Education Commons^™

Do Oer Textbooks Have Value To Students Beyond Cost Savings? Addressing The Issue Of How Textbooks Can Be Used To Foster Student Success, Yang Wu

OER & Beyond - Blog Archive

OER began as textbooks, and is an effort by faculty, librarians and other members of the academic community to increase student access to required readings at a time of fast rising textbook prices. While much of the attention by the OER community has been focused in recent years on reducing student textbook costs through the development of openly licensed works, an issue that has often been ignored is whether students are actually using them. Along with the dramatic increase in textbook costs in the last two decades there has been a phenomenon that is well studied but often overlooked by …

Women's Soccer Adds Six For 2021-22, Georgia Southern University

Athletics: News & Publications

• Women's Soccer Adds Six For 2021-22

2021-06-16 Message From The President, Morehead State University. Office Of The President.

Faculty Senate Records

A message sent to the faculty and staff by the President on the death of Adam Yungbluth, Visiting Professor of Ceremics in the Morehead State University Department of Ceremics, on June 12..

4-H Engineering Design Challenge Program: Engaging Youth In Stem Learning, R.Michael Compton, Rebecca L. Meyer, Anne Stevenson, Somongkol Teng

Journal of Extension

The University of Minnesota 4-H Engineering Design Challenge program is an experiential learning opportunity in which youth work with adult volunteers to create Rube Goldberg influenced machines to address real-world issues. The program components are designed to help youth develop STEM work skills using an Engineering Design Process, increase interest in STEM content knowledge, and explore STEM career interests/aspirations. Evaluation indicates a majority of participants learn the engineering design process, principles of mechanical engineering, teamwork, public speaking, and problem solving. Programmatic outcomes and supports provide for the successful replication, adaptation, and implementation in both formal and non-formal learning environments.

Physiological Arousal, Emotion, And Word Retrieval In Aphasia: Effects And Relationships, Angela Lynne Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

People with aphasia are known to have poor word retrieval abilities in communicative tasks. It has also been reported that they have lower, non-optimal levels of physiological arousal, which may cause lower attention levels therefore contributing to poor performance on linguistic tasks. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physiological arousal and word retrieval in adults with aphasia and neurotypical adults when presented with emotional stimuli within a confrontational naming task. Participants included 6 people with aphasia and 15 neurotypical controls. All participants completed a confrontational naming task within 3 emotional conditions (neutral, positive, negative) and …

An Evaluation Of Behavior Intervention Plans: Consideration Of The Interventionist And Contextual Fit, Carly Parkinson Atchley

Theses and Dissertations

Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) are used in public schools for students with disabilities, replacing target behaviors with socially appropriate behaviors using positive behavior support strategies. However, research suggests that BIPs are often poorly written or fail to be implemented as intended. One reason for the ineffectiveness of BIPs may be that the interventionist (e.g., classroom teacher or other staff member responsible for implementing the plan) and the context of his/her classroom is not considered when plans are written by specialists (e.g., school psychologist, special education teacher, etc.). The purpose of this study was to evaluate BIPs written and used for …

Behavioral And Neural Correlates Of Sensory Processing And Anxiety In Autistic Children, Kelsey Lee Ustach Tindall

Theses and Dissertations

Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are known to experience higher levels of sensory processing differences as well as anxiety, compared to the neurotypical population (NT). Both theory and evidence suggest that there is an interrelationship between sensory processing, anxiety and fear, and prediction abilities in autism. However, much more remains to be discovered about their relationship and especially underlying neural mechanisms. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine the behavioral relationship between sensory processing, fear and anxiety, prediction, and related brain activity in autistic children. To this end, 30 autistic children (ages 6-11 years) and …

Designing Online Collaborative Professional Development, Bohdana Allman

Theses and Dissertations

Trends in teacher education increasingly emphasize the need for quality ongoing teacher professional development that is accessible, flexible, fosters advanced skillset development, and has the power to change teachers' practice. Participatory approaches to learning that are situated, collaborative, dialogic, and inquiry-oriented promote the development of such knowledge, skills, and practices within professional communities of practice and form a foundation for quality teacher professional development. Current online and collaborative technologies offer significant access, flexibility, and economic advantages and afford individuals ways to connect with others without time and space restrictions, making online teacher professional development possible. Online learning environments where deep …

Implementation Of Student-Centered Teaching Methods Among Stem Faculty, Melissa Cavan

Theses and Dissertations

Students at the college level need good instruction and active learning has been shown to improve student retention and learning. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Faculty Institution (STEMFI) aims to assist faculty in implementing active learning in the classroom. This qualitative case study sought to understand faculty perspectives two years after completion of STEMFI in the areas of active learning implementation, methodology and student attitudes and impact. Data collected reported that the faculty participants still use active learning strategies in their classrooms two years after exiting the STEMFI program. The faculty also felt the need for a refresher course and …

An Exploration And Identification Of Factors That Predict Performance In A Large General Education Course In Higher Education, Kristen C. Betts

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores a variety of variables with the intent of identifying specific student groups that may struggle with performance in a large general education course. The ultimate objective of this study is to facilitate the success of acknowledged at-risk students. Drawing in part on the theory of social capital, this study examines established, pre-college predictors such as high school grade point averages and ACT scores, other demographic characteristics and stressors, and an optional study group course to parse out information related to course performance. Methods used included t-tests and multiple regression analysis using five statistical models. A portion of …

A Student Led Assessment Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In The Environmental Science And Management Department At Portland State University, Aneesha Gharpurey

University Honors Theses

In the summer of 2020, the world watched as Black communities and allies responded to the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. An intensification of social and racial justice awareness provoked many entities like higher education institutions (HEI) to evaluate how they support marginalized people and update their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plans. In an attempt to maintain excellence, many HEIs implement DEI plans through top-down methods where high-level administrators target recruitment and retention, campus climate, community engagement, and curriculum. These plans rarely incorporate students as co-collaborators and administer DEI changes that have little effect on students' self-belonging, …

Evaluation Of Sex Education Curriculum And Policy Related To The Needs Of Lgbtq+ Latinx Youth, Olivia Nayler

University Honors Theses

Sex education is contentious and inconsistent in the United States but it is extremely necessary to address the health needs of young people and the adults they become. This study aims to evaluate how well comprehensive sex education curricula attend to the needs of high school age LGBTQ+ Latinx students. The curricula Our Whole Lives (OWL) and FLASH were chosen for the study as established sex education curricula based on their assertions of being factual and comprehensive, and for their adaptability in different settings and locations. A content analysis was performed on both curricula. In addition, an analysis of OAR …

High-Stakes Education: Dual Language Immersion In Portland, Oregon, Andrew Maclean

University Honors Theses

This paper provides evidence and background information to support the claim that Dual Language Immersion (DLI) is the optimal k-12 education program to reduce the achievement gap between English Language Learners and native speakers of English, while also providing extraordinary benefit for Foreign Language Learners in the United States. This paper draws on Second Language Acquisition theory and recent education policy to show that the language situation in the United States would benefit greatly from the continued and amplified support of Dual Language Immersion programs over other programs like monolingual English immersion, transitional bilingual immersion, and developmental bilingual immersion. The …

Homeless Students' Barriers To Education: Before And After Covid-19, Linda M. Twidwell

University Honors Theses

This thesis is an examination of the barriers to education homeless youth may be faced with both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using past literature, this paper will focus on three main barriers homeless students may have faced before the pandemic. These are homeless students’ lack of support needed to succeed, how federal policy shapes homeless students’ opportunities and rights, and that the rate of children experiencing homelessness is rising, and little is being done about the fact. After discussing the literature before March 2020, this paper will examine the literature that has come out since the pandemic’s beginning, …

Higher Education For All Law Enforcement Officers, Johana Constantino Madrigal

University Honors Theses

In this brief prospectus, the focus is on the many arguments for why it should be a requirement for all law enforcement officers to have a higher education background. Given light to recent events, the importance for more highly trained and educated officers has become more dire as people call for justice in an attempt to right the wrongs that have been done. The articles found all address the manner in which higher education can help with better judgement calls, analyze and respond to situations better, and the overall perception officers have, who have a form of higher education, on …

"The Problem Of Missing Data And The Conover Solution In State-Level Data", David Michael Simpson

Theses and Dissertations

The Conover Solution is a nonparametric method used to analyze relative growth in students' achievement on state tests administered on two or more occasions. However, there has been very little research assessing the robustness of this method in the presence of missing data. Using vertically scaled and non-vertically scaled data from the math portion of a statewide assessment for grades 4-7, I compare results from listwise deletion and multiple imputation across the residual gain score model, the simple gain score model, and the HLM-NPAR model. In these approaches, I study differences by gender and race in two-level models and then …

Coping With Medical School: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study, Sebastian C K Shaw, John L. Anderson

The Qualitative Report

Anecdotal evidence suggested that hopelessness and helplessness (HH) were often reported by undergraduate medical students. It is known that medical students are more susceptible to high levels of stress and depression than other student groups. There is currently concern about suicide rates in students and high drop-out rates in junior doctors. But what can be said of HH within this population? This study was aimed at eliciting medical students’ experiences of HH. An interpretive phenomenological approach was adopted. Participants were recruited from a single medical school. Loosely structured, audio-recorded interviews were carried out. Recordings were then transcribed verbatim, then underwent …

Mcwhorter And Jones Add Mcbwa All-American Honors, Georgia Southern University

Athletics: News & Publications

• McWhorter and Jones Add MCBWA All-American Honors

Measuring Speech Perception In Children With Speech Sound Disorders Using The Wide Range Acoustic Accuracy Scale, Briel Francis Garner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure the speech perception of children with speech sound disorders and compare it to that of adults and typically developing children. A secondary purpose was to determine if an adaptive-tracking tool, the Wide Range Acoustic Accuracy Scale (WRAAS) equalized task demands across participants independent of perceptual ability. The participants included 31 adults, 15 typically developing children, and 15 children with speech sound disorders. Children with speech sound disorders all had difficulty producing /r/ correctly. Each participant completed perceptual testing discriminating differences in three syllable contrast pairs: /bÉ‘/-/wÉ‘/, /dÉ‘/-/gÉ‘/, and /rÉ‘/-/wÉ‘/. Results indicated that …

Variability Of The Aerodynamic Measures Of Leporine Larynges Exposed To Inhaled Corticosteroids, Miriam Angela Cannon Bake

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the effects of combination inhaled corticosteroids (ICs) on the stability of six aerodynamic measures of phonation utilizing a traditional benchtop model with leporine larynges. The motivation for this study was based on the increase of voice disorders associated with IC use in recent years. The aerodynamic measures examined were phonation threshold pressure (PTP), phonation threshold flow (PTF), onset resistance, sustained pressure, sustained flow, and sustained resistance. Leporine larynges were selected as the model for this study due to histological similarities between leporine and human vocal folds that make them ideal for translational research. Rabbits were either exposed …

Research Express News, Georgia Southern University

Research & Economic Development

NSF Bio Sketch and C&P Support Disclosures Update

Higher Education: Can Debt Beat Savings?, David Stackpole

Journal of Student Financial Aid

This paper investigates the possible opportunity cost of using standard college savings plans against the advantages of using debt to pay for college. In addition, it presents a practical argument for using debt in place of college savings plans in certain instances.

By doing so, investors may not only be able to mitigate the difficulty of saving, but also realize greater financial benefit in the long run.

Emotional Turmoil Or Peaceful Agreements? A Phenomenological Study On Coping With Reforms In Higher Education Institution, Merilyn Meristo

The Qualitative Report

Promoting changes in an organisation is never an easy task. Coping with changes is an individual process and affects our individual physical and psychological well-being. This study attempted to analyse how university reforms were experienced by academic staff. It is framed by Self-Determination Theory, according to which there are three basic psychological needs that affect all people: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. I conducted Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA; Smith et al., 2009) to gain insight into participants’ experiences during the period of 4 years, 2014-2018. The participants came from two academic staff communities of the same institution. The data collection methods …

Mcwhorter And Jones Named Abca All-Southeast Region, Georgia Southern University

Athletics: News & Publications

• McWhorter and Jones named ABCA All-Southeast Region

Nassetta Named Director Of The Professional Development Office, Mary Ashley Canevaro

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Aana Recognizes Aroke As Researcher Of The Year, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Uab Callahan Eye Hospital And Clinics Solidifies Commitment To Local Residents With Purchase Of Cahaba River Road Facility, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Preparing Undergraduates For Agriculture And Food Research Careers: An Internship Paradigm, Rebecca Mott, Todd Lorenz, Jo Britt-Rankin

Journal of Extension

The University of Missouri Integrated STEM Internship Program (MU-ISIP) is a 9-week internship experience that helps prepare undergraduates for the workforce or graduate school in four AFRI areas: (a) plant health and production, (b) animal health and production, (c) food safety, nutrition and health, and (d) agricultural economics and rural communities. This program helps address the need for the next generation of agriculturalists and food scientists through experiential learning. Additionally, it exposes undergraduates to Extension as a career option. This article outlines our approach to MU-ISIP and lessons learned during the program’s inception.

Real Work With Real Consequences: Enlisting Community Energy Engineering As An Approach To Envisioning Engineering In Context, Michelle E. Jordan, Steve Zuiker, Wendy Wakefield, Mia Delarosa

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

This study describes an illustrative case study from a year-round program that positions middle and high school youth to explore the social value of energy systems in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Designed to center existing youth assets, interests and values, Community Energy Engineering (CEE) frames engineering as a tool that students can enlist in order to understand and interrogate their local socio-energy system while also acting to transform it. CEE partners with Title 1 schools in Latino/a neighborhoods in the U.S. southwest. CEE situates youth community-based solar energy innovation projects as consequential, evolving in and with historically contingent engineering …

Making Makers: Tracing Stem Identity In Rural Communities, Jessie Nixon, Andy Stoiber, Erica Halverson, Michael Dando

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

In this article, we describe efforts to reduce barriers of entry to pre-college engineering in a rural community by training local teens to become maker-mentors and staff a mobile makerspace in their community. We bring a communities of practice frame to our inquiry, focusing on inbound and peripheral learning and identity trajectories as a mechanism for representing the maker-mentor experience. Through a longitudinal case study, we traced the individual trajectories of five maker-mentors over two years. We found a collection of interrelated factors present in those students who maintained inbound trajectories and those who remained on the periphery. Our research …