Education Commons^™

Examining Gifted Students' Transition To University And Its Influence On Learning, Adrienne E. Sauder

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This phenomenological study examined the first-year university transition experience of 39 gifted students and the impact of this transition on their beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions of learning through a multiple methods design via semi-structured individual interviews, focus groups, and survey instruments, specifically the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory and the College Survival and Success Scale. In addition, an autoethnographic component was incorporated in order to (a) frame the researcher’s bias, and (b) provide a means of eliciting analytic insights that connect personal experience to broader theoretical issues. The theoretical framework for this study incorporated three complementary theories, symbolic interactionism, role …

University Professors' Perceptions On Blogging As Course Assignments In Southwestern Ontario: A Multiliteracies Framework, Annie Tran

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In light of contemporary trends and practices, namely the impact of globalization and the integration of new technologies being promoted in the field of applied linguistics (Byrd Clark, 2012; Kern, 2006; Malinowski & Kramsch, 2014), this study explores the perceptions of professors, who teach graduate courses in Education on the impact and adaptation of new technologies on their pedagogy; namely the use of blogging as an educational activity. This study analyzes the traditional or innovative pedagogical practice of today’s graduate professors. This qualitative case study is based on a multiliteracies theoretical framework and incorporate the following methods: a survey and …

Awareness And Perception Of Copyright Among Teaching Faculty At Canadian Universities, Lisa Di Valentino

FIMS Presentations

In this talk I discuss the results of a survey of Canadian university faculty members undertaken from October to December 2014. The survey sought to determine teaching faculty awareness of copyright law and institutional policy and training, and how they would respond in various scenarios.

Analysis of the results suggests that while faculty members are aware of the existence of their institution's copyright policy, much fewer know whether their institution offers training. Of those who do know about training, only one-third have attended. However, faculty who have attended copyright training find that their knowledge is enhanced by the experience.

It …

Academic Literacies As Documenting Becoming Through Mixed Genre Texts, Ani Amirmooradian Malhami

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The research for this study began with certain poststructural and postmodern readings and philosophical inflections that suggested, in various ways, that subjectivities are fluid, multiple, and complex. I arrived at the idea that one way of capturing the complexities of subjectivities is documenting becoming; this insight, in turn, led me to investigate the literature on academics who experience problems with representing, and on models of writing in higher education. However, the literature does not locate either the problem of representing or its resolution in the practices of academics struggling to write about the world in and through their subjectivities. …

Toward Epistemic Empowerment Of Indigenous Youth, Nazia Bano

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Using a grounded-theory approach this study critically examines a development education program of an NGO, the Institute for Development Studies and Practices (IDSP) in Balochistan, Pakistan. IDSP’s Academic Development Program (ADP) is influenced by critical pedagogy, and post-colonial and post-modern studies. IDSP targets out-of-school youth and young adults of marginalized communities who are politically and socially conscious and looking for openings, inspirations, and direction to solve the issues confronting their communities.

In addition to grounded theory itself, theoretical perspectives used in this study include: postmodern critical theory, transformative learning theory, critical pedagogy, and post-colonial studies. Data sources include ADP-related documents …

The Processes Of Designing And Implementing Globally Networked Learning Environments And Their Implications On College Instructors’ Professional Learning: The Case Of Québec Cégeps, Olivier Bégin-Caouette, Yishin Khoo, Momina Afridi

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Abstract

This study describes the design and implementation processes of globally networked learning environments (GNLEs) in a college environment and discusses how these processes may contribute to instructors' professional learning. A thematic analysis was conducted on five interviews with instructors working in Quebec general and vocational colleges (CEGEPs). The design and implementation processes were mapped out using Fretchling's (2007) logic modeling basic components. Findings suggest that GNLEs in a college context take the form of joint lectures or joint activities. Instructors reported that designing and teaching within a GNLE had led to pedagogical, intercultural and technology-related learning; and that learning …

La Formation Initiale Des Enseignants Au Québec Et En Finlande : Une Étude Comparative, Adriana Morales Perlaza, Maurice Tardif

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Initiée dans les années 1980 aux États-Unis, la professionnalisation de l’enseignement constitue aujourd’hui un mouvement international (OCDE, 2005). Comment a-t-elle marqué les systèmes de formation initiale des enseignants finlandais et québécois? En Finlande, la formation initiale dure 5 ans, tandis qu’au Québec, elle est de 4 ans après deux années d’études postsecondaires au cégep. Dans les deux contextes, les enseignants ont donc 17 ans de scolarité totale. Mais au-delà de cette durée commune, qu’elles sont les similitudes et différences spécifiques entre les programmes de formation des enseignants en Finlande et au Québec? Afin de répondre à ces questions, cette recherche …

Awareness And Perception Of Copyright Among Teaching Faculty At Canadian Universities, Lisa Di Valentino

FIMS Publications

This article describes the background, methodology, and results of a study undertaken in 2014 to determine university faculty awareness and perceptions of copyright as it affects their teaching. An online survey questionnaire was distributed to teaching faculty across Canada, seeking feedback about the copyright policies and training opportunities at their institutions, where they go for copyright assistance, and how they would respond to various copyright-related scenarios that may arise in the course of teaching.

Most of the respondents are aware of the copyright policies or guidelines at their universities, but much fewer know whether or not their institution offers copyright …

Media Usage Survey: Overall Comparison Of Faculty And Students, Gerd Gidion, Michael Grosch, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Ken Meadows Dr.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Recent developments in the use of technologies in education have provided unique opportunities for teaching and learning. This paper describes the results of a survey conducted at Western University (Canada) in 2013, regarding the use of media by students and instructors. The results of this study support the assumption that the media usage of students and instructors include a mixture of traditional and new media. The main traditional media continue to be important, and some new media have emerged as seemingly on equal footing or even more important than the traditional forms of media. Some new media that have recently …

Media Usage In Post-Secondary Education And Implications For Teaching And Learning, Gerd Gidion, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Ken Mead Dr., Michael Grosch Dr.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

The Web 2.0 has permeated academic life. The use of online information services in post-secondary education has led to dramatic changes in faculty teaching methods as well as in the learning and study behavior of students. At the same time, traditional information media, such as textbooks and printed handouts, still form the basic pillars of teaching and learning. This paper reports the results of a survey about media usage in teaching and learning conducted with Western University students and instructors, highlighting trends in the usage of new and traditional media in higher education by instructors and students. In addition, the …

What Is Writing In Undergraduate Anthropology? An Activity Theory Analysis, Boba M. Samuels

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

How students learn to write in the disciplines is a question of ongoing concern in writing studies, with practical implications for academia. This case study used ethnographic methods to explore undergraduate writing in two upper year anthropology courses at a Canadian university over one term (four months). Student and professor interviews, classroom field notes, surveys, and students’ final papers were analysed using a framework drawn from activity theory and informed by genre theory. Four themes emerged from the data: anthropology as school; the familiar vs. unfamiliar; reading; and hidden rhetoric. Findings suggest students approach disciplinary work primarily as students rather …

Book Review: Service-Learning In Theory And Practice: The Future Of Community Engagement In Higher Education., Jennifer A. Kozak

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

No abstract provided.

International Student-Athletes In Canadian Interuniversity Sport (Cis): Motivations And Experiences, Daniel L. Grbac

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to investigate the landscape of international student-athletes participating in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) with respect to number, sport, and gender breakdown, and to determine the motivations of these athletes for migrating to a Canadian academic institution as well as their experiences. Of the over 10,000 CIS student-athletes, approximately 5% are international student-athletes. In addition, the sports with the highest number of international student-athletes were soccer and basketball for males, and basketball and soccer for females. Semi-structured interviews with 16 international student-athletes from the four regional associations determined that the majority of participants were motivated …

Graduate Program Practices At Western University, Gloria J. Leckie

Purple Guides

Based on interviews with graduate chairs and faculty, the guide catalogues practices in graduate education, from recruitment through coursework, comprehensive exams, thesis proposals, to placement and tracking.

Blogging: An Exercise In Communicating Science To The Public, Beth J. Hundey

Technology in Education Symposium (TIES)

No abstract provided.

A Case Study In Collaborative Mind-Mapping With Lucidchart, Beth J. Hundey

Technology in Education Symposium (TIES)

This two-day event on March 27 & March 28 featured:

• research paper presentations,
• lightning rounds,
• hands-on workshops,
• posters and demonstrations, and
• a student panel on the uses of instructional technology.

TIES 2.0 is open to faculty, librarians, staff, postgrads, and graduate students from across all disciplines at Western and its affiliates.

Participants heard and saw how instructors and others employ technology to engage students and enrich learning, and to connect with others from across the campus who are exploring the potential of instructional technology and online education.

Learners' Stories: A Study Of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Students' English Learning Experiences And Identity Construction, Vickie Wai Kei Li

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This is a narrative study of Hong Kong post-secondary students’ English learning experiences, focusing on: i) the meanings that the student participants attached to their English learning; and ii) their identity (re-)construction during the course of English learning. Theoretically informed by Norton’s (1997, 2000) work on identity and English learning, this study pays particular attention to how the interactions within the participants’ English classroom have shaped and informed their English learning experiences and their English learner identities. A multi-method approach was adopted in order to capture a more complete picture of post-secondary students’ English learning. Data collection techniques included pre-interview …

A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Medical Students’ Reflective Writing: Social Accountability, The Hidden Curriculum, And Critical Reflexivity, Stacey Ritz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In recent years, many medical schools have adopted a ‘social accountability’ approach, implementing a variety of activities and curricula aimed at developing a sense of social responsibility in medical students. The research of this thesis uses critical discourse analysis (CDA) to scrutinize the writing of senior medical students, with a view to uncovering how identity, ideology, and social position are expressed by students who have undertaken a curriculum designed with social accountability in mind. The analysis examines the conditions of discourse practice, student orientations to a professional medical identity, and ideologies of community, rurality, indigeneity, and gender. I discuss these …

Are Students Satisfied With Media: A Canadian Case Study, Gerd Gidion, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Ken Meadow, Michael Grosch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

The article presents partial results of a survey about media usage habits for studying and learning conducted in 2013 at Western University, a large Canadian university. The article focuses on students’ frequency of use and satisfaction with media for studying and learning. The results of this study support the assumption that student’s media usage includes a mixture of traditional and new media. The main traditional media continue to play an important role in the students’ academic life, and some new media have emerged as seemingly on equal footing or even more important than the traditional forms of media. The use …

The Quest For Effective Interdisciplinary Graduate Supervision: A Critical Narrative Analysis, Kathryn Hibbert, Lorelei Lingard, Meredith Vanstone, Elizabeth Anne Kinsella, Pam Mckenzie, Timothy D. Wilson, Allan Pitman

Education Publications

Interdisciplinarity is a pervasive trend in 21st-century knowledge building and innovation. It is predicated on the recognition that creative solutions to the world’s increasingly complex problems require the intersection of diverse expertise. Little scholarly attention has been directed towards how the new interdisciplinary (ID) model is influencing the processes and outcomes of graduate research training. In a qualitative study informed by critical narrative analysis and conducted at one institution, we investigate the epistemological, structural, and relational factors that shape ID doctoral research supervision, explore how differing knowledge cultures and values are negotiated in supervisory practices, and consider how established structures …

Book Review: The Doctoral Journey, Yvette Daniel

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Book review- abstract not required

Internationalizing Canadian Higher Education Through North-South Partnerships: A Critical Case Study Of Policy Enactment And Programming Practices In Tanzania, Allyson M. Larkin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The contemporary internationalization of higher education promotes the formation of North-South (N-S) partnerships to facilitate access to new research sites and opportunities for international programming. This study conceptualizes N-S partnerships as an extension of internationalization policy. In the current context of internationalization, there is a reliance on higher education to produce economic benefits to support national economic objectives. There are particular concerns, however, with a practice of N-S partnerships that are enacted in communities located in the Global South. Internationalization policy does not adhere to the principles of N-S partnership outlined in multilateral agreements and is increasingly focused on the …

Interprofessional Socialization And Dual Identity Development Amongst Cross-Disciplinary Students, Hossein Khalili

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to develop and test an interprofessional socialization (IPS) framework through assessing the impact of an IPS-based interprofessional education program on interprofessional socialization and dual identity development among health professional students. Although health professional educational programs have been successful in equipping graduates with skills, knowledge and professionalism, the emphasis on specialization and profession-specific education has enhanced the development of a uniprofessional identity, which has been found to be a major barrier towards Interprofessional Person-Centered Collaborative Practice (IPCPCP). Despite the growing acknowledgment of IPS in the current IPE and collaborative practice literature, there is a lack …

Western Guide To Professional Master's Programs, Gloria J. Leckie

Purple Guides

This guide is a resource for departments that plan to introduce new Professional Master's (PMA) or Professional Science Master's (PSM) degrees. The guide provides examples of existing programs, describes key criteria that new PSM programs need to meet, reviews issues in the development of new programs, and discusses the types of competencies professional programs promote in order to help their graduates compete on the job market.

Western Guide To Curriculum Review, Margaret Mcnay

Purple Guides

The Curriculum Review guide offers ideas about how to get started on the review process—questions to ask at the beginning of and during the process, suggestions about information to be gathered and how, issues to think about as you decide what to include in the curriculum, and ideas about how to teach the curriculum involving new and alternative pedagogies.

Western Guide To Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures, Nanda Dimitrov

Purple Guides

The Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures is a handbook for graduate supervisors who work with students from cultures around the world. The guide addresses the most frequently occurring challenges in supervision across cultures and includes concrete mentoring strategies and case studies to help supervisors promote independence and initiative in their mentees, bridge power differences in the relationship, set boundaries, communicate effectively and support their students in the transition to Canadian academia.

Western Guide To Graduate Supervision, Elizabeth Skarakis-Doyle, Gayle L. Mcintyre

Purple Guides

Based on the experiences of Western's graduate supervisors, this 30 page guide addresses the supervision of graduate students and focuses on best practices in mentoring, promoting student progress, and clarifying expectations in the supervisor-student relationship.

Western Guide To Mentorship In Academia, Donald Gordon Cartwright

Purple Guides

This guide addresses the importance of mentoring for new faculty members, describes the pros and cons of various mentorship models, and offers advice for mentors and mentees.