Education Commons^™

Improve Your Doctoral-Level Teaching With Post-Doctoral Seminars, Barbara Fennema

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

The Franklin University International Institute for Innovative Instruction and the office of Teaching Effectiveness has developed a series of courses for faculty members who will participate in the new doctoral courses being offered at Franklin University.

Five Steps To A Successful Class Start!, Barbara Carder

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

A good start is critical to a successful class. Modeling active learning right from the start will show students that they are in an interactive environment and will be expected to actively participate in the learning process

Coping With The Complexity Of Learning Analysis, Xiaopeng Ni

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Educators have a lot of data at their disposal: student grades, demographics, communications, course surveys, and learning analytics. And while all this information can seem overwhelming at times, careful instructional analysis can yield great results

How To Create Awesome Powerpoint Presentations, Barbara Carder

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Everyone who is asked to give a presentation must then ask themselves whether they should use a program to enhance their presentation. The presentation program that we are all probably most familiar with is Microsoft PowerPoint. The next time you are preparing a presentation that puts you behind the podium or up on a stage, first consider whether a presentation program should be used. Remember, PowerPoint is a visual tool that should enhance the topic of your presentation – not be the main focus of the presentation

How Should Universities Keep Highly Qualified Staff?, Erin Wehmeyer

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Faculty development is a hot topic for most universities right now. We create training opportunities and send faculty to conferences and workshops. But what about university staff? Are we encouraging their professional development? If so, how?

Let’S Look Back: Why We Failed Online Learning In The Early 2000s, Jessie Kong

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Online learning is not a new concept anymore, and many organizations in the United States have increased to implement online learning over decades. However, I recently realized that some of us as curriculum developers still make the same mistakes we did in the early 2000s when designing and developing online courses. Therefore, it’s good for us to think back on why we failed online learning in the past and reflect on what we learned from it.

How Peer Review And Peer Grading Can Inspire Knowledge Building In The Classroom, Yuerong Sweetland

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Citing von Glaserfeld (1995), Brill and Hodges (2011) suggested that peer reviews were conducive for knowledge building among learners through shared experiences. Drawing on their own practices in teaching instructional design courses, they concluded that peer reviews helped support professional standards and strengthen learners’ real-world skills in solving complex problems

Same Rules, New Tools, Jeffrey Ohler

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Hall Leadership Lessons – March 10 th, 2016 featured Dr. JoAnna Williamson, Chair of the Department of Management and Marketing and Program Chair of the Master of Science in Marketing & Communication in the Ross College of Business at Franklin University. The topic was Communication Skills for Leaders: “Same Rules, New Tools”.

From Knowledge Sharing To Knowledge Building, Xiaopeng Ni

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Our society is changing rapidly and innovation is becoming more recognized as a key factor for a competitive advantage. In order to prepare our students for success in innovation, it is necessary to re-examine our conventional pedagogy and to gear the design of students’ learning experience toward the unknown. So, in higher education, how can we prepare our students for innovation?

Tips For Writing Measurable Learning Outcomes, Rob Wood

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

“Upon completion of this unit, the learner will appreciate the significance of…” something, something. Or, the learner will “be able to demonstrate an understanding” of something or other. I cringe inside when I see supposed learning outcomes similar to these because they are not measurable. That is, there is no observable performance that adequately captures what a learner would actually do to “appreciate” or “understand.”

Teaching And Learning: A Philosophy Of Education, Barbara Fennema

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Recently I designed a course for the teaching effectiveness area of Franklin University’s International Institute for Innovative Instruction. The course is for all new instructors at Franklin, helping them to “learn the ropes” before they begin teaching their first course at Franklin.

Use Class Activities To Create A Climate For Active Learning!, Barbara Carder

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Activities can be conducted on the first day of class (or first session in an online class) that will engage students and promote active learning. The activities can be used to model the desired behavior and encourage students to recognize their responsibility in a successful learning environment. For example, an activity in which every student speaks sends the message that they will be expected to participate in class discussions.

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

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

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

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

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

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

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

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

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

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

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.

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

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 …