College of Education and Human Ecology
Richard Bruno,
Professor, Human Nutrition
Rachel Kopec, Assistant Professor, Department of Human SciencesRachel KopecThe Building Efficiency for a Sustainable Tomorrow (BEST) Center supports publicly-funded two and four-year colleges with programs in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R), controls, building automation, and energy/facilities management. Sponsored by Advanced Technological Education grants from the National Science Foundation, this national collaborative promotes state-of-the-art building technician education and dissemination of the latest research, technology, and industry collaborations in energy efficient buildings. This work involves creating a certification scheme and an assessment for a “technical level” of certification in High Performance Building Operations (HPBO), as well as providing a recommended passing score by performing a rigorous standard setting process. The assessment content will focus on the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to manage modern buildings that permit substantial cost savings and efficiencies (e.g., water/energy consumption, environmental quality, safety-health) when operated under the supervision of qualified professionals.
Dean Lillard, Professor, Consumer Sciences
Melissa Ross, Associate Director of Research Partnerships and Impacts, CETE
Lori Patton Davis, Professor, Department ChairDean Lillard, Professor, Consumer Sciences
Sarah Lang, Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family ScienceThe Virtual Laboratory School (VLS; www.virtuallabschool.org) was designed to be a dynamic professional development system that is responsive to emerging needs in military settings and reflect the rapidly increasing body of research that should inform the care and education of young children. The objective of this project is to continue the work of the VLS in providing innovative and cost-effective virtual professional development (PD) for child development program staff; offering a PD system grounded upon the effectiveness of reflective practice, tailored coaching to support staff members’ use of optimal practices, and evidence-based strategies to support adult learners. We will accomplish this objective by updating current VLS content in response to new research, as well as expert and user feedback, revising website and backend database code in response to user feedback and changes in industry standards, and developing and piloting new content in response to needs identified by project stakeholders. Implementation of the VLS PD system will be supported by providing regional training sessions for military-affiliated training and curriculum specialists, program managers, other child and youth program leaders and inspectors. Technical systems and in-person activities will be used to collect and utilize user and stakeholder feedback throughout the project. Details
David Julian, Program Director of Equity, Engagement and EvaluationHeading to Kindergarten is part of a national initiative designed to build partnerships between
Head Start and public schools. Experience suggests that such partnerships are a precursor to
building support for successful transitions to kindergarten. The objectives of the Heading to
Kindergarten project are three-fold: 1) promoting best practices to enhance collaboration
between early care and education programs, community partners and public schools; 2)
providing resources, professional development and technical assistance to support effective
collaborations and successful transitions to kindergarten; and 3) disseminating findings from
the pilot project to the field through a conference format.
Jackie von Spiegel, Program Manager, Dennis Learning CenterThis project aims to explore the process of seeking help through academic coaching as a first-generation graduate student. Research indicates that first-generation students, whose parents do not have a four-year college degree, are less likely to seek academic help when they need it and are more likely to have poorer outcomes as undergraduates. However, little is known about the first-generation students who continue their education in graduate school. This study will explore the process of academic help-seeking in first-generation graduate students using a constructivist grounded theory methodology to preserve the participants’ voices and acknowledge the diverse realities of the students in the study. Through semi-structured interviews, the project aims to uncover the experiences surrounding the decision to seek help through academic coaching. The findings of this research project will provide new insights for learning center staff on ways to better support graduate students, as well as adding to the understanding of help-seeking attitudes and behaviors in this student population.
