Responsive survey design is a technique aimed at improving the efficiency or quality of surveys by using incoming data from the field to make design changes. The technique was pioneered on large national surveys, but the tools can also be applied on the smaller-scale surveys most commonly used by sociologists. We demonstrate responsive survey…

Purpose: Building on existing study abroad literature, the purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of both short-term and long-term study abroad programs on students' leadership skills and their career aspirations. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of college students were invited to complete an electronic survey about their experiences…

The digital world has unhooked information from authority and created a post-truth ethos, yet it also allows for access to the building blocks of deliberative democratic discussions: sources, evidence, and databases. This article describes an approach to teaching the American history survey utilizing primary source databases as the students' main…

The use of gamified learning has increased within the educational community over the last decade in an attempt to enhance student learning in multiple ways. In particular, researchers have started to examine gamified learning and its impact on student motivation and engagement within educational settings. However, few have examined the…

Competition to attract international students continues to grow and understanding the factors that influence study destination choice is critical to the marketing efforts of nations, states, and institutions. This survey-based study of international students at Michigan State University demonstrates that they appear to choose the country in which…

Higher education institutions in the United States are experiencing tremendous growth of international students. This essay serves as a case study of how an institution is addressing its growth from a handful of international students to nearly 10% of its total student population in a decade. The authors describe writing instruction and the lack…

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to compare web-based to high-fidelity simulation training in the management of high risk/low occurrence anesthesia related events, to enhance knowledge acquisition for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). This project was designed to answer the question: Is web-based training as effective as…

The authors describe a promising approach to engaging high school students in intergroup dialogues, relying on "near peers"--in this case, local college students--to facilitate a series of classroom discussions about racial identity, differences, and opportunities to connect. Early results suggest that the approach had significant…

Objective: Women assertively resisting sexual aggression have the best chances of avoiding completed rape. Especially with acquaintances, there are significant social and psychological barriers to resistance. Novel vignettes depicting acquaintance rape were designed to enhance self-efficacy, reduce unrealistic optimism, and empower assertive…

Admission policies are one of the mechanisms that university public administrators utilize to increase student access and diversity. In some cases, socioeconomic inequalities and barriers to affirmative action limit the ability of universities to increase access to higher education for underrepresented minorities. This research examined the…

This study examines the attitudes of students on the use of PowerPoint and chalk/white boards in college science lecture classes. Students were asked to complete a survey regarding their experiences with PowerPoint and chalk/white boards in their science classes. Both multiple-choice and short answer questions were used. The multiple-choice…

One of the continuing areas of controversy surrounding higher education is affirmative action. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear "Fisher v. Texas," and their ruling may well influence universities' diversity initiatives, especially if they overturn "Grutter v. Bollinger" and rule that diversity is no longer a…

Objective: To examine gender differences in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine stages of change following the recommendations for permissive use of HPV vaccine in males. Participants: Students aged 18-26 attending a large, public, Midwest university in April 2010. Methods: Participants completed a self-administered, online questionnaire. HPV…

The move from general chemistry to organic chemistry can be a challenge for students as it often involves a transition from quantitatively-oriented to mechanistically-oriented thinking. This study found that the design of the general chemistry course can change the student experience of this transition as assessed by a reflective survey. The…

A key element in vocabulary instruction is to get the students to "feel" the vocabulary and make it a part of their new language identity; that is, helping the students to "own" the terms is a top priority of language instructors. Using verbpathy as a tool meets this goal. The idea of using verbpathy in vocabulary instruction…