Browsing by Author "Hills, Melissa"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Faculty perspectives on UDL: exploring bridges and barriers for broader adoption in higher education
    (2022) Hills, Melissa; Overend, Alissa; Hildebrandt, Shawn
    Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies aim to reduce learning barriers in the classroom for all students and remove the need for students with disabilities to advocate on their own behalf. Leadership in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning has a role to play in advancing inclusive learning cultures in higher education. At the frontline of higher education delivery, faculty are best positioned to implement UDL practices. Initiatives to encourage broader implementation of UDL require an understanding of the barriers and opportunities in higher education. Published studies that investigate faculty understanding and implementation of UDL have been almost exclusively conducted in US institutions. Our study enriches the existing literature through a mixed methods approach withinterviews and a faculty survey in a Canadian context. Themes revealed in our interviews were reinforced by survey findings. Many of the issues raised by faculty, including time and resource constraints, a lack of institutional support, and a lack of understanding are consistent with previous research done in the US, highlighting the systemic challenges for UDL implementation in higher education. To conclude, we explore the limits of a strictly bottom-up approach and contend, in line with recent studies, that top-down initiatives are also vital to encouraging broader implementation of UDL practices.
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    First and second year survival of invasive garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) in Edmonton
    (2016) Kuczmarski, Paige; Hills, Melissa
    Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), a highly invasive biennial plant species, was first discovered in Alberta in 2010. It is present in two urban ravines in Edmonton and one in St. Albert. Introduced from Europe, this invasive species can be found in 37 US states and 7 Canadian provinces. This species rapidly invades forest ecosystems by dominating native vegetation. Garlic mustard is a threat to Edmonton’s River Valley due to its highly interconnected nature and the many native flora and fauna that inhabit this area. Understanding the population dynamics of an invasive species is critical to making informed management decisions. Previous research on the population dynamics of garlic mustard in other regions has reported high mortality in the first year and low second year mortality. The goal of our project was to assess garlic mustard mortality in its first and second year of growth within Edmonton’s central parkland subregion. To assess first year mortality fifteen 0.5 m2 quadrats were established in spring and monitored with biweekly counts over the first growing season in 2014 and 2015. To assess second year mortality fifteen 0.5 m2 quadrats were established in fall and then relocated in spring and monitored with biweekly counts over the second growing season in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. Overall, first year mortality was 27% in 2014 and 2015 and second year mortality was 31% and 47%, respectively. This research will contribute to a broader understanding of the population dynamics of this species and may inform management decisions.
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    Identifying the nuclear localization signal of the Arabidopsis thaliana MADS box transcription factor Flowering Locus C
    (2021) Wiseman, Brittany; Hills, Melissa
    The goal of this project is to design a research strategy to identify the Nuclear Localization Signal (NLS) of the Arabidopsis thaliana MADS box transcription factor Flowering Locus C (FLC), and to make plant transformation components that are necessary for the creation of controls for this objective. An NLS is required for the nuclear localization of nuclear proteins, and though previous work on Arabidopsis has established conserved structural-functional domains within FLC, the NLS has not yet been characterized. To complete the objectives of this project, primers were designed and used to modify FLC to be compatible with the GreenGate cloning system. FLC was cloned, sequenced, and glycerol stocks were created and stored. Future projects will use this FLC to create an FLC:GFP fusion to serve as a control where protein localization is expressed in the nucleus. Electrocompetent Agrobacterium tumefaciens were made and a pGFPGUSPLUS plasmid was introduced. Glycerol stocks were stored to be used in Agrobacterium mediated transformation in the future, which will establish another control line of Arabidopsis expressing GFP proteins that are not nuclearly localized. Finally, a literature review was completed to explore the existing understanding of NLS structure in general and in MADS box transcription factor proteins, to propose mutations that might disrupt the NLS sequence within FLC. This work aims to fill a knowledge gap in regards to the mechanism of nuclear localization of FLC and will ultimately contribute to our understanding of nuclear localization in plants and MADS box proteins in general.
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    Replacing power with flexible structure: implementing flexible deadlines to improve student learning experiences
    (2022) Hills, Melissa; Peacock, Kim
    Traditional course deadline policies uphold the myth of the “normal” student, assuming students face few and equal barriers to completing work on time. In contrast, flexible deadline policies acknowledge that students face unequal barriers and seek to mitigate them. Flexible deadline policies maintain structure while transferring some decision-making power from the instructor into the hands of the student. These practices align with current pedagogical movements in higher education that seek to empower all students to meet learning goals. This study explores student perspectives on, and use of, proactive extensions built into a recent university course. We compare extension use in low-stake, high-stake, individual, and team assignments; observe how extension use changed over the term; and examine student self-reported responses about the policy. Students unanimously agreed that the proactive extension policy was valuable to their learning. They reported that the proactive extensions enabled them to improve the quality of their work and to better manage their academic workloads, acting as self-regulated learners. They also frequently described reduced stress as a benefit. Extensions generally appeared to be used as needed rather than encouraging procrastination. Students also identified that the need to request extensions in other courses was a barrier. The instructor of this course also benefitted from implementing this policy. Faculty should consider implementing flexible deadline policies to improve student learning experiences and to contribute to a more equitable and inclusive learning environment.
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    Research techniques in molecular biology
    (2014) Harcombe, Kimberley; Hills, Melissa
    Extended abstract describing a new laboratory course at MacEwan University in the biological sciences discipline.
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    Universal design at MacEwan
    (2020) Hildebrandt, Shawn; Hills, Melissa; Overend, Alissa
    This executive summary reports on highlights and thematic takeaways from interviews conducted at MacEwan University over July and August of 2019 on the subject of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL differs from the system of accommodation for students with disabilities as it exists now. In the system of accommodation, supports like alternative textbook formats and time and a half for exam writing are given to a particular student in order to support them in the learning environment. Whereas in UDL, the learning environment itself is changed to fit all students, and all of the learning supports that exist as accommodation are extended to everyone’s access if they need it. And so the accommodation system is a part of UDL, is included within it, but does not map on to it entirely. We interviewed 9 people who work in an administrative capacity at MacEwan in a variety of roles relevant to the discussion of student learning. Some of the participants also work as faculty in a teaching capacity or have worked as faculty during some part of their careers. The main theme arising from the interviews is the lack of an overarching, institutionally-guided UDL framework at MacEwan. Conditioned from the main theme, arose the following subthemes: the inconsistent understanding of UDL amongst both faculty and staff; the attitudes of students with existing accommodations as a barrier to UDL; the ambiguity of what UDL means for mental health issues; and the necessity of UDL “champions” to promote UDL.
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    Using anticipated learning outcomes for backward design of a molecular cell biology course-based undergraduate research experience
    (2020) Hills, Melissa; Harcombe, Kimberley; Bernstein, Nina
    Anticipated learning outcomes (LOs) were defined and used for the backward design of a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE). These LOs reflect the inquiry-based nature of CUREs and capture key knowledge and skills inherent to scientific practice and essential in research. The LOs were used to plan a formative and summative assessment strategy to support and evaluate student achievement. A research question was identified that aligned with the learning goals of the course, provided an opportunity for discovery and iteration, and introduced a variety of molecular, cellular, and biochemical techniques. The course is offered to students in the final year of their degree and delivered over a 12-week period with two 3-hr labs each week. These LOs, and the rigorous assessment strategy used to support them, could be adapted to different projects. Likewise, the laboratory exercises are presented as a series of modules highlighting opportunities for adaptation to a variety of schedules.