Education Commons^™

Impact Of Internet Connection On Gifted Students’ Perceptions Of Course Quality At An Online High School, Stacy Hawthorne

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Online learning is on the rise in K-12 education and, with the lockdowns and social distancing measures implemented as a result of COVID-19, has gained increased prominence. While the demand for online learning is on the rise, many U.S. students lack adequate Internet connectivity to have a successful online learning experience. Connectivity issues, particularly when they impact audio, can cause students to tune out or even drop out of online learning. This is problematic for online schools and course providers who often have no control over the speed of a student’s home Internet connection. Online schools also have to balance …

Exploring The Self-Efficacy And Perceptions Of Virtual Mentoring Of Teachers Participating In A New Teacher Induction Program, Katie Peila

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Teacher turnover is an issue plaguing states and districts around the country, particularly among novice teachers. Research indicates that strong induction and mentoring programs can provide novice teachers with critical support and guidance as they make the transition from the pre-service environment to the professional workforce resulting in higher levels of self-efficacy and performance. Teachers with high self-efficacy exhibit more enthusiasm and persistence and higher levels of organizational commitment. While there is a considerable amount of research on traditional, face-to-face new teacher induction (NTI) programs, there are few studies that investigate the integration of technology for a virtual experience. This …

Examining The Role Of Enjoyment, Anxiety, And Emotional Intelligence In Online Graduate Students' Self-Regulated Learning: A Control-Value Theory Perspective, Achraf Touati

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

As online learning continues to grow, particularly amid the COVID pandemic, so too has interest among educational practitioners and researchers to understand the personal and contextual factors that shape students’ emotions in these environments. The control-value theory of achievement emotions has emerged as a useful framework for examining the antecedents and consequences of different emotions that students experience in online learning. The purpose of the present study was to validate the assumptions of the control-value theory in an asynchronous online graduate program, and to examine the role of emotional intelligence in this social-cognitive process. Data were collected from 102 graduate …

Exploring Student Perceptions Of Flipgrid In Online Courses, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Robert L. Moore

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Asynchronous video-based discussions have affordances that can address some of the constraints of asynchronous text-based discussions. However, little research has been conducted on the use of asynchronous video-based discussions in online courses. As a result, the purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate students’ perceptions of using Flipgrid for asynchronous video-based discussions in fully online courses. We used a cross-sectional survey design to survey 79 students who used Flipgrid in a fully online course. Students overall reported that they liked using Flipgrid, it was easy to use, and that it helped improve social presence. In this paper, we will …

Teachers' Interventions To In-Person Bullying And Cyberbullying Situations, Amaia Lojo Novo

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation comprises five chapters, and it is an article-based format that studies teachers’ needs and characteristics regarding bullying intervention. It is divided into two phases that are explained through the different chapters. Chapter One explains the problem's overall background and provides an introduction to the three papers presented in the next chapters. Chapter Two presents the First Phase of the dissertation, which provided information about teachers’ knowledge, concerns, and practice regarding bullying. Findings demonstrate that Idaho education professionals need training and resources to help them intervene appropriately, especially with cyberbullying. Chapter Three focuses on the following potential teachers’ characteristics …

Enhancing Classroom Instruction With Online News, Michael D. Ekstrand, Katherine Landau Wright, Maria Soledad Pera

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

Investigate how school teachers look for informational texts for their classrooms. Access to current, varied, and authentic informational texts improves learning outcomes for K-12 students, but many teachers lack resources to expand and update readings. The Web offers freely-available resources, but finding suitable ones is time-consuming. This research lays the groundwork for building tools to ease that burden.

Methodology

This paper reports qualitative findings from a study in two stages: (1) a set of semi-structured interviews, based on the Critical Incident Technique, eliciting teachers’ information-seeking practices and challenges; and (2) observations of teachers using a prototype teaching-oriented news search …

Social Presence And Online Discussions: A Mixed Method Investigation, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Joanna Dunlap

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Researchers have been investigating social presence in online learning for decades. However, despite this continued research, questions remain about the nature and development of social presence. The purpose of this mixed method exploratory case study was to investigate how social presence is established in online discussion forums in an asynchronous online course. The results suggest that social presence is more complicated than previously thought. In particular, situational variable such as group size, instructional task, and previous relationships influence how social presence is established and maintained in online courses. In the following paper, we report the results of our inquiry and …

Should College Instructors Reveal Their High Functioning Autism In The Classroom?, Gundars Kaupins, Tim Chenoweth, Felice Klein

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

College instructors with highly functional autism, also known as Asperger’s, can have difficulty interacting with students. To mitigate the potentially reduced teaching ratings, college instructors must decide whether to reveal their condition to the students. Using a survey of 393 university business students, we address if college instructors who reveal that they have Asperger’s at the beginning of instruction influence students’ ratings. We find that students’ ratings were higher when college instructors reveal that they have Asperger’s. However, this effect only pertains to male students. Our findings suggest that instructors with Asperger’s should reveal their condition to students.

A Library For Everyone: Building A Model For Library Digital Accessibility, Rebeca Peacock, Amy Vecchione

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

Want to know more about the ways libraries can support digital accessibility? Learn from the expertise of Boise State University librarians Rebeca Peacock and Amy Vecchione using their digital accessibility research to show how you can apply the lessons learned in your library. In this presentation, you'll learn what digital accessibility is and how meeting digital accessibility needs supports everyone! In addition, they will share easy to implement techniques and tools to improve the library experience for everyone.

Reaching Out Handbook, Boise State University

Rebuilding the Launchpad: Serving Students During Covid Resource Library

The Reaching Out Handbook has been created for the purpose of providing you with information about Counseling Services, about other campus resources, and how to most effectively assist individuals in distress.

Our goal is to help you recognize some of the symptoms of individual distress, as well as provide some specific options for intervention and for referral to campus resources. We are available to assist you with problem situations and to consult with you on whether to intervene with a particular individual and when to refer.

Guidelines are offered but each individual will need to consider what is appropriate in …

Using Schema Training To Facilitate Students' Understanding Of Challenging Engineering Concepts In Heat Transfer And Thermodynamics, Dazhi Yang, Ruth Streveler, Ronald L. Miller, Inanc Senocak, Jim Slotta

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Chi and colleagues have argued that some of the most challenging engineering concepts exhibit properties of emergent systems. However, students often lack a mental framework, or schema, for understanding emergence. Slotta and Chi posited that helping students develop a schema for emergent systems, referred to as schema training, would increase the understanding of challenging concepts exhibiting emergent properties.

Purpose: We tested the effectiveness of schema training and explored the nature of challenging concepts from thermodynamics and heat transfer. We investigated if schema training could (a) repair misconceptions in advanced engineering students and (b) prevent them in beginning engineering students. …

Word Walls In Social Studies: One Solution To The "Vocabulary Conundrum", Dianna Townsend, Ashley Baxter, Annie Keller, Hannah Carter

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Julia Kearney and Lori Bingham (pseudonyms), two middle school social studies teachers in a large urban school, have a problem. They want to have their students asking and exploring important questions about American history, and they want them to have the vocabulary knowledge needed to do so. While Julia and Lori recognize the rich linguistic resources their students bring to their classrooms, they also recognize the intense vocabulary demands of social studies. Julia and Lori recently participated in a professional learning initiative to develop research-based approaches for building students’ academic vocabulary knowledge in social studies. They learned about the potential …

The Impact Of Visual Displays On Learning Across The Disciplines: A Systematic Review, Daibao Guo, Erin M. Mctigue, Sharon D. Matthews, Wendi Zimmer

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

The current systematic review aimed to investigate in what ways the incorporation of visual display tasks benefits K-12 students’ content-area learning. After screening 1693 articles at abstract level and a systematic evaluation of methodological quality, we synthesized 44 articles for this review. The qualitative synthesis of the studies is organized by categories of interaction with visual displays (ViDis), instructional support, and types of knowledge and learning. Overall findings indicate the simple inclusion of visual displays does not guarantee a positive learning effect. More detailed findings distinguish three categories of ViDis: author-provided, student-filled-in, and student-created visual displays. Furthermore, we discuss …

Faculty Perceptions Of Online Teaching At A Midsized Liberal Arts University, Dana L. Shreaves, Yu-Hui Ching, Lida Uribe-Florez, Jesús Trespalacios

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this mixed-methods study, faculty perceptions of online teaching at a midsized liberal arts university were examined to better understand faculty acceptance and participation in online teaching at the university. Seventy-nine participants responded to a survey that collected qualitative and quantitative data. Content analysis of faculty perceptions of online teaching was employed and resulted in the identification of six themes. An examination of 21 quantitative factors identified 17 factors reported by more than 50% of respondents to influence their decision to teach or not teach online. Study participants perceived online learning as attractive to students but they wanted any online …

Beliefs About Effective Instructional Practices Among Middle Grades Teachers Of Mathematics, Lauren A. Dale

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study explores beliefs about effective mathematics instruction among middle grades teachers of mathematics. Using prior syntheses of research on instructional practices linked to students’ mathematics achievement, the conceptual framework draws on features and strategies associated with Explicit Attention to Concepts (EAC) and Student Opportunities to Struggle (SOS). Data sources include mathematics teachers’ self-reported priorities, comfort, and frequency of implementing EAC and SOS strategies, as well as the participants’ teaching context and school demographics. Participants include 98 full-time Grades 6-8 mathematics teachers from 22 districts, and 34 schools in southwest and central Idaho. Findings include positive correlations among EAC and …

The Administration Of Online Programs In Statewide Systems: A Case Study Of The University System Of New Hampshire, Chris L. Labelle, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Kerry Rice

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

As enrollments in postsecondary online programs have grown, many institutions have pursued a more centralized business model that consolidates their online programming under a single executive leader, a statewide system office, or a coalition of institutions that have merged operations and assets. In this study, the researchers used an exploratory case study design--using both surveys and interviews--to investigate how online programs are administered at four institutions in the University System of New Hampshire (USNH). Several findings emerged from the data. First, participants struggled finding a common vocabulary when talking about online programs and the potential benefits of system-level collaboration; second, …

A Credited Support Course: Corequisite Writing Course At Boise State University, Karen S. Uehling

English Literature Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 1981, when I began teaching at Boise State University, the institution still filled the community college function, the teaching load was heavy (five or even six courses per term), and preparing students for first year writing was the goal of basic writing. I felt immersion in a full, rich writing and reading experience, not primarily grammar review, was essential. I entered Boise State with experience teaching at a small college in western North Carolina where I first encountered Mina Shaughnessy; I admired how she took basic writing seriously. After four years in North Carolina, in 1980-81, I participated in …

Truth, Success, And Faith: Novice Teachers’ Perceptions Of What's At Risk In Responsive Teaching In Science, Amy D. Robertson, Leslie J. Atkins Elliott

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Responsive teaching—or teaching that builds from the “seeds of science” in student thinking—is depicted in STEM education literature as both important and challenging. U.S. science education reform has been calling for teachers to enact instruction that attends to and takes up the substance of students’ STEM ideas; however, responsive teaching represents a substantial shift from the current state of affairs in most U.S. classrooms, where content is often presented authoritatively as facts, definitions, and algorithms, with little consideration of student thinking. Drawing on language from literature about sense‐making, this paper identifies some of the “vexation points” that novice science teachers …

Breaking Down The Silos: Innovations For Multidisciplinary Programs, Jillana Finnegan, Donna C. Llewellyn

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2020

Universities, colleges and academic departments acknowledge the need for more collaborative, multidisciplinary, entrepreneurial, and global education. Unfortunately, this is no trivial task. Centuries of tradition have produced institutional silos, reinforced by layers of policy and cultural differences between academic departments, between colleges, and between academic and non-academic units. Successful multidisciplinary programs require programmatic and administrative innovation that meet faculty, student and institutional needs and leverage available resources. The Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) model, in place at thirty-seven institutions, has achieved notable success in these areas. This paper profiles innovations from ten VIP Programs in three areas: institutional organization, program organization, …

Revolutionizing The Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum, Shelby Ann Mcneilly, Krishna Pakala, Donald Plumlee

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

As the age of technological advancement and occupational opportunity continues to progress, companies must be constantly adjusting and transforming in order to accommodate industry demands. With these quickly developing requirements comes an expectation of employee experience and skill sets. For individuals seeking a career in mechanical engineering, moving forward with the tools necessary for success in this continuously evolving world begins with higher education. This paper is the first of a three-part series to report on the progress of Boise State University’s Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Department’s mission to implement a revolutionized curriculum in their academic program. This paper will …

Boise State University Reintegration Guide, Boise State University

Rebuilding the Launchpad: Serving Students During Covid Resource Library

The Boise State University Reintegration Committee (“Committee”) is charged by President Marlene Tromp with recommending and advising when and under what conditions the university can reintegrate, or resume, in whole or part, in-person operations.

The Committee is chaired by Chief of Staff & Vice President for Compliance, Legal and Audit, Alicia Estey, JD, MPH, and has eleven additional members. The group meets regularly to review relevant research, modeling, clinical data and other inputs from respected sources that can help inform integrated and aligned recommendations, including recommendations from various work groups and subcommittees supporting reintegration. Through Chief of Staff and VP …

Faculty Perspectives On The Impact Of Virtual Office Hours In Engineering Courses, Brooke-Lynn Caprice Andrade, Krishna Pakala, Diana Bairaktarova, Douglas Hagemeier, Harish Subbaraman

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Instructor-student interaction is an important element of a course design, but office hours can be challenging to attend based on students’ commitments. They have time and space limitations that prevent students from getting the help they need and often garner poor attendance. Virtual office hours can address issues related to low attendance and provide a low stakes environment where unhindered learning can happen. Virtual office hours are flexible, yield productive interactions, and all enrolled students can participate. This study reports on three engineering instructors’ perspectives on the efficacy of virtual office hours compared to the traditional face-to-face interactions with the …

Responding To Microaggressions In Online Learning Environments During A Pandemic, Tasha Souza

Rebuilding the Launchpad: Serving Students During Covid Resource Library

With faculty and students both stressed during the pandemic, microaggressions may become more frequent in our online learning environment. Here are some practical strategies for mitigating the impact of microaggressions in online and remote classes.

'Education As A Geisteswissenschaft': An Introduction To Human Science Pedagogy, Norm Friesen

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Human Science Pedagogy is ‘a strange case,’ as Jürgen Oelkers has recently noted: In the Anglophone world, where Gert Biesta has compellingly encouraged scholars to ‘reconsider education as a Geisteswissenschaft’ (a human science) its main themes and the contributions of its central figures remain unknown. For Germans, particularly in more ‘general’ or philosophical areas of educational scholarship (i.e. Allgemeine Pädagogik), this same pedagogy is recognized only insofar as it is critiqued and rejected. Taking this strange situation as its frame, this paper introduces Human Science Pedagogy to English-language readers, providing a cursory overview of its history and principal contributors, …

Makerspace Instruction & The Acrl Framework, Amy Vecchione, Stephanie Milne-Lane

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this presentation Amy Vecchione and Stephanie Milne-Lane will host a discussion about research and instruction in a makerspace setting. They will outline the process of how the maker instruction program developed iteratively at Boise State University (BSU). Additionally, they will share the final results of Stephanie’s University of Washington MLIS capstone project, the BSU MakerLab Toolkit. They will also report on their conclusions regarding how the ACRL Framework is the best lens for developing maker instruction.

Inclusive Open Education: Presumptions, Principles, And Practices, Benjamin Croft, Monica Brown

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2020

Open education has long been forwarded as a producer of equity. However, there currently exists a lack of critical engagement with issues of justice in open educational practices (OEP). While the affordances of open education have potential for increasing equity, creating knowledge alongside learners is inherently rife with complexities for inclusion and diversity. As online faculty build relationships with and between students and engage in unconventional but authentic instruction, they must be cognizant of the ways in which historically underrepresented populations are systematically marginalized and might be excluded from full participation. This paper seeks to investigate tensions at the nexus …

Using Admissions Data To Create A First-Semester Academic Success Model, David James Byrnes Jr.

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Higher education is attracting more students from diverse background especially at public community colleges. These institutions can help these students attain a quality education at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, community colleges have lower graduation rates than 4-year institutions in part due to the diverse needs and variety in academic preparedness amongst their populations. It can be difficult to identify students most at risk of performing poorly until it is too late. There are multiple ways to predict students’ performance. In this study, three common data mining techniques are compared for their accuracy in predicting academic success using only data collected …

Teachers’ End-User Attitudes Toward The Implementation Of School-Based Social Networking Sites In K-8 Schools: An Extension Of The Technology Acceptance Model, Barak D. Stanley

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Advancement in technologies, such as smartphones and social networking sites (SNSs), are transforming traditional school-based communication in education. School-based SNSs are a web-based system that enables administrators and teachers to (1) create or join a semi-public online school community within a bounded system, (2) construct a virtual classroom with individual student profiles, or avatars, (3) invite parents and guardians to create a profile and link with their child’s profile, (4) and communicate with students, parents, and guardians about students’ school experiences using the classroom management and communication platform. ClassDojo, a school-based SNS, has over three million teachers and 35 million …

Measuring Faculty-Student Interaction In Online Courses Using Asynchronous Discussion Boards: A Campus-Wide Analysis, Crystal Gasell

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Online learning is growing. As such, institutions want to grow programs, while ensuring quality. Part of ensuring quality in online courses is ensuring that there is regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between students and instructors. Discussion boards are often used in online courses as a way to promote social exchange, interaction, and the discussion of course concepts. Therefore, discussion board activity can provide a glimpse into the RSI that occur between students and instructors. Until recently, data from learning management systems was difficult to access and analyze. However, advances in technology and an increased interest in learning analytics provides researchers …

Understanding Middle And High School Mathematics Teachers’ Attitudes Towards And Use Of Technology, Julia Eden Hill

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

While many educators are consistently searching for ways to use technology for teaching and learning as new technologies emerge and older technologies are improved, not all are enthusiastic about the changes (Dobo, 2016). There is a positive correlation between teachers’ beliefs about the effectiveness of technology and its use in the classroom (Petko, 2012). Teachers who have positive beliefs about technology tend to use it more in their classrooms. This mixed-method study seeks to answer the question of how do secondary mathematics teachers’ use of technology in the classroom reflects their attitudes towards technology and its use. The first sub-question …