Education Commons^™

Integrating Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Into Adult Education: Opportunities, Challenges, And Future Directions, Valerie A. Storey, Amiee Wagner

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This conceptual article provides a comprehensive overview of the current status of Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration and its influence on adult education. It discusses generative AI technologies and their potential applications in adult education settings, examines the opportunities and ethical challenges associated with integrating AI, and provides insights into emerging trends. The article consists of five sections. The introduction provides a rationale as to why AI should be integrated into adult education. Second, it describes evolving AI technologies such as Large Language Models (LLM) for personalized learning, Machine Learning Algorithms for adaptive learning systems, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality …

Free Via Library (Fvl) Etextbooks: Enhancing Affordable Learning By Involving An Academic Library In The Textbook Selection Process, Marc Jaffy

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This paper discusses an etextbook initiative which an academic library adopted to support affordable learning. After providing an overview of how textbook costs affect university students, the paper details the library’s etextbook initiative and how the library works both proactively (before/during the course design phase) and reactively (after textbook selection) to identify library etextbooks which courses can use in place of student purchased textbooks. The paper then reviews data demonstrating the use of library etextbooks in courses and the cost savings to students resulting from replacing student purchased textbooks with library etextbooks. The paper concludes by discussing problems and issues …

Developing Scholar Activists: The Role Of The Edd, Valerie A. Storey, Roschanda Fletcher

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A qualitative descriptive approach was followed in the research, starting with a theoretical conceptualization of scholar activism within doctoral education as a basis for further inquiry. Seventeen doctoral candidates described how they conceptualized and applied the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate's (CPED) Framework for the Emerging EdD Activist to their experiences in an online program. Study respondents gave accounts of growing confidence to engage in active, vocal advocacy, which they attributed to their new knowledge and understandings gained through participation in the program. However, for some mid-career students, increased vocal advocacy in the workplace was perceived as endangering career …

Ai Technology And Academic Writing: Knowing And Mastering The “Craft Skills”, Valerie A. Storey

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Evidence shows that artificial intelligence (AI) has become an essential academic subject, representing about 2.2% of all scientific publications. One concern for doctoral programs is the future role of AI in doctoral writing due to the increase in AI-generated content, such as text and images. Apprehensions have been expressed that the use of AI may have a negative impact on a doctoral student’s ability to think critically and creatively. In contrast, others argue that using AI tools can provide various benefits resulting in rigorous research. This conceptual article first discusses the developing relationship between AI and dissertation writing skills. Second, …

A Framework For Addressing Foster Care Trauma In The Public Education System: Perceptions And Implications, Valerie A. Storey, Fletcher Roschanda

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BACKGROUND

It is estimated that approximately 90% of children in foster care have experienced a traumatic event, with nearly half reporting exposure to 4 or more types of traumatic events. Educators must remain alert to indicators suggesting a history of trauma and understand the difficulties foster youth may face regulating their emotions and behavior while in school.

METHODS

A framework for foster youth trauma in the public education system identifies the interplay between macro-level forces, such as federal and state policy, and school and teacher micro-level forces.

RESULTS

The framework highlights the inadequacy of educators in identifying the manifestations of …

Challenging The Norm: Raising The Bar For Educators Of Foster Youth, Valerie A. Storey, Fletcher Roschanda

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An increasing number of foster youth find themselves representing a vast majority of the most academically vulnerable population. The trauma and neglect experienced by foster youth is but one of many factors influencing educational achievement. The role of educators in foster youth educational attainment is critical. It requires teachers and school leaders to understand the complexities of trauma; to positively develop comprehensive knowledge of trauma-informed practices; and the ability to create a learning environment where foster youth feel supported in their educational journey.

What Graduate School Didn't Teach You About Instructional Design Consulting, Joel Gardner, Dawn Snyder, Jim Guilkey, Virginia Abbott, Matthew Barclay

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Instructional design consultants provide learning and performance solutions for their clients. However, it can be difficult for instructional design students and newly graduated instructional designers to adapt to the realities of consulting in a real-world context. This difficulty is magnified by significant technological, social, and other disruptions that often occur in work and learning environments. In our observation, newly graduated instructional design consultants enter the workforce equipped with powerful tools, theories, and models for increasing learning but are less equipped to consult with their clients and other stakeholders. This article is based on our experiences as instructional design consultants, and …

Learning Analytics And Gateway Courses: Keys To Student Success, Constance Wanstreet, Meghan B. Raehll, Yuerong Sweetland

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Franklin University is midway through a five-year federal grant to increase undergraduate retention and graduation by implementing a learning analytics tool and revising gateway courses, among other activities. Initial analysis of grade trends in gateway courses for more than 8,000 undergraduates during a five-year period showed an increase in withdrawal and failure rates by an average of 4 percent and resulted in context and focus for a smaller study. Student outcomes were then assessed in 11 gateway courses over three terms, and results suggest that course redesign alone is insufficient to result in major gains in student success. Instructors were …

Instructional Design Leadership And Management Competencies: Job Description Analysis, Joel Gardner, Lewis Chongwony, Amie Tope

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Researchers in the field of instructional design and educational technology journals usually focus on the practice of instructional design; however, the management and leadership of instructional design has typically received little emphasis. Recent studies have investigated the competencies associated with effective leadership and management of instructional design from the perspective of those they lead, and from the perspective of leaders in higher education. There is, however, little systematic research into what competencies employers require of leaders and managers of instructional designers in higher education. This research would provide the field with further guidance on training and preparing instructional design leaders …

Dichotomies: Lessons From A College Life On Tour, Alexander J. Dontre

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In this unique memoir, the author reveals his struggles and triumphs as a touring musician pursuing a college education. From 2011-2017, Alex Dontre performed 505 concerts with his band Psychostick while simultaneously enrolled in rigorous online courses. It culminated with a master's degree in Business Psychology from Franklin University, at which time he gave the commencement speech at his graduation as valedictorian.

Cybersecurity Education: The Quest To Building Bridge Skills, Andy Igonor, Raymond L. Forbes, Jonathan Mccombs

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Today's employers differ in what skills and abilities they believe make for a competent cybersecurity professional; however, they concur on the importance of technical and soft skills, which we collectively refer to as "bridge skills" - in other words, skills needed to bridge employer needs and what higher education teaches. Higher education, on the other hand favors producing a holistic and rounded graduate, with soft skills incorporated into the first one or two years of study. Somewhere between these two dichotomies is a missing link which currently manifests as higher education not meeting the needs of industry relative to cybersecurity …

Creating A Culture Of Wellness: A Call To Action For Higher Education, Igniting Change In Academic Institutions, Megan Amaya, Teresa Donegan, Debbie Conner, Julie Edwards, Christy Gipson

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Background: Due to the continued rise of chronic conditions and unhealthy lifestyle choices, more innovative and evidence-based practices are needed for students, faculty and staff to improve population health outcomes and enhance overall well-being. Aim: The purpose of this paper is to inform academic health promotion professionals of key strategies to consider in order to create cultures of wellness on their college campuses. Methods: A review of the existing literature was conducted. Results: The most current evidence-based practices to create a culture of wellness are discussed. Conclusions: Institutions of higher education have an opportunity to create campus cultures that foster …

Rethinking The Library’S Role, Karen Caputo, Alyssa Darden

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Discussion of the library's evolving role in supporting students and the university community. In this presentation, we will discuss several projects and support services the Franklin University Library provides to the university community, including our etextbook initiatives, video tutorials, and rapid point-of-need reference services. These projects center around Affordability, Convenience, and Accessibility for our students, faculty, and staff.

Learning Commons Passport Presentation, Karen Caputo, Alyssa Darden

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How do you meet your distance students where they are for instruction? With attention spans set by social media behavior, how do you ensure your instruction message gets across? We created a tutorial library – the Learning Commons Passport – with short, navigable and succinct instruction videos that are accessible to learners across the globe and that instructors can embed in their courses. We worked with our IT and interactive media teams to create the structure and templates, but maintained ownership over the site and videos so we could quickly create needed tutorials, push edits, and provide the most up-to-date …

Investigating Instructional Design Management And Leadership Competencies - A Delphi Study, Joel Gardner, Lewis Chongwony, Tawana Washington

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Research in instructional design and educational technology journals typically focuses on the theories, technologies, and processes related to practice of instructional design. There is little research emphasis, however, on leadership and management of instructional design in higher education. Investigating the competencies associated with effective leadership and management of instructional design is critical as it would provide the field with guidance on how to more effectively prepare and train instructional design leaders and managers in higher education. In this study, we explored the competencies required for an instructional design manager to be effective in higher education settings. We used a Delphi …

Formative Evaluation Of A Web-Based Multimedia Intervention To Support Learning Of Statistics, Natalya Koehler, Ana-Paula Correia, Nimet Alpay, Carolyn Levally

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No abstract provided.

How To Create And Sustain Meaningful Discussions In Online Courses?, Ana-Paula Correia, Natalya Koehler

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While taking online courses students are required to participate in online discussions. These are often mandatory activities that count towards the course final grade. Even though, in many occasions, online students find this requirement dreadful and unproductive. A case study has been conducted with a postgraduate educational technology online course at a large university in the United States. This course offers two innovative strategies to overcome this issue and concomitant evidence of effectiveness.

Teaching Abroad: Ensuring A Good Opportunity Is Really Great, Garry Mcdaniel

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With increased globalization, more colleges and universities are establishing faculty exchanges, study abroad programs, collaborative research efforts, and technical assistance programs with counterparts overseas resulting in enhanced faculty development, increased learning for students, revenue generation and prestige for the partnering institutions. For faculty, the opportunity to teach abroad can be a fulfilling and career enhancing experience. However, if faculty are inadequately prepared and supported, valuable time and resources are wasted, student learning is impacted, and the image of the institution and faculty member may suffer. The purpose of this research was to determine how faculty and their home institutions can …

Reflections On The Socratic Method, Rachel Althof

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I have noticed the Socratic method is a term often used in academic circles in a variety of syntactical contexts. I began to wonder how the nature of the Socratic method has changed over time. Would Socrates approve of the various meanings associated with his name today?

I conducted a detailed analysis of the historical text Alcibiades, seeking contemporary relevance. There is evidence that Socrates did not actually have a method, as it may appear. An analysis of the text shows that Socrates’ genius lies in his openness to adapt to the changing landscape of dialogue. In doing so, …

Business Psychology: Building An Interdisciplinary Bridge From The Ground Up, Raymond L. Forbes, Brenda Jones, Kristan Jones

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This paper describes the building of an innovative multi-disciplinary, outcomes-based, master’s degree program that integrates the fields of Business and Psychology. Historically, Business and Psychology have ranked among the top five majors chosen by undergraduate students. The program is theory-to-practice oriented and teaches the traditional disciplines of business including: economics, finance, marketing, human resources, strategy, and management from a human perspective. The Business Psychology program primarily emphasizes qualitative versus quantitative-oriented teaching methods. Students of the program analyze individual, group, and organizational level business issues through the application of both traditional and new brain-based tools. Individual and professional developments are also …

Discussion Boards: Boring No More!, Deborah S. Adelman, Debbie Conner

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Creating discussion boards (DBs) that capture student imaginations and contain meaningful interactions can be a difficult process. Traditional DBs use a question-and-answer format that often is boring for both the student and instructor. The authors present creative approaches to DBs that result in lively debates and student-to-student and student-to-faculty interactions, including role playing, blogging, wikis, and the use of voice.

An Interactive Multimedia Instructional Program On Statistics: An Instance Of Design-Based Research, Natalya Koehler, Ann D. Thompson, Ana-Paula Correia, Linda Serra Hagedorn

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Students’ fail or demonstrate slow progress in research methods and basic statistics courses if they have difficulty on identifying different types of variables. A web-based interactive multimedia instructional program for bringing them up to speed on this topic was designed and evaluated for effectiveness with 90 undergraduate college students. A significant effect of this program on students’ knowledge gain was determined. Careful consideration of the elements that made the teaching principles effective was taken by: (1) grounding the instructional design approach in cognitive psychology; and (2) collecting empirical data to validate the program features and instructional design methods used.

A Comparative Review Of “How To” Books For Parents Of Adhd Children And “How To” Books For Parents Of Typical Children, Bora Pajo, Paul H. Stuart Dr.

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Although an increasing number of children are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and take medications to control their behaviors, a well-publicized controversy persists about whether ADHD refers to a common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood or to various medicalized temperamental, educational, and cultural differences and difficulties of children. Moreover, behaviors indicative of ADHD are commonly found among all children—although with different frequencies. This paper aims to identify and compare the type of information provided to parents of ADHD and non-ADHD diagnosed children through readily available self-help books. Searches using popular online bookstores were conducted to rank and select the …