An Overview Of Udl Theory And Scholarship In Higher Education, Rachel Mcmullin, Danielle Skaggs

University Libraries Faculty Publications

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework for improving and optimizing teaching and learning. It’s focused on intentionally designing for the needs and abilities of all learners—putting accessibility into the planning stages instead of as an accommodation after the fact—and providing flexibility in the ways students access and engage with materials and learning objectives.

Sharing Resources With Rwanda: Multidisciplinary Engagement With The Forest Of Hope Association In Gishwati-Mukura National Park, Thierry Amiable, Rebecca Chancellor, Trachanda Garcia, Aaron S. Rundus, Jordan Schugar

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Sharing Resources with Rwanda: Multidisciplinary Engagement with the Forest of Hope Association in Gishwati-Mukura National ParkThierry Amiable, Forest of Hope Association (Rwanda, Rutsiro District) Rebecca Chancellor, Associate Professor of Anthropology & Sociology and Psychology (WCU) Trachanda Garcia, Associate Director of Education Abroad Programs (WCU) Aaron Rundus, Professor of Psychology (WCU) Jordan Schugar, Professor of English (WCU)

Transformative Social Emotional Learning: A Call To Heal The Effects Of Racial Trauma On Identity And Self-Efficacy, Elizabeth Trostle

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Growing up I was never a child that loved school. I fell in love with learning in environments that did not look or feel like classrooms. And in 2005 I learned that I had a passion for learning about pedagogy. I entered the classroom again this time as a teacher, ready to engage students in learning. What I was offered was curriculum and learning standards that left little room for experiences. Despite my efforts, and after a decade of experience, I was still baffled by the resistance to learning.

I wanted to understand this because I saw that education—when you …

Innovating Education Through Design Thinking: A Case Study Of Problem-Solving Educators, Matthew Pimental

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study aimed to identify methodologies and practices that enable innovation to thrive in the public education system. Design thinking (DT) was selected for examination given its demonstrated ability to: (a) make people and teams more innovative , (b) change institutional cultures to be more creative and solution-oriented, and (c) create conditions necessary for innovation to thrive within established organizational structures. This intrinsic case study explored the experiences of a group of educators who used design thinking to innovate solutions to the intractable problems they faced. Participants in this study were teachers and administrators who received training in DT, and …

Trauma-Informed Educational Practices In The Middle School Classroom During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Loralynne Yost

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This collective case study used a mixed methods approach to examine how Trauma-Informed Educational Practices (TIEP) manifest in the middle school classroom. This study is important due to the trauma students experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teacher participants had district training in trauma-informed practices prior to this study.

Teacher participants took an initial survey to capture their conceptualization and perceived usage of the TIEP in the classroom. Teachers then used TIEP in their classrooms for two weeks. Teachers kept a checklist of which of the TIEP they used each day and commented on the context for the use of the …

Online Instructors' Use Of The Cognitive Theory Of Multimedia Learning Design Principles: A Mixed Methods Investigation, Thomas Pantazes

Literacy Student Work

The use of digital video in online education is increasing alongside the growth of online learning in higher education in the United States driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic (Bétrancourt & Benetos, 2018; McCormack, 2020; Seaman, et al, 2018). The study of digital instructional video is still at an early stage (Chorianopoulos, 2018) and current research has examined students and not instructors (Kay, 2012; Pan, et al, 2012). There are no studies solely focused on higher education instructors’ perspectives of digital video use for instruction (Kay, 2012). The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study (QUAN à qual) …

Mentorship Matters: An Instrumental Case Study Of Mentorship In A Student Affairs Graduate Preparatory Program, John Linetty

Literacy Student Work

The purpose of this study is to understand graduate student’s experience with mentorship in their educational pursuits, as well as the implications of mentorship on the student’s personal and professional development within a graduate student affairs program in higher education. The research questions guiding this study are: (a) in what ways have graduate students in a master's program in student affairs experienced mentorship? And (b) how has mentorship impacted their (graduate students) personal and professional development? Utilizing instrumental case study methodology with a phenomenological data collection instrument, three graduate student participants met individually with the researcher for two 60-90 minute …

Creating Community Connections On & Off Campus: Ramcorps, Shannon Gillespie, Nick Marcil, Mckenna Kovatch

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

No abstract provided.

A Mixed Methods Examination Of Elementary Teachers’ Conceptions Of Benchmark Reading Assessments, Marie N. Derby Ed. D.

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Abstract

This study examined the case of 22 mid-Atlantic K-5 public school teachers’ conceptions of the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Reading Assessment Systems 1-3. The Namaste School District delivers ELA curriculum through reader’s and writer’s workshop. Triangulated data showed that participants held varying conceptions of the F&P. Specifically, they shared similar conceptions regarding the importance of one-on-one time with students, the amount of time it takes to administer the assessment, and the subjectivity of the F&P results. Results of this study provided similar results to other studies of teachers’ conceptions of assessment and adds to the literature debate regarding …

Creating Project-Based Math Curricula: A Narrative Inquiry, Marcie Hull

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study is a narrative inquiry about the participant’s experiences, in three individual case studies, involving teachers of high school mathematics engaged in the creation of a project-based learning curriculum, in a one-to-one laptop school. The researcher analyzed data from field notes, digital artifacts, and teacher interviews to document how math teachers are creating curriculum in an inquiry-driven, project-based, technology-infused instructional model. Findings from restorying and the analysis of three-dimensional space —regarding teacher lore —reveal themes about math teacher curriculum conflicts in skill-building, application of iterative design thinking, and structures inherent to project-based learning. Rich, thick description of the cases, …

Skilled Trade Education In America, Brent Tracy

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This project explores the idea of whether incorporating skilled trade education into colleges and universities would lead to more people pursuing the skilled trades as a career. The research question is: Would incorporating skilled-trade education into colleges and universities in America lead to more people pursuing careers in the skilled trades?” The hypothesis is that incorporating skilled trade education into colleges and universities will lead to more American students pursuing skilled trade education and careers in the skilled trades.

The purpose of exploring this is to address the shortage of skilled tradespeople in the United States. In order to determine …

Empower Adolescent Writers With Ongoing Choice In Purpose, Audience, Topic, And Genre, Lauren Heimlich Foley

English Student Work

No abstract provided.

A Fan-Tastic Quantitative Exploration Of Ohm's Law, Brandon Mitchell, Robert Ekey, Roy Mccullough, William Reitz

Physics & Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Contextualizing Trump: Education For Communism, Curry Stephenson Malott

Educational Foundations & Policy Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Teaching Students About Finding Their Religious Justice Roots, Dean Johnson

Philosophy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Teaching About The Politics Of Religion And Social Change, Dean Johnson

Philosophy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Uncertainty Avoidance—A New Teaching/ Learning Method For An Introductory Programming Course, Zhen Jiang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

In this paper, we introduce a new procedure for under-represented students to quickly learn the use of the decision structure in computer programming. The challenge here is to help students, who lack sufficient background of mathematics and computer programming, to use this structure correctly without too much doubt and uncertainty. The traditional CS0 program elapses several semesters and requires many foundation courses to be taken before the students have knowledge of the program correctness. Our one-semester course CSC115 allows students to build up programming skills gradually case by case and program by program. Such a guideline is proven to be …

Engaging Msw Students In Faculty Research: Students’ Perspectives Of Involvement In A Program Evaluation, Rebecca Thomas, Christina M. Chiarelli-Helminiak, Kyle Barrette, Brunilda Ferraj

Social Work (Graduate) Faculty Publications

Engaging social work students in research is challenging, in part, because of the way research is taught in the classroom and the need for learners to effectively develop connections between the “abstract world” of research concepts with the “real world” of professional experiences. This article describes the experiences of graduate social work students involved in a process and outcome evaluation of a community-based program. Analysis of student learning outcomes and the team-based model used to engage students in the evaluation are provided to put forth a paradigm of teaching social work research through direct, supervised, and collaborative engagement.

The Value Of An Onsite Residency Experience For Online Mba Programs, Paul Christ, Paul Arsenault, Jack Gault

Marketing Faculty Publications

The number of institutions of higher education offering MBA programs entirely online has expanded dramatically. While such educational options offer advantages for students who cannot easily attend in-class courses, online programs do present a number of challenges for MBA programs including concerns related to assessment, institutional engagement and adequately addressing important business issues such as innovation. To address the challenges presented when delivering programs through distance education methods, many business programs require online students attend one or more on-site “residency” sessions. This paper focuses on one approach to conducting a residency.

Teaching Csd Graduate Students To Think Critically, Apply Evidence, And Write Professionally, Elizabeth U. Grillo, Mareile Koenig, Cheryl D. Gunter, So Jung Kim

Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Promoting Critical Thinking Through An Interdisciplinary Study Abroad Program, Wei Wei Cai, Gopal Sankaran

Early & Middle Grades Education Faculty Publications

This paper discusses the promotion of critical thinking through an interdisciplinary curriculum design using multidisciplinary faculty as well as details the implementation of an experiential short-term study abroad program in China. To achieve this educational goal of critical thinking, along with meeting the requirements specific to each course, the program was built on a framework using two interrelated approaches – theme-based interdisciplinary curriculum and cultural immersion. The theme-based interdisciplinary curriculum was constructed on three principles (the ability to pose great questions that encompassed drawing knowledge and skills from each discipline, acquiring global awareness, and developing glocal awareness). Cultural immersion was …

Changing Lives, One Note At A Time, Timothy Sestrick, Lina Terjesen

University Libraries Faculty Publications

Library internships can be valuable learning opportunities for undergraduate students and excellent examples of the rich learning environment of college and university campuses. This article examines undergraduate academic library internships through the lens of an internship for music majors and discusses ways to create engaging, high-impact educational experiences that complement traditional academic settings and programs. Examples are taken from internship programs in music, reference, and special collections and include former interns’ reflections on the life-changing nature of their experiences.

Student Attitudes About Distance Education: Focusing On Context And Effective Practices, Esther Smidt, Jennifer Bunk, Bridget Mcgrory, Rui Li, Tanya Gatenby

Languages & Cultures Faculty Publications

There has been an unquestionable upsurge in distance education in recent years. Given this, it is extremely important to understand the experience of online courses from students’ perspectives. The purpose of the current qualitative study is to understand student attitudes about distance education in a specific context, namely that of a Mid-Atlantic mid-sized state university. We then translate our findings into practical recommendations for instructors. Data sources consist of journal entries written by 36 teacher candidates taking the course, Teaching English Language Learners PreK-12. Findings are categorized according to Course Characteristics, e.g. students have definite opinions about the use of …

A Learner-Centered Technique And Clinical Reasoning, Reflection, And Case Presentation Attributes In Athletic Training Students, Scott Heinerichs, Luzita I. Vela, Joshua M. Drouin

Sports Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Teaching Physiology Online: Successful Use Of Case Studies In A Graduate Course, Giovanni Casotti, John T. Beneski, Maureen T. Knabb

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Using The Environmental History Of The Commonwealth To Enhance Pennsylvania And U. S. History Courses, Charles A. Hardy Iii

History Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring Graduate Students' Perceptual Differences Of Face-To-Face And Online Learning, Vicki Mcginley, Jeffery Osgood Jr., Jane Kenney

Special Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Wildlife Adventures - Gordon Natural Area (Education/Research/Protect Biodiversity), Kendra Mcmillin, Gerard Hertel, Tim Ponticello

Gordon Natural Area-related Curricula Documents

No abstract provided.

“Help And Harvest!” Recruiting And Managing Campus Garden Volunteers, Joy Fritschle, Joan Welch, Heather Sowers

Geography & Planning Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Feasibility Of An Academic Course That Provides Nutrition Education To Collegiate Student-Athletes, Christine Karpinski

Nutrition Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.