Authors: Sarah Hirsch Wittmuss, Karl Reasoner, and Eric Leise, University of South Dakota Center for Academic Engagement; Mollie Friedmann, University of South Dakota

The Association of American Colleges and Universities' LEAP initiative identifies service-learning, undergraduate research/creative scholarship, and study abroad as high impact educational practices contributing to increased retention and student engagement. http://www.aacu.org/leap/hip.cfm. Yet, students rarely seek involvement in these activities with an eye towards these specific outcomes. Therefore, should our assessment follow? And how do we "sell" any outcomes to those unsure about applied learning's value? The University of South Dakota intentionally houses all of these programs (along with mentoring for nationally competitive scholarships) in the Center for Academic Engagement to maximize student involvement and development of cross-connections. This presentation will focus on: 1. Research describing learning outcomes of each of these activities and how those overlap and complement one another; 2. Assessment methods used to demonstrate student outcomes common to all activities; 3. USD data from these assessment methods, as well as other evaluation outcomes, showing correlation between student involvement and 4 year graduation rates, good GPA, and other positive metrics; and 4. Reasons students seek these experiences and connection of current assessment mechanisms to those outcomes. Examples will be given from common assessment instruments used in all the programs in the Center for Academic Engagement. An interactive portion will be included which will allow audience members time to "workshop" the development of similar instruments and metrics for their own use.

Author: William Russell, Missouri Western State University

Undergraduates often do not see the application or relevance of a research methods course if they do not go on to graduate school or plan a career that involves scholarly research. However, skills learned in research methods courses provide students with critical professional abilities to help young professional entering their professional field. This presentation will detail course re-design features of a research methods course in health and exercise science. Rather than simply learning about research methods, students within the course are paired into research "teams" and experience active engagement in the process of empirical research, from start to finish, including selecting a topic, searching the research literature, distilling a research question, developing a proposal, obtaining IRB approval, collecting & analyzing data, writing results, and presenting on their findings to an audience of peers - all within the framework of a one-semester course. The advantages and challenges of such applied learning experiences within this research methods course will be discussed.

Author: Maxine Fawcett-Yeske, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO

This session highlights the benefits of a Senior Capstone Experience based in the context of student-faculty collaborative research, utilizing an experiential model as a case study. The author asserts that "experiencing anew" adds significant depth to the capstone endeavor and aptly encourages the transition from undergraduate to graduate student or professional. With the goal of defining similar initiatives for the researchers' own community, the collaborative research explored the successful cultural initiative projects utilizing music as counter-narratives in refugee and immigrant communities which have been developed by the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. With the support of a Student-Faculty Collaborative Research Grant, these student-faculty partners travelled from the U.S. to Limerick, Ireland, conducted interviews, and participated in rehearsals and performances of The World Song Project. Of the fourteen senior music majors in this particular class year, one pursued the Collaborative Research Grant, while thirteen students did a presentation synthesizing previous work. The one student receiving the grant embarked upon an experiential project, which drew upon her knowledge and skills from past work, but was a refreshingly new endeavor.

Authors: David Shadinger, Ed.D., and Philip Gruenwald, Northwest Missouri State University

The desire among communication students for more realistic, hands-on experiences and the promotional/communication needs of several campus-based organizations have resulted in a pedagogical shift to an agency model for the public relations practicum classes at Northwest Missouri State University. Within an agency approach individual teams provide strategic public relations planning and tactical implementation assistance for an assigned client: Debate & Forensic team (social media & press releases), KZLX radio station (event planning & promotions), The Missourian newspaper (readership contests & promotions), the Communication and Mass Media department (social media & promotion). A senior public relations major with extensive internship and leadership experience was selected to become the agency's Executive Director (ED). The ED's weekly responsibilities included: meet individually with the team leaders, meet with clients when needed, and report on the status of all teams to the faculty supervisor. Students with the highest levels of related experience are selected as team leaders. The practicum students, client representatives, the ED, and the faculty supervisor completed peer & leader evaluations at the end of the semester. The evaluation instrument was based on Mickelson, Bauman Knight, and Fink's (2004) Team-Based Learning rubric, with additional input from Engleberg and Wynn's (2008) communication materials.

Authors: Julie Baldwin and Cosette Hardwick, Missouri Western State University

Service learning provides students with an opportunity to take classroom material and apply it in the "real" world. The combination of service- learning and study abroad emphasizes this real world learning within a global context. This global perspective can contribute to student learning in meaningful ways. In May 2012, 10 nursing students and two nursing department faculty traveled to Costa Rica to participate in a nine day service learning experience that involved providing medical care to underserved, vulnerable populations. The students worked as part of a health care team that included Costa Rican physicians, medical interpreters, faculty and Costa Rican team leaders. They were challenged to communicate in Spanish, perform home visits and work in environments that would be quite different from anything experienced in a typical applied learning setting in the states. McKinnon and Fealy (2011) described seven core principles associated with global service-learning programs (compassion, curiosity, courage, collaboration, creativity, capacity building and competence). Our presentation will focus on these seven Cs and the meaningful learning that occurred with students and faculty as well during this study abroad experience.

Authors: Kimberly I. Tumlin, Rosie Ponce and Rachel Linares, Midway College

A major trend in the equine industry is globalization. There are many practica courses and blended study-abroad equine experiences offered at the collegiate level and as vocational programs; however, cultural experiences come secondary to equine industry learning. Midway College has undergone several initiatives in 2012 to engage students, emphasize staff and faculty development and strengthen curricular programs. In assessment, there was clearly a need for developing cultural experiences on campus as well as study abroad. In a collaborative approach, creating connections that emphasize multicultural immersion using the equine subject is a model for an engaged learning experience. In this model, subject matter is not the focus; it serves as the doorway through which initial contact is made to develop opportunities. In this presentation, the foundational phase to identify needs, explore realistic opportunities, identify and reallocate resources for creation of travel and teaching opportunities, assess the need for specialized curriculum for international travelers and how-to align activities with institutional goals will be explored. Future directions include expansion beyond equine studies students and incorporate an international art, culture and communications focus for Midway's faculty, staff and general student body.

Authors: Mary Hale Tolar, Mary Kay Siefers and Trisha Gott, School of Leadership Studies, Kansas State University

The School of Leadership Studies (SLS) at Kansas State University offers an 18 credit hour interdisciplinary leadership minor. Through an all university strategic planning process, in 2011, SLS began to revise curriculum to bring to life leadership theory through applied learning practices. Faculty explored curriculum design, teaching pedagogy and assessment and evaluation practices, identifying applied learning practices to underpin the leadership theory taught by the school. The process challenged faculty and staff to explore the balance between academic autonomy and best practices for student learning. This work raised the heat on the faculty as teachers, researchers and student advocates. The introduction of the new curriculum required faculty to hold to the best practices in teaching and learning across curriculum even when that work required new learning. This session will introduce the iterative process SLS went through to match best practices in applied learning, leadership curriculum, and assessment and evaluation processes while considering faculty strengths and barriers. The faculty will guide the group through a visioning of the best applied learning practices for their own discipline, challenging participants to explore the loss and learning they might experience in order to respond to student learning needs.

Author/Presenter/s: Kit Blake, Brittaney Krug and Matthew Wick, Missouri Western State University

Preservice teachers will explain several aspects of their applied learning experience: 1) the expectations for the class, EDU 360 - Individualizing Assessment and Reading; 2) the tutoring field experience and the importance of assessment and Response to Intervention (RTI) - the research based process used for teaching lessons; and, 3) the learning progress of the two tutored elementary students. Finally, a summary of what was learned from the experience and how it affected us as beginning teachers will be given. Case studies of the struggling readers will be passed around throughout the presentation.

The faculty mentor will follow the preservice teachers' presentation and focus on several aspects of the service learning experience: 1) the theory behind the course development and applied aspects of the service learning experience - the role of the professor, the role of the elementary school and the partnership that has developed; 2) how the effectiveness of the applied learning experience is evaluated; and, 3) data that shows a significant correlation between the course grades and the Praxis II exam scores. The Praxis II is the exam preservice teachers take to obtain licensure for teaching. Also, a period for questions and answers will be given.

Authors: Britton Johnson and Regan Dodd, Missouri Western State University

Future teachers in both the Physical Education and Education Departments at Missouri Western State University participate in the "Healthy Buddy" program as part of course requirements for either PED 370: Methods in Teaching Health and Physical Education or PED 392: Child Growth and Development. Through this program, future teachers are given one-on-one time with a kindergarten through fifth grade student each week who is chosen by elementary counselors and family involvement coordinators. Each college student is required to spend a minimum of 30 minutes each week visiting their healthy buddies in his or her school. At the end of the semester, the elementary student attends a "Final Event" held at Missouri Western State University that includes activities and lunch in the college cafeteria with their "healthy buddy." Healthy Buddies allow the elementary students to spend time with a university student who may mentor them in school, or just be a role model for them. Additionally, college students receive hands on experience through weekly involvement with elementary students (as opposed to hypothetical students from examples in class). Weekly journal updates are required for student reflection of the experience as well as assessment of the learning outcomes of the program.

Authors: Jane Nesmith and Michelle McIllece, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA

We will share our experiences and assessments from five years of collaboration on a capstone course for upperclassmen at Coe College. The course, Advanced Writing Workshop, is comprised of juniors and seniors in writing-oriented majors like Writing (Rhetoric) and Public Relations. It is also open to and attracts strong writers from other majors. A major project for the course is to write a personal statement. As a result of our collaboration, the personal statement project has evolved into a multi-layered assignment with an approach based on the book "What Color is Your Parachute?" It gives students prompts for reflecting on their own strengths, goals, and experiences as they write their personal statements and consider life after college. Students meet with Career Services staff to take an interest assessment, discuss job search strategies, and develop resumes and cover letters. Career Services also staff conduct several in-class workshops, including a networking workshop, a resume-writing workshop, and an "elevator speech" workshop. In addition to discussing the evolution of this collaboration and sharing assignment ideas, we will share the outcomes of longitudinal assessment conducted on students who have taken the class, and discuss what the outcomes might mean for future collaboration.

Author: Melissa Turner, Kansas State University

Research as an undergraduate student can provide several benefits to students that most do not even acknowledge or know about. Networking is a large part of research at any level, but as an undergraduate student it provides an array of opportunities for others to hear your name and to see your abilities before entering the 'real world'. Researching as an undergraduate can also lead to career satisfaction in terms of giving an edge in career fields or providing job opportunities that may not have been thought of before. Undergraduate research also provides several underlying opportunities for students such as building research skills for further education or even in the work force, provides tangible experiences for resume building, and allows undergraduate students to get involved in their education. All benefits of research come from hard work and dedication during an undergraduate degree, but the payoff is well worth the wait.

Authors: David Shadinger, Deborah Toomey, Carol Spradling and Christopher Graves, Northwest Missouri State University

Knacktive is unique learning opportunity at Northwest Missouri State University that melds students from five disciplines into a single, interactive, team-based course facilitated by faculty members from five departments and across two colleges. Knacktive is a one trimester, undergraduate course at Northwest for a highly select group of students replicating the intense teamwork atmosphere of a technology-oriented, professional marketing communication agency. Student reflections after the second year collectively viewed the agency-like process as a "brutal" but rewarding experience. The students also noted the experience helped them develop more professional attitudes about meetings, deadlines, interpersonal communications, collegiality, teamwork skills and problem solving. Using active research methodology the faculty reflected on their second year course changes as positive adjustments that significantly improved course functionality. They recognized a need to know more about the internal functioning of the student teams, along with the need to provide even more guidance on individual assignments and additional support to the team project managers. The Knacktive faculty firmly believe the implementation of cross-discipline coursework is an important approach because it so nearly duplicates the reality of the post-graduation workplace and as such it should seriously be considered as an alternative teaching methodology.

Author(s): Shensheng Tang, David Myers and Jason Yuan, Missouri Western State University

Recently wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have received significant attention among academia, industry, and government agencies due to their great application potential. A typical WSN consists of sensors working unattended and transmitting their observation data to the control center. Sensors are resource-restrained devices with low defense capabilities and thus become attractive targets for software virus attacks. In this project, an SIS epidemic model is proposed to study the dynamics of virus spread in WSNs. The total population in the SIS model is divided into susceptible group and infective group. The sensor nodes are attacked by viruses and initially only one node is infected. The virus spreads itself to its neighbor nodes via regular communications. The infected neighbor nodes repeat the process to their respective neighbors. Some explicit solutions are derived, which can capture both the spatial and temporal dynamics of the virus spread process. An adjustable virus spread control scheme is developed to effectively restrain the virus outbreak and avoid the network failure. Numerical results and simulations are provided for performance evaluation. The proposed model can be applied to different types of networks such as wireless networks, computer networks, biomedical networks, and social networks.

Author: Wanda Bonnel, University of Kansas School of Nursing

Mentoring is considered a key component of teaching and learning. Currently many graduate nursing students (Masters, DNP, and PhD) are taking online courses and completing research projects and applied learning assignments at a distance. Mentoring has traditionally been designed as a face to face office meeting. What challenges exist? What strategies can be used to facilitate and guide this process when mentoring is at a distance? Themes and evaluative data from seven individual and ten large student group mentoring experiences over the past three years will be shared. Sample themes include maximizing online meeting tools, creating meaningful agendas, enhancing benefits of reflection, and making the personal connection. Themes are consistent with the Fink (2003) model of Significant Learning (gaining, doing, and reflecting). Faculty evaluative reflections and student fast feedback data will be shared. Participants will gain tools and strategies with implications for varied student levels and courses.

Authors: Kimberly I. Tumlin, Midway College University and Laura A. Mitchell, University of Kentucky

Transitions are important in the learning process. As a continuation of Horses Make Me Smile: Sharing, Learning and Change with Horses (Tumlin & Mitchell, 2012) there were significant developments in third party perception of a student's learning through both structured and unstructured equine activities. In phase II, the student participant made a physical leap and learning transition. This was accomplished by moving from leading a partner, a horse, to mounting and riding a horse. Without challenges that scaffold learning, a lack of enthusiasm may occur and thus the student pulls away from the learning process and intended outcomes. Horses are important when challenging the student participant, because of their instinctive ability to sense emotion. Therefore if a participant has an arrogant or overly confident attitude the horse will sense this and the sessions will be counterproductive. The following data were recorded: third-party perceptions and personal outlook (confidence, self-worth, and humility) regarding the student participant. Aside from these results, techniques that may ease the transitional experience and improve results in future research will also be discussed. Beyond the participant, those involved with the project also saw an increase in their perception of self, and how they exhibited personal life skills.

Author(s): Eric Leise and Annika Turner, University of South Dakota, Center for Academic Engagement

This session will offer a new perspective on what diversity means to university administrators at public, liberal arts institutions by examining the challenges and opportunities a public, rural university faces in its attempt to encourage more students to study abroad. While most know diversity is a broad term encompassing several different foci, in practice, diversity is typically framed by ethnicity. At USD diversity encompasses ethnic minorities, including Native Americans, but also ROTC, active military and veteran students, distance and off-campus students, first generation college goers, students from rural high schools with class sizes of less than 50, and students who are dependent on financial aid. In light of USD's student population, the presenters will discuss how they are adapting marketing and advising strategies to better reach out to and serve these students.

Authors: Susan Sims-Giddens, Ed.D., Donna Gloe, Carol Daniel and Faye Felicilda, Missouri State University

With economic issues a concern for study away programs, faculty in 3 countries collaborated to provide students an international experience without international travel. Addressing a global perspective on health, nursing students from the United States, Finland, and the Philippines partnered for a virtual study away. Faculty established a private website and students developed narrated PowerPoints introducing themselves, as well as shared information about health promotion, health practices, healthcare delivery, and community healthcare resources in their respective countries. This exchange encountered challenges such as faculty time to develop the collaborative, how best to include and evaluate assignments in three separate courses, and how to navigate differences in program scheduling and time zone delays in student responses. Benefits of the collaborative included student learning about other cultures, healthcare delivery in other countries, and trying new technology (Finnish students learned to narrate PowerPoints). Student comments were positive about the exchange and encouraged faculty to continue this virtual study away. Faculty learned about educational and curricular differences, as well as negotiated assignments and evaluation so learning experiences would be beneficial for students. This collaborative was an exciting adventure and one that was discussed, refined, and will be repeated spring 2013.

Author: Jonathan Pluskota, Northwest Missouri State University

Applied learning techniques enhance the educational experience for students. While traditional programs such as service-learning, internships/practica, study abroad, and undergraduate research are common forms of applied learning techniques, the use of professional conferences should also be considered. In the realm of mass media education, professional conferences provide opportunities for students and faculty to 1) reinforce concepts learned in the educational environment, 2) interact with constituents and share techniques and processes, and 3) experience industry processes and interaction first-hand. In this presentation, attendees will be exposed to two separate uses of professional conferences as applied learning instruments. In the first example, the role of the student and faculty sponsor at a traditional media industry conference will be discussed as it relates to the quality of the applied learning. In the second example, the role of the student and faculty sponsor at a professional festival will be discussed as they relate to the development and administration of an applied-learning course. In the former example, the experience was included as part of an existing course whereas in the later example, a course was developed around the conference. Note: Student participants from both experiences may be available to take part in the presentation/discussion.

Authors: Rick Hardy and Greg Kriewitz, Missouri Western State University

Students in the Missouri Western State University's Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department are taught in several classes to interact and program for various populations. America as a nation is in an interesting phenomenological point in its history. The "Baby Boomers" (individuals born between 1940-1962) are a bubble in the population that is living longer and staying active within those later years. Each year approximately 65 nursing homes come to campus for a day of physical and social interaction during the Golden Age Games (GAG). Our students act as support and volunteer helpers during the GAG while they are here at the MWSU campus. Our students are taught, through various classes, the physical, emotional, and sociological aspects of the human experience as it pertains to health, physical education and recreation. The experience they receive during the day of interaction with this aging population is immeasurable. We do attempt to measure the experience through evaluating, through class discussions, their pre experience based on their academic studies and lectures with their post games experience of working with the actual individuals. The overall experience of the GAG's is beneficial to both students and participants.

Authors: Wendy L. McCarty, Sherry Crow, Jenn Harvey and Grace Mims, University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK)

The Professional Development Initiative (PDI) of the UNK College of Education recently concluded a three-year focused effort to help college faculty learn to use differentiated teaching methods with their own teacher-education students. The PDI utilized an experiential learning approach with faculty in order to increase the likelihood that they would implement those methods in their classes and teach their pre-service teachers to use such applied learning approaches with their future students. Data that has been analyzed to determine the degree of impact the PDI has had on the instructional practices of university faculty will be shared with session participants.

Authors: Kaitlin Long and Trisha Gott, School of Leadership Studies, Kansas State University

Social entrepreneurship is one of the fastest growing disciplines to emerge in management and is increasingly gaining recognition as an important policy strategy at the national level. It is concerned with how to engage the talents and tools of professional entrepreneurship to address critical social needs both within and beyond the market. In this session, presenters will share about an innovative social entrepreneurship course that allowed for an applied learning experience in an entrepreneurship competition. The student will share about the process of applying social entrepreneurship theories and best practices to a campus-wide feasibility competition called "The Next Big Thing", in which cash prizes are awarded to further students' business ventures. Inspired by a previous service-learning experience in Kenya, the student enrolled in a social entrepreneurship course that enabled her to continue her connection with the Children and Youth Empowerment Center (CYEC) in Kenya. The business plan focuses on ways to further help fund youth entrepreneurial programs at the CYEC, specifically focusing on selling products created by the youth themselves.

Author: Karl Reasoner, University of South Dakota

Design thinking has become a popular catch phrase and practice in both the private and public sectors encompassing everything from leadership and management to strategic planning, product development, and program delivery models. It has its origins in the curriculum of fine art and design schools, but it is increasingly found in business and management syllabi. Often viewed as an outcome of instruction - a knowledge, skill, or ability - rather than an educational instrument; design thinking does, however, have many characteristics consistent with experiential education when applied as a part of a collaborative group activity. This session will examine where design thinking and experiential education align, how it fits into a course structure (including a case study), and end with a discussion of where design thinking may find a permanent home in the field.

Authors: Roy Schwartzman and Crystal U. Sutton, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

This study approaches service-learning through a critical dramatistic perspective. Erving Goffman's concept of human interactions as staged performances combines with the structuration of race- and class-based power hierarchies to provide a theoretical framework for examining the interaction patterns between African-American college student volunteers and African-American clients at a faith-based community meal center. Employing an ethnographic method, the authors explore how power differentials become magnified and entrenched by casting the service "providers" as privileged elites who lack solidarity with "poor victims" they "serve" despite a shared racial identity. Observation of how volunteers and clients at the site react to each other's backstage activities (moments when actors depart from roles scripted as appropriate within the service-learning context) can reveal how class-based tensions undermine the ethic of service that forms a vibrant part of African-American cultural heritage.

Authors: Russell E. Phillips III, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Elizabeth Latosi-Sawin, James Grechus, Kenneth Dagel, Greg Kriewitz, and Amy Saxton, Missouri Western State University

Though studies have assessed the impact of outdoor study-away experiences in higher education, the unique elements and benefits of these programs are rarely assessed, and the results are seldom compared to traditional higher education settings. The present study addresses these issues in a multi- method format. Twenty-six students participated in a learning community consisting of four to five classes, traveling in the outdoors on one to two two-week trips across the Western United States. A matched comparison group was recruited in similar classes (but without a study-away component). All students completed quantitative measures of life satisfaction, well-being, and attributional complexity at the beginning and end of the semester. Study-away participants also completed an open and closed-ended questionnaire about their experiences. Qualitative analyses, descriptive and inferential statistics demonstrate that outdoor study-away experiences provide a unique opportunity for social connection, experiential learning, and a chance to rediscover oneself, and this results in significantly greater life satisfaction and buffers one from the stress of final exams.

Authors: Caleb Carr, David Carr, Ben Clarkson, Becca Evans, Betsy Gammon, Eddie Miles, Jerrad Morton, Meredith Nakano, Sachith Polpitaya, Kamay Trueblood, Caroline Vrana, A. Malcolm Campbell and Todd T. Eckdahl, Missouri Western State University and Davidson College.

The overall goal of the project is to engineer a generalizable synthetic biology process that harnesses natural selection in E. coli to optimize the production of any particular metabolite. We have applied efficient methods (Gibson and Golden Gate) to assemble libraries of parts (e.g. promoters, C-Dog RBSs, codon optimized alleles, and degradation tags) so that E. coli cells can evolve towards optimize enzymatic conversion of theophylline from caffeine. We have used aptamers or regulatory proteins, and E. coli's innate CRISPR system to reward cells for increased formation of a product and punish cells synthesizing less of the desired product. Our plan is to reward cells for enduring stress caused by synthesis of a product by using pH- inducible promoters and arcAB-regulated promoters to regulate transcription of specific beneficial and maladaptive genes. We are also working on demonstrating the scalability of optimized product formation by applying tools developed above (objectives 1a - 1d) to the five gene metabolic pathway for tryptophan formation. Supported by NSF RUI grants MCB-1120578 to Davidson College and MCB-1120558 to Missouri Western State University.

Authors: Jerrad Morton, Eric M. Sawyer, Cody Barta, Romina Clemente, Michel Conn, Clif Davis, Catherine Doyle, Mary Gearing, Olivia Ho-Shing, Alyndria Mooney, Shamita Punjabi, Ashley Schnoor, Siya Sun, Shashank Suresh, Bryce Szczepanik, D. Leland Taylor, Annie Temmink, William Vernon, A. Malcolm Campbell, Laurie J. Heyer, Jeffrey L. Poet and Todd T. Eckdahl, Davidson College, Missouri Western State University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

We investigated frameshift suppressor tRNAs previously reported to use five-base anticodon-codon interactions in order to provide a collection of frameshift suppressor tRNAs to the synthetic biology community and to develop modular frameshift suppressor logic devices for use in synthetic biology applications. We had two purposes for investigating frameshift suppressor tRNAs. Our first purpose was to facilitate widespread availability and use of the previously described five-base frameshift suppressor tRNAs. We designed and built a collection of eleven frameshift suppressor tRNAs using synthetic biology standards of assembly. We also designed and assembled three genetic circuits to measure frameshift suppression. The three circuits employ three different mechanisms: direct frameshift suppression of reporter genes, frameshift suppression leading to positive feedback by quorum sensing, and enzymatic amplification of frameshift suppression signals. Our second purpose was to develop a system of frameshift suppressor Boolean logic that could be used in a variety of synthetic biology applications. In the course of developing frameshift suppressor logic, we uncovered unexpected behavior of the frameshift suppressor tRNAs. Our results led us to develop four-nucleotide binding hypotheses as alternatives to the originally published five-nucleotide binding model for the suppressor tRNA interactions with mRNA.

Author: Megha Bonnel, Fort Hays State University

This poster describes one student's experience of learning statistics online, using a semester long applied learning project. While an online statistics course seemed challenging, the assignment, Observation Data for a Simple Clinical Project, made statistics seem more real. This case example used a descriptive observation approach, collecting data from 32 rehabilitation unit rooms, focusing on the rooms' safety factors. A seven item survey, developed from evidence based literature, guided data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were run to best describe the room safety features and make simple comparisons, such as any safety differences between rooms near and far from the nurse's station (using a variety of SPSS statistics). Results summarized the highs and lows of room safety factors. Exploring room variables with potential relation to patient falls provided interesting description of typical rooms and helped identify common risk factors and provided opportunity to identify further staff education needs. Rather than just completing worksheets, this student felt the project made statistics seem more understandable, memorable, and useful. Applied assignments could add benefit to other online courses as well.

Authors: Mary Hale Tolar, Bethany Miles and Trisha Gott, School of Leadership Studies, Kansas State University

International Service-Learning programs provide opportunities for students to engage in service work with community partners abroad while simultaneously challenging them to critically reflect about their experience through structured curriculum. Kansas State University has offered this type of experience to students over the past two decades through a program called the International Service Teams (IST). This poster will present data yielded from a study exploring student development as citizens by reviewing numerous reflection pieces at various stages during the IST experience. Student reflections were examined through the lens of the Social Change Model (Higher Education Research Institute, 1993) and the Active Citizen Continuum (Break Away, 2012) to better understand how students grow and develop through the curriculum and service-learning experience. The presenters will challenge fellow practitioners to assess current practices in applied learning and curriculum design.

Author: Diane Bottorff, Baker University School of Nursing, Stormont-Vail Campus, Topeka, Kansas

The purpose of this presentation is to help students apply learning about older adults in the non-traditional health care setting. An applied assignment was developed for the nursing home. Students are assigned a participant-observer role in a long-term care group dining setting. A Guided Activity Sheet directs them to observe the broader system as well as one specific older adult. Assignments include an online learning module with readings and video on Functional Assessment. Students reflect on this as they complete the Guided Activity Sheet and finally complete a Fast Feedback form. Student learning and satisfaction with the Activity has been documented with 220 students. The Fink (2003) Model of Gaining New Information was found to be a useful model for students.

Authors: Lauren M. Dahlquist and Christine E. Cutucache, University of Nebraska at Omaha, NE

The major goals of problem-based learning (PBL) activities include improvement of social skills, increased aptitude, mastery and retention of information. Although we are aware of the potential benefits of PBL activities, few studies of the effectiveness of including PBL activities at the undergraduate level have been conducted. We hypothesized that students would gain a greater understanding of material presented in the PBL format. We evaluated student comprehension of material using pre- and post-tests to discern whether information from PBL activities was more quickly understood compared with didactic lecture (n=91; IRB#548-12-EX). Furthermore, we examined the changes in student communication skills during PBL activities. Lastly, students completed a survey using a Likert scale to determine the usefulness of PBL activities in the undergraduate classroom. Our results indicated that students who participate in PBL exercises have i.) a greater mastery of the material based on a significant improvement in post-test scores, ii.) improvement in communication skills, and iii.) a stronger ability to articulate answers more completely when evaluated. The use of PBLs in the undergraduate classroom favors increased understanding and retention of material. Based on these results, we suggest PBLs become commonplace as an improvement in science pedagogy in the undergraduate classroom.

Authors: Sumit Kapoor, Banaras Hindu University Law School, with Hunter Ewart, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Meenakshi Dutta, Banaras Hindu University Law School, with Hunter Ewart, Missouri Western State University

Author: Nicholas Nigh, Missouri Western State University

The purpose of this research is to assess the need for a Fathering intervention program within the prison system at (WRDCC). It is estimated 80% of incarcerated men grow up without an involved father (NFI, 2008). The program 24/7 Dads, is a fathering intervention program used to address the need for incarcerated men to develop better fathering skills. This program is designed to help increase the inmate's successful reentry into society and more specifically their family.

Generative fathering, microstructural theory, and the strengths perspective are all part of the framework that organizations are using to develop such programs. These theories help give understanding to the assumption that an absentee father could be a possible contributing factor to an individual's criminal activity. These theories have been successfully used to develop mentoring programs such as 24/7 Dads. This research will use these theories to guide the development and implementation of a needs assessment for use within the correctional system.

Author: Cortney Hicks, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

The purpose of my study was to explore how college students' identified when and how their frames of reference are influenced and changed through the experiences they have while in the higher education environment while utilizing Mezirow's transformative learning theory as the theoretical framework. As a phenomenological qualitative study, the research conducted interactive interviews with eight college students ages 18-25 years old who regularly participated in community service. Upon careful data analysis, the researcher discovered four broad themes that included students' relationships between self and others; choices and challenging circumstances; seeking responsibility as a path to power and prestige; and the importance of role models and mentors. Future research could include examining students' motivations regarding the challenges, responsibilities, and experiences they seek; exploring what kinds of experiences are most impactful; examining how role models and mentors influence transformative learning experiences; and exploring students' reflection practices. The researcher suggests that student affairs departments implement programs that encourage students to interact with diverse individuals and groups; encourage collaboration and teamwork; utilize moments for reflection and analysis; enable students to forge connections between previous and new experiences; and encourage students to seek role models and mentors with whom they can identify.

Author: Danielle Nielson, Missouri Western State University

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, adult mental illnesses, and related hospitalizations. A better understanding of potential triggers and unresolved childhood traumatic events could improve treatment and discharge plans for patients after seeking help on an acute inpatient mental health unit. Two survey tools were used to determine if a correlation exists between symptoms and trauma. The BASIS-32 (Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale 32 question survey) is used by hospitals to determine symptoms of mental illness. ACE Score (Adverse Childhood Experiences) comes from a study by the Center for Disease Control. The sample consists of 9,508 patients from the Kaiser Health Plan who responded to the survey following a medical evaluation. This questionnaire asks ten questions surrounding childhood abuse and household dysfunction. The initial study found correlations with these adverse childhood experiences and increased health problems and poor lifestyle decisions as adults. Using the ACE survey as an assessment tool we examine trauma to provide a more succinct picture of some of the underlying issues contributing to chronic illness that examining behavior and symptoms avoids.

Author: Brandon Gudehus, Missouri Western State University

Author: David Ashley, Biology, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Matt Dear and David Ashley, Biology, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Erin Stith and David Ashley, Biology, Missouri Western State University

Author: Derek D. Payne, Missouri Western State University

Author: Benjamin R. Olsen, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Jake Graham and Cary D. Chevalier, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Cathi Gaume, Georja Kriebs, Dalton Reeves, Jon Unruh, and Cary D. Chevalier, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Georja Kriebs, Cathi Gaume, Dalton Reeves, Jon Unruh, and Cary D. Chevalier, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Brock Couch, Adam Burkart, and Brandon Gudehus, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Brittany Bremer, Jami Kellam, and Cathi Gaume, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Allison Gienapp and Bethany Thornton, Missouri Western State University

Authors: R. Olsen, Tanner Walker, and Chris Herrod, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Scott Schlesser and Heather McMillian, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Bradley Breit, Dillon Howe, and Tyler Lee, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Crystal Daggett and Virginia Williams, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Casey Long and Olivea Mendenhall, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Donald O'Keefe, Derek Payne, and Joe Streett, Missouri Western State University

Authors: Phillip Mueller, Dalton Reeves, and Jon Unruh, Missouri Western State University

Author: Mandi McReynolds, Drake University

Are you tired of student checkbox mentality, helicopter parents, and lack of student ownership? How are these issues influencing student agency development in your applied learning context? In response to the observed limitations of undergraduate students' abilities to be curious, reflective, and educationally responsible, a course was constructed to assist students in reclaiming their agency via curiosity, reflection, independence and ownership development. Through the cultivating a community of learners, constructing collaborative and applied learning experiences, and contributing through peer instruction, students demonstrated agency growth. A rubric, a post-course survey and focus groups were used to assess each agency contributor. Individuals will engage in dialogue regarding the definition of student agency based on a reflective drawing activity. Second, learners will engage in a problem based learning activity to answer their own solutions to barriers related to cultivating student agency. Lastly, each individual will design their own action plan for implementing one of the three's C into their current applied learning work.

Authors: Rachel Linares and Kimberly I. Tumlin, Midway College

A significant trend in higher education is the use of online and distance platforms to offer college-level courses. This expands the potential reach of academic programs, but poses a quandary when working with internships or senior-level applied research courses. The course must be infused with opportunities for the student to apply course concepts and skills, but also include opportunities to demonstrate the practical application of those skills. Midway College is increasing the number of equine classes offered online. These courses include several traditional lecture-based courses, but also include the Equine Senior Project course. This course acts as a culmination of the student's undergraduate experience. Students complete an independent research project related to the equine industry incorporating knowledge gained throughout the student's undergraduate experience along with the application of research skills introduced through the Equine Senior Project course. This presentation will discuss the process of adapting this course to an online format, highlighting methods and activities that will retain the applied nature of the course to the new format of delivery, alignment of assignment level objectives with course, program and institutional level objectives and how assessment of student learning through this alignment will aid in tracking student learning.

Authors: Amanda Sturgill and Phillip Motley, Elon University

This symposium presents a model of the stages of entry and success in service-learning projects, useful for planning, implementation and assessment. Aspects include characteristics of the environment and the task. Environmental aspects include levels of immersion that the environment affords? For example, how does a full-time experience away from the home university differ from an indirect service-learning model where work is done in the classroom? Environmental aspects also include the uncertainty fostered. For example, how does novelty create cognitive dissonance that can affect work and reflection? Characteristics of the task include both how autonomous the students are in carrying out the task and how much the instructor provides scaffolding for the experience. Support for this model is found in three years of data collection from both domestic and international service- learning projects at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The differing nature of the tasks, environments and students were used as dimensions of inquiry in qualitative analysis of student reflection journals, student focus groups, community partner interviews and instructor memos. Member checks and observer interviews were used to develop and help validate dimensions of the model. The work is developing an overall model of student acculturation during service-learning.

Author: Sarah Hirsch Wittmuss, University of South Dakota, Center for Academic Engagement

In this litigious world, institutions of higher education which encourage or require service-learning in their curricula are wise to plan for risk. Adding an international element to a service-learning placement increases both the possibility for enhanced learning, but also different and often higher level risks than those faced in a domestic location. This presentation will cover, among other topics, how the study abroad and service- learning pedagogies can inform planning for risk; how campus programs can best evaluate the risks of international service-learning; the role international community partners play; the responsibilities institutions have in training students to serve abroad; and general best practices in planning these programs. In the individual faculty/professional session, a risk management rubric for planning these programs will be shared, as well.

Authors: Patricia A. Schoenrade, Kelsey Brush and Jonathan A. Saxon, William Jewell College

A course in relationships seemed a bit abstract before we began having students undertake an actual relationship. The assignment calls for the development of a relationship with a citizen challenged by chronic mental illness. These contacts are valued by client participants, for here they are sought out as a person with unique interests, abilities, hopes, and dreams. Not all develop to the level of friendship, but nearly all bring insight to both student and client. Pink (2006) adds his voice to those of a number of popular authors asserting the importance of story in human interactions. We have found his point particularly applicable to applied learning with a relational emphasis. One challenge is assessing the value of the interactions and both individual and program levels. The picture is complex because the emphasis is on benefit for both student and client. To aid in reporting to both client guardians and sponsoring agencies, we developed a simple report form, designed more to document strengths than weaknesses. Yet the lasting value for students is especially well documented in a parable-like story that each prepares at the close of the term. A relationship is, after all, the intersection of two stories.

Authors: David C. Ashley and Cary C. Chevalier, Missouri Western State University

We will describe several collaborations between Missouri Western teams and local, state and federal agencies that involve field and laboratory research on epidemiology and transmission of disease-causing pathogens in northwest Missouri. Faculty and Missouri Western students assisted public health teams from the Centers for Disease Control as they visited northwest Missouri during epidemiological studies on a newly described virus recovered from patients from this area. The Missouri Western team provided logistical support and arranged for laboratory space for the CDC visitors. Faculty/student teams also assisted with field collection and laboratory processing of potential vectors and potential vertebrate hosts. Students learned basic public health protocols for epidemiology studies involving arthropod-borne pathogens. Students were able to network with local, state and federal public health officials. Additional MWSU teams worked with USFWS biologists from Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge to manage the controlled deer hunt on the refuge and to collect data and biological specimens that relate to animal health. Heads from hunter-harvested deer were examined for brainworm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis). Subsequent studies involved search on the refuge for gastropod intermediate hosts as well as blood samples from mesocarnivores to develop a baseline of blood chemistry and hematology reference values with which to monitor wildlife health.

Author: Evelyn Brooks, Missouri Western State University

This community based capstone applied learning experience was based on the Campinha-Bacote Cultural Competence Model (2012) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM, 2011) report calling for healthcare providers to be full partners to improve health care of the nation. Initially senior capstone students voluntarily attended an INMED Conference that introduced cultural awareness and social bias. Healthy People 2020 objectives and MO DHSS data were used in the assessment for healthcare needs. Students integrated the model, INMED topics and evidence based practice research to develop an education project to enhance cultural awareness for 1st and 4th semester nursing students. Examples of applied learning personal and professional classroom and clinical experiences and a YouTube example were shared. Lastly, students were invited to develop culturally sensitive education projects at the Bi-National Health Fair and the Grace House. To accomplish this task students partnered with the Social Welfare Board, Northwest Health Services, St. Joseph/Buchanan County Health Department, Grace House, and MU Extension Office. MWSU Spanish professors supported students in translation of materials. Outcomes measured through student critical reflections and evaluations will be shared including examples of student work. The results support pedagogical goals designed to improve student learning through instructional innovations and applied learning.

Authors: Mary Hale Tolar and Trisha Gott, School of Leadership Studies, Kansas State University

International Service-learning has been a cornerstone of the applied learning practices at the School of Leadership Studies (SLS). For three decades, interdisciplinary teams of undergraduates have traveled internationally to learn and serve alongside community partners. In 2012, SLS will begin a new practice building on the tradition of international service-learning. In partnership with colleagues in sociology, SLS will begin undergraduate service-learning and research teams abroad. The inaugural team, a group of sociology students, will serve and research internationally while completing a semester long service-learning course to prepare them for the work. Presenters will share how the IST program administration has positioned the first undergraduate research team, highlighting how the research and service-learning have been framed from an academic context. Discussion will center on how to administer the research preparation in conjunction with the service-learning curriculum which is rooted in social change model and the active citizen's continuum. Program administrators have worked through the intersection of these learning theories and program practices to ethical researchers and service-learners. Presenters will highlight challenges and opportunities in an interdepartmental partnership for undergraduate research and service-learning and guide participants through a process of identifying ways they might build in undergraduate service-learning to their initiatives.

Authors: David W. Tushaus and Hunter Ewart, Missouri Western State University; Tarun Bhowmick, Abhinove Mishra, Arpit Sharmaa, Hraday Singh, Meenakshi Dutta, Om Prakash Singh, Sumit Kapoor, Student Coordinator, Shailendra Kumar Gupta Amit Kumar Singh and Varsha Srivastava, Banaras Hindu University, India

This presentation, made by India students, will focus on the use of service learning to provide access to justice in India and the United States. The study involves Fulbright Scholar David Tushaus work with Indian Professor Shailendra Gupta and nine Indian students to study the use of Legal Aid Clinics in legal education in the United States and India. This team will be coordinating with Greg Lindsteadt, Missouri Western State University and some of his students in the United States as well. Indian students will report on their research of the literature on this topic, their development of questionnaires to send to law schools about their legal clinics and to other professors and students about their experiences in their respective clinic. Preliminary results from these surveys will be given by the students. While some comparisons will be made between the United States and India's educational approach to legal aid clinics, students will focus on the use of clinics to provide a service learning experience for students. Finally, the use of clinics to provide access to justice will also be discussed. Professor Tushaus will report on the process for conducting this international research project.

Authors: Lauren M. Dahlquist and Christine E. Cutucache, University of Nebraska at Omaha

A problem-based learning (PBL) activity is a student-focused method of learning that enhances student collaboration and communication to solve a real-life problem. Interestingly, few PBLs have been employed at the undergraduate level, particularly in biology. Therefore, our objective was to discern how PBLs influence knowledgebase, critical thinking skills, student communication, and information retention. We reviewed primary literature from the last decade pertaining to PBL activities in the classroom (n=28). The majority of these articles focused on medical school (n=10), polytechnic schools (n=8), and dental schools (n=4). Only 6 of the 28 articles were written about PBLs at the undergraduate level. Students were assessed in a number of ways, including: self-study, presentation, quiz, examination, survey, peer feedback, assignments, journal writing, or worksheets. In most articles, a facilitator was available to closely monitor a small group (n=24). In summary, the most effective method of PBL is a small group led by a sociable tutor where all group members meet and discuss study material. Additionally, we conclude that the incorporation of PBLs in the undergraduate level is a significant benefit to students in the program as well as to their potential in future studies.

Authors: Sophia Gianou, Marah Alexander, Kayleigh Pingel, and Crystal Aschenbrener (advisor), University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

This presentation will show how a student organization positively empowered students, their campus, and their surrounding communities by using the principles of the Strength's Perspective. Through collaboration with campus and community resources, this student organization empowered individuals, families, and communities in need, as well as promote an awareness of poverty. Furthermore, this presentation will share a summary and applied research results of the events/activities that this student organization successfully implemented this past academic year.

Authors: Anna Verhoye, La Paz International; Brenda Ross, Cottey College; Rebecca Mobley, Columbus State Community College; Alexandra Verhoye, Creighton University; Olivia Verhoye, InverHills Community College

The Learning Through Serving consortium was established to provide opportunities for students and learning partners to participate in an intensive two-week study-abroad service-learning program. The students spend time at their home institutions working with faculty leaders before joining together as a larger learning community in Guatemala. The learning community focuses on social justice within a service-learning framework, and is built on the philosophy that learning is fundamentally a reciprocal sharing of lives. Students and faculty leaders bring different experiences and knowledge to the program which shapes the nature of each shared journey. Common foci include a mutual exchange of cultures, serving people as they wish to be served, working with others to help meet expressed felt needs, and deepening an understanding of our common humanity. Discussion points include our mission, collaboration strategies, reflection activities, and community building.

Author: Shensheng Tang, Missouri Western State University

Microcomputer is a required course for the Electrical, Computer, and Mechanical Engineering (Technology) programs in the U.S. universities. Most engineering courses (including microcomputers) other than laboratories emphasize abstract concepts rather than concrete facts and use primarily lectures and readings (words, symbols) to transmit information. This traditional engineering education method has its unique advantages but also serious shortages. In this work, we investigate two major reasons that may cause students not to learn engineering (technology) curricula, and try to remedy them by proposing an interactive simulator-based pedagogical (ISP) approach for enhancing the teaching and learning process, without compromising (conversely, reinforcing) the depth or breadth of course material. Demonstration examples, based on some selected microcomputer course contents, are presented to show how the ISP approach can be used for assisting teaching and learning. Assessment results are also provided for verifying the effectiveness of the approach. The ISP approach can be incorporated into a variety of educational settings. Instructors can use it to complement their lectures and to develop laboratory-based and course project-based activities. Students can play with the simulator at no cost on their own time, either at home or at school, for their study assignments, laboratories, or other extra-curricular activities.

Authors: Donna Gloe and Carol Daniel, Missouri State University

Nursing students created quilt blocks as a culminating assignment demonstrating what they learned after working with vulnerable populations. Art can play a significant role in the expression of student feelings, emotions, and goes beyond regurgitation of memorized information. The art created by the students represents the caring interventions healthcare provides to the vulnerable populations. It can touch thousands of people. The course project was a multi-dimensional assignment, one piece building upon the previous piece throughout the semester. Beginning with a windshield survey, an assessment of the community environment where the vulnerable populations reside or receive assistance, students recorded their findings in a blog. The blog provided a basis for a group wiki paper describing the challenges and opportunities of each of the vulnerable populations. The culminating assignment was a reflection of gained insight about their assigned vulnerable population as represented in a quilt block. This presentation will provide examples of the journey, selected descriptions of individual quilt blocks, and a display of the completed quilt.

Authors: John R. Fisher and Margaret Mittelman, Utah Valley University

The DEAL model of critical reflection was used to obtain student feedback in comparing two delivery approaches to an upper-division online course called "Customer Service and Marketing for the Emergency Services." One course used only applied learning approaches, while the other employed a combination of applied and traditional online delivery methods. Students indicated that their greatest learning occurred using the applied methods. The applied learning only course used online discussion, applied reading summaries, and the development of a marketing plan for an actual organization. The mixed course used online discussion, response to chapter questions, and the development of a marketing plan.

Authors: Pi-Ming Yeh and Cheng-Huei Chiao, Missouri Western State University

The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of parents' rearing attitude, personality, and coping strategies on people's psychological well-being and suicidal ideation. A descriptive, correlational research design was used. A convenience sample of 173 USA college students was recruited in this study from Nursing department and Business department. The participants' psychological well-being was significantly associated with parents' involvement and parents' positive rearing attitudes. The score of psychological well-being had positive significant relationships with the scores of Problem-Focused Engagement and Problem-Focused Disengagement, but psychological well-being had significant reversed relationships with Emotion-Focused Engagement, and Emotion-Focused Disengagement. The score of suicidal ideation had positive significant relationships with the scores of Problem-Focused Engagement, Emotion-Focused Engagement, and Emotion-Focused Disengagement, but suicidal ideation had significant reversed relationships with Problem-Focused Disengagement. Consistent discipline, communication, and positive personality were significant predictors of psychological well-being. Negative parent rearing attitude and decreasing emotional stability were significant predictors of suicidal ideation.

Author: Pam Clary, Missouri Western State University

Field education has been credited as being the most influential and notable experience of a student's education (Maidment, 2006). Constructivism theorists in higher education find learning as an active process motivated by the student but facilitated by the field instructor. Students' experiences and classroom knowledge join to create a realistic and practical understanding of the field experience. In the past, field education placements were usually restricted geographically close to the educational institution. Location of the internship was influenced by travel costs, time constraints and the need for students to take face-to-face courses concurrently with their internship. Advancement of technology and the increase use of distance education in higher education allows for creativity in designing a student's internship. Utilizing technology makes it is possible to be creative when arranging internships while making it cost and time effective for the student, field coordinator and university. By utilizing Skype, instructors can take advantage of this face-to-face communication tool to engage students in the learning process. In addition, it provides opportunities for students to experience a global perspective during their course work, while allowing supervision and contact.

Authors: Kari Borne and Crystal Aschenbrener, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

This presentation will focus on the development and administration of faculty-led, domestic travel study programs as applied learning opportunities for students. An administrative model will be described in which travel study programs can be 1) integrated into the curriculum, 2) high-impact experiences for undergraduates, 3) self-sustained programs which encourage collaboration, flexibility, and creativity in funding. Additionally, domestic travel study programs will be highlighted as accessible options for applied learning for both students and faculty leaders. Upon attending this session, participants at this session will be able to: 1) Recognize faculty-led travel study as an applied learning technique; 2) Identify ways travel-study can be incorporated into the curriculum; 3)Demonstrate budgeting techniques for self-sustaining travel study programs.