Proposal Form for FY16 Student Tech Fee Competitive Process (Oxford)

Transcription

1 Proposal Form for FY16 Student Tech Fee Competitive Process (Oxford) Instructions Complete one form for each project. Any faculty member, staff member or student may submit a proposal. Proposals are due by March 6, Projects with an academic focus should be ed to the Dean of the project lead's division. Projects with a student life focus should be ed to techfee@miamioh.edu. Full criteria, guidelines and timetable can be found at: Project lead s name Geralyn Timler: timlergr@miamioh.edu Telephone: Affiliation (Student, CAS, FSB, CEC, CEHS, CCA, LIB, Other): CAS Faculty/staff sponsor (required for student-submitted proposals): Not applicable Other project team members: Not applicable 1. Project title: Let s Talk: Integration of Language Analysis Software in the Speech Pathology Curriculum 2. Brief description of project: The goal of this project is to provide access to language sample analysis software and accompanying textbook, on-line modules, and case studies to undergraduates in SPA 223, Child Language Development and SPA 426, Language Disorders and graduate students in SPA 631, School-age Language Disorders. The implementation of the software, titled SALT: Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts and accompanying support materials including the on-line modules and case studies, will provide students with real world examples of using functional data to make informed decisions about children s language learning abilities. 3. Does this project focus on graduate student education or graduate student life? _X_Yes _No If yes, please explain: The project will benefit both undergraduate and graduate students in speech pathology & audiology who will have the opportunity to learn and apply the analysis techniques provided within the software package. 4. Describe the problem you are attempting to solve and your approach for solving that problem. An important procedure in the speech and language assessment of preschoolers, school-age children, and adolescents is the collection of a conversation or story-telling sample. These samples, often

2 referred to as language samples, are transcribed and then analyzed to examine multiple aspects of an individual s linguistic development. For example, symptoms of a language disorder include reduced sentence length, the presence of grammatical errors, and poor turn-taking skills. These symptoms are often documented through the collection and analysis of language samples. Our undergraduate and graduate speech pathology students currently learn to do various language sample analyses by hand, that is, they transcribe a sample and then scan each sentence to complete the analyses. While these by hand analyses do promote student understanding of the various analysis procedures, the tediousness of these analyses reduces student enthusiasm for this important clinical assessment tool. Moreover, the by hand analysis does not allow students to compare the child s language sample performance with the performance of other children systematically. Currently, after students complete the analyses, they need to peruse multiple tables in various texts to make judgments about a child s skills. In real world practice settings, speechlanguage pathologists utilize referent databases available in the SALT software (i.e., this database contains samples of thousands of children completing similar conversation and story-telling tasks). The software user merely clicks on a desired analysis and the child s performance is immediately compared to other children in the referent database. As such, the proposed project will allow Miami students to use state of the art clinical procedures to make data-based decisions about a child s language sample performance. Rather than spending extended amounts of class and homework time completing line by line analyses, the students will be able to spend more time viewing results of various analyses and critically evaluating the performance of the individual child to develop hypotheses about the child s language learning abilities and to formulate intervention plans. Thus, the learner goals for the language sampling units in various classes shift from procedural learning to critical evaluation of the data. 5. The criteria state that technology fee projects should benefit students in innovative and/or significant ways. How would you describe the innovation and/or the significance of your project? Innovation: The project advances use of software technology in the speech pathology curriculum. Computer analysis of language samples is state of the art and thus, undergraduate and graduate students in our program will have the latest training for language sample analysis techniques and interpretation. Materials that accompany the SALT software purchase include unlimited access to on-line training modules and case study examples. The project will facilitate students critical thinking skills in both coursework and in the Miami s Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, whereby

3 students will be able to use the analysis software to inform their intervention plans with pediatric patients who come to the clinic for speech and language therapy (provided by the students under direct supervision by Miami faculty). Significance: This project will impact 100% of speech pathology undergraduate and graduate students as the three courses where the SALT software will be distributed to students and implemented within the course activities are required for all majors in the department. 6. How will you assess the project? Examples: Identify one or more expected project outcomes that indicate project progress and completion. How will you assess the value to students? Measures of enhanced student learning or usage are highly desired. These items should be chosen to facilitate independent evaluation of project completion and value to students. Students complete language sample analysis assignments in SPA 223, SPA 426, and SPA 631. The outcomes of these assignments currently focus on the accuracy of basic analyses. If the proposed project is funded, students will spend less time on completing basic analyses and more time on the critical evaluation, interpretation, and application of the results of the analyses. In other words, the new outcomes for language sample analyses will focus on student evaluation of multiple analyses, student comparison of the results with the available referent database provided within the software, and student development of assessment and treatment plans that align with their interpretation of the results. 7. Have you applied for and/or received Tech Fee awards in past years? If funded, what results did you achieve? Did you submit a final report? This is my first application for a Tech Fee award. 8. What happens to the project in year 2 and beyond? Will there be any ongoing costs such as software or hardware maintenance, supplies, staffing, etc? How these will be funded? This project will serve as a pilot for the implementation of language analysis software in the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Although I am the main child language faculty member in the department, I am not the only faculty member assigned to teach these courses. I will work with the assigned instructors for these courses to help them implement this software and collaborate with these instructors to evaluate the effectiveness of using the software across the three courses (SPA 223, SPA 426, and SPA 631). I currently use the research version of this software in my lab so am familiar with the software and have the skills to assist faculty with this curricular enhancement. If this pilot is successful, that is, both successful implementation and improved performance in the interpretation

4 of language samples is documented, we will ask future students to purchase the software and accompanying materials or the costs of these materials will be incorporated within a course lab fee. The site instructional site license is a one-time only fee (see budget) and can be used indefinitely. 9. Attach any other supporting information regarding this request. Examples: Letters of support from the department chair(s) if curriculum is being changed or from the Space Utilization Group or Classroom Enhancement Council, if your proposal includes requesting changes in rooms or other spaces. The Department Chair of Speech Pathology & Audiology, Dr. Susan Baker Brehm, has read and approved this proposal. Detailed Budget Include all items requested for this project: Item Category Item Requested Number Unit Cost Total Cost Requested Software SALT 2012 Instructional Site License Vendor: SALT Software LLC 7006 Hubbard Avenue Middleton, WI sales@saltsoftware.com Tollfree: Phone: Fax: SALT 2012 Student Software and Textbook Bundle plus 20% discount: , See attached quote Contractual Services/Installat ion Shipping / Maintenance Vendor will not charge for shipping 0.00 TOTAL REQUEST $10, Purchases made with Tech Fee funding are subject to all relevant University purchasing rules. When supplying information on equipment for purchase, note the web address for the desired vendor.

5 SALT Software, LLC Price Quote Q1437 Date: 3/4/2015 From: To: Ann Nockerts SALT Software, LLC Geralyn Timler Miami University Speech Pathology & Audiology 2 Bachelor Hall Oxford, OH Product Item Total Code Description Category Quantity Price Price SLT-TS12-SX SALT 2012 Student Textbook with Software DL Reseller 200 $65.00 $13, Subtotal Discount $13, ($2,600.00) Shipping Costs Sales Tax Total $0.00 $0.00 $10, Note: Pricing reflects a 20% volume discount and free shipping for the SALT Student software and textbook. For questions please contact us at: SALT Software, LLC 437 S. Yellowstone Dr., Ste 214 Madison, WI Taxpayer Id: Tollfree: SALT (7258) Phone: Fax: Web: sales@saltsoftware.com Terms: net 30 days, U.S. funds only This price quote is valid for 90 days.