Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Spring 2010 Course Schedule Changes

Student Handbooks

No abstract provided.

Assessing Differences In Students' Experiences In Traditional Versus Scientific Teaching-Based Biology Course, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Susan C. Styer

Faculty Publications & Research

Introduction:

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), located in Aurora Illinois, is a public, three- year residential high school for students who are academically talented in mathematics and/or science. Students apply in their freshman year and are chosen based on test scores and grades as well as other accomplishments, such as extracurricular projects or performances. About 10-15% of the sophomore class enters IMSA from the eighth grade.

The sophomore program consists of three content- based, one-semester core courses in biology, chemistry, and physics, and one methods-in- science course. Sophomores take two science classes per semester. About 80% of the …

Assessing The Effect Of Simulation Models On Systems Learning In An Introductory Environmental Science Course, Heather J. Skaza

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While there is plenty of anecdotal evidence within the systems dynamics community supporting the use of systems simulations in the classroom to improve student understanding, there is little published, controlled, experimental research. This paper describes the results of a paired experiment testing the effect of using system dynamics simulations to increase systems understanding in an introductory environmental science course. We believed that the students using the systems simulations would demonstrate a greater systemic understanding of environmental issues than those who did not.

We conducted an experiment during the fall semester of 2009, with 304 students enrolled in four sections of …

Constructing A Citizenry: Variance In Civic Education In Minnesota's Secondary Schools, Hopi Costello

Political Science Honors Projects

My project has two aims. First, I seek to fill the gap in basic descriptive data about the state of civic education in Minnesota's high schools. Second, I attempt to shed light on civic education in the state by exploring influences to it. I argue that demographic characteristics of civics teachers and the communities in which they teach influence both civics curriculum and teacher's conceptions of civic education. In a nation that depends on citizen participation for the functioning of the state, it is important to understand that the ways we teach students to participate may differ across locales.

Spiritual Bypass: A Preliminary Investigation, Harriet L. Glosoff, Craig S. Cashwell, Chereé Hammond

Department of Counseling Scholarship and Creative Works

The phenomenon of spiritual bypass has received limited attention in the transpersonal psychology and counseling literature and has not been subjected to empirical inquiry. This study examines the phenomenon of spiritual bypass by considering how spirituality, mindfulness, alexithymia (emotional restrictiveness), and narcissism work together to influence depression and anxiety among college students. Results suggested that mindfulness and alexithymia accounted for variance in depression beyond what is accounted for by spirituality and that all 3 factors (mindfulness, alexithymia, and narcissism) accounted for variance in anxiety beyond what is accounted for by spirituality. Implications for counselors are provided.

Literacy, Technology And Discernment: Investigating The Role Of Information Technology In Literacy Education, Alisa Siebenga-Weening

Master of Education Program Theses

Regardless of geography, segments of the population struggle to read and write. This struggle is so pronounced that literacy has become an issue for many governments, and policies have been set in place to help ensure a literate society. Educators, in their struggle to respond to the problem, have looked to a variety of methods to help children become literate. One prominent means is the use of information technology and computer-assisted instruction. Because of its significant role, it is necessary for the Christian educator to examine the impact of computer technology, to investigate the role and extent of use of …

Making Waves With Critical Literacy, Carolyn Fortuna

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

A qualitative study undertaken in 2007 that explores the application of critical literacy pedagogy within English language arts classes of an upper middle class public high school. Results demonstrate that when students recontextualize their own modalities, literacies, and cultures as part of their learning experience, they begin to understand the concept of social justice for all.

The Development Of Curriculum-Based Measurement Local Norms In The Area Of Written Expression, Elizabeth Anne Youngman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This project used Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) in the area of Written Expression to establish district norms for Bowling Green City Schools. CBM uses brief fluency measures as indicators of students' academic performance. With the use of CBM, it is possible to identify students who are considered to be at-risk for educational performance. AIMSweb probes were used to assess 1,565 first through fifth grade students from five elementary schools within the Bowling Green Independent School District. Performance was scored using the three most common scoring indices: Total Words Written (TWW), Words Spelled Correctly (WSC), and Correct Word Sequence (CWS). Data collected …

The Effects Of An Educational Program On Faculty Stages Of Concern Regarding The Use Of Interactive Video Services (Ivs) In Undergraduate Nursing Education, Cathy H. Abell, Dawn M. Garrett, M. Susan Jones

Nursing Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Training In Peer Assessment On University Students' Writing Performance And Peer Assessment Quality In An Online Environment, Yun Xiao

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the effects of peer-assessment skill training on students' writing performance, the quality of students' feedback, the quality (validity and reliability) of student-generated scores, and the students' satisfaction with the peer assessment method in an online environment. A quasi-experimental design was employed to test group differences on the dependent variables. Four hundred and seventy-three sophomore and junior undergraduate students who were enrolled in a Foundations of Education course were selected by convenience sampling at a Large East-Coast Urban University. Students enrolled in Spring and Fall semesters of 2008 were assigned to the two experimental groups …

Implementer Perceptions Of Washington State's Integrated Basic Education And Skills Training (I-Best) Program, Robert W. Fox

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Basic skills instruction has had poor success in equipping adults with the training needed in today's global economy. The educational leaders in Washington State realized the necessity of rapidly equipping adults with career skills and developed the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program to meet workforce needs. In 2004, Washington State piloted the I-BEST program in ten institutions, but it has since expanded to all 34 of the State's community colleges. I-BEST is an instructional method which provides basic skills support to ABE and ESL students while they receive career training. I-BEST uniquely pairs a basic skills instructor …

The Experiences Of Secondary Social Studies Teachers With Historical Thinking Skills, Denise Lorraine Trombino

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

In this descriptive, mixed methods study, the researcher investigated secondary social studies teachers' college course experiences with and classroom use of historical thinking skills (HTS). Questionnaires were distributed to 160 teachers in a large public school system in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Forty percent of the questionnaires were returned. From the 40%, a purposeful sample was created. Observations, interviews, and analysis of instructional documents were used to gather data from the purposeful sample. The results showed that high school social studies teachers reported a range of experiences with and use of HTS. Teachers reported more exposure to …

Team-Based Learning: Engagement And Accountability With Psychometric Analysis Of A New Instrument, Heidi Ann Mennenga

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With calls for transformation, innovation, and excellence in nursing education from national bodies of nursing, nurse educators must determine the best possible teaching strategies to meet educational standards. Team-based learning, an innovative teaching strategy, offers educators a structured, student-centered learning environment and may be more effective than current teaching pedagogies in meeting the needs of nurse educators.

The purpose of this study was to (a) examine differences in student engagement between baccalaureate nursing students taught using team-based learning and those taught using traditional lecture, (b) examine how levels of engagement affected examination scores, (c) examine potential differences in student examination …

The Core Competence And Attitude Of The Small Business Owner-Manager: A Combination Of Cognitive, Affective And Psychomotor Competences And Attitudes, Hely Westerholm, Ph.D.

International Journal for Business Education

Over the coming decade, up to 2015, nearly 80,000 Finnish small and medium-sized individual enterprises possibly with a tradition as a family business will have to find successors for their current owner-managers. The current teaching and learning of entrepreneurship do not deliver enough entrepreneurs. The curriculum at all school levels should be refreshed to meet the challenges that the future entrepreneurs have to face. The study examines the occupational competence and attitudes that small business owner-managers themselves consider essential to their work. They were given an opportunity to express their views in small focus groups of peer small business owner-managers. …

2010 Ijbe Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

1. Editorial Board
2. President's Letter
3. SIEC-ISBE International

Orientation On Learning Outcomes With Multidimensional Student Assessment, Michaela Stock, Elisabeth Riebenbauer, Anna Winkelbauer

International Journal for Business Education

The orientation towards learning outcomes implies the need for competence-based learning as well as a competence-based student assessment. The ideas for innovative self and peer assessment presented in this paper enable individualized business education. Furthermore, various methods and instruments for a multidimensional design of students assessment are introduced, such as assessment circle (360°feedback), portfolio, learning diary, skills demonstration, and appraisal interview.

The Effects Of Using Bloom's Taxonomy To Align Reading Instruction With The Virginia Standards Of Learning Framework For English, Charla Faulkner Crews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the effects of aligning the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) English Framework with Bloom's Taxonomy on student achievement. Changes prompted by No Child Left Behind legislation increased accountability for student success, as well as mandated testing to determine annual academic growth of all students. Documentation supported the need of fourth grade students to improve comprehension skills. The goals of this research were to determine the effects of aligning the SOL English Framework with Bloom's Taxonomy on student achievement and determine the effects of developing reading lesson plans based on the SOL English Framework aligned with Bloom's Taxonomy …

Learning With And Because Of Each Other: A High School Art Portfolio Class As A Community Of Practice, Gregory Robert Frederick

Dissertations (1934 -)

This educational criticism of a senior high school art portfolio class asks: In what ways does the community of practice developed within a successful studio art program at a high school contribute to an understanding of its success?

Interviews, documents, photographs, and classroom observations gathered over one year inform this qualitative study. Participants include three Portfolio co-teachers, twenty Portfolio students, and two younger art students. Analysis focuses on the interplay of structure and participation that shapes learning among the participants, both as a group and individually. Five themes emerge as valuable ways of understanding the community of practice: team teaching, …

Student Perceptions Of Digital Textbooks In A College Nursing Program, Alan D. Eno

Theses from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications

The purpose of this research was to study the use of digital textbooks in a small liberal arts college. The research was a mixed methods descriptive study using a pre and post survey to determine student perceptions of the technology. Findings indicated that students needed training in the installation and use of digital textbooks. Findings also indicated the need for further research into what students understand about using digital textbooks. Recommendations are for the college to institute training sessions to teach students how to use the digital textbooks.

Nanny Of The Maroons And The Mythology Of [My]Self, Marva S. Mcclean Dr.

Marva S McClean Dr.

This paper examines the central role Nanny of the Maroon plays within the West Indian ideology of resistance & empowerment.