Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Exploration Into The Head Start Fade Phenomenon, Deborah Tenjeras Clarke

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Head Start fade effect, documented since the 1970s, finds that students who make gains in I.Q. and social skills in the Head Start program later see those positive effects diminish in the early years of schooling and disappear altogether by the end of third grade. The hypothesis proposed in this study was as follows: Group I Head Start students who experience full-day kindergarten every day in small classes, and continue in small classes through grades one, two, and possibly three, will not demonstrate the Head Start fade effect, or will have less fade, than Group II Head Start students …

When Motivating Generation Y In The Classroom, Jim Westerman

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Generation Y students have matured and developed in an artificial, technologically-centered environment significantly different from what prior generations have experienced. This essay examines the impact of this environment on student classroom expectations and provides suggestions for how faculty can adapt their pedagogy to be successful.

Student Plagiarism: How To Maintain Academic Integrity, Ludy Goodson

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Plagiarism detection tools undermine academic integrity when they ignore student copyright protections, contribute to a vendor’s unauthorized commercial gains, fail to detect many forms of plagiarism, and require instructors to do the real detection. By becoming aware of these realities and possibilities, instructors can develop more effective strategies to reduce plagiarism while simultaneously enhancing students’ academic performance.

Out Of The Cabbage Patch, Gary R. Brown

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

It is not a secret to readers of EDUCAUSE Review that the challenge of curricular relevance and student engagement in higher education is a national concern. One aspect of this challenge is that students' social networking and technology proclivities are rarely met by conventional curricula and pedagogies. Educators have much to lose if we fail to transform current practice. Just how much we have to lose was profoundly illustrated to me on a recent trip I took to Malawi, Africa, where a group of educators and an affiliate non-governmental organization (NGO) have been working to expand opportunities for Washington State …

Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills, Gary R. Brown

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

A presentation delivered at the University of Texas at Arlington, focusing on critical thinking and its implications for practice: assignments, facilitation, and involving students.

Authoritative Leadership, Action Learning And Student Accomplishment, Stephen Dinham

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

There is a vast body of research confirming the important influence of the classroom teacher on student achievement. A key issue then, is that of how the quality of teaching and learning within individual classrooms can be influenced and improved. Based upon findings from a range of research projects investigating aspects of quality teaching, it is argued that two key, related influences on classroom achievement are educational leadership and teachers' professional learning. This paper concentrates mainly on the former. Educational leadership, like teaching and life generally, is heavily dependent upon relationships. There are two fundamental dimensions to relationships: responsiveness and …

Leadership For Radical Transformation In School Education, Brian Caldwell

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

There are now high expectations in Australia and comparable countries for the reform of school education. Change on the scale of transformation is required, that is, significant, systematic and sustained change that secures success for all students in all settings. It is evident that such an outcome can only be achieved if there is a dramatic increase in resources, but this does not mean an exclusive reliance on more money (financial capital), although this is important. Intellectual capital, social capital and spiritual capital are also important. Building strength in each and securing their alignment have profound implications for leadership and …

Bridgewater State College Factbook, 2006-2007, Office Of Institutional Research And Assessment, Bridgewater State College

Factbook

No abstract provided.

Common Data Set, 2007-2008, Office Of Institutional Research And Assessment, Bridgewater State College

Common Data Sets

No abstract provided.

A Descriptive Analysis Of The Perceived Importance And Use Of Scientific Research-Based Instructional Strategies Among West Virginia Teachers, Cheryl D. Belcher

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study was designed to examine the perceived importance and extent of use of scientific research-based instructional strategies among West Virginia teachers. Specifically, the study investigated the extent to which perceived importance and frequency of use of scientific research-based instructional strategies differ between highly qualified teachers and non-highly qualified teachers. The core of the research was focused on ten scientific research-based instructional strategies identified by the MidContinental Regional Educational Laboratory. Participants were asked to complete a researcher-designed survey, the Instructional Strategies Inventory, to rate perceived importance and frequency of use for each of the ten strategies. The population for this …

Student Use Of, And Engagement With, Information Technology, John Ainley, Laura Engers

Digital learning research

The emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has changed the nature of the learning environments experienced by school students. ... The connection between the learner and the learning environment is central to understanding how virtual learning environments motivate or engage students... The research literature on engagement in general has distinguished between three forms of engagement; behavioural, emotional and cognitive. These distinctions provide a means by which students? engagement with information technology can be described. Behavioural engagement refers to participation (both how much and in what forms) in technology-related activities. In this context behavioural engagement pre-supposes opportunities to engage with …

Is School Wide Adoption Of Ict Change For The Better?, Katherine Dix

Shannon Research Press

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in schools is now an intrinsic part of students’ learning, both inside and outside the classroom. The adoption and impact of ICT on teaching practice and learning outcomes has been a source of keen interest among government policy makers, school leaders, teachers and researchers worldwide. Few empirical studies have been conducted in Australia, or worldwide, that focus on student attitudinal outcomes framed within a design-based paradigm that spans several years. The overarching purpose of this study is to investigate longitudinal change in school climate through its influence on students and teachers, during …

University Of Rhode Island Neasc Self-Study 2007. Standard Seven: Library And Other Information Resources

Collection Development Reports and Documents

Self-Study report by the University of Rhode Island, prepared in fall 2006 for the 2006/07 accreditation visit of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Included here is Standard Seven: Library and Other Information Resources.

This standard was prepared by Standard Seven Committee Chair Karen M. Ramsay, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Technical Services in the University Libraries. Also on the Standard Seven Committee were: Lisa DiPippo, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science & Statistics; Karol Leuzarder, Senior Tech Programmer, TOPS; Mary MacDonald, Associate Professor, University Libraries; David Eifler, Graduate Student; Jim Loy, Professor, Anthropology; …

Opening The Door: Faculty Leadership In Institutional Change, Rick Holmgren

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

As faculty, we too often feel overwhelmed by an excessive workload, an unfriendly administration, and an unforgiving evaluation system. In this essay, we explore initiatives we can reasonably expect to implement to create an institutional environment in which we can develop and flourish as teachers.

Who’S Researching Virtual Schools?: A Case For Instructional Technologists, Michael K. Barbour

Education Faculty Publications

Over the past 11 years, virtual schooling has gone from isolated experiments to a reliable alternative to a brick and mortar education. However, during this time, little research has been conducted into how these learning opportunities are and should be provided to their adolescent audiences. Even more troubling is that very few of these researchers are from the field of instructional technology. In this article, I discuss those who have been involved in this early research and then make a case for the value that instructional technologists can bring to this emerging field.

Social Constructivist E-Learning: A Case Study, Michael K. Barbour, Peter Rich

Education Faculty Publications

This paper considers the use of Knowledge Forum to complete a curriculum-based project with students enrolled in asynchronous, web-based Advanced Placement courses in Canada and the United States. Knowledge Forum is an online database that promotes written interaction in a social constructivist environment. The paper looks at how students utilized the system to enhance learning, more so than traditional environments, at both lower-order and higher-order levels.

Teacher Assessment As Policy Instrument: Contradictions And Capacities, Constant Leung, Pauline Rea-Dickins

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Assessment has been at center stage of educational reform in England and Wales in the past 15 years. This article argues that official educational assessment policy is essentially indifferent to the technical, pedagogic, and epistemological issues related to different forms of assessment. Policymakers are primarily concerned with “delivering” educational success in terms of reportable rising levels of attainment. The first part of this article provides a contextualized account of the use of assessment as an educational policy instrument and some of the consequences for pedagogy and curriculum provision. Our focal point here is on the assessment of English within the …

What Now?: Evaluating Elearning Cpd Practice In Irish Third-Level Education, Roisin Donnelly, K. C. O'Rourke

Journal Articles

The internet has made it impossible for higher education institutions to ignore technology in fulfilling their strategic mission and respond to the expectations of a diverse student body. In the Republic of Ireland, as elsewhere, the use of online technologies has become an increasingly important challenge in academic staff development, and on the surface, eLearning has been moderately successful in the teaching and learning environment. However, given the rapid rate of change in both technology and the increasing diversity in academic staff and students, to describe accurately the nature of eLearning for academic staff development is near impossible. There has …

Christian Higher Education And Christian Student Affairs, David S. Guthrie

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

Growth No. 7 (2007) - Full Issue

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

The full issue of the seventh edition of Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development.

Critical Thinking And Evidence-Based Practice In Problem-Based Learning Tutorial Groups: A Critical Case Study, Joanne M. Bortone

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Little research has investigated how problembased learning (PBL) instruction influences students' critical thinking and evidence-based practice. This research sought to ascertain if PBL instructional practices facilitated critical thinking and EBP; identify those practices; and, identify changes students made in tutorials.

A qualitative, twocase, critical case study design used pretest and posttests of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) (Facione, 1990) and Self-Evaluation of EBP adapted from Straus et al. (2005) to select the critical case sample. Students who made the greatest gains from pre to posttest scores met selection criteria for the critical case sample and were invited to …

National Assessment Program : Ict Literacy Years 6 & 10 Report 2005, John Ainley, Julian Fraillon, Chris Freeman, Ministerial Council On Education, Employment, Training And Youth Affairs (Mceetya)

ICT - Digital Literacy

Australia's national goals for schooling assert that when students leave school they should be: confident, creative and productive users of new technologies, particularly information and communication technologies, and understand the impact of those technologies on society. The Australian National Assessment Program includes the systematic assessment of the extent to which this goal is being achieved through triennial sample surveys of students in Years 6 and 10. This report is based on the assessment of ICT literacy conducted in October 2005. It describes the development of a computer-based tool for assessing ICT literacy among school students and the application of that …

Research Summary: Young Adolescents’ Developmental Characteristics, Micki M. Caskey, Vincent A. Anfara Jr.

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Early adolescence is a distinct period of human growth and development situated between childhood and adolescence. During this remarkable stage of the life cycle, young adolescents (10- to 15-year-olds) experience rapid and significant developmental change. Recognizing and understanding the unique developmental characteristics (traits associated with human growth) of early adolescence and their relationship to the educational program (i.e., curriculum, instruction, and assessment) and to the structure of the middle school (e.g., fl exible block scheduling, advisory programs, and team teaching) are central tenets of middle grades education.

The Development And Validation Of The Elementary School Ethical Climate Index, Kay Anne Keiser, Laura E. Schulte

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The purposes of this study were to develop and validate an instrument that measures the ethical climate of elementary schools. To create the Elementary School Ethical Climate Index (ESECI), we adapted the ethical climate index for middle and high schools. The ESECI assesses student and teacher interactions and relationships through the application of five ethical principles: respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, and fidelity (Kitchener, 1984, 1985). To provide evidence of the ESECI’s reliability and validity we distributed the ESECI to the students and teachers/staff at one urban elementary school in a Midwestern city. There was a significant difference in …

Completions 2007-08, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

IPEDS Completions

IPEDS Completions annual report contains the following information:

• Number of awards conferred by program, by level, and by race/ethnicity and gender of recipient
• Number of completers, separately by race/ethnicity, gender, age and level of award

Acer 2006-2007 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Pedagogical Agents As Social Models To Influence Learner Attitudes, Yanghee Kim, A. Baylor

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Based on social-cognitive theory, we describe the role of pedagogical agents as “social models.” In several experimental studies we have found that pedagogical agents as social models can effectively persuade and motivate learners. We briefly describe two on-going projects where agents as social models are employed to enhance young women’s motivation and attitudes toward math and engineering.

Text Categorization For Aligning Educational Standards, O. Yilmazel, N. Balasubramanian, S. C. Harwell, J. Bailey, Anne R. Diekama, E. D. Liddy

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Standard alignment (where standards describing similar concepts are correlated) is a necessary task in providing full access to educational resources. Manual alignment is time consuming and expensive. We propose an automatic alignment system, using machine learning techniques utilizing natural language processing. In this paper we discuss our experiments on text categorization for automatic alignment. We explore the role of relevant vocabulary sets in automatic alignment.

Desirable Characteristics Of Learning Companions, Yanghee Kim

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This study investigated the desirable characteristics of anthropomorphized learning-companion agents for college students. First, interviews with six undergraduates explored their concepts of desirable learning companions. The interviews yielded agent competency, agent personality, and interaction control. Next, a controlled experiment examined whether learner competency (strong vs. weak) would relate directly to agent competency (high vs. low) and to interaction control (agent-control vs. learner-control). The dependent measures included learners' perceptions of agent functionality, their self-efficacy beliefs in the task, and their learning. The results indicated that academically strong students perceived the high-competent agent higher than the lowcompetent agent and showed higher self-efficacy …

Designing Educational Games For Activity-Goal Alignment, Brett E. Shelton

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

What indeed, can we expect from our newest trend in education, implementing moving pictures and conversations with instruction through simulation games? Lewis Carroll's familiar narratives Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass provide helpful imagery for many of the queries, explorations and assumptions we currently make about this latest Wonderland of academia. So what are the goals for the designers and researchers of educational games, or perhaps more importantly, what should be the goals?