban, Midwest university regarding four categories of their attitudes toward English language learners: (a) inclusion of ELLs, (b) the second language acquisition process/language and language learning, (c) modification of coursework, and (d) ESL professional development. Though studies on teacher attitudes toward ELLs remain sparse, research on this topic is important for two reasons. First, as the rigor of grade level curriculum increases ( i.e. high school graduation requirements, state MEAP testing, NCLB) understanding complexities of ELLs …

The Relationship Between Functional Health Literacy Of African American Veterans And Nonveterans And Their Ability To Read And Comprehend Medical Information For A Chronic Illness, David Stephen Points

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences between male African Americans who have served in the military and those who are not veterans in their ability to read and comprehend medical information for a chronic illness prevalent among African Americans, such as type 2 diabetes. The participants included 92 African American men of whom 44 were veterans and 48 were nonveterans. The participants were drawn from fraternal organizations and churches in a large metropolitan area located in the Midwestern part of the United States. The Short Test of Health Literacy Assessment (STOFHLA), a knowledge questionnaire, …

Faculty Development Beyond Instructional Development: Ideas Centers Can Use, Mary Deane Sorcinelli, Tara Gray, A. Jane Birch

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Most faculty development programs focus on the faculty member as teacher. However, faculty seek support in many areas, including orientation, mentoring, scholarly writing, time management, career advancement, leadership, and service. Research and practice also suggest that faculty and facuity development programs benefit from an integrated approach to professional development. This chapter fills a gap in faculty development practice by suggesting ways that centers can create programming that goes beyond instructional development, thereby supporting a more expansive range of faculty work.

Next Generation @ Iupui: A Leadership Development Program For Faculty Of Color, Megan M. Palmer, Julianna V. Banks, Joshua S. Smith, Sherree A. Wilson

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Next Generation @ IUPUI is an intensive one-year leadership program designed to develop the leadership potential off acuity of color. The program expands the pool off acuity who are ready to assume leadership positions. In addition to addressing higher education administration theories and trends, participants receive individualized coaching and mentoring to develop a broad network of peers.

There Was Something Missing: A Case Study Of A Faculty Member’S Social Intelligence Development, Tamara Rosier

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Some faculty members seem to lack the social intelligence or relational skills needed to successfully “read” and respond to their students. This chapter describes the process of developing social intelligence skills in one faculty member. During a series of ten coaching sessions, there was demonstrable change in the faculty member’s behavior and a self-reported increase in his social intelligence skills. The findings of this exploratory study suggest that social intelligence can be developed, and it has the potential to have a positive effect on teaching practices and faculty success.

About The Authors, Volume 29 (2011)

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

About the editors and authors of volume 29 (2011) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development.

Preface, Volume 29 (2011), Judith E. Miller

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Preface to volume 29 (2011) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, by Judith E. Miller of University of North Florida.

Acknowledgments, Volume 29 (2011)

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Acknowledgments for volume 29 (2011) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, by Judith E. Miller of University of North Florida.

Ethical Guidelines For Educational Developers

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Ethical guidelines for educational developers.

Taking Stock: Contemplating North American Graduate Student Professional Development Programs And Developers, Dieter J. Schönwetter, Donna Ellis

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

A two-stage study was conducted to identify key competencies in graduate student development programs at Canadian and U.S. institutions. Once thirty-nine key competencies were identified, developers of graduate students were asked to rate the importance of each competency in their programming, the extent to which each competency was explicitly taught, and their own confidence in the training received to help teach these competencies. One key finding suggests that numerous potential gaps exist in the training of those who deliver graduate student development programs, which organizations such as the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education can help to address.

Growing A New Generation: Promoting Self-Reflection Through Peer Observation, Allison Boye, Micah Meixner

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Many faculty developers understand the value of self-reflection in effective teaching and aim to cultivate the practice in their programming. However, many instructors regard peer observation as punitive or evaluative in nature and overlook how the practice can promote thoughtful self-reflection by the observer. This chapter outlines a model of group peer observation that supports introspection and community, thereby transforming that negative perception. We discuss how the process promotes cross-disciplinary open-door teaching and reflective practice in teaching improvement and how faculty developers from institutions and programs of all sizes can help nurture that growth.

Support Needs Of University Adjunct Lecturers, Sarah M. Ginsberg

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Little is known about the support needs of the part-time instructors on university campuses, despite the fact that they represent more than 50 percent of the instructors teaching in higher education. This study of adjunct lecturers investigated their support needs and their preferences for receiving support. Results indicated that adjuncts wanted information about their students and effective teaching methods beyond lecturing. They expressed frustration over the fact that there was no systematic approach to information sharing, particularly with the tenure-track faculty in their programs. They evenly favored resources provided either electronically or face-to-face.

Understanding And Supporting Full-Time Non-Tenure-Track Faculty: A Needed Change, Genevieve G. Shaker, Megan Palmer, Nancy Van Note Chism

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

As the face of the American faculty profession changes, targeted academic development becomes more important. A phenomenological qualitative study of full-time, non-tenure-track faculty in English portrays an experience characterized by a love of teaching but fraught with professional challenges stemming from low status and poor reward and recognition structures. These data provide the point of departure for recommendations on expanding organizational and faculty development strategies for supporting, integrating, and encouraging full-time, non-tenure-track faculty.

Cross-Domain Collaborative Learning And The Transformation Of Faculty Identity, James B. Young

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This chapter addresses how faculty from disparate backgrounds collaborate in interdisciplinary learning communities and how this cross-domain collaboration leads to a tangible change in identity. Faculty enter learning communities playing the more common roles of expert and teacher, but they leave taking on the additional roles of novice, learner, and knowledge integrator. The experience of cross-domain interaction is both rewarding and transformative for faculty as they are well equipped to communicate across the disciplinary landscape and gain a rhetorical awareness that is an invaluable ingredient for learning community participation.

A Coaching-Based Framework For Individual Consultations, Deandra Little, Michael S. Palmer

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Educational developers committed to promoting effective teaching and learning practices often make the same mistake we advise instructors to avoid: privileging content over process in individual consultations. We describe a process-oriented consultation model based on effective practices from the literature on individual consultations, coaching, learning, and motivation. Using this three-step model, educational developers can systematically create a collaborative environment that is nonjudgmental and nonprescriptive and draws on the client’s capabilities, experiences, aspirations, and resourcefulness.

Professional Conversations: A Reflective Framework For Collaborative Development, Peter Shaw, Bob Cole

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

A small team of faculty and faculty developers at the Monterey Institute of International Studies launched a professional development initiative by adapting Edge’s (1992, 2002) framework of cooperative development into a model they labeled the professional conversation. This structured interaction involves a speaker exploring a topic of professional and personal significance through the facilitation of an understander. The details of the model are presented, along with heuristics for practicing the two roles. Assessment data indicate that the struggle to master the model is judged worthwhile for community building, professional development, and, unexpectedly, pedagogical practice.