Comparing Ratings: In-class (paper) vs. Out of Class (online) Student Evaluations

Student evaluations of teaching (SET) are used by institutions of higher learning in the tenure and promotion process and in awarding merit pay increases. The trend at some institutions has been towards using an online student assessment instrument (SAI) in lieu of the traditional paper –based, in-class assessment. This study examines the difference in student evaluations in two contexts; online and paper-based, in a finance course taught to non-finance majors. The evidence strongly indicates faculty receives higher evaluations using a paper-based instrument administered during class than with an online assessment instrument which students complete on their own time

Students as ecologists: Strategies for successful mentorship of undergraduate researchers

Guiding undergraduates through the ecological research process can be incredibly rewarding and present opportunities to break down barriers to inclusion and diversity in scientific disciplines. At the same time, mentoring undergraduate researchers is a complicated process that requires time and flexibility. While many academics receive extensive guidance on how to be successful in research endeavors, we pay much less attention to training in mentorship and working collaboratively with undergraduate students. This paper seeks to provide a framework for successfully collaborating with undergraduates including initial recruitment, development of a contract, fostering student ownership of research projects, and submission of a polished manuscript.While institutions worldwide encourage undergraduate research and publication, little training and professional development are provided to potential mentors. Our paper fills a critical gap in knowledge and provides a framework for academic mentors of all career stages to successfully guide students from question to publication.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149365/1/ece35090_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149365/2/ece35090.pd

That working-class ethic … where there’s a will there’s a way”: A strengths-based approach to developing employable scholars

Universities across the globe are ‘opening wide’ the doors of academe and students from increasingly diverse backgrounds are responding in their thousands. Despite the resulting increase in both student numbers and student diversity, particularly those who are the first in their families to attend university, many institutional support models continue to focus on how to ‘fill–up’ these learners with the requisite skills needed to succeed at university. However, such an approach implicitly assumes that the knowledges derived from a lived experience that does not include a family tradition of university attendance, is somehow at odds with achieving ‘success’ at university and, ultimately, employment after graduation. This chapter proposes an alternative strengths-based perspective that explores the capabilities and capitals that learners bring with them to the HE environment in order to counter such assumed deficit framing. By exploring the strengths, skills, knowledge and work ethic of first-generation students, we can begin to move away from the perception of these learners as being somehow ‘lacking’ and equally acknowledge the key role that family and friends may play in supporting them in various ways throughout their studies. Further, in acknowledging the knowledge, skills and experience that these diverse learners bring (including the resilience they likely already hold) this chapter foregrounds how students themselves can navigate this terrain and consider their post-graduation futures