Education Commons^™

Building Research Capacity Through An Academic Community Of Practice: A Design Case Study, Olga Koz, Anissa Lokey-Vega

Faculty and Research Publications

Purpose – The study’s purpose was to examine the faculty-driven organization’s design and development that supports faculty research needs, track the emergence of the community of practice (CoP) and provide greater insight into continued organizational design iterations.

Design/methodology/approach – In this longitudinal design case study, the authors employed different methods to collect and analyze archival, quantitative, and qualitative data to capture the phenomenon’s complexity.

Findings – The findings challenge the assumption that only formal organizational structures and top-down management approaches stimulate research and build research capacity in universities and propose a new sustainable and agile informal organizational structure and strategies …

Facilitating Authentic Learning Experiences In Distance Education: Embedding Research-Based Practices Into An Online Peer Feedback Tool, Tiffany Roman, Matthew Callison, Rodney D. Myers, Anne H. Berry

Faculty and Research Publications

Authentic learning in online education is feasible with intentional instructional strategies and appropriate educational technologies, yet as a learning approach, barriers to implementation still exist. We argue that authentic learning in online education can be successfully supported when the characteristics of authentic learning are (a) intentionally applied and (b) supported through research-based tools that facilitate the learning process seamlessly for students. To address this challenge, we developed a research-based online application that supports authentic learning. In this article, the theoretical foundations and empirical support for the tool are described, along with critical design decisions that support suggested characteristics of authentic …

Developing Kinesthetic Classrooms To Promote Active Learning, Brian Culp

Faculty and Research Publications

The use of kinesthetic movement in the classroom toward improving health and educational outcomes among youth has been a topic of discourse in recent years. School initiatives that have infused movement as part of the curriculum have shown to increase efficiency in learning, while decreasing stress and contributing to a positive classroom climate. One question that is worthy of exploration pertains to how future professionals in the fields of physical education and health can promote kinesthetic movement in schools and communities. This article discusses how a university kinesthetic classroom prepares future professionals to be advocates for school health using active …

Perceptions Of Undergraduate Students Of Student-Regulated Online Courses, Victor K. Wakeling Cfa Cfp Cma, Patricia R. Robertson, Micheal Patrono, Murat Doral

Faculty and Research Publications

Undergraduate students at a large, public, southeastern university enrolled in one of two independent, fully-online courses were released from the instructor-regulated structure mid-semester. Subsequently, the course was structured as student-regulated and students self-managed pace of study and timing of assessments for the remainder of the course. The objective of the research is to assess student preferences in learning structure (instructor-regulated versus student-regulated) in order to inform effective course design options in the online learning environment. At the end of each semester included in the study, a survey was administered to ascertain students’ perceptions of the student-regulated (self-paced) learning environment. After …

Moving Margins: Using Marginalia As A Tool For Critical Reflection, Patricia Alvarez Mchatton, Sandy May

Faculty and Research Publications

Marginalia is the practice of writing notes in the margins of texts as a way to capture ones' thoughts and feelings about the text during reading. It is giving in to the impulse, based on what was read, to stop and record a comment. In this manuscript, we make the connection between marginalia and the visceral responses to text felt by one doctoral student (the second author) taking a course examining language as a "place of struggle" (hooks, 2004, p. 153). We also demonstrate how marginalia can be used as a qualitative method to document and investigate the way textual …

A Culture Of Collaboration: Meeting The Instructional Needs Of Adolescent English Language Learners, Felice Atesoglu Russell

Faculty and Research Publications

This article details a study that focused on the supports that enabled an English language learner (ELL) facilitator to contribute to a culture of collaboration between the English as a Second Language (ESL) and Language Arts Departments to more effectively meet the instructional needs of ELLs in one culturally and linguistically diverse high school. Findings emphasize the importance of (1) a supportive leadership context for inclusion of ELLs and the ELL facilitator's work, (2) schoolwide supports for ELLs, and (3) collaboration and influence of the literacy team. The article describes the contributions of the ELL facilitator to the culture of …

The Impact Of Dual Enrollment On The Institution, Katherine N. Kinnick

Faculty and Research Publications

How do dual enrollment programs benefit colleges and universities? Using quantitative and qualitative measures, the director of Kennesaw State University's Dual Enrollment Honors Program demonstrates the program's value to the university and highlights program concerns and challenges.

Student Interaction With Online Course Content: Build It And They Might Come, Meg C. Murray, Jorge Pérez, Debra B. Geist, Alison Hedrick

Faculty and Research Publications

Online learning continues to expand at educational institutions around the globe. Educators must better understand how interaction with online course content impacts student engagement and learning. Advances in technology amplify the imperative to gain further insights into how delivery of course materials can enhance and support the learning process. This study investigates student patterns of access to instructional resources provided in an asynchronous online digital literacy course offered at a regional university in the United States. Frequency counts and access rates collected from a learning management system were used to assess patterns of student retrieval of course materials in four …

Undergraduate Science Research: A Comparison Of Influences And Experiences Between Premed And Non-Premed Students, Lara Brongo Pacifici, Norman Thompson

Faculty and Research Publications

Most students participating in science undergraduate research (UR) plan to attend either medical school or graduate school. This study examines possible differences between premed and non-premed students in their influences to do research and expectations of research. Questionnaire responses from 55 premed students and 80 non-premed students were analyzed. No differences existed in the expectations of research between the two groups, but attitudes toward science and intrinsic motivation to learn more about science were significantly higher for non-premed students. Follow-up interviews with 11 of the students, including a case study with one premed student, provided explanation for the observed differences. …

Student Teaching Abroad Inter-Group Outcomes: A Comparative, Country-Specific Analysis, Binbin Jiang, Debra J. Coffey, Robert A. Devillar, Sandra Bryan

Faculty and Research Publications

As student diversity becomes the norm in U.S. schools, future teachers must be comprehensively prepared to work with the increasingly diverse student population through application of informed instruction that enhances general and individual student learning and outcomes. Teacher Education programs increasingly promote student teaching in international settings as a substantive step to develop teachers who embody these new competencies and instructional practices. The proposed paper presentation offers a framework and analysis highlighting similarities and differences between two groups of student teachers in Belize (2005 and 2008). Findings are comparative and relate to the type and degree of (1) cultural-, professional-, …

Effects Of Personality On Attitudes Toward Academic Group Work, William R. Forrester Jr., Armen Tashchian

Faculty and Research Publications

This study investigated the effects of personality on attitudes toward academic group work among a sample of 225 business students. Data were collected using pre-existing scales for measuring personality and attitudes toward academic group work. Specifically, the Neo-FFI scale was used to measure the five personality dimensions of openness, agreeableness, extroversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism. Regression analysis indicated that extroversion was the best predictor of respondents' attitudes toward academic group work. Individuals with high extroversion scores had positive attitudes toward academic group work. Neuroticism, agreeableness and conscientiousness were also related to respondents' preference for group work and discomfort with group work. …

Impact Of Fiscal Resources Allocation To Schools Based On A Differentiated Supervision Model, Adrian L. Epps

Faculty and Research Publications

This study examines the ability of a differentiated supervision model to initiate quality improvements in school systems by classifying schools according to several identified factors and modifying the resources allocated to all schools based on their supervision classification. Conceptual development and an archival post-hoc analysis approach were used to analyze the effects of the supervision model on the improvement of schools in a large urban school district. The researcher developed the supervision model and collected data regarding school characteristics, classification, and performance for individual schools during the first and sixth years of implementation. The researcher found that the grade level …

Re-Adjusting The Kaleidoscope: The Basic Tenants Of Invitational Theory And Practice, Daniel E. Shaw, Betty L. Siegel

Faculty and Research Publications

Given the variance in the literature regarding definitions of terms and elements of Invitational Theory and Practice, this article proposes the adoption of a standard terminology for the foundational principles and elements unique to this theory. The major concepts are presented herein as an attempt to set the standardization for future use.

The Assessment Cyberguide For Learning Goals And Outcomes, Thomas Pusateri, Jane S. Halonen, Bill Hill, Maureen Mccarthy

Faculty and Research Publications

The CyberGuide serves as a companion resource for implementing the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Major in Psychology. These resources should aid psychology departments and their faculty to design the most appropriate and effective assessment plans. We have organized this Cyberguide into four parts that will assist departments in developing assessment plans: I. Understanding Assessment: Departmental, Institutional, Educational, and Societal Perspectives II. Designing Viable Assessment Plans III. Sustaining an Assessment Culture IV. Applying Assessment Strategies in Psychology

Do Students Use And Understand Free-Body Diagrams?, David Rosengrant, Alan Van Heuvelen, Eugenia Etkina

Faculty and Research Publications

Physics education literature recommends using multiple representations to help students understand concepts and solve problems. However, there is little research concerning why students use the representations and whether those who use them are more successful. This study addresses these questions using free-body diagrams (diagrammatic representations used in problems involving forces) as a type of representation. We conducted a two-year quantitative and qualitative study of students’ use of free-body diagrams while solving physics problems. We found that when students are in a course that consistently emphasizes the use of free-body diagrams, the majority of them do use diagrams on their own …

The Impact Of Face-To-Face Orientation On Online Retention: A Pilot Study, Radwan Ali, Elke M. Leeds

Faculty and Research Publications

Student retention in online education is a concern for students, faculty and administration. Retention rates are 20% lower in online courses than in traditional face-to-face courses. As part of an integration and engagement strategy, a face-to-face orientation was added to an online undergraduate business information systems course to examine its impact on retention. The study methodology consisted of an early email contact, distribution of course documents, a follow-up phone call, and a pre-course face-to-face orientation. The retention rate of students who attended the orientation was over 91% with a p-value of 0.9143. The retention rate of students not attending the …

Program Coordinators Disposition Toward Educational Leadership Best Practices: Practicum Experience In Georgia, J. Eric Tubbs

Faculty and Research Publications

The importance of field experiences in educational leadership was well documented in literature. However, scholars and practitioners disagreed on how field experiences should be provided to achieve the greatest effect. On the other hand, practicum efficiency and effectiveness were not assessed in the last ten years. Therefore, this study was designed to explore how field experiences are offered in the educational leadership programs (Master of Education and Add-On Program) in Georgia. Through data analysis, the researchers shared their observation of how field experiences in educational leadership could be enhanced in Georgia. Although the study was conducted in Georgia, the findings …

A Model For Using A Capstone Experience As One Method Of Assessment Of An Information Systems Degree Program, Meg C. Murray, Jorge Pérez, Mario Guimaraes

Faculty and Research Publications

Student attainment of educational outcomes is a core purpose of any institution of higher education and assessment provides a vehicle through which a program of study is able to ascertain how well it is achieving its stated learning outcomes and how program improvement might be achieved. Assessment of student learning begins with the clear definition and articulation of learning outcomes, followed by offering learning experiences, assessing student achievement of learning outcomes and using the results to improve teaching, learning, planning and allocation of resources (Middle States Accreditation Commission, 2005). A renewed emphasis on assessment is leading to the identification and …

Testing The Test: Item Response Curves And Test Quality, Gary A. Morris, Lee Branum-Martin, Nathan Harshman, Stephen D. Baxter, Eric Mazur, Suvendra Dutta, Taha Mzoughi, Veronica Mccauley

Faculty and Research Publications

We present a simple technique for evaluating multiple-choice questions and their answers beyond the usual measures of difficulty and the effectiveness of distractors. The technique involves the construction and qualitative consideration of item response curves and is based on item response theory from the field of education measurement. To demonstrate the technique, we apply item response curve analysis to three questions from the Force Concept Inventory. Item response curve analysis allows us to characterize qualitatively whether these questions are efficient, where efficient is defined in terms of the construction, performance, and discrimination of a question and its answer choices. This …

Student Perceptions Of Diversity Issues In It, Amy B. Woszczynski, Martha Myers, Janette Moody

Faculty and Research Publications

This study examines student perceptions regarding the desirability of diversity in the IT workplace. Several diversity variables were included: age, disability status, ethnicity, and gender. Participants included upper division students with declared majors in IT fields, as well as upper division students enrolled in an Accounting Information Systems course. We analyzed their perceptions in relation to diversity, along with distinguishing factors influencing the choice of IT as a career. We administered the Diversity Perceptions Inventory (DPI) to 162 undergraduate students from three institutions. Using multivariate analysis of variance, we found no significant differences in a number of areas: gender, age, …

Personality And Programming, Amy B. Woszczynski, Tracy C. Guthrie, Sherri Shade

Faculty and Research Publications

Information systems students continue to struggle to successfully complete computer programming classes. Learning how to program is difficult, and failure and attrition rates in college level programming classes remain at an unacceptably high rate. Since many IS students take a programming course as part of their program of study, IS educators should better understand why IS students tend to achieve low success rates in programming courses and what can be done to improve success rates. Little research to date has addressed potential reasons for student failure in programming principles courses. Many educators simply assume that high failure rates are acceptable …

Course Revitalization As A Change Driver Throughout Undergraduate Business Curriculum, Elke M. Leeds, Radwan Ali

Faculty and Research Publications

This paper describes the revitalization of Business Information Systems and Communication, a high enrollment, prerequisite course for all undergraduate business students in the Coles College of Business. An overview of the course components is presented and original structure described. The rationale for change, technologies leveraged and measures of success are presented. The change drivers are identified and their impact on undergraduate curriculum delineated. Lessons learned and future implications are discussed.

Psychological Versus Generic Critical Thinking As Predictors And Outcome Measures In A Large Undergraduate Human Development Course, Robert L. Williams, Renee Oliver, Susan Stockdale

Faculty and Research Publications

This article compares the predictive and outcome status of a subject-specific versus a generic measure of critical thinking in a large undergraduate course. Specifically, the predictive potential of critical thinking was assessed with respect to test performance, both for tests requiring critical thinking and for those requiring only direct recall. This paper also examines the extent to which answering practice-exam questions with embedded psychological critical thinking issues produced improvement in critical thinking. The impact of the treatment on the critical thinking of students who performed well or poorly on the course tests requiring considerable application of critical thinking was assessed.

High-Performing Students With Low Critical Thinking Skills, Robert L. Williams, Susan Stockdale

Faculty and Research Publications

This study focused on selected cognitive measures, work habits, and performance patterns of students with low critical thinking skills who achieved high grades in a large entry-level course. The high-performing low critical thinkers were compared on all target variables with both low critical thinkers who achieved low grades in the course and high critical thinkers who achieved high grades. The findings point to particular work habits that instructors could promote in helping low critical thinkers improve their course performance.