Education Commons^™

Visionarium, June 2024, Full Issue

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

No abstract provided.

Do You Know Where Your Games Come From? Artificial Intelligence And Game Development, Andrew Begemann

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

ABSTRACT

This paper was written to explore the possible effects of artificial intelligence being implemented in the design pipeline of video game development. In it, we will explore a history of artificial intelligence, from its early imaginings in books and philosophy, to its current iterations, such as ChatGPT and other popular engines like Midjourney and Stable diffusion. We will also discuss steps in game development so as to understand where the potential implementations of artificial intelligence can, will, or does occur. Following those explanations, we will explore the three methodologies of Marxism, Psychoanalysis, and Cultural Studies as ways of examining …

Medmicromaps, A Novel Decision-Tree Guide For Infectious Diseases Differential Diagnoses, And Evaluation Of Pre- And Post-Pandemic User Engagement By Preclinical Medical Students, Jason Ceballos, Tavsimran Luthra, Lucia Garces-Torres, Valerie Lentz, Jack Nelson, Claudia Carceles-Roman, Ian Holyoak, Jane Harrington

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

Background: Medical education has undergone major changes in the past 5 years to adapt to the digital-centered student population with diverse learning preferences. To address the challenges of shifting delivery modalities, multimedia resources were created to provide interactive e-learning material on infectious diseases for year 2 medical students.

Methods: Medical students at a USA-accredited Caribbean medical school were provided with supplemental e-learning materials including animations, illustrations, diagnostic algorithms aka MedMicroMaps, and Case-Based tutorials. Participants were classified by semester and lecture delivery: In-person: Cohort 1 (n=526); Virtual: Cohort 2 (n=651); and Hybrid: Cohort 3 ( …

Ai Integration In Cultural Heritage Conservation – Ethical Considerations And The Human Imperative, Kholoud Ghaith

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the conservation of cultural heritage marks a significant transformation in preservation methodologies, heralding both innovative solutions and complex ethical dilemmas. This article undertakes a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted role AI plays in the conservation and restoration of cultural artifacts, buildings, and sites, underscoring the irreplaceable value of human skills and ethical judgment in this domain. Through an analysis of current research, case studies, and insights from professionals in the field, the paper elucidates how AI technologies—encompassing machine learning algorithms, digital twinning, and predictive maintenance—can enhance the accuracy and efficiency of conservation efforts. …

Embracing The Irreplaceable: The Role Of Neurodiversity In Cultivating Human-Ai Symbiosis In Education, Piper Hutson

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

This study investigates the indispensable role of human skills—such as empathy, ethical judgment, and nuanced understanding—in the development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) within higher education, highlighting the unique contributions of neurodivergent perspectives in creating a symbiotic human-AI relationship. Drawing upon research that evidences the superior performance of diverse teams in creativity and innovation, the paper argues for the integration of neurodiversity into AI development as a means to address the philosophy of 'fearing the Other,' thereby mitigating biases and fostering ethical AI interactions. The technology sector's adoption of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, including biopsychosocial interventions and …

Leveraging Human-In-The-Loop Engagement Through Ai In Web Design Education: A Case Study On Adapting To Dynamic Client Requirements, Jason D. Lively

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within educational frameworks, particularly in disciplines such as web design and development, represents a significant evolution in pedagogical strategies. This article examines a unique educational setup where students, while engaging in a web design class, utilize AI tools for text, image, and code creation within a simulated real-world scenario involving a client—dubbed "Chef Cookie Cutter". This simulated client interaction introduces unpredictability through mid-assignment requirement changes, thereby mimicking the dynamic nature of real-world web development projects. The focus of this case study is the critical role of human-in-the-loop (HITL) engagement in AI-assisted assignments, where students' …

Absent Presence: The Human Influence In Ai-Generated Content In The Age Of Technoculture, Kathi Vosevich

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

In recent years, the field of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly under the banner of generative AI (GAI), has made unprecedented advancements, pushing the boundaries of what was traditionally considered within the realm of human capability. AI systems have not only matched but also surpassed human proficiency in various tasks, sparking widespread discussions about their significant impact across multiple fields, including the arts and humanities. This paper considers the profound implications of AI's rapid progress and explores the concept of "Absent Presence" within the context of Derrida and Technoculture, particularly as illustrated in the arts and humanities. Drawing parallels with renowned …

Thriving In An Ai-Dominated World: Why Higher Education Must Produce Graduates Who Are Uniquely Human And Technically Competent, Chris Mayer

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

To meet the demands of students and broader society, and to prepare students for a world that is increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence (AI) and other forms of technology, many higher education institutions (HEI) are cutting liberal arts programs and focusing on professional fields and fields related to technology. This focus, however, is undermining students’ employability and not addressing employer demand for applicants who possess the human skills that students develop by studying the liberal arts. This does not mean that technology-related skills should be neglected as employers are also signaling the importance of AI-related skills, and digital skills more …

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International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

No abstract provided.

In Real Time, A Crisis In Public Education: Teacher Shortages In Missouri And Kansas, Dong Hwa Choi, Judith Mcconnell Mikkelson

Missouri Policy Journal

Communities throughout the United States have experienced a shortage of teachers for several years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this teacher shortage has escalated, creating a major crisis in public education. The struggle to hire and retain a highly qualified teaching staff is true in all fifty states, including Missouri and Kansas. In this article, complex reasons for the growing teacher shortage in Missouri and Kansas are detailed and needed actions to rectify this dire situation are discussed.

Bi-Negativity: An Assessment Of Negativity Surrounding Bisexuality From The Lgbtq+ And Heterosexual Communities, Whitney R. Ford

The Confluence

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that negative attitudes towards bisexual people (bi-negativity) exists within the LGBTQ+ and heterosexual communities and to determine if levels of bi-negativity are higher within the LGBTQ+ group. I administered the Gender-Based Attitudes Towards Bisexuality (GBAB) Scale by Nielsen et al. (2022) to measure bi-negativity using an online survey. The results, obtained from 87 participants who identify as LGBTQ+ and 121 participants who identify as heterosexual between the ages of 18 and 80, support my hypothesis that bi-negativity exists within both groups. However, contrary to my second hypothesis, higher levels of bi-negativity were …

Teacher Retention: Retaining Teachers In High-Needs, Urban Secondary Schools In A Midwest State Post-Pandemic, Christopher K. Schmit, Erin Lehmann, David Swank, Sue Alborn-Yilek, Tasha Dannenbring

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Teacher retention has been a challenge for most schools for several years. High-needs schools have been known to have twice the trouble with teacher retention as schools not considered high-needs. The purpose of this study was to identify effective practices school principals can implement to retain teachers at high-needs, urban secondary schools. This quantitative study called on teachers from high-needs schools in Iowa to complete a survey identifying principal qualities related to retention, perceived reasons for teacher attrition, and reasons they continue to teach at their current school. Three hundred eighty-five teachers from five different Iowa school districts participated in …

Experiential Leadership Learning: Narratives Of A Multiple Case Study Of Mexican School Leaders Appointed To Indigenous Schools, Manuel Lopez-Delgado, Argelia Estrada-Loya

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Training and preparation of school leaders have an impact on the quality of leadership displayed in their readiness for the leadership practice. However, in Mexico the training and preparation processes for school leaders are unclear and lack uniformity. The way of access to headship has promoted that school leaders learn to lead in their role without previous preparation for the position. This paper presents the findings of a study conducted through narratives that analyzed the leadership learning processes of novice and experienced school leaders. The study identified important learning experiences as the receptive observation, malleable observation, practical experiences of leadership, …

Evaluating Principal Effectiveness: A Review Of The Literature, Jerry Burkett

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The evaluation of a campus principal can be a challenging process due largely to the complicated factors that exist to capture an accurate assessment of a principal’s leadership effectiveness. Generally, principal evaluations are conducted by district-level officials who often do not have the time or the resources to observe campus principals on a regular basis. Further, principal evaluation systems (PES) are designed to improve the practice of principals (Clifford & Ross, 2012; Davis, Kearney, Sanders, Thomas, & Leon, 2011; Fuller & Hollingworth, 2014a; Fuller et al., 2015), and there has historically been an acknowledgment that these evaluations do not always …

University Faculty Perceptions Of Professional Development: Impact And Effectiveness, Claudia Vela, Velma D. Menchaca, Hilda Silva

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The purpose of this study was to examine faculty perceptions of the effectiveness and impact of professional development programs and activities in the areas of teaching, research, and service. This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in a four-year Hispanic-serving institution in South Texas. It focused on exploring tenured and tenure-track faculty perceptions and experiences of their participation in professional development to help them meet tenure and promotion expectations. Analysis of data showed that faculty had mixed feelings about the workshops and training sessions that were offered on campus. However, networking, collaboration, and access to resources and technology were practices that …

The Virtual Counseling Transition And Its Influence On School Counselor Self-Efficacy, Tara Hornor, Lee A. Westberry

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine school counselors’ experiences transitioning to virtual counseling during the Covid-19 pandemic, the factors influencing their sense of confidence, and successes and challenges associated with the transition to virtual counseling. Study participants characterized the transition to virtual counseling as challenging and reported the process decreased their self-efficacy. Participants identified four salient categories of challenges associated with the transition to virtual counseling, including difficulty maintaining accountability and contact with students, decreased work/life balance, diminished sense of connection with students, and lack of preparation to conduct virtual school counseling. Successes resulting from the transition …

Principals’ Roles In Developing A Positive School Culture Through Communication And Building Relationships, Manakshi Panindranauth

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to explore high school principals’ perceptions of how a supportive environment, strong family-community ties, and trust assist educational leaders in improving the culture within their schools. Participants of this study included 15 high school principals in the New York City Department of Education’s public schools. Data were captured through virtual interviews, where all participants were asked the same questions and analyzed through themes and codes. The three research questions that guided this study included how principals perceive creating a positive school culture by (a) improving the supportive environment; (b) improving strong family-community ties; and (c) …

The Unstoppable Rise Of Ai: An Interview With Dr. John Sanford, Spencer Burrows, And Anna Birchler, Brandon Powell, Spencer Burrows

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

AI can both help and hurt the education field (higher education and secondary education). Despite Hollywood’s depiction of artificial intelligence solely in the form of killer death robots decades into the future, AI is much more versatile - and far more dangerous - than any killer robot could be. As artificial intelligence develops at a breakneck pace, its effect on our society will increase exponentially.

Emerging Technology And Pedagogical Application In Design Education, Ritesh Ranjan, Pooja Rana Ms.

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

This research paper investigates the emerging technologies and pedagogical applications in design education. The rapid development of technology has opened up new possibilities for design education, and it is important to explore how these emerging technologies can be used to enhance pedagogical practices. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the potential of emerging technologies in design education and their impact on pedagogical practices.

The study employs a qualitative research methodology and draws on a range of literature sources, including academic articles, books, and reports. The research explores the use of emerging technologies such as virtual reality, augmented …

Using Video Games To Jumpstart Student-Centered Research And Inquiry In The General Education Humanities Classroom, Melissa Ridley Elmes

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

This article discusses preliminary results of a study of the author’s use of gaming to facilitate research-based writing assignments in her classes, focusing specifically on a 200-level general education introductory literature course, The Medieval World, taught in Spring 2023 at a U.S. midwestern private university. The purpose of the study was to determine whether approaching topic selection for the research-based writing assignment in a general education literature course through gaming could result in more student buy-in and thus, greater student retention, better student work, and a more successful learning experience and outcome for such an assignment than does a traditional …

Rebranding Originality For The Age Of Ai, Jason Gulya

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

"Originality" has been a longstanding focal point within the college classroom, with students being encouraged to embrace creativity and boldness. The traditional view of originality, relying solely on one's wit and imagination, has lost its effectiveness in the present era. The concept of learning has undergone a significant transformation, no longer resembling the isolated ivory tower of the past where individuals would immerse themselves in books, hoping to be inspired. Instead, modern learning has become more social and collaborative. Students compare and contrast class material with online resources, engaging in conversations, both in person and virtually, to solidify their understanding. …

Finchain: Adaptation Of Blockchain Technology In Finance And Business - An Ethical Analysis Of Applications, Challenges, Issues And Solutions, Naresh Kshetri, Keith Miller, Gaurango Banerjee, Bikesh Raj Upreti

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

Blockchain Technology is a distributed database technology that has emerged as a ground-breaking technology with several possible solutions to critical applications, say from supply chain management, agribusiness, marketing to healthcare industry including internet of medical things. Although it started as a digital coin (popularly known as bitcoin), it is slowly influencing business, marketing policy and society. We have presented an in-depth study and ethical analysis of how blockchain is applied over the economic and financial sector including banks, credit unions and other retail giants. During our research, we have also investigated how blockchain technology can affect financial institutions around the …

Vr Let My Creativity Out: Youth Creating With Immersive Learning Technologies, Paula Macdowell Dr.

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

With a greater demand for ingenuity and innovation in today’s creative economy, educators need to be creative practitioners inasmuch as students must be, learn, and grow creatively. This qualitative study explores the affordances and constraints of youth creating with immersive learning technologies at a Youth VR Research Camp. A class of 28 students in grade 8, ages 13 and 14, were invited to participate as the co-researchers. The data collection methods included artifact analysis, student-led pair interviews, sharing circles, surveys, and observation. The process of research-creation involved MultibrushVR and FrameVR design challenges focussed on pro-social and environmental change. Findings …

An Investigation Of The Advantages And Disadvantages Of University Students As Avatars In Virtual Learning Spaces, Gary Burnett, Catherine Harvey

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

Authors have noted the increasing importance of avatars in Higher Education, as more teaching is conducted virtually, drawing upon gaming conventions. However, it is also recognised that little is known about how students make use of avatars (especially over an extended period) and the subsequent impact on learning experiences. For the last three years, a university module has been conducted within a persistent virtual world – where students (49 in 2020; 95 in 2021; 122 in 2022) predominantly interact with each other and teaching staff in avatar form. Observation data constitutes 60 hours of video recordings of virtual world seminars. …

Editor's Forward, James Hutson

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Closed Captioning And Student Lexile Reading Levels, Jim L. Pruitt

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This experimental mixed-methods study explores what happens to student Lexile scores when they use closed captioning. The quantitative data analysis procedures involved in this experimental study consisted of utilizing two-sample t-tests to compare the iReady Lexile scores of the participants [n=38] to that of the researched district students [n=810] that were not using closed captioning in this study. The researcher required participants to complete a baseline iReady test to determine their preexisting Lexile levels. Then after the study, participants both in the researched district and in the study, itself were required to complete an iReady post-test to determine their …

Where Does The Buck Stop? A Framework Analysis Of Systematic Barriers And Supports To Effective Literacy Instructional Practices, Jennifer Barrett-Tatum, Courtney Shimek, Jennifer Manak, Chelsey M. Bahlmann Bollinger, Debra K. Wellman

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Many claim that elementary school teachers fail to teach children to adequately read, but few ask teachers why this problem persists. This study illuminates the voices of the teachers as they shared their perceptions of which factors supported or hindered their best practices in literacy instruction. Forty-four elementary school teachers across the United States responded to an open-ended questionnaire detailing the people, structures, political, and fiscal supports and barriers to what they perceived as a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction. Using diagnostic and prognostic frames to structure teachers' responses, findings from this study provide direct implications for administration at the …

Relational Leadership: Reconceptualizing How School Districts Address Teacher Attrition, Nila J. Burt, Joseph R. Jones

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

American education is in crisis. Teacher attrition rates are astronomical and continue to rise post-pandemic. In his executive summary, Pelfrey (2020), a policy and research analyst in the Georgia governor's office, revealed that new teachers are abandoning their careers at steadily increasing rates within the first five years of service. As such, we must further examine teacher retention and the influence of school administrators. In this capacity, this study utilized a qualitative methodology to examine teacher attrition in a high school in Georgia. Specifically, narrative inquiry provided the framework to examine the lived experiences of teachers in this southern school. …

How School Leaders Can Directly Support School And Classroom Conditions To Improve Student Outcomes, Goldy Brown Iii

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

There is a dearth of research on how school leaders can directly affect classroom and school conditions that lead to increased student outcomes. This study presents a descriptive single case study on a school leader and identifies supports they provided to improve classroom and school conditions, which may have led to the increased student outcomes they saw over a seven-year period. Qualitative methods were used. Data were collected through interviews and document analysis. This study is unique in that it collects and examines data through the Perspectives on Learning Environment Framework discussed in Bransford et al.’s book How People Learn …

National Transfer Credit System Can Increase Students Retention In Public Universities: System Thinking Leadership Perspective, Sevinj Iskandarova, Margaret F. Sloan

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Transfer students often lose credits that they have earned for completing courses at previous institutions and face other complications during lateral transitions between public four-year institutions because the current process of transferring credits is complicated, which raises barriers to affordable, accessible, and accountable national-level transfers. More research is needed to understand how the transfer policy could best be adapted to create an improved, transparent, and seamless transfer process. This mixed methods study conducted in the United States of America explores how national transfer system policies across states are functioning, and determine what states are doing regarding postsecondary transfer policy and …