Karen Harker, Carol Hargis and Jennifer Rowe
The main purpose of this analysis was to demonstrate the value of predictive modeling of student success and identify the key groups of students for which library instruction…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this analysis was to demonstrate the value of predictive modeling of student success and identify the key groups of students for which library instruction could provide the most impact.
Design/methodology/approach
Data regarding the attendance of library instruction associated with a first-year writing course were combined with student demographic and academic data over a four year period representing over 10,000 students. We applied supervised machine learning methods to determine the most accurate model for predicting student outcomes, including course outcome, persistence and graduation. We also assessed the impact of library instruction on these outcomes.
Findings
The gradient-boosted decision tree model provided the most accurate predictions. The impact of library instruction was modest but still was second only to the previous grade point average (GPA). The value of this metric, however, was greatest for students who were struggling, especially those who were first-generation students, regardless of ethnicity. More notably, the impact of library instruction was substantially greater for specific student demographics, including students with lower cumulative GPAs.
Research limitations/implications
Features of the models were limited to high-level academic metrics, some of which may not be very useful in predicting outcomes. Measures more closely related to learning styles, the course or course of study could provide for greater accuracy.
Practical implications
Prediction modeling could allow for a more selective approach to outreach and offers information that the librarian can use to customize instruction sessions and reference interactions.
Social implications
Targeting students who may be at risk of not succeeding in a course has ethical implications either way. If used to bias the subjective assessments, these predictions could produce self-fulfilling prophecies. Conversely, to ignore indicators of possible difficulties the student may have with the material is a disservice to the education of that student.
Originality/value
There are few studies that have incorporated library instruction into models of predicting student outcomes. Library resources and services can play a major role in the success of students, particularly those who have had less exposure to the resources and skills needed to use these resources.
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The editors of this volume would like to thank the authors whose contributions to this area have broken new ground for human considerations in a system that is often mistaken as…
Abstract
The editors of this volume would like to thank the authors whose contributions to this area have broken new ground for human considerations in a system that is often mistaken as unmanned. We would also like to thank the attendees of our two workshops on human factors of UAVs who shared their insights and scientific accomplishments with us as well as for those from the development community who conveyed to us the constraints and needs of their community. Thanks also to the sponsors of these workshops who include the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, NASA, US Positioning, FAA, and Microanalysis and Design. We also thank the many individuals including Leah Rowe, Jennifer Winner, Jamie Gorman, Preston Kiekel, Amanda Taylor, Dee Andrews, Pat Fitzgerald, Ben Schaub, Steve Shope, and Wink Bennett who provided their valuable time and energy to assist with the workshops and this book. Last but not least, we wish to thank ROV operators, those who have attended our workshops, those who we have come to know only through anecdotes, and those who we will never know. It is this group that truly inspired the workshops and the book. We dedicate this effort to them.
David W. Test, Jennifer Cease-Cook and Lauren K. Bethune
Research has documented post-school outcomes for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities and learning disabilities continue to be poor. To improve student outcomes for…
Abstract
Research has documented post-school outcomes for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities and learning disabilities continue to be poor. To improve student outcomes for these populations, research has recommended implementing evidence-based practices and predictors in the classroom. The purpose of this chapter is to identify evidence-based practices and predictors targeted for students with emotional and behavioral disorders and learning disabilities in the area of secondary transition. We identify and briefly describe 12 evidence-based practices and 14 evidence-based predictors for students with emotional and behavioral disorders and learning disabilities. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
Sarah Briant, Philip Crowther, Jennifer Clifton and Lindy Osborne Burton
This research argues that architecture knowledge is fragmented between the profession and academia as evidenced by long-standing conflicting opinions regarding desirable graduate…
Abstract
Purpose
This research argues that architecture knowledge is fragmented between the profession and academia as evidenced by long-standing conflicting opinions regarding desirable graduate attributes. Work-integrated learning (WIL) is one mode of education where these fragments should come together. This research seeks to address a missing part of that WIL model and understand the profession's view of what constitutes quality education as a United Nations (UN) Sustainability Development Goal (SDG).
Design/methodology/approach
Utilising a three round Delphi survey of the architecture profession engaged in WIL programs, this study reports on their perspectives of the key benefits and attributes of WIL and the value of WIL experiences as part of a quality higher education system.
Findings
The architecture profession confirmed the value of WIL programs as contributing to students developing an understanding of workplace culture and contexts. There was strong agreement that WIL experiences can be a valuable part of a quality education and enhance graduate employability. Challenges for practice included semester-based program timing, the length of engagement with practice and the lack of WIL program guidance by universities to prepare the profession for WIL experiences.
Originality/value
While WIL has been extensively researched over the last decade, it is limited in the architecture discipline. Survey findings address the research gap in understanding the architecture profession's views as a key WIL stakeholder which is important given the rapidly changing practice environments, globalisation and the increasingly transdisciplinary context.
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Edward Titus Asbury, Jennifer Casey and Krishna Desai
The purpose of this paper is to examine the benefits of online guided group journaling for an individual’s mental health. The authors focused on a specific social networking…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the benefits of online guided group journaling for an individual’s mental health. The authors focused on a specific social networking platform called Family eJournal.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 51 female participants were recruited from an American university with an average age of 20 years. Participants completed an online survey called the Relationship and Lifestyle Questionnaire. The questionnaire utilized two subscales, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Diener et al., 1985) and the Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). In addition, the questionnaire also measured several items related to an individual’s health choices such as smoking or dieting. Half of the participants in the study were randomly assigned to the Family eJournal user group.
Findings
Following the ten-week time period, the Family eJournal group reported significantly higher social support and lower scores of depression compared to the non-Family eJournal control group. However, there was no difference between groups in regard to anxiety or health choices. Implications of online group journaling and future directions are discussed.
Research limitations/implications
Current findings suggest that online journal sharing may provide a buffer from depression. For those who experience a negative perception of social experiences, building and maintaining interpersonal relationships becomes increasingly difficult, furthering the experiences of social isolation. Therefore, the ability to self-disclose and share personal experiences is crucial, albeit difficult to express (Heinrich and Gullone, 2006; Wei et al., 2005). As depression increases, individuals may alter the types of social, cognitive and emotional behaviors they employ. In turn, online asynchronous communication platforms may foster a reduction in discomfort in self-disclosure and increase positive perceptions of social experiences.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that the SNS platform FamilyeJournal may provide a simple opportunity to improve family relationships. Asynchronous online communication is immune to drawbacks and barriers associated with traditional means of communication such as busy schedules and geographic disparity (Perron, 2002).
Social implications
Online social networking may be a beneficial way to connect with others and facilitate positive mental health.
Originality/value
While the authors have known the benefits of journaling for some time, few studies to date have examined the potential benefits of asynchronous communication via online journaling. Online journaling platforms may provide an attractive avenue for enhancing the well-being for individuals who have limited opportunities to communicate in real time.
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Alison Munro, Jean Marcus, Katie Dolling, John Robinson and Jennifer Wahl
This paper describes the sustainability partnership between the City of Vancouver and the University of British Columbia (UBC) and, in particular, the co-curricular Greenest City…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper describes the sustainability partnership between the City of Vancouver and the University of British Columbia (UBC) and, in particular, the co-curricular Greenest City Scholars graduate student internship program, which has been developed by the two organizations. Through the program, UBC graduate students work on projects at the City that help to advance sustainability targets. The paper aims to explore the successes, challenges and lessons learned from the program.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study uses literature and document review, observations, program participant evaluation surveys and project impact survey feedback.
Findings
The Greenest City Scholars program model has contributed to the sustainability goals at UBC and the City of Vancouver and has supported the partnership between the two organizations. The program has grown over its five-year history and is considered to be a central part of the partnership. Breadth of student participants from across the university and high participation from City departments have been achieved. The model is now being adapted to be delivered within other partnerships.
Practical implications
The experiences presented in this case study can help other higher education institutions understand how a co-curricular graduate student work experience program could help to bolster their own sustainability partnerships.
Originality/value
This paper makes a contribution by providing insight into the use of a graduate student program to advance the goals of a university–community sustainability partnership.
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James W. Gabberty and Jennifer D.E. Thomas
This paper examines the depth, erudition, and rigor of contemporary research on knowledge management as a causal factor that influences the ultimate outcome of multinational…
Abstract
This paper examines the depth, erudition, and rigor of contemporary research on knowledge management as a causal factor that influences the ultimate outcome of multinational corporation (MNC) expansion, bounded by the confines of information and communication technology (ICT) competences identified as behavioral, business, and technological. Through discussion highlighting the dominant knowledge management (KM) research themes within the milieu of the global firm, readers will gain definitive and practical insight into relevant topics that may be used to stimulate development of growth strategies for the firm.
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Haley Traini, Katherine McKee, Jennifer Smist and David Michael Rosch
This project represents an exploratory qualitative investigation of the connection between undergraduate students’ experiences of positive emotions in academic leadership courses…
Abstract
Purpose
This project represents an exploratory qualitative investigation of the connection between undergraduate students’ experiences of positive emotions in academic leadership courses and their self-reports of leadership learning.
Design/methodology/approach
Our research team conducted a qualitative analysis of 298 post-course survey comments from students in academic courses focused on leader development over three academic years. These surveys included prompts inviting students to report dominant emotions they repeatedly felt within the classroom environment and how these salient emotions helped or hindered their learning over the course of the semester.
Findings
Our results suggest a complex interplay between the ways students’ self-reported experience of positive emotions during a leadership class influenced their leadership learning and course engagement. Overall, student responses revealed positive emotions through their course engagement, with interest, joy and serenity/contentment being the most frequently reported positive emotions. Participants attributed these emotions to influencing their willingness to attend class, participate in class activities, deepen their learning about leadership topics and apply their leadership learning beyond the class.
Originality/value
Educational research has long shown that emotions are relevant to specific learning processes. However, this research has not yet been applied to leadership-focused classrooms. Our novel study focused on the connections between emotional reactions to leadership courses and student learning and was designed to help unlock the primary mechanisms by which young people learn to lead through formal academic coursework.
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The purpose of this paper is to outline the structures of collegial governance in Australian universities between 1945 and the “Dawkins reforms” of the late 1980s. It describes…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline the structures of collegial governance in Australian universities between 1945 and the “Dawkins reforms” of the late 1980s. It describes the historical contours of collegial governance in practice, the changes it underwent, and the structural limits within which it was able to operate.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis is based upon the writings of academics and university administrators from the period, with more fine-grained exemplification provided by archival and other evidence from Faculties of Arts and their equivalents in newer universities.
Findings
Elements of hierarchy and lateral organisation coexisted in the pre-Dawkins university in ways not generally made explicit in the existing literature. This mixture was sustained by ideals about academic freedom.
Research limitations/implications
By historicising “collegiality” the research problematises polemical uses of the term, either for or against. It also seeks to clarify the distinctiveness of contemporary structures—especially for those with no first-hand experience of the pre-Dawkins university—by demonstrating historical difference without resort to nostalgia.
Originality/value
“Collegiality” is a common concept in education and organisation studies, as well as in critiques of the contemporary corporate university. However, the concept has received little sustained historical investigation. A clearer history of collegial governance is valuable both in its own right and as a conceptually clarifying resource for contemporary analyses of collegiality and managerialism.
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This article describes one of the issues that arose from my research into the Longcare abuse scandal: how local authorities place learning‐disabled adults in out‐of‐area settings…
Abstract
This article describes one of the issues that arose from my research into the Longcare abuse scandal: how local authorities place learning‐disabled adults in out‐of‐area settings far from their original homes, and then fail to visit them regularly to check on their welfare. It describes the failings of three local and health authorities in the Longcare case, and then reveals that the problem was not confined to those authorities that placed adults at the Longcare homes. It also suggests that placing vulnerable adults in out‐of‐area homes puts them at a greater risk of abuse. The article concludes that, ten years on from the exposure of the Longcare regime, many local authorities are still placing vulnerable adults in out‐of‐area homes and failing to visit them. It calls for a national audit of out‐of‐area placements and for measures to be introduced to allow learning‐disabled adults to live in placements closer to their families and friends… and care managers.