Measuring Learning and Promoting Academic Integrity in Online Instruction

The COVID-19 pandemic shifted kinesiology courses into more hybrid and online delivery, creating new challenges and opportunities for evaluating learning and online testing. Research using the Biomechanics Concept Inventory indicates that both high-tech and low-tech active learning experiences implemented in hybrid and online formats in biomechanics courses improve student learning above levels for lecture alone. However, online pre- and posttesting using concept inventories or major exams are vulnerable to cheating. Experience and research on proctoring online testing indicate only partial success in detecting cheating absent substantial faculty commitment to investigate suspicious behavior. These difficulties with online testing provide an opportunity for kinesiology faculty to implement more authentic, holistic assessments that are less vulnerable to violations of academic integrity. The importance of well-designed, rigorous assessment methods that uphold academic integrity standards will continue to evolve as kinesiology departments expand online learning.

Group Dissertations as Leadership Learning

This article shares rationales for group dissertations and offers practical descriptions of how they transpire in one Doctor of Education (EdD) program. Drawing on program experiences and data, it considers how group dissertations promote leadership learning and EdD program puposes using Archbald’s criteria of developmental efficacy, intellectual stewardship, distinctive form, and community benefit. Suggested supports for group dissertations include clear commitments to group dissertations, admission processes attentive to group dissertation demands, an open student-centered topic and group formation process, faculty commitment to group advising, and vigilance against regressions to the familiar.

ABET Accreditation in Colombian Higher Education Institutions: Opportunities and Barriers

Accreditation is a contemporary issue in engineering education. There are varying opinions about the opportunities and barriers of this process within the Colombian context. This study compared the advantages and disadvantages of various experiences published in the literature about ABET accreditation. The findings show the ABET accreditation promotes the adoption and implementation of a continuous improvement system and quality culture in engineering education. Additionally, the continuous improvement process aligns the institutional mission, program educational objectives, curricula, and student outcomes. On the contrary, the main concern is the high cost associated with preparing and adapting programs to meet the ABET requirements. Accreditation takes time and effort to be meaningful, which can sometimes lead to increased workloads and time requirements, inadequate training, and lack of faculty commitment. The compilation of experiences with the ABET accreditation process is a significant contribution to engineering programs of public universities in Colombia seeking international accreditation.

Effect of Decision Making Styles of Academic Managers on Faculty Commitment in Public Sector Universities of Punjab

The study was aimed to find out the effect of decision-making styles of academic managers on faculty commitment in public sector universities of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The sample of the present study was comprised of 186 academic managers and 940 teachers teaching at the university level. Two instruments were used for data collection named as Decision Making Styles Questionnaire (DMSQ) and Faculty Commitment Questionnaire (FCQ). The decision-Making Styles Questionnaire (DMSQ) was developed by the researcher, and the Faculty Commitment Questionnaire (FCQ) was adapted for the study. The data were analyzed by applying the regression analysis technique. The results of the study showed that the decision-making styles of academic managers on the whole, and its all components significantly and positively predicted the outcome variables (faculty commitment). The major implication of the study is to develop a balanced rapport between academic managers and faculty because committed faculty has a high level of enthusiasm to lead the university towards success.

Increasing Research Productivity in Undergraduate Research Experiences: Exploring Predictors of Collaborative Faculty–Student Publications

Little attention has been paid to understanding faculty–student productivity via undergraduate research from the faculty member’s perspective. This study examines predictors of faculty–student publications resulting from mentored undergraduate research, including measures of faculty–student collaboration, faculty commitment to undergraduate students, and faculty characteristics. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze data from 468 faculty members across 13 research-intensive institutions, collected by a cross-sectional survey in 2013/2014. Results show that biomedical faculty mentors were more productive in publishing collaboratively with undergraduate students when they worked with students for more than 1 year on average, enjoyed teaching students about research, had mentored Black students, had received more funding from the National Institutes of Health, had a higher H-index scores, and had more years of experience working in higher education. This study suggests that college administrators and research program directors should strive to create incentives for faculty members to collaborate with undergraduate students and promote faculty awareness that undergraduates can contribute to their research.