Education Commons^™

Communication Patterns And Strategies In Software Development Communities Of Practice, Shreya Kumar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Some of the greatest challenges in the relatively new field of software development lie in the decidedly old technology of communication between humans. Software projects require sophisticated and varied communication skills because software developers work in a world of incomplete, imperfect information where teams evolve rapidly in response to evolving requirements and changing collaborators. While prescriptive models for software process such as Agile suggest ways of doing, in reality these codified practices must adapt to the complexities of a real workplace. Patterns, rather than rules of behavior within software process are more suitable to the varied and mutable nature of …

The Effects Of Blended Learning On Critical Thinking In A High School Earth Science Class, Renee Nicole Borglum

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study analyzed the effects of differing levels of technology use in a high school Earth Science class on student performance on the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (CTSR). Blended learning manipulates the combination of hands-on activities, classroom discussions, online discussions, interactive simulations and a variety of assessments that engage, instruct and assess student learning. Critical thinking is the set of skills and dispositions that foster problem solving, reasoning ability and selfregulation. The increasing use of technology in the classroom and fluctuation of content standards prompted this research. The results have implications for the classroom teacher of a wide range …

An Investigation Of Multimedia Instruction, The Modality Principle, And Reading Comprehension In Fourth-Grade Classrooms, Laura Angela Sandoval

Doctoral Dissertations

Elementary-school teachers are faced with the responsibility of finding the most effective ways to educate their students using multimedia approaches. The use of instruction with visuals and audio has resulted in positive learning outcomes on retention and transfer tasks for junior-high and high-school students. This approach that results in the modality principle has been tested less frequently in elementary-aged students.

The purpose of this study was to examine two different multimedia instructional approaches to investigate which condition offers beneficial learning outcomes through recall and transfer assessments during a lesson on different types of energy in fourth-grade classrooms using a Powerpoint® …

Effects Of Training On Intent, Ease, Self-Efficacy, Frequency, And Usefulness In Multimedia-Based Feedback For University-Level Instructors Using Canvas® Lms, Christopher Kent O'Leary

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how training and professional development effected university-level instructors’ perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, behavioral intent to use, perception of self-efficacy, and frequency of use of audio-, video-, and speech-to-text-recognition-based technologies associated with the feedback and assessment process in college-level teaching. Except for usefulness, each dependent variable was divided into two based on whether the item was multimedia or not: (a) use of technology with multimedia and (b) use of technology without multimedia. The convenience sample included 52 university-level instructors who had enrolled in either the Canvas® Essentials (a basics course) or …

The Role Of Simulation-Based Learning Environments In Preparing Undergraduate Health Students For Clinical Practice, Brennen Mills

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Experiential learning (EL), whereby students are able to integrate theory with practice, is an essential component of learning for health professionals. Traditionally, EL in the health education context has been achieved through clinical placements (CPs) that see students ‘apprentice’ in real clinical settings. The literature suggests there are a number of factors that diminish a student’s ability to learn in such environments, including limited opportunities to practice, being confined primarily to observation roles as opposed to participate in tasks, being exposed to skills/procedures outside their level of learning/understanding, and institutional learning objectives being secondary to workplace goals. Simulation-based learning environments …

A Design Thinking Approach To Professional Development In Reasonable Adjustment: A New Methodology For Trainers In The Vocational Education And Training Sector Of Western Australia, Russell Thom

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research has demonstrated that design thinking (DT) could be used as a professional development (PD) methodology for Vocational Education and Training (VET) trainers in understanding and applying reasonable adjustment (RA). The use of design thinking has the further benefit of raising the trainer’s empathy and understanding of the impact of injury and disability upon a person’s life and the significance of RA outside of the training context.

A workshop (PD session) was designed and conducted to explorer the relevance and success of the PD framework and the use of design thinking in developing an understanding and applying RA. The …

Learning To Notice And Use Student Thinking In Undergraduate Mathematics Courses, Anna Pascoe

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The goal of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of an intervention focused on developing mathematics graduate teaching assistants’ skills of noticing and effectively responding to instances of student mathematical thinking that have significant potential to further students’ learning. Four mathematics graduate teaching assistants participated in a semester-long intervention in which video of undergraduate mathematics lessons was individually analyzed and then discussed collectively with the researcher on a weekly basis. The MOST Analytic Framework (Leatham, Peterson, Stockero, & Van Zoest, 2015; Stockero, Peterson, Leatham, & Van Zoest, 2014) was introduced as a tool to aid in the analysis and …

Using Mathematical Research Methods To Solve A Problem In Music Theory Instruction, Specifically, The Teaching Of Secondary Dominant Chords, Angela Ulrich

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The mathematical method for research is used to find a solution to a problem in music theory: understanding and identifying secondary dominant chords. By reviewing and assessing the teaching methods of university professors and theory textbooks, and comparing those findings with student reviews, a new method for teaching the concept is developed. The proposed system incorporates aural, visual, and kinetic exercises to serve every learner. The literature review and sample unit plan are followed by a possible procedure for testing the effectiveness of the new method.

Young Adult Fiction Writing In The Classroom: Emily’S Investigation And Insights, Emily Westfall

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project explores the field of young adult literature, while also discovering the creative writing process required to develop a young adult novel. The project is organized into three separate parts. Part One focuses on young adult writers and the literature they create, along with the benefits of using these novels in a high school classroom. To benefit my future career as a future writing teacher, I researched the process required to write a fiction novel, specifically one in the young adult genre. Within this section, sources are cited such as experienced teachers and the scholarship on young adult literature. …

Journeys Towards Expertise In Technology-Supported Teaching, Lorraine H. Kershaw

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Expertise in technology-supported teaching needs to be understood from multi-dimensional perspectives and influences, if raising teacher quality is a desired goal of education services. This study aimed to uncover the interactive influences of teachers' pedagogical practices, learning experiences and personal characteristics and how their decisions impacted upon their growth in expert technology-supported teaching. A mixed methods approach incorporated case study techniques, use of quantitative and qualitative data and was informed by grounded theory. Five female primary teachers participated in this research which was conducted during one year over two data collection stages in a technology-supportive independent Australian girls' school.

Variations …

Utilising Voice Recognition Software To Improve Reading Fluency Of Struggling Adolescent Readers, Peter Count

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Approximately 15-20% of secondary students in Australia experience reading difficulties. For many, the cognitive effort required to decode words or the lack of automaticity in the elements that contribute to fluent reading prevents effective reading comprehension. Because reading comprehension is of critical importance across the curriculum, students with difficulties in this area are at significant academic risk.

One effective method of improving reading fluency is ‘repeated readings’ (NICHHD, 2000). The purpose of this study was to examine whether the use of repeated readings delivered via a home-based program employing voice recognition software (VRS) could improve the reading fluency and self-perception …

“Everybody’S Homeschooled Differently” - A Pilot Qualitative Study Of The Lived Experience Of Homeschooled College Students, Hannah J. Bullock, Maria P. Alexander, Irene L. Penkalsky

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Abstract

There are preconceived notions that homeschooled students suffer both academically and socially, especially in the college setting. The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experience of academic and social transition from homeschooling to a public university in homeschooled students. A phenomenological approach is used, which addresses individuals’ unique experiences and interpretations of those experiences based on their upbringing. A qualitative design is used in this study with semi-structured interviews in which participants were asked to talk about their social and academic transition experiences. The sample group includes previously homeschooled students that currently or previously attended a …

Examining The Effects Of Ethnicity On Transactional Distance In An Online Distance Learning Course, Benson Kinyanjui

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Distance learning (DL), commonly referred to as online learning has grown exponentially in the past two decades with at least 85% of institutions of higher education in the US offering DL courses by 2013, serving more than 7 million students in the US. As the number of students taking online courses has increased, the number of ethnic minority students, specifically African Americans enrolled in online courses has also significantly increased. Despite this demonstrated interest in higher education, African Americans have had poorer learning outcomes and higher dropout rates than Caucasians in both online and face to face programs. According to …

Professional Learning And Knowledge Transfer To Practice In Unregulated Care Provider Training In Resident-Centred Care, Sarah Pottier

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Ongoing training for unregulated care providers (UCPs) in Ontario is required to meet the care needs of the aging population. Inconsistencies in standards and options for formal training for UCPs as well as the evolving complex needs of the aging population are factors contributing to needing training programs for UCPs in the workforce. This thesis examined the delivery and transfer of professional learning for UCP training in resident centred care. Increasing resident-centred care behaviours and knowledge were the primary aims of the training. One 128-bed long-term care home in southwestern Ontario volunteered to participate in this study while providing the …

Preschool Writing Instruction: Modeling The Writing Stages, Shelby Swant

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Writing is an essential component of language development and early literacy. With the growing focus on national and state education standards, the early foundation of writing and literacy skills proves to be an area of importance and concern; however, limited research has been conducted in the area of preschool writing instruction. This study investigated writing and other foundational literacy skills in preschoolers following three different instructional conditions. Preschoolers (n=85), who attended a preschool educational setting serving low-income families, were randomly assigned to classrooms in three research groups: control, comparison, and treatment. The control group participated in implicit writing …