ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Online Learning in Higher Education during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of Ghana
Author: Agormedah, Edmond Kwesi
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,COVID-19,Pandemics,Higher Education,School Closing,Online Courses,Distance Education,College Students,Student Attitudes,Social Media,Integrated Learning Systems,Telecommunications,Handheld Devices,Laptop Computers,Access to Computers,Technological Literacy,Costs,Readiness,Internet

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major concern across the globe affecting nation's socio-economic development including education. It has pushes many HEIs in world to move into remote learning as a substitute of in-person instruction. The study explored students' response to online learning in higher education in Ghana. The study was guided by three research questions. Descriptive survey design was adopted and online questionnaire was used to gather data from 467 students in a higher education of Ghana. The data was analysed using frequency and percentage. Overall, the study found that students had positive response to online learning. They knew of online learning and some of the platforms like UCC Moodle platform, Alison and Google classroom. They would also like to use other social media platforms. They would use smart phone and laptop for the online learning. However, they were not ready for online learning because they lacked formal orientation and training, perceived lack of constant access to internet connectivity and financial unpreparedness. Management of the university should provide resources to help students assess whether they are ready to take an online course and offer suggestions for preparation. Since internet accessibility is expensive in Ghana at the moment, management of the university should hold negotiations with Cellular operators for educational discount for distance students. Academic staff should provide instructional support through instructional activities that can help students in appraising their readiness, gaining the needed skills to learn online and consider using flexible approaches to teaching and deadlines to accommodate students with reliable Wi-Fi or broadband access challenges as well as emotional response to help student ensure smooth transition to emergency remote learning/teaching.
How Superintendents Use Technology to Engage Stakeholders
Author: Richardson, Jayson W.
Date: 2020-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Superintendents,Technology Uses in Education,Stakeholders,Technology Integration,Computer Mediated Communication,Social Media,Faculty Development,Technological Literacy,Technological Advancement,Organizational Change

The job of the modern superintendent involves engaging with a variety of stakeholders in meaningful, yet impactful ways. The current study was designed to understand how superintendents leverage technology to engage school level stakeholders (principals, teachers, and students) through technology generally, and about technology integration specifically. Data were collected from interviews with 14 superintendents across the United States. Three themes emerged: collaborating and communicating with stakeholders was vital for stakeholder engagement; providing relevant and timely professional development opportunities for stakeholders was a key lever for stakeholder engagement; and it was essential to nurture a technology-infused learning culture for all stakeholders across the district.
Online Teaching Experiences of ELT Instructors
Author: Sener, Burcu
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Virtual Classrooms,Barriers,Teacher Attitudes,Language Teachers,English (Second Language),College Faculty,Internet,Student Motivation,Personal Autonomy,Financial Problems,Communication Problems,Faculty Workload,Well Being,Interaction,Emergency Programs,COVID-19,Pandemics,Private Colleges,Foreign Countries

Online teaching can be regarded as a central phenomenon among researchers, educators and students globally. Especially after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, almost all the institutions around the world felt the necessity to deliver such rapid online education to their students, possibly without sufficient preparation. Considering the current educational situation, this study was conducted with 39 participants at a private university in Istanbul, Turkey. The aim of this cross-sectional survey design study is to explore the perceptions of English instructors about online teaching, in terms of the technical, pedagogical and institutional problems they have experienced; therefore, a survey including both Likert Scale and open-ended questions were used to explore these issues in depth. The responses coming from Likert scale questions were analyzed in terms of frequency since the sample size is small. Open-ended responses of participants were analyzed through content analysis. The findings indicate that participants have experienced a lack of technical equipment for virtual classes, an increase in the workload, and a lack of financial support by the institution, despite the high number of participants reporting they got emotional support from their colleagues. Besides, the areas where they find most problematic are being able to create interaction opportunities in virtual classes, students' low motivation, students' lack of autonomy, lack of standardization in the faculty as well as general internet connectivity issues. Despite all the issues, yet most participants reported they have a positive attitude towards online teaching.
The Lived Experiences of Faculty Members with Disabilities in Turkish Universities: Implications for Higher Education Leadership and Management
Author: Aytas, Havanur
Date: 2020-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Disabilities,Teachers,College Faculty,Teaching Experience,Foreign Countries,Leadership Responsibility,Attitudes toward Disabilities,Social Bias,Teacher Recruitment,Job Satisfaction,Equal Opportunities (Jobs),Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Bullying,Teacher Student Relationship,Teacher Administrator Relationship,Peer Relationship,Teaching Conditions

One of the most neglected forms of diversity, disability, often results in discrimination in a community. Nevertheless, more higher education institutions are working toward creating more inclusive settings, even though this work predominantly regards students with disabilities, not much of faculty members. The study examined the faculty members' lived experiences with disabilities in their work-life in higher education institutions in Turkey. Faculty work and disability are the two main issues of this study. While the social model of disability mainly guides the research to examine the concept of disability, faculty work theory helps to contextualize the concept in a higher education setting. This study is phenomenological research carried out with semi-structured interviews with 15 participants. Overall results showed that the faculty members mostly experience exclusion shaped by colleagues, administrators, and institutions. Both encouraging and inhibiting faculty members' experiences depend on their colleagues, university, type of institution, type of disability, and mainly the administrative attitude. To promote faculty members' full participation in academic life, higher education leaders are expected to restrain the exclusion of the faculty members with disabilities and be committed to offering complete accessibility on campuses.
Reflexivity: An Essential Feature of Teacher Leadership in Mexico, Colombia and Spain
Author: Fierro-Evans, Cecilia
Date: 2021-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Leadership,Cross Cultural Studies,Faculty Development,Educational Policy,Policy Analysis,Comparative Education,Teacher Characteristics,Reflection,Correlation,Discourse Analysis,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Teacher Attitudes,Equal Education,Social Justice,Pedagogical Content Knowledge

This article presents a comparative analysis of educational policy documents on leadership and teacher development in Spain, Colombia, and Mexico, countries that are represented in the International Study of Teacher Leadership (ISTL) (Webber, 2018). We are comparing public policies in three participating countries that do not declare an explicit discourse on teacher leadership. This work presents some elements to answer whether teacher reflexivity is an essential attribute of teacher leadership, especially in highly complex contexts. To answer this question, we explored content on reflexivity in central public policy documents related to teachers and their professional development. We also reviewed academic materials related to teacher leadership. The results show that reflection is an appropriate category to explore the association between the international discourse on teacher leadership -- especially in highly complex contexts --and the discourse in these countries on teacher development, without making any reference to the concept of teacher leadership.
Sustainable Teacher Leadership
Author: Webber, Charles F.
Date: 2021-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teacher Leadership,Documentation,Stakeholders,Student Diversity,Educational Innovation,Diversity,Learner Engagement,Community Involvement,21st Century Skills,Reflection,Leadership Qualities,Sustainability,Principals,Administrator Role,Leadership Training,Faculty Development,Teacher Competencies,Barriers

This report describes how teacher leadership is represented in the official documentation of key educational stakeholders in Alberta, Canada. Six themes emerged from the researchers' document analysis: foundational understandings; student diversity; innovative curriculum and student engagement; community engagement; 21st century competencies; and reflection and professional learning. Analysis of the idealized themes resulted in the identification of issues that may challenge teacher leaders. It is unlikely that teacher leaders can demonstrate competence in every theme area. Teacher leaders must necessarily prioritize some professional commitments in order to work sustainably. Several considerations were derived from the inherent tensions. The considerations were used to derive a composite profile of teacher leaders with the capacity to serve, influence, and thrive.
The Importance of Making-While-Reading for Undergraduate Readers: An Example of Inductive SoTL
Author: Hovland, Ingie
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Reading,Creative Activities,Religion Studies,College Instruction,Assignments,Student Journals,Concept Mapping

This paper gives an example of an inductive Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) process, adapting Anthony Ciccone's five conditions of a meaningful SoTL question. Presenting a study on pre-class reading in an undergraduate religion class, I describe how my question went through five life stages. I began with nine different pre-class reading assignments. Students judged the &quot;map&quot; assignment to be most helpful. This led to a further question: why maps? In a close reading of students' reading reflections, two themes stood out: students experienced maps as helping them create a mental overview of the reading, and maps facilitated greater ownership of the act of reading. In conclusion, I argue that humanities instructors who wish to teach advanced reading skills can start by providing pre-class assignments that allow for making-while-reading, and that this making should not be merged with other reading steps. In an epilogue I reflect on the inductive research process. I suggest that SoTL scholars who use this process may reach an impasse when deciding how to present meaningful answers because their conceptual answers will stand in tension with SoTL's practical orientation. I propose focusing on conceptual generalization (rather than empirical generalization), while still foregrounding a balance between &quot;what works&quot; and &quot;what is.&quot;
The Scholarship of Critique and Power
Author: Martin-Thomsen, T. Camille
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Criticism,Feedback (Response),Power Structure,Teacher Student Relationship,Peer Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Cultural Influences,Expertise,Role

Critique can be defined as disciplinary feedback, analysis, or assessment provided to an individual or within a group, be it a classroom or a team. At a fundamental level, it is an exchange of ideas, impressions, evaluations, opinions, reflections, judgments, speculations, or suggestions to oneself or between two or more participants in a defined context. Scholars describe critique as a signature pedagogy in many disciplines, a cornerstone of the educational experience. There has been scant critical analysis of how critique also represents a performance of power with roots in positions of authority, expertise, or assigned roles. Such power dynamics have been explored in some areas within SoTL, for example in scholarship on assessment, epistemic disobedience, social justice, feminist pedagogies, and critical race theory. However, this has not been the case generally within the scholarship on critique. To better understand the dimensions of power in the context of critique we developed a conceptual framework that can be applied at the individual level (teacher to student, student to student) as well as the systemic level (critique as a construct of cultural hegemony in a specific episteme). Drawing from theoretical and pedagogical literature in areas such as cultural studies, whiteness studies, design education, and assessment, the conceptual framework defines power in three main expressions: power as inequity, power as authority, and power as cultural hegemony. The framework can be used to identify and define power within the critique context and to also inform reflection and shift perspectives at various academic levels.
Building Resilience: Reducing the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences
Author: Herndon, Martha
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Resilience (Psychology),Stress Variables,Biochemistry,Trauma,Child Development,Risk,Well Being,Brain Hemisphere Functions,Caring,Trust (Psychology),Physiology,Prevention,Preschool Education,Infants,Toddlers,Classroom Techniques,Empathy,Teacher Student Relationship,Safety,Self Esteem

The development of young children can be disrupted by repeated stress because stress triggers a response which changes the chemistry of their bodies (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (NSCDC), 2014). Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is used to describe stressful or traumatic experiences which threaten children's development. The degree to which children are impacted by ACEs varies due to a variety of factors such as age and gender, severity and duration of exposure, and the presence or absence of supportive adults. ACEs create risk but are not fate. However, there is evidence that toxic stress does have the potential to impact a child's future outcomes (Centers for Disease Control Vital Signs, 2019; Tennessee Department of Health, 2015). Brain development is at the highest level during the early years. Stress can be damaging to health and well-being if activated too often or for too long (toxic stress). Adrenaline and cortisol are produced in response to stress and prepare the body to respond to adversity. Sustained or frequent stress can lead to impairment in brain architecture and developing organs affecting learning, memory, and self-regulation (NSCDC, 2014; NSCDC, 2020). ACEs are preventable. Safe, stable, and nurturing relationships help children reach their potentials and reduce the likelihood and harm linked to ACEs (CDC, 2019). Resilience is built by supplying safe environments, giving caring attention, building trusting relationships, listening to feelings, responding in positive ways, and providing opportunities for success (Pizzolongo &amp; Hunter, 2011).
The Wicked and the Logical: Facilitating Integrative Learning among Introductory Computing Students
Author: Stone, Jeffrey A.
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Introductory Courses,Computer Science Education,Interdisciplinary Approach,Integrated Activities,Learning Activities,College Instruction,Student Attitudes,Problem Solving,Sustainability,Programming,Learning Processes,Reflection,Writing (Composition),College Students

Higher education has embraced integrative learning as a means of enabling students to tackle so-called &quot;wicked&quot; problems, i.e. problems that are sufficiently complex, contested, and ambiguous that conventional, disciplinary specific approaches are inadequate to address. However, challenges remain in defining integrative learning consistently and effectively, especially because the cognitive processes that make up an integrative learning experience are not understood fully. This mixed-methods study was designed to help understand how students perceive, navigate, and resolve challenges that require them to integrate knowledge of one &quot;wicked&quot; subject (sustainability) with the skills of a practice rooted in mathematical logic (computer programming); how they express their integrative learning through reflective writing; and how we gain a stronger understanding of this process through linguistic analysis. The findings suggest that some students demonstrated the ability to integrate computational reasoning skills into socially relevant contexts more successfully, confidently, and in more well-rounded ways than others, though success required ways of thinking that extended beyond programming. The findings also underscore the potential need for reconceptualizing integrative teaching and learning in fields that have problem-solving traditions rooted in less &quot;wicked&quot; solutions.
Using Asynchronous, Online Discussion Forums to Explore How Life Sciences Students Approach an Ill-Structured Problem
Author: Yeong, Foong May
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Asynchronous Communication,Discussion Groups,Biological Sciences,Problem Solving,Critical Thinking,Thinking Skills,Protocol Analysis,Undergraduate Students,Electronic Learning,Computer Mediated Communication,Instructional Design,Foreign Countries

To foster students' learning of critical-thinking skills, I previously introduced ill-structured problems to provide students opportunities to apply content knowledge and thinking skills. However, I noted that my third-year, life sciences students were not solving such problems effectively. Therefore, I used a grounded approach and conducted content analysis of students' forum discussions to understand their problem-solving approaches. The students worked in small groups using asynchronous, online discussion forums (AODFs) to discuss their approaches to solving an ill-structured problem posed. Each group submitted their solution to the problem in an essay. From my analysis of students' posts at AODFs, students seemed fairly competent in using domain-specific knowledge and certain domain-general skills in scientific argumentation. However, they lacked the ability to properly define the problem scope and, consequently, failed to address the problem adequately. The study illuminated students' challenges and provided me possible ways to plan relevant scaffolds in subsequent iterations of the activity.
What Is the Price of Excellence in Learning and Teaching? Exploring the Costs and Benefits for Diverse Academic Staff Studying Online for a GCHE Supporting the SoTL
Author: Owens, Alison
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Faculty,Educational Certificates,Faculty Development,Teacher Effectiveness,College Instruction,Learning,Postsecondary Education as a Field of Study,School Culture,Program Effectiveness

In the wake of policy, technology, and ideological disruptions in Western higher education, it is in universities' interests to improve the quality of their learning and teaching to meet changed expectations. In some countries, particularly anglophone countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, the medium for this improvement is often professional development of academic staff provided through a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (GCHE). This paper presents mixed methods research conducted at an Australian University. It addresses the questions of how a GCHE contributes to teaching quality and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) from the perspective of course participants and their educators in the context of a university wide strategy to promote a culture of excellence in learning and teaching. Data and analysis indicate significant benefits to academic staff, their students, and the host institution from completion of a GCHE. However, tensions around academic workloads, compulsion, and some contradictions in espoused educational values and managerialist impositions emerge in these advancements. The educators in the GCHE (academic developers) were sometimes caught in the crossfire. Their reflections on this experience are included in the data and analysis.
What Type of Debrief Is Best for Learning during Think-Pair-Shares?
Author: Barrett, Martin
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Active Learning,Computer Science Education,College Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Cognitive Processes,Difficulty Level,Graduate Students,Masters Programs

Copious research demonstrates the benefits of adding active learning to traditional lectures to enhance learning and reduce failure/withdrawal rates. However, many questions remain about how best to implement active learning to maximize student outcomes. This paper investigates several &quot;second generation&quot; questions regarding infusing active learning, via Think-Pair-Share (TPS), into a large lecture course in Computer Science. During the &quot;Share&quot; phase of TPS, what is the best way to debrief the associated course concepts with the entire class? Specifically, does student learning differ when instructors debrief the rationale for every answer choice (full debrief) versus only the correct answer (partial debrief)? And does the added value for student outcomes vary between tasks requiring recall versus deeper comprehension and/or application of concepts? Regardless of discipline, these questions are relevant to instructors implementing TPS with multiple-choice questions, especially in large lectures. Similar to prior research, when lectures included TPS, students performed significantly better (~13%) on corresponding exam items. However, students' exam performance depended on both the type of debrief and exam questions. Students performed significantly better (~5%) in the full debrief condition than the partial debrief condition. Additionally, benefits of the full debrief condition were significantly stronger (~5%) for exam questions requiring deeper comprehension and/or application of underlying Computer Science processes, compared to simple recall. We discuss these results and lessons learned, providing recommendations for how best to implement TPS in large lecture courses in STEM and other disciplines.