Posted on No Comments on Results for Fall Student Survey

Results for Fall Student Survey

I thought you might be interested in seeing some of the results from the fall Continuing Student Survey which was conducted just before Thanksgiving. We’ve been doing this survey at least twice a year now for four years. While the information I will be sharing below is for all our regional campuses, the data is able to be filtered by campus and that report is provided to the Dean at each campus. If you would like to know more about the results relative to the campus where you teach, contact the Dean and set up a time to look at the data.

 

Please rate your experience with the following campus offices relative to the support you receive.
 Fall 2018 survey of active students
Faculty Response
Dissatisfied 0.40%
Somewhat Dissatisfied 1.59%
Neutral 6.77%
Somewhat Satisfied 11.16%
Satisfied 80.08%

As you can see from the above, 91% of our students are satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the support they receive from Faculty. This continues to support our faith in our faculty and their dedication to student learning and student success.  Thank You!

How much time do you spend outside of class on completing your homework?

Degree Program < 8 hrs. 8-12 hrs. 13-16 hrs. > 16 hrs.
Undergraduate 19.83% 45.45% 19.83% 14.88%
Graduate 14.81% 50.37% 20.74% 14.07%

As you can see, the majority of students indicate they spend at least 8 hours per week outside of class on their homework with many spending more than 12 hours per week.

Why are you pursuing completing your degree?

Degree Program Promotion Change Jobs Personal Goal Other
Undergraduate 16.34% 36.14% 42.57% 4.95%
Graduate 28.29% 26.22% 40% 4.89%

Factors, like getting a promotion or changing a job, comprise 52.48% (undergraduate), and 54.51% (graduate) of the primary motivation for pursuing a degree.  Nearly as important, however, is the desire to achieve a personal goal.

Blessings,

 

 

Posted on 1 Comment on Using clips from 60 Minutes in your class

Using clips from 60 Minutes in your class

I attended a faculty workshop at Jackson where one of the librarians from Belhaven’s Library shared how to access their database of clips from 60 Minutes to use in class.  This is a great way to start a discussion and present different perspectives.  Here is the process:

  1. From the Belhaven homepage, click on Library under Academics
  2. Scroll down and click on Databases (in the gold box)
  3. Scroll down to the bottom of the list of databases and click on 60 Minutes: 1997-2014.  It’s the last database listed.
  4. You will have to enter your Belhaven credentials to access the material

Here are some of the searchable categories:

Subjects

This is a great way to augment your class – give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Posted on No Comments on 4 Square Instructor

4 Square Instructor

At each of the faculty workshops I visited, or sent video to, for the Fall 2018 rotation for Belhaven University, I challenged the faculty to become a “4 Square Instructor.” When this idea first came my way from an article by Neil Haave, titled “Teaching Squares Bring Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives” I thought there might be something there which could be used to help overcome the chronic problem every teacher faces: becoming trapped in their own pedagogical ruts. After discussing this with the Deans at Belhaven’s Regional Campuses in our Summit in August, we decided on a model that provides an interesting option for improving or refreshing their practice of teaching.  The 4 Square Instructor model below is the result.

Instructors who have been through the approval process for Belhaven can become 4 Square Instructors by:

  1. Visit 3 other classes outside your normal course assignments or discipline for a couple of hours to find new teaching ideas (this is not for critique, but to find new ways to make the subject material come alive).
  2. Implement at least one new idea into a class you are teaching.
  3. Write up summary, at least 2 pages, including which classes you visited, what you learned, what you tried and how it worked. Don’t be afraid to describe failures as they can be an excellent source of learning.
  4. Present at an upcoming faculty workshop as called upon by the Dean at that Regional site.
  5. Receive a 4 Square Instructor Polo shirt for that year
  6. Repeat every year.

Not everyone will do this, or even be able to, but I see the possibility of some interesting cross-pollination of ideas which will definitely benefit our students.  Note, there may be some variation from one site to another so check with your Dean for specifics.

Give it some thought. If you want suggestions on which classes to visit, contact the Dean at your campus.