Monday, August 29, 2016

4 Easy Ways to Incorporate Research in University Courses!


While planning for the upcoming semester, I incorporate a large assignment on my syllabus. This large assignment was an important assignment for the undergraduate students as well as the graduate students in my courses in the Communication Studies Department at Tarleton State University. 

When Periscope became a new technology utilized by many companies last summer, I decided to incorporate the technology in my course to expose the graduate students to a potential technology that can be implemented for a company or organization.

Step 1 - Creating the Assignment

Then, I created the following assignment description on my syllabus:

Group Research Paper - Topic: Internal Communication and Businesses/Corporations/Organizations and Public Social Media Spaces

Brief Description – This semester’s research study will focus on internal communication occurring in public social media spaces among organizations (companies, associations, corporations, non-profit orgs., etc.) and their employees/members.

A - Each component of this paper will be due on specific dates (as indicated on the syllabus calendar).

B - Each group member (groups of 3-4 individuals) is required to significantly contribute to the production of the paper. Each group member is responsible for contributing significant comments on the Google Document each week to sections for which their name is not assigned. Group members who do not contribute each week will receive a grade reduction for that particular week.

C - Please remember to submit questions by 4pm on Friday. Questions submitted after 4pm will not be answered until Monday morning.
Each component of this paper will be due on specific dates (as indicated on the syllabus calendar). 

D - At the end of the semester, each group will submit their research paper to a scholarly research journal and conference.

The Dilemma

Sometimes, students have a difficult time selecting companies or organizations that coincide with the requirements of the assignment. This is a dilemma for me, because I am function as the consultant for the research groups and I like to provide options. 

The Solution

On a whim, I decided to provide the lists of the top Texas companies, universities, colleges, state agencies, etc. to the graduate student groups to see if they would be interested in utilizing these lists as the selected organizations for their research study. They did! Each group selected a different list and it was a great combination between my undergraduate student researchers and my graduate student researchers!

2 - The Structure

Each week, the assignment focused on a different aspect of the research paper:

RESEARCH PAPER
Total:150
Part 1 – Purpose Statement, Problem Statement, Research Questions (10%)
15
Part 2 - Review of the Literature (15%)
22.5
Part 3 - Theoretical Framework (10%)
15
Part 4 – Research Methodology/Survey (15%)
22.5
Part 5 – Results (15%)
22.5
Part 6 - Conclusion & Implications (15%)
22.5
Part 7 – Suggestions for Further Research (10%)
15
Final Submiss. – Abstract & Journal Submission/Letter (5%)
7.5
Final Submiss. – References (5%)
7.5

3 - The Foundation

The students ROCKED their presentations and I was very proud of their progress and their research. The student presented their research on Periscope. In fact, we had a night of research presentations at Periscope.



4 - So, what? Implications...

The presentations were uploaded on YouTube and the students also plan to submit their research for publication as a well. More to come! If you know of a great publication outlet for social media research, please let me know!.

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
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Monday, August 22, 2016

Research Paper Pick of the Week - Social Network Analysis as a Method to Assess Collaboration


I am truly becoming a higher education professional who LOVES assessment. For those of you who have been following my blog for a long time, you know that I love social media research as well. 

This paper from the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment is definitely one of my favorites. Social Network Analysis as a Method to Assess Collaboration by Christa van Staden is an interesting paper focused on social networks and faculty assessment. 

The paper focuses on an international context, but the information is definitely applicable for institutions in the United States as well. 

Enjoy the paper! 

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
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Thursday, August 11, 2016

30 Ways to Integrate Social Responsibility in Your Fall Courses - A LEAP Texas Periscope


Today, I had such a great time representing LEAP Texas (Liberal Education and America's Promise) as part of the Social Responsibility Week! This is a week of professional development opportunities for faculty focused on infusing social media in course syllabi.


The Periscope was focused on "30 Ways to Integrate Social Responsibility in Your Fall Courses".

Here's the Periscope! Enjoy!

 https://www.periscope.tv/w/1vOxwpkDrvvKB

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
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Monday, August 8, 2016

Teaching Teamwork - An Interview with Dr. David Blanke (Professor of History at TAMUCC)


As a LEAP Texas Faculty Fellow, I enjoy focusing on the the key learning outcomes from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU)'s Liberal Education and America's Promise Initiative

Our key learning outcome for the Spring 2016 semester was TEAMWORK! This is definitely one of my favorites because I incorporate teamwork in undergraduate research assignments and in graduate student presentations. In my opinion, this is one of the most important skills that a student can learn in college. They will encounter teamwork for the rest of their lives (in the workplace, in church groups, in their friendships, and beyond)!

In fact, the National Association of Colleges and Employers cites teamwork as one of the most important skills that students can learn in college. 



In March, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. David Blanke from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi at an annual teaching and learning conference in Texas. I loved his answers about teamwork!

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Follow Me on Twitter/Instagram - @drjtedwards
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Friday, August 5, 2016

Free Professional Development Opportunity from @LEAPTexas - AACU Learning Outcomes (Social Responsibility Week) - August 8th-12th

I love serving as a Faculty Fellow for LEAP Texas! This has been one of the most amazing experiences that I have ever experienced in higher education. I love networking with colleagues from other institutions and I've gained a wealth of skills focused 

Social Responsibility Week – August 8 - 12
During the week of August 8 - 12, LEAP Texas will be holding a week­long celebration of Social Responsibility. It’s a week where faculty from across the state of Texas can come together online and talk about how they are integrating Social Responsibility into teaching, learning, and assessment:

Want to stand a chance of winning a prize!?!?!
Please RSVP for the events below by completing this form - https://goo.gl/forms/TwxY54sHGS0OT1bn2. You can still participate in events if you do not complete the form BUT to win our fabulous prizes we need you to fill in the form @LEAPTexas Social Responsibility Week! Please let us know if you plan to participate in the events! We will see you at the events!

Monday 8 August
What’s on: 3pm: Webinar on Social Responsibility presented by Dr. Doyle Carter and Dr Christine Purkiss from Angelo State University
Description: This session takes a look at Social Responsibility and the opportunities and challenges associated with teaching and assessing this core objective. The presenters will also share the social responsibility rubric developed at this institution
Join online:
Mon, Aug 8, 2016 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Central Daylight Time
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/331951253
Dial in by phone:
United States : +1 (571) 317-3112
Access Code: 331-951-253
First GoToMeeting? Try a test session: http://help.citrix.com/getready

Tuesday 9 August
What’s on: Social responsibility recipes all day with Dr Jennifer Edwards on Twitter 
Description: I know, you are thinking  - recipes and social responsibility? Well, this is an innovative approach focused on small (but meaningful) activities focused on how we can teach our college students how to be socially responsible. To participate and to submit an event, please click the following link - Submit a Teaching Recipe for the #LEAPTexas Recipe book on Social Responsibility

Wednesday 10 August 
What’s on: Tune in to the "30 Ways to Integrate Social Responsibility in Your Fall Courses" Periscope Session at 8am CDT.
Tune in here - https://www.periscope.tv/drjtedwards/1vOGwPRyOQdJB.
Description: In this session, you will discover and contribute ways to teach and engage your students in interactive assignments addressing social responsibility! These engagement methods will include syllabus integration, teaching methods for the first-year seminar, teaching methods for capstone courses, career portfolio and resume integration, and classroom assessment of social responsibility.

Thursday 11 August
What’s on: Engage in the Lunchtime "Teaching Social Responsibility in College Courses" Twitter Chat by using the #LEAPTexas hashtag on at Noon CDT
Description: 
1. At noon on the day of the chat, log into Twitter and type in #LEAPTexas (not case sensitive).
2.  Wait for a question (one is tweeted out about every 8 minutes).
Ex:  Q1 - Do you think it is more important to incorporate social responsibility for first-year students or senior-year students? Which assignments would be better for each group? #LEAPTexas
3. Hit "Reply" to the tweet with the question, use A for Answer, and include the hash tag. Ex: A1 -  Definitely for first-year students, it is important to engage students as soon as they arrive to your campus. #LEAPTexas

Friday 12 August:
What’s on: Reflections on the week.
Description: Join us on Twitter (#LEAPTexas) as LEAP takes a look back on social responsibility week and what we learned.

Follow us on Twitter @LEAPTexas #LEAPTexas.
If you would like to learn more about the work of our faculty fellows and LEAPTX activity in general please visit us online at http://leaptx.org
Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Follow Me on Twitter/Instagram - @drjtedwards
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Monday, August 1, 2016

30 Ways to Incorporate Teamwork in Higher Education Classrooms - A LEAP Texas Initiative


For the past four years, I've had a great time learning about higher education administration. It has been an incredible experience incorporating the key concepts and theories that I learned in graduate school everyday! From crisis communication to public relations, this has been daily learning experience!

One item that I really appreciate is the ability to teach while serving in higher education administration. I adore teaching undergraduate students and I love teaching graduate students as well. The social media teaching field requires me to teach and learn everyday! 


Last summer, I applied and I was selected as a Faculty Fellow for Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP Texas). Through this experience, I've been able to connect with other faculty fellows from across the state while learning additional concepts about teaching in higher education. I've learned about the core curriculum from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. In addition to the core, one of the most life changing items that I've learned includes key concepts about assessment and the LEAP Value Rubrics.

During my time as a fellow, it has been amazing to merge two of my higher education loves (teaching and social media). In the spring semester, I was very fortunate to present a Periscope (one of my favorite technologies) focused on "30 Ways to Incorporate Teamwork in Higher Education Classrooms". 



I enjoyed presenting this Periscope to the attendees and this scope is archived on the Leap Texas YouTube Account. Enjoy!
Please feel free to ask any questions about the LEAP Texas experience! In fact, applications are available as well! Here's the link! - 

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Follow Me on Twitter/Instagram - @drjtedwards
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Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com