About the Project

In Fall 2018, Dr. Nicole West, Assistant Professor of Counseling, Leadership and Special Education and Student Affairs in Higher Education Program Coordinator, received an Assessment Grant for her project titled Exploring Barriers to Effective Writing among Graduate Student Researchers. Dr. West explains, “The goal of this project is to identify instructional (i.e., how the course is taught), course design (i.e., how the course is designed), and external factors (i.e., student effort, preparedness, capacity, etc.) that impede effective writing among graduate students in a four-course sequence of research and assessment classes in the Student Affairs in Higher Education (SAHE) M.S. program. It is believed the findings of this project will inform the development of teaching strategies and course design approaches that will enhance the writing skills of students in the courses that are the focus of this study, as well as in the SAHE program at-large.”

Impact on Student Learning

When asked how her project improved student learning, Dr. West said, “The findings are being used to revise the following courses, which will be offered in Fall 2019: Foundations of Research (SAE 729) and Assessment & Evaluation (SAE 767). In addition to being used to revise the courses above, the findings will be shared with faculty in the SAHE program, which may be used to inform the development and delivery of other program courses and/or professional development opportunities for students.”