Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

The Lifecycle Of Sustainable Analytics: From Data Collection To Change Management, Mitchell Colver

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

In this age of an ever-increasing list of analytics vendors and endlessly forwarded news articles that trumpet the promises of big data in higher education, it can be easy to become distracted by data science and miss out on another opportuni­ty—supporting increased professionalism amongst university staff, faculty, and administrators. Indeed, like many technologies before it, analytics provides us with an opportunity to catalyze institutional effectiveness, but only when we resist the tenden­cy to believe that technology can replace the need for human ingenuity and judgment. This report will argue that such threats to pro­fessional flourishing can be insulated against if …

Sufat: An Analytics Tool For Gaining Insights From Student Feedback Comments, Siddhant Pyasi, Swapna Gottipati, Venky Shankararaman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Teacher evaluation is a vital element inimproving student learning outcomes. Course and instructor feedback given bystudents, provides insights that can help improve student learning outcomes andteaching quality. Teaching and course evaluation systems help to collectquantitative and qualitative feedback from students. Since manually analysingthe qualitative feedback is painstaking and a tedious process, usually, onlythe quantitative feedback is often used for evaluating the course and theinstructor. However, useful knowledge is hidden in the qualitative comments, inthe form of sentiments and suggestions that can provide valuable insights tohelp plan improvements in the course content and delivery. In order toefficiently gather, analyse and provide …

Proficient Or Deficient? Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Social Studies Content Knowledge In The Era Of Nclb, Kimberlee Anne Sharp, Kimberely Fletcher Nettleson

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

Millennial generation pre-service teachers enrolled in undergraduate social studies methods courses are largely the products of NCLB and the concomitant marginalization of social studies during their K-12 education experience. This study examined a sample (N=136) of pre-service elementary teachers’ entry-point social studies content knowledge strengths and weaknesses over a three-year time frame and the degree to which NCLB era K-12 content standards had an impact on pre-service teachers’ entry-point content knowledge scores. The unintended consequences of NCLB on pre-service elementary teachers’ social studies content knowledge and recommendations for intervention and continuous improvement are presented in this paper.

Development Of A Placement Exam To Increase Student Success In A Junior Level Circuits And Systems Class, David Parent

Faculty Publications

In this work, which is intended to be a Full Paper in the Innovative Practice Category, the implementation of an improved placement exam that increased the pass rate in a junior level systems course in the author’s electrical engineering department by 15% is presented. For almost 30 years the author’s EE department has used a face to face exam to place students in a junior level circuits and systems course or into a review workshop. The details of the exam and suggestions about future use in conjunction MyOpenMath analytics to increase student success are also given.

A Causal-Comparative Analysis Of The Effect Of Reading Instruction On The Reading Achievement Of Third-Grade Students In Title I Elementary Schools., Hamilton Elijah Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Title I, Part A (Title I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal government funds to schools serving low-income families. Title I schools receive additional financial support to combat the impact of poverty on students’ elementary and secondary education. This quantitative causal-comparative study examined the effect of reading instruction on third-grade students’ reading achievement score. The study included Title I elementary schools (n=4) within an urban school district in the Southeastern region of the United States. Participants included a convenience sampling of third-grade students (N=340). The researcher collected anonymous archived reading achievement scores from the Renaissance Star …

Research Innovation And Institutional Growth: Digital Humanities, Usm, And The University Of Maine System, Janet M. Billson, Katherine Bessey

Research Innovation and Institutional Growth

No abstract provided.

2018 Annual Report, Hedi Benaicha

Library Reports

Lesley University Library's 2018 Annual Report, A Culture of Engagement: Our Students, Faculty and Staff within the Larger Community, provides an overview of the Library's focus on strengthening its central role within the university. The report outlines what was done during the 2017-2018 academic year to achieve the Library's vision of building community, providing easy access to knowledge and information, preserving the institutional memory, and becoming an innovation center.

The 2018 Annual Report begins with an executive summary by the Dean of Libraries and documents the Library's achievements and goals for the 2018-2019 academic year. This is followed by …

Defining Oer-Enabled Pedagogy, David Wiley, John Hilton Iii

Entrepreneurship Faculty Research

The term “open pedagogy” has been used in a variety of different ways over the past several decades. In recent years, its use has also become associated with Open Educational Resources (OER). The wide range of competing definitions of open pedagogy, together with its semantic overlap with another underspecified term, open educational practices, makes it difficult to conduct research on the topic of open pedagogy. In making this claim we do not mean to cast doubt on the potential effectiveness of the many pedagogical approaches labeled open. In this article, rather than attempting to argue for a canonical definition of …

Factors That Influence K-8 Educators In Regard To Teacher Retention, Jerold C. Osbourn

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the understanding of teacher retention by researching factors that influence veteran teachers to remain in Missouri’s K-8 school districts. School districts all across the nation face the daunting task of improving student achievement in the face of teacher shortages, especially in rural areas and in hard-to-staff content fields such as math and science (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017; Harrington, 2017). Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the researcher sought to articulate the core perceptions of superintendents and veteran teachers that lead to longevity and retention in the K-8 school environment and to identify the …

Low Stakes, No Stakes: Formative Classroom Assessment Techniques, Wendi Flynn, Aaron Haberman

Teaching, Learning & Assessment Webinars

Are you looking for more interactive ways to help students develop a particular skill? Would you like to create a low-risk environment for students that will help you (and them) gauge their understanding of key concepts? Through this workshop, you will develop low-stakes or no-stakes simple assessment techniques, assignments, or activities to use in your own class this semester. Please come with a course in mind, or a particular lesson or lecture where you would like to engage students in developing or refining a particular skill.

Capacity, Passion, Relevance, And Presence: A Conceptual Framework For The Interpretation And Study Of Success, Nathan C. Anderson, Daniel R. Conn, Kylie C. Gamas, Brad Borkhuis, Jonah J. Lantto

Journal of Research Initiatives

This project outlines a conceptual framework to help make sense of opportunities in an effort to recognize conditions for failure and establish paths toward success. In finding success, three distinct themes emerge from the literature: capacity, passion, and relevance. The CPR Success and Failure Analysis framework is intended to be a framework for success. Displayed as a Venn diagram, the framework includes domains of capacity, passion, and relevance, which are connected in the center through presence. The framework may serve as a theoretical lens for research, in-person and online educational opportunities, self-reflection, business coaching/consulting, college and career planning, and various …

Community College Completion: The Predictive Relationship Between Placement Scores And Graduation, Lisa Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This predictive correlative study was designed to investigate the relationship between the entry placement-test scores of community college students as measured by the ACT® COMPASS® placement exams and the students’ successful completion of a degree or certificate program at a technical (community) college in South Carolina. The study was of importance, for it was designed to determine if ACT® COMPASS® placement test scores can predict graduation from a degree or certificate program in the subject college’s programs of study. The study will utilize archival data available in the college’s retention-management system. The selected college is a mid-sized institution that enrolls …

Self-Regulation, Co-Regulation, And Feedback In The Context Of Cross-Cultural Language Acquisition In Higher Education: A Conceptual Approach, Papia Bawa

Journal of Research Initiatives

Given the exponential growth in international student populations in the United States, supporting cross cultural language learners (CCLL) in developing their self and co-regulated learning is highly important. This paper presents a conceptual framework on the value of feedback within self-regulated versus co-regulated environments, in the context of cross- cultural language learning. We use the term cross cultural language learners (CCLL) to refer to international learners, in particular from Asia. When exploring the issues of cross cultural language acquisition relating to logographic (Chinese) and alphabetic (English) languages, we examine the literature that support self and co-regulated learning within the frame …

Place-Based Learning Across The Disciplines: A Living Laboratory Approach To Pedagogy, Karen Goodlad, Anne E. Leonard

Publications and Research

Faculty participants in a fellowship designed to engage students at an urban commuter college of technology in their general education curriculum evaluated and redesigned their courses to include place-based learning (PBL) using the Living Laboratory model of pedagogy. Focused on faculty perception of the relationship between PBL and its influence on general education, the study illustrates how faculty from across disciplines apply PBL techniques to revitalize general education learning outcomes. Findings include the influence of the fellowship on the design of PBL activities and perceived levels of student engagement, especially when compared to more traditional classroom instruction.

¿Esto Funciona?: Studying The Influences Of Peer Tutoring On Student Performance In The Spanish Language-Learning Process, Alisha Castaneda

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Foreign language pedagogy is currently pushing for a more communicative approach to teaching learners practical language skills (Jones, Squires, and Hicks, 2008). Students want to develop language skills they can use in their careers and everyday lives; consequently, professors are integrating learning methods that make the language classroom more practical and applicable to students’ needs. One potentially invaluable tool in the language-learning process is requiring students to complete a specific number of target-language peer tutoring hours. This study examines the correlations among three variables: the number of tutoring hours students complete, their numerical final course grades, and their scores on …

An Analysis Of Principal Burnout And Job-Person Fit Among Elementary, Middle, And High School Principals In Alabama, David West

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This causal-comparative, quantitative study examined the relationship between elementary, middle, and high school principals’ level of burnout and job-person fit. The purpose of this study was to identify the congruence of school principal burnout by examining the dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Job-person fit was explored by comparing the principal and his or her work environment. The six key domains of worklife (i.e., workload, control, community, reward, fairness, and values) were examined using the Areas of Worklife Survey, and data on the level of burnout were collected using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator’s Survey. The data in the …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Focused Debate On The Development Of Ethical Reasoning Skills In Pharmacy Technician Students., Seana Hogan, Julie Dunne

Articles

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of debating an ethical dilemma on the development of ethical reasoning skills in pharmacy technician students.

Methods. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. This included analysis of before and after 5-minute papers, a sentiment survey, thematic analysis of student reflective writing and a qualitative questionnaire by an independent observer.

Results. Twenty-five students participated in the study. The 5-minute papers showed improvement in student learning. In the sentiment survey, 83% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they had a better understanding of ethical dilemmas following the debate. The main theme identified from …

Enhancing Teaching And Learning Through Design Practice, Lori Lockyer

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Design is part of a teacher’s practice on a daily basis. Teachers are constantly designing and redesigning learning experiences for their students. However, the notions of the teacher as designer or ‘teacher design practice’ are rarely used as frameworks within teacher education or continuing professional learning. In fact, ‘teacher design thinking’, that is, how school teachers think about and engage in design practice has been an under-researched area. Design thinking has the potential to provide teachers with a scaffold to reflect upon contextual and evidence-based factors when designing learning experiences for their students. However, we need to know how teachers …

Equipping Teachers With Tools To Assess And Teach General Capabilities, Claire Scoular

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

There is wide recognition that students need to be equipped with appropriate social and cognitive skills demanded by society and the workforce. The unresolved question is how to do this. Many education systems globally are addressing this demand by including skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity into curriculum documents or supplementary materials. However, there is little research to guide educators in teaching such skills at school level. The need to develop practical solutions for assessing and teaching social and cognitive skills, broadly classified under the umbrella ‘21st-century skills’ or ‘general capabilities’, is ever increasing. An integrated approach …

Holographic Micro-Simulations To Enhance Aviation Training With Mixed Reality, Lori Brown Fraes, Msc, Hfavn

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Mixed reality technologies present a new medium, a new paradigm of augmented reality, where for the first time we have the ability to take the analog world and superimpose digital training artifacts and create a ‘mixed reality’ to enhance aviation training. Digital computing headsets such as Microsoft HoloLens are intuitive and offer a natural means of interaction with no computer, wire or touch-screen. This approach has several practical advantages to overlay holographic elements onto real-world crew environments which makes holographic micro-simulations particularly suited to aviation training and education. Unlike virtual reality—the user is not isolated from their surroundings. MR allows …

Acer Research Conference Proceedings (2018), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

There is no shortage of opinion about more and less effective ways of teaching. Schools are continually presented with strategies, programs and approaches that claim to be ‘research-based’, ‘evidence-based’ or even ‘brainbased’. Vocal advocates of particular teaching methods promote their proposed solutions in the media. But how many of these programs and methods have solid foundations in research? And how can teachers and school leaders distinguish exaggerated marketing claims from teaching strategies shown through research to be effective in improving student outcomes? Research Conference 2018 examines research evidence around teaching practices that make a difference. It brings together leading international …

Inclusion For A Student With Vision Impairment: “They Accept Me, Like, As In I Am There, But They Just Won’T Talk To Me.”, Jill L. Opie, Jane Southcott

The Qualitative Report

We explore the experiences of Nick, a secondary school student with vision impairment in an Australian mainstream school in this study, and we particularly focus on whether he perceived his education as inclusive. We have used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis in this single individual case as this approach explores our participant’s understandings which may be revealed by close examination of mindful experiences. The “gem” spoken by Nick (pseudonym), our 16-year old participant, was “They accept me, like as in I am there, but they just won’t talk to me.” This statement summarises his sense of not belonging, of being other, and …

How Mother And Father Support Affect Youths’ Interest In Computer Science, Jody Clarke-Midura, Frederick J. Poole, Katarina Pantic, Chongning Sun, Vicki Allan

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Parental support is a predictor of children’s career interest and aspirations. However, mother and father support affects youth career choices differently. To understand how perceived mothers’ and fathers’ support affect career interest in computer science (CS), we developed two path models using both mother and father support gains to predict youths’ interest in CS. We hypothesized that perceived father’s and mother’s support would relate to youths’ interest in CS via youths’ perception of CS utility value as a mediator. We found that both mother and father support leads to interest in CS. However, father support was found to affect CS …

Understanding Campus Spaces To Improve Student Belonging, Michelle Samura

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Michelle Samura demonstrates that we can gain insight into students’ experience of connectedness with a campus community by considering how they use physical, human-built spaces and the meaning they attribute to them.

The Influence Of An Electronic Attendance Monitoring System On Undergraduate Academic Success, Charles Childress

Dissertations

Investing in human capital development increases education levels, workplace skills, and boost individual abilities. Undergraduate students who attend class and perform well are more likely to get jobs, due to their development of workplace skills. State governments, as the funding bodies for public universities, are finding it beneficial to increase the number of college graduates because a citizenry that is prepared for the job market is ultimately good for the state. States recognize that an increase in education can produce job opportunities for citizens. University administrators can employ tactics to increase graduation rates, one of which is monitoring students’ class …

An Examination Of The Relationships Among Organizational Support, Self-Efficacy Beliefs, And Engagement In Data-Driven Decision-Making, Kristal Pollard

Dissertations

A culture of accountability in K-12 education has created demand for teachers and administrators to closely examine student performance on assessments. A number of schools have embraced data-driven decision-making as an approach to meeting this need. Data-driven decision-making refers to the systematic process of collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and making instructional decisions based on data (Schildkamp & Kuiper, 2009; Mandinach, 2012). Generally, educators analyze data collected on assessments at the classroom level and on benchmark or interim assessments at the school-wide level. However, teachers generally feel unprepared to engage in data-driven decision-making. Few studies have examined the psychological aspect of engagement …

A Mixed-Methods Investigation On Generalization Of Positive Behavior Supports Skills From Early Childhood To Kindergarten In A Midwestern School District, Ann M. Westbrook

Dissertations

Using a mixed-methods approach, the researcher investigated the generalization of Positive Behavior Supports Skills (PBIS) within an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program, implemented with fidelity, as evidenced by statewide recognition for 10 years in a row, to the kindergarten setting in a Midwestern School District. Through investigating the generalization of PBIS social-emotional skills, the researcher aimed to identify possible frameworks for schools to better prepare students for the kindergarten transition. To investigate the generalization of skills, the researcher used secondary data in the form of 175 externalizing behavior screener scores for students who participated in a PBIS ECSE program …

The Lost & Found Game Series: Teaching Medieval Religious Law In Context, Owen Gottlieb, Ian Schreiber

Presentations and other scholarship

Lost & Found is a strategy card-to-mobile game series that teaches medieval religious legal systems with attention to period accuracy and cultural and historical context. The Lost & Found project seeks to expand the discourse around religious legal systems, to enrich public conversations in a variety of communities, and to promote greater understanding of the religious traditions that build the fabric of the United States. Comparative religious literacy can build bridges between and within communities and prepare learners to be responsible citizens in our pluralist democracy. The first game in the series is a strategy game called Lost & Found …

The Effect Of Color Coding Exterior Letters Of Words On Reading Fluency And Decoding Ability In Intermediate Students Who Read Below Grade Level, Edward Kirby

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this true experimental, posttest-only control-group design was to determine if the color coding of exterior letters affects the fluency and decoding ability among fourth grade students who were below grade level in reading. If color coding exterior letters is an effective intervention, then struggling readers could utilize this intervention to improve their reading fluency and decoding abilities. Participants were selected from a random sample of 102 public school students who were below grade level in reading. The participants were from a district in the southeast United States. Each student was randomly assigned to either an experimental or …

The Prediction Of Technology Integration In The Christian K-12 Classroom Based On Openness To Change, Technology Training, And Work Beyond The Contractual Work Week, Troy Spetter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This predictive correlational study explored the lack of generalizable data regarding the use of technology in the Christian K-12 environment. The study searched for a predictive correlation between teachers’ overall use of technology, openness to change, amount of technology training, and hours of work beyond the contractual work week, based on previous study in public education (Vannatta & Fordham, 2004). The target population was all teachers who work in schools that are members in good standing with the Association of Christian Schools International in the United States. Using a random sample, teachers were asked to participate in the study and …