Tag: Postsecondary Education Research Center

New PERC Series: Student Affairs Practice & Planning in the COVID-19 Environment

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The COVID-19 pandemic has placed major constraints on student engagement, presenting unique challenges for student affairs, where success has traditionally depended on high quality, face-to-face student interactions.

Learn how institutions are adapting in PERC’s newest research series, Student Engagement Practice and Planning in the COVID-19 Environment. This series examines practices and plans in student affairs from across the nation. The series focuses on nine key areas:

• Orientation Programming Practices
• Student Government
• Student Activities and Clubs
• Fraternities and Sororities
• Community Service Programs
• Residence Life Operations & Programming
• Multicultural Engagement
• Student Health & Wellness
• Student Employment

Click here to learn more about the project and access the briefs as they become available.

National Panhellenic Conference Graduation Rate Study

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ELPS faculty Dr. Patrick Biddix and Dr. Terry Ishitani, along with ELPS alumnae Nicole Nicholson and Kaitlin Singer, completed and published a study that demonstrated women in sororities across 18 four-year institutions were more likely than non-members to graduate in four years, with the graduation rate between the two groups stabilizing for years five and six. Recommendations for practice to strengthen the educational component of sorority membership were also provided.

The article, “The Influence of National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) Sorority Membership on Graduation and Time-to-Degree: A Multi-Institution Study” was published in the Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education (subscription required for access). 

PERC Explores Policies that Promote Course Material Affordability

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Mergers of major publishers and the ever-rising cost of course materials have catalyzed UT’s Postsecondary Education Research Center examination of policies  that promote course material affordability, namely through the use of Open Educational Resources (OER).

The Hewlett Foundation (hewlett.org) defines Open Educational Resources (OER) as “high-quality teaching, learning, and research materials that are free for people everywhere to use and repurpose.” In contrast to the restrictive copyright license tied to traditional course materials, authors of OER apply a “Creative Commons” (CC) license to their work that legally enforces free access and sharing. Similar to authors of traditionally copyrighted materials, credit is also given to authors of OER, with the added benefit that others may freely use, build upon, and enhance their work.

The full report and executive summary are now available on PERC’s Research Report site.

In addition to the PERC publication, ELPS PhD student and PERC research affiliate Elizabeth Spica recently presented on Best Practices and Institutional Models in textbook affordability during the June 2019 Textbook Affordability Summit hosted by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission in Nashville, TN.

 

Big Orange Family Campaign

ELPS, PERC, & CEL Honored at Big Orange Family Campaign Celebration

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The Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, including the Postsecondary Education Research Center and the Center for Educational Leadership, were honored at the Big Orange Family Campaign Celebration for achieving 100 percent participation among its faculty and staff.

The Big Orange Family Campaign is an annual month long initiative to enhance philanthropy among faculty and staff.  Last year, donations helped provide 6,148 undergraduate and graduate students with scholarships.  This year the Big Orange Family Campaign reached 59.56% participation, a full 5.5% higher than the campus-wide goal of 54%.

Read more about the Big Orange Family Campaign here

April 2018 Promising Practice

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PERC publishes another Promising Practices for 2018 discussing results of results for Chattanooga State Community College’s “Focus on Completion.”

Promising Practices is an initiative sponsored by the Postsecondary Education Research Center (PERC) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The series highlights evidence-based practices promoting student success inclusive of access, persistence, retention, and postgraduate success.

Read more about April’s 2018 Promising Practice

Patrick Biddix to Teach NASPA Online Course on March 26, 2018

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Patrick Biddix will join Joseph Levy and Rishi Sriram in teaching an online course hosted by The NASPA Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community.  The course titled, “Assessment versus Research.  What is the Difference?  Why Does It Matter?”, will help students to establish and clarify the language used for assessment and research, expectations of practitioners at multiple levels, and trends in the field.

As a result of attending the course, students will:

  • gain foundational knowledge about the concepts of assessment and research;
  • learn approaches to assessment and research based on definitions and philosophy;
  • apply assessment and research processes to student affairs practice; and
  • articulate the need for assessment and research skill development as professional practice.

The course will take place on March 26, 2018 at 1:00pm est.  It is free for members of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Research KC and $99 for non-members.

Read more about the course here

Chancellor Emeritus and Distinguished Professor, Jimmy Cheek, Named 2018 United Way Campaign Chair

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Jimmy Cheek, Chancellor Emeritus and Distinguished Professor, will be taking on another new role for the year; the 2018 United Way Campaign Chair in addition to his role within our college. He will replace Ken Lowe, who over the course of 2017, raised almost fourteen million dollars for the organization. The United Way helps people by raising funds and supporting programs that provide opportunity and create lasting change in the community.  His efforts will help ensure a good life for all by funding essential programs.

In Fall 2017, Cheek joined the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (CEHHS) in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. In addition to teaching graduate classes, Cheek has established and oversees the Postsecondary Education Research Center (PERC). This center identifies, conducts and coordinates research on initiatives and ideas designed to enhance higher education at the institutional, state, and national levels to enhance policy and practice. Through this center, partnerships with organizations such as the Tennessee Board of Regents and the university system as well as several postsecondary institutions across the state will focus on improving higher education in Tennessee.

We congratulate you on this new appointment and wish you every success.

Story and photo compliments of CEHHS