Digital Commons Network^™

Journal Of The National Collegiate Honors Council (Fall/Winter 2024) 25(2): Whole Issue

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Contents

Editorial Policy, Deadlines, and Submission Guidelines

Dedication to Keith Garbutt, Linda Frost

Guest Editor’s Introduction, Linda Frost

Note From the Incoming Editor, Amy Mecklenburg-Faenger

FORUM ESSAYS ON “STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH”

Face-to-Face: A Sociologist Looks at College Students’ Mental Health, Maureen Kelleher

Out of the Cave: Technology and the Importance of Community to Learning and Mental Health, Richard England

Fostering Relationships with Faculty, Peers, and Parents to Support Undergraduate Honors Students’ Mental Health, Allison A. Buskirk-Cohen and Alicia N. Shenko

Honors Is More Than a Grade: Removing the Experiential Ceiling in Honors, Justin L. Rheubert, Marisa Prisco, Paige A. …

Out Of The Cave: Technology And The Importance Of Community To Learning And Mental Health, Richard England

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

This essay draws upon Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” to examine student use of personal electronic devices and emphasize the value and power of conversation in learning communities. Observing the isolation that often characterizes the five minutes prior to class time, the author considers the psychosocial challenges to building classroom community in a technological age. Literature review provides ample testimony on how emergent technologies contribute to social fragmentation, emotional instability, and pedagogical hurdles. Noting current smartphone bans in K–12 education, the author acknowledges similar challenges to tertiary education, suggesting that individualized “caves” of ubiquitous personal (and highly personalized) technology are …

Mental Health Among Honors College Students: Evidence From College Entry Essays, Mohini Gobin, Jaclyn Kopel, Eric Osborne-Christenson, Anna Shostya

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

This study explores the effect of preexisting mental health issues on college students’ academic performance. Using unique data from the honors college at a medium-sized urban private university, authors examine college entry essays (N = 1,062) in five classes (two pre-pandemic and three post-pandemic), as well as advisors’ (N = 7) notes. Mental health (MH) concerns are grouped into six non-mutually exclusive categories: depression/anxiety, neurodiversity/learning disabilities, identity-related concerns, grief/loss, trauma, and the mental health of others whose lives impact the student. The study finds that the number of honors students citing mental health in their entrance essays more …

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 57 Fall 2024), Elizabeth Joyce Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

Magazine created by and about the WKU Center for Gifted Studies.

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Student Engagement In The Urban Elementary Classroom: A Qualitative Case Study, Lavern M. Mcneil

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

are responsible for providing opportunities to use learning strategies in the classroom. The students’ engagement shows an observable reflection of the educator's teaching practice. This qualitative case study highlights teachers' perceptions of student engagement in the urban elementary classroom. The research questions asked about teachers’ perceptions of student engagement and the contribution to student engagement. The research questions also asked about the resources and barriers to student engagement. The theory used for consideration was the bioecological framework by Urie Bronfenbrenner. The theory connected to the importance of systems' role in a child's growth and how they have a crucial impact …

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 …

Understanding Heutagogy: A New “Gogy”, Romero D'Souza

Journal of Research Initiatives

In an era of expanding research on innovative approaches to student-centered learning, this paper contributes to the discourse on heutagogy's potential benefits for individual professional growth. The concept of heutagogy is dissected, emphasizing its significance in educational settings. The study elucidates the nature of heutagogy, its principles, and the role of the heutagogy educator in facilitating self-directed learning. Furthermore, the study explores the benefits and critiques of heutagogy, considering its implementation challenges. This study explores the relevance and significance of heutagogy in the contemporary educational context, considering the backdrop of ICT integration in 21st-century classrooms, the transformative impact of the …

The Disconnect Between Student And Educator Perspectives On Effective Technology Usage In Higher Education, Matt Marino

Journal of Research Initiatives

This article explores the disconnect between student and educator perspectives regarding practical technology usage in higher education. As technology continues to play an increasingly prominent role in the educational landscape, understanding the differing viewpoints of students and educators is crucial for designing impactful technology integration strategies. Through a comprehensive literature review, this article examines the factors contributing to the disconnect and its implications for teaching and learning in higher education. Additionally, recommendations are provided to bridge this gap and promote a more aligned understanding of effective technology usage between students and educators.

.

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, …

Open Society University Network Media Literacy Module, Daniel Calingaert, Meggan Houlihan

GHEA21 Open Educational Resources

The Media Literacy Module is a 1-hour and 20-minute class originally designed to slot into OSUN Online and Network Collaborative Courses. Aimed at introductory and intermediate students, it provides context on how news spreads on social media and drills down on how to evaluate digital media critically and assess the reliability of online content.

How State Universities Are Addressing The Shortage Of Cybersecurity Professionals In The United States, Gary Harris

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Cybersecurity threats have been a serious and growing problem for decades. In addition, a severe shortage of cybersecurity professionals has been proliferating for nearly as long. These problems exist in the United States and globally and are well documented in literature. This study examined what state universities are doing to help address the shortage of cybersecurity professionals since higher education institutions are a primary source to the workforce pipeline. It is suggested that the number of cybersecurity professionals entering the workforce is related to the number of available programs. Thus increasing the number of programs will increase the number of …

Arranging And Communication Techniques For The Studio Music Producer: A Curriculum, Elizabeth A. Rajcok

Masters Theses

College music students who desire to pursue careers in the commercial music industry would benefit from learning all aspects of music production, including the techniques of rhythm section instruments and the intricacies of various genres. However, courses that provide students with hands-on training in communicating and arranging within a recording studio are lacking in residential collegiate contemporary and commercial music degrees. Students lacking in multi- instrument knowledge and immersion in contemporary genres may find their insufficiency is an impediment when functioning in their desired profession as a music producer post-college. The curriculum project detailed in this study is designed to …

Los Tecolotes: Chicana And Chicano Studies: Reflections On The Past For The Future, Jaime S. Cruz, Juan Gómez-Quiñones, Teresa Mckenna, Ernesto B. Vigil, Irene Vásquez, Alvaro Huerta, José Ángel Gutiérrez, Blanca Gordo, Minnie Ferguson, Marcos Aguilar, Devra Weber, Elias Serna, Steven Castro

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

This texts documents a panel organized on August 20, 2019, that included Chicana/o educators, activist, and supporters of Chicana/o Studies attended the “Los Tecolotes – Chicana and Chicano Studies: Reflection on the Past who participated in the Future” symposium at Virginia Avenue Park in Santa Monica. The event sought to bring attention to the social, political, and educational challenges the Chicana/o community has and is presently encountering. The symposium was also organized to commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of the Chicana/o Moratorium and to share recent findings related to the assassination of Los Angeles Times journalist and KMEX correspondent …

Social Media, Technology, And The Higher Education Classroom, Brian F. Mcfadden, Nicole R. Clarity, Susan J. Drucker

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

This paper reflects on the ways that media technology infiltrate, push, and pull educators in the 21^st century. The authors write about the importance of including new technology in our courses to better prepare students for their future careers and lives while also acknowledging the challenges that inclusion can present. By highlighting how technology serves as a facilitator for classroom participation and the ways the emergent technology can enhance a journalism curriculum, the paper points to some of the ways that emergent technology in our classes can have an enduring positive effect on our students in the future. However, …

Adoption Of Podcasting As A Tool For Extension Educators, Samantha Bennett, David Martin, Jason Sawyer, Soren Rodning, Don Mulvaney

Journal of Extension

The current study fills a gap in the current literature by measuring current CES personnel and stakeholders’ attitudes toward the use of Podcasts as a tool for information dissemination. By identifying perceived barriers to podcasts by CES personnel and how receptive CES stakeholders are to CES-based podcasts, this study helps to identify important barriers to the development of podcasts, as well as how such podcasts can be best positioned to fulfill the needs and expectations of CES stakeholders. Podcasts have the potential to play a key role as an avenue for information exchange between the CES and its stakeholders. Two …

The “Pick Me Girl”: Understanding Relational Aggression Through Young Adult Literature, Kaleigh D. Phelps

Virginia English Journal

This text set list focuses on coming of age through a feminist lens. All books introduce a new perspective or enhance a complex view of womanhood in literature and how we view female friendships and relational aggression. Using the concept of windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors, the text set list highlights the need for feminist literature from a young age.

Adolescent Autonomy In Book Selection, Katie Dredger, Zoe Mcdowell

Virginia English Journal

Books that have been on the shelves of classrooms in the commonwealth of Virginia are being removed by overzealous and misinformed parents and school board members. Supporting literacy development means allowing adolescents to read thought-provoking and edgy, high-quality texts, vetted by educated professionals, so that students can be critical curators and consumers of the wide range of media available today. Reading begets better reading, and varied texts build empathy for others. Improved literacy and empathetic criticality will benefit our commonwealth.

Course Design Template And Guide, Kimberly S. Ervin

All Faculty Scholarship

The Course Design Template Guide outlines a comprehensive approach to instructional design based on the backward design framework developed by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins. This guide explains how to use the Course Design Template that organizes course development into three stages: Identify Desired Results, Determine Acceptable Level of Evidence, and Design the Learning Experience. The first stage focuses on defining course and module learning objectives. The second stage involves creating summative assessments to evaluate learning outcomes. The third stage encompasses the development of course content, including teaching strategies, learner engagement activities, formative assessments, and instructional materials. Throughout the guide, …

Social Annotation And Dialogic Teaching And Learning In English Language Arts, Johnny B. Allred, Sean P. Connors, Christian Goering

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research study explores the role of social annotation in supporting dialogic teaching in secondary English language arts. Grounded in Bakhtin's dialogism and building upon research into online discussion, this study describes how a high school English teacher and her students used a digital annotation tool to read and talk about texts. Analyzing student annotations based on discourse features associated with comprehension and high-level thinking, the study examines the extent to which social annotation supports quality dialogue. Findings highlight the need for open-ended prompts and teacher scaffolding of online discussions, and authors suggest that dialogue enhances comprehension of texts when …

Course Correction: Examining 2020’S Middle Level Teacher Education Through A Critical, Antiracist Lens-A Collaborative Self-Study Of Teacher Education Practices, Kristie W. Smith, Kristina N. Falbe

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

The work of teacher education in a 2020’s context is challenging and filled with opportunity. With a diversifying P-12 student body (Love, 2020; Pitts, 2019) and the confluence of social, political, and educational factors (Nieto & Bode, 2018), the complexities of teacher education are vast and fluid. In a historical moment that has included teaching in a time of pandemic, national reckonings over race and injustice, and explicit legislation to guide teaching about social history (Kelly et al, 2023), effective middle level teacher education is multifaceted. It calls for the development of teacher candidates skilled in creating school environments that …

Ucf Pegasus Plan - 4th Grade - Florida Native American Tribes, Omaris A. Millet, Lillian Holtery, Rebekah Anderson, Riley Ramsey

Pegasus Plans: Social Studies Unit Plans for Florida Teachers

During this unit, students will learn about Native American tribes in Florida. To enhance student knowledge, teachers will either facilitate a virtual tour of the “First Peoples” Exhibit at the Orange County Regional History Center that was created by the pre-service teacher authors or organize a First Floridians field trip to the Orange County Regional History for their students. Using a variety of reading materials and resources, students will explore and compare various cultural aspects of the Timucua, Calusa, and Seminole tribes. As a culminating activity, students will apply their new knowledge of Native Floridians by creating roleplay presentations in …

Interviewing The Interviewers: How Qualitative Professors Assess Interviews In Their Classes, Meredith C. Massey, Leia K. Cain

The Qualitative Report

When reviewing the literature relating to what instructors of qualitative research courses are teaching in their courses, we found a gap regarding qualitative faculty's motivations behind what they teach and whether they use teaching tools such as rubrics in their assessment practices. We utilized general qualitative methods to explore and describe how instructors of qualitative methodology courses conceptualize and design interview-based assessments. By conducting structured interviews with five faculty members, we embraced interpretivist descriptive traditions and sought to obtain thick, rich descriptions of each participant’s perspectives and experiences. After coding interview transcripts, we created themes to represent participant beliefs that …

Utilizing Centers For Teaching And Learning To Support Dual Enrollment Educators, Teresa Focarile, Christine Denecker

CTL Teaching Gallery

Across the country, many states are expanding their support for and implementation of Dual Enrollment programs, seeing them as opportunities to encourage students to go on to college–particularly those who historically might have had less opportunity and/or encouragement. As these programs expand, so does the need for professional development for the educators who teach this widening and increasingly diverse student population. As documented in several studies, educator professional development is critical to the quality and equity of Dual Enrollment courses; however, research has shown that training for these educators is not always timely, consistent, or robust. To address this challenge, …

Chatgpt Can Write My Class Assignments, Right?: A Guided Classroom Activity For Teaching The Strengths And Weaknesses Of Generative-Ai Tools, Dr. Peter J. Kalenda Assistant Professor, Elementary Science & Math, School Of Education

Artificial Intelligence, 2024-25

This module is designed to support your undergraduate or graduate students with developing an understanding of:

• How to use generative-AI tools, like ChatGPT,
• The strengths and weaknesses of generative-AI tools for completing different tasks,
• How to design and revise a classroom presentation that is aligned with course topics and objectives by using generative-AI tools as a resource, and
• How to engage in prompt engineering and prompt revision for generative-AI tools.

Your students are being tasked with creating an engaging presentation they will deliver to their peers that aligns with the topics and learning objectives of your course. However, they will …

A Phenomenological Examination Of The Perception Of Psychopathological Misdiagnosis In Gifted Men, Tina Glass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While the exact prevalence of psychopathological misdiagnosis in gifted children is unknown, it is an occurrence within the gifted population (Amend & Beljan, 2009; Batstra et al., 2012; Bishop & Rinn, 2019; Bishop & Rinn, 2020; Coon, 2014; Webb et al., 2016). However, there is a gap in the literature related to psychopathological misdiagnosis specific to gifted males. (Desmet & Pereira, 2021; Ecklund et al., 2014; Eren et al., 2018; Neu & Weinfeld, 2007; OECD, 2015; Preckel et al., 2015; Watts, 2022). This transcendental phenomenological study leveraged Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model for Human Development (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006) as a theoretical …

Tame Your Inner Flame: A Sample Nutrition Intervention Protocol For Firefighters, Rachel Keating-Fleming

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Firefighters are an essential part of every community that perform life saving duties and critical work to sustain everyday life. These individuals perform strenuous work every shift and are under larger amounts of job stress compared to other professions. It has been found that firefighters have increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality by sudden cardiac death. Studies have found that this risk comes from factors such as shift work, increased job stress, lack of time to eat a proper diet, and lack of time to engage in physical activity. A Mediterranean diet plan shows promise as an improvement strategy …

Examining Parental Engagement In Early Intervention, Part C Special Education, Through The Parents’ Perception, Zach Selnes

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This study, employing a qualitative research approach within an interpretivist paradigm, aimed to explore the diverse experiences of parental engagement among 25 families with children receiving early intervention (i.e., Part C special education services) in a rural southeast MN educational district. While there has been a plethora of research on parental engagement, that research is often limited to how teachers perceive parental engagement or interactions in school activities or curriculum (Ansari & Markowitz, 2021; Gross et al., 2020; Hackworth et al., 2018). When parents actively, and intentionally, engage with their child outside of intervention services, it significantly enhances the child's …

Restructuring Power Dynamics Within A Classroom: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Kristen Carlson, Davidson Blanchard

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Shifting away from direct instruction, constructivist learning design allows for a learning experience that engages all participants in co-constructed learning. Restructuring the power dynamics in the classroom makes the learning environment more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. This study explores the perceptions of teacher education graduate students around constructivism and power dynamics. Participants completed pre- and post- course interview sharing experiences with power dynamics and learning environments from student and teacher perspectives.

Climate Change And Its Impact On Health: A Global Collaborative Learning Model, Harriet Okatch, Patricia Remshifski, Anita Fennessey, Haley Campbell, Sivia Barnoy, Jason Friedman, Stephen Kern, Rosemary Frasso, Cecilia Sorensen, Tami Bar-Shalita, Louis Hunter

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

To address the health effects of climate change, leaders in healthcare have called for action to integrate climate adaptation and mitigation into training programs for health professionals. However, current educators may not possess sufficient climate literacy and the expertise to effectively include such content in their respective healthcare curricula. We, an international and interprofessional partnership, collaborated with experts to develop and deploy curriculum to increase health educators' and graduate health profession students' knowledge and competencies on climate change. In a tri-step process, the first phase included recruiting interested faculty members from two institutions and varying health professions. In phase two, …

Beyond Gaming: Using Discord To Increase Communication In Your Courses, Christine I. Kugelmann, Carolyn Glasshoff

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Discord is a versatile, free communication platform that supports text, voice, and video interactions within customizable servers. This tutorial shows how to integrate Discord into educational settings, highlighting its ability to facilitate instantaneous communication and secure information sharing. By organizing course-related discussions into distinct channels, educators can enhance student engagement and collaboration. The platform’s compatibility with various devices, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops, ensures accessibility for all users. Additionally, Discord’s web-based option provides flexibility for those who prefer not to download the app. To comply with FERPA regulations, educators can set clear guidelines on the appropriate use of …