This study examined the factors that predict the likelihood of a first-time freshman (FTF) student retaining and graduating in a timely manner at the University of Kansas (KU) based on their perceptions of the frequency and quality of student-faculty engagement, with an emphasis on exploring differences between underrepresented minority students…

This descriptive study explored how community colleges are teaching leadership in technical programs. Leadership education curricular offerings were identified via a survey and selected programs reviewed. 68 Deans, Directors, or Chairpersons of a Business, Management, or Technology program completed the survey, representing 61 community colleges.…

Hands-on learning activities enhance course outcomes in college courses based on increased exam scores and student satisfaction; however, online courses pose challenges for creating hands-on learning opportunities. The objective of this study was to compare online and on-campus students' perception and performance on a soybean processing and…

The purpose of this study was to examine music education majors' perceptions of lesson planning in the university curricula. Specifically, the author was interested in which classes the respondents were taught to construct and use lesson plans, their perceptions about the importance of lesson planning, and how prepared they felt to use lesson…

A small group of midsize land-grant institutions in the western United States responded to a survey on what tools they used for troubleshooting, what activities they accomplished using the tools, and who performed their troubleshooting. Most respondents use subscription-manager administration tools, email programs, electronic resource management…

The concept of embedded librarians is a way for academic librarians to be intentionally and strategically inserted in the learning and teaching process through a variety of initiatives. In a mid-size university, in order to better address the research and curricular needs of students and faculty members, librarians became more intentional about…

Graduate students lament the need to achieve the proficiency necessary to competently search multiple databases for their research assignments, regularly eschewing these sources in favor of Google Scholar or some other search engine. The author conducted an anonymous survey investigating graduate student knowledge or awareness of the open-access…

The availability of science and technology e-books through the University of Kansas Libraries is growing rapidly through approval plans, e-book packages, and electronic demand-driven acquisitions. Based on informal conversations with faculty, questions still lingered as to the acceptance of books in the electronic format by faculty and graduate…

This study investigated the effects of task relevance instructions and topic beliefs on reading processes and memory for belief-related text. Undergraduates received task instructions (focus on arguments for vs. against) before reading a dual-position text. In Experiment 1 (n = 88), a reading time methodology showed no differences in reading time…

For over a decade, academia has been engaged in a lively discussion of how to internationalize the curriculum so that students are better prepared to step into the role of global citizens. This article contributes to the discussion of methods that can be employed to further promote internationalization. The article examines a class project…

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) Using National Benchmarking Data to Improve Student Learning in Chemistry at Lebanon Valley College (Marc A. Harris); (2) Mutually Dependent Outcomes: Using Assessment to Improve First-Year Retention and Student Learning (Alan Bearman and Elaine Lewis); (3) Emergent…

School leadership matters when discussing teacher effectiveness and student performance, and preparation programs need to graduate principals with the skills necessary to lead schools for tomorrow. The traditional approach to preparing educational leaders is no longer getting the job done. In this article, Meija, Devin and Calvert, students who…

Kansas State University designed a 20-month faculty development program with the goal of fostering broad, institution-wide adoption of teaching practices that focus on brain-based learning. Components of the program included annual teaching and learning workshops, reading and discussion groups based on content of a book about how the brain learns…

The Kansas State University Open/Alternative Textbook Initiative provides grants to faculty members to replace textbooks with open/alternative educational resources (OAERs) that are available at no cost to students. Open educational resources are available for anyone to access, while alternative educational resources are not open. The objective of…

Although the requirements for family engagement in education are included in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), teacher education and administrator preparation programs have offered limited educational opportunities for new teachers and administrators to gain knowledge, skills and practical experience related to family and…