Education Commons^™

Identifying Characteristics Of Effective Small Group Learning Valued By Medical Students And Facilitators, Diana T. Robillard, Laura M. Spring, Susan J. Pasquale, Judith A. Savageau

Judith A. Savageau

Background: Small group teaching is an important part of undergraduate medical education, providing the ideal setting for learners to clarify misunderstandings, test hypotheses and evaluate ideas. Many schools undergoing curriculum reform have increased the time students spend in small group learning. However, there is an overall paucity of literature examining case-based small group sessions in medical school.

Objective: This study was designed to examine student and facilitator perceptions of effective case-based small group teaching in the pre-clinical years and compare results in order to identify similarities and differences and identify key areas of disconnect so that the small …

Using Moodle To Teach Constructivist Learning Design Skills To Adult Learners, Doug Holton

Douglas L Holton

As instructors move further into the incorporation of 21st century technologies in adult education, a new paradigm of digitally-enriched mediated learning has emerged. 'Adult Learning in the Digital Age: Perspectives on Online Technologies and Outcomes' provides a comprehensive framework of trends and issues related to adult learning for the facilitation of authentic learning in the age of digital technology. This significant reference source offers researchers, academicians, and practitioners a valuable compendium of expert ideas, practical experiences, field challenges, and potential opportunities concerning the advancement of new technological and pedagogical techniques used in adult schooling.

The Digital Technology In The Learning Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders (Asd) In Applied Classroom Settings, Kathleen Tanner, Roselyn M. Dixon, Irina Verenikina

Rose Dixon

This paper describes a research study that is a stepping stone to further research on the affordances of digital technologies in the learning of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The study is framed around the modern understanding of technologies as cognitive tools for learning based on the theory of social and cultural mediation of children’s development and learning (Vygotsky, 1978), together with Activity Theory (Engestrom, 2001). The study focuses on the day-to-day reality of the use of computer and other digital technologies to assist the classroom learning of children with ASD. A series of observations, semi-structured interviews with teachers …

"Authentic" Learning Experiences: What Does This Mean And Where Is The Literacy Learning?, Jessica Mantei, Lisa Kervin

Jessica Mantei

Teachers are challenged to adopt practices that facilitate the development of “necessary” skills and strategies for learners. For many, however, what is required in policy and curricula is increasingly obscured and even confusing as teachers are bombarded with jargon prescribing seemingly similar (yet apparently different) approaches such as “rich tasks”, “big questions” and “fertile questions” that are to be “relevant”, “authentic” and “engaging” for the learner. Barton and Hamilton (2000) argue that literacy learning should take the learner beyond the transmission of technical skills in the classroom to an understanding of its role within a community’s cultural practices. These literacy …

Looking For Clarity Amongst The Challenges Faced By Teachers As They Consider The Role Of Ict In Classroom Literacy Learning Experiences, Jessica Mantei, Lisa K. Kervin

Jessica Mantei

Primary school teachers today operate within a climate of great change with the rapid infusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into schools with the expectation that these be included within classroom experiences. Many schools purchased computer hardware and software and have provided professional development for teachers with the expectation that the technology will be put to use. Studies show, however, that many teachers continue to feel ill-equipped to use technology to support learning in spite of these in-service opportunities. Further studies identify the classroom teacher as the major factor in determining whether ICT are an important component of daily …

Visions For Literacy Learning: The Quest For Meaningful Use Of Computer-Based Technology In Reading And Writing Experiences, Lisa Kervin, Jessica Mantei

Jessica Mantei

No abstract provided.

New Technologies, New Pedagogies: Mobile Technologies And New Ways Of Teaching And Learning, Janice Herrington, Jessica Mantei, Anthony Herrington, Ian W. Olney, Brian Ferry

Jessica Mantei

This paper describes a major development and research study that investigated the use of mobile technologies in higher education. The project investigated the educational potential of two ubiquitous mobile devices: Palm smart phones and iPod digital audio players (mp3 players). An action learning framework for professional development was designed and implemented with a group of teachers from a Faculty of Education. Each teacher or team created pedagogies to implement appropriate use of a mobile device in different subject areas in higher education. This paper describes the project aims, design and implementation in four phases, together with a description of the …

This Is Me! Empowering Children To Talk About Their Learning Through Digital Story, Jessica Mantei, Lisa K. Kervin

Jessica Mantei

The transition from pre-school to Kindergarten is an important part of a child’s learning journey. In the early childhood setting children develop interests, knowledge and learning preferences that often remain unknown in the early days of Kindergarten. We argue that from this young age children can identify and articulate learning preferences as they use their literate practices to communicate their preferences, aspirations and reflections. Digital Stories are short, personal, multimedia presentations created through image (from still and/or video cameras), which are then edited on a computer with video editing software to include a spoken narrative. In this paper we share …

Using Social Media To Build Community Disaster Resilience (Powerpoint), Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

Developing Faculty To Provide University Students With Improved Learning Experiences, Águeda Benito, Neal A. Green, Deborah R. Popely, Phuong M. Thai-Garcia, Art T. Schneiderheinze

Higher Learning Research Communications

The article addresses the importance of incorporating faculty development as a key priority of higher education institutions. A literature review and some face-to-face and online interviews were conducted at various U.S. institutions, to identify common and best practices regarding this important matter. The article offers some ideas about what is done, and how it is done, to help faculty be ready for the challenging role they need to play: to be effective developers of a diverse student body that meets the evolving needs of industry and that utilizes technological tools that never existed before.

Using An Open Software System (Sakai) To Develop Student Portfolios, Linda L. Beith, Stephen White, Gregory Laramie

Staff Publications

E-portfolios are digital collections of artifacts that represent the achievements and reflections of individuals. They offer a unique view into student learning and allow educators and external accreditors to assess student progress towards established standards as well as reviewing their program’s performance in supporting that progress. Students benefit from assembling their e-portfolios through the process of reviewing their own work with a critical eye, choosing pieces of their work that best represent their abilities, and reflecting on the transformative nature of their University experience, both in class and through extra-curricular, service learning, internships and international activities. An e-portfolio provides a …

Test Performance And Study Breaks, Lori Mcginley

Master's Theses

As the culture of American education changes, recess time is declining in favor of instruction time. An important question, however, is whether this shift is truly going to yield the best learning outcomes. The purpose of the present study is to examine the effect of taking a break, both mental and physical, on test performance. Seventy college students were tested on their learning of a list of phobias that they had studied in one of three conditions: no break, mental break, and physical break. It was predicted that participants would perform better on a subsequent memory task when a break …

The Use Of Information And Communication Technologies To Educate Laity: A Case Study, B. Mark Francis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technology-based education is learning primarily based in constructivist styled pedagogies. It is neither good nor bad; its value is inherent to the user and environment where it is placed. While some churches place a high value on the benefits gleaned from its use, others abhor it in religious education.

Why churches incorporate or reject technology-based education is a phenomenon that baffles most educators because the logic invoked is neither sound nor empirical. Either way, technology continues to evolve in education circles beyond the walls of the local church. In order to preserve the historical traditions and the distinctive cultures of …

Promoting Student Engagement Through Bulletin Board Style Virtual Learning Communities, Anthony R. Fruzzetti

NERA Conference Proceedings 2011

This study investigated the possibility of increasing student engagement by creating, implementing and maintaining a virtual learning community (VLC) as an added resource for students. A two-phase, mixed methods approach was used. Two focus groups of undergraduates (N = 10, N = 11) were conducted to gather information about attitudes toward a virtual community as a resource and to solicit suggestions for improvement. The updated VLC was activated and data collected to assess student participation and engagement in the VLC and classroom (N = 81).

Formalising The Descriptions Of Learning Designs, Ron Oliver, Barry Harper, John Hedberg, Sandra Wills, Shirley Agostinho

Sandra Wills

This paper describes an activity being undertaken by researchers involved in the AUTC funded Project: Information and Communication Technologies and Their Role in Flexible Learning. The project is seeking to investigate and develop generic and reusable frameworks for the provision of technology-enhanced high quality learning experiences in higher education. To achieve this, the researchers have been exploring ways to formalise generic descriptions of some learning designs that foster knowledge construction and problem solving. This paper provides a summary of the work that has been undertaken and describes the generic descriptions that have been developed in this process.

Developing Evaluation Frameworks For Assessing Quality Ict-Based Learning In Higher Education, John Hedberg, Sandra Wills, Ron Oliver, Barry Harper, Shirley Agostinho

Sandra Wills

This paper describes the evaluation of high quality learning designs which are being selected for possible redevelopment in a National Project funded by the Australian University Teaching Committee (AUTC). The project focuses on “Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Their Role in Flexible Learning” and is evaluating over 50 projects with a view to developing a range of software tools, templates and/or guidelines based on those that are de emed to be effective ICT - based learning projects. The approach is unique in that it tries to pinpoint the key attributes of ICT-based projects that make them suitable for application …

Marketing Internships: The Role Of Introspection In Students’ Satisfaction Reports, Flor Ornelas, Fernando Jiménez

Administrative Issues Journal

Despite the learning advantages of internship opportunities, many former interns bitterly complain about the dull tasks they had to perform during the internship. We argue that students’ satisfaction ratings with an internship are influenced by the current descriptive approach of final reports. When students list the tasks that they performed (i.e., what did you do?), they only engage in concrete thinking, missing the big picture. We contend that when an introspection approach is used (i.e., why did you do it?), students engage in abstract thinking, realizing the implications of the tasks they performed and hence, rating the internship experience more …

Complexity, Knowledge And Structure: A Systemic Understanding Of Organizational Learning, Justin D. Walton

Administrative Issues Journal

Organizations are among the most socially complex institutions within modern culture. As corporations face the challenges of technological change and globalization, it becomes essential that they find new ways and forms of fostering knowledge sharing and creativity. Challenging the age-old belief that employees should “dominated and directed,” complexity theory challenges the classic machine metaphor of organizational structure with a view that conceptualizes them as nonlinear systems that fluctuate between conditions of stability and chaos. This model offers new and exciting opportunities for exploring the dynamics of organizational learning. Toward this end, this paper examines the systemic features of organizations with …

An Exploration Of Virtual Study Groups Used To Prepare Candidates For A Professional Certification Exam, Sharon Katherine Kayne Chaplock

Dissertations (1934 -)

Professional credentials earned through certification programs are becoming an important way to demonstrate competency within a given discipline. With the globalization of business enterprises and associations, these credentials are eagerly sought by people located throughout the world. Candidates for these credentials often study together using virtual environments to prepare for a certification exam. Through a qualitative analysis of interviews with persons participating in such virtual groups, this study investigates what influences their choices among web-enabled study groups, what perceptions characterize their conception of a good virtual study group, and what limitations are encountered in a virtual study environment. This dissertation …

Engineering Education Research To Practice (E²R2p): Nsf Grant 1037808, Steven Villachica, Donald Plumlee, Linda Huglin, Drew Borresen

Linda Huglin

The E²R2P team employs a unique interdisciplinary approach to facilitate faculty adoption of research-based educational strategies across the engineering curriculum. As part of a "Sounding Board" of potential adopters, faculty will provide guidance, review components of redesigned courses, and participate in a series of workshops highlighting a variety of problem- and project-based instructional strategies^{1, 2}.

A "Test Bed" will act as a venue for the visible redesign of existing courses in ways that employ authentic learning and assessment activities--where students do real-world engineering in the classroom. The redesigned courses will also help students inbound into their community of …

A Teaching Model Proposal For Adult University Students, Ana Cruz Chust

Higher Learning Research Communications

Due to the increased enrollment of students over 25 years of age in higher education institutions, this study focused on interviewing faculty members in order to understand the characteristics and special aspects related to teaching and learning adult students. Two data gathering techniques were employed: individual and group interviews, both semi-structured. In selecting participants, purposive sampling was used. Results revealed that college teachers have been updating and modifying their teaching strategies to meet the needs of these nontraditional students. Findings suggest teachers are sensitive to these students’ needs, and their teaching strategies seem to incorporate adult education approaches. This study …

Technological University Dublin's Programme For Students Learning With Communities(Slwc): Report September 2008- September 2011, Catherine Bates, Elena Gamble, Sinead Mccann

Programme Reports

•Programme introduction: from slide 5 •Policy context: from slide 11 •Benefits of CBL/CBR: from slide 20 •Examples of projects: from slide 25 •Programme support structures: from slide 29 •Testimonials: from slide 74 •Statistics: from slide 86

PLEASE NOTE TO ACCESS ALL THE LINKS CONTAINED IN THIS PRESENTION, YOU MUST VIEW IT IN SLIDESHOW MODE THAT IS CLICK ON SLIDESHOW AND THEN VIEW SLIDESHOW.

Reflective Redo Within A Three-Dimensional Simulation And Its Influence On Student Metacognition, Reflection, And Learning, Jon M. Scoresby

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects on a student’s metacognition, reflection, and learning in a specifically designed educational simulation supported by unique technology. The simulation allows players’ actions to be recorded for the purpose of review to identify mistakes. The simulation also allows students to start at and redo actions while fixing previous mistakes instead of starting over at the beginning of a new scenario. When starting at the mistake or point of failure, as identified by a facilitator, during the redo of the initial saved scenario, students reflect on the actions performed during the initial …

Knowledge And Perceptions Of Agriculture In Tennessee Through Fall Agritourism Experiences, Jessica Jarrell Poore

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the key educational components of agritourism in Tennessee. The study strived to identify if knowledge of the agricultural industry increased due to agritourism experiences and if perception of the agriculture industry changed due to the experience. Additionally, the research sought to describe visitor demographics and characteristics.Following a pilot study in 2009, three agritourism venues throughout the state of Tennessee were used to collect surveys to create a pool of respondents and to identify their original knowledge of perceptions of the agriculture industry for the 2010 study. Additional data was gathered through an …

Editorial, The Editors

Higher Learning Research Communications

With this first issue of Higher Learning Research Communications (HLRC), Universidad Andrés Bello in Chile, Universidad Europea de Madrid in Spain, Istanbul Bilgi University in Turkey and Walden University in the United States, in consonance with their mission, are sponsoring collaboratively a journal dedicated to higher learning in the international arena. The knowledge driven society that so clearly marks our era, where real time communications make the phrase “global world” a true feature of our lives, has changed the means through which we learn. The rapid expansion of multicultural environments and the influence of the fast changing techno-scientific advances, social …

B-Learning Under Examination: Advantages, Disadvantages, And Opinions, Sergio Bemposta Rosende, María José García García, Juan José Escribano Otero

Higher Learning Research Communications

In recent years, learning management systems (LMS) have become very popular in almost all traditional universities, generating a new learning strategy approach, mixing elements from both traditional and online learning: the blended learning or b-learning. How these new environments influence teaching activities and learning processes are the main topic of this paper. References about this subject are also analyzed, enriching them with the expertise and opinion of authors and other teachers. Finally, the students’ point of view is presented, through the results of a survey of Polytechnic School students at Universidad Europea de Madrid.------El b-learning a examen: Ventajas, desventajas y …

Can The Use Of Clickers Or Continuous Assessment Motivate Critical Thinking? A Case Study Based On Corporate Finance Students, Lucia Morales

Higher Learning Research Communications

This study explores the use of clickers as a tool to support, encourage and motivate critical thinking in higher education students. A case study was carried out with a cohort of undergraduate students undertaking the BSc. in Accounting and Finance during the academic year 2009/10, were corporate finance was a major component. Since the students in this sample had previously demonstrated passivity during their corporate finance classes, it was proposed that clickers would help motivate them to participate during face to face sessions. Previous research on the use of clickers shows evidence that this tool has a positive effect on …

Computer-Assisted Programmed Instruction Revisited: A Study On Teaching Typewriting In Nigerian Higher Institution., Alaba Agbatogun, Peterayo Ajelabi, M. Oyewusi, Juliet Inegbedion

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

In the last few decades, technology has been a significant tool in almost all human endeavour (Hancer & Tiizemen, 2008). The integration of technology into education is a growing phenomenon; hence huge amount of money is being invested into Information and Communication technologies (ICTs) in education across the globe in order to ensure improved students’ academic performance (Trautman & Klemp, n.d.). Since the development of various ICTs, computer technology has come to play significant roles in instructional process, thereby transforming the learning environment (Efendioghi & Yelken, 2010; Rosenberg, Grad & Matear, 2003). The hope and quality of achievements of nations …

Qualitative Study Of Current And Prospective Student Perceptions Of A University Website, Sheila J. Henderson, Jennifer Coloma

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Building a sustainable system that goes beyond myopic interests and short-term policies is an arduous task for any school leader. In the U.S., our education system has been criticized for being too shallow in curriculum and unsustainable in the long run. In fact, a 2007 report by UNICEF concerning children’s well-being in 22 countries ranked the U.K. and the U.S. at the bottom of the industrialized nations in the survey. Hargreaves (2007) laments that these two countries, in their single-minded pursuit of economic competitiveness and development at all costs, are destroying the planet, while “eating their young.”

Engagement Or Education?, Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.