Education Commons^™

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Unlv Academic Health, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

While the metrics above focus on degrees produced, UNLV Academic Health is more broadly defined as it is:

• Creating an environment where people feel valued in order to attract and engage excellent students, staff, and faculty.
• Advancing research and discovery to improve the health and care of our community.
• Providing high value, high quality, state-of-the art, interprofessional care for ALL members of our community.
• Committing to continuous improvement in healthcare education by leveraging technology, and promoting interprofessional education and collaborative practice.
• Serving as an engaged and responsive member of the community.

UNLV Academic Health will diversify our economy as high- …

Engaging Hyflex: Bridging The Remote/In-Person Engagement Gap Through Instant Polling Slides, Yvonne Houy

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

To provide learning opportunities for unpredictable student needs during the pandemic, I offered HyFlex courses in Spring and Fall 2022. Students could either attend my class in person or remotely through WebEx. Engagement by remote students increased dramatically after I started using Slido’s instant polling to create opportunities for communicating opinions and could gauge comprehension through open-ended and multiple choice responses live.

In the first half of my first HyFlex semester engagement among the in-person students was high, with a consistent 100% of students speaking at least once to the whole class during each class session. However, one-third of remote …

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Social Justice, Equity, And Inclusion, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

UNLV continues to be one of the most diverse universities in the nation, fostering an environment of welcoming communities and supporting students, faculty, and staff. Metric data survey results have been completed to help inform and improve culture for the institution, working towards progressive updates on our 2030 goals.

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Philanthropy And Alumni Engagement, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

Engaging alumni begins when students enroll at UNLV and become part of the Rebel family. Our engagement is crucial to developing alumni who understand the importance of supporting the university through their time, talent, and resources. Creating this culture of involvement and engagement will lead to a greater percentage of alumni who are engaged, contribute regularly, and collaborate with us to address our needs.

Measurement And Scale Development Skills For Public Health Doctoral Scholars, Manoj Sharma

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Web-based synchronous teaching is gaining popularity all over the world. In web-based synchronous teaching, both pedagogical robustness and the building of content expertise are mandatory. I taught a new doctoral course, HED 763 Measurement and Scale Development in Social and Behavioral Health in the Spring of 2022. The specific teaching techniques that I used were (a) enhanced pedagogical features that included delivery as web-based synchronous, organizing the course in Canvas and making it available from day 1, recording all lectures beforehand in Panopto, utilizing case studies, employing WebEx and its breakout sessions feature, guest lectures, and having weekly skill-building activities …

Increasing Student Engagement: Case-Based Teaching And Learning, Necole Leland, Lisa Nicholas

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Case-based learning (CBL) is an active learning approach using hypothetical or real life problems that help learners develop clinical judgment and problem-solving skills (Bastable, 2023). CBL can be used in multiple settings, including the classroom, the clinical environment, and simulation. CBL can be used in most disciplines to bring real life scenarios to life for learners. Learners identify the problem in the case, develop multiple approaches to solving problems, discuss different viewpoints or assumptions, propose alternate decisions, and weigh consequences (Young & Paterson, 2007). CBL helps make connections that transfer theoretical knowledge to practical application (Billings & Halstead, 2020). CBL …

Uncovering Teaching Faculty Personas To Understand Comfort Levels In Using Technology In Their Online Classes, Suzanne Becker, Ted Weisman

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Faculty’s knowledge about, and comfort with, the use of technology tools are key components in online teaching. Faculty are not only expected to be adept with basic computer functionality, like creating and editing documents and managing files, but also in navigating their institutions Learning Management System (LMS) and utilizing course teaching technologies and tools. Together these areas comprise a significant portion of design and facilitation of an online course and are related to learning outcomes. When engaging with the online learning environment, it is thus critical for each instructor to consider their personal level of comfort utilizing various online technology …

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Socio-Economic Development, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

UNLV is a cornerstone of the community and remains integral to economies at the local, state, and regional level. Socio-economic development leverages our strengths at UNLV and is essential to the continued growth, development, and diversification of our region and state.

Collaborative Two-Stage Testing: A “Less Sad And Intimidating” Way To Test, Andrew Kauffman

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Traditional individual testing discourages collaboration, increases student anxiety, and does not provide timely and useful feedback. Two-stage tests are an alternative method of assessment that deepens learning while also promoting higher-order thinking skills, such as collaboration, communication, and peer instruction. In a two-stage test, students first complete and turn in the test individually and then, working in preassigned groups of 3 to 4, answer the same test questions again. The individual part of the test is weighted at 85%, while the group part is weighted at 15%. To encourage total participation and address concerns about fairness, students are told that …

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Meetings: Associations With Student Engagement And Workforce Development, Joanne Ullman, Sadie Bylund, Jessica Castillo, Christina Saliba

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

No abstract provided.

Using The Touchstones Discussion Method For Common Reader Discussions​, Nathan M. Slife, Chelsie Hawkinson

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The Touchstones Method empowers students to find their voice within an inclusive and collaborative discussion.

Instructors can use this method to facilitate discussions of the UNLV Common Reader Program. This program provides incoming undergraduate students with a common intellectual experience discussing a select text.

Principles from the Touchstones Methods can used to facilitate conversation of any text that is used in this Common Reader program.

Counseling Skills For Educators, Craig Hall

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is touted as a diverse campus. Indeed, students represent a wide range of demographics concerning race, gender, identity, socioeconomics, physical and mental ability issues, as well as non traditional students and those the intersectional representation of multiple demographic groups. It is incumbent upon educators to provide safe spaces for all students. This is an equitable practice. How can educators be more equitable? By using counseling skills in their education such as: empathy, active listening, belief in the capabilities of students, and avoiding labeling students. It must be noted that the use of counseling skills …

Why Ask That? Low Stakes Questions Build Engagement, Van Whaley

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

A few low-stakes questions during the term build engagement, encourage persistence, and can improve learning outcomes.

During labs, students work together to learn Anatomy & Physiology… plus answer these Engagement Booster Questions.

The Need
Students need to meet classmates. After two years of online-only education, returning to in-person labs is a new experience many students find uncomfortable and challenging.

The Existing Resources
Students in the same lab have several similarities that include enrolling in the same lecture section, similar schedules, the same completed prerequisites, similar majors, and career aspirations.

The Goal
Building engagement between students should help more students complete …

Working Smarter, Not Harder: Using Canvas Outcomes To Promote Student Success, Jacob D. Thompson, Beth Barrie

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Promotes the adoption of Canvas Outcomes. Canvas Learning Outcomes can bolster student success, improve program assessment and course design, and ease assessment burdens on administrators, colleges, departments, and faculty.

Ai And The Future Of Academic Integrity, Jesse Fitts, Rachel Bovard

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

In this poster, we provide recommendations for assignment types in light of the AI chatbot ChatGPT.

Interweaving Research And Teaching, Monika Neda

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

This work describes a teaching practice that is based on creating an assignment for students to work on a research project. The students will use methods learned in the class to solve a research problem and then present their findings though a class presentation.

Modeling Collaborative Research Practices With Zotero, Julian Kilker

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The early stages of research when students explore topics and evaluate resources are critical. Yet researchers can be overwhelmed by evaluating sources, organizing resources and notes, and working with collaborators. During these stages it is particularly important to model meaningful research relationships to support student success. I address these challenges by having students explore Zotero, a free “research assistant” application and web portal, as they work on structured research assignments. While Zotero is known as a powerful citation manager, my practice focuses on its features that are most relevant to storing, organizing, and sharing resources while working on both informal …

Auto-Grading For In-Class Flipped Classroom Exercises, Ed Jorgensen

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

For technical courses like computer programming, in-class inverted classroom style, low stakes practice exercises have been shown to help student increase skills and build confidence with the material. One of the key challenges for the use of such in-class exercises is the overhead associated with scoring and returning such materials or worksheets which can be a significant burden particularly for larger classes. When such exercises can be converted to multi-choice, an automated scoring system can be used. Conceptually similar to Scantron, the system uses standard paper and is scanned by standard copy machines.

An Integration Of Online Education's Career Readiness And Life Design Badging Program Into A Milestone Course, Sheila Janofsky

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

No abstract provided.

Incorporating Career And Research Experience For Student Success, Jenna Heath M.Ed., Melikabella Shenouda B.A.

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

In order to support students’ acquisition of career and professional development opportunities necessary for stable career placement, we connect students with vetted community partners through internships. To ensure proper workforce development and research skills, our internship program requires concurrent enrollment in COLA 402 - an internship development course - that is offered every semester, both in person and online. The curriculum is unique in that it is centered around real-world scenarios that student interns may expect to encounter in their workplace and/or during their hiring process (e.g., mitigating workplace conflict, interviewing, personal branding, networking, professional communication, resume reviews); such topics …

Revisiting Your Inner Child: Increasing Fys Students’ Engagement And Sense Of Belonging, Melikabella Shenouda

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

First time full time freshmen are exhibiting the desire to get involved on campus, yet much apprehension still remains. This may be attributed to the recent return of in person instruction after the impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic, as well as the palpable distance that lingered with remote learning. As such, students’ transition from fully asynchronous / web-live synchronous instruction back to in person education has been tumultuous to say the least. Freshmen continue to express written interest in campus involvement; however, several are anxious and hesitant when it comes to actually committing to group interactions, public speaking, and …

Resident Scientists-In-Schools: Harnessing Altruism In Stem, Alison Sloat

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The Resident Scientists-in-Schools and the STEM Teacher Development Academy program helps to diversify and expand the STEM pipeline in CCSD schools.

Virtual Learning: The Mentorship Model, Gabriela Zuniga

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Students who serve as teaching assistants play a critical role in students' university experience. This reality is hightened in enry-level courses targeted to first year students. It is important that these teaching assistants play an active role in these transitionary students' university career to increase students' self-sufficiency. The mentorship model is a framework in which teaching assistants for a course targeted to first-year students create community by meeting with students, tracking their progress, and introducing them to nuances about higher education that they might have otherwise been unfamiliar with. The outcomes addressed in this research comes from a diverse student …

Video Homework: Visualizing Homework Assignments To Help Comprehension, Jorge Ramon Fonseca Cacho

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Multimodal delivery of information has been shown to be preferred to one mode of delivery. Instead of only providing homework assignments to students as a PDF, printed paper, or a Canvas LMS text prompt, we propose augmenting the assignments with a video explaining it verbally, or conversationally, and visualizing the assignment. Not all students process information the same way and some may be more responsive and engaged to audio visual content than just text such as visual learners or individuals who struggle reading long text prompts.

Project F.O.C.U.S., Pi Peng Chen

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

Education is a fundamental right for everyone, including individuals with disabilities. The primary challenge students with disabilities encounter is the lack of accommodation and accessibility in schools. The second challenge is students with disabilities are often subjected to bullying, harassment, and discrimination in schools. Significantly impact students' mental health, self-esteem, and learning ability. There is a pressing need for a more inclusive and supportive learning environment.

Making Group Work Work: Constructing Groups And Assignments Based Around Relevant Assessments To Increase Student Success, James Altman

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Helping college students get the most out of their talents, is challenging even without the ongoing uncertainty of the post-Pandemic landscape. Shyness, lack of comfort with the subject matter, and fear of having their ideas dismissed, can all keep students from expressing their ideas as fully as they, and we, would like. This can lead to non-completion or plagiarism of assignments. In group settings, it can lead to one student “taking over” the project, or the rest of the group “pushing it off” on one member. Constructing groups and/or assignments based around relevant assessments, namely Myers-Briggs and “The Six Working …

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Community Partnerships, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

UNLV has been an integral part of the growth of Southern Nevada, and our efforts on campus and beyond seek to enhance our communities and make them better. UNLV is proud to have earned the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement, an important milestone on our journey that demonstrates the highest standard of recognition. This designation affirms our efforts as our faculty, staff, students, and alumni embrace the power of partnerships for the public good.

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Activity, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

UNLV is proud to be designated a Carnegie R1 institution, and our focus is framed broadly to include not only research, but scholarship and creative activity, speaking to the depth and breadth of programming we offer. We seek to increase innovation and excellence in research, with multiple interdisciplinary opportunities that further support scholarly and creative activity. Our efforts enhance student engagement opportunities and align program experiences with strategic career pathways.

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Student Achievement, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

Student Achievement involves undergraduate, graduate, and professional student success as we focus on outcomes and opportunities for students at all levels. Our efforts are aligned with workforce development, which is referred to as Career Development and Progression. The work we do is vital as we educate students that are prepared for success in their personal, civic, and professional lives.

The Void Of Covid: Cmhs, Sabrina Basharyar

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

This poster attempts to provide information on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on local high schools in Las Vegas, specifically Cimarron-Memorial High School. Findings include chronic absenteeism, phone usage, and engagement levels.