Faculty Collaboration to Improve Equity,Access, and Inclusion in Higher Education

This article documents the Critical Friends Group (CFG) process five university colleagues used to blend the theoretical frameworks of Universal Design for Learning (Rose & Meyer, 2002 Rose, D. and Meyer, A. 2002. Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.  [Google Scholar]) and Interactive Phase Theory (McIntosh, 1990 McIntosh, P. 1990. Interactive phases of curricular and personal re-vision with regard to race, Wellesley, MA: Wellesley College Center for Research on Women. (Paper # 219) [Google Scholar]) as tools to increase equity and access in our classrooms. Using the CFG reflective approach, the faculty collaboratively reviewed their syllabi and implemented innovations in their classroom practice. This article presents a theory of action that emerged as well as nine tensions related to teaching and participation in a learning community. Implications for equity and access in higher education and future inquiry are presented.     

Perceptions of Work–Life Balance for Urban Academic Librarians: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The topic of work–life balance (WLB) has gotten a lot of attention in popular literature, but there has been little library scholarship on the issue. This exploratory study presents the perceptions of 329 academic librarians on what they believe an ideal WLB looks like, and how it impacts their personal and professional responsibilities. The authors asked about strategies for a successful WLB, about overall job satisfaction, coping strategies, and more. The study is intended to prompt discussions of the topic, and lead to an exploration of how to continue to grow and support a strong workforce.     

Validation of a commercially available inertial measurement unit for recording jump load in youth basketball players

ABSTRACT

A high incidence of overuse knee injuries among youth basketball players may be attributed to number of jumps. Wearable technology may be an effective tool for measuring jump load compared to traditional counting methods. The purpose of this study was to validate a commercially available jump counter (VERT® Classic) in youth basketball practices and games, and to identify the characteristics (i.e., height, direction, takeoff) of jumps recorded by the VERT® Classic. 46 (19F, 27M) youth basketball players wore a VERT® Classic and were recorded on video during games and practices. The number of jumps recorded by the VERT® Classic and evaluated by video raters were compared for each jump characteristic using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC(3,k)), mean offset, and limits of agreement. The number and percent of VERT® Classic jumps and corresponding video jumps according to timestamp were reported. VERT® Classic jumps had excellent reliability with video-counted jumps over 15 cm (ICC(3,k) = 0.958), with a mean offset of ?2.4 jumps (fewer VERT® Classic) and limits of agreement ?12.6 to 7.8 jumps. Pairs of corresponding jumps represented 68.0% of total video jumps and 92.0% of VERT® Classic jumps. The VERT® Classic can provide an estimate of jump load in youth basketball.     

Unboxing mathematics: creating a culture of modeling as critic

Educational Studies in Mathematics - From the socio-critical perspective of mathematical modeling, reflexive discussions about the nature, criteria, and consequences of mathematical models are not...     

Characterising programme‐level assessment environments that support learning

This article outlines a methodology for characterising features of programme‐level assessment environments so that the relationship between features of the assessment environment and students’ learning response can be studied. The methodology was developed through the detailed case study of nine undergraduate degree programmes: one in each of three contrasting discipline areas in each of three contrasting universities. Each case study involved examination of course documentation, interviews with academics and interviews with students, following which each degree programme was coded in relation to a range of features of the assessment environment, such as the proportion of marks derived from examinations and the volume and timeliness of feedback on assignments. Programmes were found to differ profoundly in terms of variables that are known to have implications for student‐learning processes. They also differed widely in the extent to which they illustrated the application of conventional wisdom about curriculum design, embodied in national quality assurance guidelines and the Bologna Agreement. Programmes were found to have either a high volume of summative assessment or a high volume of formative‐only assessment, but never both at the same time. Programmes also differed in the mechanisms used to make goals and standards clear, having either highly explicit curriculum design or high volumes of written and oral feedback, but never both at the same time. The findings suggest that there are distinctive programme‐level assessment environments that operate in quite different ways despite all programmes studied being subject to the same quality assurance code of practice.     

Literature review on the use of action research in higher education

This literature review considers the use of action research in higher education. The review specifically looks at two areas of higher education activity. The first concerns academic teaching practice and includes a discussion of research and pedagogy practice, and staff development. The second considers student engagement. In both of these core features of higher education, action research has proven to be a central approach to the investigation, reflection and improvement of practice. Each of these main foci includes a discussion of the limitations of the literature. The review illustrates the extent and range of uses to have benefited from an action research approach.     

Using Real Life Examples to Teach Abstract Statistical Concepts

This article provides real life examples that can be used to explain statistical concepts. It does not attempt to be exhaustive, but rather, provide a few examples for selected concepts based on what students should know after taking a statistics course.