Education Commons^™

Capstone Teams: An Industry Based Model, Scott Post, Julie A. Reyer, Martin Morris

Publications

Project teams, a mainstay in industry practice, are being employed in many capstone design courses. This paper examines industry models for teams and their application to a specific capstone design course. Following Katzenbach and Smith’s basics of high performing teams, teams are formed based on individuals skills. The team is made accountable and committed both as a group and as individuals through the structure and format of the course. The course structure is then planned so that teams progress through Tuckman’s development stages of forming, storming, norming and performing, during their two semester capstone design project.

The Use Of Apps To Prime Learning For A Verbal Task, Christina Frederick, Devin Liskey, Daniel Brown

Publications

This study tested whether or not children’s memory performance would be affected by stimulating brain activity by completing a verbal puzzle task or a non-verbal puzzle task prior to a verbal learning task.

A3ir-Core At Purdue University: An Innovative Partnership Between Faculty, Students, And Industry, John H. Mott

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Economic realities have begun to motivate public higher education institutions to reexamine their roles in the overall educational process and the associated funding mechanisms that are extant. Such reexamination typically includes both the public/private funding mix and the degree to which a workforce-oriented focus should be employed across curricula. Partnerships between academia and industry are a potential answer to the questions thereby raised, and while such partnerships are nothing new, related structural innovations can improve educational and employment outcomes for students. Industry-sponsored institutional research centers can play a major role in facilitating these partnerships. Once such center, the recently-developed Advanced …

Implementing A Qep That Encompasses All Campuses In A Varied Focused Distributed University, Kelly Whealan George, Aaron Clevenger

Publications

No abstract provided.

Onboard From The Beginning: A Successful Library Partnership With A Distance Learning Phd Program, Anne Marie Casey

Staff Works - Hunt Library

This presentation described the development of a distance education PhD program that included a librarian in the planning from the start. Beginning its fifth year, the PhD in Aviation Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) considers the library an integral part of its success. The presentation covered funding, ongoing library participation, and tips for involvement in planning.

Collaborative Audio Transcription And Repair As A Method For Novice Pilots To Learn Approach Briefing Crew Resource Management (Crm) Skills, William A. Tuccio Ph.D.

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The growth of aviation in scope, scale, and complexity increases the demands for student learning, including crew resource management (CRM) skills. Instructor facilitated methods have proven effective for CRM skill learning. This study investigated a method of collaborative audio transcription and repair based learning (CTRBL) offering the potential for reduced demand upon instructor resources for CRM learning. The theorybased CTRBL method was used in this study as a way for novice pilots to learn the CRM skill of conducting a crew approach briefing with a focus on risk mitigation. Learning methods used to develop the CTRBL method were drawn from …

Research Is A Partner In Forward Focused Time, Mary Kathleen Gorman, Rita I. Herron

Publications

"The complexities of modern society and the dynamic forces of progress necessitate that professionals in every discipline be forward-focused, which is believed to come from gaining higher education. This is becoming standard within the fire and emergency services professions and is commonly a factor regarding upward mobility. With that in mind, the U.S. Fire Administration/National Fire Academy (NFA) developed the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) recognition certificate…"

A Hearty Handshake: Improving Collaboration Between Admissions Officers And Registrars, Robert Boggs, Linda Dammer, Edward Trombley, Melanie Winter

Publications

It is revolutionary for many admissions directors and registrars to consider that they might work together as allies. At the risk of oversimplifying, admissions department staff often are considered the "quantity" people, trying to seat as many applicants as possible and so putting the need for student numbers over the need to find the best applicants whose education-related goals "fit" the particular institution. By contrast, registrar's office staff often are cast as the "quality" people-those who spend their days combing through arcane university policy manuals seeking reasons to disqualify the applicants admissions staff have advanced.

Product Review: Goodreader Or Pdf Reader Pro: Which Is Better For Reading And Annotating?, Laura Pope Robbins

Publications

Laura Pope Robbins is an advisor for The Charleston Advisor, and the comparative review below is included in Scholarly Commons with the permission of the publisher.

Today’s researchers are extremely mobile and are looking for ways to read and annotate documents when not in their offices. GoodReader and PDF Reader Pro are two apps that provide that capability for iPad users. Both apps can read multiple file formats and provide file management tools like rename, move, and delete. As well, they can both be linked to multiple cloud services to upload and download files. Neither app is integrated with an …

Gaise In Discipline-Specific Courses, Beverly Wood

Publications

While acknowledging the diverse setting, audience, and purpose of introductory courses, existing research assumes that courses offered by different disciplines share the same goals and teaching practices. The purpose of this study is to examine the objectives for student outcomes and pedagogical delivery of introductory statistics courses designed for students in a specific major, providing explicit evidence for this assumption.

The American Statistical Association’s Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) are meant to apply to all introductory courses. The College Report’s Goals for Students and Recommendations for Teaching are used as a framework for a qualitative study …

Incorporating Industry Needs Into The Development Of An Undergraduate Degree In Commercial Space Operations, Yash Bipinchandra Mehta

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The rapid expansion of the commercial space industry, not unlike the aviation industry in the early 20^th century, has left the industry facing unique challenges. As companies continue to expand, the need for a well-trained workforce becomes critical. The needed workforce must be specifically educated to enter the commercial space industry at graduation. To have a successful industry, a workforce must be trained in skills that meet the industry's needs. In that regard, this study consisted of a survey of leaders in the commercial space industry to identify the different skill-sets sought by the industry. The results of the …

Paradigms For Cybersecurity Education In A Homeland Security Program, Gary C. Kessler, James Ramsay

Security Studies & International Affairs - Daytona Beach

Cybersecurity threats to the nation are growing in intensity, frequency, and severity and are a very real threat to the security of the country. Academia has responded to a wide variety of homeland security (HS) threats to the nation by creating formal curricula in the field, although these programs almost exclusively focus on physical threats (e.g., terrorist attacks, and natural and man-made disasters), law and policy and transportation . Although cybersecurity programs are commonly available in U.S. colleges and universities, they are invariably offered as a technical course of study nested within engineering (or other STEM) programs. We observe that …

The Case To Accredit Homeland Security Programs: Why Outcomes-Based Accreditation Makes Sense, James D. Ramsay

Security Studies & International Affairs - Daytona Beach

The following essay lays out an argument for program level accreditation in academic homeland security (HS) programs. Admittedly, neither the practice nor the educational components of the HS discipline are standardized. Indeed, a recent analysis by the Congressional Research Service indicates that there remain several operational definitions of HS in practice. Regardless, this paper provides rationale which argues that after roughly eight years, academic HS has developed enough to be able to identify and support a distinct set of student learning outcomes— knowledge, skills and attitudes—that can both characterize and define the discipline.

Generally, program level academic accreditation requires a …

Paradigms For Cybersecurity Education In A Homeland Security Program, Gary C. Kessler, James D. Ramsay

Applied Aviation Sciences - Daytona Beach

Cybersecurity threats to the nation are growing in intensity, frequency, and severity and are a very real threat to the security of the country. Academia has responded to a wide variety of homeland security (HS) threats to the nation by creating formal curricula in the field, although these programs almost exclusively focus on physical threats (e.g., terrorist attacks, and natural and man-made disasters), law and policy and transportation . Although cybersecurity programs are commonly available in U.S. colleges and universities, they are invariably offered as a technical course of study nested within engineering (or other STEM) programs. We observe that …

The Case To Accredit Homeland Security Programs: Why Outcomes-Based Accreditation Makes Sense, James D. Ramsay

Applied Aviation Sciences - Daytona Beach

The following essay lays out an argument for program level accreditation in academic homeland security (HS) programs. Admittedly, neither the practice nor the educational components of the HS discipline are standardized. Indeed, a recent analysis by the Congressional Research Service indicates that there remain several operational definitions of HS in practice. Regardless, this paper provides rationale which argues that after roughly eight years, academic HS has developed enough to be able to identify and support a distinct set of student learning outcomes— knowledge, skills and attitudes—that can both characterize and define the discipline.

Generally, program level academic accreditation requires a …

Paradigms For Cybersecurity Education In A Homeland Security Program, Gary C. Kessler, James Ramsay

Applied Aviation Sciences - Daytona Beach

Cybersecurity threats to the nation are growing in intensity, frequency, and severity and are a very real threat to the security of the country. Academia has responded to a wide variety of homeland security (HS) threats to the nation by creating formal curricula in the field, although these programs almost exclusively focus on physical threats (e.g., terrorist attacks, and natural and man-made disasters), law and policy and transportation . Although cybersecurity programs are commonly available in U.S. colleges and universities, they are invariably offered as a technical course of study nested within engineering (or other STEM) programs. We observe that …

Competition In Higher Education: Build It And They Will Come Or You Have To Spend Money To Make Money, Matthew R. Sharp

Humanities & Communication - Daytona Beach

The Global Perspectives Program was developed to provide Virginia Tech graduate students with an opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding of global higher education, especially in Europe. This article deals with enrollment management and competition for students.

Students' Perceptions Of Student Evaluation Of Teaching (Set) Process, Ale J. Hejase, Rana S. Al Kaakour, Leila A. Halawi, Hussin J. Hejase

Publications

Researchers have mixed views about Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) as means to evaluate teaching where some agreed and others viewed SET as being biased. This study aims to measure students’ perceptions of the effectiveness and appropriateness of the evaluation process in Lebanon. A survey questionnaire was administered to students from five Lebanese universities. Findings revealed that students were positive and perceived the evaluation process as effective and appropriate to evaluate teaching. Students identified students’ perceptions, instructors’ behavior, and course characteristics as variables that may impact the process. Results and implications were discussed for future research.

Evolving: Using Science Fiction To Engage Students In Evolutionary Theory, Chad Rohrbacher

Publications

Evolutionary biology is not well-understood by a majority of the population. Many misperceptions and misconceptions exist as well as outright resistance to the theory. Various teaching and learning strategies have been tried in an attempt to involve students in exploring the theory, with mixed results. The use of science fiction to engage students in this area has been sparse, and virtually no quantitative assessment of learning with the method has been done. Using Origins, an anthology based on evolution, we created an interdisciplinary teacher’s resource manual that will be offered free to teachers. This paper examines some of the difficulties …

Examining Pre-Service Teachers' Instructional Strategies For Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Via Video-Conferencing, Hsiu-Jen Cheng, Hong Zhan

Publications

This action research observes instructional strategies and appropriateness of the strategies that pre-service teachers have applied during their training based on the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) training model. Participants include 14 pre-service teachers who were enrolled in a Distance Education training course in Taiwan. During the course, pre-service teachers were trained to develop teaching skills based on the TPACK training model and applied their skills in video-conferencing teaching which involved 14 American students who were learning Mandarin Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) in an intermediate level course in the United States. Data were collected via screen recordings of …

Developing A Homeland Security Curriculum: A Case Study In Outcomes-Based Education Using The Delphi Method, Daniel Cutrer

Publications

The field of homeland security is a nascent discipline, and as such does not have a national accreditation body to promulgate a standardized, outcomes-based curriculum for future homeland security professionals seeking university degrees. This qualitative study was designed to identify a set of program-level, learning-based outcomes for an undergraduate degree in homeland security. The research project used a case study methodology to examine and validate the results of earlier studies on homeland security (HS) curriculum development. A consensus-driven, iterative Delphi technique was used to survey a purposive, convenience sample of homeland security experts to ascertain their ideas on what elements …

The Knowledge Base As An Extension Of Distance Learning Reference Service, Anne Marie Casey

Staff Works - Hunt Library

This study explores knowledge bases as extension of reference services for distance learners. Through a survey and follow-up interviews with distance learning librarians, this paper discusses their interest in creating and maintaining a knowledge base as a resource for reference services to distance learners. It also investigates their perceptions about the feasibility and practicality of a reference knowledge base. Primary findings indicate that the majority of participants view a knowledge base as an extension of distance learning reference services positively but see issues related to workload and quality control, in particular, which might hinder the development and maintenance of this …

General Aviation Weather Encounter Case Studies, John M. Lanicci, Massoud Bazargan, Daniel Halperin, Scott Shappell, Jaclyn Baron, Rebecca Iden, Carla Hackworth, Kali Holcomb

School of Graduate Studies - Daytona Beach

This study presents a compilation of 24 cases involving general aviation (GA) pilots’ weather encounters over the continental U.S. The project team interviewed pilots who had experienced a weather encounter, and we examined their backgrounds, flight experience, and weather encounter details. Results from meteorological data analysis for each weather encounter were consistent with findings of larger GA weather accident studies in terms of the types of hazards encountered and flight phase during which the encounters occurred. Investigation of pilot weather products and the sources from which they were obtained revealed a lack of uniformity of pre-flight data sources and underutilization …

The Gaise College Report: The American Statistical Association Meets Sound Pedagogy In Central Virginia, Beverly Wood

Publications

Research in undergraduate statistics education often centers on the introductory course required for a large percentage of college students. While acknowledging the diverse setting, audience, and purpose of introductory courses, existing research assumes that courses offered by different disciplines share the same goals and teaching practices. The purpose of this study is to examine the objectives for student outcomes and pedagogical delivery of introductory statistics courses in various academic departments to provide explicit evidence for this assumption. The American Statistical Association’s Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) are meant to apply to all introductory courses. The College …

Exploration Of Sensemaking In The Education Of Novices To The Complex Cognitive Work Domain Of Air Traffic Control, Travis J. Wiltshire

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Many current complex business and industry jobs consist primarily of cognitive work; however, current approaches to training may be inadequate for this type of work (Hoffman, Feltovich, Fiore, Klein, & Ziebell, 2009). To try and improve training and education for cognitive work, Klein and Baxter (2006) have proposed cognitive transformation theory (CTT), a learning theory that claims that sensemaking activities are essential for acquiring expertise that is adaptive and thus well suited for cognitive work domains. In the present research, cognitive task analysis methods were used to identify and assess sensemaking support in the instruction and learning of complex concepts …

Assessing Technological Literacy Of Middle School Students, Lawrence E. Whitman, Mandy C. Phelps, Karen V. Reynolds, Barbara S. Chaparro

Publications

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a rigorous and relevant pre-engineering curriculum implemented in middle schools and high schools throughout the United States. PLTW has a hands-on approach using activities and project-based learning. The College of Engineering at Wichita State University has partnered with three local school districts to implement the PLTW program to increase interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). This study begins to assess the impact of the PLTW program on student perceptions and attitudes toward engineering and technology as part of an ongoing three-year assessment. A pre- and post-assessment were administered to middle school students …

Social Networks In Higher Education: A Study Of The Relationship Of Social Structural And Proximity Factors To Teacher Credibility And Perceived Quality Of Academic Life, Gordon R. Haley

Publications

As Berge (1998) tells us, learning is a lifelong process that is important to effective participation in cultural and economic life in a democratic society. In their research on cultural issues in distance education, Enoch and Soker (2006) note one of the major concerns of modern societies today is to ensure increased access to higher education, and to include members of formerly under-represented social groups and categories, such as ethnic and racial minorities, women and people who live in distant rural or disadvantaged areas or who have to combine their studies with full-time or part-time jobs. Building on the work …

Comparing Ratings: In-Class (Paper) Vs. Out Of Class (Online) Student Evaluations, Rose Opengart, Ronald Mau

Management & Technology - Worldwide

Student evaluations of teaching (SET) are used by institutions of higher learning in the tenure and promotion process and in awarding merit pay increases. The trend at some institutions has been towards using an online student assessment instrument (SAI) in lieu of the traditional paper –based, in-class assessment. This study examines the difference in student evaluations in two contexts; online and paper-based, in a finance course taught to non-finance majors. The evidence strongly indicates faculty receives higher evaluations using a paper-based instrument administered during class than with an online assessment instrument which students complete on their own time.

Service-Learning As A Pedagogical Approach For Net Generation Learners: A Case Study, Sally Blomstrom

Publications

This chapter focuses on service-learning as a pedagogical approach for Net Generation learners, and presents a case study from a private technological institution in the United States as an example. The chapter covers details of the assignment as a case study, specific considerations in the assignment’s design for Net Generation learners, ways in which the assignment followed principles of service-learning assignments, and how service-learning principles correspond with Net Generation learner characteristics. The case study focuses on an assignment for a speech class in which university students developed and delivered presentations on science topics to two audiences: children in an afterschool …

Large Scale Quality Engineering In Distance Learning Programs, Rita "Rene" Herron, Cinda Holsombach-Ebner, Alice Shomate, Kimberly Szathmary

Publications

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide serves more than 36,000 online students across the globe, many of whom are military and other non-traditional students, offering 34 undergraduate, graduate, and professional education/workforce certificate programs, presented both online and via blended delivery modes. The centralized model of online course production and management produces and maintains more than 200 high quality turnkey-style courses, including several award winners. Faculty members in partnership with an instructional design production team design worldwide courses, working together to ensure course goals and learning objectives are achieved. The more than 800 geographically dispersed faculty members are monitored and coached throughout …