ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Addressing Inequality in Secondary School Access: Evidence from a Field Experiment of Scholarship Targeting Strategies in Kenya
Author: Conn, Katharine
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Secondary Schools,Equal Education,Access to Education,Scholarships,Potential Dropouts,Grade 8,Educational Finance,Dropout Characteristics,Poverty,Prediction,Elementary Schools,Elementary School Students,Elementary School Teachers,Parents,Teacher Surveys,Parent Surveys

Currently in Kenya, secondary school government bursaries are administered through committees set up at the level of parliamentary constituencies. However, there is widespread consensus that this system is not functioning adequately, as the process is often haphazard and funds are often spread too thinly across students. The Ministry of Education has thus expressed an interest in introducing a more standardized system to target scholarships to the neediest children, either through proxy-means testing or through participatory community meetings. This study builds upon current research literature in this area by experimenting with different forms of proxy-means testing, complemented by a community assessment of relative student neediness. The research question addressed in this paper is the following: How can the Kenyan Ministry of Education best target scholarships to 8th graders at the highest risk of dropping out? This study provides evidence on the effectiveness of various tools in capturing the ability of each of these methods to predict secondary school enrollment. Specifically, the targeting methods under examination are: (1) government proxy-means surveys (filled by teachers and guardians); (2) school community &quot;participatory rural appraisal&quot; sessions (PRA) (both with and without parents); and (3) a comprehensive household survey. In the case of the community-based sessions, 36 schools were randomly assigned to two groups: (1) sessions with teachers and the school management committee only; and (2) sessions with teachers, the school management committee, and parents. This was done in order to test to if the addition of parents made the relative rankings more accurate due to the additional information and level of transparency, or more biased, as parents may have a highly vested interest in their student's receipt of scholarship aid. Results show that teacher-filled government surveys, household survey data, and Community PRA meetings held with only teachers and the school administration (and not parents) seem to be the best methods of identifying students who may be vulnerable to dropout. Of these, teacher-filled government surveys may be the most cost-effective way to gather this data. Regarding schooling determinants, from the analysis thus far (employing the variables currently available), it seems that in addition to student performance, student orphan-hood status, household assets, and household access to credit of some kind (formal or informal) all tend to have a strong and very significant impact on the probability of enrollment. Tables are appended.
Music as Active Information Resource for Players in Video Games
Author: Nagorsnick, Marian
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Video Games,Music,Information Sources,Man Machine Systems,Educational Games,Computer Interfaces

In modern video games, music can come in different shapes: it can be developed on a very high compositional level, with sophisticated sound elements like in professional film music; it can be developed on a very coarse level, underlying special situations (like danger or attack); it can also be automatically generated by sound engines. However, in all these approaches, no active adaptation of musical elements to user activities can be found. Context dependent and adaptive music elements are no longer background or emotional support structures, but transform to information resources, which can be actively used by the user. Thus, they become a kind of human computer interface. In this paper, we focus on music as active information resource in video games and game-based learning systems. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
Developing Adolescents' Resistance to Sexual Coercion through Role-Playing Activities in a Virtual World
Author: McGinn, Marion
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Adolescents,Sexuality,Sexual Abuse,Role Playing,Verbal Communication,Case Studies,Computer Simulation,Health Education,Student Attitudes,Prevention,Instructional Innovation,Teaching Methods,Likert Scales,Rating Scales

This paper explores the use of a three dimensional virtual world (3-DVW) to delivery assertiveness training to young adolescents. The case study aims to understand how a sense of presence in VWs facilitates and affect the performance of students role-playing activities to enhance their ability to resist sexual coercion. The results indicate that a sense of presence had a modest influence on participants' verbal interactions while role-playing. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
Challenges of Big Data in Educational Assessment
Author: Gibson, David C.
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Measurement,Data Analysis,Psychometrics,Correlation,Inferences,Student Evaluation,Academic Achievement,Computer Software,Time,Problem Solving,Computer Assisted Testing,Achievement Tests,Secondary School Students,Case Studies,Educational Assessment

This paper briefly discusses four measurement challenges of data science or &quot;big data&quot; in educational assessments that are enabled by technology: 1. Dealing with change over time via time-based data. 2. How a digital performance space's relationships interact with learner actions, communications and products. 3. How layers of interpretation are formed from translations of atomistic data into meaningful larger units suitable for making inferences about what someone knows and can do. 4. How to represent the dynamics of interactions between and among learners who are being assessed by their interactions with each other as well as with digital resources and agents in digital performance spaces. Because of the movement from paper-based tests to online learning, and in order to make progress on these challenges, the authors advocate the restructuring of training of the next generation of researchers and psychometricians to specialize in data science in technology enabled assessments. This call to action stemmed from discussions at EDUsummIT 2013, which will be published in depth in a special issue of &quot;Education and Information Technologies.&quot; [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
Towards a Metadata Schema for Characterizing Lesson Plans Supported by Virtual and Remote Labs in School Science Education
Author: Zervas, Panagiotis
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Metadata,Lesson Plans,Science Laboratories,Computer Uses in Education,Computer Simulation,Science Education,Science Teachers,Electronic Libraries,Questionnaires,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis

Technological advancements in the field of World Wide Web have led to a plethora of remote and virtual labs (RVLs) that are currently available online and they are offered with or without cost. However, using a RVL to teach a specific science subject might not be a straightforward task for a science teacher. As a result, science teachers need to be able to find existing lesson plans supported by RVLs (designed by other science teachers), so as to (a) be informed on how specific RVLs can be used in the context of a science education lesson and (b) be inspired and possibly adapt existing lesson plans supported by RVLs to cover their specific teaching needs. The most common way to facilitate this process using web technologies is to (a) characterize lesson plans with appropriately selected educational metadata and (b) to build a web repository that collects the metadata descriptions of lesson plans following a common metadata schema and offers search and retrieval facilities. Within this context, the scope of this paper is twofold: (a) to propose a metadata schema that can be used for characterizing school science education lesson plans supported by RVLs and (b) to validate this metadata schema with 82 European school science teachers that was performed in the framework of a major European Initiative namely, the Go-Lab project, so as to identify which metadata elements are considered important when science teachers are searching in web-based repositories. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
Student's Perspectives on Taking Courses Online, Blended, or a Combination
Author: Schifter, Catherine C.
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Online Courses,Blended Learning,Student Motivation,Universities,Foreign Countries,Student Surveys,Distance Education,College Students

Online education has a relatively short history in the grand history of education. With options for online delivery modes developed over the last two decades, understanding student motivations for choosing one option over another will be helpful to any institution of higher education planning new offerings. This reflective paper presents the beginning aspects of a study at one university in the United States, using a prior study from Australia as a guide. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
Evaluating the Interactive Learning Tool Simreal+ for Visualizing and Simulating Mathematical Concepts
Author: Hadjerrouit, Said
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Mathematics Education,Mathematical Concepts,Preschool Teachers,Computer Simulation,Visualization,Questionnaires,Usability,Student Teacher Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Blended Learning,Programming,Teacher Education,Likert Scales

This research study aims at evaluating the suitability of SimReal+ for effective use in teacher education. SimReal+ was originally developed to teach mathematics in universities, but it is has been recently improved to include school mathematics. The basic idea of SimReal+ is that the visualization of mathematical concepts is a powerful technique to enhance the understanding of mathematics. The study uses a set of quality criteria, and a survey questionnaire with open-ended questions to evaluate the suitability of SimReal+ in teacher education. The statements of the survey are categorized in five main groups of criteria that include technical usability, pedagogical usability, mathematical content, assessment issues, and teacher education considerations. Additional issues are programming mathematical visualizations, simulations using templates, and flipped classroom. Conclusions and some recommendations are drawn from the results to improve the design of SimReal+ to better suit the needs of students and teachers in mathematics education. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
Design Thinking and Metacognitive Reflective Scaffolds: A Graphic Design-Industrial Design Transfer Case Study
Author: Lee, Chien-Sing
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Design,Case Studies,Metacognition,STEM Education,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Transfer of Training,Teaching Methods,Learning Strategies,Thinking Skills,Industrial Arts,Graphic Arts,Employment Opportunities,Correlation,Reflection,Creative Thinking,Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries,Private Colleges,Course Descriptions,Scoring Rubrics

Scaffolding is crucial as transfer of learning does not occur naturally and teaching-learning strategies found to be effective for experts may not be suitably adopted as is for novice learners. Furthermore, opportunities are often &quot;found&quot; or &quot;made.&quot; The quality of solutions, however, is mediated by different conceptualizations of contexts. We aim to investigate whether design thinking and metacognitive reflective scaffolds can help graphic design students to design on a different canvas, i.e., for industrial design, in order to increase their job opportunities. Findings indicate that students are able to identify and match patterns, theorize based on their graphic design knowledge (to transform fuzzy association patterns into fuzzy associative rules) and analyse existing designs in the market to create their own designs. The significance of the study are useful to the learning of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, co-design of designs/uses for smart technologies, industrial design, and embedded cognitive systems, such as robotics and Internet of Things (IoT). [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
Examining the Effects of Field Trips on Science Identity
Author: Mills, Leila A.
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Field Trips,Elementary School Students,Science Teaching Centers,Science Education,Scientific Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Self Concept,Scientific Research,Interviews,Scientists,Experimental Groups,Career Choice,Role Models,Likert Scales,Grade 5,Measures (Individuals),Pretests Posttests

The purpose of this work-in-progress study is to examine science identity of elementary school students in relation to participation in science. The questions asked in this initial analysis were: How will a field trip to a science research and learning center affect students' desires to learn and participate in science and does interviewing scientists alter this effect? A total of 151 elementary school (Grade 5) students (76 female and 75 male) participated in an experimental study. Participants were randomly assigned to two different experimental groups: 1) The experiment group attended the field trip and had the opportunity to meet and interview scientists. 2) The control group attended the field trip and did not meet and interview scientists. Results showed that all field-trip participants reported greater interest in their desire to become a scientist and participate in science after the field trip. Additionally, after the field trip, students who interviewed scientists were significantly higher in their desire to become a scientist than students who did not. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
More than a Broker: A Case Study of Knowledge Mobilization in a Digital Era
Author: Robertson, Lorayne
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Health Education,Access to Information,Eating Disorders,Social Change,Case Studies,Information Dissemination,Web Sites,Telecommunications,Internet,Seminars

This research described here examines the role of e-health and medical informatics through the lens of one e-health knowledge broker in Canada. Eating disorders are an important issue in Canadian health and it is difficult to find accurate information online. Theoretical models examined include those which describe the roles of health knowledge brokers, including those who advocate for critical social change. A case study is presented of one Canadian agency which brokers knowledge about eating disorders. This agency has a highly complex role which employs multiple technologies: telephone help lines, a website, and webinars. The help lines and email supports are designed to respond to questions about eating disorders and to refer individuals to service providers. When compared to the oft-cited role of the knowledge broker to disseminate research information, the key roles of this agency move beyond this, providing reliable and consistent information; brokering spaces for capacity-building; promoting crtical health literacy and advocating for health equity. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
Education on the Cloud: Researching Student-Centered, Cloud-Based Learning Prospects in the Context of a European Network
Author: Panoutsopoulos, Hercules
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Educational Technology,Internet,Technology Uses in Education,Computer Software,Information Storage,Information Management,Foreign Countries,Networks,Technological Advancement,Student Centered Learning,Higher Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Adult Education,Vocational Education,Lifelong Learning,Teacher Education,Instructional Leadership,Teamwork,Communities of Practice,Educational Methods

During the last few years, ongoing developments in the technological field of Cloud computing have initiated discourse on the potential of the Cloud to be systematically exploited in educational contexts. Research interest has been stimulated by a range of advantages of Cloud technologies (e.g. adaptability, flexibility, scalability, accessibility, cost effectiveness). For these reasons, there have already been efforts concerned with the educational uptake of the Cloud at different scale levels (mainly at the institutional and regional level). Apart from that, there are also larger-scale initiatives taking the form of research projects (e.g. the Rural School Cloud project). Nevertheless, most practices have been mainly shaped by the application of economic policies rather than systematic research. In this emerging situation, the aim of this paper is to present the activities of a European network, which has been set up to research how education should adapt and respond to advancements in Cloud computing. The innovative character of the network is that it attempts a holistic approach to the investigation of the effects of Cloud technologies on formal education by targeting at all involved stakeholders, and contexts of use, at all educational levels. By analytically presenting the adopted methodology and network members' vision for Cloud-based, student-centered learning and teaching, our aim is to provide a detailed account of the network's research activities. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
Postgraduate Students' Level of Dependence on Supervisors in Coping with Academic Matters and Using Digital Tools
Author: Sidhu, Gurnam Kaur
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Graduate Students,Student Attitudes,Supervision,Supervisors,Media Literacy,Student Research,Case Studies,Mixed Methods Research,Questionnaires,Semi Structured Interviews,Personal Autonomy,Lifelong Learning,Supervisor Supervisee Relationship

The empowerment of human capital through higher education is a key element that contributes to the growth of national income. In line with this, Malaysia under the MyBrain15 initiative aims to produce a total of 60,000 doctoral degree holders by 2023. However, high attrition and low completion rates among postgraduate students to date have hindered the noble aspiration. Among the factors that have contributed to this are postgraduate supervisory practices and student limitations in terms of knowledge, and 21st century skills such as critical thinking, autonomy and lifelong learning. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate students' perceptions of their level of dependence on supervisors in postgraduate study in relation to digital literacy and academic matters in terms of providing motivational support, writing a proposal, collecting and analysing data and writing the final report. This exploratory descriptive case study involved 132 postgraduate students from the largest public university in Malaysia. Data were collected using a mixed-methods research design through the use of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The findings show that students' level of dependence on supervisors for academic matters such as the need for was much higher compared to dependence in using digital tools. In terms of digital literacy, students articulated dependence on supervisors in aspects such as data analysis, data visualization and data management tools. With regard to academic study, students' dependence on supervisors was highest at the proposal stage but reduced at the data collection and data analysis stages. Nevertheless, their dependence again increased at the final writing stages. The findings of the study suggest that postgraduate students lack autonomy for lifelong learning and hence appropriate steps need to be taken to improve the quality of postgraduate supervision in the university. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
An Innovative Interdisciplinary Approach to Providing Internships for College Seniors
Author: Fuller, Kathy
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Business Administration Education,Internship Programs,Counselor Training,Health Services,Educational Innovation,Career Development,College Seniors,Interdisciplinary Approach,Program Descriptions,Majors (Students),School Business Relationship

The undergraduate Business and Human Development (HD) Departments at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), are collaborating in an innovative interdisciplinary approach to supporting internships with local businesses in order to provide college seniors with experiences in the area of career development known as the &quot;Senior Experience.&quot; Three local companies associated with serving the community in the area of healthcare or counseling, will hire a team of 5 college seniors (3 Business majors and 2 HD majors) to create a project for the company. The selected project will be agreed upon and supervised by both the company and university representatives from both departments. This paper will reflect on the literature base pertaining to creating a successful collaborative interdisciplinary internship for college seniors exploring possible career options. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
Comparing Learner Community Behavior in Multiple Presentations of a Massive Open Online Course
Author: Gallagher, Silvia Elena
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Large Group Instruction,Online Courses,Communities of Practice,Educational Technology,Computer Mediated Communication,Student Behavior,Student Surveys,Expectation,Student Recruitment,Student Experience,Student Characteristics,Academic Persistence,Foreign Countries,Case Studies

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) can create large scale communities of learners who collaborate, interact and discuss learning materials and activities. MOOCs are often delivered multiple times with similar content to different cohorts of learners. However, research into the differences of learner communication, behavior and expectation between multiple presentations is scarce. This is of importance to MOOC developers, academics and moderators, as an understanding of these differences could have an impact on content provision, community moderation, course delivery, learner interactions, and completion rates. This case study of two presentations of a Futurelearn History MOOC examined learner activity data, and pre and post course learner survey results (n = 10,449). Differences in learner survival rates, behavior, expectation, recruitment, experience of online learning, demographic makeup, reasons for non-completion, and comment activity were identified. These results form a preliminary exploration of learner community differences between multiple MOOC presentations that guide future analyses by identifying areas of comparative interest and importance. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]
Cognitive Curations of Collaborative Curricula
Author: Ackerman, Amy S.
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Graduate Students,Teachers,Lesson Plans,Technology Uses in Education,Selection,Formative Evaluation,Web 2.0 Technologies

Assuming the role of learning curators, 22 graduate students (in-service teachers) addressed authentic problems (challenges) within their respective classrooms by selecting digital tools as part of implementation of interdisciplinary lesson plans. Students focused on formative assessment tools as a means to gather evidence to make improvements in the learning process. Floor plans of rooms in houses were used as metaphors by each group to contain the various digital tools that they selected. This paper includes descriptions of the final curations with samples of the digital assessments tools, as well as lessons learned for future applications. [For the full proceedings, see ED562093.]