Higher Education Commons^™

The Lived Experiences Of Higher Education Academic Advisors With Counseling Degrees In Addressing Their Role In Student Success, Shajuana Isom-Payne

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine the lived experiences of academic advisors with a counseling degree in addressing their role in student success. If student retention rates are not addressed, higher education institutions are at risk of losing students, which is costly to the institution and the student (Himes, 2014). Most college students are in a state of change and need academic advising support to achieve success during a college transition (Tinto, 2012). Academic advisors can assist students in finding the right career for students’ specific strengths. Academic advisors with counseling degrees address advising through the lens …

An Exploration Of A Researcher-Instructor Partnership In Implicit Racial Bias Awareness And Mitigation In College Stem Classrooms, Jacqueline Johnson Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Seventy-six percent of all minority students who enter college with declared majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) do not graduate with STEM degrees. Black students represent 40% of minority attrition from STEM. Implicit racial bias was indicated as a contributor to the challenges faced by Black students. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a researcher-instructor partnership brought awareness to and the potential for mitigation of implicit racial bias in course delivery and instructor interactions with Black students in STEM classes. A case study design was used over three phases to gather survey, observational, and interview …

Understanding Chinese International Students' Engagement And Belongingness In U.S. Universities, Yingying Jiang

Theses and Dissertations

Little research has been conducted on Chinese international students’ engagement and belongingness in U.S. universities. This study used a non-experimental quantitative survey research design and adapted survey items from past literature to target Chinese international students’ experiences. Prior to the survey administration, pretesting including expert reviews and a think-aloud were carried out to validate the survey. A total of 76 Chinese students from various universities participated in the survey data collection. The quantitative analytical processes included Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to ensure construct validity; measurement invariance testing between groups and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) included four major factors/predictors (English proficiency, …

Agile Teaching And The Agile Manifesto, Trish Isaacs

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

The Agile framework and its principles were originally created for software development, not for higher education. The software development environment in which they were created holds many parallels with the environment of higher education today, including the adaptiveness required, increased consumer focus, and pace and complexity of change. Principles outlined in the Agile Manifesto provide a way of dealing with uncertainties and turbulence, and ultimately succeeding in the midst of them. Agile principles can be applied to support and facilitate effective teaching and learning in today’s rapidly changing environment.

Agile Course Design: Modeling Flexibility, Empowering Engagement, And Prioritizing Community, Julie A. Rowan, Todd A. Stanislav, Allison C. Bernknopf, Tracy E. Russo

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

The Agile Course Design Institute, created for faculty at a regional public university, utilized an agile thinking lens to model flexible, interactive learning. The Institute framework consisted of three core factors: sense of belonging, students’ bandwidth, and interaction and engagement. Faculty participated in online synchronous and asynchronous settings to develop agile courses. In doing so, they gained insights into the experiences their students might have in remote learning. Examples from the Institute and participant work are explored through a “Why” (purpose/outcome), “What” (connections to the ACDI framework), and “How” (tools and strategies) structure.

Metacognitive Teaching–Reflecting On Our Teaching Practice, Stephanie Foote

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

To help students become metacognitive learners, faculty should first consider their own metacognition and the role that plays in their courses. Faculty who take a metacognitive approach to their instruction are aware of their own teaching practices and purpose, and they have an awareness of student engagement and learning and are willing to adapt based on that knowledge (Scharff, 2015). While faculty are often metacognitive in their own discipline, these approaches are not always transferred to teaching (Tanner, 2012). This piece focuses on strategies and approaches faculty can take to use metacognition to reflect on their own teaching practice.

Applying Special Education High Leverage Practices To Enhance Learning In Higher Education Courses, Michelle Gremp, Maria L. Manning, Julie H. Rutland, Mary Jo Krile

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

In response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, new and varied platforms of instruction have become commonplace across all content areas of higher education. As a result, faculty are faced with the challenge of individualizing and differentiating instruction more than ever before. As outlined in High-Leverage Practices for K-12 Special Education Teachers (McLeskey et al., 2017), successful teaching at all levels requires skill in 4 intertwined components of practice: collaboration, assessment, social/ emotional/behavioral practices, and instruction. Incorporating aspects from each component of practice into higher education courses can help faculty improve engagement and enhance learning outcomes for all students.

Literature Genre Effects On Memory And Influence, Katelyn Mcclure, Hung-Tao Chen, Megan Thomas

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

Superstructures are text structure relations commonly found in specific types of text such as narrative texts. Superstructures are important from a pedagogical standpoint because learners’ comprehension can be improved when they are taught about superstructures (Baumann & Bergeron, 1993; Calfee & Patrick, 1995; Dymock, 2005). The current study examined three types of texts with distinct superstructures—narrative, expository, and procedural. Undergraduate student participants (n=200) were randomly assigned to read a text that was written in the form of a narrative, expository, or procedural superstructure text. After reading, participants were asked to recall information from the text and rated their compliance level …

The Faculty Scholar Role In Peer Review Of A Journal Article, Cindy Hayden, Renee Causey-Upton, Dana Howell

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

Peer review is a process to help ensure publication of high-quality research. Manuscripts submitted for publication are evaluated by others with similar content or methodological expertise, and the feedback is used by editors to determine suitability for publication. Participation in the peer review process may help improve agile teaching as well as contribute to the faculty scholar roles of professional service. This paper describes the process of peer review, including criteria for becoming a reviewer and how to perform a review.

Using Video Technology For Discussion Forums: Building An Engaged Online Community, Shirley P. O'Brien, Steven Shisley Dr.

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

Faculty used various multimedia technology delivery methods within higher education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instructors were urged to be more agile when considering tools to promote student engagement within the forced, online environment. Video technology is a mainstay in both online and hybrid education as well as in the workforce. Flipgrid, an agile learning tool, promotes asynchronous class discussions to reinforce higher levels of thinking in Bloom’s taxonomy of learning. Data collected from three courses suggests that Flipgrid promotes student engagement in a learner-centered approach. Implications are suggested for online learning.

What Have We Learned After One Year Of Remote Teaching And Learning? A Critical Conversation Between Two Language Educators, Marlon Valencia, Miguel Rincón

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

In this critical conversation, two language educators reflect on their experiences of online instruction after nearly two years of teaching during the Covid 19 pandemic. The duoethnographers share the challenges they faced to adapt their teaching and assessment for remote delivery, as well as how their pedagogical orientations transformed to engage with learners online. The discussion focuses on teaching both synchronously and asynchronously, re-thinking language assessment, and the authors’ strategies to manage a sustainable and healthy workflow. This last aspect is of significant importance given how much these two educators had to learn to teach in ways and through media …

Using A Technology Integration Content Plan To Align Course Components For Enhanced Student Learning, Melony Shemberger

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

In education, students simply consuming technology is not sufficient. Rather, we as educators want students to become effective producers of technology. That takes planning. Writing a plan that integrates the right technology to align with course components can assist instructors to design lessons that would encourage and challenge students cognitively. In this article, instructors are guided on constructing lessons that comprise a unit in which a lesson has a technology anchor. A list of free or less expensive tech tools that instructors and students could use is also available.

Agile Learning And Teaching With Miro Boards, Camille Skubik-Peplaski, Steven Shisley Dr., Jennifer Edick, Whitney Cook

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

Educators use agile and transparent learning procedures that require students to analyze, assess and critique theoretical perspectives. This paper highlights the use of Miro board technology, allowing students to engage in collaborative team work to create a visual representation of a theory, increasing their proficiency as a theory driven occupational therapist. Students reported that Miro boards decreased feelings of isolation, created a sense of community, encouraged creativity, and promoted a collaborative, meaningful learning experience. Effective teaching during the COVID pandemic provided learners multiple opportunities to track their learning progress with substantive and timely feedback.

Give ‘Em Something To Smile About: Connecting With Online Students Through Humor, John Huss

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

Humor and higher education are infrequently mentioned in the same conversation, but much empirical evidence supports the contention that the use of humor is related to positive student perceptions of the instructor and learning environment (Banas et al., 2011; Garner, 2006; James, 2004; Suzuki & Heath, 2014). The literature certainly establishes a foundation to consider humor as a critical element of any instructor’s online teaching arsenal and such an inclusion may be particularly pertinent at this time, given the undeniable shift in higher education dynamics as more institutions, both by choice and circumstance, witness unprecedented growth in their web-based programs. …

Let’S Talk: Learning To Communicate Well In Emergency Online Learning, Kim Cuny, Jenny M. Southard, Erin Ellis-Harrison

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

In this article, we use the lens of Tinto’s (1987) separation and transition phases to reflect on lessons learned when moving classes with oral communication components from in-person to online. We believe that being mindful and intentional in how we include oral communication instruction, opportunities for improvement, and incorporating feedback can positively impact retention and persistence of students. First, we describe the timelines of events, then we connect Tinto’s essential features of effective retention programs to oral communication pedagogy, and finally offer resources and strategies for incorporating oral communication into courses.

The Importance Of Building A Social Presence In The Online Classroom, Amanda W. Joyce

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

While important, many of the guidelines put in place to prevent disease transmission during the Covid-19 pandemic (social distancing, quarantining, facial coverings, etc.) have created challenges to building student-student and student-faculty relationships. However, these relationships are, according to the Community of Inquiry model (Garrison et al., 2000), essential to learning. The purpose of this piece is to explore strategies to build social presence in the classroom to benefit students and faculty alike. Strategies such as the strategic use of discussion boards, collaborative assignments, class announcements, extra credit, and more are discussed in the context of improving student learning without significantly …

Internal Funding Newsletter, Academic Year 2021-2022, Uno Office Of Research And Creative Activity

Internal Funding Newsletters

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is committed to exceptional education, groundbreaking research, and the life-long success of our students and alumni. The 2021- 2022 Academic Year brought many exciting opportunities for us to invest in a multitude of funding programs that promote research and creative activity. This year’s programs provided over $600,000 for student and faculty projects that reflect the broad range of scholarly interests of the UNO community, including evaluating marmoset stress responses to music, examining factors that influence undergraduate women to leave (or remain in) computer science majors, the human experience of dementia, aging, and caregiving, and …

Cooking Up A Data Literacy Course, Claire Nickerson Mlis

Library Faculty Publications

This asynchronous online course, Interdisciplinary Studies 815: Introduction to Data, was developed for graduate students in the information analysis and communication concentration of the Fort Hays State University master of liberal studies degree. The course is designed for professionals who need to make data-driven decisions such as educators, policy makers, and nonprofit employees. It is a survey course, so it does not go into great depth on any of the topics covered but rather provides a basic grounding for developing further data literacy skills. It exclusively uses zero-cost resources, including openly licensed content, library-licensed e-books and articles, and free online …

Who Takes Dual Enrollment Classes? A Research Brief, David Naff

MERC Publications

This research brief from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) explores three questions: 1) What are Dual Enrollment classes? 2) Who takes Dual Enrollment classes? and 3) What strategies promote greater access to Dual Enrollment? An accompanying podcast episode is linked in the research brief.

Information Literacy Data Group 1 And 2, Taralyn Mcmullan, Clista Clanton, Jo Ann Otts, Wilma Powell Stuart, Angela Rand

Data and Datasets

Objective: This exploratory study examined perceived self-efficacy in information literacy skills in nursing students and discusses how collaborative relationships between nursing faculty and librarians can strengthen curricular efforts to support information literacy.

Methods: Using the Information Competency Assessment Instrument, a survey research design was used to determine student perceptions of their information literacy skills. Participants included nursing Baccalaureate, Master's and Doctoral students in each of these programs.

Results: The Information Competency Assessment Instrument identified low self-efficacy in the following categories: using an index, determining information needed for assignments, use of governmental documents, media sources, producers of information and citing sources. …

Creating A Sense Of Belonging For Latinx Students In Community College: You Matter, You Fit In, And You Belong, Francisco Javier Bataz

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the perceptions of Latinx sense of belonging in a Midwest community college and how their academic and social experiences are impacted. Sense of belonging is meaningful to community college students because Latinx students are historically underserved in postsecondary education. The goal is to better understand the perceptions of Latinx students in a community college setting and to find out what factors impact sense of belonging. This study is significant because Latinx student retention outcomes in higher education are very low. The Latinx population is the fastest growing group in the United States. Therefore, providing support and an …

Touchpoints: How Faculty And Advising Understand And Colloborate On Guided Pathways Reforms To Influence And Support Major Choice In A Community College, Bryant Bates Manning

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Guided pathways is a nationwide whole-college reform that aims to improve college completion rates and times for students, especially in the community college sector. This multisite case study sought to explore how pathways institutions supported students to better align with the right academic and career programs. Through individual semi-structured interviews, faculty members and advisors reflected on if and how they collaborated to better serve students in this capacity. Three themes emerged during data analysis and were reported in narrative form: a.) divergent faculty and advising attitudes about pathways reforms, b.) inconsistent perceptions on levels of collaboration, and c.) criticisms and …

Medical Laboratory Professional Faculty Perspectives On Academic Integrity: A Narrative Inquiry, Andrea L. Jensen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Academic integrity is a critical practice in medical laboratory professional (MLP) programs because academic health professions programs prepare learners for their future professional roles in healthcare. Because dishonest conduct and/or a lack of competence in healthcare environments can negatively impact patient safety, it is essential that MLP students establish integrity skills and build professional competence while completing their academic programs. Faculty in MLP programs play an important role in helping students develop themselves into scrupulous, competent practitioners. This qualitative study explored the perspectives of MLP faculty through a narrative inquiry of their lived experiences around academic integrity. Findings from this …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Factors Contributing To Adult Education Students’ Transition To Credit Courses, Heather Martin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Adult education programs serve students with low literacy and numeracy skills. They provide instructional services below the postsecondary level for students who have limited English proficiency and students who are working towards obtaining their high school equivalency. Once adult education students complete their programs, they may choose to transition to college credit courses or enroll in a job training program. This study examined student factors that impact the likelihood of adult education students transitioning to college credit courses. Stepwise regression was used to analyze five years of adult education data from over 3,000 students in an adult education program in …

“It Takes A Village”: Student Mothers’ Experiences With Barriers And Support While Navigating Community College, Jeanine Mcmillen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Student parents may feel invisible on college campuses, especially student mothers, who often feel ignored and overlooked when institutional policies and practices are not tailored to their needs and challenges. These students are especially vulnerable to withdrawing from college, even in institutional contexts that boast a positive and welcoming climate for underrepresented students. Using validation theory with a critical lens as the guiding theoretical framework, this qualitative case study examined how student mothers at one community college navigate barriers and supports within and outside of the institution. Findings revealed three themes, indicating that student mothers must cobble together a village …

Cadet Perceptions Of Learning Using Police Video Simulators, Stephen Francis Miko

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The topic for this study was police cadet perceptions of learning using video simulators. The main research question for this project was: “How are video simulators perceived by police cadets as a learning method at the police academy?” The participants for this qualitative study were 16 recently graduated police cadets from an anonymous midwestern suburban police academy. They were chosen using purposive sampling based on their relevance as recently graduated cadets. The cadets were interviewed and the results in the study show the perceptions towards the use of simulators as a learning strategy were generally positive and the cadets thought …

Quarantine And Isolation Experiences Of College Students: A Narrative, Brooke Gibson

Masters Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unanticipated phenomenon, with a lack of information surrounding quarantine and isolation experiences in college students and how this impacts their sense of belonging. This qualitative narrative study utilized semi-structured interviews to understand the participants’ experience of isolation at a rural mid-sized university in the Midwest. The research shared the students experiences and showed that participants lacked some sense of belonging whether it was with friends, family, or their institution.

The Influence Of Institutional Social Media And College Students' Choice, Anna Fishbein

Masters Theses

Social media has become a way of personal communication as well as a way for brands and businesses to connect with consumers. In the past twenty years, the expansion of technology into everyday life has impacted the way we interact and communication. There is a lack of information surrounding how social media is influencing prospective students’ college choice. There are studies focused on student college choice, and studies focused on how social media impacts consumers, but there is limited research focused on bridging the two concepts. This quantitative study utilized a causal-comparative survey to explore the influence of institutional social …

Faculty Perceptions On Working With Students With Learning Disabilities, Ashley Jezik

Masters Theses

Students with specific learning disabilities in higher education have been rapidly increasing. Legislation has been a large factor in the equality in education for individuals with disabilities making it easier to attend higher education. College students with disabilities have the hard and important choice of self-disclosing their disability, with many choosing not to. A main role for faculty is to support their students. This qualitative study aims to identify the knowledge faculty have about this student population and how they work with their disability services office. The research shows that faculty's knowledge on students with disabilities are solely based on …

Conduct Professionals' Experiences With Student Misconduct And Mental Health, Robyn Bauer

Masters Theses

Over the years, mental health concerns have continued to rise in college students and is compounded by the natural stressors associated with navigating unfamiliar territory, increased social and academic pressures, as well as added responsibilities and obligations (Pedrelli et al., 2015). Mental illnesses have been linked to misconduct, disruptive behavior, or violent behavior among students (Center for Parent Information and Resources, 2017; Johnson et al., 2018; Semenza & Grosholz, 2019; Taylor & Smith, 2019). There is limited research focused on the intersection of mental health and misconduct. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured questions to explore how conduct professionals manage mental …