UNCG Hosted Online Journals (The University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
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1011 research outputs found
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Disarming With Humor
Full text linkAttending an academic advising meeting can be a challenge for students who either do not know what to expect during the advising process or fear that it will be a difficult exchange with the advisor. This article highlights a scenario of a reluctant student and explores how academic advisors can make their students comfortable and begin to foster connection with their students through humor. The article examines how humor can be intentionally infused into the Appreciative Advising framework specifically in the initial Disarm phase which is focused on helping academic advisors build rapport and trust with their students
Fighting Crisis with Communication Centers
Full text linkThis essay focuses on the struggles undergraduate students are now facing in the wake of the pandemic surge. College students, especially freshmen and sophomores, came into their college experiences underprepared for the rigor of college academics and the social dynamics they need to navigate to be successful. These struggles have hit a crisis point due to lapses in instruction while schools were shut down, leading to lower quality instruction and fewer social interactions for students. This crisis is reflected in both the academic and mental health realms
The Other First Days of School: A Case Study of Two Teachers in an Urban School Setting
Full text linkThe first days of school are critical for many teachers across the country. They are often set aside to establish routines, expectations, the tone of the class, and begin developing the learning space for the year. As a result of high stakes accountability culture, many teachers revert to top-down management methods for establishing normative behaviors in their classes. This case study examines two mathematics teachers in an urban high school who approach their first days of school through alternative, democratic methods and learning spaces. Their examples include sharing ownership of their physical space, co-creating norms and building positive relationships with students, and providing students with opportunities to learn in ways that work best for them
COVID-19 Study Spaces: Supportive Adaptation of Home Learning Environments During the Pandemic
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic has driven considerable changes in how we live, work, and study. How have students adapted space to support remote study? This research project aimed to understand where students were learning, how they were using and adapting the space, and how their decisions might connect to tangible outcomes such as academic success, engagement, connection, and satisfaction with remote learning. An online survey gathered data from 542 college students across 93 majors at two institutions. Results suggest that the bedroom space is the most common study space, and that space adaptation is tied to positive outcomes for student
Uncovering the influence of pre and post class factors on instructor adoption and utilization of classroom technology.
Full text linkTo better understand situational factors that influence the adoption and utilization of a common classroom technology, interactive whiteboards, this research used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the technological and pedagogical tasks instructors complete prior to and following lesson delivery within the context of institutional scheduling. A five-step model was developed that illustrates instructor behaviors with consideration given to the influence of time on instructor decision making. This research cautiously concludes by noting that the transition time between classes may be an influential factor on how instructors utilize technology in their classrooms
Implementing Personalized Communication in Advising to Increase Retention of Doctoral Education Students
Full text linkThis research investigated the impact personalized communication between an advisor and advisee had on the (a) the advisor-advisee relationship and (b) student retention. This study is grounded in the Disarm phase of the Appreciative Advising Model (AAM), which encourages advisors to present a welcoming environment to advisees (Bloom et al., 2008). Pre- and post-survey data from the Mentorship Effectiveness Scale (Berk et al., 2005), as well as university retention data, were collected from 55 doctoral students over the duration of one spring semester to investigate feelings of safety and vulnerability during challenges experienced while progressing through a graduate education program. Although no significant differences in the advisor-advisee relationship were found between the experimental and control groups either before or after the implementation of personalized communication, student retention was significantly higher for the experimental group after personal communication was implemented by the advisor
Development of the Appreciative Advising Success Inventory (AASI)
Full text linkThis article describes the process to develop and validate the Appreciative Advising Success Inventory (AASI). The AASI instrument is designed to measure the success of college students, as measured through correlations to student psychosocial factors (PSFs), who interact with academic advisors who are trained in applying the Appreciative Advising theory-to-practice framework. PSFs are attitudes and behaviors that influence how students think about and approach their college experience. Applying psychometric theory and instrument development methods that have been applied in similar projects, the AASI instrument can be used to improve advising practice and measure the impact of Appreciative Advising. The results from this preliminary study suggest that when academic advisors use the Appreciative Advising framework effectively, it directly influences key PSFs that then influence such student success outcomes as academic confidence, academic motivation, and intent to persist
Social Media Representations of Makerspaces
Full text linkLibraries across the world have increasingly established makerspaces and incorporated making-related activities into their programming. Yet little is known about how this proliferation translates digitally. In response, this study uncovers how libraries construct virtual representations of makers and makerspaces through their social media content and the evolution of content across time. This research analyzed 36,756 social media posts created between 2012-2021 and identifies statistically significant changes in quantitative metrics, uncovers the themes present in posts, and describes the identities and topics featured. Revealing these digital representations of makers and making is important because this content can replicate oppressive structures by influencing who uses these spaces and what is created
Development and evaluation of an online homework system for high school physics classes
Full text linkThis case study used a design-based research approach to examine the development and evaluation of an online homework system to support learning and problem-solving in a high school physics course. Emergent themes included challenges of building the system, strengths and weaknesses of it, and the benefits to students. While the system largely met desired outcomes and was well received by the students, concerns were raised about the quality and timeliness of some feedback/scaffolding provided by the system. Development of other such systems may help to support students and teachers during the current and post-COVID educational transition