University Extension Commons^™

Investigating The Impact Of Instructor Presence In Lecture Videos On Learning Experiences: A Comparative Study, Keone K. Fuqua

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

As online learning continues to grow, understanding how instructional design features influence student experience becomes increasingly important. One critical feature in video-based instruction in instructor presence - the degree to which the instructor is visually or vocally present in the lesson. The purpose of this study was to investigate how varying levels of instructor presence in asynchronous lector videos affect students' perceived relatedness, satisfaction, engagement, content retention, and cognitive effort.

A mixed methods experimental design was employed, with 93 undergraduate and graduate students from a public university randomly assigned to one of three video lesson conditions: Full Presence (instructor visible …

A Theoretical Model Of Participatory Team Science Training, Angela E. Jordan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

BACKGROUND: Teams have long been used to address major scientific and societal problems, and interdisciplinary teams are understood to be the best approach to complex systems-based problems like climate change. Engaged research collaborations incorporating community members as equal partners in research projects are recognized as both a means of advancing equity and justice in research, and also of improving the success of research translation by developing solutions with community use-value. The science of team science (TS) and community-engaged research (CEnR) have emerged as scholarly disciplines, with attempts to define competencies, skills, functioning, and success. A growing body of literature in …

Creating A Space For Relaxation And Wellbeing At The University Of South Alabama, Mary Wolf

Honors Theses

A program to provide supplementary support for the mental health and wellness of students at a midsize Southern University by providing a centrally located “relaxation space” for students on campus during the last two weeks of the semester is proposed and tested. A central location was found on campus to host the space. The researcher also developed an online survey for students to review the space. The trial was run for two weeks, and participants were able to access the online survey throughout those weeks. The results of the survey were analyzed to better understand the students’ responses to the …

What Can We Learn From Coaching To Apply To Teaching?, Binata Mukherjee, Emily Wilson, Amanada Arnold

CoTL 2024 Workshops

Physicians are tasked with the efficient delivery of high-quality care for patients while being able to learn from advances in medicine to address the ever-arising challenges in care delivery. Coaching in medicine may help learners for performance & development through self-awareness that enables self-directed lifelong learning. Self-directed learning requires metacognitive skills, in other words “thinking about thinking.” Traditional medical education rarely provides opportunities for introspection. Limited information is available regarding training medical faculty to coach. We explored the experience and perception of coaching after a training program. Data from three sources was analyzed in a mixed methods thematic analysis. Building …

Pre To Post Course Differences In Knowledge And Perception Of A Careers For Psychology Majors Course, Laura Powell

CoTL 2024 Research Talks

The Psychology Department at the University of South Alabama began teaching a course titled “Careers for Psychology Majors” in Fall 2019. This sophomore level course was created to help psychology majors explore careers options with a bachelor's degree in psychology as well as careers that require graduate study. Students completed a pre and post course survey from their Landrum and Davis (2020) textbook regarding their knowledge and perceptions of career options after graduating. Pre to post course changes in student surveys were analyzed with paired samples t-tests for each question. Increases from pre to post was observed with every question …

Impostor Phenomenon, Perfectionism, Psychological Distress, And Burnout In Pre-Health Undergraduate Students, Victoria Lee

Honors Theses

Preparing for a career in the healthcare field is incredibly strenuous and demanding, and previous research endeavors have demonstrated that students in professional healthcare programs show an increased susceptibility to impostor phenomenon, perfectionism, psychological distress, and burnout. Previous studies have indicated a possible link between impostor phenomenon, perfectionism, psychological distress, and burnout; however, these studies only considered two or three constructs at a time in graduate students (Rosenthal, et al., 2021; Seong, et al., 2020; Garratt-Reed, et al., 2018). The current study’s purpose was to investigate the whether or not impostor phenomenon, perfectionism, and psychological distress could be potential predictors …

Facilitating Learner Engagement And Success Through Collaborative Study Guides In Online Nursing Graduate Courses, Yolany Lizzeth Lagos Ortiz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This mixed methods study sought to explore how graduate nursing students engaged with a study guide intervention to determine the relationship between the intervention and students' performance in the end-of-course assessment and their perceptions of cognitive presence and social presence in a fully online graduate evidence-based methods nursing course. This study used a quantitative-driven mixed-methods concurrent research design. The 371 students enrolled in the 28 course sections were invited to participate. 325 students were engaging with the study guide, and 192 responded to the questionnaire. In quantitative analysis, the independent variables in this study were students' responses and views to …

Faculty-Leader Relationships And Work Engagement: A Mixed-Methods Study, Sonya Davidson Kopp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Nearly three-fourths of faculty at U.S. institutions of higher education (IHEs) are classified as non-tenure track faculty (NTTF), and more the 70% of higher education students had taken online courses following the move to emergency online instruction in 2019. Remote faculty relationships with leaders have been shown to play a vital role in faculty satisfaction and engagement with their work. This convergent parallel mixed-methods study was guided by the following research questions: Primary Research Question 1 (RQ1) - What is the relationship between faculty-leader relationship and work engagement when controlling for faculty classification (lead faculty, full-time faculty, or part-time faculty), …

Nordp Cassh Internal Funding Survey Data 28 Apr 2023, Allison Layfield, Angela Jordan, Allison Devries, Dean Gerstein

University Research Data and Datasets

This dataset contains findings from a 2023 survey conducted by the Creative Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CASSH) affinity group within NORDP, which examined institutionally funded internal grant programs supporting CASSH faculty. With federal support for the arts and humanities declining in 2025, internal funding mechanisms have become increasingly vital. The survey, distributed to 66 CASSH members, yielded 24 responses describing 48 internal grant programs across R1 and R2/baccalaureate institutions. Key findings include median grant size, average program staff size, and tools and practices used to evaluate program impact.

How To Combat Fatigue In Academia Through Mentorship And Leadership?, Jessica Mccarty

CoTL 2023 Workshops

Do you remember being a student in college and having a mentor? How did this person assist in your academic journey? Are you currently suffering from burnout with your students? This session will provide you with resources to incorporate leadership and mentoring in your lessons, assist your students, and assist in your instructor burnout. We will discuss, why you are needed, valued, and a hidden resource to encourage your students not only academically but mentally. In turn we will self reflect on ways to become a better mentor, as well as mentee from individuals were aspire to gain knowledge from.

Commitment Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Higher Education: Exploring Dei Elements Across Institutions, Dana R. Abrams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This study examined the factors influencing university prioritization of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Using a framework grounded in organizational behavior—I examine commitment and ethical climate from an open systems perspective. This research was further informed by the Inclusive Excellence Framework—a meta-analysis aimed to integrate DEI efforts through dimensions of organizational behavior, and Smith et al.’s (1997) framework analysis of DEI research. This thesis explores DEI values and objectives, the procedures to address discrimination, and DEI elements and established structures. Through both quantitative and qualitative analyses of DEI websites across universities, this thesis offers a new perspective on organizational culture …

Heritage Language Maintenance: Research Review And Reflection Of One Family Case, Josiah Chan

ECTESOL Review

Heritage Language maintenance provides learner tangible benefits in academic achievement, language acquisition, and career opportunity. Intangibly, it enhances the learner’s self-esteem and cultural identity. The case here reflects the Mandarin Chinese learning experience of three children who were born in the United States of a migrant family from Hong Kong where the Cantonese Chinese dialect language is more predominant. The learning effort was complicated by the parents’ native Cantonese Chinese dialect. The parents and children strived to balance the learning dynamics between Mandarin and Cantonese. The results of the study indicate that successful heritage language maintenance can be achieved with …

Syntactic Accidents In The Spontaneous Speech Of English And Armenian Speakers, Karen Velyan

ECTESOL Review

Fragmented syntax or a break of the flow of surface syntax is well known to be an indispensable part of spontaneous spoken language. Interruptions in the flow of speech may be triggered by pragmatic reasons, changes in syntactic planning and performance errors, which results in syntactic fragments. Syntactic accidents may take different forms in the actual flow of speech. This study presents a cross-linguistic comparative analysis of the cases of syntax in the speech of low socioeconomic status speakers of English and Armenian. Based on data from informal interviews with native speakers, the analysis presents a variety of syntactic accidents, …

The Reflective Approach To Teaching Culture Within The Efl Classroom, Lucia Schiopu

ECTESOL Review

This article examines the reflective approach in the teaching of culture in the EFL classroom, which is not just a mere gathering of information, but is the creation and construction of discourses that break or maintain cultural stereotypes. This is also an approach where meaning is constructed that is shaped by the quality and depth of cultural sensitivity and awareness. Teaching and learning a culture reflectively does not necessarily mean that the learner is taught to behave in accordance with specific social norms but to introduce an acceptable and appropriate conduct for the use of language in terms of intelligibility, …

From The Editor, Laureen Fregeau

ECTESOL Review

No abstract provided.

Prism Intro Student's Book With Online Workbook Listening And Speaking, And Reading And Writing, Robert Leier, Laureen Fregeau

ECTESOL Review

Prism Intro books use American English along with international and American topics to teach reading, writing, listening and speaking in English. Videos and American college life sections keep student interest.

Student-Directed Esol Family Literacy Program Design, Laureen Fregeau, Robert D. Leier

ECTESOL Review

ESOL Family Literacy programs for Hispanic immigrants have proliferated over past decades to serve the increasing population of ELs needing services. Several factors can disrupt or prevent participation in ESOL Family Literacy programs designed to enhance the academic success of Latin American adult and child immigrants. This qualitative case study set in the Deep South examined a student-directed design process to gain understanding of what would constitute an ideal program for the participating ELs, their families and their community. Emergent categories identified areas of design importance including site locations, time and frequency of class scheduling, curricular design, instructional materials, instructor …

The Benefits Of Implementing Cognitively-Demanding And Context-Embedded Language Translation In The El Classroom, Timothy Rodriquez

ECTESOL Review

The role of the first language in English Learner (EL) programs has been a historically controversial one. In addition, how the first language should be used is not without controversy. This article examines the role of translation in the EL classroom and how teachers should employ it. One approach, concurrent translation, may be considered to be cognitively-undemanding and context-reduced. The author argues that purposeful translation should be cognitively-demanding and context-embedded.

The Use Of Response To Intervention With English Learners, Anna Burnley

ECTESOL Review

RTIs assist teachers in adjusting instruction to support ELs in acquiring English and content-area knowledge and learning behaviors. The use of RTIs with ELs can supplement support for ELs as an integrated concept of the sheltered instruction (SI) commonly provided for this student population.

Connecting North And South: Engaging Latin American English Learners, Kenyan Intercultural Communications And American Undergraduate Students Through Reciprocal Service Learning, Laureen Fregeau, Ukaiko A. Bitrus-Ojiambo, Suhana Chikatla, William Cornejo

ECTESOL Review

Reciprocal Service Learning through videoconferencing is an efficient tool for connecting native English speakers of various world Englishes and ELs in other nations for the benefit of all. The authors of this study recognize the reciprocal nature of teaching and learning and the social justice of equalizing power structures through the inclusion of participants and researchers from both North and South as members of a project and research team. Through participant observation and document review the authors examine the experiences of educators and learners in the phenomenon of reciprocal service learning through videoconferencing focused on cultural competence and English language …

From The Editor, Laureen Fregeau

ECTESOL Review

No abstract provided.

Employing Word Study With Spanish-Speaking Els, Timothy Rodriquez

ECTESOL Review

Phonics Instruction has had a controversial history. How to teach phonics to Spanish-speaking ELs is also controversial. Understanding the differences between Spanish and English and how phonics instruction occurs in each language would be insightful. Also, knowing how the nature of the two languages affects instruction would be beneficial. Furthermore, exploiting similarities between English and Spanish and examining differences will bolster instruction. This paper will discuss the reasons for word study and how it may be utilized to teach spelling and decoding to Spanish-speaking ELLs.

Context-Focused Grammar Teaching: A Comparison Between English Present Perfect And Past Tenses And Affects On Korean English Learning, Seungheui (Ellie) Lee

ECTESOL Review

Despite massive amounts of time Korean English Learners (KLL) study English grammar, they continue to have problems becoming proficient in verb tenses, especially the present perfect. This study examines this problem through a linguistic comparative analysis of Korean and English present perfect and past tenses. Two possible reasons for KLL difficulty with verb tenses could be mode of instruction and L1 interference.

Not “One China,” Not “One Culture”: Multicultural Exploration Of Differences And Similarities Between Mainland China And Taiwan, Philip J. Ward, Michelle Loo

ECTESOL Review

This study focuses on the outwardly similar cultures of Taiwan and mainland China and the subtle differences within them. The study was conducted as part of the requirements of doctoral program in Instructional Design and Development at a public university in the southeastern United States. Using a qualitative case study approach, the study demonstrates that there are cultural similarities between mainland China and Taiwan, however instructors should also be aware of the differences when developing relationships with students and developing course content. A mini-workshop was developed for the study to help teach instructors about the two cultures. However, the mini-workshop …

Employing Cueing Systems To Decode Text And Negotiate Text-Meaning In A Second Language, Timothy A. Rodriquez, Laureen Fregeau, Mary Kay Moskal, Robert Leier

ECTESOL Review

Many educators state that teaching English-Language Learners (ELLs) is just a matter of good teaching. While effective teaching is something that all children deserve, there are some differences between the approach a teacher may have to take with ELLs and with other students. One aspect of this difference is the fact that, while children go through the same stages of language development, ELLs may be at stages typically not found in other students. Based on a case study of an EL and his teacher, this article explains cueing systems and their role in literacy for ELs.

Understanding Teacher Talking Time And Student Talking Time Practices Among Esl/Efl Teachers: A Practicum Design, Cesar R. Bazo Quintana

ECTESOL Review

This practicum design helps future ESL/EFL instructors gain practical understanding of Teacher Talking Time (TTT) and Student Talking Time (STT) practices in the classroom. It provides a deeper understanding of TTT vs. STT application within the Communicative Approach (CA) or Communicative Language Teaching (CLT).

Understanding Saudi Student Integration In The U.S.: A Study On Saudi Students At A Southeastern Institution, Carrie Melius

ECTESOL Review

Over the past decade there has been an increase in the number of Saudi students studying in the United States. Most recently, Saudi Arabia moved from fourth to third in country ranking for student enrollment in the United States. This study focuses on the experiences of Saudi students at a Southeastern institution in the United States by examining the perspectives of Saudi students studying in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs and undergraduate programs. In order to gain a deeper understanding of issues faced by Saudi students, domestic students as well as instructors were also included as participants in …

From The Editor, Laureen Fregeau

ECTESOL Review

No abstract provided.

English Language Competence: Why English Matters In Higher Education In Kenya, Ukaiko A. Bitrus-Ojiambo, Iddah Wayumba Mwaura, Annette Lutivini Majanja

ECTESOL Review

English is an international language, used in many countries for business, tourism, and education (Roy-Campbell, 2014; Crystal, 2003). In Kenya, it is the official language and language of instruction. The country boasts high youth literacy rates 93% (UNESCO, 2012). As university instructors, we have observed that although students have been in the formal educational system for a minimum of 9 years, their output does not match university expectations (KICD, 2016, p. 44; Jayasundara & Premarathna, 2011; Njoroge, 2008). This study assesses English language use in a Kenyan institution of higher education, identifies emergent linguistic patterns, and suggests some solutions to …

Unprepared: Are Educator Preparation Programs Effectively Training Pre-Service Teachers To Teach English Learners?, Lorie Johnson

ECTESOL Review

All students deserve high-quality, strategic instruction, yet pre-service teachers are not always taught best practices for instructing English Learners (ELs), students for whom English is not their native language. Almost 10 percent of the students in American public schools are classified as ELs, yet research indicates most educator preparation programs across the country have not yet integrated best practices for teaching ELs into their pre-service programs in meaningful ways. It is important for educator preparation programs to provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to understand the unique needs of ELs and to learn effective teaching strategies to meet those needs. This …