Online and Distance Education Commons^™

Design And Facilitation Of Problem-Based Learning In Graduate Teacher Education: An Ma Tesol Case, Cynthia Ann Caswell

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

This exploratory, evaluative case study introduces a new context for problem-based learning (PBL) involving an iterative, modular approach to curriculum-wide delivery of PBL in an MA TESOL program. The introduction to the curriculum context provides an overview of the design and delivery features particular to the situation. The delivery approach has established multiple roles that contribute to the design and facilitation of the learning environment: lead instructors, collaborating instructors, and students as peer teachers. These roles also identify milestones on a collaborative instructional skills trajectory for professional development. In this mixed methods study, qualitative data were collected from collaborating instructors …

“Science Is Not My Thing”: Exploring Deaf Non-Science Majors’ Science Identities, Cara L. Gormally, Amber Marchut

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing are underrepresented in science majors, yet we know little about why. Students from other underrepresented groups in science—women and people of color—tend to highly value altruistic or communal career goals, while perceiving science as uncommunal. Research suggests that holding stereotypical conceptions about scientists and perceptions of science as uncommunal may strongly hinder recruitment into science majors. This study sought to explore the science identities of students who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing signers. The study focused on non-science majors in bilingual (American Sign Language and written English) biology laboratory courses. This study is the …

Office Of Online Education: Tips For Effective Online Teaching, Leeann Fields, Dan Antoniuk, Dedrick Catus, Doris Ostrander

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

To be successful in online classes, students must participate consistently and frequently. This requires a high level of both student-student and student-instructor interaction.

Faculty Teaching Faculty: A Model Of Professional Development For Mobile Learning Integration In Higher Education, Devshikha Bose, Lana Grover

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2017

The purpose of this study was to document faculty perceptions on the impact of an instructional designer supported, faculty peer instruction model of professional development. The aim of the study was to identify how this faculty development model impacts course design, assessment strategies, and the integration of mobile technology in teaching and learning. Data was collected during a three-day mobile learning, professional development program, via pre and post survey and a focus group meeting. Results indicate that faculty benefited positively from their experience. Faculty reported that they learned methods for integrating mobile learning into their course design and gained knowledge …

Participant Perspectives And Critical Reflections On Language Teacher Education By Distance, John S. Knox

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Language teaching is a profession which is international in character. Language teachers often work and study in foreign countries, and distance education has become very important in the education of language teachers. Drawing on two international surveys, this paper explores language teacher education by distance from the perspective of students (i.e. trainee or practicing language teachers) and teacher-educators in such distance programs. There are significant educational advantages for language teachers who choose to study by distance, and e-learning technologies have enhanced these benefits. This paper also includes an in-depth analysis of the qualitative survey responses from two individual students, highlighting …

Any Time, Any Place, Flexible Pace: Technology-Enhanced Language Learning In A Teacher Education Programme, Jocelyn M. Howard, Adèle Scott

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Ongoing developments in e-learning, improved internet accessibility and increased digital citizenry provide exciting opportunities to integrate effective classroom pedagogies with online educational technologies, creating mixed-mode courses to enhance student engagement and facilitate greater autonomous learning. This research examines pre-service teacher education students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of experiential and digitally-mediated tools which take them beyond the constraints of traditional lecture-type delivery. Quantitative and qualitative results from distance and face-to-face cohorts show the value the students ascribe to tools employed in a modified language course. These are discussed in relation to reported changes in students’ proficiency in the target language and …

Virtual Faculty Learning Community Implementation Framework, Angela Atwell, Cristina Cottom, Lisa Martino, Sara Ombres

Publications

This framework is meant to be a useful guide for those interested in creating a V-FLC. You may skip around to the various sections or read the framework from start to finish. The framework consists of twelve questions to ask as you begin developing a V-FLC, answers to these questions based on our experience, as well as a visual representation of the framework.

Faculty Development And Student-Centered Online Learning: Issues, Perspectives And Lessons Learned From Integrating An Exemplary Course Program, Patrick Guilbaud, Kimarie Whetstone

Winthrop Faculty and Staff Publications

During the spring of 2017, Winthrop University rolled-out a new faculty training and development program, called Winthrop Exemplary Online Course (WEOC), to increase the number and diversity of online course offerings at the school during the summer sessions. Grounded in andragogical principles, the WEOC program also had the aim of providing participating faculty members with the requisite skills to develop more student-centered, engaging, and user-friendly online courses. Preliminary results indicate that the WEOC program achieved its key goals and objectives. Moreover, faculty participants noted that the program stands to build upon existing teaching and learning efforts and approaches at the …

Occupationally Based Career And Technical Education (Cte) Teachers' Perceived Need For Student-To-Student Interaction In Distance Coursework To Gain Teaching Certification, Tina C. Barger

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to contribute to the body of literature regarding occupationally based career and technical education (CTE) teachers’ perceived need for student-to-student interaction in distance education coursework. The study was based on a previous study by Moore, Warner, and Jones (2016). Student perceptions on the topic of student-to-student interaction were gathered. Participants in the study were CTE teachers who had entered the teaching profession from industry. Participants were pursuing or had previously pursued coursework in online/distance education formats. Findings of the study indicated that, overall, survey respondents did not have high expectations or particularly positive feelings …

Call For Manuscripts!

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Call For Manuscripts!

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities (JSESD)

The Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities is a multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal with an international focus on providing information on science education for students with varying types and levels of disabilities. We aspire to publish the best of theoretical research and practical application and we review articles by both special and general educators. Interesting topics have included innovative curricular ideas, instructional adaptations, research-based modifications, best practices, and management issues in science education.

Copyright Statement

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Publication rights to works is granted to Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, however, full copyright for works published in this journal is retained by the author(s). The author(s) may post their works online in an institutional repository, on their University departmental website, or on their own personal websites

Debriefing The Interpretive Researcher: Spider Sniffing With Critical Friend, Jan K. Williams, Reese H. Todd

The Qualitative Report

This auto-ethnographic study describes a practical application of qualitative research skills in an intensive writing retreat. The retreat was held in response to an inadequate dissertation defense just three weeks before final university deadline for graduation. It uses narrative and double- storytelling to step in and out of the experience of a debriefing process that put the writer in a vulnerable position with a critical friend. The reality of not completing the PhD demanded aggressive and immediate action – an intense commitment to critical analysis of the dissertation. The reflective self-study of the writing retreat experience describes the significance of …

Gameful Design In The Development Of Asynchronous Online Discussion Activities: A Case Study, William Michael Trest

Dissertations

This study investigates Gameful Design as a method to improve the development and implementation of Asynchronous Online Discussions in online learning environments. A qualitative methodology, an instrumental case study design, was used to examine the effectiveness of this design method by exploring the experiences of the participants and the meaning they gave to those experiences. Data was collected through observation, discussion transcript analysis, and pre/post-course interviews. Validity was strengthened by triangulation of these sources.

The findings showed that gameful design was an effective method to encourage the development of a connected and engaged learning community within an online class and …

An Examination Of Accessible Hands-On Science Learning Experiences, Self-Confidence In One’S Capacity To Function In The Sciences, And Motivation And Interest In Scientific Studies And Careers., Mick D. Isaacson, Cary Supalo, Michelle Michaels, Alan Roth

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This study examined the potential relationship of accessible hands-on science learning experiences to the development of positive beliefs concerning one’s capacity to function in the sciences and motivation to consider science as a college major and career. Findings from Likert survey items given before and after engaging in accessible hands-on science laboratories show that students who were blind or had low vision (BLV) were more likely to agree with the following items after engaging in accessible science experiences: 1) I plan on enrolling as a science major in college; 2) My educational experiences, so far, have given me the …

The 'Rules Of Engagement': The Ethical Dimension Of Doctoral Research, Christopher Berg

Journal of Research Initiatives

The pursuit of a doctorate is a rite of passage that requires a student to successfully navigate the transition from “student” to “scholar.” One area of practice, however, that is often marginalized is the role of ethics. Though there is no formal coursework in ethics, its importance cannot be understated. This essay examines the conceptual role of ethics in doctoral research as both an individual reflective essay as well as a broader discussion of ethics in general. The ethical dimension considered is broken down into eight principles or ethical research and practice in doctoral research. The “Eight Ethical Principles” will …

Back Matter, Teacher-Scholar: The Journal Of The State Comprehensive University

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

List of contributors.

Writing Majors: Eighteen Program Profiles, By Greg Giberson, Jim Nugent, And Lori Ostergaard, Cheryl Hofstetter Duffy

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

Giberson, Greg, Jim Nugent, and Lori Ostergaard, ed. Writing Majors: Eighteen Program Profiles. Logan: Utah State UP, 2015. What does a writing major look like? In Writing Majors: Eighteen Program Profiles, Greg Giberson et al. have compiled a diverse and detailed collection of answers to that question. The book’s plural title, Writing Majors, is apt, for this is not a description of the writing major; instead, we find little consensus among the many programs outlined here. The notion of a writing major, it turns out, is amorphous. Sometimes a writing major is housed in its own department, as are the …

The 160-Character Solution: How Text Messaging And Other Behavioral Strategies Can Improve Education, By Benjamin Castleman, Amanda Fields

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

Castleman, Benjamin J. The 160-Character Solution: How Text Messaging and Other Behavioral Strategies Can Improve Education. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015. 152 p. ISBN 978I421418742. $22.95. In The 160-Character Solution: How Text Messaging and Other Behavioral Strategies Can Improve Education, Benjamin J. Castleman offers specific approaches for recruiting and retaining college students, especially those students whose socioeconomic conditions may deter them from making informed choices about their education. Castleman asks university stakeholders to be cognizant of the overabundance of information students and their families must wade through when seeking out a university. He suggests the need for more effective …

Out Of Sync: Analyzing The Paradoxical Impact Of Synchronous Learning In Distance Education, Benjamin David Luce

All Theses And Dissertations

Modern forms of distance education provide students and instructors with the ability to access their online experiences without being limited by time or place. Though this quality is convenient for many, the predominantly asynchronous nature of online learning creates transactional distance that challenges the depth of engagement between instructors and students. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the impact of technology-assisted synchronous transactional interventions on the social construction of knowledge created between instructors and their students in distance education. Research was conducted through a series of interviews with instructors who have used synchronous methods within their online …

Introduction: Reflecting On The Red Balloon Project, George L. Mehaffy

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

On a warm July afternoon in 2010, AASCU convened its Academic Affairs Summer Meeting in Chicago. The hotel ballroom had a festive look about it, with red balloons hanging from every imaginable place. At that conference, we used the red balloons to announce the launch of the Red Balloon Project, a national initiative focused on reimagining undergraduate education. The Red Balloon Project grew out of three critical challenges for AASCU institutions: declining state support, increasing expectations, and dramatic changes in technology. The year 2010 witnessed an acceleration of disinvestment in public higher education as states, struggling with the consequences of …

A Context For Extramural Funding At State Comprehensive Universities: Tilting At Windmills Or Fighting The Good Fight?, John Falconer

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

Once upon a time, colleges hired professors to teach students. It was a simple world. But in the 1800s, the German model of higher education began to influence American higher education, and we embraced the notion of faculty members who would both develop knowledge and transmit it to students. This expanded the job of the professor considerably, although the spread of this model across higher education was gradual. Indeed, it is still underway. Despite the widely held notion that a faculty member who is engaged in his or her discipline offers more to a department and to students than someone …

Online Classroom Culture Best Practices, Lisa Martino

Publications

Overcome challenges - create an online classroom culture.

In 2013, over five million post-secondary students enrolled in online courses in America (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016). Many universities strive to meet student demands for this online course modality. Challenges for online students continue to exist with (1) social isolation; (2) coursework confusion; and (3) lack of teacher presence (Milheim, 2012). Studies show that by creating an online classroom culture, faculty can overcome these challenges to foster and motivate online student engagement (Ladyshewsky, 2013; Milheim, 2014; Vesely, Bloom, Sherlock, 2007). In this conference presentation, the participants surveyed online classroom culture …

To Foster A Culture Of Curiosity: A Hermeneutic Study Of The Experienced Nurse Educator And Student Intellectual Curiosity In The Online Learning Environment, Bedelia H. Russell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Skills of inquiry are essential outcomes from a baccalaureate nursing education. Students who demonstrate intellectual curiosity can develop effective skills of inquiry. Nurse educators must place emphasis on teaching and learning strategies which engage student intellectual curiosity. However, the concept of intellectual curiosity is not well-studied across multiple contexts of teaching and learning environments within nursing education. In addition, there is little known about the experienced nurse educator and the meaning of student intellectual curiosity across multiple teaching and learning environments. With the increased emphasis on online teaching and learning in nursing education as a solution for expanding student access …

Inclusive Strategies For The Global Virtual Classroom, Angela Atwell

Publications

In today’s digital age of global enterprise, higher education is focused on delivering high quality experiences in virtual learning environments. Instructors must be armed with the knowledge and skills to use online learning tools effectively in order to deliver an engaging learning experience for all students.It is crucial to create a welcoming and inclusive learning environment, possibly even more so in a virtual classroom. Students who feel welcomed and respected are more likely to engage, contribute to the course and add richness to the content. Instructors must facilitate student learning by encouraging cooperation, collaboration and professional networking. Students and instructors …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Exploration Of The Shared Perceptions Of Online Adjunct Faculty In The United States Who Have A High Sense Of Community, Tiffany Ferencz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of online adjunct faculty who have a high sense of community within their respective university. Sense of community was generally defined as feelings of connectedness within the university community. The theories that guided this study were McMillan and Chavis’ (1986) sense of community theory and Herzberg’s (1968) motivation-hygiene theory. McMillan and Chavis’ sense of community theory suggests a sense of community is a powerful force that influences people. Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory is used as it identifies guiding principles for why people are motivated to work. The central question …

Beyond Behavior, Craig C. Laupheimer

Scholarship and Engagement in Education

Teaching to engage students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can inspire the whole classroom and make teaching and learning engaging and exciting. Although teachers and students alike face a challenging educational landscape, much can be done to empower students with special needs. Teaching with the whole classroom in mind with an emphasis on hands on, explorative and inspirational learning experiences to accommodate for these students strengthens and causes student engagement and agency. This article highlights the challenges and potential breakthroughs possible for classroom instruction specifically where the ADHD student is concerned and looks towards teaching mindfulness and empowerment as …

Integrating Twitter Into The Classroom, Toria Felton

Master of Education in Instructional Design and Technology Plan II Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to research, create, and implement lesson plans that utilized Twitter in the classroom. This project was also used to gauge how students felt about using social media in the classroom. It showed professors how to effectively and easily use the app in the classroom, which helped them to connect with more students and work on a platform that was of interest to many of the students.

Pre-College Deaf Students’ Understanding Of Fractional Concepts: What We Know And What We Do Not Know, Keith Mousley, Christopher Kurz

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Mathematical knowledge and skills are crucial to success in academics and the workplace. The Common Core State Standards emphasizes fraction teaching and learning in elementary school. This mixed-method study explores fraction concept understanding among 14 deaf and hard of hearing participants between the ages of 8 and 16, as quantitatively measured by their ability to describe the properties of fractional numbers, convert between fractional numbers and their visual representations, and determine the order and equivalence of fractional numbers. Furthermore, the qualitative study was supplemented by interviews with the deaf participants and surveys with their parents and teachers to examine use …

Realizing The Dream: African American Males’ Narratives That Encouraged The Pursuit Of Doctoral Education, Ted N. Ingram

Journal of Research Initiatives

This article used personal narratives to discover factors affecting the decision of African American males to consider doctoral education. This study was based on qualitative interviews with 18 African American male doctoral students enrolled at predominantly white institutions as they reflected on their reasons for pursuing an advanced degree. The following were found to influence their decision: (a) need for faculty encouragement, (b) motivation to pursue a doctorate, and (c) their personal motivations. Recommendations are offered for increasing the numbers of African American male doctoral students.

Fostering An Inclusive Stem Workforce, Cary A. Supalo Dr.

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The following keynote address was delivered by Dr. Cary A. Supalo at the 2015 Training Workforce and Development and diversity conference which is one of the divisions that is part of NIH’s general medical sciences. This conference was attended by over 500 program directors from all of the T32 sponsored projects in 2015. This presentation discussed the importance of a full inclusive STEM workforce that includes persons with disabilities