Education Commons^™

A Study On The Use Of Reflective Writing Assessments To Indicate The Level Of Knowledge College Industrial Technology Students Possess Related To The Three Elements Of Technological And Engineering Literacy, William Domenick Euefueno

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The problem of the study was to determine if the use of a reflective writing assessment at the beginning, middle, and end of a college semester indicated an industrial technology student’s knowledge and skills related to technological and engineering literacy. Experiences gained during project-based learning activities were used as the basis for this study. This descriptive study examined the reflective writing abilities of junior and senior year college students enrolled in a university’s industrial technology program of study by administering a reflective writing assignment three times over a semester of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) course, STEM 320, Manufacturing …

“No Justice, No Peace”: Yard Signs As Public Pedagogy And Community Engagement At The Intersection Of Public Health Crises, Brigitte Mussack

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This paper examines yard signs as a site for public pedagogy that engages two concurrent, and comorbid, public health crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and racism. Specifically, I reflect on how yard signs responding to the George Floyd murder in my own Minneapolis neighborhood exist during a kairotic moment; as myself and my students are increasingly confined to our own homes, and as the boundaries between school and home are blurred, the public health crisis of racism and the specific community response of yard signs present opportunities for examining how these signs can act as entry points into difficult conversations among …

Reflective Blogs: Supporting Students' Learning Experiences While On Work Placement, Farrah Higgins

Practitioner Research Projects

Reflective blogs can be an effective tool to help students critically evaluate their learning and professional skills development in a work placement setting. This practitioner report investigates reflective blogs as a usable and authentic assessment tool for students on work placement in a Business Computing discipline. A review of the benefits of reflective writing for students is included, such as improving critical thinking and writing skills, while encouraging development of graduate attributes and professional skills development. The report outlines the importance of preparatory work on developing reflective writing practices within the curriculum, before students commence their work placements.

“Our Stories”: First-Year Learning Communities Students Reflections On The Transition To College, Karen Goodlad, Sandra Cheng, Jennifer Sears, Mery Diaz, Ashwin Satyanarayana, Phil Freniske

Publications and Research

Analysis of diverse first-year and first-generation learning communities students’ reflective narratives shows this population of students at an urban commuter college of technology face significant challenges in the transition into college. Designed to assist in this transition, the “Our Stories” digital writing project incorporates reflective writing in the long established, yet recently revitalized, learning communities program. Through analysis of the “Our Stories” project, we examine how the structure of our learning communities program, together with writing on an open digital platform, builds community and has the potential to positively influence students as they identify, and begin to make sense, of …

"Our Stories" Developing A Virtual Community Of First-Year Voices, Sandra Cheng, Jennifer Sears, Karen Goodlad, Ashwin Satyanarayana, Mery Diaz, Philip Kreniske

Publications and Research

First Year Learning Communities (FYLC) at City Tech is structured to provide first-year students in linked courses an interdisciplinary learning experience. This approach creates opportunities for students to form bonds within the college community. A shared belief among faculty leaders in the potential for writing to transform the student experience led to the development of the “Our Stories” digital writing project. “Our Stories” offers FYLC students the opportunity to express their experiences in classes, seminars, lectures, study groups, and labs on the OpenLab, a digital platform for teaching, learning, and sharing. Through this project, students shared their stories and revealed …

(Re)Sequencing The Research/Writing Process In The Writing Classroom, Megan Spiegel, Lee Olsen, Suzanne Paola

Writing Research Fellows

What are the outcomes of sequencing writing assignments so that students are introduced to primary sources and allowed to browse these sources prior to selecting a research topic? (This as opposed to the standard sequence by which instructors ask students to choose a topic before completing any sort of preliminary research in source material.)

Analyzing Reflective Writing, Ray Wolpow, Jody Bault

Writing Research Fellows

Research Question: What happens in a Secondary Education undergraduate and graduate course(s) when we use a reflective writing rubric that addresses both cognitive and affective capacities/skills in order to demonstrate the proficiency necessary to meet standards for certification?

Method: After examining relevant literature, we defined reflection to be “a careful examination and evaluation of experience, beliefs, and knowledge.” We found that a careful examination and evaluation of an experience, when compared to one’s beliefs and prior knowledge, was considered by most to be the deepest form of reflection. Using a model based on Bain et al. (1999), we found that …

Improving Metacognitive Skills, Jim Stewart, Mike Greiner, Cassandra Cook

Writing Research Fellows

Research Question: Can a short, weekly email reflection from students in introductory physics courses be structured to improve students’ thinking about their own thinking?

Method: By analyzing student responses we will refine the writing prompt and scoring guidelines so that, starting fall 2008, we can begin a longitudinal study in which we follow individual students through at least two quarters of the introductory physics course.