Education Commons^™

The Seti Framework And Technology Integration In The Digital Age, Helen Crompton, Diane Burke, Christine Nickel, Agnes Chigona

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Effective integration of technology is critical for online, blended, hybrid, and face-to-face learning. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the SETI (Socio-Ecological Technology Integration) framework and explain what it adds to the scholarly research regarding effective technology integration. The SETI framework goes beyond previous frameworks and applies a holistic systems approach to understanding effective technology integration. This takes into account all aspects of technology integration including new findings uncovered during the Covid-19 lockdown. TPACK and SAMR were analyzed identifying their benefits and limitations and then the SETI framework was explained providing insight into the value of a whole …

The World Around Us: Physical And Chemical Changes, Erica Carpenter

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

The following article describes a lesson that provides students with a better understanding of the world around them. Specifically, the students investigate real-life examples to expand their learning about physical and chemical changes. This lesson is appropriate for middle school students. Within the lesson, the teacher provides readers with resources and activities that can be used to cultivate a culturally relevant pedagogy. Students are provided with a variety of activities to spark their interest in science.

Mystery Mutt: Dna Analysis With A Dog Named Charlie, Kelly M. Jones

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

This article provides an in-depth exploration of the design, execution, and outcomes of the "Mystery Mutt: DNA analysis with a dog named Charlie" lesson. Designed for seventh-grade life science students, the lesson focuses on unraveling the correlation between genotype and phenotype using authentic pet DNA test results. Grounded in real-life experiences and employing a multi-dimensional approach, the lesson successfully bridges the gap between theoretical genetic concepts and practical applications. The article discusses the lesson's alignment with academic standards, consideration of materials and safety, its unique classroom context, and the engaging phases of exploration, explanation, elaboration, evaluation, and closure. The emphasis …

Using Multiple Modes Of Learning In A High School Genetic Engineering Lesson, Hannah Stuart

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

The goal of this article is to discuss a genetic engineering lesson presented to high school biology students to obtain mastery of the Biology Standard of Learning (BIO.5e) associated with genetic engineering products and practices. The lesson described in this article follows the 5E lesson plan model. Therefore, the article will describe the 5Es used in the creation and implementation of this lesson: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. This article focuses on the use of resources and activities that appeal to students with varying learning styles and looks at the effectiveness of individualized teacher-student attention during individual practice time. …

Microscope Investigations: An Inquiry-Based Cell Lab, Joshua Whittaker, R. Whitlow

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

This lesson is a collaborative effort between a student teacher and a cooperating senior teacher to design and implement an engaging and exploratory microscope lab for 7th-grade students. The goal of this lesson is to cultivate excitement, interest, and exploration in students who are new to using microscopes, aligning with the Virginia 7th Grade Life Science Standards of Learning on cells and cell theory. This lab incorporates two microscope stations—one focusing on fundamental skills and the other on inquiry-based exploration. By employing the 5E model of instruction, this paper details how students progress through engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation …

Multiplying And Dividing Fractions And Mixed Numbers Using Multiple Models, Pavithra Sridhar

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

This lesson is based on the study of Multiplying and Dividing Fractions using multiple representations, and the subsequent application of these concepts to real-life situations. In this lesson, we demonstrate/model multiplication and division of fractions (proper or improper) and mixed numbers using multiple models. We solve single-step and multistep practical problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with and without models. The sum, difference, product, and quotient of fraction and mixed number problems are determined. We also determine the sum and difference of fraction, mixed number, and fraction, division, and product of mixed numbers. This lesson focuses on the use …

Teaching Cells To Diverse Learners In The Modern Classroom, Avery Tully

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

During this lesson, my main focus was to engage students in deeper learning about the importance of cells and all the aspects of structure, function, and history. My classroom is extremely diverse as I teach in Northern Virginia, a true melting pot. I have attached the population of minorities in Northern Virginia. This shows that over half of the population is minorities, well over the national average. You will also see the graph of ESOL homes in Northern Virginia. This graph shows that over 35% of homes in Northern Virginia speak another primary language other than English in their homes.

A Cellular Division Called Mitosis, Betsy Kent

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

In biology, cellular reproduction is a fundamental process that ensures the growth and repair of living organisms. This article will detail the lesson that meets the needs of students with disabilities by applying several Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. The plan will be taught over a span of five days and focus on the fundamental process that allows living organisms to grow, repair damaged tissues, and reproduce. The students will have several hands-on activities that will enhance the lecture part of the lesson. Understanding cellular reproduction is crucial in comprehending the complexity and resilience of life itself.

Supporting Multilingual Learners’ Reading Competence: A Multiple Case Study Of Teachers’ Instruction And Student Learning And Motivation, Melissa A. Gallagher, Jori S. Beck, Erin M. Ramirez, Ana Taboada Barber, Michelle M. Buehl

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Supporting students’ reading competence (i.e., their comprehension and vocabulary) is complex, particularly when working with multilingual learners, and involves implementing instructional practices to support their behavioral engagement in reading as well as their reading motivation. The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to examine changes in multilingual learners’ reading comprehension, academic vocabulary, reading engagement, and reading motivation after participating in a 7-week intervention called United States History for Engaged Reading (USHER) and then examine qualitative data to explain why these changes may have occurred. We found changes in the reading comprehension of MLs across all four teachers’ classes, …

Building Academic Language Proficiency For English Learners, Abha Gupta

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Academic language proficiency is essential for success in school, especially for English Learners (ELs). However, it is a skill which receives little attention. Many ELs frequently exit from language assistance programs because they perform well on social language tests and sound proficient in language interchange, due to strong basic interpersonal communication skills. However, they may still struggle in content areas due to poor academic language proficiency. This article’s main goals are to illustrate the value of academic language comprehension and offer teaching techniques that will help ELs develop this skill. These strategies, which play to English Learners’ strengths, incorporate cognates …

How Rocks Rock: The Processes That Shape Our World, Jennifer Harrison

Lesson Plans

Have you ever thought about how the rocks in your driveway formed? Or the sand on your beach? How about the diamond in a ring or the charcoal in a grill?

All earthen material is subject to forces that impact its properties, from where we find it, how its structure is made and how it behaves under external pressures. Rocks are defined as any inorganic material found in the natural world (meaning not living material). There are 3 types of rock, and where and how they form is important in their classifications. They are subject to geological processes as well …

Integrating Plcs With Robot Motion Control In Engineering Capstone Courses, Sanjeevi Chitikeshi, Shirshak K. Dhali, Vukica Jovanovic

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Robotic motion control methods and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are critical in engineering automation and process control applications. In most manufacturing and automation processes, robots are used for moving parts and are controlled by industrial PLCs. Proper integration of external I/O devices, sensors and actuating motors with PLC input and output cards is very important to run the process smoothly without any faults and/or safety concerns. Most traditional electrical and computer engineering (ECE) programs offer high level of motion theory and controls but little hands-on exposure to PLCs which are the main industrial controllers. This paper provides a framework for …

But Are They Good Teachers? Examining Who Takes Up Teacher Leadership And How Their Instruction Differs From Their Peers, Peter D. Wiens, Jori S. Beck

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Teacher leaders function in many roles in supporting school success including instructional leadership and supporting colleagues. This study draws upon the Status of the Social Studies Survey (Fitchett & Vanfossen, 2013) to examine the responses of 6,702 US-based middle and high school social studies teachers to understand the antecedents of teacher leadership and the instructional practices of these individuals compared to their peers. Survey responses indicate that the vast majority of social studies teachers report participating in some aspect of teacher leadership. Teacher leaders tend to be less experienced and have less educational attainment while employing more research-based instructional techniques.

Overview Of Standards For Technological And Engineering Literacy (Other), Philip Reed, Tyler Love, Scott Bartholomew, Kelly Dooley

STEMPS Faculty Publications

In 2020, the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) published Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy: The Role of Technology and Engineering in STEM Education (STEL) [1]. These standards open with a clear rationale why all Pk-12 students should study technology and engineering:

Technology and engineering are pervasive in all aspects of our lives. Every human activity is dependent upon the products, systems, and processes created to help grow food, provide shelter, communicate, work, and recreate. As the world grows more complex, it is increasingly important for everyone to understand more about technology and engineering [1, p. 1].

The …

Middle Level Teacher Recruitment: Challenging Deficit Narratives, Christina Lunsmann, Jori S. Beck, Kaavonia Hinton, Bettie F. Perry

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Perceptions of middle level learners vary, and unfortunately, some are deficit-oriented, labeling young adolescents as “hormonal” and “erratic” without a deep understanding of their emotional and physical development or the knowledge and skills that they bring to a classroom. In this paper, we provide empirical evidence for this deficit narrative—including the marginalization of middle level learners—from interviews conducted with teacher candidates in elementary, middle, secondary, and K-12 programs in two different states. Three themes around perceptions of teaching middle grades students are shared: adult needs and interests, resistance to student agency, and challenging the deficit narrative. We posit that developing …

Senior Elective Communications Systems Courses As Pathways To Capstone Projects In Electrical Engineering Technology Program, Otilia Popescu, Murat Kuzlu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

In any engineering program the capstone project is the most comprehensive work completed by the students, and is regarded as the pinnacle of their engineering studies, with all their course work culminating with this major design, implementation and reporting product. Coming up with the actual topic of the project is sometimes the most difficult part of the project, especially in programs where the project topics are not solely proposed by the faculty, and they are for the student and advisor to develop together. This is especially the case of engineering technology programs, where a large percentage of students have work …

Expanding A Mechanical Engineering Technology Curriculum To Include Additive Manufacturing, Hamid Eisazadeh, Mona Torabizadeh

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has become a game changer for the manufacturing industry. With growing implementation of AM in various industries, it is the responsibility of different levels of education to expose students to AM technologies and to integrate AM into their curriculum. It is well known that students who gain the skillsets of today’s industry have a better chance in getting a competitive job. In response to this need, a new senior level elective course on AM, has been developed for the first time in Old Dominion University (ODU) region in the South. The course was developed and taught by …

Development Of A Smart Grid Course In An Electrical Engineering Technology Program, Murat Kuzlu, Otilia Popescu, Vukica M. Jovanovic

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Electric power systems courses have been traditionally offered by electrical engineering technology programs for a long time, with the main objective to introduce students to the fundamental concepts in the field of electric power systems and electrical to mechanical energy conversion. A typical electric power systems course covers a variety of topics, such as general aspects of electric power system design, electric generators, components of transmission and distribution systems, power flow analysis, system operation, and performance measures. In the last decades, electric power systems have significantly modernized alongside with requirement of improvement in system efficiency, reliability, cybersecurity, and environmental sustainability. …

Lessons Learned: What The Covid-19 Global Pandemic Has Taught Us About Teaching, Technology And Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jane Roitsch, Robert L. Moore, Annemarie Horn

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose. This paper examines the impact of the abrupt transition from attending school face-to-face to participating in online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as reported by a parent of a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Design/methodology/approach. A phone interview was conducted with the parent of a child with ASD. The semi-structured interview focused on how the child’s family was impacted when classes shifted to virtual from face-to-face learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings. Four themes emerged from the interview. Three of these included adjustments to changes in 1) routines and roles, 2) …

Ed Talks: A Collaborative Professional Development Partnership, Jori S. Beck, J. Huntoon

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The purpose of the current manuscript is to delineate a collaborative professional development effort between Coastal City Public Schools and Ocean View University—a nascent school-university partnership. Ed Talks were created to build relationships between public school and university faculty but we have encountered challenges in implementing this effort including scheduling issues. However, the effort has been supported by teacher leadership and technology. While our partnership is still growing, Ed Talks have been a catalyst for building informal relationships between Eagle Academy and Ocean View University faculty.

When Failure Is An Option: A Scoping Review Of Failure States In Game-Based Learning, F. Eamonn Powers, Robert L. Moore

STEMPS Faculty Publications

As interest in the use of games and gaming elements within learning environments grows, educators and designers may find it easier to account for winning than for losing and failure. This scoping review examines the role of failure and loss within game-based instructional interventions. Because of the varied methods and relatively small number of articles directly addressing the intersection between failure and loss within game-based instructional interventions, a scoping review was undertaken. This review included 14 peer-reviewed articles which explored a range of instructional contexts implementing failure state game mechanics. We identify several key takeaways that indicate how failure state …

Exploring Cybersecurity Education At The K-12 Level, Weiru Chen, Yuming He, Xin Tian, Wu He, E. Langran (Ed.), D. Rutledge (Ed.)

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

K-12 cybersecurity education is receiving growing attention with the growing number of cyberattacks and a shortage of cybersecurity professionals. However, there are many barriers for teachers to implement effective cybersecurity education in formal classroom environments. This study conducts a systematic literature review to examine the current state-of-the-art on K-12 cybersecurity education. Through the systematic literature review, we identified 20 closely relevant papers and recognized that a well-designed curriculum in cybersecurity education at the K-12 level is strongly needed to motivate students to pursue cybersecurity pathways and careers. The challenge and suggestions of curriculum design, teaching strategy, and learning assessment are …

Assessing An Academic Readiness Model In A Community College Occupational Program, Scott A. Hauert, Robert L. Moore, Quinton Nottingham

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This study assessed a localized academic readiness model that measures academic skills relevant to an occupational program and the institutional context. Enrollment in the program’s mandatory gateway course is contingent upon establishing academic readiness either: (1) possess an associate-level or higher degree; (2) achieve placement test scores that permit enrollment in college-level English composition/critical reading; or (3) complete developmental education prerequisites to permit enrollment in college-level English composition/critical reading. Using the gateway course performance for 112 students, the study explored whether any of the model’s criterions are significantly related to success in the gateway course and whether there is any …

How Instructors Can Enhance Biology Students' Motivation, Learning, And Grades Through Brief Relevance Writing And Worked-Example Interventions, Kyle R. Mara, Avi Kaplan, Michael J. Balsai, Jennifer G. Cromley, Tony Perez, Ting Dai

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

The high failure rate of students in "gateway" science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses has been a persistent problem for biology programs nationwide. Common wisdom contends that addressing this problem requires major curricular overhauls. While desirable, such large systematic changes are often expensive or impractical. We propose an alternative approach: supplementing the regular instruction with brief online modules targeting specific cognitive (learning) and motivational mechanisms. We conducted an intervention study to test the effects of different combinations of cognitive and motivational modules on undergraduate introductory biology students' learning, motivation, achievement, and intentions to remain in science. Introductory biology students …

Exploring The Relationship Between Clout And Cognitive Processing In Mooc Discussion Forums, Robert L. Moore, Cherng-Jyh Yen, F. Eamonn Powers

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between clout and cognitive processing in massive open online course (MOOC) discussion forum posts. Cognitive processing, a category variable generated by the automated text analysis tool, Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC), is made up of six sub-scores (insight, causation, discrepancy, tentativeness, certainty and differentiation). Clout is a nontransparent summary variable in LIWC that can be used to understand the level of confidence conveyed in the text. Because clout is nontransparent, we do not know the algorithm used to calculate its value. To better understand this variable, this study examined cognitive …

Lessons From The Past And Challenges For The Future: Inclusive Education For Students With Unique Needs, William Evans, Robert A. Gable, Amany Habib

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The school-age population of students is becoming increasingly more culturally and linguistically diverse. There is mounting recognition that English Learners (EL) represent a unique group of students who have special educational and linguistic needs. This article considered the needs of learners with diverse special needs such as (a) learning and behavior challenges and (b) English Learners identified as students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). We highlighted some potential lessons to be learned from past-to-present efforts to serve students with behavior problems. Selected evidence-based practices were featured that are applicable to learners with special needs, thereby supporting the development …

Engineering Technology Programs Outreach To K-12, Alok Verma

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The Engineering Technology (ET) degree emphasizes hands-on application and implementation. Graduates holding this degree play a valuable role in economically growing the US and keeping it internationally competitive. However, “engineering and engineering technology, are widely misunderstood… the public sector (employers, students, high-school counselors, politicians and the general public) needs to be educated as to the particular value of each,” according to Engineering.com [1]. The National Academy of Engineering states, “Unlike the much better-known field of engineering, engineering technology is unfamiliar to most Americans and goes unmentioned in most policy discussions about the US technical workforce. This is even though workers …

Cultivating A 'Community Of Practice' In An Educational Leadership Preparation Program: Experiences And Roles Of Adjunct Faculty, Karen Swann, Karen L. Sanzo, Jay Paredes Scribner, Michael Cromartie

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

Educational leadership preparation programs increasingly rely on adjunct faculty to teach aspiring leaders. Although the percentage of adjunct faculty serving as instructors continues to grow relative to full-time, tenured faculty, the role of part-time instructors/K-12 practitioners remains confined to instruction. This study explored how one educational leadership preparation program attempted to include adjunct faculty in roles beyond teaching to include course and curriculum development, program redesign, and recruitment and marketing. Informed by the communities of practice literature, this study illustrates ways that programs can foster meaningful professional community among full- and part-time faculty in ways that contribute to program quality. …

Exploring Student Perceptions Of Flipgrid In Online Courses, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Robert L. Moore

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Asynchronous video-based discussions have affordances that can address some of the constraints of asynchronous text-based discussions. However, little research has been conducted on the use of asynchronous video-based discussions in online courses. As a result, the purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate students’ perceptions of using Flipgrid for asynchronous video-based discussions in fully online courses. We used a cross-sectional survey design to survey 79 students who used Flipgrid in a fully online course. Students overall reported that they liked using Flipgrid, it was easy to use, and that it helped improve social presence. In this paper, we will …

I Told You That To Tell You This: Metagaming And Metacognition In The Hybrid Classroom, Marc A. Ouellette

English Faculty Publications

This paper theorizes the use of play and gamified methods to foster metacognition, or strategies for learning and learning about learning, in online graduate instruction. In the process, it calls into question the determinism of “serious” games as being the only means of facilitating metacognition. Ultimately, by adopting metagame approaches—that is, approaches based on0 goals and achievements that are external to the game and/or are developed by the players themselves—metacognition can and does occur because students participate in the development of the rewards. Moreover, any metagame feature ultimately becomes a commentary so that an approach based on metagaming offers its …