focus group

Focus Group, Interview, or Survey: Which is Right for Your Academic or Co-Curricular Program?

This workshop will describe the purpose, strengths, and weaknesses of each data collection method. For Academic Programs: PowerPoint …

Institutions that understand what helps and hinders student learning will know how to improve student proficiency in core academic areas that are important for college and workforce success. Research supports learning as a holistic (Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005), complex, and domain-specific process (Beyer et al., 2007). Institutions are encouraged to employ principles of learning that are domain-independent, experience-independent, and culturally relevant (Ambrose et al., 2010). It is important that institutions continue to examine a variety of (new) learning tools and innovative pedagogical approaches in order to improve or evolve undergraduate teaching methods, curriculum, and experiences. This study provides important descriptive evidence for understanding undergraduate student learning across campus and over time. The results provide specific ways faculty and administrators may teach and implement services to better serve students.

Factors and Experiences that Help and Hinder Undergraduate Student Learning

Institutions that understand what helps and hinders student learning will know how to improve student proficiency in core …

Outreach College serves as an advocate for the needs of the nontraditional, adult and distance learning students, i.e., those who are unable to attend the regular day program that Mānoa provides. This population includes both the working adult seeking a degree and the professional looking to upgrade his or her skills. A few months ago, a task force made up of faculty and staff at Outreach College was formed to investigate ways to better service this nontraditional student population. The name “Transitions” was given to this project since we were specifically looking at adults interested in starting or returning to college and specifically, UH Mānoa. We invited two focus groups made up of representatives from various student support groups on campus and a third group composed of students who had taken noncredit courses from us in the past, asking them the same questions: 1) who are these nontraditional students; 2) what are the challenges they face in returning to school, and 3) how can we help them overcome these challenges. The poster will outline the formation of our focus groups from the beginning to the action plan resulting from these sessions. Also included will be mention of things that worked for us in this endeavor.

Growing an Assessment: Focus Groups

Outreach College serves as an advocate for the needs of the nontraditional, adult and distance learning students, i.e., …

Assessing Civic and Community Engagement in Ethnic Studies

Ethnic Studies was born out of community demand and community engagement has had a central place in the …