Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Graduate Student Liaison Spotlight: Meet Allison Freed

·         Hometown: White Cloud, MI
·         Current university: Michigan State University
·         Program: Educational Psychology and Educational Technology
·         Advisor: Dr. David Wong
·         Graduation year: Spring 2014
·         Hobbies: Running, yoga, traveling, gardening, SCUBA diving, outdoor activities like camping and hiking

How did you decide to go to graduate school?
One of my professors at Central Michigan University encouraged me to apply for graduate school.  She had attended and received her PhD. at Michigan State University and told me about the program.  I was excited to learn more about student learning and science education, so I applied.
What did you do before going to graduate school?
I was a high school science teacher, special education teacher, and volleyball and track and field coach in Grand Ledge, MI.
What do you like best about your program/school?
I am most impressed by the flexibility within the College of Education at Michigan State.  I can take courses from a variety of programs and feel as though I can work with any professor within the college.  It is nice to know I can be accepted into many different research groups and have a variety of teaching opportunities.
What are you current research interests?
I am currently interested in how significant life experiences in nature lead to environmental attitudes and behaviors in women. 
I'm also interested in how students' scientific application and inquiry practices are connected in regard to carbon transforming processes such as photosynthesis, biosynthesis, and cell respiration.
What is your favorite article and why?
Paisley, K., Furman, N., Sibthorp, J., & Gookin, J. (2008). Student Learning in Outdoor Education : A Case Study. Journal of Experiential Education, 30(3), 201-222.
I used this article as a basis for organizing and completing my practicum research on students' experiences and perceived learning during an outdoor service adventure program.
What was your proudest moment or greatest accomplishment?
My proudest moment was when I was chosen for a fellowship for global understanding at MSU.  The fellowship allowed me to go to Botswana, Africa for two weeks and study their education system.

Thanks for Participating Allison!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Division C Graduate Student Research Award

Hi All,

Please see the following information about the Division C Graduate Student Research Award.

Call for Nominations: Division C
2014 Graduate Student Research Excellence Award

Nominations are now open for the 2014
Division C Graduate Student Research Excellence Award
SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS MONDAY, January 20, 2014
(See below for details)

Division C of AERA invites current and recent graduate students to submit papers (a journal length empirical study) for the 2014 Division C Graduate Student Research Excellence Award. This award represents Division C’s continuing efforts to promote and support the professional development of its graduate students and to recognize excellence in graduate student research. The award winner will be recognized at the division’s annual business meeting at the AERA conference in San Francisco and will receive a stipend of $500 and a commemorative plaque.

To be eligible for the award:
1) papers must already be officially accepted by Division C for presentation at the 2013 or 2014 AERA annual meeting in San Francisco or Philadelphia;

2) research must have been conducted while nominees were graduate students in 2012 or 2013, and;
3) the candidate must have been the primary researcher and, if a paper is co-authored, the candidate must be the first author.

The following criteria guide paper award selection:
* importance of the problem,
* relation of the study to previous work in the field,
* clearly stated research questions or hypotheses,
* appropriateness of the methodology (e.g., sampling procedure, study procedures employed),
* appropriateness of the analysis(es) conducted,
* clear interpretations of the study results,
* acknowledgment of study limitations,

* clear description of the importance of the study findings

* and formatting adheres to APA style, 6th Edition,

To submit a paper for consideration, please assemble and submit the following materials electronically (only electronic submissions will be accepted):

1) SEPARATE COVER SHEET: A cover sheet as a separate document that includes: 1) paper title, 2) author’s/authors’ name(s), and 3) first author’s address, phone, and email.,
2) PAPER: Include the presentation paper prepared for blind review (as a .pdf file), following APA 6th Edition style guidelines. Papers must not be more than 30 pages, including text, references, tables, figures, and appendices. Papers exceeding the maximum page length will be disqualified.
3) RESEARCH ADVISOR/MENTOR LETTER: A brief letter as a separate document from the research advisor/mentor acknowledging that the author was the primary researcher, and that the student’s research was conducted in 2012 or 2013. (The academic advisor/mentor may send this letter separately by email or as a .pdf attachment.)
4) AERA, DIVISION C ACCEPTANCE LETTER: An electronic copy of the AERA, Division C acceptance letter for the April 2014 annual meeting in Philadelphia.

5) Please send all electronic materials by email to Li Cao (lcao@westga.edu) with the header “Grad Student Award.” Deadline for paper submissions is Monday, January 20, 2014.

Please forward any questions about the award or the nomination process to this year’s chair, Dr. Li Cao (lcao@westga.edu).

We at Division C strongly encourage all eligible contributors to participate!

Sunday, October 27, 2013

2014 Annual Meeting

The 2014 annual meeting will be held in Philadelphia Pennsylvania April 3 to April 7 2014.  The theme for this years conference is "The power of Education Research for Innovation in Practice and Policy"

Monday, October 14, 2013

Campus Liaison Spotlight: Meet Bethany Miller

Hometown: Holcomb, Mississippi
Current university: The University of Southern Mississippi
Program: PhD in Education (Research, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment)
Advisor: Kyna Shelley, Ph.D.
Graduation year: Spring 2014
Hobbies: Reading, Hiking, and Baking

How did you decide to go to graduate school?
I decided to go to graduate school because I wanted to learn more about assessment and use of data in education.

What did you do before going to graduate school? 
I was a high school English and Social Studies teacher.

What do you like best about your program/school? 
My favorite thing about my program is the flexibility of choice in developing your research interests.

What are you current research interests? 
My current research interests are health literacy and health disparities, organizational citizenship behavior, and assessment in k12 and adult basic education.

What is your favorite article and why?
I do not necessarily have a favorite article because I feel that each article offers something unique that I can take away from it. Currently I am reading a lot of articles about multilevel modeling.

What was your proudest moment or greatest accomplishment? 
My greatest accomplishment to date in progressing toward the completion of my degree has been having a research poster accepted at the Institute for Healthcare Advancement’s Health Literacy Conference.

Thanks for your participation Bethany!


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The SCIPIE conference 2013 will be taking place soon. Please go to scipie.org to register. I have attended this conference twice and highly recommend taking part in this great experience. See the following information for dates and location.

Biannual conference of the
Southwest Consortium for Innovative Psychology in Education
Teaching and Learning from Multiple Perspectives: Coming Together to Create New Meaning
November 7th (Thurs)- 8th (Fri), 2013
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ

Position at Duquesne University

An Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology position is open at Duquesne University. Please see the following link to attain information on the position or to apply.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Campus Liaison Spotlight: Meet Özge Kabakci



Hometown: Ankara, Turkey

Current University: Bilkent University

Program: PhD in Curriculum and Instruction

Advisor: Dr. Sencer Çorlu

How did you decide to go to graduate school?
I always want to contribute to informed and research based decisions on change and reforms in education. In addition to that, I believed that continuing my education in a graduate school of education would help me to be more reflective about my practice,  and be more informed about improvements and trends in education.

What did you do before going to graduate school?
I have been working as a full time mathematics teacher at a high school.

What do you like best about your program/school?
The program is designed for full time teachers who wants to continue their education. Even though it is difficult to pursue a PhD degree while working as a teacher at a demanding school, my  graduate school environment engages and ecourages me to develop my knowledge in many areas related with curriculum and instruction,  reflect on my practices, make research and publish.

What are your current research interests?
I am currently working on strategies to help pre-services to start their teaching career more ready. Enhancing reflective practice and self-efficacy beliefs of pre-services are in the sphere of my interest.

What is your favorite article and why?
I can not specify one as a favorite but any research article which gives inspiration about how to make things better in teacher education, makes me feel excited.

Thanks for your participation Özge 

·       

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Campus Liaison Spotlight: Meet Robert Danielson


Hometown:  San Ramon, CA

Current University:  University of Southern California

Program:  Ph. D. in Education

Advisor:  Dr. Gale Sinatra

Graduation Year:  Spring 2016

Hobbies:  Hiking, Golfing, Video Games, Reading, Movies, Traveling, and Cooking. And of course Research.

Why did I decide to go to graduate school / what was I doing before going?

Before attending graduate school I was working in a medium size school district as an Autistic Specialist Para-educator. I really enjoyed the work – helping individuals with Autism, or other students in Special Education, has been a long-standing passion of mine. I really enjoyed the staff as well – the Special Education teacher, the other aides, the Speech Pathologist, and the Occupational Therapist were all committed to improving the quality of life for all the students. However, I always felt that we were not working to our full potential. I would watch as some children failed to receive the services they needed. Others were simply passed along so as not to disrupt the system. While the system helped a lot of children, I thought that I could improve it. So, I went back to Chico State to earn a Master’s degree, and while there, fell in love with research.

What do you like best about your program/school?

I really enjoy the diversity of background experience and knowledge that the program attracts. We are all interested in improving education, but we have very different opinions on how to do so.

What are your current research interests?

I am currently interested in how texts and graphics combine with analogies and metaphors to promote conceptual change.

What is your favorite article and why?

I think that my favorite article is “Construction and interference in learning from multiple representation” by Wolfgang Schnotz and Maria Bannert, published in Learning and Instruction in 2003. This article has made a large impact on my own work – both in terms of the theory which the article lays out, as well as the elegant way in which the experiment was conducted.

What was your proudest moment / greatest accomplishment?

I just married the love of my life – we met while earning our Master’s degrees at Chico State.

Thats for Participating Bobby




Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Are YOU interested in getting involved in AERA's Graduate Student Council?

IMPORTANT ELECTION INFORMATION 

 Beginning July 15, 2013, nominations will be open for the four elected positions on the Graduate Student Council:
(1) Chair-Elect 
(2) Newsletter Editor 
(3) Secretary Historian, and 
(4) Web Secretary. 

The terms of service and responsibilities for these positions are detailed below. If you’d like to work with a great group of graduate students from across the continent, to serve the 7,000+ graduate students in AERA, we hope you will consider running.

 Elections Process and Timeline 
(1) Self-Nominations (by 01 September)
(2) Slate Selection by Nomination Committee (mid to late August)
(3) Notification to candidates regarding status (late August to Early September)
(4) AERA central office collections biographical statements
 (5) Elections (January 2014)
(6) Winner notified of results (March 2014)

1) To run, please send your CV, a statement of interest, and the information listed below to GSC Past Chair, Cathy A.R. Brant, at gscpastchairelections@gmail.com Your statement of interest should be between 250 and 500 words and should address the reasons you would like to run and why you believe you would be a good candidate for the position. In addition to your CV and statement of interest, please include the following information:
- your name
- the university where you are pursuing your graduate degree
- the name of the degree you are pursing
- your anticipated date of graduation
- the position for which you would like to run.

Applications will be accepted until midnight, August 15. Incomplete applications, including those that fail to provide the information listed above, will not be considered. If you have any questions regarding the nomination and election process, please feel free to contact Cathy A.R. Brant, GSC Past-Chair and nominations committee chair, at the email address above.

 GSC Elected Positions: 

1. Chair-Elect 
The chair-elect position has a three-year term, taking office in April 2014 and serving through April, 2017. In the first year, the chair-elect is primarily responsible for the Graduate Student Resource Center. In the second chair, the Chair-Elect becomes Chair, and oversees the activities of the Graduate Student Council. Also during this year, the Chair serves as a member of AERA’s Association Council. In the third year, the Chair becomes the Past Chair, who chairs the nominating committee and serves in an advisory capacity to the incoming Chair and to the GSC.

 Eligibility: 
- Must be a graduate student for Fall and Spring semesters of first two years (through spring, 2016)
- Must be a member of AERA
- Should have prior experience being a member of the GSC; if there is no nominee for Chair-Elect with prior GSC experience, nominations will be opened to the full graduate student membership of AERA 

Responsibilities, Year 1 (as Chair-Elect): 
- Plan and coordinate the Graduate Student Resource Center at the Annual Meeting.
- Plan and chair the Chair-Elect’s Fireside Chat session at the Annual meeting
- Attend the October Coordinated Committee meeting in Washington, DC. Chair GSC if it is necessary for Chair to be absent for some portion of the GSC meeting.
- Attend the GSC orientation, open, and closed business meetings at the Annual Meeting.
- Attend Association Council meeting at the Annual Meeting in year rising to Chair position
- Prepare article for each issue of the Graduate Student Newsletter.
- Prepare Chair-elect annual report. - Assist GSC Chair in creation of a budget for GSC.
- Serve on GSC executive committee.
- Assume responsibilities of Chair if Chair is unable to complete his/her term of office

 Responsibilities, Year 2 (as Chair of the GSC): 
- Set agenda for GSC activities for the year.
- Create GSC budget for the upcoming year and submit to Central Office.
- Attend Association Council Meetings at Annual Meeting for year as Chair; attend Council meetings in meetings in June and February.
- Attend Coordinated Committee meeting in Washington, DC in October; chair GSC during this meeting, including agenda setting.
- Attend GSC orientation, open and closed business meeting at Annual Meeting; chair GSC business meetings, including agenda setting.
- Present summary of GSC activities at GSC Open Business Meeting.
- Report the pertinent actions and events occurring at all Association Council, and GSC Executive Committee meetings to the GSC.
- Publicize GSC functions through announcements in Educational Researcher, the AERA graduate students email list, and GSC newsletter; when appropriate, submit announcements to the GSC Web Secretary for inclusion on the web site.
- Prepare article for each issue of the Graduate Student Council Newsletter.
- Prepare GSC Annual Report for year served as Chair.
- Prepare pass -down materials for incoming Chair. - Send email letter to Division VPs encouraging the appointment of new Division representatives by date of Annual Meeting.
- Participate in Discussion Forum on GSC web site.

 Responsibilities, Year 3 (as Past Chair): 
- Chair the nominating committee, to assemble slate for election of new GSC officers.
- Attend the Coordinated Committee Meeting in Washington, DC, in October.
- Attend GSC orientation and open and closed business meetings at the annual meeting.
- Serve in advisory capacity to incoming GSC Chair.

 2. Jr. Newsletter Editor 
 Newsletter editors serve two year terms (April 2014-April 2015). Each year, a junior newsletter editor is elected to collaborate with the senior newsletter editor (who was elected as junior editor the year before). The newsletter editors are responsible for producing three issues of the GSC newsletter, Connections. 

Eligibility: 
- must be a graduate student for Fall and Spring semesters of both years of service (2014-2016).
- must be a member of AERA. Responsibilities:
- Manage and edit the GSC newsletters. This is a collaborative position between the senior and junior editors.
- Produce fall and spring issues of the GSC newsletter, with the option to produce a summer issue.
- Select a theme for each issue.
- Disseminate call for submissions for each issue.
- Outline due dates for newsletter submissions.
- Design, layout, and edit articles.
- Submit completed issue to GSC Web Secretary for publication on GSC website.
- Submit annual report on newsletter activities.
- Attend GSC orientation and open and closed business meetings at the annual meeting.
- As senior editor (year 2), attend Coordinated Committee Meeting in Washington, DC in October.

3. Secretary/Historian 
The Secretary/Historian serves a one year term (April 2014-April 2015) and is responsible for record keeping for the GSC.

 Eligibility: 
- Must be a graduate student for Fall and Spring semesters (2014-2015).
- Must be a member of AERA. Responsibilities:
- Attend the Coordinated Committee Meeting in Washington, DC in October.
- Attend the GSC orientation and open and closed business meetings at the Annual meeting.
- Record minutes for all GSC meetings and business.
- Disseminate minutes to GSC within thirty days of the meeting date.
 - Submit approved minutes to Web Secretary for posting on the GSC Web site.
- Act as GSC historian. Collect photographs of GSC events, make these available to Web Secreatry and Newsletter Editors. Maintain updated version of GSC history.
- Maintain contact information for all GSC Members.
- Assist in coordinating the Graduate Student Orientation at the annual meeting.
- Submit annual report on activities for the year.
- Serve on GSC executive committee.

4. Web Secretary 
 The GSC Web Secretary serves a one year term (April 2014-2015) and works with the AERA Central Office to maintain the GSC website.

 Eligibility: 
- Must be a graduate student for Fall and Spring semesters (2014-2015). 
- Must be a member of AERA. Responsibilities:
- Update and maintain GSC website
- Maintain contact with Division Representatives to ensure that the website contains current information.
- Get trained on latest AERA CMS software.
- Keep in contact with AERA web personnel about changes and other issues related to the GSC website.
- Communicate with AERA web personnel about GSC web priorities
- Keep GSC updated about AERA web issues, concerns, priorities, feedback, etc.
- Assist GSC officers in planning new GSC initiatives and programs for graduate students across AERA. Support and become involved in these new AERA GSC initiatives.
- Prepare annual report for the AERA GSC. - Moderate GSC discussion list serv. AERA-GS AERA Graduate Studies Forum

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Campus Liaison Spotlight: Meet Niyazi Erdogan

Name: Niyazi Erdogan

Hometown: Ankara, Turkey

Current university: Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Program: PhD in Science Education

Advisor: Dr. Carol Stuessy

Graduation year: Spring, 2014

Hobbies: Playing soccer, watching movies, and traveling

How did you decide to go to graduate school?

After graduating from college, I had various options to pursue such as becoming a teacher. Teaching in a middle school was not a bad idea; in fact, it was my whole purpose when I choose my career after high school. However, I had a feeling that kept me from becoming a middle school science teacher and it was ‘curiosity’. I have been led by my curiosity until this time and although I like teaching, I like doing research even more. Another motivating factor was the scholarship that I earned to obtain my masters and doctoral degrees. I guess without this scholarship, I would still achieve these goals but I do not think I would come to the U.S.

What did you do before going to graduate school?
My pre-grad school experience was very short because I immediately got into graduate school right after the graduation from college. I had only a little teaching experience at a private tutoring center. At that center, I was preparing a classroom full of students for high school entrance exams.

What do you like best about your program/school?

Here at Texas A&M University, we have a welcoming environment. Such an environment is extremely important especially for an international student. Fortunately, all the professors and other graduate students that I work with are willing to help me at all time. They listen to me and they care about what I say and think. Whenever I have a problem, I know that they will be there to help. In research, it might be hard to find unselfish people but we are like a huge family, who share whatever is on our plates, in College of Education at Texas A&M University.

What are your current research interests?
Although I am a science educator, I like to work in an interdisciplinary environment. That is why STEM Education is my main research interest. Specifically, Engineering Education attracted my attention and thus I am working for the Aggie STEM Center at Texas A&M. In this center, we work with STEM schools and provide services for teachers and students. These services include but are not limited to professional development trainings for teachers and administrators in project-based learning, teacher boot camps, and a STEM summer camp for students.

What is your favorite article and why?

I have a favorite book instead of favorite article and it is ‘Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8’. This book explains the philosophy of science education in the 21st century. Many trendy concepts in the field originate from this book and it is definitely the foundation of revolution in science education.

What was your proudest moment or greatest accomplishment?

There are two accomplishments that can be considered as my proudest moment. The first one was when I earned the scholarship to come to graduate school in the U.S. This was the greatest milestone in my life. The second one was the time that I got my very first acceptance to present at three major conferences in one year, which were AERA, NARST, and NCTM. With the help of my colleagues, I conducted my own research studies from beginning to the end.

Is there anything else you would want the Division C members to know?

I must say that I am very proud of being a Division C member and will continue to contribute to this group until the end of my life. AERA is a huge conference and only these smaller societies in subgroups can there be a home for researchers. Please, do not only present when you attend AERA, try to meet other people! That is what will bind all of us together for the common educational purpose of improving education for our future students.


Monday, June 10, 2013

Campus Liaison Spotlight: Meet Mamta Shah!



Hello everyone,

It’s time to meet our next liaison in our campus liaison spotlight series. Meet Mamta Shah from Drexel University!
Name: Mamta Shah

Hometown: Mumbai, India

Current University: Drexel University, Philadelphia PA

Program: PhD in Educational Leadership Development and Learning Technologies

Advisor: Dr. Aroutis Foster


Q. How did you decide to go to graduate school?
A. After I completed my Masters in Human Development, I knew I wanted to pursue a PhD. The decision that I had to make was about the area of concentration. My personal interest in digital technologies naturally led me to Drexel’s program and a major in Learning Technologies.

Q. What did you do before going to graduate school?
A. I worked as an Assistant Director at Muktangan, a not-for-profit educational program that offers alternatives to orthodox educational practices in India. Broadly, my experiences included: Mentoring preschool and elementary level teachers in child centered pedagogy; Facilitating curriculum planning meetings based on teachers’ daily observations and students’ key experiences; Supporting teachers in developing formative progress reports for children; Conducting professional development sessions for teachers; Networking with educational institutions and teacher training programs; and Assisting Muktangan in its advocacy program.

Q. What do you like best about your program/school?
A. The encouragement and guidance that I received to build my proficiency as an emerging scholar in terms of teaching and research opportunities, presenting at premier conferences and authoring journal articles, networking with leading scholars and mentoring students.

Q. What are your current research interests?
A. Currently, my professional work focuses on the integration of immersive and interdisciplinary digital technologies such as games in educational settings. I concentrate on developing teacher competence in adopting digital technologies through situated professional development. In addition, my work focuses on human cognition and learning through the development of models for technology use in classrooms and design of transformational educational experiences for aiding student knowledge construction.

Q. What career do you want upon graduation (Faculty or other)?
A. As long as I can pursue my interest in learning technologies, I am open to a career in academia, non-profit sector, or industry.

Q. If you could change anything about education, what would it be?
A. I would like to contribute to the effective integration of learning technologies for teaching, learning, and assessment across the K-Adult Education spectrum. I have started working towards this goal by developing in- and pre-service teacher competency in adopting game-based learning. Since I approach this goal in an ecological manner, I hope to catalyze sustainable technology integration practices.

Q. What is your favorite research article and why?
A. Too many to list. However, I like learning about developments in the fields of situated learning and game-based learning,

Q. What was your proudest moment or greatest accomplishment?
A. Working towards my professional niche and being recognized for it through (a) an Excellence in Research Award at Drexel in 2012, (b) AERA 2013 Best Paper nomination in the Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning (TACTL) SIG, (c) and receiving acceptance for my first journal article.


Thank you for participating, Mamta!