Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Traffic Noise And Sexual Selection: Studies Of Anthropogenic Impact On Bird Songs And Undergraduate Student Reasoning Of Evolutionary Mechanisms, Sarah Spier

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Humans have transformed much of the natural landscape and are continuing to do so at an accelerated rate, compromising natural areas that serve as important habitat for many species. Roads impact much of the environment as they fragment habitat and introduce traffic noise into the acoustic environment, deferentially affecting wildlife in roadside habitat. I explored how traffic noise affects the detection of birds based on whether their vocalizations were masked by traffic noise. Masked species detection was not affected by an increase in traffic noise amplitude, while there was a negative effect of traffic noise amplitude on unmasked species detection, …

Traffic Noise And Sexual Selection: Studies Of Anthropogenic Impact On Bird Songs And Undergraduate Student Reasoning Of Evolutionary Mechanisms, Sarah Spier

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Humans have transformed much of the natural landscape and are continuing to do so at an accelerated rate, compromising natural areas that serve as important habitat for many species. Roads impact much of the environment as they fragment habitat and introduce traffic noise into the acoustic environment, deferentially affecting wildlife in roadside habitat. I explored how traffic noise affects the detection of birds based on whether their vocalizations were masked by traffic noise. Masked species detection was not affected by an increase in traffic noise amplitude, while there was a negative effect of traffic noise amplitude on unmasked species detection, …

Nefdc Exchange, Volume 32, Spring 2019, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange

Contents

President's Message, Marc Ebenfield - Salem State University

Social and emotional learning, the key to college success, Kathleen Driscoll, MFA - Formerly Mount Ida College, School of Design and Alison Poor-Donahue, MFA - University of Massachusetts, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Save the date, fall conference, Friday, November 8, 2019

3-C’s For Technology Integration: Coordination, Collaboration, and Co-Construction, Sara Donaldson, Ed.D. - Johns Hopkins University

Using Screencast Technology To Assess And Improve Student Writing: Research and Effectiveness, Forrest R. Rodgers, Ph.D. - Salem State University

The Classroom as Practice, Cris Hakala, Ph.D. - Springfield College

Career-Focused First-Year Seminars: …

Meaningful Learner Information For Mooc Instructors Examined Through A Contextualized Evaluation Framework, Kerrie Douglas, Mitch Zielinski, Hillary Merzdorf, Heidi Diefes-Dux, Peter Bermel

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Improving STEM MOOC evaluation requires an understanding of the current state of STEM MOOC evaluation, as perceived by all stakeholders. To this end, we investigated what kinds of information STEM MOOC instructors currently use to evaluate their courses and what kinds of information they feel would be valuable for that purpose. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 faculty members from a variety of fields and research institutions who had taught STEM MOOCs on edX, Coursera, or Udacity. Four major themes emerged related to instructors’ desires: (1) to informally assess learners as an instructor might in a traditional classroom, (2) to …

Research And Creative Activity, July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019: Major Sponsored Programs And Faculty Awards For Research And Creative Activity, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Office Of Research And Economic Development, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Office of Research and Economic Development: Publications

Foreword by Bob Wilhelm, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development:

This booklet highlights successes in research, scholarship and creative activity by University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty during the fiscal year running July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019.

It lists investigators, project titles and funding sources on major grants and sponsored awards received during the year; fellowships and other recognitions and honors bestowed on our faculty; books published by faculty; performances, exhibitions and other creative activity by our faculty; and patents and licensing agreements issued for products of Nebraska research.

2019 marks the university’s 150th anniversary, an exciting time to …

Teaching Visual Literacies: The Case Of The Great American Dust Bowl, Mary F. Rice, Ashley K. Dallacqua

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Teachers and students require a range of tools to engage with visual texts. Using The Great American Dust Bowlby Don Brown (2013) as an exemplar text, we outline four conceptions of visual literacy: rhetorical, instructional, industrial and visuo-spatial and discuss their use in our literacy education practice. In addition, we provide a brief model of a second text, The Arrival (Tan, 2013) and a list of suggested texts for students at different levels (elementary, middle, and high school). We argue that these tools have the potential to deepen conceptions of visual literacies and empower teachers and students to understand …

Nefdc Exchange, Volume 31, Fall 2018, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange

Contents

President's message: Faculty development in the 21st century, Marc Ebenfield

NEFDC publication schedule change

“I will forever be changed”: Encouraging meaning-making in service-learning, Isabelle Jenkins, MDiv, Virginia Ryan, Ph.D., and Michelle Sterk Barrett, Ph.D. - College of the Holy Cross

Call for proposals for the spring 2019 conference

Lessons from the mat: 17 things being a new yoga student taught me about effective, student-centered teaching, Jen Girgen, J.D., Ph.D. - Salem State University

Connected: Building meaningful relationships for online learning, Sara Donaldson, Ed.D., Karen Caldwell, Ed.D., and Carey Borkoski, Ph.D., Ed.D. - Johns Hopkins University

Defamiliarizing the familiar: Challenging …

Effects Of Structural Flaws On The Psychometric Properties Of Multiple-Choice Questions, Sarah B. Mcbrien

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

The sentiment that there is more work to be done than there is time is pervasive among faculty members at most academic institutions. At health science centers, faculty members often balancing teaching responsibilities, clinical loads, and research endeavors. Creative use of educational support staff may provide institutions an avenue for accomplishing goals related to quality improvement, curriculum revision, and accreditation tasks. One such task is the maintenance of a bank of multiple-choice examination items that are free of structural flaws. This study measured the effects of a systematic approach to revising structural flaws in multiple-choice questions on the psychometric properties …

Multiple True–False Questions Reveal The Limits Of The Multiple-Choice Format For Detecting Students With Incomplete Understandings, Brian A. Couch, Joanna K. Hubbard, Chad E. Brassil

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

By having students select one answer among several plausible options, multiple-choice (MC) questions capture a student’s preferred answer but provide little information regarding a student’s thinking on the remaining options. We conducted a crossover design experiment in which similar groups of introductory biology students were assigned verbatim questions in the MC format or multiple true–false (MTF) format, which requires students to separately evaluate each option as either true or false. Our data reveal that nearly half of the students who select the correct MC answer likely hold incorrect understandings of the other options and that the selection rates for individual …

Veteran Public School Teachers' Perceptions Of Research-To-Practice Methods And Effectiveness: A Qualitative Study, Lesa L. Brand

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

In 2015, the United States government signed the Every Student Succeeds Act which called for evidence-based interventions, strategies, and programs in K-12 education. Mission statements in districts around the country echoed the need for evidence-based, or research-based practices in classrooms to bolster student achievement. While a wealth of research exists regarding the movement of research into practice, most studies are centered on teacher education programs, or pre-service teachers’ use of research in first or early years. Little is known about how veteran public school teachers apply research in their practices. In this qualitative inquiry, eleven veteran public school teachers from …

Research And Creative Activity, July 1, 2017–June 30, 2018: Major Sponsored Programs And Faculty Awards For Research And Creative Activity, University Of Nebraska–Lincoln, Office Of Research And Economic Development, University Of Nebraska–Lincoln

Office of Research and Economic Development: Publications

Foreword by Bob Wilhelm, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development:

This booklet highlights successes in research, scholarship and creative activity by University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty during the fiscal year July 1, 2017– June 30, 2018.

It lists investigators, project titles and funding sources on major grants and sponsored program awards received during the year; fellowships and other recognitions and honors bestowed on our faculty; books published by faculty; performances, exhibitions and other creative activity by our faculty; and patents and licensing agreements issued for products of Nebraska research.

Notably, the university reached a major milestone in FY2017: earning $302 …

The Influence Of Previous Subject Experience On Interactions During Peer Instruction In An Introductory Physics Course: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Judy A. Vondruska

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over the past decade, peer instruction and the introduction of student response systems has provided a means of improving student engagement and achievement in large-lecture settings. While the nature of the student discourse occurring during peer instruction is less understood, existing studies have shown student ideas about the subject, extraneous cues, and confidence level appear to matter in the student-student discourse. Using a mixed methods research design, this study examined the influence of previous subject experience on peer instruction in an introductory, one-semester Survey of Physics course. Quantitative results indicated students in discussion pairs where both had previous subject experience …

Latinx Students In Stem Education Research: A Crt And Latcrit Analysis Of Nsf Funded Projects, Hortencia Lara

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis used Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) to conduct an in-depth analysis of whether literature funded through the use of National Science Foundation (NSF) research awards perpetuates race, racism, or other interacting systems of oppression in the research or if the investigators resisted inequalities against Latinx students in STEM research. This thesis examined how the investigators of twenty NSF-funded articles examined the experiences of Latinx students in STEM. From a CRT and LatCrit lens I analyze articles to see if and in what ways researchers are complicit with oppression and which ways they resist. …

Nebraska Acrl Scholarly Communication Roadshow Sharing Session, Catherine Fraser Riehle, Linnea Fredrickson, Margaret Mering

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

The session includes a report about the 2017 Nebraska ACRL [Association of College and Research Libraries] Scholarly Communication Roadshow that was held July 12, 2017, on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) campus. The presenters share key takeaways from each of three main program segments, which focused on (1) open education, (2) copyright, and (3) research metrics and author identifiers (e.g., ORCID). The session includes updates about (1) open education–related initiatives at UNL, including the UNL Libraries’ efforts to partner with other units on campus to increase awareness and integration of OERs in curricula; (2) selected copyright issues and continuing education …

Creative Research Stages, Student Guide: Scaffolding Creative Research For Students And Teachers, By Students And Teachers, Kimberley D'Adamo

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

Developed at Berkeley High School, in collaboration with students in Advanced Studio Arts, graduating classes of 2010-2020, as an ongoing Youth Participatory Action Research project led by Kimberley D’Adamo.

This curriculum guide shows how to scaffold creative thinking stage by stage for novice researchers, helping students learn to ask questions, research, experiment, plan and make their thinking visible through documentation. These stages are age-appropriate scaffolds for each stage, so the kinds of high-level thinking could be accessible and practiced by novice researchers. The guide includes objectives for each stage, suggestions, sentence frames, graphic organizers and examples of students' creative research …

Teaching Critical Looking: Pedagogical Approaches To Using Comics As Queer Theory, Ashley Manchester

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Given the challenging depth of queer theoretical concepts, this article argues that one of the most effective ways to teach the complexities of queer theory is by utilizing comics in the classroom. I focus on how college-level instructors can use the content, form, and history of comics to teach students how to enact and do queer theory. By reading and making comics, students learn concrete and theoretical tools for combatting oppressive discourses and modes of meaning making. Teaching comics as queer theory promotes both innovative critical thinking and critical looking skills by centralizing both the rich history of queer comics …

Research And Creative Activity, July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017: Major Sponsored Programs And Faculty Awards For Research And Creative Activity, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Office Of Research And Economic Development, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Office of Research and Economic Development: Publications

Introduction by Steve Goddard, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, University of Nebraska-Lincoln:

This booklet highlights successes in research, scholarship and creative activity of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty during the fiscal year July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017.

It lists investigators, project titles and funding sources on major grants and sponsored program awards received during the year; fellowships and other recognitions and honors bestowed on our faculty; books published by faculty; performances, exhibitions and other creative activity by our faculty; and intellectual property licenses and patents issued for the products of Nebraska research.

This booklet is an impressive …

Faculty Perceptions Of Teaching Information Literacy To First-Year Students: A Phenomenographic Study, Lorna M. Dawes

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

This study examines faculty perceptions of teaching information literacy and explores the influence of these perceptions on pedagogy. The study adopted an inductive phenomenographic approach, using 24 semi-structured interviews with faculty teaching first-year courses at an American public research university. The results of the study reveal four qualitative ways in which faculty experience teaching information use to first year students that vary within three themes of expanding awareness. The resulting outcome space revealed that faculty had two distinct conceptions of teaching information literacy: (1) Teaching to produce experienced consumers of information, and (2) Teaching to cultivate intelligent participants in discourse …

Nefdc Exchange, Volume 29, Fall 2016, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange

Contents

President’s Message -Dakin Burdick, Mount Ida College

Save the date, spring conference - Student-Faculty Research Collaborations, keynote speaker, Alan November, founder of November Learning; keynote address: Helping Students Build a Global Network for Lifelong Learning

Exploring the Universe Through a Cultural Lens - Kristine Larsen, Central Connecticut State University

Scientific Literacy Skills for the 21st Century - Cynthia Brandenburg, Champlain College

Using Celebrity to Discuss Diversity - Kellie Deys, Nichols College

Reacting to the Past: Learning Diversity of Perspectives Through Role Playing - Frances Alexakos, Roger Williams University

Mindsets Matter in Education - Cheryl Williams, Salem State University

The …

Wilderness Restoration: A Case Study Of Two Place-Based Education Programs, Carolyn Ann Albracht

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Research regarding outdoor environmental education programs for youth tends to be quantitative in nature, examining cause-and-effect relationships between program content and participants’ behavior and attitudes. Some researchers have suggested that programs that help foster an affective connection with nature in its participants may have more lasting and greater impact on participants’ pro-environmental behavior and attitudes than those that take a more cognitive approach. In other words, appealing to youth’s emotional sensibilities may go further than only teaching facts and skills about how to be better environmental stewards. In order to study these affective connections and how they might be fostered, …

Perceptions Of Eighth Grade State Writing Assessment At A Nationally Recognized Middle School, Jillian M. Quandt

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This study seeks to understand how one at-risk middle school in Nebraska is consistently beating eighth grade Nebraska State Writing Assessment (NESA-W) averages. The school has significant populations of Hispanic, special education, and low-income students. The study answers the following two research questions. What strategies does the at-risk school utilize to enable its students to exceed the Nebraska average on the NESA-W? What attitudes do the school’s writing teachers, administrators, students, and their parents hold about the NESA-W? Students and their parents answered a multiple-choice survey; teachers and administrators answered a longer, open-ended survey. The researcher used a combination of …

Exploring Elementary Students’ Agricultural And Scientific Knowledge Using Evidence Centered Design, Molly R. Brandt

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The public is more disconnected from agriculture than ever. Americans are two to four generations removed from the farm, and a majority of Americans, even in rural agricultural states have no direct link to agriculture. As a result, the public lacks the knowledge and appreciation of the food, fuel, and fiber it demands. The National Center for Agricultural Literacy (NCAL) uses National Agricultural Learning Objectives (NALOs) to measure student’s agricultural knowledge. The purpose of this project is to develop assessments aligned with the NALOs and to use results from the assessments to further understand students’ agricultural literacy. This study focuses …

Research And Creative Activity, July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016: Major Sponsored Programs And Faculty Awards For Research And Creative Activity, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Office Of Research And Economic Development, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Office of Research and Economic Development: Publications

Foreword by Steve Goddard, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development

This “Major Sponsored Programs and Faculty Awards for Research and Creative Activity” booklet highlights the successes of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty during the fiscal year July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016. It lists funding sources, projects and investigators on major grants and sponsored program awards received during the year; fellowships and other recognitions and honors bestowed on our faculty; books published by faculty; performances, exhibitions and other creative activity in which our faculty have engaged; and intellectual property licenses and patents issued for the products of UNL research. …

Honors In Practice: A Publication Of The National Collegiate Honors Council, Volume 12 (2016)--Complete Issue

Honors in Practice Online Archive

CONTENTS

Editorial Policy, Deadline, and Submission Guidelines v

Dedication to Patrice Berger — Karen Lyons

Editor’s Introduction — Ada Long

FIFTIETH-ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Founder’s Award Speech — Bernice Braid

RESEARCH ABOUT HONORS

Evaluating the Application of Program Outcomes to Study Abroad Experiences — Patricia Joanne Smith and Lawrence J. Mrozek

Why Not Honors? Understanding Students’ Decisions Not to Enroll and Persist in Honors Programs — Timothy Nichols, Jacob Ailts, and Kuo-Liang Chang

Effects of Peer Mentorship on Student Leadership — Giovanna Walters and Ashley Kanak

PRACTICAL AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS FOR HONORS

The Challenge of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in …

Nefdc Exchange, Volume 28, Fall 2015, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange

Contents

President’s Message: The Importance of Academic Technology - Dakin Burdick, Mlount Ida College

Snow Lessons from a New England Winter: Using Technology Tools to Empower Learning during Class Cancellations - Lori Rosenthal, Lasell College

Call for Proposals for the Spring 2016 Conference

Kairos: The Right Time for the Laboratory as Educational Model - Al DeCiccio, Labouré College

Save the Date: Spring Conference, Tuesday, May 24, 2016; theme: Inclusive Excellence: Teaching and Learning in an Increasingly Interconnected World; Tufts University; keynote speaker: L. Lee Knefelkamp, Columbia University and AAC&U

Universal Design for Learning for 21st Century Success - Katie Novak, …

Tacit Cultural Knowledge: An Instrumental Qualitative Case Study Of Mixed Methods Research In South Africa, Debra Rena Miller

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Notwithstanding the dramatic expansion of mixed methods research, research methodologies, methods, and findings are culturally situated. Problematically, studies conducted outside the global north often embrace canonical methodologies aimed at understanding concepts more explicit than tacit. Learning about the needs of researchers and participants in South Africa may bring to light taken-for-granted assumptions in Anglo-American orientations of mixed methods. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore aspects of tacit cultural knowledge that contextualize mixed methods research in South Africa.

In-person interviews among South African professors as well as a corpus of books, sections, journal articles, and theses informed the …

Assessing The Relationship Between Student And Faculty Perceptions Of Student Engagement At Central Mountain College, Brandi R. K. Atnip

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study compared the perceptions of students versus faculty at Central Mountain College with regard to the issue of student engagement. Central Mountain College participated in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement and the Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement during the spring semesters of 2009, 2011, and 2013. The institution was provided with aggregate results from these survey administrations by the Center for Community College Student Engagement. Prior to this study, the survey results had not been accumulatively evaluated by the institution.

The study aimed to determine areas where there was congruence and incongruence between the students …

Developing An Understanding Of How College Students Experience Interactive Instructional Technology: A Ux Perspective, Adam Wagler

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Technology is increasingly mobile and social, resulting in dynamic digital and interactive environments. The ubiquitous nature of interactive instructional technology presents new paradigms for higher education, creating challenges for instructors to compete for time and attention as students are bombarded by information in a digital, media rich world. The problem being studied, with all of these technological advancements, is how instructors can approach these challenges from a user experience (UX) perspective. A macro level view sees college students taking multiple courses at a time, over many semesters, and using different interactive instructional technology that mix with other forms of online …

Redefining Value: Alternative Metrics And Research Outputs, Sara Rouhi, William Gunn, Raychelle Burks, Kiyomi D. Deards

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

Slides for a panel presentation on metrics of scholarly communication. Talks included are:

Practical Applications for Altmetric Data: Funding Requests by Sara Rouhi

Measuring Science by William Gunn

Outreach & Engagement (OE) by Raychelle Burks

What's My Impact? by Kiyomi Deards

The Effectiveness Of E‐Coaching In Rural Science Classrooms, Gwen Nugent

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

This presentation will present final results of a research project funded by the U.S. Department of Education and conducted by the National Center for Research on Rural Education at UNL. The study is a randomized control trial with 119 rural middle and high school science teachers in Nebraska and Iowa. It examines the impact of professional development on guided scientific inquiry with technologydelivered follow‐up coaching (treatment) versus no professional development (control) on teacher and student inquiry knowledge, skills, self‐efficacy and attitudes. This presentation will provide an overview of the project, focusing on the coaching processes and procedures, and present final …