Educational Methods Commons^™

Proceedings Of The 1st Annual Cuny Games Festival, Robert O. Duncan, Joe Bisz, Francesco Crocco, Carlos Hernandez, Kathleen Offenholley, Leah Potter, Maura A. Smale, Cuny Games Network

Publications and Research

Proceedings of the CUNY Games Conference, held from January 17-18, 2014, at the CUNY Graduate Center and Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Topics in Game Design - Teaching with Virtual and Augmented Realities - Writing with Games - Breaking the Magic Circle: Games & Real Life - Interactive Game Design (What's Your Game Plan? - Designing Ethical Games - Games and Gender - Gaming English Language and Literature - Game, Narrative, Literacy - Teaching with Games - Games, Storytelling, and Narrative - Games and STEM - Learning by Design - Students as Game Designers - Experiencing Reality in Popular Games …

Brooklyn's Waterfront As A Living Laboratory, Anne E. Leonard

Publications and Research

Fellows in the college’s Living Lab seminar develop general education learning outcomes using high-impact learning practices, especially place-based learning. Capitalizing on City Tech’s greatest asset, proximity to Brooklyn’s historic post-industrial waterfront, fellows participate in a walking tour, enhanced by a mobile website on the OpenLab. As this activity is integrated into coursework, students use the site to assess their learning.

Helping Undergraduate Students Learn From Each Other: A Pedagogical Process For In-Class Collaborative Research Projects, Angela Cora Garcia

Natural & Applied Sciences Faculty Publications

Previous research has shown that experiential, active, and collaborative teaching techniques help undergraduate students learn and develop critical thinking, communication, and teamwork skills that can help them in future study or work place roles. At the same time, universities are seeking ways to increase the number of students who get training and experience doing original research while undergraduates. This paper reports on a process for a collaborative in-class original research project which can help instructors achieve these goals. This paper first briefly reviews the relevant literature and then describes the course and the collaborative project. The value of the project …

Beyond “Remember” And “Understand”: Can Online Homework Tools Augment Students’ Higher Order Thinking Skills?, Crystal Carlson, Genevieve M. Henricks-Lepp, Sarah Grison

Psychology Faculty

We studied the effectiveness of an Introductory Psychology online homework tool with questions that required lower or higher level thinking skills (Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate). Interestingly, results suggested that both student performance and attitudes are influenced by question level and question type (Matching, Multiple Choice, Drag and Drop, etc.).

Making The Work Interesting: Classroom Management Through Ownership In Elementary Literature Circles, Ryan Flessner

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Ryan Flessner's contribution to "Breaking the Mold of Classroom Management: What Educators Should Know and Do to Enable Student Success".

Get Rich U Or Get Transformed U: Reflections On Catholic Liberal Arts Education In The 21st Century, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Catholic liberal arts educators can proclaim boldly that we are in the business of formation and transformation of students at multiple levels and in multiple ways. We want our students to be competent, ethical, and compassionate global citizens who are thoughtful, savvy, deep thinkers who love learning and who love helping others. Research and best practices support the claim that the virtues cultivated by the liberal arts contribute to the flourishing of individuals and society as a whole. Catholic colleges and universities have a long history of promoting the liberal arts, and data from various sources suggest that we are …

Collaborating To Improve Inquiry-Based Teaching In Elementary Science And Mathematics Methods Courses, Paula A. Magee, Ryan Flessner

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

This study examines the effect of promoting inquiry-based teaching (IBT) through collaboration between a science methods course and mathematics methods course in an elementary teacher education program. During the collaboration, preservice elementary teacher (PST) candidates experienced 3 different types of inquiry as a way to foster increased understanding of inquiry based teaching (IBT). The experiences included a PST driven science inquiry and a mathematics inquiry where PSTs were learners and a science inquiry where PSTs were teachers. During and following the semester of the collaboration, data were collected to assess the impact of the inquiry experiences on the PSTs’ understanding …

Instructor Use Of Tablet Pcs In A College Pre-Calculus Course: Implementation & Assessment, Julianna Connelly Stockton, Peter Gregory

Mathematics Faculty Publications

A group of six math instructors used tablet PCs to teach their individual sections of a high enrollment gateway Pre-Calculus course in a diverse urban four-year college. Student performance in the experimental sections were compared to those in 31 other sections in terms of student retention, pass rates, and score on the department-wide standardized final exam. Student performance was higher in Tablet PC sections across all three measures, although in some cases the improvement was not substantial enough to improve students’ overall course grades. Surveys of students and faculty in classes using a Tablet PC reflected overall positive impressions of …

Student Success And Time Management In College Algebra, Steven Wallace, Mary Wolfe, June Jones, Gaston Brouwer

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019) (Archived)

The panel will illustrate how the students’ completion of the instructional system ALEKS objectives correlates with student success and retention rates. The panel will also discuss the influence of factors such as time management on success and the promotion of good study practices for students using computer-based learning systems.

Understanding Community Voices As A Force In Teacher Education, Ryan Flessner, Paula A. Magee

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Ryan Flessner and Paula Magee's contribution to "Flessner, R., Miller, G. R., Patrizio, K. M., & Horwitz, J. R. (Eds.). (2012). Agency through teacher education: Reflection, community, and learning. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education."

Addressing The Research/Practice Divide In Teacher Education, Ryan Flessner

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Educational scholars often describe a research/practice divide. Similarly, students in teacher education programs often struggle to navigate the differences between university coursework and expectations they face in field-based placements. This self-study analyzes one researcher's attempt to address the research/practice divide from the position of a teacher educator. Teaching in a university-based mathematics methods course during the academic year and an elementary classroom during the summer recess provided opportunities to make connections between research and practice. This article examines the effects this study had on the researcher's instruction at the university level. Specifically, the article suggests ways for teacher educators to …

Student Perceptions Of Public Relations And Journalism: A Pilot Study Of Attitude Shifts Through Curriculum Innovation, Bernard R. Mccoy, Jerry Renaud, Adam Wagler, Amy Struthers, John Baker

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Journalism and public relations have had a long and often contentious relationship. It is rare when journalists and advertising/PR specialists work well together in the real world. It is equally rare when advertising, public relations and journalism students work together as part of their classroom education. This mixed methods pilot study explored the perceptions journalism and public relations majors had about each other’s professions. The experimental group was comprised of 40 journalism and public relations majors who worked together covering a national event in an experimental college class. The control group included 68 students who participated in a more traditional …

Western Guide To Professional Master's Programs, Gloria J. Leckie

Purple Guides

This guide is a resource for departments that plan to introduce new Professional Master's (PMA) or Professional Science Master's (PSM) degrees. The guide provides examples of existing programs, describes key criteria that new PSM programs need to meet, reviews issues in the development of new programs, and discusses the types of competencies professional programs promote in order to help their graduates compete on the job market.

Teacher Leaders+ Reflective Teaching = A Collaborative Leadership Approach To Establishing Public School And University Partnerships, Madeline M. Landes

Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology

No abstract provided.

Instructional Coaching: Improving Student Achievement And Building Teacher Efficacy, Rebecca J. Tonseth

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to justify the author's job as an instructional coach. The author was motivated by her own need to discover what an instructional coach was and how an instructional coach positively affects teacher instruction and student achievement. This project includes ideas and tools that beginning instructional coaches can use with teachers in an elementary school setting. A review of the literature was included on the effects of coaching on teacher efficacy and the effects teachers and coaches have on student achievement. This project examined the roles of the instructional coach and it provides a guide …

Practice Makes Perfect: Improving Learning Of At-Risk Students, Patrick D.K. Watson, Sarah Grison, Steven G. Luke, Aya Shigeto

Psychology Faculty

29 graduate TAs and 1 faculty member teach 2700 Introductory Psychology students annually. This year we developed an assessment program to improve student learning and graduate teaching training (Shigeto et al., 2010). We studied the value of pedagogical tools developed for students in the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP). EOP selects students based on demographics and academic vulnerabilities for a special intro psych section. This section has an extra day per week for content presentation and additional student development support. These interventions have been demonstrated to enhance learning in minority students (Treisman, 1992).

Using Undergraduate Students As Teaching Assistants, Joseph "Mick" La Lopa

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Given the procedure for recruiting and selecting undergraduate students to be teaching assistants (TAs) and the pros and cons mentioned, there is every reason to continue using them to help administer my classes. I completely trust undergraduate TAs to keep an accurate record of attendance, grade assignments based on the rubric, and adhere to the course policies concerning attendance and assignment deadlines. Other educators should consider using the recruitment techniques suggested in this essay to select bright undergraduates to serve as a TA. They will reap many benefits from their work.

Western Guide To Curriculum Review, Margaret Mcnay

Purple Guides

The Curriculum Review guide offers ideas about how to get started on the review process—questions to ask at the beginning of and during the process, suggestions about information to be gathered and how, issues to think about as you decide what to include in the curriculum, and ideas about how to teach the curriculum involving new and alternative pedagogies.

Western Guide To Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures, Nanda Dimitrov

Purple Guides

The Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures is a handbook for graduate supervisors who work with students from cultures around the world. The guide addresses the most frequently occurring challenges in supervision across cultures and includes concrete mentoring strategies and case studies to help supervisors promote independence and initiative in their mentees, bridge power differences in the relationship, set boundaries, communicate effectively and support their students in the transition to Canadian academia.

General Education Inquiry Groups: The Story Of A Pedagogical Conversation, Gina Cicco

Touchstone

In September of 2007, I was asked to serve as leader of the Education Department’s Inquiry Group at Hostos Community College. At the time, the General Education initiative to form inquiry groups across all academic departments was fairly new. The first goal for our department was to define “inquiry group” and to establish a precise purpose for our group.

Learning Strategies Of First-Year Business Students, Bettina Greimel-Fuhrmann

International Journal for Business Education

The empirical study presented in this paper identifies potential strengths and weaknesses of first‐year students´ learning strategies at the beginning of their studies. It concentrates on the students´ self‐assessment of their self‐motivation, time management, and concentration, coping with stress and fear of failure, elaboration of information, ability to focus on important information, cooperative learning, self‐control of learning progress, and dealing with exams. The results reveal that during their school days, numerous students have not (or just very rarely) applied learning strategies that may be considered indispensable for successfully studying at a university, like taking notes in class or summarizing the …

Working Toward A Third Space In The Teaching Of Elementary Mathematics, Ryan Flessner

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Building on work in the area of third space theory, this study documents one teacher’s efforts to create third spaces in an elementary mathematics classroom. In an attempt to link the worlds of theory and practice, I examine how the work of other theorists and researchers – inside and outside the field of education – can create new lenses for classroom practitioners. In addition, the article provides evidence that third spaces may be more difficult to realize than others have described. Rather than forcing a third space to emerge, what this study finds more important is creating an environment that …

Western Guide To Graduate Supervision, Elizabeth Skarakis-Doyle, Gayle L. Mcintyre

Purple Guides

Based on the experiences of Western's graduate supervisors, this 30 page guide addresses the supervision of graduate students and focuses on best practices in mentoring, promoting student progress, and clarifying expectations in the supervisor-student relationship.

"How Do We Meet Students Where They Are, While Challenging Them Further?" : Teaching Developmentally., Mary E. Hess

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Western Guide To Mentorship In Academia, Donald Gordon Cartwright

Purple Guides

This guide addresses the importance of mentoring for new faculty members, describes the pros and cons of various mentorship models, and offers advice for mentors and mentees.

Evaluation Of An Adult Education Technology Program, Iwasan D. Kejawa

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adult education technology program at a chartered alternative adult education center in Florida. The adult education center had a low rate of students passing the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). This study examined the impact of the use of computer technology in an effort to improve student learning in mathematics, reading, and science. Computers at the institution were used by all students for tutorials to prepare them for the FCAT and to obtain a high school diploma. The research questions for this study were as follows: 1. Is the education technology …

Tying It All Together: Implications For Classrooms, Schools, And Districts, Ryan Flessner, Kenneth Zeichner, Kalani Eggington

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Ryan Flessner, Kenneth Zeichner, and Kalani Eggington's contribution to "Creating Equitable Classrooms through Action Research"

From The Co-Editors

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Community Service-Learning In Statistics: Course Design And Assessment, Debra L. Hydorn

Mathematics Articles

Service-learning projects are a useful method for students to learn both the practice and value of statistical methods. Effective service learning, however, depends on several factors and can be implemented according to a variety of models. In this article, different models for incorporating service-learning in statistics courses are presented along with example statistics courses. Principles for good service-learning practice will also be presented as a means for assessing the quality of a service-learning course component.

How To Incorporate External Activities Into Courses For Your Students’ Benefit, Marissa Moran

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.