Education Commons^™

College Students, Technology, And Time, Mariana Regalado, Maura A. Smale

Publications and Research

Our research explores CUNY students’ lived experiences using digital technology in and out of class, on and off campus. Beyond checking grades or emailing a professor, students use digital technology to create space and time for their schoolwork. However, technology can also impede students’ opportunities for making space and time. Understanding how students use digital technology is crucial for colleges and universities to better support students in their academic work.

Music And Words: Connecting The Love Of Music With Language, Eileen P. Kennedy, Raymond Torres- Santos

Publications and Research

Children from different cultures have a natural affinity for rhymes, rhythm and music. Imagine if students were able, from the beginning of their education and experiences with academic writing and literacy, to access their unconscious and original selves from which to create their writing. The study of music can help to access this aware, inventive side that can enhance anyone’s writing. As an early childhood writing teacher and a composition teacher, we draw on our experiences with young children with words and music. We examine the relationship between music and words in an effort to bring the primitive drive of …

The Science Teaching Fellows Program: A Model For Online Faculty Development Of Early Career Scientists Interested In Teaching, Loretta Branacaccio-Taras, Kelly A. Gull, Claudia Ratti

Publications and Research

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has a history of providing a wide range of faculty development opportunities. Recently, ASM developed the Science Teaching Fellows Program (STF) for early career biologists and postdoctoral students to explore student-centered teaching and develop the skills needed to succeed in positions that have a significant teaching component. Participants were selected to STF through a competitive application process. The STF program consisted of a series of six webinars. In preparation for each webinar, participants completed a pre-webinar assignment. After each webinar, fellows practiced what they learned by completing a post-webinar assignment. In a survey used …

The Social Work Librarian And Information Literacy Instruction: A Report On A National Survey In The United States, Margaret Bausman, Sarah Laleman Ward

Publications and Research

As an interdisciplinary profession encompassing macro, mezzo, and micro fields of praxis, well-informed and ethical social work practice necessitates the continual utilization of information literacy skills across a wide and ever-evolving range of information sources and access points. In response to a dearth of scholarship concerning information literacy instruction in social work education, this article reports on an initial endeavor to quantify and describe the nature of information literacy instruction in social work education on a national level in the United States. In addition to a review and discussion of the National Social Work Librarians Survey's descriptive data, this article …

Introduction: Reframing The Inequality Debate Toward Opportunity And Mobility, Norman Eng, Allan Ornstein

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Winds Of Changes Shift: An Analyis Of Recent Growth In Bargaining Units And Representation Efforts In Higher Education, William A. Herbert

Publications and Research

This article analyzes data accumulated during the first three quarters of 2016 regarding completed and pending questions of representation involving faculty and student employees in higher education. It is part of a larger and continuing National Center research project that tracks faculty and graduate student employee unionization growth and representation efforts at private and public institutions of higher learning since January 1, 2013. The data presented in this article demonstrates that the rate of newly certified units at private colleges and universities since January 1, 2016 far outpaces new units in the public sector. There has been a 25.9% increase …

Education Inequality: Broadening Public Attitudes Through Framing, Norman Eng

Publications and Research

Research over the last 50 years have been remarkably consistent when it comes to addressing education inequality: background factors like family and socioeconomics matter to school success. Yet policies remain narrowly focused on school-based reforms like testing, standards, and charter schools due in large part to America’s limited understanding of education and inequality. I argue that scholars, as the experts, are ultimately responsible for changing how policymakers and the public think about these issues—a duty they have yet to embrace. In this connection, the use of framing can help education researchers broaden attitudes and stimulate political will. Drawing mainly from …

The Line Between Free Speech And Hate Speech., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

With the rise of incidents of bigotry on U.S. campuses

after the November elections, a question has

come up. How can we differentiate between free

and hate speech and what can we do about the latter?

The answer is complex, but there is a solution

to the problem.

At the federal level – and contrary to popular

belief – free speech is not absolute. The Supreme

Court has ruled many times setting limits on

speech, from child pornography cases, to deceptive

advertisement to specific threats of violence. The

fine line comes when dealing with espousing ideologies,

like the ones held …

Anti-Intellectualism Casts Shadow Over Higher Ed., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

In addition to all of the issues affecting higher education,

like the lack of appropriate funding, diminishing

enrollments, insularity, and the like, now it is

time to recognize the biggest problem of all – anti-intellectualism.

Anti-intellectualism is defined as a negative attitude

toward intellectual pursuits, whether in the

form of education or scholarly activities and toward

their practitioners, such as college professors and

intellectuals in general.

The Consequences Of The Election For Higher Education., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“So, now what?” That is the question some people are asking when it comes to higher education after one of the longest and most contentious presidential elections in American history. The question comes up not only because of the results, but also because higher education is facing one of its most grave situations in its history due to, among other things, decreasing funding, exorbitant student debt and bad press.

So what can we expect in the months and years to come based on the platform and statements issued by the leaders of the upcoming administration? Here is a sample.

Higher Education Losing Ground In Public Opinion., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Implications For Educational Justice, Magnus O. Bassey

Publications and Research

Educational justice is a major global challenge. In most underdeveloped countries, many students do not have access to education and in most advanced democracies, school attainment and success are still, to a large extent, dependent on a student’s social background. However, it has often been argued that social justice is an essential part of teachers’ work in a democracy. This article raises an important overriding question: how can we realize the goal of educational justice in the field of teaching? In this essay, I examine culturally responsive teaching as an educational practice and conclude that it is possible to realize …

How To Peel A Prologue: Sensory Reading In Practice In Two 90-Minute Lessons, Nicola Blake

Publications and Research

This essay provides rich examples of sensory reading in practice. It provides strategies for peeling a prologue, a methodology that engages developmental readers through active reading and writing examples. The strategies can be built on and extended to larger pieces of work. The essay is also a good example of scaffolding and using graphic organizers in a developmental writing community college classroom.

Critical Integral Contemplative Education, David Forbes

Publications and Research

Mindfulness programs in education proceed with little awareness of the cultural, social, political, and developmental context in which they operate. This chapter first argues that social critique is a valuable practice in its own right and can be useful toward developing more socially just and inclusive education mindfulness programs. It is critical of how mindfulness is practiced in schools to the extent it shares qualities of McMindfulness and reinforces neoliberal ideologies, policies, and practices. Without this critical awareness of contexts programs tend to promote individualistic solutions to social problems and inequities and thereby serve to maintain the status quo of …

Auditing And Replacing Library Signage: Maintaining Effectiveness And Relevancy After The Project, Mark Aaron Polger

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Student Evaluations Of Instructors May Be Flawed., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

For years, one of the most standard practices in

higher education has been what’s called “student

evaluation of teaching,” also known by its acronym

SET. This is a process that is carried out in just about

every college and university course every semester or

term. They are used essentially to measure how effective

a teacher is by surveying student satisfaction.

And the results of these surveys are used to make

many important decisions, such as whether or not

faculty members should be granted tenure – or even

keep their jobs.

A new study, however, is challenging the conventional

wisdom that …

College Libraries Eye Tradition In Era Of Change., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

One could argue that universities originated

from places like the Library of Alexandria, established

23 centuries ago in Egypt. Libraries like

the one in Alexandria attracted the most talented

intellectuals.

They contained not only a large number of

papyrus scrolls but also served as botanical gardens,

collections of art and places of residence

for scholars.

When modern universities were built, libraries

occupied a distinctive place where students and

faculty went on an almost daily basis to seek the

information they needed for their studies. But

over the last few decades their role has transformed

and lessened. One reason for this …

Forgotten Memories Of A Social Justice Education: Difficult Knowledge And The Impossibilities Of School And Research, Debbie Sonu

Publications and Research

This paper is about memory, the elusive process of remembering and of an encounter between a researcher and a participant who after five years reunited to remember. The object under study is a high school social justice curriculum with a central focus on the development of social action projects. Grounded in Pitt and Britzman’s work on difficult knowledge, this paper asks: What do 10th grade students who spent four years attending a school committed to the Freirian principles of political engagement remember about their high school experience? Past and recent interviews are woven together to surface three emergent lines of …

What Democrats Have Planned For Higher Education., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

The Democrats have made a number of concrete

promises regarding higher education if they win

the presidential elections. They promise concerted

actions against sexual assaults on campuses that

include comprehensive support for survivors, fair

judicial processes that prevent the use of cultural

biases against females as “inciters,” and increased

prevention efforts through education programs.

The Clinton campaign also promises support for

net neutrality, the idea that Internet service providers

should enable access to all content and applications

regardless of the source without favoring or blocking

particular products or websites. The Democratic plan

also proposes expanding availability of fiber-optic

broadband Internet …

How Higher Ed Will Fare Under Gop President., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Last week we reported that when it comes to

higher education, the Republican platform for this

election was a single paragraph with no real details

of what they propose to do for the next four years.

Given that, the only thing we can do to discern what

their policies will be for the sector is to analyze their

speeches and past policies and stances.

For example, during their Cleveland convention

Republican leaders propose to decouple accreditation

from federal financial aid. That means that a lot

of colleges and universities will feel no pressure to

maintain a minimum of standards and …

What The Candidates Promise For Higher Ed, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

With the general elections just one month away it is

time to look at what the candidates for president of the

United States and their party platforms offer in terms of

higher education. Let’s start with the Republican party.

Donald Trump has not said much on the issue and his

party platform on higher education is confined to one

paragraph. “When student loan debt exceeds the nation’s

credit card debt, we must recognize that our higher education

system is on an unsustainable path. The Republican

Party supports an education system that provides families

with greater transparency and more information so …

Embedded Remediation: A New Paradigm, Nicola Blake

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Funeral In The Classroom: A Failed Teaching Practice?, Nicola Blake

Publications and Research

The author introduces the idea of performative annotation as a powerful teaching tool to engage students in a shared experience of reading and understanding a piece of text. Orality and performance are shared constructs that provide opportunities for students to demarcate moments in a text that resonated with them. The nature of this activity is called into question because of the deeply emotional responses students have towards the experiential learning activity of recreating a funeral in the classroom. This article assesses what went wrong with the activity and offers suggestions on how to make space for performative annotation prior to …

Mobile App Usage Assessment In The Academic Library, Rebecca Arzola, Stefanie Havelka

Publications and Research

This column discusses different approaches, and methods to assess app usage. In the following we exemplify mobile strategies and initiatives set up by some universities that libraries can adopt.

What The Death Of Moocs Has Taught Us., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

One of the loudest hypes in the history of higher

education has been all the chat about MOOCs.

The idea of Massive Open Online Courses was

launched five years ago when Stanford University

announced that by using Internet-based technologies

they would be able to offer college classes

for free.

Imagine, a world-class university offering a free

education from the comfort of your home, one that

didn’t require any admission tests or high school

transcripts. The possibilities were so exciting that

immediately there was talk about the final revolution

in higher education – the end of colleges and

universities as we …

Montauk Point, An Essential Field Experience For Students In The New York City Area, Stanley Schleifer, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Keshaw Narine

Publications and Research

Except for a thin strip of Proterozoic and Paleozoic metamorphic and igneous rock along its very western edge and an outcropping of coastal plain deposits along its northwestern edge, the surface of Long Island is immediately underlain by unconsolidated deposits consisting of moraines of glacial till, outwash plains of stratified drift, and beach and dune complex formed by wave action. Two very prominent features of the island are the Harbor Hill Moraine, which marks the southernmost extent of the last major advance of continental glacier ice in the New York area during the Pleistocene and the Ronkonkoma Moraine, which marks …

Experiential Learning Opportunities Through Nasa Stem Content Allows Greater Grass Root-Level Understanding Of The Present Day’S Extreme Climate Change Scenario, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer, Matthew Khargie

Publications and Research

The NASA MAA (MUREP Aerospace Academy) project at York College has demonstrated a track record of providing experiential learning opportunities (ELO) to its participating students. ELOs associated with MAA are designed to increase learners’ involvement, knowledge, comprehension and application of learning in one or more STEM subjects/disciplines. They involve inquiry-and-activity-based learning approaches designed for the level of the learner to inspire, engage, and educate while progressively challenging each student. ELO activities enable learners to acquire knowledge, understand what they have learned, and apply that knowledge through inquiry-based tasks. Specifically, we are prepared to address the following priority: Encourage, increase, and …

Effective Integration Of Nasa Stem Curricula Is Allowing Students To Appreciate Earth Science Concepts, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer, Krishna Mahabir, Newrence Wills, Matthew Khargie

Publications and Research

NASA Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Aerospace Academy - MAA is a national, innovative activity designed to increase participation and retention of historically underserved and underrepresented K-12 youth in the STEM disciplines, particularly earth science and human exploration (HEO). HEO is dedicated to informing and educating the public about NASA's plans for a new era in space exploration. Utilization of NASA satellite images, online climate education, space mathematics and other earth science-related resources is allowing students to conduct basic research and prepare themselves for a New York City-wide science competition. In addition to offering school children a solid …

Learning From Australia’S Funding Of Higher Ed., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

One of the most controversial issues in higher education today is its cost, particularly for the students who end up carrying the burden of heavy college loan debt. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the total U.S student loan debt was $1.26 trillion in 2016, which is more than the total credit card debt in the country.

Despite Changes, College’S Role Remains The Same., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

In these times of continuous change and challenges

to higher education, it is not a bad idea to ponder

whether or not its fundamental mission has changed.

Most people accept that the main mission of colleges

and universities is the transmission of knowledge.

Whether that knowledge is used to learn

skills, get a better job, or simply for advancement of

intellectual growth, that is and has always been the

mission of higher education.