HLRC - Higher Learning Research Communications (E-Journal)
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Editorial
Get PDFRetention and persistence are at the forefront of attention by students, parents, and state and federal lawmakers. We continue several decades of increasing education costs and the perception of steadily decreasing returns on investment of time and money required to achieve a higher education credential. Thus, a special issue devoted to retention is timely. Included in this special issue of the Higher Learning Research Communications journal are a number of thought pieces and literature reviews that represent diverse perspectives on retention.Dr. Watson Scott Swail provides a provocative essay, A Different Viewpoint on Retention, in which he challenges readers to reflect on the key issues regarding retention of students. While he provides compelling statistics on the growing costs of getting a college degree, he reminds us that the core issue is one of student preparation. Dr. Swail also encourages institutions to determine what success means in its own context, through statistical analysis of predictors of retention and persistence whose results can be socialized at all who support students at the institution.Dr. Gary Burkholder and Nicole Holland provide an international perspective on retention and persistence. Through introductory analysis of the state of retention and persistence research in areas outside the United States, they encourage readers to think about retention more globally. The authors ask the readers to consider how what we have learned about higher education, as well as retention and persistence, in the United States, can help researchers and practitioners to address higher education concerns in more meaningful and helpful ways. Dr. Rebecca Jobe and Jim Lenio then provide insight on retention and persistence research across student and institutional types as well as across educational sectors. The authors convincingly suggest that retention is a concern that should provide a common ground for all institutions, regardless of type or sector, for research and application that ultimately can lead to student success.Two literature reviews look at different aspects of retention. Dr. Judie Brill and her coauthors examine the critical need of improving doctoral student retention. They advocate for a mentoring model that incorporates aspects of peer and faculty mentoring. The authors also propose incorporation of developmental projects, such as scholarly publication, that can help improve retention by providing a roadmap of how to be successful after obtaining the doctoral degree. Dr. Iris Yob takes a novel approach to retention by connecting it to service learning. Her theoretical and empirical approach to integrating two lines of research—one on service learning and the other on the longer-term impacts of service learning on student persistence—set a foundation for pilot studies that explore the impact of service learning.Retention and persistence are complex issues; while a single special issue won’t address the multifaceted challenges associated with getting students to graduation, such publications can foster ideas that form the next generations of research in this area. It is our hope that this issue helps generate some of these important questions
Common ground: Addressing attrition across diverse institutions in higher education
Get PDFStudent attrition is an ongoing concern in American higher education, where institutions are being increasingly held accountable for the success of the students they admit. While differences across diverse institutions exist, research suggests that there are many similarities regarding issues related to student persistence and success. In fact, this common ground presents an opportunity for common solutions. The variety of higher education institutions utilizing knowledge gained through institutional initiatives continues to identify new, better ways of serving students. This article sheds light on the known differences between institution types while recognizing the common goals of improving student persistence. The article further supports the need for additional research in this area to fully understand how the higher education community can best prepare and support students of all types, from all institutions, to reach their educational goals.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v4i2.209
Faculty perspective on competency development in higher education: An international study
Get PDFThe purpose of this research is to establish common ground on how faculty development should be instituted and the needs it should address on an international level, with its major focus being the development of competencies. A survey was developed and distributed to a sample of 764 university teaching professionals. Results show that 90% find that it is either important or very important to develop competencies in higher education, and that 73% find they are well or very well trained in developing and assessing competencies, particularly with regard to applying theoretical knowledge in practice, teamwork, and oral and written communication skills. The least valued competencies are found to be entrepreneurship and leadership. The most valued teaching methods are: project based learning, immersion in a professional environment, visits, field trips, and anything that closes the gap between the professional and academic worlds. University teaching staff consider the best assessment scenarios to be those that involve a certain amount of immersion in real situations, problem posing, and simulation; the optimum measurement instruments use observation techniques and rubrics. The need to create academic teaching communities is found to be of great importance. A common assessment method is also seen as a useful addition.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v4i4.223
Improving bilingual higher education: Training university professors in content and language integrated learning
Get PDFFew studies have been conducted at the tertiary level on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The current study aims to gather and share preliminary data concerning CLIL in higher education at several universities in different countries. A questionnaire and brief description of the project and its objectives were emailed to all teachers at a Spanish university listed as having taught content courses in English in the last academic year, and to all the Language Center directors within the network with instructions to pass the questionnaire along to the CLIL teachers at their respective universities. The questionnaire was answered by 168 teachers, with 79% of responses (n=133) coming from four universities in Spain, Malaysia, P.R. China, and Turkey. The questionnaire results were exported to Excel and analyzed using statistical software. This preliminary phase of the research project, in which quantitative data has been analyzed, shows that CLIL teachers are intrinsically-motivated, language proficient, and aware of the need to adapt material to the bilingual classroom. In the next, qualitative phase of the project, issues regarding English language assessment, use of L1 in the classroom and scaffolding will need to be analyzed in depth in order to propose guidelines for future good practices and bilingual teacher training.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v4i1.19
Editorial
Get PDFThis issue of Higher Learning Research Communications (HLRC) features research and teaching proposals from both sides of the Atlantic. In a globalized and interconnected world, cooperation among researchers and higher education professionals is paramount. Equally important, as Steven Maranville argues in this issue’s featured essay, is recognizing being a scholar and researcher means being first and foremost a thinker. Higher education institutions are sanctuaries of knowledge, and faculty members are key in promoting understanding and the free flow of ideas among teachers and students.In the information Age, online tools have proven vital precisely in promoting knowledge and cooperation across oceans and frontiers. As more and more higher education institutions use the Internet in order to reach a wider student audience, the new challenges of online learning require new tools for faculty communication. As such, Eric Nordin and Peter John Anthony conducted research related to the development of a support website for online faculty. Such measures seem to be necessary, as they may lead to improvements in the quality of online teaching and learning.There is another research piece included in this issue that deals as well with improving the quality of teaching and learning. Luis Alberto D’Elia and Diane Wishart have investigated on both sides of the Atlantic, in Canada and Spain, how proper teacher training at the college level may lead to better youth engagement in science classes. Faculty in Education departments must become aware of the needs and challenges youth face in science learning in order to better train the teachers that will serve them. This is why more higher education professionals should engage in high school programs that prepare students for college.Oftentimes, previous educational experiences do not properly prepare students for college life, resulting in withdrawals, longer times to degree completion, or even unwillingness to complete a degree. Maxwell N. Kwenda investigated one of these aspects by trying to track and explain college credit completion in freshmen students. His results suggest high school academic performance, GPA, and college entrance exams can indeed predict academic success, which is why it is important to engage potential college students before they graduate from high school.This tenth issue of HLRC also features selected papers presented at the X Jornadas Internacionales de Innovación Universitaria [X International Conference on Innovation in Higher Education], celebrated by the Universidad Europea de Madrid, in Spain. The aim of the Jornadas is to promote research and ground-breaking teaching proposals in higher education. The selected papers reflect current pedagogic trends and incorporate innovative teaching strategies to engage college students and promote cross-sectional competences. Among the proposals, supporting research activities among students, promoting content and language integrated learning among faculty, providing practical experiences and cooperation in communication and audiovisual programs, student tutoring, taking into account the students emotional intelligence, and even using advanced computer software to provide International Relations students with the change to manage a transition to democracy from an authoritarian regime stand out
Multimedia content production inside the classroom. A teaching proposal for journalism and audiovisual communication students
No full textThe main objective of this article is to present and describe two multimedia experiences carried out during two practice groups in the Journalism and Audiovisual Communications program. Thirty students participated in Experience A during 14 teaching sessions, and the experience required each student to record a 3-minute interview of someone newsworthy within academia and, then, create a short documentary piece of up to 5 minutes. Experience B focused on content curation using Storify, and the ultimate goal of the practice exercise was to produce a story from different multimedia contents found within the platform. A SWOT analysis after integrating both experiences revealed that, although students were willing and motivated to use new technologies and produce audiovisual content, they also showed low motivation to work in groups, scant prior knowledge of the medium, and a lack of adaptation to complex situations. As such, the researchers conclude this type of experience can be valuable as the convergence of content and skills in audiovisual and journalistic settings responds to the courses’ demands and facilitates their adaptation to the EHEA requirements.Producción de contenido multimedia en el aula. Una propuesta docente para alumnos de periodismo y comunicación audiovisualResumenEl principal objetivo de este estudio de caso es presentar y describir dos experiencias multimedia llevadas a cabo en dos grupos prácticos de los grados de periodismo y comunicación audiovisual. En la Experiencia A participaron 30 estudiantes durante 14 sesiones docentes, y consistió en la grabación de una entrevista de 3 minutos a un personaje noticioso en el ámbito académico y, después, debían construir en grupo una pequeña pieza documental de, como máximo, 5 minutos de duración. La Experiencia B se centró en curación de contenidos utilizando Storify, en la que los alumnos construyeron una noticia a partir de diferentes contenidos multimedia encontrados en la plataforma. Un análisis DAFO tras la integración de ambas experiencias reveló que, a pesar de que los alumnos tenían un alto grado de disposición y motivación respecto a la actividad en sí, mostraron poca motivación para trabajar en grupo, escaso conocimiento del medio y falta de adaptación a situaciones complejas. Por tanto, este tipo de experiencia puede tener gran valor al integrar contenidos teóricos y prácticos dentro del entorno audiovisual y periodístico, al responder a las exigencias de las propias asignaturas y facilitar la adaptación de estas a las demandas del EEES.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v4i1.201PDF document contains both the original in Spanish and an English translation
Editorial
Get PDFThis issue of Higher Learning Research Communications (HLRC) features research focused on faculty development from scholars across both sides of the Atlantic. The opening piece, Enhancing faculty performance through coaching: Targeted, individualized support, describes the culture within a US-based higher education institution, where emphasis is given to supporting faculty. One of their latest approaches has been to implement coaching as a means for professional development, with positive results.Promoting critical thinking skills has always been a challenge for higher education professionals. Different models and techniques have been researched and described in different contexts. And, as higher education makes its way into the 21st century, developing critical thinking skills in online learning environments can prove to be an even bigger challenge. Laura A. Schindler and Gary J. Burkholder present a literature review related to instructional design and facilitation approaches that promote critical thinking in asynchronous online discussions (AODs) across multiple cognitive constructs (cognitive domain, cognitive presence, knowledge construction, and perspective-taking). According to their review of the available literature, certain design approaches are effective for promoting critical thinking.Another 21st century challenge has been globalization, with higher education professionals being able to teach face-to-face and online across the globe. However, cultural differences and language barriers may present teaching and learning challenges. In the article, Communicative differences between domestic and foreign instructors, authors Narissra Punyanunt-Carter, Jason Wrench, Stacy L Carter, and Daniel Linden researched how students perceived their instructors, depending on whether they were local or foreign. Their findings may aid international faculty make a better transition into US-based campuses and classrooms.From Spain, research conducted by Ana Cruz-Chust reveals the challenges college teachers face when dealing with working adult students (WASs) and mixed classrooms. She found that, even when teachers might not have previous training on how to approach WASs, they can recognize the characteristics and needs of these students, and implement appropriate teaching methods in order to face the challenges these students present. Interestingly, some of her findings contradict the current literature, revealing more research is needed in this area.Finally, researchers Akram AbdulCader and Peter John Anthony present an overview of faculty in Saudi Arabia and how motivation affects higher education within the Saudi context. Although Saudi Arabia’s economy and workforce seem to be expanding, their research found that faculty in the largest country in the Arab League do not feel motivated to participate in academic program development because of a lack of incentives, feeling irrelevant in the decision making process within universities, and a lack of recognition and moral support. Since the Saudi economy is rapidly growing, their findings point to a need to engage and motivate faculty in order to keep Saudi higher education at par with the challenges that will certainly come during the 21st century
A teaching model proposal for adult university students
No full textDue to the increased enrollment of students over 25 years of age in higher education institutions, this study focused on interviewing faculty members in order to understand the characteristics and special aspects related to teaching and learning adult students. Two data gathering techniques were employed: individual and group interviews, both semi-structured. In selecting participants, purposive sampling was used. Results revealed that college teachers have been updating and modifying their teaching strategies to meet the needs of these nontraditional students. Findings suggest teachers are sensitive to these students’ needs, and their teaching strategies seem to incorporate adult education approaches. This study has found that adult learners need more guidance and direction from the teacher than traditional students, and that they have little motivation to work in group projects and generate shared knowledge. These aspects contradict the theoretical assumptions of adult learning on their autonomy in learning and peer collaboration preference.----------------------------Una propuesta de modelo didáctico para estudiantes adultos universitariosResumenDebido al aumento de la matrícula de estudiantes mayores de 25 años en las instituciones universitarias, este estudio se centró en la realización de entrevistas al profesorado para comprender las peculiaridades y particularidades en la enseñanza y aprendizaje de adultos universitarios. Se utilizaron dos técnicas de recogida de información: la entrevista grupal y la individual, ambas semiestructuradas. En la selección de los participantes, se optó por el muestreo intencional. Los resultados revelaron que los profesores universitarios han actualizado y modificado sus estrategias docentes para atender las necesidades de estos estudiantes no tradicionales. Las conclusiones apuntan a que los profesores son sensibles a las necesidades de estos estudiantes y su docencia revela la incorporación de aspectos recogidos en los enfoques de educación de adultos. La investigación ha constatado que los estudiantes adultos necesitan más guía y orientación del profesor que los tradicionales y que, además, tienen escasa motivación en trabajar en proyectos grupales y generar conocimiento compartido. Estos aspectos contradicen los presupuestos teóricos del aprendizaje de adultos sobre su autonomía en el aprendizaje y su preferencia en colaborar entre iguales.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v4i4.172PDF document contains both the original in Spanish and an English translation.
Keeping students in by sending them out: Retention and service-learning
Get PDFThis review of recent literature examines the research on the impact of service-learning on student retention. The theoretical framework of the review draws on both Tinto’s model of student attrition and Knowles’s theory of adult learning, which together suggest that academic and social integration, active participation and engagement in learning, and application and relevancy of the subject-matter under study are key factors in student success. The role of these factors has been confirmed in a growing body of research around learning experiences in general and, as this review shows, particularly in service-learning experiences. Suggestions are made for how future research might expand and critically deepen this evidence and offers some implications for service-learning as a means of improving student retention.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v4i2.17
International perspectives on retention and persistence
Get PDFAccess to higher education globally is increasing dramatically; attainment of tertiary degrees is a high priority, as educational attainment is associated with increased personal incomes as well as growth of the middle class in developing countries. The purpose of this essay is to briefly examine retention and persistence issues from a global perspective, review some retention strategies that have been employed at schools outside the United States, and to identify several key factors that related to retention and persistence globally, including access, infrastructure, financial consideration, and readiness for tertiary education. There exists an opportunity to utilize knowledge gained in the evolution of the higher education system in the United States to help address the problems associated with retention and persistence. DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v4i2.20