Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Hacking Assessment, Phillip Dawson

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Hackers exploit weaknesses in a system to achieve their own goals. In this paper I argue that hacking presents a significant threat to the growing world of online assessment. This threat needs to be addressed through a variety of means; technological anti-hacking approaches will not be sufficient. The most effective ways to prevent hacking may be changes to the assessment tasks themselves to make hacking less tempting; these approaches also have a range of positive side effects in terms of authenticity, transparency of criteria, and ensuring tasks involve work beyond the exam. I conclude with a brief exploration of the …

Extensibility - Validation Of Workplace Learning In Higher Education - Examples And Considerations, Deirdre Goggin, Stephen Cassidy, Irene Sheridan, Phil O'Leary

Conference Papers

The importance of effective curriculum design and development in structuring and supporting learners in their knowledge attainment has been outlined in the writings of Tyler (1949) [1] which supports the approach adopted in European Higher Education stemming from the 1999 Bologna Declaration (European Commission, 2009). These structures are assisted in part by national and European qualification frameworks and the Dublin descriptors which are explicit of the variances in knowledge, skill and competence as one progresses in higher education and training. In addition, the inclusion of learning outcomes and programme objectives in the development of comprehensive curricula has been linked to …

Faculty Perceptions Of The Adoption And Use Of Clickers In The Legal Studies In Business Classroom, Denise M. Farag, Susan Park, Gundars Kaupins

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The use of clickers in the classroom can improve student engagement and motivation. However, few studies have been conducted on faculty opinions of the use of clickers. This paper measures clicker use amongst legal studies in business faculty and investigates perceptions and factors associated with adoption of clickers in the discipline. Survey results indicate that most legal studies in business faculty have either never or rarely use clickers, and very few faculty members in the discipline use clickers regularly. Instructors perceive clickers to improve teaching, but may be reluctant to adopt them because of time constraints.

An Exploration Of Rpl In Higher Education In Ireland With Particular Focus On Quality Assurance, Deirdre Goggin, Irene Sheridan, Phil O'Leary

Conference Papers

This paper focuses on examining the practice of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) a provision which allows a learner present previously acquired relevant learning for assessment for credit. In general all forms of learning are formally recognised within an RPL system which includes informal, non formal and formal learning. The key misconception within higher education can be that RPL requires a different quality assurance system than that of conventional assessment methods.

This paper explores current assessment policies and practices in Ireland with a particular focus on the structural realities required to deliver good practice with RPL provision for summative purposes. …

Tenure: A Communal Privilege For Service, Not An Individual Privilege For Research, Steven Kessler

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Tenure is commonly understood as a privilege earned by individuals in higher education guaranteeing a lifetime appointment barring gross negligence. To individuals outside of higher education, the tenure process is less clear. Contemporary tenure is earned today largely for research and teaching with the heaviest emphasis on research. The third leg of tenure, service, is often neglected or discouraged in the rewards structure. While this information is widely known in higher education, the irony of this system is not. This paper aims to explore higher education’s historical roots as a medieval corporation in explaining the origins of tenure. Tenure originally …

Common Data Set, 2015-2016, Office Of Institutional Research, Bridgewater State University

Common Data Sets

No abstract provided.

Bridgewater State University Factbook, 2014-2015, Office Of Institutional Research, Bridgewater State University

Factbook

No abstract provided.

Impact Of The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill: An Examination Of Retention Of First Year Students In The Hampton Roads Area, Kim B. Sibson

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill has had a tremendous impact on higher education institutions (HEI) across the country. As of 2011, the Veterans Administration (VA) had issued G.I. Bill payments to almost 500,000 veterans. This research examines the effect of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill on student retention in different types of HEIs in the Hampton Roads region of Southeastern Virginia, an area that has a high number of military and military-affiliated residents. Ex post facto data from various institutions have been compared, with a public university, a for-profit college, and a two-year public community college to examine the retention rates of …

Modeling Student Engagement In The Classroom, Sarah Painter

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Connections to Community is a multi-institutional study that looks at the influence of community on post-secondary, science and engineering students and their engagement in academic activity. This paper focuses specifically on student engagement within the classroom as a follow-up to a previous paper by Wendy Hoffman, Identifying Influential Variables of Student Academic Engagement (Hoffman, 2013). The goal of this work is to model student engagement in the classroom using classroom observation data that has been cleaned and then compare the results with those found in Hoffman’s paper which used pre-cleaning data. The cleaned data is used to create two data …

The Effects Of Student Engagement On Retention: Comparing Male Undergraduate Stem Majors To Non-Stem Majors, Tourgee D. Simpson Jr.

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Researchers suggest certain benchmarks of student engagement (i.e., student-faculty interaction, level of academic challenge, enriching educational experiences, active and collaborative learning, and supportive campus environment) positively influence student success. This study investigated the relationship between student engagement and the retention of male, full-time undergraduate students in STEM majors by comparing male, full-time undergraduate students in select science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors to male, full-time undergraduate students in non-STEM majors to identify best practices to improve retention and increase degree completion among men in STEM fields.

Students were invited to participate in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). …

Promoting Regional Education Services Integration: Apec University Associations Cross-Border Education Cooperation Workshop: Workshop Report: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 20 – 22 May 2014, Sarah Richardson

Higher education research

This report has been prepared to summarise discussions at the APEC University Associations Cross-Border Education Cooperation Workshop. The workshop was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between 20 and 22 May 2014 and was attended by delegates from Australia; Canada; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; Papua New Guinea; The Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; Viet Nam; and the United States. The workshop brought together representatives from university associations, universities and governments to support, pursue and work towards the achievement of the priorities outlined by APEC Economic Leaders. The workshop focused on four key themes within cross-border education cooperation – student mobility, …

Meaning-Making Among Medical Students: Development Of A Quantitative Measure Of Self-Authorship, Robert Fallar

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Preparation for and application to medical school, as well as the subsequent medical training of matriculating students, can have an important impact on psychosocial development. The premedical baccalaureate is the traditional preparation for medical school, although many medical schools also offer a separate entry path through early assurance programs that provide conditional acceptance in the sophomore year of college. These programs may provide freedom in the remainder of the baccalaureate program to explore the liberal arts, which could be a source of differential development of non-cognitive skills among medical students. Self-authorship is defined as the ability to define one’s beliefs, …

Assessing Student Learning [Presentation With Audio], Brimah Vonjo

Assessment & Accountability in Student Affairs & Higher Education (CNS 610)

No abstract provided.

Bridgewater State University Factbook, 2013-2014, Office Of Institutional Research, Bridgewater State University

Factbook

No abstract provided.

Common Data Set, 2014-2015, Office Of Institutional Research, Bridgewater State University

Common Data Sets

No abstract provided.

'A Reflective Conversation: Community And Hei Perspectives On Community-Based Research', Niamh O'Reilly, Catherine Bates

Articles

This paper is a reflective correspondence between a community partner and a community-based research coordinator in a higher education institute (HEI). We asked each other questions about our experience of collaborating on two community-based research (CBR) projects, in order to share our learning from our collaboration, and to relate this to the wider context in order to develop recommendations for others – community partners and HEI staff – who would like to initiate CBR projects in the future.

Ensuring The Development Of Digital Literacy In Higher Education Curricula, Mark T. Mcmahon

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Digital Literacy is widely considered to be an essential attribute for both academic and professional success. In an increasingly regulated and standards -based higher education environment, however, there is a lack of clear guidance as to what constitutes the nature of appropriate level of Digital Literacy that graduates need to demonstrate. This paper argues for the application of a Digital Literacy Taxonomy to articulate the dimensions inherent in it, which can then be applied to student activities and curricula. This process can be used to assist academics in identifying the literacy requirements of their courses, their own opportunities for professional …

Development Of A Student Self-Reported Instrument To Assess Course Reform, R.C. Morris, Loran Carleton Parker, David Nelson, Matthew D. Pistilli, Adam Hagen, Chantal Levesque-Bristol, Gabriela Weaver

IMPACT Publications

This study examines the development and implementation of a survey-based instrument assessing the effectiveness of a course redesign initiative focused on student centeredness at a large midwestern university in the United States. Given the scope of the reform initiative under investigation in this study, researchers developed an instrument called the Classroom Experience Questionnaire (CEQ), which was administered to students enrolled in redesigned courses. Early findings demonstrate strong construct validity and internal reliability of the CEQ instrument as well as concurrent validity between the CEQ and observation data gathered in concert with self-report data. The authors conclude that in the absence …

Measuring Performance Excellence: Key Performance Indicators For Institutions Accepted Into The Academic Quality Improvement Program (Aqip), Paul J. Ballard

Dissertations

Given growing interest in accountability and outcomes, the North Central Association's Higher Learning Commission developed a new path for accreditation, the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). The goal is to infuse continuous improvement and quality in the culture of higher education, and to blend traditional accreditation with the philosophy and techniques of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. Yet, little is known about the key performance indicators (KPI) that colleges and universities are using to improve their quality and continuous improvement processes.

To this end, my research involved a content analysis of the Systems Portfolios submitted for accreditation by 34 purposefully …

Blurring The Boundaries: Creative Collaborative Space For Excellence And Innovation, Patricia Hoffman, Paul Force-Emery Mackie

Social Work Department Publications

Our Center for Excellence & Innovation has brought together our Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning, our Center for Excellence in Scholarship and Research, Assessment Coordinator and our Educational Technologists to serve faculty in a “one-stop shopping” venue. Through integrated marketing we inform faculty of resources and opportunities for professional development working diligently to ensure that faculty not only receive needed assistance but also experience a warm, welcoming environment. Seven principles of learning space design contribute to this collaborative, learner-centered environment: comfort, aesthetics, affordance, flow, equity, blending (a mixture of technological and face-to-face pedagogical resources.

E/Merging Across Africa: Five Papers On The Use Of Educational Technology In African Higher Education, Tony Carr

The African Journal of Information Systems

This guest editorial comments on the rapidly changing environment for the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in African Higher Education Institutions (HEI), introduces the e/merge online conferences and gives a brief introduction to the papers in the special issue.

Profiling Diversity Of Australian Universities, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards, Leo Goedegebuure, Marian Thakur, Eva Van Der Brugge, Frans Van Vught

Higher education research

There is a good deal of consensus that institutional diversity in higher education is a good thing. Simply put, systems with more diverse institutions perform better than systems with less diverse institutions. Yet the overall diversity of Australia’s higher education system remains unclear. Significant questions and opportunities remain unresolved. How diverse are Australia’s institutions today? How can stakeholders— particularly institutions and policymakers—understand and manage this diversity? This LH Martin Institute and ACER research briefing seeks to shift discussion of diversity to a more considered level. The analysis moves beyond extant sectoral partitionings and contingent policy interventions to expose emerging dynamics …

Gaise In Discipline-Specific Courses, Beverly Wood

Publications

While acknowledging the diverse setting, audience, and purpose of introductory courses, existing research assumes that courses offered by different disciplines share the same goals and teaching practices. The purpose of this study is to examine the objectives for student outcomes and pedagogical delivery of introductory statistics courses designed for students in a specific major, providing explicit evidence for this assumption.

The American Statistical Association’s Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) are meant to apply to all introductory courses. The College Report’s Goals for Students and Recommendations for Teaching are used as a framework for a qualitative study …

Is The Sat The Root Of All Evil? Reviewing The Evidence On Admission Policies And Diversity In Higher Education, Loris Fagioli

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

It is imperative to achieve diversity in Higher Education. With affirmative action policies under fire, it is becoming difficult to enroll a diverse student body. Many critics see standardized tests, and the SAT in particular, as contributing to the problem. This paper reviews research on such criticism, about suggested alternative approaches, and regarding recommendations on how to improve the current situation. In general, this review finds little evidence against a judicious use of the SAT. Also, alternative approaches such as percent plans or abolishing the SAT have had little success in increasing diversity. However, most specialists agree that a comprehensive …

Bridgewater State University Factbook, 2012-2013, Office Of Institutional Research, Bridgewater State University

Factbook

No abstract provided.

Common Data Set, 2013-2014, Office Of Institutional Research, Bridgewater State University

Common Data Sets

No abstract provided.

Reflections On A Decade Of Global Rankings: What We've Learned And Outstanding Issues, Ellen Hazelkorn

Articles

Ten years after the first global rankings appeared, it is clear that they have had an extraordinary impact on higher education. While there are fundamental questions about whether rankings measure either quality or what’s meaningful, they have succeeded in exposing higher education to international comparison. Moreso, because of the important role higher education plays as a driver of economic development, rankings have exposed both an information deficit and national competitiveness. Accordingly, both nations and institutions have sought to maximise their position vis-á-vis global rankings with positive and perverse effects. Their legacy is evident in the way rankings have become an …

World-Class Universities Or World Class Systems?: Rankings And Higher Education Policy Choices, Ellen Hazelkorn

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of University Rankings On Higher Education Policy In Europe: A Challenge To Perceived Wisdom And A Stimulus For Change, Ellen Hazelkorn, Martin Ryan

Books/Book chapters

The arrival of global rankings in 2003 was a clarion call for urgent reform of European higher education. The results of the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Times Higher Education QS World University Ranking, first published in 2003 and 2004 respectively, challenged the perceived wisdom about the reputation and excellence of European universities. Since then, the EU and its Member States have sought to reshape and modernise higher education in Europe. This paper argues that the emergence of global rankings was not only a challenge to perceived wisdom, but also a stimulus for change in European higher …

Globalisation And Competitiveness: Challenges To The Purpose, Performance And Impact Of Higher Education, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.