Upper-level Students Research Articles

The effects of public service motivation on criminal justice students’ perceptions of vocational fit

ABSTRACT This study investigates the relationships between public service motivation and self-reported perceptions of vocational fit among one cohort of upper-level criminal justice students at a Midwestern university, while controlling for race, gender, age, and political orientation. The data come from a survey administered in the spring of 2021 to criminal justice students in a mandatory class taken between their junior and senior year of their bachelor’s degree program. The findings indicated that increased public service motivations were significantly associated with better perceptions of pre-career vocational fit. Additionally, more conservative political orientations were associated with increased perceptions of fit to criminal justice roles. The study adds to a small but growing body of research applying public service motivation and person-environment fit theory to criminal justice occupations and emphasizes the importance placed on sustaining the value of public service as a possible method of recruiting and maintaining the criminal justice workforce.

Romanticism After Black Studies

This course emerges from my individual research and seeks to bring students into an experimental project of co-reading. The course reading plan is structured by pairing canonical Romantic poets with writing by Black theorists from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This course is designed for the graduate level and would also be appropriate for upper-level undergraduate students.

The Effect of Task-based Elementary School Students’ Sentence Construction Learning Using Artificial Intelligence and Corpora

This study investigates the efficacy of task-based sentence construction learning utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and corpora among sixth-grade students in elementary education. The investigation is centered on enhancing students' proficiency in sentence construction ability, employing a structured six-step approach tailored to English language lessons for sixth graders. These steps encompass sentence preparation, practice, discovery, application, consolidation, and expansion. Each stage incorporates specific pedagogical tools: AIPengTalk for practice, corpora for discovery, task-based activities for application, and Dictogloss exercises for expansion. The findings of this study indicate several significant outcomes. Firstly, task-based sentence learning leveraging AI and corpora demonstrates effectiveness in augmenting students' proficiency in English sentence learning. The six-step approach facilitates a comprehensive and thorough exploration of sentence construction, leading to increased fluency and versatility in the utilization of English sentences. Secondly, the impact of task-based sentence learning utilizing AI and corpora extends across students of varying proficiency levels, including upper, middle, and lower achievers. Remarkably, the greatest improvement is observed among lower-level students, followed by middle-level students, while upper-level students exhibit comparatively lesser advancement. This suggests that task-based approaches are particularly advantageous for learners with moderate to lower proficiency levels, aiding in their acquisition of sentence composition skills. Notably, activities focusing on sentence construction contribute significantly to enhancing both fluency and accuracy, particularly among middle- and lower-level learners. Thirdly, the overall student response to task-based sentence learning employing AI and corpora is predominantly positive. Many students express appreciation for the integration of innovative teaching and learning methodologies, such as AI-PengTalk, corpora analysis, task-based activities, and Dictogloss exercises, citing their effectiveness in consolidating their English language skills. This study holds significance in its exploration of integrating sentence structure learning within the elementary school English curriculum, with a distinct emphasis on communicative functions, and its subsequent application within classroom settings.

A corpus-based comparison of linguistic markers of stance and genre in the academic writing of novice and advanced engineering learners

AbstractStance-taking in academic writing plays a crucial role in enabling tertiary academic writers to express their positions about their topics and other voices. Based on a corpus linguistic analysis of academic reports by civil and environmental engineering (CEE) undergraduate students and student papers in the Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers (MICUSP), this article investigates the use of stance markers in the genres of persuasive and argumentative writing as well as analytical explanatory writing. This study compares the stance markers used by L2 engineering students (Hong Kong University) and native engineering students (U.S. University) to investigate the genre-specific lexical stance patterns used by academic writers. This study found that stance within the CEE reports and MICUSP was expressed through approximative hedges and boosters, code glosses, and adversative and contrast connections, pointing to a specific developmental trajectory as academic writers. Non-native engineering students were found to use a significantly smaller number of approximative, self-mention, and evidential verb hedges. In addition, they tend to use a more significant number of modal hedges compared to native English speakers. The CEE students’ reports also tended to be characterized by the underuse of boosters, contrastive connectors, emphasis, and counter-expectancy markers. However, the study found no significant difference in the use of exemplification markers between the CEE and MICUSP. The findings of this study support the construction of the academic stance as a process of delimiting one’s perspective. This is achieved by deploying selected stance features to account for other scholarly perspectives.

Making Space, Engaging Students

Reed College is a small liberal arts college located in Portland, Oregon. Students work and study on a mostly residential campus and the library has historically been the heart of academic and campus life. This relationship was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic as Reed shifted to online learning and library staff worked remotely. After more than a year, students and library staff returned to campus but other disruptions impacted student use of services and physical library space. A major seismic renovation closed a large section of the library. During this 18-month renovation, almost 40 percent of library seating and assigned desks were unavailable for student use. These major disruptions meant that both incoming and some upper-level students had no established relationship to the library beyond virtual interactions. It became evident there was a need to re-engage and re-energize students’ relationship with all aspects of library spaces and services.

Beefing up communication skills of upper-level animal science students.

Animal scientists face an increasing need to communicate with the lay public because of the public's interest in the origin and production of animal-sourced foods. Consumers' increased interest infers a critical need for effective communication skills among animal science graduates. Effective communication skills are mandatory if students are to explain scientific information and mitigate misinformation about livestock production. The purpose of our study was to investigate the communication styles and communication effectiveness of upper-level animal science students enrolled in a beef cattle production and management course at Texas A&M University across five semesters (N = 241; spring 2018 = 61, summer 2018 = 15, Fall 2018 = 54, spring 2019 = 55, and fall 2019 = 56). Male animal science students (n = 25; 32.9%) preferred assertive and direct communication (a driver communication style) and female students (n = 32; 19.4%) preferred collaborative and accommodating communication (an amiable communication style). Students were moderately experienced with beef cattle production (M = 3.09, SD = 1.07) before enrolling in the course; however, former beef cattle experiences did not influence their preferred communication style [F(10, 230) = 0.36, P = 0.96]. Researchers also observed students' communication skills during an end-of-semester beef cattle production and management project presentation and identified strengths and weaknesses. Students demonstrated strong, in-depth animal industry knowledge, an ability to connect beef production techniques to management success, and critical thinking skills when answering questions. Oral communication skills warranting improvement included integrating visual aids and/or visual slides to support findings, using improved stage presence and confidence, and sharing responsibilities when presenting as a team. Finally, completion of a supplemental communication training module, intended to develop oral communication skills, significantly improved [F(1, 55) = 4.16, P = 0.046] students' beef cattle production and management project presentation scores. As students become aware of their communication preferences and tendencies, they become equipped to adjust their communication practices and techniques when needed. Through this study, we gained insight into students' communication tendencies and skills, which can be used to provide curricular recommendations and enhance students' workforce readiness.

L1 novice writing as a missing piece in the Learner Corpus Research puzzle

Abstract This paper investigates the possible benefits of integrating an L1 novice corpus into the study of learner writing, through a study on hedging adverbials and complement clauses. A more traditional tripartite comparison is first drawn between French EFL learner writing, L1 English novice writing, and English expert writing. Then, a comparison is made between L1 French novice writing and French EFL learner writing. The study uses data from the following corpora: the Varieties of English for Specific Purposes dAtabase (VESPA; Paquot et al., 2022) (French EFL learner writing), the British Academic Written English (BAWE; Heuboeck et al., 2008) corpus and the Michigan Corpus of Upper-level Student Papers (MICUSP; Ädel & Römer, 2012) (both L1 English novice writing), the Kulturell Identitet i Akademisk Prosa: nasjonal versus disiplinavhengig (KIAP‑EN; Fløttum et al., 2006) corpus (English expert writing), and the The French Academic wRiting (FAR) corpus (L1 French novice writing). The results speak to the importance of including a L1 novice component to the current methodologies employed in Learner Corpus Research (LCR), since such inclusion helps to provide a better and more nuanced interpretation of the findings obtained by means of a more traditional tripartite approach.

ChatGPT for Automated Writing Evaluation in Scholarly Writing Instruction.

Effective strategies for developing scholarly writing skills in postsecondary nursing students are needed. Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools, such as ChatGPT, for automated writing evaluation (AWE) hold promise for mitigating challenges associated with scholarly writing instruction in nursing education. This article explores the suitability of ChatGPT for AWE in writing instruction. ChatGPT feedback on 42 nursing student texts from the Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers was assessed. Assessment criteria were derived from recent AWE research. ChatGPT demonstrated utility as an AWE tool. Its scoring performance demonstrated stricter grading than human raters, related feedback to macro-level writing features, and supported multiple submissions and learner autonomy. Despite concerns surrounding GAI in academia, educators can accelerate the feedback process without increasing their workload, and students can receive individualized feedback by incorporating AWE provided by ChatGPT into the writing process. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(12):721-727.].

A Digital Single-Session Intervention (Project Engage) to Address Fear of Negative Evaluation Among College Students: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Increasingly, college science courses are transitioning from a traditional lecture format to active learning because students learn more and fail less frequently when they engage in their learning through activities and discussions in class. Fear of negative evaluation (FNE), defined as a student's sense of dread associated with being unfavorably evaluated while participating in a social situation, discourages undergraduates from participating in small group discussions, whole class discussions, and conversing one-on-one with instructors. This study aims to evaluate the acceptability of a novel digital single-session intervention and to assess the feasibility of implementing it in a large enrollment college science course taught in an active learning way. To equip undergraduates with skills to cope with FNE and bolster their confidence, clinical psychologists and biology education researchers developed Project Engage, a digital, self-guided single-session intervention for college students. It teaches students strategies for coping with FNE to bolster their confidence. Project Engage provides biologically informed psychoeducation, uses interactive elements for engagement, and helps generate a personalized action plan. We conducted a 2-armed randomized controlled trial to evaluate the acceptability and the preliminary effectiveness of Project Engage compared with an active control condition that provides information on available resources on the college campus. In a study of 282 upper-level physiology students, participants randomized to complete Project Engage reported a greater increase in overall confidence in engaging in small group discussions (P=.01) and whole class discussions (P<.001), but not in one-on-one interactions with instructors (P=.05), from baseline to immediately after intervention outcomes, compared with participants in an active control condition. Project Engage received a good acceptability rating (1.22 on a scale of -2 to +2) and had a high completion rate (>97%). This study provides a foundation for a freely available, easily accessible intervention to bolster student confidence for contributing in class. OSF Registries osf.io/4ca68 http://osf.io/4ca68.

Authentic Scientific Research through an Undergraduate Ecology Course

Undergraduate science students who volunteer within a research laboratory group, or participate in funded research opportunities, in general are those who have the opportunity to engage in authentic research. In this article, we report the findings from two different iterations of a semester-long collaboration between a biology faculty member and a science education faculty member at a major research institution in the Southeastern United States. Specifically, the faculty members designed an ecology laboratory course for upper-level undergraduate students (primarily biology majors) where they would engage in an original and highly authentic ecological research project. The goal of this course was to have students explicitly learn about the nature of science (NOS), and authentic scientific practices such as inquiry and experimentation in the context of their own research. In the second year of the course, the global COVID-19 pandemic forced us to modify our approach to accomplish the same goals, but now in a remote and online format. Using questionnaires, concept inventories, and semi-structured interviews, the impact of the course on students’ understandings of NOS, inquiry, and experimentation, in addition to their perspectives on the experience within the course compared to prior laboratory coursework, was investigated. We found that students showed modest gains in each of the aforementioned desirable outcomes. These gains were generally comparable in both face-to-face and remote course settings. Additionally, students shared with us their preference for authentic laboratory work as compared with the typical laboratory work with its given research question and step-by-step instructions. Our research demonstrates what is possible in both face-to-face and remote undergraduate laboratory courses in biology and the positive impact that was observed in our students. We hope it serves as a model for other scientists and science educators as they collaborate to design authentic research-based coursework for undergraduate biology students.

Improvement of Skills for Mu'allimin International Class Upper Secondary Level Students Through Line Follower Robot Training

Madrasah Mu'allimin Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta is a private religious-based educational institution. This campus has a superior class, namely Mu'allimin International Class Upper Secondary (MIC US). This class has 35 students and is divided into Upper Secondary A and Upper Secondary B classes. Even though Madrasah Mu'allimin has organized robotics extracurricular activities, in this MIC UP class all students cannot participate in these activities because the location of this class is far from the robotic site. MIC UP students' interest in robotics is quite high. Therefore, the students need to be given short training to improve their knowledge and skills in constructing robots. To realize this activity, Madrasah Mu'allimin collaborated with the Electrical Engineering Study Program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (TE Study Program UMY), specifically line follower robot training. This activity is planned to be held for 1 day, starting with a pretest, delivering robotics material, building line follower robots, testing robots on the track, and closing it with a post-test. This activity was assisted by 2 international students from the TE Study Program UMY, coming from North Sudan and Qatar.

Biomedical Engineering Students&amp;rsquo; Perceived Learning Through Co-Curriculars

Background: Co-curricular student outcomes research has focused on connecting outcomes to activities based on the co-curricular type. Less work has explored what aspects of those co-curricular activities could lead to student outcomes. Purpose: Our research aimed to identify common elements of co-curricular activities that connected to students’ development of professional, career, or personal outcomes and can inform how we study and design co-curricular activities in engineering. Design: We recruited participants from one biomedical engineering (BME) program. We used a one-year series of four semi-structured interviews with fourteen upper-level BME students to explore students’ perceptions of their co-curricular learning. Using a qualitative, causal analysis approach, we identified elements of students’ co-curricular experiences in research or a multi-disciplinary design team, as well as other co-curricular experiences (e.g., internships, professional societies), that linked to professional, career, or personal learning outcomes that have been previously identified as important in engineering education. Findings: We identified patterns of connections between unique “experience elements” and a variety of “outcome categories” through participant activities we called “participant actions.” The most prevalent connections—those experience elements and participant actions that connected to multiple outcome categories—included the experience elements Independent Project Work, Project Work That Engages Multiple Disciplines, STEM Education Opportunities, and Mentorship from a Skilled Other as well as a participant action Reflecting on Experience. We found connections to the outcome categories of Leadership, Design, Business, Interdisciplinary Competence, Disciplinary Competence, Communication, and Career Direction Outcomes. Conclusions: Based on our findings, educators and mentors should consider the value of supporting students’ decision-making autonomy and multidisciplinary interactions in projects to support learning. They could also incorporate opportunities for students to teach each other technical content, receive structured mentorship, and reflect on their experiences as they are happening. Further, this work demonstrates a need to explore co-curricular learning processes in new ways that can lead to better understandings of students’ learning processes.

Student Support-Seeking Behaviors in General Chemistry and Introductory Physics Courses: An Exploratory Study Using Simple Ego-Network Analysis Methodology

A little studied aspect of supporting students in large introductory STEM courses is examining from whom students seek information and advice when they are struggling in or need advice about issues related to large introductory courses. The current study explores student support-seeking behavior related to academic issues or concerns in their General Chemistry and Introductory Physics courses using a simple ego-network analysis survey approach. Students (n = 1,581) were asked to list specific individuals they went to for three different categories of support: advice, help, and emotional support; the role of these individuals (peer, faculty, student mentor, etc.); and frequency of contact with those individuals. Results indicate that nearly all students consulted others for support or information related to their courses and a majority of students (67–75%) sought input from others for all three categories: advice, help, and emotional support. Peers at the same institution were the most common role category sought for any reason (by 70–75% of students). Approximately half of students surveyed listed at least one faculty member and approximately half listed at least one academic advisor as a source of support. Other potential sources of support (e.g., peer leaders, student mentors, family) were sought by fewer students. Students also reported interacting most frequently with their peers, followed by faculty, and then advisors. Implications for STEM instructors are discussed, including suggestions for classroom practices that might promote students’ use of sources with the best knowledge of effective strategies for solving course-related problems, such as faculty and upper-level students in formal course-support roles.

APLIKASI PENCARIAN JUDUL TUGAS AKHIR MAHASISWA BERBASIS VISUAL STUDIO 2012 DAN MYSQL

The application to search for student final assignment titles at the Payakumbuh College of Technology is still being done manually, namely written in a book that has been provided by the admin of the computer engineering study program, thus storing the data has not been computerized so that it can result in human error. Therefore, it is felt less effective and efficient. Because in searching for data for the title of the final assignment, you have to look at it one by one so that there are no similarities between other upper-level students, to do the search takes a relatively long time, the data stored in the book can also be lost by the computer engineering study program admin. So there is a need for an application to search for student final assignment titles at the Payakumbuh College of Technology using Visual Studio 2012 and MySQL. The existence of this search application makes it easier for the computer engineering study program admin to see lists of names of students who have taken the title of the final assignment. The admin of the computer engineering study program can make a search in a short time and doesn't take a long time. In addition, the admin of the computer engineering study program can also perform data archiving by inputting the data into this application, be it student data, lecturer data and title data so that it can overcome the loss of data. The data that has been input can also be printed according to annual data and individual data.

A brief online single session intervention increases undergraduate confidence speaking out in an active learning physiology course

Increasingly, college physiology courses are transitioning from traditional lecture to active learning because students learn more and fail less when they engage in their learning through activities and discussions in class. Fear of negative evaluation (FNE), defined as a student’s sense of dread associated with being unfavorably evaluated while participating in a social situation, discourages undergraduates from participating in small group discussions, whole class discussions, and conversing one-on-one with instructors. FNE disproportionately impacts women, persons excluded because of their ethnicity or race (PEERs), LGBTQ+ individuals, and those coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds. To equip undergraduates with skills to cope with fear of negative evaluation and bolster their confidence, clinical psychologists and biology education researchers developed Project Engage, a digital, self-guided single-session intervention for college students. It teaches students strategies for coping with and reducing fear of negative evaluation by providing biologically-informed psychoeducation, utilizing interactive elements for engagement, and generating a personalized action plan. In a study of 300 upper-level physiology students, participants randomized to complete Project Engage reported greater increases in overall confidence in engaging in small group discussions (p &lt; 0.01), whole class discussions (p &lt; 0.001) and one-on-one interactions with instructors (p&lt;0.05), from baseline to immediate post-intervention, compared to participants in an active control condition. This work provides a foundation for a freely-available, easily accessible intervention to bolster student confidence contributing in class, with the hope of creating more equitable active learning physiology courses. NSF grant #2141681 This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

A Multi-Topic Bystander Intervention Program for Upper-Level Undergraduate Students: Outcomes in Sexual Violence, Racism, and High-Risk Alcohol Situations.

Few bystander intervention trainings programs have evaluated behavioral outcomes in previously trained upper-level undergraduate students. Rigorous study designs are necessary to understand how multi-topic programs influence student outcomes to intervene against sexual violence, racism, and high-risk alcohol situations. A single-session bystander training for emphasizing communication strategies was developed for juniors and seniors on a private, Midwestern college campus. The training addressed sexual violence, racism, and high-risk alcohol situations and was evaluated using a randomized waitlist-control design in student-housing units. Online Qualtrics surveys were completed by 101 student participants (57 in the intervention group and 44 in the control group). Students responded to nine harm scenarios involving sexual violence, racism, and high-risk alcohol situations at baseline and 7 weeks follow-up. Between-group changes in scores were compared to determine the effect of the program on students' (a) readiness to intervene; (b) confidence to intervene; (c) bystander behaviors among students who witnessed actual or potentially harmful events; and (d) bystander reports of their experiences. Qualitative analysis assessed how the program influenced the use of positive verbal communication strategies. Program effects increased positive bystander experiences when helping someone who had too much to drink and needed assistance. Over time both groups reported increased confidence levels to intervene when someone intoxicated was being isolated with sexual intent. There were no further significant findings in readiness, confidence, behaviors, or other experiences, though some positive nonsignificant trends emerged. The program demonstrated little efficacy. Results suggest opportunities to improve bystander outcomes in low-risk primary prevention situations and racist scenarios, suggesting that targeted intervention of these outcomes may be useful when developing programming with previously-trained students. As universities expand prevention work beyond the first year, lessons learned may help inform multi-year programming across health topics to prevent harm and create healthier college campuses.

The Utility of a Novel Walk-Through/Talk-Through Stroke Simulation Model for Medical Student Education. (S10.008)

<h3>Objective:</h3> Our aim is to evaluate the perceptions of medical students regarding a novel “Walk-Through/Talk-Through” style stroke simulation in which trainee stress is minimized, and demonstration, self-pacing, and frequent debriefing are emphasized. <h3>Background:</h3> Medical simulation exercises have become a standard of modern medical education and proved beneficial for trainees in acquiring both technical (1) and non-technical (2) skills. However, simulation exercises are often purposefully emotionally and physiologically stressful for learners (3,4). No research was found that studied simulation efficacy and trainee perspectives when simulation stress was minimized, and demonstration, self-pacing, and frequent debriefing were emphasized. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> Thirty-two upper-level medical students (study ongoing) participated in a one-hour “code-stroke” small-group simulation led by upper-level neurology residents utilizing a novel Walk-Through/Talk-Through model of learning. This simulation began with an overview presentation, followed by a resident-led NIH-SS demonstration, a student Walk-Through/Talk-Through NIH-SS exam, a resident-led code-stroke demonstration, and lastly a student Walk-Through/Talk-Through code-stroke session. Pre-/post-simulation questionnaires were collected regarding medical students’ perspectives of the simulation. <h3>Results:</h3> Of the 27/32 students who completed both questionnaires, significant improvement (p&lt;0.001) in trainee comfort scale (1–10) was found in pre-/post-simulation scores in managing a code-stroke (median 4 pre-sim vs. 8 post-sim), performing the NIH-SS (median 4 pre-sim vs. 8 post-sim), performing a focused stroke history (median 5 pre-sim vs. 8 post-sim), and making decisions regarding thrombolytics (median 5 pre-sim vs. 8 post-sim). The pace, frequent debriefing, and overall Walk-Through/Talk-Through simulation model were perceived as very helpful for student learning in 81%, 78%, and 78% of participants, respectively. Additionally, 85% of participants indicated that the Walk-Through/Talk-Through model would be helpful in other clinical simulations. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> This novel Walk-Through/Talk-Through stroke simulation model that aims to minimize stress while maximizing demonstration, self-pacing, and frequent debriefing is perceived by medical student as beneficial for their learning and likely applicable to other clinical simulations. <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Dolbow has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care. Dr. Sadek has nothing to disclose. Dr. Al-Shaibi has nothing to disclose. Miss Sponaugle has nothing to disclose. Dr. Xiong has nothing to disclose.

The Perspectives of Preservice Kinesiology Students Concerning Autism and Physical Activity: Differences by Adapted Physical Activity Exposure.

This study investigated the effect of an adapted physical activity (APA) course on knowledge and perceptions of preservice trainees regarding physical activity (PA) and autism spectrum disorder in 3 areas: knowledge/perspectives, importance and ease of improving developmental domains, and importance and ease of improving motor skills. Four hundred upper-level undergraduate students were recruited to participate in this survey-based study (251 APA students and 149 non-APA students participated). Survey data were analyzed using multivariate analyses of variance. Participants estimated that the moderate to vigorous PA recommendations are 39.34minutes per day, that 46.65% of moderate to vigorous PA occurs during school, and that 61.03% of children have motor difficulties. Participants perceived activities of daily living, sleep habits, and heart health as the easiest domains to improve, and problem behaviors, social skills, and self-esteem as the most difficult domains to improve. Knowledge/perspectives regarding autism spectrum disorder and PA were different by APA exposure (F12,324 = 3.11, P < .001). Differences included self-efficacy in providing PA advice, knowledge of PA guidelines, and willingness to provide motor assessment referrals. Students differed by APA exposure in the importance of developmental domains (F8,381 = 4.37, P < .001) but not ease of improving those domains. Results suggest that APA education and contact with children with disabilities improves self-efficacy, perspectives, and knowledge of PA and motor concerns in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Development and implementation of a novel peer mentoring program for undergraduate nursing students.

Given the dynamic and high-stress environment of nursing education today, the need arose for the development and implementation of a novel peer mentoring program to support undergraduate nursing students. Peer mentoring refers to a network of support in which a more skilled or experienced person serves as a role model for a less skilled person for professional development and personal growth. Peer mentoring provides a support system that encourages self-confidence and increases self-worth for both the mentee and the mentor. The undergraduate student peer mentoring program in a large, Southeastern United States, university-based, 4-year school of nursing was created in response to a desire for more support conveyed by upper-level nursing students. A model was developed whereby each incoming nursing student (Semester 1) would be paired with a senior nursing student (Semesters 3, 4, or 5). This mentoring dyad was then assigned to a faculty mentor who ensured that the mentoring relationship was functioning in accordance with established guidelines and provided support to both the student mentee and the student mentor. The first cohort was comprised of 20 mentoring dyads. Subsequent cohorts have ranged from 20 to 45 mentoring dyads. To date, over 300 nursing students have participated in the undergraduate peer mentoring program. Based on feedback from student evaluation surveys, both mentors and mentees appreciate and find value in the program. Approximately 93% of student mentors indicated that they would have appreciated such a program when they were first semester nursing students. Some of the challenges of navigating nursing programs are not related to lack of academic aptitude. Rather, other challenges, including lack of social support and soft skills needed to successfully complete the first and second semesters of nursing school. These are critical challenges that a peer mentor could help to meet.

A Comparison of the Predictability of Final Scores for Freshmen and Upper-Level Students in Blended Learning Courses

This study investigates final scores predictability based on students’ longitudinally reported motivation belief and the use of learning strategies in blended learning (BL) courses for freshmen and upper-level students. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire was administered three times to measure students’ motivation belief and use of learning strategies (N=314) and collected 850 viable surveys. Firstly, an investigation of the dynamics of the factors involved with students’ motivational belief and use of learning strategies was completed. It was found that freshmen students’ motivation dropped until the mid-term and it increased again as the course progressed towards the end, whereas, upper-level students’ motivation continued to drop throughout the course. In terms of the predictability of final scores, at construct level, stepwise regression chose motivation as predictors of freshmen’s final score and strategy used as a predictor for upper-level students. The paper also discusses the implications of the study related to self-regulation learning theory, learning analytics, and instructional design.