- Title of the Project: UNK/K-12 Partner Network Summer Institute
Expenditures: $13,500. These funds were used to pay $100/day stipends for each participant, lunch, refreshments in morning and afternoon, and copies of materials.
| Responsible Persons: |
Dr. Dennis Potthoff, Chair, Department of Teacher Education
and Mr. Ron Bovill
College of Education
Marilyn Hadley, Dean |
Accomplishments and Goals:
Each summer, more than 100 teachers, join with many UNK faculty members, to participate in the Network of Partner Schools Summer Institute.
Measures of Impact:
The Network of Partner Schools is the single most important “rock/foundation” in a recently renewed and field-based undergraduate teacher education program. Continued maintaining of a vibrant Network of Partner Schools directly impacts approximately 1,000 UNK education majors; in the renewed program, all education majors spend 50-70% more time, prior to student teaching, observing and teaching in P-12 schools. In addition, each of the Network Schools (N=37) sends a team; the team is responsible, among other things, of communicating the work of the Network to their teaching colleagues; in this way hundreds of K-12-based educators and the thousands of students with whom they work. The impact of the Network on youngsters is obvious. In 2005, hundreds of students in partner schools received one-on-one or small group instruction from UNK education majors working in early field experiences. An additional 200+ student teachers spent thousands of hours supporting the instruction of the youngsters attending P-12 schools within the Network, State, and Nation. Major areas of emphasis for this work are literacy, mathematics, and technology. The Summer Institute also creates an important opportunity for enhancing program quality; for example, one common activity is collaborative review and analysis of assessment data relating to teacher education student performance. The impact of the Network of Partner Schools also extends out into K-12 Partner Schools.
Measures of impact resulting from POE funding:
- Publications: 9
- Presentations: 31
- Number of Students Benefited: 1,000 UNK students/thousands of P-12 students
- Enhanced Services to the State: Value added contribution to P-12 schools
Expenditures: $13,500.
- Title of the Project: UNK Teacher Education Renewal Initiatives
| Responsible Persons: |
Dr. Dennis Potthoff, Chair, Department of Teacher Education
College of Education
Marilyn Hadley, Dean |
Accomplishments and goals:
In 2005, an impressive range of projects were funded. The following P-8 curriculum areas were directly impacted: special education, mathematics education, technology, social sciences education, science education, and literacy. A percentage of the funds were used to support the acquisition of curriculum materials and technology used in field-based programs. These resources were available for use by UNK faculty, UNK education majors, partner school teachers, and the youngsters attending P-8 schools.
Measures of impact resulting from POE funding:
- Publications: 9
- Presentations: 31
- Educational Innovations: Priority funds supported work in field-based preparation programs.
- Number of Students Benefited: Each year, hundreds of education majors complete field-based coursework in the discipline areas noted above. In addition, the funds enhanced the learning opportunities for hundreds of P-8 students.
- Enhanced Services to the State: Visible example of university/school collaboration.
Expenditures: $20,000.
- Title of the Project: Center for the UNK/K-12 Network of Partner Schools
| Responsible Persons: |
Dr. Dennis Potthoff, Chair, Department of Teacher Education and Mr. Ron Bovill
College of Education
Marilyn Hadley, Dean |
Accomplishments and goals:
The Director of the Center, Mr. Ron Bovill, strengthened connections between UNK and partner schools through school visits, phone contacts, a newsletter, facilitation of Summer Institute, and coordination of P-12 based professional development and research initiatives. Curriculum materials were purchased that enhance the work of education majors working in partner schools,
Measures of impact resulting from POE funding:
- Publications: 9
- Presentations: 31
- Educational Innovations: Comprehensive evaluations of 2 of the field-based instructional blocks were completed. The assessment of these experiences provided valuable insights used to enhance overall program quality
- Number of Students Benefited: Each year, hundreds of education majors complete field-based coursework in the discipline areas noted above. In addition, the funds enhanced the learning opportunities for hundreds of P-8 students.
- Enhanced Services to the State: Significant School/University Collaboration
Expenditures: $73,000.
- Title of the Project: Health Sciences Department
| Responsible Persons: |
Francis B. Harrold, Dean;
Peggy Abels, Director |
Description, Accomplishments and Goals
The Health Sciences Department, staffed by the Director, Assistant Director, and a secretary, is responsible for recruiting and advising students for UNK’s 19 Health Sciences programs (ranging from Pre-Medical to Pre-Physical Therapy), preparing them for admission to professional schools and clinical programs, for maintaining articulation relationships with these schools, and for recruiting and screening students for the University of Nebraska’s NU-Paths program. Funding enhances the ability of the director and assistant director to attend national and regional meetings to enhance their professional development, and to travel to professional schools and clinical sites.
Measures of Impact:
- Number of students served: 510 students enrolled in Health Sciences programs; 181 students enrolled in HSCI-prefix courses in the 2005-06 academic year.
Expenditures: $2,500
- Title of the Project: Department of Computer Science and Information Systems
| Responsible Persons: |
Francis B. Harrold, Dean;
Shahram Alavi, Interim Chair |
Description, Accomplishments and Goals
In support of the increasing involvement of CSIS faculty in research, this money supplements available College funds for faculty travel for research presentations at scholarly meetings. Recent POE funding supporting the department’s student and faculty research included $40,000 in 2004-05 to re-equip the Special Projects Laboratory, fostering increased research activity by both students and faculty.
Measures of Impact:
- Extramural support acquired: 2 grants, $39,050
- Publications: 8 by faculty, 3 by students
- Presentations: 2 by faculty, 13 by students
- Number of students served: 411 (duplicated) headcount of students enrolled in the 2005-06 academic year.
Expenditures: $1,000
- Title of the Project: Criminal Justice Program
Responsible persons: Francis B. Harrold, Dean; Joseph Carlson, Chair
Description, Accomplishments and Goals
The Criminal Justice Program has also been increasing faculty research activity, and is receiving supplementary POE funding to support faculty travel to meetings. Recent support of the program’s teaching mission totaled over $20,000 in 2003-04 and 2004-05 to acquire laboratory equipment for introductory and advanced crime scene investigation courses.
Measures of Impact:
- Extramural support acquired: 3 grants, $50,500
- Publications: 3 by faculty
- Presentations: 10 by faculty, 4 by students
- Educational innovations: An advanced as well as an introductory Crime Scene Investigation course was enabled by laboratory equipment purchased with POE funding.
- Number of students served: 1,041 (duplicated) headcount of students enrolled in the 2005-06 academic year.
Expenditures: $1,000
- Title of the Project: Department of Political Science
Responsible persons: Francis B. Harrold, Dean; Peter Longo, Chair
Description, Accomplishments and Goals
The Political Science Department receives $1,500 in support of internships and other experiential education, including internships (some of which have been in Washington, D.C.), and student participation in the Model UN. Prior support (FY 2003) supplied the department with a mobile laptop computer laboratory for use in classes and seminars.
Measures of Impact:
- Publications: 9 by faculty
- Presentations: 7 by faculty, 8 by students
- Educational innovations: Use of mobile laptop PC laboratory (acquired with POE funds) in several upper-division courses
- Number of students served: 1,054 (duplicated) headcount of students enrolled in the 2005-06 academic year.
Expenditures: $1,500
- Title of the Project: General Studies Program
| Responsible Persons: |
Glen Powell, Director
Finnie Murray, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Student Life |
Brief descriptive narrative, including accomplishments and goals
General Studies is the general education core for all undergraduate students at UNK. It is directed by Dr. Glen Powell, Faculty Assistant to the Senior Vice Chancellor, and a Council, composed of faculty and students from across all colleges of the university. General Studies Council has the responsibility to oversee the General Studies curriculum and any changes to the program. General Studies was designated a Priority Program in 2001, and for the past several years, it has been supported with Program of Excellence funds to provide a Graduate Assistant to support the Director and the Council.
Measures of Impact:
- Number of students served: literally every undergraduate student at UNK, approximately 5300 per year.
Expenditures: $6,500
- Title of the Project: Department of Psychology
Responsible persons: Francis B. Harrold, Dean; Richard Miller, Chair
Description, Accomplishments and Goals
POE funding for Psychology supports the Human Subjects Coordinator position. This student coordinates the large enterprise of linking student subjects with the numerous student researchers whose experimental research requires such subjects. This coordination allows the many student research presentations (at local, regional, and national meetings) and the publications produced by Psychology students. Prior POE funding has supported computer acquisitions, operating system upgrades, and faculty travel in the department.
Measures of Impact:
- Publications: 8 by faculty, 4 by students
- Presentations: 32 by faculty, 37 by students
- Educational innovations: Systematic mentorship of student research up to and including national presentations and publications, supported by Human Subjects Coordinator position.
- Number of students served: 2,097 (duplicated) headcount of students enrolled in the 2005-06 academic year.
Expenditures: $4,000