Education Commons^™

Aisr Connections (September 2012), Education Services

The AC's Research Support Newsletter (Formerly AISR Connections)

AISR Connections:

Topic reviews include: JOVE, new multimedia resource for researchers, Jefferson Digital Commons 1 million downloads, SPSS site license, library renovations

Report And Reflections From Year One Of The Nsf Gk- 12 Program At Usm, Sherry S. Herron, Hanna J, Wingo K

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Campus Biomass: It's A Good Thing!, Sherry S. Herron, Shelia A. Brown

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

College Debt: An Exploratory Study Of Risk Factors Among College Freshmen, Linda Simpson, Renee Smith, Lisa Taylor, Julie A. Chadd

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The goals of this study are to examine the relationships between loan knowledge, money management skills, debt tolerance attitudes, and student income potential to their willingness to incur educational debt at a mid-western university. The current study showed that freshmen students lacked personal and general loan knowledge and had unrealistic expectations of future income at graduation.

College Debt: An Exploratory Study Of Risk Factors Among College Freshmen, Linda Simpson, Renee Smith, Lisa Taylor, Julie Chadd

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The goals of this study are to examine the relationships between loan knowledge, money management skills, debt tolerance attitudes, and student income potential to their willingness to incur educational debt at a mid-western university. The current study showed that freshmen students lacked personal and general loan knowledge and had unrealistic expectations of future income at graduation.

Bibliography For The Study Of Text And Image In Modern European Culture, Natasha Grigorian

CLCWeb Library

No abstract provided.

Bibliography Of Central European Women's Holocaust Life Writing In English, Louise O. Vasvári

CLCWeb Library

No abstract provided.

Autonomy-Mastery-Purpose: Structuring Clinical Courses To Enhance These Critical Goals, Leah Wortham, Catherine F. Klein, Beryl Blaustone

Scholarly Articles

Part I describes the difference in extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and reviews the negative effects of business and educational models assuming extrinsic motivation to be most effective rather than seeking to stimulate intrinsic motivation. Part II describes the Carnegie Foundation's Preparation for the Professions project's call for law schools to focus on law students' sense of identity and purpose as part of their professional education, as well as noting the similar goal that students learn "how to be" as articulated by the Tuning Project of the Bologna process regarding higher education in Europe. Part III provides basics on the theory …

Education As An Investment In Turkey's Human Capital: A Work In Progress, William A. Owings, Leslie S. Kaplan, Zafer Pirim

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

As a nation, Turkey sees education as an essential component in building its economy to world class levels. Yet school equity and teacher quality issues are preventing Turkey from fully developing its human capital. Authors discuss the concept of education as an investment in human capital, Turkey’s human capital challenges, equity practices which undermine the widespread development of Turkey’s human capital, how improving teacher quality could help remedy the situation, and recommendations to strengthen Turkey’s education as an investment in human capital.

An Analysis Of Evaluation Plans In A Federally Funded Leadership Preparation Program: Implications For The Improvement Of Practice, Karen Sanzo

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study is a content analysis of selected federally funded leadership preparation program evaluation proposals for the 2008, 2009, and 2010 School Leadership Program grants. The United States Department of Education (USDE) began awarding funding in 2002 to develop and implement preparation programs for aspiring and current assistant principals and principals. These innovative leadership preparation programs are expected to influence school leaders in a way that enables them to positively impact student achievement and the schools they serve. In order to determine effectiveness, each grant proposal puts forth a comprehensive program evaluation designed to measure the grant's adherence to the …

Peer Coaching In Early Childhood, Michelle Silvera

Graduate Research Papers

Researchers have reached a consensus that early childhood educators should have sufficient knowledge and skills in child development and early childhood education issues. This is because the quality and success of programs designed for early childhood education lie in the qualifications of the teacher in charge of such programs. These requirements are especially true for vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the early childhood educators to provide the children and their families with rich and meaningful educational experiences because they are often held accountable for the outcome of the children. This literature review demonstrates that one way …

Enhancing Classroom Learning Experience By Providing Structures To Microblogging-Based Activities, Tian Luo, Fei Gao

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Microblogging tools such as Twitter have been frequently adopted in educational settings to facilitate learning in recent years. Although the original purpose of microblogging tools is to connect with others in a wide network and instantly share what is happening to them with the rest of the world, educators have vigorously attempted to repurpose the utilization of the tool and integrate it into various educational settings to promote student learning.

The purpose of this study is to examine student learning experience under a set of structured microblogging-based activities and to identify the affordances and constraints of the technology. Students participated …

"You Got To Be Follow-Worthy Or I Will Unfollow You!” Students’ Voices On Twitter Integration Into Classroom Settings, Tian Luo, Teresa Franklin

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This research centers on a case study where Twitter was integrated in an undergraduate level course. Under the instructor’s specific guidance and ongoing feedback, students actively participate in the course both in and outside of classroom. They perceived the incorporation of Twitter into classroom to be highly engaging and contributive to their learning. During the 10 week course, students’ initiatives in developing self-defined codes of conduct for tweeting, creating user groups, and assisting one another to become proficient in using Twitter, demonstrated a high degree of autonomous social learning in both formal and informal learning environments. Not only were they …

Haptics-Augmented Training Software For Undergraduate Engineering Mechanics, Ernur Karadogan, Robert L. Williams, David R. Moore, Tian Luo

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This paper presents the development efforts for a set of software activities and tutorials to augment teaching and learning in standard required undergraduate engineering mechanics courses. Using these software activities, students can change parameters, predict answers, compare outcomes, interact with animations, and feel the results. The overall system aims to increase teaching and learning effectiveness by rendering the concepts compelling, fun, and engaging. The problem with current examples and homework problems is that they are flat, static, boring, and non-engaging, which may lead to student attrition and a less than full grasp of fundamental principles. We implement integration of haptics …

Learning Theory And Online Technologies, By Linda Harasim. Routledge: New York, 2012 (Book Review), Diane Carver

STEMPS Faculty Publications

[First Paragraph] Learning Theory and Online Technologies presents readers with an outline of the current position of online learning, beginning with an historical review of e-learning and learning theories, and proposes a model of e-learning solutions for today's learners. Written by Linda Harasim, professor of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, the book includes examples of how the online collaborative learning theory can be applied in an online course and provides case studies of how the theory is being implemented in educational institutions.

Seeing The Clouds: Teacher Librarian As Broker In Collaborative Planning With Teachers, Sue Kimmel

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Teachers engaged in sustained collaboration with a teacher librarian were interviewed about the meaning of that collaboration. The findings suggest that the teachers recognized important contributions of the librarian to instructional planning and classroom instruction including knowledge, legwork, and support. In particular, they understood her role as a broker both to resources and to ideas for using those resources in instruction. While these resources were essential, they were not sufficient; they required a knowledgeable peer who also understood their application to the curriculum and what students were expected to learn. They required a librarian.

Comparison Of Restricted And Traditional Discussion Boards On Student Critical Thinking, Jennifer R. Morrison, Ginger S. Watson, Gary R. Morrison

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Interaction is a critical component of distance education and involves the transfer of information between the learner and content, learner and learner, or learner and instructor (Moore, 1989). Current distance education literature has examined the role of interaction, specifically learner-learner interaction, in learning and discussion design to enhance achievement. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of restricted and traditional discussion boards on critical thinking and learning in a graduate-level online distance education course. Findings indicated improved critical thinking in the quality and preparation strategies of initial discussion board postings when participants' views of peer responses to …

Using Data Mining For Predicting Relationships Between Online Question Theme And Final Grade, M'Hammed Abdous, Wu He, Cherng-Jyh Yen

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

As higher education diversifies its delivery modes, our ability to use the predictive and analytical power of educational data mining (EDM) to understand students' learning experiences is a critical step forward. The adoption of EDM by higher education as an analytical and decision making tool is offering new opportunities to exploit the untapped data generated by various student information systems (SIS) and learning management systems (LMS). This paper describes a hybrid approach which uses EDM and regression analysis to analyse live video streaming (LVS) students' online learning behaviours and their performance in their courses. Students' participation and login frequency, as …

Grounded Technology Integration: Physical Education, Susana Juniu, Judi Harris, Mark J. Hofer

School of Education Articles

Physical education teachers today are expected to have a deep understanding of how educational technologies can assist students in linking specific physical fitness knowledge and concepts to measuring,interpreting, and prescribing appropriate fitness activities. Using digital tools, such as pedometers, heart rate monitors, and exercise games, in physical education classes can provide creative and motivating ways to engage in and monitor physical activity. But how can we best choose and integrate these tools into physical education teaching?

Physical Activity Data Use By Technoathletes: Examples Of Collection, Inscription, And Identification, Victor R. Lee, Joel Drake

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

The proliferation of physical activity data monitoring devices had led to an increase in technoathletes—individuals who combine athletic training and performance with the collection and evaluation of personally-relevant data in an effort to better understand their own abilities. We interviewed 20 technoathletes who were actively involved within either cycling or running communities. Qualitative vignettes of technoathletic engagement with data and the practice of data logging, in specific, are discussed and illustrated. Individual relationships that technoathletes have with their data are also examined. Through the examples, we highlight some commonalities in the data that were obtained and how various athletes …

In Pursuit Of Consensus: Disagreement And Legitimization During Small Group Argumentation, Leema K. Berland, Victor R. Lee

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

In recent years, an emphasis on scientific argumentation in classrooms has brought into focus collaborative consensus-building as an instructional strategy. In these situations, students with differing and competing arguments are asked to work with one another in order to establish a shared perspective. However, the literature suggests that consensus-building can be challenging for students because their interpretations of the argumentative task and context may not enable their productive engagement with counter-arguments and evidence. In this paper, our goal is to explore the ways in which interactions of students support or inhibit their consensus-building. To that end, we examine and describe …

Ec12-103 Fall Seed Guide 2012, Teshome H. Regassa, P. Stephen Baenziger, Greg R. Kruger, Dipak K. Santra

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Welcome to the 2012 Fall Seed Guide. Crops included in this guide are winter wheat, winter barley, triticale, and alfalfa. This circular is a progress report of variety trials conducted by personnel of the Agronomy Department, West Central, and Panhandle Research and Extension Centers and their associated agricultural laboratories. This circular reports data from winter wheat trials conducted throughout Nebraska.

History, Interactive Technology And Pedagogy: Past Successes And Future Directions, Stephen Brier

Publications and Research

Based on a keynote presentation at the 2012 Canadian Historical Association conference, this paper surveys the state of digital technology and its impact on academic publication and teaching in the contemporary university. Focusing on the dramatic rise of the Digital Humanities in the last few years, the paper examines alternative forms of peer review, academic scholarship and publication, and classroom teaching as they have been reshaped by the adoption of a variety of digital technologies and formats, including open-access, online peer reviewing, use of data- bases and visualization techniques in humanities work, online journal publication, and the use of blogs …

Critical Bifocality And Circuits Of Privilege: Expanding Critical Ethnographic Theory And Design, Lois Weis, Michelle Fine

Publications and Research

Almost 10 years ago, in Working Method (2004), we argued for a critical theory of method for educational studies, which would analyze lives in the context of history, structure, and institutions, across the power lines of privilege and marginalization.

Beyond The Dictionary : What Teachers Can Do To Help Build Struggling Readers' Vocabularies, Stefanie Van Heukelom

Graduate Research Papers

Vocabulary is well documented as a predictor of reading comprehension and school success (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997; Davis, 1944 & 1968; Singer, 1965; Spearitt, 1972; Thurstone, 1946; Anderson & Nagy, 1991; Baker, Simmons, & Kame'enui, 1998; Becker, 1977; Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998). Through the research of the National Reading Panel (2000), vocabulary was identified as one of the five facets for improving students' reading along with phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Research has estimated that for every word known by a student who is able to use morphology and context, an additional one to three words should then be …

Integrating Literacy Into The Math Classroom : A Staff Development For Innovative Educators, Kathryn Pollina

Graduate Research Papers

With the collaboration and advice of several mentors and practicing teachers, I found using strategies proven to help students during literacy instruction also had the same effect during mathematics instruction. I took various instructional activities, focused around using reading and writing skills in math, and was able to effectively instruct this group of students. This experience piqued my interest in the connection between literacy and mathematics. As a result, I decided to continue my research into how to effectively integrate these two core subject areas, investigating the efficacy of combining mathematics with literacy instruction.

Commencement, 2012, Marshall University

Marshall University Commencement

Program for the One Hundred Seventy-Fifth Commencement of Marshall University.

The Use Of Nonfiction With Early Childhood Aged Children, Lacy J. Rose

Graduate Research Papers

Many children enter upper elementary unprepared to effectively read and write nonfiction. Some researchers suggest that children's lack of developmentally appropriate experiences with nonfiction during the early childhood years is in part to blame for this later school difficulty. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate the appropriateness of nonfiction for young children, as well as potential benefits and drawbacks of its inclusion in early childhood classrooms. This review of research is followed by the review of the implications current research has had on practice. In addition, suggested ways to increase early exposure to nonfiction are examined.

Life After Umaine: The Employment And Educational Status Of Baccalaureat Recipients, 2010-2011, Office Of Institutional Research And Assessment

General University of Maine Publications

The UMaine Office of Institutional Research and Assessment sends "Life After UMaine" surveys to recent baccalaureat degree recipients in order to solicit information about the employment and the continuing education status of post-graduate alumni.

University Of Maine Common Data Set, 2011-2012, Office Of Institutional Research And Assessment

General University of Maine Publications

The Commons Data Set (CDS) initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in higher education and publishers to develop a core set of clear, standard data, and definitions regarding student cohorts. The Common Data Set includes information in the following categories:

• General information about the institution
• Data on enrollment, persistence, and graduation categorized by gender, ethnicity, and financial aid status
• Application and selection policy
• Freshmen academic profile
• Transfer student data
• Student life features
• Annual student expenses and financial aid
• Instructional faculty and class sizes
• Disciplinary areas and degrees conferred

OIRA maintains an archive of the Common Data Set for …