Education Commons^™

Cirt Newsletter--November 2010, Center For Instruction & Research Technology (Cirt)

CIRT News

This issue contains:

Faculty Spotlight: Extending Office Hours with Elluminate

Educause10 Debrief

Upcoming Events

Digital Thinking: Recording Audio for the Classroom

Blackboard Catalyst Awards

Blackboard News: Bb 9.1 Upgrade

ITS News: Windows 7 & Office10

What's New in CIRT? Julie Carter

Elluminate Licensing Expansion

Cirt Newsletter--September 2010, Center For Instruction & Research Technology (Cirt)

CIRT News

This newsletter contains:

Faculty Spotlight: Using iTunes U to Extend the Classroom

Mobile Learning

Upcoming Events

Digital Thinking: Getting the Most Out of the Web

iTunes U for Blackboard

Blackboard News: Bb World and Blackboard Updates

ITS News

What's New in CIRT?

Website Resources: Google Earth Videos

Factors That Influence Learning Satisfaction Delivered By Video Streaming Technology, Daniel Stephen Keenan

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

In 2005, over 100,000 e-Learning courses were offered in over half of all U.S. postsecondary education institutions with nearly 90% of all community colleges and four year institutions offering online education. Streaming video is commonplace across the internet offering seamless video and sound anywhere connectivity is available effectively making any location a learning environment. The problem investigated in this study was to determine factors that affect the learning satisfaction of students that video streamed courses. This study is important to enable improvements in curriculum, delivery of content, designs of alternative study venues, and guide college administrators in making decisions on …

The Utilization Of A Computer Assisted Guidance System In Academic Advising, Charles Van Vleck Pfautz

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Computer assisted guidance systems may adapt well to various models of academic advising, and they have the ability to address the challenge of meeting the diverse advising needs of community college students without sacrificing the integrity of academic advising (Fowkes & McWhirter, 2007). The purpose of this qualitative case study was to assess current advisor and student use of a specific computer assisted guidance system and to recommend strategies to effect optimum utilization of current generation software. The objective was to create a model for using the computer assisted guidance system as an academic and career planning tool for community …

Using Podcasting For Blended Learning, Sherry Robinson, Hans-Anton Stubberud, Carsten Blom-Ruud

International Journal for Business Education

Blended learning is a hybrid learning format combining some of the best features of distance learning and traditional face-to-face classes. Through the use of online course management sites and other media, students can access material at their convenience and attend a reduced number of classes that then emphasize interaction. This educational opportunity is especially valuable for working adults who cannot attend traditional classes. However, the lack of lectures can be a challenge for students who learn best by hearing. Podcasting, which involves the creation and distribution of audio and/or video files, is one tool that can help students to learn …

Games For Civic Learning: A Conceptual Framework And Agenda For Research And Design, Chad Raphael, Christine Bachen, Kathleen-M. Lynn, Jessica Baldwin-Philippi, Kristen A. Mckee

Communication

Scholars, educators, and media designers are increasingly interested in whether and how digital games might contribute to civic learning. However, there are three main barriers to advancing understanding of games’ potential for civic education: the current practices of formal schooling, a dearth of evidence about what kinds of games best inspire learning about public life, and divergent paradigms of civic engagement. In response, this article develops a conceptual framework for how games might foster civic learning of many kinds. The authors hypothesize that the most effective games for civic learning will be those that best integrate game play and content, …

2010 Ijbe Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

1. Editorial Board
2. President's Letter
3. SIEC-ISBE International

Learning Spaces In A Second Life, Eric Kisling, Elizabeth Hodge, Sharon Kibbe

International Journal for Business Education

Pedagogy in virtual worlds is a new phenomenon that is evolving into something very different from the traditional classroom. Learning spaces are currently considered physical spaces, but with virtual worlds, learning spaces can now be designed in multiple ways for any given course. No longer is one constrained to location. A teacher can take their class to see international sites without the costs associated with a physical visit to the same location. As teachers begin to think about their methods of instruction and how best to enable their students to learn fully and completely, the pedagogy that is employed in …

The Effects Of Cooperative And Collaborative Strategies On Student Achievement And Satisfaction In Blended And Online Learning Environments, Christine E. Nickel

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether cooperative versus collaborative strategies used for a group project had differential effects on students' achievement, process and solution satisfaction, value and preference for collaboration, and perceptions of community of inquiry in online and blended environments. The study sample consisted of teacher education students enrolled in a technology integration course. Students' age, academic level, online experience, and teaching experience were used as covariates in an effort to identify differential effects associated with student characteristics. Cooperative and collaborative strategies were differentiated by the amount of structure imposed by the instructor as well as …

The Effects Of Training In Peer Assessment On University Students' Writing Performance And Peer Assessment Quality In An Online Environment, Yun Xiao

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the effects of peer-assessment skill training on students' writing performance, the quality of students' feedback, the quality (validity and reliability) of student-generated scores, and the students' satisfaction with the peer assessment method in an online environment. A quasi-experimental design was employed to test group differences on the dependent variables. Four hundred and seventy-three sophomore and junior undergraduate students who were enrolled in a Foundations of Education course were selected by convenience sampling at a Large East-Coast Urban University. Students enrolled in Spring and Fall semesters of 2008 were assigned to the two experimental groups …

Effectiveness Of The Combat Operational Stress Control Training Program: Expectations Of The U.S. Marine Corps, Marek M. Sipko

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the U.S. Marine Corps combat operational stress preventive training program to determine whether the program meets the training effectiveness criteria of the Marine Corps. This evaluation entailed both qualitative and quantitative inquiries to answer the subject matter research questions.

The participants consisted of active duty and reserve Marines on active duty. For the purposes of the quantitative analysis, the researcher obtained a random sample of 480 Marines. Additionally, the researcher obtained a purposefully stratified qualitative sample of 12 active duty Marines consisting of four junior non-commissioned Marines, four staff non-commissioned officers, and four commissioned …

Determining The Utility Of Technology For Education, Brian Spencer Dillon

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

There is a substantial debate concerning the place of technology in education. This debate has been going on over every technology introduced through at least three millennia although the modern version takes place in journal articles. Technology, in the general sense, is already in the educational arena 1n ways which have become so commonplace that we hardly question them today. More modern technologies, however, meet perpetual resistance in achieving their potential. This paper calls into question the most recent trend in research and suggests a new research paradigm which focuses not only on student achievement, but on a variety of …

Let Them Moodle: Utilizing An Open Source Learning Management System To Extend The English Classroom, Mark Randall Rousseau-Smith

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of the project was to install a Moodle installation on a server and deploy it to select teachers while developing a series of training modules to help assist teachers to utilize Moodle as an online supplement to their classroom teaching. The goal was to give the teachers involved an additional outlet for learning beyond the classroom setting. Specifically, this project centered on creating video tutorials and a demo class aimed to help teachers utilize this powerful medium. Moodle activities are items such as blogs, forums, wikis, and quizzes among many other learner-centric technologies. The participants to pilot this …

Social Studies Through Web 2.0: A Study Of Online Learning, Kenneth Michael Snell

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to develop a social network site, complete with the abilities to create home pages, blog and participate in a message board (Web 2.0) to create a learning environment, based on constructivist principles and asynchonous learning, to teach a unit of U.S. Government.

An Online System For Tracking Class Participation, Bruce Donald Rhodewalt

Theses Digitization Project

This project examines an online system for tracking class participation points. The system addresses two primary issues: how to quantify class participation and how to report class participation. This will serve all stakeholders: for students and parents, quantifying participation conveys a sense of objectivity (crucial if participation is to be fairly included in the grade) ; for teachers, the daily collection and collation of partcipation data ensures that the data is reliable, i.e., worthy of including in a student's grade.

Using Technology To Enhance Back To School Night, Heidi Balatico Dacio

Theses Digitization Project

This project was intended to build communication between the school and the home. With the use of a multimedia presentation, DVD, school and classroom expectations were communicated to the parents. A survey was given to first grade parents to determine whether this DVD would be beneficial. The results of that survey showed that there was a need, and parents were wanting information in areas of school and classroom expectations, academic standards, disciplining students, and character development. Through the Assessment, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation process (ADDIE), a DVD presentation was designed, developed, and implemented to communicate these learning objectives.

From Shadowmourne To Folk Art Articulating A Vision Of Elearning For The 21st Century, Christina Kapp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines mass-market applications for some of the many theories of eLearning and blended learning, focusing most closely on a period from 2000-2010. It establishes a state of the union for K-12 immersive eLearning environments by using in-depth cases studies of five major mass-market, educational, and community-education based products—Gaia Online, Poptropica, Quest Atlantis, Dimenxian/Dimension U, and Folkvine. Investigating these models calls into play not only the voices of traditional academic and usability research, but also the ad hoc voices of the players, commentators, developers, and bloggers. These are the people who speak to the community of these sites, and …

Multiple-Choice Questions You Wouldn’T Put On A Test: Promoting Deep Learning Using Clickers, Derek Bruff

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Classroom response systems (“clickers”) can turn multiple-choice questions—often seen to be as limited as assessment tools—into effective tools for engaging students during class. When using this technology, an instructor first poses a multiple-choice question. Each student responds using a handheld transmitter (or “clicker”). Software on the classroom computer displays the distribution of student responses. Although many multiple-choice questions found on exams work well as clicker questions, there are several kinds of multiple-choice questions less appropriate for exams that function very well to promote learning, particularly deep learning, during class when used with clickers.

Engaging Students, Assessing Learning: Just A Click Away, Linda C. Hodges

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Three ongoing challenges for those of us teaching today’s college students, especially in large lecture classes, are: getting students engaged in their learning, assessing what learning is actually taking place, and competing with students’ technology in keeping their attention. One teaching innovation that holds great promise for addressing these concerns is the use of personal response systems, also known as clickers. Clickers allow you to determine the level of student understanding at any given time with relatively little effort, and in the process encourage students to engage with class material by using the hook of technology. In this paper I …

The Status Of Research In Technology Education, Philip A. Reed

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Breathing Like A Fish, Petros J. Katsioloudis

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The article offers information on industrial oxygen rebreathers, an underwater breathing equipment used by divers. It states that rebreather is an electromechanical device that supply breathing gas through infusion of oxygen and reprocessing of carbon dioxide by using a chemical scrubber. It mentions that most rebreathers comprise of breathing loop, breathing lungs, and a canister where the scrubber is placed with the partial pressure (pO₂) sensors and interface devices like heads-up display (HUD) to show pO₂ levels. It also discusses types of rebreathers such as the oxygen rebreather, the oldest rebreather mainly used by navy diver, and …

Educational Technology Research Past And Present: Balancing Rigor And Relevance To Impact School Learning, Steven M. Ross, Gary R. Morrison, Deborah L. Lowther

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Today, the exponential growth of technology usage in education, via such applications of distance education, Internet access, simulations, and educational games, has raised substantially the focus and importance of educational technology research. In this paper, we examine the past and present research trends, with emphasis on the role and contribution of research evidence for informing instructional practices and policies to improve learning in schools. Specific topics addressed include: (a) varied conceptions of “effective” technology uses in classroom instruction as topics for research, (b) historical trends in research approaches and topics of inquiry; (c) alternative research designs for balancing internal (rigor) …

Understanding Materials, Petros J. Katsioloudis

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The article discusses the importance of understanding the characteristics of materials that will be used for different applications. Through the years, the inventions and innovations in the technology of materials are becoming more technologically complex. Innovations in the materials are divided in different categories, including metals, ceramics, polymers and composites. Example of such innovations in the technology of materials include the ceramic composite applied to the surface of the space shuttle panels to absorb and release high amounts of heat.

Socialization In The Asynchronous Online Course Discussion Of Graduate Nursing Administration Students : A Case Study, Annie Louise Moore-Cox

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Over the last several years there has been an increase in the amount of graduate education in nursing offered online in Web-based programs. There is a lack of research into the role played by online graduate nursing course discussion, an important component of many courses, in the process of socialization for advanced nursing roles. To understand more about socialization in online courses, I studied the asynchronous discussion within two master's level nursing administration courses. Interviews with selected subjects who participated in the courses, four students and two faculty members, helped me understand the participants' post program perceptions of the value …

Doctoral Students' Perceptions Of Learning In A Blended Research Methods Course : Three Telling Cases, Sedef Uzuner Smith

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

As Walker, Golde, Jones, Bueschel, and Hutchings (2008) state, research is "the sine qua non of the doctorate" (p. 4). Therefore, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to conduct research is a key priority in doctoral education. Blended instruction is a promising, yet so far seldom used model for supporting doctoral students' learning and research training. This model includes a combination of traditional face-to-face (FTF) instruction with Web-based online approaches.

Research In Technology Education, Philip A. Reed (Editor), James E. Laporte (Editor)

STEMPS Faculty Books

Due to the laboratory-based nature of technology and engineering education programs, professionals in our field have often focused on the resources in our classrooms and laboratories and the instructional methodologies used to address specific concepts. Formal research into content and practice has often given way to “what seems right”. New curriculum is constantly being introduced (based on what is occurring in business and industry), yet the inclusion for those evolving concepts in courses and programs is typically not verified.

Hence, the importance of the 2010 CTTE yearbook and its focus on the dire need for an aggressive research agenda in …

Threads In A Tapestry: An Ethnographic Evaluation Of Milken Community High School’S Tiferet Fellowship Program, Roger Jason Fuller

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This study explored an essential question, "What does the lived experience of students in the Tiferet program mean for them and others?" By exploring the background, implementation, and lived-experiences of two academic-year sophomore cohorts from Milken Community High School in Los Angeles as they lived and participated in a semester study abroad program at the Alexander Muss Institute of Israel Education in Hod HaSharon, Israel, the study shows the impact-of that experience on the students in the program and the school culture at large. The study engaged in a description of the program’s development and evaluation of the lived-experiences as …