Education Commons^™

Common Data Set 2005-06, Kirk England

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Common Data Set

Klipsun Magazine, 2006, Volume 37, Issue 02 - November, Taune Sweet

Klipsun Magazine

In the face of opposition, it is often hard for a person to stay true to his or herself. We've all faced personal challenges that make us question who we are or what we're doing. For me, that challenge was believing in myself. When I first started taking journalism courses Spring quarter 2005, I wasn't sure if I was cut out for the major - the workload seemed too much. But I stayed with it, knowing that writing is one of my grea­test skills and passions. Now, only a quarter away from graduation. I'm seeing more and more each day …

Western Alumni, Class Of 2005 - Spring 2006 Survey Findings, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Sara Jones, Richard Bulcroft, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Western’s first Alumni Survey was conducted in 1988; it’s development and administration was in response to the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HEC Board) requirement to survey graduates every biennially. Western was done so diligently and reliably since. Twenty years on, as academic concerns have changed, so has the survey; however, the original “fourteen common items” proscribed by the HEC Board have remained. Similarly, the administration of the survey adapted: from a paper-and-pencil only mail-out form to the current on-line and telephone method. Yet regardless of the type of administration, satisfactory response rates have been attained. The current report includes data …

The Planet, 2006, Fall, Shawn C. Query, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Klipsun Magazine, 2006, Volume 37, Issue 01 - September, Kate M. Miller

Klipsun Magazine

I can still remember how eager I was to come to college my first quarter at Western four years ago. I don't think I slept more than a few hours the night before. Not because I was scared, and not because I was nervous. It was because I couldn't wait to explore life through the eyes of a college student.

I didn't believe people when they said it would go by fast. Four years seems like a long time to an 18- year-old. Well it isn't.

I can't help but feel excited when I think that the stories in this …

The Freshmen Interest Group (Figs) Program Report: Fall, 2006, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Chris Stark, Patricia M. Fabiano

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

INTRODUCTION In the fall, 2006, the Freshman Interest Group (FIGs) Program entered its eighth interation. To use assessment terminology, the program has passed through its beginning and emergent stages and has entered maturity. Its mission has been crafted, student learning outcomes (SLO's) have been identified, and its identity has solidified. (Please see Appendix One to read the FIGs mission statement, course criteria, student learning outcomes, and other FIGs-related documents.) Yet while maturity has wrought a degree of self-confidence, it has not brought complacency.The program remains one of the most assessed academic programs on campus. Yearly, FIGs administrators and instructors pore …

Window On Western, 2006, Volume 12, Issue 03, Dee Johnson, Alumni, Foundation, And Office Of University Communications, Western Washington University

Window on Western

No abstract provided.

Figs: Summary Report, Western Washington University. Office Of Survey Research

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Selected excerpts from focus group conducted with FIGS faculty and seminar instructors in Spring '06 by the Office of Survey Research.

Fye Seminars: Summary Report, Western Washington University. Office Of Survey Research

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Selected Excerpts from Focus Groups Conducted with FYE Seminar instructors In Spring ’06 by The Office of Survey Research.

New Student Programs: Summary Report, Western Washington University. Office Of Survey Research

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Excerpts from Focus Groups with Program Coordinators, Students, OSA’s and RA’s about Programs for New Students Conducted Spring ‘06 by the Office of Survey Research.

Klipsun Magazine, 2006, Volume 36, Issue 06 - May, Kate M. Miller

Klipsun Magazine

Change is scary. Staying in the comfort of the familiar is always easier than venturing into the unknown. That is why I am always inspired by people willing to innovate. It takes courage to look toward the new to amend the old.

Stories such as "Wave of the Future" and "Baker's New Breakfast" show how finding new ways to accomplish old goals can be a good thing. From the first bilingual school north of Seattle to an animal shelter that found an alternative to euthanizing, people are thinking outside of the box.

I hope readers, when reading this issue of …

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Survey Of In-Coming Transfers In Transition, Late Fall Quarter, 2005, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Sara Jones, Richard Bulcroft, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

INTRODUCTION The Western Educational Longitudinal Study (WELS) was conceived as a process to obtain data more relevant to Western and its mission than survey data had been able to obtain previously. Rather than continuing to rely on outside survey forms, researchers developed a Western-specific survey form. Development of this survey took about three years, with researchers soliciting input from dozens of individuals, departments and offices. Along the way, WELS researchers also noted where data was already being collected so that doubling up on survey questions was minimized. The final survey form was considered by all participants to be as thorough …

Klipsun Magazine, 2006, Volume 36, Issue 05 - April, Shannon Barney

Klipsun Magazine

I read somewhere how the greatest gift in life is having the serenity to accept the things you cannot change, the courage to change the things you can, and, most importantly, the wisdom to know the difference.

Granted, it's easier said than done, but in life we do make choices, and each one is part of a bigger picture. Therefore, make each choice with courage and conviction — without looking back.

You never know where your choices will lead you. They could direct you to a career in glass blowing, into the depths of the sea in a submarine, or …

The Planet, 2006, Spring, Sarah M. Kuck, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

First-Time, In-Coming Transfers And Freshmen: A Comparison Of Survey Findings, Richard Bulcroft, Joseph E. Trimble, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

This report presents Western Educational Longitudinal Study (WELS) findings from three surveys: 1) the baseline survey of first-time, in-coming transfers administered in the summer and early fall of 2005; 2) the baseline survey of first-time, in-coming freshmen administered in the summer and early fall of 2003; and 3) the follow-up survey of fall, 2003, freshmen, including those who did and who did not take the WELS baseline survey in the spring of 2005.

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Fall, 2005, Baseline Survey Of In-Coming Freshmen, Richard Bulcroft, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Sara Jones, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The Western Educational Longitudinal Study (WELS) was conceived as a process to obtain data more relevant to Western and its mission than survey data had been able to obtain previously. Rather than continuing to rely on outside survey forms, researchers developed a Western-specific survey form. Development of this survey took about three years, with researchers soliciting input from dozens of individuals, departments and offices. Along the way, WELS researchers also noted where data was already being collected so that doubling up on survey questions was minimized. The final survey form was considered by all participants to be as thorough and …

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels) Freshmen In Transition: Students Who Entered As Freshmen In Fall Quarter, 2005, Survyed At The End Of Fall Quarter, 2005, Richard Bulcroft, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Sara Jones, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

This report presents findings from the end-of-fall-quarter, 2005, "transitions" survey for freshmen.

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Fall, 2005 Baseline Survey Of In-Coming Transfers, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Richard Bulcroft, Sara Jones, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The survey questions for the transfer student WELS were developed similarly to the previous WELS surveys. WELS researchers contacted various departments and individuals at Western to discuss information they needed about Western's transfer students. Additionally, WELS researchers conducted a focus group of transfer students in order to obtain insight into the transfer student population at Western and identify areas where transfer students differed from the rest of the Western population. Some questions were chosen to parallel previous WELS surveys. Transfer students were asked questions on a variety of topics including previous educational experiences, transfer student orientation, expectations about their Western …

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels) Transfer In Transition: Students Who Entered As Transfers In The Fall Quarter, 2005, Surveyed At The End Of Fall Quarter, 2005, Richard Bulcroft, Linda D. (Linda Darlene) Clark, Sara Jones, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

This report presents findings from the end-of-fall-quarter, 2005, "transitions" survey for transfers.

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Fall, 2005, Baseline Survey Of In-Coming Freshmen, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Richard Bulcroft, Sara Jones

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

INTRODUCTION The Western Educational Longitudinal Study (WELS) was conceived as a process to obtain data more relevant to Western and its mission than survey data had been able to obtain previously. Rather than continuing to rely on outside survey forms, researchers developed a Western-specific survey form. Development of this survey took about three years, with researchers soliciting input from dozens of individuals, departments and offices. Along the way, WELS researchers also noted where data was already being collected so that doubling up on survey questions was minimized. The final survey form was considered by all participants to be as thorough …

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Spring 2005, Follow-Up Of Freshmen Entering Fall, 2003, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Richard Bulcroft, Sara Jones

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Technical report for the WELS survey of sophomores in the spring, 2005. Many of these respondents had previously taken the WELS baseline survey in the fall, 2003. Topics include: registering, advising, majors, GURs, work, difficulties, and the use of academic and library technologies.

Oracy To Literacy: How Can Speech-Language Pathologists In The Schools Collaborate With Teachers Regarding Literacy?, Victoria L. (Victoria Louise) Goodall

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The concept of a connection between oral language and literacy is not new. However, prior to the 1990s, this relationship was not given the substantial credit it deserves (Butler, 1999). In attempt to describe this connection, the term “oracy” has been created. The word “oracy” encapsulates the concept of oral communication and comprehension as building the foundation for literacy. Recent research has brought the significance of this idea to the attention of those involved in literacy in the schools. As a result of changes in our understanding of how children become literate, professionals involved in literacy must adapt to broadened …

The Impact Of Digitization On Research And Libraries’ Roles, Kristin N. Kohles

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Digitization is a broad term used when describing turning written text, visual media, and audio into a format readable by a computer. It can mean anything from creating the original digitally or transferring a non-digital format into a digital one. This makes it a difficult topic because everyone has their own idea of what it means, and most of their definitions fall into the broad one. This paper will focus on written text being digitized in a variety of ways.

Moneysense, Angela Martin

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Money is something that permeates everyone’s daily lives. No matter who you are, rich or poor, white or black, college educated or a high school drop out, everyone has to deal with money at some level. Getting a job, opening a savings account, budgeting for one’s monthly bills, and using a credit card are activities that most men and women will experience at some point in their lives. Everyone has to deal with money but few actually receive any type of formal training or education on exactly how to do these things.

Learning by ones mistakes is common when it …

Evolution And Intelligent Design In Biology Curricula: Secular Science In A Multicultural Public Education System, Morgan Leona Hopson

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Science and religion tend to provide conflicting explanations for natural phenomena, such as the origin of man, as they rely on different epistemological foundations. In the United States, the government is required to maintain a secular presence, while acknowledging and protecting individuals and minority groups of varying faiths and cultures. This becomes problematic as the provision of primary goods by the federal government necessarily implies that the institutions representing these goods must remain secular, whilst not impeding upon cultural and individual rights. Due to the heterogeneous nature of the U.S. populace, it would be impossible to provide a perfectly multicultural …

A New Vision Of Art Education, Sharon Naomi Wherland

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In this project I address two societal assumption concerning the discipline of art and their implication for art education. These assumptions are that i) art is primarily a "creative" endeavor with little educational value; and, ii) that the ability to make art requires some sort of rare, innate talent. In my view these are the primary reasons that art is increasingly marginalized in public school programs and our society at large.

Klipsun Magazine, 2006, Volume 36, Issue 04 - March, Shannon Barney

Klipsun Magazine

To scrap literally means to fight with fists. To me, however, the term “scrapper” encompasses a certain attitude.

Genuine scrappers take each day in stride, no matter how discouraged they might be. Life isn’t predictable, but instead of hating, complaining or seeking sympathy, they face the changing events before them. They play the cards they are dealt and, win or lose, don’t hesitate to ante up for the next game. It’s an attitude defining them.

Among the stories, I encourage readers to direct their attention to “Solace” or “A Light Within.” These stories deal with unexpected life events and how …

Learning Transfer: Lessons Learned From Software Company Professionals, Sandra Ratcliff Daffron, Mary Wehby North

Adult & Higher Education

This article investigates how training and working environments, attitudes, and experiences influence transfer of learning for professionals in the corporate setting. A study of 54 software test engineers, software developers, documentation content managers, technical writers and editors, programming writers, and program managers looks at variables during three phases of the training process: the planning of continuing educations programs, the presentation of the training, and the professional's application of the training after returning to the work setting. Findings indicate that several variables influence strongly successful transfer of learning: involvement in the pre-program planning process and self-motivation to participate, use of a …

University Of South Florida: The First Fifty Years, 1956-2006, Mark I. Greenberg

Mark I. Greenberg

No abstract provided.

Klipsun Magazine, 2006, Volume 36, Issue 03 - January, Jessica R. Evans

Klipsun Magazine

Time flies. For example, I can't believe my baby sister just turned 5. She's starting to ask those hard-to- answer "why" questions like "Why is the sky blue?"

After a series of these questions, I experienced an "ah-ha" moment when I recognized her constant curiosity — and my lack of it.

In today's information-cluttered world, I think we coast too much. We need to ask more questions, seek more answers and initiate more change — starting in our own lives.

From the slums of Africa to Memorial Park In Bellingham, these Klipsun articles are stories of peo­ple living on a …