Browsing by Subject "Engagement"

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Data to Policy Change: Creating an Interactive Dashboard to Voice Youth Perspectives
(2024-05-01) Gjedrum, Maria; Glass, Allison; Sanchez, Antonio; Wilson, Alexandra
The Dashboard Safety Index Project, in alignment with the 2022 YMB Annual Report and YCB’s mission, aims to provide a continual platform empowering youth to express their perspectives for policymaking. This interactive tool fosters inclusivity and responsiveness by integrating youth voices into community safety and policy discussions. The project employs a comprehensive methodology, including multiple stakeholder perspectives, regional breakdowns, and alignment with UNICEF goal areas. Challenges such as missing data and inconsistencies in data collection are addressed, while recommendations for dashboard design and data collection prioritize user engagement and youth involvement. The project not only reflects a significant step towards inclusivity but also enhances the relevance and impact of public policies concerning youth safety, ultimately serving as a practical, user-centric tool for policy-makers and the community.
Designing to Increase Usability in Consumer Health Information: Providing Consumers with Information about Access and Financial Components of Care
(2016-11) Long, Sandra
The concept of improving health quality through consumer engagement is motivated by the growing cost of healthcare and allowing consumers to determine and control their own optimal care path. For consumers to utilize and engage with HIT, they must accept the design of the system. In this work, it is shown that a healthcare system designed to meet consumer’s needs, through reduced effort in accessing information, results in improved satisfaction and engagement. The healthcare system is an insurance call center that consumers use to find providers, understand payment for procedures, and get treatment decision support. It receives over 350,000 contacts per month and supports over 10 million consumers.
The effect of small learning communities on indicators of student progress.
(2009-06) Bemel, Cheryl Stone
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two different small learning community (SLC) models on indicators of student progress. Participants were 100 students enrolled in a large urban high school in a Midwestern state as well as 23 of their teachers. Of the two small learning community models studied, one was reportedly a high-functioning SLC while the other model was considered poorly-functioning. Students from the poorly functioning SLC were placed into the higher-functioning SLC and comparisons were made. After controlling for pre-test measurement error, increases in attendance were associated with placement in a higher-functioning SLC after one year. Qualitative analysis provided further support to the finding; students' perceptions of their school experience improved after re-placement. Implications of results in terms of the efficacy of SLCs, future directions for SLC research, and the importance of relationships in the educational arena are discussed.
Embracing Multidisciplinary Engagement: How Campus Museums in the U.S. Can Bolster Their Relevancy in an Increasingly Competitive Academic Funding Climate
(2017-05) Martin, Kayla A
There is a growing trend in universities and colleges in the U.S. putting an increasingly greater emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and less on those part of the arts and humanities. This is largely due to the skewed notion that the fields involving science and technology fit best with the core academic mission and are the most valuable for students to immerse themselves in. STEM departments are therefore receiving a significant portion of institutional funding in comparison to arts-related areas, including campus art museums. However, the benefits of having the arts included in the academic career of all students, regardless of their field(s) of study, are becoming abundantly clear. Academic museums often act as that connecting factor between art and students of non-art related fields who may not realize how art can relate to their studies and be of value to them academically, professionally, and/or personally. Academic art museums must therefore promote themselves as a valuable resource for students of all disciplines in order for their parent institutions to recognize their importance in academia and more highly prioritize them, most significantly in the form of funding. This paper surveys and analyzes various strategies being developed and implemented at campus art museums across the country as a means to achieve this multi-disciplinary relevancy.
Engagement Means...: Community College Students' Understandings and Applications of Engagement
(2017-06) Lee, Crystal
The engagement culture at many community colleges is viewed as limited because of the existence of barriers that are less common at four-year institutions. Such barriers include: commuting to and from campus, obligations to family, and work outside of school. Much of the literature on student engagement blames community college students for low levels of engagement, but what is commonly overlooked in these arguments are students’ own definitions, beliefs, and applications of engagement. It is imperative to consider community college students’ narratives in student engagement research in order to create and facilitate equitable engagement opportunities, reflect on current institutional practices, and explore better ways to serve students with diverse engagement experiences. This study used grounded theory as a framework to examine the lived experiences of 11 community college students from an urban community college in the Midwest. Participants were asked to discuss their understandings and applications of engagement in interviews. Implications for practice and research, as well as an informal theory of community college engagement will be explored.
Engaging disengaged students: the lived experience of teachers who try and try again.
(2010-05) Beaton, Anne Marie Meitz
In public education and most recently with the No Child Left Behind Act, there is a nation-wide push for every student to learn regardless of his or her background or ability (H.R. Rep. No 107-63, 2001; U.S. Department of Education, 2006; Symonds, 2001). Engagement is thought to be a key to student success (Bowen, 2005; Shulman, 2002). As a result, teachers are called upon and expected to find ways to engage all students - even the most disengaged (Barkley, 2010). Research has focused on what motivates students (Barkley, 2010) as well as how teachers can better engage students (Bryson & Hand, 2007), yet research has not questioned the human aspect of this endeavor or stopped to ask what it is like for teachers to do this work. In this study, phenomenological interviews of 6 secondary English teachers are used to generate a description of the teacher's lived experience of working to engage disengaged students. A hermeneutic approach is used to deepen and interpret the meaning of the essence of the teacher's lived experience. Emerging themes reveal a recurring cycle that exposes the intellectual challenge and emotional drain for the teacher. Implications from the study reach past the nuts and bolts of instructional practice to draw attention to the teacher as human in this work and will inform teacher preparation and professional development.
Engaging Elderly Theatre Patrons: Identifying Strategies that are Good for Patrons and Good for the Theatres
(2014-06-06) Radis-McCluskey, Holly
Theatres have a vital resource in elderly patrons, which if properly accessed, leads to assuring the engagement of future generations in the arts. This paper explores the different ways theatres should view elderly patrons and how theatres can engage them through technology and analysis of data. Effective collaboration and inventive methods create an environment enriching these evolving lives. The paper demonstrates the important benefits of art engagement for elderly patrons. My research found a desire among arts organizations to understand that engaging the elderly and leveraging the interaction between technology and arts effectively expands arts’ reach and captures these benefits.
Factors influencing faculty participation in internationalization at the University of Minnesota's schools of nursing and public health: a case study
(2013-05) Beatty, Matthew R.
The internationalization of higher education is no longer a desirable academic ideal. Rather, it is an essential component for higher education. In the era of globalization, colleges and universities are deploying widespread initiatives to infuse a global dimension into their teaching, research and service functions. Faculty play an important role in advancing strategic international agendas, yet little work has been published around their involvement, benefits and rationales to support the internationalization of higher education. The purpose of this study is to examine factors influencing faculty participation in internationalization at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. In particular, the researcher studies the views of faculty members from the University of Minnesota's Schools of Nursing and Public Health. Factors identified during the literature review were included throughout the design of this study.Within the case study, a mixed methods sequential explanatory research design is conducted. The design includes an Internet survey and interviews. Responses to the survey are examined using descriptive and inferential analyses. Individual interviews are also conducted to seek elaboration and alignment from survey responses while revealing additional information.The findings indicate that the nature of faculty participation in internationalization varies between schools, gender and appointment types. For example, faculty members from the Schools of Nursing tend to participate in activities more closely associated with internationalizing the curriculum while faculty in the School of Public Health participate more readily in teaching and research activities occurring outside of the classroom. In addition, there are statistically significant differences in the nature of activities which male and female faculty members participate in with respect to internationalization. For example, a statistically significant higher proportion of males conduct research outside of the United States. Conversely, a statistically significant higher proportion of females teach courses that include strategies for students to improve their intercultural skills. Furthermore, tenured faculty members demonstrate a higher percentage of participation in 16 of the 18 internationalization activities when compared to non-tenured faculty. The willingness to participate in internationalization activities is influenced by factors relating to the University's commitment to internationalize, institutional leadership and organizational practices. Key organizational factors that support faculty participation in internationalization include hiring practices, opportunities to internationalize the curriculum and institutional partnerships. Personal and professional agendas also affect the participation of faculty to in internationalization. Overall, participants feel internationalization is a higher priority for the University than for their individual departments and divisions. Many participants report a desire to participate in internationalization activities, however, factors related to institutional planning, promotion and tenure policies, and insufficient resources restrict widespread participation among faculty. Furthermore, the lack of implicit roles and responsibilities cause uncertainty for faculty at the operational level. Results from the current study support the limited research previously conducted on faculty engagement and development in internationalization. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of effective institutional strategic planning to accomplish comprehensive internationalization. As institutions continue to expand their international reach, this case study carries important implications about institutional and individual factors affecting faculty participation in international activities. At the same time, the researcher presents practical suggestions to remove institutional barriers and improve organizational structures, with the goal of ultimately generating greater participation among faculty in internationalization.
Family Engagement for Educational Achievement Acceleration
(Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2014-05-02) Kammen, Kay; Krizic, Michael; Lewis, Matthew; Petersen, Ryan; Prahl, Lexi; Shadowens, Jennifer; Thao, Pa
Finding Purpose: Identifying Factors that Motivate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender College Student Engagement at a Two-Year Institution
(2016-08) Anderson, Jeffrey
In recent decades, the lives of gay Americans have been pushed to the center stage of political and cultural debate. Bearing the brunt of much of this discourse are high school and college-aged LGBT youth. In spite of, and perhaps in response to, the attacks they often experience, LGBT college students are investing energy in campus activities such as queer student groups and organizations. This study sought to identify, through both qualitative and quantitative methods, the factors that motivate students at a two-year community college to become involved in a campus LGBT student organization. An anonymous survey was completed by 31 students with varying levels of involvement with the student organization. Five dominant themes, Community, Identity, Safety, Education, and Civic Engagement, were identified as motivators for ten students that participated in interviewed for the study. In addition, faculty and staff were interviewed with the goal of deciphering how closely administrative views of campus climate matched those of student study participants, with discussion framed by the five motivation themes. The results of this study provide a glimpse into the lives of queer students at a two-year institution, a population that is vastly under-represented in existing empirical literature. Queer development theories and literature that explores topics such as college student engagement, cultural diversity, and campus climate are applied to the study results. The findings’ implications for higher education professionals are presented, along with recommendations for researchers who seek a greater understanding of queer students at two-year institutions and what motivates them to be involved in campus activities that are tied to their orientation and identity.
A Gathering Within: An Attraction Beyond - The COR Development Engagement Plan
(Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2017) Cho, Joanne; Singer-Berk, Lila; Howard, Kurt; Powers, Denetrick; Steinhoff, Forrest; Mohamed, Kowsar
This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. The COR, the city’s mixed-use, transit-oriented development along the Northstar Commuter Rail Corridor, was intended as a vibrant destination in the community, with a variety of uses of varying intensities within walking distance of each other. With less than half of The COR currently developed, Ramsey staff will soon be updating The COR development plan, and wanted assistance identifying appropriate strategies for including the public in the plan update processS. tudents in Dr. Dan Milz’s Planning and Participation Processes class reviewed the literature on public engagement around a planned development, researched case studies of engagement efforts around similar developments in other communities, and recommended key strategies for Ramsey to consider for engaging residents around development of The COR. The students’ final report and poster are available.
Implementation of total employee involvement as part of a continuous improvement program at a Fortune 500 Company
(2012-03) Carlson, Kathy Lynn
Over the last several decades, Continuous Improvement (CI) type initiatives have been implemented in companies across the United States to improve quality, reduce process variation, eliminate waste and ultimately reduce costs. Approximately five years ago, one particular Fortune 500 company implemented CI in its manufacturing facilities. A key driver in the success and long term sustainability of CI at this company is believed to be Total Employee Involvement (TEI). The CI team does not currently have a best way to put TEI into practice in its manufacturing facilities. The purpose of the study is to investigate how TEI is best implemented and advanced at the manufacturing facilities of one specific Fortune 500 company. This grounded theory study proposes a continuum that defines TEI. Common practices that advance TEI are highlighted. Characteristics that support TEI implementation are discussed.
Implementation of total employee involvement as part of a Continuous improvement program at a Fortune 500 company.
(2012-03) Carlson, Kathy Lynn
Over the last several decades, Continuous Improvement (CI) type initiatives have been implemented in companies across the United States to improve quality, reduce process variation, eliminate waste and ultimately reduce costs. Approximately five years ago, one particular Fortune 500 company implemented CI in its manufacturing facilities. A key driver in the success and long term sustainability of CI at this company is believed to be Total Employee Involvement (TEI). The CI team does not currently have a best way to put TEI into practice in its manufacturing facilities. The purpose of the study is to investigate how TEI is best implemented and advanced at the manufacturing facilities of one specific Fortune 500 company. This grounded theory study proposes a continuum that defines TEI. Common practices that advance TEI are highlighted. Characteristics that support TEI implementation are discussed
Legitimacy and Belonging: Community Engagement in Higher Education
(2019-04) Grewell, Rachel
This dissertation is concerned with a move toward community engagement within academia generally, and more specifically the concepts of legitimacy and belonging in engagement practices. My work contributes to a relatively recent shift toward community engagement classifications and designations for institutions of higher education (Saltmarsh and Driscoll 2015). These designations are important for understanding the growing significance of engagement within academia, as an opportunity for expanding interpretations of how knowledge is understood and produced. I find in this dissertation that the growing field of community engagement is an opportunity to challenge ideas of dominance and power in knowledge systems, as well as offer a space for growing collaborations and building relationships beyond traditional academic research practices. My work contributes to the idea that participatory and collaborative work is a place where practitioners of these methods grapple with questions of legitimacy and a sense of belonging, both in the work and with one another.
Longitudinal look at student achievement and psychological engagement.
(2009-11) Videen, Cheryl Ann
This study examined relations between students' psychological engagement and academic achievement, as well as between students' psychological engagement and growth in academic achievement. The study also examined if relations between students' psychological engagement and academic growth varied by grade level (elementary school compared to middle school). In addition, the study examined whether or not engagement was a predictor of later achievement or growth in achievement. This study was conducted in a school district located in a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. Data regarding students' psychological engagement were gathered through a district-wide student survey on two separate occasions and were linked to achievement data. The current study examined data from three groups of students. Primary interest was in a cohort of students tracked from fourth grade to seventh grade. In addition, the study compared the cohort to other groups of similarly aged students who completed the psychological engagement survey at a different point in time. Results indicated a weak relationship between psychological engagement and achievement and essentially no relationship between psychological engagement and growth in reading achievement. In addition, psychological engagement did not add to the prediction of achievement after accounting for prior achievement. However, the results indicated that, for middle school students, the addition of a Teacher-Student Relationship factor did add to the prediction of growth in reading. Finally, the relationship between psychological engagement and achievement, as well as psychological engagement and growth in achievement, did not vary by grade level (elementary compared to middle school). Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
The net-generation interior design student: an exploratory study assessing learning and engagement within a computer simulation environment.
(2009-06) Peterson, Julie Ellen
The first purpose of this experimental study was to determine if there were effects on achievement between traditional pencil-and-paper instructional strategies and computer simulated instructional strategies used to teach interior design business ethics. The second purpose was to determine the level of engagement of interior design students using traditional pencil-and paper instructional strategies compared to computer simulated instructional strategies to learn business ethics. The data offered both quantitative and qualitative evidence of preferred instructional strategies and what characteristics contributed towards level of engagement. Net-generation learners, born between 1982 and 2000, have been exposed to technology their whole lives and have come to expect the integration of various forms of multi-media instructional strategies within the classroom. Many studies have been conducted that integrate and analyze computer simulation and/or gaming with higher education, but research is very limited within the field of interior design. The study included 21 undergraduate interior design students. Analysis was both quantitative and qualitative in nature including descriptive statistics, frequencies, independent sample t-tests, ANCOVA statistical analysis, and questionnaires with both Likert-type and open-ended question formats. Even though statistical results were not found to be significant and were inconclusive, overall results indicated that the computer simulated case studies created an authentic, dynamic, and empowering learning environment that engaged the learners.
The Role of Engagement in a Parenting Intervention for Military Families
(2018-05) Chesmore, Ashley
Children of recently deployed parents tend to have higher rates of psychosocial difficulties than children of non-deployed parents. Fortunately, evidence-based parenting programs have shown positive child outcomes through improved parenting. The effectiveness of preventive interventions on parenting, however, may vary by military parents’ program engagement. Study 1 examined whether baseline levels of parenting, child adjustment, and other family demographics were associated with mother (n = 190) and father (n = 180) program engagement among parents who participated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a parenting intervention designed for military families known as After Deployment: Adaptive Parenting Tools (ADAPT). Important predictors of different forms of mother and father engagement are discussed. Study 2 used complier average causal effects (CACE) analysis to test whether mother (n = 314) and father (n = 294) program engagement (defined as attending 4 or more parenting sessions) was associated with changes in mother and father parental locus of control and observed parenting practices at 12-month follow-up. Findings indicated that mothers and fathers who engaged in the parenting intervention improved in parental locus of control at 12-month follow-up. Mothers, but not fathers, who engaged in the parenting intervention significantly improved in observed parenting at 12-month follow-up. Post-hoc analyses revealed that fathers needed to attend at least 11 session to evince significant improvements in observed parenting practices. Results from these studies will help identify under what conditions military parents benefit from a parenting intervention and may lead to more effectively tailored programs for military families.
Student academic engagement and the academic achievement gap between black and white middle school students: does engagement increase student achievement?
(2009-10) Sbrocco, Renee
Too many students leave American high schools unable to read, write, or even do simple math. This academic failure falls disproportionately on students of color. In addition, student academic disengagement is ubiquitous in American schools. In 2004, The National Research Council and Institute of Medicine found that large numbers of American students are not fully engaged intellectually in the teaching and learning enterprise (Marks, 2000). The effects of student disengagement are most severe among minority students, a group which scores lower in achievement and higher in drop-out rates (Voelkl, 1997). Given the disparity between White and Black students in academic achievement and academic engagement, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between academic engagement and the achievement of eighth grade students in three suburban middle schools. The study utilizes a post-positivism philosophy given the quantitative methods used to analyze perceived levels of academic engagement of eighth-grade students. The engagement data was then analyzed compared to student academic achievement. In conclusion, the study showed that more engaged students demonstrated higher academic achievement. In addition, the effects of engagement have the ability to reduce the effects of race on academic achievement.
Using the theory of planned behavior to measure pharmacists' engagement in political advocacy and determine factors impacting their engagement
(2014-02) Tomaszewski, Daniel Mark
The level of regulation that impacts healthcare delivery in the United States suggests the need for healthcare providers to participate in the formation and implementation of health policies. Advancing health policies can most effectively be accomplished through various forms of political advocacy. To date, little research has been conducted to measure the level of involvement pharmacists take in political advocacy. The study's purpose was to develop and test a survey that measured pharmacists' level of involvement in political advocacy and factors that impact their involvement. To accomplish this, a survey was developed using The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The initial survey was refined through a series of semi-structured interviews. Participants involved in the interview process included practicing pharmacists, research experts, and political advocacy experts. The revised survey was used to survey a national sample of practicing pharmacists. The overall response rate was 10.3%, which resulted in 103 usable responses for analysis. Statistical analysis included assessing the survey items for reliability and validity and multiple regression analyses. Reliability statistics were used to develop an ideal item list and regression analysis was used to measure the appropriateness of The TPB. Reliability statistics suggested the elimination of a total of 22 of the 68 items. Factor analysis was not used to further evaluate the item list due to the low number of responses and potential high number of factors. Results of the multiple regression analysis suggested the model incorporating all items related to The TPB was appropriate (adjusted R-squared = 0.361), as well as the ideal item only model (adjusted R-squared = 0.300). In addition, each of the models' demonstrated that the construct attitude (p<0.001) predicted involvement in political advocacy. Using the ideal item only model, the construct of perceived behavioral control (p=0.015) also demonstrated a relationship. This study provided us with an initial evaluation of pharmacists' involvement in political advocacy. The results of the study suggested that The TPB does appear to have utility in the topic; however, the low number of participants limits generalizability. Additional studies are needed to further evaluate the topic.

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