Important Behaviors for Nursing Student Preceptee Success in a Capstone Clinical Course
Nancy Novotny, Megan Rappleyea, and Patricia Pence, Nursing

Development of a Contextual Understanding of Student Success on Campus
Jordan Arellanes, Psychology

Centering Humanizing Racial Literacies in an Undergraduate Literacy and Technology Course for Pre-Service Teachers
Rebecca Buecher

Using Haptics to Enhance Engineering Technology Student Experience in Virtual Reality-Based Remote Learning
Isaac Chang and Jordan Osborne, Technology

U-GO (Untact Global Outreach) Program: Fostering Innovative Instruction and the Diversity of Student Learning
Do-Yong Park, Teaching and Learning

Teaching and Learning Online During a Crisis: Experiences, Challenges, and Lessons Learned
Recipient: Lydia Kyei-Blankson and Emmanuel Asante, Educational Administration and Foundations

Co-Constructing Knowledge on Group Discussion Forums During COVID-19 Pandemic
Chang Su-Russell, Family and Consumer Sciences

SEL and Preservice Teacher Education: Knowledge, Perceptions, and SEL Competence of ISU Teacher Candidates
Megan Weemer, Health Sciences

Improving Metacognition in Graduate Students through Guided Reflection
Rebecca Achen and Jessica Brougham, Kinesiology and Recreation

Online Education in the Era of Rapid Adoption: Students’ Perceptions of “What Works?”
Jeffrey Walsh and Jessie Krienert, Criminal Justice Sciences

You’re All Farmers, Right? Students’ Perceptions of Classmates’ and Instructors’ Experiences
Maria Boerngen and Justin Rickard, Agriculture

Mastery of Pharmacology Concepts Using Assessment Technologies Institute
Patricia Pence, Nursing

Science Literacy for General Education at ISU: A Pilot Study with HSC 156 (Environmental Health in the 21st Century)
Guang Jin, Health Science and Jared Cihilar, Chemistry

Learning Biofeedback for Dysphagia Rehabilitation in Speech-Language Pathology Students
Taeok Park and Kathleen McMillion, Communication Sciences & Disorders

A Social Justice Education Lens and Language Teaching Experiences in a Local Community Center
Susan Hildebrandt and Hannah Safiran, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

Developing and Assessing an Information Literacy Module for an Undergraduate Geography Class
Reecia Orzack

Use of the “Teaching for Transformative Experiences in Science” Model to Foster Scientific Literacy Regarding Evolutionary Theory
Rebekka Darner and Rachel Sparks, Biology

Decoding Geometry Constructions as Generalizations
Jeffrey Barrett and Darl Rassi, Mathematics

The Impact of University Experiences on the Intercultural Experiences of ISU Students
Meredith Downes and Aron Applegate, Management and Quantitative Methods

An Ethnographic Investigation of Future STEM Teachers’ Development of Disciplinary Practices
Rebekka Darner and Kara Baldwin, Biology

Examining Pre-Service Teachers Embodiment of Critical Issues
Alice Lee, Teaching and Learning

Synthesis Journals as a Path through the Forest
Allison Alcorn, Music

Assessing Dietetics Students Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, and Competence of Small Bowel Feeding Tube Insertion Using Patient Simulation
Julie Raeder Schumacher & Jamey Baietto, Family and Consumer Sciences

Assessing Student Learning Outcomes of Participation in Study Abroad Programs at ISU
Lea Cline, Art; Kathryn Jasper, History; and Erin Mikulec, Teaching and Learning

The Rewards of Civic Engagement & Out-of-Class Learning: One Stitch at a Time
Elisabeth Reed & Sophia Araya, Family and Consumer Sciences

Agile Scrum in a BIS Undergraduate Capstone Course: Going from Being Students to Being Professionals
Roslin Hauck, Accounting and Gunjan Amin and Cole Mikesell, Business Information Sciences

Comparing the Effects of Video Performance Feedback and Self-Monitoring on Implementation Fidelity of Systematic Instruction
Virginia Walker, Special Education

Translanguaging Practices and Perspectives of Pre-Service Teachers
Mark Pacheco, Teaching and Learning

Expanding King’s Concept of Dysconscious Racism: Do Categorical Responses Differ in a Family Sciences Classroom
Bill Anderson, Family and Consumer Sciences

Demystifying Darwin: An Assessment of Strategies for Teaching Human Evolution to Undergraduate Students
Abby Stone, Sociology and Anthropology

Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Language Awareness, and edTPA: ISU Language Teacher Candidates’ Feedback Practices
Susan Hildebrandt, Languages, Literatures, & Cultures

An Interactive Automated Strategy for Teaching Complex Syntax
Jamie Smith, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Training Journalism in a Post-Truth Era
K. Megan Hopper & John Huxford, Communication

Student Perceptions of Reported Employer Demands for Acquired Skills of College Graduates in the Agricultural Industry
Michelle Kibler & Michael Barrowclough, Agriculture

Evaluating Graduate Student Out-of-Class Learning: The Professional Field Trip
Rebecca Achen and Clint Warren, Kinesiology and Recreation

Intentional and Integrated Field Experiences' Contribution to Health Education Teacher Candidate Achievement of Learning Outcomes Relevant to Youth Disproportionately Affected by Health Disparities
Adrian Lyde, Health Sciences

Development of Leadership Competence through a Service Learning Project in a Dietetic Internship
Julie Raeder Schumacher, Family and Consumer Sciences

Learning through Teaching and Dialogue: A Student-Directed Vocal Health Education Program
Lisa Vinney, Communication Sciences and Disorder

Exploring the Potential of a Diverse Set of Service Learning Projects to Increase Dietetics Students' Self-Efficacy in Nutrition Education
Rachel Vollmer, Family and Consumer Sciences

Investigating Methods for Improving Graduate Student Writing
Becky Achen, Kinesiology and Recreation

Using Interrupted Case Studies to Teach Developmental Theory
Bill Anderson, Family and Consumer Sciences

When Privilege and Oppression Becomes ‘Real’ in the Life of Emerging Social Workers
Deneca Avant, Social Work

Exploring the Learning Process, Perceptions, and Confidence in Experiential Research Project Scaffolding in Two Allied Health Undergraduate Courses
Jackie Lanier, Health Sciences, Julie Schumacher, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Rachel Vollmer, Family and Consumer Sciences

Student Stories of Free Speech Acts on Campus: A Digital Documentary Film
Maria Moore, Communication

Factors Associated with Students’ Integration of Course Content in Online Discussions
Nancy Novotny, Mennonite College of Nursing and Elahe Javadi, Information Technology

A Holistic Approach to Learning about Laryngeal Cancer through an Innovative Independent Study Experience
Lisa Vinney, Communication Sciences Disorders

Group Contingency Interventions in Special Education Courses
Virginia Walker, Special Education and Kristin Lyon, Special Education

Study Abroad Experience in Peru and Students’ Development
Aysen Bakir, Marketing

Interpreting the Frames: A Study of Six Art Education Students’ Integration of Their Study Abroad in Australia Experience Into Their Classroom Teaching Practices
Judith Briggs, Art

History Teacher Candidates and Discipline-Specific Pedagogy: Theory, Policy, and Practice in England and the United States
Richard L. Hughes and Sarah Drake Brown, History

Preparing Future Early Childhood Teachers: Furthering Intercultural Dialogues among Early Childhood Pre-service Teachers across the Globe
Miranda Lin, School of Teaching and Learning

Exploring and Understanding Global Diets from a Sociocultural Perspective: A Case of Pre-service Teachers in Thailand, Taiwan, and the U.S.
Do-Yong Park, School of Teaching and Learning

Guided Online Group Discussion to Enhance Student Critical Thinking Skills
Anu Gokhale and Nadia Khatib, Technology

Faculty Conceptions and Pedagogoical Practices in Designing, Facilitating, and Supporting Student Collaborative Projects Online
Lydia Kyei-Blankson, Education, Administration & Foundations and Heather Donnelly, Teaching & Learning

Professional and Personal Learning Outcomes of Pre-Service Teachers Participating in an 8-week Student Teaching Experience in Eastbourne, England
Erin Mikulec, Teaching & Learning and Jill Donnell, Teaching & Learning

Outside of My Comfort Zone: Pre-Service Teachers’ Experiences with Cultural Diversity
Sandra Osorio, Teaching & Learning and Josh Bieler, Social Work

A Future Teacher and a Graduate Student’s Differential Benefits of Participation as a Member of an Educational Research Team: A Comparative Case Study
Rebekka Darner Gougis and Janet Stomberg, Biological Sciences

Historians and History Teachers: Collaborative Conversations
Richard Hughes, History and Sarah Drake Brown, Ball State University

Student Involvement in the Production of Scholarly Publications: Practices, Challenges, and Lessons Learned from Faculty Research Mentorships and Collaborations
Lydia Kyei-Blankson and Parul Gupta, Educational Administration and Foundations

How Participation in Out-of-Class Research and Assessment Projects Contributed to Learning Outcomes in a Student Affairs Graduate Program
Phyllis McCluskey-Titus and team of current and past graduate students, Educational Administration and Foundations

Experiential Learning through Creation of a Performance Piece about YouthBuild
Kevin Rich and student to be named, School of Theatre and Dance

An Examination of Psychology Students’ Beliefs about the Nature of Science: The Role of Research Experience
Corinne Zimmerman, Thomas Critchfield, and Emilio Lobato, Psychology

Conference Participation as a Mentoring and Learning Experience: Applying Social Network Theory to the Annual ISU Research Symposia
Michaelene Cox, Politics and Government

Examining Graduate Nursing Students’ Attitudes Toward Statistics
MyoungJin Kim, Mennonite College of Nursing

Investigating Relationships among Elements of Interaction and Presence and Student Learning in a Graduate Level Online Research Course
Lydia Kyei-Blankson, Educational Administration and Foundations

Learning through Service: The Contribution of Service-Learning to First Year Pre-Service Teachers
Miranda Lin and Alan Bates, Teaching and Learning

Assessing Student Attitudes toward the Act of Being Innovative through a Co-taught Interdisciplinary New Product Design and Development Course
Lou Reifschneider, Technology, and Peter Kaufman, Marketing

The ISU CONNECT Mentorship Program: Identifying Critical “Soft Skill” Outcomes
Gary Creasey, Martin Gallegos, and Kim Budnick, Psychology

Learning Outcomes of College Study Abroad Programs and the Effects of Culture Shock
Meredith Downes, Management and Quantitative Methods and Tara Tolomeo, School of Business

An Intervention Aimed at Impacting Nursing Faculty Teaching and Learning, and Nursing Student Learning Regarding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Issues
Marcena L. Gabrielson and an undergraduate student, Mennonite College of Nursing

Explaining the Development of Professional Skills and Attitudes through Out-of-Class Experiences in Psychology
Alycia M. Hund and Daisy Bueno, Psychology

Learning to Teach/Teaching to Learn: A Two Day Immersion Experience for Pre-Service Secondary Teachers
Erin A. Mikulec and Breanna Evans, Curriculum and Instruction

You can view the reports and findings for selected grants by clicking the title.

The ISU CONNECT Program: Identifying Developmental, Motivational, and Civic Outcomes
Gary Creasey, Psychology, Verenice D’Santiago, Psychology, Kaitlin Jones, School of Communication, and Robert Lee, College of Education

Assessing a Situated Learning Approach in the Civically Engaged Classroom: Fostering Anti-Oppressive Community Practice
Cynthia Edmunds-Cady and Ashley Boyer, School of Social Work

A Mutually Beneficial Example of Service Learning: Collaboration between Preservice Language Teachers and a Local Community Center
Susan Hildebrandt, Languages, Literature and Cultures, and Iryna Brown, Curriculum and Instruction

Preparing for a Career in String Teaching: Advocacy and Service Learning
Adriana Ransom, School of Music

Special Small Grants-Disciplinary Clubs Recipients and Projects

Beyond the Classroom: Learning About People With Disabilities Through a Student Disability Service and Advocacy Organization
Emily Watts, Nicole Uphold, James Thompson, Special Education

Autonomous Learning Via A Student Produced Fashion Show
Jennifer Banning and Hae Jin Gam, Family and Consumer Sciences

You can view the reports and findings for selected grants by clicking the title.

Community Arts and Pre-Service Educators: A Study of Civic Engagement
Judith Briggs, Art Education; Kim McHenry, Art Education; Michael Vetere, Theater Education

Community Organization Research Project (CORP): Learning Decision-Making through Civic Engagement
Laura Erskine, Management and Quantitative Methods

Creating Family Assessment Portfolios (FAPs) in SED 101
James Thompson, Special Education

Six Years of Collaborative Service: Educational Administration and Foundations 463 and LinC
Phyllis McCluskey-Titus, Educational Administration and Foundations; Jodi Hallsten, School of Communication; Wendy Troxel, Educational Administration and Foundations; Erin Pearce, Office of the Dean of Students

Taking Stock of Student Outcomes: Examining Participation and Perception of Civic Engagement at a Large Midwestern University
Jeffrey Walsh, Criminal Justice Sciences; Jessie Krienert, Criminal Justice Sciences; David Marquis, Student Body President

Building Social Capital to Foster Development of New Nursing Professionals
Mennonite College of Nursing

Becoming and Urban Educator: Intellectual Growth and Development of Social Justice in Re-Designed Courses Serving the Urban Teacher Preparation Program
Interdisciplinary Urban Teacher/Pipeline Program

An Empirical Investigation of the Mitigating or Aggravating Effects of Teacher Immediacy on Academic Dishonesty at a Large Midwestern University
Department of Criminal Justice Sciences

The project will look at the role teacher immediacy plays in the rapport established in the classroom environment between teachers and students that might serve as either a mitigating or aggravating influence on academic dishonesty, specifically cheating. Thus far there has been extremely limited work exploring the nexus between these two potentially interrelated behaviors.

Advancing the Discipline: Expanding the Role of Communication in Civic and Political Engagement through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
School of Communication

The proposal is to combine teaching and research surrounding the concept of civic engagement. More specifically, we intend to integrate our curriculum, develop training workshops, foster scholarship, assess our students’ learning outcomes, and develop new courses. The communication discipline is well positioned to assume a leadership role in the civic and political engagement movement.

You can view the reports and findings by clicking the grant title.

Documenting Learner Autonomy in an Ethnographic Field School
Gina Bessa and Joe Marino, Sociology and Anthropology

The Development of Learner Autonomy: The Importance of Classroom Goal Structure, Teacher Immediacy, and Student-Instructor Relationships
Patricia Jarvis, Gary Creasey, and Denise Faigao, Psychology

Autonomous Learning in a Large Lecture Hall: POGIL and ‘Clickers’
Guang Jin, Tom Bierma, and Lucy Loftus, Health Sciences

Developing and Assessing Student Autonomy in the First-Year Experience of Psychology Majors
Dawn McBride, Corinne Zimmerman, and Derek Herrmann, Psychology

A Comparative Analysis of Student Engagement, Satisfaction, Success and Learning in Lecture Hall and Online Learning Settings
Cara Rabe-Hemp, Susan A. Woollen, and Gail Humiston, Criminal Justice Sciences

You can view the reports and findings by clicking the grant title.

Forecasting Changes in Learner Autonomy- A Longitudinal Investigation
Gary Creasey, Patricia Jarvis, and Daniel Gadke, Psychology

Exploring the Effect of Team Leaders who are Autonomous Learners in Enhancing Team Learning within Construction Management Classes
Mohamed El-Gafy and Keith Rahn, Technology

Employing Active Learning Strategies to Promote Autonomous Learning in Criminal Justice Research Methods Courses: An Assessment
Donna Vandiver, Jeffery Walsh, and Carrie Grotts, Criminal Justice

Developing Learner Autonomy by Linking Classroom Theory to Applied Research: A Pilot Project in Food Animal Curriculum
Bryon Weigand, Rob Rhykerd, Kathleen Blubaugh and Addie Meteer, Agriculture

The following projects were selected for funding in the 03-04 round of SoTL Small Grants. The projects all focus on a teaching-learning issue related to one or more of our values from Educating Illinois. In addition, all projects were required to involve a team of researchers including at least two faculty members and one student from the same discipline/department.

You can view the reports and findings by clicking the grant title. 

Supporting Grass Roots Response to Change in Teacher Education: Engaging Cooperating Teachers in the Improvement of Student-Teaching Experiences of English Education Majors at Illinois State University
Becca Chase, Kenneth Lindblom, and Susan Bloome, English

This research is related to the piloting of a Cooperating Teacher Orientation Program (CTOP), which is designed to enhance the student teaching experiences of ISU undergraduate English Education majors. Ten cooperating teachers (CTs) will participate in a year-long pilot CTOP. The pilot CTOP will take place over half-day-long sessions held four times during the 2003-2004 academic year. The study will look at the effectiveness and impact of the pilot CTOP. The research team will make their results public by submitting an article to the national, peer-reviewed journal English Education in July 2004 and submitting a panel presentation at the National Council of Teachers of English 2004 Annual Convention. The results of this study will also be used as support for an application for major external funding to implement the pilot CTOP as a permanent orientation program open to all cooperating teachers in English at ISU.

Applied Computer Science: Student Learning Styles and Success, Including Analysis of Preferred Teaching Styles
Mary Goodwin, Mary Elaine Califf, and Michael Stroming, Applied Computer Sciences

This study examines the relationship between learning styles and success in information technology programs. A previous study has suggested a relationship between being an upper-level major in computer science and certain learning styles. We wish to explore that possibility that this relationship exists in our program and to try to find ways to help larger numbers of students succeed in the major. We will administer a learning style assessment to students in the initial course in the degree programs in the School of Information Technology, and then track student’s success in the two subsequent courses in the degree programs. We will administer the learning style assessment again as students complete ITK 169 (the last of the three courses). We will also collect information regarding teaching styles used in the courses. We will then look at the relationships between learning styles, teaching styles, and success in the courses, in the hopes of making recommendations for changes to the courses that might improve student learning and success rates.

Understanding Epistemological Development in Foundation of Inquiry Students: A Longitudinal Investigation
Patricia A. Jarvis, Gary L. Creasey, and Leatrice Brooks, Psychology

The proposed study will investigate student’s epistemic beliefs to better understand why FOI is not working for some students and how the course might be restructured to meet its goals more effectively. We will conduct a longitudinal study in which the epistemological beliefs of FOI students will be assessed at two times of measurement (the first and last two weeks of classes). Two primary hypotheses will be tested. First, if students develop critical thinking skills in their FOI classes, then epistemological beliefs will demonstrate statistically significant improvement over time. Second, because there is some controversy if there are gender differences in epistemological development (Torney-Purta, 1990), we will determine if such growth is moderated by gender. The study results will have a number of important implications. First, if epistemological beliefs display significant development over time, we will have obtained important assessment data regarding the viability of FOI. However, if null findings are documented, it is possible that some of the aforementioned curriculums designed to modify epistemological development could be introduced early in the FOI process, paving the way for the development of analytical thinking. Thus, our ultimate goal is to support FOI using systematic data and/or recommend empirically derived changes to the curriculum as needed.

Lessons from the Borderlands: The Classroom Experiences of Minority Faculty and the Impact of Faculty Racial Identity on Student Awareness of Inequality and Diversity
Maura I. Toro-Morn, Kathleen Leilani Ja Sook Bergquist, and Makoto Sakamoto, Sociology and Social Work

Comparisons of Classroom-based and Internet Based Instruction for a Construction Safety Course
Harvey F. Thomas, Rodney Simmons, Guang Jin, and Aaron M. Mannos, Health Sciences

The study is designed to identify any academic performance differences in the traditional classroom-led version of the course with the Internet-version of the course based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as an independent variable. The specific objectives of the study are as follows: (1) differences in the two methods of course delivery will be examined through comparison of student performances on examinations that are designed to measure student leaning over the first three levels of cognitive leaning as described by Bloom’s taxonomy; (2) comparisons will be made between individual student academic performance in the Construction Safety course with their academic history records-including ACT scores and grade point averages; (3) correlations will be drawn between the quality of student responses to exam questions to student personality type using the Myers-Briggs type indicator using the first two indications-Extroversion vs. Introversion and Sensing vs. Intuition.

We received fifteen strong grant proposals requesting a total of almost $75,000. We were able to partially fund the six projects listed below.

You can view the reports and findings by clicking the grant title.

One Year Later: Assessing Student Outcomes from the Illinois State University/Alzheimer’s Association Service-Learning Partnership
Jacquelyn Frank, Frank Beck, and David Bull, Sociology and Anthropology

Student Engagement in learning and the translation of that learning to life beyond college are critically important to the mission of Illinois State University. One way in which faculty members have attempted to increase student engagement is through service learning. Service-learning actively seeks to balance academic learning with service to the community, and uses reflection as a critical link between service and learning. Student outcomes from service learning have been increasingly researched by scholars in a variety of fields. With few exceptions, however, little scholarship exits on the impact of service learning long after the course is over. It is the goal of this project to examine the long-term outcomes of student participation in service learning. In a qualitative study, a trained graduate student who has also taken the course will interview the sixteen students in the course one year after the course is completed. The interviews will focus on the learning goals of the service learning experience including the following:

1. offer students first hand experience with a community agency,
2. make students socially aware of a major health issue,
3. give students a sense of civic responsibility that they will carry after college, and
4. enhance the professional development of students in terms of survey, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills. A second follow-up is planned for five years after course completion.

Students’ Use of Writing Rubrics in Educational Administration and Foundations
Dianne Gardner, Amee Adkins, Linda Lyman, and Janice Malak, Educational Administration and Foundations

Statement of the Problem: Assessment of student learning achievement presents faculty in higher education with opportunities and challenges. An emerging body of knowledge about performance-based, criterion-referenced assessment offers opportunities to assess a rich array of student learning outcomes in such key areas as critical thinking and scholarly writing (Angelo, 2000; Huba & Freed, 2000; National Research Council, 2001; Palomba & Banta, 1999). One significant challenge in this assessment paradigm is the creation of rubrics as a means to represent desired student learning outcomes such that students understand and begin to internalize these expectations and then learn to use them to develop as independent learners (Arter & McTighe, 2001; Taggart, Phifer, Nixon, & Wood, 1998; Shindler, 2002; Wiggins, 1998). In this view, scoring rubrics serve another function than providing full disclosure of faculty expectations for student learning in order to assign fair grades; they are learning tools in their own right. Under this emerging assessment paradigm, the burden on faculty to design excellent rubrics that embody core educational values and on students to use them appropriately to become more independent learners increases dramatically if both groups understand and embrace the possibility that rubrics can support student learning.

In many cases, however, both faculty and students do not realize that well-developed rubrics can contribute to the development of valuable knowledge, skills, and dispositions in addition to the commonly recognized benefit of making grading practices more transparent. The most useful rubrics capture qualitatively different levels of multi-faceted performances and can be used as developmental scaffolds for students in ways that grades ordinarily do not (Biggs, 1995; Walvoord & Anderson, 1998; Wiggins, 1998). One common use of rubrics is to assess student writing. Yet, faculty may not know how to develop writing rubrics that support student learning nor do students necessarily know how to take advantage them. Many students appear to be most accustomed to writing assessments in which they prepare a single draft and faculty use a rubric to score that draft. Both then typically move on to the next assignment without exploring how the rubric could have been used to help students perform well the first time or to improve their work through revision. In this process, students remain dependent on faculty for each assignment as faculty judgment assumes a primary function. There is no apparent plan to wean students away from the faculty judgment that will be unavailable to them after they leave the university.

Further, self-assessment and feedback are common performance assessment processes that are necessary to optimize the use of rubrics to increase student independence but may be unfamiliar to faculty and students (Alverno College Faculty, 1994; Wiggins, 1993, 1998). Without these related assessment practices, the promise of rubrics to support student learning is undermined. Assuming that faculty assessment practices will become increasingly performance-based, criterion-referenced, and reliant on well-developed rubrics, it will be important to understand how students use them and then to see if these uses suggest how rubrics and their use can be improved to support student learning.

The purpose of this study is to explore how students understand and use rubrics and to determine whether their use of rubrics actually supports their learning and helps them to become independent writers. The following questions guide our inquiry:

1. How do students understand and use rubrics in conjunction with self-assessment and feedback processes to improve scholarly writing?
2. How do rubrics help students develop independence as writers?

The Impact of Learning Styles and Course Delivery Method on Learning Outcomes: A Quasi-Experiment Investigating the Case Method of Course Delivery
Daniel J. Goebel, Michael A. Humphreys, and Erin E. Miller, Marketing

The case method is a common and accepted course design in business education. In courses that are designed around the case method, concept development and student learning occur in the context of examining cases written about existing companies confronting specific business problems. Critical thinking and in-class discussion are keys to the case method. The undergraduate marketing strategy course is an example of a course for which the case method is widely accepted as being an appropriate pedagogy for achieving desired outcomes. Yet, extant research examining the relationship between the case method and student learning outcomes as compared to other course designs (e.g., problem simulation software or client projects) is nonexistent. Furthermore, as with all courses, students taking the marketing strategy course undoubtedly have different learning styles. However, once again, extant research investigating the potential for student learning style to interact with the case method of teaching as predictors of student performance does not exist. Consequently, the specific teaching-learning issues under consideration in this research are twofold. First, our research seeks to examine the relationship between the case method of course delivery and learning outcomes in the marketing strategy course compared to the outcomes of courses that use an alternative course design. The second major issue under consideration is an investigation of the relationship between student-learning style and student performance in a course that relies on the case method of teaching as the principle means of delivering the course content. This second issue examines the potential for case method pedagogy to moderate the relationship between learning style and outcomes assessment. Thus, the research project proposed herein addresses key learning topics that have been identified as important areas of investigation for better understanding and managing educational quality, including course design, student learning styles, and student satisfaction.

The goal of the proposed research is to gather evidence regarding the efficacy of one pedagogy (case methodology) for delivering course content in senior-level marketing courses as compared to other course designs. In addition, the research described in this proposal seeks to determine if a student’s particular learning style interacts with the case method of teaching to influence course outcomes. Consequently, completion of this research and dissemination of its findings should provide better insight into the relationship between course design, student learning styles, and course outcomes in marketing education. This insight can be the basis for improving educational quality and student performance by better matching course design and student learning style in marketing courses.

First, to examine the relationship between the case method of course delivery and course outcomes compared to an alternative course design, pre-course knowledge and attitude assessments and post-semester outcome assessments will be conducted in targeted courses within the marketing curriculum. Assessments will include measurement of critical thinking skills, student course design opinions and preferences, and specific course content knowledge. Students within the courses will be similar in terms of age, college major (marketing), and class standing (seniors), thus controlling for these variables as potential sources of affect and variance in the dependent variables of interest. T-tests on the differences between the pre- and post-assessments will be conducted to determine if the differences for the case method course design classes are statistically greater than for those classes using a alternative course design. Second, to determine the potential for case method pedagogy to moderate the relationship between student learning style and learning outcomes, data on each student’s learning style will be collected. Such data will be matched with the student’s respective pre- and post-semester outcome scores. Subsequent to data collection, multiple regression analysis will be conducted to examine the potential effects of learning style on learning outcomes.

Impact of a Student Contest on Knowledge of Crop Production and Marketing
R.L. Rhykerd, K.W. Tudor, B.R. Wiegand, and D.M. Kingman, Agriculture

Current pedagogical research supports the theory that student comprehension is increased through critical thinking exercises and applying course concepts to real-world situations (Kraft, 1985). Developing group-learning activities that require student participation also increases student comprehension (Johnson et al., 1990; Kraft, 1985; and Plotnik, 1997). The Department of Agriculture at Illinois State University has developed a crop production and marketing contest, which incorporates this pedagogy. It is designed to enhance student learning by encouraging critical evaluation of classroom activities and to develop and implement crop production and marketing strategies on a 5-acre plot of land at the Illinois State University Farm near Lexington, IL. Teams of students will compete with the goal of making the largest profit. This contest will be held annually and make long-term analysis of student learning possible.

In Illinois, the majority of college students enrolled in agriculture classes come from non-farm backgrounds. Demographics of students enrolled in agriculture classes reveal that 55% are from urban areas, 27% are from rural non-farm areas, and only 18% are from a farm background (2000 Illinois Agricultural Education Report, 2000). First-hand knowledge of crop production planning and direct exposure and experience with farming practices are fundamental to many career paths in agriculture. While crop production and marketing skills are taught in courses offered by the Department of Agriculture at Illinois State University, no one class provides the holistic approach to instruction that includes the production cycle of planning and planting to harvesting and marketing. This contest will provide a holistic approach to instruction.

The object of this study is to evaluate the contest by measuring the impact it has upon student comprehension. Specific objectives are to:

1. Compare student comprehension of crop production and marketing between contest participants and classmates choosing not to participate by using the pretest-posttest control group experimental design and focus groups.
2. Collect data from year one of the contest, which will be used as part of a multi-year evaluation of the impact of the contest on student learning.

Participation in the contest is voluntary. It will run annually from November 1 through harvest of the following year. Teams will consist of at least 5 undergraduate students, and will represent one of the following organizations: the Student Agriculture Association, Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, CERES Fraternity, and FarmHouse Fraternity. Each team will be given one 5-acre plot located at the ISU farm in Lexington, IL. A soybean/corn rotation will be used: soybeans will be grown in odd years and corn in even years. Teams will select and implement their own crop production strategies, including seed variety selection, method of planting, fertility, tillage and pest management programs, and marketing strategies. Teams are encouraged to perform all field operations. Farm equipment owned by the Department of Agriculture is available for teams to use with training and supervision provided by farm personnel. To ensure that production plans do not threaten environmental quality, a committee of agricultural faculty will review each team’s crop production strategies. Cost of all inputs will be recorded. Harvested yield will be measured by weight and the largest profit will be calculated using a budget spreadsheet designed for this contest by ISU faculty. The team with the highest profit margin will be declared the winner. Cash awards, provided by the ISU Agricultural Alumni Association, will be given to the organizations with the top three profit margins.

Student learning will be directly measured by using the pretest-posttest control group design as described by Campbell and Stanley (1963). Approximately 25 students participating in the contest and another 25 students, also representing the participating organizations, will be given a pretest and posttest, subject to their consent. Students in the control group will be selected for the pretest with the requirement that they will not graduate before the posttest is given. The pretest and posttests will be the same test. The pretest will be given in November before team members prepare their production and marketing plans. The posttest will be given following crop harvest in October of the following year. Significant differences in scores between contest participants and the control group will be determined using an analysis of variance (SAS ANOVA) at a = 0.05 (SAS Inst. Inc., 1985).

In addition to the pretest and posttest, learning will also be determined indirectly through focus groups. The purpose of the focus groups will be for students to comment on positive learning outcomes that they have observed by participating in the contest. The focus groups will also give participants an opportunity to provide feedback on how the contest could be improved. Such suggestions may be incorporated into future contests to further enhance student comprehension. Non-agriculture faculty or staff will facilitate the focus groups to minimize bias.

Student Engagement: The Use of Reading Objectives and Participation Sheets as Effective Tools To Help Motivate Students and Assess Students’ Preparation for and Participation in COM 110 (Language & Communication)
Allison Rattenborg, Cheri Simonds, Steve Hunt, Communication

Instructional communication scholars are look for ways to enhance classroom instruction. Due to the associations made among participation, motivation, and learning, finding new ways to encourage students to participate is a concern for these scholars. In the current investigation, the researcher is examining the use of two pedagogical tools that assess students’ preparation for and participation in class: reading objectives and participation sheets. Reading objectives, "a ticket into class" are objective questions about the assigned reading for each class period. These questions may provide evidence of students’ engagement in the material. Participation sheets are used daily to rate students’ involvement in the classroom (Simonds & Carson, 2000). This method asks students to self-assess their own preparation for and participation in class based on a set of criteria. The idea of reading objectives, “a ticket in to class,” has been tested in the past (Rau & Heyl, 1990); however, the concept of testing both tools, reading objectives combined with the use of the participation sheets, is new.

This quasi-experiment is utilizing five instructors, who each teach two sections of the Language and Communication course. In one of their class sections, students are required to use both tools, and in the other class section students are not required to use the tools. Ultimately, students will self-report about how these tools affected their perceived participation, motivation, learning, and willingness to talk in class. Also, instructors will be asked to complete several open-ended questions regarding how the tools affected their teaching and if any notable differences were observed between the two classes. It is predicted that students who are required to complete reading objectives and participation sheets for class will report (at the end of the semester) higher perceived participation, motivation, learning, and willingness to talk in class than the class sections who are not required to complete the reading objectives and participation sheets.

You can view the reports and findings by clicking the grant title. 

Promoting Student Integration Of Course Content Through The Use Of Web-Based Quizzes
Kathleen Bergquist, Social Work

This study will examine the efficacy of using Mallard web-based quizzes for promoting social work students’ comprehension of text content for SWK 223. A comparison of two sections of SWK 223 will be conducted. Both classes will be structured the same, except the experimental group will be required to take online Mallard quizzes outside of class and the control group will not have access to the Mallard quizzes. Pre- (early in the semester) and post-tests (questions from pre-test will be buried in class tests) will be administered to both sections. Final course grades and instructor evaluations will also be used for triangulation purposes.

Facilitating Reflection On Instructional Interactions By Special Education Teacher Candidates
Meg Hutchins and Kelli Appel, Special Education and Development

This project will design and implement an intervention targeted to demonstrate increased evidence of special education teacher candidates’ reflection on instructional variables that are positively or negatively impacting on the effectiveness of instructional interactions between teachers and learners with disabilities. The primary measure of student outcomes will be conducted by evaluating weekly journal entries while the students are participating in a practicum experience. Participants will be 4-6 teacher candidates enrolled in each section of SED 245.01, SED 245.02, and SED 245.03. A multiple probe research design will be used in this investigation. The primary interventions will include the use of a template that guides candidates through a 4-step reflective process and specific instructive feedback to reinforce and shape the reflective process.

Under Construction: Using Metaphors To Foster Teacher Development, Expertise And Reflective
Theresa Steger, Curriculum and Instruction

This project will explore the use of metaphors as a teaching tool in pre-service teacher education. It is a preliminary study examining patterns of teacher candidate response to a metaphor used in their own education classes. It will investigate affect and content and depth and breadth of reflection, and consider ways the metaphor learning experience may impact teacher candidates’ work in other course assignments.

Teaching Undergraduate Mathematics for Relational Understanding
Janet Warfield and Albert Otto, Mathematics

MAT 130, Dimensions of Mathematical Problem Solving, is an Inner Core course in the General Education Program. The pedagogy of the course emphasizes that the students take the responsibility for their own learning under the guidance of the instructor. Consequently, there is little "telling" by the instructor. The students are to present their own solutions to the problems with locus of authority for the correctness of the solution being that of the class. The basis for the determination of correctness is found in the reasoning and sense making of the class. Historically, students have resisted learning mathematics in this manner because it is not the way they have been taught in the past. Unfortunately, the way they have been taught has not resulted in understanding and sense making of the mathematics. They have use memorization as their learning strategy and meaningless manipulation of symbols, both arithmetic and algebraic, as their way of "doing mathematics". Their belief system about mathematics is that mathematics is a set of rules to be memorized and then applied in some way. Problem solving and communicating their reasoning has not been part of their mathematical experiences. MAT 130 is designed to bring about a change in all of this. Thus we are looking at both the affective and cognitive aspects of the class with respect to the learning of the students.

Data collected in this class include:

• surveys done at the beginning and end of the semester
• all graded work done by the students
• work done by the students on the problems presented in class
• video tapes of each class
• field notes of the class by one of the investigators
• interviews of several students by the same investigator

There are several methodologies available to study the vast amount of qualitative data that we have. Our goal is to view what has happened from different viewpoints, gaining a coherent and informative picture of what is happening with respect to both the affective and cognitive.

Dr. J’s Illustrated Guide To The Classical World Web site As Teaching/Learning Tool And Its Effect On Teachers And Learners
Janice Siegel, Foreign Languages

This project involves assessing the use and usefulness for teachers and students of an elaborate web site. The methodology will be an online questionnaire using both closed- and open-ended items. Respondents will be asked how and why they use the site, what is most useful, and how it can be improved.