Education Commons^™

Learning Together In Public And In Private: Exploring Learner Interactions And Engagement In A Blended-Platform Mooc Environment, Arianna Montero-Colbert, Natalie Delia Deckard, Bonnie Stewart, Sundi Richard, Alexa Nanan

Current Issues in Emerging eLearning

With the growing popularity of connectivist MOOCs, the aim of facilitators has increasingly shifted from helping students meet completion-oriented goals to encouraging meaningful engagement among participants. In this paper, we study the relationship between platform of engagement and learner participation, controlling for relevant demographic factors of participants including gender, age, and level of education attained. Our study employs four distinct measures of participatory engagement: autonomous learning, knowledge reproduction, information networking, and scholarly engagement. We find that on the public platform of Twitter, participants were more likely to exhibit meaningful engagement patterns across all measures studied than they were on the …

Comparative Reflection On Best Known Instructional Design Models: Notes From The Field, Bengi Birgili

Current Issues in Emerging eLearning

This paper is intended to stimulate discussion on historical and evolving instructional design models in an educational era. After enriching the vision of what constitutes an instructional design, the paper explores the historical development and improvement of instructional design processes and models. The instructional design models of Dick and Carey, Morrison, Ross and Kemp, Posner and Rudnitsky, and Smith and Ragan are identified herein as being among the best known, most popular, and most widely applied instructional design models in the field of educational sciences. The philosophical underpinnings and the rationales for the arrangement of components in each instructional design …

Digital Tools In The Classroom: Measuring The Effectiveness, Jeff Carpenter

Current Issues in Emerging eLearning

The purpose of the study is to determine if, compared to traditional practice, digital practice increases student measuring accuracy on an authentic task. Therefore the study explores the relative efficacy of digital versus traditional practice for increasing student measurement skills in applied situations. Research tells us that students’ poor performance with measuring skills is directly related to lack of practice. To increase the ability to accurately use a ruler, Junior High, Intermediate and Middle Schools students require more time on task than they typically spend practicing this skill. Since more time is hard to come by in the classroom, educators …

Educator Professional Conversations Via Twitter Chat: Speech Acts And Intentions In #Pdbookclub, Suzanne L. Porath

Current Issues in Emerging eLearning

#PDBookChat was an affinity space of educators who read a professional book together and reflected on their learning through blogs, Twitter, and Google+. The book study culminated with an hour-long synchronous Twitter chat. Using Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis (Herring, 2001) and speech act theory (Searle, 1976) this paper focused on the Twitter chat to examine the discussion among the participants, the specific ways in which they connected their responses to each other and the content of the professional book they read, and provided an analysis of the key themes of the chat. This research provides evidence of how educators use Twitter …

Troubling “Technologies”: Exploring The Global Learning Xprize Using The Frameworks Of Skinner And Foucault, Tanya Elias

Current Issues in Emerging eLearning

This work focuses on the question: What might be wrong with large-scale approaches to learning? In posing this question, my purpose is not to suggest that large-scale approaches have no role to play within a complex educational landscape. Rather, I seek to introduce a starting point for more critical and nuanced approaches to achieving proper scale within digital learning, whether big and small. Organized around a series of stories from a train-ride home, I introduce a series of process-based “technologies” as defined by Skinner (1971) and Foucault (1988). After contrasting key concepts of Skinner and Foucault, I apply Foucault’s framework …

Adult Educators At The Crossroads Of Language Learning And Workforce Development: A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Agency, Liz Ging

Graduate Masters Theses

Since the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in 2014, there has been renewed questioning about the nature and purpose of adult education programs in the United States, including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The heavy workforce development orientation of the new law is a starker manifestation of trends focused on job training which have been sweeping through the field of adult education for the last few decades. In the midst of these shifts, little research has been done to investigate what the educators charged with meeting these policy goals think about these changes, the …

Black Family Engagement Through Communication Technology: A Phenomenological Study From The Perspective Of Urban Public High Schools Parents In The Greater Boston Area, Mariette Bien-Aime Ayala

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Black family engagement is the key to improving the life outcomes of young Black students (Clark, 2015; Mestry & Grobler, 2007). Recently, as a response to a need for better family engagement in K-12 education, new technologies have emerged. As educators, it is important to study the effectiveness of these new communication technologies, as well as how Black families are experiencing opportunities for engagement through them. Guided by critical race theory and capital theory, I ask: How do Black families experience opportunities for engagement with their children’s high schools through the use of communication technologies? To find this answer, in …

Teaching For Transformation: Enabling The Exploration Of Disorienting Dilemma In The Classroom, Lisa Deangelis

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

While learning involves the acquisition of new skills and the development of existing repertoires, some educators harbor even more profound learning goals. They seek to enable learning that is transformative. Jack Mezirow, who is credited with establishing transformative learning theory, defines transformative learning as “an enhanced level of awareness of the context of one's beliefs and feelings, a critique of their assumptions and particularly premises, an assessment of alternative perspectives, a decision to negate an old perspective in favor of a new one or to make a synthesis of old and new, an ability to take action based upon the …

Instructional Strategies To Prepare Students For Success In Informal Learning Environments: Leveraging Metacognition And Critical Thinking To Develop Self-Regulated Learning Skills, Carolyn P. Commiso

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This paper looks at how learning is evolving in the 21st century and what skills learners need to be successful in that environment. Based on existing research into the topic, this paper focuses on how learning is increasingly taking place in informal settings, through the lens of the Social Cognitive Learning and Cognitive Constructivism theories. The hypothesis is that students can be successful in these settings by mastering self-regulated learning strategies which can be developed through critical thinking and meta-cognitive skills. It assesses what instructional strategies can be used to develop these skills and enable continued learner success. In addition, …

Augmenting Education: Ethical Considerations For Incorporating Artificial Intelligence In Education, Dana Remian

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Artificial intelligence (AI) has existed in theory and practice for decades, but applications have been relatively limited in most domains. Recent developments in AI and computing have placed AI-enhanced applications in various industries and a growing number of consumer products. AI platforms and services aimed at enhancing educational outcomes and taking over administrative tasks are becoming more prevalent and appearing in more and more classrooms and offices. Conversations about the disruption and ethical concerns created by AI are occurring in many fields. The development of the technology threatens to outpace academic discussion of its utility and pitfalls in education, however. …

Coming To America For The Good Of A Deaf Child: The Case Of Joy, Angi Stone-Macdonald

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publication Series

Families of children with disabilities must make difficult choices about providing health and educational services that their children need and finding an environment where they can be socially accepted. In this study, parents from Kenya whose daughter is deaf weigh their desire to provide the best life for her against their desire to use their professional expertise to help people in Kenya. This article examines the role of cultural beliefs about disability in this family's experience. It highlights issues that deserve further research to learn more about how to meet immigrants' needs in special education, especially immigrant families from African …

Racialized Aggressions And Sense Of Belonging Among Asian American College Students, Kevin J. Gin

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

This naturalistic, qualitative inquiry explored how Asian American college students’ encounters with racialized aggressions on social media impacted their sense of belonging at a predominately White institution (PWI). Participants indicated that encounters with racism on social media, especially on the anonymous mobile app Yik Yak, engendered racial distrust, and alienation from their institution. These findings suggest the virtual components of campus culture play a critical role in determining how Asian American college students feel they are welcomed, valued, and included at a PWI.

Latinx Students In Boston Exam Schools: Growing But Consistently Underrepresented, Ava Marinelli, Fabián Torres-Ardila

Gastón Institute Publications

Boston Public Schools exam schools – Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Sciences – are widely considered some of the most elite schools not only in Boston Public Schools, but also in the country at large. They have also been the subject of numerous lawsuits and investigations, alleging racially biased admission standards, racism among faculty and students, and disproportionate enrollment numbers. The Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy finds that while the enrollment of Latinx students has trended steadily upwards in Boston Public Schools and exam schools …

Multiperspectivity Through Alternative History In The Classroom, Anggita Parameswari Latif

Graduate Masters Theses

This paper aims to evaluate existing teaching approaches in middle school history classrooms that incorporate alternative history materials. Alternative history focuses on the question of what might have happened differently, or ‘what if?’ The study focuses on addressing the following question: How does the understanding of one event’s significance on the chain of historical occasions contribute to students’ engagement in discussing past and current conflicts, based on teachers’ points of view? Interviews with 10 education practitioners focused on exploring the ways students can learn to see history creatively while developing tolerance. Existing approaches are explored through the viewpoints of conflict …

Exploring Critical And Creative Thinking Tools As A Means To Support Self-Sustainability, Azra Caus

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

In this paper, I adapt and explore a model of sustainability supplemented by critical and creative tools, whereby I seek to enhance methods for self-guidance throughout my life journey, and ultimately, place myself in a position to better lead others. The sustainability model and the critical and creative thinking tools selected represent a starting point for an ongoing reflective practice where I seek to utilize critical thinking to evaluate what's working well and what's not, and "hold ideas in tension with alternatives", and creative thinking to generate said alternatives as needed. Through the lens of the adapted self-sustainability model, I …

Undoing The Internalized Impacts Of White Supremacy: Envisioning Anti-Racist Change With White Teachers At A 6-12 Urban Pilot School, Casey Z. Andrews

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

In order to best educate students, white teachers must engage in significant internal and interpersonal work in order to interrogate their own racial identity and develop a capacity for anti-racist pedagogy and practice. The need for white educators to do this work is challenged by the dominant system of white supremacy that dictates the structures of the American public school system; further, educators are limited by the racist rules and policies of the individual districts and institutions in which they work. Through intentional, explicit community building with white teachers, we can hope to begin to move towards anti-racist institutional change. …

From Word To World: Designing Children’S Literature To Empower Thoughtful Engagement In Life And Learning, Lauren Taub

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

In this paper, I discuss the importance of a strong literacy foundation, the challenges of acquiring that foundation, and the consequences of functional illiteracy. I emphasize the role that parents and caregivers can play in establishing a positive, engaged learning disposition and ways that adopting confident thinking habits and attitudes can help children in their early learning. To facilitate these behaviors and dispositions, I have provided the early design of three original children’s stories and an accompanying parent/caregiver toolkit with questions, strategies, and activities. The aim and focus of this research is early intervention using the reading experience as an …

Wanting It All: Designing And Developing A Sustainable Life Of Meaning And Purpose Through Reflective Practice, Janell Burley Hofmann

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis presents an integration of the coursework in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking at The University of Massachusetts Boston. Here the symptoms and realities of personal and professional burnout and exhaustion will be examined through the lens of well-being, while scaffolding the emergence of the higher ideal towards the sustainable cultivation of purpose and meaning. Tools, strategies and design structures are shared to promote and practice sustainability through Reflective Practice. This includes Reflective Questioning, Developing and Mapping of Value Components and Visual Tools to understand and apply Critical and Creative Thinking. The author’s personal narrative …

Movin’ Right Along: Developing Creative Methods Of Science Communication In A Modern World, Charity Southworth

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis proposes ways to use the Internet and artistic endeavors to communicate about science to a wider range of audiences than currently reached by science communicators, even those who already use social media. Science communicators, who control who gets information about science and how, need to be welcoming and inviting to people from all walks of life. My own contributions in this spirit include science-themed jewelry and clothing patterns.

Achieving A Student’S Academic And Career Success: A Personalized Reflection Of Experience In Higher Education, Russell Deluca-Kavanagh

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

I have a background of many years working part time within the higher education system, especially in extracurricular activities. This synthesis provides resources for anyone—including myself—who wishes to work within college-level career counseling and academic advising to fulfill the role of a success coach. The resources are drawn from interviews with professionals in the field; articles and websites; scenarios and stories of students struggling with hardships and their success after defeating those hardships; and the field of critical and creative thinking.

Journeys: Changing Our Schools, Workplaces, And Lives Works-In-Progress From A Conference-Workshop To Mark 40 Years Of The Graduate Program In Critical & Creative Thinking, Peter J. Taylor

Working Papers in Critical, Creative and Reflective Practice

A compilation of works-in-progress prepared for or during a conference-workshop to mark 40 years of the Graduate Program in Critical & Creative Thinking at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The contributions illustrate how preparing for and participating in the conference-workshop provided an opportunity to reflect on ways that developing as a critical, creative, and reflective practitioner is like a journey into unfamiliar areas—journeying involves risk, opens up questions, creates more experiences than can be integrated at first, requires support, and yields personal and professional change.

Reimagining First-Year Experience: Strategies For Supporting The Success Of The 21st Century Community College Student, Jennifer A. Puniello

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Across the nation, higher education institutions are assessing and redesigning their first-year experience as efforts to retain students. Community colleges, especially, are piloting and implementing evidence-based practices that have proven to be successful at four-year institutions. Bristol Community College, located in southeastern Massachusetts, is among one of these community colleges. While the research presented in this Capstone does not address non-cognitive issues, as critical as they are to understanding student attrition, this Capstone, backed by primary research and empirical data, focuses on curricular and co-curricular pedagogy imperative to the success of first-year community college students. Using Bristol as a subject, …

Radiologic Technology Advanced Placement, Stacy Gosselin

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

The radiologic technology field is rapidly changing. Its technologists and students need to be prepared for these alterations. All students and technologists must pass the national board exam administered by the American registry of Radiologic Technologist. This exam assesses the participant in patient care, image acquisition, radiation safety and imaging procedures. The performance problem identified is the increased amount of radiologic technologists and radiologic technology students either failing the registry due to being unprepared, or due to insufficient continuing education credits. Many of these technologists have been out of the classroom for 20 years, seemed adapted to their own imaging …

Organizational Culture In Community Colleges: Making Connections To Diverse Student Success, Darcy A. Orellana

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The lack of equitable educational outcomes for students of color continues to be a glaring problem for community colleges. Community colleges are challenged to find solutions to address long-standing achievement gaps. One institutional response has been to implement high impact practices (HIPs) as a means to improve persistence, retention, and graduation rates for all students. HIPs, however, have produced mixed results in terms of enhancing student success, and evidence suggests that students of color participate in fewer HIPs and thus receive less benefit from them. This study considers the proposition that students of color may decide not to participate in …

Insurance Claims Adjuster Remote Training Initiative, Pamela Wieboldt

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This paper contains a full training plan initiative to correct a knowledge gap among remote marine insurance adjusters. The problem originated from a longer claims handling process among remote adjusters dealing with Maritime Law claims. In an assessment in the analyze phase this knowledge gap was confirmed. Through analysis there were three major areas of maritime law that adjusters on staff did not test well on. The modules developed will follow the theory of micro learning due to the staff members having limited time to commit to learning each day. As the employees are remote, all of the learning events …

The Social Construction Of Life: Critical Thinking About Biology In Society, Peter J. Taylor

Working Papers on Science in a Changing World

This book aims to expand the boundaries of the influences that readers consider when interpreting the practices and products of the life sciences ("biology") and their impact on society. The chapter topics include: Interpreting Ideas of Nature; The structure of origin stories; Multiple layers in influencing an audience: The case of Darwin's On the Origin of Species; Metaphors of coordination and development; What causes a disease?—the consequences of hereditarianism in the case of pellagra; How changeable are IQ test scores?; Social negotiations around genetic screening; Intersecting processes involving genes and environment.

Each chapter consists of 5 parts:

1. Introduce simple …

Design For Living Complexities, Peter J. Taylor

Working Papers in Critical, Creative and Reflective Practice

Lectures from a 12-session course that addresses the intersection of design with critical thinking. Design in this course means intentionality in construction, which involves a range of materials, a sequence of steps, and principles that inform the choice of materials and the steps. Design also always involves putting people, as well as materials, into place. This happens by working with the known properties of people, as well as the known properties of material, and trying out new arrangements to work around their constraints (at least temporarily). Critical thinking, as I define it, involves understanding ideas and practices better when we …

Provision Of Pre-Employment Transition Services In Tpsid Programs, Meg Grigal

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This Fast Fact describes ways that Transition Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID programs) engage with state vocational rehabilitation agencies to provide pre-employment transition services to students with intellectual disability enrolled in colleges and universities.

Executive Summary Of The Year Three Annual Report Of The Tpsid Model Demonstration Projects (2017-2018), Meg Grigal, Debra Hart, Frank Smith, Clare Papay, Daria Domin

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This Fast Fact provides a summary of the findings shared in the Year Three Annual Report of the TPSID Model Demonstration Projects (2017-2018). Findings are shared across multiple categories including employment, vocational rehabilitation, academics, academic and employment supports, residential services, program completion and credential attainment, and one-year outcomes.

A Review Of The Literature On Postsecondary Education For Students With Intellectual Disability 2010-2016: Examining The Influence Of Federal Funding And Alignment With Research In Disability And Postsecondary Education, Clare Papay, Meg Grigal

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Amendments to the Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008), including the creation of the Transition and Postsecondary Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) model demonstration program, have led to increased opportunities for students with intellectual disability to obtain postsecondary education. The present study builds on previous reviews of the literature on postsecondary education (PSE) for students with intellectual disability (SWID) to provide a review of articles published in peer-reviewed journals between 2010 and 2016. The specific aims were to (a) describe recent research, (b) determine the impact of TPSID funding on peer-reviewed literature, and (c) compare the domains and methodologies …