Education Commons^™

The Paradox Of Increasing Both Enrollment And Graduation Rates : Acknowledging Elephants In The Ivory Tower, Sean W. Mulvenon, Daniel H. Robinson

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

The argument is made that increasing enrollments and graduation rates cannot occur while maintaining academic standards. Several U.S. universities are attempting to increase their enrollments to counter the financial difficulties created by a reduction in state support. These same universities are also under growing pressure from their state legislatures to increase four-year graduation rates and make degrees more affordable. In this essay, we describe how some universities and programs are attempting to meet both of these goals by lowering academic standards.

Actional-Operational Modes In Earth Science And Implications For Fundamental Science Literacy Instruction, Amy Wilson-Lopez

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Framed in theories of social semiotics, this multiple case study describes and categorizes the actional-operational modes used by three middle school earth science teachers throughout the course of one school year. Data included fieldnotes, photographs, and video recordings of classroom instructions as well as periodic interviews with the teachers. A constant comparative analysis of the data resulted in the creation of a typology of actional-operation modes were identified: gesture, embodied representation, moving objects on flat surfaces, moving objects through three-dimensional space, material representations, and observed phenomena. Multimodal concordance charts were used to identify the affordances and productive constraints of each …

Investigating The Effectiveness Of Problem-Based Learning In 3d Virtual Worlds. A Preliminary Report On The Hadrian’S Villa Project, Lee Taylor-Helms, Lynne. Kvapil, John Fillwalk, Bernard Frischer

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This paper discusses a recent study to test the effectiveness of combining 3D virtual worlds (VWs) with Problem Based Learning (PBL) in archaeological education of undergraduate college students at two American universities. The testbed used was a virtual world of Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli (Italy), a World Heritage Site dating to the reign of Hadrian (117-138 CE). At both universities courses were offered on the villa using a PBL approach in such a way that the relative strengths and weaknesses of learning based on face-to-face, 2D, and VW presentations could be assessed. The study helped to clarify ways in which …

Illuminating The Effects Of Dynamic Lighting On Student Learning, Michael S. Mott, Daniel H. Robinson, Ashley Walden, Jodie Burnette, Angela S. Rutherford

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

Light is universally understood as essential to the human condition. Yet light quality varies substantially in nature and in controlled environments leading to questions of which artificial light characteristics facilitate maximum learning. Recent research has examined lighting variables of color temperature, and illumination for affecting sleep, mood, focus, motivation, concentration, and work and school performance. This has resulted in artificial light systems intended to support human beings in their actualization through dynamic lighting technology allowing for different lighting conditions per task. A total of 84 third graders were exposed to either focus (6000K-100fc average maintained) or normal lighting. Focus lighting …

Around The World With Geospatial Technologies, Andrew J. Milson, Joseph J. Kerski

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

What's Your Pitch? The Power Of Wow! (Worksheet For The Webinar On January 18, 2011), Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Faculty and Staff Publications

Elevator pitches are created to sell your idea, business, product or service in 30 seconds or less (the time it takes to go from the first floor to the top of the building in an elevator). A great pitch has the power to help anyone...from a University employee to a new entrepreneur to a team working in a high-growth firm.

It’s important to develop and practice an effective pitch, complete with an awesome "Wow Factor," so you are ready to use it under fire (pretend you just stepped onto an elevator with Warren Buffett or Bill Gates)!

This interactive webinar …

Visualizing Economic Development With Arcgis Explorer, Andrew J. Milson, Megan L. Webster

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Sig En La Nube: Websig Para La Enseñanza De La Geografía, Andrew J. Milson

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

There is no doubt among most geography educators that GIS is an important tool for teaching and learning, but its use has been slowed by issues such as the cost of the software and the management of large spatial data files. The move to cloud computing is one trend that is promising for GIS in education. The "cloud" refers to a virtual network that provides many users with access to files, services, and applications. In this article I argue that cloud computing and WebGIS have the potential to transform geography education. I will describe three case studies that make use …

The Not-So-Quiet Revolution: Cautionary Comments On The Rejection Of Hypothesis Testing In Favor Of A “Causal” Modeling Alternative, Daniel H. Robinson, Joel R. Levin

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

Rodgers (2010) recently applauded a revolution involving the increased use of statistical modeling techniques. It is argued that such use may have a downside, citing empirical evidence in educational psychology that modeling techniques are often applied in cross-sectional, correlational studies to produce unjustified causal conclusions and prescriptive statements.

Stimulating Investments In Haitian Smes, Laura Hartman

Laura Hartman

A Peer-to-Project site to link lenders, donors and investors with SMEs and social projects in Haiti.

Goals: Long-term sustainable operation, Increased access to development capital for entrepreneurs, Spurring large-scale economic development in Haiti.

Engagement For All: The First-Year Experiences Program At The University Of Minnesota's College Of Education And Human Development, Michael J. Stebleton, Rashne Jehangir

Michael J. Stebleton

This article details the FYE program in the College of Education and Human Development, located at the University of Minnesota-TC. The focus is on student engagement strategies and learning objectives for first-year students.

The Efficacy Of Repeated Reading For Building Reading Fluency Of Fourth-Grade Students At A Rural Elementary School In South Carolina, Clarice B'Yonca Norman

Theses and Dissertations

The Efficacy of Repeated Reading for Building Reading Fluency of Fourth-Grade Students at a Rural Elementary School in South Carolina. Clarice B. Norman, 2010: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Fischler School of Education and Human Services. ERIC Descriptors: Reading Fluency, Reading Comprehension, Reading Instruction, Curriculum Based Measurement, Rural Schools.

This applied dissertation study was designed to examine the effects of a repeated reading strategy on the oral reading fluency and reading comprehension of fourth-grade students in a rural South Carolina school. In addition, it examined the hypothesis that repeated reading of connected text would build reading fluency and increase comprehension. …

On The Roles Of External Knowledge Representations In Assessment Design, Robert J. Mislevy, John T. Behrens, Randy E. Bennett, Sarah F. Demark, Dennis C. Frezzo, Roy Levy, Daniel H. Robinson, Daisy Wise Rutstein, Valerie J. Shute, Ken Stanley, Fielding I. Winters

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

People use external knowledge representations (KRs) to create, identify, depict, transform, store, share, and archive information. Learning to work with KRs is central to becoming proficient in virtually every discipline. As such, KRs play central roles in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. We describe five key roles of KRs in assessment: 1. An assessment is itself a KR, which makes explicit the knowledge that is valued, ways it is used, and standards of good work. 2. The analysis of any domain in which learning is to be assessed must include the identification and analysis of the KRs in that domain. 3. …

Comprehension Text Strategies, Connie Mcdonald

Connie McDonald

Text strategies that enhance comprehension of narrative and expository text are examined.

Gis In K-12 Education: Pedagogical Tool Or Weapon Of Mass Distraction?, Andrew J. Milson

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Estandares De Tecnologia Geoespacial En Los Planes De Estudios Estatales En Los Estados Unidos, Andrew J. Milson

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Return Of The Native? :Questions About Geographical Knowledge And Spatial Thinking, Andrew J. Milson

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Discovering Africa Through Internet-Based Geographic Information Systems: A Pan-African Summit Simulation, Andrew J. Milson, Kathleen M. Gilbert, Brian D. Earle

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Cultivating Alliances With Other Helping Professionals: Interprofessional Training With The Curriculum, Dr. Jill D. Duba, Susan B. Paez

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

Counselor educations are called to provide some kind of interprofessional training so that students are better equipped at working with other helping professionals on various client cases. This article provides several other reasons why interprofessional training is relevant in counselor education. In addition, several interprofessional training strategies are addressed.

Geography In An Interdisciplinary Environment: Developing Research Paths, David J. Rutherford, Andrew J. Milson, Osa Brand, Amber N. Conrad, Ed Grode, Zachary A. Moore, Catherine Springer, Julie A. Tuason, Jamie Zech

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Using Disciplinary Literacies To Enhance Adolescents’ Engineering Design Activity, Amy Wilson-Lopez, Emma Smith, Daniel L. Householder

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This comparative case study describes the literacy practices of two groups of adolescents as they sought to solve authentic problems through engineering design processes. Three types of data were collected as the groups addressed these problems: video- and audio-recordings of their conversations; adolescent-generated products; and pre- and post-challenge interviews. The authors used existing coding schemes of engineering design activity to identify when the adolescents enacted different stages of engineering design, as well as a modified form of constant comparative analysis to identify the literacy practices that corresponded with each stage. The analysis indicates that applications of literacy practices at each …

The Potential Of Elearning In The Spatial Information Sciences: A Resource For Continuing Professional Development., Kevin Mooney, Audrey Martin

Conference Papers

National mapping agencies have at their disposal a number of resources for the continuing professional development of their staff. These range from attendance at full-time University programmes to short in-house tutorials and workshops. The Technological University Dublin has recently developed an eLearning course in ‘Co-ordinate reference systems for spatial information’ and piloted it with staff of Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Department of Lands and Surveys, Nicosia, Cyprus. This paper evaluates the performance of eLearning in the delivery of the pilot courses pointing to its weaknesses and its strengths. The need for considered and careful use of interactive tools such …

The Trouble With Interpreting Statistically Nonsignificant Effect Sizes In Single-Study Investigations, Joel R. Levin, Daniel H. Robinson

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

In this commentary, we offer a perspective on the problem of authors reporting and interpreting effect sizes in the absence of formal statistical tests of their chanceness. The perspective reinforces our previous distinction between single -study investigations and multiple-study syntheses.

Latin America Online: Internet Resources And Web-Based Lessons, Andrew J. Milson

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ogretmenlerin Karakter Egitiminde Yetkinlik Duygusu Konusunda Bir Olcme Aracina Dogru: Karakter Egitimi Yetkinlik Inanci Skalasi, Andrew J. Milson, Halil Elski

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

Ögretmenlerin karakter egitimi konusundaki algilarini ölçmek için hazirlanan bir ölçme aracinin gelistirilmesi, test edilmesi ve Türkçeye uyarlanmasinin ele alinacagi bu makalede ögretmenlerin yetkinlik yapisinin karakter egitimiyle iliskisi ayrintili olarak incelenmekte ve Amerika’da ögretmenler arasinda yapilan iki arastirma veürkiye’de ögretmenler üzerinde yapilan bir çalismanin sonuçlari degerlendirilmektedir. Amerika’da yapilan arastirma sonuçlari sunlari ortaya koymaktadir: (i) gretmenler genellikle karakter egitiminin yetkinlikleri ile ilgili olarak olumlu bir duyguya sahiptirler; ancak kendilerinin iyi karakterden yoksun ögrencilere karakter egitimi saglama yetenekleri konusunda kusku duymaktadirlar. (ii) Ilkögretim ögretmenleri lise ögretmenlerine göre daha yüksek düzeyde bir karakter egitimi etkinliligi inancina sahiptirler. (iii) Personel gelifltirme egitimi ve karakter eiitimi …

Where In The World Is Lorena, Tx? : Enhancing Local History Projects With Technology, Andrew J. Milson, Teresa D. Lloyd, Karen Estes, Connie Mayfield

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

World-Class Sounds: Music, Social Studies, And The Internet, Andrew J. Milson, Shari Lacomb

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring Latin America With Webquests, Andrew J. Milson

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Webquest : Using Internet Resources For Cooperative Inquiry, Andrew J. Milson, Portia Downey

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Theme-Based Portfolio Assessment In Social Studies Teacher Education, Andrew J. Milson

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.