Program Evaluation and Research Center (PERC) of the

College of Education and Human Services at West Virginia University

2012 – 2013 Annual Activity Report

Reagan Curtis, Ph.D., Director

Lucas Moore, Ed.D, Research Assistant Professor

Zornitsa Georgieva, Graduate Student Researcher

Sera Matthew, Graduate Student Researcher

Tyler Saenz, Graduate Student Researcher

Megan Smith, Graduate Student Researcher

Brandi Slider Weekley, Graduate Student Researcher

PERC officially launched July 1st, 2011 and this is an incredibly exciting time as we continue to

establish relationships, structures, and operational procedures to position PERC as an important

resource and voice for West Virginia and the region. The report that follows is a description of

PERC’s activity June 2012 through May 2013. You will find our outstanding faculty affiliates

and graduate student researchers have implemented funded projects, contributed to extramural

funding applications, and provided evaluation and research service across the college, university,

and state of West Virginia. We are continuing to build a strong PERC organizational community

through our newsletter, website, and meetings of current and potential faculty affiliates. We will

continue to stimulate research activity through evaluation and research consultation, writing of

evaluation sections of extramural grant applications, and through seed grants to faculty affiliates

and doctoral students. In this report, we describe a clear and direct return on the college’s initial

investment and provide a powerful argument for continued investment as PERC moves forward.

Table of Contents

PERC 2012-2013 by the Numbers .................................................................................................. 3

PERC Activity Overview ................................................................................................................ 4

WVU 2020 Goal 1: Engage undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in a

challenging academic environment. ............................................................................................ 5

WVU 2020 Goal 2: Excel in research, creativity and innovation. .............................................. 5

WVU 2020 Goal 3: Foster diversity and an inclusive culture. ................................................... 5

WVU 2020 Goal 4: Advance international activity and global engagement. ............................. 5

WVU 2020 Goal 5: Enhance well-being and quality of life for people of West Virginia. ......... 5

PERC Community Building, Outreach, and Communication ........................................................ 6

Table 1: Faculty affiliates and departmental affiliation ........................................................... 6

PERC Project Implementation ........................................................................................................ 8

Projects funded this year. ............................................................................................................ 8

PERC Funding Proposal Activity ................................................................................................. 10

Proposals under review. ............................................................................................................ 10

Proposals submitted for review but not funded. ........................................................................ 10

Proposals currently in active development................................................................................ 10

PERC Conference Presentations and Manuscripts ....................................................................... 11

Conference Presentations. ......................................................................................................... 11

Accepted Manuscripts. .............................................................................................................. 12

Manuscript Preparation. ............................................................................................................ 12

PERC Resources and Inputs ......................................................................................................... 13

Facilities and Administrative Costs Return (F&A). .................................................................. 13

Budgeted Items from Funded Projects. ..................................................................................... 13

Return on CEHS Dean’s Office Investment. ............................................................................ 13

PERC 2012-2013 by the Numbers

This PERC by the Numbers listing provides a glimpse of return on investment and potential for

growth leveraged from a $40,867/year initial investment made by the CEHS Dean’s Office for a

2 year (so far) pilot of PERC.

$53 million NIH plus matching funds for Clinical Translational Research

o $1.3 million over 5 years through PERC for evaluation

$3.1 million unfunded grants submitted to NSF, DOE, and Benedum Foundation

$41,000 grants funded by The Education Alliance

$2914 in F&A returned to CEHS

5 funding proposals currently in active development with near term submission dates

5 manuscripts in progress based on PERC projects

1 panel presentation, 2 paper presentations, 1 poster presentation from PERC projects at

academic conferences

$6,000 in PERC faculty seed grants awarded

o 2 publications and 1 grant proposal based on previous seed grants

29 PERC Faculty Affiliates part of our organizational community and 16 of those

actively involved in completed or ongoing projects

4 Graduate Student Researchers funded (3 externally) and fully engaged this year, 1

additional graduate student engaged with PERC for course/program credit

1 Research Assistant Professor externally funded on PERC project

2nd

Annual Issue of PERC Newsletter distributed in hard copy and online

1 PERC Community Gathering with about 20 attendees (faculty affiliates, potential

faculty affiliates, and graduate students)

1 PERC Website maintained

Program Evaluation and Research Center (PERC) of the

College of Education and Human Services at West Virginia University

2012-2013 Annual Activity Report

PERC Activity Overview

PERC brings together expertise in program evaluation, research design, data analysis, and

dissemination of findings to support the implementation and evaluation of education-related

endeavors throughout West Virginia. We conduct research and evaluation to inform the work of

practitioners and policymakers concerning the efficacy of existing programs and the needs of

specific populations for improvement of educational and social outcomes. We work with

educationally-oriented nonprofit and governmental organizations to support their missions, often

collaboratively pursuing external funding from sources such as the National Science Foundation,

the National Institutes of Health, and Departments of Education, as well as private foundations

and nonprofit organizations.

PERC’s work fits directly within the stated mission goals of the College of Education and

Human Services (CEHS) at WVU. Through work with graduate students PERC offers hands-on

experience in all stages of the research process, from idea generation through final report

production and dissemination in a collaborative atmosphere. This clearly aligns with Goal 1 of

the CEHS mission, to “offer sound and accessible pre-professional and professional preparation”

for students. Many PERC activities align with Goal 2 of the CEHS mission statement, to

“provide scholarly contributions, leadership, and service at state, national, and international

levels”. Work on applied education research completed in-state offers a local contribution while

evaluation on the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute grant helps position

WVU as a participant in national health research, particularly as a new collaborator in the

Appalachian Translational Research Network. Further, one faculty seed grant distributed by

PERC supported research on averted school shootings; a clear national concern. In nearly all

endeavors PERC contributes to Goal 3 of the CEHS mission statement, to “contribute to the

instructional, intellectual, economic, social, and cultural diversity missions of the University”.

Through graduate student assistantships and mentoring, PERC offers the opportunity for

graduate students to collaborate with a variety of stakeholders in many different ways offering

intellectual, social, and cultural opportunities not available in typical assistantship positions.

Further, through pursuit of external funding PERC clearly contributes economic returns to

CEHS. In addition to these opportunities, the PERC faculty seed grants offer support for

continued intellectual and research pursuits of CEHS faculty members. All PERC activities are

pursued in a collaborative context with faculty and graduate research students working hand in

hand through the duration of the research process. As detailed in the next section, PERC

contributes not only to the mission of the CEHS but also to the larger mission of the University

as detailed in the 2020 Strategic Plan.

PERC is working hand in hand with the WVU 2020 strategic plan to move toward “national

research prominence” and to help improve the quality of life for all people of West Virginia. We

begin this report with a brief description how PERC activities align with the university’s

strategic plan. No attempt is made to provide a comprehensive description of PERC activities in

this section, but we believe this introduction will help readers understand the center’s mission

and goals as they relate to the larger institution.

WVU 2020 Goal 1: Engage undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in a

challenging academic environment. PERC graduate assistants work closely with faculty

affiliates, actively learning about research methods and working to develop their own academic

and research pathways. Funding for graduate assistants allows them to focus on full time

academic participation, and to be fully immersed in this process. Further expansion of PERC this

year has allowed for a total of four graduate students to be supported (three on 12-month

contracts). The graduate students working at PERC are engaging in real world research

experiences, helping them to learn about the process and the intricacies involved in the messiness

of actual research. These students also participate in multiple aspects of the grant writing process

from development through submission and implementation, giving them invaluable experience

in working with a variety of extramural funding agencies. As future leaders and faculty

members, these experiences contribute immensely to a valuable skill set.

WVU 2020 Goal 2: Excel in research, creativity and innovation. PERC fulfills an

interdisciplinary role in working with multiple colleges across the university including the Statler

College, Health Science Center, Eberly College, and CEHS, as well as with external groups.

Multidisciplinary collaboration is the future of academic research and the direction several

federal funding agencies are overtly emphasizing for successful awards. We work to bring

diverse interdisciplinary partners together in collaborative research teams to pursue funding

opportunities and implement funded projects when awarded. The ongoing evaluation and

communication in these relationships foster collegiality and broadened experiences for everyone

involved.

WVU 2020 Goal 3: Foster diversity and an inclusive culture. PERC has multiple

projects in process and in the works that focus on recruitment, skill development, and success for

students from the PK-20+ spectrum. At-risk and underrepresented groups are key participants in

these projects, opening doors for students who may otherwise be excluded or left behind.

WVU 2020 Goal 4: Advance international activity and global engagement. A

previously funded project the PERC evaluated in year 1 gave STEM teachers from rural

Appalachian schools opportunities to experience and develop innovative teaching tools. Teachers

travelled to the United Kingdom to learn about diverse schools and varied teaching strategies.

We are currently working to disseminate findings regarding how this project impacted teachers’

cultural competence and the aspects of international experiences in schooling that teachers focus

on in reflection for their own teaching practices.

WVU 2020 Goal 5: Enhance the well-being and quality of life for the people of West

Virginia. PERC has multiple ongoing projects that have the intentional focus to help improve

the quality of life of state residents. Targeting at risk students for academic and social support,

increasing students’ opportunities for exposure to engineering and science careers, promoting

teacher training and development, and working with the HSC to reduce health disparities are

immediate and literal translations of Goal 5 into action. The depth and breadth of these projects

allow multiple opportunities for the expertise and ability of PERC members to be meaningfully

shared with West Virginians.

The remainder of this report includes narrative description of PERC activities organized around

four broad areas: 1) Community Building, Outreach, and Communication, 2) Project

Implementation, 3) Funding Proposal Activity, 4) Conference Presentations and Manuscripts,

and 5) Resources and Inputs. Each of these sections describes PERC resources, activities, and

outputs. Substantial additional documentation is available upon request as appropriate (e.g.,

external funding proposals, annual evaluation reports, conference presentations, manuscripts).

Taken together, these sections describe a clear and direct return on the college’s initial

investment and provide a powerful argument for continued investment as PERC moves forward.

PERC Community Building, Outreach, and Communication

PERC has had exciting new growth during our second year. Lucas Moore, Ed.D. has joined us as

a Research Assistant Professor leading the evaluation of the WVCTSI project. Additionally, we

have four full time graduate research assistants and one Ph.D. student collaborating with PERC

on her own research projects. With these additions, PERC has moved to a larger office space in

Allen Hall to provide the resources necessary for our continued work and growth. PERC also

continues to work with a growing group of engaged Faculty Affiliates. The role of Faculty

Affiliate entails being listed on the website (http://perc.cehs.wvu.edu/personnel) attending

occasional community building events, and being willing to entertain possible engagement with

specific projects as invited by the director of PERC. The director carefully considers the

appropriateness of specific projects for the expertise and research agenda of Faculty Affiliates

invited to engage in those projects.

Table 1: Faculty affiliates and departmental affiliation

Faculty Affiliate Department Faculty Affiliate Department

Ahern, Terence TLC Carver, Jeffrey C&I/L

Bernstein, Malayna C&I/L Hazi, Helen C&I/L

Bolyard, Johnna C&I/L Hayes, Sharon C&I/L

Breault, Rick C&I/L Leppma, Monica CRCCP

Cairns, Darran* Mech. & Aero. Eng. Markstrom, Carol TLC

Curtis, Reagan TLC Moilanen, Kristin TLC

Daniels, Jeff CRCCP Moorewood, Aimee C&I/L

Hartley, Melissa SPED Nardi, Anne TLC

Hursh, Daniel TLC Root, Amy TLC

Moore, Lucas PERC, WVCTSI Rye, Jim C&I/L

Olthouse, Jill SPED Shambaugh, Neal TLC

Schimmel, Christine CRCCP Troilo, Jessica TLC

Sieros, Kostatinos* Mech. & Aero. Eng. Walls, Richard JAN/TLC

Slocum, Audra C&I/L

Toth, Eva C&I/L

Warash, Bobbie TLC

Bold indicates those directly involved in implementing PERC projects.

*Faculty members in Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

Faculty Affiliates are listed in Table 1. Of these 29 faculty affiliates, the 16 whose names are

listed in bold font in the first column directly engaged in PERC supported projects during the

past year. PERC has increased the number of affiliates active in ongoing projects this year.

PERC has continued to pursue multiple routes to inform faculty and other interested parties

regarding our activities and to build community and awareness of the role PERC can play in the

college, university, and state. Our PERC website (http://perc.cehs.wvu.edu/personnel) was

launched over one year ago and has been continuously updated with current activities and

additional Faculty Affiliates. On December 10, 2012 we produced the 2nd Annual PERC

Newsletter that included brief interviews with key PERC personnel and details of our move to a

larger space to house our growing group. The newsletter also described our activities and their

connections to supporting new and ongoing research in CEHS. We held a PERC gathering

February 1, 2013 where we distributed hard copies of the newsletter. Around 20 faculty

affiliates, potential faculty affiliates, and graduate students attended to hear an overview of

PERC activity to date and the benefits to faculty affiliates and graduate students who engaged in

that work. The faculty affiliates who received PERC seed grants in 2012 presented on the

success and progress of their projects at the gathering.

PERC is excited about the success and rigor of faculty projects funded with the 2012 seed grants:

Jill Olthouse is the PI for a study titled, “Writing Talent and Technology: A Strengths-Based

Approach.” Talent development pedagogy focuses on identifying strengths and interests of all

students and shaping educational experiences to further these talents, with the assumption that

many deficits will be addressed in the course of developing talents. There were three 15-hour

summer workshops offered: persuasive, creative, and scientific (informational) writing, each

designed according to multiliteracies and talent development pedagogy. The findings from the

summer enrichment program were used to form an e-mentoring writing experience for students

in the SPED 670 course. In this experience, teachers in an online course offered writing feedback

and encouragement to a group of talented writers in the context of an online social writing site,

storybird.com. The following research questions were addressed in participatory action research

and using a form of phenomenological inquiry modified for use with children: 1) How can

technology best be used to support development of writing talent in children? 2) What personal

factors fuel the development of writing talent in children? Two publications have come out of

this work.

Olthouse, J. M. (in press). Gifted children’s relationships with writing. Journal for the Education

of the Gifted.

Miller, M. & Olthouse, J. M. (2013). Critical thinking in gifted children’s offline and online peer

feedback. Contemporary Educational Technology, 4(1), 66-80.

Dr. Olthouse continues this research and hopes to receive additional funding in the form of a

Spencer grant.

Jeff Daniels is the PI for a study called, “Analysis of Averted School Shooting Rampages”

Following the rampage school shootings of the 1990s, much research was directed toward school

shooters, with less attention given to averted shooting incidents. The exception, research by

Daniels and colleagues (2010), studied four such events in detail. The purpose of this research is

to study, on a larger scale, what school and law enforcement personnel did to foil attempts to

commit school shootings in the U.S. The population served by this research includes law

enforcement officers who work with schools (school resource officers) and educators. Data

include news accounts of each incident, police and school reports, and interviews with key law

enforcement and school personnel involved in foiling each plot. Activities to achieve goals and

objectives include both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data generated for this study.

Following analyses, deliverables such as conference presentations, peer-review publications, and

training materials for the target population of this research will be developed. The primary goals

of this research are to (1) discover the characteristics of averted school rampages in the U.S., and

(2) discover the important “trip wires” that led to each plot being interrupted, discovered, or

terminated. This work is ongoing and formed the basis of a preliminary proposal to the William

T. Grant Foundation.

For further information and project updates please visit our website.

PERC continues to build both community and research support infrastructure through small seed

grant awards to faculty affiliates. After the success of the two projects supported by the faculty

affiliate seed grants in 2012, PERC offered additional seed grants in 2013. A request for

proposals from faculty was structured so that those who proposed rigorous research likely to lead

to external funding connected to PERC’s mission and their own research agenda were most

competitive. Each proposal was evaluated by faculty members and graduate students. We

announced funding for two awards ($3,000 each). One award went to Jessica Troilo and Amy

Root from the Learning Sciences and Human Development Department, and another went to

Aimee Morewood from the Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies Department. Each

faculty member who received an award became a PERC faculty affiliate and will include PERC

in appropriate future external funding proposals and awards.

PERC Project Implementation

This section describes PERC activity on projects that were implemented this past year with

support from PERC personnel. These include 3 projects funded this past year.

Projects funded this year. The projects funded since PERC’s last report on May 2012

include three external grants. The Education Alliance, an education oriented nonprofit

organization based in Charleston, WV, provided external funding for one new and one continued

project: “AmeriCorps on the Frontline of School Success” ($20,000 total funds) and “West

Virginia eMentoring” ($21,000 total funds), respectively. These projects were funded under a

fixed price agreement model so that in addition to F&A return any unexpended funds revert to

PERC on project completion. Funding was also supplied to PERC for evaluation of the National

Institutes of Health-funded project, “The Clinical and Translational Research Award” ($53.1

million total funding over five years). Each of these funded projects is described in the remainder

of this section.

The Education Alliance has been awarded a 2012 AmeriCorps State Formula Grant ($190k for 1

year from the Corporation for National and Community Service) that is funding 25 AmeriCorps

Members to work as onsite mentors in schools across seven West Virginia counties. The mentors

worked with around 450 struggling students over the 2012-2013 school year. Mentors met

weekly with their mentees and participated in workshops focused on developing positive

attitudes toward school and learning, problem solving, social skills, note taking, and time

management. PERC (PI: Reagan Curtis, Faculty Affiliate: Christine Schimmel, GSR: Brandi

Slider Weekley) identified reliable and valid measures to assess the quality of the mentoring

match and to assess students’ academic engagement from teacher and mentee perspectives.

PERC facilitated online and onsite data collection through face to face presentations, regular

conference calls, facilitation of a webinar to support AmeriCorps personnel in data gathering,

and deployment of web-based data collection instruments. PERC met regularly with The

Education Alliance personnel for formative and summative evaluation of the project. Final

products for the report include quarterly reports to the Corporation for National and Community

Service, as well as two formative and one summative report to The Education Alliance.

PERC (Reagan Curtis, GRA: Zornitsa Georgieva, Brandi Slider Weekley) continued work on

The Education Alliance eMentoring project which was implemented in 13 counties across West

Virginia and completed in Spring 2012. The program connected high school students with

mentors through an anonymous online system. Mentors worked through a 10 activity program

with mentees interacting asynchronously to help inform students of postsecondary education and

career options. PERC assembled an eight member panel of local and national eMentoring experts

and developed a questionnaire to facilitate their review of the curriculum used in the program.

The feedback from the expert reviews was compiled along with quantitative and qualitative

analyses of data collected from the online portal into a formative evaluation report. PERC’s

latest work on the project included the development of a summative report based on additional

quantitative project data from Smart Futures, a group that managed the online portal and

collected student level data for the project.

The Clinical Translation Research award from the National Institutes of Health ($19.6 million

across 5 years with $33.5 million matching funds) is the largest of our currently funded projects.

Dr. Christopher C. Colenda, Chancellor of the WVU Health Sciences Center, described this

project as “easily the most important and transformative undertaking by this institution after the

cancer center”. PERC’s director serves as assistant director in charge of the Tracking, Quality

Improvement, and Evaluation Core (TEQuIP). With direct lines to both CTSI Director Sundaram

and HSC Chancellor Colenda, TEQuIP is charged with formative and summative leadership

personnel evaluation and utilization of a logic modeling process to evaluate and facilitate

continuous quality improvement for all CTSI activity. Project funds for PERC also support a

full-time research assistant professor (Lucas Moore) and 2.5 graduate student researchers.

To date, PERC has worked with each of the WVCTSI core groups to develop logic models that

clearly articulate short through long-term goals and inform viable metrics for each core’s

respective responsibilities. There has been an effort from everyone involved to begin the project

with tracking and evaluation in mind, which allows for expedient formative and summative

evaluations. PERC has conducted the early phases of tracking and quality improvement through

survey creation, quarterly reports, and regular meetings with stakeholders within the WVCTSI.

As the program matures and the tracking/evaluation data increases in density, there will be much

more to come from TEQuIP.

PERC Funding Proposal Activity

PERC has been very active generating external funding proposals and evaluation sections

included in funding proposals generated by principal investigators in CEHS, the Statler College,

the Health Sciences Center, and The Education Alliance. At the conclusion of the period covered

by this report, we had 3 funding proposals under review ($2 million total requested). We

submitted 4 additional proposals ($1.1 million requested) that were not funded, and we are

developing 5 additional proposals with near term submission deadlines.

Proposals under review. There were three funding proposals under review that were

generated by PERC or with PERC writing the evaluation sections. None of these proposals was

subsequently funded.

“Family and Community Support for Postsecondary Learning Success” (Preliminary proposal

submitted to the US Department of Education Investing in Innovation(i3) fund). The research

and evaluation section were written by PERC in collaboration with faculty at Bluefield State

College and we are waiting to hear if a full proposal will be encouraged.

“WV Math Science Partnership: Engaging 8th, 9th, and 11th Grade Students in STEM through

Mathematized Design Based Learning for Societally Relevant Energy Modules” ($1.5 million

requested from NSF for 3 years). In collaboration with the Statler College and three WV school

districts, a substantial portion of the WV Math Science Partnership project would run through

PERC with the director and a faculty affiliate as co-investigators on that project.

“WVU Scholarship Program in Energy and the Environment” ($500k requested from NSF for 3

years). PERC serves as evaluator of this collaborative project with the Statler College if funded.

Proposals submitted for review but not funded. PERC contributed to or wrote 4

submitted proposals that were not funded. These proposals included the “Research Experience

for Teachers: Sustainable Energy and Transportation” proposal to the National Science

Foundation ($500,000 requested over 3 years), “School Counselors Need Assessment Survey

Project” to the West Virginia Department of Education ($9k per year ongoing), “Transforming

Undergraduate Education in STEM” submitted to NSF ($500k requested over 3 years) and The

Education Alliance Policy Center Proposal to the Benedum Foundation ($100k requested over 2

years).

Proposals currently in active development. PERC remains extremely active

generating external funding applications. At the end of the period covered by this report we had

5 proposals in development that will be submitted in the near term.

PERC is collaborating with the Eberly College to develop and submit by December 3, 2013 a

National Science Foundation STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) proposal. This is an

institutional infrastructure and capacity building mechanism focused on increasing retention and

graduation rates in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, geology, mathematics, and physics at

WVU. PERC serves as the internal evaluation entity for the project, providing participatory

program theory based formative and summative evaluation in a logic modeling framework.

PERC is providing evaluation design and implementation on a Department of Defense funding

proposal to be submitted June 10, 2013 by PI Jeffrey Daniels (CRCCP Dept. Chair) entitled,

“Captive Takers’ Motives, Cognitions, and Strategies: An assessment of Convicted Kidnappers”

PERC faculty affiliates across LSHD and C&I/LS departments are developing a proposal to

study the impact of teacher training and inservice teaching in the Benedum Collaborative on

student learning and achievement. We anticipate submitting this proposal to private educational

foundations for funding.

PERC is providing evaluation design and implementation if funded on a National Science

Foundation Research Experience for Teachers proposal with a PI in engineering at WVU Tech.

PERC is providing evaluation design and implementation if funded on a second National Science

Foundation Research Experience for Teachers proposal with a PI in the Statler College.

PERC Conference Presentations and Manuscripts

After very successful first and second years, PERC has now completed multiple projects and is

developing them for conference presentations and manuscript submissions. PERC has had 1

poster presentation, 2 paper presentations, and 1 paper presented as a panel at 3 conferences in

2012-2013. Additionally PERC has multiple projects in the manuscript preparation phase for

submission to scholarly journals.

Conference Presentations. PERC (Malayna Bernstein, Brandi Slider Weekley,

Zornitsa Georgieva, Reagan Curtis, Audra Slocum, Pat Kusimo) presented Narratives of Action

and Resilience: Documenting Stories of Appalachian Adolescents as a panel at the Appalachian

Studies Association Conference (ASA) in Boone, NC in February, 2013. The panel presentation

included discussion of the data analysis and results from narrative interviews with six students

who participated in The Education Alliance’s Walk the Talk program.

PERC (Brandi Slider Weekley, Malayna Bernstein, Zornitsa Georgieva, Reagan Curtis, Audra

Slocum, Pat Kusimo) also presented work from the Education Alliance’s Walk the Talk program

as a paper, Narratives of Resilience: Documenting Stories of Appalachian Adolescents, at the

annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in San Francisco in

April 2013.

PERC (Reagan Curtis, Zornitsa Georgieva, Darran Cairns, David Solley) presented a poster,

Research Experience for Teachers (RET) in Energy and the Environment: Differential Impact on

Science and Mathematics Teachers and Implications for Increased Integration and Teaming, at

the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in San Francisco in April

2013. The poster detailed work completed on the Research Experience for Teachers project.

PERC (Zornitsa Georgieva, Reagan Curtis, David Solley, Darran Cairns) presented a paper,

Impact of Research Experience for Teachers with International and Societally Relevant

Components, at the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and

Exposition in Atlanta, GA in June 2013. This paper detailed the experiences of teachers and their

cross-cultural learning in the Research Experience for Teachers project as they travelled to

Birmingham, UK to learn from teachers and scientists about Problem-Based Learning.

Accepted Manuscripts. In addition to two publications supported by PERC Faculty

Seed Grants, PERC collaborated on one manuscript that was accepted for publication based on

the Engineers of Tomorrow project, which was implemented the previous year.

Pyzdrowski, L.J., Sun, L., Curtis, R., Miller, D., Winn, G., & Hensel, R. (2013). Readiness and

attitudes as indicators for success college calculus. International Journal of Science and

Mathematics Education, 11(3), 529-554.

Manuscript Preparation. PERC is currently working on preparing multiple

manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Feedback from the ASA panel

presentation and AERA paper presentation of The Education Alliance Walk the Talk Program

will be incorporated into a manuscript detailing the narratives of the six students interviewed.

The paper will focus on students’ narratives of challenges and strengths that have impacted their

journey toward high school graduation and the implication of these stories for work with

adolescents who are perceived as at-risk.

PERC is also developing Quality Ratings of Family Child Care across West Virginia and Quality

Rating and Improvement for West Virginia Child Care as manuscripts for journal submission.

Each of these articles will stem from work completed on a West Virginia Department of Health

and Human Resources/Bureau of Children and Families grant. The project examined early

childhood care in West Virginia and provided an overview of current practices and offered

improvement plans for existing child care centers based on data collected.

Work from the Research Experience for Teachers collaborative project with the Statler College

of Engineering and Mineral Resources is being developed into a manuscript, RET—Impacts on

Cultural Awareness by PERC. The manuscript focuses on highlighting an international

experience of in-service teachers and how this impacted their cultural awareness and perception

of pedagogy and learning.

Another manuscript in preparation, Rural Student Voices: Assessing Student Needs to Improve

the School Counseling Program, is the continuation of PERC’s collaboration with the CEHS

Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, and Counseling Psychology. Results from

an online survey given to local high school students have been analyzed to help school

counselors better understand the needs of their students. PERC will detail these results and the

implications for using the online survey as a tool to inform school counseling practices.

Student voice will be researched and reported on in relation to the Heath Sciences Technology

Academy program. HSTA, Through Student Voice is a descriptive and preliminary study using

qualitative methods to understand the strengths of the HSTA program as told by the student

participants.

PERC Resources and Inputs

The activity described in this report was supported with resources from three primary revenue

streams: Facilities and Administrative Costs Return (F&A), Budgeted Items from Funded

Projects, and CEHS Dean’s Office Investment. As PERC moves ahead, we expect the need for

CEHS Dean’s Office Investment to decrease.

Facilities and Administrative Costs Return (F&A). For projects that are externally

funded, a certain percentage (26% if off-campus, 48% if on-campus unless limited by funder) is

added to direct costs to cover facilities and administrative overhead. Those funds are divided

among WVU, CEHS, and PERC for components of the project that are associated with PERC’s

departmental affiliation number. This return occurs at the time the expense is actually paid out.

As reported in the previous annual report, the first quarter of 2012 was the first time PERC

received F&A return with $994 return to CEHS from PERC activity. Since that time, an

additional $2914 in F&A has been returned to CEHS from PERC activity. This does not include

F&A due to us from the Health Science Center Clinical Translational Research award as those

funds must be transferred through separate processes and will be reported on a subsequent annual

report. As currently funded projects continue to expend funds and as additional proposals for

external funding are awarded, increases in F&A return are a key indicator of our growth.

Budgeted Items from Funded Projects. Another important revenue stream is the

budgets of funded projects. These most often cover faculty affiliate and graduate student

researcher time to complete project specific tasks, but may cover other expenses depending on

the project. Each of the projects funded this year and described above are examples of this

revenue stream. To the degree that graduate research assistants funded initially by CEHS Dean’s

Office revenue are engaged in completing these project specific tasks, these funds replace those

provided by the college. Additionally, several of our projects are funded under a mechanism

called a “fixed price agreement”. Under this mechanism, any funds remaining in the budget once

deliverables are completed are retained by PERC and become part of our central operating

budget. Finally, the Health Sciences CTR award allowed us to hire and support a full-time

research assistant professor and 2.5 12-month graduate research assistants.

Return on CEHS Dean’s Office Investment. All of the activity described in this

report should be considered growth leveraged from a $40,867/year initial investment made by

the CEHS Dean’s Office. That initial investment, along with financial and marketing support

from Dean’s Office personnel and resources from funded projects we have acquired, has been

translated into what we consider phenomenal productivity for our first two years of existence.