Education Commons^™

On Becoming Online Educators: Developing Hybrid Learning-Centered Pedagogy, Rachel Toncelli Edd, Leila Rosa Phd

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

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Recent global events pushed in-person learning to online formats. As K-12 teachers struggled with shifting from in-person to online teaching while adapting and adjusting instruction, and higher education prepared to do the same, two faculty members in a TESOL teacher preparation program joined forces to question assumptions about online teaching, reflect on praxis, and revisit pedagogy and practices through a critical autoethnographic study. Building from adult constructivist learning theory and collegial inquiry, the researchers utilized the pandemic as a stage for innovation and an opportunity to study their own ability, as …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 7, Issue 1, Spring 2023

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Spring 2023 issue (Volume 7, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Spring 2023 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to student self-reflection, participatory learning, and returning to the in-person learning following the COVID-19 pandemic. The first article takes a critical approach to understanding pedagogy with adult learners by involving students in the creation of course syllabi as a way to challenge ideologies related the roles of instructor and students. The second article blends research and narrative to explore how the experiences of …

In Search Of Belonging Online: Achieving Equity Through Transformative Professional Development, Michelle Pacansky-Brock, Michael Smedshammer, Kimberly Vincent-Layton

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Abstract

Online classes hold the potential to expand college access to Black, Latino/a/x, Indigenous, and other students of color who must be supported to diversify the STEM workforce. Research shows that fostering belonging is key to the academic success of students from minoritized groups. However, online classes often lack interpersonal interactions and are often left out of research about the positive impacts of belonging. This paper summarizes an equity-focused STEM grant project that produced an openly-shared online professional development program, the Humanizing Online STEM Academy. Through the Academy, STEM faculty are introduced to a model of humanized online teaching that …

A Framework For Creating And Using Teaching Philosophy Statements To Guide Reflective And Inclusive Instruction, Steven D. Taff

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

A teaching philosophy statement (TPS) is a brief, deeply personal narrative that gives insight into an educator’s perspective on the teaching enterprise. A TPS is typically comprised of a reflection on the educator’s values and beliefs, a description of what happens during the learning process, and statements about how teachers and learners ideally interact. Use of a TPS clarifies the bridge between theory/philosophy and practice which strengthens education as an interactive phenomenon and in so doing evokes an ethical purpose for the teaching-learning dynamic. This article describes the theoretical underpinnings of, and process for, an innovative framework occupational therapy educators …

Examining Math Instructors’ Knowledge, Beliefs, And Attitudes Of Student Learning Strategies In A Faculty Development Workshop, Roxanne Brinkerhoff, Becky Connelly, Sam Gedeborg

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

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A faculty development workshop, focused on incorporating universal learning strategies into developmental mathematics courses, was created and utilized in a developmental mathematics department at an open-enrollment, mid-western university to ascertain the best methods for dissemination of essential learning strategies to developmental math students. Successful faculty development programs were studied and utilized in the design of the workshop. The attributes of the workshop were discussed. Faculty were surveyed and qualitative data was analyzed to determine the workshop’s efficacy. The research aimed to understand if participation in the workshop changed faculty knowledge, beliefs, …

Student Stories Of Online Learning, Carrie Lewis Miller, Michael Manderfeld

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

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Instructional designers at a Midwest university piloted a survey based on the Quality Matters general standards asking students about their online course experience prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were asked to indicate whether they experienced a specific course design element and whether they considered that element to be important to their learning experience. Follow-up interviews with some participants were also held. Data from the survey indicated students perceive their online course experience to be good based on course design elements they encountered. Implications for providing additional faculty development programming based …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 6, Issue 2, Fall 2022

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Fall 2022 issue (Volume 6, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Fall 2022 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to reflective practice and learning. The first article examines the impact of the SOAP Notes tool on teaching, learning, and instructor reflection. The second article provides guidance for faculty on how to collect, explain, and showcase their efforts in a teaching portfolio. Article three shares the findings of a student survey to identify students' experience with the design elements found in the Quality …

A State University’S Assessment Of Acue: Feasible Model For Evaluating The Impact Of A Faculty Instruction Quality Program, Jeffrey Budziak, Daniel Super, Thomas Gross, Douglas Mcelroy

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

State comprehensive universities often stress the development of teaching quality to improve the outcomes and retention of students, especially for recently matriculated students. These universities invest in teaching quality programs, but often lack a feasible method to examine the longitudinal impacts of these programs. The purpose of this paper is to provide a model for universities to evaluate outcomes related teaching quality programs. ACUE, a teaching quality program, was implemented across 30 instructors, which equated to 463 course sections. ACUE instructors were matched to non-ACUE instructors using propensity score matching (PSM) and compared on the rate of end-of-the-semester students with …

Problematizing The Use Of The Cultural Autobiography In Pre-Service Multicultural Education Courses, Aaron C. Bruewer, Gilbert Park, Jayne Beilke

Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education

This paper explores the qualitative methodology of narrative life history as an instructional tool for pre-service teachers at a midwestern regional public university. Specifically, the authors problematize the use of the cultural autobiography assignment for undergraduate teacher candidates enrolled in required multicultural education courses in order to evolve its use. While life history has the potential to promote critical reflections on one’s own position in a complex interplay of power relations, it can also reify pre-existing prejudicial attitudes as currently used. The paper includes composite quotes from the papers of 85 undergraduate students to support authors investigation, as they suggest …

The Value Of Instructor Interactivity In The Online Classroom, Greg Lucas, Gary Cao, Shaunna Waltemeyer, B. Jean Mandernach, Helen G. Hammond

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

As the number of faculty teaching online continues to grow, so has the interest in and understanding of the role of instructor interaction in the online classroom. Online education provides a unique platform in which course design and teaching are independent factors. Understanding faculty and student perceptions about the shifting role of instructor interaction in the online classroom can provide insight on policies and procedures that can support student learning through student-instructor interaction. Participants included faculty and students responding to an anonymous online survey who indicated “online” as their primary mode of teaching. Three key “value” themes emerged as significantly …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 5, Issue 1, Spring 2021

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full Spring 2021 issue (Volume 5, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Cards: A Collaborative Community Model For Faculty Development Or An Institutional Case Study Of Writing Program Administration, R. Nichole Rougeau-Vanderford Phd, Rebecca Day Babcock Phd, Aliethia Dean Ma, Victoria Hinesly Ba

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

The structure of writing programs evolves to account for the transformation of composition studies. Online and dual credit programs necessitate a need to adjust prior practices initially geared towards face-to-face pedagogy; however, several challenges surface in online and dual credit writing programs. The most prevalent is that these online courses are primarily staffed by non-tenured faculty, including adjuncts who do not have a physical presence on campus. The faculty dynamic presents many challenges when attempting to garner participation in collaborations. In recent years, the Writing Program Administrator (WPA) at a regional public university noticed a need to improve faculty morale, …

Review Of Towards Equity And Justice In Mathematics Education, Edited By Tonya Gau Bartell, Emily Lardner

Numeracy

Tonya Grau Bartell, editor. 2018.Toward Equity and Social Justice in Mathematics Education. (Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing). 341 pp. ISBN 978-3-319-92906-4 (also available as an e-book).

Toward Equity and Social Justice in Mathematics Education is a welcome addition to ongoing conversations about what mathematics should be taught and how it should be taught at both the college and pre-college level. Although the primary audience for the volume will be math educators and researchers, readers of this journal will discover intersecting interests, concerns, and strategies.

Semester In The Parks: Engaging Students With Common Intellectual Experiences, Jacqualine B. Grant, John S. Maclean

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

High-impact educational practices (HIP) such as Common Intellectual Experiences (CIE) enhance student engagement and positively affect student learning. At Southern Utah University we created a new HIP-focused program to enrich our students and faculty: Semester in the Parks (SIP). Students lived outside of Bryce Canyon National Park in the gateway community of Bryce Canyon City while they worked for Ruby’s Inn Resort and learned about the national parks. Faculty commuted to this off campus venue and redesigned their courses to incorporate national parks thinking and experiential learning opportunities. The CIE of a national parks-focused semester enhanced student engagement and developed …

Stem High School Teachers’ Views Of Implementing Pbl: An Investigation Using Anecdote Circles, Aimée L. Dechambeau, Susan E. Ramlo

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been gaining in popularity, especially within the context of STEM-based (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) schools. Program assessments for these schools typically focus on student standardized test scores rather than the needs of the teachers. This study utilized anecdote circles, storytelling via moderated group discussions, to investigate teachers’ needs related to developing and implementing authentic, interdisciplinary PBL activities in an urban, public STEM high school. Teacher experiences and viewpoints were explored within three broad themes: assessment; coaching and training; and authentic learning. The analyses provide insights for transitioning a school for effective PBL implementation as well …

Collaborative Power: Graduate Students Creating And Implementing Faculty Development Workshops On Multilingual Writing Pedagogy, Dorothy Worden, Brooke R. Schreiber, Lindsey Kurtz, Michelle Kaczmarek, Eunjeong Lee

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

The increasing numbers multilingual students in US universities, whether international students or multilingual citizens and permanent residents, have made it clear that students’ language needs can no longer be relegated to the ‘experts’ in specialized courses or tutoring centers. All faculty will teach multilingual students, yet few faculty have received specialized training to prepare them to work effectively with the multilingual writers in their classrooms. While there is a need for professional development efforts designed to help faculty more effectively teach multilingual writing, institutional divisions between first language (L1) and second language (L2) writing instruction pose challenges for the organization …

Lateness: A Major Problem Confronting School Administrators In Delta State, Nigeria, Famous Dafiaghor

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Amongst other components of any organisation, human beings are the most difficult to manage. Folks pose the most problems to administrators any where in the world, not excluding school organisations as learning factories in Delta State, Nigeria. Many authors have posited as a matter of fact that it is easier to manage the financial and material components of any organisation than to manage the human component. They insinuate that “it is easier to manage even animals than to manage human beings” (Nakpodia, 2006; Peretomode, 1991; Peretomode, 2001; Ubogu, 2004; Emore, 2005; Ukoshi, 2004). Thus, in the school system, the school …

The Hbcu Versus The Pwi Write On Site: Considering Faculty Outcomes, Dannielle Davis, Lawanda Edwards

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The phrase “publish or perish” has become a mantra in research oriented academic settings, reflecting a form of academic Darwinism for tenure and promotion decisions heavily influenced by publication records. This is compounded by the fact that some new academics view the three primary components of faculty work: teaching, research and service, singularly and in isolation as opposed to integrated tasks (Boice, 2000). Writing groups may offer a strategy for faculty developers and other administrators interested in ameliorating these potential challenges via programs geared toward increasing faculty writing productivity. The following reviews literature related to faculty writing groups and describes …

How To Recruit And Retain Bilingual/Esl Teacher Candidates?, Zulmaris Diaz, Lakshmi Mahadevan

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The student population in the United States is rapidly changing; in 2004-2005, approximately 5.1 million or 10.5 percent of the U.S. student population were English-language learners (Pearson, 2006). The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES, 2003) revealed that 47 states provide English language services to English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in public schools. California alone educates 1.6 million ELLs, one-third of all the nation’s ELLs, while in Texas more than half a million students received ELL services, one in seven students (NCES). The problem is that a great number of these students are being served by teachers new to the …

Evaluation Of A Trustees Leadership Academy At The Medical University Of South Carolina, Elizabeth Pilcher, Kelly Ragucci, Jennie Arial, Monica Cayouette

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Developing leaders in academic medicine has become a priority for many academic health science centers. The increased need for these leaders as well as the desire of individuals on such campuses to enhance their skills in teaching, research and leadership is driving the increase in faculty development programs.

Strengthening The Academic Department Through Empowerment Of Faculty And Staff, Abour Cherif, Benjamin Ofori-Amoah, Lin Stefurak

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Empowerment of employees has been a primary concern of business for many decades, under the premise that involvement of employees in decision making leads to superior performance and results. Acceptance of the practical value of empowerment by colleges and universities is more recent and more rare, despite the centrality of ideas such as faculty governance and recognition of the faculty’s essential role in the academic enterprise. Empowerment in academe is defined as the process whereby stakeholders are encouraged and supported in utilizing their knowledge, skills, and creativity to embrace ownership and accountability for the well being of their department and …

Continuous Inquiry Meets Continued Critique: The Professional Learning Community In Practice And The Resistance Of (Un)Willing Participants, Moulay Elbousty, Kirstin Bratt

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The term Professional Learning Community is commonplace, and it holds many meanings and suggestions. For the purpose of this essay, however, we discuss a specific Professional Learning Community (PLC) that was established in a high school, fifteen months prior to the application of a survey instrument to evaluate participants’ perceptions on the initiative. The PLC that we evaluate in this article had a set of very specific goals: To create a department within a high school where collaboration would become a norm and not a rarity, and to encourage collaboration that would include designing formative and summative assessments, collecting, comparing, …

The University Chameleon: Identity And Time Issues Faced By Faculty In Dual Positions, Eric Daffron

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

My transition into full-time administration came gradually. A young assistant professor of English, I got my first taste of administration when I accepted a position as coordinator of my university’s study abroad programs. Later I served an enriching experience as director of my university’s honors college. With both positions, I remained on faculty, teaching usually a couple of courses each semester. Over time, I felt a certain dissonance in my dual role. A double agent of sorts,1 I felt pulled-in terms of time and especially identity-between my role as faculty member and my role as administrator. In fact, I came …

Understanding Curriculum Perspectives: A Lesson In Frustration, Molly Mee

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

During a heated discussion in my master-level Curriculum Theory and Development class on whether or not a given curriculum borrows more from the experientialist or the constructivist perspective, Suzy, a 45-year old veteran math teacher interrupts the discussion and in an agitated tone asks, “Professor will you please just tell us the answer?” This is typical of the responses I receive when my students read about curriculum perspectives to interpret them in light of their own teaching. Anticipating frustrations like Suzy’s I open my first class session with a lesson on Posner’s notion of reflective eclecticism which is an overarching …

Fostering Equity & Diversity In Faculty Recruitment, Janet Fleetwood, Nancy Aebersold

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Participating in a search for a new faculty member, whether as a search committee member, search committee chairperson, department chairperson, or dean, poses unique challenges for those in academics. Though we may be an expert in conducting rigorous research, a prolific writer, or a gifted “sage on the stage” in the classroom, few of us are also experts in academic recruiting. All too frequently we bumble through the search process, hoping fervently that the person we ultimately hire – the person who will likely be our colleague for decades – is someone who will turn out to be a serious …

Identifying And Alleviating Stress Of Teacher Candidates In A Secondary Professional Development Schools (Pds) Program, Molly Mee

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Teacher candidate stress is a significant issue for candidates, students, mentor teachers, and the Institute of Higher Education (IHE) representatives who work with the candidates. Stress during this important stage in a new teacher’s career can be detrimental in many ways from causing early burnout (Greer & Greer, 1992; Schwab, 1989) to attrition (Brownell, 1997) and absenteeism. “It is during student teaching that preservice teachers begin to learn the habits of the profession and begin to develop adaptive or maladaptive coping skills for dealing with the stress of teaching” (Gold, 1985; Greer & Greer, 1992 as cited in Fives, Hamman, …

Hiring, Promoting, And Valuing Non-Tenure Track Faculty, Kathleen Williams, Karen Poole, Vicki Macready

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Non-tenure track faculty comprise an increasing percentage of full time faculty employed by American universities. In 2001, the Association of American Universities (AAU) reported that 31% of full and part-time faculty were non-tenure track. According to a 2006 report by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), full-time non-tenure track faculty increased from 13% to 18.7% of total faculty between 1975-2003. These faculty often serve in most of the same roles as tenure track faculty, including teaching, research and service. At the same time, they are nearly always paid less, have fewer benefits, few opportunities for research leaves or sabbaticals, …

Meeting The Needs Of New Teachers Through Mentoring, Induction, And Teacher Support, Diana Brannon, Judy Fiene, Lisa Burke, Therese Wehman

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Providing new teacher induction is an important practice that is common in schools around the world (Wong, Britton, and Ganser 2005). Teacher induction and mentoring programs have been found to reduce the rate of new teacher attrition, increase job satisfaction, and efficacy (Ingersoll and Smith 2004). Mentoring has been the main form of teacher induction used in the United States since the early 1980′s (Fideler and Haselkorn1999).

Lessons Learned About Mentoring Junior Faculty In Higher Education, Hersh Waxman, Tracy Collins, Scott Slough

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Mentoring junior faculty in higher education is often thought of as an easy task that every tenured faculty member and college administrator thinks they can effectively do. Most tenured faculty think they know the “tricks of the trade” because they have successfully gone through the process themselves. Most administrators also think they know what to do because they have seen or gained “insight” from viewing the successful and unsuccessful tenure applicants over the last few years. This “lived experience” of tenured faculty and administrators, however, may not be the current “lived experience” of junior faculty in higher education today.

The Impact Of Leadership On Community College Faculty Job Satisfaction, Jaime Kleim, Becky Takeda-Tinker

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Technical colleges are experiencing high levels of annual turnover and retirement among faculty, staff, and administrators. Job satisfaction among employees in these institutions is therefore of vital importance to leadership that must increasingly work to understand and address factors of job satisfaction and turnover.