Education Commons^™

From Crossing Campus To Crossing Continents: Faculty, Chair, And Global Partner Perspectives On An International Sabbatical, Emily Faulconer, Beverly L. Wood, Stephen George-Williams

Publications

A sabbatical – a period of paid leave granted to faculty for research or study - is a construct in higher education that has experienced ebbs and flows in its favorability, though there are persistent arguments that it is important for research-active faculty (Pietsch, 2011). Early career faculty are focused on achieving tenure as this is high stakes at most institutions. Once tenure is achieved, the next goalpost is full professor. The day-to-day responsibilities of faculty can distract from and dilute efforts aimed at strategic planning, long-term planning, and reflection necessary to achieve this level of promotion. So it follows …

Narrative World Building: Creative Applications For Gamification In Study Abroad, Ashley Lear

Publications

This study examined a cohort of 12 study abroad participants taking a course on video game topography and narrative in Salamanca, Spain, to determine how inhabiting and co-creating narrative worlds as part of the coursework might impact the experiences of the students inside and outside of the classroom as they engaged in mandated and optional cultural engagement activities, such as museum tours and excursions to historical sites. Students completed two gameful learning activities: 1) they co-created their own narrative game world in a group game proposal assignment drawing upon research from storytelling through game environments, and 2) they created independent …

Deep Change Theory: Implications For Educational Development Leaders, Caitlin Martin, Elizabeth Wardle

Publications

While chapters 1 and 2 explore the promise of theoretical frameworks for making conceptual change that leads to innovative action around teaching and learning in higher education, they also point out the challenges to this kind of work as teams of faculty strive to lead change in their programs and departments after completing the program. To summarize our claims thus far: one of the goals for the HCWE Faculty Writing Fellows Program is to empower faculty who participate to return to their departments to make programmatic changes—changes they identify as central to their work and values and program culture. The …

Does Removing Quizzes Impact Student Performance In An Online Course?, John Griffith

Publications

Data for 295 college online introductory statistics students were examined to determine if removing four module (weekly) quizzes impacted student performance on a cumulative exam. In this research, student performance was not significantly impacted by the removal of the quizzes. The difference in the exam mean score earned by the group of students who did not take quizzes was less than 0.8 of a point lower than the exam average for students who took the quizzes prior to the exam. Withdraw rates significantly declined from 5 percent to 1 percent. Results of this study support the idea that course designers …

Science Assessments As A Learning Opportunity: Feedforward With Multiple Attempts, Emily Faulconer

Publications

Feedback best practices support timely, high-quality feedback with application opportunity. Multiple attempts on assessments support learning gains. A learning management system can be used to automatically provide feedback for application on a future assessment attempt. Current research has not thoroughly investigated the student impacts or opinions on this combined strategy. In this study, students took a second attempt 46% of the time, scoring an average of 10.1% higher on their second attempt. More than 60% of students who failed their first attempt completed a second attempt. Students perceived the feedback as useful in preparing for their second attempt. Future research …

Metrics In Group Work, Emily Faulconer

Publications

Collaborative Learning, asynchronously online

• Critical Thinking
• Tech Literacy
• Communication
• Ethics
• Cultural Literacy
• Info Literacy

Safety As A Criterion For Faculty Evaluation, Emily Faulconer

Publications

Faculty evaluations, whether for annual review, promotion, contract renewal, tenure, or other purposes, commonly cover three broad areas—teaching, scholarship, and service—with weighting that can vary based on the institution, college, department, and individual. Many faculty, especially in STEM fields, have teaching, research, and service roles that come with chemical, physical, or biological hazards. These faculty members would not likely deny safety as a responsibility. In these roles, faculty may be asked to teach safety concepts, supervise or perform work with instrumentation, manage chemical wastes, or prepare paperwork required under OSHA’s Laboratory standard (e.g., standard operating procedures).

Aviation English Assessment And Training, Robert Fowler, Elizabeth Mathews, Jena Lynch, Jennifer Roberts M.A.

Publications

Due to a significant global increase in demand for air travel, there has been a corresponding increase in demand for ab initio flight training. Thousands of international flight students seek admission to collegiate aviation programs in the United States and Canada every year. These international flight students come to the United States and Canada because flight training is nonexistent in their native countries. In fact, flight training in most of these countries is impossible due to airspace restrictions and onerous regulations. If there is flight training available in these countries, the cost is usually prohibitive compared to the cost in …

Engaging In Scholarly Activities: Conferences & Publication, Emily Faulconer, Amy Riordan

Publications

Scholarly activities have key characteristics.

• Intellectually rigorous
• Expands disciplinary knowledge or creative expression
• Documented
• Validated by the relevant community of professionals

Let Natural Learning Arise!: Optimizing Organizational Learning Through A Customized Leadership Development Program, Robin A. Roberts

Publications

This paper examined a tiered leadership development program (LDP) designed to optimize natural organizational learning.

The Future Of International Education: Why Agility Is Now Integral To Strategic Planning, Aaron Clevenger, Elaine Meyer-Lee

Publications

Based on my experience, agility is truly based on the principles of resiliency. Resiliency is an approach to sustainability that focuses on building capacity to deal with disasters, unexpected changes and/or shifts to our daily routines.

● Kampala, Uganda example shows mild disruption, poor maintenance, and insufficient infrastructure creates a lack of resiliency.

At Embry-Riddle, hurricanes are the norm.

Preventing A Boondoggle: Assuring A Short Term Research Abroad Activity Is An Educative Experience, Kelly George, Aaron D. Clevenger

Publications

At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, an annual short-term, research abroad non-credit program was created in 2012 as a core component of the undergraduate research initiative that achieves learning outcomes in a meaningful way. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Collaboration Between Faculty And The Library Using Oer For Curriculum Development, Kelly Whealan George, Anne Marie Casey

Publications

• High Cost of Textbooks
• $1,240 – expected cost of textbooks in 2018-2019 for 4-year college students (CollegeBoard, 2019)
• 43.8% of Florida students spent $301 or more on textbooks in Spring 2018 (Florida Virtual Campus, 2018, p. 9)
• 63% of ERAU students surveyed in summer 2018 found textbooks more expensive than expected

• Case Study to explore textbooks in online courses
• Collaboration between the Library and the Faculty create value for the university and student population by incorporating OER into the course development process.

If At First You Do Not Succeed: Student Behavior When Provided Feedforward With Multiple Trials For Online Summative Assessments, Emily Faulconer, J. C. Griffith, H. Frank

Publications

Best practices suggest that timely, actionable feedback is provided with the option to apply the feedback. We used a learning management system to deliver assessments with automatic feedback provided at the conclusion of the assessment, allowing for multiple attempts in order to apply the knowledge gained. Questions were pooled so each attempt was unique, the highest score earned was awarded, with no penalty for failure to use multiple attempts. We found that students who did not earn an A on their first attempt were more likely to try again. Those that did tended to score better on their second attempt. …

Formative Assessment Techniques For Online Learning, Emily Faulconer, Beverly Wood

Publications

While most faculty think of assessments as used to measure learning after the fact, formative assessment classroom techniques (FACTs) give an instructor a snapshot of where students are in their learning so as to address any gaps in their understanding. Online instructors have a variety of tools at their disposal to incorporate engaging FACTs into their courses that will improve learning outcomes.

Sprinting Toward Genre Knowledge: Scaffolding Graduate Student Communication Through "Sprints" In Finance And Engineering Courses, Lindsey Ives, Jayendra Gokhale, William C. Barott, Michael V. Perez

Publications

This article evaluates the use of biweekly deadlines called “Sprints” to scaffold the development of conference papers in graduate-level courses in econometric modeling and electrical engineering through analysis of faculty assessment reports, observation notes, and transcripts of two audio-recorded class sessions. Data were analyzed to identify Tardy’s (2009) four dimensions of genre knowledge: subject-matter, rhetorical, process, and formal knowledge. We found that Sprints provide consistent opportunities for students to provide and receive helpful formative feedback that builds disciplinary genre knowledge in each of the four dimensions. We conclude by recommending strategies for maximizing Sprints’ benefits while minimizing potential drawbacks in …

If At First You Do Not Succeed: The Student Benefits Of Multiple Trials On Summative Assessments, Emily Faulconer, John Griffith, Hayden Frank

Publications

Learning management systems offer flexibility in assessments. In Canvas, questions can be pulled from pools, customizing each quiz. Canvas also allows unique feedback options. Unique feedback can be programmed for students whether they got the question correct or incorrect. Feedback can even be customized based on which wrong answer was selected. Canvas also allows multiple attempts on assessments, with various options for awarding credit (final attempt, best score, average score, etc.). Combining immediate feedback with multiple attempts is a power - yet underexplored - tool.

Putting Students In The Front And Center: Exploring And Refining Student Centered Learning Techniques, Michelle M. Bennett, Anne Boettcher, Brent D. Bowen, Tonje Crossley, Dawn Groh, Tyrone Groh, Timothy B. Holt

Publications

Student-centered learning (SCL) represents a growing trend in higher education that emphasizes active learning strategies in lieu of more traditional passive strategies such as lecture. This study explores different techniques under the rubric of SCL to evaluate the utility of selected tools to enhance student knowledge and student learning. Specifically, this study tests the use of student portfolios, flipped classrooms, digital learning strategies, and problem-based learning to enhance a student’s learning experience. Originating as a collaborative effort from a university faculty learning community, this study includes a multi-disciplinary look at the effects of SCL approaches in the fields of aviation, …

Updated Guidelines, Updated Curriculum: The Gaise College Report And Introductory Statistics For The Modern Student, Beverly Wood, Megan Mocko, Michelle Everson, Nicholas J. Horton, Paul Velleman

Publications

Since the 2005 American Statistical Association's (ASA) endorsement of the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) College Report, changes in the statistics field and statistics education have had a major impact on the teaching and learning of statistics. We now live in a world where "Statistics - the science of learning from data - is the fastest-growing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) undergraduate degree in the United States," according to the ASA, and where many jobs demand an understanding of how to explore and make sense of data. In light of these new reports and other …

Predicting General Aviation Pilots’ Weather-Related Performance Through A Scenario-Based Assessment, Jessica Cruit, Christina Frederick, Beth Blickensderfer, Joseph Keebler, Thomas Guinn

Publications

Weather-related accidents continue to challenge the general aviation (GA) community and with the development of advanced weather technology, GA pilots need additional education and training on how to effectively use these weather products to ensure flight safety. Currently, the literature on aviation weather suggests that there is a gap in both training and assessment strategy for GA pilots. Furthermore, several studies advocate assessing GA pilots at a deeper level of learning by including weather-based, scenario/application questions on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) written exam for private pilots. After first developing a scenario-based, aviation weather assessment, we used a multiple regression …

Evaluating Student Perceptions And Learning Outcomes: Differences Between Sla-Able And Non-Sla-Able Introductory Programming Courses, Christina M. Frederick, Matthew B. Pierce, Andrew Griggs, Lulu Sun

Publications

Engineering, computer science and subsequently knowledge of programming language is an increasingly vital skill in today’s workforce. First year engineering students are introduced to programming in addition to rigorous course loads in their first year. Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has been applied to programming course content delivery and has shown promise as an effective means of better educating new students. Results will be presented from a NSF funded study conducted over the past two years. SLA was applied to an introductory engineering course that teaches basic programming skills in a Blended learning environment (SLA-aBLe). This study examined four semesters worth …

Quality Function Deployment And Proactive Quality Techniques Applied To University Lectures To Improve Student Feedback, Kenneth Witcher, Elena Navarro, Beverly Wood, Ian Mcandrew

Publications

Lecturing and instruction to students at university has traditionally been based on qualifications, experience and position of academics within ones department or college. The higher the level and more advanced the subject then the most experienced lecturers are traditionally selected for that task. Visiting lecturers are never asked to teach basic mathematics or science, they are to share their experience and enlighten the students from a vast knowledge and history. This paper reviews and discusses Kano’s model with Quality Function Deployment related to customer satisfaction and compares if the traditional approach is in keeping with university practice. Furthermore, it argues …

Multi-Choice Questions And Their Problems When Used For Assessment Of Aircraft Engineers Education, Ian R. Mcandrew, Ken L. Witcher, Elena Navarro, Peter Foreman

Publications

Licensed aircraft engineers under the European Aviation Safety Agency, EASA, undertake academic training to complement their practical and type specific studies. These exams are mainly Multi-Choice Questions, MCQ, and four 20-minute essays. The MCQ exams are as few as 16 questions to a maximum of 140 questions. A score of 75% is needed to pass each exam, and each question has three possible answers. This authors of this paper reviews the theory and design of the MCQ and asks if the assumptions are valid and that it achieves the academic level assumed for engineers who will be maintaining some of …

Osh Certifications: Behind The Exams, Cheryl (Cheri) L. Marcham, Treasa M. Turnbeaugh, Nicola J. Wright

Publications

• The process for developing and scoring a certification exam is complicated and uses a scientific and mathematical psychometric process to achieve defendable outcomes.

• However, how much of the process is well understood by either the general public, employers or even safety and health professionals?

• The information presented is intended to help the safety and health professional understand why and how a properly developed and administered certification exam shows the mark of excellence in the field of safety and health.

The Utilization Of Peer Mentorship And Its Positive Impact On Student Retention, Timothy B. Holt, Jacqueline Luedtke, Claire Schindler

Publications

In recognition of increasing rates of repeated ground schools and flight lessons, in combination with decreasing retention rates in the flight programs at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Department of Aeronautical Science in the College of Aviation took initiative to create a program that identified struggle students before they reached excessive failure or financial distress. The students identified in the Student Success Initiative (SSI) after being assessed would be required to attend a mediation session with their academic and flight training staff in order to create a specialized training program.

• Student Success Initiative (SSI)
• Identifies "at risk" students
• Implemented training plan …

Real Data Is Messy... And Manageable, Beverly Wood, Carl Clark

Publications

Using real data in an introductory statistics course is a delicate balance between reality and manageability. The internet is awash with data that is useful for students to answer questions of interest to them but it is not always formatted as neatly as textbook data. The ASA's recently endorsed GAISE College Report 2016 points to the plausibility of considering multivariable thinking even if only at a rudimentary level. With both messy and multivariable data in mind, we present some activities/projects and sources for data to give introductory students the opportunity to engage with real data.

A Study Of Video-Mediated Opportunities For Self-Directed Learning In Required Core Curriculum, Debra T. Bourdeau, Donna Roberts, Beverly Wood, Johnelle Korioth

Publications

Improving a required course in our curriculum that has proven to be a challenge for our students was the focus of this study. Surveys of both students and instructors attempted to identify specific problem areas. Using the information from these surveys, the researchers developed a series of videos to explain vital course concepts and deployed these into the course sections. The purpose of the videos is to provide consistency across the multiple modalities in which we offer our courses (including online, classroom and via videoconferencing) and to improve overall student understanding. This project seeks to determine how supplemental content focusing …

Evaluating The State Of The Adjunct Faculty Relationship To The College Of Aeronautics, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide, Narcrisha Norman, Federica Robinson-Bryant

Publications

The research outlined in this report evaluated the current state of adjunct faculty within the College of Aeronautics, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide as 0f 10/22/2015. The approach was to streamline complex challenges as they relate to adjunct faculty population through three strategic goals:

• Goal 1 – Clearly state and understand COA challenges
• Goal 2 – Consider current practices, universal challenges, and best practices
• Goal 3 – Create tailored strategies for those challenges unique to Worldwide

This research will demonstrate five specific steps outlined in Goal 3 to ensure that the college hires and retains quality adjunct faculty as part …

Year Five Of Your Qep: Are We There Yet?, Kelly Whealan George, Aaron D. Clevenger

Publications

QEP year five! Are we there yet? So much has changed within and outside your university. Does your QEP implementation and original intent even resemble the original proposal? Reorganizations, budget changes, more reorganizations, personnel shifts, memory lapse, and new initiatives are all taking their toll on your planned implementation of the QEP. Some key individuals are no longer in their positions, while new people have joined. Some have conveniently “forgotten” about the implementation phase of QEP, let alone assessment. Nonetheless, you still have the task to implement the QEP and prepare the Fifth‐Year Interim Report! During this session, key QEP …

Video-Mediated Opportunities For Self-Directed Learning In Undergraduate Research Methodology Courses, Debra T. Bourdeau, Donna Roberts, Thomas E. Sieland, Beverly Wood

Publications

No abstract provided.