Strategies to Motivate Students for Program Assessment

Accountability in higher education has increased, with more institutions requiring standardized tests. These tests are high stakes for institutions, but low-stakes test for students, who seldom experience consequences for their performance. This study describes how one psychology department improved students' scores on the Psychology Area Concentration Achievement Test. Results were compared between three motivation conditions: no incentive, a monetary incentive, and a motivational Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. The presentation gave students information about the assessment, encouraged them to do well, and informed them that faculty would discuss scores while evaluating the psychology program. Results showed that test scores were significantly higher and correlated significantly with grade point average for students exposed to the motivational presentation. The motivational PowerPoint presentation seemed to have reduced the number of underachieving students and provided more accurate assessment data, with minimal investment in time and effort on the part of faculty.     

Assessment of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences: A Meeting Report

The Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Network (CUREnet) was initiated in 2012 with funding from the National Science Foundation program for Research Coordination Networks in Undergraduate Biology Education. CUREnet aims to address topics, problems, and opportunities inherent to integrating research experiences into undergraduate courses. During CUREnet meetings and discussions, it became apparent that there is need for a clear definition of what constitutes a CURE and systematic exploration of what makes CUREs meaningful in terms of student learning. Thus, we assembled a small working group of people with expertise in CURE instruction and assessment to: 1) draft an operational definition of a CURE, with the aim of defining what makes a laboratory course or project a “research experience”; 2) summarize research on CUREs, as well as findings from studies of undergraduate research internships that would be useful for thinking about how students are influenced by participating in CUREs; and 3) identify areas of greatest need with respect to CURE assessment, and directions for future research on and evaluation of CUREs. This report summarizes the outcomes and recommendations of this meeting.

Students can work with the same data at the same time and with the same tools as research scientists.iPlant Education, Outreach & Training Group (2008, personal communication)

     

Enigmatic Variations: Honours Degree Assessment Regulations in the UK

The debate in the UK about the continued existence of the honours degree classification led to a survey of the assessment regulations in 35 varied higher education institutions. This revealed considerable variation in the way in which honours degree classifications are determined, and also in the handling of weak performances by students. Such variability, deriving from a system in which institutional autonomy is to the fore, raises a question about equitability in the treatment of students. A brief allusion is made to the variability in assessment regulations in the US and Australia.     

Trends in student aid: 1963–64 to 1988–89

This article describes the aggregate financing of student aid by the federal government, state governments, and institutions over the past 25 years. The major trends in student aid funding are sketched in historical perspective with attention directed to federal program changes that precipitated funding changes. All major programs are covered, and figures are presented in current and constant dollars. Trends in the composition of aid delivered (grants, loans, and work-study) are also discussed. Over time comparisons in the numbers of recipients and aid per recipient are given by programs. Changes in educational costs are compared with changes in income and aid to show the increased difficulty for families and students to pay for higher education in the 1980s.     

Apples and Oranges—Duplicating Existing FM Coverage with DAB

This article explores recent developments in the technical regulation and licensing of digital radio services.. It examines issues of coverage, focusing particularly on emergent low-power “small-scale” DAB services as currently being evaluated by Ofcom, the UK broadcast radio regulator. Beginning with an explanation of the technical differences between analogue FM compared to DAB and considering the implications of the differing frequencies used by the two standards, the article concentrates on recently developed approaches to the provision DAB transmission facilities suitable for use by small-scale broadcasters.     

Understanding the timing of ‘fast-second’ entry and the relevance of capabilities in invention vs. commercialization

This paper analyzes the way a firm can control its entry timing after missing the opportunity to pioneer an emerging market. The findings, based on a panel of 224 potential entrants, reveal that alignment with invention and commercialization capabilities of early entrants has positive effects on the timing of ‘fast-second’ entry. When comparing invention and commercialization capabilities, the latter dominate. In addition, subsequent alignment as the market develops, as opposed to initial alignment at the beginning of market emergence, is associated with the reconfiguration of capabilities and is the more important determinant of entry timing.     

Narrative Research Methodologies: Learning Lessons From Disabilities Research

Presenting research well with regard to persons with disabilities is as important as conducting research well. Disembodied, technical writing does not accurately represent the dramas of athletes, fans, and people who are trying to exist in damaged or violated bodies. Our stories are left incomplete if we omit the metaphoric and symbolic codes we use in narrating our subjective and personal realities. We invite kinesiology scholars to present the fragmented stories that abound in sport and physical activity through narrative research: realist tales, autoethnographies, poetry, fictional representations, and ethnodrama. We present examples and explanations of a variety of narratives that attempt to draw the reader into the subjective experience of others. They conclude that professionals in the sub-disciplines can learn lessons from disabilities researchers. They also posit that narratives provide avenues for multiple realities to be shared, people who would most likely never read social or behavioral research in kinesiology can be introduced to other ways of being in the world, and students who are interested in sport and physical activity can become better professionals.