An Online Tutorial Vs. Pre-Recorded Lecture For Reducing Incidents Of Plagiarism

The current study compared an online academic integrity tutorial modified from Belter & du Pre (2009) to a pre-recorded online academic integrity lecture in reducing incidents of plagiarism among undergraduate students at a science and technology university. Participants were randomized to complete either the tutorial or the pre-recorded lecture and then completed an academic integrity quiz. We hypothesized that students who completed the tutorial would exhibit fewer incidents of plagiarism and complete the quiz with fewer attempts. Results revealed no statistically significant difference in incidents of plagiarism between the groups. There was a significant positive relation between the number of quiz attempts and the incidents of plagiarism (r (31) = .388, p = .03). Results suggest that an online tutorial is equally effective as a pre-recorded online lecture in addressing issues of plagiarism in the classroom. These results are discussed in the context of education strategies, intrinsic motivation, and time-saving methods.

College Student Mental Health: An Evaluation of the DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure

© 2018 American Psychological Association. The DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure was developed to aid in clinical decision-making for clients seeking psychiatric services and to facilitate empirical investigation of the dimensional nature of mental health issues. Preliminary evidence supports its utility with clinical samples. However, the brief, yet comprehensive structure of the DSM-5 Level 1 measure may benefit a high-risk population that is less likely to seek treatment. College students have high rates of hazardous substance use and co-occurring mental health symptoms, yet rarely seek treatment. Therefore, the current study evaluated the psychometric properties (i.e., construct and criterion-related validity) of the DSM-5 Level 1 measure with a large, diverse sample of non-treatment-seeking college/university students. Data from 7,217 college students recruited from 10 universities in 10 different states across the United States evidenced psychometric validation of the DSM-5 Level 1 measure. Specifically, we found acceptable internal consistency across multi-item DSM-5 domains and moderate to strong correlations among domains (internal validity). Further, several DSM-5 domains were positively associated with longer, validated measures of the same mental health construct and had similar strengths of associations with substance use outcomes compared to longer measures of the same construct (convergent validity). Finally, all DSM-5 domains were negatively associated with self-esteem and positively associated with other theoretically relevant constructs, such as posttraumatic stress (criterion-related validity). Taken together, the DSM-5 Level 1 measure appears to be a viable tool for evaluating psychopathology in college students. Several opportunities for clinical application and empirical investigation of the DSM-5 Level 1 measure are discussed

Understanding Ethical Behavior (or the Lack of it) In and Out of the Classroom

Some people are of the opinion that nearly everyone is unethical. News stories about Enron and Bernie Madoff and movies like Wall Street can leave one questioning today\u27s workplace. This paper explores the concepts of ethics and honesty with a survey and literature review. A survey was conducted of 710 freshmen students (78% male, 83.5% Caucasian) about academic honesty. Approximately 24% reported having cheated or acted dishonestly on a classroom or lab assignment, quiz or exam. Participants were asked How ethical do you think you are? on a Likert scale ranging 0-7 (0 = not at all ethical, 7 = extremely ethical ). Approximately 88% of participants reported a 5, 6, or 7 on the scale; 17.1% reported being extremely ethical . A review of the literature shows that often individuals will cheat a little (i.e., over-reporting results on a quiz by approximately 20%) and yet still consider themselves honest. Dan Ariely (2012) found college students would steal cans of soda that did not belong to them but not take cash in the same situation, suggesting that individuals rationalize stealing as more acceptable if it is only a can of soda compared to taking actual money. Another study (Ariely, 2012) found golfers viewed picking up a golf ball by hand and moving it to a better position in a game a worse offense than giving the same ball a little kick of the foot to a better location. We conclude the paper with suggestions for today\u27s engineering managers to change the workplace to encourage more ethical behaviors from others

Exposure Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a Residential Substance Use Treatment Facility

Clinical lore abounds when discussing the issue of treating trauma-related symptoms in substance-dependent clients. Historically, clinicians have wondered whether they should wait until the client has gained substantial abstinence from abused substances before initiating trauma treatment or if trauma treatment should be conducted during substance use treatment. Furthermore, questions arise with regard to exactly how trauma-related symptoms should be addressed and how trauma treatment should be incorporated into the recovery process. In this article, the growing literature suggesting that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be treated concurrently with substance use disorders is reviewed. In addition, the unique challenges of implementing treatment for PTSD with substance-dependent clients seeking treatment in a residential treatment facility are discussed. Specifically, we provide concrete suggestions about how to utilize prolonged exposure, a very effective treatment for PTSD, with clients in a residential substance use treatment facility, including use of the internet to facilitate exposure therapy

The Use of Freshmen Seminar Programs to Deliver Personalized Feedback

The current study tested the effectiveness of delivering personalized feedback to first-semester college freshmen in a group lecture format. Participants enrolled in semester-long courses were randomly assigned to receive either personalized feedback or general information about alcohol. Both lecture conditions were delivered during a standard class period. Participants were reassessed after 5 weeks. Participants who received personalized feedback reported more accurate peer perceptions and higher readiness-to-change scores regarding personal alcohol use than participants who received general information. However, the results did not indicate group differences in alcohol use or alcohol-related consequences. These results support the use of freshmen seminar courses as a vehicle to provide personalized feedback to increase awareness of campus norms and increase motivation to change drinking behaviors

The Psychological and Biological Impact of COVID-19: An Interdisciplinary Panel Discussion

The COVID-19 global pandemic has impacted almost every person and changed the way many view the world. In an interdisciplinary panel discussion, three faculty from Missouri University of Science and Technology explored the challenges that society faces related to the spread of the virus. Missouri S&T’s College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business (CASB) hosted the second in a series of panel discussions of current events in St. Pat’s Ballroom C of the Havener Center and via Zoom. The psychological factors, vaccine science and aerosol spread of COVID-19 were discussed by S&T faculty Dr. Amber Henslee, associate professor of psychological science; Dr. David Westenberg, professor of biological sciences; and Dr. Yang Wang, assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering

Testing the Effects of E-mailed Personalized Feedback on Risky Alcohol Use among College Students

Objective: Although research utilizing the Internet to intervene with college student drinkers is growing, this study is the first to investigate the use of a theoretically-based and empirically supported personalized feedback form delivered via a single e-mail to college students. Method: Students (n=. 191) completed measures of their alcohol use, related consequences, and peer perceptions at baseline and 6. weeks after the intervention. Students were randomly assigned to receive either e-mailed personalized feedback or e-mailed generic feedback. Results: Students who received e-mailed personalized feedback reported consuming significantly fewer drinks in a given week, as well as a fewer number of days being drunk in the previous 30. days. They also exhibited a significant reduction in the number of days they perceived their peers to have drunk alcohol and in the amount of alcohol they perceived their peers to consume per drinking occasion. Conclusion: e-Mailed personalized feedback appears to help students become more aware of normative drinking behavior and reduce the quantity of alcohol they consume. Furthermore, e-mailed personalized feedback may be a cost-effective manner in which to intervene with college student drinkers