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Conference Presentations by Michael Preuss

Proceedings of International Conference on Social and Education Sciences, Dec 2019

Best practice in the field of communication, especially intercultural communication, emphasizes s... more Best practice in the field of communication, especially intercultural communication, emphasizes seeking to understand and enter your interlocutor's perspective. This practice would seem directly applicable to college faculty and staff when they interact with students, especially given the cultural and ethnic diversity in college student populations. Yet, faculty and staff can operate with substantial autonomy when interacting with students and there are few means of monitoring cultural responsiveness in their conversations. Because of this, little is known about the actual cultural competence of college and university personnel. Information about competence, in respect to Hispanic culture, of college and university faculty, staff, and administrators at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) was gathered as part of an NSF-funded investigation that focused on the characteristics and programming of HSIs as well as the background and experiences of their students. A minimum of 44 HSIs in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado were represented in the 403 usable responses gathered from faculty, staff, and administrators. Fourteen HSIs in New Mexico and Texas were represented in the student survey data gathered in 2018 and three in north Texas in the survey data from 2019. Responses from 213 Hispanic students were isolated from the 2018 student survey and 307 from the 2019 data. This material was used to verify and expand on the FSA results. A consistent and strong difference of opinion was found between Hispanic faculty, staff, and administrators at the HSIs and their non-Hispanic peers regarding information available to higher education professionals about Hispanic culture, the elements of Hispanic culture, and the characteristics and background of Hispanic students. Student responses confirmed, at many points, that the perspective of the Hispanic faculty, staff, and administrators was accurate. It appears, based on this information, that the non-Hispanic employees at HSIs are less well informed about a major portion of their student population than would be desirable. Being better informed about Hispanic culture would make these HSI employees-more credible, empathetic, relatable, and trustworthy‖ (Haupt & Connolly Knox, 2018, p. 538) when working with Hispanic students. The findings, while from the south-central United States, can inform multiple academic and support services at Hispanic-Serving Institutions and other colleges and universities as they detail gaps in competence regarding Hispanic culture among faculty, staff, and administrators at HSIs and the cultural orientation of Hispanic students attending the HSIs represented in the sample.

Books by Michael Preuss

International Society for Technology, Education, and Science (ISTES), 2019

ISBN: 978-1-952092-00-8

Edited by: Mack Shelley & Valarie Akerson

Articles: 1-14

Conference: International Conference on Social and Education Sciences (IConSES)
Published: ISTES Organization, Monument, CO, USA

Dates: October 7-10, 2019
Location: Denver, CO, USA

Conference Chair(s):
Prof. Dr. Mack Shelley, Iowa State University, USA
Prof. Dr. Valarie Akerson, Indiana University, USA

Papers by Michael Preuss

Research management review, 2016

The need to understand efficacy and outcomes from grant-funded activity is common to funders, the... more The need to understand efficacy and outcomes from grant-funded activity is common to funders, the academic community, and the public. Yet, few articles in the research administration corpus offer details on and considerations of applying the concept of return on investment (ROI) to grant activity. To determine the volume of material available aside from publications specific to research administration that considers systematic assessment of ROI for grants, a review was undertaken of the periodic literature available on the ProQuest database. A Boolean search for "grant" AND "return on investment" produced over 2,700 results. Following review, 34 of these sources were found to be relevant to a discussion of the systematic application of ROI to grant activity. These articles make it clear that interest in ROI for grants is not isolated to a few disciplines or areas of professional practice and that two categories of use are common for ROI with respect to grants: "econometric calculation" (Frank & Nason, 2009, p. 528) and "impact of…activities" (Weiss, 2007, p. 206). A second substantial theme in the literature is the misalignment of fiscal return on investment and assessment of grant-supported projects. Establishing assessment patterns that consider benefits derived is a preferable pattern. While government agencies in a number of countries have initiated processes of this type, their foci will not facilitate local, institution-specific benefit analysis. Two patterns for measuring and assessing impacts of grant-funded activity are recommended: Uttam and Venugopal's "assessment of benefits from sponsored research" (2008, p. 57) (developed for the Indian National Chemical Laboratory) and the rubric-based, balanced scorecard approach commonly employed in business settings.

Research management review, 2015

The author knew of no formalized system for appraising grant capacity and readiness so, in an eff... more The author knew of no formalized system for appraising grant capacity and readiness so, in an effort to understand the current state of knowledge regarding assessment of these institutional factors, conducted a systematic review of the research administration literature. Every article published from 1982 through 2013 by five major journals in the field of research administration was considered as a source. The results showed that across 32 years, few articles have been published on the assessment of institutional grant capacity and preparedness and little evidence-based content is present related to this topic. Since discussion of every grant proposal includes some interaction about institutional capacity to complete the project and preparedness to undertake it, this is an important gap in the literature. Gauging an organization's capacity for grant activity or its readiness to propose projects to external funders is practiced, at present, locally and in an often idiosyncratic manner. This circumstance does not allow for quantification of institutional capacity, benchmarking against past capacity or that of peer institutions, or strategic planning of grant activity based on measured levels of capacity and readiness. Moving practice in this area from being subjective and context dependent toward including evidence-based and context-independent factors is necessary to allow measurement, benchmarking, and comparison. Research administrators' strong focus on process comprehension, management, and improvement would appear to support consideration and development of solutions in assessing grant capacity and readiness. Existing and future studies that demonstrate constructs which influence activity related to sponsored projects could serve a foundational role in the development of such assessments.

International Journal of Research in Education and Science, Feb 13, 2023

A quasi-experimental investigation assessed the impact of multiple factors, including financial a... more A quasi-experimental investigation assessed the impact of multiple factors, including financial aid and proactive advising, on retention of undergraduate students at a small, private university that primarily serves online learners. Inhouse proactive advising over three academic years was positively associated with increased retention semester-to-semester and fall-to-fall. In addition, students who received Pell Grants plus at least one other form of financial aid, completed math remediation, and transferred 30 or more credit hours persisted at higher rates semester-to-semester. Individuals identifying with historically underrepresented groups tended to persist at rates lower than their White peers' semester-to-semester retention. These findings support the efficacy of proactive advising and financial aid, even with a population that exhibits lower retention for persons from historically underrepresented groups. Findings also suggest that students who transfer more than two full-time semesters of credit have a strong motivation to complete their course of study.

Education Sciences

With sensors becoming increasingly ubiquitous, there is tremendous potential for innovative Inter... more With sensors becoming increasingly ubiquitous, there is tremendous potential for innovative Internet of Things (IoT) applications across a wide variety of domains, including healthcare, agriculture, entertainment, environmental monitoring, and transportation. The rapid growth of IoT applications has increased the demand for experienced professionals with strong IoT hands-on skills. However, undergraduate students in STEM education still lack experience in how to use IoT technologies to develop such innovative applications. This is in part because the current computing curricula do not adequately cover the fundamental concepts of IoT. This paper presents a case study from integrating innovative IoT technologies into the Computer Science (CS) curriculum at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). This paper presents a set of IoT learning modules that can be easily integrated into existing courses of CS curriculum to engage students in smart-IoT. The modules developed have been used to int...

Education Sciences

Frontiers in Education, 2021

The Texas A&M University System was one of the first six Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Parti... more The Texas A&M University System was one of the first six Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) awardees. All current members of the Alliance are part of the Texas A&M University System. Many high impact practices (HIP) have been emphasized in the Alliance’s 30 years of programming with Diversity/Global Learning as a focus in the last 14 years. Diversity/Global Learning has been supported in two formats on the Alliance campuses, through traditional study abroad programming and a College of Engineering initiative. Data presented were derived from a number of sources, project evaluation information regarding student perspectives and outcomes, survey research conducted by an independent party, and institutional data and online platforms accessed to assess student outcomes. Triangulation was completed between data sets. Results indicate both forms of programming were efficacious for underrepresented and first-generation students. Outcomes reported were substantial incr...

International Journal of Research in Education and Science, Feb 21, 2021

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) educate nearly two-thirds of the Hispanic/Latinx students who... more Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) educate nearly two-thirds of the Hispanic/Latinx students who attend college. Yet little is known about the student populations they serve. Findings from two NSF-funded surveys completed with students at 14 HSIs in Texas and New Mexico in 2018 and four HSIs in TX in 2019 are presented. The combined sample was 1,293 students. A description of the backgrounds, commitments, experiences, and preferences of students at HSIs and differences found between responses from Hispanic/Latinx and non-Hispanic students are discussed. Primary topic areas are demographics, first-generation student standing, cultural orientation, primary language and fluency in Spanish, family and work commitments, relationship status, family support, living arrangements, means of financing college, course load, STEM identity, annual income of household of origin and of personal household, locus of control orientation, familism, and experience in college. The result is a thorough and up-to-date profile of the HSI student population in TX and NM. Statistical analysis revealed multiple significant differences between Hispanic/Latinx and non-Hispanic students attending the HSIs and the presence of several significant predictors for forms of activity and patterns of commitment. The findings are immediately applicable to process, program, student support, and instructional planning, implementation, and evaluation for over 120 HSIs in the region and, by extension, to hundreds more across the United States.

International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 2021

Research management review, 2018

Research development is increasingly recognized as a distinct field of employment. Practitioners ... more Research development is increasingly recognized as a distinct field of employment. Practitioners currently self-identify as research development professionals based on their responsibilities or move into roles that have already been defined as being part of this field. The only professional organization in the United States for persons whose responsibilities have been defined as being in the field, the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP), just celebrated its tenth anniversary. As research development is a reasonably new realm of professional activity, the full extent of practitioner purposes and practices has yet to be delineated. To address the need for empirically-based understandings, an investigation of what research developers do was undertaken using the only known corpus that directly describes research development, the job descriptions in research development position announcements. Content analysis of this material was completed as the initial...

Nearly two-thirds of the Hispanic/Latinx college students in the United States attend Hispanic-Se... more Nearly two-thirds of the Hispanic/Latinx college students in the United States attend Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI). Yet, very little research has been conducted regarding these colleges and universities. To address this concern, a sequential, exploratory investigation was conducted with funding from the National Science Foundation (award 1764268). Material from the literature and qualitative data gathered in focus groups and semi-structured interviews were used to create surveys that were administered to employees and students at HSIs in a seven-state region of the south-central United States. This research report presents findings from the survey of faculty, staff, and administrators completed as part of the investigative process in the late spring of 2018. The survey was distributed to 119 Hispanic-Serving Institutions. A total of 494 persons from Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas accessed the survey. There were 403 complete response sets representing as many as 60 of the HSIs. Results are presented in a wide variety of topic areas as there were 68 questions on the survey, many of which were multi-part queries. Major content areas are as follows: (1) an overview regarding Hispanics in the United States and in higher education, (2) discussion of the importance of HSIs to and Hispanic/Latinx students in higher education, (3) commentaries regarding key topic areas in the report, (4) institutional characteristics of the HSIs in the sample (e.g., staffing, facilities, key program offerings), (5) perceptions the faculty, staff, and administrators had of Hispanic/Latinx cultural values and Hispanic students, (6) academic, student support, and career placement systems present to aid students, (7) STEM outreach offerings, (8) patterns of intra-and inter-institutional collaboration, (9) perceived limitations for HSIs, (10) practices relevant to evaluation of institutional processes and programming, and (11) grant-seeking activity. Appendices include information about the conference at which the research was initiated, a detailed description of the research methodology, the focus group and interview question sets, the full survey, and detailed data tables listing the results of statistical analyses completed. Conclusions are stated for the six topic areas in which the most information was gathered. These are the characteristics and qualifications of the employees at the HSIs, differences found between community colleges and four-year institutions, employees' understanding of Hispanic/Latinx cultural values and students and, in particular, differences in this area found along ethnic lines, the levels of support programming offered specific to Hispanic students, patterns of intra-and inter-institutional collaboration noted, and staffing, practices, and programming related to grants. Foreword In a panel discussion that coincided with the release of Excelencia's report From Capacity to Success: HSIs, Title V, and Latino Students (Santiago, Taylor, & Galdeano, 2016), the organization's Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Policy, Deborah Santiago, asked how institutions of higher education can move from enrolling Hispanic students to serving them. Similarly, organizational theorist, Gina Garcia, has suggested that Hispanic-Serving Institutions ask themselves: Which merely enroll Latinx students, which help them gain academic credentials, and which go further and enhance their students' cultural experiences (Garcia, 2019)? These are relevant and vital questions, especially as the U.S. Census Bureau notes that the enrollment of Hispanic students at institutions of higher learning more than doubled between 1996 and 2016 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). Yet while enrollment increased, Hispanic students are reaching graduation at rates 12 percentage points or more below their White peers (NCES, 2018) and, as a group, are among the lowest in terms of 6-year graduation rates (Chun, Marin, Schwartz, Pham & Castro-Olivo, 2016). It is clear that we have work to do in order to serve Hispanic students better, even at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI). The significance of this report is twofold. First, it represents a unique collaborative effort to understand and communicate the characteristics of Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Second, it is rooted in an interest to serve the needs and interests of current and future Hispanic students. An inter-institutional collaboration of scholars from across the state of Texas, representing eight institutions and led by Dr. William Kitch from Angelo State University, received support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to implement a regional conference called Consejos Colectivos. The intention was to discuss and discover details about HSIs in the south-central United States. West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) was privileged to be part of the conference planning team and to participate in Consejos Colectivos. As part of the project's investigative plan, researchers from WTAMU held and recorded focus group sessions with conference attendees. After the conference, they interviewed select individuals to expand representation in the initial qualitative data set. This data was analyzed and, along with a review of the literature, led to the creation of a survey that the team distributed to faculty, staff, and administrators at HSIs in a sevenstate region. Representatives of non-profit organizations that support or advocate for Hispanic students were also included as informants. The findings from that research are presented in this report along with contributions by caring and respected higher education leaders who draw on their knowledge, experience, and expertise to advance continuing efforts in doing the work needed to learn how to serve students effectively at HSIs. I encourage you to read, reflect on, and act regarding the information in this report. WTAMU and its employees look forward to supporting further collaborative efforts as we participate in the important conversation about serving the students attending HSIs in the state of Texas and beyond.

International Journal on Studies in Education, 2020

Research development (RD) is a relatively new area of professional practice in and outside higher... more Research development (RD) is a relatively new area of professional practice in and outside higher education for which “the full extent of practitioner purposes and practices is yet to be delineated” (Preuss, Eck, Fechner Walker, 2018, p. 2). To address this gap, data was compiled from 442 position descriptions, two surveys that asked about the background, experience, employers, roles, responsibilities, and salaries of RD professionals, and the membership roll of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP). Quantitative and qualitative analyses were completed as well as comparisons of findings from each of the sources. The result was an overview of the field and the persons who work in it. The average research development professional was a middle-aged, White, female with six or less years of experience in RD who held an advanced degree, who worked full time in a position she had occupied for four years or less and for an entity where she had been employed...

International Journal of Research in Education and Science

Survey data were gathered from college and university faculty, staff, and administrators at Hispa... more Survey data were gathered from college and university faculty, staff, and administrators at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) regarding Hispanic culture and Hispanic students as part of an NSF-funded investigation that focused on the characteristics and programming of HSIs as well as the background and experiences of their students. Two surveys of students were also conducted. A minimum of 44 HSIs in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado were represented in the 393 usable responses gathered from faculty, staff, and administrators. Fourteen HSIs in New Mexico and Texas were represented in student survey data gathered in 2018 and three in north Texas in a survey completed in 2019. Responses from 213 Hispanic students were isolated from the 2018 student survey and 307 from the 2019 data. This material was used to verify and expand on the findings from the survey of faculty, staff, and administrators. A consistent and strong difference of opinion was found between Hispanic faculty, staff, a...

A sense that there are a limited number of role models at colleges and universities for Hispanic ... more A sense that there are a limited number of role models at colleges and universities for Hispanic and other minority students has been a concern of researchers in higher education for a number of years but little is actually known about who Hispanic students consider a role model. Similarly, researchers have investigated the impact of mentoring relationships on success in college and persistence for majority and minority students, yet little is known of the preferences students studying at Hispanic-Serving Institutions have regarding mentors and whether Hispanic students at these institutions have expectations that differ from those of their peers. An NSF-funded investigation gathered data in both these areas. Findings from two surveys, one with responses from 464 students at 14 Hispanic-Serving Institutions and the other with responses from 746 students at a comprehensive, regional state university and two community colleges from which the university receives transfer students, are ...

T ability to articulate concepts concisely, clearly, and precisely is a necessary skill when prov... more T ability to articulate concepts concisely, clearly, and precisely is a necessary skill when providing guidance to others. To aid research administrators in achieving this level of communication when discussing project concepts and to fill an existing gap in the literature, the authors have constructed a table which contrasts the elements of a worthy unde rtaking (“a good idea”) with the corresponding characteristics of an approach which might receive funding (“a fundable idea”). The descriptive clauses in Table 1 are intended to illustrate differences between concepts that have general merit and those that would be worth pursuing as the basis of a grant application in the humanities, social sciences, education, and for intervention, outreach, or service projects.

Michael Preuss. PERSONAL TRAITS AND EXPERIENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DEVELOPMENTAL MATHEMATICS FAC... more Michael Preuss. PERSONAL TRAITS AND EXPERIENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DEVELOPMENTAL MATHEMATICS FACULTY: IMPACT ON STUDENT SUCCESS. (Under the direction of Dr. Margaret E. Ackerman) School of Education, March, 2008. This ex post facto study of the relationship of selected personal traits and experiential characteristics of developmental mathematics faculty with student success rates was conducted a rural, North Carolina community college. The data gathered was from all classroom based sections of three levels of developmental mathematics taught between fall of 2003 and spring of 2007 and from faculty personnel records. Chi-square and p-value calculations were completed for 15 hypotheses regarding the impact of the traits and characteristics of the 24 developmental mathematics faculty on student success rates. Many of the comparisons made in the study are the first of their kind in developmental mathematics. Results indicate associations of both the personal traits and experiential characteristics of faculty with student success in developmental mathematics. These associations have implications for community colleges in respect to departmental or instructional planning, faculty professional development, faculty recruitment, institutional planning and educational research as well as implications for undergraduate and graduate instruction in mathematics and Education, for the governance of community college and university systems and for the actions of individual faculty and students within these institutions. Suggestions for further research are also included.

International Journal of Technology in Education and Science

The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) received funding from the National Science Foundation (NS... more The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) project in 1991 as one of the six initial awardees. As part of these efforts and upon reaching eligibility, the TAMUS LSAMP applied for and received additional funding to support a Bridge to the Doctorate (BTD) program. BTD programming provides financial, educational, and social support to incoming STEM master’s degree and PhD students for the first two years of their graduate study. BTD cohorts consist of up to 12 fellows who participate in a program of academic and professional development seminars and workshops. In project evaluation, annual interviews were conducted with the TAMUS BTD participants, the vast majority of whom were underrepresented minorities (92%). During the interviews, the BTD students were asked to discuss ten topics some of which addressed concerns specific to the implementation of the BTD project. T...

Proceedings of International Conference on Social and Education Sciences, Dec 2019

International Society for Technology, Education, and Science (ISTES), 2019

ISBN: 978-1-952092-00-8

Edited by: Mack Shelley & Valarie Akerson

Articles: 1-14

Conference: International Conference on Social and Education Sciences (IConSES)
Published: ISTES Organization, Monument, CO, USA

Dates: October 7-10, 2019
Location: Denver, CO, USA

Conference Chair(s):
Prof. Dr. Mack Shelley, Iowa State University, USA
Prof. Dr. Valarie Akerson, Indiana University, USA

Research management review, 2016

Research management review, 2015

International Journal of Research in Education and Science, Feb 13, 2023

Education Sciences

Frontiers in Education, 2021

International Journal of Research in Education and Science, Feb 21, 2021

International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 2021

Research management review, 2018

International Journal on Studies in Education, 2020

International Journal of Research in Education and Science

International Journal of Technology in Education and Science

Online Submission, Mar 25, 2008

Executive Summary A survey instrument addressing student use of, opinions of and preferences rega... more Executive Summary A survey instrument addressing student use of, opinions of and preferences regarding podcasted lectures was developed. The survey was field tested in four summer session courses with the following results: 1. Most students utilized podcasted lectures when they are available. 2. While uses varied, student tended to use podcasted lectures as a study tool, at home and during a dedicated study time. 3. The ability to gather material from a missed class session was the most frequently reported use followed by revising notes, reviewing for a test and finding information missed during class. 4. Nearly 90% of students accessed podcasted lectures with computers and many of these students used campus resource centers to do this as two-thirds of respondents reported use of campus labs to study. This effectively mitigates against concerns related to gaps in access to technology among students. 5. 80% of respondents agreed with or were in strong agreement with the statement “Th...

The use of student evaluation of instruction (SEI) is common place in American higher education. ... more The use of student evaluation of instruction (SEI) is common place in American higher education. However, there is an open and continuing debate regarding SEI, its reliability and its validity. It is important for developmental educators to be aware of the concerns that exist regarding SEI in order for them to make wise decisions regarding the use of these instruments in their programs and the areas in which they will seek to apply the results of SEI.