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Higher Education

Selected Works

2016

Higher Education

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Education

The Learning Analytics Readiness Instrument, Meghan Oster, Steven Lonn, Matthew D. Pistilli, Michael G. Brown Apr 2016

The Learning Analytics Readiness Instrument, Meghan Oster, Steven Lonn, Matthew D. Pistilli, Michael G. Brown

Matthew Pistilli

Little is known about the processes institutions use when discerning their readiness to implement learning analytics. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by using survey data from the beta version of the Learning Analytics Readiness Instrument (LARI) [1]. Twenty-four institutions were surveyed and 560 respondents participated. Five distinct factors were identified from a factor analysis of the results: Culture; Data Management Expertise; Data Analysis Expertise; Communication and Policy Application; and, Training. Data were analyzed using both the role of those completing the survey and the Carnegie classification of the institutions as lenses. Generally, information technology professionals …

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Using Guided Reflective Journaling Activities To Capture Students’ Changing Perceptions, Joanna Dunlap Mar 2016

Using Guided Reflective Journaling Activities To Capture Students’ Changing Perceptions, Joanna Dunlap

Joanna Dunlap

Many professions are increasingly emphasizing the role of reflection, encouraging educators to look for appropriate ways to help students engage in reflective practice during their professional preparation. Journal writing is an insightful and powerful instructional technology utilizing strategies that foster understanding and the application of concepts, enhance critical thinking, improve achievement and attitude, encourage student reflection and capture changes in students' perception. Examples from three different professional preparation courses illustrate the power of journal-writing activities as a way of encouraging students' reflective thinking, and giving faculty a way to assess students' reflective practice and perceptual changes. Based on the author's …

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From Pixel On A Screen To Real Person In Your Students' Lives: Establishing Social Presence Using Digital Storytelling, Patrick Lowenthal, Joanna Dunlap Mar 2016

From Pixel On A Screen To Real Person In Your Students' Lives: Establishing Social Presence Using Digital Storytelling, Patrick Lowenthal, Joanna Dunlap

Joanna Dunlap

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework is a comprehensive guide to the research "and" practice of online learning. One of the most challenging aspects of establishing a CoI in online courses is finding the best way to attend to each element of the CoI framework in a primarily text-based environment. In our online courses, we have examined the use of digital storytelling as a way to break down the barriers that can get in the way of achieving a healthy and productive CoI. In this paper, we describe how we use digital storytelling to establish our social presence as instructors.

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Constructivism And Instructional Design: Some Personal Reflections, Brent Wilson Mar 2016

Constructivism And Instructional Design: Some Personal Reflections, Brent Wilson

Brent Wilson

Some personal reflections on instructional design and its relation to constructivism are explored. Instructional design in its present form is out of sync with the times in that its orientation, methods, and research base are behavioristic, or positivistic. However, a constructivist theory of instructional design is possible, particularly if constructivism is recognized as a philosophy rather than a strategy. To better fit the needs of practitioners, instructional design theories need to be better grounded in a broad understanding of learning and instructional processes. Generic principles and specific heuristics are needed for dealing with recurring problems and situations in instructional design …

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Understanding The Meaning-Making Processes Of Hispanic College Students In Their Spiritual And Religious Development., Roland Nunez, John D. Foubert Dec 2015

Understanding The Meaning-Making Processes Of Hispanic College Students In Their Spiritual And Religious Development., Roland Nunez, John D. Foubert

John D. Foubert

This study used narrative inquiry to understand what spirituality
and religiosity meant to Hispanic students attending a large,
Midwestern university in the United States. The study consisted
of interviews with 10 Hispanic students who discussed their
spiritual and religious beliefs from childhood through college.
Findings supported current literature that spirituality increases
and religiosity decreases during college. However, after an
initial decline in religiosity during the first year of college,
participants reported a noteworthy increase shortly after
college began. Secondly, students’ spiritual and religious beliefs
were closely tied to their family, supporting research on familial
centrality in Hispanic culture.

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