Browsing by Author "Hill, David E."

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Faculty Teaching Goals at Senior Research Universities
    Johnson, Lisa Dawn (Virginia Tech, 1997-07-11)
    The purpose of this study was to identify faculty teaching goals at senior research universities and to determine variables which could be used to predict these goals. The eight disciplines used in this study were: accounting, chemistry, computer science, economics, English, math, mechanical engineering, and psychology. The independent variables were: gender, academic rank, course level, tenure, and four Biglan categories (pure-hard, pure-soft, applied-hard, and applied-soft). Using the Teaching Goals Inventory (Angelo & Cross, 1993), the teaching goals and primary teaching role of faculty at senior research universities across eight academic disciplines were identified (N = 352). Through a principal axis factor analysis, seven factors emerged for the data gathered from the Teaching Goals Inventory, results of which were slightly different from that of previous research. Further analyses indicated differences between the teaching goals and primary teaching role of faculty at senior research universities, community colleges, and four-year colleges. Seven one-way ANOVAs and subsequent post-hoc comparisons were conducted which indicated significant differences (p < .05) among the factor means across the eight academic disciplines. Comparisons of the primary teaching role across the eight academic disciplines also indicated significant differences (p < .05) in the percentage of faculty selecting each of the six roles. Furthermore, this study provides additional evidence to support the theory that the Biglan categories help explain the differences in teaching goals across academic disciplines. Significant differences (p < .05) were detected in the teaching goals and primary teaching role of senior research university faculty across the four Biglan categories. Through regression analyses, three of the four Biglan categories, gender, and level of course entered as predictors of teaching goals. Academic rank and tenure did not enter into any of the regression equations; however, further analyses indicated these variables were intercorrelated with several other independent variables. Implications for these findings are discussed.
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    Implications for Resident Adviser Training Programs: Using the Critical Incident Technique to Evaluate the RA Experience
    Chadwick, Andrew T. (Virginia Tech, 1999-04-26)
    This study was designed to determine the ability of the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to advise changes to training regiments offered to Resident Advisers (RAs). The CIT was devised as a tool in the field of organizational psychology. Its purpose is to assist in analyzing the success of individual team members by examining the self-reported occurrence of incidents on the job, which are deemed critical. The Critical Incident Technique has been implemented with success in business and military applications. This powerful tool allows researchers to make valuable observations about the realities faced by individuals on the job. These observations make it possible to devise and improve existing training methods capitalizing on these realities. Data for this study came from an examination of incident reports (IRs). RAs generate IRs in response to different kinds of issues faced working with resident college students. Three regional institutions agreed to participate in this study and helped to diversify the data collected. This study addresses the following questions: What are the critical incidents RAs experience most often on the job? Is there a difference between the critical incident types reported in residence halls by institutional type? Is there a difference between the critical incident types reported by hall types? Is there a difference between the critical incident types reported by gender? What implications do the findings have for future RA training? Four types of demographic information were collected from the IRs: institution type (large public, midsize public, and small private), hall type (male, female, or coed), RA gender, and incident type. Conducting a survey of the literature concerning RA training and the CIT, generated five general categories of incidents on which RAs report. Crisis situations Policy enforcement Facilities management Administrative procedures Advising Specific measures including coding, and excision of sensitive information (such as sexual assaults sexual identity situations) from documents were used to protect the confidentiality and anonymity of the parties involved. When data collection was complete, a chi-squared test of significance was used to examine the relationships between the incident types reported and each of the other three variables (gender, institution type, and hall type). After analyzing the data using the statistical research methods described above, it was possible to make recommendations for future RA training. This study examines the impact of institutional environment, department philosophy, and personal bias on the training of RAs. The results suggest that each of these factors influences the success of RAs, and defines the environments in which resident students live.
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    What are the Non-Academic Needs of Distance Learners?
    Bayless, Laura A. (Virginia Tech, 2001-04-11)
    Distance learning is a fast-growing method of delivery in higher education. The literature about distance learning is rich with information about learning and course design. However, there is little information about the non-academic support services that universities can and should provide for distance students. This study addresses that gap in the literature by exploring the non-academic needs of distance learners. Students and faculty members involved with distance learning at four-year institutions in the Fall of 2000 were asked to identify what, if any, needs distance learners have outside the classroom. Specifically, an original web-based survey was designed to identify 34 possible non-academic needs. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of those needs in the success of distance learners, the accessibility of services to meet those needs, and when the needs present themselves to distance learners. Findings indicate that the non-academic needs of distance learners are very similar to those of campus-based students. The most important needs are basic: information about the institution and program, a way to purchase books, a contact person at the institution, and academic advising. More traditional developmental needs such as leadership development, experience with diversity, and career services were important to respondents pursuing Bachelors degrees. Services to meet the needs are currently not easily accessible. Most needs present themselves throughout a student's academic career. Institutions involved with distance learning should consider addressing basic needs first. If an institution targets a large number of students pursuing Bachelor degrees at a distance, they might also add services to meet more traditional developmental needs.