We want to congratulate the latest Assessment of Student Learning and Public Affairs Grant award winners for the Spring 2018 semester! Here is a snapshot of our awardees, and their projects.
Denise Cunningham: NAEYC Accreditation Review & Analysis of ECE Program Report
Dr. Cunningham is the Department Head in the Childhood Education and Family Studies Department in the College of Education. Her proposal, NAEYC Accreditation Review & Analysis of ECE Program Report, outlines a plan to host faculty meetings that will identify and assess areas of relative strength and needs for improvement within the department. Dr. Cunningham explains, “By identifying these areas, course content and instruction can be focused on program improvement.”
Dr. Cunningham plans to use their accreditation program report to identify those new and revised student learning outcomes, which will serve as the springboard for their program development.
La Toya Kissoon-Charles: Quantitative Tasks in Undergraduate Biology: Assessment of Student Attitudes and Quantitative Abilities
Dr. Kissoon-Charles is a Professor in the Biology Department in the College of Natural and Applied Sciences. Her grant proposal, Quantitative Tasks in Undergraduate Biology: Assessment of Student Attitudes and Quantitative Abilities, looks at transforming the teaching and learning of quantitative skills in undergraduate biology. This will be accomplished by “addressing the critical need for integrating and assessing quantitative reasoning across the biology curriculum.” Their assessment is broken into three parts: (1) assessing how students perform on quantitative questions, (2) examining attitudes students have toward using math in biology, and (3) describing the relationship between student quantitative abilities and attitudes.
Dr. Kissoon-Charles plans to accomplish this by combining the use of student survey instruments, such as the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS), Math-Biology Values Instrument (MBVI), and so on at the beginning and end of the semester to gauge student & program progression. The funds from this grant will be channeled into the entry and management of this large accumulation of student data, as well as the physical materials necessary for student responses.
Sarah Lancaster & Beth Walker: Aligning Student Learning in Plant and Animal Sciences with Industry Expectations
Dr. Lancaster (pictured left) is an Assistant Professor in the College of Agriculture. Dr. Walker (pictured right) is an Associate Professor in the College of Agriculture. Their grant proposal, Aligning Student Learning in Plant and Animal Sciences with Industry Expectation, aims to develop & implement a survey instrument which will gather input from professionals in agriculture. From there, they will align those response results with data-based guidance and course development.
Dr. Lancaster and Dr. Walker state that this will assist in “the development of new courses with the knowledge and skills required of professionals in the plant and animal science industries.” They plan on reaching out with their survey to alumni, employers, faculty at MSU and other universities, as well as other industry contacts. The grant will go to support the process of purchasing the use of data-collection software, and the funding of undergraduate assistance in data entry.
Jennifer Pratt: Language in Art: Facilitating Expression and Social Participation Through Visual Mediums
Jennifer Pratt is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department in the College of Health and Human Services. Her proposal, Language in Art: Facilitating Expression and Social Participation Through Visual Mediums, focuses on Public Affairs activities and is multi-focused in its approach. Its primary goal is “to provide an otherwise unavailable opportunity to adults with acquired communication disorders to participate in a social activity focused on expression via alternative means, culminating in an art show where the participants’ work will be displayed,” as explained by Jennifer Pratt in her proposal. This project aims to foster interdisciplinary cooperation between art students and speech-language pathology graduate students and their faculty mentors. Moreover, the project has the potential to further community education and collaboration, as seen in the art show final activity.
Outcomes for this project are to be assessed through participants’ self-judgment regarding the levels of their participation and their overall enjoyment in their activity. Jennifer Pratt recognizes that a project such as this typically cannot flourish in an educational or institutional setting, and that it will hopefully “allow future speech-language pathologists an opportunity to appreciate capabilities in their clients they would not otherwise experience and will allow art student the opportunity to experience how impactful and relevant communication via art can be, particularly for those with communication struggles.”
We’re excited to see the culmination of all your projects!