Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Best Instructional Practices In Developmental Education: Faculty Perspectives, Calisa A. Pierce

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This descriptive study employed a survey to examine the perspectives of developmental education faculty members at public community colleges regarding instructional practices that have been identified in the literature as effective for developmental education. The study focused on two major areas related to the instructional practices surveyed: the degree to which faculty members perceive the practices to be effective and the degree to which they report they employ the practices. The entire population of West Virginia full-time faculty members teaching developmental education regularly in public community and technical colleges was surveyed with an 89.6% response rate. In addition, demographic information …

The Perceived Self- Efficacy Of West Virginia Public Elementary School Teachers To Teach Character Education, Hannah R. Toney

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of West Virginia public elementary school teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching character education. Questions addressed teachers’ overall level of perceived self-efficacy for teaching character education; the levels of perceived self-efficacy in student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management; and the differences between levels of perceived self-efficacy and selected school and teacher demographic/attribute variables. Teacher self-efficacy to instruct character education was measured using the Teacher Self-Efficacy to Instruct Character Education (TSICE) survey, an adaptation of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) designed by Megan Tschannen-Moran and Anita Woolfolk Hoy (2001). The …

Evaluation Of The Relationship Of Learner-Centered Beliefs Of Seventh Grade Mathematics Teachers And Student Achievement On The Mathematics Section Of The North Carolina End-Of-Grade Assessment, Mary A. Steltz

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to examine the personal domain in systemic reform. In an effort to improve student achievement, this study focused on accountability reform. The learner-centered model was based on what teachers believe about teaching and learning and how student motivation and achievement was influenced by those beliefs. Teacher practices, beliefs and behaviors had the greatest impact on student learning; therefore this study sought to establish identification of learner-centered teachers and their effectiveness on student achievement on the seventh grade mathematics section of the North Carolina End-of-Grade Assessment.

To that end, a non-experimental quantitative study design was used to …

Identification Of Perceived 21st Century Graphic Design Skills, Content Knowledge, And Tools Needed In An Effective University-Level Graphic Design Program, Amanda W. Bridges

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify 21st century skills, content knowledge, and tools needed in an effective university-level graphic design program. Inconsistencies in the graphic design curriculum, fueled by the increasingly large number of programs and concentrations and the inability to track graduates, were some of the issues that led to a need for this study.

This study was an expansion of a previous 2006 study conducted by Shyang-Yuh Wang, which took place in Kansas and Missouri. This current study used a modified Delphi Technique in which perceptions from university-level graphic design educators and industry professionals from North …

A Course Redesign Project To Change Faculty Orientation Toward Teaching, Susan Eliason, Christine L. Holmes

Elementary and Early Childhood Education Faculty Publications

This article discusses the development, implementation, and outcomes of a Faculty Course Redesign Camp for full-time and adjunct faculty members. The purpose of the camp was to educate and coach faculty in effective strategies to promote learner-centered teaching skills. Evaluation results show that the participants changed their orientation toward teaching in the dimension of their role in instruction, but they made little change in balance of power and responsibility for learning.

Turf, Team, And Town: A Geriatric Interprofessional Education Program, Nancy Macrae

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Describes the Interprofessional Geriatric Education Program (IGEP) at the University of New England (U.S.). This course involves collaboration among health care students and faculty, including dental, occupational therapy, physician assistant, and physical therapy programs, and is focused on treatment for and feedback from elderly patients, who serve as “teachers” for students in the program.

A Southern Progressive: M. A. Cassidy And The Lexington Schools, 1886-1928, Richard E. Day, Lindsey N. Devries

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The 42-year career of M. A. Cassidy exemplifies the transition of public school leadership in Kentucky from non-educators who held religious-political ideologies to professional progressive educators who sought to make Kentucky schools more efficient through expertise and scientific management. This concept was fully adopted in Section 183 of the Kentucky Constitution (1891) which required the General Assembly to “provide for an efficient system of common schools throughout the state.” Confident that professional educators were best suited to devise solutions to social problems, and justified by the twin notions of equality of educational opportunity and meritocracy, Cassidy was part of a …

Methodological Modes: Instructional Practice And 21 St Century Engagement In Secondary English Classrooms, Laurel Eury Naughton

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to provide insight into the teaching practices of secondary English teachers. Current learners are in classrooms in which the instructional practices or methodologies are employed, but may not be engaging students. Information sought included the degree to which 21 st century practices were being incorporated into the lessons, and the level with which students were engaging with the material.

The researcher observed classrooms of junior and senior English, and measured the level of engagement triangulating the data from the local school agency's observation tool with that of Van Amburgh et al.'s (2007) active learning inventory tool …

Effects Of Multisensory Phonics-Based Training On The Word Recognition And Spelling Skills Of Adolescents With Reading Disabilities, Sallyann Geiss, Kenyatta O. Rivers, Kelly S. Kennedy, Linda J. Lombardino

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of an Orton-Gillingham-based reading instruction system, the Barton Reading and Spelling System (BRSS; Barton 2000), that was used as a supplemental reading instruction program for increasing the lower-level reading skills of a group of adolescents with persistent reading problems. Nine students participated in the supplemental reading program based on pre-test scores of a spoken and written language assessment battery. Progress was measured at the end of intervention by post-testing students on the same assessment battery. Each student showed some improvements from their pretest to posttest scores on all of the …

G12-425 Nebraska Beef Report Summaries 2012, Richard J. Rasby, Dennis Brink, Galen E. Erickson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Brief synopsis of recent UNL beef research. Each year the UNL Department of Animal Science reports its current beef cattle research. This 2012 NebGuide discusses the research topics of Cow/Calf, Growing, Finishing and Beef Products.

Roots Of Farm And Family, Carol Gjenvick

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The current food industry is a vast and confusing system that often generates contradicting information, new jargon and trends on how and what to eat. Most families in urban and suburban regions shop at local grocery stores, supermarkets or chains and are far removed from the origins of their food supply. Even with the growing support of farmers markets and local farmers, the average person no longer has access to an actual farm. Children in particular, are less likely to understand how a farm operates, the essential role of the farmer, the impact of seasonal changes on food supplies and …

The Process Approach As Writing Instruction In Efl (English As A Foreign Language) Classrooms, Gregory D. Vanderpyl

MA TESOL Collection

Firstly, this paper will provide a brief historical account of the process approach to writing and follow with a working definition of process approach to be utilized throughout this Independent Professional Project. At present, much evidence points to the benefits to using the process approach as writing instruction, but the reality is that more studies are still needed. Therefore, it is imperative that teachers participate in generating ideas and fortify the cache of available knowledge. The author has experimented with the process approach as writing instruction in two greatly varying contexts and has found the process approach effective on several …

Team-Based Learning In Law, Sophie M. Sparrow, Margaret Sova Mccabe

Law Faculty Scholarship

Used for over thirty years in a wide variety of fields, Team-Based Learning is a powerful teaching strategy that improves student learning. Used effectively, it enables students to actively engage in applying legal concepts in every class -- without sacrificing coverage. Because this teaching strategy has been used in classes with over 200 students, it also provides an efficient and affordable way to provide significant learning. Based on the principles of instructional design, Team-Based Learning has built-in student accountability, promotes independent student preparation, and fosters professional skills. This article provides an overview of Team-Based Learning, reasons to adopt this teaching …

Can They Work Well On A Team? Assessing Students' Collaborative Skills, Sophie M. Sparrow

Law Faculty Scholarship

[Excerpt] "Among the many critiques of legal education are criticisms that law students do not graduate with effective emotional intelligence skills-in particular, they have not learned to work well with others. Working with others is an important legal skill; and as law practice increasingly relies on collaboration among lawyers, legal staff, clients, and other individuals, so have legal employers raised the demand for effective collaborative skills among law students and recent graduates.

This essay will focus on ways to engage students in collaborating and assessing that collaboration effectively. Students' interpersonal collaborative skills can be effectively taught and assessed in large …

Southern Adventist University Graduate Catalog 2012-2013, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Graduate

Southern Adventist University's graduate catalog for the academic year 2012-2013.

Learning Interdisciplinary Pedagogies, Alison J. Friedow, Erin E. Blankenship, Jennifer L. Green, Walter Stroup

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

Advocates of interdisciplinary teaching and learning in higher education suggest that interdisciplinary courses “promise a wide range of desirable educational outcomes for students” (Newell 1994: 35). These outcomes include enhanced affective and cognitive abilities, increased understanding of multiple perspectives, greater appreciation for ambiguity, and superior capacities for creative thinking, among others (35). Despite claims about the possibilities interdisciplinary learning offers, we have few examples of how faculty from different disciplines work together to create interdisciplinary classroom environments where such outcomes can occur. In short, more examples of how faculty from different disciplines actually develop, engage, and revise interdisciplinary pedagogies with …

Birds Of New England And Costa Rica: A Science-Based Interdisciplinary Curriculum, Alice M. Ford

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Students are naturally inquisitive scientists, and successful interdisciplinary curricula access this curiosity by shaping academic studies around students' needs as scientists. Therefore, students are scientists who need opportunities to study and observe the world around them. This curriculum, "Birds of New England and Costa Rica: A Science-Based Interdisciplinary Curriculum," is based on children's abilities to observe and question by studying the immediate environment of the students and relating it to another environment. In this way, students compare and contrast relationships in order to construct their own knowledge about birds in New England and in Costa Rica. Through this study, students …

Early Observations Of High School Deployment Of One-To-One Technology: A Qualitative Look At One-To-One Computing In Maine High Schools, Leanne C. Walker, Amy F. Johnson Phd, David L. Silvernail Phd

Education Technology

This research compared the experiences of one-to-one deployment of a small group of MLTI high schools with those of a small group of netbook high schools in the following areas:

General observations: What have been the benefits and challenges of launching a 1:1 program in high school? Has the type of device affected the experiences of schools (netbooks vs. MLTI MacBooks)?

Usage of 1:1 Devices: How do the experiences of the students and teachers compare in the two different programs? Are the less expensive netbook devices adequate for use in the classroom? Does the level of technology integration vary by …

Bully Versus Bullied: A Qualitative Study Of Students With Disabilities In Inclusive Settings, Ida M. Malian Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

This qualitative study observed bullying patterns and trends of students with and without disabilities in inclusive settings. The participants were fourth grade students eligible for receiving special education services in inclusive , resource and self-contained settings. Qualitative data were collected while students were in class and during specials and non-academic times. The data suggests that students with disabilities are bullied and are themselves bullies at times. There appeared to be a relationship between personal characteristics and the incidence of bullying. Further, adult intervention was reported to be lax during incidences f bullying. Educational implications for schools, teachers and teacher educators …

Building Support For The Introductory Oral Communication Course: Strategies For Widespread And Enduring Support On Campus, Jon A. Hess

Communication Faculty Publications

A strong introductory course is important for many communication departments, for the discipline, and for meeting our obligation to society. This paper utilizes the example of a recent curricular reform that threatened to eliminate a required oral communication course to reflect on strategies departments can use to build widespread and lasting support for the course. The paper reviews the events that led to the challenge and details the department’s response, which offers lessons that may be useful for other institutions. Four lessons include:

* Tailoring the introductory course to the institution’s needs and mission

* Involvement in university work

* …