Engaging the Spirit Presentations 2007: Tools for Student Success

WKU Campus-wide Leadership Awareness Survey

Andrew Wulff et al. — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:27:43 PDT

Institutions should assess the awareness of leadership needs on their campuses before fully devleoping strategies and programs to address these needs. This presentation reviews survey results sent to students, faculty and administrators at Western Kentucky University (WKU) to assess the need for leadership instruction. Demographic data collected.

Transforming Classroom Instruction into Professional Practice: Bass Fishing or Dodgeball Anyone?

Fred Gibson et al. — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:19:22 PDT

Our challenge as educators is helping prepare students for "real world" success by creating situations in which students can apply classroom instruction in professional contexts. This presentation focuses on multiple examples of WKU faculty facilitating meaningful, exciting, and marketable experiences for students in an attempt to teach valuable material.

Engaging Students with Special Communication Needs

Lauren Bland et al. — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 08:58:04 PDT

Students with special needs are enrolling in college at an increasing rate. For a campus, such as the one at Western Kentucky University, where student engagement is a guiding principle, it is critical that faculty members are prepared for and have resources to ensure that all students can participate in engagement activities. Faculty members from the Department of Communication Disorders share strategies for engaging students with a wide range of special needs, including autism, hearing loss, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy.

A Survey: A Simple Tool to Measure Computer Literacy

George Kontos Ed.D. — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:29:02 PDT

Kontos describes a tool to measure the computer background of students. The tool is a short survey that collects data, a method for analysis, and suggestions for interpretation. Students surveyed were in an introductory computer class. Limitations are also shown, as well as adaptations for classes other than computer-based subjects.

The Freshman Assembly at WKU

Cort Basham — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:22:21 PDT

Implementation of the Freshman Assembly at WKU (Western Kentucky University) has increased over the past three years, provides a meaningful ceremony for students, produced campus-wide value and buy-in, offers incentives for student attendance, and uses new technology to capture participation statistics, as well as communicates the message of student engagement.

Student Engagement and the WKU Veterans History Project

Gary L. Villereal Ph.D., Director — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:11:57 PDT

Through partnership with the Library of Congress, American Folklife, and the Veterans History Project, student engagement has increased significantly after video recording military veterans. The Veterans History Project (VHP) is available for campus-wide participation; interviews can be integrated into course assignments. Reports from students who have participated are noted and a pre and post survey support an increase in student engagement p>0.003 statistically significant difference.

The Teacher Work Sample: An Authentic Assessment

Lisa D. Murley et al. — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:13:13 PDT

How can universities effectively use data to answer questions about student performance? Western Kentucky University is one of eleven teacher preparation institutions in ten states that participated in the federally funded Renaissance Partnership Project, which implements the Teacher Work Sample (TWS) as an assessment tool focused on improving the quality of their graduates. Across all disciplines, education students construct a unit of study that includes contextual information, pre-assessment rationale for the unit, assessment data,analysis and reflection. The College of Education uses the TWS to evaluate the proficiency of the teacher candidates' abilities to develop learning outcomes, analyze assessment results and reflect on their teaching.

Using Urban Landscapes as Tools for Student Leadership Development

David J. Keeling — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:50:27 PDT

Global experiences as a tool for student engagement and learning are stressed. Using two different urban landscapes as the learning environment, Professor Keeling demonstrates how students in a study abroad program engaged with leadership in planning principles. He uses images and maps to introduce participants to the student engagement learning process. Reading urban landscapes and teaching basic leadership principles are useful ways to enhance the global experience of students.

Using Simulation to Prepare Nursing Students

Dawn M. Garrett Ph.D. (c), RN et al. — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:47:04 PDT

This presentation facilitates discussion of benefits and uses of simulation in curricula by describing use of the Human Patient Simulators with undergraduate nursing students. Target audience is faculty who are interested in integrating simulations into clinical and/or labortatory experiences with focus on how to accomplish this, possible pitfalls, and benefits.

Peers Leading Peers

John P. Baker — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:13:19 PDT

Presented by John P. Baker, Education Coordinator, The Center for Leadership Excellence at Western Kentucky University. The mission of Western Kentucky University’s Center for Leadership Excellence is to enhance currently existing leadership programs, and to expand leadership education, training, and development for the University and its constituent groups. The Center envisions a future in which it is known regionally and recognized nationally for providing access to programs where students and other citizens can engage more effectively in society. The Center will develop individual and group potential to improve the quality of life in the University’s target mission area.