Education Commons^™

Eportfolios: Supporting Reflection And Deep Learning In High-Impact Practices, Kathleen Harrington, Tian Luo

STEMPS Faculty Publications

[First paragraph]

Eportfolios are a powerful pedagogical tool that can support deep learning and reflection across various learning contexts. This digital assignment can facilitate integrative learning and make learning visible to students, instructors, and external stakeholders (Chen and Light 2010). Eportfolios provide a space for students to showcase curricular and cocurricular experiences, to reflect on and integrate this work, and to directly assess their learning (Yancey 2004). Like high‐impact educational practices, eportfolios require significant and purposeful “time on task” outside the classroom, provide opportunities for meaningful student–faculty interaction, allow for frequent feedback on student work, and show students how their …

Developing Distance Education Content Using The Tappa Process, Robert L. Moore

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The proliferation of distance education has occurred alongside the emerging technologies of the Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 environments, changing the way instructors approach, design, and deliver their instructional materials. In the past, instructional design (ID) practitioners relied on instruction system design (ISD) models that focused primarily on macroinstruction. It is now important for these practitioners to use microinstruction strategies to keep pace with the technology evolution. This case study describes the TAPPA (Target, Accomplishment, Past, Prototype, Artifact) Process which was created using the Generic Model for Design Research (GMDR) proposed by McKenney and Reeves (2012) and uses selected ID …

Comparing High School Students' And Adults' Perceptions Of Technology, Henry L. (Hal) Harrison Ii, Philip A. Reed

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This study compared high school student’s perceptions of technology and technological literacy to those perceptions of the general public. Additionally, individual student groups were compared statistically to determine significant differences between the groups. The ITEA/Gallup Poll instrument was used to survey high school student’s perceptions of technology in the study. The student population in question consisted of three subgroups: students enrolled in a standards-based technology education courses, students enrolled in a Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Principles of Engineering pre-engineering course, and students enrolled in a general education course (language arts, mathematics, or science). In addition, each student group’s perceptions …

Enabling Microblogging-Based Peer Feedback In Face-To-Face Classrooms, Tian Luo

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to understand student interaction and learning in microblogging-based peer feedback sessions. The researcher examined through a case study how students interacted and provided peer feedback for each other when Twitter was enabled as a backchannel; students were also asked to report how they perceived their experience. The findings suggested that students participated actively in the microblogging-based peer feedback sessions. Although Twitter supported cognitive and corrective feedback, affective feedback was dominant. Student interaction on Twitter tended to be brief and involve low-level cognitive thinking in unguided, naturalistic learning contexts. Overall, students had a positive attitude …

Viability Of Using Twitter To Support Peer Instruction In Teacher Education, Tian Luo, Danielle E. Dani, Li Cheng

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This paper reports on a case study in which Twitter served as a backchannel to mediate and support the peer-teaching activity in a face-to-face teacher education course. Surveys and interviews were utilised to understand the effectiveness of the Twitter integration and students' perceived learning in a Twitter-supported peer teaching environment. Tweets were used to determine how preservice teachers used Twitter to support peer instruction. Most students were able to use the Twitter platform to produce and retrieve peer feedback, while some encountered technical difficulties. Our current analysis suggests the Twitter-based peer feedback was moderately successful in this peer teaching activity. …

The Design Of A Cognitive Apprenticeship To Facilitate Storytime Programming For Librarians, Jennifer A. Scott Brown, Jill E. Stefaniak

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The majority of research that has been conducted on structuring mentorship programs has been on career support in terms of transferring tacit and explicit knowledge from the supervisor to the protégé. While the instructional design literature touts that cognitive apprenticeships provide a great framework for constructivist and situated learning environments, little research has been done examining how much time should be allocated to the various phases of the apprenticeship framework. The purpose of this study was to explore whether the use of a cognitive apprenticeship framework could be used to mentor new librarians. Data was collected and analyzed in three …

Application Of Visual Cues On 3d Dynamic Visualizations For Engineering Technology Students And Effects On Spatial Visualization Ability: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Petros Katsioloudis, Vukica Jovanovic, Mildred Jones

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Several theorists believe that different types of visual cues influence cognition and behavior through learned associations; however, research provides inconsistent results. Considering this, a quasi-experimental study was done to determine if there are significant positive effects of visual cues (color blue) and to identify if a positive increase in spatial visualization ability for students in engineering technology courses is observed. According to the results of this study it is suggested that the use of the specific visual cue (color blue) provides no statistically significant higher scores versus the treatment that did not utilize any visual cues.

Impacts Of Music On Sectional View Drawing Ability For Engineering Technology Students As Measured Through Technical Drawings, Petros J. Katsioloudis, Mildred Jones, Vukica Jovanovic

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Results from a number of studies indicate that the use of different types of music can influence cognition and behavior; however, research provides inconsistent results. Considering this, a quasi-experimental study was conducted to identify the existence of statistically significant effects on sectional view drawing ability due to the impacts of music. In particular, the study compared the use of three different types of music; classical, rock, heavy metal and whether a significant difference exists towards sectional view drawing ability, among engineering technology students. According to the results of this study it is suggested that the impact of music provides no …

Interacting At A Distance: Creating Engagement In Online Learning Environments, Robert L. Moore

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Effective online instruction requires understanding not only interaction but also how to facilitate interaction through technology (Moore & Kearsley, 2012). Specifically, Moore and Kearsley (2012) categorize these types of interactions as "learner with content, interaction with instruction [or] interaction with other learners" (p. 132). This chapter examines each of these interaction types and suggests ways to incorporate them into online learning environments (OLEs). The chapter provides techniques and approaches that will be beneficial to both instructional design practitioners and online instructors. It seeks to assuage some of the concerns that faculty have about OLEs and provides ideas and activities that …

Stem In General Education: Does Mathematics Competence Influence Course Selection, Mary C. Enderson, John Ritz

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Many students enroll in college programs to prepare for their future careers. All are required to complete general studies courses. At one university, technology and STEM courses fulfill a part of the natural science and technology general education requirements. This study uses a survey design to explore why 332 students chose to enroll in a STEM technology course. Results found most enroll because their advisor suggests the course, it meets a general education major requirement, and the course is offered at a convenient time. Fewer enroll in the course because they would like to find out more about STEM fields, …

Articulating An Impact On Student Learning, Elizabeth Burns

STEMPS Faculty Publications

(First Paragraph) The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed in December 2015, positions school librarians as Essential Personnel and provides potential dedicated funding to effective school libraries–IF we make them understand why school librarians matter. ESSA falls short, however, of identifying what characterizes an effective school library program. This significant language allows school librarians to voice how their programs make an impact in their schools. As local decision makers (Local Education Agencies or LEAs in the actual law) and educational communities develop tools and evaluations to determine a school library’s effectiveness, there will be a greater need for each of …

Supporting Documentation Of Informal Learning And Making From A Distance With Voicethread, Kevin Oliver, Robert L. Moore

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This best practices session and paper describes the incorporation of Voicethread as a tool for supporting design documentation of makerspace projects among graduate distance education students in a course on informal learning. All students successfully utilized the tool to present photographic and video evidence of design processes with oral annotations, and received clarifications and feedback from peers. Students reported positive affordances of the tool in terms of marking up slides to communicate particular design decisions, sharing video as "proof" of successfully completing a particular make project and as exemplars of makers’ problem solving and thinking, documenting a linear process with …

Web Tools: Keeping Learners On Pace, Mickey Kosloski

STEMPS Faculty Publications

One of the greatest challenges in teaching technology and engineering is pacing. Some students grasp new technological concepts quickly, while others need repetition and may struggle to keep pace. This poses an obstacle for the technology and engineering teacher, and is particularly true when teaching students to build a website. However, there are a plethora of online tools available that can assist learners in building a website. This article identifies some of the tools that may be used in the classroom and for classroom-oriented, teacher-hosted websites. While specific examples are provided, Web search terms are denoted at the end of …

School Library Advocacy Success- Perceptions In Context, Elizabeth Burns

STEMPS Faculty Publications

School librarians must be able to articulate the value of the educational impact they have on students and do so in a manner that is meaningful to their stakeholders (Kirkland, 2012). Little research (Ewbank, 2011; Haycock, 2003; Oberg, 2006) exists examining effective advocacy practices or the perceptions of school library programs by stakeholders when school librarians are strong advocates for their programs. This study addresses this gap and explores perceived advocacy success by school librarians, as well as their stakeholders, and the strategies implemented to gain support for the school library program. This study employed a mixed method explanatory research …

The Lilead Survey: A National Study Of District-Level Library Supervisors: The Position, Office, And Characteristics Of The Supervisor, Ann Carlson Weeks, Jeffrey Discala, Diane L. Barlow, Sheri A. Massey, Christie Kodama, Kelsey Jarrell, Leah Jacobs, Alexandra Moses, Rebecca Follman, Rosemary Hall

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The school district library supervisor occupies a pivotal position in library and information services programs that support and enhance the instructional efforts of a school district: providing leadership; advocating for the programs; supporting, advising, and providing professional development to building-level librarians; and representing school library programs to stakeholders in the school system and the community at large. With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Lilead Project was founded at the University of Maryland in 2011 to "study, support, and build community among school district library supervisors" (Lilead Project n.d.). To gain a better understanding of supervisors--who …