Education Commons^™

Gen Z College Students, Covid-19 Courses & Beyond, Arlene Nicholas

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

The pandemic thrust the usage of Learning Management Systems, LMS, on teachers in all levels of education. Some students and faculty, especially at the college level, were experienced in using it but many were not prepared to the degree needed when schools were forced to go online. This paper reviews undergraduate Generation Z (born after 1996) opinions and experiences of positive learning effects from doing coursework with an LMS and their eagerness to continue with flexible online educational supplements. A small case study of Human Resource students compares perceptions of Academic Year (AY) 2020-2021 with online synchronous courses and AY …

Preferred Learning Methods Of Generation Z, Arlene J. Nicholas

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Generation Z, born 1996-2010 (McNeil, 2018) or iGeneration has always had instant access to the internet, Ipods, and iphones to retrieve and transmit information that could have a strong influence on their learning style. This paper will review Generation Z learning preferences from the literature and report on a study of Generation Z business students (N = 91) in a liberal arts university. Some comparisons are made to a 2008 study of Millennials (N = 102). For example, long term papers that were rated as unimportant by 17% Millennials regarded as even less important to Gen Z by 29%.

Presented …

When Students Design Their Own Games: A Failed Experiment In A First-Year Seminar, Chad Raymond

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

This paper compares indicators of student engagement across different sections of a first-year seminar taught in Fall 2017. As part of an active learning pedagogy, students in the author’s sections of the course were clustered into teams that designed and played games on refugee migration, aid, and resettlement. Students in seminar sections taught by other faculty members experienced traditional forms of instruction that did not include game design. Data from a survey administered to students in different seminar sections did not indicate an association between game design and student engagement. Further investigation revealed substantial declines in the results of student …

Using Atlas.Ti To Facilitate Data Analysis For A Systematic Review Of Leadership Competencies In The Completion Of A Doctoral Dissertation, John Kennedy Lewis

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

The author used ATLAS.ti to conduct a systematic review of the literature on leadership competencies in fields undergoing rapid change to complete his dissertation. Studies were imported to ATLAS.ti for first, second and third stage analysis which led to the creation of final themes and concepts. The use of ATLAS.ti for coding encouraged a cyclical and iterative approach to data analysis that would have been difficult to accomplish through note cards, word processing, or spreadsheet applications. ATLAS.ti assisted with using meta-ethnography as the means of synthesizing both qualitative and quantitative research. ATLAS.ti provided the ability to make chains of multiple …

Internships: Experiential Learning, Academic Connection And Assessment, Arlene J. Nicholas

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

This paper reviews the current literature on internships and the impact internships have for students. For example, according to Gault, Leach, and Duey (2010) interns who exceeded employers' expectations were offered a 9.2% higher salary than other non-intern alumni counterparts. Employers of students who complete credit internships are required to respond to a questionnaire about the students work. However, like many other universities and colleges, students were not required to complete formal surveys of their internship. Overview of student surveys regarding their experiences and academic associations is discussed. The benefits of electronic documentation for outcomes and assessment is explained.

Use Of An Lms In Undergraduate Business Communications Courses, Arlene J. Nicholas

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Does the current college population embrace the use of technology for classwork? They may be devoted users of text messaging, Facebook and even Google, but do they take advantage of the learning tools created for their specific coursework? Does it advance their knowledge or understanding of course objectives? The cost for the university licensing, faculty and staff effort to create, upload, troubleshoot and maintain is considerable. A small case study of Business Communication students who used a learning management system (LMS) was conducted. Analysis of this study and other recent research in this pedagogical method will be reported.

The Effects Of Simulations On Global Empathy, Chad Raymond, Stephanie Jacques, Alisia Medeiros

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

The learning outcomes for college curricula typically emphasize the development of a greater understanding of and empathy for people who come from diverse cultural backgrounds. In this research project the Alexandrian Inventory, a pretest/posttest survey instrument, was administered to undergraduate students to examine which simulations used in two courses were associated with the greatest changes in students’ global empathy. An analysis of the data did not reveal a clear, statistically significant association between the simulations and empathy indicators.

Promoting Global Empathy And Engagement Through Real-Time Problem-Based Simulations: Outcomes From A Policymaking Simulation Set In Post-Earthquake Haiti, Chad Raymond, Tina Zappile, Daniel J. Beers

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

We introduce a real-time problem-based simulation in which students are tasked with drafting policy to address the challenge of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in post-earthquake Haiti from a variety of stakeholder perspectives. Students who participated in the simulation completed a quantitative survey as a pretest/posttest on global empathy, political awareness, and civic engagement, and provided qualitative data through post-simulation focus groups. The simulation was run in four courses across three campuses in a variety of instructional settings from 2013 to 2015. An analysis of the data reveals that scores on several survey items measuring global empathy and political/civic engagement increased …

Effects Of A Short-Duration Online Simulation On Global Empathy, Chad Raymond, Sally Gomaa

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

In an investigation of whether a particular instructional method is associated with greater global empathy among students, undergraduates were exposed to information about Haiti through lecture, news video, or an online game that simulated life in Haiti. Our hypothesis was that students would exhibit greater global empathy after playing the interactive online simulation than they would after hearing the lecture or watching the videos. Average scores for survey questions varied according to the instructional method, as did students behavioral responses during the experiment, but the variations were not statistically significant. A larger sample, a longer duration experiment, or the exclusion …

Piloting A Networked Curriculum, Chad Raymond, Traci B. Warrington

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

This pilot study examined student learning outcomes and potential instructional cost savings in an undergraduate Principles of Marketing course that combined online delivery of content, flipped classroom and experiential application for on-campus classes, referred to as a networked curriculum. This model separated the traditional 3-credit course into a common online content section and a smaller application section. Student learning and engagement outcomes in the networked curriculum were compared with a traditional lecture format, and no significant differences were found. Potential savings in classroom space utilization and faculty compensation encourage further research of this model.

Outsourcing Learning: Is The Statecraft Simulation An Effective Pedagogical Alternative?, Chad Raymond

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Although rising costs have been a general trend in higher education since the early 20th century, a fundamental restructuring of the higher education marketplace is currently underway. In recent decades students and their parents have been forced to finance college education through greater and greater debt. As a result, students and their families are increasingly demanding that institutions of higher learning provide evidence of value. Universities must now ask what methods of instruction most efficiently expand a student's knowledge base. Can instruction that has been traditionally supplied in a physical classroom be delivered more effectively at lower cost through digital …

Can't Get No (Dis)Satisfaction: The Statecraft Simulation's Effect On Student Decision Making, Chad Raymond

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Simulations are often employed as content-teaching tools in political science, but their effect on students reasoning skills is rarely assessed. This paper explores what effect the Statecraft simulation might have on undergraduate students perceptions of their decision making. As noted by the psychologist Daniel Kahneman (2012: 203), decisions are often evaluated on the basis of whether their outcomes are good or bad, not whether a sound reasoning process was used to reach them. A survey was administered at multiple points in an international relations course to gauge students satisfaction with the decision-making processes and outcomes in their respective teams during …

Assessment In Simulations, Chad Raymond, Simon Usherwood

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Simulations are employed widely as teaching tools in political science, yet evidence of their pedagogical effectiveness, in comparison to other methods of instruction, is mixed. The assessment of learning outcomes is often a secondary concern in simulation design, and the qualitative and quantitative methods used to evaluate outcomes are frequently based on faulty paradigms of the learning process and inappropriate indicators. Correctly incorporating assessment into simulation design requires that an instructor identify whether a simulation should produce positive changes in students' substantive knowledge, skills, and/or affective characteristics. The simulation must then be assessed in ways that accurately measure whether these …

Ethical Implementation Of An Automated Essay Scoring (Aes) System: A Case Study Of Student And Instructor Use, Satisfaction, And Perceptions Of Aes In A Business Law Course, John K. Lewis

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

A pilot study of a vendor provided automated essay scoring system was conducted in a Business Law class of 27 students. Students answered a business law fact pattern question which was reviewed and graded by the textbook vendor utilizing artificial intelligence software. Students were surveyed on their use, satisfaction, perceptions and technical issues utilizing the Write Experience automated essay scoring (AES) software. The instructor also chronicles the adoption, set up and use of an AES. Also detailed are the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing such software in an undergraduate course environment where some students may not be technologically adept or …

Missing The Trees For The Forest? Learning Environments Versus Learning Techniques In Simulations, Chad Raymond

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Institutions of higher learning are increasingly asked to defend curricular and pedagogical outcomes. Faculty must demonstrate that simulations are productive tools for learning, but a review of the literature shows that the evidence of their effectiveness is inconclusive, despite their popularity in the classroom. Simulations may in fact help students learn, but the pedagogical benefits of simulations may be being attributed too generally to the learning environments that they supposedly produce, rather than the specific learning modalities that occur within them. The paper concludes with a recommendation that educators choose particular learning techniques first, and then build simulations around these …

Is Free Really Cost-Effective? A Case Study Of Open Access E-Textbook Usage In Several Undergraduate Business Courses., Arlene J. Nicholas, John K. Lewis

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

This paper reviews the current trends and costs of e-textbooks and reports on the usage and satisfaction of students using freely available open access e-textbooks in six sections of different business courses. It also examines how students utilize their textbooks, and if the problems associated with using an e-textbook outweigh the main benefit of a free e-textbook.

Do Role-Playing Simulations Generate Measurable And Meaningful Outcomes? A Simulation’S Effect On Exam Scores And Teaching Evaluations, Chad Raymond

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Role-playing simulations are frequently claimed to be effective pedagogical tools in the teaching of international relations; however, there is a surprising lack of empirical evidence on their classroom utility. The assessment of simulations remains mostly anecdotal, and some recent research has found little to no statistically significant improvements in quantitative measures of academic performance among students who participated in them (e.g,, Krain and Lantis 2006; Powner and Allendoerfer 2008). Scant research has been conducted on how role-playing simulations might affect students’ perceptions of the instructor’s teaching. This paper investigates whether a simulation had statistically significant effect on students’ exam scores …

Collaboration, Commitment, And Communication: Tales From The Road Of Continuous Performance Improvement, M. Therese Antone, Rsm

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Performance in higher education is strongly tied to accountability—accountability that goes beyond financial matters and includes assessment of academic achievement. The demands of accountability, both from the faculty and from the institution, are critical performance requirements for the higher education industry. In the past, institutional performance or success was very often measured by endowment, the number of student applications, the rate of matriculation from that application pool, and the graduation rate. Higher education has moved far beyond that for a real assessment of performance.

The Net Generation And E-Textbooks, Arlene J. Nicholas, John K. Lewis

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

The traditional college student of today is part of the Net Generation who has been raised in an era of instant access. Their communication and learning is complemented by the Internet, a major influence on this cohort (Roberts, 2005). The regular method of contact is text messaging, instant messaging and cell phones. Learning methods for the Net Generation includes Internet tools such as Web-CT, Blackboard, online courses, online journals and i-pod downloads. Students were surveyed for their attitudes on using and learning with e-textbooks. Their views depict the changing attitudes towards media as precipitated by network connectivity popular with this …

Is Teleworking For Millennials?, Arlene J. Nicholas, Indira Guzman

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

While research has examined generational attitudes regarding work, there are limited studies on the expectations of the newest workforce, the Millennials (born 1981- 1999). This study looks at the Millennials’ attitudes toward autonomy, work/life balance, perceived computer competence and its relationship with telework preference. Using a survey instrument, a sample representing 195 Millennials and 68 non-Millennials were scrutinized to determine their preferences by group. Partial support was found for the effect of autonomy and work/life balance toward the preference to telework. Millennials do not seem to prefer teleworking. However, differences between males and females depicted greater interest in males.

Ethics Across The Curriculum, Or, On Being Bilingual, Lois Eveleth

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Both philosophical ethical systems and religious ethics are eminently desirable in higher education today. And, like two languages, and despite the differences, they can and should complement each other. In an increasingly secular milieu, our graduates will have to be "bilingual."

Preferred Learning Methods Of The Millennial Generation, Arlene J. Nicholas

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

The learning and communication style of the Millennial generation is through multi-media. Also known as the Net Generation, they have been raised in an era of instant access Their common method of contact is text messaging and instant messaging as well as cell phones. Learning for them has moved into web-based tools such as web-ct, online journals, and i-pod downloads. The attitudes of Millennial generation students from a small private college were measured regarding the style of learning they use, prefer and which method they perceive has resulted most successfully in their acquiring and retaining knowledge.

Millennial Attitudes Toward Books And E-Books, Arlene J. Nicholas, John Lewis

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

The Millennial generation is the most computer literate generation to enter the workforce. Also known as the Net Generation, those born from 1981- 2001 have been raised in an era of instant access. The 3x5 index card to them is a historic relic said to have been used for cross references in the library and recipes. Their learning and communication style is through multi-media. The common method of contact is text messaging and instant messaging as well as cell phones. Learning has even moved into web-based tools such as web-ct, online journals and i-pod downloads. The value of traditional books …

The Use Of A Middle East Crisis Simulation In An International Relations Course, Chad Raymond, Kerstin Sorensen

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

No abstract provided.