Education Commons^™

Learning In Context: Exploring Student Cognitive Maps, Kevin Davis, Eric J. Tucker

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

This study examines how concept-by-concept learning can provide students with a robust conceptual cognitive map for the area under study. In-context learning indicates that students understand how individual concepts are related and apply to real-world situations. Our results show that insights can be gained from understanding the degree of in-context learning in a course. Faculty can use this information to guide instruction in real time and make curriculum adjustments. This approach is also helpful because it can be replicated in any course to develop knowledge about students’ conceptual understanding.

Teaching At Southern, Georgia Southern University

Faculty Center Newsletter (2017- 2023)

• Headline: Meet the Team
• What's New
• Ongoing
• Award Nomination
• Register for FC Events & Training

Teaching At Southern, Georgia Southern University

Faculty Center Newsletter (2017- 2023)

• Meet the Team
• What's New
• Ongoing
• Award Nomination
• Register for FC Events & Training

Using Ability Grouping To Examine The Effects Of Differentiated Instruction In An Undergraduate Course In Communication Sciences & Disorders, Katherine B. Green, Jacqueline Towson

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Differentiated instruction is a student-centered approach to instruction that considers the differing characteristics and aspects of the learner. With increasing diversity in higher education, differentiated instruction is one strategy that instructors may use to facilitate student success. However, there is limited empirical research examining the effectiveness of differentiated instruction in higher education. Using a quasi-experimental pretest posttest group design, the effects of differentiation of instruction, specifically differentiation of content and variable grouping, on student content knowledge were examined in an undergraduate course in a Communication Sciences and Disorders program. Students in the intervention group scored significantly higher on final course …

Getting Started In Sotl Research: Working As A Team, Emily Faulconer

Publications

Getting started in SoTL research can seem daunting. Working with a team can increase support and productivity. This article explores roles in SoTL research teams, how to identify research projects, and pacing projects to maintain a pipeline. Teamwork will divide the workload and develop a community for support in navigating hurdles and celebrating successes.

Anth 110: Introduction To Anthropology: A Peer Review Of Teaching Benchmark Memo, Taylor A. Livingston

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio examines the extent to which the learning outcomes for Introduction to Anthropology (ANTH 110) were met through course assessments. The primary goal of this course is for students to engage with anthropological content, by introducing students to an anthropological perspective, which requires looking at issues from multiple contexts (holism), and having students add this to their “tool kit” to help them make sense of what they believe, why they believe it, and how to make sense of the world around them and their place in it. The alignment of outcomes and assessment was analyzed through an examination of …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experience Of Online Instructors Of Theological Reflection At Christian Institutions Accredited By The Association Of Theological Schools, Judy Arline Jowers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experience of teaching theological reflection in the online environment for instructors at Christian institutions accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. The central theories guiding this study were reflective practice and transformative learning theory as they explore the relationship between experience and reflection. Since relatively few inquiries have been published on the ways in which seminary professors assist future religious leaders in the use of reflective practice, the central research question for this study was: How do instructors at Christian institutions accredited by the Association of Theological Schools …

Guest Editor's Introduction To Special Issue On Sotl-Ah, Kelly Donahue-Wallace

Art History Pedagogy & Practice

No abstract provided.

Catching The Sotl Bug: An Interview With Librarian Lauren Hays, Lauren Hays, Kelly R. Hangauer

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Innovative Pedagogy

This interview with academic librarian, Lauren Hays, offers insight into the relationship between librarians and the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). In this interview, Ms. Hays discusses her doctoral work regarding academic instruction librarians’ involvement with SoTL and how it affects their teacher identities and instructional strategies. While sharing her own research on the topic, Ms. Hays also offers background information regarding SoTL, including such influential educators as Pat Hutchings and Ernest Boyer. Ms. Hays proposes SoTL as an ideal way for librarians to learn about teaching in higher education, and recommends SoTL as an avenue for librarians to …

Modernizing The Reading Clinic Through Research And Exploration, Evan T. Ortlieb, Gina M. Doepker

Gina Doepker

Reading clinics are not only necessary, but pertinent in the age of educational assessment, accountability, and best practices. Assessing and individualizing instruction are only facets of what encompasses a reading clinic; the structure of a reading clinic must be representative of the needs of students today. A 10-step model for creating and maintaining a successful reading clinic for students will be discussed to ensure maximal learning for both preservice tutors and their tutees. Unique features include expanding literacy opportunities with technology, meta-monitoring of tutoring sessions, and facilitating continual professional development for preservice educators. Attendees will acquire knowledge of characteristics of …

Active Learning In Art History: A Review Of Formal Literature, Marie Gasper-Hulvat

Art History Pedagogy & Practice

This article surveys the formal, academic literature on active learning in art history. It considers the history of active learning in art history and outlines the unique combination of approaches that art history takes towards active learning. A meta-analysis of the literature considers its relationship to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). This survey of literature indicates that although scholarly research on active learning in art history is a burgeoning field of scholarship, it also leaves many avenues open for additional research.

Modification Of A Junior-Level Capstone Course To Incorporate Scientific Writing, Bradley M. Wile

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Various Forms Of Student Engagement And Student Learning, Dan Richard, Melissa Newberry

Dan Richard

Previous research indicates that student engagement is multi-dimensional. Numerous engaged or active learning strategies (e.g., think-pair-share, problem-based learning, interactive games) emphasize some dimensions of student engagement but not others. The current project assesses the learning impact of a diversity of active learning strategies employing various dimensions of student engagement within three sections of a course in Social Psychology. Direct assessment of student performance on multiple-choice exams as well as indirect assessment of student preferences for learning activities will be addressed. In this session, participants will review original research on student engagement, receive examples of course activities, evaluate these activities on …

Prior Mentoring And Computer-Mediated Experiences Influence On Willingness To Engage In E-Mentoring, Marty Thomas, Ellen Ensher

Ellen Ensher

The practice of mentoring has proliferated tremendously and occurs in many different forms. The advent of Internet technology offers some new possibilities to traditional face-to-face mentoring relationships in which mentoring relationships are not constrained by physical proximity (e-mentoring). This presentation will describe the results of a research study involving the relationship between willingness to participate in e-mentoring relationships and prior mentoring and CMC experiences. The researchers considered three hypotheses: 1) positive prior mentoring experiences will increase the likelihood of participating in e-mentoring; 2) positive prior experiences with CMC will increase the likelihood of participating in e-mentoring; 3) the form of …

A Socratic Café For Critical Inquiry, Jody Piro, Gina Anderson

Jody Piro

This presentation will explore the completed research inquiry that developed from our overt attempt to promote critical thinking in an online forum. The implications for advancing critical inquiry in online formats for interdisciplinary university content areas will be addressed. The objectives of this session are twofold: 1) to introduce participants to the nine intellectual standards (Elder & Paul, 2007) used to analyze the critical thinking and Socratic questioning in our research, and 2) to discuss the structuring of critical analysis in participants' own classrooms. Participants can expect to participate in a cooperative learning activity to practice the use of Intellectual …

Water In The Computer Lab! (A Computational Project For Undergraduate Inorganic Chemistry), Bradley M. Wile, Trilisa M. Perrine

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Liberating Insight By Walking In Other People's Shoes, Gail Rathbun, Jane Leatherman, Rebecca Jensen

Rebecca S Jensen

The researchers framed this program evaluation project as an investigation of the influences on teaching practices of a teaching center program participants and non-participants. Changes in teaching practices and the motivations for these changes of fifteen randomly chosen faculty were studied. Session participants will develop and analyze brief case studies using abbreviated data sets and three of the methods that were used in the study. Through hands on analysis of data, session participants will enhance their ability to evaluate the conclusions drawn by the researchers and become familiar with useful analytical frameworks that they can use in their own research. …

Building-Up Student Success, Maria Babiuc-Hamilton

Maria C. Babiuc-Hamilton

Students' ability to think critically is essential in achieving success not only in college, but also later in their jobs. In order to increase students' long term performance, the general education program at our university was completely restructured to allow the introduction of three required credit hours in critical thinking across curriculum at the freshmen level. The dissemination of the learning outcomes is complicated, because this course is not content driven. The solution is for students to including a meta-cognitive reflection with their assignments, describing their personal academic plan and their experience with the learning process. This proposal presents the …

Two Methods In Teaching Introductory Physics, With Emphasis On The Effect In Gender Performance, Maria Babiuc-Hamilton

Maria C. Babiuc-Hamilton

Reports show that females are underrepresented in physics, and their average scores are lower than males. This proposal is targeted towards improving the performance of female students studying physics. Two different pedagogical approaches in teaching introductory level physics will be compared: the lecture-based method, enhanced with multimedia, and the active learning laboratories based on the Physics Suite. We analyze which method is more efficient in fostering the success of female students. The expected benefit of this project is that it will improve the understanding on how different pedagogical methods can influence female students to perform better in physics. It will …

Developing Scholarly Teachers Through An Sotl Faculty Fellowship, Beth A. Fisher, Michelle D. Repice, Carolyn L. Dufault, Denise A. Leonard, Regina F. Frey

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

The increasing interest in incorporating evidenced based teaching in higher education has created a pronounced need for faculty to learn the theory and practice of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). This article describes a program designed to prepare faculty to (a) draw on existing SoTL studies when designing and implementing evidenced based teaching methods, (b) design SoTL studies to test the effectiveness of those methods, and (c) integrate their new knowledge of SoTL into the practice of “scholarly teaching.” This program has proven to be a successful model for incorporating evidenced based teaching into undergraduate science, technology, engineering, …

Quasi-Experiment Examining Cafeteria-Style Grading In Social Work Education, Brandon Youker, Lyza Ingraham

Brandon W. Youker Ph.D

Cafeteria-style grading system is an individualized student assessment method whereby students choose their assignments from an expansive and diverse pool of assignments. In this study, students are non-randomly assigned to two sections of the same social work course. The first section received cafeteria-style assignments and grading system (i.e., experimental group) while the comparison section received the traditional method of grading. Students in both sections video record a demonstration exercise; the recordings are reviewed and scored by experts from a panel of social work professors. Preliminary results show an effect on student attendance but no effect on GPA or student performance.

Incorporating Catalysis In Inorganic Chemistry 1 Lecture And Laboratory At Onu, Bradley M. Wile

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Creating A Faculty Learning Community To Support Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning Among Stem University Faculty, Cher C. Hendricks, Myrna Gantner

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

In this session, we describe the creation of a Faculty Learning Community for university faculty in science, mathematics, and computer science. These faculty, recipients of mini-grants funded by the USG STEM Initiative, are studying ways to improve their instruction and increase student learning in STEM courses. Through the FLC, they are able to collaborate and support each others’ work.

Implementing A Blended Model Of Mathematics Instruction – Issues And Outcomes, Natasha Brewley, Alvina Atkinson, Barry Biddlecomb

SoTL Commons Conference

The session will present issues and results from the implementation of a blended instruction model at the authors' institution. The blended instruction model involves coming together as a class less often and encourages student learning by making them more responsible for their learning outside of the classroom. In addition to describing the authors' home institution, this presentation will have three objectives: (1) Describe the blended instructional model (What is Blended learning and what does it look like?), (2) Present student evaluations. (What have students said about taking a course like this?), and (3) Present quantitative comparisons between blended and traditional …

Effects Of Student-Centered, Inquiry-Based Teaching On Performance, Attitudes, And Efficacy, Brad Bailey, Karen Briggs, Tom Cooper

SoTL Commons Conference

As part of research supported by the Educational Advancement Foundation, the authors conducted a quasi-experimental study comparing the effects of a student-centered and inquiry-based teaching technique, known as a Modified Moore Method or MMM, with those of lecture-based teaching methods. To study the students' attitudes, beliefs and self-efficacy and performance, the students were asked to complete a survey twice each semester and take a common final exam. This panel session includes a description of what MMM entails, what the students and instructors do both in class and out, and how MMM could be used in other classes. We will discuss …

Empowering The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning: Towards An Authentic Practice, Carolin Kreber

SoTL Commons Conference

In this presentation my aim is to look at the different kinds of questions that can be asked as part of the scholarship of teaching and learning and the different types of knowledge these questions might generate. I will explore and unpack the meaning of the now common notion of ‘SoTL research’ and compare it to an alternative or complementary notion of scholarship, that of ‘SoTL practice’. The latter I will argue is not just characterized by context-specific inquiries into the effectiveness of certain teaching strategies in bringing about particular learning outcomes but by questions that are directed at values …

How Do You Get Student Buy-In To A "Wonderful (To You)" Teaching Innovation?, Wendy L. Keeney-Kennicutt, Adalet Baris Gunersel, Nancy J. Simpson

SoTL Commons Conference

One difficulty in adopting new classroom tools is persuading students to accept an educational technique out of their comfort zone. Our study investigated student perceptions when Calibrated Peer Review (CPR)™, a web-based program that uses writing for learning and assessing, was introduced into a general chemistry college classroom, and the strategies that helped convert initial intense opposition into acceptance and engagement. We will share the mistakes made, the reasons for students' like or dislike of CPR, the 4 year path taken to understand the issues and modify its implementation for a more positive classroom experience, and why the instructor persisted …

Communities For Growth: Cultivating And Sustaining Service-Learning Teaching And Scholarship In A Faculty Fellows Program, Carmen Werder, Angela Harwood, Leslie Ochs, Deborah Currier, Shearlean Duke, Joyce D. Hammond, Lisa Moulds, Karen Stout

Western Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

We analyze a two-year Faculty Fellows Program designed to enhance the service-learning pedagogy and scholarship at a regional comprehensive university. The impact of the program was analyzed using initial questionnaires, meeting notes, final reports, and faculty reflective essays. Participation in a faculty fellows cohort program provided a sense of campus community, led to professional and personal development, and improved community and student outcomes. Findings indicated the supportive culture created through the program was central to its powerful impact; other positive outcomes were grounded in the sense of community that developed.

Natural Product Education In Schools Of Pharmacy In The United States, Kelly M. Shields, Cydney E. Mcqueen

Pharmacy Faculty Scholarship

Objective. The purpose of this study was to describe pharmacy school curriculum offerings in the areas of natural products and complementary/alternative medicine. Methods. Eighty-one schools of pharmacy in the United States were surveyed to determine the extent to which coursework addressing natural product or complementary/alternative medicine had been incorporated into their curriculum. Results. Usable responses were obtained from 64 schools (79 percent). Of these, 51 schools offered some exposure to these topics, while 40 offered courses exclusively on these topics. Most of these schools offered this instruction as an elective course focused primarily on natural products. Conclusion. These results indicate …