Digital Commons Network^™

A Unilateral Grading Contract To Improve Learning And Teaching, Peter Elbow

Peter Elbow

Contract grading has achieved some prominence in our field as a practice associated with critical pedagogy. In this context, we describe a hybrid grading contract where students earn a course grade of B based not on our evaluation of their writing quality but solely on their completion of the specified activities. The contract lists activities we’ve found most reliable in producing B-quality writing over fourteen weeks. Higher grades are awarded to students who produce exemplary portfolios. Thus we freely give students lots of evaluative feedback on their writing, but students can count on a course grade of B if they …

Dr. Skateboard’S Action Science: Teaching Physics In Context, William H. Robertson

William H. Robertson

Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science, a curriculum supplement which consists of video instruction and classroom activities is an example that focuses on the physical science concepts found in the areas of forces, motion, Newton’s Laws of Motion, and simple machines. The use of familiar activities, situations and objects, such as skateboarding and bicycle motocross (BMX), around which students can explore and explain scientific concepts can be defined as action science. Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science is an example of transformative education, a student-centered curriculum supplement built around interesting content linked to specific physic knowledge and skills in science. The videos and classroom …

Managing The Transition To Online Teaching: The Role Of Project Management Methodology In The Learning Organisation, Renata Phelps, Toni Ledgerwood, Liz Bartlett

Dr Renata Phelps

This paper examines the application of project management methodology to the development and delivery of online units within University environments. While project management is acknowledged as having advantages as a methodology in certain circumstances, it can be argued that it is culturally and ideologically inappropriate for managing academic development. Online development which occurs within an institution-wide context presents significant challenges in terms of cultural change and staff development. Furthermore it is argued that online units should not be viewed as a "product" - there is no beginning or end to the process of online unit development and the pedagogical and …

La Efectividad De Un Modelo Metodológico Mixto Para La Enseñanza-Aprendizaje De Español Como Le, Kerwin A. Livingstone, Anita A. Ferreira Cabrera

Kerwin A. Livingstone

El presente artículo propone proveer un modelo metodológico mixto para el desarrollo e implementación de un Módulo de Enseñanza para el español como lengua extranjera en la modalidad presencial. El objetivo principal es evidenciar cómo los principios metodológicos provenientes de los enfoques didácticos (“nfoque por tareas”y “prendizaje cooperativo” pueden ser aplicados de manera efectiva en el diseño de contextos presenciales. Para ello, se explora evidencia empírica acerca de la efectividad de la metodología mixta en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de español como lengua extranjera en dichos ambientes, en un estudio basado en un diseño experimental longitudinal con pre-est y post-est, sin grupo …

The Effect Of National Standard And Curriculum-Based Exams On Achievement, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] Two presidents, the National Governors Association and numerous blue ribbon panels have called for the development of state or national content standards for core subjects and examinations that assess the achievement of these standards. The Competitiveness Policy Council, for example, advocates that "external assessments be given to individual students at the secondary level and that the results should be a major but not exclusive factor qualifying for college and better jobs at better wages (1993, p. 30)." It is claimed that curriculum-based external exit exam systems (CBEEEs) based on world class content standards will improve teaching and learning of …

Vocational And Academic Education In High School: Complements Or Substitutes, Suk Kang, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] A number of blue ribbon-panels have called for increases in the number academic courses required for graduation from high school and for lengthening the school day and the school year. Most states have adopted the first of these recommendations but not the second. With the amount of time a student spends in school remaining constant, increases in the number of required academic courses force reductions elsewhere. Which activities should be reduced? Should the reduction be made in study halls, music and fine arts,physical education, and life skills courses or should it come in vocational education? The answer to this …

Exploring Social Studies Through Multicultural Literature: Legend Of The St. Ann’S Flood, Sara Winstead Fry

Sara Winstead Fry

The search for literature that is high quality, high interest, written at age-appropriate levels for adolescent readers, addresses social studies topics, and presents multicultural perspectives can be daunting. Legend of the St Ann’s Flood is a novel that meets all of these goals. Its setting in Trinidad and Tobago provides the opportunity for students to learn about a country and region that are frequently overlooked in social studies curriculum in the United States. This article provides historical and cultural background information about Trinidad and Tobago, an overview of the novel, and specific teaching suggestions that integrate reading and writing into …

Improving Medical Students’ Learning Outcomes: Teaching A Web-Assisted Elective Course For 4th Year Medical Students, Misa Mi, Marlene A. Porter, Jolene M. Miller, Jodi Jameson, Gerald R. Natal

Gerald R Natal

Since 1997, the Mulford Health Science Library at the University of Toledo Health Science Campus (formerly the Medical College of Ohio) has been offering a 3-credit-hour elective course for 4th year medical students. The goal of the course is to provide students with skill sets that are important for them to develop as current students and future health care practitioners.

The purpose of this poster is to demonstrate the process of redesigning the elective as a learner-centered course; and to evaluate the effectiveness of the course on students’ learning and learning outcomes.

Implementación De Un Modelo Metodológico Mixto Para La Enseñanza-Aprendizaje De Español Como Le, Kerwin A. Livingstone

Kerwin A. Livingstone

El presente estudio propone proveer un modelo metodológico mixto para el desarrollo e implementación de un Módulo de Enseñanza para el español como lengua extranjera en la modalidad presencial. El objetivo principal es evidenciar cómo los principios metodológicos provenientes de los enfoques didácticos (“enfoque por tareas” y “aprendizaje cooperativo”) pueden ser aplicados de manera efectiva en el diseño de contextos presenciales. Para ello, se explora evidencia empírica acerca de la efectividad de la metodología mixta en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de español como lengua extranjera en dichos ambientes, en un estudio basado en un diseño experimental longitudinal con pre-test y post-test, sin …

Asynchronous Online Learning: Perceptions And Experiences Of Nontraditional Adult Emergency Services Students, Dr. R. Jeffery Maxfield

R. Jeffery Maxfield

This study used hermeneutic phenomenology, a qualitative methodology, to explore and interpret the lived experience of nontraditional emergency services students in an asynchronous online learning environment. This understanding was achieved through rigorous analysis of in-depth, semistructured interviews and journal entries of four nontraditional adult students enrolled in an online baccalaureate degree program. The research question for this study was: How do nontraditional adult undergraduate students experience asynchronous online instruction? Results revealed that student experiences fell into two overarching themes, each with related subthemes. The two identified themes and subthemes are: (a) Flexible Learning, with the subthemes of convenience, self-directedness/self-discipline, and …

The Power Of Fair Use For Media Literacy Education, Renee Hobbs

Renee Hobbs

No abstract provided.

Principals As Partners With Literacy Coaches: Striking A Balance Between Neglect And Interference, Jacy Ippolito

Jacy Ippolito

Transforming Middle School Science Education Through Action Science, William H. Robertson

William H. Robertson

Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science is a curriculum supplement for middle school students that is designed to address content and process objectives in physical science for both the National Science Standards and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The video instruction and twenty classroom activities provide the teacher with a series of instructional tools and content information that can be used to explore and explain the concepts found in the areas of forces, motion, Newton’s Laws of Motion, and simple machines. Action Science can be defined as the use of familiar objects, circumstances and situations within the lives of students in …

Academic English As A Second Language For Gaps, Gulbahar Beckett

Gulbahar Beckett

"Athleticated" Versus Educated: A Qualitative Investigation Of Campus Perceptions, Recruiting And African American Male Student-Athletes, Keith Harrison

Dr. C. Keith Harrison

The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative investigation of student narratives (N= 167) about the contemporary issue of recruiting high-profile African American male student-athletes. Participants were asked to view a scene on recruiting from the film, The Program (1994). Participants were then presented with questions regarding a recruiting trip by an African American football player to a traditionally white campus. Findings indicate that both Black and White students perceived the African American male student-athletes in the film scene to be more "athleticated" than educated. They were also perceived as stereotypical sex-objects. "When athletes (especially male) show up …

A Day In The Life Of A Male College Athlete: A Public Perception And Qualitative Campus Investigation, Keith Harrison

Dr. C. Keith Harrison

Perceptual confirmation paradigm (PCP) rooted in social psychology, can be implemented to frame sport science research questions (Stone, Perry, & Darley, 1997). Public perception of college athletes’ lives has been scarcely investigated in the sport sciences (Keels, 2005) using the PCP to prime stereotypes. The purpose of this study was to prime stereotypes about a day in the life of a college athlete by using qualitative inquiry to assess college students’ (N = 87) perceptions. Participants provided written responses about a day in the life of a college athlete. Two different college athlete targets were used “Tyrone Walker” (n = …

Improving Education In Primary Care: Development Of An Online Curriculum Using The Blended Learning Model, Betzi L. Bateman, Linda O. Lewin, Mamta Singh, Pamela B. Glover

Betzi L. Bateman

Background: Standardizing the experiences of medical students in a community preceptorship where clinical sites vary by geography and discipline can be challenging. Computer-assisted learning is prevalent in medical education and can help standardize experiences, but often is not used to its fullest advantage. A blended learning curriculum combining web-based modules with face-to-face learning can ensure students obtain core curricular principles.

Methods: This course was developed and used at The Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and its associated preceptorship sites in the greater Cleveland area. Leaders of a two-year elective continuity experience at the Case Western Reserve …

How Do We Teach Sexual Health In The Pacific Classroom?, Cresantia Frances Koya Vaka'uta

Cresantia Frances Koya Vaka'uta

Paper developed for Teachers’ Curriculum Skills Workshop on SRHE in Fiji and Tonga 2009 – 2010 “Sensitizing teachers to the teaching of Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Pacific”. This curriculum development workshop aimed at changing mindsets and providing some basic skills in developing cultural appropriate and faith-based activities using (a) Integrated Across-the-curriculum approach; and (b) Expressive Arts.

Information Literacy: The Missing Link In Early Childhood Education, Kelly Heider

Kelly Heider

Digital Textbooks: The Next Paradigm Shift In Higher Education?, Kelly Heider, Deanna Laverick, Bethany Bennett

Kelly Heider

Attribution Theory And Healthcare Culture: Translational Management Science Contributes A Framework To Identify The Etiology Of Punitive Clinical Environments, Patrick Albert Palmieri

Patrick Albert Palmieri

The Institute of Medicine’s seminal report, To err is human: Building a safer health system, established the national patient safety framework and initiated interest in changing the traditionally punitive healthcare culture. This paper reviews a multidisciplinary literature and offers an attribution framework to explicate the organizational processes that contribute to an industry-wide culture where clinicians are routinely blamed for adverse patient events. Attribution theory is concerned with the manner in which people explain the behaviors of others or themselves by assigning causality for events. To date, attribution theory, though well established in the management literature, has yet to be translated …

An Introduction To English Teaching, Grace Hui Chin Lin, Paul Shih Chieh Chien

Dr. Grace Hui Chin Lin 林慧菁 英語教學 語文學哲學博士 886 933 503 321

Teaching English became a professional and academic field a half century ago. Many researches for teacher education and teacher training have been conducted in order to raise the English teachers’ as well as the foreign language teachers’ knowledge and capabilities in carrying out effective lessons in classrooms of English learning. During second millennium of speedily globalized world, teaching English as a common communication tool has become even more significant than two decades ago. For introducing the history, teaching methodologies, and pedagogies of teaching English as a Second/ Foreign Language, this book is composed as a reference for English teachers. This …

A Case Study About Communication Strategies, Grace Hui Chin Lin

Dr. Grace Hui Chin Lin 林慧菁 英語教學 語文學哲學博士 886 933 503 321

The primary purpose of this study was to identify what were Taiwanese University English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ perceptions about learning communication strategies. This study collected qualitative data about students’ beliefs and attitudes as they learned communication strategies. The research question guiding the study was: What are Taiwanese University EFL learners’ perceptions about learning five communication strategies? Twenty-four university students were trained for 10 weeks to use strategies in Faerch and Kasper’s (1983a) taxonomy, and seven volunteers were interviewed. None of the students majored in English but were enrolled in a required Basic English course in a Freshman …

Native People And Systemic Bias In The Public Education System, John R. Fisher, Bayo Oludaja

Dr. John R. Fisher

Although systemic bias may not be racism, it is a form of prejudice. Systemic bias exists throughout society in the practices and attitudes that people face on a daily basis. Very often educational programs are set up to accommodate special needs, but, although well meaning, they incorporate this form of bias. Systemic bias inhibits student progress and often presupposes the need for cultural change. This paper reports a study of Canadian Native people and their experience with the public school system. Interviews were held with 19 students, 24 parents and community members, and nine faculty/administrators to assess how systemic bias …

Dr. Skateboard’S Action Science: Transforming Science Education For Middle School Students, William H. Robertson

William H. Robertson

The main objective of this article is to describe an example of unique and creative classroom materials that are built around a real world interest of Middle School students. Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science is a curriculum supplement that integrates both skateboarding and BMX. As an example of transformative education, it is built around student interests with a direct link to specific science knowledge and skills that need to be learned. It incorporates a four part video series and twenty classroom activities for students and teachers to use in the classroom. The video and classroom materials focus on the physical science …

Skateboard: Ciencia De Acción De Doctor Skateboard: Educacion Transformativa En Física, William H. Robertson

William H. Robertson

This article, written in Spanish, describes a transformative process for teaching physics in the middle school science classroom through an analysis of the use of Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science. Additionally, the article attempts to bridge efforts in the US, specifically in El Paso, Texas to opportunities that exist in Spanish speaking countries, including Mexico and Chile. The provided abstracts, in Spanish and English, describe how “action science” can be used in presenting fundamental science concepts and that this approach can be expanded from Middle schools to high schools and universities. Action science is an active learning methodology for teaching physics …

Bridging The Gap Between Real World Polar Science And The Classroom, William H. Robertson, Vanessa Lougheed, Craig Tweedie, Aaron Velasco, Claudia V. Garcia

William H. Robertson

The International Polar Year - Research and Educational Opportunities in Antarctica for Minorities (IPY-ROAM) program was designed to increase minority participation in polar science by immersing participants in an academic program that included a trip to Antarctica. The IPY-ROAM program was focused on increasing the public understanding of the Polar Regions and stimulating a new interest in polar science. This effort was coordinated by faculty from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and was implemented to positively contribute to the intense, internationally coordinated IPY scientific campaign. Through a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), a team of …