The Role of Creative Coursework in Skill Development for University Seniors

Previous research suggests that creativity training can be effective in academic settings and that teachers in particular can have an impact on creativity. Furthermore, creativity is one of many transferable skills in higher education that will benefit students when they enter the workforce. This study extends research on creativity training and transferable skills in higher education, using data from the Senior Transitions topical module of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Responses from over 48,000 seniors at 227 different U.S colleges and universities were used to explore curricular differences across disciplinary fields as well as how exposure to creative coursework can predict confidence in numerous skills and abilities. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis provided support for a measure of exposure to creative coursework, and an ANOVA suggested significant differences by major fields, with arts majors showing a distinct advantage. Results from ordinary least squares regression models found that even after controlling for several demographic and institutional characteristics, creative coursework is a significant positive predictor of confidence in several different skills and abilities that are important for adapting to traditional and non-traditional work settings, including creative thinking, critical thinking, entrepreneurial skills, and networking abilities. Potential reasons for these patterns of results are discussed. These findings can help to inform curricular and programming enhancements for college students across all major fields, helping to better prepare them for their futures in various workplace settings

Ways We Can Do Better: Bridging the Gap Between Gifted Education and Honors Colleges

Over the past decade of my academic career, I have increasingly noticed the gap between K–12 gifted education and honors college education as my research has forced me to straddle the two areas. My doctoral education at Ball State University included a specialization in gifted studies, which was a natural fit with my own interests in creative cognitive processes. During this time, I worked with a team that amassed a large data set from the honors college students, with twelve different measures ranging from topics of temperament to perfectionism to social dominance orientation. These measures addressed mostly psychosocial and emotional constructs, which are important considerations within K–12 gifted education. However, as I first began presenting and publishing findings from this data set, I noticed a gap between the conceptualizations of elementary, middle, and secondary-level gifted education and the function of honors colleges within higher education. This disconnect was further illuminated through my work at the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, where I noticed that many of my colleagues from doctoral programs in higher education, in contrast to my own background in educational psychology, used different terminology to explain what seemed to be essentially parallel constructs. I also discovered extensive research on honors colleges and programs, which largely seemed to be separate from gifted education, i.e., published in different journals, presented at different conferences, and not often cited in one another’s works. Colangelo’s essay in this issue, “Gifted Education to Honors Education: A Curious History, a Vibrant Future,” presents an excellent description of many similarities between the two fields while Guzy’s “Honors is a Good Fit for Gifted Students—Or Maybe Not” points out some of the distinctions we should keep in mind. Given the important points in these essays, along with my own personal experiences spanning the two fields, I have generated three general suggestions for how my fellow researchers might better address the disconnect between gifted and honors education

Social Stress in Honors College Students: How Personality Traits, Perfectionism, Creativity, and Gender Predict Use of Social Coping Strategies

Much research has focused on how gifted children and adolescents deal with the social stigmas associated with giftedness. Previous studies indicate that several coping strategies exist, and these are related to personality and other characteristics. However, once these gifted individuals enter higher education, they are often required to shift their coping strategies to deal with stressors and situations in this new environment. This study investigates social coping strategies among honors college undergraduate students, looking at the need for updating the factor structure of a measure of social coping designed for and used with middle and high school students. Results suggest some variation in strategies for the honors college students. Additional results explore how personality traits, creativity, perfectionism, and other demographic characteristics predict the use of certain social coping strategies. This information can be used to mitigate the experience of social stress for this unique student population and address their needs through a supportive and accommodating environment

Achievement Goal Orientation as a Predictor of High-Impact Practice Participation for Postsecondary Students

Achievement goal orientation has been studied within education for decades, and previous research has linked the construct to student achievement and engagement. This study uses the 2x2 achievement goal orientation as a framework for exploring high-impact practice (HIP) participation for approximately 8,000 college students across 15 different institutions participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Through a series of binary logistic regression analyses, results suggest students who employ a mastery-approach orientation are more likely to partake in a variety of beneficial HIPs, such as learning communities, research with faculty, service learning, study abroad, culminating experience, and formal leadership roles. Results for the remaining achievement goal orientations were more mixed, with some positively predicting HIP participation and others emerging as negative predictors

Customizing your NSSE Survey: Topical Modules and Consortia Participation

This pre-recorded webinar reviews the basics of customizing your NSSE participation with Topical Modules or consortium participation. An overview of the available Topical Modules and consortia for the 2021 NSSE administration is provided, along with discussion of module content, deliverables, considerations when selecting modules and consortia, and timeline

Reducing Nausea with Medical Marijuana in Adult Patients Receiving IV Chemotherapy

The use of medical marijuana has been a trending topic in recent years. As marijuana and THC become legalized in numerous states, there has been more consideration for providers to prescribe THC to patients. One specific population that benefits from the use of medical THC are patients in chemotherapy because of the nausea these patients experience. The question arises: does medical marijuana edibles consumed before IV chemotherapy treatment decrease or eliminate the need for nausea medication such as Zofran in adults over 18 years of age? A literature search was conducted on CINAHL, OneSearch, and Nursing Reference Center Plus using the following search terms: chemotherapy, cancer, marijuana, nausea, medication, zofran, vomit*. Our initial search gave us a total of 19 articles, but only 12 articles met the inclusion criteria. Exclusion criteria included anyone under 18 years of age, marijuana that was not ingested, and any treatments that were not IV chemotherapy. The literature found that medical marijuana was an effective tool to help reduce the nausea experienced by chemotherapy in adult patients as compared to Zofran. The literature supports the use of medical marijuana to treat nausea for patients receiving IV chemotherapy, but the evidence highlights several limitations. First, anyone below 18 was not included in our review. Second, the medication had to be ingested and could not be given intravenously. Thirdly, in states where marijuana is not recreationally legal, patients would need to obtain a medical marijuana card in order to access this medication. This might be a barrier to patients receiving this medication. Lastly, marijuana is not federally funded which may impact the cost and availability of this medication. Based on these findings, there is strong support for providers to prescribe edible medical marijuana to patients receiving intravenous chemotherapy treatment

Adapting a number sense task to learn more about K-5 student reasoning

Look deeper into how 5th grade students think through a task by examining standards from earlier grades

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The importance of the minimum dosage necessary for UVC decontamination of N95 respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a press report highlighting the severe shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) that is endangering healthcare workers worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.(1) To meet this urgent need, healthcare institutions across the world have begun to utilize the germicidal properties of ultraviolet C (UVC) to decontaminate N95 respirators so that they can be reused.(2) It is clearly crucial that the dose of UVC delivered is sufficient to kill any viable SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of the COVID-19 pandemic, that may be present on the respirators