Education Commons^™

Effects Of Clinical Competency In Nursing Students Following The Implementation Of Student-Led Learning, Cori E. Hack, Jacob N. Hicks

Scholars Week

Research and supporting evidence represent a gap identified in didactic learning between students and faculty. This gap shows emotional factors of the nursing curriculum that may suggest negative impacts on nursing students, but also improvements that can be made to increase students’ clinical competency levels. By adhering to strict definitions of student-led learning theory and clinical competency, we were able to create concrete evidence with measurable data that can contribute to the elimination of this gap in learning. Upon inspection of past text, we identified a need for further research on this topic to bring awareness and encourage this method …

Student Perceptions Of Academic Effort In Applied Science Courses, Ragan Harris

Scholars Week

Student Perceptions of Academic Effort in Applied Science Courses: A Pilot Study

Ragan Harris

Dr. Priscilla Maghrabi

Dr. Brenda Reeves

Applied Health Sciences

Many applied science programs such as exercise science include prerequisite courses in the basic sciences to provide students with knowledge of foundational principles as well as provide transfer pathways from biology. However, when students begin exercise science coursework, their perceptions are that these courses should be easier, expecting lower effort and higher academic grades. These mismatched perceptions often lead to academic frustration. To determine the validity of the perceptions of high vs. low academic effort and academic …

Finding A Balance Between Exploratory And Preparatory Services, Megan Gullett

Scholars Week

The Tennessee Promise is a last-dollar scholarship program offering tuition subsidies to eligible state high school graduates that pursue an associate's degrees at one of the participating institutions. The program has inadvertently resulted in fewer traditional-aged students beginning their collegiate journey at four-year colleges and universities. Functional units like career counseling have seen the impact of Promise shift service demands from exploratory- to employment preparatory-centered, as the needs of junior-level transfer students differ from those of traditional-aged freshmen. The presenters conducted a multi-site case study to explore how Career Counseling administrators at three private liberal arts and four public-assisted, regional …

Capturing The Moment: A Rhetorical Analysis Of World War Ii Celebration, Kylie Wagar

Scholars Week

The iconic image V-J Day in Times Square is nationally remembered for the celebration of the end of World War II. Focusing on the archival collection Victory and Peace from the National Archives, this research demonstrates a disconnect in American perceptions and the reality of culture through iconic images. Specifically I investigate the extent to which images from the 1940s are romanticized, celebrated and replicated in reflection of remembrance of the World War II era. These replications do not properly reflect the true events in 1945, but rather the idea that many would like to take away from this era. …

Teaching Historic Trauma: Centering The Generational Trauma Of Khmer Youth, Chantheari Leng

Scholars Week

The purpose of this independent study is to create a curriculum draft focused on teaching historic trauma to Khmer youth who may be experiencing secondhand trauma. The genocide of the Cambodian people occurred between 1975-1979. This genocide killed off about one third of the population. Intellectuals, culture, and traditional practices were what the communist, extreme nationalist leader wanted to destroy in order to create a “Year One” and have lives of civilians be focuses primarily on agriculture. People died from murder, starvation, malnutrition, bombings, and etc. The population that this curriculum will center is that of the generation that came …

The Role Of The Western Front During The Bsu's Fight For Black Power And Liberation In 1968-1975, Weyni Haddis

Scholars Week

The recent racially and sexually charged threats that were made in Fall 2015 toward a specific Black woman leader on Western’s campus, and Black students at large, were not isolated events for our University. The current campus climate of whiteness and exclusivity at Western has been maintained through the history of marginalization of Black individuals on this campus. Through conducting archival research on the history of student activism that occurred through Western’s Black Student Union, my research revealed that our student publication failed to accurately represent the BSU and was counterproductive in trying to promote racial justice on Western’s campus …

The Language Of Non-Normative Sexuality And Genders, Emily Bolam, Samantha Jarvis

Scholars Week

This project is about how asexual, intersex and transgender identities challenge normative ideas about what it means to be human. Our research primarily focused on how language used in the medical community influences societal perceptions of non-normative identities. Western culture is pervasively heteronormative, meaning that there is a narrow idea of what constitutes a “normal” human being, which is typically heterosexual and limited to a binary gender system. While society is making strides with accepting non-hetero sexual identities, there persists the notion that humans are inherently sexual beings. Asexuality, an orientation characterized by a lack of sexual attraction, challenges this …

Implementation Of Flipped Classrooms In A Non-Major Biology Course, Leah Good

Scholars Week

With major calls for reform in STEM education from professional organizations (e.g. AAAS, NIH, NSF), studies have found that faculty in higher education can improve student learning by changing their teaching from teacher-centered to student-centered. Change in teaching practice can be difficult, however, especially without significant training. One method of introducing student-centered teaching practices into the classroom is through the use of a flipped classroom model, where students engage in learner-centered activities within the classroom and receive passively-transmitted information outside the classroom. The focus of my study was two-fold, (a) to determine if the flipped classroom method affects student learning …

Social Privilege And International Volunteering, Stephanie Sisson

Scholars Week

I explore the awareness of social privilege revealed in the discourse among international volunteers. I conducted 10 semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The participants were university students who completed international service learning programs in Cambodia and Thailand. I analyzed the data using the grounded theory, specifically the constant comparison method. Findings revealed that international service learning alone proved ineffective in challenging institutionalized, self-mediated, and internalized social privilege. Implications of the study portray the need for universities to invest in follow-up programs that promote the sharing of volunteer experiences, guided critical reflection, and community out-reach based in solidarity. Taken together, this study suggests …

The Critique Of Uncertainty Reduction, Riley Beard

Scholars Week

I sought to critique the theoretical implications and practical applications of the uncertainty reduction theory (URT) as utilized in the computer-mediated communication (CMC) context. In general, the URT is heuristic. It has been tested in multiple contexts, and provides valuable insights and predictions about interpersonal relationships. After almost four decades, despite cultural shifts, the URT is still widely used in the communication field. However, my analysis of the testing of the theory reveals its weaknesses. Particularly, the URT was generated within a Eurocentric framework, and it reinforces the practices of the dominant culture. The applications of the theory were mostly …

Phytoplankton Ecology: Algal Assemblages In Correlation With Water Quality In High Elevation Lakes, North Cascades, Wa, Anna Nakae

Scholars Week

High- elevation lakes are unique ecosystems that are exposed to extreme environmental conditions and, as a result, are relatively simple systems in which changes can be detected. Phytoplankton communities within these systems are of interest because can be greatly influenced by the chemical components of the surrounding environment. This relationship allows phytoplankton assemblages to act as bioindicators that can give a greater insight into the water characteristics of lakes and vice versa. For this research, seven lakes were studied: Terminal, Upper Bagley, Lower Bagley, Heather Meadows Pond, Sunrise , Picture and Highwood. All seven are located in the headwaters watershed …