Agile Instructional Design for Learning: A Case Example of Agile Master Course (AMC) Development

Today’s higher education institutions need to “produce quality and relevant learning materials, capable of being reused and adapted in different learning situations” (Arimoto & Barroca, 2015). Agile principles and practices are being used by instructional design teams and are geared toward being adaptive and creative.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/btp_expo/1008/thumbnail.jp

3 Tips for Equitable Use of Classroom Data

(First paragraph) For most new teachers—and even veteran teachers!—data can be a four-letter word. That’s understandable. Educationbased data collection practices, evaluation, and influences are often lumped together, misunderstood, and carry a negative connotation. New teachers may even have negative perceptions of testing based on their own experiences as students (Beghetto, 2005

“There Is Subjectivity, There Is Bias”: Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of Equity in Data Literacy for Teaching

Research on equity in data literacy for teaching has lagged yet is of critical importance to ensuring new teachers are prepared to serve diverse students. Our multiple case study conveyed four elementary teacher candidates’ understandings of this construct and their reaction to instruction in this domain. Data collection included interviews, item analysis, and concept maps. Our participants developed a broader view of data by the end of the course, but often did not recognize inequitable data practices like tracking which conveys a misalignment between beliefs and practices. We explored implications for policy and practice based on our findings

Is Being Green, White? A Critical Ethnographic Study of Social Norms in Conservation

Attempts to measure and implement conservation norms have consistently upheld and promoted the dominant culture’s practices and beliefs. This has led to oppression of non-dominant populations, thereby hindering these populations’ access to various opportunities to participate in conservation based activities. This has historically, and still today, led to the segregation of non-dominant populations from environmental participation and has misrepresented their beliefs and actions relative to definitions of conservation citizenship and in the broader literature on conservation, conservation measurements, outdoor recreation, and pro-environmental behavior. This research sought to extend the existing literature on conservation, specifically on the measurements of recreation practices and pro-environmental behavior, by surfacing and documenting how non-dominant groups’ have historically engaged and currently engage in conservation, broadly considered. Critical ethnography provided the theoretical framework through which past research practices on conservation were examined relative to sociopolitical influences on the social construction and perpetuation of conservation norms. Using a convergent mixed methods research design, both qualitative data (observation and interview) and quantitative data (survey) was collected and analyzed individually, then the findings were compared and interpreted. This research challenges the ‘one-size fits all’ mentality embedded in conservation history and measurement

Volunteer Management Analysis for the City of Las Vegas

The City of Las Vegas current volunteer management program is unable to provide effective administration of its volunteers. We will discuss what type of volunteer management program would work best for the City of Las Vegas? Volunteer management models were examined to determine what best practices can be adopted by the City of Las Vegas. Research shows a correlation between citizen engagement, volunteerism in the community, and a better quality of life for citizens in communities that have active volunteer programs. Thirty-six jurisdictions were surveyed, most of which are in the Western United States, with four jurisdictions being highlighted. The two predominate models that were discovered were centralized and decentralized volunteer management models. A decentralized model allows jurisdictions the flexibility to allow individual departments to oversee their volunteer activities. A centralized model establishes a citywide volunteer coordinator which oversees most volunteer activities for a jurisdiction. Findings indicate that having a centralized program with a citywide volunteer coordinator can be beneficial to overall management of volunteer efforts and reporting those activities to the governing body

To HY or Not to HY: Benefits of Hybrid (HY) Courses for Students & Faculty

The Hybrid (HY) model is being introduced to support our University’s student success equation. Defined as meeting half face to face and half online, the HY model opens space for more courses to be offered.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/btp_expo/1024/thumbnail.jp

Making a Case for Case-Based Teaching in Data Literacy

Building on a study conducted by the authors, this article provides strategies for teaching data literacy and outlines the case-based teaching method as an effective way of developing data-literate teachers

Asking, Learning, Seeking Out : An Exploration of Data Literacy for Teaching

The current study explored preservice and inservice teachers’ perspectives on data literacy for teaching. Semi-structured interviews were employed with 12 teacher candidates in elementary and special education. The findings revealed participants’ misconceptions regarding formative and summative data; their understanding of the value of formative data; perceptions of challenges related to data literacy for teaching including time, making sense of data, and reliability and validity; and candidates’ preferences for authentic data literacy instruction

Noxious Weed Field Guide for Utah

Invasive noxious weeds have been described as a raging biological wildfire – out of control, spreading rapidly, and causing enormous economic losses. Millions of acres in North America have been invaded or are at risk of being invaded by weeds, including cropland, pastures, rangelands, forests, wilderness areas, national parks, recreation sites, wildlife management areas, transportation corridors, waterways, wetlands, parks, golf courses, even yards and gardens. Noxious weeds are capable of spreading at rates of up to 60% annually (Smith et al. 1999). Devastation caused by noxious weeds is enormous. Economic losses from weeds exceed $30 billion (Pimentel et al. 2005) annually in the United States, and the cost continues to grow. Weeds often reduce crop yields, and can damage watersheds, increase soil erosion, negatively impact wildland plant and animal communities, and adversely affect outdoor recreation. Ecological damage from uncontrolled noxious weed infestations can be permanent, leaving lands unable to return naturally to their pre-invasion condition. The weeds included in this guide are legally denoted as noxious according to Utah state law (Code 4-17). Through a structured decision-making process, and with the use of a prioritization tool to help guide the process, the current noxious weed list was determined. The process was biased toward weed species that currently have limited state-wide distribution, and also included those that have not yet been identified as occurring within the state. Because weed management focused on newly invading species, it holds the most promise for effective management. Prevention, preserving, and protecting lands not presently infested is the first line of defense against aggressive noxious weeds. Prevention requires awareness and action by land managers as well as the general public, to recognize, report, and control new infestations before they have a chance to expand and spread