Educational Technology Commons^™

Hyflex Course Design: Outcomes, Challenges, And Supports For Students And Instructors, Tracey Barr, Tian Luo

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Since it was first developed in 2006, the hybrid flexible, or HyFlex, course model has been growing in prevalence in higher education. HyFlex courses are defined as those allowing students to decide whether to experience course material in person, online synchronously, or asynchronously on a weekly or daily basis without warning to, or permission from, the course’s instructor. Empirical research regarding this instructional approach is still relatively limited despite increased attention during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing interest in providing alternatives to fully in-person instruction has made it necessary to closely examine the existing body of research to determine …

Effects Of Student And School Technology Adoption On Student Reading Achievement In The United States: The Case Of Pisa 2018, Mikah J. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

This study examined the relationship between student and school-level information and communication technology (ICT) factors and reading achievement using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 in the United States. In an increasingly digital world, reading and information literacy are essential skills, yet significant gaps in digital competencies persist. This study investigated how ICT access, use, and perceptions relate to reading achievement in the context of student and school background factors.

A two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) framework was employed to account for the nested structure of students within schools. The sample included approximately 4,000 students across …

A Methodological Framework For Modernizing Engineering Course Content With Large Language Models, Katherine Smith, Dalya Ismael, Otilia Popescu, Murat Kuzlu, Adel El-Shahat, Vukica M. Jovanovic

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The rapid evolution of technology presents challenges for engineering educators. While the core engineering methods often remain relevant over time, course materials rapidly become outdated in presentation and pedagogical approach. This paper presents a methodological framework for using large-language models (LLMs) to modernize engineering course content with a case study in an advanced technical analysis course.

The methodology follows a phased approach that is designed to be repeatable and verify the accuracy and completeness of course content. During the first phase, an LLM is used to map outdated text-heavy content to a modern format using a LaTeX template. The second …

Teachers, Dispositions, And Classroom Management: Social Origins, Professional Development, And The Datafication Of School Discipline, Paul L. Poggemeyer

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

How do teachers’ social backgrounds and professional orientations shape the disciplinary and relational dimensions of their work? This dissertation takes up that question across three related but self-contained studies in the sociology of education, set in Central School District, a public school district in the southeastern United States. Each study examines a different facet of how teachers establish authority, manage behavior, and exercise care: the social origins of their orientations toward classroom management, the experience of becoming professionally competent in the early career, and the use of digital tools that increasingly govern how school discipline is recorded. Drawing broadly on …

A Digital Resource To Support Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Students And New Graduates In Applying Occupation-Based Practice In Inpatient Adult Settings, Alyssa Vessel

Occupational Therapy | OTD Capstone Projects

Occupation-based practice is a core concept within the occupational therapy profession. However, Level II fieldwork students and new graduate occupational therapists may struggle to translate their knowledge of occupation-based practice into clinical practice. This doctoral capstone project aimed to support the implementation of occupation-based practice in adult inpatient settings by developing a website with educational and practical resources. Stakeholder needs and existing evidence on barriers and supports to occupation-based practice informed project development. A questionnaire was distributed to Level II fieldwork students, while discussions with new graduate occupational therapists provided an informal needs assessment. Findings guided the development of website …

Educators’ Perceptions Of Artificial Intelligence Enabled Wearable Technology To Support The Social, Emotional, And Behavioral Functioning Of Neurodiverse Students, Jessica Taraborrelli

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

The integration of technology in education has largely focused on academic outcomes, with limited attention to students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs, particularly for neurodiverse students. Artificial Intelligence enabled wearable technologies present promising opportunities to address this gap by providing real time data and interventions. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine educators’ perceptions of AI-enabled wearable technology and its potential to support the social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of neurodiverse students. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM3) and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) frameworks, this study explored how perceived usefulness and its …

The Role Of Technology In Education: Friend Or Fiend?, Michaela A. Morgan

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

In this paper we will be examining the role of educational technology in the United States through a critical lens with the purpose of arguing that the growing dependence on EdTech, standardized testing, and data-driven instruction has contributed to the privatization, dehumanization, and inequity of public education. Drawing from critical pedagogy, sociocultural theory, and educational research both recent and decades prior. In my paper I explore how technology in schools often functions less as a liberatory tool and more as a mechanism of surveillance, commodification, and control. We consider the historical roots of educational inequality, including eugenics, meritocracy, and colonial …

Exploring Factors Predicting Teachers’ Intentions To Use Digital Games In Saudi Elementary Schools, Thamarah M. Alqahtani

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Despite the potential benefits of integrating digital games in teaching and learning environments, little research has been carried out to understand the perception of elementary school teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) towards integrating digital games into the classroom. This study aims to understand Saudi elementary teachers’ intention of using the digital games in elementary school classrooms using Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model, and to provide crucial insights for the KSA’s Ministry of Education’s (MOE) administrators in developing evidence-based teacher training and effective school technology-integration policies. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used to assess Saudi …

The Impact Of Synchronous And Asynchronous Preference On The Performance Of Distance Learning Students, Christopher A. Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Distance learning is a growing part of education. The transition to distance learning was underway at higher education institutions, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced institutions of all types to rapidly transition to distance learning. The technology that was adapted during this emergency distance learning remained in the classroom once normal instruction resumed. This quantitative study examined two aspects of distance learning technology in education. The study examined student preference for either synchronous or asynchronous instruction through the framework of expectancy theory. Students who were more familiar with the course material were hypothesized to have a higher expectation of success and …

Iuse: A Gamified Virtual Learning Platform For Connected Vehicle Applications To Enhance Undergraduate Transportation Education, Tianyu Shen, Di Yang, Kai Sun, Hong Yang, Kun Xie, Mansoureh Jeihani

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Emerging transportation technologies are rapidly reshaping transportation systems and industry practice. However, most transportation undergraduate curricula still emphasize foundational topics such as geometric design, travel demand forecasting, pavements, and soil properties, typically delivered through lecture-centric instruction. While these subjects remain essential to the discipline, they do not fully reflect the pace of technological change or provide sufficient opportunities for experiential learning with modern tools and data. This gap limits students’ exposure to CV concepts and their ability to translate theory into practice.

Focusing on a key emerging technology, connected vehicles (CVs), this paper bridges the above gap by introducing a …

Ai Policy In Virginia Public Schools: A Comparative Analysis, Jesse Senechal, Jamelle Simmons, Jonathan D. Becker, Melissa Ware, Michael Broda, Kindy Anderson, Eric Byers, Kiana Bradford, Thea Racelis, Meleah Ellison

MERC Publications

This MERC research and policy review explores policy implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in Virginia public schools. It is part of a two part series with a companion report focused on AI implications for PK-12 teaching and learning. The report has two parts:

1. A review of the AI policy landscape around PK-12 education
2. Virginia AI policy analysis

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations for PK-12 policy and practice.

Ai In Pk-12 Education: Implications For Teaching And Learning, David Naff, Meleah Ellison, Casey Bailey, Tzu-Wei Wang, Kiana Bradford

MERC Publications

This research and policy review from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) explores the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for teaching and learning in public PK-12 education. It is part of a two part series with a companion report focused on AI implications for PK-12 policy. The report explores two questions:

1. How is AI shaping teaching and instructional practice?
2. How is AI shaping student learning and development?

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations for PK-12 policy and practice.

K–12 Teacher Intention To Use A Makerspace: An Analysis Using The Unified Theory Of Acceptance And Use Of Technology, Kevin W. Rutter

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the factors that relate to K–12 teachers' intention to use a makerspace for classroom instruction. It uses the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) as its theoretical framework. The research addresses gaps in the United States' achievement in STEM subjects and explores makerspaces as a potential instructional innovation that encourages student-centered, interdisciplinary, project-based learning. A quantitative, correlational case study design was employed to survey 120 staff members at a large urban high school in the Midwest with a dedicated makerspace. Survey items were adapted from the UTAUT model to assess three predictor variables: performance …

The Impacts Of Technology-Based Student-Centered Learning On Students’ Perception Of Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning (French, Spanish, And Chinese), Gideon Yeboah

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study investigates the perceptions of 21 university students enrolled in first- and second-year foreign language courses - French 102 & 202, Spanish 102 & 202, and Chinese 102 & 202 - regarding the effectiveness of technology-based learning tools in vocabulary acquisition compared to traditional methods. Data were collected through an online survey questionnaire voluntarily completed by participants across three courses taught by four instructors. Findings indicate a generally positive view of digital tools such as flashcards, language apps, and online platforms, valued for enabling self-paced learning, interactive engagement, immediate feedback, and increased motivation, which enhanced vocabulary retention. Traditional methods …

The Reformation And The Formation Of A Ukrainian Model Of Theological Education: From The Ostroh Academy To The Present, Vitalii Leonidovich Khromets Dr.

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article traces the institutional history of theological education in Ukraine from the Ostroh Academy (1576) to the present, proposing a typological framework of four models. The Ostroh Academy is interpreted as a proto-university synthesising Orthodox confessional formation, humanist learning, and civic responsibility. The Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (1632/1701) is read as a paradoxical Counter-Reformation continuation of the same logic, appropriating the Jesuit collegium model as an instrument of resistance to Polonisation and Latinisation. The eighteenth-century network of collegia — Chernihiv, Pereiaslav-Khmelnytsky, Kharkiv, and the Poltava Slavonic Seminary — is treated as a mature networked form integrating theological education with Pietist influences …

Investigation Of Dean’S Transformational Leadership Profiles And Digital Transformation Maturity In Guangxi Public Higher Vocational Colleges, Lili Ding, Jamilah Binti Ahmad, Yuqiang Luo

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Background: As China builds an innovation-driven economy, vocational education provides essential skilled workers for key industries, helping to elevate vocational colleges into crucial centers for talent development and social mobility. In this context, the dean’s transformational leadership may play an important role in supporting institutional digital transformation.

Research Question: How do deans’ transformational leadership domains predict institutional digital transformation maturity across leadership and pedagogy in vocational education?

Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design combined a faculty survey with semi-structured interviews. Valid survey responses from 30 faculty members were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations, and regression, followed by thematic analysis of …

Environmental Load In Technology-Rich Classrooms: A Practitioner Reflection On Student Attention, Cognitive Fatigue, And Instructional Design, Christopher Morales

Essays in Education

This practitioner essay examines student disengagement in technology-rich classrooms through the lens of cognitive load and environmental demand. Rather than interpreting all off-task behavior as laziness, avoidance, or lack of motivation, the essay argues that some students may be responding to cumulative overload created by screens, transitions, digital platforms, visual clutter, noise, lighting, and fragmented instructional routines. Drawing from classroom observation and cognitive load theory, the essay introduces environmental load as a practical concept for educators seeking to preserve student attention without lowering academic expectations. The essay offers reflective questions and instructional adjustments that can help teachers and school leaders …

Examining Inclusive Computing Education For Blind Students In India, Akshay Kolgar Nayak, Yash Prakash, Md Javedul Ferdous, Sampath Jayarathna, Hae-Na Lee, Vikas Ashok

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The growing demand for computer professionals, driven by the expanding Information Technology industry, has led to numerous inclusive computing education efforts. These efforts have even included blind or visually-impaired (BVI) students, who are being increasingly encouraged to pursue education and a career in computing, despite the visually-oriented nature of the discipline. Extant literature has predominantly focused on identifying and addressing the accessibility barriers faced by BVI students to promote more inclusive learning environments. While few studies have also investigated the accessibility of computing education from the perspectives of BVI learners and instructors, these have been primarily situated in the Global …

Guidelines For Automatic Grading Of Student Essays Using Large Language Models, Diwakar Yalpi, Sruta Keerti Kasula, Ravi Mukkamala

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Automated essay evaluation using large language models (LLMs) has emerged as a promising approach to support scalable and consistent educational assessment. However, the effectiveness of LLM-based grading varies significantly across evaluation dimensions and is highly influenced by prompt design and model selection. In this study, we evaluate five state-of-the-art LLMs across five rubric-based categories: Relevance to Question, Reasoning and Critical Thinking, Evidence and Examples, Organization, and Clarity and Writing Quality. We systematically investigate the impact of three prompting strategies, including rubric-only prompting, exemplar-based prompting (with and without rubric guidance)(Original and Refined prompt designs) incorporating structured instructions. Additionally, a prompt ablation …

Contextual Scaffolding And Self-Efficacy: Supporting Computer Skill Development Among Blind Learners In India, Akshay Kolgar Nayak, Yash Prakash, Sampath Jayarathna, Hae-Na Lee, Vikas Ashok

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Inclusive computer literacy education efforts, broadening the participation of blind or visually impaired (BVI) individuals, have gained traction in recent years. Existing literature investigating these efforts primarily draws evidence from affluent Global North contexts, where accessibility resources and legal frameworks are relatively more mature. Little is known about the in-situ teaching and learning challenges faced by trainers and BVI students, respectively, in resource-constrained, multicultural Global South countries like India. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a four-month contextual inquiry at two computer training centers catering to 94 BVI students in India. We notably observed a rigid, experience-driven training environment …

Designing Narrative-Based Ai Assistance For Sensemaking In Collaborative Environments: Case Studies In Education And Dementia Care, Dylan Edward Moore

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

This thesis addresses a gap in the human-computer interaction literature regarding the design, development, and evaluation of narrative-based AI assistance for collaborative, complex problem solving. I explore this design space through three case studies across the domains of education and dementia care. This work encompasses multi-year industry partnerships and longitudinal fieldwork, user-centered design, dataset curation, model training, and system evaluation.

Specifically, the first case study considers a story-based web platform for teaching AI literacy through peer-generated, personalized narrative scaffolding. Learners on the platform showed significant knowledge gains and other learning-related outcomes. To describe the novel design of this system, I …

Teacher Judgment In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence: Collaborative Inquiry Into Generative Ai For Udl-Aligned Instructional Planning In Elementary English Language Arts, Melissa G. Metz

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This action research study explores how teacher-facing generative artificial intelligence (GAI), specifically Google Gemini, can support educators in UDL-aligned instructional planning within a Title I elementary school. Although AI is often discussed in terms of student-facing applications, less is known about how GAI can assist teachers with lesson planning, differentiation, and the demands of sustaining inclusive Tier I instruction. Guided by a conceptual framework integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and technology integration perspectives, the study engaged four educators in collaborative inquiry through AI Visioning Workshops, reflections, interviews, and planning artifacts.

Data were analyzed through iterative coding, analytic memoing, and …

Towards An Understanding Of Learning In Immersive Virtual Reality: Investigating Learning Affordances To Bridge Theory And Practice, Gregory Mcgowin

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation examines how modality-specific scaffolding shapes performance, presence, and transfer in immersive virtual reality (I-VR). Framed through theories of extended cognition, real-time guidance is conceptualized as cognitive scaffolding that structures perception and action by embedding task-relevant information within the environment. Situated within the learning sciences and informed by 4E cognition (embodied, embedded, enactive, extended), this work develops a framework for understanding how I-VR affordances relate to learning and performance.

The empirical study investigates how scaffolding modality (audio vs. visual) influences presence and performance in a VR racing simulation. Using a 3 × 2 × 2 mixed factorial design, 111 …

Comics In The Classroom: Social Science Teachers' Lived Experiences With Comic Art In Instruction, Robert W. Mcintosh

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This qualitative descriptive phenomenological study explored secondary social science teachers’ lived experiences with comic art in classroom instruction. Existing research suggests that comic art, including comic books and graphic novels, can support student engagement, content understanding, visual literacy, and critical thinking; however, less is known about how teachers experience and make decisions about using comic art in social science education. Framed by Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Social Cognitive Theory, the study treated comic art as a representational instructional technology and examined how teacher confidence and the context of their experience shaped its use. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews …

Human And Ai Support In Business Simulations: A Quasi-Experimental Mixed Methods Study Of Performance At Scale, Sara Willox

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Large classes change what instruction looks like. In hybrid business courses with high enrollment, it becomes harder to respond to individual students, and performance can suffer as a result. This study looked at what happens when that gap is addressed in different ways during an eight-week business simulation at the University of Central Florida. Six course sections were divided into three study groups. One group worked without support, one received instructor guidance, and one used AI tools that included a course search system and generative responses. Student outcomes were based on weekly profit and loss recorded in Sim Companies. The …

What Are Information Literacy Skills? Western Australian Primary Teachers’ Interpretations Of The Ict Curriculum, Louise Moroney, Vaille Dawson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Teachers must equip students to navigate an increasingly complex world of unique challenges and opportunities, necessitating the development of a diverse range of transferable skills. These skills are embedded in the General Capabilities (GC) of the Australian school curriculum. Upper primary school teachers’ interpretations of one of the GC, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) learning progressions, was examined, as these skills have become increasingly important with the rise in generative and assistive artificial intelligence. Using an interpretivist paradigm, an exploratory study was used to determine the areas where 36 teachers differed in their interpretations of the learning progression. Data collected …

Digital Provision, Educators’ Attitudes And Use In Early Learning Settings: Ready To Implement The Eylf V2.0?, Lennie Barblett, Maria Enriquez Watt, Patricia R. Collins, Fiona Boylan, Pauline Roberts, Leesa Costello

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

An update of the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 emphasises the thoughtful, balanced and purposeful integration of digital technology in facilitating positive outcomes for children’s learning, development and wellbeing. In addition, educators are asked to support families with eSafety, yet it is unclear how educators are poised to respond to these changes. Within a post-positivist frame, 123 Australian early learning educators described their workplace digital provision, digital knowledge, skills, confidence and attitudes through a national online survey. Findings show that educators were confident about their own personal digital use, however their attitudes varied towards the use of digital technologies with …

Feeling Giggity: Ambiguous Emojis In Teaching And Learning Communications, Mary Kynn, Nicole Reinke, Eva Hatje

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is an increase in the number of digital platforms used in higher education classrooms that promote using emojis to capture students’ emotions. However, there is little evidence to suggest that interpretation of emojis is reliable in this context. This pilot project explored if emojis can reliably signify the emotions expressed by first-year university students. Students were asked to record their emotions by selecting a representative emoji and using free text to describe its meaning. A total of 72 responses were recorded in an anonymous online survey. Happy face emojis were used more frequently than emojis representing neutral or unpleasant …

Re-Viewing Children’S Relations With Waste Through Commoning, Worlding And Inheriting, Mindy Blaise, Annette Nykiel, Jane Merewether, Stefania Giamminuti

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Feminist environmental educators have been calling for new ways of dismantling traditional separations such as nature–culture for reconfiguring human–environment relations. The Common Worlds Research Collective is an interdisciplinary research network made up of educators and researchers that conduct feminist and anticolonial pedagogical and methodological work concerned with more-than-human worlds. This visual essay takes inspiration from the inventive ways the Common Worlds Research Collective are thinking and practising with concepts. This visual essay introduces commoning, worlding and inheriting as concepts for rethinking practice. It shows how re-viewing photographic documentation taken of a waste project with young children and educators opens up …