Senior-level Course Research Articles

David's Bridal bankruptcy: take two

Research methodology The case is a secondary sourced case. Information for the case was found from news articles and interviews. Case overview/synopsis David’s Bridal was a privately held corporation generating $1.3bn in annual revenue and employing over 12,000 employees. David’s Bridal filed bankruptcy not once but twice. This case examines the bridal industry and the environmental factors that led to the two bankruptcies. Bridal dresses are at the top of wedding categories. Environmental factors causing bankruptcy included online competition, reputation as seen through the eyes of the consumer, COVID, and supply chain challenges. David’s Bridal first looked to Jim Marcum to turn the corporation around and when this failed, they created a new management team after the second bankruptcy to save the company. Complexity academic level The case is designed as an interdisciplinary case for undergraduate leadership, advanced accounting or undergraduate strategy courses. The case was tested in MGMT 330: Leading People in Organizations. This case is appropriate for junior- and senior-level students.This case will be used in ACCT 402: Advanced Accounting – a senior-level course. The case gives perspective on going concern opinions and the strategic implications of bankruptcy.Possible textbooks▪ Christensen, T., Cottrell, D. and Budd, C. (2023). Advanced Financial Accounting (13th ed.). McGraw-Hill.▪ Hoyle, J., Schaefer, T. and Doupnik, T. (2024). Advanced Accounting (15th ed.). McGraw-Hill▪ Rothaermel, F. T. (2024). Strategic Management (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill

Why I Climb Mountains With Students: Using Metaphor as a Teaching Tool

Metaphor is essential to human cognition and central to teaching and learning. In this case study, the author documents the use of metaphor in a senior-level course as a strategy to build community, provide a sense of direction, and unite the class around a shared experience. Students who experienced the metaphor as a teaching tool were invited to share their memories and reflect on the impact ( N = 395). Through content analysis, three themes were identified in the responses: (1) Appreciating the Journey, (2) Building and Supporting a Classroom Community, and (3) Finding Motivation, Purpose, and Willingness to Face the Unknown. Overall, most respondents remembered and valued the metaphor immediately and, in the months, and years following the course. The use of metaphors is recommended in public health teaching and learning.

Security in Wireless Communication Networks

Over the last decade, wireless networks have experienced significant growth due to the proliferation of mobile devices and new development of radio technologies. Since the very beginning, security for wireless communication networks has always been regarded as a critical issue. In recent research frenzy on 5G and V2X communications, security plays a pivotal role as wireless Internet access serves as critical infrastructures to facilitate the digital transcations. This book timely provides a comprehensive introduction to the security in wireless communication networks, with respect to not only general concepts, but also practical principles and cases in specific wireless communication systems. This book covers a wide range starting from the general wireless communication network architecture and basic concepts of network security to the mathematical background and practical techniques, and further to the specific security issues in different wireless networks, such as WLAN, LTE, 5G, etc. Comprehensively covering the security issues, security mechanisms, design principles, and techniques in wireless communication networks. The book intends to be a self-contained and one semester textbook on wireless security for either undergraduate senior level or graduate level courses. This book can also serve as a reference for practitioners and researchers in the field to get an idea of the current and future research focus in the emerging wireless security area.

ГРАФО-ГЕОМЕТРИЧЕСКИЕ ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ В ПОДГОТОВКЕ BIM-СПЕЦИАЛИСТОВ СТРОИТЕЛЬНОЙ ОТРАСЛИ

The article analyzes geometric graphing training for BIM specialists in the construction industry. Special attention is paid to studying the methods of BIM specialist training implemented at various technical institutions in the Russian Federation; the approaches of specific universities are identified, analyzed, and briefly de-scribed. The approaches of certain companies are also shown. These companies do not distinguish geometric graphing training for BIM specialists, but rather include them in other areas of training in the corresponding pro-file. Educational programs developed and used in various technical educational institutions of the Russian Federation are analyzed. The intra-disciplinary and interdisciplinary connections of geometric graphing disciplines are examined. A description of the traditional and modern approaches is provided alongside prospects for developing relevant educational programs. Students must be taught to create 3D models and guided to work with them in various software packages. The competencies (including digital competencies) formed in the process of studying geometric graphing disciplines are analyzed. The necessity of providing full-fledged geometric graphing training for all specialists in all fields, including BIM specialists, for successful mastery of disciplines in senior-level courses and practical activities is shown.

Case Study of Multi-Course Project-Based Learning and Online Assessment in Electrical Engineering Courses during COVID-19 Pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an urgent need to move to online teaching and develop innovative teaching techniques to ensure that student learning outcomes (SOs) were fulfilled. This paper tries to answer the important question of whether an established teaching strategy through a multi-course project-based learning (MPL) approach, along with online assessment techniques, helps in the effective achievement of SOs in a senior-level electrical engineering (EE) course. The authors have developed a course project for attaining the objectives of a senior and a capstone course, where students are registered at the same time. In addition, the course conducts assessments online. The paper reports the effect of the two approaches on the attainment of the SOs of the two courses, along with testing the programming and problem-solving abilities of the students. It is known that the MPL approach enhances the critical thinking capacity of students, which is also a major outcome of Sustainable Development Education (ESD). It was ensured that the project that was used to test the fulfillment of a series of SOs were concentrated on soft engineering and project management skills. The difficulty of adopting the MPL method for the senior-level courses is in the scheduling of the course materials to help the student advance to the final project while also aligning the project towards fulfilling the learning outcomes of the individual course. The study also provides the students with feedback on online assessment techniques incorporated within the MPL. Besides this, the effect of the innovative teaching approaches was compared with the same senior course taught using conventional methods in an earlier semester. Based on the feedback from teachers and students from a previously conducted case study, it was concluded that the MPL approach had supported the student learning. The results of the statistical analysis (Chi-square, two-tailed T statistics and hypothesis testing using a z-test) show that an MPL approach and online assessment improved the attainment of the SOs despite the constraints posed by the pandemic.

Social Annotation for Power Negotiation

Social annotation and role-play are two pedagogical approaches that promote active, student-centred learning. In this paper, we report on how the two approaches were combined in a senior-level university course that aimed to reveal the multiple dimensions and complexity of policy development and decision-making for natural resource management. We begin with a review and analysis of social annotation and role-play as teaching strategies. We then describe their combined implementation in the senior-level course—including reflections from the course instructor and a student in the class—while situating our reflections within the context of an existing framework for critical social annotation. We conclude that when implemented together, and with careful preparation and clear expectations of student conduct, the complementary strengths of social annotation and role play offer unique opportunities to subvert hegemonic models of knowledge production and exchange. The addition of students’ role-played annotations enabled us to redefine whose knowledge and experience are worthy of consideration by giving voice to students as authorities alongside authors of texts and by filling in gaps in the perspectives presented in texts.

A study for the evaluation of a safety education program me for nursing students: discussions using the QSEN safety competencies.

To respond to calls for improvements in nursing education in Japan, a group of faculties of a baccalaureate nursing programme has made an initial attempt to incorporate quality and safety education for nurses safety competency into three related courses, two sophomore level courses and one senior level course. To evaluate the learning experiences in a senior level course on medical safety in order to identify learning outcomes in terms of areas of strengths and areas for further improvements of the course and a system-wide implementation of quality and safety education for nurses competencies in the future. Fourteen students who met the criteria had volunteered to participate in one of the two 40-minute focus group interviews. During the interviews, participants were asked questions as to what they have learned and how they may use that knowledge in the future. The sessions were tape recorded, the data were transcribed and analysed using the content analysis method according to Berelson. Eight categories of learning related to medical safety were identified, including awareness of own risks for errors and plans to reduce such risks. These categories of learning were thought to have achieved the level equal to 75% of quality and safety education for nurses knowledge, skills and attitudes items. The current content and methods for this course identified strengths to be continued, with some areas of improvement for the future for further adoption of quality and safety education for nurses competencies into the entire curriculum.

Gender differences in self-efficacy, acceptance, and satisfaction in business simulations

We adopted strategic management simulations in our senior-level courses to allow students access to top management decision-making experiences that would otherwise be difficult to attain. Student feedback indicated that women were less likely than men to see a simulation as easy to use or a fair representation of their abilities. Women expressed lower confidence than their male counterparts in their likely performance prior to engaging in competitive simulation play. Various scaffolding interventions intended to improve self-efficacy prior to competitive play were unsuccessful. Implications for preparing and encouraging women for top management positions and decision-making are considered. We recommend refinements to new and existing educational simulations to make them more accessible and appealing to women as well as to expand their leadership style beyond a largely masculine approach.

Let’s Talk: Examining the Short and Long term Effect of Inclusion Literature on Early Childhood Pre-Service Educators

ABSTRACT Pre-service teacher education programmes should systematically plan to increase the PST’s understanding of how to meet the needs of the 13% of the children with disabilities in the general education classroom and develop skills and strategies to support children with disabilities and their families. Reading inclusion literature, non-fiction literature written either by an individual with a disability or their families, may offer PSTs a deeper understanding, augment the information they learn in the textbooks, and make clearer the complexity of the lives of students with disabilities and their family’s experience. The participants were 22 pre-service early childhood education teachers enrolled in a senior-level Family, School, and Community course at a university in a southern state during their semester prior to student teaching. After reading a non-fiction inclusion literature book, participants reflected on what they learned from the book and how the book might impact their teaching in the future. Coding of all reflections revealed the following emergent themes: Understanding Parent Perspectives, Deeper Understanding of the Student and their Disability, and Advocacy. Results indicate a strong impact on how pre-service early childhood educators will support and interact with children with disabilities and their families in their future classrooms.

Using a Game-Based Learning Platform to Increase Student Engagement in the Classroom

The Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University incorporated the use of a game-based learning platform into a junior level Immunology course. The primary goal of this addition was to increase student engagement during review sessions. In previous years, each Immunology class was started with a review of material from an earlier lecture. The review consisted of short answer and multiple choice questions as a means to highlight important concepts and allow additional opportunities for students to ask questions. During these review periods it was observed that class participation ranged from 3-20%. Additionally, those who did participated were the same students in each class period. The incorporation of the game-based learning pAlatform into review sessions involved asking review questions in multiple choice format with 30 seconds of time for students to answer after each question was asked. This new format resulted in class participation increasing to 95-100%. Review of student answers also allowed the instructor to determine which areas the students needed additional assistance with before exams. Student feedback indicated that they enjoyed the ability to be anonymous when answering questions while still getting immediate feedback. This new review format will be utilized in additional courses, specifically Immunohematology. Furthermore, this game-based platform will be used to review material with senior students in their advanced senior level courses.

Burned-N-Turned: feeding the fracking boom

Theoretical basis The discussion questions relating to the case focus students’ attention on breaking away from the intuitive/emotional “boom mentality” driving their business decision and ask them to focus more on analytical decision criteria to support their “go” or “no-go” decisions. Research methodology The authors interviewed one of the partners of Burned-N-Turned several times and read the partners’ brief business plan for the food trailer. Case overview/synopsis Partners are wrapped up in the “boom mentality” in the Bakken oil fields in 2011 and jump into their decision to open a food trailer restaurant to serve the oil field workers and others. But have they omitted important considerations for their business decision? Complexity academic level The study is appropriate for undergrad strategic management courses. The authors have tested the compact case in three sections of capstone senior-level strategic management courses.

Improving student reading comprehension through editorship

ABSTRACTCourse readings play a crucial role in many college courses, but students often struggle to comprehend this material. Building on evidence that students benefit from playing the role of an editor when reading each other’s writing, this exploratory study investigated whether they benefit from taking the same editorial stance to assigned readings. Students in three courses (two freshman and one senior-level course) were assigned two ways of engaging with their textbooks: a question-answering approach and an editing approach. Students were surveyed to identify their perceived learning and enjoyment for each approach, and a subset of students were interviewed to obtain further information about their experiences. The results suggest that students tend to have more positive attitudes toward answering questions than editing, but many students found the editing approach to be helpful for their learning. The results indicate that the editing approach may be more helpful when students are better prepared.

TEACHING AND ASSESSING LIFELONG LEARNING IN LABORATORY COURSES

Abstract – Lifelong learning might be one of the most important attributes for students pursuing a professional degree, e.g. medicine, law or engineering. From teaching and assessment point of view, it may be one of the most challenging attributes. In engineering programs, it is one of the required graduate attributes identified by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in the USA and other accreditation bodies around the world. In this article we present a laboratory procedure to teach and assess lifelong learning in an engineering program. The concept of lifelong learning as defined by different accreditation bodies is discussed first and corresponding learning outcomes are developed using the revised Bloom’s taxonomy. Student activities required to achieve the outcomes are then devised. The links between pre-, in- and post-lab activities and the learning outcomes are established and the approach to run a laboratory course is designed. Finally, the assessment is planned using the so-called VALUE rubric by mapping the learning outcomes on the six dimensions of the rubric. The procedure is being implemented phase by phase in the laboratory component of a senior level course on process dynamics and control in the process engineering program at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

A modern approach to discrete structures

In this paper, we present a new paradigm for a freshman course in discrete structures. Historically, a freshman course in discrete structures is taught by presenting a variety of topics in a modular fashion. Topics typically include logic, sets, functions, induction, recursion, algorithms, graphs, probability, counting, proofs, and Boolean algebra, to name a few. Students are expected to follow, digest, and retain such knowledge, often for several years before applying it in junior- and/or senior-level courses. In the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo, the success of a traditional course in discrete structures has been marginal, at best. The alternative approach that we present provides a focused educational experience covering key components of discrete structures. Specifically, we present a unifying thread of modern computer architectures and their algorithms, where critical components of discrete structures are presented in context. In addition, we provide freshman students with an opportunity to take ownership of the educational process. To date, results of this new paradigm have been extremely promising.

Radical Inclusion: Broadening University Communities

Abstract This article examines two separate and distinct initiatives offered through the University Studies Program at Portland State University: (1) collaboration with an academic program for students with significant intellectual disabilities, and (2) senior-level Capstone courses that include students who are incarcerated. These initiatives are examined as examples of ways that University Studies is doing the work of effective radical inclusion in higher education. The authors reflect on their experiences within these courses that work with students from groups that have not traditionally been included, welcomed, and accommodated at the university. Additionally they share student reflections as evidence of the benefits for all students of these inclusive initiatives. The article also assesses the broader institutional significance of these two efforts to implement radical inclusion, including how the involvement of these very different groups of nontraditional students has shaped the authors and their learning communities, what University Studies is doing well to serve these two student populations, the challenges encountered, and considerations for the future.

Getting on board: the business case for improving on-campus transportation at NAU

Synopsis Josh Williams is a Student at the NAU who has driven buses on campus and wants to improve the transportation on campus. He is convinced that purchasing a new type of bus that is more fuel efficient, has larger capacity, better designed for boarding, and has a longer life is worth the higher purchase cost. He sets out to prove it by creating a discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis. Since many of the estimates for the DCF analysis are uncertain, he decides to perform a Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) analysis. Students are asked to step into Josh’s role and perform the analysis. Research methodology Josh Williams was a Student in the authors’ MBA program. Both authors teach in this program and one author was the Advisor for Net Impact and worked with Josh to present his idea to the university administration. The authors have changed a name or two but otherwise, the case describes a real situation in a real organization without disguise. Relevant courses and levels The authors have used this case in a first semester MBA-Applied Management course, Decision Modeling and Simulation. Students already have experience with DCF analysis and have been introduced to MCS. With this case, students apply MCS at the conclusion of a three-week module on predictive analytics. Students have run at least two MCS models and have become comfortable with the software. The case would also be appropriate for a senior-level undergraduate course such as business analytics or management science. It might also be useful for other courses that include the MCS modeling technique learning objectives such as project management. Theoretical bases This case provides an opportunity for students to perform an MCS analysis. MCS is useful when many of the inputs to a DCF analysis (or any model) have been estimated and the modeler is concerned that the estimates are uncertain and could perhaps be a range of values. MCS can be used to understand the effect of this uncertainty on NPV which in turn may affect the decision. The case could also be used without MCS focusing just on the DCF analysis with deterministic sensitivity analysis.

Using a Service-Learning Course to Reinforce the Three Pillars of Sustainability

AbstractService-learning courses at the university level provide a unique opportunity for students to learn about sustainability. The senior-level and graduate-level elective course Service-Learnin...

Perceptions of senior-year ELT students for flipped classroom: a materials development course

ABSTRACTThis paper describes a structured attempt to integrate the flipped classroom model into a senior-level course at the higher education level. This study's purpose is to examine and compare the impact of flipped classrooms versus non-flipped as a means to contribute to the growing line of research on flipped teaching through an evaluation of both methods’ academic outcomes, along with students’ perceptions for their learning experience. Adopting action research principles, this study uses student grades, weekly e-journal entries, guided final journal entries, and focus group interviews as data collection tools. No significant difference were found to exist between mean scores for flipped and non-flipped groups regarding midterms and final e-portfolio, but flipped students received significantly higher essay scores compared to the non-flipped. Analysis of qualitative data led to 48 codes under five main categories: content delivery, instructor presence, learner presence, learning environment, and learning experience. Results indicate largely positive perceptions and satisfying learning experiences.

Mindfulness Practices in Mentoring and Teaching

Mentoring, including peer mentoring, is a key element of teacher education programs and subsequent teaching practice. In order to share the benefits of mindfulness practices, a faculty member in a state university in the Midwestern United States promoted the practice of mindfulness by teacher candidates enrolled in her courses. As members of a learning community, teacher candidates are encouraged to engage in and reflect upon mindfulness practices during their junior- and senior-level courses, and in feedback-reflection sessions for clinical-field experiences and professional internships. The intention is to promote the transformation of teacher candidates in prekindergarten through grade 3 (P-3) programs, through peer mentoring and mindful engagement. Examples of activities are presented, and findings from a peer-mentoring study promoting mindfulness are shared.

Embedded software education

Embedded computer systems are proliferating, but the complexities of embedded software make it increasingly difficult to produce systems that are robust and reliable. These challenges increase as embedded systems are connected to networks and relied on to control or monitor physical processes in critical infrastructure. This paper describes a senior-level course that exposes students to foundational characteristics of embedded software, such as concurrency, synchronization and communication. The core of the class is a sequence of laboratory assignments in which students design and implement a real-time operating system. Each student-developed RTOS has the same API, so all can run the same application code, but internal implementations vary widely. The principal challenges that arise in the design and debugging of a multi-tasking RTOS tend to be instances of the general problems that arise in embedded software. In our experience, the activity of creating a working RTOS is effective in helping students acquire the knowledge and skills required to be successful embedded software developers.