Higher Education and Teaching Commons^™

Teaching Communication Skills In A Computing Course: An Experience Report, Suzette Person

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

No abstract provided.

Benchmark Portfolio: Cive 334 - Introduction To Geotechnical Engineering, Seunghee Kim

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This Benchmark Portfolio is for CIVE 334 “Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering”. The course description is provided as “soil composition, structure and phase relationships; soil classification; principles of effective stress; loading induced subsurface stresses; load history; deformation and failure of soils; elastic and limit analysis with applications to design for bearing capacity, settlement, retaining walls, and slope stability; steady-state seepage.” This course is mandatory for students in the department of civil engineering, and the only mandatory class in the sub-discipline of geotechnical engineering. Therefore, this course is critical for students to have foundational knowledge about soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering, and …

Peer Review Of Teaching Benchmark Portfolio – Sped 414: Instructional Methods For Teaching Mathematics To Students With Mathematics Learning Disabilities, Jessica Namkung

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The primary purposes of the benchmark portfolio were to systematically document revisions made to the course, SPED 414: Instructional Methods for Teaching Mathematics to Students with Mathematics Learning Disabilities (SPED 414), to refine and explore more effective ways to teaching the course, and to build better connections and in-depth, higher level in-class activities and discussions. Specifically, I focused on reorganizing the course content, incorporating more hands-on activities (e.g., small and large group discussions, real-life examples), implementing “Keep, Stop, Start” mid-evaluation, and conducting a pre- and post-assessment on the main course objectives. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses based on …

Do Expectations And Reflection In A Master’S Level Education Course Contribute To Sense Of Belonging And Learning? A Peer Review Of Teaching Inquiry Project, Stephanie Bondi

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This poster describes a classroom inquiry project completed as part of the advanced peer review of teaching program at UNL in 2019. In this project, the course instructor wondered if some small interventions could lead to more sense of belonging and greater learning in the course. Literature suggests a lack of sense of belonging can negative affect a student’s engagement and learning. The intervention plan included (a) setting the expectation that students work to create an inclusive and affirming environment and (b) asking students three times during the term to reflect on the extent to which people have been doing …

Peer Review Of Teaching Benchmark Portfolio For Soil 477/877: Great Plains Field Pedology, Judith Turk

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Pedology is a field that focuses on soil morphology, genesis, classification, and mapping. Students in pedology must learn to be keen observers, who are able to accurately evaluate the characteristics of the soil. This portfolio focuses on efforts to improve students’ skills at describing soil color, texture, and morphologic features.

Slpa 985: A Peer Review Of Teaching Benchmark Portfolio, Judy Harvey

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

My target course for the Peer Review of Teaching (PRT) Project was SLPA 985 Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). It is offered each spring in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. This course is intended for graduate level speech language pathology (SLP) students. I have over twenty years of experience as a practicing speech language pathologist in a rehabilitation hospital. Now, as an assistant Professor of Practice, my role is to integrate academic learning with practical experience. I am confident in my skills as a practitioner and motivated to share my knowledge, …

Edad 983 Qualitative Research Methods In Educational Administration, Sarah J. Zuckerman

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio documents my process of understanding why a handful of students struggle each semester in a doctoral research methods course, EDAD983 Qualitative Research Methods in Educational Administration. The assignments in this online course build across the semester. Data analysis primarily examined students grades and rubric comments on major assignments. Overall, it was observed that the students with consistently low grades do not appear to take specific feedback to heart in subsequent assignments. Additionally, data analysis includes student surveys, as well as university course evaluations, to better understand how students interact with the material in this online course. As a …

Peer-Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio For Edad 845: Human Resource Management In Higher Education, Katherine Wesley

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This benchmark portfolio is the final product of a Peer Review of Teaching Project in which a required course in the Department of Educational Administration’s online Master of Arts degree was the focus. A single learning objective was focused upon and achieved through the thoughtful and purposeful “backward design” of the course, a cornerstone of the university’s peer review model. Students demonstrated the benefit of understanding and working within their unique talents via StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment, through multiple assignments and relative in-depth conversation with me, the instructor of the course and certified Gallup Strengths Coach. Ultimately, the “benefit” was further …

Sped 861: Infants With Disabilities And Home Visiting, Johanna P. Taylor

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio documents the process I used to redesign and assess students learning in SPED 861 Infants with Disabilities and Home Visiting. This is a course students in the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) take while pursuing a master’s degree or graduate certificate in ECSE. This portfolio documents how I aligned the course objectives, content, and activities to Division for Early Childhood (DEC) recommended practices and DEC EI (Early Intervention)/ECSE professional standards (still in draft form as of June 2019). Then, I share the results of two methods used to assess student learning …

Course Portfolio For Math 872: Topology Ii, Alex Zupan

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

In this course portfolio, I explore tactics for engaging a group of beginning mathematics graduate students taking the second semester of the first-year sequence in topology. Course objectives include computing algebraic invariants of topological spaces, understanding the Galois correspondence between covering spaces and fundamental groups, and using a range of invariants to distinguish spaces. My main instructional tools include a series of three "Activities" tailored to each student, a project involving computing invariants with the program SnapPy and using homology of covering spaces to distinguish 3-dimensional knots, and individual student board work during class periods. The activities served as benchmarks …

Fdst 396 – Preventive Controls For Animal Food, Andreia Bianchini

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio is a benchmark for the course Preventive Controls for Animal Food, which was offered for the first time in Spring 2019. The objectives of this course were (1) to provide students with the ability to distinguish between Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), other prerequisite programs, preventive controls, and where they fit into the regulatory framework of the Food Safety Modernization Act – Preventive Controls for Animal Food; (2) to help students understand the hazard analysis process and resources to help conduct such analysis; and (3) to teach students the needed concepts to build a food safety plan. This …

Agro 204: Resource Efficient Crop Management, Andrea Basche

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Resource Efficient Crop Management (Agro 204) is a high enrollment course taken by a diverse range of student majors across the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Learning outcomes focus on teaching crop management principles and processes, systems-thinking, data analysis, synthesizing current information, and evidence-based decision-making. This benchmark portfolio critically assesses student learning toward these outcomes, with an emphasis on a particular assignment that required students to work with the farming simulation platform, APSIM. The Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) is a freely available computer program that is an internationally recognized simulator of …

Hrtm 374 Guest Services Management – A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Ajai Ammachathram

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The purpose of this portfolio was to purposefully introduce and evaluate activities that are aimed at improving student learning and performance in HRTM 374 – Guest Services Management, a lecture-based 300-level course. Activities were designed to improve class preparation and ascertain student learning beyond exams. Objective 1: to assist students to identify the many ways that hospitality and tourism organizations can inspire positive guest service interactions, objective 2: To explain the various types of management principles that can encourage positive guest service interaction by employees and help understand brand loyalty that could also lead to positive guest experiences, objective 3: …

Tmfd 144-Intro To Design Theory And Criticism: A Peer Review Of Teaching Benchmark Portfolio, Mary Alice Casto

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

In this benchmark teaching portfolio, I examine TMFD 144: Intro to Design Theory and Criticism. It is offered every semester. The course focuses on visual literacy in the art and design fields. The overarching course goal is to teach students to actively “see” and interpret the visual world. Students should also learn to communicate clearly and effectively about the visual aspects of art and design as well as their interpretation. This course is a required foundation course for all TMFD majors and minors. It is also an ACE 2 course that enrolls students from across the university. The course is …

Math 314: Linear Algebra-A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Xavier Pérez-Giménez

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

My intention with this portfolio is to present my approach to teaching Math 314. This is a linear algebra course for senior-year undergraduate students in different STEM programs. The course serves as a transition from computational courses, such as calculus, to more theoretical ones, and exposes students, possibly for the first time, to abstract mathematical objects (such as general vector spaces) and simple proofs. Several lecture-based strategies are discussed and evaluated in connection with student learning outcomes. I also present samples of course materials and student work.

Emgt 901: Total Quality Management Using Six Sigma Techniques, Jena Shafai Asgarpoor

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Total Quality Management Using Six Sigma Techniques (EMGT 901) is an elective course in the Master of Engineering Management (MEM) Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and serves as my Peer Review of Teaching Project (PRTP). This is an elective course in a fully online program. Students in this program have an earned undergraduate degree in engineering and are practicing engineers with at least two years of work experience. In this PRTP I will examine the development and delivery of the course based on pedagogical and backward design considerations and the framework proposed by Quality Matters ®. I …

Math/Stat 380: Statistics And Applications, Yuzhen Zhou

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The portfolio is created for the course STAT/Math380: Statistics and Applications using backward design. It is a service course on introduction statistics for undergraduate students who are not majored in statistics at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In this portfolio, I’ll provide the detail plans on what I will teach, how it will be taught, and what is my expectation on students learning. Besides, I’ll collect data from students to analyze whether students have achieved the course expectations, from where I’ll adjust and improve the way I deliver the knowledge in the future. This portfolio will be used to help document my …

Legal Research And Writing Lrw (Law 513), Chesi K. Hayden

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio explores and documents student learning in a required first-year law course, Legal Analysis, Research and Writing. This portfolio focuses on two specific course learning objectives: (1) organizing a legal argument (CRAC or a variation) and (2) explaining legal rules. I evaluated student work on the two writing assignments with the most weight—Research Memo 1 and Research Memo 2 to analyze whether students improved their understanding of and ability to perform the selected learning goals. I was specifically interested in student improvement from Research Memo 1 to Research Memo 2 because they represent a formative and a summative assessment …

Digging Economics--Econ 200: Economics Essentials And Issues, Tammie Fischer

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio examines student engagement in Econ 200: Essentials of Economics course. Econ 200, a large lecture format, serves as a requirement for completing a minor in Business and fulfills the ACE 6 or 8 categories. Much discussion and research exist around the importance of student engagement in large lecture sections which can often be a challenge. Engagement is important in the process of increasing knowledge with added peer effects. At the same time, activities designed to increase engagement often come at a cost, both in terms of precious class time and to faculty in the form of additional grading. …

Advising As Literacy: A Cultural Capital Approach To Academic Advising In An Hispanic Serving Institution, Heather Smith

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation examines academic advising through the lenses of cultural capital and sociocultural literacy. I reframe advising as a literacy practice that facilitates opportunities for students to access and acquire the navigational and cultural capital required to navigate the complex structures of higher education. I describe an advising as literacy model that was designed specifically for and has been implemented at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a large, four-year, Research I Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) situated on the US-Mexico border, whose student demographic reflects the bi-national region from which UTEP draws the majority of its students.

The advising …

Inside Mentor-Mentee Meetings In Pre-Service Teacher School-Based Teaching Practice In Zimbabwe., Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi, Lilian Manwa

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Mentor-mentee meetings are a critical aspect of student teacher mentoring during teaching practice (TP)as they significantly contribute to the success of the whole mentoring process and consequently to the positive accomplishment of the entire practicum. This study contributes to debates on mentor-mentee meetings given the limited research on this phenomenon. By investigating the kinds of knowledge student teachers gain from such meetings, the findings may influence researchers to investigate other aspects of mentor-mentee meetings.

The study sought to explore from the student teachers’ perspectives, the domains of knowledge that they gain from mentoring meetings during residential TP. A qualitative approach …

Designing University Courses To Improve Pre-Service Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge Of Evidence-Based Inclusive Practice., Julie Lancaster, Alan Bain

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: The study described here is part of a program of research investigating the application of a theoretical course design approach to pre-service teacher education. In this study the focus was to establish the effects of the design approach on pre-service teachers' mastery of pedagogical content knowledge about inclusive education. A quasi-experimental comparison group design was employed to establish the differential effects of two course designs, one based on the theoretical principle of embedded design derived from self-organization and the other based on classroom instruction and practicum-type experience. The results indicated statistically significant findings in favour of the embedded design …

“Learning The Ropes”: Pre-Service Arts Teachers Navigating The Extracurricular Terrain, Christina C. Gray, Geoffrey M. Lowe

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Arts teachers undertake a multitude of extracurricular activities. Yet, while these activities consume considerable time and require specific expertise, little attention is afforded to developing these skills and expertise during pre-service training. This article presents findings from a study into the value of a pre-service teacher production as a form of professional development, from both the technical and personal development perspectives. Thirty pre-service secondary Arts teachers participated in the production. Through focus-group interviews, participants indicated the benefits of building technical understanding as well as personal benefits of engaging in an ensemble experience. All spoke of the potential transferability of what …

A Comparative Investigation Of First And Fourth Year Pre-Service Teachers’ Expectations And Perceptions Of Emotional Intelligence, Marcela Gallardo, Hazel Tan, Maria Gindidis

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reports on the perceptions and expectations of pre-service teachers (PSTs) on the role of Emotional Intelligence (EI) taught as part of a teacher preparation course. The research was conducted across core units in first and fourth years of an undergraduate education degree in an Australian university. The researchers used a mixed method study. Online survey data from 208 students were analysed, using descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic analysis for open-ended responses. Results indicate that PSTs’ understandings of EI included awareness and management of emotions in oneself and others. They perceived EI as highly important to teachers …

Introducing An Eportfolio Into Practicum-Based Units: Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of Effective Support, Pauline Roberts, Gillian Kirk

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

ePortfolios are gaining momentum as a preferred way for graduates to demonstrate current and developing capabilities against industry standards. Effective training is essential for new graduates to produce quality and competitive ePortfolios. This research focused on the perspective of pre-service teachers on the effectiveness of learning opportunities provided to increase confidence and skills in developing an ePortfolio in an Australian four-year undergraduate degree. The initial phase of this research employed a survey to examine the perspective of 132 second-year and 105 third-year pre-service teachers. Results indicated that for the second-year cohort there was a minimal increase in the levels of …

Does A “Science, Technology And Social Change” Course Improve Scientific Habits Of Mind And Attitudes Towards Socioscientific Issues?, Muammer Çalik, Faik Özgür Karataş

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The study aimed at exploring whether a “Science-Technology-Social Change” course improved pre-service social studies teachers’ (PST) scientific habits of mind and attitudes towards socio-scientific issues. Within a pre- and post-course experimental design, the study was conducted with 135 second-year PST (68 males and 67 females) from two classes at Department of Social Studies Teacher Education in a large-size university, Turkey. Two different Likert type scales, Scientific Habits of Mind Scale and Attitudes towards Socioscientific Issues Scale, were employed to collect data before and after the course. The data were imported to SPSS 15^TM for descriptive and inferential statistics in …

The Use Of Blog Activities To Promote Reflection In An Elt Practicum, Esra Bener, Senem Yıldız

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Informed by the theories of critical reflection and community of practice, this study aimed to explore the integration of blogs to promote reflection among eighteen pre-service English language teachers registered in a practicum course at a public university in Turkey. Fourteen blog activities were designed and implemented to guide the reflective process of student teachers. Data were collected through archival documents of participants’ blog entries, two focus group interviews and two surveys. A total of 457 entries were analysed in terms of depth of reflection and the analysis revealed evidence of medium or high level reflection in most (61%) of …

Exploring Intersections Of Work Intensity And Professional Learning: Female Teachers’ Responses To Research Engagement As Professional Learning, Jennifer Mitton-Kukner

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Much research has focused upon the promise of teacher research engagement as a form of professional learning. Yet, little scholarship has looked closely at how female teachers juggle research engagement alongside personal and professional responsibilities. This inquiry into the research experiences of two mid-career teachers provides an up-close look at the ways they attempted to sustain engagement over a three-year period. Attending closely to participants’ accounts of time use, as they engaged in research activities, sheds light upon the presence of socio-cultural expectations, in these instances, constraining their efforts and, arguably, impacting the depth of their professional learning.

Polanyi, Broudy And Teacher Preparation, Timothy L. Simpson

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

To demonstrate the power and scope of Polanyi’s thought, this paper will establish the importance of Polanyi’s abundant insight for the accreditation of educator preparation programs in higher education. This inquiry will begin with a brief summary of the role and purpose of accreditation of educator preparation programs, highlighting the positivist presuppositions driving the current assessment process. With the aid of Harry Broudy, a close student of Polanyi, the essay will identify the implications of those presuppositions for educator preparation programs. Broudy’s analysis suggests that, despite claims to the contrary, the current assessment process fails to produce a professional teacher. …

Effectiveness Of Interactive Television: Perceptions Of Teacher Candidates, Delar K. Singh

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

At a rural, southeast university, this study examined the effectiveness of interactive television (ITV) as a method of instructional delivery for a teacher preparation course in special education. A total of 22 (N=22) teacher candidates who were enrolled in this class responded to a Likert type questionnaire that had 31 questions. The questionnaire was developed after a thorough review of literature on issues and topics surrounding interactive television instruction. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was calculated with Cronbach Alpha. The Cronbach Alpha for the questionnaire is α=.82. Analysis of data indicate that majority of the students prefer to take …