Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons^™

Publish Or Perish: Can Scholarship And Teaching Coexist?, Jan Burcham, Kimberly Shaw

Perspectives In Learning

Faculty at institutions of higher education are experiencing constant requests to increase teaching loads and class sizes while, at the same time, continuing to meet the demands for scholarship and service. The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) can serve as one way in which faculty can simultaneously focus on improving their teaching and their students’ learning as well as meeting the rigorous demands for peer review and publication. The systematic approach of asking questions about one’s teaching, designing and conducting appropriate research methodologies to investigate those questions, analyzing the results, and subjecting the entire process and findings to peer …

Multiple Intelligences: Theory And Application, Hope Phillips

Perspectives In Learning

Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences has challenged the historical view of intelligence as a fixed quantity since he first published Frames of Mind in 1983. Gardner prefers to describe cognitive ability as a set of eight intelligences. Once merely a theoretical perspective, Gardner’s view of intelligence can be seen in a new light with the advances in brain research in the field of neuroscience. The connection between how the mind is organized and the education of students suggests a need for additional classroom teaching and testing applications. A focus on traditional linguistic and logical teaching and testing strategies must …

About This Issue

Perspectives In Learning

About this Issue

Transparent Alignment And Integrated Course Design, David W. Concepción

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay addresses ways of making learning goals, and ways of reaching those goals, more transparent to our students, through a process called ‘alignment.’ After defining key terms, I illustrate integrated course design with an example from my Introduction to Philosophy class.

Research-Based Strategies To Promote Academic Integrity, Michele Dipietro

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

A cursory glance at the literature on cheating paints a bleak picture. In the past decades, the prevalence of cheating has hovered at discouragingly high level, with about 75% of students admitting to some sort of cheating, and with peaks of over 90% in some prevalence studies. Given these figures, where does a wellintentioned instructor start? A good place to start untangling this complex problem is to understand it better. Academic dishonest behaviors vary in their frequency, seriousness, and motivations behind them, but they have been extensively researched, and we can abstract general principles to conceptualize this problem. Once we …

Deep/Surface Approaches To Learning In Higher Education: A Research Update, James Rhem

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Instead of looking at and trying to adjust to differences, the deep/surface researchers concentrated on observing commonalities. How did actual students actually study and what were the environmental cues that prompted them to take the approach (“deep” or “surface”) they chose? This research and renewed awareness of it here have had a powerful influence on thinking about teaching and learning in higher education in the United States especially with regard to assessment. Why? Because the research has found that students’ intention in studying/learning relates strongly to their perceptions of what they will be assessed on and how they will be …

Using Undergraduate Students As Teaching Assistants, Joseph "Mick" La Lopa

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Given the procedure for recruiting and selecting undergraduate students to be teaching assistants (TAs) and the pros and cons mentioned, there is every reason to continue using them to help administer my classes. I completely trust undergraduate TAs to keep an accurate record of attendance, grade assignments based on the rubric, and adhere to the course policies concerning attendance and assignment deadlines. Other educators should consider using the recruitment techniques suggested in this essay to select bright undergraduates to serve as a TA. They will reap many benefits from their work.

Facilitating Group Discussions: Understanding Group Development And Dynamics, Kathy Takayama

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Facilitating discussions requires the ability to engage different perspectives and skills in response to the needs of the group. How well a group works together depends upon the dynamics among participants and the ability of the facilitator to gauge and respond to these dynamics. An effective facilitator works to create an inclusive learning environment while being prepared to set boundaries and rules when necessary. Yet, even experienced facilitators can be confronted with situations or individuals that prevent the group from functioning. Such situations are even more daunting for new faculty and graduate student Teaching Assistants (TAs) who are new to …

The Value Of The Narrative Teaching Observation, Niki Young

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Narrative teaching observations allow educational developers to document a variety of teaching behaviors and, by framing these behaviors with the appropriate vocabulary, to highlight their pedagogical functions. We use the vocabulary not to obfuscate good teaching in educational jargon but to illuminate effective teaching behaviors using an agreed upon professional vocabulary and to make the teaching process more transparent (Hatzipanagos ND Lygo-Baker, 2006). Similarly, through its examples of narrative teaching observations, this essay adds to the literature by making our contribution as faculty developers more evident and making our professional practice more explicit.

A 21st Century Communication Sciences And Disorders Program, Judith Montgomery, Janet L. Dodd, Sallyann Giess, Kamica Barnes

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

The focus of graduate programs in communication sciences and disorders has changed greatly in the last decade to reflect changes in society in general. Newly formed graduate programs must account for these societal changes as they prepare students for practice in the 21st century. This article will discuss what is expected of new graduates, how teaching philosophies influence course content, and how a new graduate program in communication sciences and disorders came to be.

Western Guide To Curriculum Review, Margaret Mcnay

Purple Guides

The Curriculum Review guide offers ideas about how to get started on the review process—questions to ask at the beginning of and during the process, suggestions about information to be gathered and how, issues to think about as you decide what to include in the curriculum, and ideas about how to teach the curriculum involving new and alternative pedagogies.

Are Developmental Math Courses Being Offered At The Appropriate Time Of Day To Optimize Student Success?, Ralph Cox

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This research paper will identify if a relationship exists between success in pre-requisite developmental math courses and the time of day that the course is offered for students enrolled at a rural community and technical college in northwestern Minnesota. The ACCUPLACER Arithmetic test was administered originally during new student orientation and then, again, at the completion of pre-requisite developmental Math Foundations courses. Paired Pre- and Post- Test data was gathered over seven years, from 2002 to 2009, for a total of 268 students (n=268). The data was then evaluated using one-tail two-sample T-tests assuming unequal variances to determine if a …

Western Guide To Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures, Nanda Dimitrov

Purple Guides

The Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures is a handbook for graduate supervisors who work with students from cultures around the world. The guide addresses the most frequently occurring challenges in supervision across cultures and includes concrete mentoring strategies and case studies to help supervisors promote independence and initiative in their mentees, bridge power differences in the relationship, set boundaries, communicate effectively and support their students in the transition to Canadian academia.

Learning Strategies Of First-Year Business Students, Bettina Greimel-Fuhrmann

International Journal for Business Education

The empirical study presented in this paper identifies potential strengths and weaknesses of first‐year students´ learning strategies at the beginning of their studies. It concentrates on the students´ self‐assessment of their self‐motivation, time management, and concentration, coping with stress and fear of failure, elaboration of information, ability to focus on important information, cooperative learning, self‐control of learning progress, and dealing with exams. The results reveal that during their school days, numerous students have not (or just very rarely) applied learning strategies that may be considered indispensable for successfully studying at a university, like taking notes in class or summarizing the …

Editorial Board

Perspectives In Learning

This is a listing of the members of the Editorial Board.

The Role Of Emotions In The Classroom, Miracle Underwood

Perspectives In Learning

Emotions play a large role in the classroom. However, teachers often do not consider the important role that emotions play. Student behavior is regulated by emotions. To perform effectively, students need a classroom that is safe. They need to feel free to be themselves and take risks. Students need to have a relationship with their teacher that is based on the foundation of respect and expectation. By coupling academics and emotions as the focus of a classroom, teachers will see a great improvement in both achievement and behavior.

You Are What You Eat: Healthy Practice For Young Children, Vikki K. Collins, Sallie A. Miller, H Marguerite Yates

Perspectives In Learning

All young children can benefit from proper nutrition and physical activity. Because children spend so much time in schools, teachers can play important roles in educating children about nutrition, dietary behavior, and physical activity to foster their optimal growth and health. Eating healthy, nourishing food fosters physical growth, enhances emotional stability, and improves school performance. By planning and implementing developmentally appropriate integrated lessons, teachers can help promote healthy practice for young children.

Understanding And Encouraging Student Diversity: Involving The Community, Rochelle Ripple, José A. Villavicencio

Perspectives In Learning

The Committee on Diversity in the Collegeof Educationof ColumbusStateUniversityhas been involved in several programs since 2004 to increase the diversity in the college, both with students and faculty/staff. This has been accomplished by involving the community in and around Columbus, Georgia. This article addresses the committee’s work to adapt several strategies to develop a three-pronged approach: (1) acceptance of diversity within our ranks, (2) partnering with One Columbus, a community organization to promote diversity, racial harmony, and unity in Columbus, and (3) participation with CHISPA, a Hispanic organization intended to recruit and retain Hispanic students at CSU and to build …

Support Network Involvement, Rebekah Byrd

Perspectives In Learning

Support can be derived from a variety of relationships as a way to encourage clients in therapy. It is capable of providing significant furtherance in a client’s search of becoming empowered to make autonomous decisions during therapy and after therapy is terminated. This article examines various support networks in current literary research including family, friend, and religious/spiritual/community involvement. The studies presented examine the amounts these support networks were involved with the client during and after treatment in an attempt to determine a positive effect. Research suggests that support network involvement is associated with positive outcomes for the client.

Book Review, Rochelle P. Ripple

Perspectives In Learning

Bruce, M.H., & Miller, H.B. (2007). Straight talk to beginning teachers: An instant mentor in print for secondary teachers. Willow Grove, PA: Journey Publications.

About This Issue, Jan Burcham

Perspectives In Learning

This is a summary of the contents of this issue.

Online Counseling And Its Effectiveness, Leigh C. Sullivan

Perspectives In Learning

In this overview of recent research, the usage of online counseling is investigated. A variety of researchers sought to find the effectiveness of online counseling, to determine the clients most likely to utilize online counseling, and to investigate the ethical implications of the practice. Conclusive evidence illustrates that the predominant advantages of online counseling consist of the anonymity offered, the convenience of the practice, and the ability to reach clients who traditionally could not or would not attend a traditional therapy session. However, alarming disadvantages to online counseling include a poorly established therapeutic relationship, delivery of services by unqualified practitioners, …

Table Of Contents

Perspectives In Learning

This is the table of contents.

Effective Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports: The Key To Dramatic Changes In Student Behavior, Evelyn Blalock, Greg Blalock

Perspectives In Learning

As education professionals continue to focus on the critical issue of behavior management, a number of schools are turning toward the use of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS). As over a decade of research indicates, SWPBIS provides an effective, evidence-based approach to behavior management utilizing universal screening and the teaching of prosocial behavior across the campus. Reliance on data-based decision making has resulted in dramatic gains in positive student behavior for many schools utilizing a SWPBS program. As explained here, implementation of such a program requires specific but flexible steps that lead to the establishment of a SWPBS …

Multicultural Counseling Issues: Practicing Outside Boundaries Of Competence, Patricia G. Hays

Perspectives In Learning

This article examines issues of practicing outside boundaries of competency with regards to multicultural counseling. Using current research from the fields of counseling and psychology, the significance to the field of counseling, attributes of a multicultural counselor, and training necessary for competent multicultural counseling are addressed. Briefly outlined are the three dimensions of counseling competencies needed to be a culturally skilled counselor as well as consideration of the problems in the field of counselor education. This article concludes with a summary of researchers’ suggestions on how to ensure counseling students acquire the appropriate training in developing multicultural competencies to practice …

Counselor Emotional Intelligence: A Look At Counselor Impairment Issues And The Importance Of Assessment, Sarah Haase

Perspectives In Learning

This article examines the importance of Emotional Intelligence in assessing and managing counselor impairment. The signs and symptoms of counselor impairment, the importance of assessing impairment, and Emotional Intelligence as a way to judge and manage possible impairment are discussed. Emotional Intelligence identifies an individual’s ability to look at the emotions of self and others and can, therefore, be used as a tool for the assessment of counselor impairment.

Brain-Based Learning: Revolutionary Science Or Common Sense?, Sheena Baker

Perspectives In Learning

The purpose of this article is to examine the brain-based approach to teaching and learning. The approach is defined, and common misconceptions and criticisms of brain-based learning are explored. Also presented are implications for classroom teachers striving to meet accountability demands while attending to the diverse needs of all students. Justification for implementing brain-based strategies is provided in light of the ever-changing landscape of 21^st- century learning.

It Takes Discipline: Learning In A World Without Boundaries, Stephen Healey

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

As Plato suggested, pedagogy is inextricably related to the polis. The learner and teacher are constituted by social, political, and economic bounds, and yet the twenty-first century polis is increasingly a world without boundaries. This is a perilous and exciting time to teach and learn. As agents of terror have shown, political boundaries are uncomfortably permeable. Economically, culturally, and religiously, globalization has reduced the power of nation-states and threatened erasure of their boundaries. Isolated identities—nationalistic, religious, linguistic, sexual— are under siege. Nothing is immune from alteration by these large-scale forces. Plato’s insight is that the pressures and possibilities, which determine …

Anatomy Of A Scientific Explanation, Cassandra Volpe Horii

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

“If I’m going to explain this theory, the question is, are you going to understand it? Will you understand the theory?” - -Richard Feynman, 1979 Douglas Robb Memorial Lectures

In this way, Richard Feynman, recipient of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics and renowned teacher, author, and bongo player, introduced scientific explanation as an interesting problem with understanding as its testable outcome. Making quantum mechanics understandable to an audience of non-specialists is no easy task. Feynman had his audience in stitches, on this occasion, after noting that advanced graduate students in physics often “do not understand it either, and that’s …

Non-Science For Majors: Reforming Courses, Programs, And Pedagogy, Jennifer Frederick

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Scientific advances fill news headlines and find audiences in popular movies, legislative bodies, and courtrooms, suggesting that society is broadly engaged by scientific issues. Science students typically learn concepts and methods that ignore the social and cultural foreground as well as religious and ethical implications of science practice. These excluded factors often reappear in scientific developments such as genetic engineering of herbicide-resistant plants, environmental effects of chemical and biological waste management strategies, and medical and health implications of sequencing the human genome. Though today’s science professors are already burdened by expanded content from introductory to advanced courses, now more than …