By Doug Carroll
GCU News Bureau
Four presenters from business management, education, sociology and accounting spoke to a capacity crowd Thursday at the Williams Building lecture hall as part of the annual Research Colloquium, sponsored by the Grand Canyon University chapter of Delta Mu Delta, the business honor society.
Dr. Moronke Oke, associate professor of management for the Ken Blanchard College of Business, hosted the event in the absence of Dr. Kevin McClean, the college's interim dean. The colloquium gives presenters an opportunity to receive feedback on research that is either under consideration or fully under way.
Here's a recap of what was heard from the presenters:
DR. TIMOTHY DAHLSTROM
About him: Adjunct instructor in KBCOB. Holds Ph.D. in public administration and policy from Arizona State University. Currently oversees venture capital funds in the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Investments and Innovation.
Topics: "Inside the Business Plan Black Box: Contingencies and Processes" and "Entrepreneurial Skill Development, Expert Performance and SCORE"
Summary: Dahlstrom has studied SCORE, an organization of retired executives that assists entrepreneurs in developing a business plan. He has been examining the effectiveness of a business plan in a start-up and as a predictor of success.
Quote: "Generally, we plan and then we do. What we need to look at is planning and doing at the same time, a way of plan-implement-adjust."
JEFF MARTIN
About him: GCU doctoral learner who is a full-time online instructor for the College of Education. Experience as middle school and high school teacher and administrator.
Topic: "Identifying the Gap: The Trials of First-Year Teachers"
Summary: Martin is looking at classroom-management issues and how they impact teacher retention. He wants to identify strategies to improve retention of inexperienced teachers. An estimated 25 to 50 percent of K-12 teachers leave in the first five years over stress, salary, working conditions, school leadership and student behavior.
Quote: "My objective is to generate research I can take back to the College of Education to make first-year teachers more successful."
DR. TIMOTHY LARKIN
About him: Associate professor of sociology in GCU's College of Arts and Sciences. Has Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in the area of sociology of religion.
Topic: "Integration of Faith and Learning: Engaging the Literature"
Summary: Larkin is exploring "faith-praxis integration," defined as the attempt to live out one's faith commitment as authentically as possible in everyday life. Successful integration at the college level involves faculty competence and sound faculty-student relationships.
Quote: "When you come with a Christian worldview, you put a bit of a stake in the ground, and there can be a fuller exchange in the marketplace of ideas."
KELLY DAMRON
About her: Full-time accounting instructor at GCU who has M.B.A. from W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Currently pursuing Ph.D. in advanced accounting with North Central University.
Topic: "Using Games in Accounting Courses"
Summary: Damron has used games such as Monopoly and Jeopardy in class to engage students, reduce the intimidation of difficult material and apply concepts outside the textbook. Her students have said the games are effective in teaching accounting techniques. She is considering a full-scale research project.
Quote: "Accounting can be boring and intimidating and require its own language.... Maybe (this project) is a way to show that games can be used as a Classroom Assessment Technique."
Contact Doug Carroll at 639.8011 or [email protected].
