ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Learning within a Connectivist Educational Collective Blog Model: A Case Study of UK Higher Education
Author: Garcia, Elaine
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Web 2.0 Technologies,Models,Electronic Publishing,Learning Theories,Electronic Learning,Networks,Constructivism (Learning),Qualitative Research,Interviews,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,College Faculty,Honors Curriculum,Undergraduate Students,Feedback (Response),Teacher Role,Teaching Methods,Peer Evaluation,Information Technology

The use Web 2.0 technologies and specifically blogs has become increasingly prevalent within the Higher Education (HE) sector within recent years as educators begin to maximise the opportunities such tools can provide for teaching and learning and to experiment with their usage in a wide range of context. The use of such technologies has been shown to promote learning (Garcia, Brown &amp; Elbeltagi, 2012) however currently the  manner in which these tools can be best used to promote teaching and learning is not entirely clear. It is within this context that Connectivism, a learning theory for the digital age (Siemens, 2004) has been developed as a theory which aims to provide a model through which teaching and learning using digital technologies can be better understood and managed. Connectivism is however as yet still a relatively new learning theory and not without criticism. Therefore this theory must be considered more fully before it can be accepted fully as a learning theory for the digital age. Within this research a case study of collective blog usage by students studying at an HE institution within the United Kingdom is utilised in order to explore the extent to which Connectivism can be considered to provide a sound theoretical model in which to base future teaching and learning activities of this sort. The views of academic staff and students are utilised in order to explore the extent to which the model of Connectivist learning can be applied to this case and demonstrate the complexities of considering teaching and learning in this way. The results of this study would suggest that Connectivism as a learning theory for the digital age is worthy of consideration and a number of elements of the theory can be seen within the activities undertaken however these are not seen universally across all groups involved within this project.
Education for a New Era: Stakeholders' Perception of Qatari Education Reform
Author: Ellili-Cherif, Maha
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Stakeholders,Educational Change,Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Parent Attitudes,Program Implementation,Performance Factors,Questionnaires,Instructional Effectiveness,Leadership Styles,Educational Attitudes,Politics of Education,Educational Policy,Policy Analysis,Barriers

The paper reports the results of a qualitative research study that explores principal, teacher, and parent perceptions with regard to Qatar's education reform, Education for a New Era (EFNE) launched in 2004. The study focuses on the effects of the reform on each group, their perceived advantages and disadvantages of the reform, and the challenges they face in the implementation of EFNE. Data for this study was collected through an open-ended questionnaire. The results point to the positive effects of EFNE on improving instruction, principals' leadership style, and learner attitude to education. These stakeholders believe that the reform is too ambitious and sometimes unrealistic. The three groups also report challenges that revolve around the amount of extra effort and work it requires from them, the continuous reform changes, and the threats to the local culture and language. Discussion and conclusions are provided regarding EFNE.
Research Use by Leaders in Canadian School Districts
Author: Cooper, Amander
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Research Utilization,Foreign Countries,Use Studies,School Districts,Evidence,Administrator Attitudes,Educational Practices,Knowledge Management,Secondary Schools,Online Surveys,Superintendents,Principals,Leadership Role,Middle Management

This paper, part of a larger study, investigates the ways research is used by leaders in Canadian schools and districts, an area in which there is relatively little empirical evidence. The paper analyzes survey results from 188 education leaders in 11 school districts across Canada about school and district practices related to the use of research. Results indicate a growing awareness in districts of the importance of research use, reported district capacity, and many kinds of support available for research-related activities; however, actual research use remains modest. Districts appear to have relatively weak processes and systems for finding, sharing, and using relevant research.
Youth Suicide Postvention: Support for Survivors and Recommendations for School Personnel
Author: Talbott, Laura L.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Suicide,Youth,Grief,Crisis Management,Intervention,Social Support Groups,Health Promotion,Prevention,School Health Services

Suicide postvention is a concept related to the prevention of subsequent suicides, provision of mental health services, and the community response following a completed suicide. Many people including parents, school mates, friends, siblings, teammates and extended family are impacted in different ways by the loss of a family member or person of close connection, to suicide. In Alabama, suicide contributed to 667 lives lost in 2009	of which 76 (11.4%) were youth age 5-24 (D. Hodges, Alabama Injury Prevention Branch, personal communication, August 12, 2011). All suicides have one thing in common--the production of	survivors, who grieve, attempt to understand and rationalize death by suicide, and to move forward in their lives. Despite robust data sources, it is estimated that for every suicide there are six survivors, a conservative estimate. This paper will provide an overview of postvention, characteristics of a survivor of suicide loss, general postvention program goals, school	system preparation, support for families and peers in the wake of a youth suicide. For the purposes of this paper, youth is defined as a person between the ages of five and 24. (Contains 3 tables.)
&quot;What my Guidance Councillor Should Have Told Me&quot;: The Importance of Universal Access and Exposure to Executive-Level Advice
Author: Elliott, Catherine
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Access to Information,Educational Counseling,Social Capital,Career Counseling,Gender Discrimination,Career Development,Women Administrators,Womens Studies,Social Networks,Skill Analysis,Minimum Competencies,Questionnaires,Information Sources,Resource Materials,Social Justice,Developmental Studies Programs,Foreign Countries

Often, knowledge and quality education is reserved for the elite, where there are systemic obstacles to gaining access to today's leaders. Gender and racial inequities in executive-level positions across North America have been a longstanding debate amongst scholars and policy makers. Research has consistently documented that women are disproportionately represented in upper management and in positions of power and still continue to dominate traditionally &quot;female&quot; occupations, such as administrative support and service workers. Though gender inequalities are evidently present, there is also a clear under-representation of visible minorities holding executive-level positions as well. In order to reverse these trends, governments across North-America have enforced employment equity legislation and many organizations have voluntarily committed to similar initiatives. Perceived educational and career-related barriers to opportunity, choice, and information within these segregated groups are shaped early on. For this reason, many researchers champion early interventional programs in order to prevent such perceived barriers from developing. In this paper, there will be a discussion of social networks and how certain groups are denied access to sources of social capital, thus hindering their ability to seek out prospective jobs or entering certain career streams. In this study, Women in the Lead, a database published in 2009, is a national directory of women whose professional expertise and experience recommend them as candidates for positions of senior level responsibility and as members on corporate boards. The Women in the Lead database was comprised entirely of professional women who had voluntarily subscribed as members. Of the 630 women asked to participate, 210 responded to the survey. The 210 women who responded were from 14 different industries in Canada and the United States. The next generation was described as soon to be graduates of high school. A summary of this advice is reported in this paper, with the objective of providing guidance to the next generation looking to enter the workforce, regardless of their gender, location, and race. We also explore the potential of the internet in levelling these barriers and opening up new possibilities for e-mentoring youth and building social capital.
Experiences with Use of Various Pedagogical Methods Utilizing a Student Response System -- Motivation and Learning Outcome
Author: Arnesen, Ketil
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Management Systems,Foreign Countries,Handheld Devices,Telecommunications,Teacher Student Relationship,Lecture Method,Feedback (Response),Multiple Choice Tests,Mathematics Tests,Peer Teaching,Voting,Mathematics Instruction,Outcomes of Education,Grades (Scholastic),Interviews,College Students,Student Attitudes

This paper describes use of an online Student Response System (SRS) in a pre-qualification course for engineering studies in Norway. The SRS in use, where students answer quizzes using handheld mobile devices like Smartphones, PADs, iPods etc., has been developed at Sor-Trondelag University College. The development of the SRS was co-funded by the  Lifelong Learning Program KA3-ICT in 2009-2010. SRS has been designed to help teachers effortlessly i) break the monotony of a lecture and allow the students to actively take part in the lecture, ii) increase teacher-student interaction, and iii) give teacher and students immediate anonymous feedback on learning outcome. The response system was used in  mathematics in two groups with different lecturers during two semesters in 2009-2010. The pedagogical methods in use will be referred to as &quot;Peer Instruction&quot; and &quot;Classic&quot;. In each method the students will answer a multiple choice quiz using their mobile devices. In both cases the result of the quiz will immediately appear as a histogram on a screen in the classroom. The closing parts will also be identical. The lecturer then highlights the correct option in the histogram and explains why this option actually is the correct one. In the Peer Instruction method there will be an additional element. The  first poll will be followed by a discussion in student groups, where the students are urged to defend their choice and convince their fellow students that their chosen option is the correct one. The discussion is then followed by a new individual voting session before the final results are shown and the closing part takes place. The paper will compare this method with the peer instruction method as described in existing literature. The learning outcome will be discussed according to interviews with students and the lecturers' experiences from the classroom. In addition we will analyze students' grades and test results in mathematics with respect to their expected level, based on previous achievements. We will present results showing that when students are arguing their point of view, they will have a stronger tendency to convince their fellow students when they themselves already have found the correct option in the quiz. Finally we will suggest pedagogical improvements for future use of response systems in mathematics. Input from lecturers and from students has already been used in the process of developing a new version of SRS, finished in January 2013.
Crises in EFL Proficiency and Teacher Development in the Context of International Donation and Transformation Discourses
Author: Birbirso, Dereje Tadesse
Date: 2014-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Language Proficiency,Language Teachers,Grounded Theory,Questionnaires,Educational Policy,Work Environment,Foreign Countries,Educational Change,Social Change,Qualitative Research,Participant Observation,Financial Support,Teaching Conditions,Teacher Attitudes,Secondary School Teachers,College Faculty,International Organizations,Workshops,Faculty Development

Since 2000, Ethiopia has been working to come out of social crises, modernise itself and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Although provided with billions of dollars by the West and their international agents, little has been changed and the crises seem never to abate, especially in the educational system. This study, thus, critically analysed a paradox of Ethiopia's educational problems: the crisis in teachers' EFL proficiency, on the one hand, and the discourses of international aids and transformation of her educational system, on the other. The main participants are 25 randomly selected EFL teachers and teacher educators from all corners of the country. Qualitative data were collected through questionnaire and participant observation. Reflective constant-comparative method of data analysis was employed. The results show that the problem of &quot;poor&quot; English proficiency is the effect of poor living and working conditions arising from dictatorial policy-practices spearheaded by agents of the local state and, partly, of the donor states themselves.
More than Words: Probing the Terms Undergraduate Students Use to Describe Their Instructors
Author: Kendall, K. Denise
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Faculty,Student Attitudes,Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance,Undergraduate Students,Teacher Behavior,Teacher Student Relationship,Teaching Assistants,Biology,Science Instruction,Student Surveys,Online Surveys,Interviews,Teacher Characteristics,Teacher Effectiveness,Instructional Effectiveness

Undergraduates often use single words to describe their instructors, including &quot;boring,&quot; &quot;enthusiastic,&quot; and &quot;organized,&quot; but what instructional behaviors cause students to use these words? This study utilized interviews and an online survey to ask students to translate commonly used instructor descriptions into their associated instructional behaviors. Explanations from undergraduates revealed that these behaviors include both the way instructors interact personally with students as well as how they convey the content to the class. The instructional behaviors identified through this process were classified into themes representing three different aspects of classroom interactions and placed into a schema depicting the positive instructional behaviors that students indicated led to respect for an instructor. The results will give instructors insight into how  what they do in the classroom relates to student perception of their ability to foster learning.
Teaching and Learning with Clickers in Higher Education
Author: Bojinova, Emma
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Technology Uses in Education,Technology Integration,Handheld Devices,Teaching Methods,Educational Strategies,Learning Strategies,Audience Response Systems,Instructional Effectiveness,Student Participation,Learner Engagement,Regression (Statistics),Achievement Gains,Higher Education,Student Attitudes,Participant Satisfaction,Microeconomics,Geography Instruction,Student Surveys,Interviews

Interactive technologies make classroom experience more engaging and enjoyable. Students get much more involved in class discussions in the presence of such technologies and tend to learn more through student-student and student-instructor interactions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether student response systems (i.e., clickers) influence student learning and performance. Overall, our findings show that students were satisfied with the use of clickers especially in increasing their participation and engagement in class. A regression analysis is employed to estimate the magnitude of clickers&apos; impact in two different disciplines. The regression results show that the use of clickers had positive and significant impact on student final course grades. In particular, students who used clickers as part of their course instruction received 4.7% higher course grades on average compared to the students in the non-clicker class when controlling for student abilities and characteristics. The outcome of this study suggests that clickers are useful tools in enhancing student learning and performance.
Applying an Appreciative Inquiry Process to a Course Evaluation in Higher Education
Author: Kung, Susie
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Course Evaluation,Inquiry,Learning Experience,Student Experience,Evaluation Methods,Early Childhood Education,Preservice Teacher Education,Student Characteristics,Teaching Methods,Educational Strategies,Achievement Need,Motivation Techniques,Experiential Learning,Focus Groups,Educational Practices,Phenomenology,Participant Satisfaction,Student Teacher Attitudes

While appreciative inquiry (AI) has its origins in organizational development, this article considers the application of AI within a course evaluation in higher education. An AI process was deemed appropriate given its concern for peak performance or life-centric experiences. Former students of a particular course, along with current students, engaged in the discovery and dream stages of the 4D process, after which the researchers engaged in the identification of perceived causes of success and emergent themes that led to the co-construction of a set of aspirational statements (known as provocative propositions) and an action plan for future teaching staff within the course. Engaged in the process, the students willingly wrote and spoke about their lived experiences of the course, constructing and co-constructing ideas that were professional in nature on one hand and deeply personal on the other. The process and outcomes affirmed the application and power of this strengths-based approach to uncover experiential and interpretive data pertinent to the ongoing development and sustainability of an academic course.
The Impact of Teacher Immediacy on Student Participation: An Objective Cross-Disciplinary Examination
Author: Roberts, Amy
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Behavior,Student Participation,Nonverbal Communication,Student Attitudes,Teacher Influence,Observation,Measures (Individuals),Correlation,Reliability,Predictor Variables,Multiple Regression Analysis,Affective Behavior

The current study examined how immediacy behaviors of college professors influence student participation. While these claims have been studied in the past, this investigation examined a cross-disciplinary sample and employed a more objective methodology, classroom observation. It was hypothesized that professors who showed greater immediacy would have higher levels of classroom participation. Results indicated that teachers who were more immediate had both greater frequency and breadth of classroom participation. More specifically, warmth of the professor (a composite of four immediacy behaviors) was a primary factor in explaining student participation. Limitations, pedagogical implications, and future directions in immediacy research are discussed.
A Preliminary Evaluation of a Short Online Training Workshop for TPACK Development
Author: Alsofyani, Mohammed Modeef
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Technology Integration,Technology Education,Faculty Development,Training Methods,Online Courses,Capacity Building,Teacher Workshops,Questionnaires,Observation,Instructional Effectiveness,Participant Satisfaction,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Electronic Learning,Teacher Attitudes,Technology Uses in Education,Foreign Countries

National plans in higher education institutions are being developed in various aspects of the academic world for technology integration. Short online training has the potential for accelerating and facilitating the implementation of those plans. So far, a little is known about the suitability of this mode of training for faculty members' development. Expository, active, and interactive training are the dominant online experiences today. This study explores the evaluation of a short online training workshop that applied expository experience. Direct observation and post questionnaires  were used to evaluate this mode of training. Results showed a positive effect for expository training. Participants strongly recommended blending expository with active experiences in the future online training workshop. Playing an active role during the training process is critical for adult learners as reported in the literature of adult learning as well as TPACK development programs. The results of this research confirm the significance of applying active experiences for online programs that are designed for faculty development.
Teaching through 10,000 Earthquakes: Constructive Practice for Instructors in a Post-Disaster Environment
Author: Wright, Sarah
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Practices,Emergency Programs,Natural Disasters,Teaching Experience,Best Practices,Feedback (Response),Coping,Online Surveys,Likert Scales,Psychological Needs,Risk Management,Change Strategies,Organizational Communication,Educational Responsibility,Leadership Responsibility,Crisis Management,Institutional Survival

The authors describe their experiences of teaching through a series of major earthquakes and the lessons learned regarding sustaining teaching and learning through an ongoing natural disaster. Student feedback data from across the university is analyzed to generate a model of constructive practice for instructors responding to a crisis. The article challenges instructors to reflect on student and instructor needs before, during, and after a crisis in terms of preparedness for immediate disruption, programmatic and pedagogical changes, communication, and response to psychological needs. The authors&apos; experiences with teaching through the earthquakes reinforce the message that even the most well-intentioned and self-aware instructor will, at some stage, falter during an ongoing crisis. Psychological preparedness and classroom emergency management planning are vital to the continuity of teaching and learning in a crisis situation.