Education Commons^™

Investigating The Effect Of Universal Design For Learning On Learner Performance, Engagement, And Self-Efficacy, Ana Elizabeth Redstone

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study sought to address the gap in knowledge about the effect of UDL features on asynchronous online postsecondary learners’ achievement, engagement, and self-efficacy. The study also described a process for redesigning an online course to incorporate UDL components and provided specific examples of the implemented UDL guidelines. The study was conducted in a three-phase multimethod research design, which included quantitative and qualitative data collected from the participants, the learning management system (LMS), and the course instructor.

In collaboration with the course instructor, the researcher redesigned an existing asynchronous online university Computer Science course using UDL guidelines to address learning …

An Investigation Of An Intervention Embedded In Summer Bridge Programming For Promoting The Self-Regulated Learning And Achievement Of Student-Athletes, Erin W. Cousins

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Many students, including collegiate student-athletes, face academic challenges throughout their higher education experience, struggling to learn and perform effectively. One reason for this difficulty may be that students are not engaging in adequate self-regulated learning (SRL). Although research has demonstrated the effectiveness of SRL interventions in improving college students’ SRL abilities and academic performance, this research has not adequately explored the unique population of college athletes (Jansen et al., 2019; Theobald, 2021). The present study addressed this gap and aimed to enhance the SRL abilities and achievement of collegiate student-athletes through an intervention implemented within a summer bridge program at …

Assessing The Impact Of Substituting Interaction Types: An Empirical Study Of The Interaction Equivalency Theory, Scott Alan Hauert

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Multimedia technologies allow instructional designers to transform interpersonal interactions into interactions between learners and content. These learner–content interactions are more scalable in online, asynchronous distance education (DE) than interactions between learners and the instructor or interactions among learners. Additionally, learners sometimes prefer interactions with course content over interactions with their peers and instructor. Studies on learner–learner and learner–instructor interaction provide insight into the preferences and perceived effects of interaction types. However, the literature has not directly discussed the impact on performance resulting from substituting learner–content interaction for learner–learner interaction. This study examined the impact of substituting interaction types on perception …

Near Transfer After Direct Instruction: An Experimental Inquiry Within Aviation Technician Training, Francis Eamonn Powers

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study put forth two instructional interventions set within a direct instruction (DI) framework specific to an aviation maintenance context. To evaluate the effectiveness of these two training interventions a criterion was established to measure near transfer during a performance evaluation on a live aircraft. Information learned within this study indicates that DI can be highly effective in technical training environments. This study also articulates how VR experiences may be included within these types of training contexts and discusses the factors and affordances that come with utilizing VR in instructional activities.

Additionally, this study revealed experiential characteristics of a DI …

Determining The Degree To Which Ideational Behavior Predicts Occupational Identity Achievement In Emerging Adult College Students Preceding Entry Into The Fourth Industrial Revolution Workforce, Carrington M. Faulk

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

As emerging adults transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) workforce, it is essential to understand the factors that predict successful occupational identity achievement, as automation will impact human occupational identity crises. This descriptive cross-sectional study implemented a correlation design to determine the degree to which ideational behavior predicts occupational identity achievement preceding entry into the 4IR workforce. Using a sample of 166 emerging adult college students from a Mid-Atlantic, diverse, four-year university, data were collected using Runco’s Ideational Behavior Scale (RIBS) and Melgosa’s Occupational Identity Achievement subscale (OIA). Results showed that ideational behavior significantly predicted occupational identity achievement ( …

Examining The Relationship Between Program Satisfaction, Credential Earnings, And Gender On Full-Time Employment Outcomes Of Career And Technical Program High School Graduates In Virginia, Margaret J. Turley

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Career and technical education (CTE) incorporates occupational skills, workforce readiness skills, and credentials that make high school graduates better prepared for the workforce. Students who complete CTE programs of study have higher employment rates after high school graduation and often go on to postsecondary education. For those who do not go on to postsecondary education, CTE programs can provide opportunities for increased earnings and more access to the labor market.

This quantitative study used binary logistic regression, using data collected by the Center for Survey Research of the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center to examine if satisfaction with CTE …

Teaching Higher Education During A Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study Of Instructor Decisions Associated With Switching From Face-To-Face To Online-Only Sessions, Steven M. Miner

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, university instructors were required to shift their course delivery from face-to-face to online-only presentations with two weeks of preparation. Volunteering instructors were interviewed via a semi-structured interview protocol regarding their actions to maintain instructor presence in an online-only setting. The term emergency remote teaching (ERT), defined by fellow researchers as the adoption of just-in-time remote teaching practices that would otherwise be offered face-to-face, aligned with the actions taken by interviewees. The data indicated that given an event requiring ERT, instructors should: overcome technology issues for themselves and their students to verify communication pathways, and exhibit …