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Educational Policies Committee Agenda, January 5, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - December 1, 2022
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee (Chad Simon)
• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher)
• General Education Subcommittee (Matt Sanders)
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Voices Of Usu: An Anthology Of Student Writing, Vol. 16, Utah State University Department Of English

Voices of USU

This collection of student writing represents the voices of over 2,000 students who enroll each academic year in Utah State University’s second-year composition course, Intermediate Writing: Research Writing in a Persuasive Mode. Voices of USU celebrates excellence in writing by providing undergraduate students of diverse backgrounds and disciplines the opportunity to have their work published.

A Case Study Comparing The Life Skills Development And Knowledge In Youth Participants Of Horseless And Traditional Horse Programs In Utah, Haley M. Johnson, Kelsey L. Hall, Benjamin Scow

Applied Sciences, Technology and Education Faculty Publications

This study compared four horseless and seven traditional horse participants from Washington County 4-H in Utah for horse knowledge gained and for the development of 10 life skills from Hendricks's Targeting Life Skills Model: leadership, teamwork, self-responsibility, personal safety, problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, goal setting, communication, and concern for others. This study's mixed methods design employed interviews to learn about life skill development and quantitative data from a 20-item horse knowledge quiz and demographic survey. The traditional horse youth showed greater development of leadership, self-responsibility, decision-making, goal setting, and communication than the horseless youth. Roughly half of the participants in …

Sheep Ingestive Behavior And Tannin Selection In Pampa Grassland And Feedlot, Marina Terra Braga

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

The Pampa grassland biome has high plant biodiversity, some with significant secondary compound concentrations such as tannins. Tannin inclusion in ruminant diets may improve meat quality and productivity. However, voluntary intake of this phenolic compound can be a challenge. This dissertation includes three studies within this context. The first study documented whether sheep consume tannin-rich Desmodium incanum (DI), the most common Pampa herbaceous legume species. The second study evaluated how forage tannin and protein concentration influenced sheep feedlot feed selection and the diet affects performance parameters. The third study evaluated sheep feeding behavior in a Pampa native pasture, and how …

“La Juventud No Tiene Historia”: Gender And Consolation In The Corona Fúnebre Elegies And Eulogies Dedicated To Spanish American Señoritas (1858-1896), María Zalduondo

Decimonónica

When the anonymous editor A. B. C. pens the introduction to Nemecia González y Sardón’s 1867 Corona Fúnebre, he resorts to an unattributed citation stating “youth have no history” to contextualize the scant achievements of the young woman memorialized (6, translation mine). Indeed, most of the forgotten funeral memorials published under the aforementioned title are dedicated to older, accomplished men whose social and political status as presidents of nations, generals, doctors, and celebrity poets assured them a place in history. Young, unmarried women— señoritas—did not normally occupy political or social spaces, outside of the domestic sphere, that would …

Upep 2023 Overview, Jessica Schad, Elizabeth Brunner

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

Utah's people and environment are currently experiencing significant changes as the population continues to grow, droughts and flooding pose threats to agriculture, air quality leads to health concerns, energy needs rise, and public lands see increased use. Action is needed to address these changes, especially given how rapidly they are occurring. Political leaders, environmental organizations, Tribal Nations, and universities play a critical role in ensuring Utah’s environment, economy, workforce, and underserved communities have a sustainable path forward. Understanding residents’ views, values, and concerns can help better craft the policy, inform infrastructure, and identify the services needed to do so. With …

Habits Of Mind: Designing Courses For Student Success, Julia M. Gossard, Chris Babits, Jennifer Grewe, Cree Taylor, Doris Mcgonagill, Missy Kofoed, Leonard Henderson, Travis Thurston, Mehmet Soyer, Gonca Soyer, Josie Tollefson, Nichelle Frank, Matthew D. Laplante, Jessie Koltz, Jenifer Evers, Kimberly Hiatt, Kelsey Bushman, Heather Lyman, Sarah Gosney, Melanie Chambers, Sharon Lyman, Antje R. H. Graul, Ayse Sapci, Raymond Veon, Jason Twede, Rachel Robison-Greene, Sarah Tulane, Joyce Kinkead, John Draeger, Jill K. Singer, Ekaterina Arshavskaya, Rachel Turner, Karin Dejonge-Kannan

Habits of Mind

Although content knowledge remains at the heart of college teaching and learning, forward-thinking instructors recognize that we must also provide 21st-century college students with transferable skills (sometimes called portable intellectual abilities) to prepare them for their futures (Vazquez, 2020; Ritchhart, 2015; Venezia & Jaeger, 2013; Hazard, 2012). To “grow their capacity as efficacious thinkers to navigate and thrive in the face of unprecedented change” (Costa et al., 2023), students must learn and improve important study skills and academic dispositions throughout their educational careers. If we do not focus on skills-building in college courses, students will not be prepared for the …

Chapter 16- If At First You Don't Succeed: Promoting A Growth Mindset By Quelling Student Fear Of Failure, Jason Twede

Habits of Mind

In response to a colleague’s dismay over failing to successfully design their invention, Thomas Edison famously replied that their efforts were not a failure, but an opportunity to learn. Edison said:

I recall that after we had conducted thousands of experiments on a certain project without solving the problem, one of my associates, after we had conducted the crowning experiment and it had proved a failure, expressed discouragement and disgust over our having failed “to find out anything.” I cheerily assured him that we had learned something. For we had learned for a certainty that the thing couldn’t be done …

Chapter 18- "An Amazing Change In Mindset": Student Psychosocial Development And Social Science Research, Sarah Tulane, Travis N. Thurston

Habits of Mind

Students enroll in social science research methods courses with varying backgrounds and experiences with quantitative methods (Clark & Foster, 2017; Murtonen et al., 2015; Papanastasiou & Zembylas, 2008). Although some students approach research methods with self-efficacy and positive perceptions (Papanastasiou & Zembylas, 2008; Sizemore & Lewandowski, 2009), other students enter the course with misconceptions about research, and potentially apprehension regarding statistics or other unknowns about engaging in research (Earley, 2014; Kawulich et al., 2009; Slocum-Schaffer & Bohrer, 2019; Wishkowski et al., 2022). At the end of a research methods course, some students show improvements in knowledge in research methods while …

Chapter 14- How Instructors Can Help Students Embrace A Growth Mindset: The Importance Of Applying Theory To Practice, Antje R. H. Graul, Ayse Sapci

Habits of Mind

In today’s educational system, it is more important than ever to set students up for success in their future careers and professional development. “I really liked how the classes were more than lectures,” wrote one student in a recent course evaluation. But how can classes be more than “just” lectures? And how can a growth mindset be implemented to prepare students for their future careers? While many courses lend themselves well to teaching applicable skills, instructors assigned to theory-based courses often feel challenged to convey the importance of understanding the theory—or the usefulness of theoretical frameworks—to their students.

Chapter 5- Structure For Success: Incorporating Habits Of Mind Into Online Courses, Missy Kofoed

Habits of Mind

Interest and participation in online courses in higher education has grown significantly over the past decade (Palvia et al., 2018). This growth was further amplified due to the increased online course options offered during the years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System indicates that about 73% of students were enrolled in a distance education course in the fall of 2020 as compared to about 36% in 2019. Even as pandemic restrictions eased, student enrollment in online courses remained high, with 59% of students enrolled in at least one distance education course in the fall …

Red Wolf Multispecies Justice Publication 2023, Eskar, Elizabeth Bennett, Finley Schad, Alex Baldwin, Oluwaseyifunmi Adejugbe, Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed, Maisie Schad, Sadie Braddock, Azra Soyer, Melih Soyer, Anne-Laure Blanche, Zubair Barkat, Amol K, Sarah Ann Woodbury, Kirsten Vinyeta

Publications

Our understanding of multispecies justice is still solidifying. In spring 2023, a group of Utah State University undergraduate and graduate students attended a course by Dr.Kirsten Vinyeta on Multispecies Justice and Indigenous Approaches to the Environment. Throughout this course, we studied the works of scholars and writers from a variety of social locations and identities who challenge Western theoretical frameworks in social science.

This publication celebrates our intellectual struggle with this emerging field and opens a forum for conversations about justice for humans and additional species. This issue features various writings, reflections, and photos from students taking the Multispecies Justice …

Safe Trajectory Generation Of Robotic End-Effector Poses For Rpod Emulation Using Bézier Curves, Jason K. Schmidt, Francisco J. Franquiz, David C. Huish

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

System-level operational testing of space vehicles and payloads designed to execute rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) missions are currently tested using hardware-in-the-loop and processor-in- the-loop simulations. Despite the advantages offered by such test platforms, they rely on models, propagators, and scene generators to approximate synthetic on-orbit scenarios. This work details the hardware, software, and algorithmic implementation of a testbed designed to replicate on-orbit dynamics and illumination, as seen by sensors and payloads onboard spacecraft.

The testbed, owned by the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) and called the Hardware-in-the-Loop Operations Laboratory (HALO Lab), enables technology demonstrations for RPOD hardware and software. …

Model Predictive Control Switching Strategy For Safe Cluster Formation Flying, Tyson Smith, John Akagi, Greg Droge

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

This paper presents a Model Predictive Control (MPC) based control scheme that is used in conjunction with a sphere polytope boundary constraint and the Hill-Clohessey-Whiltshire (HCW) equations to maintain a desired trajectory of a cluster of spacecraft while also allowing freedom to maneuver within the allowable bounds. The operational polytope boundaries enable the predictive framework of the MPC to be used to make small maneuvers to avoid debris or achieve mission objectives. The boundaries are designed such that no two agents have overlapping regions, allowing the vehicles to execute avoidance strategies without continually maintaining the trajectories of other agents. The …

Model Predictive Control For Formation Flying Based On D’Amico Relative Orbital Elements, Tyson K. Smith, John Akagi, Greg Droge

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

The desire to fly small spacecraft close together has been a topic of increasing interest over the past several years. This paper presents the development and analysis of a model predictive control based framework that is used with the D’Amico relative orbital elements (ROEs) to maintain the desired trajectories of a cluster of spacecraft while also allowing freedom to maneuver within some allowable bounds. Switching surfaces based on the ROE constraints contain the full state of the system, allowing for fuel reduction over other approaches that use the Hill-Clohessy-Wiltshire equations. The formation and boundary constraints are designed such that no …

Chapter 8- Making Asynchronous Online Discussions Meaningful: An Introduction To The Pioneer Method With Robust Scaffolding, Matthew D. Laplante

Habits of Mind

The students in my graduate cohort were motivated. Most were teachers with years of experience. Some had won national awards. Several were experts on working with at-risk learners. These were people who knew how to learn. Yet we were all struggling with our online classes.

Chapter 11- Hindsight Is 20/20: The Role Of Reflection In Learning, Jenifer Evers

Habits of Mind

My teaching philosophy hinges on student-directed learning, creating opportunities for student success, and depth of learning versus rote memorization. Over the years, I have experimented with different ways to assess student understanding of new concepts as well as to stay connected to individual students in a timely and effective manner. I simultaneously recognize the difficulty of accomplishing this in a manner that is not terribly time-consuming for the student or for myself. Ultimately, I created an assignment that achieves my goal using several qualities highlighted in Costa et al.’s Habits of Mind framework (2022).

Introduction And References, Julia M. Gossard, Chris Babits

Habits of Mind

Although content knowledge remains at the heart of college teaching and learning, forward-thinking instructors recognize that we must also provide 21st-century college students with transferable skills (sometimes called portable intellectual abilities) to prepare them for their futures (Vazquez, 2020; Ritchhart, 2015; Venezia & Jaeger, 2013; Hazard, 2012). To “grow their capacity as efficacious thinkers to navigate and thrive in the face of unprecedented change” (Costa et al., 2023), students must learn and improve important study skills and academic dispositions throughout their educational careers. If we do not focus on skills-building in college courses, students will not be prepared for the …

Examining Spaces For Integrating Physics And Computing Through Classroom Inquiry, Colby Tofel-Grehl, Kristin Searle, Douglas Ball, Soojeong Jeong

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

As computing becomes an essential component of professional practice across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, integration of computing across content areas in K-12 classrooms is also becoming important. Particularly within science classrooms, computer science and computational thinking (CS/CT) are novel and necessary skills for modeling, working with data, and other foundational science skills. Finding ways to engage students in practicing and learning CT within authentic science learning is challenging for most teachers. In this article, the authors report on one teacher’s efforts to engage high school students in maker-based physics education, integrating computational thinking by designing and building …

On-Boarding Experienced Teachers In A New School, Emma Mecham, Joseph Kozlowski, Felicia Messervy, Cami Player, Joel Lopez, Laura Reina, Nathan Justis

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Each year school administrators find themselves in the position of hiring new teachers and onboarding them to the unique expectations and context of the school. Such work most often happens while these new teachers are actively doing the work of teaching, with few contracted hours of training available. Limited research has focused on the experience of onboarding for teachers who are experienced in the field, but new to a particular school. Recognizing this challenge, this team of researchers and participants set out to examine the flow of information in one school for four teachers in their first year of teaching …

Simplified Mass And Inertial Estimates For Aircraft With Components Of Constant Density, Benjamin C. Moulton, Douglas F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Aircraft mass and inertial properties are required for predicting the dynamics and handling qualities of aircraft. However, such properties can be difficult to estimate since these depend on the external shape and internal structure, systems, and mass distributions within the airframe. Mass and inertial properties of aircraft are often predicted using computer-aided design software, or measured using various experimental techniques. The present paper presents a method for quickly predicting the mass and inertial properties of complete aircraft consisting of components of constant density. Although the assumption of constant density may appear limiting, the method presented in this paper can be …

Chapter 2- Preparing Students With Habits Of Mind For The First Day Of Class, Jennifer Grewe

Habits of Mind

Students often come to university with preconceived but in many cases inaccurate notions of what the university experience is like. They have been told that they need to go to college to get a good job; that their professors do not care about how they do; and that they are now on their own. This can be an overwhelming perspective to have when starting a new chapter in life. College students, including those who may not have experienced even minor academic failures to this point in their lives, are particularly impacted by this mentality. It should come as no surprise, …

Chapter 15- Leap And The Net Will Appear: Risk-Taking And Creative Flexibility In The Face Of The Unknown, Raymond Veon

Habits of Mind

Risk-taking is a leap into a space that has not been mapped. Who knows where or how you will land? Consider the following:

• A student completes a portrait drawing, then cuts it into strips and weaves it into another drawing. The result is an intricate yet beautiful image that addresses the complexity of identity that viewers can reassemble in multiple ways, beyond the control of the artist. The art student had never attempted such a work before.
• A wall of torn-out book pages that are pinned and collaged together. Most of the words on the pages are redacted by marker, …

Chapter 22- Searching As Learning: A Scaffolded Approach To The Research Paper Assignment, Karin Dejonge-Kannan

Habits of Mind

Somewhere on a university campus, there is a hunched figure working at a computer. The person is surrounded by books, papers, beverage cans, and writing utensils. Their fingers tap on the keyboard, intermittently coming to a stop when the person’s gaze shifts from the screen into the distance. Their torso leans forward, their brow is tense. Frequent sighing can be heard.

Did you picture a student? An instructor? When it comes to the research paper assignment, this scene could feature either of them, frustrated and dispirited. While it may be worthwhile pondering how we got here (see, for example, Freedman …

Big Meadows Mountain Meadow & Aspen Restoration Project 2017 – 2023 Summary Report, Scott River Watershed Council

Aspen Bibliography

Big Meadows Mountain Meadow and Aspen Restoration Project is designed to enhance aspen and mountain meadow habitats at Big Meadows, a property that is privately owned by Ecotrust Forest Management (EFM). EFM owns approximately 40,000 acres in the Klamath Mountains of Siskiyou County, known as the Scott River Headwaters Property. The Scott River Headwaters Property Management Plan, developed by EFM, specifically identifies and prioritizes the restoration of aspen woodlands. As such, EFM and Scott River Watershed Council (SRWC) partnered with the goal of improving these critical habitats. The Big Meadows complex is one of the largest mountain meadow systems within …

The First Translocation Of Bighorn Sheep In California: A Critical Review Of The Activities Of William Franklin Frakes, Vernon C. Bleich, Glenn W. Sudmeier, Michael W. Wolter, Richard A. Weaver

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In the absence of verification, historical aspects of wildlife management or conservation sometimes have become established in the literature and persisted therein for decades; in other situations, serendipitous discoveries have corrected information that earlier had been treated as factual. In some cases, efforts to vet historical accounts have been ongoing for many years; such is the case involving William Franklin Frakes, an American rancher, naturalist, adventurer, and author, who captured and translocated bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in California, USA, near the turn of the twentieth century. In this review, we provide information that substantiates the majority of Frakes’s …

Ecological Associations Of Nonnative Ungulates On The Hawaiian Island Of Lāna‘I, Steven C. Hess, Lucas Berio Fortini, Christina R. Leopold, Jacob Muise, Jonathan C. Sprague

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Abstract: Sustained-yield hunting of introduced ungulates in the Hawaiian Islands often conflicts with the conservation of native species, but there is little reliable data to guide effective management. European mouflon sheep (Ovis musimon; mouflon) and axis deer (Axis axis; deer) were introduced on the island of Lāna‘i to provide additional hunting opportunities. Managers will require better information regarding the ecological associations of introduced ungulate species, relative to the habitats occupied, to resolve longstanding conflicts between native species conservation and sustained-yield hunting on islands. To address this information need, we modeled sheep and deer ecological associations, habitat-use, …

Do Trap-Neuter-Return (Tnr) Practices Contribute To Human–Coyote Conflicts In Southern California?, Danielle M. Bucklin, Jennifer M. Shedden, Niamh M. Quinn, Robert Cummings, Paul Stapp

Human–Wildlife Interactions

One possible contributor to the unusually high number of conflicts between coyotes (Canis latrans) and people in urban southern California, USA, may be the abundance of free-roaming domestic cats (Felis catus; cats) subsidized by feeding and augmented by trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs. To determine if coyotes regularly prey on and consume cats, we combined visual and molecular-genetic approaches to identify prey items in stomachs of 311 coyotes from Los Angeles County and Orange County, provided to the South Coast Research and Extension Center, in Irvine, California, between June 2015 and December 2018. We detected cat remains in …

Conflict Animals, Or Conflict People—That Is The Question, Vincenzo Penteriani

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Managing conflictual sce­narios involving large carnivores is generally addressed from an animal-centric perspective. This is rather contradic­tory because such conflicts are mostly triggered by human conduct that acts on animal’s instinc­tive behaviors. Shifting conflict miti­gation perspectives to human behaviors may thus provide a more consistent management strategy than focusing only on animals. For example, human habituation and anthropogenic food conditioning are 2 main conflict drivers that mostly depend on human behavior. Thus, an approach that addresses the human dimension aspects of these conflicts needs to be reinforced. I offer 6 points to consider in prioritizing management to mitigate human–bear conflicts …

The Ground Baiting Component Of The Gough Island House Mouse Eradication Attempt In 2021, Araceli Samaniego, Andrew Callender, Pete Mcclelland

Human–Wildlife Interactions

House mice (Mus musculus; mice) are among the most widespread invasive species. On Gough Island (6,500 ha), mice preying on at least 19 bird species triggered a mouse eradication attempt. Gough Island is a volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean and part of Tristan da Cunha, a UK Overseas Territory. From June to August 2021, an expert team applied an anticoagulant rodenticide (active ingredient brodifacoum at a concentration 20 ppm) island-wide, predominantly via aerial broadcast using helicopters, as the island is mainly uninhabited. However, hand-baiting was also required because of the presence of a staffed meteorological station. …