Married Date, Storm Doors, ‘Merica

Date Night photo is courtesy of the Ed Young website. I googled “Date Night,” found this, and had to share. 🙂

If you’ve been married for any length of time, you know that you have to schedule date nights. Chief and I refer to them as Married Dates. Married Dates involve such romantic activities as grocery shopping and WalMart browsing. Last night’s Married Date involved Mexican at our favorites restaurant, La Hacienda, and a trip to Lowe’s to look at storm doors and purchase grass seeds. Our yard is experiencing its own zombie apocalypse, which I blame on the Coast Guard gnome in the backyard (never did trust that guy).

As we are browsing the aisle with lovely storm doors, Chief stops dead in his tracks, looks above his head, and whispers one word:

“Merica.”

I look up to see what inspired such patriotism and Tim Allen grunting, and see this beauty:

Yeeeessssssss. Oh, it is all things American and holy! Chief is active duty military and I have a Wonder Woman obsession, so it’s perfect right?! Our home would be so easy to identify to people. “Oh yeah. They live in the house with the Merica front door!” Beautiful! Inspiring! Majestic!

Could we pull it off? One of my friends said no; only people who are 70 can get away with that door. Really? So, in 30 years when Chief is a veteran, it’s on! We will be two American Badasses, celebrating Merica with our front door!

Now, we just need a welcome mat version of the “Don’t Tread On Me’ flag…

Turbo Fire Ad

Turbo Fire is a high intensity cardio workout with the Amazing Chalene Johnson! This is one of our most affordable and effective workouts! http://www.beachbodycoach.com/cfdshark

Beachbody Ultimate Reset Ad

Day 1 of the Ultimate Reset! Message me if you’re ready to reclaim your health, or place your order at http://www.myultimatereset.com/cfdshark.

Beachbody Coaching Ad

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An Action Agenda for Teaching and Learning (PhD course assignment)

An Action Agenda for Teaching and Learning

What specific recommendations do you have for enhancing teaching and learning at your institution? What effect do you think politics would have on the successful implementation of these recommendations?

Huber and Hutchings (2005) elaborate on what they perceive as four core questions for teaching and learning: framing questions, gathering and exploring evidence, trying out new ideas in the classroom, and going public with the results so that other educators can use the findings and build upon them in their own classrooms. Each core question can be utilized to improve teaching and learning at my institution.

Framing questions about student learning is the starting point for scholarship of teaching and learning (Huber and Hutchings, 2005).  Current college students are the most technologically savvy of any previous generation, and many colleges and universities have recognized the use of the internet and computer technology as a necessary learning tool for today’s college students. Although our President has expressed reluctance in growing our distance education course offerings beyond our adult education program, our faculty must find ways to work around this and to integrate technology in the classroom. The use of tools such as Blackboard and Turnitin will certainly help students with coursework, keeping up with their notes and syllabi, and learning the proper way to cite their sources, and understand the importance of using your own words in your writing. Plagiarism is a major concern with our current students’ work, and many of them come to the university with no concept of what plagiarism is. This is an opportunity for our faculty to step in and teach and important lesson on how to properly write and cite research, and both Blackboard and Turnitin are useful tools for this purpose.

Gathering and exploring evidence are also important aspects of teaching and learning, according to Huber and Hutchings (2005). The  faculty members currently utilize class evaluations in order to determine the majority of students’ learning needs, as well as their likes and dislike about their course experiences. While this is a valuable resource, our faculty should also utilize focus groups of students (possibly by major or by class) to determine other ways to improve classroom teaching and learning. As I stated in last week’s discussion, Charleston Southern also has a Center for Excellence in Teaching, which all of our faculty should use as a resource, since their peers can be their most valuable allies and constructive critics.

Hubers and Hutchings (2005) also state that “the scholarship of teaching and learning is often messy rather than neatly linear, engaged rather than disinterested, and highly personal in its impact” (p. 26). Our faculty members should always be encouraged by our Provost and academic deans to try new methods in the classroom in order to find out what is the best method for teaching and learning at the university. They will not always be satisfied with the results, but dissatisfaction is what keeps all of us burning to learn and do more.

Lastly, faculty members at the university should share their results and findings with their peers. Thanks to our Center for Excellence in Teaching, our faculty members have the opportunity to share their scholarship in teaching and learning with their peers, so they can also apply the methods in their classrooms and critique the methods’ effectiveness.  Our faculty must be willing to take constructive criticism from their most respected colleagues in order to improve their own scholarship in teaching and learning, thus preparing their students to be lifelong learners and observers.

Reference

Huber, M. T., & Hutchings, P. (2005). The advancement of learning: Building the teaching commons. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Granny Was Right (Apple Cider Vinegar)

In my recent health journeys into home cures, folk remedies, and eating clean, I found out that apple cider vinegar has some pretty amazing benefits. Yeah, if you can get past the smell! Whew! There are tons of You Tube videos on mixing this magic potion with water and drinking the conconction all day. Not.Happening.

So how do you reap the benefits of apple cider vinegar if you cannot stand the taste or smell? Easy. Put a tablespoon or two in your smoothies. You won’t even taste it. I first tried this with my Tropical Strawberry Shakeology and unsweetened chocolate almond milk, almond butter, and a banana. No vinegar smell or taste at all.

I’ve been doing this for about 2 weeks now, and not a hint of tummy troubles or bloat. My skin looks better, and I FEEL better!

Seriously, try it.

You will thank me later.

Paths to to Weight Loss, Proofreading, Fitness!

The healthy path and the written path? What the heck are they? Let’s just say that I am a rookie entrepeneur with both a health/fitness business and a proofreading/editing business. Each path is a passion of mine that I love to share with others.

First, the Healthy Path. I am a holistic health student at the Institute for Integrative Nutriton, and I will be a certified health coach in April 2014. I am also an Independent Team Beachbody Coach, which means I am a distributor for products including Insanity, P90X, and Shakeology. One of my life purposes is helping people lead healthy, happy lives. We were not meant to thrive in cubicles under artificial lights, eating out of vending machines. Some of the entries on here will focus on health as well as Beachbody products. I am also a big believer in natural, folk remedies. I will feature a lot of those little gems as well.

The Written Path. My career has been in higher education, both as an instructor and an advisor. I have two degrees in English and will complete my Ph.D in Education in August 2014. The written path refers to my proofreading services I offer. These services include proofreading academic writings (disseratations, thesis papers, essays, research papers, etc.) resume writing, and proofreading/editing of marketing communicaton materials (ads, newsletters, etc.). This site will also feature helpful tips on academic and business writing.

Oh hey! You’re stll here! Fabulous. I can’t wait to get started sharing information with you all, and helping you whenever I can. In the meantimes, checkout my Beachbody website if you’re interested in any of our workouts or nutrition products.

www.beachbodycoach.com/cfdshark

And please follow me on Facebook and Twitter:

CFD Healthy Paths

http://www.facebook.com/#!/bbcoachchristie

CFD Written Paths

http://www.facebook.com/#!/CFDWrittenPaths

Until next time, friends. Thanks for visiting! 🙂

 

Rituals and Culture

When I asked several of my colleagues about some of the myths and rituals we have at our university, three examples were mentioned by almost everyone. The faculty procession at the first Chapel of the new academic year, the Midnight Breakfast the night before the first day of final exams, and the Homecoming 5k have been long standing traditions at the institution, and are regarded with respect, enjoyment, and humor by our faculty, staff, and students.

At the first Chapel of every academic year, we have a faculty procession at the beginning of the program. The full time faculty enters the Chapel after everyone else has taken a seat. All of the faculty are dressed in their full academic regalia, and enter the Chapel under the leadership of our Vice President of Academic Affairs. All of the Vice Presidents and the President are also dressed in the appropriate manner. This gives our new students the opportunity to see our faculty as the scholars and educators who will guide them through their academic journey for the next four years. Many of our students note they enjoy the procession because they feel like Harry Potter at Hogwarts, and in some ways, that is exactly where they are!

Midnight Breakfast is a true favorite among our students. At midnight on the eve of the first day of final exams, the cafeteria serves a full breakfast of eggs, pancakes, Belgian waffles, sausage, bacon, fruit, danishes, and yogurt to our students. The best part of this breakfast is the servers. Serving the food buffet style are the faculty and staff, including our President, Senior Officers, Dean of Students, Athletic Director, head coaches, and many more. Why do we do this? As I have stated in previous posts, our vision at the university is Learning, Leading, and Serving. This provides the faculty and staff with an opportunity to be of service to our students, and help them realize we are there for them in every way.

The Homecoming 5k, which is open to all faculty, staff, students, and the public and takes place the Thursday night before our Homecoming football game, is a hit because of a long standing rivalry. Our President is an avid runner, and each year, challenges one of our Economics professors, also an avid runner, to a friendly competition. The President and professor lead off the race, and truthfully, we never know who will finish first, as they are equally matched. The students also enjoy watching these two gentlemen, both in their sixties, racing each other around campus, and usually crossing the finish line almost neck and neck. There is also food and music at this even, as well as prizes.

These sacred rituals have provided our university with an opportunity for our faculty, staff, and students to bond with each other, and get to know each other a little better. Connections are an important part of retention, and these rituals help us make those important connections.

 

   Reference

Bolman L. G, & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Philosophical Framework

According to Lodico, Spaulding, and Voegtle (2010), “… the goal of advocacy or liberatory researchers is liberation through knowledge gathering” ( p. 15). The advocacy – liberatory philosophical framework is a collaborative effort between researchers and subjects, leaders and followers, a concept that is embraced by transformational leaders.  Transformational leadership “consists of guiding, encouraging, and facilitating others in the pursuit of ends by the use of means, both of which they have either selected or approved” (Ackoff, 1999, p. 20). Educators and researchers who utilize this framework in their research and studies will engage their research participants and followers by empowering them to actively participate in the data collection. The advocacy-liberatory approach is seeking solutions as a team.

Lodico et al. (2010) also note that “research should provide freedom from oppression and debilitating living environments” (p. 15).  One of the benefits of researchers accumulating data within the advocacy-liberatory approach, especially when the participants are socially disadvantaged, is that the participants will be active learners, equipped with the knowledge necessary to improve their current situations. Secondly, there is the issue of trust. When participants are part of the problem solving efforts, they are more likely to trust the results of the research findings. Additionally, researchers in the advocacy-liberatory framework will have an invested interest in not only the research, but also the participants.

One of the disadvantages to the advocacy-liberatory framework is a lack of objectivity from researchers and participants. Since both parties have an invested interest in the outcome of the research, their emotional involvement could potentially overshadow the research and data collection process. Secondly, Lodico et al. (2010) also state that researchers must “understand reality from the perspectives of the community” (p. 15). What if the researchers are from drastically different socio economic backgrounds than the research participants? If a researcher is too far removed from the community, they may experience difficulty in working with participants to form an action plan for improvement. This also leads into a third possible disadvantage; participants may have difficulty trusting a researcher who cannot relate to their community due to the researcher’s lack of firsthand experience with their community’s plight.

The main strength of the advocacy-liberatory framework, especially for a transformational leader, is empowering participants to improve their lives. By empowering participants and implementing action plans based on a collaborative research effort, transformational leaders can play an important role in improving the lives of the community involved in the research study.

 

REFERENCES

Ackoff, R. L. (1999, January/February).  Transformational Leadership. Strategy & Leadership, 27 ( 1)20-25.

Lodico, M. G., Spaulding, D. T., & Voegtle, K. H. (2010). Methods in Educational Research: From Theory to Practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Assessment Plan Development (Writing Sample from PhD course)

Why? Why should assessment be done? What is the purpose of assessment?

Assessments should be done for the purpose of making improvements throughout the institution, as well as measuring student satisfaction with their overall educational experience.  Since Charleston Southern University is a numbers driven institution, feedback from students is crucial to improving retention and increasing initial enrollment. According to Maki (2002), “When institutions are internally motivated to learn about student learning, assessment moves beyond a periodic activity to an organic and systematic cycle of inquiry involving a shared commitment among faculty, staff, and administrators” (p. 8). This type of commitment and invested interest in student learning and their overall college experience can help Charleston Southern improve not only retention but overall student satisfaction and future alumni relationships.

•What? What are the intended outcomes of assessment?

What is the intended target [unit/level] of assessment?
According to Cuseo (n.d.), assessments can be divided into two categories: institution-centered outcomes and student-centered outcomes.  The majority of Charleston Southern’s assessments have been institution-centered; however, the university has slowly begin utilizing student-centered outcome assessments, which have focused on their use of student support services or their satisfaction with student activities. However, assessments that were institution-centered outcomes, namely retention methods, lead to the implementation of an improve freshmen seminar program as well as the creation of a new staff position, First Year Program Coordinator. While institution-centered outcomes are important for the overall function of the university, Charleston Southern must continue to work with student-centered outcome assessments. Some of the units/levels that the assessments should focus on include Academic Advising, Financial Aid, and Christian Environment. Since Charelston Southern is a faith based, private institution, assessing the financial aid available to students as well as their satisfacation with the Christian environment on campus are important for the institution to continue fulfilling its mission and vision.

•When? When in the college experience should assessment be conducted? At what times will it be most valuable?

Currently, Charleston Southern’s assessments have focused on the end of the first year experience, upperclassmen experience, as well as senior exit interviews.  However, the institution has not focused on the sophomore year, which is a crucial year for retention, since many students choose to transfer after two years.  Cuseo (n.d.) emphasized the importance of end of sophomore / beginning of junior year assessments to determine satisfaction with lower level core courses and readiness for the upperclass / major courses.

•Who? Who will be the assessor[s]? From whom will assessment data be collected?

Charleston Southern’s Director of Institutional Research, who has no ties or reporting lines to academics or student life, is the data collector for all of our assessments. Traditionally, data has been collected only from students; however, Cuseo (n.d.) recommends collecting data from faculty, staff, and alumni as well. Comparing the data from the different groups can reveal any discrepancies or common views regarding the institution.

•Where? Where will assessment data be found? In what locales will data be collected?

Data can be collected through course room usage as well as student services usage. The Student Success Center and Career Services currently keep logs of students who come into the offices. They sign in, and also write down the name of the staff member they are seeing. This will help determine the number of students seeking help in certain areas. The only classroom based assessment data is through end of the semester, student evaluations. While these evaluations are important, they should not be the only tool used to measure student learning. Developing a student portfolio in My CSU (our online program for students that allows online registration, changes to majors, transcript views, etc.) can provide additional data for assessments.

•How? How will assessment data be analyzed and summarized? What research designs and methodologies will be employed?

Charleston Southern relies heavily on quantitative methods, but should also include qualitative methods that involve narrative inquires. This will provide a holistic approach to student learning and the student experience at Charleston Southern, which cannot be fully captured through numbers and statistics.

References

Cueso, J. (n.d.). Assessment of the First Year Experience: Six Significant Questions. University of South Carolina. Retrieved from http://www.sc.edu/fye/resources/assessment/pdf/Cuseos6Qs-web.pdf

Maki, P. L. (2002). Developing an Assessment Plan to Learn about Student Learning. Journal Of Academic Librarianship, 28(1/2), 8.