Education Commons^™

Information Media News, Vol. 40, No. 2, St. Cloud State University

Information Media Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Misconstruals Or More? The Interactions Of Orbit Diagrams And Explanations Of The Seasons, Victor R. Lee

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper examines a “misconstrual hypothesis” regarding diagrams of the Earth’s orbit around the sun and how middle school students explain the cause of the seasons. Drawing from 24 semi-structured interviews, I present qualitative analyses of students’ explanations of why temperatures vary in summer and winter and how those are influenced by the elliptical shape of perspective drawings of the Earth’s orbit, common to many science textbooks. The results of the analysis suggest that diagram interpretation does not necessarily follow what has been often predicted in the literature and that conceptualizations can shift quite rapidly as different diagram features are …

How Technology Has Affected The English Language Learning Classroom, Natalie Bursztynsky

Technology Essay Contest Winners

English language learners are a growing percentage of students in today’s classrooms. These students’ educational needs will continue to grow, but so will technology. Multiple technologies today can be incorporated into the classroom, and teachers can be comforted in the fact that there will always be something to keep them one step ahead in the English language learning classroom.

Student Perceptions Of Digital Textbooks In A College Nursing Program, Alan D. Eno

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

The purpose of this research was to study the use of digital textbooks in a small liberal arts college. The research was a mixed methods descriptive study using a pre and post survey to determine student perceptions of the technology. Findings indicated that students needed training in the installation and use of digital textbooks. Findings also indicated the need for further research into what students understand about using digital textbooks. Recommendations are for the college to institute training sessions to teach students how to use the digital textbooks.

A Collaborative Approach To Building A Student Information And Technology Literacy Program, Kenetha Stanton, Julianne Miranda

Center for Academic Technology (CAT) - Presentations

This is a brief overview of the Information Commons program at Butler University presented during an EDUCAUSE Midwest Lightning Round. The Information Commons is professional development program jointly sponsored by The Center for Academic Technology (formerly Instructional Technology) and the Butler Libraries for student staff that provides information and technology literacy support to Butler students through scheduled desk hours and peer-to-peer training and consulting.

Designing Successful Online Courses - Part 2, Kathleen P. King

Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education Faculty Publications

Once again, our major goal is to provide faculty with consistent guidance through the many instructional decisions and design steps they need to pursue in this process. This process is a fantastic opportunity to craft a virtual learning space in which people can engaging in learning beyond the constraints of time and space.

Five Strategies For Successful Writing Of Reports And Essays, Kathleen P. King

Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education Faculty Publications

Many people cannot get started with their literary projects because they do not know where to start. In this brief article, I share insight from years of teaching students and professionals of all ages how to prepare professional work.

Using A Wiki For Collaboration And Learning In Helping Profession Education: A Pilot Study, Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, Richard J. Silvey

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Collaboration Versus Competition: Trends In Online Learning For Workforce Development, Gary E. Miller

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

This paper was presented at an IACE Hall of Fame Symposium in Romania in 2010. It explores several inter-institutional collaboration models for the use of online learning to support workforce development.

Assessing Technology Literacy: The Case For An Authentic, Project-Based Learning Approach, Jonathan D. Becker, Cherise A. Hodge, Mary W. Sepelyak

Educational Leadership Publications

This whitepaper takes a comprehensive look at the research, policies, and practices of technology literacy in K-12 settings in the United States. It builds a research-based case for the central importance of "doing" as part of technology literacy, meaning more than just being able to answer canned questions on a test. It also explores the current approaches to develop meaningful assessment of student technology literacy at a national, state, and local level, including TechYES.

Learning Styles And Entrance Requirements For Online Master's Programs, Dr. Stanley L. Lightner, Dr. Anthony Mark Doggett, Dr. Vesta R. Whisler

Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences Faculty Publications

As more online graduate programs are created and traditional programs shift to an online format, the need to identify and understand skill sets necessary for students’ success becomes more apparent. Typically, graduate programs rely on entrance requirements such as the GRE, undergraduate GPA, and a writing sample to evaluate an applicant’s potential success. Is it reasonable to expect that other entrance requirements might be needed for student success in online graduate degree programs?
Research comparing learning and personality styles of online learners exists; however, application of this information as part of the admissions process for online graduate programs is sporadic. …

"Blacks Deserve Bodies Too!" Design And Discussion About Diversity And Race In A Tween Virtual World, Y. B. Kafai, M. S. Cook, Deborah A. Fields

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

In this paper, we investigate racial diversity in avatar design and public discussions about race within a large-scale tween virtual world called Whyville.net, with more than 1.5 million registered players of ages 8—16. One unique feature of Whyville is the player’s ability to customize their avatars with various face parts and accessories, all designed and sold by other players in Whyville. Our findings report on the racial diversity of available resources for avatar construction and online postings about the role of race in avatar design and social interactions in the community. With the growing interest in player-generated content for online …

The Digital Learning Faculty Certificate Program, Ekaterina Ginzburg, Peter Chepya, David Demers

Librarian Publications

To assist in the training and professional development of faculty new to teaching online, Sacred Heart University established the Digital Learning Faculty Certificate Program. This 8-week online cohort program provides faculty with best practices for teaching online, including instructional design, effective online communication and appropriate use of technological tools. Now in its third year, the Digital Learning Faculty Certificate Program has been successful in providing a mechanism to prepare faculty to better meet the challenges of teaching online.

Improving Electronic Reserve Services: A Collaborative Effort, Xiaohua (Cindy) Li, David Demers

Librarian Publications

To improve the efficiency of Ryan-Matura Library's electronic reserve (e-reserve) service, the staff of the library and the Office of Instructional Technology at Sacred Heart University codeveloped and implemented a system that streamlined the request and delivery of e-reserves for faculty and students. This system utilizes the institution's integrated course/content management system (Blackboard) along with a custom-built Web application that facilitates the request, retrieval, digitization, and delivery of e-reserve materials directly to students within their Blackboard courses.

Revelations Of Adaptive Technology Hiding In Your Operating System, Kathleen P. King

Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education Faculty Publications

Pre-publication version of a chapter about the assistive technology tools and resources available for free in Windows OS and Mac OS. Introducing higher education faculty to free resources, features and programs which they can recommend to their students or perhaps use for themselves (for instance for fading eyesight or hearing). In addition, the chapter briefly shares strategies and examples of how they might be used.

The book will have an entire chapter dedicated to assistive technology as well. This is a popularized assistive technology chapter for generalist, NON special education, faculty to become acquainted with readily available and free resources. …

Weedsin The Flower Garden: An Exploration Of Plagiarism In Graduate Students' Research Proposalsand Its Connection To Enculturation, Esl, And Contextual Factors, Joanna Gilmore, Denise Strickland, Briana Timmerman, Michelle Maher, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Existing literature provides insight into the nature and extent of plagiarism amongst undergraduate students (e.g., Ellery, 2008; Parameswaran & Devi, 2006; Selwyn, 2008). Plagiarism amongst graduate students is relatively unstudied, however, and the existing data are largely based on self-reports. This study investigated the rates and potential causes of plagiarism amongst graduate students in master’s and doctoral programmes in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and science or mathematics education by examining actual research proposals written by graduate students. Results indicate that plagiarism is a prevalent issue at each of the three university sites sampled and across all of the investigated disciplines. …

Adaptations And Continuities In The Use And Design Of Visual Representations In Us Middle School Science Textbooks, Victor R. Lee

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Visual representations are ubiquitous in modern‐day science textbooks and have in recent years become an object of criticism and scrutiny. This article examines the extent to which changes in representations in textbooks published in the USA over the past six decades have invited those critiques. Drawing from a correlational analysis of a corpus of 34 US middle school physical science textbooks, continuities are established with respect to the purposes that most textbook images serve and the numbers of schematic representations that are used. Changes are observed in the overall total number of representations in textbooks and in the proportion of …

Ia Quality Guide, Sarah Giersch, Heather Leary, Mimi Recker

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Research

This is a quality guide geared for the projects in the Instructional Architect. It is used for assessing the quality of the projects created.

Linking Opencoursewares And Open Education Resources: Creating An Effective Search And Recommendation System, Brett E. Shelton, J. Duffin, Y. Wang, J. Ball

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

With a growing number of digital libraries and other open education repositories being made available throughout the world, effective search and retrieval tools are necessary to access the desired materials that surpass the effectiveness of traditional, all inclusive search engines. This paper discusses the design and use of Folksemantic, a platform that integrates OpenCourseWare search, Open Educational Resource recommendations, and social network functionality into a single open source project. The paper describes how the system was originally envisioned, its goals for users, and data that provides insight into how it is actually being used. Data sources include website click-through data, …

Stealing From Grandma Or Generating Knowledge? Constestations And Effects Of Cheating In Whyville, Deborah A. Fields, Y. B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Much research has described the various practices needed of gaining access and participation in multi-user game communities. Cheat sites are a continuation of game communities where players engage in knowledge building about game related challenges. In this paper we analyze the cheat sites created by players for a tween virtual world called Whyville.net, which encourages youth to participate in a range of social activities and play casual science games. Through analysis we created typologies for both the cheats and sites related to science content. Further, a case study of an exemplary cheat site elaborates on how some player generated sites …

Your Second Selves: Avatar Designs And Identity Play, Y. B. Kafai, Deborah A. Fields, M. S. Cook

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Avatars in online games and worlds are seen as players’ key representations in interactions with each other. In this article, we investigate the avatar design and identity play within a large-scale tween virtual world called Whyville.net, with more than 1.5 million registered players of ages 816. One unique feature of Whyville is the players’ ability to customize their avatars with various face parts and accessories, all designed and sold by other players in Whyville. Our findings report on the expressive resources available for avatar construction, individual tween players’ choices and rationales in creating their avatars, and online postings about avatar …

Media And Youth Identity In Pakistan: Global-Local Dynamics And Disjuncture, Al-Karim Datoo

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

The paper critically analyzes the engagement of a group of Pakistani urban youth with global cultural flows through media, and their responses to those flows. The discussion mainly centres around an analysis of a re-make of a drama-skit performed by a group of Pakistani urban high school youth during their school’s annual function which could be regarded as a kind of satire providing a cultural critique on the way cultural globalization, through media (especially cultural production through Indian Bollywood film/soap media-industry), is influencing urban Pakistani youth's perception of 'local' values, norms and identities. For the analysis, the paper draws upon …

A Perspective On The History And Philosophy Of Andragogy: An International Sketch-Part 2, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

This paper on the History and Philosophy of Andragogy is mainly limited (with a few exceptions) to a chronological history and the accompanying philosophy of andragogy, in line with when the English language documents were published and personal descriptions of events were written down. Some of these documents, however, present aspects of the events and ideas which recount the years and contexts in which they appeared in published form. This will not be an exact history of the events and philosophy as they appear in chronological order. But, this will be presented in the general sequence of the years that …

An International Capsule Of The History And Philosophy Of Andragogy, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

Andragogy was first authored by Alexander Kapp (1833), a German high school teacher. He asserted andragogy as education in the man's age including self reflection, and educating the character as primary values in human life. The most cogently knowledgeable and articulate of all scholars that have researched and practiced in andragogy in Savicevic (2006a). After writing extensively internationally on andragogy for 50 years, he observed that since his first visit to the USA in 1966, up through 2006, tracing andragogy on USA universities is that there had not been a single serious study on adult education and learning that did …

The Power Of Andragogy/Adult Learning For Living A Viable Future, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

The Sixth UNESCO International World Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) was hosted by the Government of Brazil in Belem, Para, from 1 to 4 December 2009. This working conference conducted interactively in an andragogical manner, provided an important platform for policy dialogue and advocacy on adult learning and non-formal education at the global level. Large and small group sessions on various topics contributed to the production of the final document - Belem Framework for Action: Harnessing the Power and Potential of Adult Learning and Education for a Viable Future. The conference brought together 1100 people from 144 UNESCO Member …

A Capsule Of The International History And Philosophy Of Andragogy To 2010, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

This capsule on the International History and Philosophy of Andragogy is mainly limited (with a few exceptions) to a chronological history and the accompanying philosophy of andragogy, in line with when the English language documents were published and personal descriptions of events were written down. Some of these documents, however, presents aspect of the events and ideas which recount the years and contexts prior to the time in which they appeared in published form. To date, more than 330 documents have been discovered, but space limitation in this chapter allowed the inclusion of only a fraction of that number. Each …

A Perspective On The History And Philosophy Of Andragogy: An International Sketch-Part 1, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

This paper on the History and Philosophy of Andragogy is mainly limited (with a few exceptions) to a chronological history and the accompanying philosophy of andragogy, in line with when the English language documents were published and personal descriptions of the events were written down. Some of these documents, however, present aspects of the events and ideas which recount the years and contexts in which they appeared in published form. This will not be an exact history of the events and philosophy as they appear in chronological order. But, this will be presented in the general sequence of the year …

Bringing Together Personal Learning, Higher Education Institutional Elements, And Global Support For A Re-Orientation Toward A Focus On Lifelong Learning And Education, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

This extended research study focused on bringing together learning, higher educational institutional elements to be considered for helping higher educational institutions and individual learners in various countries to re-orient themselves toward a focus on lifelong learning, and placing this within the support and context of lifelong learning and education around the globe. Research is presented on the background and experiences of various higher educational institutions and individual learners in this regard, developing a tentative policy statement and identification of the elements of a re-orientation toward lifelong learning focus as products of several worldwide conferences. In addition, the support of UNESCO …

Brazilian Lifelong Education And Learning, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

Providing an overview of Brazilian Education is a task that could take volumes to present. Moreover, to do this in a comprehensive way would involve many Brazilians that have been involved with the Brazilian Educational System for many years. There are many facets that would be included in this country's rich history and present manifestation of education and learning. Nonetheless, as a visitor from the United States of America who has been privileged to visit Brazil eight times and conduct various lifelong learning education al programs there, I will attempt in this paper to offer some of my observations about …

A Capsule Of The International History And Philosophy Of Andragogy To 2010, John A. Henschke Edd

Adult Education Faculty Works

This capsule on the International History and Philosophy of Andragogy is mainly limited (with a few exceptions) to a chronological history and the accompanying philosophy of andragogy, in line with when the English language documents were published and personal descriptions of events were written down. Some of these documents, however, presents aspect of the events and ideas which recount the years and contexts prior to the time in which they appeared in published form. To date, more than 330 documents have been discovered, but space limitation in this chapter allowed the inclusion of only a fraction of that number. Each …