Education Commons^™

Invited Panel Presentation On Theoretical Perspectives On Research In Higher And Professional Education: Making Sense Of Academic Language And Learning (All), Alisa Percy

Alisa Percy, PhD

Fostering Entrepreneurship And Building Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy In Primary And Secondary Education, Nareatha Studdard, Maurice Dawson, Naporshia Jackson

Maurice Dawson

This paper focuses on the positives of introducing entrepreneurship education at the primary and secondary levels of education. Specifically, its central focus deals with building children’s entrepreneurial self-efficacy at a young age. Several benefits, of increasing self-efficacy at a young age, are outlined. Benefits, such as entrepreneurship training, not only train students but, it helps to prepare them for the new knowledge based economy. Further, entrepreneurship education should help increase the success and survival rates of women and minority entrepreneurs. Essential to this process, a new curriculum needs to be devised including its means of assessment. Lastly barriers to an …

Driving Mobility In Your Institution [Powerpoint Slides], Shelley Kinash

Professor Shelley Kinash

Exploring The Factors That Motivate Female Students To Enroll And Persist In A Collegiate Stem Degree Program, Rosemary L. Edzie, Mahmoud Alahmad

Rosemary L Edzie

In the United States, collegiate enrollment in science and engineering programs continues to decline, while European and Asian universities have increased the number of science and engineering graduates. In addition, there is a growing concern over too few females enrolling and persisting in collegiate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree programs. Through increasing access to pre-collegiate STEM activities, providing a better understanding of STEM career choices, instilling of confidence in math and science, and establishing student and industry based mentoring programs, more female students will enroll and persist in collegiate STEM degree programs. This paper sets to explore the …

Shareholder Primacy In The Classroom After The Financial Crisis, David Millon

David K. Millon

No abstract provided.

The Teacher Researcher Premise, David Lynch

Professor David Lynch

This article is about a phenomenon playing out in modern day classroom under the guise of ‘teaching’. This phenomena we term ‘knowledge broadcasting’ and while it has the hallmarks of what people have come to expect happens in classrooms, its continuance as a mainstay ‘teaching’ approach is reflective of how teachers have failed to act on increasing understandings about how people learn and how teachers can best teach. This is not so much a criticism of teachers individually but a reflection of how organised / systemic teaching systems have failed to keep pace with increasing understandings about teaching and learning. …

A Proposed Learner-Centered Mechatronics Engineering Instructional Program, Patrick N. Currier, Richard Goff, Janis Terpenny

Patrick N. Currier

This paper examines the need and requirements for a mechatronics degree program. The results of a survey of the few existing programs in this field are provided. Then, using a case study example for Virginia Tech, a proposed mechatronics curriculum based on a learner-centered paradigm is described. The curriculum combines existing courses in mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering with new, hands-on courses to provide students with a chance to practice and explore the subject matter in ways consistent with the demands of both industry and accreditation. This program, if implemented, could provide a university with a unique offering to attract …

Theory Guided Professional Development In Early Childhood Science Education, Soo-Young Hong, Julia Torquati, Victoria J. Molfese

Soo-Young Hong

The importance of early and developmentally appropriate science education is increasingly recognized. Consequently, creation of common guidelines and standards in early childhood science education has begun (National Research Council (NRC), 2012), and researchers, practitioners, and policy makers have shown great interest in aligning professional development with the new guidelines and standard. There are some important issues that need to be addressed in order to successfully implement guidelines and make progress toward accomplishing standards. Early childhood teachers have expressed a lack of confidence in teaching science and nature (Torquati, Cutler, Gilkerson, & Sarver, in press) and have limited science and pedagogical …

Oral Communication In Esl Through Improvisations, Playwriting And Rehearsals, Chamkaur Gill

Chamkaur Gill

No abstract provided.

Enhancing The English-Language Oral Skills Of International Students Through Drama, Chamkaur Gill

Chamkaur Gill

Ten non-English-speaking-background students of Bond University were observed to identify the effects of drama on oral English. Over a period of twelve weeks (two hours per week), elements of their oral English communication were measured. The weeks were divided into four lots of three weeks each, with the first three weeks made up entirely of communicative non-drama-based (CNDB) lessons, weeks four to six comprising only communicative drama-based (CDB) methodology, weeks seven to nine reverting to CNDB methodology, and the final three weeks being made up of CDB strategies again. The hypothesis of this study was that all the participants would …

Increasing Esl Learners’ Communicative Oral English Through Drama-Based Activities, Chamkaur Gill

Chamkaur Gill

No abstract provided.

Quests, Badges, And Leveling Up In A Game-Based Curriculum, Chris Haskell, Kristi Mesler

Chris Haskell

This research proposal reports on the practice of quest-based/game-based instructional design as well as two years of iterative design-based research (DBR) of the instructional design approach, curriculum, and tool. It also focuses on reportable student data from a semester long project aiming to identify attractive design and satisfying learning experiences in QBL.

Why Game-based Approaches?

Critics of the American education system point to student boredom, lack of personalized and relevant instruction, and a deficit of 21st century skills as challenges to producing productive citizens of a modern, digital society (Eccles & Wingfield, 2002; Ketelhut, 2007; U.S. Department of Education Office …

Digital Fluency: Skills Necessary For The Digital Age., Gerry White

Dr Gerald K. White

Many researchers argue that major innovations, especially the internet, adopted by society, have an effect on the structure of the human brain, which may or may not be a change for the better. If the structure of the human brain and ways of finding information and communication are changing as a result of the internet, then changes to the way that students learn, and probably what they are learning, would appear to follow. This article examines the skills that will be required for the twenty first century that will need to be embedded in educational curricula in order to achieve …

Experiential Learning In Virtual Worlds, Tom Atkinson, Chris Haskell

Chris Haskell

Experiential activities are among the most powerful teaching and learning tools available. Join this presentation and open discussion of 4 principles: immersion, identity, interaction, integration, and how imagination and emotion contribute to this process.

Tag, That’S It!: Using Blogs For Creative Research, Applied Critical Thinking And Better Student Writing, Stephen M. Buttes

Stephen M Buttes

In this presentation and discussion, I presented the way I use in my teaching what has come to be called "folksonomy." That is, I explain how my students categorize short pieces of writing with "tags" or labels that they assign when they post their writing assignments to a class blog. Students then re-use their tags and their classmates' tags to find new topics to develop for the next assignment. The motivation behind this technique is three-fold: 1. Getting students excited about the process of researching, writing and re-writing (increasing student "buy-in" on the assignments) 2. Expanding the frame of the …

Foreword, Robert J. Rhee

Robert Rhee

No abstract provided.

Cheating In The Digital Age: Do Students Cheat More In Online Courses?, George R. Watson, James Sottile

James Sottile

With the assistance of the Internet and related technologies, students today have many more ways to be academically dishonest than students a generation ago. With more and more Internet based course offerings, the concern is whether cheating will increase as students work and take tests away from the eyes of instructors. While the research on academic dishonesty in general is quite extensive, there is very limited research on student cheating in online courses. This study of 635 undergraduate and graduate students at a medium sized university focused on student cheating behaviors in both types of classes (on-line and face to …

Cheating In The Digital Age: Do Students Cheat More In Online Courses?, George R. Watson, James Sottile

George R Watson

With the assistance of the Internet and related technologies, students today have many more ways to be academically dishonest than students a generation ago. With more and more Internet based course offerings, the concern is whether cheating will increase as students work and take tests away from the eyes of instructors. While the research on academic dishonesty in general is quite extensive, there is very limited research on student cheating in online courses. This study of 635 undergraduate and graduate students at a medium sized university focused on student cheating behaviors in both types of classes (on-line and face to …

The Contribution Of Work-Integrated Learning To Undergraduate Employability Skill Outcomes, Denise Jackson

Denise Jackson

WIL has attracted considerable attention as an instrument for enhancing professional practice and developing work-readiness in new graduates. It is widely considered as a point of difference in developing graduate employability by enhancing skill outcomes, such as team-work, communication, self-management and problem solving, employment prospects and student understanding of the world-of-work. This paper investigates the role of WIL in improving undergraduate employability skills; gauging its impact on a range of skills; and identifying variations in outcomes for certain demographic, study background and placement characteristics using survey data from 131 WIL students in an Australian university. Results indicate a significant improvement …

Cultural Differences In Teaching And Learning, Hilary Hollingsworth

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

People in different cultures might learn in fundamentally different ways, Hilary Hollingsworth explains.

Assessing Curriculum For College Success, Oscar T. Mcknight, Rod Lake, Mark Fortner, David Silverberg, Eugene Linton

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

Massillon City Schools and Ashland University assessed a project designed to strengthen the curriculum and improve student learning potential. Results suggest that assessing student learning potential can predict standardized testing outcomes (i.e., ACT/SAT scores) and college success (Entrance/Graduation). Incorporated are suggestions for implementing a standards-based curriculum and how-to predicting student outcomes using the Student Success Survey. The Student Success Survey can be found online at: http://scientificlegalservices.com/survey_update/index.php

Sense-Making Of Teachers In The Midst Of Information Communication Technology (Ict) Reforms In Schools: An Exploratory Case Study, Vicente C. Reyes Jr

Dr. Vicente C Reyes Jr

This qualitative research inquiry attempts to explore how school teachers cope with the incessant and seemingly endless transformations that occur in schools. The central phenomenon to be studied focuses on how school teachers “make sense” of educational reform as it occurs in their local contexts. In order to do this, an exploratory case study of two target schools that took part in policy reform initiatives directed at ubiquitous use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) would be the locus of this inquiry. Using Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as an analytical frame, for the Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and interviews, this inquiry …

Teachers And The Temporal, Pina Tarricone, Tony Fetherston

Dr Pina Tarricone

How teachers spend their time in the classroom is an area worthy of discussion and debate. What time do teachers spend on various activities including teaching practices and duties especially in classtime? What proportion of classroom time is allocated to certain activities, interactions with students, delivery of content and to the many unplanned incidences that occur in a classroom? Which activities are consistently time consuming and how much time do teachers spend on these activities? How does the time on particular tasks relate to pedagogy? Many studies have investigated student engagement and time but rarely have the above questions been …

Photos As Mirrors In Sport, Stephen Fanning, Madeleine Ogilvie, Maria Ryan, Katherine Mizerski, Martin Maccarthy, Helen Cripps

Maria M Ryan

Third year Business students were required to evaluate their experiential consumption of a sporting activity using Holt’s taxonomy. The aim of this paper is to explore the benefits derived from using photos as a mirror; firstly to capture the data and provide validity to the activity; and, secondly as a tool to encourage reflective learning. The literature addresses issues and examples focusing on visual methods as a means of data capture in qualitative research. In addition, educationalists have explored flexible delivery and assessment methods incorporating visual mediums as a tool to enhance the learning experience. This paper explores the synergies …

Integrating The Academic Experience: An Inter-Disciplinary Approach To The Authentic Marketing Research Experience, Gary Marchioro, Maria Ryan, Timothy Perkins

Maria M Ryan

This paper describes the evolution of an innovative inter–disciplinary approach to teaching and learning in a University Faculty of Business. Further, it reviews the implementation of a series of unique, integrated and authentic assessments involving units based in the marketing, urban planning and business communication disciplines. The project has used the production of Revitalization Plans for the University‘s campuses as the basis for integrating student teaching and learning. It has championed an approach which moves away from the traditional ‗silo‘ methods of academic assessment to integrated, contextualised learning which develops both generic and discipline-specific skills such as client/consultation roles, business …

The D.B. Weldon Library's Instruction Portfolio: A Grassroots, Team-Based Approach, Kim Mcphee, Melanie Mills, Marg Sloan

Marg Sloan

In an effort to address ever-shifting staffing levels and evolving service demands, staff in the Research & Instructional Services department of The D.B. Weldon Library at Western University developed and implemented a new and strategic approach to structuring their work. The ‘Portfolio Model’ provides a framework for organizing the primary functions of the department - collections, instruction and reference - while at the same time preserving liaison at its core. Through a close examination of this grassroots effort and in particular, the achievements realized and challenges faced by the team of librarians and library assistants who together comprise the ‘Instruction …

Session N - An Investigation Into The Attendance And Retention Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Island Students: Research And Theory About What Works., Stephanie Armstrong, Sarah Buckley

Dr Sarah Buckley

This presentation is based on an Issues paper commissioned by the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse (Purdie & Buckley, 2010). This paper was designed to inform policy makers and service providers in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ school attendance and retention. During the presentation, we will highlight issues in analysing school attendance and retention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students; the gap in school attendance and retention and the causes of this gap; and the success or otherwise of the various programs and initiatives designed to reduce the gap. Issues in the quality of the data …

Are The Library Shelves Empty Now That Digital Books Have Arrived?, Debborah Smith, Shelley Kinash, Jeffrey Brand

Jeffrey Brand

Extract:Imagine if it was possible for students to carry all of their textbooks with them at all times because the books weighed less than 700g in total and they fitted easily into a small bag. Then imagine that within those books, the content appears to come to life. Touch a word and it provides a definition or a translation into another language. Touch a picture and it transforms into an animation or a video. An invisible tutor is present checking the reader’s knowledge of the content and providing not just immediate feedback, but also indicating which content should be studied. …

The Implementation And Evaluation Of A New Learning Space: A Pilot Study, Gail Wilson, Marcus Randall

Marcus Randall

A dramatic, pedagogical shift has occurred in recent years in educational environments in higher education, supported largely by the use of ubiquitous technologies. Increasingly, emphasis is being placed on the design of new learning spaces, often referred to as "Next Generation Learning Spaces" (NGLS) and their impact on pedagogy. The traditional idea of "classroom" now incorporates the use of both physical and virtual space. Increasing availability of digital technologies has enabled access by teachers and students to a wider range of communication and information that can now be incorporated into the formal learning process. This change has meant a greater …

Introduction To The Research Tools Mind Map, Nader Ale Ebrahim

Nader Ale Ebrahim

With the increasing use of information and communications technology (ICT), researchers are able to use computer software tools to find, organise, manipulate, analyse, and share relevant information. However, there are hundreds of such tools to select from, for various research-related uses. I have collected over 700 tools that can help researchers do their work efficiently. It is assembled as an interactive Web-based mind map, titled Research Tools, which is updated periodically. Created using the MindMeister software platform, Research Tools provides a convenient interface with zoom in/out, screen drag, and other user-friendly features. Being a mind map, Research Tools consists of …