Education Commons^™

Transforming The American Education System: A Program Evaluation Of A School District’S 1:1 Chromebook Pilot, Michael Marassa

Dissertations

The focus of this program evaluation is to determine the impact of a Google Chromebook 1:1 program on the learning process and educational experience for students and teachers. The participants attend two high schools of a high-performing public-school district in an affluent Chicago suburb. The following research questions guide the program evaluation:

• What is the measurable relationship between academic performance and engagement and the 1:1 Chromebook program?
• What changes in instructional practice occur with the implementation of 1:1 Chromebooks?

A literature review presents current research in areas that explore 21st Century Skills, Tony Wagner’s Global Achievement Gap, constructivist instructional pedagogy, …

My Reflections On The Association For Educational Communications And Technology (Aect) 2017 International Convention, Lewis Chongwony

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

From November 6 – 11, 2017, the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida was a beehive of activity, as members of the AECT, one of the oldest professional organizations, passionate about uncovering better ways of helping people learn, congregated for the 2017 convention. With close to 400 concurrent sessions, several workshops, and more than 1,000 attendees, the place was beaming and brimming with excitement and an aura of freshness as attendees imbibed from pots of research, best practices, and experiences of speakers and peers both in sessions and during breaks. Looking around, I could easily tell that the 2017 …

Pulling The Plug On Microscopes In The Anatomy And Physiology Laboratory, Zvi Ostrin, Vyacheslav Dushenkov

Publications and Research

Virtual microscopy (VM) has been widely available for more than a decade, especially in clinical settings and medical schools. In recent years the movement away from conventional optical microscopy (OM) and towards VM has been accelerating and several VM websites are now available online and readily accessible to educators. VM can enhance the instructor’s ability to teach the histology component of anatomy and physiology classes, facilitate student learning, save time for both students and instructors, and ultimately save money that can be more productively used for other facets of the laboratory. The many pedagogical and practical advantages provided by VM …

Why Your Course Needs An Editor, Carolyn Levally

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Instructional design is definitely an iterative process; we design courses, get feedback, make adjustments to the course, etc. But who is reviewing our courses and providing us with feedback? More than likely, the Subject Matter Expert (SME) or the instructor who will be teaching the course reviews the course design. Having SMEs review the design is excellent, as they know the content and the course objectives best. However, at the International Institute for Innovative Instruction, we also strongly recommend that all courses be reviewed by a content editor.

The Nature And Extent Of Instructors’ Use Of Learning Analytics In Higher Education To Inform Teaching And Learning, Janet L. King

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The utilization of learning analytics to support teaching and learning has emerged as a newer phenomenon combining instructor-oriented action research, the mining of educational data, and the analyses of statistics and patterns. Learning analytics have documented, quantified and graphically displayed students’ interactions, engagement, and performance to gain a more complex understanding of teaching and learning. Researchers and scholars have hailed learning analytics as one of the future game-changers in higher education. This study addressed important questions. How have instructors at institutions of higher learning explored learning analytics to reflect upon their teaching practice—specifically, curriculum, pedagogy, student learning and outcomes? What …

E-Textbooks: Making Course Resources More Accessible And Affordable, Patrick Bennett

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

The affordability of, and accessibility to, lower cost course resources such as textbooks and supplementary materials in higher education is a growing concern in the United States. Currently, the process of textbook adoption has been left mostly unregulated at the federal, state, and university levels (Hill, 2015). In traditional settings, ultimately, the university selects the required textbooks and students are required to purchase them. In economic theory, this is referred to as the Principal Agent Problem.

How To Use Media Effectively In Online Courses, Carolyn Levally

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

In the online higher education community, course designers are constantly trying to develop courses that reach beyond the learner simply staring at a static screen. With the instructor and the learner at a physical distance, there are many features we use to try and bridge that gap, from online class meetings via Adobe Connect to discussion board postings to other engaging activities designed specifically for achieving the learning outcomes. However, when it comes to simple content delivery in an online setting, breaking through the wall of text by providing learners with more engaging media can sometimes be difficult. Many people …

Online Experiential Learning: Bringing The Courtroom To The Classroom, Karen Miner-Romanoff

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Experiential learning (EL) is the “process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (Corbett, 2005, p. 479). As Kolb (1984) posited, individuals learn through experience, reflection, thought, and experimentation. Knowledge and understanding are created and refined through the application and transformation of experience. Many scholars and educators agree that experience and active participation can help students connect theory to practice, develop higher order thinking skills, and enhance the educational environment (Burke & Bush, 2013; LaRose, 2011). Much research has indicated that authentic and experiential online learning experiences can lead to greater student success (Broadbent & Poon, 2015; Inan, …

The Difference Between Instructional Design, Instructional Technology, And Instructional Science, Joel Gardner

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

What is the difference between instructional design, and instructional technology, and instructional science? There are many different subsets of the field of instructional design, and in this post I will clarify the differences between these different terms.

How To Develop Yourself As A Learning Professional, Joel Gardner

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

The world is constantly changing and, as a learning professional, your role is constantly evolving. To remain relevant and have a positive impact in your profession, you must continually acquire and expand your knowledge and skills to improve yourself in your craft.

Paradox Of Social Presence In Online Learning In The Age Of Social Media, Lewis Chongwony

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

How often do you think of social presence (a feeling of being there and connected with others in a computer mediated communication) when designing and/or delivering your online course(s) or instruction? Does it even make sense to worry about it in the age of social media?

How Do Students Respond To Microlearning?, Natalya Koehler

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Microlearning is a way of teaching and delivering content to learners in small, very specific bursts. The learners are in control of what and when they’re learning

Teachers' Perceptions And Experiences In Implementing Mobile Devices Into Their Teaching, Joy Erin Winterhalder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This phenomenological study addressed the lack of understanding of how teachers implement personal devices in the classroom and whether the instruction is constructivist in nature. Although mobile technology is convenient, it is not yet understood if Bring Your Own Device/Technology (BYOD/BYOT) programs encourage a teacher pedagogy shift. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of 10 teachers in Grades 6 to 12 who had been part of a BYOD/BYOT program for more than 2 years. Data from interviews and lesson demonstrations were analyzed via a constructivist framework first identifying themes and then categories. …

A Phenomenological Examination Of Virtual Game Developers' Experiences Using Jacob's Ladder Pre-Production Design Tactic, Jasmine Brown-Turner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Edutainment refers to curriculum and instruction designed with a clear educational purpose, including multi-faceted virtual learning game design. Tools such as the Jacob's Ladder pre-production design tactic have been developed to ensure that voices of both engineers and educators are heard. However, it is unclear how development team members experience and perceive their collaborative work while designing a virtual game using such tactics. This phenomenological study examined the experiences of agile software team members using Jacob's Ladder pre-production design as an interdisciplinary collaboration tool while designing a virtual learning game. Seven design team members (3 educators and 4 engineers) participated …