Higher Education and Teaching Commons^™

Trauma-Informed Performance Art Education, Yvonne Houy, Kymberly Mellen, Alethea Inns, Morgan Iommi

Creative Collaborations

Trauma is the emotional response to a disturbing event or series of events, and can cause symptoms such as unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, headaches, and nausea, according to the American Psychological Association (2022). Learning activities in the performing arts - such as adjusting the body through touch, or the emotional content of scenes - can retraumatize students unintentionally. In contrast, creating the conditions for emotional states that enhance learning is a science, and an art, that can support conditions for optimal performance including Flow states

Performing arts educators can proactively support students and performances by becoming trauma-informed and actively using intimacy …

Path To Success: Examining A Multifaceted Retention Model For Major Pathways Students At A Large, Diverse Research University, Dan Gianoutsos, Anne White, Brandy Smith, Nicole Stella

Academic Success Center Faculty Research

This study examines a retention model designed for the understudied, at-risk, Major Pathways students, at a large, diverse, research university. Major Pathways students were defined as undergraduates who initially selected their major during the admission process and while they were accepted to the institution, they were not admitted into their desired major/college primarily due to their math test scores. The retention model included a strategic new student orientation, marketing/outreach, proactive academic advising, and a specialized first-year seminar. The fall-to-spring retention rate increased from 84.5% to 88.5% to 89.6% to 89.7% and increased the fall-to-fall retention rate by 12.9 percentage points.

Renewed Purposes For Social Studies Teacher Preparation: An Analysis Of Teacher Self-Efficacy And Initial Teacher Education, Leona Calkins, Paul J. Yoder, Peter Wiens

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

Using data from TALIS 2018, this study analyzed the relationship of U.S. social studies teachers’ initial teacher education (ITE) and their self-efficacy, with an emphasis on the newly added construct of multicultural teacher self-efficacy. Results indicated that content and pedagogy training is present in the vast majority of ITE programs that U.S. social studies teachers have attended; however, over one quarter of participants reported no training in teaching in a multilingual or multicultural setting during their ITE. Social studies teachers were more self-efficacious about instruction and classroom management than they were about student engagement and teaching in multicultural classrooms. All …

Doctoral Program Design Based On Technology-Based Situated Learning And Mentoring: A Comparison Of Part-Time And Full-Time Doctoral Students, Shaoan Zhang, Chengcheng Li, Mark Carroll, P. G. Schrader

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

Aim/Purpose: Most programs are designed with full-time doctoral students’ characteristics and needs in mind; few programs consider the unique needs of part-time doctoral students, including time restrictions, experiences during the program, identity development, and different professional aspirations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential differences between part-time and full-time doctoral students in their scholarly development, and how technology may serve as a communication and organization tool for individual and program support. Background: Built on the application of communities of practice, information and communication technology, and situated learning theory, this study sought to evaluate the potential differences among …

College And Career Preparation Activities And Their Influence On Post-High School Education And Work Attainment, Xue Xing, Margarita Huerta, Tiberio Garza

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

This study examined students’ participation in college and career preparation activities in high school, and the relationship between participation in these activities and students’ education and work attainment within one year of high school graduation. This study used the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:2009) dataset and participants included 12,217 public school students with 6,046 (49.49%) boys and 6,171 (50.51%) girls. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression. Results indicate that socioeconomic status was the only significant predictor across all post-high school education and work outcomes. Significant predictors of post-high school education/work attainment were found but differed …

Instructional Methods That Improve Outcomes For Unlv Students In The Virtual Classroom, Tiffiany Howard

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The demand for online education programs has resulted in the expansion of course and degree offerings, and a steady increase in online student enrollment nationwide (U.S. News, 2016). While the goal of online education is to improve access to higher education, historically underrepresented groups experience lower course completion rates and poorer grade performance in online classes, when compared to underrepresented students enrolled in hybrid and in person courses.

Visualization For Spatial Comprehension, Gabriel Judkins

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Mapping and understanding spatial data are fundamental necessities for geographers, yet challenging for many students (Rapp et al. 2007)

Enhancing Students' Learning With Word-Games: A Case Of Hospitality Ob Class, Cass Shum

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Learning a new subject involves learning and memorizing a new set of vocabulary (Parry, 1995), a challenge for an increasingly international student population (e.g., Barron & Arcodia, 2002; McDowell, 1998; Zimmermann, 2009).

Working Groups As Classroom Management Style, Emma Frances Bloomfield, Kathryn Rafferty

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

There is a need at UNLV to improve student retention across disciplines, which can be done by improving students’ confidence in their performance, improving their satisfaction with classes and their major selections, and providing welcoming and open spaces for participation and inclusion.

A Teaching Method That Boosts Unlv Student Retention, Celeste Calkins, Mary-Ann Winkelmes

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Nationally, underserved students are half as likely to graduate in 4 years as their white and Asian peers (US DoE 2014, Tough 2014, Ishitani 2006). UNLV proudly claims the most diverse undergraduate university population in the nation (US News 2017), including many first generation and low-income students. The majority of UNLV students fall into this underserved category, and our retention rates (re-enrollment rates after the 1st year) indicate that roughly ¼ of our 1st-year students do not re-enroll the subsequent year.

Self-Assessment In The College Curriculum, Joe Ervin

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The use of self-assessment in the college curriculum is an extensive and wide-reaching endeavor. In essence, through a variety of pedagogical and curricular methods, students are given the opportunity to think about themselves.

Volunteering In The Community: Combining Service And Learning, Elena Gandia Garcia

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Most of the patients who use the services offered by the Lied Pediatric Clinic are minorities (70%), and half of those patients are Hispanic. The clinic lacks of professional interpreters to help monolingual doctors and residents to communicate with their patients.

Developing A Teaching Philosophy Statement, Steve Hayden

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

In the college of education it is common practice for students to write multiple versions of a concise and direct teaching philosophy statement (1,000-1,500 words).

Interior Architecture’S Use Of Rotating Teams, Dak Kopec

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The inclusion of health conditions within the process of environmental modification for design students requires concurrent learning outcomes related to research, brainstorming, and ideation that can only be achieved through team projects.

Lecture Capture / Flipping / Clickers, Darrell Lutey

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Student Success – UNLV needs to improve retention

Instructors Learn From Homework, Too: Streamlining Data Collection To Facilitate Reteaching Before The Test, Erica J. Marti

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Whether it’s for accreditation or simply as a good teaching practice to inform future instruction, gathering and analyzing data can be time consuming. This is especially true for large classes. How can you streamline the process for quick evaluation?

Photo Assignments: An Exploration Of Student Retention Rate, Lawrence Mullen

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

In an attempt to increase student retention and graduation rates, many colleges and universities have some sort of freshman course, or first-year seminar that serves to introduce students to college life. The course also helps students transition from high school.

Tea-Searching With Undergrad & Grad Students: Moving Beyond The Stem Fields, Kim Nehls

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Tea-searching is a blend of teaching and research in the college classroom. It is learning by doing with in-class exercises and assignments designed to study complex problems, collect and analyze data, and discuss findings – all to varying levels at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. In the past decade, research on these student experiences has revealed the extensive array of professional and personal benefits.

Creative Student Engagement, Robyn Raschke

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Many students do not feel comfortable asking questions in front of the whole class and stay quiet during class.

Add Interactive Elements To Videos Using H5p, Benjamin Root

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

To increase student engagement, video materials can include interactive components.

Facebook Group In Acc 202, Daniel R. Siciliano

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

ACC 202 has three sections of 100-120 students in each section each semester.

Internships For Accounting Students, Daniel R. Siciliano

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

ACC 400 is the first upper division class for accounting majors and students are introduced to the importance of internships.

Dialectical Teaching Strategies For First And Second-Year Students, Nathan M. Slife

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

An oppositional or bi-polar understanding of meaning (Rychlak, 1976). This ancient understanding of meaning has many applications for instructors.

Using A Breakout Box To Encourage The 4cs In The Classroom, Erica S. Tietjen

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Small groups can benefit from practicing the “4Cs” skills that will continue to be important in the 21st century (NEA, 2017): Critical thinking Communication Collaboration Creativity

Web Based Classroom Management Enhanced By Personalized And Experiential Learning, Cecilia Turman

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The purpose of this practice is to promote experiential and personalized learning in online instruction.

Voluntary Web-Based Self-Assessment Quiz Use Improves Exam Performance, Especially For Learners With Low Prior Knowledge, Jenifer C. Utz, Matthew L. Bernacki

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

We examined students’ voluntary use of digital self-assessment quizzes as a resource for learning in a large anatomy and physiology lecture course. Students (N = 238) could use 16 chapter quizzes and four analogous unit quizzes to rehearse and self-assess knowledge. Repeated use was uncommon (12%), as was lack of use (13%). Most students (75%) engaged in occasional use of self-assessment quiz items. Exam performance differed between repeated use (84%), occasional use (76%), and no use (72%) groups. Differences were greater among students who lacked prior knowledge of course topics. Quiz use improved performance more for low prior knowledge students, …

To Hy Or Not To Hy: Benefits Of Hybrid (Hy) Courses For Students & Faculty, Heather Whitesides, Yeonsoo Kim

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The Hybrid (HY) model is being introduced to support our University’s student success equation. Defined as meeting half face to face and half online, the HY model opens space for more courses to be offered.

Are Dogs Better Than Cats?: Teaching Oral & Written Persuasion Skills, Sara Mathis

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

First generation students often come into UNLV underprepared for the rigors of speaking and writing. Student’s success in their courses and future careers depend on their abilities to persuade through oral and written skills.

Agile Instructional Design For Learning: A Case Example Of Agile Master Course (Amc) Development, Yeonsoo Kim, Heather Whitesides

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Today’s higher education institutions need to “produce quality and relevant learning materials, capable of being reused and adapted in different learning situations” (Arimoto & Barroca, 2015). Agile principles and practices are being used by instructional design teams and are geared toward being adaptive and creative.

Exploring Student Retention In Postsecondary Agriculture, Food, And Natural Resources Education Programs, Aaron J. Mckim, Tyson J. Sorensen, R. Bud Mckendree, Catlin M. Pauley

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The current analysis foregrounded postsecondary agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR) education programs through an analysis of learning community, social community, general self-efficacy, and major commitment. Analysis identified statistically significant differences in major commitment perceived by year in school, with students earlier in their program reporting statistically higher major commitment than those later in their program. In congruence with the theoretical framework of student learning and persistence, the outcome variable general self-efficacy was modeled with year in school, learning community, and social community as predictors. In total, the model predicted 16% of the variance in general self-efficacy with social community …