Digital Commons Network^™

Creating Learning Communities Through Flipped Classes: A Challenge, An Answer, Or An Opportunity For Teaching Strategic Human Resource Management?, Nadeera Ranabahu, Shamika Almeida

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Teaching strategic human resource management to postgraduate students is becoming a challenge in countries like Australia, particularly due to the students undertaking postgraduate studies without relevant professional work experience. To address this, we used flipped teaching and learning activities and attempted to develop a learning community among multi-cultural postgraduate students who had no (or minimal) professional work experience. Using duoethnographic technique, we recorded our observations and reflections over three semesters in teaching strategic human resource management at postgraduate level in an Australian University. Our reflections demonstrate that community-based learning environment allows students without any relevant work experience to put strategic …

Quality Or Quantity: Completion Rewards And Formative Assessments In Flipped Instruction Classes, Kurt Schmitz

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Flipped instruction shifts the burden for engaging course content to the students. Moving these activities outside the classroom creates motivational challenges. This study investigates the role of formative assessments and completion rewards. Definitions are provided for flipped instruction and formative assessments. A classification of reward scores is offered to guide data collection in two field experiments. The study seeks to provide an empirical basis to guide use of completion rewards for flipped instruction classes. This study finds that completion rewards can increase quantity of formative assessment engagement. However, this change in quantity does not improve exam scores. The data suggests …

Shedding Light On Student Learning Through The Use Of Lightboard Videos, Peter D. Rogers, Diana T. Botnaru

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This mixed-method study examined the effect of Lightboard videos on student learning and perceptions in a Flipped Classroom Model (FCM). The study targeted 68 civil engineering undergraduate students at a 4-year public university in Southeastern USA. Lightboard videos were intentionally alternated between two consecutive semesters. Within the same section of the course, classes without Lightboard videos served as a control group and classes with Lightboard videos served as a study group. Both sections were taught by the same instructor utilizing the same materials and assessments for the class. Student academic performance was measured using in-class assignments. Additional quantitative and qualitative …

‘Peer Critique’ In Debate: A Pedagogical Tool For Teaching Architectural Design Studio, Kristof Crolla, Paula Hodgson, Angel Wai Yuk Ho

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Post-digital architectural education aims to empower future architects by developing open-mindedness and technical skills for the design of non-standard spatial configurations. Students can learn through exploration and experimentation, using three-dimensional graphic design software to generate initial designs and quality feedback, with a mixed model of peers and panel judges assessing final projects. Ratings of individual contributions and performance are commonly found in literature on peer assessment, but qualitative comments from peers can also provide good information on strengths and weaknesses. This study shows that peer critique in the form of debate can be an effective pedagogical tool for educators to …

Beginning Level Interior Design Students’ Perceptions And Use Of Research In Design Process, Sibel Seda Dazkir

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This study was focused on beginning-level interior design undergraduate students’ perceptions, experience, and use of literary research. The data were collected through a questionnaire that was administered to 67 students. The findings indicated that the majority of the students searched for information in their classes, and the participants were aware of the importance of research. However, only 63% of them reported using credible sources in their literary research, and less than half of the respondents knew what a peer-reviewed journal article is. Based on the findings, it was suggested that students need to develop skills in conducting literary research using …

Integrating The Five Practices Of Exemplary Leadership Model Into Entrepreneurship Education, Eduardo R. Díaz, Celsa G. Sánchez-Vélez, Lorena Santana-Serrano

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Entrepreneurship educators can assess their students by focusing on leadership self-efficacy dimensions that align with desirable entrepreneurship behaviors. To support this claim, we used the Student Leadership Practices Inventory (S-LPI) to survey a group of 46 undergraduate students in Mexico and 49 undergraduate students in Spain that were involved in entrepreneurship education programs. Independent samples t-tests show statistically significant differences between the two groups. We also compared the whole sample in terms of gender and found no differences. We propose that educators integrate Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership model into de design and assessment of their curricular and co-curricular entrepreneurship …

Do Professions Represent Competence For Entry-To-Practice In Similar Ways? An Exploration Of Competence Frameworks Through Document Analysis, Jessica V. Rich

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Professional accrediting and regulating bodies are increasingly trying to delineate the knowledge and skills needed for entry-to-practice for quality assurance and international labor mobility. The purpose of this study was to com-pare how professions describe and represent competence. Current, publicly accessible Canadian entry-to-practice competence frameworks for ten professions (Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Psychology, Social Work, Teaching, Engineering, Law, and Planning) were analyzed through content and inductive thematic analysis. Findings revealed that although professions describe similar core competencies across technical and intrinsic domains, systematic differences exist in the architectures of the frameworks. Professions with ‘meta-competencies’ describe competence as being more …

Unpacking High-Impact Instructional Practices And Student Engagement In A Teacher Preparation Program, Raymond J. Rodriguez, Ekaterina Koubek

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

The literature on SoTL contains numerous studies examining the relationship between High-Impact Practices (HIPs) as adopted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), student engagement, and student learning outcomes as measured on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). To further understand how these practices might affect student engagement and learning within college courses, this study examined the relationship between HIPs, reported student engagement and reported learning outcomes in a teacher preservice program. Focus group interviews and a modified version of the NSSE survey were used to “unpack” how these practices related to student engagement and learning in …

Students, Universities And Employers: Why We All Win When We Promote Social Justice Through Sotl, Jeannette M. Wade, Anderson Bean, Stephanie Teixeira-Poit

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This essay discusses the benefits of promoting social justice through the scholarship of teaching and learning. We start by highlighting the prevalence of injustices and discrimination (racism, sexism, homophobia, heteronormativity) experienced on college campuses in the US. We go on to highlight the (1) outcomes associated with social justice centered teaching and learning activities and (2) ways this approach makes students more valuable to potential employers upon graduation. We conclude with a call for campus wide promotion of social justice as both micro (classroom) and macro (university) level interventions are needed to truly create equitable learning spaces.

Students’ Perceptions Of Course Syllabi: The Role Of Syllabi In Motivating Students, Lindsay B. Wheeler, Michael Palmer, Itiya Aneece

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

In this mixed methods study, researchers explored students’ perceptions of different types of syllabi, the course, and the instructor articulated through the syllabi. Students were randomly assigned to read one of two US History syllabi: a content-focused syllabus (CFS), characterized as a traditional, content-focused, policy-laden syllabus; or a learning-focused syllabus (LFS), characterized by strong learning objectives, authentic assessments, and a positive, motivating tone. Results show that LFS participants (n=61) had significantly more positive perceptions of the document, the course, and the instructor described by the document than CFS participants (n=66). LFS participants found, for example, more of the syllabus components …

Letter From The Editors, Delena Bell Gatch, Delores Liston, Joe Pellegrino

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This issue of The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 13(3) presents nine research articles and one essay on SoTL. The disciplines considered in these studies are disparate: Interior Design, Civil Engineering, History, Architecture, Computer Information Systems, Entrepreneurship, Human Resources Management, and Preservice Teacher Education. One study offers a multi-disciplinary analysis of “competence” in ten different professions. The sole essay here discusses the interstices of SoTL and the promotion of social justice on campus. As editors, we have strived to offer you a wide variety of subject disciplines in which studies take place, but we insist that …

An Applied E-Mentoring Model For Academic Development, Reflection And Growth, Christopher C. Tisdell Prof, Giriraj Singh Shekhawat

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Effective mentoring brings positive outcomes for mentees, mentors and their organizations. Modern mentoring is developing through employment of technology and thus it is important to better understand these new opportunities and their limitations. Termed as “e-mentoring”, the field remains under-researched and sub-optimally theorized.

In this work we introduce and critically examine an innovative model for mentor-mentee engagement. Termed “DARP”, our model is designed to foster a cycle of reflection for academic development and growth. DARP stands for: Discuss; Archive; Reflect; Prepare. We ground our model in Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and link our theory to practice through discussion of an …

Early Childhood Pre-Professionals’ Experience In A Study Abroad Program To Finland: Evaluation Of Professional Growth, And Personal And Cultural Gains, Bingbing Zhang, Judit Szente, Judith Levin

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

The present study explores the experiences of fifteen Early Childhood pre-professionals on a University lead short-term study abroad program to Finland. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of the 10-day-long experience on students’ attitudes and perceptions particularly on their professional growth, personal, and cultural gains. Daily reflective journals entries and questionnaires were used to capture insights of the phenomena. Data were collected prior to, during, and after the program. This phenomenological study also employed audio taped interviews to provide summaries of their experiences in Finland. Horizontalization was used and three emerging themes were explained. Conclusions and …

Enhancing Academic Self-Efficacy And Performance Among Fourth Year Psychology Students: Findings From A Short Educational Intervention, Alexis R. Foulstone, Adrian Kelly

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Academic self-efficacy is the degree to which students believe they are capable of learning or accomplishing an academic task within a specific area of education. High academic self-efficacy has been associated with positive education outcomes such as enhanced learning, motivation, self-determination, and ultimately academic performance. The current study designed, implemented and evaluated an educational intervention to enhance the academic self-efficacy and performance of 21 psychology students enrolled in a group supervised Honours course, the outcome being a thesis dissertation. Students completed pre-intervention surveys in class half way through the course and then another survey after the 8-week intervention. Measures of …

Are Autonomously Motivated University Instructors More Autonomy-Supportive Teachers?, Maï Yasué 8988034, Lucas M. Jeno, Jody L. Langdon

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

We extended the research on autonomy-supportive teaching to universities and examined the relationships between autonomous motivation to teach and autonomy-supportive teaching. Autonomously motivated university instructors were more autonomy-supportive instructors. The freedom to make pedagogical decisions was negatively correlated with external motivation towards teaching. Participants indicated that large class sizes, high teaching loads, publication pressures, and a culture that undervalues effective undergraduate teaching undermined both student learning and their feelings of autonomy. Together these results presents a picture of a subset of university instructors who remained autonomously motivated to teach, irrespective of barriers they experienced from university administrators or policies.

Providing An Oral Examination As An Authentic Assessment In A Large Section, Undergraduate Diversity Class, Dredge Kang, Sara Goico, Sheena Ghanbari, Kathleen C. Bennallack, Taciana Pontes, Dylan H. O’Brien, Jace Hargis

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This study reflects on the development and implementation of mid-term oral examinations in large-scale lecture courses at a large, public research university; specifically, this work examines the implications of oral exams for fostering student engagement and concept-based comprehension in addition to institutional and course commitments to diversity. This research traces the development of an effective method for administering oral midterms and assesses the advantages and challenges of utilizing oral examinations for student assessment by detailing student feedback and TAs’ reactions to administering this examination format. Findings reveal that oral examinations provided a chance for students to develop skills through a …

The Impact Of Reflective Practice On Teacher Candidates' Learning, Mary L. Slade, Tammy J. Burnham Dr., Sarah Marie Catalana, Tammy Waters

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Reflection is a high impact practice that develops teacher candidates’ learning. Critical reflection requires teacher candidates to continually examine their own thoughts, perspectives, biases, and actions. Reflective practice facilitates the development of new knowledge, skills, and dispositions in teacher candidates by fostering critical contemplation of actions in a real-world environment. Reflection practice is specifically used when students study education in a university course and apply what they learn in a related field experience in a K-12 school. This study was conducted in order to determine the impact of reflective practice on teacher candidates enrolled in a course focused on developmental …

First Semester Academic Functioning Of College Students: The Role Of Stressful And Traumatic Life Events, Ashlee Warnecke, Richard Lewine

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

The present study sought to better understand the role of stress and trauma history and resiliency among students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and their college academic outcomes. Self-reported history of stressful and traumatic life events, resilience, and demographic factors were collected at orientation for 54 “poor” students as determined by Federal standards. Academic record information was collected at the end of the first semester. The study sample was similar to other students in terms of event exposure, self-reported mental health symptoms, and resilience. Event exposure significantly correlated with course withdrawals, low grades (Fs and Ds), and mean grade point average.. …

Learning Preferences Instead Of Learning Styles: A Case Study Of Hospitality Management Students’ Perceptions Of How They Learn Best And Implications For Teaching And Learning, Cynthia S. Deale

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) study focused on understanding more about how hospitality and tourism students prefer to learn and considers the implications that these preferences have for teaching methods. The case is made that learning preferences matter even though critics indicate that there is no evidence for the use of learning styles. Perceptions of students’ learning preferences were gathered from students in six face-to-face undergraduate hospitality and tourism classes at a university in the southeastern United States. In accordance with previous research, hospitality students in this sample tended to prefer active learning opportunities. Implications, suggestions for teaching …

Developing As A College Science Teacher: Using Identity To Examine Transformation, Robert J. Ceglie Sr., John Settlage

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Guided by identity theory, this study investigated how a college biology professor’s early career experiences contributed to the transformation of his identity as a college science teacher. This study showcases the four components of identity as described by Gee as a lens and it specifically focuses on the emergent role of institutional identity and its associated conflicts with incompatible belief systems. This qualitative study illustrated the utility of Gee’s theory to study how various components of identity can be useful to examine the transformation of a college faculty member. The participant’s position as a non-tenured faculty member created dissonance between …

Letter From The Editors, Delena Bell Gatch, Delores Liston, Joe Pellegrino

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This issue of The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 13(2) presents fourteen research articles, on topics ranging from faculty onboarding to factors affecting students’ completion of extra-credit assignments, and one reflective essay on faculty resistance to treating students as partners in the learning process. As with our previous issue in this volume, both the breadth of the subject disciplines addressed and the quality of our international contributors reflects the ever-increasing acceptance of the efficacy of SoTL. Countless practitioners continue to demonstrate both the productive nature of reflecting on our practice and the necessity of linking our …

Academic Instruction Librarians’ Teacher Identity Development Through Participation In The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning, Lauren Hays, Bethani Studebaker

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Teaching is a primary responsibility of many academic librarians. However, despite the job duties, many academic librarians do not see themselves as teachers. To determine how participation in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) impacted academic instruction librarians’ teacher identity the authors conducted an explanatory sequential mixed methods study. Using the theoretical framework, Communities of Practice, results from the quantitative survey demonstrated participation in SoTL did impact academic librarians’ teacher identity. The qualitative interviews explained the quantitative data. Study findings have implications for academic developers, Library and Information Science graduate programs, and academic library administrations.

Personality And Cognitive Factors Related To Completing Extra Credit Assignments, Charlsie A. Myers, Jennifer M. Hatchel

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

We explored the differences in course level, personality, and cognitive factors among students who did and did not do extra credit. A total of 276 undergraduate students enrolled in introductory or upper-level psychology and biology courses were surveyed following their final exams to determine levels of academic self-efficacy, metacognitive ability, and a variety of other demographic factors. We conducted a 2 (Extra Credit: Completed or Not Completed) x 2 (Course Level: Introductory or Upper-level) x 4 (Final Course Grade: “A”, “B”, “C”, or “D/F”) between-subjects MANOVA with academic self-efficacy and measures of metacognitive ability as dependent variables. Our results indicated …

Rethinking The Problem Of Faculty Resistance To Engaging With Students As Partners In Learning And Teaching In Higher Education, Kelly E. Matthews

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Engaging students as partners in the scholarship of learning and teaching (SoTL) is a principle guiding good practice. Enthusiasm for student-faculty partnerships in learning and teaching continues to grow. In this essay, I want to invite readers to reflect with me about concerns of resistance to partnership practices. I interweave stories from my experiences with selected literature that is shifting the conversation about the ‘challenge of resistance’ in partnership work in learning and teaching. Positioning students as partners work as a values-based practice and in the context of ‘scaling-up’ partnership programs, I argue that our pre-occupation with resistance is problematic. …

Improving Our Practice As Mathematics Teacher Educators Through Teaching Research, Su Liang Dr., Priya Prasad Dr., Cody Patterson Dr., Raquel Vallines Mira Dr.

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Four mathematics teacher educators from a large, minority-serving university formed a teaching research group in Fall 2016. The goal for this project is to establish a repeated cycle of improving our mathematics content course for pre-service teachers and to contribute a shared knowledge base which rests on foundation of well-defined learning goals in mathematics courses for elementary pre-service teachers. Guide by the continuous improvement framework (Berk & Hiebert, 2009), we utilized a data-driven approach to improving teaching, as well as embedding a discussion of classroom implementation into an investigation of an innovation (or, in our case, a mathematical task). In …

Changing Future Faculty's Conceptions Of Sotl, Darryl Reano, Stephanie Masta, Jon Harbor

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) programs provide graduate students across all disciplines with professional development that addresses a range of faculty responsibilities. The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) combines education research with the practice of teaching by implementing, disseminating, and applying research on educational practice and interventions. During a PFF program at a public university, we used a pre-post writing prompt to examine changes in future faculty’s conceptions of SoTL. Pre-workshop responses included misconceptions that indicated unfamiliarity with SoTL. Post-workshop responses had an increased emphasis on sharing outcomes from educational interventions. Only 8% of pre-workshop responses included all main elements …

Pre-Service Stem Teachers’ Views Of Teaching Before And After Their First Lesson, Sarah Ferguson, Latanya Sutphin

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Evaluating comments from pre-service STEM teachers before and after their first teaching experience, this study examines changes in pre-service STEM teachers’ viewpoints regarding the most challenging aspect of teaching and the most important traits of a teacher. Pre-service STEM teachers were asked the same survey questions on the first and last days of their initial introduction to STEM education course. Through this course, students partook in their first opportunity to plan and teach a lesson. Findings suggest student’s initially reviewed teaching from an extrinsically observable vantage point before moving to a more intrinsic reflection point after their first teaching experience.

The Exam Autopsy: An Integrated Post-Exam Assessment Model, Leanne R. Owen

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This paper introduces a new integrated post-exam assessment model known as the exam autopsy. Grounded in metacognitive principles of reflective practice, students are provided with three sources of evaluative insight (from self, instructor, and peer) as they seek to analyze the root cause of their exam performance and formulate an action plan for future improvement. The pilot project includes data collected and analyzed over the course of three semesters to chart student performance across two tests using a quasi-experimental design. In Spring 2016 (T1), no metacognitive post-exam intervention was employed. In Fall 2016 (T2), a conventional post-exam self-assessment (or exam …

Chinese Graduate Student Understandings And Struggles With Critical Thinking: A Narrative-Case Study, Kyle J. Lucas

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Qualitative research offers the potential to inform an ongoing issue concerning why international students struggle with critical thinking. This article approaches the issue by examining how international graduate students understand critical thinking as well as the challenges they have faced with critical thinking. The study used a narrative-case study framework to collect data from 4 Chinese international graduate students at a large mid-Western research university in the United States. The results showed that the participants had diverse conceptions of critical thinking and that they tended to focus on dispositions related to critical thinking rather than skills. These results suggest that …

Teaching Hidden History: A Case Study Of Dialogic Scaffolding In A Hybrid Graduate Course, Amy K. Swan, Nathan M. Sleeter, Kelly Schrum

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Using an expanded version of Alexander’s (2008) theory of dialogic teaching developed by Rojas-Drummond, Torreblanca, Pedraza, Vélez, and Guzmán (2013), this case study explored how instructors and students in a hybrid graduate course engaged in the process of dialogic teaching and learning (DTL). In particular, we examined the ways in which scaffolding strategies used in the course supported inquiry-based learning. Our findings suggest that instructors and students engaged in all five dimensions of DTL as defined by Rojas-Drummond et al. (2013), and illuminate the ways in which scaffolding can facilitate inquiry-based learning in interdisciplinary instructional settings.