Education Commons^™

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels) Baseline Survey Of Transfers Entering Western In The Fall, 2012, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Peter Felt, Beth Hartsoch, John M. Krieg

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The WELS Baseline Survey of Transfers Entering Western in the Fall, 2012 (Transfer Survey) is the companion survey to the Office of Survey Research’s (OSR) survey of incoming freshmen. Together, these surveys elicit information from students prior to the start of their Western academic careers and provide an initial contact in a longitudinal survey design that follows students through graduation and into their initial years as alumni. The Transfer Survey is designed with three purposes in mind: (1) to provide baseline observations of students prior to the Western experience that can be used to forecast and enhance student success; (2) …

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels) Baseline Survey Of Freshmen Entering Western In The Fall, 2012: Descriptive Statistics, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Peter Felt, Beth Hartsoch, John M. Krieg

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The Fall 2012 Baseline Survey of Freshmen Entering Western (Freshmen Survey) continues the Office of Survey Research’s (OSR) efforts to collect information on all students prior to the start of their academic careers at Western Washington University. This survey represents the initial contact in a longitudinal process that makes inquiries of students at the end of their sophomore year, when they graduate from the university, and one to two years after graduation. The Freshmen Survey is designed with three purposes in mind: (1) to provide baseline observations of students prior to their Western experience which can be used to forecast …

Spring 2012 Follow-Up Survey Of Freshmen Who Entered In The Fall Of 2010: Descriptive Statistics, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Beth Hartsoch, John M. Krieg

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The Spring 2012 Follow-Up Survey of Freshmen Who Entered Western in 2010 (2nd Year Survey) is part of a longitudinal effort to survey students with a goal to improve educational programs and provide self -assessment data. Together with the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, the Office of Survey Research (OSR) designed this survey in an attempt to shed light on the efficacy and satisfaction with first year and GUR programs. This particular survey also received input from other campus offices which provides opportunities for these offices to address their specific needs. The 2nd Year Survey consists of a mixture of …

Exit Survey Of Undergraduate Students Completing Degrees In Summer 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, And Spring 2012: Descriptive Statistics, John M. Krieg, Beth Hartsoch, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Peter Felt

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The Exit Survey of Undergraduate Students Completing Degrees in Summer, 2011 through Spring of 2012 (Exit Survey) is the fourth survey of graduating students conducted at Western Washington University. This survey is designed to illuminate departmental-, college-, and university-level information on student satisfaction, barriers to success, experiences in upper division courses, and postgraduation plans. The exit survey also includes questions submitted to the Office of Survey Research (OSR) by the Division of Enrollment and Student Services, University Residences, and the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education. The Exit Survey consists of a mixture of open-ended, multiple-choice and numerical response questions. This …

Listening To Children: Perceptions Of Nature And Biophilia At Mountain School, Donald J. Burgess, Jolie Mayer-Smith

Secondary Education

This exploratory study investigates children’s perceptions and experiences of nature during a residential outdoor environmental education program and contributes to an understanding of how nature experiences arouse biophilia, a love of life and all living things.

How can we promote a responsible attitude and caring view of the earth and its inhabitants among young people? Limited research suggests that contact with the natural world, especially during middle childhood, occupies a surprisingly important place in a child’s emotional responsiveness and receptivity.

Scaling-Up And Rooting-Down: A Case Study Of North-South Partnerships For Health From Tanzania, J. Hope Corbin, Maurice B. Mittelmark, Gro Th. Lie

Woodring College of Education Faculty Publications

Background: North-South Partnership (NSP) is the mandated blueprint for much global health action. Northern partners contribute funding and expertise and Southern partners contribute capacity for local action. Potential Northern partners are attracted to Southern organizations that have a track record of participating in well-performing NSPs. This often leads to the rapid ‘scaling up’ of the Southern organization’s activities, and more predictable and stable access to resources. Yet, scaling up may also present challenges and threats, as the literature on rapid organization growth shows. However, studies of the impact of scaling up within NSPs in particular are absent from the …

Undergraduate Research Programs And The Academic Library, Nancy Cunningham, Richard Pollenz Ph.D., Drew Smith, Mark I. Greenberg Ph.D.

Western Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Undergraduate research (UR) programs attract highly motivated students who often continue on to graduate/professional schools but may lack necessary information literacy skills. Collaboration with UR programs provides librarians new opportunities to help students develop these skills and work with specialized collections in the context of a research experience. In this webinar, librarians and UR administrators share their experiences in forging collaborations based on UR and library training resources, explain how information literacy skills programming has been embedded into UR, and demonstrate how this partnership has led to greater visibility of library services, collections and UR among all undergraduates.

Integrating Language Diversity Into Teacher Education Curricula: Teacher Candidates' Developmental Perspectives And Understandings, Jeasik Cho, Francisco Rios, Allen Trent, Kerrita K. Mayfield

Woodring College of Education Faculty Publications

This study took place at the University of Wyoming, located in the rural mountain West. The University of Wyoming, with approximately 13,000 students, is the only four-year university in the state.The teacher education population of the College of Education is about 600, and demographically, this population is about 90% White, predominately female, and from rural communities across the state and other states that border Wyoming. Likewise, most school districts in the state of Wyoming are less diverse (ethnically, racially, and linguistically) than the national averages. Given this context, the College of Education has tried to address issues of diversity at …

Lummi Youth Riparian Education Program, Kirsten Moore

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Lummi Youth Riparian Education Program, an Honors project by Kirsten Moore. It is a series of educational activities to be performed at Marietta Slough in order to fulfill the educational component of the grant written by Lummi Natural Resources.

As defined by the grant, "Lummi Youth" includes students grades 3-12. The following lesson plans are aligned to the Washington State Learning Standards for grades 3, 4-5, and 6-8, with the intention of involving students grades 9-12 in leadership/mentor roles. The lesson plans are similar from grade level to grade level, primarily varying in topics and depth of discussion. My hope …

Diversity Climate Report: 2010-2011 Heri Faculty Survey, Western Washington University. Equal Opportunity Office

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

To further Western’s commitment to supporting diverse faculty, and in response to the priorities of campus groups, including the Faculty Senate, Minority Employee Council, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Advocacy Council, Western contracted with the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA to conduct their nationally recognized Faculty Survey. Western selected HERI due to its highly respected work developing and administering campus surveys and its ability to provide benchmark data from peer institutions who participated in the 2010-2011 Faculty Survey. Western’s Equal Opportunity (EO) Office facilitated the HERI Faculty Survey and served as the primary point of contact …

Staff Engagement And Diversity Climate Survey Report, Fall 2012, Western Washington University. Equal Opportunity Office

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

BACKGROUND In order to continue to improve Western’s campus climate and employee engagement and to enhance the University’s commitment to diversity, President Shepard facilitated the distribution of a Staff Engagement and Diversity Climate Survey (Staff Survey) on October 31, 2012. Western had conducted similar studies for faculty and students, and it was critical that the views and opinions of classified and professional staff also be collected in order to identify areas in need of improvement, work on those areas, and ascertain progress. The Human Resources Office developed a 49 item survey instrument addressing issues of staff engagement. The Equal Opportunity …

Mythology, Madness And Laughter: Subjectivity In German Idealism – Book Review, Andrea Gogrof

Global Humanities and Religion

No abstract provided.

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Baseline Survey Of Freshmen Entering Western In The Fall, 2011, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Beth Hartsoch, John M. Krieg, Keiran Seaman

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The Fall, 2011 Baseline Survey of Freshmen Entering Western (Freshmen Survey) continues the Office of Survey Research’s (OSR) efforts to collect information on all students prior to the start of their academic careers at Western Washington University. This survey represents the initial contact in a longitudinal process that makes inquiries of students at the end of their sophomore year, when they graduate from the university, and one to two years after graduation. The Freshmen Survey is designed with three purposes in mind: (1) to provide baseline observations of students prior to their Western experience which can be used to forecast …

The International Union For Health Promotion And Education (Iuhpe) Student And Early Career Network (Isecn): A Case Illustrating Three Strategies For Maximizing Synergy In Professional Collaboration, Hope Corbin, Emily A. Fisher, Torill Bull

Woodring College of Education Faculty Publications

The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) Student and Early Career Network (ISECN) was constructed upon a foundation of research, using the Bergen Model of Collaborative Functioning (BMCF) as a blueprint to inform its leadership, communication, structure, and culture. The BMCF consists of inputs (partners, mission, and financial resources), throughputs (operational processes), and outputs (synergy and antagony). In this commentary, we use the BMCF to describe the ISECN work, highlighting opportunities, successes, and challenges. We also put forward three strategies derived from the BMCF that have been purposefully employed by ISECN to maximize its production of synergy from …

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels) Baseline Survey Of Transfers Entering Western In The Fall, 2011, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Beth Hartsoch, John M. Krieg, Keiran Seaman

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The WELS Baseline Survey of Transfers Entering Western in the Fall, 2011 (Transfer Survey) is the companion survey to the Office of Survey Research’s (OSR) survey of incoming freshmen. Together, these surveys elicit information from students prior to the start of their Western academic careers and provide an initial contact in a longitudinal survey design that follows students through graduation and into their initial years as alumni. The Transfer Survey is designed with three purposes in mind: (1) to provide baseline observations of students prior to the Western experience that can be used to forecast and enhance student success; (2) …

Backwards By Design Assessment Project, Linda Keeler

Backward by Design Mini-Studies

Currently, KIN 321 Sociology of Sport is the only sociocultural class in the kinesiology program and perhaps, one of the only sociology courses that kinesiology students will ever take. It is quite common that a sport sociology course is the first (and unfortunately only) upper class course that forces the students to critically analyze the underpinnings and values of the sport institution in which many are working so hard to promote. Since the class is approached from a conflict theorist approach (i.e., what I like to call the nitpick theory) and often challenges long held beliefs, a key threshold concept …

Using Service-Learning To Teach Threshold Concepts, Helen Morgan Parmett

Backward by Design Mini-Studies

The course I chose to focus on for the Backwards by Design retreat and for this particular study is Communication 244: Advocacy through Media. This course enjoins students to critically consider how media can be used as a tool to advocate for social and political change, and, especially for social justice. Students engage with scholarly and activist literature on theories of media, social change, and advocacy as well as case studies of media makers who intervene in the process of social change. Students’ critical acumen is sharpened through participating in a service-learning project, where students learn how to apply theories …

Backwards By Design Project Assessment Write-Up, Michelle Saint

Backward by Design Mini-Studies

In Fall 2012, I taught Phil 355: Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art. I used this course as an opportunity to test a new pedagogical technique. I will call this pedagogical technique the Incremental Exercises Model (IEM). Below, I will quickly summarize the course and its learning goals. Second, I will explain my previous method of meeting these learning goals. Third, I will explain IEM and how I implemented it in this particular class. Finally, I will provide some concluding observations about the successes and failures of this technique.

Backwards By Design Implementation Report, Kristina Luce

Backward by Design Mini-Studies

As part of my participation in the Backwards by Design Retreat during summer of 2012, I chose to design the first course of the three-part series of courses on writing required for the Art History Major. A/HI 271: Introduction to Writing and Critical Thinking is also a GUR.

My goal overarching goal was to implement the idea of a threshold concept within the course, and during the retreat I identified that concept as:

In academic writing, well-grounded claims are understood to emerge out of evidence, but in art historical writing, as in any interpretive writing, it is essential to understand …

A Process For Engagement With Threshold Concepts In Spanish Composition, Sean Dwyer

Backward by Design Mini-Studies

Numerous practices and assignments discussed at the 2012 Backwards by Design Curriculum Workshop appeal to me as sources of creativity in the classroom. Some will suit courses I teach in the future. For this year, I faced an issue: I am working with students whose classroom vocabulary is equivalent to that of a three-year-old, because I am teaching first-year Spanish.

The most applicable idea, one that energized me greatly, was the identification of threshold concepts. Working backward from that identification, I sought ways to implement practices that would, I hoped, bring those concepts permanently into my students’ approach to writing …

/Ɡizəskɪfi/ (Give Me A Clue) - Linguistic Features Of Scottish Accents And Dialects, Sarah Knudsen

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Powerpoint presentation describing the author's research, conducted in Scotland, regarding Scottish dialectal features and the sociolinguistic connotations associated with the dialects. Outside research is also incorporated.

Environmental Education Plan For The Valdivian Coastal Reserve, Hillary Landers

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

For my Honors senior project, I developed a 3-year environmental education plan for the Reserva Costera Valdiviana (RCV), a nature reserve located in southern Chile, owned and funded by the Nature Conservancy. Because it is owned by a non-profit organization, this reserve has limited funding and resources. Five park rangers run and maintain it year round, and during the school year they put on environmental education workshops for the neighboring schools of Huiro, Chaihum, and Huape. Because the park rangers have little extra time and no college-level education, they asked me to design an environmental education plan for these workshops, …