Education Commons^™

Bridging The Information Literacy Gap: First-Year Students Reflect For Success, Jennifer L. Fabbi, Dan Gianoutsos, David Forgues

Library Faculty Presentations

UNLV Context

• Fall 2011: 22,138 undergraduate students; 72% were fulltime; 5135 freshmen with a 76.4% first-yr retention rate (2010 to 2011); 40.6% six-year graduation rate

• Budget-induced movement to large-enrollment classes – Program eliminations and consolidations underway

• General Education Reform developments – Articulation of University Undergraduate Learning Outcomes, especially Inquiry and Critical Thinking – New general education requirements extending vertically throughout the curriculum

• Focus on enhancing the first-year experience for incoming students

U.S. Student Achievement From A Global Perspective, Thomas Loveless

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Tom Loveless, a former sixth-grade teacher and Harvard public policy professor, is an expert on student achievement, education policy, and reform in K-12 schools. He also is a member of the National Math Advisory Panel. What do we know about U.S. students' academic achievement compared to students in other countries? The talk will present the latest evidence on U.S. performance on international tests and examine long term trends. In addition, the performance of Nevada and Las Vegas students will be reviewed in the context of national and international assessments.

Walking Box Ranch Custodianship Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV provides stewardship of Walking Box Ranch (WBR) by providing a caretaker who oversees the property, facilitating use of the property by researchers and educators, developing a use and research policy for the property, and coordinating these activities with BLM and in accordance with TNC restrictions.
• UNLV currently addresses security issues for the property through the presence of the caretaker and two Metro Officers who reside on the property in two recreational vehicles.
• UNLV is working with new BLM employees Glen Marsh and Audrey Asselin to address continuing deterioration of the ranch house. UNLV has suggested to BLM that they …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV’s President Smatresk has reiterated his commitment to the WBR project and has further committed full funding for IT and security costs.
• UNLV participated in a one-half day meeting with BLM to discuss the future WBR operating agreement between BLM and UNLV; UNLV participated in a 1.5 day meeting to review the 100% Design drawings.
• UNLV continues to wait on BLM for direction on how to mitigate the continuing deterioration of the ranch house.
• Weather station research continues and has produced the following this past quarter. 1) Ground-source heat pump (GSHP) Vs Photovoltaic (PV) technology: A detailed analysis comparing these …

Police Blotter, Unlv Department Of Police Services

Police Blotter

No abstract provided.

School Program Planning To Increase Active Transport To School, Brenda Aguilar

McNair Poster Presentations

Studies have shown that active transport is known to increase physical activity of children, decrease traffic congestion and the production of greenhouse gasses. This study examines active transport to school (ATS) [walking, biking, or other self-powered wheels to school] among elementary students. Through the Nevada Moves Day program an increase proportion of elementary students who use ATS was expected.

This study was done at two elementary schools, one being the intervention school that participated in the Nevada Moves Day, and a control school, which did not participate. Data was collected over a three week period. Students using active transport and …

Hrc Enews — 2012 Winter, Megan M. Iudice

Publications (HRC)

This issue contains staff accomplishments and announcements, event listings, and a "new faces" listing for new staff, affiliates, and researchers.

Is The Loop Really Closed?: The Assessment And Reassessment Of Communications 101 Learning Outcomes, Carrie A. Gaxiola

Library Faculty Presentations

Conclusion: The students received good grades from Phase I library instruction, however did they really learn what we targeted? We could not really say for sure. This case study reveals that an appropriate method and instruments are imperative for retrieving valid data. This case also displays the importance of collaboration and teamwork. Communication was always open between all members of the team as well as with the library instruction department. We were able to forge a great relationship with the Communication Studies Director– the libraries’ liaison and the Communication Studies Director authored a textbook chapter together about the library for …

Predictors Of Parental Involvement In Immigrant Chinese American Families, Pamela Cornejo, Cathy Anicama, Qing Zhou

McNair Poster Presentations

Parental involvement (PI) relates to children’s positive outcomes but few studies have examined factors of PI, particularly among immigrant families. The current study examines how contextual characteristics influence PI behaviors within Chinese immigrant families and potential mediating factors. Percentage of Asian students in schools and Parents’ report of education. English and Chinese proficiency, employment status and income were analyzed as predictors of PI behavior (i.e., parental involvement- home (PIH), parental involvement- School (PIS), parent-teacher contact (PTC)), based on parent and teacher report. Parental beliefs such as parent and teacher roles, perception of impact and ability, and endorsement of school were …

High School Graduation And Dropout Rates In Nevada, Tiffany G. Tyler, Sandra D. Owens

Social Health of Nevada Reports

The causes and consequences of high school dropout rates are multifaceted and of great importance to society, and that is why this problem has been the subject of close scrutiny by educators, researchers, administrators, politicians and laypersons. Experts do not always agree on the nature of this social problem, but they have pinpointed its economic and social costs, identified key risk factors, and outlined most promising policy options for improving high school graduation rates in our society.

Academic Achievement And School Resources, Tiffany G. Tyler, Douglas L. Garner, Marie A. Wakefield, Roger Cleveland, Sandra D. Owens

Social Health of Nevada Reports

This chapter examines the national and local trends in educational policy, focusing in particular on Nevada’s academic achievement, standardized test performance, available school resources, and unmet needs. The discussion begins with the concept of academic achievement and the ways it is measured. After that, we analyze the policies impacting academic achievement, most notably the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Next, we suggest the strategies to improve academic performance in the Nevada K12 System and make recommendations to increase parental involvement in education and encourage culturally competent policies of bringing together children, families, and schools. Finally, we discuss the resources …

Hitch Your Wagon To Institutional Goals, Anne E. Zald, Michelle Millet

Library Faculty Publications

The landscape of accreditation and accountability in higher education is in a period of rapid change, coalescing around issues identified in the 2006 report of the Spellings Commission, “A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education.” Information literacy librarians need to connect their instructional efforts to the institutional strategies and initiatives that address continuous improvement whatever their source, e.g. accreditation agencies, funding bodies such as state legislatures, institutional participation in the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), University & College Accountability Network (U-CAN), or internal initiatives of the institution’s administration. The challenge for instruction librarians is great, requiring …

Notes From The Field: 10 Short Lessons On One-Shot Instruction, Megan Oakleaf, Steven Hoover, Beth S. Woodard, Jennifer Corbin, Randy Hensley, Diana K. Wakimoto, Christopher V, Hollister, Debra Gilchrist, Michelle Millet, Patricia A. Iannuzzi

Library Faculty Publications

Librarians teach. It might not be what we planned to do when we entered the profession, or it may have been our secret hope all along. Either way, we teach. We teach users of all types, including students, faculty, and our co-workers. We teach in multiple venues including classrooms, reference desks, face-to-face, and online. While the variety of teaching audiences and environments are endless, one teaching scenario remains quintessential: the one-shot library instruction session. No one knows better than librarians the limitations of this format, yet it remains central to our teaching efforts.

Addressing Academic Integrity: Perspectives From Virginia Commonwealth University In Qatar, Nancy E. Fawley

Library Faculty Publications

Understanding the cultural aspects that affect a student’s ability to appropriately use resources is important in developing outreach and instruction in multicultural settings. Differences in educational philosophies, students’ previous scholastic training and cultural differences in individual motivation are all factors that may affect a freshman’s ability to understand an American university’s idea of academic integrity and can inadvertently cause problems where independent work and critical thinking are required. At Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCU Qatar), a branch campus of the American university in the Middle East, a special class on academic integrity and ethical behavior was integrated into the …