Digital Commons Network^™

Leadership Learning: Building On Grounded Theory To Explore The Role Of Critical Reflection In Leadership Learning, George K. Kriflik, Lynda S. Kriflik

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A study of eight senior managers from different organisations has combined Critical Theory and Grounded Theory approaches. This study builds on the findings of a previous substantive study (Kriflik 2002) which identified the most successful leadership strategies, as perceived by participants. The most successful strategies are those in which leaders focussed on their own behaviours, attitudes and actions. Building on these findings this study explores leadership competencies and the mechanisms which enhance, or enable, leaders’ ability to learn such competencies. Interviews were conducted and transcribed, then analysed, and became the basis for the choice of subsequent participants. The study identified …

A Critical Exploration Of The Rhetoric Of Equity Belied By Practice In Postgraduate Teacher Education, Roisin Donnelly

Articles

This paper presents the initial results of an investigation into the current awareness and perceptions of equity issues amongst academic staff working on a postgraduate learning and teaching course for teachers in tertiary education in the Republic of Ireland. The study is set in the contemporary landscape of discourses around equality, egalitarianism and equity in education generally. The Irish White Paper on Adult Education Learning for Life (2000) recommends that adult education should be underpinned by three core principles, one of which is to promote equality of access, participation and outcome for participants in adult education, with pro-active strategies to …

Learning In Minimalism-Based Language Modeling, Deryle W. Lonsdale

Faculty Publications

The natural language version of the Soar cognitive modeling system (Newell, 1990) has enabled a number of language modeling applications from on-line parsing behavior (Lewis, 1993) to simultaneous interpretation (Lonsdale, 1997, 1998) to robotic control (Benjamin, Lonsdale, & Lyons, 2004). The system supports an integrated approach to incremental comprehension and generation. Learning mechanisms account for processes in language performance from deliberate, explicit reasoning to automatic, recognitional expertise.

Syntactic processing in prior versions of the system followed the Principles and Parameters approach to syntax.

Research As Teaching And Teaching As Research: Reflections On A Virtual Team Project, Cherie Noteboom, Chi Zhang, Halbana Tarmizi, Matt Payne, Lucas Steinhauser, Gert-Jan De Vreede

Faculty Research & Publications

In the academic world, the transition from student to researcher is often a difficult step. Novice researchers are often hindered by a lack of mentorship and lack of awareness of the demands of research. The challenges are especially interesting in the study of collaboration and virtual teams, given the added layer of technology and tools that are an essential part of conducting such research. To address these issues, we designed and implemented an experiential doctoral seminar for advanced students in Information Technology. This paper describes the seminar, which focused on the research topic of virtual teams. The paper provides supporting …

Making High School Grades Meaningful, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Most teachers base students' grades on more than one factor. The difficulty is figuring out how to weight and combine the different pieces that go into the final mark. Mr. Guskey suggests a system that not only avoids those problems but gives a better overall picture of a student's performance than the traditional single letter grade.

Clarifying The Role Of Self-Efficacy And Metacognition As Indicators Of Learning: Construct Development And Test, Trevor T. Moores, Jerry Cha-Jan Chang, Deborah K. Smith

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Publications

We propose extending our understanding of self-efficacy by comparing self-efficacy with a related construct called metacognition. Metacognition involves the monitoring and control of one's thought processes and is often related, as is self-efficacy, to performance on a task. We develop an instrument that attempts to measure both self-efficacy and metacognition with respect to one's performance on a test covering declarative and procedural knowledge (knowing that, and knowing how) of DFDs and ERDs. With data collected from a sample of 124 students, we use partial least squares (PLS) to show that self-efficacy and metacognition are distinct yet related constructs. While self-efficacy …

Bifurcation And Singularity Analysis Of A Molecular Network For The Induction Of Long-Term Memory, Hao Song, Paul Smolen, Evyatar Av-Ron, Douglas A. Baxter, John H H. Byrne

Journal Articles

Withdrawal reflexes of the mollusk Aplysia exhibit sensitization, a simple form of long-term memory (LTM). Sensitization is due, in part, to long-term facilitation (LTF) of sensorimotor neuron synapses. LTF is induced by the modulatory actions of serotonin (5-HT). Pettigrew et al. developed a computational model of the nonlinear intracellular signaling and gene network that underlies the induction of 5-HT-induced LTF. The model simulated empirical observations that repeated applications of 5-HT induce persistent activation of protein kinase A (PKA) and that this persistent activation requires a suprathreshold exposure of 5-HT. This study extends the analysis of the Pettigrew model by applying …

Academic Libraries In Transition: Current Trends, Future Prospects, Gregory A. Smith

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Academic libraries are in transition because of changes in the context of higher education. Changes in the world of information are even more radical: the displacement of paper, the primacy of the search engine, the emergence of the digital lifestyle, and innovative patterns of scholarly communication. Decreasing reliance on local collections is transforming the library as a physical destination. Traditional measures of library success have begun to be replaced. Given the superiority of other information professionals' data management skills, the role of academic librarians will shift toward the enablement of learning. This environment of upheaval will pose both opportunities and …

Dewey's Epistemology: An Argument For Warranted Assertions, Knowing, And Meaningful Classroom Practice, Deron R. Boyles

Educational Policy Studies Faculty Publications

In an effort to navigate the treacherous path between professionalism and social relevancy, this essay takes up an area of professional philosophy - epistemology - with the intention of reclaiming the integrative role John Dewey held for philosophy and classroom practice. Deron Boyles asserts that epistemology can and should represent an area of inquiry that is relevant and useful for philosophy of education, especially as it develops classroom practices that foster inquiry. He specifically seeks to revive Dewey’s conception of warranted assertibility in an effort to show the value of fallibilist epistemology in practical and social teaching and learning contexts. …

The Forward Premium In A Model With Heterogeneous Prior Beliefs, Eric O'N. Fisher

Economics

This paper explores a model of bond prices where agents have diverse prior beliefs about domestic and foreign inflation. In the long run, the foreign exchange forward premium reflects expected differences in inflation, but in the short run, it depends upon the diversity of prior beliefs. If some people have diffuse priors about a country's inflation process, then its currency commands a forward premium that is eventually dissipated. Using data on the dollar–mark premium from the 1980s, it shows that this kind of diversity really matters. Thus models with a single representative agent give an inadequate description of the data.

Grammatica Avanzata Della Lingua Italiana: Chapter Seven, Roberto Tartaglione, Susanna Nocchi

Books/Book Chapters

Tutto quello che uno studente straniero dovrebbe sapere sulla lingua italiana e non ha mai osato chiedere! Grammatica avanzata della lingua italiana si rivolge infatti a studenti già in possesso di una buona conoscenza dell'italiano che vogliano perfezionare la loro competenza della lingua (dal livello B1 al livello C1 del Quadro Comune Europeo).

Presenta forme, costrutti sintattici, stilemi di livello medio e avanzato, anche della lingua parlata, molto diffusi ma generalmente poco trattati nei testi d'italiano per stranieri: quando e come usare l'articolo, la posizione dell'aggettivo, l'uso di parole particolari (anzi, magari, mica, addirittura, macché), l'alterazione dei …

Effects Of Lesions Of The Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis, Laterual Hypothalamus, Or Insular Cortex On Conditioned Taste Aversion And Conditioned Odor Aversion, Christopher T. Roman, Nino Nebieridze, Aristides Sastre, Steve Reilly

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

The effects of permanent forebrain lesions on conditioned taste aversions (CTAs) and conditioned odor aversions (COAs) were examined in 3 experiments. In Experiment 1, lesions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis had no influence on CTA or COA acquisition. Although lesions of the lateral hypothalamus induced severe hypodipsia in Experiment 2, they did not prevent the acquisition of CTAs or COAs. Finally, in Experiment 3, lesions of the insular cortex retarded CTA acquisition but had no influence on COA acquisition. The implications of these findings are discussed with regard to the forebrain influence on parabrachial nucleus function during …

Students’ Race And Participation In Classroom Discussion In Introductory Sociology: A Preliminary Investigation, Jay R. Howard, Aimee Zoeller, Yale Pratt

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This study utilizes observation, survey and interview methodologies to investigate the impact of student race on participation in discussion in introductory sociology courses at a large Midwestern US university with a minority enrollment of approximately 15 percent. While results are mixed there is some evidence that white students participated at a higher rate than minority students. However, in certain circumstances (e.g., discussion of racism), minority students became the “experts” during particular class sessions and participated at a greater rate than did white students. Key Words: Discussion, College Students, Race, Learning, Interaction

Barriers And Benefits: The Impact Of Learning Art Songs And Spirituals By African-American Composers On Voice Students From All Racial Backgrounds, Emery Stephens

Music Faculty Research Publications

An investigation into the barriers faced by singers of all racial backgrounds when performing spirituals and African American art songs and suggests ways to eliminate those barriers.

Presented at the 2006 International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL), Washington, DC.

Case Studies Of Good Practice In The Assessment Of Student Learning In Higher Education, Roisin Donnelly

Books/Book Chapters

There are two modules on the certificate programme. Module one is entitled ‘Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’. The aim of this module is to provide teachers in higher education with a wide range of practical learning and teaching methods, including the use of relevant learning technologies that will help their students learn more effectively. They will gain solid background knowledge in recognised theories and national and international best practices in learning and teaching in higher education so that they understand the reasons for choosing certain teaching strategies.

The Tutor’S Role As Academic Developer In Blended Problem-Based Learning In Higher Education, Roisin Donnelly

Books/Book Chapters

This chapter is written from the perspective of an academic developer engaged in blending e-learning and problem-based learning as a means of delivery of professional development for academic staff in higher education. There is undoubtedly a wider range of e-learning technologies that are available for use with the more traditional teaching and learning / instructional strategies, but the challenge faced by today’s academic developers is the development of e-learning technologies to support constructivism and social constructivism in learning approaches amongst the academic staff with whom they work, so that this is, in turn, is carried forward into their own classrooms …

The Use Of "Real" English In Language Learning: Making Authentic Ns Speech Accessible Through A Novel Digital Slow-Down Tool, Marty Meinardi

Doctoral

This project is concerned with the design of English as a Second Language (ESL) courseware for Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). It arises out of the Enterprise Ireland funded DITCALL (Digital Interactive Toolkit for Computer Assisted Language learning) project. The focus of the research for this courseware is on using authentic video and audio material that is as natural and true to life as possible and providing adequate, pedagogically efficient and visually pleasing lesson material that will prepare prospective students for the environment in Dublin. The thesis centres around the validity of using authentic spoken Native Speaker (NS) English, and …

Paideia: The Learning Of Values And The Teaching Of Virtue In Public Education, Lawrence Kimmel

Philosophy Faculty Research

In public discourse about education there has always been conflict over the question of teaching values in school, and not without reason. But the civility of that discourse has now been stretched to its breaking point. The nation has become more and more deeply divided about questions of moral values and self proclamations of exclusive morality have become the standard fare of political warfare. While perhaps most ardently pressed by the “fundamentalist Right” in politics, polarization of positions is manifest on all sides. In light of the past four years of a presidency committed to a constituency that relentlessly presses …

Visions For Literacy Learning: The Quest For Meaningful Use Of Computer-Based Technology In Reading And Writing Experiences, Lisa K. Kervin, Jessica Mantei

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Exploring Students' Museum Experiences In The Context Of Web-Based Learning Environments, Janice M. Herrington, Gwyn J. Brickell, Barry A. Harper

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The paper examines the nature of school excursions to museums, and how the Internet, and in particular the web pages accompanying museum exhibitions, can be utilised to create authentic and complex learning environments for school students. The paper describes proposed research between a university and two leading museums that will investigate whether and how learners link web-based content and data in developing a broader perspective on the museum experience. It will explore in depth the use of the web to situate the onsite museum visit, not as a single one-off event, but within a complex task or problem-based learning approach …

Design-Based Research And The Learning Designer, Deidre Seeto, Janice A. Herrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The role of the learning designer has expanded from the commonly known activities of an instructional designer to incorporate a range of new roles, largely prompted by new technologies. In this paper, we articulate an approach that further extends the role of the learning designer to encompass evaluation and design-based research, in collaboration with the subject matter expert. Such collaboration is professionally enhancing for both parties, and adds to the sum of knowledge on the effective design of learning environments, by documenting and disseminating the learning design process.

Identifying Authentic Mobile Learning In Teacher Education: A Design-Based Approach, Anthony J. Herrington, Janice A. Herrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The adoption of mobile technologies in higher education has been variable and inconsistent across the sector. Little is known about how people learn best from mobile devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants and portable digital audio players, and yet these are the technologies of choice of a generation of young adults who are proficient and competent in their use. This paper describes a project to explore, implement and document pedagogies that go beyond the use of mobile technologies for information delivery and communication. It describes a design-based approach to researching the use of mobile devices as cognitive tools …

Transfer Of Online Professional Learning To Teachers' Classroom Practice: An Analysis Of Eight Cases, Anthony J. Herrington, Janice A. Herrington, Garry Hoban, Doug Reid

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Professional learning is an important process in enabling teachers to update their pedagogical knowledge and practices. The use of online technologies to support professional learning has a number of benefits in terms of flexibility and scalability. However, it is not clear how well the approach impacts on teachers’ classroom practices. This paper outlines a research study conducted on behalf of a state-based Department of Education to evaluate the transfer of professional learning from online modules about the integration of ICT to the practices of K-12 classroom teachers.

A Technology-Enhanced Multiliteracies Learning Design For Geography Education, Lori Lockyer, Barry Harper

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Educators are being challenged to prepare students to effectively participate in our increasingly globalised society. Contemporary views of pedagogy suggest supporting learners by providing scaffolds for their engagement in real world tasks - tasks that provide opportunities to both explore and apply their learning through multi-modal expressions' within their diverse contexts. This article describes a project that draws upon the emerging views of multiliteracies in the design of a K-12 education excursion program. The multiliteracies learning design developed for .the program is applied to specific discipline-focused learning objectives and implemented within a technology-enhanced environment, which provides learners with access to …

The Use Of A Visual Learning Design Representation To Document And Communicate Teaching Ideas, Shirley Agostinho

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

A learning design is a representation of teaching and learning practice documented in some notational form so that it can serve as a model or template adaptable by a teacher to suit his/her context. This paper presents a work-in-progress of a research study that is examining how a learning design representation developed in an Australian federally funded project known as the Learning Designs project (www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au) is being used. Eleven participants were interviewed to investigate how they are using the learning design representation and how such a representation could be improved. Preliminary findings indicate that the visual characteristic of this learning …

Cross-Cultural Online Communication: Making Connections Through Project-Based Learning, Mike Keppell, Morris Jong, Harold Tsang, Susan J. Bennett, Lori Lockyer

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines a project that encourages cross-cultural communication among teachereducation students through online discussion and project-based learning. An authentic case was presented to eleven students (divided into two groups) who volunteered to participate in the project over one semester. The case focussed on the development of a website by the two groups which would provide information to local Hong Kong students visiting the University of Wollongong on an intensive English immersion programme. The students were encouraged to seek advice from their HKIEd mentor and UOW advisor via synchronous and asynchronous communication tools available in the Blackboard Learning Management System. …

Nsw High School Students Construction Of Democratic Citizenship Through Language Learning: A Case Study Of Japanese Language Learning Experience, Yuko Ramzan

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This study reports on the perceptions of five high school students in NSW who have been studying Japanese language since their primary schooling. The study examines how the students construct their self and others within their Japanese language classes and how the classes contribute to citizenship education. The discussion, based on data derived from in-depth and semi-structured interviews is focused on perceptions of language learning, interculturality and citizenship education. The results suggest that language learning contributes to the students’ construction of interculturality, which in turn provides a focus for meting the students’ needs for citizenship education.

Students' Preference For Teaching Strategies That Strengthen The Learning Of Economics In Middle Eastern Universities, Mokhtar M. Metwally, Nelson Perera

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A survey, covering a random sample of 139 students, was conducted at the University of Wollongong in Dubai during the months of September-November 2004, to gather opinions of students about their attitudes towards strategies that promote the teaching and learning of economics The technique of factor analysis was used to model the preference of students for various strategies. Multiple discriminant analysis was used to find out whether there are any significant differences in the attitudes of students at different stages :"students learning introductory economic subjects", "students learning intermediate economic subjects" and "students learning advanced and applied economic subjects" Factor scores …

Wfms-Based Data Integration For E-Learning, Jianming Yong, Jun Yan, Xiaodi Huang

Faculty of Informatics - Papers (Archive)

As more and more organisations and institutions are moving towards the e-learning strategy, more and more disparate data are distributed by different e-learning systems. How to effectively use this vast amount of distributed data becomes a big challenge. This paper addresses this challenge and works out a new mechanism to implement data integration for e-learning. A workflow management system based (WFMS-based) data integration model is contributed to the e-learning.

An Interactive Learning Environment For Teaching Statistics, Trevor Spedding, Xuesong Chi

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper outlines the development and use of a web based virtual factory simulator for teaching industrial statistics and process improvement techniques. Students can manage the factory for either a period of one month, or the length specified by lecturers, with the factory running in real time. The main objective is to reduce quality problems and continuously improve the quality over a substantial period of time. Techniques such as control charts, process capability, experimental design and response surface methodology and their underlying statistics are explored. This immersive simulation creates a problem-based learning approach with relevant academic underpinning. It provides the …