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Melody Bowdon
Melody Bowdon, Ph.D. is Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Central Florida. In the more than 20 years since she joined the UCF English Department as an Assistant Professor, Dr. Bowdon has served in several university leadership roles, including Interim Vice Provost of the Division of Teaching and Learning, Interim Dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Vice Provost of Student Learning and Academic Success, Associate Dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies, Executive Director of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, director of SACSCOC decennial reaffirmation of accreditation, and director of various graduate programs. She has served on a wide range of committees, mentored numerous colleagues, and has provided leadership on state and national levels, particularly in the arenas of student civic engagement and faculty professional development. She has published numerous books and articles about innovative pedagogies and institutional leadership. Her current interdisciplinary research areas include virtual reality pedagogy in the college classroom and inclusive models for learning space design, while her disciplinary scholarship focuses on professional communication in the government and nonprofit sectors.
Phone: 407-823-6234
Phone: 407-823-6234
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Books by Melody Bowdon
_Reviews various pedagogical theories that inform flipped classroom practice and provides a brief history from its inception in K–12 to its implementation in higher education.
_Offers well-developed and instructive case studies chronicling the implementation of flipped strategies across a broad spectrum of academic disciplines, physical environments, and student populations.
_Provides insights and suggestions to instructors in higher education for the implementation of flipped strategies in their own courses by offering reflections on learning outcomes and student success in flipped classrooms compared with those employing more traditional models and by describing relevant technologies.
_Discusses observations and analyses of student perceptions of flipping the classroom as well as student practices and behaviors particular to flipped classroom models.
_Illuminates several research models and approaches for use and modification by teacher-scholars interested in building on this research on their own campuses.
The evidence presented on the flipped classroom methodology by its supporters and detractors at all levels has thus far been almost entirely anecdotal or otherwise unreliable. Best Practices for Flipping the College Classroom is the first book to provide faculty members nuanced qualitative and quantitative evidence that both supports and challenges the value of flipping the college classroom.
Papers by Melody Bowdon
Plante, Jarrad, Melody Bowdon, Amanda Main, and Lauren M. Lemon. “Service-Learning Outcomes in Florida Higher Education: An Analysis of Predictors.” Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. Forthcoming.
The application of mathematics is an essential skillset for students in undergraduate health administration degree programs. Health administration majors are required to take courses that utilize mathematical concepts. Math anxiety, however, can be a barrier for many students within the field. Math anxiety is a feeling of apprehension regarding math-related assignments, assessments, and tests. Prior research has shown that math anxiety is prevalent among college
students and is often associated with diminished academic performance on math-related assessments. The sample for this study consisted of 244 health administration undergraduate majors from a large public university. The tool used to measure math anxiety and math self-efficacy is the Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Questionnaire (MSEAQ), which has been validated for use in the post-secondary student population. Descriptive statistics were computed to describe the characteristics of students who participated in the survey. Multivariate linear regression models were estimated to determine associations between student characteristics and the outcome variables of MSEAQ total score, math-anxiety score, and math self-efficacy score. Students who chose to take fully online math-related health administration courses were more likely to report lower levels of math anxiety and higher levels of math self-efficacy than those who chose to take in-person math-related health administration courses. No differences were found between gender, race, or other student demographic characteristics. Additionally, students who switched into the health administration major tended to be from math and science intensive majors. Implications for faculty and advisors in health administration programs are discussed.
Service-learning has emerged over the past 40 or so years as a staple of higher education pedagogy within many disciplines. In that time, scholars and practitioners alike have claimed that the model provides a wide range of benefits to students, communities, and institutions. Consistent among these claims is that participating in service-learning helps students to develop empathy for their fellow human beings (e.g. Bringle and Hatcher 1996). By learning about and sometimes sharing in the experiences and challenges of people served by various nonprofits and other service-learning site organizations, the argument generally goes, students will experience deeper learning that will apply beyond the immediate course context. In a 2012 article, Judy C. Wilson summarizes much of the research on service-learning and empathy and explores the ways in which the combined factors influence learning. Wilson specifically calls for much more research on the topic, including studies that explore what kinds of experiences promote empathy in students, but also that ask “what contributes to students’ decisions to participate (or not participate) in SL” (216). This article answers that call by asking questions about what factors cause students to select their service-learning sites and what role empathy for those served might play in those selections.
_Reviews various pedagogical theories that inform flipped classroom practice and provides a brief history from its inception in K–12 to its implementation in higher education.
_Offers well-developed and instructive case studies chronicling the implementation of flipped strategies across a broad spectrum of academic disciplines, physical environments, and student populations.
_Provides insights and suggestions to instructors in higher education for the implementation of flipped strategies in their own courses by offering reflections on learning outcomes and student success in flipped classrooms compared with those employing more traditional models and by describing relevant technologies.
_Discusses observations and analyses of student perceptions of flipping the classroom as well as student practices and behaviors particular to flipped classroom models.
_Illuminates several research models and approaches for use and modification by teacher-scholars interested in building on this research on their own campuses.
The evidence presented on the flipped classroom methodology by its supporters and detractors at all levels has thus far been almost entirely anecdotal or otherwise unreliable. Best Practices for Flipping the College Classroom is the first book to provide faculty members nuanced qualitative and quantitative evidence that both supports and challenges the value of flipping the college classroom.
Plante, Jarrad, Melody Bowdon, Amanda Main, and Lauren M. Lemon. “Service-Learning Outcomes in Florida Higher Education: An Analysis of Predictors.” Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. Forthcoming.
The application of mathematics is an essential skillset for students in undergraduate health administration degree programs. Health administration majors are required to take courses that utilize mathematical concepts. Math anxiety, however, can be a barrier for many students within the field. Math anxiety is a feeling of apprehension regarding math-related assignments, assessments, and tests. Prior research has shown that math anxiety is prevalent among college
students and is often associated with diminished academic performance on math-related assessments. The sample for this study consisted of 244 health administration undergraduate majors from a large public university. The tool used to measure math anxiety and math self-efficacy is the Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Questionnaire (MSEAQ), which has been validated for use in the post-secondary student population. Descriptive statistics were computed to describe the characteristics of students who participated in the survey. Multivariate linear regression models were estimated to determine associations between student characteristics and the outcome variables of MSEAQ total score, math-anxiety score, and math self-efficacy score. Students who chose to take fully online math-related health administration courses were more likely to report lower levels of math anxiety and higher levels of math self-efficacy than those who chose to take in-person math-related health administration courses. No differences were found between gender, race, or other student demographic characteristics. Additionally, students who switched into the health administration major tended to be from math and science intensive majors. Implications for faculty and advisors in health administration programs are discussed.
Service-learning has emerged over the past 40 or so years as a staple of higher education pedagogy within many disciplines. In that time, scholars and practitioners alike have claimed that the model provides a wide range of benefits to students, communities, and institutions. Consistent among these claims is that participating in service-learning helps students to develop empathy for their fellow human beings (e.g. Bringle and Hatcher 1996). By learning about and sometimes sharing in the experiences and challenges of people served by various nonprofits and other service-learning site organizations, the argument generally goes, students will experience deeper learning that will apply beyond the immediate course context. In a 2012 article, Judy C. Wilson summarizes much of the research on service-learning and empathy and explores the ways in which the combined factors influence learning. Wilson specifically calls for much more research on the topic, including studies that explore what kinds of experiences promote empathy in students, but also that ask “what contributes to students’ decisions to participate (or not participate) in SL” (216). This article answers that call by asking questions about what factors cause students to select their service-learning sites and what role empathy for those served might play in those selections.