From the GAs: Congratulations, Publications, Presentations

News and congratulations from SLIS Director and Graduate Assistants for student, alumni, and faculty accomplishments, publications, and presentations.

Determinants of retention strategies and sustainable performance of academic staff of government-owned universities in Nigeria

Background: Retention of academic staff is gaining the attention of various educational stakeholders in many developing countries like Nigeria. However, there is little extant literature on how various determinants and risk factors affect retention strategies and sustainable performance of academic staff of government owned universities in Nigeria. Consequently, this paper showed the direct relationships between retention strategies and sustainable performance. Methods: Copies of the designed questionnaire were distributed to members of the academic staff ranging from the Professors to Graduate Assistants of the selected state-owned Universities in Southern Nigeria. Statistical analysis for the study included descriptive measures, measurement and structural models. Results: The determinants of retention strategies had significant impacts on the sustainable performance of academic staff at r = 0.660 (p < 0.05) and r = 0.558 (p < 0.05), respectively. A direct relationship was also established between academic retention and sustainable performance of staff in the selected universities (r = 0.187, p < 0.05). This implies that the 48.3% variance in sustainable performance is explained by the level of determinants/risk factors and retention of academic staff in the selected universities. Conclusions: The study concludes that adequate funding provides Nigerian universities with the opportunity to meet the needs of the growing population and to match other top universities elsewhere in the development of vital highly skilled manpower, research and innovations, which are the tools for sustainable performance.

Makerspace: Innovation in Mechanical Engineering Education

The complexity of industrial developments requires engineering students to have hands on experience as well as theoretical engineering knowledge. There is a need for a change of classical engineering curriculums. Makerspaces can be a crucial part of this change. They are introduced as physical locations where engineering student’s curiosity is fed and solutions to problems are found through teamwork. Their use in higher education can also provide an opportunity for students to engage in experiential learning. They can develop a large range of soft skills that traditional undergraduate curriculum is unable to provide, such as planning, teamwork, critical thinking and communication. There are still limited studies about the full effect and impact of these spaces in teaching and learning, from the pedagogical perspective. The aim of this study is to determine students’ experiences with such spaces and examine how makerspaces are contributing to their learning. Descriptive research method (one-on-one interviews and normative survey) were used to evaluate students, graduate assistants and a faculty members’ perception of the space and depict the situation. The results of this study showed that students want more than theoretical knowledge from their engineering education. They want to be able to gain hands on experience while they are learning theory. While designing a makerspace for that purpose, the sustainability and the functioning of these spaces should be taken into consideration. The findings of this study can provide guidance for the institutions that are planning to build a makerspace in their campuses.

“Hot” Issues in Workers’ Compensation in Colleges and Universities: Graduate Assistants and Teaching Assistants

Workers’ compensation laws vary throughout all 50 states and so has the interpretation of those laws regarding whether graduate assistants and teaching assistants should be considered employees for workers’ compensation coverage. This review details the history, current situation, key case law, and pros and cons of extending this benefit, whether by the educational institutions themselves or by governmental agencies and courts. The article provides a guide to public and private institutions regarding legal considerations, prevalent practices, and future trends in this continuing controversy.

Student music stimuli composition in a scaffolded course-based undergraduate research experience

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE) allow students opportunities to develop research skills. In a scaffolded CURE, music therapy and music education students composed, evaluated, and selected the music stimuli used in a music and mindfulness study with non-musicians at Site 1 and musicians at Site 2. The purposes of this paper are to (a) describe the process of student music stimuli composition and evaluation for use in a course-based undergraduate research experience and (b) identify benefits, challenges, and lessons learned from the viewpoints of students, graduate assistants, and faculty who participated in the multi-site study. Eight students, two graduate assistants, and two faculty provide an overview of the CURE teaching model and assignments, and share first-person accounts of their experiences participating in this CURE.

Community Partnerships

An egalitarian model of university-school partnerships starts with a theoretical frame of equity and social justice. This qualitative research study sought to understand high school students’ perception of community service through an intergenerational university-high school-elementary school partnership. Data analysis consisted of detailed notes collected from university faculty who oversaw the focus group discussions and two graduate assistants who took observational notes. These notes were analyzed and thematically organized. The findings indicate that the students enjoyed the experience and were highly motivated to complete and read their community themed book for the younger children in their community. This research contributes new knowledge to the field of community engagement and to the field of informal and formal education through its analysis of discussions on meaningful community service pertaining to university-school collaborative partnerships.