Education Commons^™

Collaboration In East Africa: A Contextualised Approach To Defining The Construct, Claire Scoular, David Alelah Otieno

Assessment and Reporting

Collaboration has been highlighted internationally as a key skill for learning, working, and living in the twenty-first century. However, to teach it well, enhance its performance, and measure its growth, it is essential to have a clear and consistent definition of the skill. There are a number of frameworks that describe collaboration in a way that is meaningful to learning and growth. Despite some differences across frameworks, it is clear there is a common core set of contributing subskills. This suggests that collaboration is of global interest, and that there are components that transcend national or cultural specificities. Notwithstanding, definitions …

Educators’ Perspectives About Teaching And Supporting Students With Learning Difficulties In Reading, Tanya Serry, Pam Snow, Lorraine Hammond, Emina Mclean, Jane Mccormack

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

We explored the perspectives of school-based educators located in Victoria, Australia, regarding their support of students who have reading difficulties. An anonymous survey was completed by 523 participants, including educators, educational leaders and Student Support Services staff. Results revealed multiple areas of concern related to their capacity to work on reading intervention with these students. Although participants reported that students with reading difficulties were present in most classes, confidence to work effectively with these students was mixed. They described feeling poorly prepared by preservice programs and indicated that insufficient time and mentorship prevented them from serving these students optimally. As …

Pre-Service Teachers' Use Of Ict To Collaborate To Complete Assessment Tasks, Eileen V. Slater, Donna Barwood, Zina Cordery

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This research explored the use of ICT products by n = 123 pre-service teachers to complete collaborative assessments. Students responded to a questionnaire relating to the use, benefits and limitations, and what would better enable the use of ICT for collaborative assessment purposes. The ICT products favoured by students did not support some key elements necessary for online collaboration, through either student use or product functionality. Poor Internet access was a commonly cited limitation with the effect of reducing access to available ICT skills training. Suggestions for changes to course structure and content and further research are made.

International Professional Skills: Interdisciplinary Project Work, Thomas Mejtoft, Helen Cripps, Christopher Blöcker

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Higher education should provide learning situations that prepare students for a future profession and make them world-ready. This paper reports insights from an international interdisciplinary collaborative project aiming to create learning experiences that are close to a professional situation. The collaboration setup simulates a setting of a digital agency with a development team in Sweden and a marketing team in Australia working together to solve a task. The collaborative project has been active since 2017, completing its fifth iteration in 2021. Postcourse survey results show that the students felt that a real situation was created with a high level of …

Menzies School Leadership Incubator: Insights, Adrian Field

Educational leadership

The Menzies School Leadership Incubator (the Incubator) is a national trans-disciplinary initiative to design, test and learn about transformative innovations that will support lasting systems change in Australian schools’ leadership. This review explores the successes, challenges and learning from work in the Incubator to date, from the perspective of a collaborative seeking longstanding systems change. The design of the review is informed by thinking in the innovation literature, principally communities of practice and socio-technical systems theory. This review was undertaken as a rapid exploration of experiences and learning, drawing on interviews with eight individuals from within the Incubator (six interviews) …

Assessment Of General Capabilities: Skills For The 21st-Century Learner. Final Report, Claire Scoular, Dara Ramalingam, Daniel Duckworth, Jonathan Heard

Assessment and Reporting

This report describes a project of the Centre for Assessment Reform and Innovation (CARI) at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to develop an approach for teaching and assessing general capabilities, also known as 21st century skills, in the classroom. The report is divided into two parts. Part one presents an overview of ACER’s approach to skills development. This approach is underpinned by the identification of three evident needs: to understand development, to monitor growth, and to ensure alignment across curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy. Part Two outlines how the approach is applied in the context of assessment. An assessment …

Collaboration: Skill Development Framework, Claire Scoular, Daniel Duckworth, Jonathan Heard, Dara Ramalingam

Assessment and Reporting

This skill development framework has been developed to address the challenges associated with teaching and assessing collaboration. While there are many definitions of the skill, few provide a means to operationalise collaboration in the classroom. This framework is designed to synthesise and harmonise existing theory and research on collaboration to provide a holistic perspective. It outlines collaboration processes along prescribed strands and aspects that are informed by a sound evidentiary basis. The aspects contained within the framework are designed to provide foci for teaching and the basis of assessment.

Increasing Inclusive Education Through A Learning Center Model: A California Approach, Aja Mckee, Audri Sandoval Gomez

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Learning center models offer students with disabilities learning experiences in general education classrooms, while retaining support and services from special education personnel. The learning center approach examines existing educational perspectives, practices and structures, surrounding access to general education for students with disabilities. This study used a document analysis, a qualitative data method, to examine how two California school districts developed a learning center model to transform special education programming from segregated special education classrooms and practices to placement and access to general education. The findings inform educational programming for students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, to comply with …

Co-Design Of An Orchestration Tool: Supporting Engineering Teaching Assistants As They Facilitate Collaborative Learning., Luettamae Lawrence, Emma Mercier

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper describes a design-based implementation research (DBIR) project, focused on the co-design and implementation of an orchestration tool for teaching assistants (TAs) in required engineering classes. Building on our collaboration with the engineering department, we identified a need for a tool that provides insight into groups to help TAs intervene in realtime. This paper presents two phases of our iterative co-design process. The first phase includes the initial design of the tool from design workshops with TAs. The second phase focuses on a 16-week implementation of the orchestration tool and reports on interviews with TAs to understand how they …

3 Tips For Equitable Use Of Classroom Data, Jori Beck, Heather Whitesides

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) For most new teachers—and even veteran teachers!—data can be a four-letter word. That’s understandable. Educationbased data collection practices, evaluation, and influences are often lumped together, misunderstood, and carry a negative connotation. New teachers may even have negative perceptions of testing based on their own experiences as students (Beghetto, 2005)

School Climate In The School Choice Era: A Comparative Analysis Of District-Run Public Schools And Charter Schools, Christopher Damian Duszka

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Comparative analyses of district-run public schools and charter schools are limited to performance outcomes. There is a dearth of research on how the school-types vary on factors consequential to performance such as school climate. Public-private distinctions, such as in organizational autonomy, value orientations, funding structures, and management practices, could result in school climate dissimilarities between district-run public schools and charter schools.

The aim of this dissertation is to assess the influence organizational factors have on school climate and determine if school-type affects school climate. Student and staff school climate survey data from the Miami-Dade school district were utilized for this …

Finding Lost & Found: Designer’S Notes From The Process Of Creating A Jewish Game For Learning, Owen Gottlieb

Articles

This article provides context for and examines aspects of the design process of a game for learning. Lost & Found (2017a, 2017b) is a tabletop-to-mobile game series designed to teach medieval religious legal systems, beginning with Moses Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah (1180), a cornerstone work of Jewish legal rabbinic literature. Through design narratives, the article demonstrates the complex design decisions faced by the team as they balance the needs of player engagement with learning goals. In the process the designers confront challenges in developing winstates and in working with complex resource management. The article provides insight into the pathways the team …

Design And Assessment Of Deep And Active Learning In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Education, Juhong Christie Liu Ph.D., Elizabeth Johnson Ph.D., Jin Joy Mao Ph.D.

Libraries

This presentation draws academic significance from a focused literature review and initial data for learning design in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. The presenters will discuss strategies of fostering deep, active learning, alignment with assessment, and development of assessment instruments and methods. The presenters will share the design and development of an assessment kit to measure learning outcomes that matter in the 21st century STEM education. Through shared evidence and interactive reflection, the audience will take away up-to-date design strategies for deep and active learning as well as assessment in STEM education. The project is sponsored by National …

Lost & Found, Owen Gottlieb, Ian Schreiber, Kelly Murdoch-Kitt

Presentations and other scholarship

Lost & Found is a strategy card-to-mobile game series that teaches medieval religious legal systems with attention to period accuracy and cultural and historical context.

The Lost & Found games project seeks to expand the discourse around religious legal systems, to enrich public conversations in a variety of communities, and to promote greater understanding of the religious traditions that build the fabric of the United States. Comparative religious literacy can build bridges between and within communities and prepare learners to be responsible citizens in our pluralist democracy.

The first game in the series is a strategy game called Lost & …

Pacific Islands Literacy And Numeracy Assessment : Collaboration And Innovation In Reporting And Dissemination, Michelle Belisle, Elizabeth Cassity, Ratieli Kacilala, Mere T. Seniloli, Torika Taoi

Assessment and Reporting

This case study examines the Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA), which has developed as a regional model designed to enable the negotiation of a high degree of consensus among the participating countries. Commitment to a collaborative approach pervades all aspects of PILNA, from governance, operation and development through to data sharing, reporting and dissemination of results. The efforts undertaken to reach consensus, enhanced transparency and public dissemination of results have stimulated countries in the region to investigate how data on student learning outcomes may be used and shared in a common endeavour to improve the standards of education …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Exploration Of The Shared Perceptions Of Online Adjunct Faculty In The United States Who Have A High Sense Of Community, Tiffany Ferencz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of online adjunct faculty who have a high sense of community within their respective university. Sense of community was generally defined as feelings of connectedness within the university community. The theories that guided this study were McMillan and Chavis’ (1986) sense of community theory and Herzberg’s (1968) motivation-hygiene theory. McMillan and Chavis’ sense of community theory suggests a sense of community is a powerful force that influences people. Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory is used as it identifies guiding principles for why people are motivated to work. The central question …

Development And Validation Of A Classroom Observation Instrument For Implementation Of Co-Teaching Practices, Amy Rogers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop and field test the Co-Teaching Observation Instrument (CTOI) to determine its validity and reliability as an instrument for the observation of general and special education teacher practices in co-taught classrooms across kindergarten through twelfth grade levels. Face and content validity were established through a review by 10 experts in the field of special education. The experts were asked to pilot the instrument and then rate the composite instrument on a three point Likert-type scale in terms of whether it measures co-teaching practices including the dimensions of collaboration/teacher parity, teacher to student interaction, …

Coding By Choice: A Transitional Analysis Of Social Participation Patterns And Programming Contributions In The Online Scratch Community, Deborah A. Fields, Yasmin B. Kafai, Michael T. Giang

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

While massive online communities have drawn the attention of researchers and educators on their potential to support active collaborative work, knowledge sharing, and user-generated content, few studies examine participation in these communities at scale. The little research that does exist attends almost solely to adults rather than communities to support youths’ learning and identity development. In this chapter, we tackle two challenges related to understanding social practices that support learning in massive social networking forums where users engage in design. We examined a youth programmer community, called Scratch.mit.edu, that garners the voluntary participation of millions of young people worldwide. We …

Researcher Mobility Workshop Report: Researcher Mobility Among Apec Economies, Sarah Richardson, Julie Mcmillan, Ren Yi

Higher education research

There is growing acknowledgement around the world that contemporary research is increasingly – and needs to be – international. In a globalised world common problems can only be solved through the sharing of expertise and pooling of resources. At the same time, research developments are critical in stimulating economic growth in knowledge economies. Ensuring that researchers can access best practice through international research collaboration is essential in facilitating innovation. Policies and structures can go a long way to supporting increased international research collaboration. Online communication technologies have become a vital part of researcher mobility, enabling researchers to unite in conducting …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Impact On Collaboration As Perceived By Educators While Using Software To Manage Individualized Education Programs, Vaughn Hammond

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to gain a deeper, richer understanding of how educators’ use of software to manage individualized education programs (IEPs) impact collaboration in the IEP process. Research questions included: (a) What are the challenges identified by educators when using software to manage IEPs? (b) What are the benefits identified by educators when using software to manage IEPs? (c) What are educators’ perceptions on the impact using software to manage IEPs has on the collaboration among the IEP team? (d) What are educators’ perceptions of the use of software on increasing collaboration skills? Educators from …

Edmodo: A Collective Case Study Of English As The Second Language (Esl) Of Latino/Latina Students, Michael Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The population of English as the Second Language (ESL) students continues to rise throughout the United States especially among those of Latino/Latina heritage. An important aspect to help these students succeed is to build a sense of community through a social constructivist framework. By using and developing 21st century skills through social networking, students can develop a sense of community which could lead to an increase in academic achievement. Utilizing a philosophical assumption of methodology allowed for flexibility and ongoing reflection for the current study, and it was applied in the conceptual framework of social constructivism and sense of community. …

Spanning Boundaries To Identify Archival Literacy Competencies, Sharon A. Weiner, Sammie L. Morris, Lawrence J. Mykytiuk

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This paper is a report of a collaborative research project that identified the competencies undergraduate history majors should have related to finding and using archival materials. The boundary-spanning collaboration involved archivists, librarians, and history faculty.

Historians have long relied upon archives as essential source material, and recent studies confirmed the continued significance of archives to research in this field. However, there is no detailed listing of the archival research competencies that college history students should attain. Without a clearly defined list upon which history faculty, archivists, and library liaisons to history departments agree, teaching about archives research is difficult and …

Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration: From Proof Of Concept To Proof Of Sustainability: Final Report 2014, Daniel Edwards, David Wilkinson

Higher education research

This is the final report for AMAC-2, entitled Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration: from proof of concept to proof of sustainability (OLT project ID12-2482). This project advanced previous work funded by the ALTC and was undertaken from early 2013 to mid 2014. AMAC-2 took the proof of concept achieved through the initial AMAC project with the aim of building an ongoing, sustainable and successful collaboration between medical schools in Australia and New Zealand.

Determining The Quality Of Assessment Items In Collaborations: Aspects To Discuss To Reach Agreement Developed By The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration, Lambert Schuwirth, Jacob Pearce

Higher education research

The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration (AMAC) project, funded by the Office of Learning and Teaching, seeks to provide an infrastructure and a road map to support collaboration between Australian medical schools in matters of assessment. This may not seem very new perhaps, because there are already several collaborations taking place in Australia, and, typically, they relate to joint item banks, (such as the IDEAL consortium), or joint test administration, (such as the International Foundation of Medicine tests). The AMAC project seeks to build on these existing collaborations in two ways: first, by tying these initiatives together and thus bundling the …

What Do Students Learn From Participation In An Undergraduate Research Journal? Results Of An Assessment, Sharon A. Weiner

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Like an increasing number of academic libraries, Purdue University Libraries provides publishing support services to the Purdue community. In 2009, Purdue University Press had recently been moved into the Libraries, and there was enthusiasm about exploring new relationships which could combine the publishing skills of the Press with use of Purdue e-Pubs, the institutional repository platform that also featured powerful publishing features. Publishing an undergraduate research journal was particularly appealing because it connected the scholarly communication program of the Libraries with strategic goals around information literacy. There is evidence that undergraduate students benefit from engaging in research experiences, and writing …

The Fifth Function Of University: “Neutrosophic E-Function” Of Communication-Collaboration-Integration Of University In The Information Age, Florentin Smarandache, Stefan Vladutescu

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The study is based on the following hypothesis with practical foundation: - Premise 1 - if two members of university on two continents meet on the Internet and initiate interdisciplinary scientific communication; - Premise 2 - subsequently, if within the curricular interests they develop an academic scientific collaboration; - Premise 3 - if the so-called collaboration integrates the interests of other members of the university; - Premise 4 - finally, if the university allows, accepts, validates and promotes such an approach; - Conclusion: then it means the university as a system (the global academic system) has, and it is, exerting …

Examining Student Participation In Three Learning Activities Supported By Social Annotation Tools, Tian Luo, Fei Gao, Kathryn S. Hoff

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Social annotation (SA) allows learners to highlight and comment on Web pages and share annotations with each other online. Despite its potential in promoting collaborative learning, examining how to integrate it into educational settings has not been fully studied. The purpose of the study is to examine student participation in three different SA-based online activities: (1) peer review, (2) annotated discussion, and (3) collaborative reading. Students participated in all three SA-based activities and took a survey at the end reporting the effectiveness of these activities. The analysis of students' annotations and their survey responses suggested that although participants perceived the …

Quantified Recess: Design Of An Activity For Elementary Students Involving Analyses Of Their Own Movement Data, Victor R. Lee, Joel R. Drake

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Recess is often a time for children in school to engage recreationally in physically demanding and highly interactive activities with their peers. This paper describes a design effort to encourage fifth-grade students to examine sensitivities associated with different measures of center by having them analyze activities during recess using over the course of a week using Fitbit activity trackers and TinkerPlots data visualization software. We describe the activity structure some observed student behaviors during the activity. We also provide a descriptive account, based on video records and transcripts, of two students who engaged thoughtfully with their recess data and developed …

Snapshot Of School–Community Partnerships In Australian Schools, Sharon Clerke

Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

Schools across Australia are increasingly connecting and engaging with community groups to create opportunities for their students. From marine parks to art galleries, radio stations to local councils, aged care to football clubs, neighbourhood houses to garden centres, the possibilities for collaboration are endless. Schools are reaching out into the broader community to build exciting and innovative relationships that are designed to have a positive impact on student learning.

This report describes some of the ways that schools and community groups are collaborating using information contained in Impact Award applications submitted by schools in 2010 and 2011. The NAB Schools …

Collaborative Research Network: An Institutions Perspective, Darren Gibson

ECU Presentations

No abstract provided.