Higher Education Commons^™

Immersive Learning Environments For Computer Science Education, Dillon Buchanan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This master's thesis explores the effectiveness of an educational intervention using an interactive notebook to support and supplement instruction in a foundational-level programming course. A quantitative, quasi-experimental group comparison method was employed, where students were placed into either a control or a treatment group. Data was collected from assignment and final grades, as well as self-reported time spent using the notebook. Independent t-tests and correlation were used for data analysis. Results were inconclusive but did indicate that the intervention had a possible effect. Further studies may explore better efficacy, implementation, and satisfaction of interactive notebooks across a larger population and …

Community College Faculty’S Perceptions Of Culturally Responsive Teaching, Sarah Tolbert-Hurysz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study sought to understand community college faculty’s perceptions of and experiences with culturally responsive teaching. Participants were full- and part-time faculty currently employed at community colleges in the Southeastern United States and purposefully selected to provide information-rich data. Data collected from the semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the participants were coded and thematically analyzed. Emerging themes included faculty’s inclusion of varied categories of cultural diversity when describing students; limited knowledge related to culturally responsive teaching; perception that culturally responsive teaching is centered on connecting and building relationships with students; belief in the value of providing students exposure to different …

Fit For Population Health Service: Assessing The Change In Public Health Competencies Of Interprofessional Undergraduate Health Sciences Students, Cassity Gutierrez, Sara Johnston

International Journal of Health Sciences Education

Background. A 2012 IOM report is just one of an increasing number of recommendations to incorporate a population health approach into training of all health professionals. In light of the emphasis on and necessity for all future health professionals to possess core public health competences, a medium sized public University incorporated Introduction to Public Health as a required course in their undergraduate, interprofessional Health Sciences curriculum.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to assess the change in core public health competencies of undergraduate Health Sciences students who completed an Introduction to Public Health course.

Methods. The Tier 1 …

Learning Styles Of Physical Therapy And Physical Therapist Assistant Students In Accredited Physical Therapy Programs, Margaret A. Lowdermilk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the learning styles of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students and associate degree Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) students and identify any association between their learning styles and examine the association between gender and age by learning style.

Participants included 337 DPT and PTA students attending CAPTE accredited institutions with doctoral DPT or associate PTA programs in Tennessee and southwest Virginia. The Felder (1996) and Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS) was used to determine learning style preferences within 4 learning style dimensions (active-reflective, sensing-intuitive, visual-verbal, and sequential-global).

Demographics included program of study, …

A Subgroup Analysis Of The Impact Of Self-Testing Frequency On Examination Scores In A Pathophysiology Course, Peter C. Panus, David W. Stewart, Nicholas E. Hagemeier, Jim C. Thigpen, Lauren Brooks

ETSU Faculty Works

Objective: To determine if the frequency of self-testing of course material prior to actual examination improves examination scores, regardless of the actual scores on the self-testing.

Methods: Practice quizzes were randomly generated from a total of 1342 multiple-choice questions in pathophysiology and made available online for student self-testing. Intercorrelations, 2-way repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc tests, and 2-group comparisons following rank ordering, were conducted.

Results: During each of 4 testing blocks, more than 85% of students took advantage of the self-testing process for a total of 7042 attempts. A consistent significant correlation (p≤0.05) existed between the number of practice …

Teaching Undergraduates How To Analyze, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Rosalind Raymond Gann

ETSU Faculty Works

Analysis is typically listed in taxonomies of higher order thinking. Academics consider these taxonomies worthwhile, but they are hard to teach and we are apt to ignore them. Today higher education is criticized for “dumbing down” curriculum or lowering standards. To rectify this, many policies at the state or national level are requiring higher education institutions to change. In K-12 education, Race to the Top and Common Core requirements are placing new demands on K-12 teacher preparation, which include evaluation of the analysis skills of pre-service teachers. But professors do not always view their disciplines as the proper place for …

Teaching Undergraduates How To Analyze, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Rosalind Raymond Gann

ETSU Faculty Works

Analysis is typically the first of the higher functions listed in taxonomies of higher order thinking. Academics consider these upper categories extremely worthwhile, but they are hard to teach and we are apt to ignore them. Today higher education is being criticized for “dumbing down” curriculum or lowering standards. To rectify this, many policies at the state or national level are requiring higher education institutions to change. In K‐12 education, Race to the Top and Common Core requirements are placing new demands on K‐12 teacher preparation, which include evaluation of the analysis skills of pre‐service teachers. But professors do not …

Linking Art To Science: Digital Media As A Technology Translation Tool, W. Andrew Clark, Cher L. Cornett, Peter M. Hriso

ETSU Faculty Works

Technology translation can be achieved through the blending of the sciences and arts in the form of digital imagery. Digital animation and video can be utilized to portray molecular events where the mechanism of action is known but the process occurs at a sub-microscopic level. There needs to be a strong collaboration between scientific advisors and digital artists when creating the animation such that the artistic interpretation of the molecular event conforms to the known and accepted confines of science. The finished animation may be used for information, education or persuasion as entrepreneurial biotechnical companies attempt to find markets, customers …