Digital Commons Network^™

Telling Your Story: Stewardship And The Honors College, Andrew Martino

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Honors administrators, particularly honors college deans, find themselves in positions not necessarily equivalent to academic deans in other disciplines. Often, honors college deans function more like provosts in that they need to attend to multiple disciplines simultaneously, while also often carrying obligations in teaching and advising. In addition, the initiation, cultivation, and stewardship of donors to the college are essential components to the honors college dean’s portfolio. This task may be particularly challenging for a dean in honors in that many potential donors are intellectually and emotionally tied to their specific major and/or school or college. And yet, fundraising, especially …

University Interdisciplinary Linked Block Schedules And Developmental Student Success, Linda S. Reeves-Wymer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Developmental education is the starting point for many 1st-year college students, especially from underrepresented, low-income, and first-generation populations. One such 1st-year program linked block-scheduled academic skill-development courses with a required interdisciplinary general education science course where instruction was provided simultaneously in a lecture format to college-ready nondevelopmental students and developmental students in three skill-development courses: reading, writing, and combined reading/writing. Although this program had existed for over 20 years, the effectiveness of the program, meaning whether the linked skill-development courses were associated with academic success, had not been assessed. Guided by Tinto’s integration theory, a causal comparative design with the …

Historically Black Colleges And Universities' Faculty Experiences With Online Course Design, Ashley Burton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Quality online course design requires course designers to make carefully informed decisions based on current resources and considerations for the learner. Some faculty at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) design online learning without the assistance of instructional designers, training, or a technological infrastructure that supports online learning. To date, there is a shortage of scholarly research about how HBCU faculty design online courses and what supports or barriers exist for them. Thus, this basic qualitative research study aimed to understand faculty’s online course design experiences at HBCUs. Instructional design, adult learning theory, and the HBCU context formed the conceptual …

Educator Preparedness In The Use Of Simulation In Nursing Education, Marcelene E. Hart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractNurse educators lack preparation when using simulation as a teaching modality in educating nurses and nursing students within their clinical environment. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand nurse educators’ perceptions of the challenges in preparing for simulation-based training experiences for nurses and nursing students. Vygotsky’s constructivist theory was used as the conceptual framework for the study to emphasize students’ innate ability to learn using active and hands-on processes through simulation experiences. Questions were developed to explore the challenges nurse educators encounter when preparing for simulation activities. Survey questionnaire invitations were sent through email to hundreds of …

Training Strategies To Improve Salesperson Confidence And Production, William B. Bronson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many sales leaders need strategies to improve the productivity and confidence of their sales personnel. Ineffective sales training programs cost organizations billions of dollars in annual revenue and profits. Grounded in adaptive leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative mini-ethnographic multiple-case study was to explore successful strategies used by sales leaders that combine and balance virtual and online resources with traditional face-to-face training methods to increase the productivity and confidence of sales personnel. Data were collected by interviewing eight salespeople and two sales managers spanning two Texas insurance companies and reviewing company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s five-step process …

Arkansas Teachers’ Perspectives And Experiences Implementing Stem In Kindergarten Classrooms, Aranda House

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Kindergarten teachers in one large district in Arkansas are inconsistently implementing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-integrated lessons into their curriculum despite a systemic plan for increasing equitable access to high-quality STEM-focused education for all students by the state department of education. While researchers suggest that barriers for lower elementary teachers in implementing STEM include low STEM content and pedagogical efficacy, few studies explore how kindergarten teachers implement STEM lessons with their students. Hence, the purpose of this descriptive-interpretive study was to explore Arkansas teachers’ experiences with and perspectives on implementing STEM lessons in their kindergarten classrooms within the context …

Junior High Teachers’ Perceptions Of Differentiating Instruction For Students With Trauma, Olawanle Victoria Lawson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem for this study was that junior high school teachers faced challenges involving differentiating their pedagogy to meet academic needs of students with trauma. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore junior high school teachers’ perceptions of this topic. The conceptual framework for this study was the trauma-informed care and practice framework that is influenced by six key principles and four elements of trauma-informed care approach. Two research questions were focused on perceptions of junior high school teachers regarding differentiating instruction to meet needs of students with trauma, and supports needed to address their pedagogical challenges involved …

Cultural Responsibility: Whose Job Is It Anyway?, Shannon Coleman, Siobhan Cooke, Yu'vonne James, Elizabeth Younger

Instructional Modules for Professional learning Responding to Opportunities and Valuing Educators (IMPROVE)

This professional learning module (PLM) on cultural responsibility in the school setting is rooted in the recognition of the importance of creating an inclusive and equitable learning environment for all students and staff. This PLM module was designed to help teachers, and those working within the school setting, understand, appreciate, and effectively address cultural diversity and its impact on students’ learning experiences.

View professional learning module.

A Mixed Method Comparison: Instruction In Undergraduate Beginning, Intermediate, And Advanced Contemporary Dance Classes, Aditi Bheda

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study aimed to identify the nature of instructional differences between beginning, intermediate and advanced contemporary dance classes. The study involved interviewing two dance instructors and observing their classes, as well as conducting focus group discussions to gain insight from students. Despite difficulties in comparing across three levels given that no single instructor was observed teaching all three levels, the mixed method comparison yielded some common themes at each dance level. Given that students at higher levels were more aware of and comfortable with their bodies, instructors moved through the class at a quicker pace. Students at each level were …

Capacity Building For Organizational Resilience: Integrating Standards On Risk, Disruption And Continuity In The Curriculum, Lisa Greenwood, Dawn Hess, Yewande S. Abraham, Jennifer Schneider

Articles

Disruption is an inevitable factor in business and society, while inability to mitigate and manage risk can cause irreparable damage to business, the economy, and our ways of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened interest in standards-based strategies for risk management and crisis preparedness to enhance organizational and societal resilience. University curricula that integrate national and international standards offer students a rich skill-set for effective performance in their careers. Moving forward, we must cultivate capable professionals who understand the challenges and risks facing society, and who grasp standards and systems for strategic planning, response, and recovery to promote organizational resilience …

Migrants, Covid-19, And Italy: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Construction Of And Resistance To Nationalist Discourses, Alessia Barbici Wagner, Theresa Catalano, Bryan Meadows

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Migration has historically been a controversial issue around the world and one that has often been harnessed by people in power (or people hoping to gain power) for their own political agendas. In times of a global pandemic, the scapegoating of migrants has only increased, often rooted in nationalist ideologies which lead to policies and practices that harm migrants and the larger society. The present paper employs multimodal critical discourse analysis to explore how nationalist ideologies supported by right-wing populism are constructed visually and verbally during COVID-19 on Italian social media in regard to migration. We analyze Giorgia Meloni’s (leader …

Teaching Assistant Responses To Covid-19: Investigating Relationships Between Stress, Self-Efficacy, And Approaches To Teaching, Cody R. Smith, Deepika Menon, Annette Wierzbicki, Jenny Dauer

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study investigates the self-efficacy of undergraduate and graduate TAs associated with changes in instruction after the COVID-19 disruption to the spring 2020 semester.

Guiding research questions include: (i) What are the relationships among TA teacher efficacy and stress resulting from the COVID-19 disruption? (ii) What experiences do TAs describe that contribute to their stress and teacher efficacy?

Implications of the results for supporting TAs during similarly stressful events and circumstances are discussed.

Impact Of Two Courses On Intercultural Competence Of Undergraduate Students, Lauren Lindmeier, Ryuto Hashimoto, Elizabeth J. Sandell

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

Increasing migrations across the world mean leaders at all levels need to become more competent in working across cultures. During the past 30 years, program designers, researchers, and others have investigated intercultural competence (ICC), often described as the capability to accurately understand and adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonalities. Tertiary education programs (TEP) are accepting these challenges by offering experiences (such as coursework, study away, study abroad, cultural events, etc.) that are intended to produce culturally competent graduates. The teaching and learning experiences described in this study at a midwestern American university may inform others. This study examined archived …

Knowledge Surveys Benefit Students And Instructors, Lauren Scharff, Julie Tetley, Lynne Chandler-Garcia, Joel Sloan, Martiqua Post

SoTL Commons Conference

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The Perceived Results Of Feedback And Evaluation Of Teaching Effectiveness On Adjunct Faculty Professional Development And Growth, Luda V. Vine

Dissertations

Problem

While full-time faculty at any institution of higher learning undergo an established system of evaluation of teaching effectiveness, adjunct faculty members' experience varies greatly from institution to institution. There is little in the relevant academic literature about an effective feedback mechanism for evaluating teaching effectiveness among adjunct faculty members. Limited qualitative research has been done to understand the effects of teaching evaluations on the professional development and growth of individual adjunct faculty members. Developing an understanding of effective evaluation of teaching that will result in improved adjunct faculty professional development and growth will impact not only the faculty members' …

Associating High School Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (Stem) Course-Taking With Future Earnings For Non-Stem Employed High School Graduates, Beth Marchant

Dissertations

Problem

Due to the current resurgence of attention given to high school students' taking courses in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), research was needed to examine whether a relationship between the number of STEM courses a high school student, who graduates from high school and works in a non-STEM field, completes and the success of that student 10 years later. One measure of student success, future earnings, can be measured quantitatively and is included in the Education Longitudinal Survey of 2002 (ELS:2002) data set, an ideal source of information to evaluate this issue (Institute of Education Sciences, 2019b).

Method …

The Road That Never Existed: Orientalist Myth Making Within The Historiography Of The Silk Road, Margaret Kathryn Curtin

History - Master of Arts in Teaching

I. Synthesis Essay………………………………....4

II. Primary Documents and Headnotes………....28

III. Textbook Critique……………………………...40

IV. New Textbook Entry………………………......45

V. Bibliography…………………………………....48

The Impact Of Competency Based Education On Educational Equity, Ndifor Manjong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

For centuries, minority groups, students from low socio-economic background, and girls in public schools especially K-12 educational institutions in the United States have experienced prejudice, injustice, and bigotry. Unfortunately, the conventional approach of education, based on a one-size-fits-all approach, has failed to deal with these obstacles. In the past decades, however, there has been an increasing demand for the adoption of the Competency-Based system of education, a personalized learning approach that focuses on the acquisition of concrete skills rather than abstract knowledge. In a Competency-Based model, students advance based on the demonstration of mastery of knowledge and skills other than …

Removing The Masc: Dismantling Gendered Occupations Through Social Work Education, Austin M. Raines

DSW Capstone Projects

The “Masculine mystique” refers to a psychological mask that men wear, enabling them to maintain power and distance themselves from traits associated with femininity” (Kahn, 2009, p. 283). This capstone project seeks to solve the Social Work Grand Challenge of improving the lives that hegemonic masculinity harms and limits. It emphasizes the relationship between the two areas of life (work-home), once thought to exist in different realms but are today more interwoven than ever (Lin & Burgard, 2018; Sok et al., 2014). Men have higher rates of traumatic injuries and exposure to significant physical risks, violence hazards, and stricter normative …

Improving The Academic Success Of Technical College Students With Disabilities: A Multisite Descriptive Case Study, Andrea Colwell Ingram

Theses and Dissertations

Students with disabilities in higher education have lower retention and graduation rates than students without disabilities. While postsecondary administrators are attempting to meet the needs of students by implementing necessary reforms, barriers remain like issues with disclosure, transition planning, and faculty knowledge. This present qualitative descriptive case study sought to explore the instructional practices that were implemented by technical college educators to accommodate students with learning challenges, including students with disabilities, utilizing the Universal Design for Learning framework to determine which current technical college faculty instructional accommodations practices intersect with or diverge from Universal Design for Learning principles. The participants …

Gamification: Game-Based Learning / Serious Games And 21st Century Soft Skill Development In Nursing Education, Stephanie Marie Adams

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the development of 21st century skills through gamification, game-based learning (GBL), and serious games in nursing education in institutions of higher education in the United States. This paper reviews the history of gamification in nursing pedagogy through three domains of research. It includes an overview of research related to the development and implementation of gamification, GBL, and serious games in nursing education as well as the impact on the development of 21st century skills in digital natives. The focus was on the historical literature related to gamification, GBL, and serious games at institutions of higher education in …

Professional Learning Communities Effectiveness On Teacher Learning As Perceived By Title I Elementary Teachers: A Case Study, Tiffany Nicole Baisden

Theses and Dissertations

Professional learning communities (PLCs) have undergone decades of research as an improvement strategy for schools. PLCs are known to foster a collaborative culture among educators through shared learning. Teachers can improve their effectiveness by strengthening their pedagogical practices, which will have a positive impact on student achievement. The purpose of this bounded case study was to examine how Title I elementary school teachers who participated in a PLC perceived PLCs and their effectiveness on improving teacher learning. The goal was to gather teachers’ insights and experiences of PLCs to provide state, district, and school leaders with an understanding of how …

Tblt: Authentic Tasks Designed For Second-Language Learners, Salma Ahmad Khan

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Thesis proposal structure: My thesis, which will be an alternative style thesis, will be organized as follows: I will define what TBLT is in my own words and how scholars define this term 2.) I will review research other scholars have done on TBLT 3.) .) I will describe the class I intend to teach, including the texts assigned, writing projects, and supporting TBLT tasks.

Development And Implementation Of A Ngss Curriculum Unit For Astronomy In Ninth-Grade Earth And Space Science, Jessica Hughes

Graduate Research Papers

Since the release of the NGSS in 2013, there has been a gap in available curricula that is aligned with the new standards. To fill this gap, I created and implemented a unit of study aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) on the topic of astronomy for a ninth grade earth and space science course. Much of the available curriculum is above the level of ninth grade students. This curriculum approaches the astronomy standards at the level of ninth grade students.

The research questions were “how well does the curriculum prepare students for the disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) …

Communicating Emotions Through Art And Conversation, Paige E. Kayvan, Samantha R. Doyle, Payton Cannon, Traci Jolley

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

The Centrality Of Community In Education About Gender-Based Violence, Catherine Vanner

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

The Time to Teach about Gender-Based Violence in Canada project asked teacher and student participants how Canadian educators could improve young people’s critical consciousness in relation to gender-based violence. Data collection involved individual interviews with 14 teachers, participatory workshops with three groups of students, and a virtual workshop in which teacher participants validated and expanded upon initial analysis of their interview data and responded to cellphilms produced in the student workshops. Drawing upon feminist and engaged pedagogy and situating gender-based violence as a form of difficult knowledge, analysis identifies community as a central concept for effective teaching about gender-based violence …

Activity 3: Traffic Management, David Hernandez, Peg Steffen

Theme 3: Traffic Management

Traffic management in busy urban areas is an extremely complex problem. Issues such as traffic congestion from home to work, suburban growth, preservation of scenic landscapes and historic neighborhoods, and the ability to walk, bike, and access public transit make traffic management a challenge. Traffic Management can include lane closures, detours, pedestrian access, and speed limits. It also includes intersections engineered for safe passage of vehicles in a stream of traffic that must cross each other's paths. Complicating factors for intersections include bikes, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles.

05. Leadership Skills For Life, Pt. Ii, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

CORE

No abstract provided.

08. Leadership Situations, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

CORE

No abstract provided.

04. Leadership Skills For Life, Pt. I, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

CORE

No abstract provided.