Education Commons^™

Faculty Perceptions About Virtual World Technology: Affordances And Barriers To Adoption, Linda W. Wood

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Providing instruction using different instructional delivery methods allows the learner to absorb content in a way that fits the individual learner. Today’s students have grown up immersed in digital technology. However, many higher education faculty are still not speaking the same digital language as their students. The issue may be that the pedagogical and epistemological beliefs of faculty who are “digital immigrants” affect the teaching methods used in the higher education classroom today. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore design college faculty perceptions of the adoption of virtual world technology into the classroom. Diffusion and adoption …

Enabling Teaching, Enabling Learning: How Does Staff Development Fit The Educational Technology Landscape?, Geraldine E. Lefoe, I. Olney, A. Herrington

Geraldine Lefoe

The New Technologies: New Pedagogies Project is a nationally funded project to support the use of mobile learning in higher education to support student learning. We explore the staff development process of this larger project, where academics in a Faculty of Education investigate new pedagogies that are required to meet the needs of millennial learners. The staff development process addressed the need for staff to own and use mobile technology in their professional and personal contexts in order to think differently about engaging their students in pedagogically sound ways. We identified four key actions for participants which contributed significantly to …

To Lecture Or Not To Lecture: Engaged Teaching And Learning, Wayne Roosa, Jay Rasmussen

Faculty Development Publications

This video and companion paper discusses the lecture as a teaching tool and features Professor Wayne Roosa (Art History) as he reflects on reasons for using lectures, the thoughts and processes involved in lecture design, and techniques that have proven successful. In addition to viewing a lecture in a 300 level course, hear Wayne’s thoughts about dealing with “too much material and too little time,” facilitating learning apart from the lecture, and preventing student boredom and information overload. (video length 51:09)

From the introduction to the paper: The lecture mode is certain to be included in your repertoire as a …

Creating A Masters In Numeracy Program, Eric Gaze

Numeracy

The Master of Science in Numeracy program at Alfred University received full approval from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) in May of 2007. This first-of-its-kind program seeks to provide teachers at all levels, from across the curriculum, the skills, and more importantly the confidence, to introduce relevant quantitative concepts in their own disciplines. Created to be a complement of the MS Ed. in Literacy, the 30-hour MS in Numeracy program consists of four required core courses (Teaching Numeracy, Teaching with Data, Assessment and Learning Theories in Numeracy, and Doing Science and Numeracy), five electives from a list of …

Quantitative Reasoning In The Contemporary World, 2: Focus Questions For The Numeracy Community, Bernard L. Madison, Shannon W. Dingman

Numeracy

Numerous questions about student learning of quantitative reasoning arose as we developed, taught and assessed the Quantitative Reasoning in the Contemporary World course described in the companion paper in this issue of Numeracy. In this paper, we present some of those questions and describe the context in which they arose. They fall into eight general problem areas: learning that is context-bound and does not easily transfer (i.e., situated learning); the need for a productive disposition regarding mathematics; the connection between QL and mathematical proficiency; the persistence of students, despite our efforts, for using the wrong base for percents; the inconsistent …

Quantitative Reasoning In The Contemporary World, 1: The Course And Its Challenges:, Shannon W. Dingman, Bernard L. Madison

Numeracy

The authors describe successes and challenges in developing a QL-friendly course at the University of Arkansas. This work is part of a three-year NSF project Quantitative Reasoning in the Contemporary World (QRCW) that supported the expansion of the course. The course, MATH 2183, began experimentally in Fall 2004 as a section of finite mathematics known informally as “News Math” for 26 students from arts and humanities disciplines. Over the past six years, the course has evolved and now MATH 2183 is approved to satisfy the College of Arts and Sciences mathematics requirement for the Bachelor of Arts degree. In 2009-2010, …

Evaluation Of A Trustees Leadership Academy At The Medical University Of South Carolina, Elizabeth Pilcher, Kelly Ragucci, Jennie Arial, Monica Cayouette

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Developing leaders in academic medicine has become a priority for many academic health science centers. The increased need for these leaders as well as the desire of individuals on such campuses to enhance their skills in teaching, research and leadership is driving the increase in faculty development programs.

Strengthening The Academic Department Through Empowerment Of Faculty And Staff, Abour Cherif, Benjamin Ofori-Amoah, Lin Stefurak

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Empowerment of employees has been a primary concern of business for many decades, under the premise that involvement of employees in decision making leads to superior performance and results. Acceptance of the practical value of empowerment by colleges and universities is more recent and more rare, despite the centrality of ideas such as faculty governance and recognition of the faculty’s essential role in the academic enterprise. Empowerment in academe is defined as the process whereby stakeholders are encouraged and supported in utilizing their knowledge, skills, and creativity to embrace ownership and accountability for the well being of their department and …

Continuous Inquiry Meets Continued Critique: The Professional Learning Community In Practice And The Resistance Of (Un)Willing Participants, Moulay Elbousty, Kirstin Bratt

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The term Professional Learning Community is commonplace, and it holds many meanings and suggestions. For the purpose of this essay, however, we discuss a specific Professional Learning Community (PLC) that was established in a high school, fifteen months prior to the application of a survey instrument to evaluate participants’ perceptions on the initiative. The PLC that we evaluate in this article had a set of very specific goals: To create a department within a high school where collaboration would become a norm and not a rarity, and to encourage collaboration that would include designing formative and summative assessments, collecting, comparing, …

Designing Successful Online Courses - Part 2, Kathleen P. King

Kathleen P King

Once again, our major goal is to provide faculty with consistent guidance through the many instructional decisions and design steps they need to pursue in this process. This process is a fantastic opportunity to craft a virtual learning space in which people can engaging in learning beyond the constraints of time and space.

Designing Successful Online Courses - Part 2, Kathleen P. King

Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education Faculty Publications

Once again, our major goal is to provide faculty with consistent guidance through the many instructional decisions and design steps they need to pursue in this process. This process is a fantastic opportunity to craft a virtual learning space in which people can engaging in learning beyond the constraints of time and space.

Five Strategies For Successful Writing Of Reports And Essays, Kathleen P. King

Kathleen P King

Many people cannot get started with their literary projects because they do not know where to start. In this brief article, I share insight from years of teaching students and professionals of all ages how to prepare professional work.

Five Strategies For Successful Writing Of Reports And Essays, Kathleen P. King

Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education Faculty Publications

Many people cannot get started with their literary projects because they do not know where to start. In this brief article, I share insight from years of teaching students and professionals of all ages how to prepare professional work.

Peer Review Of Teaching Project - Castl: Expanding The Sotl Commons Cluster Final Report, Jennifer Meta Robinson, Paul Savory, Gary Poole, Tom Carey, Dan Bernstein

Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Reports

In 2006, the Peer Review of Teaching Project at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was selected to join the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) Institutional Leadership Program. Our participation in this national leadership program (“Expanding the Teaching Commons: A social and technical infrastructure to promote and support effective learning & student success, through teacher community collaborations to develop, adapt, share and mobilize pedagogical content knowledge, exemplary practices, and shared resources.”) allowed us to engage a broad audience to help define, develop, refine, and share the models and approaches of our project. The combined group effort for …

Revelations Of Adaptive Technology Hiding In Your Operating System, Kathleen P. King

Kathleen P King

Pre-publication version of a chapter about the assistive technology tools and resources available for free in Windows OS and Mac OS. Introducing higher education faculty to free resources, features and programs which they can recommend to their students or perhaps use for themselves (for instance for fading eyesight or hearing). In addition, the chapter briefly shares strategies and examples of how they might be used. The book will have an entire chapter dedicated to assistive technology as well. This is a popularized assistive technology chapter for generalist, NON special education, faculty to become acquainted with readily available and free resources. …

The University Chameleon: Identity And Time Issues Faced By Faculty In Dual Positions, Eric Daffron

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

My transition into full-time administration came gradually. A young assistant professor of English, I got my first taste of administration when I accepted a position as coordinator of my university’s study abroad programs. Later I served an enriching experience as director of my university’s honors college. With both positions, I remained on faculty, teaching usually a couple of courses each semester. Over time, I felt a certain dissonance in my dual role. A double agent of sorts,1 I felt pulled-in terms of time and especially identity-between my role as faculty member and my role as administrator. In fact, I came …

Understanding Curriculum Perspectives: A Lesson In Frustration, Molly Mee

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

During a heated discussion in my master-level Curriculum Theory and Development class on whether or not a given curriculum borrows more from the experientialist or the constructivist perspective, Suzy, a 45-year old veteran math teacher interrupts the discussion and in an agitated tone asks, “Professor will you please just tell us the answer?” This is typical of the responses I receive when my students read about curriculum perspectives to interpret them in light of their own teaching. Anticipating frustrations like Suzy’s I open my first class session with a lesson on Posner’s notion of reflective eclecticism which is an overarching …

Creating Quality Faculty Development Programs To Impact Teaching And Learning, Mildred M. Pearson Dr., Krishna Thomas

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Faced with the twin challenges of changing demographics and increasing demands for greater accountability and transparency, institutions of higher education are grappling with how best to meet the needs of a changing student body and how best to create a shared vision for faculty, administrators, and institutions. In a climate in which faculty accountability is ever more dependent on research and scholarship, especially as rewarded by promotion and tenure, improvement in the quality of teaching is an increasing concern. The central question, however, remains: are higher education institutions poised to address these concerns effectively?

A number of issues are challenging …

Creating Quality Faculty Development Programs To Impact Teaching And Learning, Mildred Pearson, Krishna Thomas

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Faced with the twin challenges of changing demographics and increasing demands for greater accountability and transparency, institutions of higher education are grappling with how best to meet the needs of a changing student body and how best to create a shared vision for faculty, administrators, and institutions. In a climate in which faculty accountability is ever more dependent on research and scholarship, especially as rewarded by promotion and tenure, improvement in the quality of teaching is an increasing concern. The central question, however, remains: are higher education institutions poised to address these concerns effectively? A number of issues are challenging …

Creating Quality Faculty Development Programs To Impact Teaching And Learning, Mildred M. Pearson Dr., Krishna Thomas

Mildred M. Pearson Dr.

Faced with the twin challenges of changing demographics and increasing demands for greater accountability and transparency, institutions of higher education are grappling with how best to meet the needs of a changing student body and how best to create a shared vision for faculty, administrators, and institutions. In a climate in which faculty accountability is ever more dependent on research and scholarship, especially as rewarded by promotion and tenure, improvement in the quality of teaching is an increasing concern. The central question, however, remains: are higher education institutions poised to address these concerns effectively?

A number of issues are challenging …

Revelations Of Adaptive Technology Hiding In Your Operating System, Kathleen P. King

Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education Faculty Publications

Pre-publication version of a chapter about the assistive technology tools and resources available for free in Windows OS and Mac OS. Introducing higher education faculty to free resources, features and programs which they can recommend to their students or perhaps use for themselves (for instance for fading eyesight or hearing). In addition, the chapter briefly shares strategies and examples of how they might be used.

The book will have an entire chapter dedicated to assistive technology as well. This is a popularized assistive technology chapter for generalist, NON special education, faculty to become acquainted with readily available and free resources. …

Inclusive Teaching Circles : Mechanisms For Creating Welcoming Classrooms., Sharon E. Moore, Sherri L. Wallace, Gina Schack, M. Shelley Thomas, Linda Lewis, Linda Wilson, Shawnise Miller, Joan D'Antoni

Faculty Scholarship

This essay examines the Inclusive Teaching Circle (ITC) as a mechanism for faculty development in creating instructional tools that embrace an inclusive pedagogy reflecting diversity, cultural competence and social justice. We describe one group’s year-long participation in an ITC at a large, metropolitan research university in the south. Next, we share several members’ strategies for promoting more inclusive and equitable learning for students in our classrooms. Finally, we consider the implications of ITCs for its group participants and the professorate at large.

Fostering Equity & Diversity In Faculty Recruitment, Janet Fleetwood, Nancy Aebersold

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Participating in a search for a new faculty member, whether as a search committee member, search committee chairperson, department chairperson, or dean, poses unique challenges for those in academics. Though we may be an expert in conducting rigorous research, a prolific writer, or a gifted “sage on the stage” in the classroom, few of us are also experts in academic recruiting. All too frequently we bumble through the search process, hoping fervently that the person we ultimately hire – the person who will likely be our colleague for decades – is someone who will turn out to be a serious …

Faculty Development In Instructional Technology: A Multiple Case Study, Robson Moura Marinho

Faculty Publications

Employing the descriptive multiple case study method, this qualitative study explores the experiences of ten faculty members involved in learning about technology at a Major Pubic University in the United States. Participants shed light on the learning process in instructional technology by sharing their personal experiences, perspectives, ideas and behaviors. This paper summarizes the results of the study, making comparisons with related literature, and then discussing its practical implications and recommendations for faculty development. The findings indicate the need of a more holistic approach to faculty development programs in instructional technology.