Faculty Publications and Research

First Generation College Students: The Barriers Against and Avenues Toward Success

Ted McCall — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:44:43 PST

Through a review of literature currently available on first generation college students, this paper will highlight the barriers this group of students face. These barriers will be classified into two areas: pre-college and early-college transition. At the conclusion of this paper, suggestions aimed at both institutions of higher education and educators will be provided. The suggestions will assist these groups of individuals to both develop a greater understanding of this population, and aid them in assisting these students on their path towards successful completion of their college degree. Future research will be explored to assist in the design and implementation of curriculum and programs that are designed specifically with first generation students in mind.

Hard Work and the College Dream

Paul DeVries — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:41:51 PST

The reigning social perspective sees American colleges as open, fair, and full of opportunity, a view that is based on merit, economic equality, ambition and ability. The reality in America today; however, contradicts this once common ideology. Income inequity is larger in the United States than any other industrialized country in the world, an inequity propagated by a nation fixated with credentialed education.

Digital Millenials

Paul DeVries — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:41:47 PST

If you haven’t noticed yet, our incoming freshmen are no longer experiencing the same K12 that most of us probably did. They are digital natives, a generation fostered in a world that is dominated by technology. They subsist perpetually coupled to a digital persona manifested by I-Phones, cell phones and Blackberries. Each is making an unspoken statement, one that we all should be listening too. As the parent of a sixteen year old high school sophomore I’ve seen firsthand how our lives are so different, and despite my best efforts to remain cool and hip, I just can’t keep up. At sometime we have to admit that we are different, very different! Though I hear dissention in the ranks, those readers dismissing my writing as the mere meanderings of a scorned parent and teacher consider the following.

The Fixation of American Testing

Paul DeVries — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:41:46 PST

Testing has become a way of life; an activity that spans a student’s entire educational career. The acme of American testing arrived when President George W. Bush introduced the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in January of 2002. It was at this juncture that testing became a tool which could be used to determine a student’s grade promotion, intelligence, and future capacity as a functioning constituent of society. Tests are generally given in a standardized format, and are commonly the only measure of a student’s knowledge and skill base. These tests; however, are far from infallible and contain within them many inherent flaws.

Modeling Ethics through Leadership

Paul DeVries — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:41:44 PST

Moral Leaders in academia stand few and far between, it is only the pervasive and tenacious who are able to remain steadfast in their mission, to have the courage to speak up despite others’ moods of discouragement. Far too often freshman teachers capitulate early in their careers, falling victim to an all too common faceless bureaucracy. There is; however, a light that shines bright, one that can provide hope to even the most overworked and underappreciated teacher.

The Pitfalls of Standardized Testing

Paul DeVries — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:41:44 PST

The problem of effective student evaluation has plagued educators for years. I’m not talking about a cursory glance, but meaningful assessment which provides us with a tangible reflection that genuine student learning was achieved. We probably all have a variety of evaluation mediums, but are we really assessing if our students have learned, or simply following course objectives by insuring that students will “know.”

Reaching Millennials

Paul DeVries — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:41:42 PST

After nearly a year’s worth of research focused on millennial students, much of what I found highlighted a subject that is largely misunderstood and self conflicting. Despite this enigma, one fact is undisputable, their predilection towards emergent technology and the communication that it affords. Much of this communicative technology is proffered as immediate, asynchronous, collaborative and multi-sensory. Millennial students, those born after 1982 have become prodigies of this tech environment. They are connected 24/7, a connection that allows unprecedented access to almost any word ever written. It should be noted that this technology has allowed millennials to multi-task, a trait that can sometimes be misconstrued as antisocial.

Weblogs and the Beatles

Paul DeVries — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:40:27 PST

The importance of informational technology truly hit home about three weeks ago when one of my freshman students exclaimed “so exactly, who are the Beatles anyway?” It had never really occurred to me that as I have been getting older, my students have been getting younger, a lot younger! The average age of my student freshman class is around 17-18 years old, students who have been fostered in a society dominated by the internet, computers, I-Pods and Microsoft. Most cannot remember a world without My-Space and Facebook, and none can remember a time without PowerPoint or Excel.