scholarly journals Alternative Realities: Faculty and Student Perceptions of Instructional Practices in Laboratory Courses

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. ar52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Beck ◽  
Lawrence S. Blumer
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Practices ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Undergraduate Laboratory ◽  
Upper Level

Curricular reform efforts depend on our ability to determine how courses are taught and how instructional practices affect student outcomes. In this study, we developed a 30-question survey on inquiry-based learning and assessment in undergraduate laboratory courses that was administered to 878 students in 54 courses (41 introductory level and 13 upper level) from 20 institutions (four community colleges, 11 liberal arts colleges, and five universities, of which four were minority-serving institutions). On the basis of an exploratory factor analysis, we defined five constructs: metacognition, feedback and assessment, scientific synthesis, science process skills, and instructor-directed teaching. Using our refined survey of 24 items, we compared student and faculty perceptions of instructional practices both across courses and across instructors. In general, faculty and student perceptions were not significantly related. Although mean perceptions were often similar, faculty perceptions were more variable than those of students, suggesting that faculty may have more nuanced views than students. In addition, student perceptions of some instructional practices were influenced by their previous experience in laboratory courses and their self-efficacy. As student outcomes, such as learning gains, are ultimately most important, future research should examine the degree to which faculty and student perceptions of instructional practices predict student outcomes in different contexts.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Perceptions of Instructional Practices and Student Self-Efficacy In Guided-Inquiry Laboratory Courses

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. ar8
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Beck ◽  
Lawrence S. Blumer
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Practices ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Guided Inquiry ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Average Student ◽  
The Relationship

Variation in individual student perceptions of instructional practices within a course were significantly related to differences in student self-efficacy at the end of the semester. Self-efficacy was unrelated to average student perceptions and faculty perceptions of their own practices across courses.

2008 APSA Teaching and Learning Track Summaries—Track Three: Diversity, Inclusiveness, and Inequality

2008 ◽  
Vol 41 (03) ◽  
pp. 615-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus D. Allen ◽  
Kea Gordon ◽  
Lanethea Mathews-Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Science Curriculum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Classroom Environments ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Critical Areas ◽  
Inequality In Education

The participants in the Diversity, Inclusiveness, and Inequality track represented a great deal of diversity themselves and included faculty and students from a rich variety of research institutions, private liberal arts colleges, and community colleges. While participants engaged issues and strategies in each of the three substantive areas—diversity, inclusiveness, and inequality in education (DIIE)—the bulk of our conversations focused on diversity and inequality. Topics included curriculum and course content issues, negotiating institutional support for DIIE, challenges of student recruitment and retention, and negotiating power relationships and identities among different kinds of student populations both within and outside of the classroom. This summary reviews four sets of questions that the group addressed and that point to critical areas rich for future research and reflection. In brief these are: (1) How can we simultaneously promote learning about difference and learning about ourselves? (2) How can faculty develop a range of strategic pedagogies and classroom environments in order to avoid some of the challenges inherent in teaching about DIIE? (3) How can we move beyond narrow understandings of diversity that limit the concept solely to a category of identity, neglecting the ways in which diversity and inequality are categories of analysis, processes, and indicative of power relations? (4) What steps are necessary to more fully integrate DIIE across the political science curriculum?

scholarly journals Faculty Perceptions of Online Teaching at a Mid-Sized Liberal Arts University

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana L Shreaves ◽  
Yu-Hui Ching ◽  
Lida Uribe-Florez ◽  
Jesús Trespalacios
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Liberal Arts University ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Data Content ◽  
The University

This mixed-methods study examined faculty perceptions of online teaching at a mid-sized liberal arts university in order to understand faculty acceptance and participation in online teaching at the university. Seventy-nine participants responded to a survey that collected qualitative and quantitative data. Content analysis examined faculty perceptions of online teaching and identified six themes. An examination of 21 quantitative factors identified 17 factors reported by more than 50% of respondents to influence their decision to teach or not teach online. Study participants perceived online learning as attractive to students but they wanted any online courses carefully regulated, in part because online learning was seen as contrary to their teaching values. Participants were influenced by personal preferences but also the desire for robust faculty resources, and more effective technology and infrastructure. Implications and directions for future research were discussed.

scholarly journals Undergraduates Have Difficulty Distinguishing Formats Based on Discovery Tool Search Results

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 153
Author(s):  
Diana K. Wakimoto
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Thesis Statement ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Small Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Local Results

A Review of: Gewirtz, S. R., Novak, M., & Parsons, J. (2014). Evaluating the intersection between WorldCat Local and student research. Journal of Web Librarianship, 8(2), 113-124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19322909.2014.877312 Abstract Objective – To evaluate the usability of WorldCat Local for undergraduate students conducting research. Design – Usability study. Setting – Two small, liberal arts colleges in central Minnesota. Subjects – 13 undergraduates (7 females and 6 males). Methods – To simulate an authentic research process, researchers created a thesis statement and a list of materials students needed to find using WorldCat Local. The students were video recorded and instructed to use the “think aloud” protocol as they worked through the list of materials to find. Researchers analyzed the recordings and evaluated the efficiency of the students’ searching processes using a rubric with scores from 1 to 5. Main Results – Students were able to find books relevant to their topic, but had difficulty in identifying a book that their college library did not own. Students had more difficulty finding current scholarly journal articles and encyclopedias. Additionally, students had trouble distinguishing different formats in the results list. Conclusion – The WorldCat Local results interface confused students, especially when they tried to determine the types of materials found (e.g., article, book, etc.). The students showed little understanding of relevance sorting and facets, although they did attempt to use them while searching. Despite the difficulties, the colleges will keep WorldCat Local as their discovery tool while exploring alternative options. The researchers suggest the need for future research to confirm their findings and determine what changes to the discovery tool interface would be most beneficial for the users.

Why College Students Drift Left: The Stability of Political Identity and Relative Malleability of Issue Positions among College Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 657-664
Author(s):  
Matthew Woessner ◽  
April Kelly-Woessner
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Political Development ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Political Identity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Regression To The Mean ◽  
Political Values ◽  
Arts And Humanities ◽  
Using Data

ABSTRACTIn considering the liberalizing effect of college on students’ political values, we argue that political identities—in the form of self-identified ideology or partisanship—are components of social identity and are resistant to change. Using data from the Higher Education Research Institute’s student surveys, we show that what movement in identity does occur is mostly a regression to the mean effect. On several issue positions, however, students move in a more uniform leftward direction. We find that liberal drift on issues is most common among students majoring in the arts and humanities. Self-reported ideology does drift left at liberal arts colleges, but this is explained by a peer effect: students at liberal arts colleges drift more to the left because they have more liberal peers. The results have implications for future research on college student political development, suggesting that attitudinal change can be more easily identified by examining shifts in policy preferences rather than changes in political identity.

scholarly journals A Holistic Approach to Estimating the Influence of Good Practices on Student Outcomes at Liberal Arts and non-Liberal Arts Institutions

10.28945/3446 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 153-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian P. An ◽  
Eugene T. Parker ◽  
Teniell L. Trolian ◽  
Dustin D. Weeden
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Liberal Arts Colleges ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
Seven Principles ◽  
Institutional Ethos ◽  
Principles Of Good Practice

Many higher education administrators and researchers have considered certain “good practices” of institutions as an instrumental way to improve student outcomes. Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) seven principles of good practice has been particularly salient in defining these practices. Often, prior studies only select some of the seven principles for their analysis. Even studies that consider several principles of good practice on student outcomes typically examine the net effect of each principle instead of assessing how these principles holistically influence student outcomes. Using structural equation modeling, we test a basic conceptual framework where we investigate the contribution of the seven principles on a global measure of good practices (GP), as well as the influence of GP on a multitude of student outcomes. We further test whether liberal arts colleges promote an institutional ethos of good practices as compared to non-liberal arts colleges. Overall, the majority (but not all) of the principles affect GP. Moreover, we find partial evidence that liberal arts colleges foster an institutional ethos of good practices. Although a commitment to foster good practices may create a supportive environment that influences student outcomes, this commitment may lead to unintended consequences for those with little exposure to these good practices.

Narratives of Africa in a Digital World: Kony 2012 and Student Perceptions of Conflict and Agency in Sub-Saharan Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 47 (03) ◽  
pp. 636-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Hershey ◽  
Michael Artime
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Liberal Arts College ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Future Research ◽  
African Politics ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Time Future

ABSTRACTKony 2012, a film released by the nonprofit Invisible Children in the spring of 2012, drew a flurry of Facebook “shares” and “likes.” However, critics expressed a concern that the film offered a distorted portrayal of Africans and African politics. In this article, we test these criticisms by asking what effects the film had on college students’ perceptions of Africa and Africans. To address this question, we draw on a survey and an experiment conducted at a small liberal arts college whereKony 2012enjoyed popularity. The results show that the film did affect students’ perceptions of Africa; specifically, it led many to perceive Africans as lacking agency and autonomy. We argue that whereas the film did have initial negative effects on students’ perceptions of Africa, these effects seem to fade over time. Future research should explore the compounding effects of exposure to images that misrepresent the African continent.

scholarly journals The Benefits of Good Teaching Extend Beyond Course Achievement

2015 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad N. Loes ◽  
Ernest T Pascarella
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Academic Motivation ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
National Study ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Course Achievement

This paper synthesizes research from the Wabash National Study on Liberal Arts Education, the National Study on Student Learning, and the Research on Iowa Student Experiences study that estimates the influence of certain effective instructional practices on a range of student outcomes. Student perceptions of two specific teacher behaviors – instructor clarity and instructor organization – are associated with gains in a number of important student outcomes including critical thinking, propensity for lifelong learning, academic motivation, persistence to the second year of college, graduate degree plans, likelihood of obtaining a bachelor's degree, and student use of deep approaches to learning.

scholarly journals A Low-Intensity, Hybrid Design between a “Traditional” and a “Course-Based” Research Experience Yields Positive Outcomes for Science Undergraduate Freshmen and Shows Potential for Large-Scale Application

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. ar53
Author(s):  
Thushani Rodrigo-Peiris ◽  
Lin Xiang ◽  
Vincent M. Cassone
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Stem Majors ◽  
Outcomes Evaluation ◽  
And Mathematics

Based on positive student outcomes, providing research experiences from early undergraduate years is recommended for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. To this end, we designed a novel research experience called the “STEMCats Research Experience” (SRE) for a cohort of 119 second-semester freshmen with diverse college preparatory levels, demographics, and academic majors. The SRE targeted student outcomes of enhancing retention in STEM majors, STEM competency development, and STEM academic performance. It was designed as a hybrid of features from apprenticeship-based traditional undergraduate research experience and course-based undergraduate research experience designs, considering five factors: 1) an authentic research experience, 2) a supportive environment, 3) current and future needs for scale, 4) student characteristics and circumstances, and 5) availability and sustainability of institutional resources. Emerging concepts for facilitating and assessing student success and STEM curriculum effectiveness were integrated into the SRE design and outcomes evaluation. Here, we report the efficient and broadly applicable SRE design and, based on the analysis of institutional data and student perceptions, promising student outcomes from its first iteration. Potential improvements for the SRE design and future research directions are discussed.

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