Karl Kunkel implemented an innovative teaching technique in his Crime, Class, Race and Justice course during the Spring 2007 Semester.  He converted all material previously presented as in-class lecture to digital voice-over slideshow presentations and provided this material to students via a CD-ROM.  Students were assigned to watch specific presentations before particular class sessions.  By removing lecture, class sessions entirely were used for various interactive exercises reinforcing and applying course content.  Kunkel received a Teaching Enhancement Fund grant from the American Sociological Association to conduct focus group assessment of this teaching and learning technique.  Data from this study revealed various successes and areas for improvement, which will be implemented in Spring 2008.  He published a paper from this project in the Journal of Interactive Instruction Development and submitted articles for possible publication to the Journal of Criminal Justice Education and Teaching Sociology.  In addition, Kunkel discussed this project during presentations at the 2007 Midwest Sociological Society meetings, the August 2007 Missouri State Showcase on Teaching, and will present additional aspects of this project at the upcoming Midwest Sociological Society meetings in March 2008.

Center for Social Sciences and Public Policy Research Summary

 The Center for Social Sciences and Public Policy Research (CSSPPR)is the social research center for the College of Humanities and Public Affairs (CHPA), specializing in survey and evaluation research. Dr. Gary Brinker has been the Director of CSSPPR since 2002 and is the principal investigator for all research projects. CSSPPR completes its research projects utilizing undergraduate students working in applied sociology internships and as permanent paid staff researchers. CSSPPR receives some financial support from CHPA, but maintains its operations largely through sponsored research projects contracted with local and statewide organizations. CSSPPR boasts a seven-station calling center with a state-of-the-art computer-assisted telephone interviewing system. The calling center was recently remodeled with soundproofing panels and new computers, greatly enhancing the telephone survey work environment. CSSPPR completed seven sponsored research projects in 2007, bringing in over $29,000.00 in external funding to the College. These funds are used primarily to pay generous wages to student employees and maintain CSSPPR facilities:

• March 2007- completed a study for the Missouri Partnership on Smoking, a public service organization with the goal of reducing the negative impact of tobacco use on public health.
• March 2007- completed an evaluation of a federally funded grant obtained by the Southwest Missouri Office on Aging to develop a services directory for area senior citizens.
• June/July 2007- conducted an evaluation of the Research Experience for Undergraduates in Mathematics program.
• Summer 2007- completed a three-year evaluation of the Teaching American History Grant Program. ,
• March/ August 2007- conducted pre/post telephone surveys of Springfield residents for the James River Basin Partnership to assess the effectiveness of a media campaign to increase awareness of recycling and environmental pollution.
• August 2007- conducted a statewide survey for the Education Round Table, a group of prominent educators who work to enhance public education in Missouri.
• September 2008- contracted with the Office of Institutional Research to conduct a survey of 500 students who were eligible to return to Missouri State, but did not subsequently register.

 

 Faculty Recieve Internal Fellowships and Grants for Projects

 These faculty members were awarded Summer Faculty Fellowships for research

• Aida Hass, “Faith Based Re-Entry: An Evaluative Study of an Innovative Practic.”
• Bill Meadows, “Archaeological Test Excavations to Distinguish and Date Kernak Culture Burned Rock and Shell Middens.”
• Liz Sobel, “Contact-Period Archaeology of the Lower Columbia River: Dissemination of Results."

These Faculty were awarded funds from the College of Humanities and Public Affairs Inventive Program.  Collectively, these projects from our faculty claimed $51,395 of the available $200,000:

• Bill Wedenoja, “Preserving the Historic and Cultural Heritage of Bluefields, Jamaica,” $6,000.

• Liz Sobel, “Introductory Training in Geographic Information Systems(GIS) for CHPA Faculty,” $3,300.
• Suzanne Walker-Pacheco and Linda Vaught (Physicians Assistant Program), “Diabetes and Obesity Prevention in Latino Children,” $5,995.
• Bill Meadows, “Publication of Kiowa Military Societies: Ethnohistory and Ritual,” $3,500.
• Pat Gartin, “Developing a Missouri Crime Victimization Survey,” $10,000.
• Gary Brinker, “Undergraduate Experience Presenting Research at a Regional Conference,” $1,000.
• Ivy Yarckow-Brown and Aida Hass, “Sending Sigma Mu Sigma to Cincinnati for Student Success,” $7,140.
• Brett Garland, “Prisoner Reentry in Southwestern Missouri: Examining Perspectives of Ex-Prisoners, Agency Representatives, and the General Public,” $9,960.
• Bill Meadows, Neil Lopinot (Center for Archeological Research), Dustin Thompson (Center for Archeological Research), and Chris Barnhart (Biology), “Archaeological Testing and Analysis of Type I and II Karnak Culture Sites,” $4,500.

Also, Suzanne Walker-Pacheco and Liz Sobel received a Missouri State University Curricular Development Grant for $7,269 to fund, "Development of Archaeology and Bioanthropology Teaching Lab."