UNCG Hosted Online Journals (The University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
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Active learning spaces foster development of communication skills in senior undergraduate science students
Full text link The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an active learning space (ALS) in supporting student development of effective communication as a transferable skill. A fourth-year medical science course was taught in two different settings, an ALS and a fixed-row classroom, by the same instructor. Participants preferred the ALS for supporting communication skill development, despite it having no quantifiable effect on their communication apprehension. The ALS had a significantly higher impact than the fixed-row classroom on groupwork/collaboration and student-student interactions. This study highlights the importance of the physical classroom space for fostering students’ development of communication and collaborative skills
The University Desk Chair: Examining the Impact on Learner Comfort and Ability to Focus
Full text linkA mismatch between furniture and body characteristics can cause musculoskeletal discomfort during prolonged sitting for adult learners. Sixty-seven university learners rated their perceived discomfort and ability to focus while using four common desk chairs. A desk chair with padding and a large frame was rated significantly highest in overall comfort. Participants reported significantly increased upper back pain when using a desk chair with minimal arm support. During periods of prolonged seating, desk chairs should accommodate various sized bodies and have cushioning. Upper extremity support is also recommended
Trauma-informed workshops aiding student success
Full text linkMany new students are struggling to succeed in the current college environment. The mental health crisis and the pandemic have only increased this struggle. Communication centers should partner with student orientation in order to increase student retention, alongside familiarizing students with the communication center from the beginning of their college experience. Communication centers should employ trauma-informed pedagogy in incoming student orientation efforts to further support struggling students. Communication centers should also make an effort to interact with students outside the center in order to encourage them to come to the center to recieve further support
Assessing Collaboration Skill Development in Active Learning Spaces Using an Alumni Survey: A Case Study
Full text linkTo what extent do active learning spaces foster students’ development of collaboration skills, a set of highly sought-after competencies in today’s workforce? This case study highlights the novel use of a survey specifically designed for recent alumni to attempt to identify and quantify important attributes of these learning environments responsible for enhancing collaboration skill development. Results from the survey inform various campus stakeholders by providing valuable information for improvement across a range of physical, technological, and pedagogical attributes of these learning spaces
Challenges and Opportunities: Reinventing Faculty Advising in the Era of COVID-19
Full text linkThis scholarship explores the lived experiences of three faculty advisors working at different institutions of higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applying the Appreciative Advising framework, the authors adapted to rethink, reimagine, and reinvent faculty advising. The article provides inclusive strategies and practices in the development of faculty advisors as they support student learning and development
Library Renovations and Student Behaviors: A Longitudinal Case Study
Full text linkMany academic libraries renovate physical spaces to address the needs of the 21st century learner. This study presents the assessment tools used to evaluate the use of space prior to a branch library renovation as well as results of two post-renovation assessments to examine the success of the project. The pre-renovation survey showed that library users desired extended hours of operation, better furniture, more power outlets, more private and group study spaces, better lighting, and more comfort. Both post-renovation survey results indicated an increase in satisfaction of all areas except access to food options and hours of operation
Coffeehouse as classroom: Examining a flexible and active learning space from the pedagogy-space-technology-user perspective
Full text linkThis study draws on the analysis of 56 hours of classroom video recordings and daily room usage checklists as well as interview data from students and faculty teaching in a large, flexible, technology-rich, and collaborative classroom, “Collaboration Café.” The goal is to explore faculty practices and student perspectives to increase our understanding of pedagogic interactions and the use of space and technology in active learning spaces. Informed by the updated version of Redcliff’s Pedagogy-Space-Technology (PST) framework, we argue the pivotal role of actors (i.e., faculty and students) in an active learning environment to use technology, space, and pedagogy in ways which foster learning. The discussion highlights that the faculty’s choice of instructional technique shapes active and collaborative learning behaviors in the classroom. Also, student perspectives provided evidence for satisfaction with room features such as fluidity versatility, and scalability
Implementing Appreciative Education in a First-Year Seminar
Full text linkAppreciative Education involves intentionally designing educational approaches that are based on principles of positive psychology and appreciative inquiry. This paper presents findings from a study of the meaning that 15 first-year experience course instructors attributed to implementing positivity interventions in their courses at a large, Midwestern university. The study suggests that these interventions, which fall under the umbrella of Appreciative Education, can disrupt conventional classroom expectations and dynamics. These disruptions can result in spaces of openness and vulnerability among instructors and students. Finally, the applications increase student engagement, support student success, and shape instructors’ thinking about teaching practices
Notation and Creative Practice: Introduction to the Special Issue
Full text linkIn this Special Issue, authors present studies and essays that use variations on the Triple Code Image Somatic response Meaning Model using dance notation to create new knowledge and understanding. János Fügedi uses notation in unconventional ways to transform habits and extend traditional practices in Hungarian traditional dance. Laban Bartenieff Movement Analyst Nicole Perry engages in score writing in ways that have not been Motif notated or discussed before during Intimacy Choreography and Direction. Movement analysts Nicole Harbonnier, Geneviève Dussault, and Catherine Ferri, trained in two movement analysis systems, integrate two analysis approaches to find the power in dual-research models while exploring ground, space, and dynamics. Mara Pegeen Frazier assesses the scope of creativity that dance notation literacy provides—a desire to communicate, develop better tools, and understand culture