Undergraduate Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee Minutes, October 17, 2012

Minutes from the Wright State University Faculty Senate Undergraduate Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee meeting held on October 17, 2012

Career Pathway Orientation Courses and Their Influences on Student Career Decision Making

High schools must create skill- and decision-making experiences to support student college and career readiness and effective transitions to careers. However, traditional career education models have lacked effectiveness. This study examines a career pathway model that includes career orientation courses focused on developing career awareness and advising, confirming and challenging student’s career decision-making. Surveys and interviews were used to identify impacts these courses had on student career choice and the influence different aspects of the orientation course had on their decision-making. From this, best practices were identified, changes to the model were proposed and modifications to policy were developed to promote more effective career education

Avaliação e responsabilização na preparação universitária e professional: Desenvolvendo um novo paradigma

As schools across the country prepare for new standards under the Common Core, states are moving toward creating more aligned systems of assessment and accountability. This paper recommends an accountability approach that focuses on meaningful learning, enabled by professionally skilled and committed educators, and supported by adequate and appropriate resources, so that all students regardless of background are prepared for both college and career when they graduate from high school. Drawing on practices already established in other states and on the views of policymakers and school experts, this paper proposes principles for effective accountability systems and imagines what a new accountability system could look like in an imagined “51st state” in the United States. While considerable discussion and debate will be needed before a new approach can take shape, this paper’s objective is to get the conversation started so the nation can meet its aspirations for preparing college- and career-ready students. A medida que las escuelas de todo el país se preparan para nuevos estándares en el marco del Common Core (Núcleo Básico de contenidos), los estados están creando sistemas más alineados de evaluación y responsabilidad. Este documento recomienda un enfoque de evaluación y responsabilidad que se centra en el aprendizaje significativo, habilitado por educadores profesionales cualificados y comprometidos, y con recursos adecuados y apropiados, de manera que todos los estudiantes independientemente de su origen estén preparados tanto para completar estudios universitarios y carreras profesionales cuando se gradúen de la escuela secundaria. Sobre la base de las prácticas ya establecidas en otros estados y en las opiniones de responsables políticos y expertos en educación, este documento propone principios para los sistemas de evaluación y responsabilidad eficaces y se imagina lo que un nuevo sistema de evaluación y responsabilidad podría parecer en un imaginario "Estado 51" en los Estados Unidos. Si bien será necesario tener una gran discusión y debate antes de que un nuevo enfoque puede tomar forma, el objetivo de este trabajo es que comenzar la conversación por lo que el país pueda cumplir con sus aspiraciones para preparar a los estudiantes para que los estudiantes estén preparados tanto para la universidad y carreras profesionales. As escolas de todo o país se preparam para novos padrões no âmbito do Common Core (Núcleo Comum de conteúdos), e os estados estão criando sistemas de prestação de contas avaliação mais alinhados. Este documento recomenda uma abordagem para avaliação e prestação de contas que se concentra nas aprendizagem significativa, ensinados por profissionais qualificados e educadores comprometidos e recursos adequados e apropriados para que todos os alunos, independentemente da sua origem, sejam bem preparados para concluir as faculdade e desenvolver carreiras quando se formarem no ensino médio. Com base em práticas já estabelecidas em outros estados e nas visões de políticos e especialistas em educação, este trabalho propõe princípios para desenhar sistemas de avaliação e responsabilidade efetiva e imagina o que um novo sistema de avaliação e prestação de contas que poderiam aparecer em um imaginário "Estado 51" nos Estados Unidos. Embora vai ser necessário ter uma grande discussão e debate antes pode estabelecer uma nova abordagem, o objetivo deste trabalho é iniciar a discussão para que o país possa cumprir as suas aspirações para preparar os alunos tanto para os estudos universitários e carreiras profissionais.

Accountability for College and Career Readiness: Developing a New Paradigm

As schools across the country prepare for new standards under the Common Core, states are moving toward creating more aligned systems of assessment and accountability. This paper recommends an accountability approach that focuses on meaningful learning, enabled by professionally skilled and committed educators, and supported by adequate and appropriate resources, so that all students regardless of background are prepared for both college and career when they graduate from high school. Drawing on practices already established in other states and on the views of policymakers and school experts, this paper proposes principles for effective accountability systems and imagines what a new accountability system could look like in an imagined “51st state” in the United States. While considerable discussion and debate will be needed before a new approach can take shape, this paper’s objective is to get the conversation started so the nation can meet its aspirations for preparing college- and career-ready students. A medida que las escuelas de todo el país se preparan para nuevos estándares en el marco del Common Core (Núcleo Básico de contenidos), los estados están creando sistemas más alineados de evaluación y responsabilidad. Este documento recomienda un enfoque de evaluación y responsabilidad que se centra en el aprendizaje significativo, habilitado por educadores profesionales cualificados y comprometidos, y con recursos adecuados y apropiados, de manera que todos los estudiantes independientemente de su origen estén preparados tanto para completar estudios universitarios y carreras profesionales cuando se gradúen de la escuela secundaria. Sobre la base de las prácticas ya establecidas en otros estados y en las opiniones de responsables políticos y expertos en educación, este documento propone principios para los sistemas de evaluación y responsabilidad eficaces y se imagina lo que un nuevo sistema de evaluación y responsabilidad podría parecer en un imaginario Estado 51 en los Estados Unidos. Si bien será necesario tener una gran discusión y debate antes de que un nuevo enfoque puede tomar forma, el objetivo de este trabajo es que comenzar la conversación por lo que el país pueda cumplir con sus aspiraciones para preparar a los estudiantes para que los estudiantes estén preparados tanto para la universidad y carreras profesionales

HSLIC Annual Report FY1980-81

https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hslic-annual-reports/1036/thumbnail.jp

The Critical Role of Public Charging Infrastructure

Editors: Peter Fox-Penner, PhD, Z. Justin Ren, PhD, David O. JermainA decade after the launch of the contemporary global electric vehicle (EV) market, most cities face a major challenge preparing for rising EV demand. Some cities, and the leaders who shape them, are meeting and even leading demand for EV infrastructure. This book aggregates deep, groundbreaking research in the areas of urban EV deployment for city managers, private developers, urban planners, and utilities who want to understand and lead change

An Evaluation of a School System’s Excursion into Online Instruction for Middle School Students

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of online courses into one school system’s five traditional middle schools using these key questions: What steps were needed to implement an online program in middle school? What implementation differences (scheduling, extra time available, DLA appointment and support, number of facilitated courses, administrator perceptions and support, and faculty/staff support) existed among the schools? Were there student characteristics (demographic, classifications, reading achievement levels—EOG scores, prior academic achievement) that can be associated with success in online learning? What were the student outcomes (course participation, EOG scores, time management, technological skills, preparation for future coursework, high school credits earned)? Which online courses were most effective in fostering academic success? What changes should be implemented for this online program in the future? Data collection included individual interviews with administrators and distance learning advisors to determine processes and procedures. Student data included test data, course grades, student characteristics, and student perceptions from a survey developed by the school system. This study indicated that the presence of a strong distance learning advisor and a prerequisite online course play a major role in the success of online middle school students

Agile Course Design: Multi-University Faculty Collaboration to Design the MIS Course for an Online MBA Program

This paper outlines a collaborative course design process to develop and implement a required IS course in an online cohort-based MBA program using principles of The Agile Manifesto. The primary goal of this study is to analyze how students in traditionally developed courses and those in collaboratively developed courses differ. Specifically, we sought to reduce variability in student satisfaction across multiple sections offered by instructors who hail from different universities. We compared three semesters of students who took the course before (n = 101) and after (n = 162) use of the agile course development process. We found less variability in student evaluations in the ‘after’ group as compared to the ‘before’ group, providing support that the agile course development process provided a more consistent and similar experience for students. The second goal is to evaluate changes in student evaluations, comparing ‘before’ and ‘after’ groups. We did not expect to see substantial improvement since all instructors already received very high evaluations. Scores for all questions on the student evaluations increased after using the agile process, but the increases were not statistically significant. The final goal is to prepare an agenda for future research on agile course development based on components of The Agile Manifesto that were not used in the course development process. Opportunities include: comparing the agile course development process to other methods; adding more targeted questions to the student survey to better gauge changes in student satisfaction; partnering with alumni, current students, and industry to develop more relevant course material; and extending the process to other contexts

Research-Based STEM Educator Professional Development Rubrics for the Selection of High-Quality Professional Development: A Mixed Methods Study of Teacher Perceptions and Outcomes

Idahoans failed to recognize approximately $240M in 2016 when over 3,800 STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) jobs, with a median wage of$30 per hour, went unfilled. This further caused Idaho to lose $14M in state income tax receipts from these unclaimed positions (Idaho Department of Labor, 2016). To mitigate these economic losses, the Idaho STEM Action Center (STEM AC) was created to develop the STEM-skilled workforce that Idaho employers demand. High-quality, STEM-educator professional development (PD) is a critical component in ensuring students are equipped with the skills required to successfully thrive in the workforce and fill industry demands. Because of this imperative need, STEM AC has undertaken the development of tools for selecting high-quality PD via both the Change the Equation (CTEq) and Idaho-specific rubrics. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, STEM AC operated three PD opportunities for fiscal year 2017 involving over 100 Idaho educators. Through extensive data collection and analyses of educator inputs, research revealed the need for modifying PD selection rubrics to further emphasize Idaho STEM educators’ needs by 1) increasing the weighting of ‘relevance’ on the CTQ rubric; 2) adding ‘resources’ to the Idaho-specific rubric; and 3) decreasing the rubrics’ emphases of other specified PD aspects. Overall, the rubrics did select what the majority of participants considered to be high-quality PD; therefore, this study indicates that STEM AC should continue utilizing this process for the future selection of high-quality PD opportunities for Idaho STEM educators. The culmination of this effort will produce a future workforce equipped with the level of STEM competence that moves Idaho to the forefront of economic development and prosperity