Digital Commons Network^™

Caring For Our Communities Of Practice In Educational Development, Christopher V. H.-H. Chen, Katherine Kearns, Lynn Eaton, Darren S. Hoffmann, Denise Leonard, Martin Samuels

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Given the backdrop of multiple concurring crises—a global pandemic, political instability and violence, and multiple structural inequalities—we see the problem of now as this: How do educational developers continue to address the wicked problems in teaching and learning when we are simply so exhausted? Our article presents the importance of communities of practice for educational developers, inviting us to witness and name the communities in which we belong; the important functions they engage; who they nurture and how; and what care is undertaken to sustain these groups and ourselves. To help educational developers understand and appreciate the ways that communities …

Building Resilience In Ctls: Reflections On Practice, Lisa J. Hatfield, Julie Maxson, Jennifer Marshall Shinaberger, Hanna E. Norton, Cynthia (Cia) H. Demartino, Annette Finley-Crosswhite, Gigi Gokcek

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

What are the qualities of the “now” that make teaching and learning an urgent, if not a moral, imperative? A group of faculty, administrators, and educational developers respond to this question with individual narratives bound together by a common theme of reflective practice in times of crises to help faculty become more resilient in preparing for ongoing upheavals and unexpected crises while pursuing more inclusive communities. Our personal narratives reflect on the subjects of flexibility in the face of crises, technology and ethics, study abroad exposure to ethical challenges, students’ growing anxiety and mental health, modeling metacognition with peers and …

Beyond Backward Design, Or, By The End Of This Article, You Should Be Able To Imagine Some Alternatives To Learning Objectives, Michael Mccreary

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

If the challenges of teaching and learning do not amount to simple empirical questions about effective pedagogical strategies but are instead complex “wicked problems” that may be impossible to solve, where does that leave the practice of backward design? Drawing on the intellectual history of instructional design, I argue that the use of learning objectives, in particular, may not meet the comprehensive challenges of educational development today. Rather than rehashing perennial critiques that learning objectives overly instrumentalize the educational process or are not sufficiently student-centered, I ask what is missed by focusing on what students will know and be able …

Taking Teaching And Learning Seriously: Approaching Wicked Consciousness Through Collaboration And Partnership, Adam H. Smith, Laurie L. Grupp, Lindsay Doukopoulos, John C. Foo, Barbara J. Rodriguez, Janel Seeley, Linda M. Boland, Laurel L. Hester

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has demanded large-scale collaboration within all organizations, including higher education, and taking teaching and learning seriously, in this moment, means leveraging partnerships to address the wicked (large, complex) problems cited by Bass (2020). These problems are not ours alone to solve; rather, we make the case for a “wicked consciousness,” an amalgam of perspectives, in educational development. Guided by intellectual humility, our success as educational developers ought to be measured by the quality of our collaborations as well as our ability to learn with others, form equitable partnerships, and lead others by our example.

Toward Institutionalizing Successful Innovations In The Academy, Sarah B. Wise, Courtney Ngai, Joel Christopher Corbo, Mark A. Gammon, Jaclyn K. Rivard, Clara E. Smith

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Due to the “wicked problem” of the Academy’s resistance to innovation, new teaching and learning programs struggle to become integrated into the fabric of the Academy, which slows the uptake of evidence-based practices. This wicked problem is rooted in the lack of slow, intentional mechanisms for cultural change in the Academy. In this article, we analyze the institutionalization journey of the Departmental Action Team (DAT) project, which is a model for slow, intentional change. Over the last four years, partnering with two campus centers for teaching and learning (CTLs) allowed the DAT project to make institutionalization progress.

This analysis is …

Wpa News 117 (2022), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Spring 2022), number 117

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Analyzing The Impact Different Teaching Strategies On Student Learning Outcomes For The Online Graduate Class Soil Chemistry & Mineralogy (Agro/Nres/Soil 455/855), Michael Kaiser Phd

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

In this portfolio teaching materials, activities, and assessments applied in a Soil Chemistry & Mineralogy” online graduate class are analyzed towards their suitability to achieve learning objectives and class goals. For this, data from class surveys, a decision matrix, and individual student feedback are the main sources of information. The survey revealed that the learning objectives are successfully addressed. Lecture videos, quizzes, exams, scientific paper reading assignments, and a review paper assignment were evaluated to be suitable in achieving these objectives. The developed matrix and individual student feedback suggest that the overall student learning satisfaction would benefit from more activities …

Unl Emeriti And Retirees Association Newsletter, Spring 2022

UNL Emeriti and Retirees Association: Newsletters and Other Materials

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Emeriti and Retirees Association Newsletter, Spring 2022

Contact Sports With Mental Health And Aggression, Jai Alvarez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Sports have many benefits that can develop new motivations, drives and goals within a person. Contact sports, specifically, benefit someone's mental health and a healthy mindset by giving people an outlet to take out their aggressions. Being physically active can produce certain parts of the brain being activated and release serotonin, overall affecting someone's mood. Although contact sports such as football have been in a negative light within in society recently, contact sports have improved protection against injuries and research has shown that contact sports can improve your mental health by letting out aggression in a safe manner.

Nefdc Exhange, Volume 36, Spring 2022, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange

Contents

President's Message, Annie Soisson

A faculty learning community on assessment and equity

Swimming with students: Organizing effective fishbowl discussions

Designers and deliverers: Undergraduates co-creating a flipped and blended college course

Subverting the dominant paradigm: Holistically fostering transformative learning

Additive assessment

Quick tips for teaching and faculty development

Faculty helping faculty: Ten minute takeaway

NEFDC Board members

Properties Design And Construction For William Shakespeare’S A Midsummer Night’S Dream, Nathan Alexander

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: Theses, Student Research, and Creative Work

In the fall of 2021, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln put on a production of A Midsummer night’s dream. I am Nathan Alexander and I designed and built the properties used in the show. This thesis will discuss my design process as well as my construction process throughout this production. My writing serves as a reference to the collaborative process of theatre, and you will find as you read on that a large amount of my designs did not make it into the final production. This did not discourage me, instead it motivated me to discover what this show wanted to …

Developing Critical Cultural Awareness In The Elt Classroom, Akiko Takagi, Aleidine J. Moeller

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

In the current age of globalization, migration, and immigration, integrating interculturality into language instruction is essential in order to prepare language learners to become competent intercultural speakers (Byram, 2020), described as competent communicators (Byram & Zarate, 1996) who engage with complexity and multiple identities and who “avoid the stereotyping which accompanies perceiving someone through a single identity” (Bryam et al., 2002, p. 5). Intercultural speakers are successful not only in communicating information but also in developing human relationships with people of other languages and cultures with whom they live and work. In contrast to monolingual native speakers (NSs), intercultural speakers …

Blanket Statements, Issue 153, Spring 2022

Blanket Statements: News Publication of the American Quilt Study Group

Blanket Statements, Issue 153, Spring 2022

Integrated Honey Bee Education And Research Aids For Promoting Pollinator Conservation, Courtney Brummel

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Extension and outreach programs combine University instruction and research, with off-campus outreach and service to the community. Successful public education requires training in which colleges and their education services provide programs relevant to today’s needs. To better engage with the public, institutions and Extension professionals often partner with private and not-for-profit organizations to provide training opportunities. The following thesis reviews one such partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Kimmel Orchard & Vineyard that provides science-focused, on-farm experiences and agriculture production training programming. Chapter 1 reviews their partnership since it began in 2005 and highlights examples of current farm-to-table education …

Developing Regional Extension Programs And Research Tools For Beekeepers, Sheldon Brummel

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The body of work presented in this thesis describes the development and structure of the Regional Great Plains Master Beekeeping training program, which started in 2019, serves 1500+ beekeepers across five Midwest states (IA, KS, MO, NE, WY), and is supported through local partnerships and beekeepers. This chapter also discusses the leadership structure and aspects I developed for program advancement and long-term sustainability, such as incorporating mentorship and volunteer service goals as well as requiring independent projects to become a certified Master beekeeper. Independent projects may focus on research or teaching goals but must illustrate the candidate’s ability to apply …

Dewey In The Digital Age: Experiential Composition And Reflection As Transformation, Danielle Shumaker Page

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis explores the act of composing as a transformational, ongoing event and offers digital reflection as a tool for first-year writing students to evaluate their own writing practices. I analyze student vlogs produced in response to an assignment that asked students to produce digital reflections on their work as writers across the process of completing a final course project. My findings suggest that adapting experiential learning principles, digital and non-digital, into composition classroom design creates and facilitates writing experiences that are immersive and transformational. Crucial to designing learning occasions is the process of active reflection upon what the writer …

The Evans Family: Familial Relationships In George Eliot's Life And Fiction, Hailey S. Fischer

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Biographers of George Eliot, when writing about her childhood, have focused on her close and complicated relationships with two of the most important men in her life, her father Robert Evans and brother Isaac Evans. Less discussed are Eliot’s relationships with her immediate female family members, her mother Christiana Pearson Evans and her sister Christiana (Chrissey) Evans Clarke. This thesis reviews the predominant interpretations of Eliot’s relations with her father and brother. It also pulls together the known information about Christiana and Chrissey from several major biographies and adds new insights from Eliot's letters in combination with two of her …

A Mixed Methods Case Study: Effects Of Instructors’ Beliefs On Incorporation Of Sustainability Curriculum At A Midwestern University, Anna Oetting

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The degree to which sustainability is taught is often varied and inconsistent across colleges, departments, and higher education institutions. However, educating students and future generations regarding the different pillars of sustainability, including economic, social, and environmental topics, is increasing in importance and urgency. A mixed methods case study utilized surveys and interviews to investigate why instructors incorporate sustainability, what impacts course incorporation of sustainability, and barriers that instructors face. This study found that instructors’ beliefs regarding the importance of sustainability relate to the extent to which sustainability is incorporated into their curriculum. Topics of sustainability incorporated into a class are …

Sex Differences In Lateral Hypothalamic Extracellular Glucose Concentrations During Cumulative Dosing Of Methamphetamine In Rats, Joshua A. Jolton

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The present study experimentally investigated sex differences in lateral hypothalamic glucose concentrations following cumulative dosing of methamphetamine. Male (n=17) and female (n=11) rats were surgically implanted with enzyme-based glucose biosensors in the lateral hypothalamus. Rats then received a saline injection followed by four methamphetamine doses (0.025 mg/kg, 0.05 mg/kg, 0.1 mg/kg, and 0.2 mg/kg) spaced 55 minutes apart. We found that while there was a general decrease in glucose baseline throughout the study for both sexes, the magnitude of the decrease was significantly greater in females compared to males. On a rapid timescale, fixed sex effects existed at the lower …

Remotely Close: An Investigation Of The Student Experience In First-Year Mathematics Courses During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sawyer Smith

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The realm of education was shaken by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It had drastic effects on the way that courses were delivered to students, and the way that students were getting their education at the collegiate level. At the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, the pandemic dramatically changed the way that first-year mathematics courses looked for students. By Spring 2021, students had the opportunity to take their first-year math courses either in-person or virtually. This project sought to identify differences between the two methods of course delivery during the Spring 2021 semester, regarding interaction with peers …

Two Mothers, One Grandmother: Intergenerational Ambivalence In Heterosexual Mother‑Lbq Daughter Relationships, Emily Kazyak, Rosalind D. Kichler, Jess Morrow, Eliza Thor

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Using the theoretical framing of structural ambivalence, which points to how competing cultural norms can cause conflict in family relationships, this paper asks: how does the transition to parenthood affect the intergenerational family relationship between LBQ adult women and their heterosexual mothers? Analyzing qualitative data from interviews with three adult child-parent dyads, we discuss how two cultural norms manifest in these relationships: pronatalism, or the privileging of procreation and heteronormativity, or the privileging of heterosexuality. In some ways, the intergenerational family relationship is strengthened as both LGB daughters and their heterosexual mothers express that the grandchild resulted in their becoming …

Understanding Boundary Turbulence And Privacy Rules From The Receiver’S Perspective In Mental Illness Disclosures, Ian Maltas

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The present study aims to address a gap in current research focusing on relational outcomes of mental illness disclosures by studying the perspective of people who listen to the disclosures (called “receivers”). This study uses Communication Privacy Management Theory to analyze the process of disclosure, and its main research focus is on motivations for disseminating private information, and how that impacts relationships and privacy rules between co-owners of information. A thematic analysis was conducted to answer this inquiry, and a data conference was held to determine relevant themes in the data. The present study finds that people chose to tell …

Dismantling Binary Assumptions In Sex Estimation: Uplifting Trans And Gender Diverse Identities In Forensic Anthropology, Audrey Holbeck

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Forensic anthropology is a study within the field of physical anthropology that seeks to apply osteological expertise to legal and criminal situations. One of a forensic anthropologists’ most important jobs is to build a biological profile, consisting of age, biological sex, stature, and ancestry, in correspondence to an unidentified decedent. As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, instances of violence against trans and gender non-conforming individuals are unfortunately prominent, however, there has also been more awareness shed on trans activism. Trans individuals are at a higher risk of being victims of violent crime, and thus, forensic anthropologists …

An In-Depth Review Of Alec 480: Senior Capstone In Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Communication (Aesc), Laura E. Young

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio reviews ALEC 480, the undergraduate senior capstone course for Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Communication (AESC) majors in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication (ALEC). The goal of ALEC 480 is to provide a culminating experience for AESC majors that incorporates all learning outcomes for the AESC program. During this course, students investigate topics identified by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) as critical to the state of Nebraska. Once identified, students then conduct interviews with researchers and Nebraska Extension educators and write, edit, design, and assist in the production of print and multimedia versions …

Comparing Outcomes For In-Person And Online Instruction For Jomc 130: Introduction To Design Thinking, Katie Krcmarik

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The portfolio analyzes two sections of the JOMC 130: Introduction to Design Thinking course that serves as the first course in a five course sequence about Communication Design in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The portfolio explores the student outcomes from the course in general as well as compares the student success between in-person and online delivery for the course during the Fall 2021 semester. The course focuses on three main topics—technology, design thinking or problem solving, and storytelling. These three topics are foundational to all majors in the college. The course is …

Course Portfolio — Hrtm 489: Advanced Event Operations, Kristin Malek

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

No abstract provided.

First Portfolio: Introduction To Psychology (Psych 181), Chelsea A. Witt

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This course portfolio analyzed student learning in Introduction to Psychology, Psych 181 at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. This course is often taken by first year students of various backgrounds and majors; this course is a pre-requisite for many other psychology courses. In general, the course covers basic psychological concepts in the realm of biopsychology, developmental psychology, social and personality psychology, cognitive psychology, and clinical psychology. Student enrollment for this section is capped at 200. This portfolio outlines my course goal, objectives, and assessments of those goals. There is also a reflection throughout regarding how well students feel supported and …

Benchmark Portfolio For Asci 451/851: Livestock On Range And Pasture, Fall 2021, Kacie L. Mccarthy

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The aim of this portfolio is twofold: first, the portfolio serves to provide a means for the author to reflect on and improve their approach to teaching an ACE 10 course. The Livestock on Range and Pasture course (ASCI 451/851) serves seniors and graduate students with a major and/or minor in Animal Science, Grazing Livestock Systems, Agronomy and Horticulture, or Range. Since taking over the course, the last two semesters have included students primarily from Animal Science or Agribusiness with a major or minor in Grazing Livestock Systems, respectively. This Peer Review of Teaching project evaluated student feedback from the …

Investigating Student Learning And Assessment Through Group Projects In Cyaf 382: Working With Parents, Patty Kuo

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This course portfolio for CYAF 382: Working with Parents systematically documents its course structure, assessments, and grading. The documentation and reflection process occurred across two consecutive semesters of teaching this course. I analyzed student class performance as a function of peer evaluations and attendance. Students who had fewer unexcused absences had higher exam scores and overall course grades. Interestingly, group project grades were higher when group members had greater variance among individual effort ratings – reflecting an imbalance of group effort. I conclude the portfolio with my reflections derived from both the portfolio process and student evaluations.

Hrha 440: Human Rights, Conflict, And Community Changemaking: A Faculty-Led Inquiry Into Reflective And Scholarly Teaching Benchmark Portfolio, Julia Reilly

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio examines the extent to which HRHA 440: Human Rights, Conflict, and Community changing equipped students with the agency and confidence they need to be human rights changemakers. The purpose of this portfolio was to structure a re-design of the course towards a more collaborative, flipped classroom approach, and then to assess the extent to which this course re-design promoted achievement of the course learning outcomes. To assess achievement of the learning outcomes in the redesigned course, comparison of the results pre and post survey of the Spring 2022 cohort of students was used. Then, to assess the effects …