Higher Education Commons^™

Tailoring Higher Education Instruction For Students With Asd To Transition To Employment : Employer Perspectives, Hillary M. Adams

Hillary M. Adams

This study explores the need for tailored higher education curricula for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as they transition from college to employment. I t is estimated that 50,000 individuals diagnosed with ASD turn eighteen each year (Autism Speaks, 2012), and one in three of those individuals are entering higher education ( Roux , Shattuck, Rast, Rava, & Anderson, 2015) . Individuals with ASD face poor outcomes in the workforce; 75- 85% of adults with ASD do not have full -time employment (Scheiner, 2013). Lack of employment opportunities derive from impairments in social skills, be haviors, theory of mind, …

Examination Of An Emerging Community Of Practice For Instructional Designers: A Descriptive Case Study In A Midwestern University, Jiaqi Yu, Connie Hargrave

Constance P. Hargrave

This study examined the functioning of a group of instructional designers (IDs) in higher education through the lens of Communities of Practice (CoPs). The study particularly focused on whether and how the grouping of experienced and novice IDs operated as an effective CoP from the perspective of novices. The findings indicated that a group of IDs working in a midwestern university was able to cultivate a CoP within a clearly defined domain, a well-established community, and the shared practice with a specific body of knowledge. Particularly from the perspectives of novices, they highlighted the positive impact while participating in the …

The Tenure Process: A Descriptive Study Of Selected Texas Universities, Gary Miller, Wesley D. Hickey

Gary Miller

Few things in the professional life of university faculty are more important than the tenure process. Achieving tenure provides the faculty member with the confidence that his or her position with the university will be secure for life. There are exceptions; criminal behavior and elimination of the program come to mind, but tenure allows the faculty member to research controversial areas without the potential for political repercussions that could jeopardize employment. According to the American Association of University Professors: The principal purpose of tenure is to safeguard academic freedom, which is necessary for all who teach and conduct research in …

Naspa Presentation.Pptx, Lynell Hodge

Lynell Hodge, EdD

No abstract provided.

School Shootings: Is My School Safe?, Tony Durr

Tony Durr

In the part of rural Midwestern America there was recently a shooting at a school that ended in the death of an assistant principal and the suicide of a student. In short, a student who had recently transferred to Millard South High School in the State of Nebraska had troubles adjusting to his new school. The article reports, the student was suspended after he was caught driving his car on the school’s football field. Later in the day after his suspension, the student returned to the school and fatally shot an assistant principal and also wounded the principal. The student …

Indiana Social-Emotional Learning Competencies, Brandie M. Oliver, Lori Desautels

Brandie M. Oliver

No abstract provided.

Teacher Voices Activity .Pptx, Lynell Hodge

Lynell Hodge, EdD

In Action: Snapshot Of Engagement Activity, Southern Cross University’S Live Ideas: In Re-Imagining The Engaged University., Kristin A. Den Exter

Dr Kristin den Exter

Graduate Preparation Of School Psychologists In Serving English Language Learners, Morgan J. Aldridge, Elana Bernstein, Susan C. Davies

Elana R. Bernstein

The purpose of this study was to examine the training practices of NASP accredited graduate programs in school psychology with regard to best practices in working with English Language Learners (ELLs). Training directors of school psychology programs were surveyed regarding the amount of time and the extent of instruction they provided their school psychology graduate students on the topic of ELLs. School psychology interns were also surveyed regarding both their current knowledge about serving ELLs and their perceived preparedness to serve ELLs. Results indicated that school psychology programs are not adequately preparing graduate students to serve the growing population of …

The Development Of Intercultural Competency In School Psychology Graduate Students, Susan C. Davies, Abigail A. Lewis, Amy E. Anderson, Elana Bernstein

Elana R. Bernstein

School psychologists often have the opportunity to work with students and families from varied backgrounds and cultures. While this can be an exciting and enriching part of the job, it can also be daunting for some practitioners, particularly those who are inadequately prepared. A number of strategies have been implemented in school psychology training programs to improve students’ intercultural competency. This exploratory study investigated the results of one university’s short-term study abroad program for school psychology graduate students. Pre- and post- intercultural development assessments were given to school psychology graduate students who completed a course abroad; results were compared to …

Roundtable – Teaching Human Rights: Challenges And Best Practices, Shayna Plaut, Kristi Kenyon, Joel Pruce, William Simmons

Joel Pruce

Over the past 20 years, courses addressing human rights have grown dramatically at both the undergraduate and graduate levels worldwide. Many of these courses are housed in specific disciplines, focus on specific issues, and require practical experience in the form of internships/practicums. Amid this growth there is a need to reflect on teaching human rights including the challenges, fears, and best practices. Recognizing that education takes place inside and outside a classroom, this roundtable brings together scholars teaching human rights in a variety of settings to examine the current state of university human rights education. This includes a discussion of …

Hybrid Plcs: Building Collaboration Among Teachers In Different Schools, Laura Robertson, Pamela Cromie, Lindsay Lester, Jennifer Hill, Diana O'Neal

Laura Robertson

How do highly motivated teachers from different schools collaborate? We formed a hybrid PLC that included face-to-face meetings and online interactions to improve student learning.

Peer Research Mentors At Gettysburg College: Transforming Student Library Jobs Into High-Impact Learning Experiences, Clinton K. Baugess, Mallory R. Jallas, Meggan D. Smith, Janelle Wertzberger

Janelle Wertzberger

Research and Instruction librarians at Gettysburg College developed a Peer Research Mentor (PRM) program for undergraduate students. The program is designed to empower a group of student employees to work in partnership with experienced librarians in order to increase a PRM’s own research skills and support other student researchers more effectively. The program focuses on student training, reference service, and outreach to other students. The authors share the development of the program; describe their approach to training, supervision, and assessment; and offer insight about how to operate and sustain a similar program with limited resources.

The Experience And Meaning Of A Marianist Education Today: A National High School Study Of Mission And School Culture, Carolyn Ridenour, Alan Demmitt, Jill L. Lindsey-North

Carolyn S. Ridenour

Focus groups conducted with students, parents, teachers, and alumni (N=540) at 13 Catholic Marianist high schools provided rich insights into the experience and meaning of the education provided at these institutions. While academic excellence was a common thread woven across meaning given by both parents and teachers, students and alumni articulated a meaning replete with images of belonging. That these schools valued persons holistically (rather than solely academically) permeated most groups. Using theories of organizational culture as the foundation, the relationship between missions and the meaning of life in these schools is discussed.

The Sacred And The Secular: Aligning A Marianist Mission With Professional Standards Of Practice In An Educational Leadership Doctorial Program, Darla J. Twale, Carolyn Ridenour

Carolyn S. Ridenour

This inquiry was conducted to explore how the characteristics of our university’s religious mission are interwoven into our educational leadership doctoral program and are manifest in the structure and learning experiences that our students encounter. We examined how these characteristics might correspond to or relate to the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards that resulted from national reform initiatives in educational leadership in the mid 1990s. We concluded that the foundations of the PhD program are built solidly on the distinctive characteristics and identity of our founders and are aligned with these professional standards as well. Implications for universities …

Status Of Women In Higher Education: A Metanalysis Of Institutional Reports, Kathleen Brittamart Watters, Carolyn Ridenour

Carolyn S. Ridenour

The authors examined twenty-one institutional reports on the status of women on American college and university campuses. The analysis revealed a dominant discourse of women positioned as dependent on men. Among the five emergent themes included, first, the reality that women were marginalized on these campuses and second, overrepresented in lower power positions. Third, evidence suggested an unequal distribution of salary and perquisites by gender. Fourth, adopting policies toward equity can lessen gender discrimination; however, not with a lack of a strong public and visible commitment to equity by campus leadership, the fifth theme. Additional findings include explanation of three …

Meanings Underlying Student Ratings Of Faculty, Carolyn Ridenour, Stephen J. Blatt

Carolyn S. Ridenour

The purpose of this study was to examine how undergraduate students interpret the items on a faculty evaluation instrument. Most research on faculty evaluation is quantitative (Marsh and Bailey 1993). Our first study was also quantitative. After we produced a profile of quantitative ratings of faculty by students across all departments in our university in an earlier study, we wanted to go beneath the numbers to their meaning. We designed the present qualitative study to investigate what the items on that form meant to students.

Issues Of Racial, Ethnic, And Gender Diversity In Preparing School Administrators, Carolyn Ridenour, Patricia F. First, Angela Lydon, Michelle C. Partlow

Carolyn S. Ridenour

The four authors teach in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Dayton. Each taught a new course that addressed issues of diversity in schools, focusing on race, ethnicity, and gender. Each developed the course in a unique way and in distinct settings, though each involved: 1. Reflecting holistically on the experience of teaching the course in order to generate common themes explaining what the experience meant to the faculty as individuals and as women (Blackmore & Kenway, 1993). 2. Examining students' work, behaviors, communication, and attitudes in order to infer level of, as well as changes in, …

Factors Underlying Effective College Teaching: What Students Tell Us, Carolyn Ridenour, Stephen J. Blatt

Carolyn S. Ridenour

The researchers analyzed 28,000 student evaluations of faculty across 46 departments for one academic term. A 27-item instrument on which students rated faculty was used. One global item assessing overall instructor effectiveness was predicted most strongly by three items: namely, students' perception that the instructor was prepared, presented subject matter clearly, and was interesting. The predictors of students, perceiving that they "learned a lot" were the ratings on three items: the instructor was interesting, the course met the objectives, and the instructor was well-prepared. Being prepared and being interesting seem to be critical characteristics for university faculty in the classroom.

'Divertual' Learning In Education Leadership: Implications Of Teaching Cultural Diversity Online Vs. Face To Face, Carolyn Ridenour, A. Llewellyn Simmons, Timothy J. Ilg, A. William Place

Carolyn S. Ridenour

What are the consequences of this teaching-learning situation when graduate students in a Department of Educational Leadership are enrolled in a course on cultural diversity? Might the words on the computer screen be completely unrelated to the humanity, personality, style, interpersonal behaviors, and dispositions of the student writing them, as Menand suggests? Or, might the detachment provide a security in which the most honest and unadulterated discourse can be shared between teacher and students, as some proponents hope? In this chapter we explore responses to this dilemma. We attempt to capture this situation in our label: "divertual learning," a neologism …

Concussions And Student Sports: A 'Silent Epidemic', Susan C. Davies, Charles J. Russo, Allan G. Osborne

Charles J. Russo

An issue that has gained attention concerns concussions among student–athletes in elementary and secondary schools. In fact, in light of the “silent epidemic” of concussions among student–athletes, in the six month period ending in August of 2011, the number of states that enacted statutes on concussion management jumped from eleven to thirty–one and the list of jurisdictions with laws in place continues to grow.

Based on the significance of concussion management, the remainder of this article is divided into two sections. The first part of the article examines the background on concussions while the second offers recommendations for concussion management …

Reel Them In: A Framework For Bridging Underrepresented Students To Stem Majors, Martha Vang, Nasser A. Razek, Christine Rose, Emily Mcclaine, Katie Schrader, Laura Weissbaum

Nasser Razek

The eight-week math-intensive Running Start Summer Bridge program (RSSB) supports and challenges incoming STEM students in their coursework while immersing them on campus life. The current study explores the effectiveness of RSSB in easing students’ transition to college life and the rigorous nature of STEM disciplines. Throughout the program, holistic mentoring and participatory tutoring techniques provided students with academic enrichment opportunities. Central to this initiative is encouraging equity-mindedness and foster community-building practices.

Data presented demonstrate how this innovative initiative increased retention and persistence among underrepresented students in STEM disciplines while fostering a sense of community.

Best practices and assessment for …

Prepare, Hire, And Retain: The Lost Link Between Graduate Preparation And Retention Of Professionals In Student Affairs, Nasser A. Razek, Jamie Mccall, Ellie Mulherin

Nasser Razek

Coming from multiple backgrounds, new professionals in student affairs, exhibit a high rate of attrition ranging between 50% and 60% in the first five years. The challenges facing the professionals during their first job includes: forming relationships, seeking mentorship in the new work environment, and balancing work-life responsibilities.

This paper builds on factual data about new professional retention rates. Establishing that intentional and realistic preparation approaches are one way to reduce attrition, the relationship between the graduate preparation programs and professionals’ job satisfaction in their first position cannot be ignored.

Myth Or Reality: Catholic Inclusivity To Students From Other Religions, Nasser Razek

Nasser Razek

This qualitative study explored the multifaceted issue of cultural and religious challenges for an international Muslim group at a Catholic research institution. Measures employed by the university community to assert the friendliness of campus to students from other religions and student perceptions of the effectiveness of these measures are surveyed to reveal the inclusion of students from several religious affiliations, especially Muslim students. The study was based on in-depth interviews with Muslim students.

Data analysis revealed constructs that are pivotal to the case including consistency in affirming the Catholic identity of the university; intentionally avoiding the usage of solely Christian …

Policies That Enhance Learning And Teaching, Shannon M. Chance, Pamela L. Eddy, Gavin Duffy, Brian Bowe, Jen Harvey

Pamela L. Eddy

Educational institutions often implement policies with the intention of influencing how learning and teaching occur. Generally, such policies are not as effective as their makers would like; changing the behavior of third-level teachers proves difficult. Nevertheless, a policy instituted in 2006 at the Dublin Institute of Technology has met with success: each newly hired faculty member must have a post-graduate qualification in “Learning and Teaching” or successfully complete one within the first two years of employment. The intention is to build teachers’ knowledge about student-centered pedagogies and their capacity to implement them. As a result of this policy (and associated …

New Faculty On The Block: Issues Of Stress And Support, Pamela L. Eddy, Joy L. Gaston-Gayles

Pamela L. Eddy

The research reported investigated the experiences of new faculty in their first three years of employment in higher education administration programs. New faculty face stress relative to work-life integration, issues pertaining to gender or color, teaching responsibilities, and unclear expectations. The findings of this study highlight the role of graduate school socialization and identification as a "chosen" student targeting a faculty position as an influence on new faculty and their acclimation during their first years. Implications include the need for intentional mentoring, inclusive support for all students seeking faculty roles, and the need for specificity on the part of hiring …

Faculty As Learners: Developing Thinking Communities, Pamela L. Eddy, Regina L. Garza Mitchell

Pamela L. Eddy

The shifting demographics of faculty ranks, expansion of faculty work, and the expectations of accountability and revenue production place new demands on today's faculty. Collaborating with other faculty members is one option for easing workload demands and reinvigorating faculty members in the conduct of their teaching and research. In this article we discuss the importance of collaboration among faculty members in deriving new strategies for the classroom and approaches to research, and we provide suggestions for moving beyond short term collaborations and toward the creation of thinking communities that have the potential to re-energize faculty members and bring passion back …

Nested Leadership: The Interpretation Of Organizational Change In A Multicollege System, Pamela L. Eddy

Pamela L. Eddy

College leaders serve important roles as guides for campus understanding during times of change. Within multicollege districts, campus members deal with several levels of leadership, ranging from department chairs, to the college president, to the system chancellor. These leaders may send conflicting messages regarding change, or have competing end goals for change. The research reported here sought to investigate the influence of the system chancellor on change initiatives at the individual colleges within the system. Findings from this investigation concluded that leadership within the system was nested, whereby the overall direction of change came from the chancellor, and was replicated …

Unseen Burden.Pdf, Lynell Hodge

Lynell Hodge, EdD

Chen, C. Y. & Razek, N. A. (2016). Acculturation And Sense Of Belonging-Engagement Patterns For Indian Graduate Students In The United States.Pdf, Chin Yi Chen, Nasser A. Razek

Nasser A Razek