Education Commons^™

Designing Authentic And Engaging Personas For Open Education Resources Designers, John Baaki, Jennifer Maddrell, Eric Stauffer

STEMPS Faculty Publications

To guide designers developing open education resources for adults preparing for a high school equivalency exam, we developed six authentic personas that represented adults without high school diplomas. Our goal was to assist open education resources designers to develop empathy toward their learners and place themselves in their learners’ shoes. The purpose of this design case is to share our journey in designing, constructing, and integrating authentic personas for the open education resources designers.

Establishing A Virtual Makerspace For An Online Graduate Course: A Design Case, Kevin M. Oliver, Robert L. Moore, Michael A. Evans

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This design case discusses key steps taken to establish a virtual makerspace for students enrolled in an online graduate course on informal learning. Two key design decisions are elaborated around (a) the selection of appropriate projects and packaged materials that distance education students can receive by mail to participate in making, and (b) the choice of an online platform for distance education students to document their design processes for assessment purposes and peer interaction and learning. This design case is relevant to a variety of online communities who may wish to engage in maker activities as well as isolated face-to-face …

Resilience For A World In Flux, Chris R. Glass

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

There is no question that global student mobility faces significant headwinds in the current geopolitical context. The rise of nationalism worldwide has led many international researchers to reflect on their role as educators and leaders. Resilience is vital during such tumultuous times. The popular definition of resilience is the capacity to quickly recover from difficulties and setbacks. The term is often misunderstood for a type of sturdy individualism that some people possess more than others or the immunity from stress and negative emotions. There is another, more empirically-based, understanding of resilience. Diane Coutu (2002) outlines three dimensions of resilience: (a) …

Substance Use Among Transgender Students In California Public Middle And High Schools, Kris Tunac De Pedro, Tamika D. Gilreath, Christopher Jackson, Monica Christina Esqueda

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Transgender adolescents face tremendous social stress in families and schools, which often leads to behavioral health disparities. This study assessed whether rates of substance use were higher among transgender adolescents when compared to nontransgender adolescents.

METHODS: This study is a secondary data analysis of the 2013-2015 California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) that examines whether rates of substance use are higher among transgender youth when compared to nontransgender youth. Participants included 4778 transgender and 630,200 nontransgender students in middle and high schools in nearly all school districts in California. The study outcomes were lifetime, recent, and in-school use of …

Preparing Teacher Candidates For Virtual Field Placements Via An Exposure To K-12 Online Teaching, Tian Luo, Laura Hibbard, Teresa Franklin, David R. Moore

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Aim/Purpose The goal of this project was to determine what effects exposure to online K-12 teaching and learning activities had on teacher candidates’ perceptions of K-12 online learning, how the exposure allowed teacher candidates to reach greater understanding of online pedagogy, and what effect such exposure had on teacher candidates’ aspirations to complete virtual field experiences.

Background With an increasing number of K-12 students learning online within full-time online schools and in blended learning environments, universities must prepare future educators to teach in virtual environments including clinical practice. Before engaging in online field placement, preservice teachers must be oriented to …

Educational Technology And Distance Supervision In Counselor Education, Robert Milton Carlisle, Danica G. Hays, Shana L. Pribesh, Chris T. Wood

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

The authors used a nonexperimental descriptive design to examine the prevalence of distance supervision in counselor education programs, educational technology used in supervision, training on technology in supervision, and participants' (N = 673) perceptions of legal and ethical compliance. Program policies are recommended to guide the training and use of technology in supervision.

Scientific Literacy Matters: Using Literature To Meet Next Generation Science Standards And 21st Century Skills, Cynthia Tomovic, Sueanne Mckinney, Clair Berube

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Scientific literacy matters. It matters because it is vitally important to the education and development of America’s children, tomorrow's workforce, and the keepers of our future. If the future of American individual decision making, engagement in civic and cultural affairs, and valuable contributions to economic development is to be protected, it is critical that American students become more scientifically literate than they are today. Today, most Americans, including students, are considered scientifically illiterate. Recognizing the need to develop and enhance scientific literacy (also known as science literacy), science educators have worked diligently at developing new science standards, new approaches to …

Incorporating Istation Into Early Childhood Classrooms To Improve Reading Comprehension, Tian Luo, Guang-Lea Lee, Cynthia Molina

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Aim/Purpose: IStation is an adaptive computer-based reading program that adapts to the learner's academic needs. This study investigates if the Istation computer-based reading program promotes reading improvement scores as shown on the STAR Reading test and the IStation test scaled scores for elementary school thirdgrade learners on different reading levels.

Background: Prior literature provided a limited evidence base for incorporating computer-adaptive learning technologies to improve reading comprehension in the context of early childhood education.

Methodology: Using a mixed-method case study research approach, this study purports to investigate the effects of IStation and examine the perspectives of teachers and students. Supported …

The Lilead Survey: A National Study Of District-Level Library Supervisors: Roles, Responsibilities, Challenges, And Professional Development Needs, Ann Carlson Weeks, Jeffrey Discala, Diane L. Barlow, Sheri A. Massey, Christie Kodama, Rosemary Hall, Kelsey Jarrell, Leah Jacobs, Alexandra Moses, Rebecca Follman

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The school district library supervisor plays a pivotal role in supporting, advising, and providing professional development to building-level librarians; advocating for the program; providing leadership; and representing school library programs to stakeholders in the school system and the larger community. To gain a better understanding of supervisors' roles, responsibilities, demographics, and challenges, and to establish baseline data upon which further research can be built, the Lilead Project was initiated in 2011 at the University of Maryland with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In 2012 the project team conducted the Lilead Survey, a survey of supervisors nationwide. …

Impacts Of Effective Temperature On Sectional View Drawing Ability And Implications For Engineering And Technology Education Students, Petros J. Katsioloudis

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Temperature can influence thermal comfort, working performance, and social behavior. In a classroom that is slightly cool, an assumption can be made that learning could be affected in a negative way. Considering this, a quasi-experimental study was done to determine if a significant difference of effective temperature have an effect on students’: a) spatial visualization ability, as measured by the MCT and b) ability to sketch a sectional view drawing. While not statistically significant, the students who received treatment using warm water outperformed their peers who received treatment using cold and hot water temperatures, respectively.

Use Of Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays For Engineering Technology Students And Implications On Spatial Visualization, Petros Katsioloudis, Mildred Jones, Vukica Jovanovic

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Results from a number of studies indicate that the use of head-mounted displays can influence spatial visualization ability; however, research provides inconsistent results. Considering this, a quasi-experimental study was conducted to identify the existence of statistically significant effects on rotational view drawing ability due to the impacts of the displays. In particular, the study compared the use of three different types of displays; head-mounted, pc dynamic and 3D printed and whether a significant difference exists towards rotational view drawing ability, among engineering technology students. According to the results of this study it is suggested that the impact of the display …

Give Me A Formula Not The Concept! Student Preference To Mathematical Problem Solving, Manveer Mann, Mary C. Enderson

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study was to assess student preference for procedural (formula-driven) versus conceptual (concept-driven) approaches to solve mathematical problems. Additionally, we evaluated differences in preferences among students who performed above average and those who performed at or below average on simple arithmetic problems.

Methods/Design and Sample: We used a single-factor (Instructional Approach: conceptual vs. procedural) between-subjects experiment. Instructional approach was manipulated using short embedded instructional videos. Students evaluated each approach on a five-point scale.

Results: We found that students (above-average and average/below-average) preferred the procedural approach to the conceptual approach. Interestingly, however, although students preferred …

Earning A Seat At The Table: How It Departments Can Partner In Organizational Change And Innovation, Robert L. Moore, Nathan Johnson

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Few would argue that the information technology department (ITD) is not an essential part of an organization. It is hard to envision a project that does not need the support of the ITD. Despite this importance, the ITD is not always involved in the management of projects. Often, the ITD is brought into the project late in the planning and development process. In many cases, the inclusion of the ITD in an advanced project stage can result in project failure where early involvement could have prevented it. Why is it that ITDs, while clearly a vital part of project implementation, …

Internet Of Things, John Ritz, Zane Knaack

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The internet has not only made information searching and instantaneous communications possible, it has also expanded the development of smart products that can be connected and controlled over the internet. Automobile manufacturers have used these devices during the past decade to make cars safer and assist drivers with updated information on vehicle operation. Today many more products can be operated and controlled from a smartphone or computer. Depending on your level of desired internet-connectedness, many home products are coming to the market with IoT connectivity. Much data is being collected and acted upon through databases. These developments should enable machines …

Pursuing The "Half Empty Question": Biology Undergraduates' Differential Engagement In A Brief Relevance Writing Intervention, Ting Dai, Avi Kaplan, Ying Wang, Jennifer G. Cromley, Tony Perez, Kyle R. Mara, Michael Balsai

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Whereas relevance-writing interventions have shown effects on students’ achievement, a persistent finding is that interventions benefit students with low, but not high, outcome expectancies—a phenomenon that Schwartz et al. (2016) termed the half empty question. In the current mixed-methods study, we investigated the role of undergraduate students’ patterns of engagement in a relevance-writing intervention and their relations to biology course achievement. Ninety-six students who were administered four relevance writing assignments were found to manifest two patterns: Students who completed at least 50% of the intervention in a timely manner outperformed those who completed less-then-50% or completed it late, regardless of …

Introduction To The Student Design Case Slam, John Baaki, Colin M. Gray, Craig D. Howard, Elizabeth Boling

STEMPS Faculty Publications

At the 2016 Association for Educational Communications and Technology Convention in Las Vegas, the IJDL editorial team hosted a Student Design Case SLAM. The focus of the one-day workshop was to engage graduate students in writing a publishable design case. Nine graduate students participated in the Design Case SLAM. Each graduate student brought the beginnings of a design case. Students were assigned to groups of three and assigned to an editor. Editors provided design case prompts and students completed free writing exercises which included feedback from the editor and group members.

Overweight, Obesity, And Screen-Time Viewing Among Chinese School-Aged Children: National Prevalence Estimates From The 2016 Physical Activity And Fitness In China—The Youth Study, Yujun Cai, Xihe Zhu, Xueping Wu

Human Movement Sciences Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study presents the most recent estimates of prevalence of overweight, obesity, and screen-time viewing among Chinese school-aged children. Demographic differences in these estimates between sexes and resident locales were also examined.

Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of 116,615 Chinese school children 9 to 17 years of age who participated in the 2016 Physical Activity and Fitness in China—the Youth Study project. Outcomes were the prevalence of children's overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 85th - < 95th percentile) and obesity (BMI ≥95th percentile) (defined by the Working Group on Obesity in China) and not meeting screen-time viewing recommendations (“not meeting” was defined as more than 2 h per day of viewing activities after school). Analyses were conducted on the whole sample and by school grade cohorts (primary, junior middle, junior high schools), sex, and residence locales (urban, rural).

Results: Overall, 14.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 13.8%-15.0%) of children and adolescents were overweight, 11.9% (95% CI: 11.0%-13.0%) were obese, and 36.8% (95% …

Key Points From The Updated Guidelines On Exercise And Diabetes, Sheri R. Colberg

Human Movement Sciences Faculty Publications

From the Introduction:

No doubt remains that the adoption and maintenance of physical activity is important for overall health and blood glucose management in individuals with diabetes and prediabetes. Recently, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) published updated recommendations and precautions about physical activity and exercise in people with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes (1). Given the importance of these topics, it is worth discussing the key changes and updates included in this ADA position statement (PS).

Gopher Fitstep Pro Accuracy When Measuring Steps And Moderate-To-Vigorous Physical Activity, Ali Brian, Justin A. Haegele

Human Movement Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: The Gopher FITStep Pro (GFSP) is a commercially available objective physical activity monitor that records steps taken and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the GFSP for measuring steps taken in a guided walking condition and MVPA during planned fitness activities.

Method: University-aged participants (N = 35, M_age = 20) wore two GFSP (right and left side) pedometers and one ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer during both conditions.

Results: Paired samples t-tests determined that self-step counts in the guided walking condition were not significantly different …

Athletic Ticket Pricing In The Collegiate Environment: An Agenda For Research, Craig A. Morehead, Stephen Shapiro, Timothy M. Madden, Lamar Reams, Chad D. Mcevoy

Human Movement Sciences Faculty Publications

s pressure mounts for intercollegiate athletic departments to be more selfsufficient, administrators must respond by increasing generated revenues. Despite the importance of ticket sales in this endeavor, however, little is known about the underlying ticket pricing structures and policies used by National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions. Of the limited existing scholarship focused on managerial pricing decisions in the field of sport management, only professional sports settings have been addressed. Given the unique operational differences between professional and intercollegiate sport, this paper is designed to establish a foundation from which to build future research concerning the pricing of college sport …