Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Higher Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Higher Education

Developing Mobile Apps For Improving The Orientation Experience Of First-Year "Third Level" Students, Nevan Bermingham, Mark Prendergast, Trevor Boland, Mary O'Rawe, Barry Ryan Jul 2016

Developing Mobile Apps For Improving The Orientation Experience Of First-Year "Third Level" Students, Nevan Bermingham, Mark Prendergast, Trevor Boland, Mary O'Rawe, Barry Ryan

Conference papers

Smartphone usage by students has increased rapidly over the last number of years, and research points to an expectation for increased utilisation of mobile applications in college educational environments. First year students have particular needs when they transition to higher education (or 'third level'), as they can experience a number of personal, social and cultural difficulties. Orientation is a critical stage for these students and the earlier students have access to important orientation information, the less stressful the initial stages of college are. At Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), the authors designed a bespoke mobile application tailored to the particular …


Measuring The Effectiveness Of Software-Based Training To Improve The Spatial Visualization Skills Of Students In Stem Disciplines In Higher Education Institutions, Peter Cole Jan 2016

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Software-Based Training To Improve The Spatial Visualization Skills Of Students In Stem Disciplines In Higher Education Institutions, Peter Cole

Dissertations

This research investigates how software can be used to teach spatial skills leading to greater success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematical (STEM) fields. Existing research indicates that spatial skills can be taught and that good spatial skills are common to people who succeed in STEM fields. In this work, a software-only testing system with a direct targeted, training intervention module was implemented to measure and teach spatial skills using mental rotations, which are believed to be one of the most significant indicators of success in STEM fields. Spatial skills were tested using a standardized and validated test that measures …


An Introduction To The Higher Education In Transformation Proceedings, Brian Campbell, Bill Hunter Jan 2016

An Introduction To The Higher Education In Transformation Proceedings, Brian Campbell, Bill Hunter

Introduction

This paper is an introduction to the proceedings of the 2016 Higher Education in Transformation Symposium (HEIT) that was held November 2 to 4, in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, in the Faculty of Education at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. The overall theme for HEIT 2016 was Designing Higher Education for the Twenty-First Century. This theme addressed the many ways that colleges and universities are actively reinventing and reinvigorating higher education. The papers in this collection cover a broad spectrum of research and experiences in both Canada and Ireland. In this paper we review the main themes that arose …


Non-Traditional Students, Non-Traditional Teaching: Pathways To Academic Success Include Resourcefulness And Adaptation Skills, Ron Collis, Maureen Reed Jan 2016

Non-Traditional Students, Non-Traditional Teaching: Pathways To Academic Success Include Resourcefulness And Adaptation Skills, Ron Collis, Maureen Reed

Student Success

Today, students entering higher education are diverse and include many students who in previous generations did not attend higher education. Research shows that these non-traditional students (e.g., first generation students, students with disabilities, older students) often feel less prepared for higher education (Reed et al., 2006; Stebleton & Soria, 2012; Zafft, 2008). An option for non-traditional students seeking entry to university or professional programmes is to upgrade their academic skill through college pathway programmes. Regardless of how one might come to higher education, being prepared in higher education involves resourcefulness and resilience. Highly resourceful students use a number of self-management …


The Mooc: Rhetoric, Political Economy And The Value Of Technological Citizenship, Tanner Mirrlees, Shahid Alvi Jan 2016

The Mooc: Rhetoric, Political Economy And The Value Of Technological Citizenship, Tanner Mirrlees, Shahid Alvi

Teaching and Learning in a Digital Context

This paper offers a critical political-economy of the promise and disappointment of the for- profit Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) in higher education. Our goal is to encourage awareness, dialogue, and reflexivity about the gap between the rhetoric and reality of the MOOC in higher education and to highlight and interrogate the persuasive and profit power interests served by “the rhetoric of the MOOC.” To this end, the first section outlines our critical approach and defines some key concepts: “the rhetoric of technology,” “the political- economy of edu-tech” and “the public sphere.” The second section highlights the MOOC’s rhetorical promises …


Making Sense Of The Future Of Post-Secondary Education, Michael A. Rostek Ph.D. Jan 2016

Making Sense Of The Future Of Post-Secondary Education, Michael A. Rostek Ph.D.

System and Institutional Design and Transformation

The complexity and uncertainty of today’s global environment has created a bewildering array of interactions and interdependencies across all societal sectors including the educational sector. While many believe that modern communication and information technology reduces uncertainty and complexity, paradoxically, the "real effect is the opposite: information overload leads to a "poverty of attention" (Nye, 2002, p. 43) that complicates the process of filtering out the critical signals from the distracting noise" (Habegger, 2010, p. 49). Past methods for examining and understating this environment have proven to be ineffective in this fast-moving environment and sector leaders are now required to systematically …


Critical Skills And Critical Pedagogy In An Era Of "Permanent Crisis" In Postsecondary Education Howard A. Doughty, Howard A. Doughty Jan 2016

Critical Skills And Critical Pedagogy In An Era Of "Permanent Crisis" In Postsecondary Education Howard A. Doughty, Howard A. Doughty

Outcomes in Higher Education

"Critical thinking," is widely celebrated as a "soft" employability skill, like the communications and human relations capabilities deemed essential for work in the precarious twenty-first- century. We are told it enhances problem-solving skills and contributes to employee flexibility in the competitive global economy. Intellectually, critical thinking derives from the European Enlightenment. It favours the “scientific method,” strives for conceptual clarity and evidence- based statements. It eschews “bias” in all its forms. It opposes metaphysics and historicism, is critical of sentimental romanticism and authoritarian demagoguery, and seeks to purge “ideology” from public discourse. “Critical pedagogy” also criticizes ideology, but differently. It …


Online “Maker” Modules To Support Production Pedagogies In Education, Janette Hughes, Lauren Fridman, Laura Morrison Jan 2016

Online “Maker” Modules To Support Production Pedagogies In Education, Janette Hughes, Lauren Fridman, Laura Morrison

Teaching and Learning in a Digital Context

Our research study examines the use of online maker modules (developed by our research team) on the learning process for, and professional development of, graduate M.Ed. and M.A. students in a faculty of education in Ontario, Canada. The research draws on the practice of critical making with both digital and real-world artefacts as a vehicle for collaborative knowledge- sharing and generation, deep learning and meaningful engagement with one’s local and global communities. The students engaged in all five online maker modules as part of a graduate-level course and this paper offers insight into the experiences of two of these students …


Learning Analytics To Inform Teaching And Learning Approaches, Geraldine Gray, Colm Mcguinness, Philip Owende Jan 2016

Learning Analytics To Inform Teaching And Learning Approaches, Geraldine Gray, Colm Mcguinness, Philip Owende

Student Success

Learning analytics is an evolving discipline with capability for educational data analysis to enable better understanding of learning processes. This paper reports on learning analytics research at Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Ireland, that indicated measureable factors can identify first year students at risk of failing based on data available prior to commencement of first year of study. The study was conducted over three years, 2010 to 2012, on a student population from a range of academic disciplines (n=1,207). Data was gathered from both student enrolment data maintained by college administration, and an online, self-reporting tool administered during induction sessions for …


More Than Community Service: Providing Nationally Relevant And Large Scale Professional Development Opportunities For Public Sector Workers Through Immersion Into E-Learning, Ulrich Rauch Ph.D. Jan 2016

More Than Community Service: Providing Nationally Relevant And Large Scale Professional Development Opportunities For Public Sector Workers Through Immersion Into E-Learning, Ulrich Rauch Ph.D.

Partnerships

The public service in Trinidad and Tobago is in need of streamlining and modernisation. In the 21st century the economic wellbeing of the country is tied into a global economy that demands entrepreneurship and quick and nimble business and administrative processes to retain a competitive advantage. In particular, Trinidad and Tobago needs to move from extracting ever diminishing hydro-carbon based natural resources such as oil and natural gas, to wealth creation through becoming a knowledge society, by marketing its collective intelligence and entrepreneurial acumen. This requires a well trained workforce and a civil administration that supports sustainable progress in all …


The 12 Apps Of Christmas: An Innovative And Effective Online Student And Educator Support, Frances Boylan Jan 2016

The 12 Apps Of Christmas: An Innovative And Effective Online Student And Educator Support, Frances Boylan

Articles

The 12 Apps of Christmas course is a free open online course that has run at the Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, in both 2014 and 2015. The 2014 version of this course was aimed specifically at instructors and went on to win the Mobile Learning Division of the International E-Learning Award (iELA) and come joint third-place at the eLearning Excellence Awards run as part of the 14th European Conference on eLearning. The 2015 iteration was aimed primarily at students of all ages undertaking further education, third-level education and/or postgraduate study, but also included additional supporting information for educators. This …