scholarly journals Findings From an Examination of a Class Purposed to Teach the Scientific Method Applied to the Business Discipline

10.28945/4774 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole A. Buzzetto-Hollywood
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Success ◽  
General Education ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Scientific Reasoning ◽  
Student Perception ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research

NOTE: This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, 18, 161-172. At the bottom of this page, click DOWNLOAD PDF to download the published paper. Aim/Purpose: This brief paper will provide preliminary insight into an institutions effort to help students understand the application of the scientific method as it applies to the business discipline through the creation of a dedicated, required course added to the curriculum of a mid-Atlantic minority-serving institution. In or-der to determine whether the under-consideration course satisfies designated student learning outcomes, an assessment regime was initiated that included examination of rubric data as well as the administration of a student perception survey. This paper summarizes the results of the early examination of the efficacy of the course under consideration. Background: A small, minority-serving, university located in the United States conducted an assessment and determined that students entering a department of business following completion of their general education science requirements had difficulties transferring their understanding of the scientific method to the business discipline. Accordingly, the department decided to create a unique course offered to sophomore standing students titled Principles of Scientific Methods in Business. The course was created by a group of faculty with input from a twenty person department. Methodology: Rubrics used to assess a course term project were collected and analyzed in Microsoft Excel to measure student satisfaction of learning goals and a stu-dent satisfaction survey was developed and administered to students enrolled in the course under consideration to measure perceived course value. Contribution: While the scientific method applies across the business and information disciplines, students often struggle to envision this application. This paper explores the implications of a course specifically purposed to engender the development and usage of logical and scientific reasoning skills in the business discipline by students in the lower level of an bachelors degree program. The information conveyed in this paper hopefully makes a contribution in an area where there is still an insufficient body of research and where additional exploration is needed. Findings: For two semesters rubrics were collected and analyzed representing the inclusion of 53 students. The target mean for the rubric was a 2.8 and the overall achieved mean was a 2.97, indicating that student performance met minimal expectations. Nevertheless, student deficiencies in three crucial areas were identified. According to the survey findings, as a result of the class students had a better understanding of the scientific method as it applies to the business discipline, are now better able to critically assess a problem, feel they can formulate a procedure to solve a problem, can test a problem-solving process, have a better understanding of how to formulate potential business solutions, understand how potential solutions are evaluated, and understand how business decisions are evaluated. Conclusion: Following careful consideration and discussion of the preliminary findings, the course under consideration was significantly enhanced. The changes were implemented in the fall of 2020 and initial data collected in the spring of 2021 is indicating measured improvement in student success as exhibited by higher rubric scores. Recommendations for Practitioners: These initial findings are promising and while considering student success, especially as we increasingly face a greater and greater portion of under-prepared students entering higher education, initiatives to build the higher order thinking skills of students via transdisciplinary courses may play an important role in the future of higher education. Recommendations for Researchers: Additional studies of transdisciplinary efforts to improve student outcomes need to be explored through collection and evaluation of rubrics used to assess student learning as well as by measuring student perception of the efficacy of these efforts. Impact on Society: Society needs more graduates who leave universities ready to solve problems critically, strategically, and with scientific reasoning. Future Research: This study was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic; however, it is resuming in late 2021 and it is the hope that a robust and detailed paper, with more expansive findings will eventually be generated.

scholarly journals Findings From an Examination of a Class Purposed to Teach the Scientific Method Applied to the Business Discipline

10.28945/4794 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 161-172
Author(s):  
Nicole A. Buzzetto-Hollywood
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Success ◽  
General Education ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Scientific Reasoning ◽  
Student Perception ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research

Aim/Purpose: This brief paper will provide preliminary insight into an institutions effort to help students understand the application of the scientific method as it applies to the business discipline through the creation of a dedicated, required course added to the curriculum of a mid-Atlantic minority-serving institution. In or-der to determine whether the under-consideration course satisfies designated student learning outcomes, an assessment regime was initiated that included examination of rubric data as well as the administration of a student perception survey. This paper summarizes the results of the early examination of the efficacy of the course under consideration. Background: A small, minority-serving, university located in the United States conducted an assessment and determined that students entering a department of business following completion of their general education science requirements had difficulties transferring their understanding of the scientific method to the business discipline. Accordingly, the department decided to create a unique course offered to sophomore standing students titled Principles of Scientific Methods in Business. The course was created by a group of faculty with input from a twenty person department. Methodology: Rubrics used to assess a course term project were collected and analyzed in Microsoft Excel to measure student satisfaction of learning goals and a student satisfaction survey was developed and administered to students enrolled in the course under consideration to measure perceived course value. Contribution: While the scientific method applies across the business and information disciplines, students often struggle to envision this application. This paper explores the implications of a course specifically purposed to engender the development and usage of logical and scientific reasoning skills in the business discipline by students in the lower level of an bachelors degree program. The information conveyed in this paper hopefully makes a contribution in an area where there is still an insufficient body of research and where additional exploration is needed. Findings: For two semesters rubrics were collected and analyzed representing the inclusion of 53 students. The target mean for the rubric was a 2.8 and the overall achieved mean was a 2.97, indicating that student performance met minimal expectations. Nevertheless, student deficiencies in three crucial areas were identified. According to the survey findings, as a result of the class students had a better understanding of the scientific method as it applies to the business discipline, are now better able to critically assess a problem, feel they can formulate a procedure to solve a problem, can test a problem-solving process, have a better understanding of how to formulate potential business solutions, understand how potential solutions are evaluated, and understand how business decisions are evaluated. Conclusion: Following careful consideration and discussion of the preliminary findings, the course under consideration was significantly enhanced. The changes were implemented in the fall of 2020 and initial data collected in the spring of 2021 is indicating measured improvement in student success as exhibited by higher rubric scores. Recommendations for Practitioners: These initial findings are promising and while considering student success, especially as we increasingly face a greater and greater portion of under-prepared students entering higher education, initiatives to build the higher order thinking skills of students via transdisciplinary courses may play an important role in the future of higher education. Recommendations for Researchers: Additional studies of transdisciplinary efforts to improve student outcomes need to be explored through collection and evaluation of rubrics used to assess student learning as well as by measuring student perception of the efficacy of these efforts. Impact on Society: Society needs more graduates who leave universities ready to solve problems critically, strategically, and with scientific reasoning. Future Research: This study was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic; however, it is resuming in late 2021 and it is the hope that a robust and detailed paper, with more expansive findings will eventually be generated.

scholarly journals Pedagogical Reflection

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-142
Author(s):  
Emily E. Virtue
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Personal Narrative ◽  
The United States ◽  
Student Interaction ◽  
Faculty Evaluations ◽  
Scholarly Personal Narrative ◽  
Pedagogical Choices

Instructors in higher education are often asked to reflect on their pedagogical choices in formulaic, detached, rote ways such as end of the year faculty evaluations or in response to peer review of teaching. Yet, because of the parameters for these reflections, they often lack depth or much consideration. Particularly because higher education institutions, especially in the United States, are focused on assessment, outcomes, student performance, and retention, little time is focused on particular pedagogical choices or interaction with students. Numerous studies demonstrate that faculty-student interaction has a remarkable impact on student success. This paper, a Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN), explores the value of sustained pedagogical reflection and how such reflection can benefit instructors and their students.

Teaching Music in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen M. Conway
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Music Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Effective Teacher ◽  
Developmental Needs ◽  
Teaching Music ◽  
Music Education Majors

This book is designed for faculty and graduate assistants working with undergraduate music majors as well as non-majors in colleges and universities in the United States. It includes suggestions for designing and organizing music courses (applied music as well as academic classes) and strategies for meeting the developmental needs of the undergraduate student. It addresses concerns about undergraduate curricula that meet National Association of School of Music requirements as well as teacher education requirements for music education majors in most states. A common theme throughout the book is a focus on learner-centered pedagogy or trying to meet students where they are and base instruction on their individual needs. The text also maintains a constant focus on the relationship between teaching and learning and encourages innovative ways for instructors to assess student learning in music courses. Teaching is connected throughout the book to student learning and the lecture model of teaching as transmission is discouraged. Activities throughout the book ask instructors to focus on what it means to be an effective teacher for music courses. As there is limited research on teaching music in higher education, the book relies on comprehensive texts from the general education field to help provide the research base for our definition of effective teaching.

Using Accountability to Improve Student Learning in Higher Education Music Programs

2019 ◽  
pp. 745-765
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Ward
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Program Improvement ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Curricular Development ◽  
Accreditation Standards ◽  
Improve Student Learning

Educational accountability has become an increasingly influential factor in higher education. This chapter examines various government oversight and accreditation standards in Central and South America, Europe, and the United States and how student learning in higher education in music can be improved through meeting these standards. The author specifically describes music accreditation procedures of the National Association of Schools of Music and the American Music Therapy Association in the United States. Using accreditation standards as a guideline for program improvement, the author offers a variety of assessment best practices to engage higher education faculty in the assessment process, to improve instruction, to guide curricular development, and to ultimately improve student learning.

Promoting divergent leadership philosophies to improve student success outcomes for black and brown students in higher education

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Petty ◽  
Dakota King-White ◽  
Tachelle Banks
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Baccalaureate Degree ◽  
The United States ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Support Students

Abstract Throughout the United States there are millions of Black and Brown students starting the process of attending college. However, research indicates that students from traditionally marginalized groups are less likely than their counterparts to complete the process and graduate college (Shapiro et al., 2017). While retention rates for students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds continue to decline, universities are beginning to pay attention to the needs of this population in search of ways of better supporting them. The examination of these factors may also inform programmatic adjustments, leadership philosophies, and future practices to help retain students and lead to eventual completion of a baccalaureate degree. In this article, the authors review the literature to explore factors that can affect Black and Brown students’ completion rates in higher education. By reviewing the literature and the factors impacting Black and Brown students, the authors share with readers initiatives at one university that are being used to support students from a strengths-based approach.

scholarly journals Educated To Death? Women’s Higher Education, Reproductive Health, And The Scientific Method In The United States, 1870-1900

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-93
Author(s):  
Eleanor Naiman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Treatment ◽  
Women's College ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Medical Associations ◽  
White Middle Class ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Women's Higher Education

From 1870-1890, American gynecologists positioned themselves at the center of debates about women’s education. Gynecologists manipulated social anxiety about shifting demographics and falling birthrates among white middle class women in order to legitimate their emerging discipline. In doing so, they couched American understandings of infertility in a politics of blame and demonized women for their inability to reproduce. Although doctors’ conversations about “sterility” primarily took place within the pages of journals published by all-male medical associations, many women engaged in this debate and challenged medical authority in the pages of popular magazines and newspapers. Female doctors, teachers, scholars, women’s college administrators, and their male allies employed a wide range of rhetorical strategies in their responses to male doctors’ theories. They reframed the debate over higher education and sterility into a discussion of the failings of patriarchal gender norms and the importance of objective scientific inquiry. They did so as the medical profession’s commitment to anecdotal evidence and individual treatment faced pressure from the emerging fields of quantitative studies, epidemiology, and medical statistics. A debate that began with a few vocal doctors with passionate but largely unsubstantiated claims had grown to incorporate discussions about scientific method, women’s rights, and female autonomy.

scholarly journals Executive Higher Education Doctoral Programs in the United States: A Demographic Market-Based Analysis

10.28945/3713 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 001-019
Author(s):  
Sydney Freeman Jr. ◽  
Gracie Forthun
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Doctoral Degree ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Doctoral Degree Programs ◽  
Education Degree

Aim/Purpose: Executive doctoral programs in higher education are under-researched. Scholars, administers, and students should be aware of all common delivery methods for higher education graduate programs. Background This paper provides a review and analysis of executive doctoral higher education programs in the United States. Methodology: Executive higher education doctoral programs analyzed utilizing a qualitative demographic market-based analysis approach. Contribution: This review of executive higher education doctoral programs provides one of the first investigations of this segment of the higher education degree market. Findings: There are twelve programs in the United States offering executive higher education degrees, though there are less aggressively marketed programs described as executive-style higher education doctoral programs that could serve students with similar needs. Recommendations for Practitioners: Successful executive higher education doctoral programs require faculty that have both theoretical knowledge and practical experience in higher education. As appropriate, these programs should include tenure-line, clinical-track, and adjunct faculty who have cabinet level experience in higher education. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should begin to investigate more closely the small but growing population of executive doctoral degree programs in higher education. Impact on Society: Institutions willing to offer executive degrees in higher education will provide training specifically for those faculty who are one step from an executive position within the higher education sector. Society will be impacted by having someone that is trained in the area who also has real world experience. Future Research: Case studies of students enrolled in executive higher education programs and research documenting university-employer goals for these programs would enhance our understanding of this branch of the higher education degree market.

scholarly journals Determinants and Consequences of Students Learning Satisfaction During Covid-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Arfah Habib Saragih ◽  
Joansyah Adwie ◽  
Adang Hendrawan
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Student Perception ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Learning Satisfaction ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Positive Effect

This study examines the effect of student perception in online learning on student satisfaction and its impact on student learning performance and intention to use in the future. The regression analysis method was used based on the survey results from 157 students. Results indicate that students' perceptions of online learning had a positive effect on student satisfaction, intention to use, and student learning performance. Further, student satisfaction has a positive effect on student learning performance but does not affect the intention to use. The implications for lecturers, students, and faculties are also discussed. Keywords:  student perception, online learning, student satisfaction,   student performance, intention to use, covid-19 pandemic

Blending Technology-Centric Strategies for Faculty Development in Higher Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 90-107
Author(s):  
Ute S. Lahaie ◽  
Jacqueline M. Mumford
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
The United States ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Pedagogical Approaches

Many universities in the United States are working to incorporate innovative 21st century skills, new active learning pedagogical approaches, and technology. Creating new physical and virtual spaces requires agile faculty professional for technology-centric experiences. Designing and offering meaningful professional development to faculty members in new virtual and physical learning technology-centric environments is a challenge. This case study explores the journey of one higher education institution in the Midwest as they implemented new technology-centric strategies, initiatives, and support. Data from faculty participants indicate the program's success and establish an agenda for future research.

Pedagogical Values in Online and Blended Learning Environments in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 1381-1403
Author(s):  
Sophia Palahicky ◽  
Donna DesBiens ◽  
Ken Jeffery ◽  
Keith Stuart Webster
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Secondary Educators ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Successful Teaching

Pedagogical values directly affect student performance and, therefore, are essential to successful teaching practice. It is absolutely critical that post-secondary educators examine and reflect on their pedagogical values because these principles pave the path for student success. This chapter describes four pedagogical values that are critical to student success within the context of online and blended learning environments in higher education: 1) value of care; 2) value of diversity; 3) value of community; and 4) value of justice.

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