U of A Faculty, Staff, Students Present Research at National Association Meeting

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University of Arkansas faculty and staff members, from left, Vicki Dieffenderfer, Shelly Walters and Kenda Grover are pictured with Ralph Brockett, professor of adult education at the University of Tennessee, second from right.

University of Arkansas faculty and staff members and graduate students took part recently in the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education annual conference in Memphis.

Several gave research presentations while others helped with the conference through their positions in the association leadership.

Kenda Grover, assistant professor of adult and lifelong learning, and Vicki Dieffenderfer, clinical assistant professor of human resource and workforce development, were co-chairs of Connection Central at the conference. Connection Central is the unit responsible for providing attendees with, among other things, information about time and location of sessions, instructions on using media to stay informed about changes and announcements, information about the local area, and ideas for how attendees can engage more fully in the conference. Grover is also part of the association's Awards Committee.

Kevin Roessger, assistant professor of adult and lifelong learning, finished his term on the executive committee of the Commission of Professors of Adult Education at the conference.

Presenters and their topics from the U of A:

• Shelly Walters, associate director of Global Campus for instructional design and support services; Michael Miller, professor of higher education and dean of the College of Education and Health Professions; and Grover, "Cooperative Extension: Agents for Social Change"
• Miller, Kit Kacirek, associate professor of adult and lifelong learning; and David Tolliver, a student in the public policy doctoral program, "Getting To and Through College: African-American Adult Men Talk about Increasing Underrepresented Student Participation"
• Roessger, "Harnessing the Self-Reference Effect for Improved Content Recall and Recognition in Concept Mapping"
• Miller, "The Intersection of Community Expectations and Critical Theory"
• Stacy Kimbrough, a doctoral student in adult and lifelong learning, "Have You Eaten? Student Perspectives on Food Security and Implications for Higher Education Leadership"
• Raja Kumar, a doctoral student in adult and lifelong learning, and Kimbrough, "How Adult ESL Teachers Perceive Second Language Acquisition Factors Among Newly Arrived Immigrants"