Keys and Berkland give presentation based on their research

Jennifer Keys, North Central College associate professor of sociology and chair of sociology, anthropology and political science, and Mara Berkland, associate professor and chair of speech communication, gave a presentation based on their joint research at a community event on North Central’s campus March 16.

Their presentation, titled “Putting a Robe on ‘The Naked Roommate’: Thinking Critically about College Survival Guides,” was presented at a workshop titled “What I Wish I Had Known Before Going to College” and hosted by the Naperville area branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). The workshop was designed for college-bound high school and junior high school girls in the Naperville area and featured a keynote speaker, student panel and various sessions.

The presentation by Keys and Berkland was part of their ongoing research about the transition to college. For this phase of the study, they conducted a content analysis of 10 first-year survival guides and argue that the guides have problematic socializing messages for incoming students.

In addition, the editor for The Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, a peer-reviewed journal published at Miami University, invited Keys and Berkland to submit their article after they presented their findings at the Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching and Learning in fall 2012. To assist with their research, the two have utilized and collaborated with North Central College student research assistants.

Keys joined North Central’s faculty in 2003. She earned a B.A. from Ohio University and a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Albany.

Berkland has been a member of North Central’s faculty since 2003. She received a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College, an M.A. from the University of Denver and a Ph.D. from the University of Utah.