Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Tipping The Balance Towards 21st Century Skills Through Peer-To-Peer Learning: A Cross-Disciplinary Pilot Of Peer Review Software, John Mccormick, Liv Cummins, Lisa Spitz

Staff Scholarship

There is growing recognition that many college students enter the workplace lacking “21st Century Skills” such as critical thinking, collaboration and communication. Peer-to-peer feedback provides a large number of benefits, including these “lifelong learning” skills valued by industry. Peer review, however, poses many challenges: for instructors; these include management of the process and poor quality of peer feedback; and for students, socioemotional barriers. Key socioemotional challenges are learners’ lack of trust in the process, in their peers, and in themselves as reviewers. This paper describes a pilot of a web-based peer review software called “Peergrade”, which was found highly effective …

Tell Me Your Business: Assessing The Teaching Needs Of Undergraduate Business Faculty, Nora Allred, Lauren Movlai, Jennifer Sams

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Academic libraries often fill a variety of roles in response to the needs of teaching and research faculty while simultaneously navigating a rapidly changing information landscape. As higher education embraces students’ desire for active learning, experiential learning, and service learning, the support needs of teaching faculty also change. In the spirit of providing high-quality, relevant support, librarians at Michigan Technological University partnered with Ithaka S+R to explore the evolving teaching needs of Business Faculty. Nine faculty members from Michigan Tech's School of Business and Economics were interviewed, and interviews were coded and analyzed. Major themes identified included: students' information and …

Tools Enabling A Student Who Is Blind In A Liberal Arts Chemistry Laboratory Course, Jessica Michael, H. David Wohlers

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Chemistry laboratories ordinarily involve a number of visual observations and require qualitative and quantitative explanations of these observations. A student with blindness at Truman State University successfully completed the laboratory portion of the nonmajors liberal arts chemistry course with the assistance of a senior undergraduate chemistry education major, the guidance of a chemistry professor with blindness, and a variety of alternative laboratory methods. Volumes were measured using a notched syringe or the graduated cylinder pipet technique. Changes in color were measured by a Color Analysis Laboratory Sensor (CALS) and a Submersible Audio Light Sensor (SALS). Balance and Vernier probe measurements …

Assessment Of Climate Science Knowledge And Perceptions Of Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Students, Annemarie Ross, Kyle Edenzon, Susan Smith Pagano, Randy Yerrick, Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Curricula related to sustainability and climate science are being integrated into academic science courses and programs. We set out to assess the knowledge of some of these environmental concepts among a group of Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing (D/d/HH) postsecondary students. A survey that attempted to gauge student understanding and perceptions of climate science was developed, administered to D/d/HH and hearing college students, and analyzed. Preliminary results showed that there could be some gaps in related knowledge among the D/d/HH group. Rasch analysis was then used to assess the quality of the survey for the intended outcomes and improved iterations of the survey were …

Wcag 2.1 Meets Stem: Application, Interpretation, And Opportunities For Further Standard Development, Jason White

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This paper offers an overview of changes introduced in the recent Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 standard that have implications for the accessibility of content in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In reviewing new provisions of WCAG 2.1, interpretive questions are raised regarding their application to mathematical and scientific materials. The paper is concluded with a brief discussion of opportunities for further enhancing accessibility of STEM materials in future revisions of the Guidelines.

Variations In Implementation Of Specifications Grading In Stem Courses, Mai Yin Tsoi, Mary E. Anzovino, Amy H. Lin Erickson, Edward R. Forringer, Emily Henary, Angela Lively, Michael S. Morton, Karen Perell-Gerson, Stan Perrine, Omar Villanueva, Marygeorge Whitney, Cynthia M. Woodbridge

Georgia Journal of Science

Specifications grading is an assessment strategy based on mastery learning, clear learning objectives, and frequent evaluations and feedback. Twelve instructors at a southeastern four-year public college implemented the specifications grading method across eight discrete courses in four STEM areas. In this modified assessment strategy, the students controlled their grades through multiple attempts, with limitations, on assessments of course objectives. The instructors designed and executed specifications grading in unique ways that aligned with their content areas, teaching beliefs, and individual teaching styles.

Preliminary observations suggest that, regardless of subject area, specifications grading can be used as an alternative to traditional assessment …

Theory And Practice In Doctoral Dissertation Research, 2007-2017: A Content Analysis By Degree Type, William Friel

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

In response to the overwhelming presence of professional practice doctoral degrees in the early 2000s, universities offering Doctor of Education (EdD) and/or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in higher education studies began to question the purpose and value of each degree. These universities asked: What is the value of academic research if it does not aim to improve the condition of what is being studied? This led to a theory-practice debate among departments offering the EdD and the PhD from the perspective of the goal of the dissertation research: Truth or improvement. To address this tension, the Carnegie Project on …

Faculty Interactions With Black Male Students At Hbcus And Community Colleges As Predictors Of Academic Achievement In Stem, Antoine Gates

Dissertations

A myriad of studies in STEM education aim to identify the underlying reasons behind poor achievement of Black males in higher education. Research studies have indicated that HBCUs make significant advances in various desired outcomes such as graduation rates for Blacks, especially males. However, Black males at community colleges do not always fare similarly to their counterparts at HBCUs. There are limited studies on faculty interactions with Black males in STEM at community colleges. Therefore, the goal of this study was to identify whether significant differences existed in the interactions STEM faculty formed with Black males at community colleges and …

Alignment Between Learning Objectives And Assessments In A Quantitative Literacy Course, Younggon Bae, Samuel L. Tunstall, Kathryn S. Knowles, Rebecca L. Matz

Numeracy

In this analysis, we examine how course assessment items were aligned with learning objectives in a quantitative literacy course at Michigan State University. The alignment analysis consisted of mapping assessment items to a list of operationalized learning objectives from the course. Our analysis shows how often the learning objectives are represented in assessment items, how often they are paired with other learning objectives, and how influential they are in contributing to a student’s course grade. In addition, through comparisons across four assessment types (e.g., exams and homework), we show how each learning objective was assessed differently within each assessment type. …

A Dialectical Relational Analysis Of Tesol Quarterly 2006 Special Issue On Race: Discourse, Race, And White Supremacist Ideology, Ginger A. Looney

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Although the field of TESOL is not racially neutral this dialectical relational analysis examined (1) what discourses did the authors use to deploy race in the articles in the 2006 TESOL Quarterly Special Issue on Race (TQSIR)? and (2) how do these discourses work to either conform to, or resist white supremacist ideology? Analysis of the texts identified four key discourse: racialization, whiteness, emotional labor of racism, and sonic and optic negation of racism. These discourses were examined in the domains of scholarship, curriculum, teachers, and students. In 21 instances, these four discourses work to resist white supremacist ideology. …

Using Alumni Surveys To Assess The Impact Of Innovative Learning Spaces On Development Of Career-Ready Soft Skills, Jeffrey Ashley, Phd

The Center for Teaching Innovation & Nexus Learning Posters and Presentations

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand the varied assessment techniques used to measure outcomes in active learning spaces.
2. Appreciate the value, and limitations, of incorporating alumni reflections in assessment strategies (based on research supported by a 2018-19 SCUP fellowship award).
3. Instill reflection upon your institutional assessment needs to create an assessment plan tailored to your institution’s learning spaces to quantify outcomes.

Beyond The Transcript: A Narrative Analysis Of Students' Experiences With Academic Dismissal In A Baccalaureate Nursing Program, Angela Edwards Capello

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Re-defining different is the first step in addressing inequity in nursing education and the disparities that result in a high incidence of academic dismissal in baccalaureate nursing programs. What are the students' differences that contribute to one student’s ease of progression through a baccalaureate nursing program and those who struggle from the first semester?

This study provides a private look into the experiences of nine baccalaureate nursing students who were academically dismissed from their nursing program. Each story chronological from the time they decided to pursue nursing to their experiences during nursing school and to their lives after dismissal. …

Failure To Launch?: Advancing The Case For Financial Literacy Interventions In Postsecondary Education, Cathleen Snyder

Dissertations, 2014-2019

For college undergraduates, the thought of managing money is often new, exciting, and terrifying in the same breath. Some students have learned well from their parental and prior academic influences, and yet others may be overwhelmed by a lack of those same resources. As postsecondary institutions endeavor to level the proverbial playing field, helping college graduates launch into meaningful, financially independent lives, it begs additional consideration on the intervention methods that might be most impactful.

This study examined a for-credit, curriculum-based intervention specific to personal finance topics. It attempted to answer several key questions: How knowledgeable are students relative to …

Russian University Efl Students’ Perceptions Of A Two-Week Online Academic Writing Course, Nataliia Borozdina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This case study analyzes Russian university EFL students’ perceptions of a two-week online academic writing course. The researcher investigated 13 students’ attitudes towards an online academic English writing class offered at Kursk State University, Kursk’s oldest higher education institution, founded in 1934. In 1994 it was transformed into Kursk State Pedagogical University, and in 2003 it became Kursk State University. Along with the two-week online course assignments, the students completed pre- and post-questionnaires, reflections about the course, and participated in individual and group interviews. The findings of the study indicate that all of the participants had positive perceptions about the …

Making 3d Laser Cut Stratigraphic Audio-Responsive Tactile Templates, Michael A. Kolitsky

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The geologic method of stratigraphy which studies the structure of the earth by making layers was employed with 3D laser cutting techniques to make more easily defined tactile regions in templates of cells, tissues and anatomic regions containing muscles and bones. Templates were made audio responsive by hand-drilling a small hole in a template and filling that hole with conductive electric paint. A finger touch to the template top side now carries a charge similar to an electric circuit to the template bottom side resting on the surface of an iPad or iPad Pro where an audio button produces audio …

Sulitest®: A Mixed-Method, Pilot Study Of Assessment Impacts On Undergraduate Sustainability-Related Learning And Motivation, Alicia Mason

Faculty Submissions

A United Nations international collaboration between the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) resulted in the creation of Sulitest® (aka Sustainability Literacy Test) an open, online training and assessment tool freely available to higher education institutions globally. This study analyzes the effectiveness of the newly developed Sulitest® to not only measure sustainability literacy of higher education student populations, but also act as a catalyst for boosting affective learning outcomes by: (a) generating interest in sustainability-related issues, (b) improving sustainability-related understandings, and (c) enhancing students’ interests in the subject matter. In order to do …

Faculty Achievements, April 2019, Otterbein University

Faculty Achievement Reports

No abstract provided.

Leadership Of Heart And Mind: Examining The Mind And Skill Sets Of Student Sustainability Leadership, Holly E. Parker Med

Muskie School Dissertations

The purpose of this comparative case study was to deepen the understanding of post-secondary student sustainability leaders' motivations and identify the skills they have employed in order to inform the development of curricular and co-curricular sustainability leadership learning experiences. The study sought to answer three central research questions: What motivates students to become sustainability leaders in higher education settings? How do student sustainability leaders describe their role and effectiveness as leaders and in collaboration with or comparison to university personnel responsible for moving the institution's goals of sustainability forward? What leadership qualities and skills have student sustainability leaders used to …

Nefdc Exchange, Volume 32, Spring 2019, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange

Contents

President's Message, Marc Ebenfield - Salem State University

Social and emotional learning, the key to college success, Kathleen Driscoll, MFA - Formerly Mount Ida College, School of Design and Alison Poor-Donahue, MFA - University of Massachusetts, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Save the date, fall conference, Friday, November 8, 2019

3-C’s For Technology Integration: Coordination, Collaboration, and Co-Construction, Sara Donaldson, Ed.D. - Johns Hopkins University

Using Screencast Technology To Assess And Improve Student Writing: Research and Effectiveness, Forrest R. Rodgers, Ph.D. - Salem State University

The Classroom as Practice, Cris Hakala, Ph.D. - Springfield College

Career-Focused First-Year Seminars: …

Geo-Spatial Mapping As A Catalyst For Creative And Engaged Design In Engineering Education, Jessie Zarazaga

Multidisciplinary Studies Theses and Dissertations

Exploiting the technology of geo-spatial mapping student designers can develop deep understandings of the rich and layered data of a spatial context, a situational understanding essential to responsible civic design. However the actions inherent in the construction of spatial data armatures can simultaneously be harnessed as creative strategies, in which mapping processes become the context for generative spatial play. The ambition of this study is to propose efficient pedagogic structures to help prepare civil and environmental student engineers to be not only strong participants, but leaders, in the design of the built environment. The interpretation of site data, mapped as …

Developing A Rubric To Assess Critical Thinking In A Multidisciplinary Context In Higher Education, Sadia Muzaffar Bhutta, Sahreen Chauhan, Syeda Kausar Ali, Raisa Gul, Shanaz Cassum, Tashmin Khamis

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Critical thinking (CT) is a generic attribute that is greatly valued across academic disciplines in higher education, and around the globe. It is also defined as one of the graduate attributes of higher education for the sample private university where this research was conducted, as it is perceived that CT helps the graduate to become ‘engaged citizens’ in the twenty-first century. Despite the well-documented importance of CT, its assessment remains a challenge. This study addresses this challenge through the systematic development and field-testing of a rubric for assessing critical thinking in a multidisciplinary context in higher education. A multidisciplinary group …

Improving The Rigor Of Online Education: Exploring Characteristics Of Faculty And Syllabi Within An Online Program Assessment Process, Brad J. Hamel

All NMU Master's Theses

As online course enrollments grow, overall perception of rigor still lags compared to that of traditional face-to-face education. The purpose of this research was to tie faculty and syllabi characteristics to the rigor of online courses. This study explored the relationship between faculty and syllabi characteristics and performance on an online entry-level course design quality assurance assessment (pass, pass with concern, or fail). A decision tree analysis was used to predict the relationship of the independent (faculty and syllabi characteristics) and the dependent (entry-level course design assessment) variables. Findings suggest that faculty rank and writing intensive are key characteristics predictive …

Overview Of The 2018 Inclusion In Science, Learning A New Direction, Conference On Disability (Island), Cary A. Supalo, Jasodhara Bhattacharya, Daniel Steinberg

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

From The Co-Editors..., Todd Pagano, Sami Kahn

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Alexa?: Possibilities Of Voice Assistant Technology And Artificial Intelligence In The Classroom, Patrick D. Hales, Melissa Anderson, Tonya Christianson, Amber Gaspar, Billi Jo Meyer, Beth Nelson, Krista Shilvock, Mary Steinmetz, Makenzi Timmons, Michelle Vande Weerd

Empowering Research for Educators

The following paper represents the combined effort of 10 educators exploring the experience and use of voice assistant technology in classrooms. This reflection and study of our classrooms looks to better understand both our use of technology and students’ use of technology in very specific ways. Is there a place for voice assistant technology in our classrooms? What benefits are there? What obstacles exist? We tell our stories and experiences here with the intent to provide context and continue the discussion among more of our colleagues.

High School Biology Preparation: Do Students Feel They Have Been Adequately Prepared For Introductory College Biology?, Mara Neitzel

Empowering Research for Educators

The purpose of this study was to determine how well students are being prepared in high school for introductory college biology courses. Specifically, the objectives of the study are as follows: To gain a better understanding about how well students feel they have been prepared for college science classes based on their high school education, to gain insight on how college preparation in high school impacts students’ self-confidence, and to determine if the accessibility of advanced education courses is influenced by the size of a high school. A mixed methods survey was distributed to freshman in the fall semester of …

Faculty Achievements, February 2019, Otterbein University

Faculty Achievement Reports

No abstract provided.

Working Session To Align Learning Outcomes, Class Assignments, And Final Assessments, Wendi Flynn, Aaron Haberman

Teaching, Learning & Assessment Webinars

Ready to improve course assignments you’ve already created? Join us for a two-hour working session where you will evaluate and revise your existing course assignments using your course learning outcomes and best practices provided by the session facilitators. This session is structured to have plenty of time for discussion and feedback. You’ll leave this session with revised assignments that are better aligned with your course-level outcomes and assessment best practices.

To maximize the effectiveness of this working session, please bring: 1) a summative assignment (for example, a final exam or term project); 2) a formative assignment (for example, a homework …

Developing Kinesthetic Classrooms To Promote Active Learning, Brian Culp

Faculty Articles

The use of kinesthetic movement in the classroom toward improving health and educational outcomes among youth has been a topic of discourse in recent years. School initiatives that have infused movement as part of the curriculum have shown to increase efficiency in learning, while decreasing stress and contributing to a positive classroom climate. One question that is worthy of exploration pertains to how future professionals in the fields of physical education and health can promote kinesthetic movement in schools and communities. This article discusses how a university kinesthetic classroom prepares future professionals to be advocates for school health using active …

Meaningful Learner Information For Mooc Instructors Examined Through A Contextualized Evaluation Framework, Kerrie Douglas, Mitch Zielinski, Hillary Merzdorf, Heidi Diefes-Dux, Peter Bermel

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Improving STEM MOOC evaluation requires an understanding of the current state of STEM MOOC evaluation, as perceived by all stakeholders. To this end, we investigated what kinds of information STEM MOOC instructors currently use to evaluate their courses and what kinds of information they feel would be valuable for that purpose. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 faculty members from a variety of fields and research institutions who had taught STEM MOOCs on edX, Coursera, or Udacity. Four major themes emerged related to instructors’ desires: (1) to informally assess learners as an instructor might in a traditional classroom, (2) to …