<p> This quantitative study examined the STEM degree aspirations of Latina/o students. Harper's (2010) Anti-Deficit Achievement framework on students of color in STEM was utilized to frame this study. Secondary data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's (CIRP), Freshman and Your First Year in College surveys were used to complete T-tests, correlations, and hierarchical regression analyses to explore gender differences in STEM degree aspirants and habits of mind among Latinas/os. Findings include probable major in STEM, faculty interaction, highest degree planned, academic self-concept and the habits of the mind CIRP construct were significant predictors of degree aspirations. Habits of the mind at the end of the first year in college were predicted by academic disengagement, positive cross-racial interactions, academic self-concept, and college involvement. Implications for STEM policy, student affairs practice and future research are discussed.</p>

<p> This document analysis examined the academic library and the changing role of the academic librarian in higher education. A comparison of the trends and issues reported by prominent librarians in the 20th century was made to those reported in the 21st century. Emphasis was placed on the following decades: 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s in the 20th century and 2000s (through 2013) in the 21st century. Initial topics from the 20th century were selected from the cornerstone article, "College Libraries and the Teaching/Learning Process: A 25-Year Reflection" by Farber (1999). Farber, who was well known for research regarding bibliographic instruction at Earlham College, observed, reported, and predicted for the future many changes in the field of librarianship. His cornerstone article presented an historical view of bibliographic instruction, the development and oversight of the Ohio College Library Century, the rise of the use of microfilm and microfiche, the drastic change in processes for establishing and maintaining the card catalog, and an overview of technological changes as they relate to the academic library located in institutions of higher learning. The issues Farber discussed were compared to discussion by prominent librarians from the 21st century. An overview of the similarities, differences, and topics which have almost disappeared, as discussed by Farber, were reviewed. Also examined were current academic library topics Farber discussed which have changed immensely in the early years of the 21st century. The changing role of the academic librarian, motivated by changing media and technology availability was reviewed by decade.</p>

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2007. / "Publication number AAT 3281769"

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2006 / "Publication number AAT 3251773."

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of notecards, a study aid, on students&rsquo; learning in three sections of a non-majors undergraduate Human Biology course. Moreover, the effectiveness of illustrations as study aids was compared with the effectiveness of descriptions as study aids. Presently, there is not much research on this particular topic, but notecards are a quite common method of studying. </p><p> <b>Hypothesis:</b> It was expected that the use of notecards would be more beneficial to student learning than no use at all. Furthermore, it was expected that drawing illustrations would be more effective than writing definitions or descriptions. </p><p> <b>Method:</b> Three Human Biology courses taught by the same instructor took part in the study. One class acted as the control in which they did not complete notecards, while the other two courses completed three notecards per unit. Of the two classes, one class completed notecards by drawing illustrations while the other course completed notecards in which students were to write definitions or descriptions. Pre-tests and post-tests were given at the beginning of the semester and the end of the semester, respectively, to identify students&rsquo; overall knowledge retention and learning during the semester. </p><p> <b>Results:</b> The Paired t-test and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test showed that there was a statistically significant difference of change scores between the pre-tests and post-tests within each group meaning all sections of the course learned. The Shapiro-Wilk&rsquo;s test showed that data was normally distributed to continue the One-Way ANOVA tests. The results of the One-Way ANOVA showed that there was a statistically significant difference between all groups, and the Tukey post-hoc test pinpointed the statistical significance of the One-Way ANOVA between the illustration group and the control group. There was neither a statistically significant difference between the illustration group and the description group nor between the description group and the control group. The Effect Size was small-to-medium, &omega; = 0.044. The Kruskal-Wallis H test performed on the weekly assignment scores showed there was a statistically significant difference between groups. Dunn&rsquo;s (1964) procedure with a Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons showed that, generally, there was a statistically significant difference from the control group to the illustration group as well as from the control group to the description group, meaning students in the illustration group and the description group performed better on weekly assignments than the control group. The illustration group performed as well as the description group on weekly assignments. The weekly assignment and exam analysis compared average exam percentages and final exam percentages of each group to average assignment percentages to assess whether there were any certain notecard assignments, descriptive or illustrative, that led to different exam percentages between groups. Exam scores between all groups were similar and there was no specific trend between certain assignments and respective exam scores. Largely, in all groups, there was a positive correlation amongst exam scores and their respective assignments as well as a general positive correlation amongst the assignments and the final exam according to the results of Spearman&rsquo;s Correlation test. The Kruskal-Wallis H test performed on all five exam scores of each group showed there was not a statistically significant difference between exam scores of each group. By assessing the change in number of correct answers per question between pre-tests and post-tests, it was determined that learning in some specific content areas may have been improved by utilizing notecards (descriptive in some cases and illustrative in other cases) as a study aid whereas learning in other content areas were nearly equivalent across all groups. Student reflection on course evaluations showed a mixed reaction to the notecard assignments with some students regarding them as their least favorite part of the course and still others commenting on how helpful they were to their study. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> All groups learned throughout the semester, and learning gains for the illustration group and the description group doubled compared to the control group. Short-term learning based on weekly assignments was increased for both the illustration and description groups, but exam scores were not really affected by the different learning interventions. Exam scores were similar among the three groups, so notecards were neither superior nor inferior to the standard curriculum when it came to academic performance. The student divide concerning using notecards illuminated the idea that all students have different learning styles, and in the case of the present study, some students in one group may have preferred to complete the type of assignment of another group. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) </p>

<p> The goal of this study is to determine where interest in biology is created, reinforced, or diminished in education. The online, Qualtrics created survey was launched on October first, 2017 until October twenty-fifth, 2017 to students enrolled as freshmen in the biology program, undergraduate seniors in the biology program, and graduate students of the biology program. There were 197 participants in all, and they were asked to respond retrospectively to a variety of questions dealing with their background, interest, and motivation in biology. Results from the survey questions were grouped and analyzed based on six research questions of the study and the hypotheses from these were supported, partially supported, or not supported. We determined that: (1) subjects' perceptions of hands-on lab classes, field work, outdoor experiences and research all helped push college students to pursue a college biology degree; (2) subjects did not attribute their decision to study the field of biology to their family members, but did attribute their decision to other significant people in their lives with strong biological experience, degrees, or expertise; (3) subjects did not believe that other content-related, nontraditional experiences such as STEM camps, community service opportunities, and research opportunities had a positive influence on their desire to go into biology or assisted them in learning in the college biology curriculum; (4) subjects believe that college courses with hands-on activities, classes with labs, field work, outdoor labs and undergraduate research will help them to succeed or persist in their college biology degree; (5) subjects believe that biology labs positively influence their self-confidence in biology and help them better perform in science; (6) subjects do not believe the best protocols in laboratories are inquiry-based, as compared to step-by-step methods. </p><p>

<p> This dissertation was an explanatory sequential mixed methods study that sought to understand academic librarians&rsquo; involvement and experience in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Specifically, the researcher studied academic librarians&rsquo; teacher identity development through SoTL. Quantitative data were collected from a survey sent to the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy listserv. Semi-structured interviews with seven academic instruction librarians who took part in the survey provided qualitative data that complemented and built upon the survey results. The theoretical framework, Communities of Practice, guided and supported the research. Results from the study indicated that academic instruction librarians are involved in SoTL for a variety of reasons, but primarily because they believe participation in SoTL improves their teaching. Also, the null hypothesis of <i>if librarians engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, their identities will be the same as they were before</i> was rejected, and the research hypothesis was accepted. Engagement in SoTL does impact academic instruction librarians&rsquo; teacher identity. After involvement in SoTL most research participants reported that their view of themselves as a teacher grew. Participation in SoTL also impacted academic instruction librarians&rsquo; instructional practices. After participation in SoTL, study participants reported an increase in their attitude toward self-improvement and in their use of active learning strategies. These study findings have implications for Library and Information Science (LIS) graduate schools, academic library administrations, and professional development organizations. </p><p>

<p> This study examines African American student perceptions of persistence in engineering. The research design is methodologically qualitative using a purposefully selected population of engineering students. Semi-structured interviews were designed to develop an in-depth understanding of what completion of the engineering degree means to African American engineering students. This research seeks insight into the linkages between African American student perceptions of persistence as it relates to both the academic and social culture of the engineering department. </p><p> Vincent Tinto&rsquo;s model of Institutional Departure (1975, 1987) is one of the most commonly cited models of persistence in higher education (Braxton, Milem, Sullivan, 2000). Tinto&rsquo;s model was leveraged in this study to understand perceptions obtained through student interviews. Tinto suggests that exploration of student goal commitment and perceptions of institutional commitment are key to understanding student persistence. Results of this study suggest that African American students have perceptions about the university that may influence the decision to persist in engineering. Ultimately, this study may prove useful to researchers and administrators interested in improving access and success for African American engineering students.</p>

<p>Not since the Cold War and the launch of Sputnik has there been such a focus on producing college graduates in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As manually driven careers disappear, new diverse careers are created and they have one thing in common, STEM. As students move into these challenging curriculums they will need to have faith in their abilities to achieve their goals. This self-efficacy is vital component for their collegiate and career success. This mixed methods study examines the unique pre-college STEM outreach phenomenon called Mind Trekkers. Mind Trekkers uses the `WOW? of experiential learning in the areas of STEM to motivate K-12 students to engage in STEM related fields. The focus of the study is on the first-year college freshmen that join this program, becoming STEM serviceteers, and how being part of this STEM phenomenon impacts their self-efficacy. The findings can be summed up in a quote I get to help people understanding in a different way than I would if I was just doing volunteering like I did in high school. It?s cool. I just love it and it gives me the confidence that what I am doing is the right thing here at (the university). (Jean) The results of the study indicate that the Mind Trekkers program acted as a catalyst to increase the self-efficacy of the students that participated in it, through personal social and academic impact.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2009. / "Publication number: AAT 3385850."