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Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

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Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

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Operationalizing The Roles Of Experiential Learning: Bringing The Partnership To Life, Adam Lewandowski, Debbie G. Depalma, Rebecca S. Englund, Melissa M. Cartwright

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This article focuses on the partnership between Discovery Charter School of Rochester, New York, founded in 2011, and Nazareth College Partners for Learning. The Partners for Learning program engages Nazareth College students in partnerships with the children, teachers, and staff of eight urban sites. The authors examine the four critical roles that work to foster program success: (1) Associate Director for the Center for Civic Engagement, (2) Student Site Coordinator, (3) Site Representative, and (4) Classroom Teacher. We describe each of the four roles, how the roles support experiential learning, and, most importantly, how we consistently collaborate to ensure success …

A University And Middle School Mentor-Scholar Partnership, Denise Dirienzo, Scott Ball, Robyn Proud

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

The State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego) and the Oswego City School district have created a campus-community partnership through a college program that matches SUNY Oswego students as mentors with at-risk youth in grades 7 and 8 in a structured environment in the school district. The structure is academically based for college students to earn credit based on the tenets of mentoring, youth development, and relationship building. The middle school students, or “mentees” come from an at-risk background that is academic, socially, or behaviorally based. The school district recommends students for inclusion in the program. This innovative …

Integrating High Impact Practices: Recognizing Attributes And Overcoming Obstacles In Learning Eportfolios, Jeno Rivera, Karla Loebick

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

In the era of educational accountability, the push to document and demonstrate student learning increases exponentially. Creating opportunities for students to evidence their learning and, more broadly, the value of a college education, is critically important to both internal and external higher education stakeholders. While ePortfolios are an increasingly common tool used to provide evidence of learning, little is known about their effectiveness in assessing integrated learning experiences. The Bailey Scholars Program, an interdisciplinary, self-directed, student-centered learning community at Michigan State University, fosters creativity among faculty and students. The program explores innovative approaches to documenting and assessing learning that are …

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Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

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Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

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Project Iice: Inspiring Interdisciplinary Collaboration Experiences, Tracy Dow, Adam Gilbert, Megan Sawyer, Michael Weinstein, Katharine York

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Project IICE was a multi-disciplinary learning experience designed for students at Southern New Hampshire University. Students worked together in teams to communicate scientific data that was initially collected by an Introductory Botany class. Students in this course measured trees and recorded variables, including tree height, diameter, species, and canopy cover. They shared the data with students in freshman Statistics courses, who analyzed mathematically for trends. Finally, students in Graphic Design used the data to create visual representations and icons. Students collaborated in groups that were randomly assigned across all of the courses to include members of each discipline. During the …

The Efficacy Of A Goal-Based Study Skills Course For Academically At-Risk, First-Generation, African American, Female Students, Sarah Beth Garrison

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify effective intervention strategies used in a goal-based study skills course for academically at-risk, first-generation, African-American, female students. Based on the theoretical framework from goal, motivation and achievement theories (Covington, 2000; Kuh, 2007; Nicholls, 1984), this study provided an analysis of research regarding the academic success and persistence of at-risk students. An explanatory mixed-method design was employed that consisted of two phases. The first phase of the study used quantitative data to test for difference in GPA and academic status between the control and treatment group. Quantitative data was also used to identify …

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Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

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Students' Perceptions Of Interactive Technology As A Learning Tool In Legal Studies Courses, Cristen W. Dutcher, Sonia J. Toson

Faculty Articles

This article attempts to further the literature on technology in the classroom by performing an initial investigation on an innovative new textbook technology in an undergraduate legal studies course, such as the Legal Environment of Business. First, we discuss the traditional methods of teaching the law at both the law school and undergraduate levels. We also review the history and effectiveness of using technology in law school and legal studies classrooms. Next, we look the use of textbooks in legal education. Then, we introduce LearnSmart, an adaptive and interactive textbook technology and compare it to other electronic texts in the …

Educating Critically : Challenging The Familiar Contours Of Literacy Teacher Education., Bianca Nightengale-Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The shifting cultural ecologies of U.S. classrooms emphasize acknowledging difference, accepting diversity, and sustaining both cultural and linguistic plurality (Banks & Banks, 2009; hooks, 1994; Paris 2014). Teacher education programs play an integral role in preparing Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) with skills, knowledge, and dispositions necessitated by a growing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) student population (Cruz, Ellerbrock, Vasquez & Howes, 2014). To enact equitable teaching practices reflective of 21st century students, PSTs need to demonstrate a level of cultural awareness that acknowledges the racially, socially, and politically charged societal structures that shape education for CLD students (Hall & Carlson, 2016). …

The Influence Of Previous Subject Experience On Interactions During Peer Instruction In An Introductory Physics Course: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Judy A. Vondruska

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over the past decade, peer instruction and the introduction of student response systems has provided a means of improving student engagement and achievement in large-lecture settings. While the nature of the student discourse occurring during peer instruction is less understood, existing studies have shown student ideas about the subject, extraneous cues, and confidence level appear to matter in the student-student discourse. Using a mixed methods research design, this study examined the influence of previous subject experience on peer instruction in an introductory, one-semester Survey of Physics course. Quantitative results indicated students in discussion pairs where both had previous subject experience …

Gear Up & Beyond, Stephanie Sanchez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

At Salinas High School there is a low number of high school students completing CSU/UC requirements. In the academic year of 2015, there was a total of 560 high school graduates, of these students 245 graduated with all CSU/UC requirements which is 43%. Gear Up (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) has a purpose of helping students succeed throughout high school. Gear Up promotes post-secondary education by taking field trips, working with parents, and offering tutoring before and after school as well as during lunch are some of the resources offered. Gear Up & Beyond was developed as …

An Examination Of The Instruction Of Religion Clause Issues In Massachusetts Teacher Education Programs, Matthew E. Henry

Educational Studies Dissertations

The prevailing research, as well as reported complaints of academic, civic, personal, and social harm, indicates that public school teachers do not exhibit the professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes grounded in the religion clauses of the U.S. Constitution. This study investigated how TEPs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts document their instruction of preservice teachers on religion clause issues as they apply to grade 6-12 content area pedagogy, curriculum, and professional ethos. The institutional documents presented to preservice teachers were collected from four teacher education programs in the Commonwealth. An evaluation tool— synthesized from the leading scholarship and research on the …

The Myth Of Entitlement: Students’ Perceptions Of The Relationship Between Grading Practices And Learning At An Elite University, Clara S. Lewis, Breanna Della Williams, Minkee Kim Sohn, Tamara L. Chin Loy

The Qualitative Report

While the existence of grade inflation in the American system of higher education is well documented, the argument that student entitlement drives this dynamic remains unproven. Drawing on an abductive analysis of twenty-nine in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted by undergraduate co-authors, this study addresses these questions: (1) How do undergraduates on one elite campus understand the meaning and function of the grades they have received in college and (2) Do these students think that grading practices impact their undergraduate learning experience, and if so, how? Our results show that entitlement is not a fixed generational attitude so much as a conditional …

Effects Of Human Cadaveric Dissections In High School Biology, Brandi Pratt, James Martinez, Regina Suriel, Ellice P. Martin

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This study was conducted in a suburban public high school, which had a connection to the local university, to measure the achievement of dual enrollment senior students using traditional hands-on (THO) cadaveric dissections compared to non-traditional (NT) virtual dissections of the human body. The outcomes of this study may assist multicultural science educators and administrators, students and parents, to understand the importance of THO cadaveric dissections compared to NT virtual dissections tools in learning gross anatomy. Also, noted is the importance of public and higher education collaboration to help bridge the science resource gaps between educational settings.

A Word From The Writing Center (November 2017), Jennifer Wilson, Ms, Els

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Stylish academic writing
• The Write Stuff

Continuing Derrick Bell's Devotion In Creative Action, Angela Mae Kupenda

Journal Articles

I remember my first time seeing Derrick Bell in person and hearing him speak, just a few years before he passed away. I was in awe of him for many reasons, but primarily for two reasons. First, I noted from watching him with his devoted students, how mutual was the devotion coming from him—devotion to them as people and as those who would surely carry on his great work of seeking to forge equality in America and beyond. And second, I was in awe of him because of his devotion to the elimination of racism, while at the same time …

Autoethnography As An Instrument For Professional (Trans) Formation In Pharmaceutical Care Practice, Daniela Álvares Machado Silva, Simone Araújo Medina Mendonça, Maureen O´Dougherty, Djenane Ramalho De Oliveira, Clarice Chemello

The Qualitative Report

The recent inclusion of pharmacists in primary healthcare in Brazil through the Family Health Support Team has encouraged them to reflect on the need to change from a professional focused on medications to one focused on individuals. This autoethnography allowed a pharmacist to confront her perspectives on clinical practice between 2014 and 2016, a period when she decided to challenge her traditional training as a pharmacist centered on medications. Using pharmaceutical care practice as the theoretical framework that prompted the profession of pharmacy to change its focus to the patient, the authors collaborated to construct a monologue that engages readers …

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

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

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 …

Stalled At The Gate: Addressing Student Failure In A "Gateway" Course, Susan Rhoades Neel

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

This article is a case study of how student data can guide instructors in course redesign. A significant percentage of students enrolled in an American Civilization course did not successfully complete the course. An examination of ACT scores, GPAs, grades in math and English composition, reading tests, and assignment completion rates indicated that two key obstacles to student success were a lack of student engagement and a disparity between student reading capabilities and the required instructional materials. Following a change in the topical focus of the course, the addition of active learning projects, and supplemental aids to the textbook, course …

Extracurricular Undergraduate Research: Student Perspectives And Experiences, Steven Goetz, Matthew Romero, Michael Robertson

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

This qualitative research examined the experiences and perspectives of undergraduate researchers to understand why they engaged in their research, what benefits they gained from the experience, and what challenges they faced in the conduct of their research.

Book Review: The End Of College: Creating The Future Of Learning And The University Of Everywhere, Bruce Henderson

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

Review of Kevin Carey's The End of College: Creating the Future of Learning and the University of Everywhere.

Increasing Research Requirements For Tenure At Teaching Universities: Mission Creep Or Mission Critical?, Elizabeth Blakey, Crist Khachikian, Daisy Lemus

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

What social forces are driving the increase in research requirements for tenure at teaching universities? Engaging Pierre Bourdieu's field theory, this case study examines a state comprehensive university, at multiple levels of analysis, and via multiple methods. Field theory is a viable alternative to neoinstitutional theory for higher education scholars. The methods used are quantitative content analysis, qualitative discursive analysis and interviews. The study provides a detailed account of whether economic or cultural forces are the stronger influence on the trend to increase research requirements. Economic factors, such as national enrollment trends, do not necessarily have a strong effect on …

Understanding Chinese Students’ College Choice To Increase Chinese Student Recruitment: A Focus On Music Majors, Tamara Yakaboski, Sonja Rizzolo, Lei Ouyang

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

The focus of this study was to understand why 20 Chinese students selected a rural, regionally focused research university. The research sought to (1) offer new, nuanced understanding of how Chinese students selected a university not well-known to international students and (2) advance how an institution of this type could meet its goal of improving and increasing Chinese student recruitment. As a majority of the Chinese students who selected this institution were majoring in music, this study offers implications for niche marketing and recruitment. In addition to the knowledge produced, this study models academic and student affairs collaboration where the …

Story Sharing For First-Generation College Students Attending A Regional Comprehensive University: Campus Outreach To Validate Students And Develop Forms Of Capital, Colby R. King, Jakari Griffith, Meghan Murphy

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

This paper describes a story-sharing program, called Our Stories, in which faculty and staff at a regional comprehensive university share their personal experiences about attending college as first-generation, working class, or financially insecure (FGWCFI) students with an audience of undergraduate students of various backgrounds. Using preliminary qualitative and quantitative data, we find evidence that these programs validate the experience of these student attendees and build their social, cultural, and psychological capital. This paper reviews literature on outreach to first-generation students, provides an overview of the story-sharing program, discusses how these events support student success, and suggests that such outreach efforts …

The Student Centered Approach Storied: What Students Have To Teach Us, Taylor A. Norman

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

In this paper, the pedagogical method known as student centered instruction is storied. Classroom narratives, called pedagogical stories, are shared to inform the collective practice of teaching. Together, stories of classroom experiences speak in one voice (Coles, 2004). A voice that tells preservice teachers stories of what they might encounter when applying their learned methods to classroom practice; stories of classroom situations that aim to inform theory and method with practice. Through the use of classroom narratives, the author suggests that the student centered approach has a responsibility to culturally responsive teaching, especially in the language arts classroom.

Creating The Learning Environment For Limited English Proficient Students Online, Lisa H. Thomas, Francisco Brizuela, Michael S. Mott, Susan S. Mcclelland

Journal of Contemporary Research in Education

When offering online program options for higher education students, one of the primary concerns for institutions of higher learning program administrators is achieving high quality learning experiences for students. To achieve this goal, faculty must understand how to employ new and innovative technologies in a manner that ensures all students have positive learning outcomes. Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students are not missing in this equation. Institutions offering online courses have discerned that developing these courses requires an understanding of technologies with which many faculty are unfamiliar. As a result, administrators must create "pedagogical models that enable educators to capitalize on …

The Common Core And Its Implications For The Temporal Pace And Homework Assignments For Ap Calculus, Louise Perkins

Journal of Contemporary Research in Education

We collect and combine two types of assessment data for an AP Calculus course, standardized testing and student feedback. This data informs us, both directly and indirectly, about the efficacy of the existing pre-calculus high school curriculum. We apply this information to an analysis of the common core curriculum to which the school is currently transitioning. The assessment analysis is designed to focus the class examples and homework assignments in pre-requisite courses to strengthen concepts needed during the AP Calculus class, and to assist teachers in planning concepts to re-teach in follow on classes. More broadly, our approach is a …