Education Commons^™

Effects Of Argumentation Prompts On Alternative Positions In Ill-Structured Problem-Solving, Chrysoula Malogianni

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Little is known about the role of prompts to help learners solve ill-structured learning problems. Instructors do not devote adequate time to formulate pedagogically useful prompts, and the usefulness of different types of prompt is unclear. The question of whether prompt variation can generate superior argumentative depth has not been resolved. This mixed-methods study, using quantitative and qualitative data collected from 32 students, examined the role of argumentative prompts in the writing of essays based on business case studies. The research questions were: Is there a significant relationship between the type of argumentative prompt and argumentative depth? Is there a …

An Examination Of The Decision-Making Process Instructional Designers Use To Complete Projects With The Constraints Of Limited Time And Tools, Denesha Kaye Rabel

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Based on a phenomenological theoretical perspective, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how instructional designers make decisions related to determining which layers and related instructional design activities to address based on time and tool resource constraints. To explore the topic, this study was guided by five research questions which included: (a) what type of time and tool constraints do instructional design practitioners experience, (b) how do instructional design practitioners make decisions based on time constraints when completing work projects, (c) how do instructional design practitioners make decisions based on tool constraints when completing work projects, (d) how …

Virtual Classrooms Bridging Homeschooling To Public Schools, Dennis I. Norman

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This research explored the preliminary results that show how technology through virtual classrooms has bridged the home and public-schooling systems. The research invites further reflection on the ways by which the home-learning process improves through the inclusion of other parameters such as the e-learning framework. Online education has been discussed extensively as a way of enabling the home-schooling with increased access to better teachers and learning materials.

The research identified the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a means of determining how new technologies in the online learning process compared to the virtual classroom learning experience. The research explored a case …

Principles And Practices Of Teaching English Language Learners, Abha Gupta

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This conceptual paper presents diverse approaches and strategies for preparing competent teachers who work with either English Language Learners (ELLs) or students who speak English as a Second Language (ESL). The pedagogical approaches discussed herein include practical and hands-on activities for teachers at any level. Bilingual learning improves ELL's cognitive development as well as their self-esteem. The paper outlines underlying principles for the best practices with an emphasis on ESL students and also to other learning situations and students. Teachers can modify their instructional methods to adjust ELL's learning needs. Specifically, even though the discussion is framed in the context …

A Comparison Of Academic Outcomes In Courses Taught With Open Educational Resources And Publisher Content, Diane N. Ryan

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The academic outcomes of retention, completion, persistence and final exam scores between courses taught with open educational resources (OER) and courses taught with publisher content (non-OER) were investigated in this mixed method sequential study. The perceptions and experiences of the instructors who taught the courses were also explored. The participants were 215 community college students enrolled in an online section of Introduction to Communication (CST 110), Western Civilization (HIS 111), Applied Calculus (MTH 270) or Introduction to Psychology (PSY 201). Four instructors volunteered to teach an OER section and a non-OER section within each discipline. Students were randomly divided into …

Students With Learning Disabilities, Pair Programming And Situational Motivation, Shana L. Pribesh, Wu He, Silvana M. Watson, Debra A. Major, Li Xu, Ling Li, Xin Tian, Anjee Gorkhali, Yuming He

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

Persons with learning disabilities (LD) are underrepresented in computer science and information technology fields despite the explosion of related career opportunities and interest. In this study, we examine the use of pair programming as a collaborative intervention in with computer programming and compare students with learning disabilities to students who do not have learning disabilities. We concentrate on situational motivation constructs which tap into the desire to meet goals and acquire skills. We find that students with LD and similar students without LD fare the same. For the both groups, three of the four situational motivation subscales increase after the …

Using Twitter To Support Reflective Learning In An Asynchronous Online Course, Tian Luo, Smruti J. Shah, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to further our understanding of the use of Twitter for promoting reflective learning. Specifically, this study investigated how students participate in Twitter-supported activities, what type of knowledge are manifested when Twitter is used to reflect on the course readings, and how students perceive the Twitter-supported activities. The data showed that Twitter was successful in keeping the learners engaged in the reflective discussion activities for a prolonged period compared to Blackboard. Students overall had a positive perception towards the integration of Twitter to support reflection and discussion along with active participation. Twitter was effective in …

Reflective Journaling: Innovative Dialogue In Lis Education, Elizabeth Ann Burns

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Innovative pedagogy, embedded in LIS courses structures, is desired and strengthens LIS preparation. Including reflection as one such strategy can assist in building the reflective practice LIS educators hope students maintain in the field. While widely used in teacher preparation courses (Hodgins, 2014) reflective journaling equally aligns with the text-based nature of LIS coursework, especially as more LIS schools move to online formats (Kymes & Ray, 2012). This phenomenological case study explores structured, dialogic journaling as a pedagogical tool to inform the reflective practice of preservice librarians. Journals were introduced as a teaching tool in an early LIS course and …

From Talking Stick To Listening Stick: A Variation On An Ancient Practice, E. James Baesler

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

Goals:

The primary goal is to introduce students to the concept, experience, and application of the listening stick activity within the context of an undergraduate listening course. Students participate in a group listening stick activity that cultivates experiences of first person attention, focus, and awareness of self and others’ feelings and needs for the purpose of self-discovery and building small group cohesiveness. As a secondary goal, students learn how to apply the listening stick activity to interpersonal and small group situations in school, work, social, and spiritual settings for a variety of purposes including relationship building, problem-solving and decision-making.