A Profile of the 2004 Western Washington University Graduating Class

Profiles graduates from 2004, including gpas, honors, college of graduation, degree granted, etc

Osprey: a network visualization system

We have developed a software platform called Osprey for visualization and manipulation of complex interaction networks. Osprey builds data-rich graphical representations that are color-coded for gene function and experimental interaction data. Mouse-over functions allow rapid elaboration and organization of network diagrams in a spoke model format. User-defined large-scale datasets can be readily combined with Osprey for comparison of different methods

The First-Year Experience (FYE) Program Report: Course Offerings in Fall, 2006

1) The FYE seminars are stand-alone seminars, not linked to a GUR course as are the FIGs. 2) While the FIGs are taught by faculty and qualified staff, the FYE seminars are taught only be full-time faculty. 3) FYE seminars are offered in the fall, winter, and spring quarters, whereas the FIGs are available only in the fall of each year. 4) The FYE program does not have a mission statement that brings together a unified purpose for all the FYE seminars. Rather, each seminar is more closely aligned with disciplinary and / or departmental goals

The Freshmen Interest Group (FIGs) Program Report: Fall, 2006

INTRODUCTION In the fall, 2006, the Freshman Interest Group (FIGs) Program entered its eighth interation. To use assessment terminology, the program has passed through its beginning and emergent stages and has entered maturity. Its mission has been crafted, student learning outcomes (SLO\u27s) have been identified, and its identity has solidified. (Please see Appendix One to read the FIGs mission statement, course criteria, student learning outcomes, and other FIGs-related documents.) Yet while maturity has wrought a degree of self-confidence, it has not brought complacency.The program remains one of the most assessed academic programs on campus. Yearly, FIGs administrators and instructors pore over results of surveys and quantitative data, searching for ways to improve both the program and its assessment. Findings from the fall, 2006, program offerings will be analyzed no differently. As is the case every year, in the spring preceding the fall course offerings, the FIGs seminar survey was retooled to more exacting standards. Most importantly, the survey included questions designed to explore the effectiveness of the seminars to attain goals based on a reconsidered set of revised student learning outcomes.In addition to the seminar survey, a new web-based survey was administered to three groups: FIGs students, Freshmen Year Experience (FYE) students, and a control group of freshmen who did not participate in either program. And, of course, quantitative data from the Data Warehouse was extracted and analyzed. Findings from all these sources are included in this report

Forest stand conditions after Phytophthora ramorum management in northern California: post-treatment observations inform future responses

In 2006, several isolated Phytophthora ramorum infested locations were selected just outside an 800-ha infested area in southern Humboldt County, California, for silvicultural treatments that targeted the removal and/or reduction of tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) and California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica), the main tree hosts supporting sporulation of P. ramorum. The treatments included cutting of hosts, cutting with burning, and herbicide removal. Important differences emerged between the treatment responses in shrub cover, tanoak resprouting, fuel loads, and host tree regeneration. In 2010, another isolated infestation was verified in northern Humboldt County. This infestation was 80 km away from the core infested area in southern Humboldt. Stand-level P. ramorum disease dynamic models and forest growth simulations parameterized with data collected in this northern infestation suggested that California bay laurel and tanoak thinning treatments may slow tanoak mortality, foster a greater component of mature tanoak over the next 100 years, and contribute to greater amounts of live-tree carbon. Reviewing these long-running, landscape-scale P. ramorum management projects provides a platform to inform future adaptive management of P. ramorum. This paper summarizes two presentations from the Sixth Sudden Oak Death Science Symposium held in June 2016 in San Francisco, California

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (WELS) Baseline Survey of Transfer Students Entering Western in the Fall, 2013: Descriptive Statistics

The WELS Baseline Survey of Transfers Entering Western in the Fall, 2013 (Transfer Survey) is the companion survey to the Office of Survey Research’s (OSR) survey of incoming freshmen. Together, these surveys elicit information from students prior to the start of their Western academic careers and provide an initial contact in a longitudinal survey design that follows students through graduation and into their initial years as alumni. The Transfer Survey is designed with three purposes in mind: (1) to provide baseline observations of students prior to the Western experience that can be used to forecast and enhance student success; (2) to provide data that can assist university assessment and accreditation endeavors; and (3) to assess student needs based upon their selfreported characteristics, perceptions, and concerns. To accomplish these, the Transfer Survey integrates questions into seven sections: prior engagement and experiences, the college application process, course scheduling, academic skills and goals, major choice, expenses and employment, and demographics. In addition to these, various Western offices submitted questions that dealt with academic advising and the use of technology. The questions on the Transfer Survey are a mixture of open-ended, numerical and multiple choice types. This report lists all questions and reports basic descriptive statistics from equations which lend themselves to numerical analysis. Responses to open ended questions are available upon request

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (WELS) Baseline Survey of Freshmen Entering Western in the Fall, 2013: Descriptive Statistics

The Fall, 2013 Baseline Survey of Freshmen Entering Western (Freshmen Survey) continues the Office of Survey Research’s (OSR) efforts to collect information on all students prior to the start of their academic careers at Western Washington University. This survey represents the initial contact in a longitudinal process that makes inquiries of students at the end of their sophomore year, when they graduate from the university, and one to two years after graduation. The Freshmen Survey is designed with three purposes in mind: (1) to provide baseline observations of students prior to their Western experience which can be used to forecast and enhance student success; (2) to provide data that can assist university assessment and accreditation efforts; (3) to assess student needs based upon their self-reported characteristics, perceptions, and concerns. To accomplish these, the Freshmen Survey integrates questions into five major sections: pre-collegiate engagement and experiences, the college application process, class scheduling and expectations, skills, goals, and expectations, and expenses and employment. In addition to these, Western’s Division of Enrollment and Student Services submitted questions regarding the expected use of technology. The questions on the Freshmen Survey are a mix of open-ended, numerical, and multiple choice responses. This report lists all questions and reports basic descriptive statistics from questions which lend themselves to numerical analysis. Responses to the open ended questions are available upon request

Physician and nurse acceptance of technicians to screen for geriatric syndromes in the emergency department

Introduction: The objective of this study was to evaluate emergency medicine physician and nurse acceptance of nonnurse, nonphysician screening for geriatric syndromes. Methods: This was a single-center emergency department (ED) survey of physicians and nurses after an 8-month project. Geriatric technicians were paid medical student research assistants evaluating consenting ED patients older than 65 years for cognitive dysfunction, fall risk, or functional decline. The primary objective of this anonymous survey was to evaluate ED nurse and physician perceptions about the geriatric screener feasibility and barriers to implementation. In addition, as a secondary objective, respondents reported ongoing geriatric screening efforts independent of the research screeners. Results: The survey was completed by 72% of physicians and 33% of nurses. Most nurses and physicians identified geriatric technicians as beneficial to patients without impeding ED throughput. Fewer than 25% of physicians routinely screen for any geriatric syndromes. Nurses evaluated for fall risk significantly more often than physicians, but no other significant differences were noted in ongoing screening efforts. Conclusion: Dedicated geriatric technicians are perceived by nurses and physicians as beneficial to patients with the potential to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes. Most nurses and physicians are not currently screening for any geriatric syndromes. [West J Emerg Med. 2011;12(4):489–495.]</p