Narrative
By taking two required courses, EDFI 6410- Statistics in Education and EDFI6420-Research in Education, I learned how to utilize descriptive statistics to
describe data, interpret statistical results in research articles and critically read and evaluate research studies, and describe and apply research methods associated with quantitative and qualitative research. For the research course, one of my assignments was to design an educational research study/proposal about an educational problem of interest to me. (See copy of research proposal below.) I chose to research and do a literature review on how to best engage Millennial students (anyone born after 1982) in class discussions.
Students in the Millennial Generation grew up in an environment that places a priority on individuality (Roehling, Lee Vander Kooi, Dykema, Quisenberry, & Vandlen, 2010). Information, entertainment, and social interactions are at these students’ fingertips. Research on the Millennial Generation implies that these students have different educational expectations and needs (Howe& Strauss, 2003). As a result, different approaches to engaging Millennial students in class discussions may be necessary. Compared to recent generations, Millennials are easily bored, crave
variety, are self-directed, have high self-esteem, are collaborative and team-oriented, crave interaction, and are ethnically diverse (Oblinger, 2003;
Twenge, 2006). Since Millennials enjoy working in groups and have a low tolerance for boredom, traditional classroom lectures may not be as effective with this generation. Classroom discussions, if facilitated appropriately, could help meet the goals of this collaborative and inquisitive generation. Faculty, however, frequently comment that most traditional-aged students (ages 18-23) remain silent during class discussion (Roehling et al., 2010).
Minimal research exists on how to specifically engage Millennial students in class discussion. Millennial students attending community colleges frequently take classes with non-traditional students (students over the age of 23) and students from diverse backgrounds. Often, classes at community colleges have smaller student enrollment and different classroom norms for class participation and unique conditions that facilitate and stifle discussions may exist at various types of institutions. As a result of the research study I created, faculty at community colleges will better understand Millennial students’ perceptions of class discussions. In addition, they will gain insight on how to create a classroom atmosphere that increases Millennial students’ participation in classroom discussion and thus, enhances student learning and development. For the study I designed, Information will be gathered through one-on-one interviews and small focus groups. There are several research questions that the study will seek to identify:
* How do students of the Millennial Generation think that faculty at a large community college can help to facilitate more participation in
class discussion?
* In what ways do students of the Millennial Generation find classroom discussion useful and of value?
* How do students of the Millennial Generation think that faculty can hinder participation in class discussions?
* In what situations to students of the Millennial Generation feel most and least comfortable participating in class discussions?
This is a topic I hope to explore in more detail as an area of possible research interest for me in the future.
As part of a required course that I completed, CSP 6035- Multicultural Competence in Student Affairs, I designed my own project, which included attending a pre-conference workshop called “Does Race Matter?.” The purpose of the project was to collaborate with an experienced professional and gain invaluable experience in assessment, evaluation, and research and grow in multicultural competence. I contacted the presenter, Dr. Michael Washington, to ask if I could create a workshop evaluation to be distributed to participants after the workshop and he agreed. Prior to creating the evaluation, I talked in detail with Dr. Washington about his presentation by phone. I designed the evaluation with Dr. Washington’s input, collected the evaluations, and analyzed and organized the results into a report. (See copies of the evaluation I created and a report of the findings below.)
I learned a lot from the experience of developing a workshop evaluation, analyzing the data, and attending the pre-conference workshop and I
am grateful that I took advantage of the opportunity to design my own project. One of my most important “take aways” about developing a conference evaluation is that it is critical to know how you want to analyze the data prior to collecting the data. In hindsight, I wish Dr. Washington and I would have talked about the data analysis piece as we were considering the questions we wanted to include. In doing so, I think we would have been more clear from the onset about how the data could inform us about both Dr. Washington as a facilitator and the learning outcomes of the participants. When using an evaluation tool, the presenter should also use the same terminology during the workshop that he/she uses on the evaluation. Several terms were not introduced at all or were not discussed in a way that participants were able to recall the term and several participants noted this on their evaluation comments.
During Summer semester, 2012, I did a practicum in new student orientation at BGSU’s Firelands campus. I reached out to a number
of area colleges and universities to see if staff members at these institutions were willing to meet to discuss their new student orientation process and best practices. From the qualitative research I gathered at each of the seven institutions I visited (Bowling Green State University’s main campus, Tiffin University, Lourdes College, Terra Community College, Lorain County Community College, Washtenaw Community College, The Ohio State University-Mansfield) I created a report of the findings and included specific recommendations on how BGSU Firelands might consider
redesigning their new student orientation sessions to make them more engaging and interactive. (See final report of my findings below.) I also presented my findings at a meeting with BGSU Firelands advising managers and staff. In addition, I distributed the final report to each of the staff members at the institutions I visited. I began the practicum experience with informal theory about what I believe new student orientation should feel like and as my experience came to a close I learned the valuable lesson that there is no “one size fits all” or “cookie cutter approach.” When it comes to orienting new students, it is important to consider what students need to know right now and to look for ways to share this information in fun and
interactive ways. In addition, it is critical to consider the differences between traditional and nontraditional students. Lastly, orientation should continuously be evaluated and improved upon.
Resources:
ACPA & NASPA (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners. Washington, DC: Authors.
Howe, N. & Strauss, W. (2003). Millennials go to college: Strategies for a new generation on campus. Washington,D.C.: American Association of College Registrars.
Oblinger, D. (2003). Understanding the new students: Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials. Educause July/August: 37-46.
Roehling, P. V., Lee Vander Kooi, T. L., Dykema, S., Quisenberry, B. & Vandlen, C. (2010). Engaging the millennial generation in class discussions. College Teaching, 59(1), 1-6.
Photo from http://www.kcl.ac.uk/library/researchsupport/EvaluatingResearch/index.aspx
describe data, interpret statistical results in research articles and critically read and evaluate research studies, and describe and apply research methods associated with quantitative and qualitative research. For the research course, one of my assignments was to design an educational research study/proposal about an educational problem of interest to me. (See copy of research proposal below.) I chose to research and do a literature review on how to best engage Millennial students (anyone born after 1982) in class discussions.
Students in the Millennial Generation grew up in an environment that places a priority on individuality (Roehling, Lee Vander Kooi, Dykema, Quisenberry, & Vandlen, 2010). Information, entertainment, and social interactions are at these students’ fingertips. Research on the Millennial Generation implies that these students have different educational expectations and needs (Howe& Strauss, 2003). As a result, different approaches to engaging Millennial students in class discussions may be necessary. Compared to recent generations, Millennials are easily bored, crave
variety, are self-directed, have high self-esteem, are collaborative and team-oriented, crave interaction, and are ethnically diverse (Oblinger, 2003;
Twenge, 2006). Since Millennials enjoy working in groups and have a low tolerance for boredom, traditional classroom lectures may not be as effective with this generation. Classroom discussions, if facilitated appropriately, could help meet the goals of this collaborative and inquisitive generation. Faculty, however, frequently comment that most traditional-aged students (ages 18-23) remain silent during class discussion (Roehling et al., 2010).
Minimal research exists on how to specifically engage Millennial students in class discussion. Millennial students attending community colleges frequently take classes with non-traditional students (students over the age of 23) and students from diverse backgrounds. Often, classes at community colleges have smaller student enrollment and different classroom norms for class participation and unique conditions that facilitate and stifle discussions may exist at various types of institutions. As a result of the research study I created, faculty at community colleges will better understand Millennial students’ perceptions of class discussions. In addition, they will gain insight on how to create a classroom atmosphere that increases Millennial students’ participation in classroom discussion and thus, enhances student learning and development. For the study I designed, Information will be gathered through one-on-one interviews and small focus groups. There are several research questions that the study will seek to identify:
* How do students of the Millennial Generation think that faculty at a large community college can help to facilitate more participation in
class discussion?
* In what ways do students of the Millennial Generation find classroom discussion useful and of value?
* How do students of the Millennial Generation think that faculty can hinder participation in class discussions?
* In what situations to students of the Millennial Generation feel most and least comfortable participating in class discussions?
This is a topic I hope to explore in more detail as an area of possible research interest for me in the future.
As part of a required course that I completed, CSP 6035- Multicultural Competence in Student Affairs, I designed my own project, which included attending a pre-conference workshop called “Does Race Matter?.” The purpose of the project was to collaborate with an experienced professional and gain invaluable experience in assessment, evaluation, and research and grow in multicultural competence. I contacted the presenter, Dr. Michael Washington, to ask if I could create a workshop evaluation to be distributed to participants after the workshop and he agreed. Prior to creating the evaluation, I talked in detail with Dr. Washington about his presentation by phone. I designed the evaluation with Dr. Washington’s input, collected the evaluations, and analyzed and organized the results into a report. (See copies of the evaluation I created and a report of the findings below.)
I learned a lot from the experience of developing a workshop evaluation, analyzing the data, and attending the pre-conference workshop and I
am grateful that I took advantage of the opportunity to design my own project. One of my most important “take aways” about developing a conference evaluation is that it is critical to know how you want to analyze the data prior to collecting the data. In hindsight, I wish Dr. Washington and I would have talked about the data analysis piece as we were considering the questions we wanted to include. In doing so, I think we would have been more clear from the onset about how the data could inform us about both Dr. Washington as a facilitator and the learning outcomes of the participants. When using an evaluation tool, the presenter should also use the same terminology during the workshop that he/she uses on the evaluation. Several terms were not introduced at all or were not discussed in a way that participants were able to recall the term and several participants noted this on their evaluation comments.
During Summer semester, 2012, I did a practicum in new student orientation at BGSU’s Firelands campus. I reached out to a number
of area colleges and universities to see if staff members at these institutions were willing to meet to discuss their new student orientation process and best practices. From the qualitative research I gathered at each of the seven institutions I visited (Bowling Green State University’s main campus, Tiffin University, Lourdes College, Terra Community College, Lorain County Community College, Washtenaw Community College, The Ohio State University-Mansfield) I created a report of the findings and included specific recommendations on how BGSU Firelands might consider
redesigning their new student orientation sessions to make them more engaging and interactive. (See final report of my findings below.) I also presented my findings at a meeting with BGSU Firelands advising managers and staff. In addition, I distributed the final report to each of the staff members at the institutions I visited. I began the practicum experience with informal theory about what I believe new student orientation should feel like and as my experience came to a close I learned the valuable lesson that there is no “one size fits all” or “cookie cutter approach.” When it comes to orienting new students, it is important to consider what students need to know right now and to look for ways to share this information in fun and
interactive ways. In addition, it is critical to consider the differences between traditional and nontraditional students. Lastly, orientation should continuously be evaluated and improved upon.
Resources:
ACPA & NASPA (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners. Washington, DC: Authors.
Howe, N. & Strauss, W. (2003). Millennials go to college: Strategies for a new generation on campus. Washington,D.C.: American Association of College Registrars.
Oblinger, D. (2003). Understanding the new students: Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials. Educause July/August: 37-46.
Roehling, P. V., Lee Vander Kooi, T. L., Dykema, S., Quisenberry, B. & Vandlen, C. (2010). Engaging the millennial generation in class discussions. College Teaching, 59(1), 1-6.
Photo from http://www.kcl.ac.uk/library/researchsupport/EvaluatingResearch/index.aspx
Artifacts:
Research Proposal:
Workshop Evaluation I Created,
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Qualitative Assessment of
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new_student_orientation_findings.pdf | |
File Size: | 735 kb |
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does_race_matter-_post-confeence_workshop_evaluation_2.12.12.pdf | |
File Size: | 203 kb |
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data_analysis_of_does_race_matter_survey.pdf | |
File Size: | 217 kb |
File Type: |
final_project_in_final_format_4.27.12.pdf | |
File Size: | 152 kb |
File Type: |