Amanda Nolen - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Amanda Nolen

JPHE, Mar 5, 2024

This essay focuses on the fundamental idea that established theory can guide faculty professional... more This essay focuses on the fundamental idea that established theory can guide faculty professional service to inform and educate the general public. More specifically, we explore how faculty can use Boyer's scholarship of engagement as a framework for faculty academic citizenship and partnering with external audiences. Two recommendations are made related to intentional structural changes to universities as organizations for faculty academic citizenship to be relevant and make important contributions in the future.

Proceedings of the 2020 AERA Annual Meeting

Proceedings of the 2019 AERA Annual Meeting

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

We have incorporated problem-based learning into several courses in an undergraduate engineering ... more We have incorporated problem-based learning into several courses in an undergraduate engineering curriculum, including dynamics and vibrations. Students' prior knowledge (both formal and informal) were assessed through concept inventories to determine what prior knowledge supported or impeded the acquisition of new content in these courses. A point-and-click classroom observation tool was developed and refined over the span of two consecutive academic semesters to capture the students' interactions as they engaged in authentic learning activities in engineering. We identified patterns of discourse and interactions among the students and instructor, and, in vibrations, we identified a gap in the curriculum from the pre-requisite course, differential equations. The concept inventories and revised observational protocol that we have developed will enable instructors to assess the quality of the prior knowledge that students bring into a course and to analyze the manner in which...

Improving Postsecondary Choice and Pathways, 2020

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2018

In Fall of 2017, a series of measurement laboratory exercises, built around a microphone preampli... more In Fall of 2017, a series of measurement laboratory exercises, built around a microphone preamplifier and filter, were used in teaching an engineering measurement techniques course. The microphone circuit included a preamplifier that introduced JFETs, a virtual ground and buffer to illustrate loading effects, a high pass filter and a low pass filter, and a zener-diode-based limiter. The data were sampled using a beaglebone microcontroller's built-in analog-to-digital converter. The data was transmitted to matlab for post-processing and analysis. The microphone was then used in the Spring 2018 acoustics class. A variety of projects, including a Kundt’s tube, a driven closed-open pipe, a 3D printed horn for a blue-tooth speaker, and an absorptivity measurement for a restaurant’s wall treatment tiles, were completed in the course. It was observed that students showed improved interest in the material (increased in-class and out-of-class questions about specifics of the course mater...

Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, 2018

In Fall of 2017, a series of measurement laboratory exercises, built around a microphone preampif... more In Fall of 2017, a series of measurement laboratory exercises, built around a microphone preampifier and filter, were used in teaching an engineering measurement techniques course. The microphone circuit included a preamplifier that introduced JFETs, a virtual ground and buffer to illustrate loading effects, a high pass filter and a low pass filter, and a zener-diode-based limiter. The data was sampled using a beaglebone microcontroller's built-in analog-to-digital converter. The data was transmitted to matlab for post-processing and analysis. The microphone was then used in the Spring 2018 acoustics class. A variety of projects, including a Kundt's tube, a driven closed-open pipe, a 3D printed horn for a blue-tooth speaker, and an absorptivity measurement for a restaurant's wall treatment tiles, were completed in the course. It was observed that students showed improved interest in the material (increased in-class and out-of-class questions about specifics of the course material related to the project, increased exploration of material outside the provided course materials, full participation by all members of the class in the project) and learning (improved test scores after the project began relative to scores before the project began) relative to earlier classes where no experimental component was included.

Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 2018

We are seeing the use of qualitative research methods more regularly in health professions educat... more We are seeing the use of qualitative research methods more regularly in health professions education as well as pharmacy education. Often, the term "thematic analysis" is used in research studies and subsequently labeled as qualitative research, but saying that one did this type of analysis does not necessarily equate with a rigorous qualitative study. This methodology review will outline how to perform rigorous thematic analyses on qualitative data to draw interpretations from the data. Methodological Literature Review: Despite not having an analysis guidebook that fits every research situation, there are general steps that you can take to make sure that your thematic analysis is systematic and thorough. A model of qualitative data analysis can be outlined in five steps: compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding. My Recommendations and Their Applications: Nine practical recommendations are provided to help researchers implement rigorous thematic analyses. Potential Impact: As researchers become comfortable in properly using qualitative research methods, the standards for publication will be elevated. By using these rigorous standards for thematic analysis and making them explicitly known in your data process, your findings will be more valuable. Issue We are seeing the use of qualitative research methods more regularly in health professions education, as well as pharmacy education. 1 Moreover, researchers recognize that qualitative methods provide "a source of well-grounded, rich descriptions and explanations of processes in identifiable local contexts" 2 meaning the descriptions arise from the data but provide insight that goes beyond only numbers. Additionally, mixed-methods approaches combining qualitative and quantitative data analyses are becoming more popular in health professions practice and education. 3 Qualitative research has been used in fields like education, sociology, and anthropology for some time and has, excitedly, gained more traction in the health research and health professions education fields but remains under utilized. 2,4 This lag in adoption is likely due to the skepticism regarding the rigor of such methods from researchers, including pharmacists, who are more accustomed to quantitative research methods using statistical tests to "prove" an outcome and/or provide validity and reliability evidence. 5 While quantitative research tends to focus on the frequency, intensity, or duration of a behavior, qualitative research methods allow us to explore the beliefs, values, and motives that explain why the behaviors occur. The primary aim of qualitative research is to gain a better understanding of phenomenon through the experiences of those who have directly experienced the phenomenon, recognizing

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017

Sweeping changes in the structures and functions of higher and post-secondary education have occu... more Sweeping changes in the structures and functions of higher and post-secondary education have occurred in the past 10 years. Scholars have estimated that department chairs make more than 80% of departmental academic decisions that impact a wide array of stakeholders. This content analysis study synthesized relevant empirical research published between 1990-2016 (N=308) to investigate the knowledge base on department chair/head roles. Findings included a wide range of academic disciplines, research methodologies, and reporting styles, however, there was little uniformity in how findings were presented and which standards of verification were used. Overall, a small proportion of publications directly addressed department chairs, and findings clustered into three groups: leadership characteristics, professional characteristics and preparation, and institutional types.

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2016

Objective. To evaluate the success of a teaching certificate program by qualitatively evaluating ... more Objective. To evaluate the success of a teaching certificate program by qualitatively evaluating the content and extent of participants' reflections. Methods. Two investigators independently identified themes within midpoint and final reflection essays across six program years. Each essay was evaluated to determine the extent of reflection in prompted teaching-related topic areas (strengths, weaknesses, assessment, feedback). Results. Twenty-eight themes were identified within 132 essays. Common themes encompassed content delivery, student assessment, personal successes, and challenges encountered. Deep reflection was exhibited, with 48% of essays achieving the highest level of critical reflection. Extent of reflection trended higher from midpoint to final essays, with significant increases in the strengths and feedback areas. Conclusion. The teaching certificate program fostered critical reflection and self-reported positive behavior change in teaching, thus providing a high-quality professional development opportunity. Such programs should strongly consider emphasizing critical reflection through required reflective exercises at multiple points within program curricula.

Metropolitan Universities, 2008

International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 2014

Given the active and authentic nature of Massively-Multiplayer Online Games, researchers have beg... more Given the active and authentic nature of Massively-Multiplayer Online Games, researchers have begun to question the use of this virtual setting as a teaching / learning tool (Barab et al., 2010; Squire, 2006). Specific findings in virtual environments show that several personal factors mediate an individual's experiences within that environment (Przybylski, Rigby, & Ryan, 2010). Although physical-world research has focused on the personal factor of personality and its influence on learning (Caprara et al., 2011; Furnham, Chamorro-Premuzic, & McDougall, 2003; Gallagher, 1996; Olesen, Thomsen, Schnieber & Tønnesvang, 2010), very little research on personality within virtual settings has been conducted. Thus, it is important to explore more about personality changes between individuals and their avatars in virtual settings. Findings from the current study show statistically different personality score for individuals and their avatars across all domains of the Five-Factor Model. Ho...

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2010

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2014