ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Development and Student Perception of Virtual Reality for Implant Surgery
Author: Sukotjo, Cortino
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Medical Education,Medical Students,Student Attitudes,Computer Simulation,Surgery,Dentistry,Technology Uses in Education,Distance Education,COVID-19,Pandemics

(1) Introduction: New and innovative approaches to dental education have continued to improve with time. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced dental education to change as social distancing implementations were enforced. Virtual reality was used as a resource before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has become more essential due to social restrictions. Virtual reality can allow students to be fully immersed in a clinical environment without leaving their homes. (2) Methods: The development of virtual reality (VR) for implant surgery was described. Selected students filled out a survey before and after using the program. Then, a focus group discussion for the students was held to analyze the program further. (3) Results: Seven dental students enrolled in the Advanced Predoctoral Implant Program (APIP) participated in the study. Qualitative analysis of this study suggests that virtual reality can be used as a supplemental resource to enhance student learning of specific topics. Additionally, the students had positive outlooks for using virtual reality as a resource in dental education and were hopeful to use it in the future for particular topics and subjects. (4) Discussion: The advantages and disadvantages of VR application in education were described. This application allows the students to be immersed fully with virtual dental operatory. The application provides the student with an enhanced learning experience in implant dentistry. Students displayed supportive attitudes towards the applicability of VR in dental education but considered this application as an adjunctive tool for learning. (5) Conclusion: The application of this technology in dental education is promising. The use of virtual reality in teaching and learning implant dentistry offers positive enhancement, especially during these challenging times.
Inclusion at a Crossroads: Dismantling Ireland&apos;s System of Special Education
Author: Shevlin, Michael
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Change,Special Education,Educational Trends,Educational History,Educational Policy,Students with Disabilities,Treaties,International Law,Inclusion,Special Classes,Mainstreaming

Ireland's system of special education has undergone unprecedented change over the last three decades. Following major policy developments in the mid-2000s which emphasised inclusive education, there have been changes to special education school personnel and funding structures which seek to include greater numbers of students with disabilities in mainstream education. There is one anomaly however: Ireland continues to operate a parallel system of special schools and classes with an emphasis on special class provision for students with disabilities. The aim of this paper is to examine the evolution of Ireland's special education policy over the past three decades and explore the extent to which it is compatible with its obligations under the United Nations Convention for People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and more recent discussions around moving to inclusive education. It uses a systematic investigation of policy and administrative data on special class growth over time to highlight anomalies between the policy narrative around inclusive education in Ireland and the continued use of segregated settings. The current system, therefore, suggests confused thinking at a policy level which has resulted in the implementation of special education grafted on to the general education system. Any move to an inclusive system therefore, in order to be successful, would require a root and branch overhaul of existing policies.
Leading Inclusive Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Post-Primary Schools in Ireland: Does Provision Mapping Support an Integrated, School-Wide and Systematic Approach to Inclusive Special Education?
Author: Fitzgerald, Johanna
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Secondary Schools,Special Education,Inclusion,Students with Disabilities,Special Needs Students,Systems Approach,Educational Change,Program Effectiveness,Educational Cooperation,Coordinators,Principals,Secondary School Teachers

A parallel system of inclusive and special education persists in Ireland despite attempts to move towards integrated provision for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) along a flexible continuum of support. Even in mainstream schools, duality exists and discrete delivery of special education continues to create 'siloed' approaches to education for some students. This paper outlines a research and knowledge exchange initiative involving a higher education institution and a management body for post-primary schools in Ireland attempting to develop integrated, school-wide, systematic and collaborative approaches to inclusive and special education. Theoretically underpinned by Hornby's model of Inclusive Special Education (2015) and a conceptualisation of the SENCO role in the Irish context, a pilot process was implemented to support the development of an integrated response to a continuum of need. A year after initial implementation a review was undertaken. Focus group and individual interviews with SENCOs, Curriculum Leaders and Principals in six schools indicate that the initiative, while still in its infancy, raised awareness about inclusive special education amongst staff and provided data-informed approaches to education. The centrality of leadership in promoting school-wide approaches to inclusive special education also emerged. Finally, the importance of situated community of practice approaches to professional learning were identified as critical to leading change in schools.
The Role of Competitive Robotics in Providing Context to Classroom Learning and Technical Skill Development in School Age Students--A Survey of Current Avenues, Assessment, and Path Forward with Systematic Implementation
Author: Dwivedi, Rajeev
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Competition,Robotics,Class Activities,Skill Development,Hands on Science,Science Instruction,Teaching Methods,Toys,Elementary School Students,Middle School Students,High School Students,Programming

Finding context, examples, and ample hands-on experimentation is fundamental for understanding complex ideas in subjects such as science and math. Recent popularity of competitive robotics has become a catalyst in the development of DIY and hobby kits. Manufacturers have made available easy to work, re-configurable, and functional, structural elements as well as control electronics. Additionally, extensive participation from the open-source software community is providing cutting edge and effective software. Despite all the right ingredients, competitive robotics continues to be unregulated and non-standardized. Additionally, in absence of regulations and standards, the organizers, suppliers, educators, and participants are left to their own means and resources that necessarily may not align with systematic learning. The cost of approved competitive kits as well as field kits becomes inhibitive for students from poorer communities. This paper surveys a wide range of competitive robotics avenues available to school-age students. A survey with various stake holders including participants, mentors, referees, and organizers is done and findings are included. A path for standardizing competitive robotics within the framework of the World Robotics League is found to be an effective tool to train the students. A description of the World Robotics League framework and initial findings are reported.
A Narrative Inquiry into Iranian EFL Teacher Educators&apos; Voice about Challenges of Call Teacher Education
Author: Meihami, Hussein
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Assisted Instruction,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Teacher Educators,Teacher Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Barriers,Language Teachers,Teacher Education Programs,Ethnography,Semantics,Standards,Teacher Motivation,College Faculty,Budgets,Educational Policy,Foreign Countries

The rapid integration of technology in EFL learning and teaching requires competent EFL teachers to use Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in their classes. Hence, the role of CALL teacher education in preparing competent EFL teachers is significant. However, conducting CALL teacher education is not without challenges. Given the importance of examining these challenges, the purpose of the current study was to investigate Iranian EFL teacher educators' voice about the challenges of conducting CALL teacher education programs. To that end, eight Iranian EFL teacher educators' biographical narratives were analyzed to obtain challenges concerning CALL teacher education. The thematic analysis of the narratives, based on the principles of ethnography semantics, indicated that challenges such as inertia, ignorance of training CALL educators, insufficient time to address CALL compared to other topics, insufficient infrastructure, insufficient standards, and lack of established methodology to administrate CALL teacher education were among the main obstacles of conducting CALL teacher education in the Iranian context. Moreover, the findings revealed that lack of EFL teachers' motivation to participate in such programs, insufficient CALL infrastructure in schools and institutes, and EFL teachers' inertia were other challenges in CALL teacher education. The findings suggest that the stability of CALL can be reached by removing the challenges of CALL teacher education if policy-makers address issues such as the required budgets, CALL infrastructures, and teacher motivation in CALL teacher education.
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through Company Staff Vocational Training--The Case of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) INEBB Project
Author: Lambini, Cosmas Kombat
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Sustainable Development,Goal Orientation,Vocational Education,Foreign Countries,Skill Development,Program Evaluation,School Business Relationship

Education for sustainable development (ESD) plays a significant role in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and simultaneously tackling the current global ecological challenges. Integration of ESD in Vocational Education and Training (VET) offers opportunities for private sector actors to contribute to reaching these global goals. The dual structure of business-integrated training in Germany further exemplifies a business case and the numerous opportunities available to private companies for engaging with the SDG framework. This briefing paper highlighted available evidence from the ESD literature on VET skills development in advancing the SDGs. Outcomes from best practices were based on the tried-and-tested länder--federal states--piloted vocational training of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) INEBB1 project (INEBB), demonstrating the conditions necessary for vocational education training in sustainability and plausible transfer mechanism within companies. These conditions included: (1) the application of deductive concepts; (2) the establishment of blended-learning platforms (place-based and digital); and (3) the adaptation of the criteria and contents from the German Sustainability Codex (DNK) in curriculums designed for the training. This innovative vocational course and certification as specialist training for sustainable development was a model case in bringing the SDGs closer to German companies' vocational education. INEBB2 sought to upscale applicable and task-based instructions from the experimented model project INEBB1 within different companies through regional, lateral, and vertical transfer strands. The INEBB project model in the review suggested there was a need for further empirical work and policy discourse on educational transfer research in the framework of VET for sustainable development. The INEBB project model integrated the new standard occupational profile items of the environmental protection and the sustainability and digitalised world of work across occupational competencies in the German dual system of vocational education and training that will come into force in August 2021 for all 326 dual training professions.
Bridging Digital Inequalities in Rural Schools in Germany: A Geographical Lottery?
Author: Rundel, Christina
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Access to Computers,Disadvantaged,Rural Schools,Small Schools,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Elementary Schools,Secondary Schools,Barriers,Inclusion,Technological Literacy,Technology Integration,Internet,Educational Equipment,Handheld Devices,COVID-19,Pandemics,Technological Advancement,Foreign Countries

Repeatedly, it has been argued that advancements in digitalisation could be beneficial for rural areas. However, digital inequalities persist and affect rural communities as well. Schools can play a key role in bridging digital inequalities, but little attention has been paid to the specific conditions rural schools find themselves in when facing continuous digital developments. Therefore, we apply the digital inclusion lens and explore the impact of digital developments on rural schools in the German context. In 2019, we conducted 16 in-depth interviews with heads and teachers from rural elementary and secondary schools in Baden-Wurttemberg and Lower Saxony. We found that smaller rural schools especially can experience difficulties and conclude that the contribution of schools to a digital-included society is subject to a geographical lottery. This could eventually increase existing rural-urban digital inequalities and these findings are also relevant in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing a sudden switch to distance learning.
Child Care and Early Education for Infants and Toddlers
Author: Chaudry, Ajay
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Infants,Toddlers,Child Care,Preschool Education,Barriers,Educational Quality,Costs,Employed Parents,Child Development,Access to Education,Low Income Groups,Tax Credits,Early Intervention,Family Income,Racial Differences,Ethnicity,Supply and Demand,Block Grants,Federal Aid,Family Programs,Welfare Services,Federal Programs,Foreign Countries,Measurement Techniques,Teacher Competencies,Certification,Well Being,Family (Sociological Unit),Public Policy

In this article, Ajay Chaudry and Heather Sandstrom review research on child care and early education for children under age three. They describe the array of early care and education arrangements families use for infants and toddlers; how these patterns have changed in recent decades; and differences by family socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity. Chaudry and Sandstrom note that families face many challenges both in getting access to child care and in finding care of more than mediocre quality. These challenges include limited supply and limited affordability relative to the needs of working parents and those pursuing education. Other challenges are based on families' and children's circumstances; for example, parents may work nontraditional or variable hours, or children may have special developmental needs. Although experts agree that the quality of children's care is important for their learning and development, the authors write, there is no consensus on how to best measure quality and what factors are most important. They review what we know about the quality of infant and toddler child care in the United States, why child care quality matters for children's learning and development, and how the federal government as well as the states are trying to improve child care quality. Chaudry and Sandstrom also examine the major public programs that support early care and education, primarily for children in low-income families--child care subsidies, tax credits, and the Early Head Start program. Overall, they note, the United States' public investment in quality child care and early education is relatively minimal, though bold proposals to bolster that investment are now on the table
Family Income and Young Children&apos;s Development
Author: Wimer, Christopher
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Family Income,Child Development,Barriers,Young Children,Age Differences,Poverty,Socioeconomic Influences,Low Income Groups,Welfare Services,Family Structure,Racial Differences,Ethnicity,Parent Background,Educational Attainment,Tax Credits,Health Care Costs,Child Care,Expenditures,Stress Variables,Infants,Toddlers,Developing Nations,Foreign Countries,Federal Programs,Nutrition,Federal Legislation,Taxes

Is income during children's earliest years a key determinant of long-term child and adult success in the longer run? The research to date, Christopher Wimer and Sharon Wolf write, suggests that it is. Wimer and Wolf review substantial descriptive evidence that income can enhance child development and later adult outcomes, and that it does so most strongly during children's earliest years. Next they wrestle with the question of whether this relationship is causal. After outlining the challenges in identifying such causal relationships, they describe a number of studies that purport to overcome these challenges through quasi- or natural experiments. Among other topics, the authors examine how family income affects the outcomes of young children compared to those of older children, and how its effects vary among poor, low-income, and higher-income families. They also look at the evidence around other dimensions of income, including nonlinear relationships between income and key outcomes, instability in income versus the absolute level of income, and various forms of income, and they review the evidence for impacts of in-kind or near-cash income supports. Finally, Wimer and Wolf highlight some recently launched studies that will shed further light on the relationship between income and development in children's earliest years, and they suggest how policy might better provide income support to low-income families and their children.
Examining the Focus of SoTL Literature--Teaching &quot;and&quot; Learning?
Author: Manarin, Karen
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Research,Periodicals,Journal Articles,Learning,College Instruction,Research Problems

Although the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) claims to focus on student learning, some have argued that SoTL studies often adopt a narrow view of learning and focus more on teaching than on learning. In this paper, we explore whether teaching is the primary focus of recent articles published from 2013-2017 in three international, self-identified SoTL journals: &quot;Teaching and Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal (TLI),&quot; &quot;The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ijSOTL),&quot; and &quot;The Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL).&quot; Based on our analysis of the 299 empirical articles, we argue that they portray SoTL as a field focused primarily on teacher activity rather than student learning, despite efforts to broaden its scope.
Exploring the Emotional Responses of Undergraduate Students to Assessment Feedback: Implications for Instructors
Author: Hill, Jennifer
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Emotional Response,Undergraduate Students,Feedback (Response),Student Evaluation,Student Attitudes,Student Behavior,Foreign Countries

Summative assessments tend to be viewed as high-stakes episodes by students, directly exposing their capabilities as learners. As such, receiving feedback is likely to evoke a variety of emotions that may interact with cognitive engagement and hence the ability to learn. Our research investigated the emotions experienced by undergraduate students in relation to assessment feedback, exploring if these emotions informed their learning attitudes and behaviours. Respondents were drawn from different years of study and subject/major. A qualitative approach was adopted, using small group, semi-structured interviews and reflective diaries. Data were analysed thematically and they revealed that receiving feedback was inherently emotional for students, permeating their wider learning experience positively and negatively. Many students struggled to receive and act upon negative feedback, especially in early years, when it was often taken personally and linked to a sense of failure. Negative emotional responses tended to reduce students' motivation, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Some students, especially in later years of study, demonstrated resilience and engagement in response to negative feedback. By contrast, positive feedback evoked intense but fleeting emotions. Positive feedback made students feel cared about, validating their self-worth and increasing their confidence, but it was not always motivational. The paper concludes with recommendations for instructors, highlighting a need to communicate feedback carefully and to develop student and staff feedback literacies.
Gamifying History: Designing and Implementing a Game-Based Learning Course Design Framework
Author: Scholz, Kyle W.
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Game Based Learning,History Instruction,College Instruction,Learner Engagement,Group Activities,Foreign Countries,Instructional Design,Discovery Learning,Cooperative Learning,Competition,Undergraduate Students,Story Telling

This paper analyzes the development and implementation of a game-based learning course design framework. Drawing inspiration from task-based learning, the framework is structured around four core gamified elements: narrative assignment design; learner discovery; team-based collaboration and competition; and choice through quests. The intended goal of implementing this framework is to improve learner engagement and foster greater learner investment in the course. The framework, developed at the University of Waterloo, was integrated into the course design for--and subsequently taught in--a third-year history course. A mixed-methods analysis was conducted in which students (n = 15) were surveyed, interviewed, and observed throughout the course at different intervals. The results of the study suggest that the team-based nature of the framework and the embedded gameplay elements are most effective at improving engagement for learners, while some form of extrinsic motivation is still beneficial to ensure all learners find completing additional tasks worthwhile.