Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Clusters Of Student Perceptions Of Ai-Assisted Grading: Implications For Fair And Transparent Assessment Practice In Higher Education, Roberto Bello

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become increasingly embedded in assessment and feedback systems, understanding how students perceive these technologies is vital for maintaining trust and fairness in higher education. This study investigates how students experience AI-assisted grading through an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) that incorporates fairness, transparency, and trust as pedagogically relevant constructs. Survey data from undergraduate marketing students (N = 142) were analyzed using cluster analysis, revealing three distinct perception profiles: Enthusiasts, Pragmatists, and Skeptics. These clusters differ significantly in their willingness to rely on AI feedback, perceived fairness of algorithmic grading, and expectations of …

Exploring The Role Of Artificial Intelligence In Higher Education: A Comparative Study On Grading Methods And The Technology Acceptance Model, Roberto Bello

AMTP Proceedings 2025

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT has transformed higher education, offering innovative solutions for personalized learning and grading. This study investigates students’ perceptions and acceptance of AI-assisted grading compared to traditional teaching assistant (TA) grading using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The research explores how grading methods and exam formats influence key TAM constructs such as perceived usefulness, ease of use, and behavioral intentions. Findings suggest that mixed exam formats (70% multiple-choice, 30% short-answer) yield the highest acceptance rates for AI-assisted grading, emphasizing the importance of balanced assessment structures. The study highlights the …

2025 Conference Program, Georgia Southern University

SoTL Commons Conference

2025 Conference Program

Motivating Students Through Problem-Based And Project-Based Learning, Dennis J. Moore

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

As educators, motivating students can be a difficult task.Sixteen eighth-grade students discuss their perceptions of what makes educational programs motivating. In teacher-centered classrooms, teachers lecture while their students take notes, quizzes, and tests and practice memorization skills in preparation for high-stakes testing. Is this a fair assessment of a student's knowledge, and does this type of instruction fulfill students’ needs for a successful future? Research for this case study focused on students' perceptions of an agricultural program that utilizes problem-based and project-based learning with a sustainability focus.

In problem-based learning (PBL) classes, students are given real-world problems and asked …

Divisive Concepts Legislation: Perceptions Of Georgia Social Studies Teachers, Karen Terry, Forrest R. Parker Iii

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

This study examines Georgia social studies teachers' perceptions of House Bill 1084, which seeks to limit the teaching of divisive topics in K–12 classrooms. With growing concerns nationwide about how educators address controversial subjects, this bill represents Georgia's stance in the debate, potentially affecting social studies teaching in the state.

The research employs a survey-methods approach, focusing on Georgia's social studies teachers. Using a Delphi method, a pilot survey was first distributed to gather feedback and refine the survey. The study aims to understand teachers' views on House Bill 1084, its impact on their teaching practices, and its broader implications …

Exploring Cooperative Learning In High School Remedial And Test Preparation Classes, Carol Solomon-Jenkins

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores how utilizing cooperative learning in remedial and test preparation in high school classes affects students’ reading comprehension on traditional standardized test scores. Theoretically, my dissertation work draws upon several bodies of literature, such as constructivism including cognitive and social constructivism in relation to cooperative learning (e.g., Dewey, 1897, 1902/1932, 1910; Piaget, 1967; Vygotsky, 1978), culturally responsive/relevant/sustaining pedagogy (e.g., Gay, 2000/2010/2018; González, Moll, & Amanti, 2005; Ladson-Billings, 1994/2009; Ladson-Billings, 2021; Paris & Alim, 2017), and caring and empathy (Noddings, 1984, 1992, 2002; Katz, Noddings, & Strike, 1999; Merriam, 1991; Stake, 1995, 2005) in relation to social justice education. …

Training Underrepresented Minority Students For Careers In Public Health Leadership – Public Health Leaders Fellowship Program, Jigsa Tola

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: Shortage and lack of diversity in the United States public health workforce is well documented and remains a challenge to meaningfully improving the health of the population. Although the diversity of the public health workforce has implications for access, care quality, and career opportunities in low-income communities, there is no strong mechanism by which minorities are trained to replenish the workforce. Morehouse College’s Public Health Leaders Fellowship Program (MC-PHLFP) is a cooperative program with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to train undergraduate students for careers in public health leadership.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is …

Investigating Division Quest: A Text-Based Adventure Narrative Game For Overcoming Difficulties Of Mitosis Learning, Amanda G. Conner

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Mitosis learning is a source of struggle for many introductory biology students. Much of this difficulty stems from an overwhelming amount of terminology and moving pieces as well as the abstract nature of cellular processes. Game-based learning (GBL) has been used in other contexts to reduce cognitive load and provide relatable experiences upon which students can construct their mental models. However, commercial GBL is often expensive and difficult to align with individual instructor teaching preferences and learning objectives. In this study, we use a mixed methods approach to explore the use of a GBL tool made in Twine to overcome …

Exploring Black Queer Doctoral Student Experiences With Utilizing Campus Services, Mitchell Everett

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study utilized narrative inquiry to examine the experiences of Black Queer Doctoral Students (BQDS) with campus services and their ability to ameliorate minority stress and establish community with other students minoritized by their sexual or gender identity. I used the minority stress model and intersectionality as frameworks to understand how students minoritized by their race and sexual identities experienced campus services. The minority stress model provided an explanation of the stress BQDS may experience due their minority identity (Meyer, 2003, 2013). Connecting to community is also an ameliorating factor in reducing minority stress. In addition, structural intersectionality addressed the …

2024 Conference Program, Georgia Southern University

SoTL Commons Conference

Conference program for 2024

Digital Vs. Traditional: Comparing Sales Students' Initial Post- College Career Search Preferences Before And After Covid-19, Linda Mullen, Randy Stuart, Michael L. Thomas

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the

career search strategies of college students studying professional

sales. The research consists of a post-pandemic study that is

compared to a previous study conducted pre-pandemic in 2019. The

paper investigates the preference of sales students for digital

media versus face-to-face interactions in their career searches.

The pre-pandemic study revealed that while sales students

engaged with digital media, they still heavily relied on traditional

methods. The post-pandemic results differed primarily in students’

interviewing preferences. Despite the challenges posed by the

pandemic, students continue to utilize both online and traditional

resources. …

Undergraduate Students’ Perception Of Leadership Development Programs And Leadership Self-Efficacy, Benjamin Phillips, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Brandon Hunt, Antonio Gutierrez De Blume, Katherine Fallon

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Publications

Colleges and universities across the United States face continual pressure to meet enrollment and retention goals, as budgets in this performance-based environment continue to become more important. On-campus student involvement, such as in undergraduate leadership development programs, has been shown to have a positive influence on both student retention and success. A survey was utilized to examine leadership self-efficacy and engagement of undergraduate students that participated in campus-based leadership development programs and explore some motivators (contributing factors) and barriers (detracting factors) to involvement in those programs. One emergent theme within contributing factors to participation was alignment with personal goals (74.7%), …

Peeling Away The Taken-For-Grantedness Of Research Subjectivities: Orienting To The Phenomenological, Melissa Freeman, E. Anthony Muhammad

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

Qualitative research is a multidisciplinary field of practice that acknowledges and values the situatedness and subjectivities of the researcher. Therefore, reflexively accounting for one’s subjectivities is a crucial part of a research report. Less discussed is how subjective understandings are historically, culturally, and socially mediated, often challenging researchers’ abilities to orient themselves critically to this self-reflective undertaking. Phenomenology is a philosophical approach investigating how phenomena such as subjectivity are constituted in experience. This makes phenomenology an essential resource for understanding how complex subjective responses manifest differently depending on one’s orientation to the situation. This paper aims to familiarize qualitative research …

An Examination Of Faculty And Staff Collaboration And Relationships In Higher Education, Jennifer Syno, Juliann S. Mcbrayer, Daniel W. Calhoun, Cordelia D. Zinskie, Katherine Fallon

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Publications

Collaboration between academic and student affairs professionals is an important means of increasing student success; however, historical divides between these units have made implementation of these efforts challenging. This quantitative study sought to evaluate the perceptions of faculty and student affairs staff towards collaborative efforts and toward one another within a single campus of a comprehensive regional university within the southeast. Findings show that while both faculty and staff value collaborations and believe they positively impact student success, these units do not experience equitable voice and responsibility within collaborative efforts when conducted. Additionally, differences were found in enjoyment of collaborative …

Inquiry As Practice: The Pathway To Redesigning An Educational Leadership Doctoral Research Seminar Series, Steve Tolman, Daniel W. Calhoun, Juliann S. Mcbrayer, Nikheal Patel, Elise J. Cain

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Publications

As faculty of an educational leadership doctoral program (EdD) aligned with the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) principles, we acknowledge the importance of inquiry to develop scholarly practitioners. Applying the tenet of Inquiry as Practice, our EdD faculty critically examined the doctoral curriculum to explore ways to effectively prepare our doctoral students to learn and apply research methodology meaningfully. This essay details how the review of our research curriculum led to a pedagogical and curriculum redesign of our research seminar series. This revised research seminar series culminates in a course offered every fall/spring semester in the final two …

A Negotiated Curriculum: Giving Students Choice And Voice, Brenda Thomas

SoTL Commons Conference

Implementing a negotiated curriculum entails sharing power with students by giving them the autonomy to make decisions of varying degrees about curriculum and pedagogical practices. It is a relational pedagogy that increases student agency and engagement, enhances inclusion and belonging, and models democratic dialogue. Teaching with students as partners rather than to students as objects holds transformational power for instructors as well as students. This session will explore the results of a 3-year research project that examined students’ engagement in learning during their participation in a negotiated curriculum. Session participants will hear how one faculty member implements this approach, reflect …

Exploring The College Enrollment Of Students From Rural Areas: Considerations For Scholarly Practitioners, Elise J. Cain, Samantha Class

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Publications

Rural students graduate high school at a rate comparable to their urban and suburban peers; however, people from rural areas attend college at the lowest rate. Due to this discrepancy and the ever-growing importance of postsecondary education, this article summarizes and synthesizes works on the college enrollment of students from rural areas. The article begins with background information on the benefits of postsecondary education, definitions of rurality, the educational attainment of rural people, as well as institutional type and attendance patterns of rural students. Next, using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development as a guiding framework, literature about the individual, …

2023 Conference Schedule, Georgia Southern University

SoTL Commons Conference

Virtual Schedule Link: https://sotlcommons2023.sched.com/

Fostering Career Readiness Among Biology Students Taking A Research Course In Diagnostic Parasitology, Alexa Von Dohlen

SoTL Commons Conference

No abstract provided.

Refreshing The Research Process, John Venecek, Barry Mauer

SoTL Commons Conference

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Interactive Simulations In Online Learning Task Technology Content Fit, Chongwoo Park

SoTL Commons Conference

No abstract provided.

Teaching Lower Level Courses (Introduction Type) Using Movies And Tv Shows, James Marcin, Tammy Marcin

SoTL Commons Conference

No abstract provided.

Beyond Google: Improving Student Information-Seeking Practices, Margaret Gregor, Lynn Searfoss, Michael Howell

SoTL Commons Conference

N/A

Teaching And Learning In Art And Design: Results And Reflections On Two Sotl Projects Within A New Master Of Art, Rebecca Layson, Diana Gregory

SoTL Commons Conference

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State Of The Methods: Leveraging Design Possibilities Of Qualitatively Oriented Mixed Methods Research, Cheryl N. Poth, Peggy Shannon-Baker

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Disrupted Learning During Covid-19: A Survey Of Student Experience, Celia Szelwach, John Cordes, Alia Sheety, Vinayak Mathur, Maia Magrakvelidze, John Doyle, Gifty Key, Joseph Cimakasky

SoTL Commons Conference

Navigating unexpected disruption caused by COVID-19 in Higher Education required immediate and flexible response by faculty and students as they pivoted to other learning modalities. In Spring Semester 2021, we administered a 40-question survey including several open-ended questions to 795 undergraduate and graduate students (master and doctoral level) in multiple disciplines across four Schools at a private university in Pennsylvania to capture student perceptions of learning experience in face-to-face, hybrid, and fully online environments. Ninety-nine students completed the survey. Lessons learned for teaching and learning include sensitivity to students’ stress and understanding learning environment design preferences and effectiveness.

Infusing Covid-19 Into An Undergraduate Parasitology Research Course, Alexa Von Dohlen

SoTL Commons Conference

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global event that has impacted both how and what educators teach. An unexpected outcome of the pandemic was the ability to enhance student understanding of public health through discussion of the novel coronavirus. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE) provide students with authentic research experiences in the framework of an undergraduate course. Here the reconfiguration of the Parasitology Research course as an online CURE is discussed. This course included curriculum focused not only on parasite diagnostics, but also how it relates to diagnosing COVID-19 with the aim of helping students become scientifically prepared citizens.

Integrating Video Evidence In Mixed Methods Research: Innovations, Benefits, And Challenges For Research Exploring How Beliefs Shape Actions, Tashane K. Haynes-Brown, Peggy Shannon-Baker

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the benefits of using video evidence as a catalyst for innovative integration in mixed methods research. We illustrate how video data were used in the elicitation interviews of three teachers to understand their interpretations of how their beliefs align with their observed practices and how they attempted to reduce cognitive dissonance that became apparent during the video elicitation interviews. This article draws from the mixed methods case study phase of a larger explanatory sequential mixed methods study conducted in Jamaica with 248 secondary school teachers. A subsample of eight teachers participated …

Emotional Dimensions Of Teaching In Elementary Education Preparation, Kathleen M. Crawford, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Katherine Fallon

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Publications

Student teaching is a pivotal event in teacher education preparation programs, and there is a need to investigate emotions in teaching. This study examined how one elementary program navigated the emotional dimensions of teaching. Findings revealed that the emotional dimensions of student teachers were influenced by individualized factors unique to the teacher; certain emotions were perceived as more acceptable to express; and supervisors needed to support student teachers to manage and respond to the emotional dimensions of teaching. The recommendation is to go beyond the technical and academic aspects of teaching and address the emotional dimensions to best prepare the …

Georgia Management Students’ Perceptions Of Faculty Academic Qualifications And Professional Experiences, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Gregory Quinet, Steve Tolman, Katherine Fallon

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of undergraduate management students at one Georgia institution of higher education regarding the importance of academic qualifications and professional experiences possessed by their management faculty. The study addressed the importance of these attributes to include relevant practical experience, traditional academic training, scholarly productivity, higher education institutions attended, and level of engagement with the business community. This quantitative study surveyed 70 upper-level management students using Likert categories to provide an exploratory view of attributes that today’s students view as important in faculty. The findings ranked attributes of relevant professional experience more important …