Educational Methods Commons^™

Flawed And Formidable: Galadriel, Éowyn, And Tolkien’S Inadvertent Feminism, Rachel Maddox

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

inspiring an intense fan base and Peter Jackson’s multimillion-dollar film series. However, the trilogy’s acceptance in the literary canon has been tepid at best, with critics discrediting the work for relying too heavily on elements of fantasy, while those who accept the trilogy as worthy of literary consideration are forced to confront Tolkien’s sexist views and the manifestation of these beliefs in his work. In keeping with his well-documented misogyny, it appears that Tolkien intentionally excluded women from his narrative: the Entwives are all inexplicably absent, powerful women are excluded from major scenes and events, and there are “more named …

Burger Reward, Spencer Patterson

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

Family pictures deserve a reward. I’m not trying to pull off facial yoga for an hour and not get something out of it. My fifteen-year-old self can only handle my five younger brothers for so long. So, what exactly is the reward? A trip to Five Guys, featuring greasy burgers and big wedgy fries.

“Order number fifty-one, fifty-one!”

Dad holds both Nehemiah, eight months old, and the door to Five Guys for my mom, myself, Samuel, Elijah, Caleb, and Luke. I breathe in the smell of burgers that weigh in at three-and-a-half inches and 800 Calories. A fat man who’s …

Health Is Wealth: Behavioral Economic "Nudges" Applied To Health Care, Cameron Watts

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

“Health is wealth,” is a common catchphrase adopted by non-profits and clinics to describe the inherent value of investing in one’s physical and mental wellbeing. However, most people do not recognize the truth behind the phrase – the financial return on health investments. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2010, that over 2.3 trillion dollars were spent to treat chronic and mental health diseases, many of which were preventable (Gerteis et al., 2016); Furthermore, the Congressional Budget Office expects 966 billion dollars to be spent on Medicare and Medicaid alone in 2018 (Projections for Major Health …

Conservative Colonization: An Ethical Analysis Of Galactic Expansion, Parker Vesely

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

Space: the final frontier. Humanity has long held a fond appreciation for this vast unknown, and it has been featured in both art and academia since the dawn of time. Scientific knowledge of both the Earth and the solar system have greatly advanced in the last seventy years since humanity launched its first object, a German V-2 rocket, into the atmosphere. This obsessive curiosity did not cease with the Lunar Landing, but instead increased ten-fold with dreams of extraterrestrial life and extraterrestrial living. As the day humans will set foot on Mars steadily approaches, humankind faces a daunting dilemma: how …

Closet Land: Combining Theatre And Film For A Psychological Thrill, Ashley Snead, Janet Hayatshahi

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

This paper reflects an intense study of the benefits of how film can be integrated into theatrical live performance. Traditionally, live theatrical performance has used three-dimensional bodies in space to help in its storytelling. This research seeks to find ways in which live performance can be complimented through the use of multimedia components. Based on an analysis of the script Closet Land, by Radha Bharadwaj, this research highlights moments from the text by showing how the use of video and still images displayed through projectors in the live performance enhances the storytelling and gives broader depth to the characters’ subconscious …

Place Based Learning Community Planning Guide, Katlin Goldenberg, Jessica Matthews, Raven Palomera, Steven Margell, Alex Gorman, Amy Sprowles, Matt Johnson

University Reports

The introduction of Place Based Learning Communities (PBLCs) at HSU in 2015 has become an increasingly discussed topic throughout the university. We use the term “Learning Community” in its strictest sense - a curricular approach to education that intentionally links a cluster of courses around an interdisciplinary theme and enrolls a common cohort of students. The production of higher GPAs and retention and significant achievement gap closure among the HSU PBLC cohorts is undeniable.

All components are comprehensive in the fact that they build a sense of community, belonging, and accountability within the students which serve as factors for higher …

Proposal For Implementing The Flipped Learning Method In Dentistry English, Zumrut Cassidy

MA TESOL Collection

In traditional teaching, the information is given to the students in the class by the lecturer through different sources. The digestion of the information is done by the students at home. Therefore, the time that is allocated for the production and the practice of the taught subject becomes limited. Yes, "flipped learning" changes that totally. The idea behind it is schoolwork at home and homework in class. This study seeks to find out what flipped learning contributes to learning and how it deals with boosting the students' autonomy. In the flipped learning way of teaching, students are supposed to take …

Future Directions For University Of Nebraska Wireless Networking, Brian Cox, Jay Wilmes

Innovation in Pedagogy and Technology Symposium

Future Directions for University of Nebraska Wireless Networking

Olive Branch

Brian Cox (NU ITS - UNK), Jay Wilmes (NU ITS - UNL)

Information Technology Services is working to take the separate wireless network environments currently found throughout the University of Nebraska and move toward a single network, providing a common and convenient network environment throughout the university. This session will leave the audience with a general feel for where the network is headed and what it means to the University community.

2018 Associate's Degree Exit Survey, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Assessment Center Reports

Exit Surveys produced by the SWOSU Assessment Center.

Building Demand And Reaching For Capacity, Michael Goudzwaard, Cynthia Cogswell

Other Staff Materials

In this case study, the authors describe a classroom redesign at Dartmouth College. The classroom was redesigned as a way to seed innovations in teaching and new ideas on how space influences learning through a partnership incubator for working with faculty. This paper outlines the campus context for how the classroom was redesigned, data collected on its use, and the support structure for faculty.

Knit Kit: Create, Craft, And Code, Alison Cloet

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

No abstract provided.

3-D Mapping | Topography, Dana Hoppe

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

No abstract provided.

The Great Escape, Caleb Kowalsk

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

No abstract provided.

Using Student And Teacher Thinking To Improve Teaching And Learning, Ken Jensen

Teaching and Learning Sciences: Doctoral Research Projects

This research project examined how a teacher and an instructional coach can use formative assessment data on student thinking to improve the teaching and learning in a mathematics classroom. Two research questions guided the project and from them three instructional strategies emerged. The first strategy was the use of formative assessment data collected on student thinking from a previous lesson to plan for the learning in future lessons. The second strategy was the use of formative assessment data collected on student thinking during a lesson to make decisions about how to proceed with the lesson. The third strategy was the …

Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems To Measure Linear And Areal Features Into Undergraduate Forestry Education, Reid Viegut, David Kulhavy, Daniel Unger, I-Kuai Hung, Brian Humphreys

Faculty Publications

The use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in undergraduate forestry education continues to expand and develop. Accuracy of data collection is an important aspect of preparation for "society-ready" foresters to meet the complex sustainable environment managing for ecological, social and economic interests. Hands-on use of a DJI Phantom 4 Pro UAS by undergraduates to measure the length and area of 30 linear features and areal features on Earth's surface were estimated. These measurements were compared (measured within the ArcMap 10.5.2 interface) to hyperspectral Pictometry imagery measured on the web-based interface and the Google Earth Pro interface. Each remotely estimated measurement …

Mind The Gap: Mapping Skills In Higher Education Project Summary, Melody Viczko Dr, Shannon Mckechnie, Natasja Van Buggenhout, J. Eduardo Álvarez Barrios

Education Publications

The call for reform in higher education has been a focus of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for over a decade. This call for reform is driven by a stated “skills gap” between the skills of graduates and the needs of the labour market. Student groups have also voiced their concern about the skills gap and its impact on future employment.

Another Apocalypse, Jared Kohn

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

For a brief infinity, all was silent darkness, all were shadows layered lifelessly on top of one another, and the formless figures rattled only to breathe in the impossible abyss. There were no distinctions between woman and blanket, blanket and couch, couch and floor; light failed to reach the isolation of the living room. In fact, this living room seemed to exist before and after the passing of time, a perfect solitude that existed outside of the bells and whistles of the known gloom. The heat was heavy and the body hidden beneath layers of shadow and blanket lurched through …

Palinoia, Jill Bond

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

The idea of restrictive and regimented female beauty standards is certainly not a new concept, but rarely are the repetitive, destructive, and exploitive aspects analyzed in a cinematic setting. This realization sparked the idea for Palinoia: a three minute and thirty-four second film dedicated to the artistic exploration of this very topic. Starting with the title itself, “palinoia” is defined as the obsessive or compulsive repetition of an action until it is mastered or perfect – a rather accurate statement when looked at in the context of female actions in response to societal beauty standards and expectations. This definition ultimately …

Bridging Aesthetic Theory: Comparing Scottish Enlightenment Theories To Modern Neuroscience Evidence, Calen Smith

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

Artistic disciplines burgeoned in Scotland during the eighteenth century. As fields such as sculpture, painting, literature, and music thrived, so did philosophy. Responding to the advancements of the fine arts, philosophers such as Hume, Reid, and Hutcheson began to write about the philosophy of art—aesthetics. Though they addressed a variety of themes in their writings, aesthetic theory can generally be characterized by three main questions: does beauty originate internally (person) or externally (object), are there universal traits that create beauty, and lastly, what is the role of the critique (expert) in recognizing and interpreting beauty? Three hundred years later, academic …

Breaking Barriers In Teaching And Learning: The Honors Professional Development Portfolio: Claiming The Value Of Honors For Improvement, Tenure, And Promotion

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

All of us working in honors face a similar challenge when we are asked to account for the value of our efforts as teachers or leaders in our honors programs or colleges. Much of what we do is invisible to all but the most discerning and appreciative eyes: hours spent designing new courses and pedagogical approaches; advising students on curricular, career, and personal matters; coordinating faculty and student development opportunities; forging beneficial alliances across campus to grow and strengthen our institutional areas; collaborating with students on research projects; drafting grants and other proposals; maintaining alumnae relations; leading students to academic …

Breaking Barriers In Teaching And Learning: Constructing An Honors Composition Course To Support A Research-Based Honors Curriculum

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

As the research focus of post-secondary honors education intensifies, the honors composition course can be designed to support this mission by introducing students to discipline-specific research tools and argumentation styles while building an interdisciplinary community of scholars who can debate issues both within and outside their fields. Not only do students develop skills in selecting, reading, and writing researched academic arguments, but they also gain insight into the publication and presentation processes as related to professional development in a given discipline. Students learn how publishers and editors serve as gatekeepers of what is considered knowledge in a field, how researchers …

Breaking Barriers In Teaching And Learning: Building And Enhancing Honors Programs Through Faculty Learning Communities

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Many important institutional concerns and opportunities, observes John R. Cosgrove, involve honors programs and colleges, such as their impact on undergraduate academic performance, retention, and graduation (Cosgrove). Another consideration for honors programs is the area of curriculum revision or enhancement, for example, increasing ethical inquiry across courses in the honors curriculum. Others involve inspiring faculty to create new honors courses, adjusting criteria for student requirements and recognition, initiating joint enterprises with liberal education and STEM programs, and advancing the role of the honors curriculum in advocating change across the institution. These opportunities beckon solutions that can be investigated and proposed …

Improving Online Learning With Learning Analytics, Martonia Gaskill, Phu Vu

Innovation in Pedagogy and Technology Symposium

The overarching goal of this presentation is to discuss the use of learning analytics in Canvas to track and predict students’ performances and to provide timely support for success in online courses. In addition, the issue of students’ privacy in online courses will also be reviewed through preliminary survey data. According to Horizon Report 2016, learning analytics is an educational application of web analytics aimed at learner profiling, a process of collecting and analyzing details of individual student performances in their online courses. Learning analytics has developed in three stages, moving from an emphasis on hindsight to foresight. The first …

Translating Studio Courses Online, Claire Amy Schultz

Innovation in Pedagogy and Technology Symposium

This presentation will highlight some of the successes and struggles of translating a studio art class to the online format. Teacher reflections on pedagogical and instructional designs will be shared along with ways to provide students with a quality studio course experience in an online format.

Group Portfolios As A Gateway To Creativity, Collaboration, And Synergy In An Environment Course, Katherine Nashleanas

Innovation in Pedagogy and Technology Symposium

Group Portfolios as a Gateway to Creativity, Collaboration & Synergy in an Environment Course

Yankee Hill I

Katherine Nashleanas (UNL)

Recent studies have suggested the world students are facing today is moving so fast that the professions and skills they are training for now might be obsolete by the time they graduate. As a result, students in the 21st century need to think more flexibly, innovatively and creatively as well as practice in collaboration, negotiation and teamwork. With an entry-level class of 49 students in a hybrid course, groups were assigned with a semester portfolio project on the general topic …

Male Allies At The University Of Nebraska, Heath Tuttle, Wes Juranek

Innovation in Pedagogy and Technology Symposium

Greater demands and limited resources mean that innovation is essential for Information Technology Systems (ITS) at the University of Nebraska. A key element of a successful and innovative organization is a culture that values and respects diversity. Diverse teams, in turn, lead to improved performance and a more effective organization (Hutchings & De Cieri, 2016). In this interactive session, presenters will discuss the role male allies have in creating an inclusive culture, discuss every-day actions that everyone can take to improve the work environment, and promote the 2 development of a Male Ally group within ITS and how participants can …

Creating A Student Success Center: Transitioning Graduate Students Into An Online Community Of Learners Through A Collaborative Approach, Brian Wilson, Christina W. Yao, Erica Defrain, Andrew Cano

Innovation in Pedagogy and Technology Symposium

Community building and socialization are key to success in graduate education, particularly as students are facing two new realities at the start of their academic careers: shifting identity into becoming graduate students 2 and scholars, and developing online learning competency. As a way to address these challenges, the EDAD Student Success Center was created in Fall 2016 to increase interactions with faculty and peers as a way to develop a community of learners. This collaborative project included interest and effort from departmental faculty and staff, colleagues from the UNL Libraries, and current graduate students representing the EDAD Graduate Student Association …

A Course Delivery Evolution: Moving From Lecture To Online To A Flipped Classroom, Kim Michael, Tanya Cluster

Innovation in Pedagogy and Technology Symposium

This presentation will focus on the findings of a research study designed to evaluate different modes of course delivery in a Genitourinary Sonography course. The purpose of the study was two-fold, first to determine if the mode of delivery (traditional, on-line, flipped) affects student satisfaction in a genitourinary sonography course and second to evaluate overall course outcomes.

The study reviewed current data over a 9-year period from a single sonography course offered in the spring semester of a 12-month Bachelor of Science health professions program. During the first three years (2010- 2012), the course was offered in a traditional, lecture …

Math Teachers' Experiences With Math Staff Development Training, Carolyn Ann Grady

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As a result of low student scores on math assessments and teachers' seeming inability to raise those scores, professional development (PD) interventions were developed to address teachers' knowledge and understanding of math instruction. The purpose of this case study was to gain a deeper understanding of teachers' experiences with the math staff development training and how those experiences influence their teaching and students' learning. Guided by constructivist theory, the key research questions addressed the math teachers' experiences with the math PD and what teachers perceive to be their needs for effective math PD. Data for this case study were collected …

Educational Development Needs Of Higher Education Faculty Working With Ells, Kevin Joseph Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was undertaken to examine the educational development (ED) needs of higher education (HE) faculty who have English language learners (ELLs) in their mainstream courses but do not have specialized training in teaching such students. A quantitative approach was used to explore the impact of any existing ED and areas that might need improvement. This study, guided by andragogy, examined the pedagogical needs of these HE faculty. A cross-sectional analysis of online survey data using a multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) and multiple analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) examined the ED needs and available resources of faculty with respect to …