EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
Back to the Wild
2016
11/5 Presentation Details
Keynote: Dr. Warren Hayman and Kamaria Massey
Thursday, November 5 at 9:00 am PST
Speakers: Dr. Warren Hayman, coordinator of the Urban Education Leadership Doctoral Program at Morgan State University and Kamaria Massey, doctoral student at Morgan State University
Award-winning scholar, teacher, and activist and the coordinator of the Urban Education Leadership Doctoral Program at Morgan State University, Dr. Hayman presents with doctoral student, Kamaria Massey, research on the achievement gap among students of color and actions institutions of higher-ed can take to overcome it.
Panel Discussion - From Theory to Practice: Helping Faculty Incorporate Career Readiness into Any Classroom
Thursday, November 5 at 10:00 am PST
Why the Humanities? Student Perspectives
Speaker: Brandon Wiese, Faculty at Ashford University
The purpose of this presentation is to discuss student perceptions of the value of the humanities in higher education. Guided by Boyer’s model of scholarship, which holds that scholarship should be characterized by discovery, integration, application, and teaching, this presentation explores how students believe the humanities are valuable for education, personal development, and career preparedness. In order to examine such student perceptions of the value of the humanities, a qualitative case study methodology was employed. Interview questions were asked of participants who completed at least one humanities course—an introductory philosophy course at a community college in Missouri. Summative value statements indicated mixed results: half of the students seemed to value humanities courses, while the other half of students seemed to be neutral in their estimation of the overall value of humanities courses. The results also indicate implications for the importance of instructional leadership and scholarship, as well as for further research on the topic at both the institutional and individual levels. The research in the presentation benefits faculty and staff by providing insight into the perspectives of students on the value of the humanities for education, personal life, and career.
Scientific Reasoning 101: How Competency in Science is Useful in Everyday Life
Speakers: Clifford Blizard, Lead Faculty, The Center for the Enhancement of the First-Year Experience at Ashford University, Christopher Foster, Faculty, The Center for the Enhancement of the First-Year Experience at Ashford University, Marc Hnytka, Faculty, The Center for the Enhancement of the First-Year Experience at Ashford University, Matthew Laubacher, Faculty, The Center for the Enhancement of the First-Year Experience at Ashford University, and Holly Ourso, Faculty, The Center for the Enhancement of the First-Year Experience at Ashford University
In order to understand Ashford’s scientific reasoning competency more clearly, our team identified and described five key components of it, guided by Potochnik, Colombo, and Wright (2019). One component is experimentation as a means of making new discoveries, following an agreed-upon method. One interesting experiment involves the potential discovery of an entirely new subatomic particle (Letzter, 2020). The second component is model construction, a tool for exploring how real-world systems work. Meteorologists use computer models to predict the paths of developing hurricanes. The third component is making inferences about natural phenomena by applying logical reasoning to scientific topics. Inferences enable paleontologists, for example, to describe what life on Earth was like long ago, based largely upon fossils left behind. The fourth component is the ability to depict and interpret data visually, such as by reading a graph showing trends in COVID-19 infections for a particular state. The final component, systems thinking, is a vital tool for understanding, for example, how climate change could lead to new health challenges by enabling the spread of tropical diseases. Understanding and applying these five components of scientific reasoning can guide our decision-making and inform our understanding of the world.
Sources Cited
Letzler, R. (2020, June 17). Physicists announce potential dark matter breakthrough. Scientific American [online magazine]. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/physicists-announce-potential-dark-matter-breakthrough/
Potochnik, A.; Colombo, M.; and C. Wright (2019). Recipes for science: An introduction to scientific methods and reasoning. New York: Routledge.
Bringing Career and Occupational Competencies to Life
Speaker: Yolanda Harper, Faculty at Ashford University
Career readiness, “the attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace” is of critical importance in higher education, in the labor market, and public arena (National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2019a). Students and educators alike are aware that teaching is more than presenting academic content (Bradshaw & Hultquist, 2016; Moreno-Ger et al., 2008). In research with students, Kong and Yan (2014) found positive associations among experiential learning, learning satisfaction, and the positive development of career competencies. Redding (2016) emphasized the important role of instructors in developing students’ competencies in three key areas: academic, career/occupational, and personal. While all three types of competencies are of importance, the primary scope of this session will be on occupational/career competences identified as essential by employers responding to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) surveys.
The top four competencies consistently rated as “essential” over the past three years are as follows: Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Teamwork/Collaboration, Professionalism/Work Ethic, and Oral/Written Communication (National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2019b). Given time constraints, this session will primarily focus on examples promoting Critical Thinking/Problem Solving and Oral/Written Communication as applied to careers. The presenter will demonstrate ways tools already present in the repertoires of most faculty can promote positive student outcomes and meaningful engagement with instructors, other learners, and the academic content (Britt, Goon, & Timmerman, 2015; Gibson, 2017; Marks, 2016) while fostering development of key career and occupational competencies.
References
Bradshaw, M., & Hultquist, B. L. (Eds.) (2016). Innovative teaching strategies in nursing and related health professions, (7th Ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Britt, M., Goon, D., & Timmerman, M. (2015). How to better engage online students with online strategies. College Student Journal, 49(3), 399-404.
Gibson, P. (2017). The need for imagination and creativity in instructional design. In Adult Education and Vocational Training in the Digital Age (pp. 134-146). IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/the-need-for-imagination-and-creativity-in-instructional-design/171375
Kong, H., & Yan, Q. (2014). The relationship between learning satisfaction and career competencies. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 41, 133-139.
Marks, D.B. (2016). Theory to practice: Quality instruction in online learning environments. In G. Chamblee & L. Langub (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 292-300). Savannah, GA, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
Moreno-Ger, P., Burgos, D., Martínez-Ortiz, I., Sierra, J. L., & Fernández-Manjón, B. (2008). Educational game design for online education. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(6), 2530-2540.
National Association of Colleges and Employers. (2019a). Career readiness for the new college graduate: A definition and competencies. Retrieved from https://www.naceweb.org/uploadedfiles/pages/knowledge/articles/career-readiness-fact-sheet-jan-2019.pdf
National Association of Colleges and Employers. (2019b). The four competencies employers value most. Retrieved from https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/the-four-career-competencies-employers-value-most/
Redding, S. (2016). Competencies and personalized learning. In Murphy, M., Redding, S., & Twyman, J. (Eds.). Handbook on personalized learning for states, districts, and schools (pp. 3-18). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Humanities Faculty Curriculum Orientations and Perceptions about Developing Transferable Skills
Speaker: Rachel Smydra, Faculty at Oakland University
Global changes have placed pressure on higher educational institutions to strengthen a connection between classroom learning and workplace needs. Manifesting itself as a push for curriculum reform, institutional leaders have been advocating for curriculum strategies that focus on career readiness. The National Association of College and Employers (NACE) defined career readiness as “the attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for a successfully transition to the workplace” (par. 3). Because educators hold different views about these aspects, they also hold different foci for decision making; consequently, finding answers to questions about how faculty choose content, identify learning outcomes, and employ teaching and learning activities will contribute to understanding what shapes their vision and understanding about course design.
Career Readiness as the Foundation of Student Success: Creating a Course using NACE Competencies
Speaker: Jenna Sage, Dean of Career Readiness and Workforce Solutions at Ultimate Medical Academy
The foundational Student Success course highlights career connections, self-reflection and learning objectives focused on self-motivation, self-awareness, and maximizing the learning experience. Infusing objectives that support aspects of Emotional Intelligence and the NACE competencies have the potential to build on the essential building blocks of career readiness and career engagement.
Panel Discussion - Supporting Military Students
Thursday, November 5 at 10:00 am PST
Back to Basics: Instructor’s Field Guide to Working with Military Students
Speakers: Molly Molnar, Lead Faculty at Ashford University and Becky Campbell, Faculty at Ashford University
Based on last week’s Get CenterED training, Molly, Ashley, and other members of MVSFT shared about ways to interact with military leaders and infuse military content and curricular options into the classroom to create a relevant and challenging learning experience. While many enjoyed hearing about this NASPA presentation, the majority admitted to struggling with basic expectations and asking how they might best support these students in the classroom, so this was identified as the new objective regarding the military group and partnership with faculty. Most faculty admitted they were unaware of changes or policies that might impact this group in their classroom and wanted a refresher of requirements, expectations, and Best Practices.
Military staff, James Bond, and academic faculty lead, Molly Molnar, presented on Best Practices across the university. The method was to create a comprehensive document that included all the question from across the university and Military Faculty rep worked to have the best person, based on content, answer the FAQs. Most FAQs included supplemental responses (ex. sample video, resources, relevant article, and POCs).
Argument: It is important to have this conversation surrounding Best Practices with military personal from both Student Affairs (OSAW, Advising) and Academics (Faculty). at least once a year to ensure new faculty, changes to policy, and other unique circumstances.
In conclusion, share the FAQs and provide a brief training with time at the end for Q&A. Provide resource document as follow up: Toolbox*. Note: Happy to Share FAQ doc with CETL group.
Engaging Military-Affiliated Students: How to Create a Comprehensive Military Career Resource
Speakers: Matt Phillips, Career Services Resource Designer at Ashford University and Amanda Johnson, Ashford Career Advisor and Certified Federal Job Search Trainer at Ashford University
What does it take to create a comprehensive career transition resource for military students? Learn about the expertise, tech tools, and collaboration needed to create a useful career resource for decentralized, online, military-affiliated students. Get insight from a career services resource designer and a certified federal job search trainer. Get ready to take a brief tour of the Ashford University Military Career Track.
ePortfolios: How to integrate it in your next course design project and why it matters
Thursday, November 5 at 10:00 am PST
Speakers: Amy Rogers, Associate Director, Center for Enhancement of First Year Experience and Jessi Harkins, PhD, Lead Faculty, Assistant Professor, Department of Liberal Arts and Education at Ashford University
Last year’s roll-out of the digital portfolio, Folio introduced even more opportunities for student engagement in the online learning environment. ePortfolios are an effective way to assess student learning. And, Ashford instructors receive plenty of encouragement to use this tool instructionally. Whether you’ve received some training on how to use Folio or have explored it on your own, there’s more to consider and to do to fully leverage this digital tool.
Electronic (e)Portfolios have been used in a variety of educational settings to assess student learning for decades. When executed well, they are positioned as a high-impact practice in higher education (Watson, Kuh, Rhodes, Penny Light, & Chen, 2016). ePortfolios create opportunities for students to relate with one another and with their instructor when shared. They not only reveal a student’s growth, they allow students to reflect in real-time on their learning.
This session shares practical and meaningful ways to integrate Folio when designing or redesigning curriculum. It also explores the benefits in using ePortfolios to aid the process of learning versus solely the product of learning. Last, participants will discover the goldmine of NACE Career Readiness Competencies that ePortfolios support.
Integrating Coaching Principles into the Academic Classroom
Thursday, November 5 at 10:00 am PST
Speakers: Dr. Maryalyce Jeremiah, Adjunct Professor for The Forbes School of Business & Technology at Ashford University and Bill Davis, Lead Faculty & Assistant Professor, The Forbes School of Business & Technology
The product of a successful coach is often demonstrated publicly by a winning team. The pedagogical theories that teachers adhere to are some of the same used by coaches in teaching physical and life skills. Coaches who "win" at high levels have a specific "written" philosophy of coaching. They communicate with a cooperative style and they create a culture within their teams where student athletes feel comfortable to actively participate within the framework of their learning and competitive environment. Great coaches are great motivators and great managers of people. As it is with "student" athletes, so it is with the regular student: they do not care as much what the instructor "knows" as they care how much an instructor "cares". This presentation will demonstrate how to integrate these principles into an academic classroom. The product of a successful instructor is the kind of learning that takes place that is integrated into a student's life personally and professionally.
See For Yourself - CAS Health Science Learning Community
Thursday, November 5 at 10:30 am PST
Speakers: Michelle Cranney, Lead Faculty, Health Information Management at Ashford University and Charles Holmes, Lead Faculty, Master of Public Health at Ashford University
In the Spring of 2019, the idea to create a student learning community was introduced in the College of Arts and Sciences – Health Science Division. The Learning Community committee accepted the challenge to create a space for students to interact with others in the same program and/or college, explore real-time updates from professional organizations, learn about upcoming professional conferences, and access Ashford’s resources related to career preparedness, student readiness, and internal conference content. The Learning Community launched to some students at the end of 2019 with good results. As the Learning Community opens to more students in 2020, we look forward to supporting students in more programs at the University.
Impacts of 2020 on Students and Faculty
Thursday, November 5 at 10:30 am PST
Speakers: Christina Jaquez, J.D. / Student Conduct Officer/Deputy Title IX Coordinator at Ashford University
Hindsight Isn’t 2020
Considerations for Students by Faculty and Staff
A majority of college students surveyed have stated that COVID-19 has negatively impacted their mental health. There have been other major events from this year (so far) that are also likely impacting our non-traditional student population. Included will be real examples from student situations. In addition to discussing the effects to students, this presentation will help provide guidance and resources to help you support students. There will also be a focus on your own self-care as we all continue to navigate through 2020.
Global, Virtual--With a Shot of Teams; Recipe for Global Intercultural Communications Readiness
Thursday, November 5 at 11:00 am PST
Speakers: Susan Luck, Professor of Business at Pfeiffer University and adjunct at Ashford University and Stephanie Swartz, PhD. Professor of Business, the Business School, University of Mainz Applied Sciences, Mainz, Germany
Although many courses teach intercultural competence, what happens when the method for teaching those concepts becomes experiential? To answer that question, the presenters, along with two researchers from the EU, took four similar classes, one each from the US, Germany, Scotland, and Portugal, all composed of working adults, and joined the students into virtual teams for a month-long project. The teams first chose a product to market virtually in all four countries, then created individual and different social media marketing campaigns based on cultural aspects of marketing in the respective countries. Teams also used Zoom, Slack, Powtoon, Instagram, Facebook, and other electronic and social media platforms to connect, discuss, and create their final presentation. This presentation was given in all four classrooms through technology. While the presentation itself was valuable, the intercultural communication the students used to work together to create this presentation was the greater learning experience and the vehicle for our main learning objective.
Interviewing and Job Search Strategies for the New Virtual World
Thursday, November 5 at 11:00 am PST
Speaker: Brandi Yates, Director of Career Services at Ultimate Medical Academy
As students traverse career navigation under different circumstances given COVID-19 it is essential to utilize strong interview skills and job searching strategies. This session will offer best practices when entering the world of virtual interviewing and assist in navigating the uncharted waters of finding employment during and after COVID-19.
ED Talks at TLC: 'No Excuses University' (NEU) Exceptional Systems---A Student Perspective
Thursday, November 5 at 11:30 am PST
Speakers: Students and Alumni of Ashford University
This spotlight presentation of ED Talks at TLC features distinguished students and alumni of Ashford University as they discuss how No Excuses University (NEU): Six Exceptional Systems supports university and career success in the higher education classroom. In this presentation, students will explore their stories of factors that set up success.
The Value of Guest Interviews via YouTube in the Asynchronous Online Classroom
Thursday, November 5 at 11:30 am PST
Speakers: Dr. Tim Rice, Assistant Professor and Lead Faculty, Sport and Performance Psychology; Program Lead- Doctor of Psychology at Ashford university and Dr. Candy Rice, Adjunct Online Faculty Member at Castleton University and Spring Hill College
This presentation will examine teaching online students using guest interviews through the medium of YouTube. This approach utilized eight content area experts, interviewed by the faculty member, to provide online students at three colleges and universities with the chance to learn from seasoned professionals in their content area. This new approach for effectively using technology for student learning utilized guest speakers who are experts in the field, many times overlooked in our online teaching environment, to provide value for students and help prepare students for their future in their field. The presenters provide a discussion of the existing literature regarding use of guest speakers in the classroom, elaborate on the student learning feedback from the students related to the use of video interviews of content experts and other technology in the asynchronous online classroom, as well as share how this experience impacted the guest speakers. Technology integration is essential for the changing educational landscape; this especially includes online education. This presentation offers new ways to reach students as online higher educational professionals, as well as provide students with the opportunity to develop critical skills in the use of technology.
Virtual Reality in Education
Thursday, November 5 at 12:00 pm PST
Speaker: Dan Tinianow, Lead Faculty at Ashford University
By now, most people have heard of virtual reality, but direct experience with it is still less common. In this session, the Oculus Go and Oculus Quest will be demonstrated through recorded sessions with an emphasis on educational applications. It is unlikely that more than a handful of students will have VR devices in the near future, but even if students don't have VR, instructors can use VR as a tool for instruction using just their own device. In this session, you will learn how to get started for less than the cost of a tablet. A live session will be offered outside of conference hours for those interested via Facebook. Get a quick start with this exciting tool for education that you can enjoy when you're not teaching too!
Maximizing Weekly Instructor Guidance: Organization, Engagement, Accessibility
Thursday, November 5 at 12:00 pm PST
Speakers: Lisa Gyger and Gregory Stone, Curriculum Specialists at Zovio
Instructor Guidance is an innovative instructional design tool that Ashford University has
provided as an option for faculty designers to include in their courses. This feature of
instruction provides content that supplements course announcements and can be
standardized for all sections of the course. Students find it very helpful to have this
guidance/lesson each week so they know what to focus on, can see real world examples of
implementation, and get more information on the core concepts. Creating the Instructor
Guidance has historically been unsupported and not included in the course guide
development template process. In order to provide an efficient way to support a better
organized, more engaging, and universally accessible Instructor Guidance, the Curriculum
Specialist team has designed a template and resources to help instructors develop their
weekly Instructor Guidance. This presentation will give a deep dive look into what the new
template is, why it is important, and how it can be tailored for each course.
Building "Fortified" Instructors, Ready to Make Videos
Thursday, November 5 at 12:30 pm PST
Speakers: Cheri Ketchum, Assistant Professor at Ashford University, Daria LaFave, Associate Faculty at Ashford University, Elaine Phompheng, Associate Faculty at Ashford University, and Chelsey Yeats, Associate Faculty at Ashford University
In 2018, we investigated the relationship between video feedback and social presence in the classroom. We discovered that while leaving videos did not have a significant impact on student performance or evaluation of instructors, about half of the instructors reported some problematic reactions - saying they felt demoralized by not seeing an improvement after spending hours leaving the videos and experienced of self-doubt.
In this presentation, we review the results of this research and offer both institutional and individual advice for successful application of videos in the online classroom. Through using the tools we provide, instructors will become more “fortified” and ready to provide videos that inspire both students and themselves.
Fear of Stepping Out: Overcoming the barriers of digital learning
Thursday, November 5 at 12:30 pm PST
Speaker: Conni Whitten, Core Faculty - Associate Professor at Ashford University
The purpose of the session is to diagnose the transition barriers that occur when moving from asynchronous classroom communication to face-to-face interactions within the workplace. Concurrently, addressing the reversal challenge of moving from face to face interactions to the virtual synchronous remote workplace.