Education Commons^™

Adaptive Courseware Implementation: Investigating Alignment, Course Redesign, And The Student Experience, Patricia O'Sullivan, Janelle De Carrico Voegele, Tonya Buchan, Raiza Dottin, Kari Goin Kono, Misty Hamideh, Wendy S. Howard, Jennifer Todd, Stanley Kruse, Johannes De Gruyter, Kevin Berg

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, four institutions share student and faculty feedback on the implementation of adaptive courseware through a common case study: biology for undergraduate non-majors. Additionally, each institution has provided a second case study of their choice. Together, researchers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, Portland State University in Portland, OR, University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL, and the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS consider student perception of the benefits to the implementation of adaptive courseware, and how the deliberate alignment between adaptive courseware and course organization and structure impacts student experience. This paper highlights the …

Answering Damarin’S Call: How Ios Apps Approach Diversity,Equity, And Multiculturalism, Todd Cherner, Alex Fegely

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 1998, Suzanne Damarin put forward a call for technologists and multicultural educators to work together to create technologies that promote inclusiveness and equity for students. As significant technological advancements have happened along with major changes in educational policy over the past 20 years, this study set out to examine if Damarin’s call has been answered. In this article, the researchers first explain how they systematically identified a group of iOS applications designed for iPads and analyzed them for their design quality and content through a lens of diversity, equity, and multiculturalism. They then share their findings and offer implications …

Text-To-Web: Adding Digital Connections Into The Mix, Maika Yeigh, Todd Cherner

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article discusses the challenge for teachers to create a process for identifying and implementing methods that integrate new communicative practices involved with texting into their instruction.

Promoting Educational Opportunity And Achievement Through 1:1 Ipads, Gayle Y. Thieman, Tatiana Cevallos

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to expand the growing body of research on the educational impact of 1:1 mobile devices, investigating the iPad’s potential to reduce the disparity of access to high-quality instructional technology and achievement for low income, racially, and linguistically diverse students. Design/methodology/approach: This three-year, mixed-method study investigated the degree to which a 1:1 iPad initiative reduced the disparity of technology access and instructional use and improved student learning and attendance. The research design included survey data on student technology skills, experiences and use and teacher focus groups to confirm and contextualize the survey data. Findings: …

Evaluating Tech Tools For Literacy: A Research-Based Checklist, Todd Cherner, Peggy Hopper

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

With an emphasis placed on students reading and writing digitally, this presentation offers attendees a resource they can use to evaluate the literacy implications for using different apps and websites.

Involving Literacy And Technology: An Action Research Study To Improve Teacher Candidates’ Practice, Todd Cherner, Kristal Curry

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

As reflected in the new generation of “college- and career-ready” standards, developing students’ literacy abilities has become an educational initiative. In addition, software developers are continually releasing a range of educational website, apps, and programs intended to support student learning. The challenge then becomes how teachers can use these evolving instructional technologies to develop their students’ literacy abilities by combining them with their content and pedagogical knowledge. In this action research project, two teacher educators set out to study how their candidates used instructional technology during their internship for these purposes. In this article, the researchers will provide a background …

Educational Apps In The Blended Learning Classroom: Bringing Inquiry-Based Learning Into The Mix, Todd Cherner, Alex Fegely

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

With schools investing heavily in mobile technologies and emphasizing blended learning lessons, teachers are being required to create learning experiences that utilize these technologies to further prepare secondary students for college and the workforce. In this article, the authors first present a brief vignette intended to be representative of the emotions and pressures facing teachers as they prepare to teach with these new technologies. Next, the authors provide a framework teachers can use to create app-based lessons, which are lessons that use multiple apps to engage students in an inquiry-based learning experience. To provide further support, the authors include two …

A Detailed Rubric For Assessing The Quality Of Teacher Resource Apps, Todd Cherner, Cheng-Yuan Lee, Alex Fegely, Lauren Santaniello

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since the advent of the iPhone and rise of mobile technologies, educational apps represent one of the fastest growing markets, and both the mobile technology and educational app markets are predicted to continue experiencing growth into the foreseeable future. The irony, however, is that even with a booming market for educational apps, very little research regarding the quality of them has been conducted. Though some instruments have been developed to evaluate apps geared towards student learning, no such instrument has been created for teacher resource apps, which are designed to assist teachers in completing common tasks (e.g., taking attendance, communicating …

Effective Technology Implementation In Schools: Differing Perceptions Of Teachers, Administrators, And Technology Staff, Joseph Stephen Morelock

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the connection between perceptions of teacher self-efficacy, professional development, and leadership practices and attitudes as it relates to successful implementation of technology for student learning in K-12 schools. As external pressures exhort schools to transform the learning environment and to include more meaningful applications of technology in the learning experiences for all students, issues which create barriers to a successful implementation of new practices must be examined.

This study examined the responses of teachers, school and district administrators, and technology support personnel in a stratified random sample from 37 school districts in the state of Oregon to …

It Takes A University: Oer And The Psu Reduce Student Costs Initiative, Marilyn K. Moody

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

OER have a major role to play in student affordability efforts. Portland State University’s Reducing Student Costs Initiative is a broad-based effort to reduce student textbook and course materials costs. This presentation looks at the opportunities and challenges of involving stakeholders from across the campus in this initiative, including faculty, staff, students, administrators, donors, and external partners. OER related strategies of the Initiative, including plans for increasing OER use in courses and programs are described.

The Initiative’s work and implementation plans involving the adoption, use, and creation of OER include:

• Developing courses and programs that utilize OER, including online flexible …

Leveraging Digital Technology In Social Studies Education, Sarah Elizabeth Lundy

Dissertations and Theses

Today's K-12 classrooms are increasingly comprised of students who accomplish much of their informal learning through digital media and technology. In response, a growing number of educators are considering how they might draw upon these informal learning experiences to support student engagement and learning in the classroom through technology. The purpose of this study is for social studies educators, school administrators, teacher educators and curriculum developers to understand more about the potentials and limitations of integrating technology such as a digital text. This research focuses on the differences in experiences using a digital text and a printed text from the …

How Disruptive Is Information Technology Really?, Judith A. Ramaley

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

How disruptive is this technology revolution, and what does this expansion of the world of knowledge portend for higher education?

About the author: Judith A. Ramaley is President Emerita and Distinguished Professor of Public Service at Portland State University, President Emerita of Winona State University, and a Senior Scholar with the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). She also served as President of the University of Vermont and as Assistant Director, Education and Human Resources Directorate, at the National Science Foundation.

Educating For The Twenty-First Century, Judith A. Ramaley

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

In his first inaugural speech, President Obama declared that "our schools fail too many" and an essential component of laying "a new foundation for growth" will be "to transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. " Concerns about our nation s position in the global education race have led to a focus on college completion. Policymakers and foundations are setting goals for degree completion and are pressing colleges and universities to shorten the degree programs offered, address the barriers to degree attainment, rethink how best to help underprepared students be successful in …

Out Of The Classroom And Beyond, Gary R. Brown, Nils Peterson, Adrian Wilson, Jim Ptaszynski

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

E-portfolios that function as collaborative, personalized learning spaces rather than just showcases offer a means of assessment that can support generative learning and build the skills essential for 21st century students. Gary Brown, Nils Peterson, Adrian Wilson, and Jim Ptaszynski identify the challenges and discuss some lessons learned in the Washington State University effort to adopt an e-portfolio program based on Microsoft® Office SharePoint Server 2007. The emerging technology supporting e-portfolios and personal learning environments present opportunities to engage students and external stakeholders more fully by making learning visible.

Out Of The Cabbage Patch, Gary R. Brown

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

It is not a secret to readers of EDUCAUSE Review that the challenge of curricular relevance and student engagement in higher education is a national concern. One aspect of this challenge is that students' social networking and technology proclivities are rarely met by conventional curricula and pedagogies. Educators have much to lose if we fail to transform current practice. Just how much we have to lose was profoundly illustrated to me on a recent trip I took to Malawi, Africa, where a group of educators and an affiliate non-governmental organization (NGO) have been working to expand opportunities for Washington State …

Formal Course Design And The Student Learning Experience, Gary R. Brown, Carrie B. Myers, Sharon E. Roy

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

What impact does collaboration between faculty and professional course designers have on the student learning experience? As the use of technologies increases, educational institutions have to find ways of identifying and addressing expectations about how technologies can best be incorporated into the teaching and learning experiences. This paper reports on efforts at Washington State University to develop and assess the course design and faculty development process and the impact the process has on student learning experiences. The results of a comprehensive set of faculty and student surveys from five groups suggest that the systematic course design process improves students' opportunities …

Using Parent-Student Pairs For Internet Instruction, Micki M. Caskey

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Explored student and parent attitudes toward school-based Internet use using an intergenerational approach that positioned 54 pairs of young adolescents and their parents as co-learners for simultaneous Internet instruction while another 51pairs were given separate Internet instruction. Highlights include reliability measures, factor analysis, analysis of variance, and interview analyses.

The Support Service Crisis: A Misnomer, Gary R. Brown

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

Discussion of issues related to perceptions of technology support in education by faculty and administrators. The article focuses on research and studies by Gilbert, Wharton, Edutech and Educause.

Where Do We Go From Here?, Gary R. Brown

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

Review of recent articles that appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education, related to technology and its impacts on changes in education.

Online Collaboration And Implications For Learning And Society, Gary R. Brown, Mary Wack

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

A review od current literature related to online learning, collaboration, and its larger impacts for society.

Digital Diploma Mills Or Socratic Gymnasium? The Future Of The University, Gary R. Brown, Mary Wack

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

Review of current literature on challenges to traditional higher education, focusing specifically on "Digital diploma mills or Socratic gymansium?" by David Noble.

The Role Of Educational Technology And Motivation In Increasing Flow And Time-On-Task To Enhance Learning, Michael Pullmann

Dissertations and Theses

Technology plays an increasing role in college courses. Student experiences and outcomes may be significantly altered by high-tech course presentation and flexible formats. Models from psychology, such as Csikszentmihalyi's flow theory are useful for understanding quality of experience. Dweck's motivation theory explains why some students may not experience the flow state during school work. The purposes of this study were to: 1) Determine if students in technology-enhanced courses differ from other students on the experience of flow, 2) Test the relationship between flow, motivation orientation, and time-on-task, and 3) Test the relationship between motivation orientation, time-on-task, and student outcomes.

Forty …