I received a faculty development grant in Fall 2007, to assist with clerical work related to a research project I planned to conduct into aspects of student socio-cognitive makeup, its impact on teaching methodology, and vice-versa.

The grant funds helped me conduct IRB approved survey research by affording part-time clerical support to score and enter survey data at three stages within the academic year.  The results of this study will be incorporated into a paper, titled “Teaching the Whole Student:  Perceived Academic Control in College Art Instruction.  While data is still emerging, a working draft outlining an introduction to the topic of perceived academic control, the basis for study, and background on this area of learning theory is well underway.  When complete, the paper will be submitted for possible publication to the peer reviewed journal, Studies in Art Education.

The following is excerpted from the paper’s Abstract:

While college art instructors, like faculty throughout higher education, struggle to respond to a changing student population, educational psychologists tell us how important it is to focus on students' cognitive-affective makeup and related developmental characteristics in addition to course content.  With today's changing student peer characteristics drawing so much attention, perhaps now more than ever attribution theory—specifically, perceived academic control—can serve to raise instructor empathy for under-prepared and/or non-responsive students, and lead to more effective teaching methodology.  Understanding the importance of students' perceived academic control orientations and incorporating that insight into the classroom through attributional retraining can help college art instructors convert their frustrations into powerful new tools for supporting student success.

The Faculty Development grant helped me fulfill this complex social research at Otis, and thereby contributed to my professional advancement, and the furthering of this work that I hope will help students over time. 

- Randall Lavender, Professor and Associate Chair, Foundation