Enhanced Learning and Retention through
Sound Field Amplification in NAU Classrooms
Wende Yellin and David Scott
Departments of Communication Science & Disorders
and Electrical Engineering
This Undergraduate Student
Recruitment and Retention Program project was intended to enable faculty to
communicate more effectively during classroom lectures. A few recent studies
show that students in college classrooms sometimes strain to hear clearly which
affects their learning, their attentiveness, and their engagement. A pilot study was performed in an engineering
classroom at NAU last year. In the future we will report on two semesters of
data in two classroom buildings in both large and small classes with a variety
of instructors.
AZTutor:
Cinda G. Hardin
Educational Support Programs
The purpose of this project
is to provide synchronous online tutoring services to ASU, NAU, and U of A
students who are unable or unwilling to use their learning center’s services because
of their distance from campus, work hours, or feelings of intimidation or
inconvenience with face-to-face tutoring. Database reports and evaluations will
be used to measure the success of this program.
Qualitative Survey of LAC Services
Educational Support Programs
In November the Learning Assistance
Centers performed an on-line survey of all students using LAC services. The purpose of the project was to gather data
to determine which areas are satisfactory and which areas need improvement
according to student responses. Results
of the survey, along with recommendations for the follow-up survey which will
be given in April, will be presented.
Educational Talent Search - Department
Of Education TRiO Grant
Keith Hovis
Educational Support Programs
The purpose of the project is
to provide effective services to our participants through counseling in career
and educational choices, provide services that involve students through
corroboration with participants and NAU students (campus visits, tutoring and
mentoring), create an environment that embraces diverse students, and
ultimately increase undergraduate enrollment and retention.
Support Services for Learning Language:
A Collaboration of the Spanish Department, Residence Life and the
Jan Carpenter
Educational Support Programs
The purpose of the project is
to improve retention and academic performance by expanding LAC services to
better serve students in foreign language classes. The LAC, Spanish Department,
and Residence Life have been collaborating on a pilot project to offer new
kinds of support services to enhance the success of students taking Spanish.
The project involves conducting group sessions that will review topics or
facilitate activities designed by the instructor of that section.
Trends in Housing for International
Students at NAU
Chris Elliot
Residence Life
This three-semester study
tracks the housing trends among the international student population at NAU.
Using PAIR data and Residence Life reports, this poster identifies the
on-campus and off-campus housing choices made by international students over
the course of three semesters. The report identifies the housing
accommodations of an average of 351 students per semester, delineated by
individual residence halls.
Enculturation in Context: An Ethnography of Anthropology Graduate
Students
Valerie Fend-Boehm
Department of Anthropology
This project describes a
compressed ethnography of NAU graduate anthropology majors. The culture of the group was discovered by
exploring topics related to the four main components of a culture: 1) culture
is complex and integrated; 2) culture is composed of sub-elements; 3) culture
is learned; and 4) culture is a group phenomenon. The understanding of this culture will allow
anthropology staff to consider many angles of their students’ lives and be more
informed when re-evaluating their departmental curriculum.
Quality of Life Satisfaction Survey
Residence Life
“Quality of Life” is a web-based
satisfaction survey administered each spring to the on-campus resident
population. Results obtained from the survey are used both annually and
longitudinally to assess the fulfillment of Office of Residence Life
department, area, and hall goals, to identify areas of needed improvements, and
generally to inform NAU students, staff, faculty, and administrators about
university housing.
Freshman Connections Retention & Graduation
Project
Residence Life
The Freshman Connections Retention & Graduation Project is an annual fall
assessment of freshmen retention through graduation. Freshmen NAU-Mt. Campus
students who begin their college career by either living in Freshman
Connections (FC) halls, Non-FC halls, or off-campus are tracked and compared.
The results inform the Office of Residence Life as to how its efforts may
affect freshmen retention rates.
Cellular Phone Use of On-Campus
Residents
Marit Bessesen, Sarah Wilcox, and Megan Gavin
Residence Life
Utilizing the Quality of Life satisfaction survey, several items pertaining to
cell phone use were asked of on-campus residents. The results from these items
will inform the Office of Residence Life of the need for residence hall room
telephones and voicemail. Also, the results will be shared with other
departments that have a need for contacting students via telephone.
Investigating Freshmen Retention by
Gender
Marit Bessesen, Sarah Wilcox, and Megan Gavin
Residence Life
The retention rates of male versus female freshmen NAU-Mt. Campus students who
begin their college career by either living in Freshman Connections (FC) halls,
Non-FC halls, or off-campus are tracked and compared. The results inform the
Office of Residence Life as to how its efforts may affect overall, male, and
female freshmen retention rates.
How is an assessment outcome different
from an objective?
Department of Nursing
Outcomes are essential for
effective assessment of student learning, at the course level and the program
level. However, outcomes are not just
the new jargon in higher education permitting faculty to switch terminology
from ‘objectives’ to ‘outcomes’. They
differ on several dimensions: conceptual, orientation, language, and
measurement.
Counseling & Testing Center:
Data From and About Clients
Counseling and Testing Center and Residence Life
In the on-going effort to
assist NAU students with their mental health needs, the CTC collected surveys
and analyzed existing data on use of services and retention of clients.
Similar to national data from counseling centers, CTC data demonstrates the
positive role counseling has in retaining students and in helping them meet their own goals. Students who are able to
use services longer (i.e., used a greater number of counseling sessions) report
higher level of satisfaction with their counseling experience, more progress
toward their counseling goals, and improved relationships with others than
students who used fewer sessions.
Recruitment Efforts and the Cline
Library's Grades 8-12 Team
Patty Shanholtzer and Elizabeth Hellstern
Cline Library
Cline Library Grades 8-12
Team received the President’s Recruitment Grant to enhance its work with high
school students in summer programs such as the Environmental Education Outreach
Program and Nizhoni Upward Bound. We will
assess the impact that USB devices given to students, research packets, and books
acquired by the Library had on students’ research and interest in attending
NAU.
New Students' Biggest Challenge at NAU
Courtney
Irwin, Marcus Neal, and
Student
Affairs Assessment
New, incoming students at NAU
were asked to voluntarily complete the Cooperative Institutional Research
Program (CIRP) survey as part of a national and institutional study of higher education.
In addition to completing the standardized national survey, students responded
to the open-ended question: “What do you believe will be the biggest challenge
you face as a student at
Students’ Opinions on the Campus Health
Care
Courtney
Irwin, Beth Applebee, and
Student
Affairs Assessment and
A web survey was developed in
the late summer of 2004 with the intention of gathering students’ opinions
regarding health care on the NAU Mountain Campus. Twenty-two items covered
parental involvement in health care, general beliefs about college students’
behaviors surrounding health care, and the importance of NAU providing certain
health care options on campus. Overall, 687 students responded.
Parents’ Opinions on the Campus Health
Care
Courtney
Irwin, Beth Applebee, and
Student
Affairs Assessment and
A web survey was developed in
the late summer of 2004 with the intention of gathering parental opinions and
expectations regarding health care on the NAU Mountain Campus. Twenty-nine
items covered parental involvement in health care, general beliefs about
college students’ behaviors surrounding health care, and expectations of NAU
providing certain health care options on campus. Overall, 1092 parents
responded.
Recreation Services Survey
Courtney
Irwin, Scott Cassells, and
Student
Affairs Assessment and Campus Recreation Services
A web survey was administered
in the fall of 2004 to gather information about students’ use of and opinions
about recreational services and facilities on the NAU Mountain Campus. Fifty
items covered the importance of recreation on campus, use of services, and desires
for added services and facilities. Overall, 714 students responded.
NAU Hybrid Students’ Perceptions of
Online Learning
Paula Garcia and Randi Reppen
Center for Research, Assessment, and the Development
of Learning in Electronic Environments and Department of English
Over 200 NAU students who enrolled in courses with online components took three
surveys answering questions about their technological skills, preferences for
learning course content, and expectations of online learning. Preliminary
results have revealed that although students report having fairly advanced
technological skills, they maintain traditional ideas about learning and
teaching. These results are of interest to attendees concerned with students'
motivations, expectations, and readiness for online courses.
An Evaluation of the American Indian Air
Quality Training Program
MaryLynn Quartaroli
Beginning in 1994, the
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals' American Indian Air Quality
Training Program has delivered technical training courses that are both
scientifically up-to-date and culturally responsive to professionals working
for tribal agencies across the nation. This poster session will highlight the
characteristics of these training courses, evaluation results, and implications
for educators of Native science students.
Success with Upward Bound Math &
Science Programs
Eliot Schipper
Educational Support Programs
The NAU Upward Bound and
Four-Corners Upward Bound Math and Science Programs serve low-income high
school students in our region who are potential first-generation college
students. Measures of our programs’ success include post-secondary enrollment
rates and financial aid received by our participants. We will display these student outcomes for
our class of 2004 cohort of participants.
NASS: Keeping Retention Up
Marcus Neal, Catherine Talakte, and
Student Affairs Assessment and Native American Student
Services
This project includes a
retention report comparing retention rates for Native American students who
utilize Native American Student Services, those who did not, and all NAU
students. The report focuses on:
first-year retention, number of students served by NASS, a comparison of users
and non-users of NASS services, and NASS’s cumulative
performance over the past six years.
How Did President’s Recruitment and
Retention Grant Programs Fare?
Student Affairs Assessment
This project includes a
retention report comparing retention rates for students participating in
programs funded by the President’s Recruitment and Retention Grants. The results of this study will help to draw
conclusion regarding the future of these grant programs.
Tracking Program Outcome and Curriculum Alignment:
Educational Technology
Becky Willis, Cynthia Conn, and Valerie Fend-Boehm
Department of Educational Specialties and Office of
Academic Assessment
This poster explores the development of a method of documenting baseline data
regarding course objectives and assignments as well as a process for tracking
ongoing course revisions. The purposes
of this ‘curriculum log’ is to aid with curriculum mapping, ensuring alignment
between course objectives and program outcomes, identification of potential
assignments for program assessment use, and the identification of gaps in
instruction related to program outcomes.
The draft survey along with some basic results from the initial
implementation will be shared.
An Integrated Process: Providing Feedback on Degree Program Assessment
Plans
Cynthia Conn, Valerie Fend-Boehm, Thomas Paradis, and
Casey Donoho
Office of Academic Assessment and
The assessment of student learning in degree programs provides information for
reviewing and improving the program’s curriculum and instruction. The Office of
Academic Assessment supports and encourages the creation of useful, manageable,
and meaningful assessment plans for degree programs. This poster
describes the Assessment Process at NAU with emphasis on a Criteria Rubric
developed to provide constructive feedback to departments on degree program
assessment plans.
Conducting an Assessment Audit of
General Education Courses for Purposes of Identifying Embedded Assignments
Blase Scarnati, Bruce Fox, Cynthia Conn, Federica Barbieri, and Thomas Paradis
Assessing general education
goals can be a daunting task. Barbara Walvoord (2004)
recommends several straight-forward steps to define goals and conduct an
assessment audit. This poster focuses on the assessment audit being conducted
related to Liberal Studies. Our initial general education assessment plan and
the initial results of a content analysis aimed at identifying course-embedded
assignments related to liberal studies skills will be presented.
The Southwest as a Classroom: A
Learner-Centered Capstone Field Course in Geography
Thomas Paradis and Lee Dexter
Department of Geography, Planning & Recreation
Field-based courses lend
themselves well to learner-centered teaching. Our presentation reports on
Geography’s annual capstone course, Field
Analysis (GGR 480). The course constitutes the primary assessment of
program-level outcomes and exemplifies learner-centered teaching and assessment
strategies. Students construct their own knowledge through the gathering and
synthesizing of information and integrating it with skills of inquiry,
communication, critical thinking, and problem solving.
Office of Student Financial Aid
Satisfaction Survey
Terri Eckel and Jen Frey
Financial Aid
In an effort to provide
better customer service, we conducted a satisfaction survey targeting new
freshmen, new transfer and continuing graduate students who visited our office
during Lumberjack Week and the first two weeks of the fall semester.
Chemistry Lab Hybrid Development: A Flight Simulator Approach
Jim Maxka
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Thanks to support from The Center for Research,
Assessment and Development of Learning in Electronic Environments, we have
built on-line prelab materials for CHM151L. Students must perform simulations and pass prelab quizzes before they begin work on the
experiment. We will present examples of
the simulations, show how we integrate the system into our lab management and
discuss student attitude surveys and the improved learning and work flow in the
laboratory.
Assessment
of the Hybrid Approach to Teach Principles of Microeconomics
James Pinto and Pin Ng
This hybrid approach to
teaching Principles of Microeconomics includes traditional in-class lectures
and various supplemental learning components. It uses WebCT as a repository for
all course materials. With the help of
WebCT, we implement varied teaching styles to match the students’ diverse
learning styles. Preliminary analysis of the data indicate
a net learning gain during the semester as measured by pre and post assessment
quizzes. Student engagement measured by
the number absences and the final exam grade was reflected in a strong negative
relationship.
NAU Health and Wellness Survey 2005: New
Findings for Campus Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Jon Rudy and Nina Gotz
Fronske Health Promotion Office
Data from the 2003 Health and Wellness Survey show that about 30% of students
still regularly binge-drink alcohol. To further alcohol abuse prevention
efforts, the
NAU Depression Prevention Education Study: A Campus
Needs and Assets
Assessment
Nina Gotz
and Jon Rudy
Fronske
Health Promotion Office
In our 2003 Health and Wellness Survey, 50% of
students reported they had been depressed for more than two weeks over the past
school year. Depression is becoming an increasingly important health issue on
college campuses nationwide. To identify strategies for early depression
prevention, we conducted a needs and assets assessment on NAU’s campus, using a
logic model approach. Findings from student focus groups, key stakeholders
interviews, and results of the 2005 Health and Wellness survey will be
presented.
Assessment of African American Students Who Participate
in Student Support Services
Kevin Chase
and Kathie Oehme
Educational
Support Programs
African-American students in the Student Support
Services program have underperformed compared to other minority peers. Program staff held a focus group in November
2005 to identify what specific kinds of support services these students need in
order to be more successful academically.
While few students attended, we learned what worked and what did not
work for them as participants in our program. We will then take the information
from the focus group and apply it to our program to assist African-American
students.
Technology Professional Development
Delivery Preferences
J. Michael Blocher, Laura Sujo de
Montes, and Becky Willis
Department of Educational Specialties
This presentation will detail
a study conducted at
Ph.D. Program Assessment in the
Thomas Kolb and Paul Beier
The learning outcomes
expected for PhD graduates in Forestry are derived from the values and learning
philosophies of our faculty, and the demands and requirements of our clients
and the Forestry profession. Students
graduating with the Ph.D. will have a broad understanding about forest
ecosystems and human management of forests, exceptional knowledge about a
specialized discipline within Forestry, research competence, polished communication skills, and ability to
plan and teach college-level courses.
Our presentation describes assessment of these competencies.
BF Scholars Retention Rates
Josie Hutchinson
Multicultural
The BF Scholars are an elite
group of students who attended the Summer Transition Program. These scholars
were chosen to lead and serve the community of
Student Engagement in Socratic Seminars: A Survey of
Participation and Perceptions
Nancy Schilling
Department of Educational Leadership
Through the use of the Socratic Seminar students learn
to think critically about ideas, issues, and values inherent in course
literature. Surveys have been
administered for the past year to students in five courses and data has been
compiled regarding the use of the Seminar technique regarding engagement,
dialogue participation, and perceptions.
Results will be reported based on these items.
Freshman Year Experience and Orientation Participants’
Retention
Student
Affairs Assessment and New Student Programs
Retention of students participating in Freshman Year
Experience 101 and Orientation was examined.
The presentation will include data by program, data combined for both
programs, and data for FYE101 by grade earned in the course.
Student Affairs Retention
Student
Affairs Assessment
Student Affairs activities have a key goal of helping
to retain students. While it is
difficult to know the exact impact that participation in these programs has,
examination of academic ability in tandem with participation in programs is a
first step in understand who might be influenced by SA programs. This poster reviews retention for students
who participated in SA programs in AY 03-04 and presents data regarding the
academic ability of participants by comparing ACT/SAT scores for participants
and non-participants.
Surveying and Data Reporting at Northern
Staff of Office of Planning, Budget and Institutional
Research
The Office of Planning,
Budget and Institutional Research conducts several surveys each year to provide
accountability information to the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) and to answer
internal questions about student satisfaction and student learning. Additionally, the office is involved in
numerous other projects such as assessing faculty workload and productivity,
enrollment trends and synthesizing data from across campus for reporting. This poster provides information on the
surveys, the populations surveyed, findings, and how questions can be added, in
addition to an overview of other assessment projects the office routinely
completes.
Assessment of the 2004- 2005 Campus
Visit Program Attendance
Joanne L. Hood
Undergraduate Admissions
Enhanced Daily Campus Visit
and Open House Programs were offered during the 2003-2004 academic year. This project co
Residential Living-Learning Communities
Residence Life
In collaboration with
academic and EMSA partners, the Office of Residence Life initiated six new
residential Living-Learning Communities (LLCs) this fall in an effort to
increase student learning, connect students with purposeful communities and
improve student retention. Preliminary
data assessing the impact of the Living-Learning Communities includes matched
items from Fall Resident Assistant Evaluations and Spring Quality of Life Satisfaction
Survey comparing results from LLC participants to all Freshman Connections
residents; Qualitative observations by staff on student engagement with their
LLC; illustrative programmatic efforts for each LLC and initial administrative
observations of the strengths, challenges and future plans for LLCs at NAU.