Browsing by Author "Wang, R."

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11

Bridge or barrier: The impact of social media on engagement for first-generation college students
(American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, 2014-04-03) Haeger, H.; Wang, R.; BrckaLorenz, A.
Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, are an integral part of communication for today's college students. This research explores whether this shift in communication functions to create more connections or whether it functions as another avenue for social reproduction of privilege for first-generation college students. Analysis on how first-generation students use social media to build and maintain social connections along with what factors most impact the formation of social capital through social media suggests that first-generation students use social media less than their peers, especially in building new relationships and in learning about events on campus. Despite this, social media use is still an important tool in making connections to peers and faculty on campus for first-generation students.
A comparison of international students' engagement and faculty perceptions of international student engagement
(2017-04-30) Wang, R.; BrckaLorenz, A.
With the exponential growth of international students pursing degrees at U.S. colleges and universities, an increasing number of faculty and staff have brought up questions and concerns about supporting international students' academic engagement and success. Although prior studies have explored the educational experiences of international students in the US, only a small number of them have investigated international student engagement at four-year institutions. Little is known about faculty's approaches to international student engagement and how they may differ from international students' self-reported engagement. Using large-scale and multi-institutional survey datasets, this quantitative study aims to explore international student engagement in learning strategies, collaborative learning, and student-faculty interaction, and to compare international student engagement from the perspectives of faculty and students. Recommendations on supporting international student engagement from an individual faculty level, department level, and institutional level are discussed in the end.
Engaging international students through effective teaching strategies
(Professional and Organizational Development Conference, 2016-11-11) Wang, R.; BrckaLorenz, A.
With a rapid increase in the enrollment of international students in U.S. higher education institutions, more and more faculty members have encountered challenges in teaching international students. In this session, facilitators will use Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) data to discuss faculty approaches to the engagement of their international students. Facilitators and participants will discuss the strategies faculty members employ in teaching international students. Goals of this session include understanding the challenges that faculty members face in teaching international students and discussing the implementation of effective teaching strategies in participant's courses and campuses.
Graduate student instructors, their courses, and the support they need
(Association for the Study of Higher Education Annual Conference, 2015-11-06) BrckaLorenz, A.; Wang, R.; Nelson Laird, T. F.
While some existing literature exposes graduate students instructor's (GSIs) various approaches to teaching, and the importance of professional development, there is little research on the ways in which GSI characteristics may impact their needs and preferences for professional development (Boman, 2013). Led by these gaps in the literature, this study explores the diverse characteristics of GSIs employed at eight research universities in the U.S. and investigates the ways in which these characteristics impact GSI needs for professional development and support in teaching. The results of this study offer implications for practice and recommendations for future research that enhance GSIs teaching and learning, as well as their overall graduate education and preparation.
Involving online students in high-impact practices
(Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, 2016-06-01) Wang, R.; Zilvinskis, J.; Ribera, A. K.
Using a large-scale survey of student engagement, this study examined the extent to which taking all online courses affects senior students' participation rates in high-impact practices (HIPs), such as internship and study abroad. Online students' perceived gains in knowledge, skills, and personal development were also examined by whether or not they participated in a HIP. Overall, findings revealed that online students' participation rates in HIPs were relatively lower than students who did not take all of their courses online. Of the six HIPs, online students engaged most in service-learning experiences as part of a course requirement and least in study abroad. Online students who participated in a HIP reported greater gains in knowledge, skills, and personal development compared to online students who did not participate in a HIP. This study suggests institutions should pay special attention to the needs of online students and develop strategies for promoting their HIP participation.
Latino STEM student participation in undergraduate research
(Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, 2015-05-28) Zilvinskis, J.; Wang, R.; Dumford, A.
Undergraduate research with a faculty member is considered a high-impact practice that enhances student engagement and academic achievement. Using a large-scale multi-institution dataset from the National Survey of Student Engagement, this study explored senior Latino STEM students' undergraduate research experiences. Results suggest that Latino students are underrepresented among the STEM student population and are less likely to participate in undergraduate research compared to White and Asian STEM students. Additionally, the findings of this study indicate that some Latino students in STEM fields (e.g., first-generation, transfer, living off campus) have lower odds of participating in undergraduate research. In order to increase the participation of undergraduate research among Latinos in STEM fields, institutional researchers should recommend early intervention to provide additional academic resources and increase intentional financial aid for these students.
Moving students to read: Unpacking the relationship with reflective and integrative learning
(American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, 2016-04-08) Wang, R.; Ribera, A. K.
College students' reading motivation and reflective and integrative learning play a significant role in influencing students' academic performance and engagement. Understanding students' reading motivation will help faculty members adjust their course design and provide sufficient support and resources in order to accommodate student learning. Using data collected in 2013 from 47 four-year colleges and universities located in the U.S., this study explores individual characteristics of students who tend to be intrinsically motivated to read. This study also explores the relationship between intrinsic reading motivation and students' level of engagement in reflective and integrative learning. Recommendations for enhancing students' reading motivation and reflective and integrative learning are provided.
The teaching practices and time allocation of faculty and graduate student instructors
(American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, 2014-04-11) Wang, R.; BrckaLorenz, A.; Nelson Laird, T.
Few studies have compared teaching behaviors between faculty and graduate student instructors (GSIs). Using a large-scale multi-institution dataset, this study takes a closer examination of the variation of effective teaching practices, proportion of time spent on in-class activities, and time commitment on teaching-related activates of faculty and GSIs with different demographic and course characteristics. Results suggest that faculty utilize more effective teaching practices than GSIs across all demographic, course characteristics, and disciplines. Faculty spent a greater proportion of time in lecture and discussion, whereas GSIs spent more time in small-group activities. GSIs spent less time than faculty at different academic ranks in all teaching-related activities. This study recommends more resources and support should be provided to GSIs to enhance effective teaching practices and time management in teaching.
To read or not to read? Investigating students' reading motivation
(Professional & Organizational Development Conference, 2015-11-07) Ribera, A. K.; Wang, R.
Motivation to read plays a significant role in college students' academic engagement and overall performance. Faculty may influence students' reading motivation through the types of reading they assign and strategies to approach the reading assignments. Disciplinary context also plays a unique role. Using data from 2013 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), this study investigates differences in college students' reading motivation by assignment type. Variation by students majoring in hard and soft fields at four-year colleges and universities are also explored. Recommendations for ways faculty may enhance students' reading motivation are provided.
Variations in the instructional behaviors of graduate student instructors
(Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, 2016-06-02) Wang, R.; BrckaLorenz, A.; Nelson Laird, T. F.
Graduate students who teach, or graduate student instructors (GSIs), play a significant role in influencing undergraduate students' learning experiences and outcomes. Using multi-institution data from a large-scale survey of graduate student teaching practices, this project aims to explore the extent to which instructional behaviors vary across GSIs' demographic background and the types of courses they teach. The extent to which GSIs employed effective teaching practices, and relationships between setting clear course goals and employing effective teaching practices among GSIs will also be examined. This poster presentation is important to AIR members, because the findings will not only help graduate schools to ensure the quality of the classes taught by GSIs, but also provide useful information to graduate faculty advisors and academic support staff for preparing future faculty members.
What characteristics predict student-faculty interaction and important relationships with effective educational practice
(American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, 2015-04-19) Wang, R.; BrckaLorenz, A.; Chiang, Y. C.
Student-faculty interaction is significantly beneficial to college students' engagement and success. Past studies of student-faculty interaction (SFI) have focused on the relationship between student characteristics and SFI or between faculty members' qualities, skills, or approaches and SFI. This study uses a large-scale multi-institution data set to take a closer examination of the relationships between faculty characteristics, course characteristics, institutional characteristics, faculty course goals, and faculty values for campus support with SFI. Results suggest that several faculty, course, and institution characteristics predict increased SFI. Additionally, results also indicate that faculty who do more to structure their courses for student growth and development and more strongly value a supportive campus environment for students interact with students more frequently.