Showing posts with label Undergraduate Research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Undergraduate Research. Show all posts

Monday, December 31, 2018

How to Create an Undergraduate Conference for Your Classes!


This year, I decided to think outside of the box with my undergraduate Organizational Communication class by infusing a high impact undergraduate research initiative. This means, each week, we examined an aspect of organizational communication and then they researched the concept as well. By the end of the semester, we had a COMPLETE paper and a COMPLETE undergraduate research conference! 

Here's the press release about the event - Tarleton communications class to present research findings Dec. 4

You guys know that I am ALL ABOUT social media and we decided to capture the presentations virtually by highlighting each event on Facebook Live. 

Here was the practice session - "Practicing the Millennial Recruitment Research Presentation"



Here's the advertisement video - Join us NOW for the Millennial Recruitment Forum at Tarleton State University.



Here are the student presentations: Join us NOW for the Millennial Recruitment Forum at Tarleton State University. (Presentations)

I was very proud of their progress and I hope to continue to integrate the presentations and undergraduate research in future classes. 



I want to issue a HUGE shout out to the students! Great job team!

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success Communication and Technology Institute on Facebook!

Thanks for visiting! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com
My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work

Monday, November 19, 2018

Explaining Social Media Data Analysis and the Social Presence Theory on Facebook Live


Everyone has a favorite communication or higher education theory. My favorite theory is the Social Presence Theory (especially for electronic communication. I apply this theory to higher education and communication research.

I also teach this theory to our students (graduate and undergraduate students) each semester. Some of my classes are online and previously this presented a problem for the students who are engaged in the research process. Now, the students have an opportunity to learn about the theory through a new, free webinar software...no, not Zoom - yes it's Facebook Live! Usually I "go live" during our weekly chats for class!

So, I use Facebook Live to teach concepts when students have questions. This has been VERY convenient because students do not have to log on to the software system (Zoom) when they need to access the video. In fact, you do not have to log on to access the video and you can embed it (like the one below) on your Course Management System (we use Blackboard).

Here's a brief description of the Social Presence Theory for our students (and the others who viewed the video).




Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success Communication and Technology Institute on Facebook!

Thanks for visiting! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com
My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work

Monday, October 8, 2018

The Graduate and Undergrad Research Challenge - Checklists, Video, and More!


Each semester, I issue a research CHALLENGE for our students. I am very proud of everything that that the students continue to do and how amazing they are, BUT I am always pushing them to their research limits. I PROMOTE high impact practices in my classroom, both online courses and face-to-face courses.

I support them in their research journey and I help them get their articles and their ideas PUBLISHED in higher education and communication publication outlets. I provide a scaffold-based approach for the students I am help them along the way... through videos! YouTube is definitely my friend.

Here's the first video: COMM 5311 - The Methodology Section Explained...


Here's the second video: Computer-Mediated Communication - Review of the Literature


Here are the rest of the videos from the 5311 Social Media Research class.

Also, I like to keep our students accountable with a checklist throughout the research process (especially for my undergraduate researchers). Here's a sample checklist for our undergraduate and graduate researchers!

Here's an example: 


Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success Communication and Technology Institute on Facebook!

Thanks for visiting! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com
My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work

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
Follow Me on Twitter/Instagram - @drjtedwards
Subscribe to Millennial Professor on YOUTUBE
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Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Friday, March 25, 2011

Traveling with Undergraduate Students - Today is Presentation Day!

Readers,

Today is the day my undergraduate students present their research! I am excited, yet nervous about their presentation! They are looking forward to presenting their research after lunch. Here is the information from the conference program book:

OUTCOMES OF COLLEGE STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS 
SPONSOR: THEODORE CLEVENGER, JR. UNDERGRADUATE HONORS CONFERENCE
CHAIR/RESPONDENT: TOM SABETTA, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY


College Students’ Perceptions of Factors Influencing Math Anxiety
Megan Traweek, University of Montevallo


College Students’ Perceptions of Fitness and Body Type in Interpersonal Relationships
Melissa MacDonald, Tarleton State University
Kylee Thetford, Tarleton State University
Nicole Schueneman, Tarleton State University


College Students’ Perceptions of their Undergraduate Peers with Sexually Transmitted Infections

Stacy Diane Coggins, Tarleton State University


College Students’ Perceptions of Interracial Relationships
Chale Moreno, Tarleton State University
Raul Carrillo, Tarleton State University
Winston Dawson, Tarleton State University


It’s an Age Thing: College Female Dating Age Preferences
Jessica Weaver, Southern Adventist University
Hilary Prandl, Southern Adventist University
Kelsey Larrabee, Southern Adventist University
Lauren Swafford, Southern Adventist University
Kara Turpen, Southern Adventist University



Their presentations went very well and I am so proud of them! My department head and Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason came to view their presentations and she said that their presentations were indicative of master's level research. Here are some pictures from their presentations! 







After their presentations, the students sent a text message stating "We have a surprise for you downstairs". I arrived downstairs and the presented gourmet cupcakes to me with a beautiful message stating "Dr. Edwards - Thank you for all of that you do!". It was the best surprise and I was so excited to receive such a great gift during this time of the semester! I really NEEDED that message this week! :)





Overall, it was a great conference and I hope that I will be able to take students to the Southern States Communication Association conference next year in San Antonio! :) We would also like to thank Tarleton's Student Research and Creative Activities Office, the Council for Undergraduate Research, and the Tarleton Communication Studies Office for their support of our trip! :)


Sincerely,

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.