FIRST Course Portfolio for BIOC205: Scientific Analysis and Technical Writing

BIOC205: Scientific Analysis and Technical Writing is a core course for the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This course is geared for second year (sophomore students) with minimal prerequisites and as a foundation for future classes. Challenges include 1) teaching the needed scientific background and elements of scientific analysis and writing to a broad cohort of students with diverse backgrounds and interests, 2) building student skills towards analysis of primary peer-reviewed scientific literature, 3) developing students as writers of scientific information for different audiences. This course used Genetic Engineering as a broad topic choice to capture students interests and provide a platform where students could select their main assignment topic (a scientific review article that they write using information from peer-reviewed sources) on something that interests them to improve student engagement. This portfolio outlines my design (first time teaching this course) in alignment with a core course taught five times per year by three different instructors and analysis of the success of structured assignments that build to a final comprehensive analysis. Data from this first cohort demonstrates that foundational assignments and step-wise feedback is effective at student learning and feedback from students supports a majority gaining confidence in their skills

Online Assessment in Large Undergraduate Courses During COVID-19 Emergency Response Teaching

The transition to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic was unprecedented and forced many universities to quickly embrace online distance learning. This context created new challenges, particularly around assessment strategies. Empirical research has demonstrated that formative assessment fosters more active learning in online classrooms. However, formative assessment strategies are not always adapted well to online platforms based on the nature of the subject matter and the size of the class. This qualitative case study sought to understand instructors’ experiences and strategies for conducting assessment remotely, specifically for large-size undergraduate courses. The investigation relied on data from semi-structured interviews with University of Maryland, College Park instructors who received a Teaching Innovation Grant from the Provost’s Office in Summer 2020 intended to fund sustainable online delivery beyond the emergency response teaching phase. For this analysis, we analyzed the transcripts of 13 interviews, representing a diverse range of programs, schools, and faculty seniority levels at the university. Findings show instructors experienced several successes during course retooling, including significant increases in student performance. Most instructors also indicated that they would continue to keep new online assessment strategies for the future, regardless of whether that future includes online, blended, or in-person delivery. Despite the anticipation that the pandemic would fuel more opportunities for cheating, there was only one experience of academic dishonesty

Evaluating the Student Training Equity Project: An Upstream Recruitment Approach to Diversifying Clinical Psychology Graduate Programs

The U.S. psychology workforce is considerably less diverse than the population that it serves. While several recruitment and admission practices are effective for diversifying psychology training programs, upstream recruitment of underrepresented candidates is particularly promising. Aiming to diversify the clinical psychology graduate program applicant pool, the Student Training Equity Project (STEP) was developed to promote and evaluate upstream recruitment of undergraduate students of color interested in psychology graduate studies. This study used a mixed-method design to evaluate immediate outcomes for three STEP programmatic strategies. Survey results suggest that STEP networking events were associated with undergraduate research and mentorship opportunities. Findings suggest that STEP funding supported students in producing research products (e.g., manuscripts) that might bolster graduate application materials. STEP website engagement data showed over 1,000 views per year, and highlighted ways to improve outreach. More controlled evaluation is needed to determine whether STEP contributed to diversification of the applicant pool

International students’ perception of the development of their digital academic writing identity based on their participation in an intensive English language program

The U.S. economy receives consistent and increasing benefits from international students in higher education, an estimated $41 billion during the 2018-2019 academic year. However, the existing research literature has failed to determine whether Intensive English Language Programs (IELP) adequately prepare these students for college-level composition in digital mediums. The objective of this study is to distinguish the perceptions of how academic digital composition and identity were developed among international students relative to their experiences in an IELP. This dissertation research sought to understand the cultural perspectives of international students around a) their digital writing identity, b) digital composition in academia, and c) their perceptions of preparedness for undergraduate studies. The theoretical paradigm is grounded in Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory and constructivism. The methodology took a transcendental phenomenological approach based on the work of Husserl. The research took place online with international students who attended an IELP in the United States amid a pandemic in 2020. Data collection included a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with nine students holding F1-Visas for academic study in the United States. The findings of this study reveal that international students are unaware of their digital writing identity and have limited opportunities to explore their identity through digital composition in their IELPs classes. However, international students’ preparedness for their undergraduate or graduate coursework varies on the individual experience studying at an IELP

THE APPLICATION OF EMBODIED CONVERSATIONAL AGENTS FOR MENTORING AFRICAN AMERICAN STEM DOCTORAL STUDENTS

This dissertation presents the design, development and short-term evaluation of an embodied conversational agent designed to mentor human users. An embodied conversational agent (ECA) was created and programmed to mentor African American computer science majors on their decision to pursue graduate study in computing. Before constructing the ECA, previous research in the fields of embodied conversational agents, relational agents, mentorship, telementorship and successful mentoring programs and practices for African American graduate students were reviewed. A survey used to find areas of interest of the sample population. Experts were then interviewed to collect information on those areas of interest and a dialogue for the ECA was constructed based on the interview\u27s transcripts. A between-group, mixed method experiment was conducted with 37 African American male undergraduate computer science majors where one group used the ECA mentor while the other group pursued mentoring advice from a human mentor. Results showed no significant difference between the ECA and human mentor when dealing with career mentoring functions. However, the human mentor was significantly better than the ECA mentor when addressing psychosocial mentoring functions

Enhancing Oral Communications for Korean English-as-a-Foreign Language (EFL) Students in Business Settings

This project is intended to help adult EFL students in Korea familiarize themselves with the sounds of words and expressions that are used in everyday conversation, especially in business settings or workplaces. This project, with help of technology, focuses on customizing learnings and feedbacks for each student to meet their unique needs and maximizes the effectiveness and efficiency of learning process and outcomes. Also, the project emphasizes the importance of intonations and point of stress in spoken English that most Korean students have difficulty in distinguishing and recognizing in real-life conversations. It also introduces diverse accents of English since many Korean students consider American Standard English as the only “norm” of English language sound, which is not the case, especially when they interact with diverse people from many different countries or geographical backgrounds in business settings

Effectiveness of Remedial Mathematics Supplemental Instruction: a Community College Study.

The purpose of this mixed method study was to determine if there is a relationship between characteristics of supplemental instructors’ personal traits, teaching skills, subject matter, constructive/active, collaborative learning, effective communication, and their practices (as judged by students) and student success in their remedial mathematics course. The college Provost was contacted by email to request an authorization to conduct this study in his college. Once approved, the investigator contacted face to face his colleagues to ask their students to participate in the study because they enrolled in a remedial algebra class where the instructor is assisted by a supplemental instructor (SI leader). Sixteen algebra classes were selected, and each were assisted by supplemental instructors. Students’ scores on the pre-test (at beginning of the semester) and post-test (at the end of the semester) were collected to gauge their achievement on both tests. Students completed a questionnaire that asked about their perceptions about their supplemental instructors’ personal traits, teaching skills, subject matter, constructive/active, collaborative learning, effective communication, and their practices throughout the semester. Students’ mean scores difference on the post-test were higher in 62.5% of the sections than on the pre-test. The evaluation of achievement on both tests, the responses to the questionnaire and comments from students showed that SI leader’s characteristics associated to effective communication/active learning, teaching skills, and personal traits could be contributor to score achievements. The linear regression in the study shows that the three factors did not significantly predict the post-test score. However, the pre-test did significantly predict the post-test score in a remedial Math 20 at the end of the semester (Beta = .47, t (197) = 6.56, p <.05). In addition, the comments in the questionnaire found that students acknowledged their supplemental instructor role in the classroom and during the SI’s weekly sessions

2017-2018 Boise State University Graduate Catalog

The graduate catalog describes the graduate programs offered by Boise State University and the policies, procedures, and requirements that govern those programs. Other pertinent university publications are the Boise State University Student Handbook, and the Boise State University Policy Manual. All of these publications are available online at www.boisestate.edu along with the online schedule of classes. Prospective students are also encouraged to contact the graduate program coordinator of the program of interest for additional information