Probing the Effects of Policy Changes by Evaluating Circulation Activity Data at Columbia University Libraries

Circulation data sets at Columbia University Libraries were organized, analyzed, and visualized by examining types of patrons and their circulation activities. Patrons examined included: Graduate students, Undergraduate students, Officers and Faculty, and Visitors. Circulation activities are defined as: charges, renewals, holds, and recalls. Policy decisions, usage patterns, and learning curves were detected system-wide, and those concerning loan periods and borrowing permissions impacted activity immediately. The data validated common understandings of usage patterns and verified that faculty hold books longest, that overall activity has declined, and that patrons have adapted to online transactions. This article discusses academic years 2003–04 to 2009–10.     

Articulation and Transfer for Career and Technical Students: Best Practices for Dealing with Real and Perceived Barriers to Baccalaureate Degree Attainment for Applied Science Students

ABSTRACT

Community colleges produce large numbers of high quality graduates from career and technical programs. These programs are often of high academic rigor and quality. However, most universities view these Applied Associates of Science (AAS) as being terminal associate's degrees that are not appropriate for transfer. Regional accrediting standards are often cited as the reason for this differentiation. The reality is that institutional policies often simply dismiss AAS courses by their prefix to simplify the process. This study and presentation will explore the reality of what is allowed by accrediting bodies in transferring AAS courses and best practices for facilitating the maximum allowable course transfer.     

“Dangerous Work”: Improving Conditions for Faculty of Color in the Community College

This qualitative investigation of the experiences of faculty of color at community colleges identifies current conditions for this population and suggests potentials for ameliorating conditions that inhibit their job satisfaction. We argue that the current conditions for faculty of color, based upon their expressed experiences at the community colleges, are deleterious to their professional performance, to their positive self-image, and to their contributions to their institutions. Alterations to these current conditions are unlikely without systemic institutional change. Indeed, without improvement to these conditions, the job satisfaction of faculty of color is not likely to change.     

The influence of squat depth on maximal vertical jump performance

Abstract

An increase in the period over which a muscle generates force can lead to the generation of greater force and, therefore, for example in jumping, to greater jump height. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of squat depth on maximum vertical jump performance. We hypothesized that jump height would increase with increasing depth of squat due to the greater time available for the generation of muscular force. Ten participants performed jumps from preferred and deep squat positions. A computer model simulated jumps from the different starting postures. The participants showed no difference in jump height in jumps from deep and preferred positions. Simulated jumps produced similar kinematics to the participants' jumps. The optimal squat depth for the simulated jumps was the lowest position the model was able to jump from. Because jumping from a deep squat is rarely practised, it is unlikely that these jumps were optimally coordinated by the participants. Differences in experimental vertical ground reaction force patterns also suggest that jumps from a deep squat are not optimally coordinated. These results suggest there is the potential for athletes to increase jump performance by exploiting a greater range of motion.     

Stand by me: The effects of peer and teacher support in mitigating the impact of bullying on quality of life

Bullying is one of the most common forms of school violence. Engagement in bullying has been shown to have adverse effects on perpetrators and victims of bullying. In this study, the impact of bullying on well‐being (quality of life/life satisfaction) was explored in a sample of elementary and middle school children (N = 4,331). Results suggest that students who bully and/or are bullied experience reduced life satisfaction and support from peers and teachers compared to “bystanders” (children who are neither victims nor perpetrators of bullying). Mediational analyses demonstrate that peer and teacher support might mitigate the impact of bullying on the quality of life of victims. This study underscores the value of efforts to promote social support from peers and teachers in both universal bullying prevention programs and school climate initiatives. Furthermore, results support further investigation into the possible contributions of bystanders in supporting school‐wide bullying prevention/school climate strategies. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A novel approach to London: Infusing ethnography and the study abroad experience

Courses: Qualitative Research Methods, Ethnographic Research Methods.

Objective: This purpose of this activity is to document the enculturation process through which students begin to understand a new culture during a study abroad experience. To accomplish this, we created a new pedagogical approach for study abroad experiences that involved a combination of academic and fictional readings to help students make sense of and perform ethnographic research techniques.     

Inarticulate Transfer: Do Community College Students Understand Articulation Agreements?

Only 25% of community college students transfer to a 4-year institution within 5 years, and only 17% earn a bachelor’s degree within 6 years of transferring (Jenkins &; Fink, 2015). In response, community colleges have partnered with 4-year institutions to draft articulation agreements, outlining transfer policies and procedures for specific academic programs (Montague, 2012). However, no extant research has examined whether these articulation agreements are readable by community college students. This study examines 100 articulation agreements between 2- and 4-year institutions to answer the question: do community college students understand articulation agreements? Findings indicate that 93% of articulation agreements are unreadable by community college students of average reading ability, with 69% of articulation agreements written at or above a 16th-grade reading level. Implications for practitioners and future research are addressed.     

A Meta-Analytical Review of Students’ Out-of-Class Communication and Learning Effects

A random-effects meta-analysis (N = 7,113) was conducted examining the relationships between students’ out-of-class communication (OCC) and learning outcomes. The findings revealed positive summary effects for OCC on affective learning (k = 7, N = 1478, r = 0.321, p < 0.001) and perceived cognitive learning (k = 11, N = 5635, r = 0.261, p < 0.001). Several moderators were identified, indicating the association between OCC and cognitive learning varied systematically because of the measurement instruments used to operationalize OCC and learning and because of interdisciplinary treatments of the constructs. Recommendations are made for future researchers including the need for a theoretical explanation of the OCC-learning relationship.