Digital Commons Network^™

Bringing Online Peer Review Into Blended Teaching, Susan White

Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference

Motivated by my experience as a student in a MOOC, I have incorporated online peer review of writing assignments into my advanced undergraduate biochemistry courses. Each student submits her review of a course reading or report online, then evaluates work submitted by two or three of her classmates based on a rubric I provide. As peer reviewers, students anonymously assign low-stakes grades and receive credit for their reviews, but they also get an opportunity to write for each other and read their classmate's responses to course topics. Moodle’s Workshop activity was used to manage the submission and review process. I …

Using Blended Learning To Take Advantage Of Learning Science Research, Jennifer Spohrer

Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference

Why does blended learning work? Some observers have suggested that students simply spend more time with the material in a blended course, but evidence from studies of blended courses is mixed. Learning science research suggests that how learners study also matters, and a blended learning approaches incorporate many tactics shown to be effective, such as formative assessment, repetition at intervals, and metacognitive prompting.

Keynote: Nglc Blended Learning Study Report And Where Do We Go From Here?, Kimberly Cassidy, Jennifer Spohrer

Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference

Drs. Cassidy and Spohrer will give an update on the Next Generation Learning Challenges Wave I grant-funded study of blended learning, including an overview of preliminary findings from courses taught at our partner colleges over the 2012-2013 academic year. We will also present and discuss possible next steps for 2013-2014.

Connecting The Strands Of Wampum, Marissa Corwin

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Documents the development of the author's philosophies and strategies as she formed a methodology for teaching social studies content about Native Americans in New York State.

Addressing Invisibility Of Asian-American History And Cultural Heritage In North American School Curricula : A Curriculum Guide, Kathryn Eliza Harris

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Presents a curriculum guide for upper elementary students (5th grade) including rationale and background research on need for critically informed multicultural education, an overview of the history of Chinese immigrants in the United States, origin and prevalence of Asian-American stereotypes, and underrepresentation of Asian-Americans in curriculum.

Going Public : Authentic Teaching And Learning Through Publication, Katherine Concotta Donahue

Graduate Student Independent Studies

As the burdens of high-stakes testing and teacher evaluation systems move toward more quantitative measures, it is even more pressing to preserve the sanctity of creative teaching and learning endeavors. It is with this in mind that the author strives to present a collaborative, project-based learning experience that is at once authentic and aligned to nationally recognized standards for excellence in teaching and learning.

Rockin School : An Audio, Visual, And Kinesthetic Approach To General Education Through Music, Tobias Gebb

Graduate Student Independent Studies

A research study that aims to show that the use of music with content embedded in the lyrics within regular classroom lessons can be an effective tool to improve student enthusiasm, engagement, memory, performance, and test scores.

The Case For Anti-Bias Preschool And Curriculum For Teachers, Children And Families : Thriving And Learning In A Diverse Child-Led Environment, Nicole Robbins

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Attempts to make the case for the design of an anti-bias preschool. The paper looks at the specific age when young children begin to notice similarities and differences pertaining to physical characteristics, social-economic characteristics, cultural characteristics and developmental variations. It explores the impact formal anti-bias education can have in the preschool setting. This includes impacts on children, families, and teachers. Recommendations are provided in the form of a teacher -training module that includes practical tips as well as an example of an anti-bias curriculum.

Curriculum Design In The Urban Arts Classroom; Can The Common Core Standards Be The Great Equalizer For Arts Education? : A Research Paper And Studio Art Unit Study, Kathleen Kennedy

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The purpose of this research is to present a case for developing Common Core Standards for the arts as an avenue to increase universal access to quality arts education regardless of a student's geographic or socioeconomic background.

An Alphabet Of The Arts, Jessica Barksdale

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The purpose of this project is to create an arts resource book, inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, for classroom teachers.

The Social Construction Of Literary Understanding In A 3rd Grade Classroom During Interactive Read-Alouds, Adriann Flint

Honors Program Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Agricultural Communication Lesson Plans For The Agricultural Leadership Class At Elk Grove High School, Chelsea Molina

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to develop agricultural communication lesson plans for Elk Grove High School’s Agricultural Leadership class. The lesson plans were created after the research of the existing California Agricultural Education and Agricultural Leadership Curriculum standards. The lesson plans were then based off of the FFA Agricultural Communications Career Development Event (CDE) guidelines in order to grasp many of the important details of the CDE. The CDE is offered at the national level but not yet at the state level in California. Providing lesson plans that coincide with the requirements of the CDE will help California FFA …

Creative Environments, Jamie M. Sanchez

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project is the result of the teaching and learning that occurred in a high school elective class called Creative Environments at Khartoum American School in Sudan. The students of this class were introduced to creative studies, creative problem solving, and design. Through an array of thoughtful lesson planning, the students gained essential skills that prepared them in redesigning a purposeless area on their school campus into a place that sparks creativity and builds community.

Engaging Literacy Activities A Case Study, Tiffanie Dawn Meridth

All Graduate Projects

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in Washington State has adopted Common Core Standards. The reading curriculum given to teachers most often reflects the appropriate grade level materials, but does not necessarily meet common core standards, engage students in learning, or prepare students to pass the end of year exams. In this study, engaging classroom literacy activities will be developed and aligned with learning targets associated with common core standards for sixth grade students. A variety of materials will be used for activities to include: novel sets, picture books, social studies curriculum, and additional teacher resources. It …

Communicating Creativity: A Workshop And Communication Tools For Teaching And Consulting In Creativity, Stephen J. Hammond

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project developed tools to support a consulting practice integrating the author’s interests in creative process, design and organizational strategy. The focus is on educating students and clients about creativity, creative thinking, design and innovation. Design thinking concepts of user feedback and rapid prototyping were used during the project. The resulting products are materials for a multi-day graduate level workshop for design students, a creativity website including blogging capability and a four minute educational video aimed at helping establish an Aerospace Technology Center in Northern Illinois.

Academic College Readiness Indicators Of Seniors Enrolled In University-Model Schools® And Traditional, Comprehensive Christian Schools, Sharon Brobst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This correlational study examined the relationship between type of high school a senior attends (University-Model School® (UMS®) or traditional, comprehensive Christian) and academic college readiness, when controlling for prior academic achievement and gender. The study compared archival data from Christian school graduates from six schools located near Dallas, TX. Each took the Stanford-10 in their seventh, eighth, or ninth-grade years, which controlled for prior academic achievement. SAT and ACT scores measured academic college readiness. Results of three sequential multiple regressions, controlling for confounding, showed that prior academic achievement was significant in predicting SAT Composite, SAT Writing, and ACT Composite scores. …

Teaching Note - Four Pillars In Understanding Globalization: How I Teach Second Year Seminar, Fang Deng

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

View Of Socioscientific Issues Among Educators: The Willingness Of Teachers To Accept Ssi Into The Classroom And The Reason Underlying Those Beliefs, John Carlos Parr

Dissertations

Socioscientific issues (SSI) are potentially controversial topics, which can be examined using a social and a scientific perspective. The inclusion of these topics in elementary and secondary classrooms has caused a number of conflicts over the past century. In the present study, I explore the willingness of teachers to include three SSI: evolution, stem cell research, and global climate change in the science curricula. Participants included 221 educators currently employed in K-12 schools. Teachers have the greatest impact on classroom instruction, regardless of state curricula. I found most educators willing to include the three previously named SSI in the curricula, …

Technology Implementation: Teacher Age, Experience, Self-Efficacy, And Professional Development As Related To Classroom Technology Integration, Stephanie Renee Tweed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the combination of factors that pertain to the implementation of new technologies in the classroom. Specifically, the study was an analysis of the age of the teacher, years of teaching experience, quality of professional development, and teacher self-efficacy as defined by Bandura (1997) to examine the manner in which these factors relate to implementing new technologies in the classroom. Participants in this study were located in 2 different school districts in East Tennessee. All data were collected through an online survey distributed to K-5 teachers by way of email from school …

Overcoming Misconceptions In Religious Education: The Effects Of Text Structure And Topic Interest On Conceptual Change, Seth J. King

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study quantitatively investigated refutation text’s power for conceptual change in Latter-day Saint religious doctrines. The study also examined religious interest levels. Participants for this study were 9^th-, 10^th-, 11^th-, and 12^th-grade seminary students from the private religious educational system of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Results of the study showed significant differences in conceptual change between participants’ reading refutation texts and those reading expository texts. Refutation texts significantly increased the likelihood of conceptual change when compared to expository texts. Results also showed participant preference toward refutation text …

The Effects Of Story Grammar On The Oral Narrative Skills Of English Language Learners With Language Impairments, Rhonda D. Miller

All Dissertations

Studies with monolingual English speakers have demonstrated the significance of children’s narrative development for the acquisition of literacy skills. This research has shown that children’s ability to perform school narrative tasks may significantly predict children’s early literacy skills (Gutiérrez-Clellen, 2002), including English reading comprehension outcomes within and across languages in Spanish-speaking ELLs (Miller et al., 2006). This study investigated the effects of a story grammar intervention that used a Story Grammar Marker ® and repeated story retells on the oral narrative skills of third and fourth grade ELLs with SLI. A single case multiple probe across participants design was used …

Learner Retention Of Medical Vocabulary Based On Instructional Format And Success In Medical Coding, Madelon Reed Gruich

Dissertations

This quantitative research study explores the correlation between instructional formats and the measurement of knowledge retention, as well as subsequent course mastery and whether other factors such as age, ethnicity, gender, number of study hours, number of work hours, and family responsibilities influence learning outcomes. The healthcare data technology program attracts large numbers of individuals seeking training in this administrative healthcare field and was the focal area of the research for this study.

The participants in the study were the students enrolled in the healthcare data technology program of a southeastern community college, preparing for employment in the medical billing …

It's Not Just About The Technology: Changing The Focus From Technology To Collaboration In Videoconferencing Room Design, Tamela W. Smith

Dissertations

Videoconferencing technologies are being increasingly utilized in today’s business and educational environments. However, implementation rates continue to be lower than projected, and user perceptions on the level of collaborative environment provided by videoconferencing rooms vary widely, depending on room design. This study found that, while few videoconferencing professional characteristics impact the level of collaborative environment designed for end-users, the perceived closeness levels provided to end-users significantly impacted their perceptions on the technology. The study also found that videoconferencing professionals’ views and end-users’ views on the level of collaboration within videoconferencing environments vary significantly. By shifting the design of videoconferencing rooms …

Culturally Proficient Teachers, Lori R. Piowlski

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Action needs to be taken by teacher preparation programs to prepare culturally proficient educators who are able to deliver equitable instruction and inspire all students to strive for greatness if the achievement gap is to be closed. Existing literature mainly describes the importance and urgency to prepare future teachers for the changing demographics with classrooms across the United States. There is not significant literature on how it is being done. Therefore the purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how university teacher education programs are preparing teachers to be culturally proficient. A cross-reference of data collected from Adequate Yearly …

Certified Public Accountant Education And Ethical Decision-Making Preparedness: A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Connection, Vicki Bealman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was not to evaluate efficacy of ethical training for current accounting programs, but to understand the perceptions of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) for the influence of accounting ethical education requirements on their ethical decision-making preparedness. The study used pre-interview surveys, face-to-face interviews, and timeline drawings to acquire data in four principle areas: CPA ethical decision-making preparedness, accounting program ethics educational requirements, accounting program ethics learning activities, and CPA perceptions of necessary changes to accounting program ethics requirements. Results from Virginia CPA perceptions indicate the definition of ethical decision-making as doing the right thing at …

April Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

A Study Of Asynchronous Learning Options That Promote Continuity Of Learning In K-12 Settings, Timothy Wade Bobrowski

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at Morehead State University by Timothy Wade Bobrowski on April 11, 2013.

Can The Strong Get Stronger? A Laboratory Investigation Of Natural Selection For Antimicrobial Resistance, Tracie M. Ivy, Natalie W. Spivey, Sarah Grace Keaveany, Elizabeth Ramsey, Patrick Sellars, Deborah Stripling

Arthur Vining Davis High Impact Fellows Projects

The students, Sarah Grace Keaveany and Elizabeth Ramsey, completed original research with to investigate 1) standing variation among common bacterial species (Escherichia coli and Stapholococcus epidermidis) in the amount of resistance to triclosan, a common anti-microbial used in hand washes; and 2) the capacity for these bacteria to develop increased resistance to triclosan through selection. The students have developed lab modules based on this research. One module includes a wet lab, where students will culture their own bacteria. The other module allows students to obtain data from photographs of bacterial plates in lieu of a wet lab component.

Advanced Placement American History In 3-D, J. David Alvis, Steve Jobe, Erin Frost

Arthur Vining Davis High Impact Fellows Projects

The purpose of this project is to create an online collection of visual works that will enable high school teachers to supplement their instruction of AP American history as well as local history in Spartanburg, SC. We are grateful for this grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation and believe that this project will be a credit to their generosity. It is a commonly acknowledge fact in pedagogy today that visual stimulation enhances learning and makes it more enjoyable. Art can introduce social studies, literature, civics, and even science and math in an immediate, tangible way. In AP American History, …