RSS 1.0University of Alaska Anchorage
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Measuring Progress toward Urban Sustainability: Do Global Measures Work for Arctic Cities?The International Organization for Standardization recently responded to a growing global interest in cities by developing an index for measuring urban sustainability (ISO 37120). We address how well this standard applies to Arctic cities, and potential modifications that might improve its performance. After briefly discussing the goals of sustainability indicators, we examine the extent to which Arctic cities’ remote location, cold and changing climate, and thin, largely resource-based economies may create different sustainability challenges. We then critically examine the content of ISO 37120 and the context in which it was created. We place the index within a broader discussion of urban sustainability indicators and examine the extent to which it really addresses sustainability. We then analyze how well the ISO 37120 accounts for the characteristic features of Arctic cities that produce unique sustainability challenges. Our findings show that only half of ISO 37120′s 128 indicators actually measure future-oriented concerns. We suggest that, while the ISO 37120 may be a useful starting point in quantifying Arctic urban sustainability, the index should only be used as a foundation for a more in-depth analysis. To better represent Arctic cities, the ISO 37120 would need to include indicators that situate cities within their regional contexts, addressing both remoteness and the underlying basis of the Arctic city economy. The index should also measure the role of Indigenous populations, and chart the extent to which cities are working to increase levels of sustainability.
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Mediating Students’ Fixation with Grades in an Inquiry-Based Undergraduate Biology CourseThe paper analyzes focus group data to explore student perceptions of an inquiry-based undergraduate biology course. Though the course was designed to mimic the scientific process by incorporating uncertainty, peer review, and self-reflection, students came to class focused on getting As and with a developed schema for didactic instruction and passive learning. They perceived the autonomy and self-directedness of the learning experience as a threat to their grades, and responded with strategies that protected their grades and ego, but were deleterious to learning. Students could identify merits of the inquiry-based approach; however, they made clear: they prioritized grades, and were unwilling to trust an unfamiliar pedagogy if they perceived it jeopardized their grades. In the framework of self-regulated learning, the discussion considers how to scaffold students to foreground learning over achievement.
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The Effect of a Paired Lab on Course Completion and Grades in Nonmajors Introductory BiologyThis paper explores the effect of a paired lab course on students’ course outcomes in nonmajors introductory biology at the University of Alaska Anchorage. We compare course completion and final grades for 10,793 students (3736 who simultaneously enrolled in the lab and 7057 who did not). Unconditionally, students who self-select into the lab are more likely to complete the course and to earn a higher grade than students who do not. However, when we condition on observable course, academic, and demographic characteristics, we find much of this difference in student performance outcomes is attributable to selection bias, rather than an effect of the lab itself. The data and discussion challenge the misconception that labs serve as recitations for lecture content, noting that the learning objectives of science labs should be more clearly articulated and assessed independent of lecture course outcomes. This paper explores the effect of a paired lab course on students’ course outcomes in introductory biology for nonmajors at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), a large, open-enrollment, 4-year university. We compare outcomes for 10,793 students, 3736 who simultaneously enrolled in the lab and 7057 who did not, and analyze the degree to which they select into the lab on observable characteristics to explore the following research questions: 1. Are students who take a paired lab more likely to complete the lecture component (i.e., receive a final grade as opposed to withdrawing or receiving an Incomplete)? 2. Are students who take a paired lab more likely to receive a higher grade in the lecture component? 3. Does the laboratory experience differently affect course outcomes for students in specific demographic subgroups (e.g., gender, race, high school urbanicity, age, prior academic performance, and socioeconomic status)?
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Young Adult Perceptions of Patient-Provider Interactions in Primary CareThe patient-provider relationship may significantly impact a variety of health-related factors, ranging from the experience of chronic pain. (Jonsdottir, Oskarsson, & Jonsdottir, 2016) to overall healthcare outcomes (Beach, Keruly, & Moore, 2006). Patient demographics and previous medical history can influence patient perceptions of providers (Marchland, Palis, & Oviedo-Jones, 2016; Dennison et al., 2019), with previous studies exploring differences in the patient experience as a function of race, ethnicity, gender, location, socioeconomic status, and experience of chronic pain. However, few studies have assessed the interaction of multiple demographic and medical factors with patient perceptions of their interactions with providers. This study evaluated whether young adult patients’ demographic, medical, and gender-related factors were associated with perceptions of their most recent Primary Care Provider (PCP) interaction. Participants were surveyed regarding their medical history, experience of chronic pain, patient trust in physicians, patient-provider depth of relationship, quality of interactions with their PCP, and view the overall healthcare experience. Results indicate that women and participants with chronic pain disorders, mental health disorders, and sexual health disorders reported lower levels of satisfaction with interactions with providers. Moreover, inconsistency between quantitative ratings of recent PCP relationship quality and open-ended qualitative responses indicate a potential lingering effect of prior poor provider interactions on participants’ perceptions of health care providers.
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Who Benefits from an Oil Boom? Evidence from a Unique Alaskan Data SetOil booms have been shown to increase local employment and wages. But these effects reflect the aggregated experience of residents, commuters, and recent migrants alike. This paper takes advantage of a unique data set that identifies a rich set of labor market outcomes by place of residence, rather than by place of work. Exploiting this feature of the data, we examine the effect of a major oil boom on employment and wage outcomes in the North Slope Borough of Alaska. This analysis is juxtaposed with a more conventional one that uses place-of-work data collected from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Using the Synthetic Control Method, we find that the oil boom of the late 2000s significantly increased non-residential employment. While the boom caused residential employment to shift from the public to the private sector, total residential employment was unaffected. There is weak evidence that residential wages increased in response to the boom. These results are important as drilling decisions are often negotiated locally by interest groups that might be less concerned with general equilibrium effects.
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Author and UAA Professor E. J. R. David.E. J. R. David is Associate Professor of Psychology at UAA and Director of the Alaska Native Community Advancement in Psychology (ANCAP) program. He earned his Bachelor's degree in psychology from UAA and his Master of Arts and doctoral degrees in clinical-community psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In the new book, We Have Not Stopped Trembling Yet, Letters to My Filipino-Athabascan Family, E. J. R. David shares intimate letters written to his Fili-Baskan (Koyukon Athabascan and Filipino) family. In these letters, he addresses the need to nurture connectedness, strength, freedom, and love, in order to heal the injuries endured from historical and contemporary trauma and oppression.
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University Reporter, Vol. 6, Issue 4.University of Alaska Anchorage, 1979-05-02
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University Reporter, Vol. 6, Issue 3.University of Alaska Anchorage, 1979-03-06
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University Reporter, Vol. 6, Issue 1.University of Alaska Anchorage, 1979-01-30
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University Reporter, Vol. 6, Issue 2.University of Alaska Anchorage, 1979-02-13
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University Reporter, Vol. 5, Issue 3.University of Alaska Anchorage, 1978-10-31
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University Reporter, Vol. 5, Issue 2.University of Alaska Anchorage, 1978-10-17
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University Reporter, Vol. 5, Issue 1University of Alaska Anchorage, 1978-10-03
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University Reporter, Vol. 5, Issue 5.University of Alaska Anchorage, 1978-11-28
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University Reporter, Vol. 5, Issue 4.University of Alaska Anchorage, 1978-11-14
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University Reporter, Vol. 4, Issue 4.University of Alaska Anchorage, 1978-03-14
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Digital Access and Preservation PolicyThe Digital Access and Preservation Policy is to provide guidance and authorization on the preservation of digital materials at the UAA/APU Archives and Special Collections. Digital materials at the UAA/APU Archives and Special Collections are in a variety of formats. The Archives has in its holdings digitized photographs, either for preservation purposes or reference, born digital content, digitized copies of audio, video, and film, as well as photographs taken of materials not usually kept within the collections, i.e. awards and plaques. The Digital Access and Preservation Policy (DAPP) will outline, in further detail, the different types of digital content within our holdings, how each should be treated, and how each should be saved.
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University Reporter, Vol. 4, Issue 1.University of Alaska Anchorage, 1978-01-31
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University Reporter, Vol. 4, Issue 3.University of Alaska Anchorage, 1978-02-28
