Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Fostering College Students’ Fact-Checking Skills: Three Studies Assessing Lateral Reading Instruction In A General Education Course, Jessica E. Brodsky

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

While online information is abundant and easily accessible, its quality varies widely. Fact-checkers evaluate online information by reading laterally, i.e., opening a new browser tab to research sources and verify claims. This dissertation consisted of three studies that used course outcomes assessment data to examine the impact of a lateral reading curriculum on college students’ fact-checking skills. The curriculum was first implemented in Fall 2018 as part of a general education civics course. It has been taught every semester since then, though the content and format of implementation have changed. Data used in the current studies were collected during the …

Contributors

Early College Folio

Contributors, Early College Folio, Volume 1, Issue 2 (May 2022)

“Digital By Necessity”: An Interview With Dr. Jane Wanninger, Julia Carey Arendell, Jane Wanninger

Early College Folio

In the summer of 2020, Dr. Jane Wanninger participated in a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute hosted by Agnes Scott College to learn about implementing digital storytelling in the classroom, which ironically, had to be completed digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her experience was the inspiration for this issue of Early College Folio as she pitched her ideas using the phrase “digital by necessity.” Issue Editor Julia Carey Arendell interviewed Jane, captured here, on all that she learned to think more deeply about using the virtual tool of digital storytelling as a teacher, a student, and …

Table Of Contents

Early College Folio

Table of Contents, Early College Folio, Volume 1, Issue 2 (May 2022).

Review: Last Call On Decatur Street By Iris Martin Cohen, Nemesio Gil

Early College Folio

Book Review: Iris Martin Cohen’s Last Call on Decatur Street (Park Row, 2020), a novel set in pre-Katrina New Orleans. Cohen, who grew up in the French Quarter, is a Simon’s Rock alumna.

Learning Technology Acceptance And Continuance Intention Among Business Students: The Mediating Effects Of Confirmation, Flow, And Engagement, Hungwei Tseng, Xiang Yi, Brent Cunningham

Research, Publications & Creative Work

The emergence of mobile applications has opened the door to a new kind of information and communication technology tool and educational support which is vital for students’ positive learning behaviours. The aims of this study were to examine the effects of three mediators (confirmation, flow, and student engagement) on students’ learning technology acceptance and information systems continuance intention, and to explore the functions of these variables in the mediating process between learning technology acceptance and continuance intention. Using PROCESS macro program where the bootstrap confidence interval was adopted, a parallel multiple mediation model and a serial multiple mediation model were …

Investigating Student Self-Beliefs And Learning Metrics In Online Courseware: A Quantitative Inquiry, Rachel Van Campenhout

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Online courseware is an emerging educational technology that has the potential to reach students at scale. Designed with cognitive and learning science principles, courseware utilizes effective methods to maximize learning outcomes for students. Mindset (implicit theories of ability) and self-efficacy are two widely researched self-belief topics which have been shown to influence student learning outcomes and self-concepts. These self-belief theories are not specific to a domain and therefore could be measured and analyzed in relation to student learning metrics from any subject. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational research study is to investigate the relationships between student self-beliefs and key …

Academic Advising, Academic Integration And First Year African American College Student Intention To Persist, Cassandra Graham

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The U.S. college persistence rate for African American students, remains lowest in comparison to other race/ethnicities. Academic advising and other forms of academic integration are emphasized in prior research as associated with positively influencing persistence outcomes. However, a gap exists in the literature regarding their impact for four-year African American students and success factors for persistence of these students. Existing academic advisement studies are primarily institutional with a small sample size, as opposed to a national sample, and very few are focused on quantitative data analysis.

Therefore, through the analysis of national data from the 2018 National Survey of Student …

Diversity Accountability In Higher Education Institutions, Richeleen Ayree Dashield

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized transformative sequential explanatory mixed methods to analyze diversity characteristics and capabilities in higher education institutions. Faced with environmental pressure, colleges and universities that aspire to become diversity-competent institutions have the potential to understand diversity accountability (evidence building for all) with a critical race theoretical framework. A critical comparative analysis of diversity-competent and peer institutions provided the opportunity challenged past and current ways of understanding diversity by acknowledging the centrality of racism in higher education institutions. This study analyzed data drawn from the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award recipients to illustrate a way of assessing diversity …

Managing The Career Effects Of Discrimination And Motherhood: The Role Of Collegial Support For A Caregiving Policy At A Research-Intensive U.S. University, Amy C. Moors, Abigail J. Stewart, Janet E. Malley

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Implementing and encouraging use of policies aimed at creating an equitable higher education workplace for women academics can be challenging. Often, policy usage may be avoided due to stigma or fear of being seen as not committed to one’s workplace, especially for expectant mothers. In the present study, we examined how collegial support for using a tenure clock extension policy affects pre-tenure women’s career outcomes. Among pre-tenure women academics at a large research-intensive institution in the United States (N = 63) who took advantage of the tenure clock extension policy, perceptions of collegial support for using this policy were …

Changing Pace And Recognizing Relationships: The Pandemic And Beyond, Carole Shook

TFSC Publications and Presentations

The pandemic brought out the importance of relationships and active learning. The presentation describes games, email communications, classroom communications, and making class more enjoyable to engage students.

Student Understanding Of Kinematics: A Qualitative Assessment, Andrew Cashman, Tom O'Mahony

Publications

In engineering, kinematics is widely regarded as a fundamental topic with the literature agreeing that students possess a wide range in understanding of the topic. This study aims to take a second-order approach by understanding and exploring the qualitatively different ways in which students approach solving kinematics problems. Phenomenography was used to collect data through ten semi-structured interviews with early-stage mechanical engineering students. Following data analysis, four distinct categories of students’ approaches were identified; unstructured, framing the problem, strategic, and conceptual. It was found that these categories could be arranged in a hierarchy and were also supported by secondary epistemic …

Diamonds Down Your Sofa, Aisling Coyne, Yvonne Desmond, John Donovan

Other

Every RPO has or should have an institutional repository. As a showcase for what you do especially outputs that are not suitable for publication, they are hard to beat but how many of us extract the full value from them? How many of us treat them as electronic warehouses and never look at them again? In short, how many of us have no idea of how much really know? Repositories store so much more than just full-text articles, they are used to catalogue everything from artworks to zoom logs and everything in between and that breadth represents hidden but real …

Open Research: From Thought To Deed, Aisling Coyne, Yvonne Desmond, John Donovan

Other

Openness as a concept in scholarly communication is gaining increased traction with more and more universities and research institutes adopting the concept. But is it just a concept or even worst an aspiration? Open is difficult both politically and in practical terms and how many institutions actually move into the action and implementation phase? TU Dublin has achieved considerable success with open access to publications using the institutional repository Arrow@TUDublin. However, now we want to move into the implementation phase and become an open research university. Simultaneously we are involved with a project for the European University of Technology to …

A Leadership Journey: How Advising Shapes An Institutional Culture, Jacquelyn Jones, Melissa Welker, Jonikka Charlton, Janna Arney

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

Although we know advising can be conceptualized as a critical component of an integrated and comprehensive student success strategy on a campus, it is often difficult to implement. This chapter will provide a case study of the development and execution of a leadership initiative at an American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) institution to transform advising in service of the goals of student equity and success. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's advising model grew out of a convergence of a handful of key momentum points including strategic planning processes and the use of emerging data surrounding …

The Oppressive Ranking System: Issues For Black Undergraduate Students & Hbcus, Lynn Oberkehr

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study aims to address two areas related to the current research on Black college student experiences and college rankings. First, data obtained from surveys distributed from the National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE) will be analyzed in order to obtain information related to the engagement of Black undergraduate students on two specific college campuses, Kentucky State University, a historically black college or university (HBCU) and Rowan University, a predominantly white institution (PWI). Second, after this data is analyzed, it will be utilized to determine which of the two campuses provided their Black students with a more positive student …

Deep Learning: A Teacher's Playbook To Facilitate Multiple Approaches Of Student Learning That Utilize Deep Learning Principles, Darin D. Griffith

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Darin D. Griffith on May 2, 2022.

Open Education Resources (Oer) Create Equity, Cadence Atchinson, Sonya Durney, Cathleen Miller, Cindy Stewart

Library Services Faculty Posters

Presentation poster on topic of open education resources (OER) and the equity they engender.

Strengthening The Southern Nevada Workforce Pipeline, Katie M. Gilbertson

Student Research

Workforce development has been a keystone in the discussion of economic diversification of Las Vegas for decades. The leisure and hospitality industry is the lifeline for the Southern Nevada economy due to the reliance on tourism as the city’s main economic driver. The leisure and hospitality industry requires physical labor and more face-to-face customer interaction than other employment sectors. Thus, these jobs often do not require high educational attainment, but rather sharp soft skills like effective listening, nonverbal communication, and negotiation strategies. While these are valuable traits, the lack of educational attainment within the leisure and hospitality workforce suppresses employees’ …

Student Centered Language Teaching: A Focus On Student Identity, Rachel Mano

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of essays that describe what the writer has come to see as essential topics in second language acquisition. It begins with a professional environment piece, and then a teaching philosophy statement focused on student identity and interaction in the classroom. This is followed by an essay on observations of teaching. The next two sections focus on pragmatic resistance among advanced learners and the importance of preparing learners for peer interaction. The portfolio concludes with an annotated bibliography outlining the main concepts associated with Communicative Language Teaching, a method that is commonly employed in second language …

The Effectiveness Of Peer To Peer Mentoring In Reducing Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety In College Students, Ryan Harra

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

University counseling centers are struggling against resource constraints to meet the rising demand for mental health care. Peer-based mentoring programs offer the potential for an alternative approach to mitigate the increasing demand for treatment and improve overall psychological well-being among college students. However, research investigating peer mentoring programs on college campuses is lacking. This study evaluates program feasibility and potential effectiveness in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms among college students that underwent a 4-week peer mentoring program. Results from this preliminary study indicate peer-based programs may be more effective in reducing symptoms of depression (especially anhedonic depression) compared to anxiety. …

Exploring (Mis)Alignments Between First-Year Students’ Expectations And Experiences, Matthew G. Meyers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding what expectations first-year students have for their first semester of college can help university faculty, staff, and administrators have a better understanding of how to best provide support and resources that meet the needs of their students and lay the necessary foundations for their academic and social success early on. Unfortunately, many students report a variety of social, academic, personal, and environmental experiences that do not fully match their expectations. The purpose of this study was to examine what expectations and experiences first-year college students had about their first semester and how they interpreted both alignments and misalignments between …

Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences Professional Development Opportunities And Their Impact On Perceptions Of Career Preparedness, Jessica L. Wesson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A student’s undergraduate education is an imperative part of developing career skills that will prepare them to transition from academia to the professional world. Experience outside of the classroom and course material taught in a formal class experience are both important. Their experiences and classes, in college, allow them to develop skills and increase their chances of being successful in the workplace (Suvedi et al., 2016).

Chickering’s Seven Vectors of Student Development were used to help explain the process of student development. A quantitative survey was sent to DBCALFS faculty, staff, and administrators, and a different quantitative survey was sent …

Factors That Correlate With Student Engagement And Success In Honors Student Theses At A New England Public Institution, Megan Williams

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the factors that correlate to successful outcomes on honors theses at an undergraduate public institution compared to findings collected from several private liberal arts colleges. Utilizing Kuh’s (2008) theory of engagement and success as a theoretical framework, this study sought to understand how participation in a single high-impact practice – a culminating senior experience – impacted sense of belonging, engagement and success in an honors senior thesis. An anonymous online survey (Trosset & Weisler, 2018) was deployed to answer two research questions: does a positive student-faculty relationship correlate to engagement and …

Rural Students On College Enrollment: Perceptions Of Influence Surrounding College Choice, Lucas M. Simmons

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose for conducting the study was to describe the community, personal experiences, and life events of individuals from rural Arkansas communities in developing their decisions to attend college and how the community impacted their successful enrollment at the University of Arkansas. Specifically, the study set out to explore how rural communities were perceived to influence college enrollment decisions and choices in degree selection. Although situated at one case study institution, the University of Arkansas, the findings have importance for all rural students and communities, and ultimately public policy and institutional behaviors. Therefore, the purpose for conducting the study was …

Motivating Youth On Probation To Post-Secondary Success, Ximena Soto

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Silver Star Youth Program at Rancho Cielo Youth Campus works with at-risk youth ages 15 ½ to 18 to help them achieve a high school diploma. Unfortunately, many Silver Star participants lack the motivation to graduate high school and continue on to higher education or to pursue good jobs. Of the 25 students surveyed, 25% stated having some knowledge about college and future plans after graduation. The remaining 75% of students were unsure or undecided on their plans. This capstone project was designed to motivate these at-risk youth to post-secondary success. Two intern-led workshops provided students with information about …

The Effect Of Tier 2 Intervention On Student Achievement & Student Self-Efficacy, Cheyenne Morgan Hill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biology is a key course in a student's learning path. It provides important information about the living world and creates foundational knowledge that will be used in other science courses as the student progresses through his or her secondary and post-secondary education. However, there is a pattern of low student achievement in this required science course. The inability for students to understand and retain the curriculum in turn leads to low self-efficacy. Together, this creates a poor attitude toward science and a reluctance to pursue further science courses and in turn science careers. Response to Intervention (RTI), a common educational …

Mobile Technology For Language Learning And Instruction: Investigating Beliefs And Attitudes Of Indonesian Efl Preservice Teachers, Dodi Siraj Muamar Zain

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study is primarily aimed to investigate beliefs and attitudes of Indonesian EFL preservice teachers toward the use of mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets for learning and instructional practice in Indonesia. Furthermore, this phenomenological study attempted to reveal the factors affecting these two constructs from 20 Indonesian EFL preservice teachers through semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed participants’ beliefs that mobile devices could positively contribute to the development of language performance as learning tools and the development of language instruction as instructional tools. Regarding attitudes of EFL preservice teachers toward the use of mobile devices for learning and teaching, …

Increasing Active Learning And Achievement In A Large Lecture Calculus Class Through A Flipped Classroom Model, Kimberly King

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

University Calculus I courses serve as a means of access into high demand STEM fields and large lecture style passive calculus courses can be difficult for students. A mixed methods research design was used to compare a flipped instructional approach to a traditional lecture approach in large section Calculus I courses. The flipped lecture model required students to view videos of calculus instruction that included embedded quiz questions to allow for problem solving explorations during face-to-face class time. The traditional format included content from the video and limited time for additional problem solving. A professor with prior experience teaching Calculus …

Teaching White Privilege At A Southern University: A Multi-Method Approach, Morgan Browning

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fueled by individual and systemic prejudices, racism continuously cycles through American society. Eliminating racism begins with education and awareness on all societal levels. Denying the existence of privilege, specifically White privilege, allows people to ignore racial inequalities and aids in the perpetuation of injustice. This study focused on educating students at a southern university about privilege, oppression, racism, and discrimination with the goal of contributing to a less racist campus. A similar program developed and implemented in a previous study by the researcher was adapted for online modules. These four online modules consisted of presentations, activities, videos, speakers, and reflective …