2024-2025 Funded Projects
Evaluating The Pedagogical Spaces Between Applied Theatre and Simulation in Graduate Nursing Education: A Cross-Disciplinary Collaborative Inquiry
Charlene Whitaker-Brown, Katherine Shue-McGuffin, Cory Sheeler, Beth Murray,
Abstract: This proposal evaluates the integration of arts-based pedagogies—specifically poetic and theatrical methods—into graduate nursing education to enhance therapeutic communication skills among advanced practice nursing students. Recognizing a gap in the current curriculum in the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC), this study aims to explore how arts-based communication strategies, such as video and forum theatre modules, can improve students’ satisfaction, self-confidence, and readiness for interdisciplinary practice. Building on preliminary pilot data from Fall 2024, this research will assess three key objectives. First, it will evaluate nursing students’ perceptions of simulated patient scenarios that incorporate arts-based pedagogies delivered through video and standardized patients. Second, it will explore students’ experiences with arts-based simulations/improvisations and their perceived readiness for transitioning to practice. Third, it will assess the impact of these pedagogical methods on enhancing therapeutic communication and active listening skills in clinical settings. This study will be conducted using a mixed-method research design. The methods include a pre- and post-test questionnaire for self-evaluation of knowledge and confidence, focus groups, and observation field notes. By leveraging interdisciplinary partnerships with the theatre department, this project promotes opportunities for faculty, students and community members, fostering collaboration and a deeper understanding of patient care. The initial implementation will target two graduate courses, with potential for scaling throughout UNCC. This innovative approach has the potential to transform nursing education by introducing arts-based strategies that enhance learning outcomes and professional readiness among graduate nursing students.
Supporting Academic Success through AI: Strategies for Inclusive Education for Students with Disabilities
Judith B. Cornelius, Othelia E. Lee
Little is known about the experiences of students with disabilities regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage to enhance academic success. To improve support for these students, this project will investigate AI tool usage with students registered with the Office of Disability Services at UNC Charlotte and its impact on their academic success. The pedagogical challenge is enhancing success through personalized learning strategies by exploring how AI-driven adaptive learning systems and intelligent tutoring systems foster achievement.
The intended outcomes are to improve academic success rates for students with disabilities and provide faculty with guidelines for using AI to help close learning gaps. We will recruit participants from a sample frame of more than 875 students registered with the Office of Disability Services, targeting a 30% response rate (n = 263). Using a mixed-methods approach, we will analyze quantitative data and qualitative insights from interviews to assess AI tool effectiveness.
Participants will share prior AI tool experiences and preferred instructional modalities via the ChatGPT Usage Scale and the System Usability Scale. From the respondents, we will recruit 20 volunteers for in-depth interviews to gain qualitative insights. Statistical analyses will identify meaningful differences among demographic characteristics and disability types and explore AI tools’ impact on academics. Faculty recommendations will guide integrating AI tools effectively to support student success. This project aligns with UNC Charlotte’s Shaping What’s Next Strategic Plan 2021-2031 Priority A: Transform students’ lives through educational opportunity and excellence and addresses SoTL grant RFP # 3 “Pedagogies using AI” specifically AI enhanced accessibility.
Full Proposal: Supporting Academic Success through AI: Strategies for Inclusive Education for Students with Disabilities
Exploring Experiences in the Flipped Learning Academy
Clare Merlin-Knoblich
Flipped learning is an innovative hybrid teaching approach in which students view pre-recorded video lectures outside of class, then engage in application-based activities in class. Despite the growing evidence base supporting flipped learning in higher education, some instructors use flipped learning and others do not. Researchers have found that some faculty do not flip their courses because of both the perceived investment of time required for flipped learning and low self-efficacy in their flipped learning skills (Long et al., 2017). Thus, an argument exists for adopting flipped learning as a teaching approach early in one’s career and using flipped learning when a course is assigned for the first time. Given these common obstacles preventing the adoption of flipped learning, as well as the extensive established literature base supporting flipped learning to improve student outcomes, I have developed the current proposal to launch and study the UNC Charlotte Flipped Learning Academy. The UNC Charlotte Flipped Learning Academy (FLA) is a university-based, cohort model professional development program for Assistant Professors and advanced doctoral students to learn how to implement flipped learning in their classrooms. During four 2-hour seminars scheduled throughout the Spring 2025 semester, a cohort of 15 participants in the FLA (“FLA Fellows”) will discuss, practice, and apply flipped learning skills. I intend to study the FLA using qualitative case study methods to understand participant experiences in the FLA and how, if at all, the FLA informs participants’ plans to use flipped learning.
Full Proposal: Exploring Experiences in the Flipped Learning Academy
Impact of Collaborative Learning on Self-Regulation and Community of Inquiry in Online Learning
Chuang Wang, Susan Elizabeth Allred Oyarzun, Lindsey Heather Hall Ramsey
The Learning, Design, and Technology (LDT) is a 33-credit Master of Education program for those pursing learning, design, and technology credentials as preparation for leadership and curriculum design. This program was recognized by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology in the United States. One of the challenges for this program is student’s engagement and sense of community because all the courses are offered online. The aim of this proposal is therefore to enhance student’s self-regulated learning and the community of inquiry through teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. Although all students in the LDT program will participate in this study by completing a survey to measure their perceptions of social presence, teaching presence, cognitive presence, learning satisfaction, learning performance, and self-regulated learning behavior, students enrolled in one course and the instructor of this course will participate in the experimental part of this project. Collaborative learning under the framework of universal design will be incorporated into the learning management system of the course with modules, discussion boards, and collaborative tools such as Google Docs. The instructor will monitor student progress and provide formative feedback during the group discussions and projects, and the student will be required to post and reply several times on all discussion activities and be engaged with group members throughout the group projects. This is a mixed method approach with online surveys, interviews with the instructor and the students. Results from analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data will inform instructors how to enhance student online learning experience with their sense of community of inquiry and self-regulation.
Full Proposal: Impact of Collaborative Learning on Self-Regulation and Community of Inquiry in Online Learning
Taking Primary Care to the Streets: Using a Mobile Health Clinic to Prepare FNP Students to Practice in the Context of Social Determinants
David Langford, Heather Anderson, Angela Lamb
Typically Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) students complete their clinical experiences in clinical sites far removed from the lives of patients. The FNP program at UNC Charlotte entered a relationship with CareRing to provide an FNP faculty and offer a clinical practicum on the organization’s mobile health clinic. The goal of this qualitative research proposal is to assess the impact of the mobile clinic on student’s perceptions of patients, provider role, and confidence in providing primary care to vulnerable populations. The specific aims are;
1. Describe students’ experience acquiring the skills needed to work in the context of a mobile clinic located in the patient’s neighborhood.
2. Identify the ways this experience prepares students to work effectively with vulnerable populations to achieve professional growth and confidence.
3. Identify a process or framework how working with vulnerable populations, specifically in a mobile clinic located in their neighborhoods enhances learning.
The proposed research uses the qualitative method of Grounded Theory. All FNP students assigned to the mobile clinic will be invited to participate in focus group interviews and complete a reflective journal. The interviews will use a semi-structured interview guide and will be recorded. The interviews and journals will be transcribed and analyzed using Grounded Theory. The partnership with CareRing is a priority of the College and SON and is consistent with the University goals of Academic Excellence and Community Engagement and the SON’s goals of expanding partnerships and enhancing learning. The proposal aligns with SoTL’s priority of High Impact Practice and Curricular Innovation.
A Comparison of Student-Centered Outcomes Between Those Who Participate in the PEER Mentoring Program Versus Those Who Do Not Participate
Emily Palladino, Rebekah Overcash
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the impact of the PEER (Promoting a Positive impact, Empowering Each other and building Resilience) Mentoring Program within the School of Nursing at UNC Charlotte in the undergraduate program. This study is a comparison of those who choose to participate in the program and those who choose to not participate. The focus will be on student centered outcomes including professional characteristics, critical thinking, preparedness, community, and work values. There will also be a focus on improved attrition rate and performance. The data analysis will include qualitative data and statistics with group comparisons. The results of the data will provide essential information on whether the PEER mentoring program has a positive impact on these student-centered outcomes. The PEER mentoring program aligns with the University’s Strategic Plan of high impact practices and curricular innovation by fostering both active and collaborative learning. It meets the objective by strengthening academic experience through mentoring opportunities. Research shows peer mentoring programs help to create a support system for students that foster both professional development and personal growth. Outcomes directly tie to this measuring completion of the program, their sense of belongingness, and motivation throughout and after the program. As the number of students and attrition rates across the country rise, student support is going to be a crucial piece of their success in both nursing programs and their careers.
Enhancing Nursing Leadership Education through Virtual Learning Scenarios
Drew McGuffin, Carolyn Horne
Aim: This study aims to evaluate whether high-fidelity virtual scenarios related to human resource conflicts enhance the knowledge and skills of graduate nursing leadership students.
Background: Nursing leadership is crucial for ensuring health system quality, patient safety, and employee satisfaction. Traditional graduate nursing experiences often provide insufficient exposure to complex personnel issues. This pilot study addresses this gap by creating realistic human resource situations nurse leaders face. The project will develop virtual video-taped scenarios to enhance students’ application of leadership theory and soft skills, such as human resource management, bridging gaps in clinical rotations and expanding access to comprehensive learning.
Methods: Realistic scenarios will immerse students in leadership challenges, followed by group discussions and assessments of their knowledge, skills, and confidence. Virtual scenarios will be shared with the students, followed by discussion with the PI. After discussion, a video will be shown of a community nursing administrator sharing expert instruction on how each scenario should be handled. The program’s effectiveness will be evaluated through pre- and post-assessments and student’s qualitative feedback.
Expected Outcomes: The intended outcomes are to improve student’s confidence in managing complex personnel issues. The program’s effectiveness will be measured by assessing changes in student knowledge and confidence. This study will offer valuable insights into the efficacy of virtual learning for developing essential leadership skills and support its inclusion in nursing education.
Full Proposal: Enhancing Nursing Leadership Education through Virtual Learning Scenarios
Enhancing Teaching Assessments in Counseling through Experiential Learning
Dania Fakhro, Bailey MacLeod
This pilot project aims to improve the assessment skills of UNC Charlotte’s master’s-level counseling students. The current approach for teaching this critical course is mainly theoretical and lacks the hands-on experience required to facilitate students’ learning. This limitation is due to the high cost associated with obtaining the main assessment tools that students can use for practicing. To bridge this gap, we propose integrating the actual assessment tools in the course to familiarize students with these tools through hands-on practice of administration and interpretation. The intended outcomes of this project include improving students’ confidence and competence in using various assessment tools to provide their future clients with quality services. The project will use a mixed-method approach, with pre-and post-tests to measure changes in students’ knowledge and confidence and qualitative feedback to assess their experiences at the end of the course. The intervention will include integrating assessment tools in the major counseling areas, such as the NEO Personality Inventory-3, Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Mini Mental Status Exam, SASSI-4, BIT2-Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, and Strong Interest Inventory. By integrating interactive and experiential learning components, this project aligns with the university’s goals of enhancing students’ learning through innovative teaching methods and ensuring students are well-prepared for the workforce.
Full Proposal: Enhancing Teaching Assessments in Counseling through Experiential Learning
Evaluating the Impact of Experiential Education Innovations on edTPA Completion and Student Well-being
Ann Jolly, Tom Fisher, Melissa Larkin, Daniel Maxwell, Coreen Okraski
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative programmatic changes on Resident and Graduate Teacher of Record teacher candidates’ performance in the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) portfolio assessment. The revisions are in response to a needs assessment study conducted during the 2023-24 academic year and introduce key elements of active participation, reflection, real-world context, personalized learning, and collaboration to enhance the learning experience during the preparation and submission of edTPA. The main objective is to determine if these innovations improve edTPA outcomes, such as final scores and pass/fail rates, and reduce candidates’ anxiety and work-family conflict. The study addresses two key research questions: (1) How does participation in the revised program impact edTPA performance, as measured by final scores and pass/fail rates? (2) What is the effect of the program on teacher candidates’ anxiety levels and work-family conflict? The research aligns with the UNC Charlotte Strategic Plan, aiming to provide targeted support to teacher candidates, particularly those from underrepresented groups, as they navigate licensure requirements. Using a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods design, the study will compare two groups of candidates, one following the traditional program (current edTPA Support Seminar approach) and another engaged in the revised experiential program. The research will also assess candidates’ anxiety levels and work-family conflict at three time points. Findings from this study will inform future program innovations and contribute to the broader field of teacher preparation.
Full Proposal: Evaluating the Impact of Experiential Education Innovations on edTPA Completion and Student Well-being
Enhancing Architectural Design Education: Integrating Generative AI and Jazz Music to Foster Cultural Diversity in Student Drawings
Kyle Spence
This project, “Enhancing Architectural Design Education: Integrating Generative AI and Jazz Music to Foster Cultural Diversity in Student Drawings,” aims to investigate the pedagogical innovation of integrating generative AI and jazz music into architectural design education. The primary objective is to enhance cultural diversity in student drawings by leveraging jazz music’s improvisational nature and AI’s creative potential. The intended outcomes of this project evaluate a new instructional approach that combines AI and jazz music to inspire diverse and culturally rich architectural designs. This approach is valuable to the university and the School of Architecture as it promotes inclusivity, creativity, and technological proficiency among students. By fostering a deeper understanding of cultural diversity through design, the project aligns with the university’s commitment to diversity and innovation in education. In achieving these goals, the project will involve a multi-phase design process where students interpret jazz music into architectural parti drawings, develop physical sketch models, and use AI to transform these sketches into detailed design renderings. Student design outcomes and data will be collected through self-reflection surveys in Canvas discussion portals. Comparisons will be made between student work before and after the AI-generated process, and a phenomenological approach will be used to analyze the qualitative self-evaluation surveys. This innovative framework bridges art and technology, tradition and innovation, offering a unique and forward-thinking approach to architectural education. The project aims to democratize the design process and empower students to create spaces that reflect our diverse world by integrating generative AI and jazz music.Full Proposal: Enhancing Architectural Design Education: Integrating Generative AI and Jazz Music to Foster Cultural Diversity in Student Drawings