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Soil and Water Education for Grades 3-12
No full textSoil and Water Education for Grades 3–12 was written for youth who enjoy learning about science and two critical natural resources: soil and water. Level 1 introduces basic terms and concepts, and is intended for youth in grades 3–5. Activities focus on understanding important soil and water processes. Designed for students in grades 6–8, Level 2 offers readers more concrete examples of advanced soil and water concepts. The exercises in Level 3, which is geared toward grades 9–12, are divided into sections based on how readers might use the information they have learned, placing them in the shoes of homeowners, residents of a watershed, food and fiber producers (farmers), mayors, teachers, and legislators. This level delves deeper into soil and water science concepts, and prepares readers who may be interested in studying these topics at postsecondary institutions. The final section presented in Soil and Water Education for Grades 3–12, the facilitator’s guide, provides answers to the youth activities as well as tips about working with the next generation of scientists in the field.https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/purduepress_ebooks/1097/thumbnail.jp
Laozi’s Daodejing : A New Translation With Environmentalist Commentary
No full textLaozi’s “Daodejing”: A New Translation With Environmentalist Commentary offers a new translation and fresh interpretation of the eighty-one-verse Daodejing, one of the central texts of Eastern philosophy. Likely written during the late Zhou Dynasty between 600–400 BCE, this foundational work is generally attributed to an individual named Laozi, although it is unlikely that any such person actually existed. Here, author Steve Hallett employs contemporary poetic form when translating the document’s approximately 5,000 Chinese characters and provides short analytical essays that illuminate the verses with a specific focus on the teachings they offer about social and environmental sustainability. His examination of this 2,500-year-old text suggests that perhaps not all our modern crises are as modern as they seem: Much of what ails us today may involve the same foolishness that has ailed us for millennia. Ultimately, this timely study posits that lessons from the past can help us avoid making hasty decisions related to the environment and show us how to chart a calmer, more patient, and more persistent path toward a just and sustainable future
Engaging Learners Everywhere: The Interactive Synchronous HyFlex Method
No full textInitially conceived as a workaround related to the crisis precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown of 2020, Interactive Synchronous HyFlex reimagines an active-learning, team-based classroom, making it possible for any student to participate fully, whether they are seated in the back row or joining from elsewhere in the world. Developed and refined by the authors through five years of classroom experimentation and National Science Foundation–funded research, this forward-facing approach—which refers to online synchronous hybrid delivery and combines the terms “hybrid” and “flexible”—brings together learners in a single classroom who have the daily option of meeting face-to-face or synchronously online. Through simple ideas, thought-provoking questions, and practical examples, Engaging Learners Everywhere reveals how existing technology, such as video conferencing and digital collaboration tools, can help bring students together in more robust and inclusive learning communities. This teaching model minimizes the disruptions and challenges instructors frequently encounter due to inclement weather, illnesses, and travel conflicts. Additionally, features such as live captioning, screen sharing, and classroom recordings benefit all students, not just those with disability accommodations. Ultimately, Interactive Synchronous HyFlex provides a more elastic pedagogical approach that allows students to remain engaged and connected to their instructors and to each other.https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/purduepress_ebooks/1093/thumbnail.jp
I-69/I-465 Interchange: Relocating Major Sanitary and Sludge Lines Beneath the Freeway
No full textThe final stages of the I-69 interstate extension from Evansville to Indianapolis involve extensive coordination with multiple utility stakeholders. This presentation focuses on the complexities of utility relocation required to support the expansion of a major interstate within a dense urban environment
Engaging Seminars: The Impact of Storytelling in Public Safety Education
No full textThis paper examines the important role of storytelling in higher education as a technique for engaging students in course content and applies its relationship to the experiential learning theory (ELT) in which learners are actively seeking knowledge through authentic application. Storytelling can be a particularly effective method when used during live online seminars in public safety education, since this particular program of study often relies on verbally communicating realistic and credible information. Sharing various examples of actual encounters can help students better prepare for these types of situations when they face them in their future careers. Incorporating evidence to support this philosophy will include two primary sources: research in which the authors will highlight key questions, responses, and their teaching practices, and secondary research that will validate the rationale for using this form of presentation style
Decolonising Information Literacy: Diversity Integration for Empowering Minority Groups
Get PDFFor a long time, library guides (LibGuides) have been essential resources for linking students with information related to faculty, specific subjects, and coursework. However, the scope of LibGuides has expanded significantly in contemporary library practices. They now include a wide variety of resources, such as guides on particular library products, platforms, resources, instructional materials, and \u27how-to\u27 guides. These enhanced features demonstrate the changing requirements of library users as they navigate a more complicated academic environment. In 2016, the University of Johannesburg launched an online course on information literacy using the SpringShare LibGuide platform, which was highly successful. Originally created in English, the university\u27s primary language of instruction, the course garnered considerable interest. Subsequently, due to its effectiveness, eight faculty departments within the university mandated the course for their students, underscoring its importance and widespread adoption across various academic disciplines. A 2022 study on the university\u27s student demographic found that, in addition to English, isiZulu and Sepedi were the second and third most frequently spoken home languages among students, respectively (Division for Institutional Planning, Evaluation and Monitoring, 2022) (Dipem). The library therefore saw a need to translate the English online information literacy course, using the SpringShare LibGuide platform into isiZulu and Sepedi. In a world where AI prevails, it is crucial to integrate diversity into libraries and library guides for various reasons. Making library resources available in indigenous languages increases accessibility for a broader audience, including those who may lack proficiency in English. This guarantees that all students, no matter their language background, can completely make use of library resources and services. Providing resources in indigenous languages recognises and honours the cultural diversity present among the student body (Thorpe & Galassi, 2014). It fosters a feeling of belonging and inclusion for students who might feel marginalised or underrepresented in academic environments that are predominantly composed of English-language resources(Thorpe & Galassi, 2014). In addition, language may hinder educational equity (Chugani Molina, 2022). By actively integrating various languages into library services, libraries foster a more equitable learning atmosphere where all students possess equal chances to thrive, irrespective of their linguistic heritage. This research explored case studies, research results, and literature reviews to examine the importance of incorporating diversity within library services, while also improving students\u27 information literacy skills in their first languages. Research findings indicate that recognising the conventional Western academic methods of producing and sharing knowledge can further marginalise individuals who are already disadvantaged. As a result, the study examined strategies for implementing a decolonising approach to help students effectively navigate information literacy
A Mixed Methods Outcome Evaluation on Mixed Methods Research (MMR) Competencies
Get PDFMixed Methods Research (MMR) is growing rapidly, globally, and continues to develop across disciplines. A competency-based course design can better help develop mixed methods research scholars with competency-based learning outcomes. MMR-specific guidance, which informs meaningful design features for competency-based learning outcomes in graduate programs, has been scarce. The overarching aim of the study was to conduct a mixed methods evaluation of an innovative MMR course among doctoral students on MMR competency outcomes. This study examined five cohort groups of doctoral students enrolled in an MMR course during 2016–2020 (n=54) and provided a research-tested MMR tool that is sensitive to detect changes and easily administered. This MMR Competency Outcomes Measurement Tool (MMR-COMT) included a 15-item quantitative Mixed Methods Research Competency Scale (MMRCS_15), a 2-item MMR overall competency assessment (MMROV_2), and 3-item qualitative probing questions. The findings showed strong convergent evidence from both the significantly increased MMR learning objectives and competency scale scores quantitatively, as well as overwhelmingly positive qualitative quotes, convergently demonstrating the significant impact on MMR competencies. The current study contributes to the overall scholarship of the teaching and learning community with MMR-specific empirical studies, providing MMR competency measurement tool, as well as highlighting key course design features with students’ voices
The Use and Functions of Students’ Personal Stories in Online Discussion Forums
Get PDFPersonal stories serve learning and socioemotional functions in teaching. Instructors share personal stories with students to promote engagement, foster learning, and create a sense of community. Students may also share personal stories with each other for similar reasons. Thus, the current study explored how often, and why, students (N = 79) shared personal stories as well as responded to other students’ stories in online discussion forums (ODFs) that were part of a remotely taught adult development and aging class. The students ODF posts (f = 1,354) were content-coded for: (i) whether they contained a personal story, (ii) were a direct response to another students’ personal story, and (iii) whether they served a teach and inform, empathic, or social-bonding function. Twenty-two percent of the posts made in the ODFs were personal stories, and almost half served a teach and inform function. Ten percent of students’ posts were responses to other students’ personal stories, and primarily served empathic and social-bonding functions. Results highlight the possibility that students can engage with one another to foster the pedagogical benefits of personal stories and provide insights into how personal stories can be infused into teaching and learning
Uncertainty as a Catalyst for Growth: Learning through Dialogue, Questioning, and Reflection
Get PDFHigher education institutions strive to turn out graduates that are well-rounded, engaged, and civic-minded individuals no matter their discipline or major. The authors believe that more can be done to ensure that this goal is attained. To address this issue, two librarians designed a learner-centered course that embraced the uncertainty found in today’s information landscape through the use of dialog, questioning, and reflection. This article will describe the social and educational atmosphere at colleges that necessitates looking deeper into how and why colleges and universities need to build these new types of courses to meet their goals. From there, it will move into describing the foundational concepts that the class is built on which include Socratic discussion, team teaching, and a learner-centered classroom. It will also describe the specific methods, assignments, and goals used within so other educators may apply the course to their own institution. Marshall McLuhan’s Understanding Media, famous for its aphorisms, is the course’s foundational text and primed the class for discussion and questioning throughout the course. Discussion and questioning are seen as two of the keys to educating the next generation to be able to not only survive but thrive in the 21st century
System Change, Not Climate Change: Collaborative Development of a FEW Nexus Experiential Learning Course for a Justice-Centered Comparative Study Abroad Program
Get PDFThe International Honors Program (IHP) on Climate Change: The Politics of Land, Water and Energy Justice has been offered by the School for International Training (SIT) since 2013. This thematic multidisciplinary program currently travels to Morocco, Nepal, and Ecuador for one month each, introducing students to local food, water, and energy challenges in the context of a changing climate. In updating the program following its relaunch in 2023, renewed attention was given to the food, energy, and water nexus from a comparative perspective across and within these countries. This presentation will focus on the development of experiential learning cycles for the Sustainable Development course Comparative Issues in Food, Water, and Energy