Higher Education Commons^™

Investigating Levels Of Graphical Comprehension Using The Locus Assessments, Charlotte A. Bolch, Tim Jacobbe

Numeracy

Statistical literacy refers to two interrelated components: people’s ability to interpret and critically evaluate statistical information, and their ability to discuss or communicate their reactions to statistical information. The ability to read and interpret graphical displays is part of statistical literacy because much of the statistical information people encounter in their everyday lives are graphical displays or tables of data. The purpose of this study was to investigate college-level students’ graphical comprehension. Students’ graphical comprehension was assessed using items from the Levels of Conceptual Understanding in Statistics (LOCUS) assessments. Much can be learned about students’ graphical comprehension based on this …

Board 78: Establishing A Pathway To Completion For Pursuing Engineering And Engineering Technology Degrees Through A Scholarship Program At Old Dominion University, Vukica M. Jovanovic, Anthony W. Dean, Kim Bullington Sibson, Cynthia Tomovic, Rafael Landaeta

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

There are various barriers facing adult students and veterans completing engineering degrees. Many of these student’s work part- or full-time while in college. In order to help these students, enable high retention rates, and decrease time to graduation require an in-depth understanding of specific student populations, especially ones classified as underrepresented. This paper provides an initial look into the first year of a scholarship program, funded by the National Science Foundation, and student success activities designed to support high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need pursuing bachelor's degrees in engineering and engineering technology. Support services and scholarships are for veterans …

Effects Of The Self- Determined Learning Model Of Instruction On Goal Attainment And Self-Determination For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder., Meredith M. Moates

Theses and Dissertations

Even with current transition practice and service delivery requirements mandated for students with disabilities by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) participation in postsecondary education and employment for individuals with autism remains low (Shattuck et al., 2012; Newman, Wagner, Cameto, & Knokey, 2011). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI; Wehmeyer, Palmer, Agran, Mithaug, & Martin, 2000). The intervention was designed to facilitate student development, and participation in community college course settings, increase academic and vocational goal attainment and self-determined behavior while decreasing support needs. The SDLMI …

Exploring The Impact Of Diversity Training On The Development And Application Of Cultural Competence Skills In Higher Education Professionals, Kendra Cabler

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the terms diversity and inclusion have become major buzzwords across industries and fields of study. Within the field of education broadly, and higher education in particular, a shifting student demographic can be seen across the country. Issues of equity and inclusion have become central complexities for present day educational strategists, and organizations committed to cultivating a culture of inclusion must do so with intentionality. In the context of higher education, this often requires the intentional development of professionals within a particular college or university. There has been a great deal of research concerning the development of cultural …

Internal Funding Newsletter, Academic Year 2018-2019, Uno Office Of Research And Creative Activity, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Internal Funding Newsletters

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is committed to fostering the academic and scholarly pursuits of faculty, staff, and students. In the 2018- 2019 Academic Year, UNO has continued to invest in a multitude of funding programs to promote research and creative activity. This year’s programs provided over $580,000 for a broad range of projects that reflect the varied scholarly interests of the UNO community: genetic changes in Great Plains bees as a result of fire frequency, the economic impact of free higher education, a virtual reality media arts gallery, investigating different factors which affect how squirrels run and jump, …

Why We Publish Where We Do: Faculty Publishing Values And Their Relationship To Review, Promotion And Tenure Expectations, Meredith T. Niles, Lesley A. Schimanski, Erin Christy Mckiernan, Juan P. Alperin

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Using an online survey of academics at 55 randomly selected institutions across the US and Canada, we explore priorities for publishing decisions and their perceived importance within review, promotion, and tenure (RPT). We find that respondents most value journal readership, while they believe their peers most value prestige and related metrics such as impact factor when submitting their work for publication. Respondents indicated that total number of publications, number of publications per year, and journal name recognition were the most valued factors in RPT. Older and tenured respondents (most likely to serve on RPT committees) were less likely to value …

The Effect Of Training And Institutional Support On Title Ix Coordinators' Responses To Sexual Violence On College Campuses, Mercedes M. Pino

Theses and Dissertations

One out of five women in college are victims of sexual assault. The uptick in cases being brought before the US Department of Education for the mishandling of sexual assault cases on college campuses raises a question about the adequacy of the training and support being received by Title IX Coordinators. This study was designed to determine whether Title IX Coordinators are receiving adequate support and sufficient training necessary to adhere to the federal mandates regarding sexual assault on campus, as well as how the Title IX Coordinators’ years of experience relate to the challenges they face.

Using SurveyMonkey, a …

A Student Journal To Celebrate, Preserve, And Improve Beginning Undergraduate Writing, Ann E. Biswas, Maureen E. Schlangen, Heidi Gauder

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

At the end of each semester, composition instructors at the University of Dayton (UD) collected portfolios of student writing for the annual program assessment, encouraging their students to return the following semester to pick up their folders of work. However, the stacks of unclaimed portfolios that piled up in faculty offices each year was an indication that students cared little about what they had written, perhaps believing no one beyond their instructor was interested in reading their writing now or in the future. Nevertheless, academic scholars have recognized that student writing improves—as do a sense of ownership and pride in …

Student Perceptions Of A Customer Service Model In A For-Profit Higher Education Institution, Leonard J. Grinstead

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact on students of customer service-oriented behaviors exhibited by faculty members and student advisors in a single geographic segment of a large institution of higher education in the for-profit sector headquartered in the midwestern United States. A single-case case study approach was used in order to explore students’ degree of satisfaction with customer service experiences and the extent to which these impacted their decisions to persist toward graduation from the university. A survey approach with a questionnaire distributed by email was used in order to gather data from students for …

Counselor Self-Efficacy Re-Examined: Components Of Racial Identity Development And Impostor Phenomenon Among Counseling Graduate Students Of Color, Erica Denise Wade

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The focus of this study was to explore the relationships among racial identity development, impostor phenomenon, and counseling self-efficacy among counseling graduate students of color. There is evidence supporting the importance of a client’s racial identity. However, there is limited research exploring the impacts of a counselor’s racial identity and the development of counseling self-efficacy (Tomlinson-Clarke, 2013; Holcomb-McCoy, Hines, & Johnston, 2008; Owens, Bodenhorn, & Bryant, 2010; Crockett & Hays, 2015). The following research questions were used to provide a frame of inquiry for this study and each research question pertained to counseling graduate students of color: (1) What are …

“Hersay,” An Exception To The Rule: A Narrative Inquiry Of Women Law Professors Navigating The Gendered Organization Of Law School, Lisa M. Matich

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand how women law professors navigate the gendered organizational realm of law school. Stories of women’s experience illuminate structures within the gendered organization of the law school that reproduce gendered inequities. By understanding how these inequities are reproduced, we may learn how to create more equitable structures. This research thus provided an opportunity for women law professors to tell their stories, thereby giving voice to their experiences within the gendered organizations of law schools.

This study used the qualitative approach of narrative inquiry to explore participants’ experiences. Eight women law professors, either tenured …

Faculty And Student Interactions At A Midwestern University In The United States: A Qualitative Study Of The Impact On International Graduate Students’ Academic Experiences, Debra Ann Miller

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explored how academic experiences were influenced when international graduate students engaged with faculty at a public, Midwestern university in the United States. The study used a phenomenological interpretive approach, incorporating the narratives of fifteen international graduate students from eleven countries. The researcher guided this study based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development (1977, 1979, 1994). The findings provided insight into the interactions that international graduate students have with faculty, how these interactions influenced their experiences, and how classroom practices impacted academic experiences for international graduate students.

Faculty who acknowledged the unique needs and cultural differences of international …

First-Generation, Underrepresented Community College Graduates And The Accrual Of Social Capital, Jorge Nieto

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Social capital contributes to the ability of individuals to navigate formal and informal systems and organizational structures. This qualitative research study features the perspectives of twenty first-generation community college graduates of color who completed their associate degrees in arts or science. This study describes the navigation of these graduates through the structure and systems of the community college, and the sources of social capital that were helpful to them in completing their associate degree as a part of their academic journey.

Using Digital Storytelling To Create Intercultural Awareness At Eastern Illinois University, Toluwalase Solomon

Masters Theses

Despite the increasing enrollment of international students at Eastern Illinois University (EIU), little is known about the integration of international students into the larger community. This creative thesis employs photovoice as a form of digital storytelling to amplify the voices of international students at EIU. Over an 8-week period, 7 international students from Cameroon, India, Ghana, Philippines, South-Korea, China, and France and the researcher captured images that told their stories of acculturation and socio-cultural adjustment in EIU. The main goal of this project is to improve college wide understanding on the actual lived experiences of international students in Eastern Illinois …

Support From Above The Glass Ceiling: Narratives Of Women As University Student Leaders, Rebecca Schwartz

Masters Theses

Using qualitative methodology. the researcher examined motivations, social support networks, and challenges college women face in student leadership positions. Four semi-structured interviews were conducted at a midsized university in the Midwest with college women in various positions of organizational leadership. The researcher identified motivational factors for women to apply for leadership positions as well as described the social support network that exists for college women in positions of leadership. Challenges college women face in achieving higher leadership positions were also identified. Lastly, recommendations were made for student affairs professionals and women in leadership based on the research findings.

Student Use Of Institutional Social Media, Hayley Elizabeth Hanger

Masters Theses

This study is a quantitative exploration of student use of their university's social media accounts at a mid-sized Midwestern institution. The survey was conducted via Qualtrics and was emailed to all undergraduate on-campus students. T-tests showed that differences in reason for use existed across gender, race, and first-generation status. Chi Square test results showed a statistically significant gap between the amount of White and non-White students following institutional social media accounts. Descriptive statistics also indicated that lack of awareness is the driving reason students do not follow institutional social media accounts. Recommendations were made to increase advertisement of social media …

College Students Experiences Participating In International Alternative Break Trips, Dayton L. Ehrlich

Masters Theses

This study sought to explore undergraduate students’ experiences participating in international alternative break trips. A qualitative approach was used to understand the motivating factors as well as the impact the trip had on them. Participants included three female undergraduate students who had participated in an international alternative break trip in Mexico were interviewed one-on-one. The results demonstrated there were multiple different motivating factors and impacts the students experienced. The motivating factors consisted of student involvement, they were all personally invited on the trip, practicing a new language, opportunity to leave the country, and service was not a motivator. The impacts …

Ita Language Proficiency Testing: Recommended Replacement For The Speak® Test, Anne Marie Stoughton

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Oral language tests have been used since the 1950s to assess the proficiency of spoken language. In the 1980s and 1990s, the need for oral proficiency testing increased as states began to mandate that universities within their jurisdictions test the English proficiency of instructors due to growing concerns over international teaching assistants’ (ITAs) comprehensibility. Many universities turned to the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit® (SPEAK test), a language proficiency test created and distributed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), as means to test ITA proficiency in English. ETS’s discontinuance of the SPEAK test in 2010 has forced, and is forcing, …

Psyc 462/862: Motivation And Emotion, Carolyn R. Brown-Kramer

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

In this course portfolio, I examine the course goals, learning objectives, teaching methods and materials, assessments, and outcomes for an upper-level psychology elective course, PSYC 462/862, Motivation and Emotion. The course introduces students to the major theories of motivation and emotion, develops their ability to critically examine empirical psychological research, encourages the application of theoretical and empirical work to real-world contexts, and strengthens students’ communication skills. For each of the four course goals, I describe how and why I conduct the course as I do, as well as how my pedagogical choices influence student learning and engagement. Data analyses and …

Psyc/Wmns 421/821: Psychology Of Gender, Kathryn Holland

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This benchmark portfolio describes the process of developing and assessing student learning in Psychology of Gender (PSYC/WMNS 421/821)—a course I taught in Spring 2019 while participating in the Peer Review of Teaching Project at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. This course is housed in the Psychology Department and cross-listed in Women’s and Gender Studies. The students in this course are mostly advanced undergraduate psychology majors. The course is capped at 40 and is primarily discussion-based. In my portfolio, I outline the course structure and context, my course objectives, and the students enrolled. I also document the teaching materials, methods, and …

Course Portfolio For Assessing Student Learning Surrounding Biological Examples In Bsen244: Thermodynamics Of Biological Systems, Forrest M. Kievit

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Thermodynamics is a course required in many engineering disciplines as it covers concepts utilized in many upper level engineering courses. In the Biological Systems Engineering Department at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, this course, in a way, acts as a gateway to the major since this will be one of the first classes where the students must apply and hone their problem-solving skills. This course was developed to allow students in the department to have access to a thermodynamics course that relates to their major area of interest – biological systems. However, many concepts in thermodynamics do not have …

Bioc 321: Elements Of Biochemistry – A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Jing Zhang

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The benchmark portfolio of Biochemistry 321, Elements of Biochemistry, aimed to provide a broad overview for this large-enrollment class for non-biochemistry majors. This course was delivered in a blended format, and the learning objectives were aligned with the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) foundational concepts and skills. Classroom response system iClicker was employed and Think-Pair-Share method was utilized to facilitate the in-class discussion and group-learning. Additional activities include the 3D molecular models for visualizing and hands-on learning of the structure-function relationship concept, and practicing problem-solving through the end-of-chapter essay questions. Data analysis suggested that the iClicker response …

Smaller, More Frequent Assessments May Reduce Students’ Ability To Recall Information, Renee M. Mcfee

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Frequent, low-stakes, formative assessments can provide valuable feedback to both students and instructors. Formative assessments have also been shown to enhance student learning. However, many STEM instructors, including those in professional schools, rely solely on high-stakes, summative assessments such as unit, mid-term, or final exams. Our goal was to determine how administration of weekly quizzes impacts student learning (n = 27) in a graduate/professional-level veterinary physiology course. For 2 units (endocrine and cardiovascular), weekly quizzes were administered in addition to a summative, unit exam. Quizzes consisted of lower-order questions (e.g. recall) while exams consisted of higher-order questions (e.g. integrate, apply). …

Teaching Communication Skills In A Computing Course: An Experience Report, Suzette Person

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

No abstract provided.

Benchmark Portfolio: Cive 334 - Introduction To Geotechnical Engineering, Seunghee Kim

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This Benchmark Portfolio is for CIVE 334 “Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering”. The course description is provided as “soil composition, structure and phase relationships; soil classification; principles of effective stress; loading induced subsurface stresses; load history; deformation and failure of soils; elastic and limit analysis with applications to design for bearing capacity, settlement, retaining walls, and slope stability; steady-state seepage.” This course is mandatory for students in the department of civil engineering, and the only mandatory class in the sub-discipline of geotechnical engineering. Therefore, this course is critical for students to have foundational knowledge about soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering, and …

Peer Review Of Teaching Benchmark Portfolio – Sped 414: Instructional Methods For Teaching Mathematics To Students With Mathematics Learning Disabilities, Jessica Namkung

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The primary purposes of the benchmark portfolio were to systematically document revisions made to the course, SPED 414: Instructional Methods for Teaching Mathematics to Students with Mathematics Learning Disabilities (SPED 414), to refine and explore more effective ways to teaching the course, and to build better connections and in-depth, higher level in-class activities and discussions. Specifically, I focused on reorganizing the course content, incorporating more hands-on activities (e.g., small and large group discussions, real-life examples), implementing “Keep, Stop, Start” mid-evaluation, and conducting a pre- and post-assessment on the main course objectives. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses based on …

Do Expectations And Reflection In A Master’S Level Education Course Contribute To Sense Of Belonging And Learning? A Peer Review Of Teaching Inquiry Project, Stephanie Bondi

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This poster describes a classroom inquiry project completed as part of the advanced peer review of teaching program at UNL in 2019. In this project, the course instructor wondered if some small interventions could lead to more sense of belonging and greater learning in the course. Literature suggests a lack of sense of belonging can negative affect a student’s engagement and learning. The intervention plan included (a) setting the expectation that students work to create an inclusive and affirming environment and (b) asking students three times during the term to reflect on the extent to which people have been doing …

Peer Review Of Teaching Benchmark Portfolio For Soil 477/877: Great Plains Field Pedology, Judith Turk

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Pedology is a field that focuses on soil morphology, genesis, classification, and mapping. Students in pedology must learn to be keen observers, who are able to accurately evaluate the characteristics of the soil. This portfolio focuses on efforts to improve students’ skills at describing soil color, texture, and morphologic features.

Slpa 985: A Peer Review Of Teaching Benchmark Portfolio, Judy Harvey

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

My target course for the Peer Review of Teaching (PRT) Project was SLPA 985 Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). It is offered each spring in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. This course is intended for graduate level speech language pathology (SLP) students. I have over twenty years of experience as a practicing speech language pathologist in a rehabilitation hospital. Now, as an assistant Professor of Practice, my role is to integrate academic learning with practical experience. I am confident in my skills as a practitioner and motivated to share my knowledge, …

Edad 983 Qualitative Research Methods In Educational Administration, Sarah J. Zuckerman

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio documents my process of understanding why a handful of students struggle each semester in a doctoral research methods course, EDAD983 Qualitative Research Methods in Educational Administration. The assignments in this online course build across the semester. Data analysis primarily examined students grades and rubric comments on major assignments. Overall, it was observed that the students with consistently low grades do not appear to take specific feedback to heart in subsequent assignments. Additionally, data analysis includes student surveys, as well as university course evaluations, to better understand how students interact with the material in this online course. As a …