ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Educating Reflexive Practitioners: Casting Graduate Teaching Assistants as Mentors in First-Year Classrooms
Author: Henry, Jim
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Students,Mentors,Focus Groups,Reflective Teaching,Teaching Assistants,Teaching Methods,Teacher Attitudes,English Instruction,Writing (Composition),Interviews,Student Evaluation,Thinking Skills,Reflection,Undergraduate Students

Reflective practice has become a mainstay in many inquiries into teaching and learning, presenting reflective practitioners with the challenge of accounting for their own institutional positions when interpreting student performance in the binary teacher-student configurations of most classrooms. This study analyzes the perspectives of TAs cast as mentors to students in a unique trinary configuration of instructor-mentor-student. During four semesters, TAs in English mentored first-year university composition students by attending all classes alongside them, conducting intake interviews, and following up with numerous out-of-class conferences during the semester. Using standardized end-of-term evaluations by mentors supplemented by focus group transcripts and administrators' field notes, analysts determined that mentors' ranges of actions in the classroom and course enabled them to &quot;think through&quot; the perspectives of both instructor and student to develop &quot;positional reflexivity.&quot; That is, mentors incorporated the factor of institutional position into reflexivity about teaching and learning to gain insight into such issues as interpretations of student performance, power dynamics that inflect students' senses of agency, the challenges of transitioning to college, mentors' own professional goals, and more. Implications are drawn for leveraging this unique form of TA training to enhance learner-centered approaches to teaching when TAs later find themselves teaching their own courses.
Sink or Swim? Improving Student Learning through Feedback and Self-Assessment
Author: Sendziuk, Paul
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Student Evaluation,Tutors,Performance Based Assessment,History,Questionnaires,Evaluation Methods,Grades (Scholastic),Foreign Countries,Task Analysis,College Students

This paper identifies a number of problems with the mechanism by which teachers give feedback to students and reports the findings of a unique self-assessment activity aimed at countering these problems. The activity, based on the principles of Learning-Oriented Assessment (Carless, 2007), involved tutors providing written feedback but withholding grades on assignments submitted by a cohort of 2nd and 3rd year History students. Giving consideration to supplied assessment criteria and grade descriptors as well as the feedback they received, the students were then required to award themselves a grade and write a 100-word justification, which was submitted to the tutor. Analysis of the grades awarded by the students and tutors, and an evaluation of the exercise administered by an anonymous and non-compulsory questionnaire, revealed a high degree of grade agreement, and that students became much more motivated to read and heed the feedback they received. Moreover, the students reported gaining a greater understanding of the assessment criteria, the work required to attain a particular grade, and the means for improving their written work. Drawing particularly on the research of David Carless and David Boud, the paper concludes by discussing options for improving the feedback mechanism, such as the use of self-assessment rubrics. (Contains 4 figures.)
Course Grades, Quality of Student Engagement, and Students' Evaluation of Instructor
Author: Culver, Steven
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learner Engagement,Grades (Scholastic),Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance,Student Participation,Teacher Evaluation,College Students,College Faculty,Grading,Correlation,Expectation,Instructional Materials

Students' evaluation of faculty and courses continue to be the most often used gauge in higher education of how well courses are taught. Faculty are particularly concerned that student ratings are highly associated with the grades students expect to receive. However, newer research on student engagement suggests that it is students' own interaction with the course material that determines their evaluation of the course. The purpose of this study then was to examine (1) whether the grades students expected in the course affected the overall evaluation of the instructor, (2) whether the students' quality of engagement in the course affected the overall evaluation of the instructor, and (3) whether students' quality of engagement moderates the relationship between expected grades and overall evaluation of the instructor. Results indicate that students' engagement with the course material significantly moderates the relationship between expected grades and overall rating of instructor. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)
Influence of the Pedagogical Context on Students' Evaluation of Teaching
Author: Luna, Edna
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School Effectiveness,Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Effectiveness,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis,Comparative Analysis,Teacher Education,Student Attitudes,Engineering,Sciences

The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of teaching performance in accordance with the opinion of students of different academic fields and curriculum stages in a Mexican state public university. The sample was composed of 729 randomly-selected courses, distributed over four semester periods. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were made. The results determined significant differences when natural-exact sciences were compared with administrative sciences (p = 0.003), and engineering with administrative sciences (p = 0.022) in the overall ratings and by dimension. Moreover, differences were found in the ratings by dimension between the curriculum stages. The study concludes in favor of considering the particularities of the pedagogical context in the interpretation of ratings, and of using them as a source of information when designing strategies for improving teacher training. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)
When Undergraduates Teach Undergraduates: Conceptions of and Approaches to Teaching in a Peer Led Team Learning Intervention in the STEM Disciplines--Results of a Two Year Study
Author: Streitwieser, Bernhard
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mentors,Intervention,Workshops,Teaching Methods,Undergraduate Students,Peer Teaching,Team Teaching,STEM Education,Minority Groups,Equal Education,Achievement Gap,Academic Persistence,Teaching Styles,Teaching Experience,Student Centered Curriculum

This study addresses the question of how undergraduates with an opportunity to serve as teachers, or &quot;peer facilitators&quot;, at the college level think about and approach teaching. Peer facilitators in the &quot;Gateway Science Workshop&quot; Program at Northwestern University serve in a teaching role for one to two years, leading weekly, small group workshop sessions for students in their first year &quot;gateway&quot; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. The research took place within a large, funded intervention aimed at reducing the gap in performance and retention between undergraduate minority and majority science students. The study found that the sample of 19 peer mentors conceived of and approached their teaching task in distinctly different ways, adopting a teaching-centered or a learning-centered framework that changed over time with gains in experience. The developments documented over the course of their teaching experience have important implications for understanding how undergraduates think about learning and how they understand teaching. (Contains 2 figures.)
Epistemology, Pedagogy, and Latent Functions: The Peculiar Nature of Web-Based Public Access Courses
Author: Hamlin, John
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Online Courses,Learning Experience,Epistemology,Instruction,Web Based Instruction,Distance Education,Inquiry,Electronic Mail,Educational Technology,Higher Education,College Students,Internet,College Faculty,Educational Sociology,Sociology

Dialogue is "at the heart of the e-learning experience" (Littleton & Whitelock 2004, p.173). It is the means to building mutual understanding, encouraging the construction of personal meaning and ensuring engagement. Inquiry requires dialogue. If we value processes of inquiry, then it is at our peril that we ignore the complex issues and aspects of designing and facilitating in online environments for inquiry processes. How do we design online learning experiences that encourage dialogue and a process of inquiry? A phenomenological inquiry using student postings, student interviews and survey data from an online undergraduate course is undertaken to explore the dynamic interrelation between design, facilitation, tools and learning. As part of the analysis, a heuristic device was developed--the "Map of aspects of dialogical inquiry". In this article, this device and the dynamic interrelation between design, facilitation, tools and learning are discussed, and implications for practitioners teaching in online environments are explored. (Contains 1 table.)
Enhancing Academics' Capability to Engage Multicultural Classes and Internationalize at Home
Author: Mak, Anita
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Curriculum Development,College Students,Cultural Pluralism,Workshops,Multicultural Education,Foreign Countries,Higher Education,Universities,Student Diversity,Professional Development,Reflection,Enrollment,Outcomes of Education,Global Approach

This paper reports the rationale, design, implementation, and outcomes of a strategic diversity course for developing the intercultural capability of academic staff at an Australian university. The interactive workshop called &quot;Engaging and Building Alliance across Cultures&quot; aims at developing awareness of and practical skills in facilitating the inclusion of culturally and linguistically diverse students in the classroom, while also engaging local students in internationalization at their home university. This paper reports the participating academics' workshop ratings, as well as their learning reflections regarding curriculum development, strategies that they intended to apply to engage their culturally diverse classes, and the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the workshop. Implications for the potential use of cultural diversity training to internationalize learning and teaching in a higher education environment are discussed, along with suggestions for future research. (Contains 1 table.)
Enhancing the Research-Teaching Nexus: Building Teaching-Based Research from Research-Based Teaching
Author: Willcoxson, Lesley
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Research Projects,Problem Based Learning,Critical Thinking,Teaching Methods,Cooperative Learning,Research,Higher Education,Case Studies,Outcomes of Education,Learning Activities,Statistical Analysis,Focus Groups,Questionnaires,Research Methodology,Foreign Countries,School Holding Power,Student Attrition,Likert Scales

Definitions and practical interpretations of the research-teaching nexus are various, but almost invariably the link between teaching and research lies in the direction of transferring research into teaching rather than vice versa. This transfer is achieved by using research to inform teaching and, less frequently, by engaging students in research. Usually these students are final year undergraduates and the research project is purpose-built to develop in students the desired course learning outcomes. This paper reports an alternative realisation of the teaching-research nexus. It presents a case study of teaching that was informed by research and engaged both first year and final year undergraduate students in research, using problem-based learning. Subsequently, the research undertaken by the students as part of their learning process directly informed development of a large, government-funded research project, thus completing an unusual two-way relationship in which research underpinned teaching and learning activity, and teaching and learning activity underpinned research. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)
Developing Professional Forums that Support Thoughtful Discussion, Reflection, and Social Action: One Faculty's Commitment to Social Justice and Culturally Responsive Practice
Author: Potts, Ann
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Justice,Preservice Teacher Education,Social Action,Instructional Development,College Faculty,Program Development,Program Effectiveness,Equal Education,Consciousness Raising,Teaching Methods,Diversity (Faculty),Student Diversity,Teacher Education Programs,Workshops,Video Technology,Faculty Development

There are many challenges facing those educators who strive to ensure that their pre-service teachers understand the issues surrounding equity and social justice. In response to these challenges, and in response to the interests, questions, and concerns of the faculty in a School of Education, two professors worked collaboratively with administrators, faculty, and staff to organize Professional Forums. These Professional Forums were designed to support and engage faculty in the re-visioning of their courses as well as their pedagogical practices for pre-service teachers, with the specific goal of enhancing students' understanding of equity, social justice and global issues. In this article, we share our objectives, structures, expectations, and outcomes for the six different Professional Forums we designed and implemented over a two-year period.
Service Learning and Civic Responsibility: Assessing Aggregate and Individual Level Change
Author: Brandes, Kendra
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Service Learning,Citizenship Responsibility,Learning Experience,Pretests Posttests,Social Change,Consumer Science,Attitude Measures,Attitude Change,Predictor Variables,Program Effectiveness,Intention,Social Attitudes,Citizenship Education,Individual Differences

This study sought to expand the extant literature regarding the effectiveness of a higher education service-learning project designed to increase students' civic and socially responsive knowledge and intentions. A class with a semester long service-learning component was administered a pre- and post-test assessment using multi-item scales to determine if a student's sense of civic responsibility would increase. Our hypothesis predicting overall mean or aggregate change in civic responsibility was not affirmed by the paired t-tests or analysis of covariance tests. However, using growth curve modeling, we investigated between-individual differences in within-individual change. The study's results demonstrated that significant variation in individual differences between time one and time two did exist. Particularly noteworthy was the finding that previous service-learning experience, outside the classroom setting, predicted the level of civic attitudes and predicted the level and change of civic action. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)
The Many Faces of Formative Assessment
Author: Stull, Judith
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Formative Evaluation,Achievement Gains,Academic Achievement,Evaluation Methods,Evaluation Research,College Students,Educational Technology,Technology Integration,Student Evaluation,Interaction,Handheld Devices,Science Instruction,Mathematics Instruction

In this research paper we consider formative assessment (FA) and discuss ways in which it has been implemented in four different university courses. We illustrate the different aspects of FA by deconstructing it and then demonstrating effectiveness in improving both teaching and student achievement. It appears that specifically "what is done" was less important since there were positive achievement gains in each study. While positive gains were realized with use of technology, gains were also realized with implementation of nontechnology dependent techniques. Further, gains were independent of class size or subject matter. (Contains 5 tables.)
Podcasting as Complement to Graduate Teaching: Does It Accommodate Adult Learning Theories?
Author: Luna, Gaye
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learning Theories,Graduate Students,Reading Materials,Student Attitudes,Prior Learning,Adult Learning,Learning Experience,Graduate Study,Handheld Devices,Audio Equipment,Technology Uses in Education

Technology in higher education has exploded within the last decade, as educators become more knowledgeable about its uses and students become more demanding of access and convenience to teaching and learning. This article shares results of an exploratory study that determined graduate students' perceptions of podcasting access and utility in courses as related to adult learning theory. Reading materials and listening to podcasts produced favorable results in terms of students' perceived understanding of the subject, with the majority of students surveyed recommending reading the course materials and listening to same-materials via a podcast. A higher percentage of students listened to the podcast in its entirety compared to students reading all of the material presented. Survey results indicated complementary components of adult learning in terms of reflective behavior. A total of 76 percent of students agreed the podcast enhanced or clarified their understanding. Whether the interaction was potent enough to foster action or transformation remains a personal experience based on prior learning. Twelve percent of students were neutral in their response; memorization or rote recall characterized their non-reflective learning experience. Students who perceived the podcast as of no value would not respond to the podcast or reject the podcast as non-important to their learning need as represented by 12 percent of the students in this study. The use of podcasting in graduate courses continues to evolve, and addressing adult learning theory in relationship to technology needs to be further explored. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
Are Choice-Making Opportunities Needed in the Classroom? Using Self-Determination Theory to Consider Student Motivation and Learner Empowerment
Author: Brooks, Catherine F.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Motivation,Self Determination,Student Empowerment,Theories,Correlation,Decision Making,Classroom Environment,Literature Reviews,College Students,Questionnaires

Self-determination theory (SDT) underpins research on learner empowerment, but it is rarely discussed in empowerment-related literature. In addition, a motivational measure stemming from SDT has received little visibility in communication research. To address these concerns, this study focuses on motivational theory and measurement in an attempt to tease out the relationship between motivation and learner empowerment as well as how these constructs are related to students' choice-making opportunities in the classroom. In essence, this study aims to offer a strong synthesis of the literature related to these constructs, and also to make methodological and practical advancements in understanding student motivation, learner empowerment, and how freedom in the college classroom shapes students' enthusiasm for learning. (Contains 3 tables.)
Project-Based Learning and Pedagogy in Teacher Preparation: Staking out the Theoretical Mid-Ground
Author: Roessingh, Hetty
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teacher Education,Student Projects,Active Learning,Teaching Methods,Undergraduate Students,Models,Graduate Study,Constructivism (Learning),Thinking Skills,Task Analysis

In this article, we advance a model of project-based learning (PJBL) offering eight guiding principles to support a pragmatic and principled approach to teacher preparation at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We provide a template for structuring PJBL, and we include illustrative exemplars that demonstrate that the ideological mid-ground can offer a balance of content knowledge and facilitate the dispositions we value in the new generation of teacher practitioners. (Contains 4 figures.)
The Application of Racial Identity Development in Academic-Based Service Learning
Author: Simons, Lori
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grounded Theory,Student Attitudes,Racial Attitudes,Racial Identification,Service Learning,Attitude Change,Cultural Pluralism,College Students,Racial Discrimination,Pretests Posttests,Consciousness Raising,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research,White Students

This preliminary study describes the transformation of students' racial attitudes and multicultural skills. A grounded theory approach was conducted to identify common themes from reflections of 19 students enrolled in a semester-long diversity service-learning course. The results indicate that students reformulate attitudes about racism and institutional discrimination through their own racial identity development from the beginning to the end of the semester. In addition, pre-test and posttest surveys were used to refine and expand the major themes about student attitudes and skills. The survey results indicate that students develop a greater interest in working with culturally diverse service recipients; acquire a deeper understanding of economic and educational conditions that impact the community; and gain multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills by the end of the term. The combination of data from the quantitative and qualitative measures indicates that academic-based service learning (ABSL) is a useful pedagogy for teaching students multicultural skills. (Contains 5 tables.)
Mission Possible: Using Near-World Scenarios to Prepare Graduates for the Professions
Author: Errington, Edward Peter
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learning Strategies,Work Experience,Professional Development,Education Work Relationship,Case Method (Teaching Technique),Behavioral Objectives,Educational Objectives,Training Objectives,Performance Technology,Change Strategies,Strategic Planning,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries

A recent UK survey found many graduates unprepared for employment while employers placed greater value on transferable, employability skills rather than on specific ones. Increased student entry into professional-oriented programs, and subsequent pressures on work placements, have educators looking to alternative ways of providing safe, reproducible, authentic work experience, (Eland et al. 2010).Scenario-based learning (SBL), founded on the valuing of contextual knowledge, may provide one strategy for getting students closer to the realities of their intended profession through guided reflection on learning experiences designed to supplement rather than replace work placements. This paper has three main aims: The first is to clarify scenario-based learning as a learning strategy. The second is to note why and how some university teachers use it to prepare students for the professions. The final aim is to illuminate some ways by which teachers might optimize the learning potential to foster and sustain professional development.