ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Development and Evaluation of a Mass Conservation Laboratory Module in a Microfluidics Environment
Author: King, Andrew C.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Engineering,Engineering Education,Mechanics (Physics),Laboratory Experiments,Undergraduate Students,Knowledge Level,Statistical Significance,Conservation (Concept),Pretests Posttests

Laboratory-based instruction is a powerful educational tool that engages students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines beyond textbook theory. This is true in mechanical engineering education and is often used to provide collegiate-level students a hands-on alternative to course theory. Module-based laboratory instruction allows students to investigate fundamental concepts interactively and often affords new critical thinking skills and technical aptitude. The authors have developed a novel mass conservation laboratory module for use in undergraduate fluid mechanics education via module-based instruction. The module investigates mass conservation fundamentals in a simple microfluidic T-junction device. The experiment is a novel application of microfluidics-based instruction, is highly repeatable, and can be conducted at relatively low cost. The module exposes students to the rapidly developing field of microfluidics and allows them to gain familiarity with fluorescence-based optical diagnostics and simple signal processing. In addition, this study quantifies the module's educational impact on thirty-six mechanical engineering undergraduates. A baseline study was conducted by utilizing knowledge assessments before and after the experimental module. The results of the study are statistically significant and suggest the module's efficacy for teaching mass conservation fundamentals in an undergraduate curriculum.
Research and Assessment of Learning Environments through Photoelicitation: Graduate Student Perceptions of Electronics Manufacturing in India
Author: Berdanier, Catherine G. P.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Graduate Students,Student Attitudes,Photography,Learning Experience,Study Abroad,Educational Assessment,Educational Environment,Engineering,Engineering Education,College Faculty,Manufacturing,Electronic Equipment,Electronics,Safety,Online Surveys

This research studies the positive and negative perceptions of graduate students from the United States studying issues of sustainable electronics and electronics manufacturing in India as part of a National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) curriculum. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of an online photoelicitation method, which intends to probe learning experiences from the graduate students' international experience through the use of participant-generated photographs taken during the trip. This research provides insight on the importance of international learning experiences in graduate-level engineering education and the value of non-traditional formats of graduate student learning. This research exemplifies the use of this novel method in research and educational assessment of non-traditional learning environments, as well as offers interested engineering educators guidelines to implementing this technique in their individual contexts.
Neighbourhood Book Exchanges: Localising Information Practices
Author: Webster, Tenny
Date: 2015-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Neighborhoods,Books,Shared Resources and Services,Urban Areas,News Media,News Reporting,Interviews,Grounded Theory,Printed Materials,Mixed Methods Research,Content Analysis,Case Studies,Sense of Community,Information Dissemination,Questionnaires,Cataloging,Literacy,Socialization,Citizen Participation

Introduction: Through this paper we report on an exploratory study into the design and use of neighbourhood book exchanges in North America. We identify dominant media framings of these book exchanges in North America, along with claims made concerning the influence of the exchanges. We compare the media claims with insights from interviews with the stewards of six book exchanges in an urban centre of the Pacific Northwest and weekly inventories of the six exchanges. Method: We collected and analysed over 150 newspaper and media articles, conducted weekly extensive inventories of six book exchanges for three months and interviewed stewards of the six book exchanges at the beginning and end of our inventory period. Analysis: We draw upon grounded theory analytic methods as developed by Kathy Charmaz. Results: We provide the first empirically rigorous investigation focused on the information practices associated with neighbourhood book exchanges. Conclusions: Through this work we provide an initial framing of the neighbourhood book exchange phenomenon. Most significantly, the neighbourhood book exchange stewards in this study actively work to design and support local information practices, reinvigorating and sustaining relationships with their neighbours. [Note: The issue number (9) shown on this PDF is incorrect. The correct citation is v20 n3.]
Experiential, Collaborative and Team Projects: Communication Audits in the MBA Communication Course
Author: Hart, Claudia
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Study,Business Administration Education,Experiential Learning,Business Communication,Business Administration,Organizational Communication,Service Learning,Student Projects,Teamwork,Nonprofit Organizations,Organizational Effectiveness,Communication Strategies,Communication Skills,Cooperative Learning,Audits (Verification),Skill Development,Teaching Methods,Educational Practices

In this paper the authors discuss the challenges and rewards of building a graduate level Managerial Communication course around an experiential communication audit project. The purpose of the project was to provide MBA (Master of Business Administration) students with exposure to the real world responsibilities and demands of working in a complex organization while simultaneously demonstrating the crucial role that good communication plays in any organization. In this service-learning project, student teams collaborated with non-profit organizations to analyze communication effectiveness and offer suggestions for improvement. Participating students acknowledged their increased skills in the areas of communication, teamwork, interviewing, research and analysis. These students will be very marketable graduates who will become highly valued employees.
The Role of Gender in Academic Finance Journals: An Exploratory Study
Author: Hatfield, Patricia
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Womens Studies,Women Faculty,Tenure,Disproportionate Representation,Teacher Researchers,Productivity,Faculty Publishing,Financial Services,Journal Articles,Profiles,Editing,Statistical Data,Gender Differences,Bibliometrics,College Faculty

Since 2001, the proportion of women that have become assistant professors of finance initially increased from less than 20% to almost 30% in 2012 before falling slightly in 2013. On the other hand, women continue to make up less than 20% of those advancing to associate professor and less than 10% being promoted to full professor. Research productivity is a primary determinant for promotion, so it appears that many women are not publishing enough or of sufficient quality in order to be promoted. We also find that despite the fact that in 2013 women account for 24% of associate professors and 10% of full professors, women still made up less than 8% of finance journal editors. This is an exploratory study that seeks to understand the role of gender in academic finance and examine some possible reasons, supply side or demand side, why women are under-represented on editorial boards.
Delivering &quot;Virtual Ethnicity&quot; Drama: A Pedagogical Design for Bridging Digital and Diversity Barriers
Author: Carter, E. Vincent
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Multicultural Education,Observation,Marketing,Online Courses,Ethnicity,Virtual Classrooms,Computer Simulation,Course Organization,Role Playing,Curriculum Implementation,Drama,Cultural Awareness,Competency Based Education,Business Administration Education,College Programs,Delivery Systems,Teaching Methods,Instructional Innovation

This study examines an original dramaturgical method for creating virtual world experience called virtual world drama. The instructional focus is improving students' aptitude for analyzing ethnic identity by instilling both conceptual and multicultural competency. An exploratory research method is used, relying on observation (disguised and non-disguised) and survey information collected from a student sample spanning four academic quarters. Findings suggest that virtual world drama deepens the specificity of ethnic culture analysis and broadens the spectrum of ethnic culture awareness. In addition learning outcomes are evaluated based on improvements in ethnic aptitude collaboration, competence, and community.
Spend Now or Spend Later: The Role of a Business Education and Critical Thinking Skills in Increasing Retirement Plan Saving Rates for New, Young Enrollees
Author: Arling, Priscilla A.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Critical Thinking,Thinking Skills,Preretirement Education,Financial Services,Money Management,College Students,Student Surveys,Predictor Variables,Hierarchical Linear Modeling,Student Attitudes,Business Education,Educational Benefits,Regression (Statistics)

For college graduates entering the workforce, contributing to an employer-sponsored 401(k) retirement plan can be an important way of saving for the future. However, contribution rates for young people in these plans are far below recommended percentages, leading to concerns about future financial stability for these individuals. Prior work has shown that a college student's major and academic coursework affect their general financial knowledge. However, little is known about what content within a course of study correlates with specific financial decisions. The decision of how much to save in a 401(k) plan is complex and requires thinking beyond a present-day bias. The ability to think about future, complex problems is often referred to as critical thinking skills. This study is among the first to consider the impact of both college major and critical thinking skills on chosen 401(k) saving rates of young people about to enter the workforce. We presented a hypothetical 401(k) plan enrollment scenario to 334 university upperclassmen in order to determine the impact of educational factors on elected saving rates. We found that saving contribution rates increase when individuals are exposed to financial decision making information that is consistent, frequent, and ongoing, such as the learning experienced in a four-year business degree program. We also found that critical thinking skills were independently related to increased contribution rates, regardless of major. Students from both business and non-business majors were able to apply critical thinking skills to a financial planning scenario. The results suggest that development of critical thinking skills and repeated exposure to analysis of financial data would increase 401(k) saving rates and thereby benefit all students in terms of their future financial well-being.
Destructive Leadership: The Hatfield and McCoy Feud
Author: Sparks, George
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,Leadership Qualities,Leadership Effectiveness,Conflict,Leadership Styles,Historical Interpretation,Case Method (Teaching Technique),Organizational Climate,Organizational Culture,Organizational Theories,Definitions,Business Administration,Business Administration Education,College Programs

This paper explores the phenomenon of destructive leadership using the historical case study of the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys. The characteristics of destructive leadership as well as the consequences of this leadership style are reviewed, examined and analyzed. Utilizing a case from history to shine light on a contemporary problem, this paper will provide insight into identifying the characteristics of destructive leadership and raise awareness for future research into this important topic.
Entrepreneurial Intention among Nigerian University Students
Author: Muhammad, Aliyu Dahiru
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Entrepreneurship,Foreign Countries,Unemployment,College Students,Student Attitudes,Behavior Theories,Guidelines,Intention,Structural Equation Models,Predictor Variables

Entrepreneurial intention (EI) is one of the major contributing factors to the formation, growth and development of entrepreneurship. It promotes self reliance and brings about initiatives. Entrepreneurship on the other hand, has been considered as an engine of growth for economic growth and development of developed and emerging economies. Academic discussions and policy initiatives are increasing nowadays on the vital role of entrepreneurial development in a society. This has been buttressed by the recent loss of jobs due to 2008-2009 financial crisis as well as increasing unemployment across the globe. In Nigeria, the official rate of unemployment is around 24 percent while 46.5 percent of the youth population are unemployed. The unemployed rate among graduates has increased from 25.6 percent in 2003 to 42.7 percent in 2011. This unwelcome development requires a concerted effort at academic and governmental levels. The objective of this paper is to examine the entrepreneurial intention among University students in Nigeria. This will help to identify entrepreneurial intention which determines behaviour as well as the need to gauge entrepreneurial awareness among the respondents. The paper uses a modified version of Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as the main framework of examining entrepreneurial intention. A sample size of 205 was drawn from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU). Data was analysed using structural equation modeling. The findings show that, entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norm and power of behavioural control are all significant predictors of EI. In addition, other indirect relationships were also found to be significant. Overall the result shows the model fits the the data well.
Engaging Students in the Undergraduate Analytical Decision Making Course
Author: Malliaris, Mary
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learner Engagement,Undergraduate Students,Undergraduate Study,Decision Making,Teamwork,Communication Skills,Grading,Tests

There are many voices today discussing the necessity of changing the ways we teach, for example, Gen Y studies about the way students learn, employers' lists of skills they say current graduates need, and colleges that desire to always improve how they deliver information. These have led to classes where the learning styles are more hand-on, less lecture-focused, and more engaging for the Gen Y learner. The purpose of this paper is to give an illustration of how an analytics class can be restructured to address these issues. We develop an undergraduate class that focuses not only on analytical methods, but also on presentation, writing, and team skills. These are all developed within the framework of an original student research project.
The Contributions of Student Organization Involvement to Students' Self-Assessments of Their Leadership Traits and Relational Behaviors
Author: Smith, Lois J.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Organizations,Leadership Training,Leadership Qualities,Student Participation,Student Attitudes,Learning Experience,Capacity Building,Online Surveys,College Seniors,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Comparative Analysis,Interpersonal Competence,Student Behavior,Interpersonal Relationship,Social Psychology

Many business schools designate leadership as a learning outcome for their undergraduates, but the question of how to teach leadership is challenging. Results of this study showed that students who were engaged in extracurricular student organizations rated themselves higher on both leadership traits and behaviors than those who were not involved in student organizations. Though faculty may not interact regularly directly with student affairs professionals, this study suggests that students learn holistically and across all their experiences, both inside and outside the classroom. Pairing coursework aimed at improving leadership capabilities with co-curricular organization activities that give students additional opportunities for trying out what they are learning in the classroom could improve intentionality and authenticity in students' educational experiences.
Lexical Profiles of Thailand University Admission Tests
Author: Cherngchawano, Wirun
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Entrance Examinations,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Word Lists,Reading Comprehension,Foreign Countries,Guidelines,Test Preparation,Language Tests,Profiles,Vocabulary,Admission Criteria

University Admission Tests in Thailand are important documents which reflect Thailand's education system. To study at a higher education level, all students generally need to take the University Admission Tests designed by the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS). For the English test, vocabulary and reading comprehension is one of the key elements. In order to prepare for and pass the test, students should learn and accumulate an adequate amount of vocabulary. The purpose of this research is to conduct a documentary study on the scattering and lexical profiles of Thailand University Admission Tests. Fifteen papers covering 55,161 running words were analyzed in a framework of two word lists: General Service List (GSL) and Academic Word List (AWL). The results showed that the coverage of GSL and AWL are 85.05% and 4.58%, respectively. A combination of the GSL and the AWL covers 89.63% of the texts. For the coverage and reading comprehension, a 4,000-word level for reasonable comprehension covers 94.82% of the texts. It is suggested that both the GSL and the AWL could be good sources for students to learn so as to prepare for the test and to study at an advanced level in university.
Assessing the Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge with Listening Comprehension
Author: Teng, Feng
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Vocabulary Development,Listening Comprehension,Foreign Countries,College English,English (Second Language),Language Tests,Scores,Correlation,Multiple Regression Analysis,Prediction,College Students,Knowledge Level

This study was inspired by Qian (1999) and Staehr (2009) and researched 88 Chinese learners who had already passed the College English Test 4 (CET). These learners volunteered to participate in the study regarding the depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge and its relationship with listening comprehension, which was assessed by analyzing the results of a series of comprehensive tests including the vocabulary size test (VST), depth of vocabulary knowledge (DVK), and listening comprehension test (LCT). The findings suggested that a vocabulary level of 5,000 word families had a higher correlation with academic listening comprehension (r = 0.86), while a vocabulary level of 3,000 word families had a lower correlation with a lower listening comprehension (r = 0.41). This is evidence that outstanding listening scores require a larger vocabulary size than does reading. This study also showed that the depth of vocabulary knowledge provided a higher correlation (r = 0.91) with listening comprehension and a higher predictive power in listening comprehension than the breadth of vocabulary knowledge. A multiple regression analysis was used, and the R[superscript 2] change was 2.6% when adding DVK to VST, which demonstrated that the depth of vocabulary knowledge had a significant predictive power on the scores of listening comprehension. This showed that attention should be paid to this area, with teachers as well as learners, in China as well as in other EFL contexts in future teaching and learning of listening comprehension.
Teachers' Reactions towards Performance-Based Language Assessment
Author: Chinda, Bordin
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Rating Scales,Student Evaluation,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Evaluation Methods,Interviews,Negative Attitudes,Performance Based Assessment,Language Teachers,Second Language Instruction,College Faculty,Higher Education,Surveys,Statistical Analysis,Standardized Tests,Foreign Countries,Likert Scales,Questionnaires,Qualitative Research

This research aims at examining the reactions of tertiary EFL teachers towards the use of performance-based language assessment. The study employed a mixed-method research methodology. For the quantitative method, 36 teachers responded to a questionnaire survey. In addition, four teachers participated in the in-depth interviews which were conducted twice, at the beginning and at the end of the semester. The data from the survey revealed that the teachers were aware that the assessments (performance-based and traditional methods) could have both positive and negative impacts on teaching and learning. In addition, the participants in the interviews pointed out that they had rather negative attitudes toward the performance-based assessment used, after it had been implemented for over six years, because there were weaknesses in the assessment especially concerning tasks, rating scales, and rater training. They recommended that the rating scales should be revised and the rater training should be vigorously implemented to ensure the quality of the assessment process.
Reader's Theater: An Alternative Tool to Develop Reading Fluency among Thai EFL Learners
Author: Lekwilai, Panya
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Language Proficiency,Correlation,Reading Fluency,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Reading Comprehension,Word Recognition,Oral Reading,Theater Arts,Teaching Methods,Reading Instruction,Scripts,Language Teachers,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education

Fluency in reading is critical for becoming a successful reader and strongly correlates with reading comprehension. Fluency in reading refers to appropriate reading speed, accurate word recognition, appropriate phrasing, and appropriate expression when reading orally. Reader's Theater (RT) is a reading instructional method that requires readers to read aloud from scripts. It is recognized as a method that helps develop reading fluency of L1 and ESL/EFL learners of different levels of proficiency. RT also incentivizes and persuades learners to re-read the same text several times. This paper will explore the benefits of RT as well as suggestions about how it could be applied as an alternative tool for fluency instructions in the Thai EFL context.