Education Commons^™

Turning Counseling Students Into Researchers: Enhancing Quantitative Research Courses With An Experiential Learning Activity, Mark C. Rehfuss, Dixie D. Meyer

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Research methods and application are crucial aspects of most counseling practitioners and scholars’ lives, yet practical experience with development and implementation of research projects is usually limited to doctoral level dissertations. This article describes an experiential research project that has been integrated into counseling research methods courses at both the master’s level and the doctoral level. In this mentored research activity, students move through the entire research process in one semester. They begin with a notion and finish with a submission for publication. Based on student responses, implementing this process in a research methodology course is recommended.

Issues Confronting Technology Education: An International Perspective, John M. Ritz

STEMPS Faculty Publications

As technology education progresses, professionals encounter problems that are unique to this school subject and their localized educational and cultural environments. This paper will review issues related to implementing technology education identified through contacts with international professional leaders over a three year period. The research will cite issues affecting the progression of technology education in different countries as identified by professional educators who work in these countries. The researcher will attempt to categorize these issues to provide perspective to the profession.

State Of The University Address, 2012, John R. Broderick

State of the University Addresses

President John R. Broderick's 2012 State of the University Address and Faculty Welcome.

Polynomial Calculus: Rethinking The Role Of Calculus In High Schools, William Crombie, Melva R. Grant

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Access to advanced study in mathematics, in general, and to Calculus, in particular, depends in part on the conceptual architecture of these knowledge domains, and in this paper we outline an alternative architecture. Our general strategy is to separate advanced concepts from the particular advanced techniques used in their definition and exposition. This alternative architecture, thus, affords access to advanced concepts from an elementary standpoint to a larger group of learners than is presently accomplished. In the case of the Calculus we develop the beginning concepts of the Differential and Integral Calculus using only concepts and skills found in secondary …

Productive Peer Culture: Algebra Project Students’ View, Melva R. Grant

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine students’ perspectives about productive peer culture for mathematics learning. The participating students were attending an annual residential summer institute and have been participating in Algebra Project activities for at least one year. Of the 26 high school students attending the institute, they all participate in mathematics literacy work1 through their local Young People’s Project (YPP) groups, while 20 of those students also receive their regular school-based mathematics instruction within an Algebra Project Cohort Model (APCM) structured classroom².

The Algebra Project targeted persistently underserved mathematics students who typically scored in the …

Future Critical Issues And Problems Facing Technology And Engineering Education In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Petros Katsioloudis, Johnny J. Moye

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research was to determine the future critical issues and problems facing the K-12 technology and engineering education profession in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This study was based on the Wicklein nationwide studies (1993a, 2005). Even though this study did not exactly replicate the Wicklein studies--since it was limited to the Commonwealth of Virginia--the method and questions used were identical. The modified Delphi research design was used to draw consensus among technology and engineering education experts in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Seventy-five percent of the participants agreed with one another concerning the top five critical problems and …

A Comparative Analysis Of Preferred Learning And Teaching Styles For Engineering, Industrial, And Technology Education Students And Faculty, Petros Katsioloudis, Todd D. Fantz

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Striking A Balance: Managing Blogs In Loosely Coupled Systems, Troy A. Swanson, Dennis E. Gregory, Edward E. Raspiller

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

As the oldest implementation of Web 2.0 technologies, blogs present an opportunity to understand how community college administrators are addressing two conundrums: conundrum of control and the conundrum of adaptability. These problems arise from the need of leaders to put organizational controls in place even as these controls limit the tool's usefulness and the adaptability of the technology. The purpose of this study using a multiple case study method is (1) to further the understanding of how community college administrators and blog authors strike a balance between organizational control and adaptability when implementing and using blog technologies and (2) to …

Effect Of Parallel Talk On The Language And Interactional Skills Of Preschoolers With Cochlear Implants And Hearing Aids, Sharon A. Raver, Jonna Bobzien, Corrin Richels, Peggy Hester, Anne Michalek, Nicole Anthony

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Children with profound congenital hearing loss often do not have the same prelinguistic opportunities for social and verbal interaction as their peers with typical hearing [14]. Consequently, language and social skills may be challenging for this group, even after they are provided with amplification or a cochlear implant. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of using a parallel talk intervention to increase the language and interactional skills of three preschoolers with deafnesss. Results revealed that all participants increased verbal turn-taking and that two of the three increased initiated and responded vocal/verbal comments, and initiated and responded nonverbal responses during a …

Lack Of Communication Even When Using Alternative And Augmentative Communication Devices: Are We Forgetting About The Three Components Of Language, Gianluca De Leo, Margaret Lubas, Jennifer R. Mitchell

VMASC Publications

[First paragraph] Starting in the early 90s, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices were introduced in special education classrooms. These devices were intended to replace the picture-based communication approaches, such as PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System).

Quality Of Life Of Families With Children Who Have Severe Developmental Disabilities: A Comparison Based On Child Residence, Joni Taylor Mcfelea, Sharon Raver

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

This study measured the quality of life of two groups of families with children who had severe developmental disabilities-families whose child lived at home and families whose child lived in a residential facility. Participants were 54 primary caregivers of children who had severe intellectual disabilities and who lacked the ability to both ambulate without assistance and communicate conversationally. Participants completed the "Family Quality of Life Scale" (Hoffman, Marquis, Poston, Summers, & Turnbull, 2006). Analyses revealed that both groups rated their family quality of life (FQOL) as exemplary. FQOL was higher in the family home group than in the residential facility …

Facebooking In Distance Education: Constructing Virtual Communities Of Practice, Virginia M. Tucker

English Faculty Publications

The growth of distance education warrants a closer look at how virtual communities of practice form in asynchronous online classrooms. Prior studies have sought to identify a process to virtual community formation, which may vary depending upon the media used for collaboration. This microstudy examines how one student group in a distance writing course used the popular social media site Facebook to construct community and whether the stages of virtual community development were observed in this setting. Findings suggest that revisions might be made to our current understanding of the process of building virtual community within small groups. “Othering” and …

Listening For The Squeaky Wheel: Designing Distance Writing Program Assessment, Virginia M. Tucker

English Faculty Publications

Distance writing programs still struggle with assessment strategies that can evaluate student writing as well as their ability to communicate about that writing with peers at a distance. This article uses Kim, Smith and Maeng's 2008 distance education program assessment scheme to evaluate a single distance writing program at Old Dominion University. The program's specific assessment needs include the ability to determine how well students are developing expert insider prose and working together as a virtual community. Kim, Smith and Maeng's assessment scheme was applied to six courses within the writing program, revealing that programmatic assessment weaknesses included providing varied …

Using Data Mining For Predicting Relationships Between Online Question Theme And Final Grade, M'Hammed Abdous, Wu He, Cherng-Jyh Yen

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

As higher education diversifies its delivery modes, our ability to use the predictive and analytical power of educational data mining (EDM) to understand students' learning experiences is a critical step forward. The adoption of EDM by higher education as an analytical and decision making tool is offering new opportunities to exploit the untapped data generated by various student information systems (SIS) and learning management systems (LMS). This paper describes a hybrid approach which uses EDM and regression analysis to analyse live video streaming (LVS) students' online learning behaviours and their performance in their courses. Students' participation and login frequency, as …

Dispositions In The Twenty First Century School Library Profession, Sue C. Kimmel, Gail K. Dickinson, Carol A. Doll

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Within the school library profession there is an emerging focus on dispositions, defined as "a tendency to exhibit frequently, consciously, and voluntarily a pattern of behavior that is directed to a broad goal" (Katz, 1993). Directed focus groups of practicing school librarians were asked to articulate their vision for school libraries of the future. Data from these groups informed development of six dispositional continua to guide both school library education and school librarianship in the 21st century. This study clarifies the dispositions needed by school librarians in the future.

International Society For Technology In Education Sigml White Paper On Theory To Practice, Helen Crompton, Mark Van't Hooft

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of A One-To-One Ipod Touch Program In A Middle School, Helen Crompton, Julie Keane

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to investigate the implementation of a whole school one-to-one iPod Touch project in a middle school in the southeastern United States. While some focused studies have been undertaken in this new field of learning, there has been little research to date that documents activity within a whole school implementation (Chen, Kao, & Sheu, 2003; Conti-Ramsden, Durkin, & Simkin, 2010). Using Rogers' (1963, 2003) theory of diffusion of innovation as a lens for this research, we gathered data from observations, focus groups, and interviews. Our findings indicated that teachers focused on internet-based research activities, formative …

How Web 2.0 Is Changing The Way Students Learn: The Darwikinism And Folksonomy Revolution, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

In the 21st century, some argue that we have a new breed of students (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005; Prensky, 2001). Technologies such as Web 2.0 have been held responsible for these changes as students are now becoming active, critical consumers of information (Klamma, Cao, & Spaniol, 2007). Two components of this Web 2.0 revolution are the ideas behind Darwikinism and folksonomy. Darwikinism is a portmanteau of Darwinism and Wikis, which describes how a system similar to Darwin’s theory of evolution is ordering and processing wiki information. Folksonomy, again a portmanteau of folk and taxonomy, refers to the way in which …

Effective Reading Remediation Instructional Strategies For Struggling Early Readers, Guang-Lea Lee, Robert Gable, Verla Kroeker Klassen

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This paper presents a microgenetic study of the emergence of literacy in an eight-year-old student who is in third grade in a public primary school in Midwest, USA and is identified as learning disabled. It describes seven practical teaching strategies that were successfully used with this child for two years. At the end of this two year remediation, the child was able to read fluently at her grade level and exceeded all expectations and predictions of her parents and teachers. These strategies will be beneficial for classroom teachers, reading specialists, and special education teachers who are working with struggling young …

Qr Codes 101, Helen Crompton, Jason Lafrance, Mark Van't Hooft

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

QR codes are a fast, easy, free, and fun way to spice up your lesson plans and school communication by linking the brick-and-mortar world to the digital domain. If you’re not using them in your classroom yet, here’s a primer and some inspiring ideas to get you started.

Using Blogs To Promote Literary Response During Professional Development, Jaime Colwell, Amy Hutchison, David Reinking

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) The blogging has, I don’t want to say forced, but kind of made me read books that I haven’t necessarily read before, and I don’t think I would have. I’ve read lots of children’s books just through student teaching and everything, but it makes me look outside the box and maybe at other genres that I wouldn’t look at necessarily. (Sam, a pre-service teacher, blogging in a children’s literature course)

Low-Stakes, Reflective Writing: Moving Students Into Their Professional Fields, Joyce Neff, Garrett J. Mcauliffe, Carl Whithaus, Nial P. Quinlan

English Faculty Publications

This study examines low-stakes, written commentaries from a graduate counseling course to better understand the role writing plays in the transition from being a student to becoming a professional practitioner. The cross disciplinary research team used methods from Grounded Theory to analyze 60 commentaries and found that: (1) low-stakes, reflective writing revealed changes in self-awareness from Situational Self-Knowledge to Pattern Self-Knowledge (Weinstein & Alschuler, 1985); (2) low-stakes writing provided evidence of students connecting personally to learning and then connecting learning to professional practice; and (3) low-stakes writing encouraged the instructor to make mid-course adjustments to his teaching methods. This study …

An Analysis Of Evaluation Plans In A Federally Funded Leadership Preparation Program: Implications For The Improvement Of Practice, Karen Sanzo

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This study is a content analysis of selected federally funded leadership preparation program evaluation proposals for the 2008, 2009, and 2010 School Leadership Program grants. The United States Department of Education (USDE) began awarding funding in 2002 to develop and implement preparation programs for aspiring and current assistant principals and principals. These innovative leadership preparation programs are expected to influence school leaders in a way that enables them to positively impact student achievement and the schools they serve. In order to determine effectiveness, each grant proposal puts forth a comprehensive program evaluation designed to measure the grant's adherence to the …

Designing Microblogging-Based Class Activities, Tian Luo, Fei Gao

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Microblogging tools such as Twitter have been frequently adopted in educational settings to facilitate learning. This study examined how a microblogging tool, Twiducate, was incorporated into a graduate-level class of ten students. During the 1.5 hour lesson, students participated in a series of Twiducate-supported collaborative and reflective activities. The analysis of in-class discussion transcripts, text-based posts on Twiducate and a pre- and post-test survey results revealed that students were highly engaged in classroom collaborative learning and there is a high level of interaction. Students reported the challenges of using microblogging tools, such as the possibility of creating distraction and disorder …

What Are The Characteristics Of A Scholar?, Andreas Tolk

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Magnification Loupes In U.S. Entry-Level Dental Hygiene Programs - Occupational Health And Safety, Leslie Mchaney Congdon, Susan Lynn Tolle, Michele Darby

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine policies and practices regarding magnification loupes among faculty and students in accredited dental hygiene programs as measured by a 31 item, self-designed questionnaire. In addition, the study compared policies among dental hygiene programs in 2 year versus 4 year programs in terms of requirements for the use of magnification loupes.

Methods: After institutional review board approval, a 31 item self-designed questionnaire was emailed via Survey Monkey to 303 entry-level dental hygiene programs. An overall response rate of 75% was obtained. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test of independence. …

Clinical Preceptors' Perspectives On Clinical Education In Post-Professional Athletic Training Education Programs, Kelvin Phan, Cailee W. Mccarty, Jessica M. Mutchler, Bonnie Van Lunen

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: Clinical education is the interaction between a clinical preceptor and student within the clinical setting to help the student progress as a clinician. Post-professional athletic training clinical education is especially important to improve these students' clinical knowledge and skills. However, little research has been conducted to assess the pedagogical principles for clinical education at this level or what factors are necessary to enhance the clinical skills and decision-making abilities of post-professional students. Therefore, exploring the perspectives of clinical preceptors involved in post-professional education will help educators understand what strategies are necessary to improve post-professional athletic training education programs (PPATEPs). …

Learning Theory And Online Technologies, By Linda Harasim. Routledge: New York, 2012 (Book Review), Diane Carver

STEMPS Faculty Publications

[First Paragraph] Learning Theory and Online Technologies presents readers with an outline of the current position of online learning, beginning with an historical review of e-learning and learning theories, and proposes a model of e-learning solutions for today's learners. Written by Linda Harasim, professor of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, the book includes examples of how the online collaborative learning theory can be applied in an online course and provides case studies of how the theory is being implemented in educational institutions.

Enhancing Classroom Learning Experience By Providing Structures To Microblogging-Based Activities, Tian Luo, Fei Gao

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Microblogging tools such as Twitter have been frequently adopted in educational settings to facilitate learning in recent years. Although the original purpose of microblogging tools is to connect with others in a wide network and instantly share what is happening to them with the rest of the world, educators have vigorously attempted to repurpose the utilization of the tool and integrate it into various educational settings to promote student learning.

The purpose of this study is to examine student learning experience under a set of structured microblogging-based activities and to identify the affordances and constraints of the technology. Students participated …

Reconsidering Instructional Design With Web 2.0 Technologies, Fei Gao, Kun Li, Tian Luo, Jamie Smith

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Emerging technologies such as Web 2.0 afford interconnections, content creation and remixing, which provide rich opportunities to for more personally meaningful, collaborative, and socially relevant learning (Greenhow, Robelia, & Hudges, 2009). Web 2.0 and other emerging technologies offer new possibilities of designing collaborative activities that engage learners in meaningful learning (Chai & Tan, 2009; Cress & Kimmerle, 2008).

Despite the enthusiasm of integrating Web 2.0 technologies into learning environment design, researchers found that few instructors know the pedagogies that could lead to productive innovation (Collis & Moonen, 2008). This symposium consists of one theoretical paper and three case studies that …