Education Commons^™

Euclidian Geometry: Proposed Lesson Plans To Teach Throughout A One Semester Course, Joseph Willert

Mathematics Undergraduate Theses

Overview We provide several engaging lesson plans that would aid in the teaching of geometry, specifically targeting Euclidian Geometry, towards students of high school age. The audience of this piece would be high school or college students who have not yet had an introduction to geometry, but have completed the standard mathematical courses leading up to this point (i.e. algebra, elementary math, etc.). This being the case the lessons and concepts realized in Chapter 1 target a basic understanding of what Euclidian Geometry is and the subsequent chapters aim specifically at underlying properties of a geometry. The main source of …

The Administration Of Online Programs In Statewide Systems: A Case Study Of The University System Of New Hampshire, Christopher Lynn Labelle

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Enrollments in postsecondary online programs have grown over the years. As enrollments have grown, postsecondary institutions have experimented with different ways to administer their online programs. In many cases, institutions have shifted to a more centralized business model that consolidates the governance of their online programs under a single high-level institutional officer (Legon & Garrett, 2017). However, even as more colleges and universities prioritize the administration of online programming and dedicate staffing and resources to administer those programs, there is very little research focused on the best way to administer online programs in four-year public statewide systems.

Given this gap …

Knowledge-Sharing And Virtual Community Of Practice Potential In The Uscg’S Afloat Community: A Qualitative Case Study, Lisa Rodman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP) may provide the afloat community of the USCG greater opportunities for learning and professional development. The affordances of virtual engagement, including increased access to learning and peer feedback may enhance interaction and opportunities for the development and refinement of professional expertise. Although the specific learning needs and constraints of this community, including geographic separation and dynamic deployment schedules, appear well-aligned with VCoP structure and objectives, it is critical that the knowledge-sharing culture of the USCG’s afloat community be thoroughly explored before pursuing any form of performance and learning intervention. Grounded in Lave and Wenger’s (1991) …

How Teachers May Influence The Impact Of Computer Adaptive Instruction: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Implementing Lexia Core5 In Second-Grade Classrooms, Scott G. Woolstenhulme

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

School districts across the country have been adopting computer adaptive instructional programs as early reading interventions. It is imperative to learn whether CAI has an effect on student reading gains and what other factors may influence its effect. This mixed methods study employed an explanatory sequential design to first evaluate the reading gains of 2^nd grade students. An independent samples t test showed that 2^nd grade students in 2017 who participated in the Lexia Core5 reading intervention program for at least 30 hours had significantly higher gains than their peers in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 school years. …

Student Perceptions Of Instructor Immediacy In Online Program Courses, Anthony Charles Saba

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The first online course was taught over 30 years ago. Over that time, instructors have primarily used text-based asynchronous communication in the online courses they teach. However, advances in technology over the last ten years have given rise to more opportunities to use new synchronous and semi-synchronous communication technologies (e.g., video, mobile and social networking technologies) in online courses. These advances in technology are likely to not only influence how instructors today communicate in the online courses they teach but ultimately influence their instructor immediacy. Instructor immediacy is the degree of psychological closeness students perceive there to be with their …

A Content Analysis Of Visuals In Elementary School Textbooks, Daibao Guo, Katherine Landau Wright, Erin M. Mctigue

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although visual complexity is increasing and graphics are essential to support readers’ comprehension of disciplinary texts, visual literacy receives scant attention. Research suggests that effectively instructing students to interpret discipline-specific graphics would yield better comprehension. However, before this line of inquiry can be enacted, we must determine the characteristics of graphics in contemporary content textbooks. Therefore, this content analysis evaluated graphics within third- and fifth-grade science and social studies textbooks. We coded 3,844 graphics by type and function and compared findings between disciplines using chi-square and post hoc comparison tests. Overall, graphics were coded into 9 major types (photographs being …

Collaborative Robotics: More Than Just Working In Groups, Kellie Taylor, Youngkyun Baek

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this study was to determine what collaborative interventions produce positive effects for students working on collaborative robotics projects for science process skills, collaborative problem solving, and learning motivation. In addition, the study examined the impact students’ prior robotics experience had on science process skills, collaborative problem solving, and learning motivation. The results indicated experience level and collaboration interventions can have impacts on students. Assigned Group Roles had positive effects on students’ motivation and collaborative problem solving. Experience level also had effects upon student learning motivation and collaborative problem solving with the Novice status associated with higher levels …

Visions Of Quality Assurance In Online Mba Programs, Kerry Rice, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Ross Perkins

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Online MBA programs have undergone significant growth in recent years. However, quality assurance measures have not kept pace with this growth. The purpose of this study was to identify and prioritize aspects of quality assurance specific to Association to Advance College Schools of Business (AACSB)-accredited online MBA programs. The Delphi methodology was used to facilitate a group conversation among administrators, faculty members, and instructional designers around the topic of quality assurance for online Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs over the next 3-5 years. This paper reports the results of this study and how the results will help to direct …

The Genealogy Of The Textbook As An Educational Form: Orality And Literacy In Education, Norm Friesen

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, I provide a short but broad history of the textbook as a multimedia pedagogical and cultural form. In doing so, I pay particular attention to the interrelationship of oral and textual media and cultures, highlighting the ways that these two communicative modes are reconfigured over the history of this pedagogical form. I also situate the textbook in the context of changing instructional methods and practices, and demonstrate that instructional forms and practices have neither progressed along with new technologies nor gradually evolved from a primitive orality to sophisticated literacy. Instead, I show that these practices as well …

Continuing The Dialogue: Curriculum, Didaktik And Theories Of Knowledge, Norm Friesen

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Joseph Schwab’s famous remark, that the field of curriculum is ‘moribund’—no longer able ‘to …contribute significantly to the advancement of education’—has long echoed in curriculumstudies. Although its specific meaning has certainly changed, it still rings in our ears today. It now applies as much to discussions in the US and UK as it does to those in Northern Europe—where the cognate field of General Didaktik has been described as ‘quiet’ (Terhart, 2003, p. 25), or more recently, ‘dead’ (Zierer & Seel 2012, p. 16). This ‘virtual issue’ of the Journal of Curriculum Studies brings together five articles of direct relevance …

Principal Leaders And College And Career Readiness Programs, Inna Goretaya Polishchuk

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the intersection of high school principals and college and career readiness initiatives in five high school contexts. Because school principals are responsible for setting the vision in a school, college and career readiness initiatives have the potential to overlap significantly with the principal’s direction of the school. Moreover, studies indicate college and career readiness programs might rely on the active support of the school administrator if they are to succeed. What the school leader cares about tends to be what staff focus on; therefore, this study examines how three factors influence the effectiveness of a college and …

Developing Computational Thinking With Educational Technologies For Young Learners, Yu-Hui Ching, Yu-Chang Hsu, Sally Baldwin

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article aims to provide an overview of the opportunities for developing computational thinking in young learners. It includes a review of empirical studies on the educational technologies used to develop computational thinking in young learners, and analyses and descriptions of a selection of commercially available technologies for developing computational thinking in young learners. The challenges and implications of using these technologies are also discussed.

Knowledge-Sharing And Potential Virtual Communities Of Practice In The U.S. Coast Guard’S Afloat Community: A Qualitative Pilot Study, Lisa Rodman, Jesús Trespalacios

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Virtual communities of Practice (VCoP) offer a flexible option for professional development that may be employed by geographically dispersed communities. Due to unique and dynamic operational demands and a reduced training budget, the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) afloat community has limited opportunity for formal professional development, but alternative learning options have yet to be formally researched. This qualitative pilot study employed purposeful sampling to conduct 6 one-on-one interviews of afloat members with varying degrees of afloat experience and total time in service. The interviews were used to elucidate the knowledge-sharing culture of the afloat community, including the degree to …

Examining Student Learning And Perceptions In Social Annotation-Based Translation Activities, Na Zhao, Fei Gao, Dazhi Yang

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Limited research has been conducted on how to incorporate computer-supported collaborative learning into translation instruction despite the potential benefits. A study was conducted with a group of college English majors in China to examine the effects of using a social annotation tool to encourage student interaction during translation activities. The results showed that students made greater improvement when they completed the translation assignments with the support of a social annotation tool than when they completed the assignments in the traditional way. In addition, students had a positive attitude toward the use of the social annotation tool.

Evidence‐Based Survey Design: The Use Of Ascending Or Descending Order Of Likert‐Type Response Options, Seung Youn (Yonnie) Chyung, Megan Kennedy, Ingrid Campbell

Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Survey designers should be aware of response order effects associated with left-side selection bias, acquiescence bias, and satisficing. A sufficient amount of research has shown that descending-ordered response scales generate more positive responses from respondents than ascending-ordered scales. A simple solution to the inflated data obtained from descendingordered scales is to present response scales in ascending order. Otherwise, descending-ordered scales should be used with strategies for reducing response order effects.

E-Portfolios, Course Design, And Student Learning: A Case Study Of A Faculty Learning Community, Devshikha Bose, Patrick R. Lowenthal

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this case study was to investigate faculty perceptions of participating in a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) and how the FLC contributed toward their pedagogical use of e-portfolios. The researchers were also interested in faculty perceptions of the potential impact of e-portfolios on student learning. An online survey and focus group were used to collect data for this study. Results suggest that the FLC, as a professional development experience, enabled faculty at different levels of e-portfolio adoption, to learn from their peers, become more confident instructors, reflect on course design, and plan for changes in the instructional use …

Thick And Thin: Variations In Teacher Leader Identity, Julianne A. Wenner, Todd Campbell

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recently, there has been more focus on issues related to the professional development of teacher leaders (TLs), but there is still much to learn. Situated within a larger study, the purpose of this research was to understand the ways in which individuals participated in teacher leadership and how participation and identities shaped and were shaped by communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). Specifically, this study focuses on two TLs and the manifestation of what we are describing as ‘thick’ and ‘thin’ TL identities. Based on our findings, we see thick identity – that is, a TL identity that is …

Priorities For Vocabulary Intervention Design Using Texting: Data To Examine The Critical Role Of Language Learners' Behaviors And Perceptions, Jia Li, Qizhen Deng

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

We examined the role of university English language learners' (ELLs) behavior and perception of a texting-based instruction intervention on their academic vocabulary acquisition. This article reports on the data pertaining to 108 ELLs from six undergraduate classes taking two comparable undergraduate courses on content-based English for Academic Purpose (EAP). The data include (1) the performance of the control and intervention groups on pre-and post-intervention tests on target vocabulary and academic vocabulary, (2) a pre-intervention survey of participants' technology use, and (3) a post-intervention survey of participants on learning behavior during the intervention and their perception of the intervention. Data presented …

Improving Caregivers’ Confidence With The Powerful Tools For Caregivers Program, Seung Youn (Yonnie) Chyung, Jordy Lepiane, Jennifer A. Shamsy, Melissa Radloff

Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) program is designed to help caregivers develop skills to improve their self-efficacy in caregiving. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the PTC program in Boise, Idaho, the program’s pre-survey (n = 277), end-of-program survey (n = 131), and 6-month follow-up post-survey data (n = 100) collected between 2011 and 2017 were analyzed in this study. The end-of-program survey data indicated that caregivers viewed the quality of the program to be excellent and that all of them felt more confident as a caregiver. Factor analysis and reliability testing on the pre-survey data confirmed that seven questions …

On The Importance Of Engaging Students In Crafting Definitions, Angela Little, Leslie Atkins Elliott

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper we describe an activity for engaging students in crafting definitions. We explore the strengths of this particular activity as well as the broader implications of engaging students in crafting definitions more generally.

Despite Predictions Of Their Demise, College Textbooks Aren’T Going Away, Norm Friesen

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

While textbooks have been said to be on their way, they are still a mainstay in higher education.

The Effects Of Formative And Summative Assessment On Student's Connectedness, Satisfaction, Learning And Academic Performance Within An Online Healthcare Course, Thomas J. Wing

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The quantitative study presented here evaluates the effects of formative and summative assessment on student’s connectedness, satisfaction, learning and academic performance within a university three-credit 400 level online healthcare course. Literature exploring the role that formative assessment plays within an online environment is currently lacking. Additionally, understanding how assessment practices can help support the goals of online healthcare education is vitally important given the rise in popularity of this delivery format.

This study investigated student outcomes in the form of connectedness, satisfaction, learning and academic performance. Four cohorts of students were included in this study. Two cohorts were provided with …

Synchronous Online Peer Tutoring Via Video Conferencing Technology: An Exploratory Case Study, Christopher David Smith

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to analyze the lived experiences of peer tutors who provide synchronous online tutoring services, at a large, accredited, public, four-year university located in the Middle Atlantic Region of the United States. An exploratory qualitative case study approach was used to conduct this study. The case chosen for this study consisted of a single holistic case that was both descriptive and intrinsic. Participants of the study consisted of students who were hired by the chosen university to serve as peer tutors as well as students that utilize the online peer tutoring service. Data collection and …

Specifying Human Performance Solutions Through Well‐Formed Business Requirements, Peter C. Honebein

Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Are you looking for a way to communicate the results of gap and cause analyses to your clients and stakeholders clearly, simply, and quickly? Writing business requirements is a method for documenting key human performance accomplishments. Through well‐formed business requirements, human performance practitioners are more able to discover creative and effective training and non‐training solutions across the six boxes of the behavior engineering model.

Creating A Positive Classroom Environment: A Case Study Of Elementary Teachers’ Reflections On The Work Of Building Student Relationships, Lisa Strader

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests roughly one in four children experience one or more instances of trauma, or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), before they turn 18; this has been associated with difficulty in behavior and academic performance within the classroom. Without intervention, the negative outcomes associated with ACEs such as higher risk of suicide, homelessness, and unemployment, may continue to impact these children through adulthood. This case study explores teachers’ reflection on the strategies they use to foster a positive classroom environment, in particular how they build relationships with students experiencing various types of trauma. Building relationships is particularly important as an instructional …

Online Laboratory Introductions To Promote Student Interactions With Two Science And Engineering Practices Of The Next Generation Science Standards, Catherine K. Howlett

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Online science courses are becoming increasingly available to K-12 students in the United States. With the utilization of these courses, it is important to facilitate student completion of laboratories as well as student interest in and use of the science and engineering practices (SEPs) of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This exploratory research provided online laboratory introductions to help students interact with the content and the instructor. The research studied if the laboratory introductions led students to ask questions about laboratories, complete laboratories, and think about and use two NGSS SEPs, specifically analyzing and interpreting data and constructing explanations …

Teaching Massive, Open, Online, Courses (Moocs): Tales From The Front Line, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Chareen Snelson, Ross Perkins

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Very little research has been conducted about what it is like to teach a MOOC. Given this, a mixed methods study, involving a survey of 186 MOOC instructors and 15 follow-up interviews, was conducted to explore the motivation, experiences, and perceptions of instructors who have taught massive open online courses. Findings indicate that instructors were motivated to teach MOOCs for three main reasons: (1) interest and passion, (2) publicity and marketing, or (3) benefits and incentives. Most instructors had little online teaching experience prior to teaching their first MOOC, but were satisfied with the experience. The majority believed their own …

Transacting With Characters: Teaching Children Perspective-Taking With Authentic Literature, Tracey S. Hodges, Erin Mctigue, Katherine Landau Wright, Amanda D. Franks, Sharon D. Matthews

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

The present study builds upon established best practices in narrative comprehension instruction by redesigning a story map, to both retain the benefits of text structure instruction, while also facilitating students to reach deeper levels of character-based comprehension. We entitled our revised story map the Chart for Multiple Perspectives (CHAMP). Using the CHAMP, we provided a 15 day, one-on-one tutoring intervention to four 3^rd grade students (three intervention, one control). Drawing upon developmental theories regarding perspective-taking, the students used the CHAMP to consider the characters at multiple levels. The research design of this exploratory, mixed-methods research was single-subject design with …

Work In Progress: Institutional Context And The Implementation Of The Redshirt In Engineering Model At Six Universities, Ann Delaney, Donna C. Llewellyn, Janet Callahan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Low-income students are underrepresented in engineering and are more likely to struggle in engineering programs. Such students may be academically talented and perform well in high school, but may have relatively weak academic preparation for college compared to students who attended better-resourced schools. Four-year engineering and computer science curricula are designed for students who are calculus-ready, but many students who are eager to become engineers or computer scientists need additional time and support to succeed. The NSF-funded Redshirt in Engineering Consortium was formed in 2016 as a collaborative effort to build on the success of three existing “academic Redshirt” programs …

The Redshirt In Engineering Consortium: Progress And Early Insights, Janet Callahan, Donna C. Llewellyn, Ann E. Delaney

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The NSF-funded Redshirt in Engineering Consortium was formed in 2016 with the goal of enhancing the ability of academically talented but underprepared students coming from lowincome backgrounds to successfully graduate with engineering degrees. The Consortium takes its name from the practice of redshirting in college athletics, with the idea of providing an extra year and support to help promising engineering students complete a bachelor’s degree. The Consortium builds on the success of three existing “academic redshirt” programs and expands the model to three new schools. The Existing Redshirt Institutions (ERIs) help mentor and train the new Student Success Partners (SSPs), …