Do professors have customer-based brand equity?

This research endeavors to understand whether certain professors have customer-based brand equity (CBBE) in the minds of students. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to conceptualize, develop, and empirically test a model of customer-based professor brand equity. Survey data gathered from 465 undergraduate business students were used to test the model. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis findings indicate that certain professors do indeed have CBBE and the transference of the brand-building effort can be successfully applied to professors who are willing to be strong brands. The results show that professor brand characteristics – quality of instruction, competence, and reputation – have an influence on students' feelings of attachment to the professor and to the quality of relationships with the professor brand and therefore, professor brand equity. The ultimate goal of most professors is to inculcate lifelong student learning, but this worthy pursuit gains wings through the professor brand-building effort.     

The effects of perceived professor competence,warmth and gender on students’ likelihood to register for a course

Abstract

The present research examined whether students’ likelihood to take a course with a male or female professor was affected by different expectations of professors based on gender stereotypes. In an experimental vignette study, 503 undergraduate students from a Canadian university were randomly assigned to read a fictitious online review, similar to those found on RateMyProfessors.com, that varied professor gender, overall quality score and level of caring for students. Students responded to items assessing their likelihood to take a course with the professor, perceived competence and warmth of the professor, and their own gender bias. An analysis of variance revealed an interaction between professor gender, student gender, quality score and caring. When quality score was low, male students indicated a lower likelihood of taking a course with female professors who were not described as caring. Regression analyses showed, however, that students' gender bias was negatively associated with likelihood to take a course with a female professor. These results imply that student gender plays a role in evaluations of female professors who do not display stereotypical warmth but that gender bias, which is typically higher for males at the group-level, may be an underlying factor.     

Bullying in the academy: understanding the student bully and the targeted ‘stupid,fat, mother fucker’ professor

Bullying within academia often focuses on peer bullying or the student victim. However, the student bully who targets professors is a neglected area of study yet just as destructive, demeaning, and intimidating. Using a narrative lens analysis, the researchers share how the story of bullying unfolds in the classroom. Distinct triggers, such as entitlement or expectation management, mark the beginning of the narrative. As the narrative progresses, students display a variety of aggressive behaviors in an attempt to establish power or dominance over the targeted professor. The resulting academic contrapower harassment (ACPH) display may negatively impact the professor psyche, learning environment, and overall level of satisfaction with the professoriate, leaving a potentially open-ended narrative that impacts targeted professors for years to come. Thematic analysis reveals shared themes among targeted professors, indicating bullying is problematic on multiple levels. The findings suggest a lack of formal training and education while reinforcing the importance of peer networks.     

Student Ratings and Professor Self-Ratings of College Teaching: Effects of Gender and Divisional Affiliation

Twenty female and 23 male professors at a liberal arts college participated along with their 803 undergraduate students in a questionnaire study of the effects of professor gender, student gender, and divisional affiliation on student ratings of professors and professor self-ratings. Students rated their professors on 26 questions tapping five teaching factors as well as overall teaching effectiveness. Professors rated themselves on the same questions as well as on nine exploratory ones. On student ratings, there were main effects for both professor gender (female professors were rated higher than male professors on the two interpersonal factors) and division (natural science courses were rated lowest on most factors). These patterns were qualified by significant interactions between professor gender and division. Although professor self-ratings varied by division, there were few significant correlations between professor self-ratings and students' ratings. Implications for future research are discussed.Appreciation goes to Laura Capotosto and Julie Phelan for their research assistance.Suzanne Montgomery is now at Widener Law School, Philadelphia, PA, USA.     

The Goodly Fellowship

In this study, we investigated the use of humor in college classrooms. We examined how students perceived professors' uses of various types of humor during class and the types of humor that students and faculty recommend for use in class. We also correlated the way professors incorporated humor into their class lectures with their perceived competence and effectiveness, and we investigated whether students felt their learning experience improved when their teachers used humor. We also discussed topics such as ''scarcasm,'' professor gender, student and faculty support of humor, and humor in classrooms, tests, and the rest of life. Humor appropriately used has the potential to humanize, illustrate, defuse, encourage, reduce anxiety, and keep people thinking.     

The deviant university student: historical discourses about student failure and ‘wastage’ in the antipodes

The emergence of academic development in Anglophone higher education was linked to post Second World War massification and concerns about student failure. These concerns were driven by increasing statistical investigations into student attrition and degree times to completion, particularly in Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand. There was a dominant discourse about student ‘wastage’ (the deviant student). However, if we fast-forward to the late 2000s, we can see that these discourses have been replaced by discourses about university responsibility and teaching quality. Drawing on Foucauldian discourse analysis, this paper aims to trace the historical roots of contemporary teaching and learning dilemmas and to show how the responsibility for student failure was gradually shifted from perceptions of deviant students to perceptions of teacher ‘deviance’, which academic development units were designed to ameliorate.     

Partners in Learning: A Grounded Theory Study of Relational Practice between Master’s Students and Professors

Meaningful academic relationships between adult master’s students and their professors can both deepen students’ learning and serve as a regenerating force for professors. This study employed grounded theory methods to explore the question, “What goes on in relational practice between master’s students and professors?” I interviewed 10 matched pairs of recent alumni and professors who identified as having “a meaningful academic relationship”. Dimensional analysis surfaced two core dimensions: reconstructing and regenerating. In reconstructing, the students’ core dimension reveals the student experience of reconstructing, or understanding more deeply, theory or one’s self. In the case of regenerating, the professor’s core dimension identifies the professors’ experience of “giving back” through their teaching and extending their professional reach by training others. These experiences serve to reinvigorate professors over the course of their careers. In addition, findings in this study resonate with sensitizing concepts including relational cultural theory and relational practice. Finally, the analysis surfaced evidence supporting authentic teaching concepts and connected these concepts to faculty and student learning partnerships.     

In search of higher persistence rates in distance education online programs

Tinto's [Rev. Educ. Res. 45 (1975) 89; Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving college. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press; Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press] student integration model and Bean and Metzner's [Rev. Educ. Res. 55 (1985) 485] student attrition model have been influential in explaining persistence and attrition in higher education programs. However, these models were developed with on-campus programs in mind and, although they are broadly relevant to distance education programs, their ability to explain the persistence of online students is limited. Distance education students have characteristics and needs that differ from traditional learners and the virtual learning environment differs in important ways from an on-campus environment. This article draws chiefly from Tinto's and Bean and Metzner's models and the results of research into the needs of online distance education students in order to synthesize a composite model to better explain persistence and attrition among the largely nontraditional students that enroll in online courses.     

The (bio)politics of engagement: shifts in Singapore's policy and public discourse on civics education

This article provides a historical overview of civic educational policy and political discourse in Singapore from 1959 to 2011, focusing on changes in the role attributed to students in the education process. A review of educational programmes and analysis of political speeches reveals that an earlier transmissionist approach that focused on value inculcation and factual knowledge has been supplemented recently by policy and discourse emphasizing student engagement. The authors link their analysis to larger political changes that have been taking place in Singapore. They argue that the push for more participatory forms of civics education parallels an ongoing shift in the ruling party's political ideology from economic pragmatism to a communitarian ideology that emphasizes citizens' responsibility. From the point of view of political rationality, promoting active student engagement in civics education can be seen as governmental efforts to build a strong civil society through early socialization into civic responsibility and voluntarism. Viewed as a technology of power, engagement is also seen as a new biopolitical intervention aimed at regulating political participation.     

“I find it odd that people have to highlight other people’s differences – even when there are none”: Experiential learning and interculturality in teacher education

This article examines the role of experiential learning in developing intercultural competences in the context of teacher education in Finland. Local and foreign students studying to become teachers were asked to write five short narratives each about meaningful intercultural encounters they experienced prior to enrolling in an intercultural course. Based on these narratives, the author analyses the potential overlap between the way the students reflect on and interpret these encounters and an understanding of interculturality which concentrates on the construction of self–other and social justice. The discourse analysis of the students’ narratives shows that in most cases, important intercultural learning seems to have already taken place before these students embarked on the course. The article ends with a discussion of the importance of starting from this observation in teacher education and of providing the student teachers with theoretical tools and methods which can support them in expanding their understanding of interculturality in their job as teachers.     

Wait-time in college classes taken by education majors

Professors teaching education classes differed little from professors teaching noneducation classes in terms of the questions they asked and how long they paused after questions and students' responses. Fewer professor questions went unanswered in the education courses. Professors ask on average about 25 questions each class hour, the majority of which are higher-level. They pause about 2.25 seconds after questions and .45 seconds after student responses. These pauses suggest many students are effectively shut out of responding and are not provided the opportunity to elaborate their answers, even those to complex, divergent questions.     

The path of least resistance: a voice‐relational analysis of disabled students’ experiences of discrimination in English universities

Recent legislation means that it is now illegal to treat a student, for reasons relating to a disability, less favourably than a non‐disabled student unless this is justified to maintain academic standards. However, recent research has identified numerous barriers faced by students with disabilities when they attempt to access the higher education curriculum. This study uses a methodology combining life‐story approaches with a voice‐relational analysis and aims to explore in more detail these barriers by listening to first person accounts from university students with a disability. The students’ narratives suggest that disabled students have to work considerably harder than non‐disabled students to overcome a wide range of physical, attitudinal, social, cultural and political barriers. Students appear to take the path of least resistance by choosing routes where the barriers are least great and it is argued that in this way they are being discriminated against. The research shows that voice‐relational methodology is excellent at producing a thorough account of the phenomenological world of these students without neglecting a materialist and cultural analysis of their environment. These insider perspectives are then used to suggest possible improvements to policy and practice in higher education.     

The Chilly Classroom: Beyond Gender

Abstract. Perceptions of student/professor competence and the reasons for a "chilly" classroom were investigated through a survey of 2,042 students from seventy-seven liberal arts colleges. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests showed statistically significant different responses by gender for all the questions. The perceptions of competence survey showed mixed results. With regards to professor competence, female students were much more likely to believe that male professors were viewed as more competent and treated with more respect. With regards to reasons for a "chilly" classroom, neither female nor minority students cited gender or race as a primary reason. In fact, the three most frequent reasons given by all students (regardless of race or gender) were difficulty of course content, professor's teaching style/personality, and personality style of classmates.     

Should I use co-assessment in higher education? Pros and cons from teachers and students’ perspectives

Co-assessment is a type of participatory assessment in which the teacher and student jointly discuss, negotiate and assess the student’s task or performance. Although the literature on co-assessment is scarce, some authors highlight the benefits for students of participating in co-assessment in higher education, including learning, improved communication, and greater assessment literacy. This study has a double objective: on the one hand, to analyse the strengths and limitations perceived by students participating in co-assessment practices; on the other hand, to explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats perceived by professors participating in the experience. The study was developed in 8 class groups with the participation of 470 students and 4 teachers. The qualitative analysis of the data obtained from the questionnaires and focus groups indicates that the students acknowledged several strengths, among which learning from mistakes was prominent. Students also noted some limitations, particularly the lack of adjusted scoring. Professors offered another perspective that complemented the vision of their students, noting that co-assessment presents opportunities as well as risks that may jeopardise its implementation.     

Teaching and learning One-Course-At-A-Time

In 1978 Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, adopted the One-Course-At-A-Time calendar, under which professors teach and students take one course only for three-and-a-half week terms. This paper examines the impact of the calendar on overall faculty workload and student performance and development. It also considers faculty attitudes concerning the effects of the intensive format on teaching effectiveness and student learning, along with the types of courses and teaching methods best suited to the calendar. Faculty and student satisfaction with the calendar is high.Charlotte Vaughan received a B.A. from Northwestern University, a Masters of Science in Teaching from Illinois Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. She is a professor emerita in sociology at Cornell College and is currently the college's Director of Institutional Research. She is interested in research in higher education. Christopher Carlson received a B.A. from the University of California at Davis, an M.A. in sociology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Oregon. He is an associate professor of sociology at Cornell College and currently serves as the college's Affirmative Action Officer. He is interested in the family, gender roles, and social change.     

What Happened on July 21st: An Investigation of Trauma and Trigger Warnings in the English Classroom

The controversy surrounding trigger warnings has highlighted a mystifying confound in post-secondary education. Faculty, students and school bureaucracies are divided. While trigger warning proponents emphasise the value of protecting students with trauma histories from unscaffolded exposure to content related to sexuality, violence, race and political strife, agonists interpret the trigger warning as a threat to academic freedom, artistry and professor autonomy. This paper presents an episode that occurred at a prominent school of education, in which an instructor’s choice of content triggered a post-traumatic response in a student. As the story unfolds, the narrative shifts back and forth between the instructor’s and the student’s experience of the event. The piece concludes with a commentary made by a clinical psychologist and trauma expert, who weighs in on the challenges confronting both professors and students, as each attempts to navigate handling emotionally charged, potentially triggering contents in the post-secondary classroom.     

Creating a connection: tackling student attrition through curriculum development

The issue of student attrition (where students leave a programme of study for any reason) is maintaining a high profile across the higher education sector and is a key concern for those delivering nurse education. Many authors have pointed out the cause for concern that student nurse attrition raises and its impact on the higher education institution (HEI), on the student body generally, on partners in practice, and on the student who leaves. The reasons that student nurses leave their programmes of study are similar to the reasons that other students leave (financial, personal, academic, lack of support, etc). For student nurses there are also issues with their experiences in practice. It is clear that with all student attrition, the reasons for leaving are complex in nature. It must be accepted that there are some issues that cannot be addressed by HEIs, but that ways to tackle attrition and to enhance student retention must be high on the agenda of any education provider. Individual programmes of study can utilise approaches to curriculum development that aim to enhance the student experience. The introduction of an enquiry‐based learning strand to the curriculum of one pre‐registration nursing programme aims to address some of the reasons for student attrition, namely: lack of support, poor academic performance, lack of study skills, disillusionment and low motivation, lack of confidence, and the theory‐practice gap resulting in stressful practice experiences. Enquiry‐based learning (EBL) is not seen as a panacea for student attrition, but it is seen as a positive way in which to enhance the student experience.     

Between Periods

Student evaluations of teaching provide valued information about teaching effectiveness, and studies support the reliability and validity of such measures. However, research also illustrates potential moderation of student perceptions based on teacher gender, attractiveness, and even age, although the latter receives little research attention. In the present study, we examined the potential effects of professor age and gender on student perceptions of the teacher as well as their anticipated rapport in the classroom. We also asked students to rate each instructor's attractiveness based on societal beliefs about age and beauty. We expected students to rate a picture of a middle-aged female professor more negatively (and less attractive) than the younger version of the same woman. For the young versus old man offered in a photograph, we expected no age effects. Although age served as a detriment for both genders, evaluations suffered more based on aging for female than male professors.     

Becoming a Mature Student: Gendered narratives of the self

This article explores some of the processes of personal and social transformation involved in becoming a mature student, through the construction of four narratives derived from the biographical accounts of 21 students entering higher education. The authors identify different conceptions of self in the four narratives and demonstrate their gendered nature. In particular they highlight the specifically masculine nature of the 'reflexive self', in contrast to the gender-neutral treatment of this concept in the literature. They also draw attention to the connections between these gendered concepts of self and the meanings of education, which they suggest are more complex than the simple gender dichotomies expressed in the literature. In addition they show that an analytic approach derived from narrative analysis can offer more insights into the interpretation of biographical data than more traditional ethnographic methods.