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Full-Text Articles in Education

Tabletop To Screen, Victor R. Lee, Mimi Recker, Jody Clarke-Midura Jul 2020

Tabletop To Screen, Victor R. Lee, Mimi Recker, Jody Clarke-Midura

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In this project we introduced students to coding via analog board games. Then students played digital instantiations of those board games. While students played the digital versions of the game, teachers leveraged similarities between the board game and the digital environment to introduce programming concepts. Finally, students created their own digital board games, applying the programming concepts that they learned in the first two parts. This project was implemented in both the students’ classroom and library time. Classroom time was used to introduced the target concepts, while library time was used to apply what was learned in the classroom. We …


Data From: Pnas2019 Postdoc Mentoring Survey, David F. Feldon, Kaylee Litson, Soojeong Jeong Sep 2019

Data From: Pnas2019 Postdoc Mentoring Survey, David F. Feldon, Kaylee Litson, Soojeong Jeong

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The doctoral advisor, typically the principal investigator (PI), is often characterized as a singular or primary mentor who guides students using a cognitive apprenticeship model. Alternatively, the cascading mentorship model describes the members of laboratories or research groups receiving mentorship from more senior laboratory members and providing it to more junior members (i.e., PIs mentor postdocs, postdocs mentor senior graduate students, senior students mentor junior students, etc.). Here we show that PIs laboratory and mentoring activities do not significantly predict students skill development trajectories, but the engagement of postdocs and senior graduate students in laboratory interactions do. We found that …


Curriculum: Alternative Animals In Agriculture (Grades 7-12), Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin Nov 2017

Curriculum: Alternative Animals In Agriculture (Grades 7-12), Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin

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Materials were created for school-based agricultural educators (7th-12 grade) to use for students in Utah. This curriculum covers multiple days of instruction but 3-5 (50-minute sessions) days is what it is intended for. Includes a unit plan for an instructor, presentation slides (PPT and PFD), worksheets, and other materials.


Survey Data From Ecochallenge Workshop, Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin Nov 2017

Survey Data From Ecochallenge Workshop, Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin

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The Borich calculator analyzed the data from the EcoChallenge (Explore) workshop to determine professional development needs of educators for future workshop planning. The calculator takes into account IMPORTANCE and PERCEIVED COMPETENCE of each item and calculates Mean Weighted Discrepancy Scores (MWDS). Those are then ranked and the data shows those results. The survey instrument is attached. The workshop was student-centered but allowed for educational professionals to engage with the materials (Exploring careers in AFNR).


Survey Data From Utah Urban Agricultural Workshop, Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin Nov 2017

Survey Data From Utah Urban Agricultural Workshop, Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin

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Forty-two teachers who attended the Urban Agriculture Workshop were surveyed after the workshop to assess the value of various aspects of the workshop and to measure pre-post gains in knowledge, ability, and importance. Also to measure attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral controls, and behavioral intention. Demographics were also collected. Data show the results. Survey Instrument is attached. Scaling varies (see instrument).


Curriculum: Careers In Urban Agriculture (Grades 7-12), Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin Nov 2017

Curriculum: Careers In Urban Agriculture (Grades 7-12), Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin

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Materials were created for school-based agricultural educators (7th-12 grade) to use for students in Utah. This curriculum covers multiple days of instruction but 3-5 (50-minute sessions) days is what it is intended for. Includes a unit plan for the instructor, presentation slides (PPT and PFD), worksheets, and other materials. This curriculum focuses on careers in urban agriculture.


Institutional Review Board: Ally Not Adversary, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Samantha M. Corralejo, Nicole Vouvalis, Alan K. Mirly Apr 2017

Institutional Review Board: Ally Not Adversary, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Samantha M. Corralejo, Nicole Vouvalis, Alan K. Mirly

Psychology Faculty Publications

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) were developed in response to a historically demonstrated need for ethical guidance and accountability in research with human subjects. The inhumane and unethical treatment of prisoners of war and underrepresented populations in the pre-IRB era are the antithesis of today’s national and international acts, codes, and declarations. Over the last five decades of IRB-reviewed research, several concerns about the IRB process have been raised. In this editorial, we review common concerns regarding the scope and functioning of IRBs. We also review the updated federal Common Rule, effective January 2018, and discuss how some of the reviewed …


A Balancing Act: Integrating Evidence-Based Knowledge And Cultural Relevance In A Program Of Prevention Parenting Research With Latino/A Immigrants, José Rubén Parra-Cardona, Gabriela López-Zerón, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Ana Rocío Escobar-Chew, Michael R. Whitehead, Cris M. Sullivan, Guillermo Bernal Oct 2016

A Balancing Act: Integrating Evidence-Based Knowledge And Cultural Relevance In A Program Of Prevention Parenting Research With Latino/A Immigrants, José Rubén Parra-Cardona, Gabriela López-Zerón, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Ana Rocío Escobar-Chew, Michael R. Whitehead, Cris M. Sullivan, Guillermo Bernal

Psychology Faculty Publications

Family therapists have a unique opportunity to contribute toward the reduction of widespread mental health disparities impacting diverse populations by developing applied lines of research focused on cultural adaptation. For example, although evidence-based prevention parent training (PT) interventions have been found to be efficacious with various Euro-American populations, there is a pressing need to understand which specific components of PT interventions are perceived by ethnic minority parents as having the highest impact on their parenting practices. Equally important is to examine the perceived cultural relevance of adapted PT interventions. This qualitative investigation had the primary objective of comparing and contrasting …


Latina/O Adolescents' Funds Of Knowledge Related To Engineering, Amy Wilson-Lopez, Joel Alejandro Mejia, Indhira María Hasbún, G. Sue Kasun Apr 2016

Latina/O Adolescents' Funds Of Knowledge Related To Engineering, Amy Wilson-Lopez, Joel Alejandro Mejia, Indhira María Hasbún, G. Sue Kasun

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

According to a growing body of research, many Latinas/os experience dissonance between their everyday cultural practices and the cultural practices prevalent in engineering. This dissonance contributes to many Latinas/os' sense that engineering is "not for me."


Closing The Gap Between Two Countries: Feasibility Of Dissemination Of An Evidence-Based Parenting Intervention In México, José Rubén Parra-Cardona, Elizabeth Aguilar Parra, Elizabeth Wieling, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Hiram E. Fitzgerald Sep 2015

Closing The Gap Between Two Countries: Feasibility Of Dissemination Of An Evidence-Based Parenting Intervention In México, José Rubén Parra-Cardona, Elizabeth Aguilar Parra, Elizabeth Wieling, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Hiram E. Fitzgerald

Psychology Faculty Publications

In this manuscript, we describe the initial steps of an international program of prevention research in Monterrey, México. Specifically, we present a feasibility study focused on exploring the level of acceptability reported by a group of Mexican mothers who were exposed to a culturally adapted parenting intervention originally developed in the United States. The efficacious intervention adapted in this investigation is known as Parent Management Training, the Oregon Model (PMTO®). Following a description of our international partnership, we describe the implementation of the pilot study aimed at determining initial feasibility. Qualitative data provided by 40 Mexican mothers exposed to the …


Changes In Latino/A Adolescents' Engineering Self-Efficacy And Perceptions Of Engineering After Addressing Authentic Engineering Design Challenges, J. A. Mejia, D. Drake, Amy Wilson-Lopez Jan 2015

Changes In Latino/A Adolescents' Engineering Self-Efficacy And Perceptions Of Engineering After Addressing Authentic Engineering Design Challenges, J. A. Mejia, D. Drake, Amy Wilson-Lopez

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Community-based engineering design activities were used to provide Latino/a adolescents with authentic engineering experiences with the intention of increasing their engineering self-efficacy and changing their perceptions of engineering. Twenty five Latino/a adolescents (ages 14 to 17)- most of whom were either immigrants or English learners - were purposefully selected to work on different community-based engineering design activities, which are engineering experiences where the adolescents had the opportunity to research, analyze, and/or design solutions to problems affecting their community. The adolescents worked in teams of three or four members over the course of one school year to develop a solution to …


Reading Together: A Successful Reading Fluency Internvetion, Chase Young, Kathleen A. J. Mohr, Timothy Rasinkski Nov 2014

Reading Together: A Successful Reading Fluency Internvetion, Chase Young, Kathleen A. J. Mohr, Timothy Rasinkski

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

The article describes a reading fluency intervention called Reading Together that combines the method of repeated readings (Samuels, 1979) and the Neurological Impress Method (Heckelman, 1969). Sixteen volunteers from various backgrounds were recruited and trained to deliver the Reading Together intervention to struggling readers in third through fifth grade. The differences on the outcome measures between the treatment (n = 29) and comparison (n = 23) were statistically significant. Thus, students in the treatment demonstrated increased reading expression, reading rate, and overall reading scores. Results suggest that Reading Together is a feasible method of increasing students’ reading proficiency and can …


Reading Together: A Successful Reading Fluency Internvetion, Chase Young, Kathleen A. J. Mohr, Timothy Rasinkski Nov 2014

Reading Together: A Successful Reading Fluency Internvetion, Chase Young, Kathleen A. J. Mohr, Timothy Rasinkski

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

The article describes a reading fluency intervention called Reading Together that combines the method of repeated readings (Samuels, 1979) and the Neurological Impress Method (Heckelman, 1969). Sixteen volunteers from various backgrounds were recruited and trained to deliver the Reading Together intervention to struggling readers in third through fifth grade. The differences on the outcome measures between the treatment (n = 29) and comparison (n = 23) were statistically significant. Thus, students in the treatment demonstrated increased reading expression, reading rate, and overall reading scores. Results suggest that Reading Together is a feasible method of increasing students’ reading proficiency and can …


Parent Management Training-Oregon Model (Pmto™) In Mexico City: Integrating Cultural Adaptation Activities In An Implementation Model, Ana A. L. Baumann, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Nancy G. Amador, Marion S. Forgatch, José Rubén Parra-Cardona Mar 2014

Parent Management Training-Oregon Model (Pmto™) In Mexico City: Integrating Cultural Adaptation Activities In An Implementation Model, Ana A. L. Baumann, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Nancy G. Amador, Marion S. Forgatch, José Rubén Parra-Cardona

Psychology Faculty Publications

This article describes the process of cultural adaptation at the start of the implementation of the Parent Management Training intervention-Oregon model (PMTO) in Mexico City. The implementation process was guided by the model, and the cultural adaptation of PMTO was theoretically guided by the cultural adaptation process (CAP) model. During the process of the adaptation, we uncovered the potential for the CAP to be embedded in the implementation process, taking into account broader training and economic challenges and opportunities. We discuss how cultural adaptation and implementation processes are inextricably linked and iterative and how maintaining a collaborative relationship with the …


The Role Of School District Science Coordinators In The District-Wide Appropriation Of An Online Resource Discovery And Sharing Tool For Teachers, Victor R. Lee, Heather M. Leary, Linda Sellers, Mimi Recker Jan 2014

The Role Of School District Science Coordinators In The District-Wide Appropriation Of An Online Resource Discovery And Sharing Tool For Teachers, Victor R. Lee, Heather M. Leary, Linda Sellers, Mimi Recker

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

When introducing and implementing a new technology for science teachers within a school district, we must consider not only the end users but also the roles and influence district personnel have on the eventual appropriation of that technology. School districts are, by their nature, complex systems with multiple individuals at different levels in the organization who are involved in supporting and providing instruction. Varying levels of support for new technologies between district coordinators and teachers can sometimes lead to counterintuitive outcomes. In this article, we examine the role of the district science coordinator in five school districts that participated in …


Actional-Operational Modes In Earth Science And Implications For Fundamental Science Literacy Instruction, Amy Wilson-Lopez Jul 2013

Actional-Operational Modes In Earth Science And Implications For Fundamental Science Literacy Instruction, Amy Wilson-Lopez

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Framed in theories of social semiotics, this multiple case study describes and categorizes the actional-operational modes used by three middle school earth science teachers throughout the course of one school year. Data included fieldnotes, photographs, and video recordings of classroom instructions as well as periodic interviews with the teachers. A constant comparative analysis of the data resulted in the creation of a typology of actional-operation modes were identified: gesture, embodied representation, moving objects on flat surfaces, moving objects through three-dimensional space, material representations, and observed phenomena. Multimodal concordance charts were used to identify the affordances and productive constraints of each …


Parenting In Puerto Rican Families: Mothers And Father’S Self-Reported Practices, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Natalie Franceschi Rivera, Zulma Sella-Nieves, Jahaira Félix Fermín May 2013

Parenting In Puerto Rican Families: Mothers And Father’S Self-Reported Practices, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Natalie Franceschi Rivera, Zulma Sella-Nieves, Jahaira Félix Fermín

Psychology Faculty Publications

Little information is available on parenting practices of families living in Puerto Rico. In order to fll this gap, 55 two-parent Families with a 6 to 11 year old child were surveyed on contextual stressors known to impact parenting (i.e., depression, subjective economic status, parenting stress, marital satisFaction), parenting practices (i.e., skills building, positive involvement, problem solving, monitoring, and eFFective discipline), as well as child externalizing behavior problems. Data revealed a sample with relatively low selF-reported stressors, high endorsement oF parenting practices, and subclinical child externalizing behaviors. All measures were reliable, indicating potential For Future use in Puerto Rican samples. …


Factorsaffecting The Occurrence Of Faculty-Doctoral Student Coauthorship, Michelle A. Maher, Briana Crotwell Timmerman, David F. Feldon, Denise Strickland Jan 2013

Factorsaffecting The Occurrence Of Faculty-Doctoral Student Coauthorship, Michelle A. Maher, Briana Crotwell Timmerman, David F. Feldon, Denise Strickland

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Using faculty narratives, this study identifies factors affecting the occurrence of facultydoctoral student coauthorship. Norms of the discipline, resources, faculty goals for students, faculty goals for themselves, and institutional expectations emerged as dominant factors. Each factor is explored separately and as part of an interlocking holistic picture.


Culturally Adapting An Evidence-Based Parenting Intervention For Latinos: Preliminary Implications For Family Therapy Practice And Research, José Rubén Parra-Cardona, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Marion S. Forgatch, Cris M. Sullivan, Deborah Bybee, Kendal Holtrop, Ana Rocío Escobar-Chew, Lisa Tams, Brian Dates, Guillermo Bernal Mar 2012

Culturally Adapting An Evidence-Based Parenting Intervention For Latinos: Preliminary Implications For Family Therapy Practice And Research, José Rubén Parra-Cardona, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Marion S. Forgatch, Cris M. Sullivan, Deborah Bybee, Kendal Holtrop, Ana Rocío Escobar-Chew, Lisa Tams, Brian Dates, Guillermo Bernal

Psychology Faculty Publications

Latinos constitute the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. However, the cultural adaptation and dissemination of evidence-based parenting interventions among Latino populations continues to be scarce despite extensive research that demonstrates the long-term positive effects of these interventions. The purpose of this article is threefold: (1) justify the importance of cultural adaptation research as a key strategy to disseminate efficacious interventions among Latinos, (2) describe the initial steps of a program of prevention research with Latino immigrants aimed at culturally adapting an evidence-based intervention informed by parent management training principles, and (3) discuss implications for advancing cultural adaptation …


Culture, Timothy B. Smith, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Guillermo Bernal Nov 2011

Culture, Timothy B. Smith, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Guillermo Bernal

Psychology Faculty Publications

This article summarizes the definitions, means, and research of adapting psychotherapy to clients' cultural backgrounds. We begin by reviewing the prevailing definitions of cultural adaptation and providing a clinical example. We present an original meta-analysis of 65 experimental and quasi-experimental studies involving 8,620 participants. The omnibus effect size of d = .46 indicates that treatments specifically adapted for clients of color were moderately more effective with that clientele than traditional treatments. The most effective treatments tended to be those with greater numbers of cultural adaptations. Mental health services targeted to a specific cultural group were several times more effective than …


Advancing The Practice Of Cognitive Task Analysis: A Call For Taxonomic Research, Kenneth A. Yates, David F. Feldon Nov 2011

Advancing The Practice Of Cognitive Task Analysis: A Call For Taxonomic Research, Kenneth A. Yates, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Cognitive task analysis (CTA) captures unobservable cognitive processes, decisions and judgments of expert performance. Over 100 different CTA methods are identified in prior literature. However, existing classifications typically sort techniques by process rather than outcome, application or causal mechanism. Therefore, techniques can be misapplied and comparative analysis of methods made difficult. Based on the frequency distribution of CTA methods in 1065 studies, a subsample representing 60% of the most frequently published methods was coded based on elicitation and analysis techniques. Consistency of resulting applications was assessed. Inconsistent matching of CTA methods and subsequent applications indicate CTA is currently more craft …


Psi Chi Journal Now Serves All Psi Chi Members, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez Oct 2011

Psi Chi Journal Now Serves All Psi Chi Members, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

The Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research has undergone an exciting transformation into the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, a peer-reviewed, indexed journal, that now accepts manuscripts from all Psi Chi members. This change provides an excellent opportunity to review the evolution of the Journal and submission criteria as well as the twists and turns that the life of a submitted manuscript takes potential authors through once manuscripts are entrusted to the Psi Chi Journal team.


Graduate Students’ Teaching Experiences Improve Their Methodological Research Skills, David F. Feldon, James Peugh, Briana E. Timmerman, Michelle A. Maher, Melissa Hurst, Denise Strickland, Joanna A. Gilmore, Cindy Stiegelmeyer Aug 2011

Graduate Students’ Teaching Experiences Improve Their Methodological Research Skills, David F. Feldon, James Peugh, Briana E. Timmerman, Michelle A. Maher, Melissa Hurst, Denise Strickland, Joanna A. Gilmore, Cindy Stiegelmeyer

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate students are often encouraged to maximize their engagement with supervised research and minimize teaching obligations. However, the process of teaching students engaged in inquiry provides practice in the application of important research skills. Using a performance rubric, we compared the quality of methodological skills demonstrated in written research proposals for two groups of early career graduate students (those with both teaching and research responsibilities and those with only research responsibilities) at the beginning and end of an academic year. After statistically controlling for preexisting differences between groups, students who both taught and conducted …


How Does Psi Chi Journal Of Undergraduate Research Measure Up?, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez Apr 2011

How Does Psi Chi Journal Of Undergraduate Research Measure Up?, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

Understanding the complexities inherent in descriptions of research journals can take significant time and energy, and in the end leave the average psychologist and psychology student wondering—what does it all mean? Why does this matter? In this column, I attempt to provide information to illuminate how journals are described and why we care. Additionally, I will review how our own journal, Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, measures up on these criteria. In short, Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research is a scholarly journal that is peer-reviewed and indexed. Let’s explore these areas so you will feel very excited about …


Understanding Teacher Users Of A Digital Library Service: A Clustering Approach, Beijie Xu, Mimi Recker Jan 2011

Understanding Teacher Users Of A Digital Library Service: A Clustering Approach, Beijie Xu, Mimi Recker

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This article describes the Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD) process and its application in the field of educational data mining (EDM) in the context of a digital library service called the Instructional Architect (IA.usu.edu). In particular, the study reported in this article investigated a certain type of data mining problem, clustering, and used a statistical model, latent class analysis, to group the IA teacher users according to their diverse online behaviors. The use of LCA successfully helped us identify different types of users, ranging from window shoppers, lukewarm users to the most dedicated users, and distinguish the isolated users …


The Uva Bay Game:Complex Systems, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, And Institutional Renewal, J. Plank, David F. Feldon, W. Sherman, J. Elliott Jan 2011

The Uva Bay Game:Complex Systems, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, And Institutional Renewal, J. Plank, David F. Feldon, W. Sherman, J. Elliott

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Research-intensive universities enjoy—or suffer—a paradoxical reputation: They are thought to be dedicated to both cutting-edge research and to the preservation of the canon. They are seen as broad and diverse communities of scholars with a vibrant collective intellectual life, yet also as silos of disciplinary entrenchment. Most significantly, they are thought of as places where the complex problems of our society are studied intensely but from which solutions are rarely forthcoming.


Translating Expertise Into Effective Instruction: The Impacts Of Cognitive Task Analysis (Cta) On Lab Report Quality And Student Retention In The Biological Sciences, David F. Feldon, Briana Crotwell Timmerman, Krik A. Stowe, Richard Showman Dec 2010

Translating Expertise Into Effective Instruction: The Impacts Of Cognitive Task Analysis (Cta) On Lab Report Quality And Student Retention In The Biological Sciences, David F. Feldon, Briana Crotwell Timmerman, Krik A. Stowe, Richard Showman

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Poor instruction has been cited as a primary cause of attrition from STEM majors and a major obstacle to learning for those who stay [Seymour and Hewitt [1997]. Talking about leaving: Why undergraduates leave the sciences. Boulder, CO: Westview]. Using a double-blind design, this study tests the hypothesis that the lack of explicit instructions in scientific inquiry skills is a major factor in both low STEM retention and academic underperformance. This project delivered supplemental instruction to students in a laboratory-based undergraduate biology course (n = 314) that was derived either from cognitive task analyses (CTAs) conducted with expert biologists (treatment) …


The Best Test Of Ph.D. Studentsuccess: Response, David F. Feldon, Briana Crotwell Timmerman, Michelle Maher Oct 2010

The Best Test Of Ph.D. Studentsuccess: Response, David F. Feldon, Briana Crotwell Timmerman, Michelle Maher

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Newquist suggests that students' publications are important predictors of post-degree research effectiveness, due in part to the importance of collaboration in innovative research. We agree that publication record is important and helpful, but the collaborative aspects of writing render publications a noisy metric by which to assess individual growth on specific skills (1). The variable time lags between the execution of an experiment, analysis of its data, and publication of findings [e.g., (2)] further limit the ability to identify direct relationships between experiences in a doctoral program and scholarly growth. Doctoral education's overarching goal is to develop competent researchers capable …


A Call For Performance-Based Data In The Study Of Stem Ph.D. Education, David F. Feldon, Michelle A. Maher, Briana E. Timmerman Jul 2010

A Call For Performance-Based Data In The Study Of Stem Ph.D. Education, David F. Feldon, Michelle A. Maher, Briana E. Timmerman

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the scholarly development of Ph.D. students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is vital to the preparation of the scientific workforce. During doctoral study, students learn to be professional scientists and acquire the competencies to succeed in those roles. However, this complex process is not well studied. Research to date suffers from overreliance on a narrow range of methods that cannot provide data appropriate for addressing questions of causality or effectiveness of specific practices in doctoral education. We advocate a shift in focus from student and instructor self-report toward the use of actual performance data as a remedy …


Why Magic Bullets Don't Work, David F. Feldon Jul 2010

Why Magic Bullets Don't Work, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

We always tell our students that there are no shortcuts, that important ideas are nuanced, and that recognizing subtle distinctions is an essential critical-thinking skill. Mastery of a discipline, we know, requires careful study and necessarily slow, evolutionary changes in perspective. Then we look around for the latest promising trend in teaching and jump in with both feet, expecting it to transform our students, our courses, and our outcomes. Alternatively, we sniff disdainfully at the current educational fad and proudly stand by the instructional traditions of our disciplines or institutions, secure in our knowledge that the “tried and true” has …