The Effects of a Stress Management Course on Counselors‐in‐Training

The effects of a stress management course on the stress knowledge and coping techniques of 101 graduate students in counseling were examined. Participants, drawn from various racial groups, were typically female (79%) and 21 to 55 years of age. Seven of the 8 null hypotheses were rejected. There were significant differences on 6 of the 7 dependent variables (overall knowledge of stress, perceived state and trait anxiety, stress response to positive and negative self‐statements, and general and current stress level). The treatment group learned and implemented stress management strategies to better cope with stress. Recommendations and further directions for research are offered.     

Teaching a Course in School‐Based Consultation

The author details strategies for teaching a graduate‐level counseling course in school‐based consultation. Specifically addressed are strategies for developing a consultation knowledge base and the importance of skills development for school counselors‐in‐training as well as other school‐based practitioners.     

A Multi‐Institutional Web‐Based Undergraduate Food Product Innovation and Marketing Course

ABSTRACT: Food product development courses at The Pennsylvania State University and Saint Joseph's University were combined into a single course with a common faculty, syllabus, and web‐based course management system. Industry specialists made weekly presentations on critical aspects of the product development and marketing process, via compressed video conferencing and the Web, to students at both locations. Cross‐institutional interdisciplinary student teams completed a comprehensive plan for developing, evaluating, and launching a new product. Assessment of student learning revealed an enhanced understanding of all aspects of the product innovation, development, and marketing processes. The net result is a model learning system transcending disciplines, place, and time.     

Development and Evaluation of a Multi‐Institutional Case Studies‐Based Course in Food Safety

Developing novel, engaging courses in food safety is necessary to train professionals in this discipline. Courses that are interactive and case‐based encourage development of critical thinking skills necessary for identifying and preventing foodborne disease outbreaks. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of a case study module‐based course for upper division undergraduate and graduate students interested in food safety. Four independent case study modules were developed and implemented by 4 universities working in tandem over a semester course. All case studies incorporated molecular and epidemiological methods employed by professionals in food safety in outbreak investigations. Each case study was based on a (i) suspect foodborne pathogen, (ii) identification tools including biochemical test variations and pulsed field gel electrophoresis, multiplex PCR and/or whole genome sequencing, and (iii) suspect location and company type from farm to production site to restaurant. Pre‐ and postinstruction evaluations revealed significant increases in understanding of the concepts introduced through each module as demonstrated by overall mean normalized gain of 0.32 ± 0.35 (15% ± 19%; n = 60). Institution, role of instructor, prescore, and learning environment all played a significant role in the effects of overall learning. This study provides a successful model for a case study‐based course in food safety. The guidelines and materials developed by our group are available for use by other institutions.     

Implementation of Real‐World Experiential Learning in a Food Science Course Using a Food Industry‐Integrated Approach

Success skills have been ranked as the most important core competency for new food science professionals to have by food science graduates and their employers. It is imperative that food science instructors promote active learning in food science courses through experiential learning activities to enhance student success skills such as oral and written communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and team work. The aim of this study was to incorporate “real‐world” experiential learning into a food product development course. Undergraduate students enrolled in a food product development course worked on a semester‐long product development case study developed by the Instructor of the course and the Manager from ACH Food Companies, Inc. The case study was presented to students in the form of a product development competition. Students were placed into groups and given the task to develop a cake mix with specified parameters. At the end of the semester, student groups participated in a case study competition to showcase their product concepts. Each student group gave a PowerPoint presentation and was evaluated using selected criteria. Students rated the course overall as being very good. Students perceived the case study to be beneficial and informative regarding employer (ACH's) expectations. Students recommended that the Instructor minimize restrictions/specifications for product concepts and increase the quantity of course/laboratory meetings per week. This approach will continue to be used and further evaluated as an approach to incorporate active learning and provide food science undergraduates with a sense of employer expectations.     

Multicultural Course Pedagogy: Experiences of Master's‐Level Students of Color

The author conducted a grounded theory study to examine multicultural training as experienced by 20 master's‐level students of color enrolled in multicultural counseling courses. Findings revealed an emergent theory of student of color learning experiences and multicultural course pedagogy. Implications for counselor educators are discussed.     

Incorporating a Modified Problem‐Based Learning Exercise in a Traditional Lecture and Lab‐Based Dairy Products Course

Abstract: A modified problem‐based learning (PBL) exercise was implemented in a food science Dairy Products course, which had previously been taught in the traditional lecture and laboratory format only. The first 10 wk of the course consisted of weekly lectures and laboratory exercises. During the remaining 3 wk, students were presented with a case study that described milk quality problems that could be encountered by the dairy industry. Each week, students received a set of case disclosures containing relevant information that assisted in solving the case. Students were asked to present their findings at the end of the course in the form of a written “consultant's report.” In addition, students were given a survey asking for feedback on the PBL exercise, and the usefulness of having the lectures and labs prior to the PBL experience. Eighty percent of the students found that lectures and labs provided them with sufficient background knowledge to understand and solve the PBL case, 70% found that the PBL reinforced course material covered during lecture and labs, 50% responded that PBL helped them develop new ways of reasoning about the subject matter and 65% reported that PBL taught them to think critically. Of the total students surveyed, 56% would prefer to participate in similar types of PBL exercises in the future. Incorporating PBL into traditionally taught food science courses can have a positive influence on the learning process.     

Students’ Perception of Interdisciplinary,Problem‐Based Learning in a Food Biotechnology Course

Abstract: Students’ perception of 8 criteria (rationale of the problem; interdisciplinary learning; facilitator asked essential questions; learner's skills; assessments; facilitation procedures; team's use of resources [team collaboration], and facilitator within a problem‐based learning context) were assessed for a food biotechnology course that was part of a 3rd year biotechnology program. The mean score for “perceived learner's skills” was the lowest whereas those for “facilitation” and “facilitator” were the highest. Selected qualitative comments from students were also analyzed. This study demonstrated interdisciplinary learning as the students could make meaningful connections across different science disciplines. Further investigation is needed to develop possible strategies to accommodate the challenges in making meaningful connections across science disciplines as well as to develop a defined hybrid method for analysis of students’ responses.     

Girls' and Women's Issues in Counseling: A Theory‐Based Course Design

In this article, the development of a master's‐level course regarding girls' and women's issues in counseling is described. First, the pedagogical foundation for the course design is highlighted. Second, the learning goals for the course are outlined: (a) knowledge of counseling issues pertinent to girls and women in contemporary society, (b) development of effective interventions based on gender‐informed counseling approaches, and (c) awareness of counselors' advocacy role in improving the situation of girls and women. Corresponding teaching methods and class activities are also provided.     

Charging to the End: Course Activities for Semester‐Long Student Engagement in an Undergraduate Product Development Capstone Course

Setting instructional goals to drive student engagement in the classroom is essential, as research has shown that improved student engagement in a course will affect student success, as well as the development of key personal and professional skills. Student engagement is a multifaceted concept with multiple perspectives. In focusing on the behavioral perspective of student engagement, various effective teaching practices can be implemented to encourage engagement in a diverse study body. Utilizing validated tools, such as the Natl. Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Engagement Themes and Indicators, can ease the development of classroom approaches to student engagement with convenience and flexibility. Semester‐long student engagement in a food science undergraduate product development capstone course was encouraged through instructional approaches styled around the NSSE Engagement Themes and Indicators. The variety of instructional approaches utilized in the capstone food science course are described in detail and discussed in relation to the NSSE Engagement Themes and Indicators with which they align.     

Using Real‐Life Major League Baseball Data in an Introductory Statistics Course

A primary goal of introductory statistics courses is to develop a student's ability to think statistically. To motivate students to this end, the literature suggests that statistics courses use exercises that are relevant and familiar to students. Work in educational psychology highlights the importance of connecting new concepts to pre‐existing knowledge, mental models, or schema. One method to meet these criteria is to develop exercises and problems that use real‐life data. While real‐life data provide a context for the application of statistical methods, the data does not necessarily provide a context or process for developing the ability to think statistically. This teaching brief describes a set of logical, sequential, and ready‐to‐use exercises that motivate statistical inquiry and thought in line with the GAISE College Report recommendations. The exercises use real‐life data freely sourced from Major League Baseball and the nonfiction story of Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. Student reactions indicate that these exercises, which are anchored in real‐life data with a real‐life story, are successful in motivating student interest in statistics.     

Development of Scientific Thinking Facilitated by Reflective Self‐Assessment in a Communication‐Intensive Food Science and Human Nutrition Course

A one‐credit seminar on controversies in food science and human nutrition was a platform to introduce students to learning frameworks for thinking‐like‐a‐scientist. We hypothesized that explicitly engaging students in thinking about their thinking abilities within these frameworks would enhance their self‐perception of scientific thinking, an important general ability for food scientists. Our objectives were to assess thinking‐like‐a‐scientist using a student self‐assessment survey, and analyze their self‐reflections for evidence of such thinking. For students enrolled in one of the offerings of this course among 5 semesters from 2012 to 2014, differences in scores on a survey instrument for thinking‐like‐a‐scientist from the beginning to the end of the course showed gains in self‐assessed abilities (N = 21 to 22 students/semester). In each of the first 2 semesters in which we introduced thinking‐like‐a‐scientist frameworks, students thought they were better at defining problems scientifically by 13% to 14%. In the 3rd course offering, students’ self‐assessment of their abilities to seek evidence improved by 10%. In the 4th and 5th semester course offerings, students’ self‐assessed abilities to develop plans based on evidence improved by 7% to 14%. At the end of each semester, students’ self‐reflections on scientific thinking (N = 20 to 24/semester) included specific reference to asking questions (45% to 65% of reflections) and making plans based on evidence (26% to 50% of reflections). These data support the usefulness of self‐reflection tools as well as specific learning frameworks to help students to think about and practice thinking‐like‐a‐scientist.     

Including the Tukey Mean‐Difference (Bland–Altman) Plot in a Statistics Course

The Tukey mean‐difference plot, also called the Bland–Altman plot, is a recognized graphical tool in the exploration of biometrical data. We show that this technique deserves a place on an introductory statistics course by encouraging students to think about the kind of graph they wish to create, rather than just creating the default graph for the variables types they have. This graphical technique is described, and two examples are presented: one dealing with official agricultural data of Poland and the other one with an experiment on anorexia. Our opinion is that the plot is so easy and yet efficient in visualizing paired data that it should be included in statistics courses to support understanding and interpretation of data and their analysis. © 2014 The Authors. Teaching Statistics © 2014 Teaching Statistics Trust     

Attachment and Temperament in the Early Life Course: A Meta‐Analytic Review

This meta‐analytic review examines the association between early attachment (assessed at 1–5 years) and child temperament (assessed at birth–12 years), and compares the strength of this association with recently documented meta‐analytic associations between early attachment and social competence, externalizing behavior, and internalizing symptoms. Based on 109 independent samples (N = 11,440) of diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, temperament was weakly associated with attachment (in)security (d = .14, CI [0.08, 0.19]) but modestly associated with resistant attachment (d = .30, CI [0.21, 0.40]). Temperament was not significantly associated with avoidant (d = .10, CI [?0.02, 0.19]) or disorganized (d = .11, CI [?0.03, 0.25]) attachment. Across developmental domains, early attachment security was more strongly associated with social competence and externalizing behaviors than internalizing symptoms and temperament.     

Developing a Work‐Ready Social Media Marketing Analytics Course: A Model to Cultivate Data‐Driven and Multiperspective Strategy Development Skills

This article reports on an innovative Social Media Marketing Analytics course that was developed to respond to current industry needs for marketing analysts with data‐driven and multiperspective marketing strategy development skills. Teaching approaches, resources, and insights are shared to encourage future development of similar courses.     

Student‐Generated Pre‐Exam Questions is an Effective Tool for Participatory Learning: A Case Study from Ecology of Waterborne Pathogens Course

This multiyear study helps elucidate how the instructional practice of student‐generated questions support learning in a blended classroom in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects. Students designed multiple‐choice pre‐exam questions aimed at higher levels of learning, according to Bloom's taxonomy. Student‐generated questions were edited by the instructor and then discussed by the students in the classroom and in an online forum. We tested the hypothesis that this intervention improves student learning, measured as student achievement on the exam following the intervention, and compared to student achievement on the traditional exam (prior to which a review session focused on instructor‐led recitation of the key concepts). Following the intervention in all years, average grade on the post‐intervention exam increased by 7.44%. It is important to point out that not all students benefited equally from this activity. Students who were in the 4th quintile (60% to 80%) based on the results of the 1st exam demonstrated the highest achievement improving their performance on average by 12.37% percentage points (measured as a score on the 2nd exam). Gains were not observed in the semesters when the intervention was not implemented. In this study we provided students detailed instructions on how to design questions that focus on testing higher levels of learning.     

Impact of Hands‐On Research Experience on Students’ Learning in an Introductory Management Information System Course

Although students in Introductory Information Systems courses are taught new technology concepts, the complexity and constantly changing nature of these technologies makes it challenging to deliver the concepts effectively. Aiming to improve students’ learning experiences, this research utilized the five phases of design science methodology to develop an experiment to solve a real‐world problem, and then implemented it in an undergraduate classroom. As part of their classwork, students participated as subjects testing new information technologies to solve a real‐world problem. They were asked to complete a questionnaire and answer questions in a focus group to assess the effectiveness of the technologies tested and determine whether the experience had added to the learning they gained from the course. The results revealed that the students were able to use the new technologies effectively and provide useful feedback to the company sponsoring the study, contributing to the release of a new commercial product line. Students also reported that participating in this research project improved their satisfaction with the introductory MIS course. These results encourage educators to conduct hands‐on experience involving real‐world research projects since they provide valuable additional learning opportunities in introductory MIS courses.     

Examining the Relationship between Math Self‐Efficacy and Statistics Motivation in the Introductory Business Statistics Course: Self‐Compassion as a Mediator

Because business statistics students often experience a lack of statistical motivation, business educators need to understand the factors that influence students’ motivation levels in undergraduate‐level business statistics courses. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of math self‐efficacy and self‐compassion on students’ motivation levels and the gender differences among the main variables. The regression results showed that math self‐efficacy was a positive predictor of statistics motivation. Self‐compassion was also found to be a partial mediator of the relationship between math self‐efficacy and statistics motivation. Gender differences were also found in business students’ math self‐efficacy, self‐compassion, and statistics motivation.