Education Eclipse

A phlebotomist is about to stick a needle in your arm. They’re going to draw blood. And you hate needles. And the site of blood. Some people tell you, it’s no big deal. But you know better! Well, now, you don’t necessarily need to feel the anxiety you normally do when seeing the doctor, or, in this example, get blood drawn. Why? Virtual Reality. Don McMahon, an assistant professor of special education at Washington State University’s College of Education, as well as the director of a virtual and augmented reality lab on the Pullman campus, has a new technique. It was discovered because of a trip to the doctor’s office with his daughter. Virtual reality can actually help reduce anxiety among healthcare patients! The integration of this was obvious and Don explains how a local hospital saw it and has implemented it.

The Washington State University College of Education has a rich history of involvement with the Educational Testing Service, based in Princeton, NJ. We’ve had alumni work there, current students intern there, faculty members chair different groups or committees there. Our ties usually come   from the college’s Educational Psychology program. After all, it makes sense: these are individuals who are experts in psychometrics, measurement and evaluation, and much more. All things that would attract the attention of ETS and satisfy that organization’s needs. However, Chioma Ezeh bucks that trend. She’s a doctoral students in Language, Literacy, and Technology, not Ed Psych, and she just completed a two-month internship with ETS. We sat down with Chioma and talked about how ETS actually looks for other unique perspectives such as hers, plus, what it was like to be across the country doing this work with her family in tow.

Drs. Sola Adesope and A.G. Rud have compiled a new book called Contemporary Technologies in Education, a book that contains articles from educational technology leaders from around the country. The book aims to maximize student engagement, motivation, and learning… just what we need right now. We sat down this summer with both faculty members to talk about the positive expected results from this book.

When an individual has been an educator for almost 50 years, has been a superintendent in six different school districts over three different states, you just listen. It’s the season premiere of Education Eclipse’s FIFTH season, and we were able to sit down with Herb Berg. What a delight it was to get to know him, talk about his career path, and have him impart some of the wisdom he learned. Yes, he dined with presidents, no joke. But, perhaps even more importantly, he talks about the educational system of today, what it means to be a leader within that system, and breaking the mold of being able to predetermine what a child’s academic achievements will be simply because of the zip code in which they live. Plus, he so graciously credits much of his career success to Washington State University and the College of Education.

Anne Marie Guerrettaz is trying to figure something out: in Spanish foreign language classrooms, are the teaching or instructional materials helping or hindering students who are learning to speak Spanish? With the help of some recent recognition and grants, she plans to find an answer, along with potential solutions if things aren’t quite up to … Continue reading "065 Textbook problems with learning Spanish, literally"

Negative body image has been associated with low self-esteem, eating disorders, and mental illness. Many young people, including young girls, are dissatisfied with their bodies, even at an early age, and this has been shown to continue and worsen over time. As part of Washington State University’s Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, Sport … Continue reading "064 Mindfulness and Body Image through Yoga"

Just over a year ago, WSU quarterback Tyler Hilinski passed away and the Hilinski’s Hope foundation began. Focusing on mental health awareness in student athletics, Hilinski’s Hope is continuing to make a difference. We caught up with Kym Hilinski to learn more about the recent progress of the foundation and the importance of Hilinski’s Hope … Continue reading "063 Better support of student-athlete mental health (Hilinski’s Hope)"

Roughly 45 percent of school children in Washington state are designated as people “of color.” But there’s only about 10 percent diversity among teachers and school administrators. This isn’t a new problem. And universities are certainly not just now working on solutions. But thanks to being the first recipient of the George Brain and Gay … Continue reading "062 Increasing teachers and leaders of color"

If you’ve ever watched the movie Moneyball, or read the book off of which it was based, you’ll know that the narrative goes something like this: everything we thought we knew about the game of baseball might be, at worst, just dead wrong, or, if we’re lucky, a little off. Either way, we’re wrong. The … Continue reading "061 Budding Moneyballers take on Phoenix"

Individuals with Cerebral Palsy suffer from all kinds of effects such as issues with muscle tone, posture, bone growth, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and so on. At Washington State University’s Bruya-Wood Undergraduate Research Conference, we spoke to Justin Harrer and Morgan Davis, two kinesiology students within the College of Education, about things that can be … Continue reading "060 Aquatic Intervention for those with Cerebral Palsy"

There’s a life-changing program at Washington State University. It’s called ROAR. It’s designed for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities and it gives them a traditional, on-campus experience. It’s also a first in Washington state. The initial class consists of four stellar students, and one of the best things about ROAR, is that it not … Continue reading "059 WSU ROAR and its ever-present impact"

Over the last few years, researchers and scholars within Washington State University’s kinesiology programs have touted the benefits of exercise, both informally, and as part of the Exercise as Medicine initiative. At this year’s Bruya-Wood Undergraduate Research Conference, we caught up with student Jessica Krull, who goes into more detail about how exercise can actually … Continue reading "058 Exercise aids fighting depression"

There are currently three main treatment options for Parkinson’s disease, though the downside to them include harsh side effects, invasiveness, and high cost. We caught up with kinesiology student Collette Edge at the Bruya-Wood Undergraduate Research Conference, and she told us about one other treatment option: high-amplitude action-observation (HAOO) group fitness and how it can … Continue reading "057 Exercise to improve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease"

WSU College of Education professor Joy Egbert has received a Fulbright Specialist Award and in March will spend three weeks in Macedonia. It’s not the first time Joy has traveled abroad for Fulbright. Many years ago, she traveled to Russia. Since that time came more experience and more wisdom; an outlook that Joy recognizes will … Continue reading "056 A Fulbright to Macedonia and #AgentOfChange"

There are principals, and then there are principals-of-the-year principals. Valencia Toomer is the award-winning type! She’s a College of Education alumna, and we’re excited that she recently was honored in North Carolina for her excellence. We talk to her about the award, and how at the root of everything, she’s an agent of change by … Continue reading "055 Agents of Change: Valencia Toomer"

At Washington State University, one aspect of the Drive to 25 initiative is to increase enrollment of international students. To achieve this, WSU became one of 11 universities in the United States to partner with INTO. INTO is a private organization that partners with universities to connect potential students with opportunities in higher education. Chad … Continue reading "054 INTO Higher Education"

Most educational experts agree that quality teaching is the single most important factor in improving educational outcomes for students. Improving that instruction then is perhaps the number one thing K-12 leaders can do, from Superintendent on down. Kristin Huggins, an associate professor of Educational Leadership WSU Vancouver, has always been interested in the field of … Continue reading "053 Leadership Development for Instructional Improvement"

In rural Washington, there is a shortage in both the number and diversity of students who enter biomedical careers. Thanks to two Washington State University professors, and a 1.2 million dollar federal grant, the HEAL project aims to solve this issue. HEAL stands for Health Education through Arts-based Learning. The two faculty members, Molly Kelton … Continue reading "052 HEAL project grant"

Heidi Rhodes is the first graduate of Washington State University’s Mathematics and Science Education doctoral program. Rhodes has completed this program from WSU Vancouver and talks about the highs and lows of earning her Ph.D., as well as shares her research about middle school principals and their perceptions about math.

A number of students who have been accepted to Washington State University (WSU) are underprepared to enter into a required mathematics course mandated by their selected area of study. In response to this issue, WSU created a course, Mathematics 100, to strengthen students’ basic math skills. Further analysis found that certain modifications to the online … Continue reading "050 The Online Developmental Math Course"