Education Commons^™

Getting Past Powerpoint, James Hayes-Bohanan, Eric Lepage

EdTech Day

For an entire generation, integrating technology into the classroom has very often meant using PowerPoint to enhance—and even to organize—lectures. More advanced integration of technology often means teaching students to prepare their own PowerPoint presentations.

Dr. James Hayes-Bohanan became acquainted with PowerPoint when working as an in-house software trainer as the application was first coming to market. As a new professor in the ensuing years, he used many of PowerPoint’s bells and whistles—sometimes literally—in his own teaching and helped both middle-school and college students to use the software.

It is from this deep involvement with PowerPoint that he eventually came …

Elearning Live, Diane Forand, Andrew Hinote

EdTech Day

BigBlueButton is an open source web conferencing system similar to DimDim, Elluminate, and Wimba. This solution runs on Mac, Unix, or PC computers, and is very simple and quick to install and configure. Faculty have found to be the simplest interface for web collaboration. Come take a look at how we are using it at Bristol Community College to supplement and support eLearning and face-to-face courses.

Ditch Your Lms Discussion Board And Make The Move To Facebook Groups, Eric Lepage

EdTech Day

This past semester I taught an undergraduate Communications course on social media, and we spent a week holding our online course discussions in a Facebook Group site, rather than in our course Learning Management System (Moodle). The Facebook discussions worked so well that my students asked if we could abandon the Online Discussion Board tool and use Facebook Groups for the remainder of the semester. I will share with you the pros and cons of using Facebook for your online course discussions.

Increase Student Participation With Poll Everywhere, Susan Eliason

EdTech Day

Do your students text-message in class? An article inspired me to use their passion to text as a teaching tool and to increase in-class participation. Poll Everywhere allows you to pose a question to students via an embedded PowerPoint poll. Students can then respond to the poll via SMS text, Twitter, or the web. Your polls can be multiple choice based or open-ended questions to create conversations. The service is free for up to 30 responses per poll question. The polls have engaged students in conversation and participation in the learning activity and it created a novel learning experience.

Media Services In North American Academic Libraries, Michael J. Miller

Publications and Research

Ongoing evolution of the Benjamin S. Rosenthal (BRL), Multimedia Commons was initially informed by a report from an internal task force and also by a four-year-long study of North American academic library media services units. A travel grant allowed for visits to the media service units of Barnard College, College of Staten Island - City University of New York, Columbia University, Georgetown University, New York University, University of Maryland - College Park, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, University of Texas – Austin. Visits have subsequently been made to the University of Washington – …

The Success Of Instrumental Music Programs In Public Schools In Rural Communities: A Guide In Organization And Instruction For The Development Of Successful Student Musicians, Shawn C. Batten

Theses & Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Best Practices To Promote Learning Through Web Conferencing: Resources, Tools And Teaching Methods, Paula Jones, Maryann Kolloff, Fred Kolloff

Instructional Development Center Faculty and Staff Research

Web Conferencing and synchronous learning have a specific place in online learning. In fact, Web Conferencing is recognized as a highly collaborative and social learning environment. Web Conferencing can support effect online pedagogy in a number of ways. First, Web conferencing provides tools that support communication between the student and the instructor enabling presence to be established and/or maintained throughout the course. Second, web conferencing provides a didactic communication between two or more users. This provides opportunities to interact and offer feedback on topics relevant to the course. Thirdly, web conferencing allows students to talk through issues or questions they …

Best Practices To Promote Learning Through Web Conferencing: Resources, Tools And Teaching Methods, Paula Jones, Maryann Kolloff, Fred Kolloff

Paula Jones

Web Conferencing and synchronous learning have a specific place in online learning. In fact, Web Conferencing is recognized as a highly collaborative and social learning environment. Web Conferencing can support effect online pedagogy in a number of ways. First, Web conferencing provides tools that support communication between the student and the instructor enabling presence to be established and/or maintained throughout the course. Second, web conferencing provides a didactic communication between two or more users. This provides opportunities to interact and offer feedback on topics relevant to the course. Thirdly, web conferencing allows students to talk through issues or questions they …

Best Instructional Practices For Distance Education: A Meta-Analysis, Robin Michael Roberts

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Recent meta-analyses on the efficacy of distance education have concluded that no significant difference exists between face-to-face and distance education. At the same time, these meta-analyses noted that considerable heterogeneity existed between the individual studies used in the meta-analyses. Investigation of moderators responsible for that heterogeneity suggested that four things other than media delivery were primarily responsible for the majority of variation between study outcomes: methodological quality, instructor involvement, type of interaction, instructional methods and time-on-task. A comparative meta-analysis was performed to further investigate these moderators. Methodological quality, maturational differences in students and any undetermined media effects were controlled for …

Enhancing The Cultural Competence Of Women’S Health Nurses Via Online Continuing Education, Ella T. Heitzler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

By 2050, current minority groups will comprise almost half of the US population further challenging healthcare providers and nurses to deliver culturally competent care. Numerous organizations have published documents supporting cultural competence and its incorporation into nursing curricula has been encouraged since 1986. However, practicing nurses, specifically those providing care to childbearing women and families, continue to acknowledge their lack of cultural competence. This is concerning as large health disparities exist between culturally diverse women and cultural competence can lead to greater health equality and better client care. Studies have shown face-to-face education increases the cultural competence of healthcare providers; …

Exemplary High School Teacher's Utilization Of Web-Facilitated Instruction: A Multiple-Case Study, Tracy A. Platt

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Technology and the web are becoming as necessary to the education of “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001) as the textbook. This qualitative multiple case study focused on the manner in which web-facilitated technologies influenced instruction through planning, preparation, and instructional practices of secondary teachers. Three high school teachers were selected as participants based on their administrator recommending them as an exemplary teacher utilizing web-facilitated technology. A multiple case qualitative design was employed where 8 to 9 observations occurred over a 2-month period. Observations were concluded by researcher journaled thoughts, feelings, and general impressions of what was observed. Post observation interviews queried …

The Adoption Of Ict For Library And Information Services, Chinwe Veronica Anunobi Dr, Obinna Paul Anyanwu, Mary Oga, Ijeoma I. Benard

Chinwe Veronica Anunobi Dr

The paper presents the adoption and use of ICT in library and information services in Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) Library. The historical development of the ICT Unit of the Library, the structural organization, the ICT facilities, hardware and software available. the offline and online databases and services available as well as the automation process involved vvere all discussed. The challenges towards' the provision of effective and efficient ICT based services in the library including those of funding, ICT policies, environmental challenges etc and the prospects including a tremendous increase in the number of lCT experts at all levels; …

E-Learning As A Panacea To Frustrating Struggle For Limited Admission Space In Nigerian Higher Institutions: Issues And Prospects., Chinwe Veronica Anunobi Dr

Chinwe Veronica Anunobi Dr

The exponential population increase in the Country is not without consequential effect on secondary schoolleavers jostling for limited admission space in Nigerian institutions of higher learning. Every academic year, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), rolls out frightening number of candidates desiring to enter Nigerian universities. These universities have limited resources to admit up to fifty percent of the candidates. The result is frustrated secondary school leavers who continue to apply yearly for admission. Consequently, examination malpractice becomes the norm. Measures were taken to ameliorate the problem including sandwich, continuing and distance education programmes. These modes of education are …

“Race” In Mathematics Education: Are We A Community Of Cowards?, David W. Stinson

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

In this editorial, the author revisits Attorney General Eric Holder's well-known 2009 statement that, "in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," examining the ways in which racial "cowardice" continues to impact urban mathematical education.

Aisr Connections, Fall 2011 (2011-2012 Orientation Issue), Aisr

The AC's Research Support Newsletter (Formerly AISR Connections)

Yearly publication of AISR Connections for 2011-2012.

Issue includes:

• FACT Program Incorporates iPads
• Classroom Technologies & Videoconferencing
• Jefferson Digital Commons Posts Half Million Downloads

The mission of Academic & Instructional Support & Resources (AISR) is to strengthen the educational, research and clinical activities of the Jefferson community by providing knowledge-based information, developing and managing instructional technologies and content, supporting and managing campus classroom technologies, and providing leadership in scholarly communication and publishing.

Use Of Cognitive Artifacts In Chemistry Learning, Ilker Yengin

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

In everyday life, we interact with cognitive artifacts to receive and/or manipulate information so as to alter our thinking processes. CHEM/TEAC 869Q is a distance course that includes extensive explicit instruction in the use of a cognitive artifact. This study investigates issues related to the design of that online artifact. In order to understand design implications and how cognitive artifacts contribute to students’ thinking and learning, a qualitative research methodology was engaged that utilized think aloud sessions. Participants’ described constrained and structured cognitive models while using the artifact. The study also was informed by interviews and researcher's field notes. A …

Attitudes Of And Behaviors Towards Academic Integrity Between Community College Students Who Enroll In Online Courses Versus Traditional Courses, Kristine Marie Christensen

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Advances in technology have allowed educators to use new methods for delivering education, students are finding new ways to leverage technology to learn, and online course enrollments are growing at a faster rate than traditional face-to-face courses. Using McCabe's Academic Integrity Survey, data was collected from over 1,700 students enrolled in online or traditional, face-to-face courses at a large Midwestern community college during the fall of 2008. The purpose of this study was to examine whether differences in the self-reported attitudes and behaviors toward academic integrity exist between community college students enrolled in online courses and those in traditional, face-to-face …

Asynchronous Use Of Engineering (Materials) Education Videos, Craig Johnson, Arthur D. Morken

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Engineering education delivery is dynamic and increasingly asynchronous. An observation that students had very different levels of knowledge and skills as they progressed through our programs, led the authors to use audio/visual media as a leveling intervention. In this effort the authors collected data to determine if audio/visual media can be used to increase performance in the development of a program related task and guide students to higher levels of learning on Blooms Taxonomy through the development of student created learning aids.

One specific need was reflected in the disparate skills of our majority component of ‘transfer’ students in our …

Rfid Classroom Management System, Andrew W. Wright

Master's Theses

Professors who manage large classes are unrealistically expected to grade each student fairly and accurately. Even with all of the technological advancements that have occurred in the past thirty years, very little progress has been made in classroom management, and as a result, professors are not equipped with enough tools to successfully manage large class sizes. Because radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is making its way into student issued identification cards, there is an opportunity to use it as a tool to aid professors in the classroom. The focus of this paper is to discover the most effective system that …

Integrating Cell Phones Into A Chinese High School Efl Classroom: Students’ Attitudes, Technological Readiness, And Perceived Learning, Feihong Wang, Xin Chen, Weini Fang

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Although explorations on cell phone-based learning (C-learning) in the field of teach­ing English as a foreign language (EFL) has been gaining increasing attention in the last 10 years, the explorations are constrained mainly to distance language teaching. Researchers have pointed out that mobile devices are most effective when combined with group activities, tradi­tional educational activities, and other information and communication technologies (Librero, Ramos, Ranga, Trinona, & Lambert, 2007; Stead, 2005). The purpose of this study was to in­vestigate the integration of a C-learning activity into a traditional EFL classroom by looking at students’ attitudes, technological readiness, perceived learning, and perceived …

A Multiple Aspects Quantitative Indicator For Ability Of English Vocabulary: Vocabulary Quotient, Hong-Fa Ho, Chen Huong

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

tudents of EFL have a common problem with insufficient vocabulary. Some studies argue that English vocabulary is one of the most difficult parts. This paper applied the idea of KPI (Key Performance Indicator) from management science to EFL vocabulary learning and teaching. A vocabulary quotient (VQ in short) with four test models, including a listening com­prehension test, was proposed as KPIs. Based on VQ, VQ testing software was developed. To test the validity and reliability of the assessment tool based on VQ, assessments with 54 junior high students (n=54) was conducted. The findings of this study were generalized as the …

Teaching In An Efl Program In Second Life: Student Teachers’ Perspectives And Implications, Charles Xiaoxue Wang, Mary L. Lefaiver, Christy Hunt, Qi Wang

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Educational researchers have paid considerable attention to the use of multi-user vir­tual environments (MUVEs) to support learning across curricula. Among those MUVEs, Second Life (SL) is one of the most popular. This paper reports on a study of student teachers’ experience of teaching English in an experimental EFL (English as a Foreign Language) program in Second Life (SL) with students in China. This study was a collaborative effort of faculty members and graduate students of both a state university in the USA and a provincial university in China. The study took a case study approach to reveal student teachers’ perceptions …

Critical Reading And Writing: A Literary Project For Non-English Majors With Thinking Tools, Ai Chun Yen

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This paper discusses how EFL non-English majors’ critical reading and writing awareness in English can be developed in a literature-based class for general education. This module was designed for non-English majors to read the classic literary texts with e-story mapping (hereafter called the “Literary Project” or the “Project”) at Dong Hwa University, Taiwan. The Literary Project centered on how context shaped students’ critical reading and writing skills and to further their knowledge management. The 4P model—plan-produce-publish-present—was introduced in the frst class and framed in such a way as to contextualize reading analytically frst and later writing academically. At the same …

Educational Computer Games And Spanish Content Learning, Timothy Dedeaux, Taralynn Hartsell

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine differences in engagement, satisfaction, and Spanish language content learning among participants playing one of two dif­ferent educational computer games. Additionally, this study served as preliminary research for future research projects to detect and correct problems at the pilot stage. Participants were briefly introduced to the Spanish content material prior to using the computer games and completed pre-tests, post-tests, and satisfaction/engagement surveys as a way to obtain learning results. The small sample size acquired for the study did not yield any statistically significant difference, but the research did permit examination of the …

Action To Acquisition—Boost Students’ English Learning Motivation With Filmmaking Project, Cheng-Ting Chen, Kuo-Chen Li

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

In Taiwan, English is more a major subject matter for student to “study” in school rather than a language for people to use in real life situations. Under the situation, students tend to have lower learning motivation when come to English classes, especially in higher academic settings, like universities. In order to boost students’ learning motivation as well as to encourage their productivity and creativity at the same time, a preliminary action research was conducted by two researchers collaboratively whereas one researcher is the instructor simultaneously. The major focus of the action research is concerning the application of “filmmaking” as …

Promoting Student’S Online Engagement With Communication Tools, Shuyan Wang

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This case study investigated students’ engagement and learning experiences in online courses through Blackboard CE6 (Course Management System). The meaning that students gave to their learning experiences and the problems they encountered were also investigated in order to understand how students learn in a technology-enriched learning environment. Data were col­lected through open-ended survey questions, participant observations, and document analyses from three online instructional technology graduate courses where students used threaded dis­cussion, live classroom, chat room, and email for online communication and interaction. Find­ings indicated that students’ engagement was promoted by using various communication tools although student preferred discussion board and …

The Effect Of Eportfolio Satisfaction On Students’ Learning Motivation And Internet Self-Efficacy, Jeff J.S. Huang, Stephen J.H. Yang, Matt C.W. Chang

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This study aims to investigate the effect of e-Portfolio satisfaction on students’ learn­ing motivation and Internet self-efficacy toward the use of e-Portfolio. The data collected for this study occurred over 3 months. Participants were 450 students taking the course of common at an university. The counting of 443 questionnaires was received. The findings revealed that there were positive correlations between learning motivation, Internet self-efficacy, and e-Portfolio satisfac­tion. For gender, the result showed that there were no significant Internet self-efficacy differences between gender. Besides, there were the significant differences in learning motivations and in Internet self-efficacy between the two …

Augmented Reality: An Overview And Five Directions For Ar In Education, Steve Chi-Yin Yuen, Gallayanee Yaoyuneyong, Erik Johnson

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Augmented Reality (AR) is an emerging form of experience in which the Real World (RW) is enhanced by computer-generated content tied to specific locations and/or activities. Over the last several years, AR applications have become portable and widely available on mobile de­vices. AR is becoming visible in our audio-visual media (e.g., news, entertainment, sports) and is beginning to enter other aspects of our lives (e.g., e-commerce, travel, marketing) in tangible and exciting ways. Facilitating ubiquitous learning, AR will give learners instant access to location-specific information compiled and provided by numerous sources (2009). Both the 2010 and 2011 Horizon Reports predict …

Helping Teachers Develop Positive Dispositions About Technology-Based Learning: What A Brief Global Learning Project Revealed, Carol A. Smith, Heather Schugar, Cynthia A. Moyer

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Research indicates that teachers’ dispositions significantly influence their integration of computer technology into classroom instruction. This article reports findings from a mixed-methods study that examined shifts in teachers’ dispositions about learning that occurs through information and communication technologies (ICT’s). Graduate students and remote professionals engaged in a one-semester learning project that included synchronous and asynchronous com­puter-mediated discussions of course content. The study sought to determine whether or not this exposure to ICT-based learning might be accompanied by a positive or negative affective shift, and to identify the salient features of such a shift. Quantitative analysis of responses on question­naires administered …

Employee Development Using Webct Vista, Jennifer Link Jones

Jennifer L. Jones

The article reports on the technology upgrade at Georgia State University Library in Atlanta, Goergia. It offers a look at renovations of its facilities and exterior. More than 350 computers were installed in its new Information Commons and Learning Commons. The library officials jointly worked with the school's Information Systems & Technology department and established two computer technical support desk within the library. It is noted that its library employees need to further their knowledge and undergo training about various issues in library science. It also explores various library technology issues, which include public services technology competencies, construction of learning …