Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

A New Model Of Project Based Learning, Ron Ulseth, Jefferey E. Froyd, Thomas A. Lotzinger, Dan Ewert, Bart Johnson

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

A new model for engineering education has been developed and funded. The model is 100% project based learning (PBL) where the students develop their own learning objectives. The projects are authentic needs contributed by collaborating industries. Students monitor the acquisition of 32 technical competencies and all of the design and professionalism competencies required of new practicing engineers. The reasons for the new model, description of the model, research supporting the model, methods for evaluating the model and its transportability are discussed.

Connecting Science With Engineering: Using Inquiry And Design In A Teacher Professional Development Course, Louis S. Nadelson, Patricia Pyke, Janet Callahan, Anne Hay, Joshua Pfiester, Mark A. Emmet

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The engineering design process has evolved over time to be the central and effective framework that engineers use to conduct their work. Logically, K-12 STEM professional development efforts have then attempted to incorporate the design process into their work. There has been little in the STEM literature, though, of the explicit measurement of the growth in design process knowledge. Our study presents findings of significant improvements in knowledge of the design process that resulted over the course of a recent summer STEM institute and professional development program among K-5 teachers.

As more emphasis is placed on integrating STEM into the …

Educational Effects Of Implementing A K-12 Dual Language Instruction Program In A Community With A High Percentage Of Hispanics And Hispanic English Language Learners, Mario A. Ferron

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Hispanic students have historically exhibited an educational achievement gap in a variety of indicators when compared with grade-level peers from other racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. One of the goals of bilingual education research has been the identification of programs and instructional practices that have been shown to be effective in closing the academic achievement gap for Hispanic students. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine the academic programs available in one school district in order to identify which program was most effective in helping Hispanic students reach full educational parity with their native English speaking peers as …

What's Your Pitch? Explain Your Business In 30 Seconds (Or Less)!, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

This keynote presentation was designed to help entrepreneurs, small business owners and community leaders use the "High 5" Elevator Pitch developed by Connie Reimers-Hild, Ph.D. ([email protected]) to better sell themselves, their businesses and communities.

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

June Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.

Creating An Environmental Education Program For Camp Fire Usa, Shannon Diaz

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The topic area for this Senior Project is Environmental Education. There were four environmental hands-on lesson plans that were created for the non-profit organization Camp Fire USA, Central Coast Council. These lessons will be implemented at Camp Natoma, the resident camp the Central Coast Council owns in Paso Robles, California. The lesson plans take up hour-long increments and have been created for youth ages eight through fifteen. The topics covered in the lessons include: composting; reduce, reuse, and recycle; solar energy; and wetlands. These lesson plans will be implemented as a new “Nature Class” that campers can choose to take …

Intentions, Operations, Beliefs, & Dispositions Of Teachers At Culturally Diverse Schools: Examining The Intricacies And Complexities Of Great Teachers, Bradley M. Conrad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently there is an increasing focus on teacher quality in educational reform, a lack of empirical research on exactly what culturally responsive teaching looks like, and a great deal of confusion on how teacher dispositions may be important in education. This study seeks to examine what great teachers believe, intend, and do while examining their dispositions in the process.

Three research questions guided this study: 1) What are the intentions and beliefs of culturally responsive teachers? 2) How does culturally responsive teaching operationalize? 3) What are the dispositions of culturally responsive teachers? To respond to these questions, I use Educational …

The Pace Tech All Kinds Of Minds High School Institution: Expanding Outreach And Empowering Under-Represented Populations & Communities, Jonathan Hill

Cornerstone 2 Reports : Community Outreach and Empowerment Through Service Learning and Volunteerism

No abstract provided.

Does A Two-Week Pre-K Camp Have An Effect On The Outcomes Of Kindergartners Over The First Two Grading Periods?, Jessica Virden

All Graduate Projects

This project will examine the academic effects a two-week, Pre-Kindergarten camp has on students entering kindergarten. The goals of the summer camp were to provide the students an opportunity to learn school routines, familiarize themselves with the teachers and building layout, and begin learning early reading and math skills. The program's focus was to make the students' transition into the school year both smooth and successful. The participants were evaluated two different times, spanning four months. Current literature, as well as data collection was used to determine results. t-tests comparing two equal variances were tabulated on seven literacy assessment components …

Rfid Classroom Management System, Andrew W. Wright

Master's Theses

Professors who manage large classes are unrealistically expected to grade each student fairly and accurately.  Even with all of the technological advancements that have occurred in the past thirty years, very little progress has been made in classroom management, and as a result, professors are not equipped with enough tools to successfully manage large class sizes.  Because radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is making its way into student issued identification cards, there is an opportunity to use it as a tool to aid professors in the classroom.  The focus of this paper is to discover the most effective system that …

Thermodynamic Based Model Eliciting Activities For Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Education, Paul Nicholas Van Bloemen Waanders

Master's Theses

Undergraduate engineering education is designed to prepare students for their careers.  The rise of technology in modern engineering allows for a shift in the way undergraduates are prepared for the modern workplace.  Model Eliciting Activities (MEAs) allow students to think critically about their own work and allow instructors to analyze the students’ problem solving methods.  To ensure that new MEAs are as effective as possible they are subject to six basic principles: model construction, reality, generalizability, self-assessment, model documentation, and effective prototype.

This document focuses on evaluating new MEAs for their adherence to the six principles from an instructor's and …

Deficient Policy Communication Deficient Outcomes – Capacity Building Policy Under Education Reforms In Sindh, Pakistan, Sajid Ali

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Education decentralisation in Pakistan started from 2001 through an all-out devolution programme of the government across sectors. To strengthen the decentralisation reform and build capacity of district educational managers a USAID sponsored programme Education Sector Reform Assistance (ESRA) was launched in 2003. In order to assess the impact of these capacity building initiatives, a research study was carried out during 2005-2006. The research used qualitative design and was carried out in one of the ESRA target districts in Sindh province. The paper argues the improper communication of policy severely compromised the achievement of intended policy objectives. The research noted that …

Open-Access Textbooks And Financial Sustainability: A Case Study On Flat World Knowledge, John Hilton Iii, David Wiley

Faculty Publications

Many college students and their families are concerned about the high costs of textbooks. A company called Flat World Knowledge both gives away and sells open-source textbooks in a way it believes to be financially sustainable. This article reports on the financial sustainability of the Flat World Knowledge open-source textbook model after one year of operation.

English Language Learners’ Connection To School And English Through The Digital Storytelling Process, Megan J. Mcelfresh

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Thanks to the developing technology of digital storytelling, English Language Learner teachers at Maple Elementary may have a potential answer to help 2nd grade students with their growth in English and connection to school. The questions that guided this inquiry into digital storytelling in the ELL classroom were the following: Are there particular benefits to ELLs in digital storytelling? Do ELL students see connections through the digital storytelling process to their growth as a writer and role in the school community? Research has previously shown the success of ELL students is strongly linked to the instruction they receive and sense …

Personalismo, Small Schools, And Latino Students' Academic Success, Isabel Mesa Collins

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

A growing body of research indicates that Latino students continue to struggle academically presenting educators and school leaders with serious concerns about a cultural achievement gap. Guided by the work of Lee & Loeb, (2000); Lee & Freidkin, (2007) and Stevens, (2008) who have examined small personalized learning communities, this paper examines the concept of personalismo as a conduit for establishing a platform that may help narrow the achievement gap within the Latino population in the public school system. Through a series of T-Tests, conducted in two small public schools with varying levels of personalismo, within a Chicago Public School …

Intersections: The Schooling Experiences Of African-American Females Inolved In Long-Term Foster Care And Their Transition Into Womanhood, Sonia Kennedy

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

African-American girls are entering foster care and experiencing longer stays in a system that was not intended to facilitate adolescents transitioning into adulthood. For African American adolescent girls many remain in care indefinitely and move from one temporary foster home, group home and institution to another, with little stability or preparation for the future. Although the Adoption and Safe Families Act (AFSA) of 1994 and other policy reforms were designed to guide the temporary placement of children in foster care, this has not been the case, particularly for African American females. Upon entrance into foster care, African American adolescent females …

Savvy About Succulents, Mardel Runnels, Jessica Paulisich

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to create an educational booklet explaining that succulents make fantastic SAE projects. The booklet was designed to be helpful to both high school students and high school instructors. All students enrolled in agriculture programs have projects known as SAE’s. This booklet includes a variety of topics that are relevant to having an SAE project. All information was based on industry statistics and information gained from courses. The booklet can be distributed both electronically and in a print version. The major consideration in the design of this project was to develop a booklet that would …

School Farm Facilities - Livermore High School, Joseph C. Mcnealy

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

The report contains documented evidence required in meeting the quality criteria established by the California Department of Education (CDE) for secondary programs of agricultural education.  The documents are reviewed by the CDE regional supervisor in determining compliance. In addition to the documented evidence the report includes development of a school farm facilities.

Stories And Cultural Humility: Exploring Power And Privilege Through Physical Therapists' Life Stories, Marjorie Hilliard

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how life experiences, set within their social, cultural, and historical contexts, shape the development of cultural humility in physical therapists (PTs). Cultural humility involves health professionals being actively engaged in an ongoing process with patients, colleagues, communities, and themselves to make sense of the complexities of social and culture differences within relationships in practice. Given demographic trends and health care disparities, it has become critically important to better understand the dynamics of developing trusting relationships to provide quality care. This study was influenced by relationship-centered care, sociocultural, and insurgent multiculturalism theories. A …

Seeking Connections, Articulating Commonalities: English Education, Composition Studies, And Writing Teacher Education, Janet Alsup, Elizabeth Brockman, Jonathan Bush, Mark Letcher

Department of English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Getting To Global Yes! Designing A Distributed Student Collaboration, Selma Limam Mansar, Randy Weinberg, Benjamin Kok Siew Gan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The authors have taught a course called 'Global Project Management' for four years, engaging students in three international locations in hands-on distance projects. The distance projects are intended to provide students with enriching, realistic global project experience. With experience, improved planning and better coordination, each iteration of the distance projects has improved. In this paper, the authors present lessons learned and a mind map demonstrating key aspects of design of global hands-on projects.

Learning Styles: The Key To Learning, Lisa Egan

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This Master's thesis contains components and documentation of the reasoning for the creation of a community website entitled, Learning Styles: The Key to Learning in which learners of all ages can explore the topic of learning styles in order to gain personal insights into their unique styles of learning. The website is designed to help individuals including children, adults, and educational professionals to embrace their personal styles, understand the learning styles of others and gain knowledge leading to the creation of optimal learning environments for themselves and their community members. The author suggests that the understanding of learning styles leads …

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

May Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.

Enhancing Preservice Elementary Teachers’ 21st Century Information And Media Literacy Skills, Sara Fry, Sara Seely

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This two-semester pedagogical study investigated the effectiveness of an approach to information and media literacy instruction for elementary preservice teachers. Participants were trained in and then used a systematic process of searching for, evaluating, and using journal articles and websites. Two-thirds of the Semester one participants were unsuccessful identifying relevant, high-quality journal articles and ½ inaccurately evaluated the quality of websites. After three opportunities for formative assessment were added to the instruction model in Semester two, participants proficiently evaluated websites and ¾ were able to find relevant journal articles. The results demonstrate the importance of formative assessment and the need …

Minutes Board Of Directors Meeting: May 10, 2011, The Davinci Institute

Minutes and Agendas

Directors met in the Library Conference Room of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in Oklahoma City.

How Much Do U.S. University Students Know, And Want To Know, About Sustainability And Green Building? The Findings Of A Survey, And Possible Implications For General Elective Curricula., Jeremy R. Farner

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Using the survey approach, this investigation examined the attitudes and interest of college students at two universities in different geographic locations within the United States.  Approximately 24,000 students from all disciplines and majors at Weber State University (WSU) in Utah, and 4,000 at Purdue University in Indiana, were invited to participate in a study to determine current knowledge, familiarity, and interest in topics within the sustainability and Green Building educational arena. The goal of this study was to determine what students already know, would like to know, and how much interest there would be in developing …

Comparative Achievement Of Students In A Freshman Academy With Those Not In A Freshman Academy By Race And Gender In One East Tennessee High School., April Campbell Leonard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement of students who participated in a freshman academy program to the achievement of those who participated in the traditional high school curriculum. The researcher used grade point average and composite ACT score as determinants of achievement. The population consisted of the graduating classes of 2009 and 2010 at one East Tennessee high school. Independent sample t tests evaluated the relationship between achievement and type of freshman experience. The independent variables were participation in the freshman academy, being male, being female, and race. The dependent variables were grade point average and …

A Comparison Between Read 180 Students And Non-Read 180 Students Reading And Math Scores By Classroom Structure., Amanda C. Cannon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement of students in reading-language arts and math, who participated in the Scholastic READ 180 program within self-contained classroom organizations with the achievement of READ 180 students within departmentalized classrooms and with students not enrolled in READ 180. Classroom organizational structure at the intermediate grade is a highly debated issue. The READ 180 program is a highly structured model of the reading-language arts block. However, past research has provided few recommendations on how to schedule classes for at-risk students. Teachers and administrators of intermediate school students will benefit from a quantitative …