Education Commons^™

Cive 440: Reinforced Concrete Design I: Faculty-Led Inquiry Into Reflective And Scholarly Teaching (First) Course Portfolio, Chungwook Sim

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This Faculty-led Inquiry into Reflective and Scholarly Teaching (FIRST) Course Portfolio documents the instructor’s teaching practices and student learning for Reinforced Concrete Design I (CIVE 440) course. The contents of this course portfolio captures the CIVE 440 course that was taught on the Lincoln campus during the semester of Fall 2022. CIVE 440 is a structural engineering design elective offered every year in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering on both Lincoln and Omaha campus at University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). The course objective is to help students to be able to use theory and experience to proportion and detail …

Learning Assistantships In College Mathematics: Value For Preservice Teacher Development, Kelly Gomez Johnson, Paula Jakopovic, Janice Rech, Angie Hodge-Zickerman

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Increasing the participation and achievement of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) from early grades to college coursework continues to be at the forefront of educational transformations and research. Faculty members at Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) plan, implement, and investigate how program structures might aid in the development, retention, and overall success of undergraduate students in STEM. Active learning classrooms, especially in mathematics, are one way IHE are reforming student learning experiences, and these environments also provide a unique opportunity to engage undergraduate learning assistants with faculty to support near - peer students and deepen their own …

Fdst205 Food Composition Analysis — A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Mei Lu

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The purpose of this peer review of the teaching portfolio was to document and evaluate the course activities that are aimed at improving student learning in FDST205 Food Composition Analysis. This FDST205 is unique that it is offered exclusively to the students in the 3+1 International Food Science Dual Degrees Program established between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University (NWAFU) in China. Students that enrolled in this course were a cohort of 55 sophomores in the 3+1 Food Science Dual Degrees Program. In spring 2021, the lecture part of FDST205 was offered online synchronously, while …

Setting The Foundation For Experiential Learning And Academic Success In Mbio 101: Introduction To The Microbiology Major, Brandi Sigmon

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Introductory courses for majors, typically completed by first-year students, are important to student success and retention as they set the foundation for students in their respective majors. At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Microbiology majors complete MBIO 101: Introduction to the Microbiology Major during their first semester as their introductory, foundational course. In this course portfolio, I chose to focus on investigating the impact on student learning of integrating more emphasis on experiential learning knowledge and acquisition within the course through the participation of students in a hands-on workshop and research symposium. Integration of these two events into the MBIO 101 …

A First Project Benchmark Portfolio Of Biochemistry Ii: Metabolism And Biological Information (Bioc/Bios/Chem 432/832), Xinghui Sun

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio has been developed for Biochemistry II: Metabolism and Biological Information (BIOC/BIOS/CHEM 432/832). This course is taken primarily by senior undergraduates with majors mainly in biochemistry. The objectives of this course portfolio are: 1) to provide a broad overview for this 400 level class; 2) to revise/refine the course using a backward design approach with clear student learning objectives; 3) to assess and reflect the instructor’s teaching approach; and 4) to analyze and reflect on student learning. The course structure was redesigned with three modules to support the learning objectives of this course. Course activities for each module include …

Experiencing Active Mathematics Learning: Meeting The Expectations For Teaching And Learning In Mathematics Classrooms, Kristy Litster, Beth L. Macdonald, Jessica F. Shumway

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Active learning mathematics classrooms incorporate meaningful activities that emphasize reasoning, thinking and active interaction with mathematics. Current mathematics standards and curricula recommend that Mathematics Teacher Educators (MTEs) use elements of active learning in their mathematics content courses specifically designed for Prospective Teachers (PTs) as they prepare PTs to learn and teach mathematics. However, it can be very difficult for PTs to shift their pedagogical dispositions towards instruction associated with active learning because they typically have not experienced mathematics taught in this way. This article focuses on two instructional practices for MTEs to use with PTs. First, selecting tasks that promote …

Course Portfolio For Math 309: Introduction To Mathematical Proofs - A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Josh Brummer

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

In this course portfolio, I examine dimensions of an active learning curriculum developed for a sophomore-level undergraduate course serving as an introduction to mathematical proofs. Prominent course goals include developing effective practices for communicating mathematics using formal language, learning to read, comprehend, and evaluate the validity of mathematical proofs, and practicing to write rigorous and concise mathematical proofs. I explore a new piece of collaborative annotation software called Perusall to help students read and understand mathematics together, and I analyze mastery level grading scales across exams throughout the semester. The portfolio also contains information about the structure and syllabus for …

Developing Kinesthetic Classrooms To Promote Active Learning, Brian Culp

Faculty Articles

The use of kinesthetic movement in the classroom toward improving health and educational outcomes among youth has been a topic of discourse in recent years. School initiatives that have infused movement as part of the curriculum have shown to increase efficiency in learning, while decreasing stress and contributing to a positive classroom climate. One question that is worthy of exploration pertains to how future professionals in the fields of physical education and health can promote kinesthetic movement in schools and communities. This article discusses how a university kinesthetic classroom prepares future professionals to be advocates for school health using active …

Aecn 436: Commodity Price Forecasting—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Inquiry Portfolio, Fabio Mattos

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This study explores the impact of distinct teaching approaches on students’ learning. In my course, we cover two main topics, technical analysis and fundamental analysis, which I decided to teach in different ways. I used activities associated with active learning to teach technical analysis, and traditional lectures (recitation) to teach fundamental analysis. Then I compared students’ performance in two exams to assess how much they learned about each topic. Students generally performed better in the exam on technical analysis than they did in the exam on fundamental analysis, suggesting that they learned technical analysis better than they learned fundamental analysis. …

Preparing Today’S Learners: The Role Of Information Literacy In The Adoption Of Innovative Pedagogies, Clarence Maybee

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This presentation was given at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba, Australia on April 20, 2015 as part of the Salon Series.

The presentation described how Purdue University supports teachers developing new classroom experiences through an educational initiative called Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation (IMPACT), which draws together expertise from areas of specialization throughout the campus to support course transformation. Drawing from four years of IMPACT programming and related research, two beneficial aspects of Purdue’s approach to this work were discussed in the presentation:

• The creation of productive partnerships between teachers, instructional designers, instructional technologists and librarians, whose …

The Relationship Between The Use Of Academic Text Talk And The Comprehension Of Scientific Academic Language For Diverse Second Graders, Peggy Lee Mandel

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Changing demographics impact our schools as children come from more linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. The various social, cultural, and economic backgrounds of the students affect their early language learning experiences which expose them to the academic language needed to succeed in school. Teachers can help students acquire academic language by introducing words that are within their Zone of Proximal Development and increasing exposure to and use of academic language. This study investigated the effects of increasing structured activities for students to orally interact with informational text on their scientific academic language development and comprehension of expository text.

The Academic …

Librarians With Impact: Contributing To Campus-Wide Learning Space And Course Redesign Transformations, Clarence Maybee, Tomalee Doan, Jeremy Garritano

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Presentation at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Conference, 2013 concerning the Purdue Libraries involvement in IM:PACT (Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation), an initiative to redesign foundational courses at Purdue based on established best practices to improve student success.

Helping Undergraduate Students Learn From Each Other: A Pedagogical Process For In-Class Collaborative Research Projects, Angela Cora Garcia

Natural & Applied Sciences Faculty Publications

Previous research has shown that experiential, active, and collaborative teaching techniques help undergraduate students learn and develop critical thinking, communication, and teamwork skills that can help them in future study or work place roles. At the same time, universities are seeking ways to increase the number of students who get training and experience doing original research while undergraduates. This paper reports on a process for a collaborative in-class original research project which can help instructors achieve these goals. This paper first briefly reviews the relevant literature and then describes the course and the collaborative project. The value of the project …

“I Hate History”: A Study Of Student Engagement In Community College Undergraduate History Courses, Katherine A. Perrotta, Chara H. Bohan

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

Many instructors seek to improve student engagement, but determining how to achieve student engagement can be complex and complicated. The authors sought to explore how the implementation of active-learning strategies in undergraduate history courses at a metropolitan community college using graphic organizers and group discussion impacted student engagement. Surveys were distributed to students in five undergraduate history courses in order to elicit student perspectives on how active-learning strategies improved student engagement. The survey data revealed that some active-learning strategies improved student engagement, whereas others did not. The authors report that a combination of implementing lecture and active-learning strategies was effective …

Integrating Movement And Science To Promote Physical Activity And Academic Performance In Middle School Children, Kevin E. Finn, Kyle Mcinnis

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Recommendations from leading U.S. health agencies concerned with reducing childhood obesity call for increased physical activity during school and afterschool environments. Methods: We developed the Active Science curriculum, which is a variety of activity-based lessons (e.g., nature hike, dance class, walk at local park, treadmill at local YMCA) and incorporated them into traditional science classes and after school programs for middle school children in a low-income, ethnically diverse community. Following the activity experiments, students and teachers uploaded data from devices to an interactive website that provided inquiry-based exploratory learning of science content. Results: Physical activity results showed that the …

An Analysis Of Factors Impacting K-12 Technology-Infused Design, Wesley A. Waddle

Dissertations

Public education in the 21st Century can be characterized as being in a period of unparalleled change, including the adoption of Common Core State Standards, increased public accountability, and renewed emphasis on the educational needs of every student. Simultaneously, as public education seeks to address these demands, the digital divide between traditional classroom instruction and learning needs of 21st Century students continues to grow, despite considerable fiscal investments in educational technology.

This study examined two questions: What teacher-related factors positively impact the level of technology-infused lesson design? and To what degree does the use of an instructional framework to guide …

Formative Feedback: Involving Students As Partners In Assessment To Enhance Learning, Jarene Fluckiger, Yvonne Tixier Y Vigil, Rebecca J. Pasco, Kathy Everts Danielson

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Planning time for giving students effective feedback is an important and challenging aspect of the teaching and learning process. In our article we describe and analyze how we engage students as partners in providing formative feedback in time for students to modify their own thinking or behavior to improve learning. We have found ways to provide formative feedback more frequently and to involve students in providing effective formative feedback to each other. The four techniques we describe are the following: a) three-color group quiz with feedback on product, process, and progress; b) midterm student conferencing; c) shared revision of student …

The Use Of Audience Response Systems In Nursing Education: Best Practice Guidelines, Nicole Mareno, Marie Bremner, Christie Emerson

Faculty Articles

The use of Audience Response Systems (ARS) or 'clickers' as an active learning strategy in nursing education has been steadily on the rise. ARS technology allows the dynamic engagement of students in the classroom by providing immediate two-way communication between faculty and students. ARS can be used to explore knowledge and common misconceptions, act as a springboard for classroom discussions, and can be used for testing or evaluation. The aim of this paper is to present best practice guidelines for both novice and experienced ARS technology users. A summary of the state of the research in this area will be …

Spice Your Lectures With Active Learning, Elizabeth J. Sandell

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

Outline:

1: Critique of Lecturing

2: Definition of Active Learning

3: Implementation of Active Learning