Co-Creating Culturally Inclusive Climate Change Programming: A Qualitative Study With Indigenous Populations in Southeast Utah

This study explores the impact of climate change on underrepresented communities, particularly Indigenous populations in the Colorado Plateau region, and the negative effects on their cultural identities and traditional practices. Despite their knowledge and connection to the land, Indigenous communities are experiencing climate change at a more extreme rate due to their geographical location and the lasting impacts of settler colonialism. The study aims to better understand Indigenous perspectives of climate change, co-create a climate change curriculum with Indigenous populations in southeastern Utah, and apply it to an Indigenous-centric field experience. By incorporating traditional ecological knowledge and Western science practices, this curriculum will better prepare students to engage in climate change decisions and adaptation efforts. The study highlights the need to work with traditional knowledge and experience to implement climate change adaptation strategies more efficiently among Indigenous communities

Social Justice Documentary: Designing for Impact

Explores current methodologies for assessing social issue documentary films by combining strategic design and evaluation of multiplatform outreach and impact, including documentaries' role in network- and field-building. Includes six case studies

Biodiversity Data: Refinement of Technology and Implementation Methods

Biodiversity data consists of taxonomic specimens and information that inform our interpretations of ecosystems and life on Earth. Museum projects, exhibitions, and research utilize biodiversity data to construct answers and educational programming for staff and visitors. Cleaning and maintaining biodiversity data, however, is a difficult challenge that involves moderation and refinement of data entry, inventory, workflows, and protocols. Creating an ideal framework that involves the utilization of technology and the management practices of data standards will help in developing baseline recommendations for institutions struggling to maintain their biodiversity collections. Surveys were sent to listservs and museum professionals to acquire interpretation and data surrounding biodiversity data practices. From survey results, three interviews/case studies were performed with one staff member, respectively, from the University of Wyoming Museum of Vertebrates, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. These interviews and surveys, in conjunction with a literature review, were conducted to explore processes and strategies currently being utilized to develop biodiversity data frameworks. Results indicate a strong desire for customizable and malleable databases that integrate institutional-level decision-making and preventative error protocols. In addition, thorough documentation and active engagement with staff and volunteers contribute to long-term benefits to data management standards

Experiences of first-year students on the use of Moodle to learn business studies at a South African university.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban

Managing assessment : student and staff perspectives

‘I never realised assessment was for learning’ Laura Ludman BSc (Hons) Nursing, University of Central England Managing Assessment: Student and Staff Perspectives is a practical tool developed by the Managing Effective Student Assessment (MESA) benchmarking club. It aims to give senior management, staff and educational developers, teachers, and support staff insight into assessment issues along with ideas and tools to enable them to improve student learning and reduce the burden on staff. It is hoped that, as well as enriching the learning experience, the case studies will also encourage students to reflect on their experiences of assessment and promote student and staff dialogue around assessment practices. The underlying principle of the Managing Effective Student Assessment (MESA) benchmarking club was the emphasis and value placed on the student perspective. However, it was recognised that assessment is complex and needs careful management. This includes appropriate strategies, structures and support to ensure effective student learning. The initiative was led by the Higher Education Academy (formerly the Learning and Teaching Support Network Generic Centre) and University of Central England (UCE) with the aim of refocusing staff time into providing better support for students and making student learning more effective. The MESA group comprised of a senior manager at departmental level, a member of the educational/faculty development staff and up to three students from each of eight institutions: the UCE, University of Brighton, Coventry University, De Montfort University, University of Glamorgan, Northumbria University, University of Sussex, and York St John College. The students and staff involved were from a range of different discipline areas and diverse institutions. The aims of the MESA group were to: • Share effective practices and issues in assessment; • Use assessment to enrich the student learning experience and seek to demystify assessment; • Enhance assessment practice to improve student retention and progression; • Manage change effectively and embed within institutions. The active involvement of students was facilitated through a student discussion forum which ran parallel to the inputs made by academic managers. The students were invited to discuss experiences of good assessment practice and identify assessment related issues that impacted on their experiences. The group then worked together to seek effective resolutions to the issues raised, which led to the creation of the case studies presented in this publication. The MESA project encouraged students and staff to learn from one another, as well as learning across subject boundaries and types of institutions. Managing Assessment: Student and Staff Perspectives was created in order to share this learning and to help others develop their understanding of what students need from assessment. It also considers how change can be managed and embedded within institutions

Scoping a vision for formative e-assessment: a project report for JISC

Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning. If the relationship between teaching and learning were causal, i. e. if students always mastered the intended learning outcomes of a particular sequence of instruction, assessment would be superfluous. Experience and research suggest this is not the case: what is learnt can often be quite different from what is taught. Formative assessment is motivated by a concern with the elicitation of relevant information about student understanding and / or achievement, its interpretation and an exploration of how it can lead to actions that result in better learning. In the context of a policy drive towards technology-enhanced approaches to teaching and learning, the question of the role of digital technologies is key and it is the latter on which this project particularly focuses. The project and its deliverables have been informed by recent and relevant literature, in particular recent work by Black andIn this work, they put forward a framework which suggests that assessment for learning their term for formative assessment can be conceptualised as consisting of a number of aspects and five keystrategies. The key aspects revolve around the where the learner is going, where the learner is right now and how she can get there and examines the role played by the teacher, peers and the learner. Language: English Keywords: assessments, case studies, design patterns, e-assessmen

Virginia Community College System Online Student Success: Best Practices and Sustainable Change

Online learning has an increasingly greater presence in the higher education landscape. Students are able to earn a degree in fully online programs and take courses in modalities that offer the necessary convenience to balance multiple life priorities. The flexibility that online courses offer is valuable for adult learners with young children, students with disabilities including invisible and non-physical disabilities, or populations who must work to support families while pursuing an education. For these populations, community colleges play an important role in providing access to education as they enroll a greater number of adult students and have a higher percentage of minority students for whom having an online option is important. This broad mission of access is both commendable and challenging. The challenge is how to ensure success and increase completion while navigating a switch to online learning. This mixed method study combines three pieces of data and information to develop a sustainable online student success plan for the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). First, the study includes a literature review on best practices related to online student success and sustainable change management. Second, the study provides a detailed examination of student success web portals deployed by institutions. And lastly, the study included a survey and focus group interviews with VCSS administrators, faculty, and staff. The findings led to recommendations for a sustainable implementation plan to ensure online student success