Small Liberal Arts College Research Articles

Logistics of Mathematical Modeling-Focused Projects

This article addresses the logistics of implementing projects in an undergraduate mathematics class and is intended both for new instructors and for instructors who have had negative experiences implementing projects in the past. Project implementation is given for both lower- and upper-division mathematics courses with an emphasis on mathematical modeling and data collection. Projects provide tangible connections to course content, which can motivate students to learn at a deeper level. Logistical pitfalls and insights are highlighted, as well as descriptions of several key implementation resources. Effective assessment tools, which allowed a smooth adjustment to student feedback, are demonstrated for a sample class. As I smoothed the transition into each project and guided students through the use of the technology, their negative feedback on projects decreased and more students noted how the projects had enhanced their understanding of the course topics. Best practices learned over the years are given, along with project summaries and sample topics. These projects were implemented at a small liberal arts university, but advice is given to extend them to larger classes for broader use.

Team-based data management instruction at small liberal arts colleges

This paper describes a collaborative approach taken by librarians at five small, regional liberal arts colleges to developing/enhancing research data management services on their campuses. The five colleges collectively belong to a consortium known as the Northwest Five Consortium. Over 10 months, librarians from the five schools collaborated to plan a data management and curation workshop with the goals of developing relationships with researchers working with data, developing their own research data management skills and services, and building a model for future training and outreach around institutional research data management services. This workshop brought together research teams including faculty, students, and librarians, and incorporated active learning modules as well as in-depth pre-workshop discussion. This article will discuss the context and background for this workshop, the model itself, and the outcomes and possibilities for future developments.

Articles Educated Feet: Tap Dancing and Embodied Feminist Pedagogies at a Small Liberal Arts College

Articles Educated Feet: Tap Dancing and Embodied Feminist Pedagogies at a Small Liberal Arts College

Critical pedagogy and Socially Responsible Investing (SRI): Questioning our post-secondary institutions’ investment strategies

This article explores the use of critical pedagogy in addressing the important issue of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) in the postsecondary context. I argue that tools of critical pedagogy – in this case student-centred learning and sharing power in the classroom – provide a productive avenue for post-secondary students to engage with SRI. In addition, analysing current debates and trends in SRI offers an excellent opportunity to encourage active, engaged, student-centred learning, with the ultimate goal of producing citizens who are capable of questioning the world around them. The article presents a case study of a course on SRI at a small liberal arts university in Canada to illustrate the potential of critically teaching and learning about SRI.

Evaluating the impact of curriculum infusion on US college students’ alcohol use and academic performance

Objectives: This paper explores the extent to which curriculum infusion (CI) impacted undergraduate students’ alcohol use, perceived peer alcohol use, use of protective behavioural strategies, academic performance and course engagement. Design: Two faculty members infused content on norms and protective behavioural strategies into selected academic courses. Setting: This study was conducted in a small liberal arts university in the northeastern part of the USA. Methods: A sample of 215 undergraduates from research design and statistics courses in the fall semester of 2013 and the spring and fall semesters of 2014 were selected. CI was experienced by 100 students and 115 students comprised the comparison group. Surveys were distributed at the end of each semester to these selected groups and the results were analysed. Results: Students who witnessed CI showed no improvement in alcohol use outcomes; however, there was a trend level effect for frequency of use. CI students reported higher expected final grades and similar levels of course engagement to comparison group students. Conclusion: CI is a topic that requires in-depth scientific research to assess its value on positively affecting college drinking consequences. From a pedagogical standpoint, CI was successful since it did not negatively impact on students’ engagement and it was associated with higher expected final grades.

Understanding Instructor Nonverbal Immediacy, Verbal Immediacy, and Student Motivation at a Small Liberal Arts University

Abstract Instructor communication behaviors and student motivation to learn relationships were studied at a small liberal arts university. Specifically, relationships between instructor nonverbal immediacy, verbal immediacy behaviors and student motivation to learn were measured. Only instructor verbal immediacy behaviors had a significant linear regression relationship result with student motivation to learn. These results from a small liberal arts university are discussed in reference to previous research that measured these variables primarily at research universities. The results and implications are addressed for instructors and administrators.

Small Liberal Arts Colleges Foster Success in STEM and Entomology

Where are entomologists trained in the United States? The answer to that question is clearly entomology graduate programs at research universities that produce scientists entering academia, industry, and government agencies. Look a little further back along that pipeline, however, and those research universities do not hold the same significance in the entomological or, more broadly, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pipeline. Small private liberal arts colleges play a leading role in sending students who will be successful in earning Ph.D.s to STEM graduate school (Fiegener and Proudfoot 2013). Authors in the symposium “Entomology: Partnering with Small Liberal Arts Colleges” present compelling examples of the ways faculty engage students. Those examples range from exciting study-abroad experiences led by home-institution faculty to inquiry and problem-based laboratory and field experiences, undergraduate research, community-engaged learning, or novel collaborations among faculty and staff on campus to provide students with experiential learning. All of this has potential to spark student pursuit of careers in entomology and, more broadly, STEM. Equally significant examples focus on the day-to-day, but very important, care involved in the delivery of education at small private institutions. Faculty ask students to write papers in drafts and faculty deliver as many comments and suggestions on those papers as the number of words students have written. Faculty, not graduate teaching assistants, teach students how to write, how to speak, and how to craft a logical argument, individually and in small-sized classes where students cannot hide from such attention. These efforts promote critical thinking (perhaps more aptly …

Entomology at Small Liberal Arts Colleges

Entomologists pursue their education at a variety of types of undergraduate baccalaureate institutions, yet due to the agricultural foundation in the discipline of entomology, many entomologists are unfamiliar with small liberal arts colleges, or the career opportunities for entomologists at such types of institutions. During recent ESA meetings, each of us have been approached by graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who are interested in teaching and research careers, but who have questions regarding opportunities at small colleges. These questions have included how to apply for and compete for faculty positions, teaching loads and …

Stimulating Curiosity and Engagement with Insects Beyond the College Classroom Through Citizen Science

Many professional entomologists were first introduced to the study of insects through a college biology course, yet little work has been published demonstrating effective means of stimulating curiosity and engagement with insects beyond such first exposures. At many small liberal arts colleges, a single introductory course in entomology or invertebrate biology may be all that is offered. This limitation increases a need to understand effective pedagogies that stimulate further engagement of students. Undergraduate research experiences are particularly effective at stimulating the pursuit of graduate programs in science-related fields post-graduation (Lopatto 2007). While we often perceive research experiences to be grounded behind a lab bench, course-based undergraduate research experiences can also promote continued engagement with science (reviewed in Corwin et al. 2015). However, instructors of introductory courses are often limited in time and resources, making facilitation of such experiences difficult. Thus, engagement in authentic research—one of the more effective tools for developing future scientists—is often precluded from a venue where future entomologists are likely to be birthed: the introductory college classroom. Integrating citizen science into introductory science courses may be one means of addressing this issue (Vitone et al. 2016), and can be a win-win for students, instructors, and researchers. Citizen science can be defined as “the active engagement of the public in scientific research projects to address real-world problems” (Wiggins and Crowston 2011). A slight modification of this definition is well-suited for student learning …

Igniting Sparks: Engaging Undergraduate Students in Adventures with Insects

Small liberal arts colleges play an important role in educating undergraduates, some of whom will go on to graduate school, but all of whom will be voting citizens and decision-makers in society. The mission of most, if not all, small liberal arts institutions is to, in some manner, give students a comprehensive education, providing both breadth and depth; my own institution, Le Moyne College, articulates a mission statement that states, in part, that the college's “emphasis is on education of the whole person and on the search for meaning and value as integral parts of the intellectual life.” As an entomologist at such an institution, my goal is to instill in students a genuine appreciation for insects and the many critical roles they play. That appreciation may lead them to a career in entomology, be an avenue for learning how to do biological research, give them a better understanding of how important insects are to human welfare, or simply give them enjoyment throughout their lives. The adventure begins when students in introductory biology courses, including courses for non-majors, are regaled with stories about insects and the amazing …

Pilot study of a sleep health promotion program for college students

ObjectivesWe conducted a pilot study of a sleep health promotion program for college students. The aims of the study were to (1) determine the feasibility of the program and (2) explore changes in sleep knowledge and sleep diary parameters. DesignOpen trial of a sleep health promotion program for college students. SettingA small liberal arts university in southwestern Pennsylvania. ParticipantsUniversity students (primarily female). InterventionActive intervention components included individualized e-mail feedback based on each participant's baseline sleep diary and an in-person, group format presentation on sleep health. MeasurementsParticipants completed online questionnaires and sleep diaries before and after the health promotion intervention. Online questionnaires focused on sleep knowledge and attitudes toward sleep, as well as Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System sleep and psychosocial assessments. ResultsOf participants who completed some aspects of the study, 89% completed at least one intervention component (in-person lecture and/or sleep diary). Participants reported significant improvement in sleep knowledge and changes in sleep diary parameters (decreased sleep onset latency and time spent in bed, resulting in greater sleep efficiency). Sleep duration also increased by 30 minutes among short sleepers who obtained <7 hours sleep at baseline. ConclusionsPreliminary evaluation of a brief program to promote sleep health suggests that it is feasible and acceptable to implement, and that it can favorably alter sleep knowledge and behaviors reported on the sleep diary in college students. Controlled trials are warranted.

A flipped classroom format enhances learning of molecular biology in an introductory, biology major course at a small liberal arts university

The traditional set up of the college classroom, with lectures delivered in‐class and problem solving taking place outside of class, means that students may not have access to their professor while working through the high level tasks that are expected of them. A flipped, or inverted, classroom affords students the opportunity to listen to lectures outside of the classroom and to work through critical thinking activities and apply learned concepts in the classroom, with full access to their professor. In the small class sizes at our small liberal arts university, this is particularly true as the professor herself is able to navigate peer to peer discussions, address misconceptions and effectively facilitate the learning process. The flipped classroom also gives the students opportunities to work in collaborative groups, enhancing communication, critical thinking and social skills. While the amount of content covered in a semester does not change between the traditional format and the flipped format, this style of teaching has the advantage of freeing up class time for more kinesthetic and active learning lessons. In the case of this classroom, activities included matching games for learning the periodic table, as well as functional group and macromolecule card sorts. Kinesthetic learning included magnetic water kits to teach properties of water and bonds, a DNA discovery kit to learn about the structure of nucleotides, and an amino acid kit where the students folded a tuber “protein” based on the chemical properties of the amino acid sequence. In addition to improved assessment outcomes, students also self‐report that the active, applied approach to learning helps to better prepare them for exams.

The Gender Differences in the Change of Dietary Intake and Body Composition Following the First Semester for Undergraduate First Year Students at a Small Liberal Arts University

Currently young adults are at a high risk of becoming overweight or obese (excess body fat), and developing related disorders more than previous generations. The phenomenon known as the “freshmen fifteen” is no myth. Previous research has found that 80% of first year students gain body weight within the first year of college with an average of 5.0 lbs (2.3 kg) for males and 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg) for females and dietary intake may be the culprit. Potentially, dietary influences on body composition changes following an academic semester of college may differ between males and females. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess if gender differences exist in the first semester for first year college students regarding body composition and dietary intake. First year college students (N=21, age 18.3 ± 0.6 years, male n=10, female n=17) from the University of La Verne were asked to report to the laboratory fasting for body composition assessments and a dietary intake analysis pre and post first semester. Body composition (body weight, fat mass, fat free mass, percent body fat, etc.) was measured using a 310 Tanita scale (Tanita, Japan). A record of daily dietary intake for a total of 3 days, 2 days during the week and 1 day during the weekend was assessed using Dietary Analysis Plus software (Cengage, USA). An independent t‐test was used to assess the differences between pre and post measures for body composition and dietary intake using SPSS v.21 and a P‐value of &lt; 0.05 was used to determine significance. A significant difference in the change of fat mass (males 5.2 ± 5.3 kg, vs females −0.3 ± 4.6 kg, p&lt;0.05) and dietary poly‐unsaturated fat intake (males −3.1 ± 5.3 kg, vs females 1.9 ± 3.5 kg, p&lt;0.05) was found following the first semester of first year students between genders. Trends in the change of percent body fat (males 4.0 ± 5.0 kg, vs females −1.4 ± 7.5 kg, p&lt;0.07), dietary saturated fat intake (males 9.4 ± 17.4 kg, vs females −3.6 ± 10.0 kg, p&lt;0.09) and dietary omega‐6 intake (males −2.7 ± 4.7 kg, vs females 1.3 ± 3.0 kg, p&lt;0.06) was also established. In conclusion, gender has an impact on body composition changes across the first semester in first year college students at a small private liberal arts institution. Programs emphasizing gender specific approaches to managing body composition in the first semester for first year college students may be needed on college campuses.

Building a National Security Program at a Small School: Identifying Opportunities and Overcoming Challenges

ABSTRACTThis article offers insights into the overall program development process and—institutional obstacles and constraints notwithstanding—successful introduction of a new national security program at a small liberal arts university at a time of growing institutional prioritization of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. The successful launch of the program at a time of rising institutional resource constraints provides valuable suggestions for colleges and universities of similar size to University of Mount Union on how to develop programs in national security and/or intelligence studies that not only remain solidly grounded in the social sciences but are also tailored to a specific career path. Although aspiring to build the ideal program may be a natural inclination, the ability and willingness to settle for what is feasible rather than optimal and to devise creative ways to leverage existing resources and to align as best as possible with institutional direction is a prerequisite for effective and successful new program development.

CASE STUDY: ADMINISTRATOR AND FACULTY SALARY COMPARISONS

ABSTRACT This study examines the salary relationship between the top administrators and three faculty ranks at a small liberal arts university classified as IIA in the WSC region. The university encountered a period of financial hardship and this study examines the change in salaries among the groups during that time. Top administrator salaries had a major salary increase over the study period compared to full professor salaries. However, administrator salaries did not diverge much from the trend of associate and assistant professor salaries. Full professors may be less mobile than associate and assistant professors and are perhaps, in general, older than the average of faculty at the assistant and associate professor ranks. It appears that during the period of financial hardship, university administrators selected the full professor faculty segment as the one to take a sizable financial hit. Full professors may be the least mobile and the university needed to remain competitive in terms of salary at the assistant level in order to hire new faculty. In practical terms full professors, on average, took a sizeable purchasing power hit compared to other faculty groups, and university-funded contributions to their 403b accounts were similarly smaller. All these factors may result in older faculty working longer than planned. Keywords Administrator salaries, Faculty salaries, Differences, Academic Ranks, Purchasing Power

Modified Personalized System of Instruction vs Traditional Lecture Method of Instruction Using a Within Design at a Small Liberal Arts College

Traditional lectures used in college might not challenge the brightest students and leave the weaker students behind. PSI (Personalized System of Instruction) is designed to adjust to each students’ needs so all students can master material. Numerous studies have supported that PSI may be more effective than traditional lectures (J. A. Kulik, C. C. Kulik, & Bangert-Downs, 1990). However, standard PSI does not fit a traditional academic calendar. A within subjects design was utilized to assess the effectiveness of a modified PSI designed to fit within a traditional academic calendar. Students in two introductory psychology courses were exposed to both a modified PSI and traditional lecture format. Academic performance and student satisfaction were assessed. Results indicate no significant differences in academic performance, course satisfaction, or motivation between PSI and lecture methods. Furthermore, the use of technological supplements available with PSI did not lead to more satisfaction with PSI. This study suggests that modifying PSI by adding time restraints might be detrimental to its increased effectiveness over traditional lecture. Although our study did not support PSI over traditional lecture overall, when students were forced to select a teaching method, 55.2% reported that they preferred PSI. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Creating a Constructivist Online Instructional Environment

This paper describes the ways in which social constructivist learning was fostered in an online teacher education program. In fall, 2010 we launched an online Masters of Education (M.Ed) and in spring, 2011 and began an online version of the on-campus Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) at a small liberal arts university. The development and implementation of these online programs presented new pedagogical challenges and questions. We focused the inquiry on how to adapt a community-focused, constructivist, oncampus pedagogy to an online format. Grounded in and driven by social constructivism, we identified several essential online tools and instructional methods that facilitated the kind of candidate-candidate and candidate-teacher interaction desired. This paper explores the potential of certain online tools and methods to facilitate a social constructivist approach to preparing teachers in a virtual program model.

Awareness of Open Access Issues Differs among Faculty at Institutions of Different Sizes

A Review of:&#x0D; Kocken, G. J. &amp; Wical, S. H. (2013). “I’ve never heard of it before”: Awareness of open access at a small liberal arts university. Behavioral &amp; Social Sciences Librarian, 32(3), 140-154. http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1080/01639269.2013.817876 &#x0D; &#x0D; Abstract&#x0D; &#x0D; Objective – This study surveyed faculty awareness of open access (OA) issues and the institutional repository (IR) at the University of Wisconsin. The authors hoped to use findings to inform future IR marketing strategies to faculty.&#x0D; &#x0D; Design – Survey.&#x0D; &#x0D; Setting – University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a small, regional public university (approximately 10,000 students).&#x0D; &#x0D; Subjects – 105 faculty members.&#x0D; &#x0D; Methods – The authors contacted 397 faculty members inviting them to participate in an 11 question online survey. Due to anonymity issues on a small campus, respondents were not asked about rank and discipline, and were asked to not provide identifying information. A definition of OA was not provided by the authors, as survey participants were queried about their own definition.&#x0D; &#x0D; Main Results – Approximately 30% of the faculty were aware of OA issues. Of all the definitions of OA given by survey respondents, “none . . . came close” to the definition favoured by the authors (p. 145). More than 30% of the faculty were unable to define OA at a level deemed basic by the authors. &#x0D; &#x0D; A total of 51 (48.57%) of the survey respondents indicated that there are OA journals in their disciplines. Another 6 (5.71%) of the faculty members claimed that there are no OA journals in their disciplines, although most provided a definition of OA and several considered OA publishing to be “very important.”&#x0D; &#x0D; The remaining 48 participants (46%) were unsure if there are OA journals in their disciplines. Of these survey respondents, 38 answered that they have not published in an OA journal, 10 were unsure, and 21 believed that their field benefits or would benefit from OA journals.&#x0D; &#x0D; Survey respondents cited quality of the journal, prestige, and peer review as extremely important in selecting a journal in which to publish.&#x0D; &#x0D; Conclusion – The authors conclude that the level of awareness related to OA issues must be raised before IRs can flourish. They ponder how university and college administrators regard OA publishing, and the influence this has on the tenure and promotion process.

CASE STUDY: SALARY COMPRESSION

ABSTRACT This study examines salary compression in a single entity – a small liberal arts university classified as IIA in the WSC region. This university has experienced major salary compression between the full and assistant professor ranks and the associate professor and assistant ranks since 2001. The salary compression question was also examined for the nearly 25 IIA universities located in the West South Central Region. On average there was only minor compression between the associate and assistant ranks since 2001. Major salary compression among academic ranks appears to be unique to this small liberal arts university. The University administration undertook a program to reduce the degree of salary compression in 2012. It used the deviation in university faculty salaries from the norms of equivalent faculty in a national survey to adjust those faculty salaries having the greatest deviation. That process has been in effect for three years and it is reducing the degree of salary compression to closer to parity. This program will need to be continued to normalize the differences in ranks compared to the average of WSCIIA salaries. To date there have been no adjustments for the lower inflation-adjusted income stream that faculty have had over this extended period of major salary compression. Salary compression has had the effect of reducing inflation-adjusted salaries of faculty during their working years but also in retirement as dollar contributions to 403b accounts have been smaller. Also it likely forced some faculty to continue working longer than they intended. Keywords Salary Compression, Inflation-adjusted Salary Differentials, Academic Ranks, Income Loss

Collecting and Collaborating to Build Community: The Evolution of a Local Music Collection at a Small Liberal Arts College Library

To fulfill a variety of goals in building the library's music collection and connecting it with both the campus community and the region, the Hiram College Library began a project in 2005 to create a collection of Northeast Ohio music. Focusing on sound recordings, the library has amassed a collection of more than 800 CDs in 8 years through purchase, publicity, and donations. Analysis of the results of this project and attempts to gather interest through social networking reveals the challenges and opportunities in this endeavor. As a long-term project, much work remains to be done, and possible future directions are outlined.