Higher Education and Teaching Commons^™

A Digital Immigrant Venture Into Teaching Online: An Autoethnographic Account Of A Classroom Teacher Transformed, Karin A. Lewis

The Qualitative Report

This paper presents an autoethnographic account of a classroom teacher’s experience transitioning to teaching online within the shifting culture of academe in the 21^st Century. After decades as a classroom teacher, the author engages in autoethnography to reflexively analyze her challenging transition to teaching online. The author examines her perspectives, beliefs, thought process, learning, and development. Findings regarding her new way of teaching, thinking, and living as an online instructor may provide insights for others in academe.

United We Stand: Narrative Study To Aid The Counseling Profession In Developing A Coherent Identity, Sunhee Jang Eissenstat, Lynn Bohecker

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of the study was to learn how non-counseling-related professions have navigated the developmental issues the counseling profession has been facing such as (1) strengthening identity, (2) presenting as one profession, (3) improving public perception and advocacy, and (4) creating licensure portability. The researchers provide the narratives of six people from three non-counseling-related professions who have been instrumental in the development of their respective professions. The overarching open-ended research question posed was, “What is the narrative history of your profession?” Follow-up questions were used to explore specific challenges within their respective professions that may have been similar to the …

Navigating A Life Of Theory: An Autobiography Of Privilege, Place And Teaching, Philip E. Bernhardt

The Qualitative Report

Experiences that influence and shape an individual’s pedagogical commitments serve as a unique lens to conceptualize professional transformation. This narrative provides an autobiographical account of the author’s journey from student to teacher. The article, which is divided into two distinct, but tightly connected narratives, draws on this tradition to examine and develop a more nuanced understanding of those life experiences influencing the author’s complex journey as an educator. Each narrative begins with a short autobiographical reflection highlighting significant life moments and histories. Second, critical and post-structuralist theory is interwoven to examine ways the author conceptualizes the significance of the experiences …

Collaboration Or Collusion? The New Era Of Commercial Online Resources For Students In The Digital Age: An Opinion Piece, Cristian Lieneck, Salvador Esparza

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

The purpose of this paper is to share online resources available to students at a global level, to include healthcare administration programs and any other course of study. While somewhat daunting in nature, this editorial offers faculty of healthcare administration (and other related programs of study) the opportunity to explore what course materials (of any format) may be posted to commercial external websites by current and/or previous students for ongoing collaboration among academic cohorts. Findings include an opportunity for students in any program, at any level, to post individual and/or copyrighted course materials on public, external websites, often with an …

Student And Faculty Perceptions Of Live Synchronous Distance Education For Allied Health Students Following Program Expansion To A Rural Campus, Betsy J. Becker, Kelsey Rutt, Allyson Huntley, Harlan Sayles, Kim Michael

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background & Purpose: Distance education (DE) is a means to meet allied health workforce needs in rural locations where healthcare worker shortages are apparent. Five allied health programs were expanded to a rural campus teaching synchronously using distance education technology. The purpose of this convergent parallel mixed methods study was to explore perceptions of allied health students and faculty at two campus locations.

Methods: Quantitative and qualitative information were collected through a survey of students and faculty (physical therapy, physician assistant, and medical imaging [diagnostic medical sonography, radiography, magnetic resonance imaging] programs). Both campuses served as live and distance sites …

The Core Of Professional Growth In Work-Related Teacher Education, Leena Aarto-Pesonen, Päivi Tynjälä

The Qualitative Report

This paper presents a Glaserian grounded theory study of adult students’ holistic professional growth in a two-year tailored, work-related, teacher qualification program in physical education. The data consisted of reflective learning diaries, interviews and the written texts of 20 adult students. The data analysis followed the stages of Glaserian grounded theory analysis with substantive and theoretical coding processes carried out using the constant comparative method. The article presents the emotional core and its properties (criticality, ethicality and empowerment) of physical education teacher students’ professional growth. In addition, the article introduces a substantive theory of a process of adult students’ multifaceted …

Teaching Students How To Make Their Dreams Come True: An Autoethnography Of Developing And Teaching The Dream Research Methods Course, E. James Baesler

The Qualitative Report

How to make students’ dreams come true is the central focus of this autoethnography that chronicles the story of the transformation of a traditional undergraduate communication research methods course into a new and creative dream research methods course. Pedagogical and institutional issues in teaching the traditional methods course join personal influences in my life story to birth the new dream research methods course. The content and format of the new course are described chronologically using personal stories, student perspectives, advice to teachers, and reflection questions. I encourage teachers, by experimenting with the ideas in the dream research methods course, to …

Cul-De-Sacs And Narrative Data Analysis – A Less Than Straightforward Journey, Gwyneth James

The Qualitative Report

This article focuses on the methodological journey I took as a novice narrative inquirer, particularly regarding data analysis, for my doctoral data; a journey characterised by floundering, meandering, wrong turns and cul-de-sacs. It explains the initially overwhelming process of moving from collecting “data” to constructing the narratives of five postgraduate international students, challenges faced as well as lessons learned. Despite its complexities, narrative data analysis enables colour and emotion to be added to research. This article continues to add to a somewhat meagre research literature about how to move from collecting “data” to constructing narratives.

Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Using Ipads With Students With Learning Disabilities, Daljit Kaur

The Qualitative Report

Preservice teachers reflected on their experiences teaching mathematics to ten students using iPads. The students had learning disabilities and were tutored over 5 consecutive weeks. Teachers reflected weekly for 5 weeks then responded to an online open-ended survey regarding their overall teaching experience. Findings suggest that the experience allowed preservice teachers to gain helpful insight, knowledge, and ideas on how to use iPads as an instructional tool.

How Do Former Undergraduate Mentors Evaluate Their Mentoring Experience 3-Years Post-Mentoring: A Phenomenological Study, Kari L. Nelson, Christine E. Cutucache

The Qualitative Report

This phenomenological study involves a unique, longitudinal assessment of the lived experiences of former undergraduate mentors (n=7) in light of their current experiences (i.e., career or advanced schooling). The objective of a phenomenological study is to engage in in-depth probing of a representative number of participants. Specifically, we followed up with graduates of the Nebraska STEM 4U (NE STEM 4U) intervention 3 years post-program, with the overall goal of describing the mentors’ experiences using the lens of their current experiences. This type of longitudinal perspective of mentoring is greatly lacking in the current literature. At the time of the interviews, …

Using World Of Warcraft To Teach Research Methods In Online Doctoral Education: A Student-Instructor Duoethnography, Chareen Snelson, Christopher I. Wertz, Kimberly Onstott, Jason Bader

The Qualitative Report

The educational potential of games has captured the ongoing interest of scholars and educators who have sought to understand when, how, and under what conditions games support the teaching and learning process. General knowledge of how games support literacy, scientific thinking, or social learning has been theorized and researched, but some applications of game-based learning remain unexplored. One area where much remains to be learned is within online doctoral education and particularly in the poorly understood area of research methods education. In this study, three doctoral students and an instructor collaboratively field-tested a set of instructional activities within World of …

Teaching Irish Sign Language In Contact Zones: An Autoethnography, Noel Patrick O'Connell

The Qualitative Report

The central purpose of this autoethnographic study is to provide an account of my experiences as a deaf teacher teaching Irish Sign Language (ISL) to hearing students in a higher education institution. My cultural and linguistic background and personal history guided the way I interacted with students who found themselves confronted by a unique culture quite separate from what they had known before. By engaging in autoethnographic journal writing recorded over a period of three months, I reveal the complex social and historical relations manifested in the contact between deaf and hearing cultures in the classroom. More specifically, I consider …

The Role Of Pedagogical Beliefs In Emerging Technology Integration: An Exploratory Case Study Of Faculty Perspectives, Marianne Justus

The Qualitative Report

The integration of social media, mobile/wireless and Web 2.0 technologies in higher education supports student engagement locally and globally to create new knowledge using innovative strategies. However, there remains a disconnect between the positive perceptions of faculty regarding the value of integrating technology and its adoption in online contexts. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to investigate the factors that influence faculty to integrate innovative and emerging technologies, and to consider whether pedagogical beliefs influence choice and adoption of technology. Participants included graduate and undergraduate faculty members who had experience teaching online; were representative of diverse disciplines …

Construct Shift Of Pre-Service Language Teachers On Globalized English Within A Turkish Context, Yonca Özkan

The Qualitative Report

The leading position of English as a global language has indisputably continued for several decades. This pivotal role has inevitably been influencing English language teaching and teacher education. The number of nonnative English speaking teachers has by far surpassed that of native English speaking teachers. This reality has led us to conduct this particular descriptive study involving Turkish senior pre-service language teachers acting as participants in a training as part of a course (Globalization in ELT), in which we investigated the participants’ perceptions towards globalized English regarding common themes in the journal and interview data. The findings revealed that although …

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 …

An Investigation Into English Language Instructors' And Students’ Intercultural Awareness, Burcu Yılmaz, Yonca Özkan

The Qualitative Report

The role of English as a global language has been increasing greatly in importance for the past few decades, giving rise to different varieties of English spoken by native and non-native English speakers all around the world. It has pointed to the need to raise intercultural awareness in English language classes. This study aims to reveal teacher and student perspectives of intercultural awareness regarding ownership of English and cultural integration in English language classes in Turkey. A mixed method research investigation was used in this descriptive case study. Questionnaires were employed to collect data from 45 English language instructors and …

Transforming Educational Leadership Preparation: Starting With Ourselves, Patricia L. Guerra, Barbara L. Pazey

The Qualitative Report

To lead for social justice, scholars have maintained aspiring leaders should examine their own values and beliefs that dictate, to a great extent, their day-to-day decision-making and responsibilities. To do so requires faculty to examine themselves before they can prepare leaders for social justice. The purpose of this paper is to engage others with similar interests toward creating and/or improving programs designed to prepare leaders for social justice. Serving as a source of data and method of analysis, this duoethnography chronicles the life histories of two faculty members working in different leadership programs to reveal how their understanding of diversity …

The Construct Definition Of An English Language Teachers’ Content Knowledge, Reza Khani, Anna Hajizadeh

The Qualitative Report

Regardless of the increasing emphasis on the importance of language teachers’ content knowledge, there is a lack of consensus regarding its constituents. To this end, a panel of experts and non-experts were requested to express their opinions regarding the constructs of content knowledge (CK) in the format of an open-ended written questionnaire. The findings indicate that teachers’ CK includes eleven categories: teaching skills, structures, method and approaches, curriculum, language acquisition theories, classroom context, language testing theories, learner related knowledge, ELT research methods, and teacher related knowledge. The findings can help training educated teachers to be familiar with various aspects of …

Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Students With Learning Disabilities: Using Mixed Methods To Examine Effectiveness Of Special Education Coursework, Renée A. Greenfield, Megan Mackey, Gretchen Nelson

The Qualitative Report

As the number of K-12 students with learning disabilities educated in general education classrooms grow, it is essential to examine the preparation and perceptions of pre-service teachers (N=15) who will educate students with learning disabilities. Within the context of an undergraduate learning disabilities method course, this study examined how pre-service teachers perceived students with learning disabilities as well as the effectiveness of particular course experiences, including fieldwork with students with learning disabilities, video vignettes, lesson planning, assigned reading, and center-based instruction, in shifting perceptions. Using a convergent, mixed method design, teacher educators at a university in the northeast used surveys, …

Blended Learning For Faculty Professional Development Incorporating Knowledge Management Principles, Julie E. Hewitt

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Adjunct faculty comprise a large percentage of part-time faculty for many colleges and universities today. Adjunct faculty are hired because they are experts in their content areas; however, this does not guarantee that they are skilled in effective classroom management. These instructors can become bewildered and frustrated because they lack the knowledge and skills that are needed to run an effective classroom.

While educational organizations have adopted blended learning environments as an effective delivery method for their students, this method has not gained much traction as a way to deliver instruction to their own employees. Thus, there are opportunities to …

Effective Teaching Practices In Online Higher Education, Kim Mcmurtry

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

In the context of continuing growth in online higher education in the United States, students are struggling to succeed, as evidenced by lower course outcomes and lower retention rates in online courses in comparison with face-to-face courses. The problem identified for investigation is how university instructors can ensure that effective teaching and learning is happening in their online courses. The research questions were:

1. What are the best practices of effective online teaching in higher education according to current research?
2. How do exemplary online instructors enact teaching presence in higher education?
3. What are the best practices of effective online teaching in …

Broadly Speaking - April, 2002, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

Broadly Speaking - January, 2002, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

Broadly Speaking - November, 2001, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

Broadly Speaking - March, 2001, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

Broadly Speaking - January, 2001, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

Broadly Speaking - October, 2000, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

Broadly Speaking - May, 2000, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

Broadly Speaking - April, 2000, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

Broadly Speaking - February, 2000, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.