Education Commons^™

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Impact On Student Academic Achievement., Stephanie B. Philipp, Thomas R. Tretter, Christine V. Rich

Thomas Tretter

This study evaluated the impact that trained and supported undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) may have had on the academic achievement of students in the first semester of an introductory chemistry course for science and engineering majors. Framed by the concepts of Lave and Wenger’s Community of Practice and Wheeler, Martin and Suls’ Proxy Model of Social Comparison , the study used an untreated control group with dependent post-test only design. Covariates related to student academic achievement and contextual variables were also collected and used to build models for the final exam core outcome variable. Hierarchical linear models indicated that having …

Prior Mentoring And Computer-Mediated Experiences Influence On Willingness To Engage In E-Mentoring, Marty Thomas, Ellen Ensher

Ellen Ensher

The practice of mentoring has proliferated tremendously and occurs in many different forms. The advent of Internet technology offers some new possibilities to traditional face-to-face mentoring relationships in which mentoring relationships are not constrained by physical proximity (e-mentoring). This presentation will describe the results of a research study involving the relationship between willingness to participate in e-mentoring relationships and prior mentoring and CMC experiences. The researchers considered three hypotheses: 1) positive prior mentoring experiences will increase the likelihood of participating in e-mentoring; 2) positive prior experiences with CMC will increase the likelihood of participating in e-mentoring; 3) the form of …

Pisa 2015 : A First Look At Australia’S Results, Sue Thomson, Lisa De Bortoli, Catherine Underwood

Lisa De Bortoli

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international comparative study of student achievement directed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). PISA 2015 represents the sixth such study since PISA was first conducted in 2000. Seventy-two OECD countries or partner economies participated in PISA 2015. In Australia, PISA is managed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and is jointly funded by the Australian Government and the state and territory governments. The goal of PISA is to measure how well 15-year-olds, who are nearing the end of their compulsory schooling in most participating educational systems, …

Creative Tension: Turn The Challenges Of Learning Together Into Opportunities, Christina L. Dobbs, Jacy Ippolito, Megin Charner-Laird

Jacy Ippolito

Students' Perceptions Of Student Evaluation Of Teaching (Set) Process, Ale J. Hejase, Rana S. Al Kaakour, Leila A. Halawi, Hussin J. Hejase

Leila A. Halawi

Researchers have mixed views about Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) as means to evaluate teaching where some agreed and others viewed SET as being biased. This study aims to measure students’ perceptions of the effectiveness and appropriateness of the evaluation process in Lebanon. A survey questionnaire was administered to students from five Lebanese universities. Findings revealed that students were positive and perceived the evaluation process as effective and appropriate to evaluate teaching. Students identified students’ perceptions, instructors’ behavior, and course characteristics as variables that may impact the process. Results and implications were discussed for future research.

From Enrollment To Employment: A Dacum Approach To Information Systems And Information Security And Assurance Curriculum Design, Leila Halawi, Wendi M. Kappers, Aaron Glassman

Leila A. Halawi

Issues associated with information security are numerous and diverse. Since the majority of organizational actions rely greatly on information and communication technologies, Information Systems (IS) security is now a main concern for firms, governments, institutes, and society as a whole. As a result, a plethora of graduate programs have been created, covering nearly every aspect of IS security. The authors review the current state of the IS industry presented in the literature, and identify a panel of IS experts in which to explore current job skill needs using a “Developing a Curriculum,” DACUM, process to support curriculum design for two …

Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of Pre-College Computing Activities On Choices Of Major, Monica M. Mcgill, Adrienne Decker, Amber Settle

Amber Settle

Rigor And Responsiveness In Classroom Activity, Jessica Thompson, Sara Hagenah, Hosun Kang, David Stroupe, Melissa Braaten, Carolyn Colley, Mark Windschitl

Sara Hagenah

Background/Context: There are few examples from classrooms or the literature that provide a clear vision of teaching that simultaneously promotes rigorous disciplinary activity and is responsive to all students. Maintaining rigorous and equitable classroom discourse is a worthy goal, yet there is no clear consensus of how this actually works in a classroom. Focus of Study: What does highly rigorous and responsive talk sound like and how is this dialogue embedded in the social practices and activities of classrooms? Our aim was to examine student and teacher interactions in classroom episodes (warm-ups, small group conversations, whole group conversation, etc.) and …

Grit, Biography, And Dedicated Teachers Who Struggled Academically As Students, Sara Winstead Fry

Sara Winstead Fry

Dedicated teachers who had and overcame academic challenges in their youth offer valuable insights into how to support students who struggle. This article presents a qualitative study of 46 teachers from across the United Stated [sic] who faced academic challenges as elementary, middle, and/or secondary students. Their memories of academic struggles lead them to use teaching practices that are grounded in the professional disposition that all children can learn. The findings suggest a positive interrelationship between a biography (Knowles, 1992) that includes academic struggles, the theoretical constructs of grit (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007) and self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977), and …

Writing To Learn: Benefits And Limitations, Sara Winstead Fry, Amanda Villagomez

Sara Winstead Fry

Writing to learn (WTL) is the act of making a subject or topic clear to oneself by reasoning through it in writing; it is a pedagogical approach that uses writing to facilitate learning (Zinsser 1988). Some researchers have reported favorable results associated with the approach (Balgopal and Wallace 2009; Bullock 2006; Hand, Hand, Gunel, and Ulu 2009). However, others have indicated that studies supporting WTL pedagogy tend to lack comparison groups, pre/posttest data, or the rich description that contributes to a rigorous qualitative study (Hübner, Nückles, and Renkl 2010; Kieft, Rijlaarsdam, and van den Bergh 2006; Klein 1999). Thus, existing …

Embedded Librarians: Partnering With Faculty In The Virtual Classroom, Dee Bozeman, Rachel Owens, Min Tong, Andrew D. Todd

Andrew Todd

See presentation description.

Embedded Librarians: Partnering With Faculty In The Virtual Classroom, Dee Bozeman, Rachel Owens, Min Tong, Andrew D. Todd

Andrew Todd

See presentation description.

Session A-1: The New Illinois Civics Curriculum: Perils And Pitfalls, Claiborne A. Skinner Jr., Eric Smith

Claiborne A. Skinner Jr.

The Illinois Legislature will require all Illinois students to complete one semester in civics in order graduate beginning with students entering next academic year. IMSA adopted a combined one-semester civics/American history curriculum this year that can serve as a critical study in how to achieve the goals the state hopes to achieve. Rather than wrestle with the issue of American History vs. American Government curriculum, we are attempting to present a History of American Government, exploring the origins of our political institutions beginning in the Dark Ages and how these have evolved to meet the needs of the times. We …

Topic 2: Kantian Ethics, Lee Eysturlid

Lee W. Eysturlid

No abstract provided.

Session B-2: Why World War I? Being Intelligent About The Causes, Lee Eysturlid

Lee W. Eysturlid

This presentation will guide attendees through the complicated and often misrepresented ideas that have formed around understanding why it is that World War I started the way that it did. The focus will be mostly on the military and technological elements. Participants will be ready to teach the topic when they leave, and it suits US and World History teachers (and middle school).

Session C-4: Design Your School’S New Innovation Space, Britta W. Mckenna, Lawrence Bergie

Britta McKenna

Schools are rethinking learning spaces, turning outdated computer labs and tired libraries into vibrant innovation spaces. Maker spaces, collaboration areas and technology hubs that connect applied learning to the real world are emerging. See plans for IMSA's new innovation hub, called IN2, (opening fall 2016) learn how it was designed, and tour IN1 (the prototype of IN2) in a former computer lab. Learners are guided through a design thinking process to reimagine a current space at your school. Participants should come with photos of their potential space/s and room dimensions ready to create a prototype of their new space.

Session C-4: Design Your School’S New Innovation Space, Britta W. Mckenna, Lawrence Bergie

Lawrence Bergie

Schools are rethinking learning spaces, turning outdated computer labs and tired libraries into vibrant innovation spaces. Maker spaces, collaboration areas and technology hubs that connect applied learning to the real world are emerging. See plans for IMSA's new innovation hub, called IN2, (opening fall 2016) learn how it was designed, and tour IN1 (the prototype of IN2) in a former computer lab. Learners are guided through a design thinking process to reimagine a current space at your school. Participants should come with photos of their potential space/s and room dimensions ready to create a prototype of their new space.

Teaching Tolkien: Language, Scholarship, And Creativity, Adam Kotlarczyk

Adam Kotlarczyk

Why Tolkien? Let us start with the obvious—if cynical—question, almost certain to come from a skeptical administrator or colleague: why would any serious, self-respecting English teacher want to teach an author whose work is about dragons, fairies, and the fantastic? With all the increased attention to standardized testing and with the demand for rigor in read- ings in the average English curriculum, choosing a popular text might raise eyebrows among critics. The question that an English teacher may be asked (or indeed, may ask him- or herself) is: doesn't teaching Tolkien as "serious" literature just fan those flames?

Teaching Tolkien: Language, Scholarship, And Creativity, Adam Kotlarczyk

Adam Kotlarczyk

Why Tolkien? Let us start with the obvious—if cynical—question, almost certain to come from a skeptical administrator or colleague: why would any serious, self-respecting English teacher want to teach an author whose work is about dragons, fairies, and the fantastic? With all the increased attention to standardized testing and with the demand for rigor in read- ings in the average English curriculum, choosing a popular text might raise eyebrows among critics. The question that an English teacher may be asked (or indeed, may ask him- or herself) is: doesn't teaching Tolkien as "serious" literature just fan those flames?

Teaching Tolkien: Language, Scholarship, And Creativity, Adam Kotlarczyk

Adam Kotlarczyk

Why Tolkien? Let us start with the obvious—if cynical—question, almost certain to come from a skeptical administrator or colleague: why would any serious, self-respecting English teacher want to teach an author whose work is about dragons, fairies, and the fantastic? With all the increased attention to standardized testing and with the demand for rigor in read- ings in the average English curriculum, choosing a popular text might raise eyebrows among critics. The question that an English teacher may be asked (or indeed, may ask him- or herself) is: doesn't teaching Tolkien as "serious" literature just fan those flames?

Rp96-11 The Farm Corporation: What It Is, How It Works, How It Is Taxed, Neil E. Harl

Neil E. Harl

A corporation is an artificial person that is created and operated according to state corporation statutes. It is a separate taxpayer subject to specific and detailed federal, state, and local tax laws. The advice and service of your lawyer are indispensable in organizing and operating a farm corporation. There are three basic forms of farm business organization, the sole proprietorship, the partnership, and the corporation. Variations of these forms have resulted in the limited partnership and the "tax option" corporation. These three basic forms are discussed in this research publication.

Civic Education And Democratic Capacity : How Do Teachers Teach And What Works?, Allison M. Martens, Jason Gainous

Jason Gainous

Objectives In recent years, political scientists have found that civic education improves the democratic capacity of students, yet little research has been done to date on how and why civic education works when it does. In this study, we go inside the classroom to explore how teachers teach civics to find out what works best at preparing young people for responsible, democratic citizenship. Methods Using a survey of American students, principals, and teachers, we examine the varied instructional methods being employed by social studies teachers in ninth-grade classrooms across the country to determine which methods and which combinations of methods …

Universal Design With Blackboard 101: Lessons Learned, Danice B. Greer, Melinda Hermanns

Danice Greer

A presentation on the lessons learned when using Universal Design with Blackboard 101.

Prudentia: A Medical School's Solution To Curriculum Mapping And Curriculum Management, Carole Steketee

Carole Steketee

The School of Medicine (SoM) at the University of Notre Dame Australia has developed a curriculum mapping system called Prudentia. This web-based application allows users to explore curriculum across all four years of the MBBS to determine what and when students are expected to learn, and if there are any anomalies evident within this data. A five-level hierarchical, outcomes-based curriculum framework underpins Prudentia ranging from the macro Australian Medical Council (AMC) Student Outcomes Statements to the micro daily learning objectives. Data in all five levels of the framework can be mapped and constructive alignment between the outcomes, instructional and assessment …

The Contribution Of Morphological Knowledge To 7th Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension Performance, Kouider Mokhtari, Joanna Neel, Abbey Matatall, Andrea Richards

Joanna Neel

In this study, we examined the role of morphology, an important yet largely understudied source of difficulty, in reading ability among 7th grade students in one junior high school in the southwestern United States. We sought to find out how much variance in reading ability is accounted for by these students’ morphological knowledge, and whether skilled readers do in fact have higher levels of morphological knowledge than less skilled student peers. We found that students’ sensitivity to the morphological structure of words accounted for 18% of the variance in these students’ reading performance. We further found that skilled readers had …

One Tutorial, Two Universities: How Technology Can Be Adapted To Meet The Needs Of Multiple Libraries, Betsy A. Williams, Rita Kohrman, Justin Melick, Valerie Beech, Eric A. Kowalik

Eric A. Kowalik

Library As Learning Object: When It Is All About The Building! [Poster], Debbie Morrow

Debbie Morrow

Out Of "Dark Backrooms And Sheds", Marguerite Maher M.Ed

Marguerite Maher

Commitment to a single, inclusive education system has been the aspiration of reform in education in a democratic South Africa as articulated in White Paper 6: Special needs education: Building an inclusive education and training system (Department of Education, 2001, referred to hereafter as White Paper 6). Within a ‘barriers to learning’ approach to inclusive education, progress is being made with improved facilities and the implementation of AIDS awareness programmes. Managing the transition towards an inclusive education system has proved challenging in some areas, however, and the specific provision in policy documents directed towards children with disabilities is behind schedule. …

Overworked And Stressed Teachers Under Market Economy: Case Study In Northwest China, Gulbahar Beckett, Juanjuan Zhao

Gulbahar Beckett

This chapter is based on a case study conducted in Xisheng (pseudonym promised to the participants for anonymity purposes) in Northwest China to explore teachers’ perspectives on teaching under the market economy system. The original plan was to study local indigenous teachers, but that was not possible due to political sensitivity of the region at the time of data collection. As a result, we interviewed mostly Han teachers, including as many local indigenous teachers as possible. We think that the study is still useful as it was the first study of its kind and that it was informative regarding the …

Spiritual And Religious Capabilities For Catholic Schools, Christine Mcgunnigle, Chris Hackett

Christine McGunnigle

The Australian Curriculum articulates the role of general capabilities across all learning areas in the schooling years. The function of these general capabilities is to ensure that students have the dispositions and skills that provide for deep learning and the ability to function successfully in the 21^st Century. Within Catholic schools, these same general capabilities apply. Catholic schools, in recognising the mission of the Church, are however, called to ensure that not only are students able to participate in the 21^st Century context, but that they are able to evangelise through the integration of faith, life and culture. …