Each month, Capital University takes immense pride in showcasing the remarkable accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students. These achievements, ranging from groundbreaking research and innovative projects to significant contributions in various fields, reflect the vibrant intellectual community and commitment to excellence that define our institution. Join us in applauding these milestones and the individuals who are not only advancing their respective disciplines but also shaping the future of our university and community.
Congratulations to Dr. Leigh Johnson (mathematics) and Dr. Tracey Murray (chemistry) who presented Effective Teamwork and Communication: Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) in the Statistics Classroom at the United States Conference on Teaching Statistics (USCOTS). Johnson said that she and Dr. Murray “enjoyed sharing this student-centered, group-learning instructional strategy, that has been so effective for Capital University students, with other statistics educators from across the country.”
Kudos to Dr. Katie Gorman-Ezell (social work), Dr. Renda Ross (social work), and Professor Debbie Fournier (social work) who presented Creating a Culture of Care in the Classroom and Beyond at the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) Annual Program Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Gorman-Ezell relayed that classroom environments need to foster a culture of care to ensure that students feel comfortable having engaging conversations about difficult and sometimes uncomfortable topics.
At the 60th Annual Missouri Valley Economic Association Conference, Kansas City, Missouri, Dr. Suleman Abdiah (business and economics) presented Explaining High US Inflation During Uncertainty. This work was co-authored by Dr. Gabriel Pino Saldias from Diego Portales University, Santiago, Chile. Using the Quantile regression approach, the results showed that unemployment, risk-free interest rate, and money supply growth rate are important factors explaining the high US inflation one month and one year ahead, especially during crisis periods. Well done!
Dr. Judson Murray (religion) presented two invited plenary lectures at Christ College, Valparaiso University: Early Confucian Ethics and Moral Philosophy in the West and Meanings of Death: Perspective from the West and Ancient China. Murray said that he appreciated being able to work with honors students and faculty at Valparaiso University. Kudos to Dr. Murray!
Congratulations to Dr. Judson Murray (religion) who presented A Case Study of Contemplative Pedagogy: Approaches, Concerns, and Successes at the 2023 Northeast Conference on Chinese Thought at Brown University.
Kudos to Dr. Jennifer Larson (biology) who presented The CURE Assessment Landscape from the Instructor’s Point of View: Knowledge and Skills Assessments are Highly Valued Support Tools for CURE Adoption at the conference Frontiers in Education. This was a research project done in collaboration with faculty from four other institutions. The research group surveyed faculty who have implemented a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) to find out the motivation behind using assessments. They found that instructors implementing formal assessments for their CUREs overwhelmingly prefer use of knowledge and skills-based assessments over attitudinal CURE assessment instruments. The reasons noted by the faculty highlight the value of standardized CURE assessment instruments for examining student learning gains and showing the value of CUREs to departments and administrators.
Congratulations to Joel Ashley (student success), Dr. Gail Zugger (music), and Dr. Keirsten Moore (business) who presented Reimagining Advising: Path from Faculty Advising toward Holistic Student Success Advising at the 2023 NACADA Annual Conference. According to Moore, “The work presented opportunities for internal and external review of the progress of our Student Success and Advising structure and processes at Capital University and allowed us to share our progress and insights with other institutions.”
Congratulations to Saurav Roychoudhury (business) who published Innovation and Governance in the Journal of Economics and Finance. This work was co-authored with Anuj Bhowmik from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India and Srobonti Chattopadhyay from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, India. Roychoudhury said that innovation is crucial for economic growth and improved living standards. The study uses a career concern model to show that corporate governance and market competition influence managerial decisions on innovation. Strong governance encourages innovation, especially in less competitive industries.