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Insert Comma • A Portfolio of Leigh E. Rich
Categories: Education, Social Science, Utrinque Paratus | Comments Off on Supporting learning engagement with online students

University students are increasingly demanding that traditionally taught courses are converted to an online platform. While quality standards are in place for the format and organization of online courses, professors often are left wondering what activities contribute to learning engagement for their online students. The research question driving this study was, what activities contribute to learning engagement for online students? To investigate this question, an online survey was conducted in one state university of all students taking an online course during the spring semester. With responses from 417 students and using three standardized scale variables for learning engagement, as well as two open-ended questions, course components related to strong learning engagement were identified and examined. Initial findings indicated a statistically significant moderate correlation of learning engagement with the use of higher-order learning and reflective and integrative learning techniques. Specifically, students who reported being highly engaged connected ideas from other courses, changed their understanding of a topic or concept, found connections between their learning and societal problems, and had fun. A regression model using these variables, along with control variables of student age, gender, and out-of-school work, resulted in an R2 of 0.484, suggesting that almost half of the variance in learning engagement can be explained via this model. Further analysis of the qualitative data identified certain aspects of online discussions and assignments as engaging, such as discussions and interactive assignments that are not merely “fun” from a student perspective but also integrate previous learning and connect to current social issues. This includes prompting students with thought-provoking questions that relate to “real-world” situations and inviting students to share diverse opinions as well as develop personal perspectives.

Categories: Books, Editorials, Education, Ethics, Social Science, Utrinque Paratus | Comments Off on Afterthoughts and foresight

Digging through boxes of bygone beliefs and brooding about the burgeoning of bioethics By Leigh E. Rich I recently unearthed a box long lost in the back of my closet, a box that has travelled with me across several states and too many years. I don’t think of myself as a pack rat by any […]

Categories: Editorials, Education, Ethics, Health, Social Science, Utrinque Paratus | Comments Off on “Leapin’ lizards, Mr. Science”

Old reflections on the New Archaeology (and musings on anthropology, art, bioethics, and medicine) By Leigh E. Rich Perhaps my favourite class as a graduate student in anthropology was an elective taught by the chair of our department, an immensely affable man who, despite his stature in the discipline and successes as a scholar, was […]

Categories: Education, Ethics, Health | Comments Off on Interdisciplinary teamwork

Student differences and teaching implications By Janet R. Buelow, Rod McAdams, Alice Adams, and Leigh E. Rich Teamwork with individuals from multiple disciplines is recognized as a significant skill necessary for professional employment. While a variety of teaching methods for students in health care professions have been investigated and found to be generally effective in […]

Categories: Education, Politics, Utrinque Paratus | Comments Off on CU’s Hoffman on the defensive

Gov. Bill Owens asks leadership for ‘more transparency’ By Leigh E. Rich Once again, Colorado’s founding fathers may be rolling in their graves. According to Paul Schauer, the University of Colorado regent for the 6th Congressional District, the Colorado Territorial Legislature passed a bill in 1861 creating the flagship university that opened its doors to […]

Categories: Education, Politics, Utrinque Paratus | Comments Off on Owens, legislators call for Churchill’s head

CU regent meeting heats up over Ward Churchill affair By Leigh E. Rich Tenure or no, Ward Churchill has to go. So said Gov. Bill Owens in a press conference Wednesday, commenting on the most recent University of Colorado scandal after signing the 65th General Assembly’s first bill into law. The pride with which Owens […]

Categories: Education, Politics, Utrinque Paratus | Comments Off on The house that recessions built

Colorado government in need of extreme makeover, both parties say By Leigh E. Rich Presenting far more challenges than any number of television reality shows, the 65th General Assembly is gearing up for an extreme session, complete with a budget and a state that are in crisis. According to statistics compiled by the state’s Senate […]

Categories: Education, Ethics, Politics, Utrinque Paratus | Comments Off on Safeguarding academic freedom

Policies ensure professors are politically correct By Leigh E. Rich Several presidents of Colorado’s state-sponsored higher education institutions testified before a joint session of the Senate and House education committees yesterday on how they are safeguarding the academic freedom of their students and protecting diversity—including “intellectual and political diversity”—as encouraged by Senate Joint Resolution 04-033 […]