ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Learning Communities: Foundations for First-Year Students' Development of Pluralistic Outcomes
Author: Soria, Krista M.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Freshmen,Communities of Practice,Student Participation,Leadership Training,Cultural Awareness,Interpersonal Competence,Cross Cultural Training,Research Universities,Student Surveys,Multiple Regression Analysis,Achievement Gains,First Year Seminars,Reading Programs,Learner Engagement,Sense of Community,Teacher Student Relationship,Educational Environment,Factor Analysis,Statistical Analysis

The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between first-year undergraduates' (n = 1,701) participation in learning communities and their development of leadership and multicultural competence. The sample included first-year students who were enrolled at six large, public research universities in 2012 and completed the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey. The results of hierarchical regression analyses suggest students who participated in learning communities reported significantly higher development of leadership and multicultural competence controlling for demographic variables, perceptions of leadership and multicultural competence when they started college, participation in other high-impact educational practices (i.e., first-year seminars, common book reading programs, and learning communities), academic engagement, sense of belonging, faculty interactions, and perceptions of campus climate.
An Integrated Interdisciplinary Faculty-Student Learning Community Focused on Water Issues: A Case Study
Author: Willermet, Cathy
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Student Relationship,Water,Case Studies,Communities of Practice,Teaching Methods,Interdisciplinary Approach,College Students,College Faculty,Water Quality,Learning Strategies,Integrated Curriculum,Curriculum Design

In response to a request from a campus student organization, faculty from three fields came together to develop and teach an integrated interdisciplinary course on water issues and social activism. This course, &quot;Water as Life, Death, and Power,&quot; brought together topics from the fields of anthropology, biology and chemistry to explore water rights, access to clean water, and water treatment methods. Students enrolled in the course developed projects related to a variety of local and global water issues to present real-world solutions at a university-wide student research showcase. This article describes how we organized the learning community, composed of students, faculty, and staff, and outlines the training process of developing a sense of community, content integration, and interdisciplinary teaching techniques.
Put Me In, Coach! Making the Academic Learning Community an Option for Student-Athletes
Author: Mamerow, Geoffrey P.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Athletic Coaches,Athletes,At Risk Students,Higher Education,College Students,Community Involvement,Communities of Practice,College Athletics,Community Programs

There is a growing recognition among researchers and practitioners alike that student-athletes are an &quot;at risk&quot; group of students in higher education today. More specifically, research has identified several specific negative conditions that impact student-athletes and threaten their success in college. Learning communities, on the other hand, have a longstanding and successful approach to supporting new college students, and many of the traditional benefits of learning community participation line up closely with the needs of student athletes. From our perspective, this close alignment presents an opportunity to leverage the powerful potential of learning communities to support a group of students who have not traditionally participated in these programs. In this piece, we put forth a research-based rationale, as well as a call for action, to consider the needs of student athletes in learning community design and recruit them into these unique programs.
Developing a Comprehensive Learning Community Program: Providing a Historical Perspective
Author: Workman, Jamie L.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Program Development,Partnerships in Education,Transformative Learning,Student Centered Learning,Communities of Practice,College Students,Dormitories,First Year Seminars,Residential Programs

This is the first of a three-part series which will share information about how a mid-size, comprehensive university developed a learning community program, including a residential curriculum. Through intentional collaboration and partnerships, the team, comprised of faculty and staff throughout the university, developed a &quot;multi-year plan for learning communities to help create and support an intentional, integrative and transformational experience that is student-centered, faculty-led, and administratively supported&quot; (UNI, 2014).
Human Securitability: A Participatory Action Research Study Involving Novice Teachers and Youngsters
Author: Kravale-Paulina, Marite
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Civics,Citizen Participation,Empowerment,Strategic Planning,Participatory Research,Action Research,Security (Psychology),Beginning Teachers,Children,Regional Planning,Guidelines,Quality of Life,Focus Groups,Persuasive Discourse,Essays,Content Analysis,Sustainable Development,Public Policy,Policy Formation,Geographic Regions,Masters Programs,Interviews,Qualitative Research

Civic participation, initiative and interest in current events can bridge the alienation felt towards national and municipal institutions, thereby enabling individuals to improve their quality of life and contribute to all-round sustainable development of their resident state. This paper reports on a participatory action research study into civic initiatives for securitability involving novice teachers and youngsters from the Latgale region of Latvia. Research participants evaluated national planning documents, enhanced their knowledge and devised civic initiatives to improve the quality of life. Focus group discussions and reasoned argumentative essays were employed to establish how novice teachers (n = 40) and youngsters (n = 58) make sense of the concept of &quot;human securitability&quot;. Data analysis was accomplished by qualitative content analysis. The action research exposed an initial understanding of novice teachers and youngsters regarding the human securitability and the possibilities of improving the quality of life. Moreover, this study provided an environment for the research participants to deepen their understanding of said phenomena and participate in educational events envisioning practical engagement with securitability and civic initiatives. The action research study created initiatives for the development of civic securitability and the participation in setting developmental goals.
Identical Profiles, Different Paths: Addressing Self-Selection Bias in Learning Community Cohorts
Author: Zobac, Stephanie
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Freshmen,First Year Seminars,Student Participation,Communities of Practice,Nonparametric Statistics,Statistical Inference,Sampling,Statistical Bias,Grade Point Average,Student Characteristics,College Readiness,Cohort Analysis,College Entrance Examinations,Scores,Comparative Analysis,Academic Achievement,School Holding Power,Educational Benefits

This article presents a method for addressing the self-selection bias of students who participate in learning communities (LCs). More specifically, this research utilizes equivalent comparison groups based on selected incoming characteristics of students, known as bootstraps, to account for self-selection bias. To address the differences in academic preparedness in the fall 2012 cohort, three stratified random samples of students were drawn from the non-LC population to match the LC cohort in mean ACT composite scores and mean high school percentile ranks. This process is called bootstrapping. The study suggests that LCs do impact student academic achievement and retention. The results indicate that LC students with similar entering characteristics to those of the bootstrap sample had higher rates for both GPA and retention than non-LC participants.
Using Analogies in Teaching Physics: A Study on Latvian Teachers' Views and Experience
Author: Jonane, Lolita
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Physics,Science Education,Figurative Language,Foreign Countries,Scientific Concepts,Secondary School Teachers,Interviews,Thinking Skills,Lifelong Learning,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research,Teacher Attitudes,Transfer of Training,Questionnaires,Content Analysis

The role of analogies as tools for teaching difficult science concepts has been widely discussed in science education. The application of analogies in the context of sustainable education involves richer potential. The purposeful use of appropriate analogies can facilitate analogical thinking and transfer skills, as well as develop abilities which are required for life and lifelong learning, including successful integration into modern society and facility within our technology saturated world. Analogical thinking supports development of students' higher order thinking skills. The aim of this study was to identify Latvian physics teachers' views on the importance of analogies and the methodology of their usage in physics education, as well as to discover innovative examples of analogies. The study involves both quantitative and qualitative methodology: survey of 35 secondary school physics teachers and group interviews with 18 experienced physics teachers. The findings reveal that, in general, now and then Latvian physics teachers use analogies in their pedagogical practice, although they are mostly simplistic and with illustrative character. Some teachers use analogies in order to help students build new knowledge through activating, transferring, and applying existing knowledge and skills in unfamiliar situations.
When the Due Date Is Not the &quot;Do&quot; Date!
Author: Mastrianni, Theresa M.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Assignments,College Students,Generational Differences,Time Management,Needs Assessment,College Readiness,Student Behavior,Influence of Technology,Student Responsibility,Self Management

Our students consistently hand in assignments late, or complete them at the last minute. Why is it that they know about assignments all term long yet only begin them the night before the assignment is due? Based on a career-focused learning community at Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York, this article looks at ways to help our &quot;millennial&quot; students develop better time management skills. It shows how time management and prioritizing can be introduced as a tool for success in college and life and offers suggestions to better engage students in getting assignments done in a timely manner.
Core Sciences in First-Year Learning Communities
Author: Richardson, Nicholas
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Communities of Practice,Science Education,College Science,Program Evaluation,Program Effectiveness,Chemistry,Writing (Composition),Interdisciplinary Approach,Writing Across the Curriculum

Learning communities (LCs) offer high-impact practices of active learning and practical application, but such practices demand devoted class time and room for reflection. Core science courses that serve as prerequisites for more advanced courses have specific and fixed content that offers no space in which to incorporate the ideals of LCs. Wagner College's three-course model for first-year LCs solves this conundrum by providing a Reflective Tutorial (RFT)--a course dedicated to critical thinking, frequent writing, reflection, and practical application through experiential learning--that bridges two content courses based on a well-developed theme. This structure allows any course appropriate for first-year students, including core science courses, to be incorporated in an LC. Two faculty members work as a team to create the three-course LC; each faculty member teaches one of the content courses to the same group of 24-28 students. The two instructors team teach the RFT or offer independent small sections of the RFT; the RFT replaces the traditional first-year writing course. Specific examples are provided of LCs incorporating a core science course.
Collaborative Approaches to Deepen Student Learning: Information Literacy, Curriculum Design, and Student Learning Workshops
Author: Hurvitz, Tate
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Information Literacy,Curriculum Design,Workshops,Teacher Student Relationship,Teacher Collaboration,Librarian Teacher Cooperation,Supplementary Education,Faculty Development,Partnerships in Education,Program Implementation,Program Evaluation,Enrichment Activities,Performance Factors,College Programs

Creating a collaborative environment across student services and instruction is often more challenging than it may first seem. Although effective collaboration is context specific, keeping student learning at the center of the work is a powerful element in successful collaborations. Grossmont College's first year experience program has attempted to create new patterns of behavior among faculty and students in order to foster the kinds of collaboration that can lead to deeper student learning, greater engagement and more success. In particular, an ongoing collaboration between the library, the professional development office, and a campus-wide supplemental student learning calendar serves as a good example of effective educational partnerships that have contributed to increased student success and retention.
Incentives and Barriers to OER Adoption: A Qualitative Analysis of Faculty Perceptions
Author: Belikov, Olga Maria
Date: 2016-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Incentives,Barriers,Shared Resources and Services,Resource Units,Adoption (Ideas),Qualitative Research,Teacher Attitudes,Coding,Usability,Access to Information,Student Costs,Educational Improvement,Faculty Workload,Educational Research,Library Services,Educational Resources,College Faculty,Teacher Surveys,National Surveys,Data Analysis,Information Seeking,Cost Effectiveness,Educational Benefits,Comparative Analysis

In this paper, 218 U.S. faculty responses regarding Open Educational Resources (OER) were qualitatively analyzed. Ten categories emerged in the coding process. The top three categories that indicated barriers to the adoption of OER were &quot;need more information&quot; (faculty wanted more information before they would be willing to adopt OER), &quot;lack of discoverability&quot; (faculty wanted to be able to easily find repositories of OER), and &quot;confusing OER with digital resources&quot; (faculty were unaware of the difference between digital resources and OER). The top incentives identified in this analysis to overcome these barriers include student cost benefits (saving students money), student pedagogical benefits (faculty being able to make changes to OER to improve course content and instruction), and institutional support for the adoption of OER (whether in the form of course load reduction, curricular research assistance, or library support for finding and adopting OER). Future research is needed to better understand how to address and overcome these barriers to OER adoption.
Examining Student Perception of an Open Statistics Book
Author: Illowsky, Barbara Sack
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Community Colleges,Two Year College Students,Student Attitudes,Shared Resources and Services,Resource Units,Statistics,Electronic Publishing,Textbooks,Use Studies,Student Surveys,Student Satisfaction,Access to Information,Student Costs,Educational Quality,Printed Materials,Comparative Analysis,Textbook Evaluation,Open Source Technology

The rise of Open Educational Resources (OER) research provides data that Open Textbooks and other forms of OER may be one cost saving approach for college and university students. Yet little research has been conducted around the attitudes and perceptions of the students using these Open Textbooks. This paper examines the perceptions that students have of the different versions of an open statistics textbook used over several years in one community college. Survey results show that students generally had at least as good of an experience using the open textbook compared to traditional textbooks. Suggestions for further research are discussed.
Exploratory Study of MOOC Learners' Demographics and Motivation: The Case of Students Involved in Groups
Author: Bayeck, Rebecca Yvonne
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Online Courses,Large Group Instruction,Student Characteristics,Demography,Student Motivation,Cooperative Learning,Geographic Location,Academic Achievement,Employment Level,Gender Differences,Enrollment,Academic Aspiration,Professional Development,College Students,Student Placement,Group Instruction,Student Surveys,Foreign Countries

This paper reports preliminary findings on students enrolled in a massive open online course, who were also assigned to work in groups. Part of a larger study on the effect of groups on retention and completion in MOOCs, the paper provides students' demographics (i.e., location, gender, education level, and employment status), and motivation for taking the course. Findings show that women outnumbered men and that students mostly enrolled into the course because of a friend. Indeed, research on MOOCs demonstrates that men outnumber women and that educational pursuit and professional development are the main motivators for taking MOOCs. Yet, this paper shows that when group work is included in a MOOC, women participate more. Furthermore, for students assigned to groups in a MOOC, friends are the principal incentive for enrolling into the course. These results are discussed in light of previous research, and implications for teaching and learning in online environments addressed.
It Is Time to Count Learning Communities
Author: Henscheid, Jean M.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Communities of Practice,National Surveys,College Students,Teaching Methods,Educational History,Educational Innovation,College Faculty,Educational Research

As the modern learning community movement turns 30, it is time to determine just how many, and what type, of these programs exist at America's colleges and universities. This article first offers a rationale for counting learning communities followed by a description of how disparate counts and unclear definitions hamper efforts to embed these programs ever more deeply into the fabric of higher education. Two &quot;camps&quot; of definitions are described as are existing national attempts to tally learning communities in each camp. The article concludes with recommendations that rely heavily on the collaborative spirit that animates learning communities. On its face, the (not so) simple act of counting may seem a labor-intensive sideline to the immediate task of supporting this work on individual campuses. This article makes the argument that undertaking a count aligns with efforts to improve the quality of this practice and is just the disciplined collective exercise the national movement needs as it enters its fourth decade.
Informed Faith and Reason: A Perspective on Learning Community Pedagogy
Author: DeIuliis, David
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Communities of Practice,College Students,Teaching Methods,Group Discussion,Social Justice,Constructivism (Learning),Religion,Institutional Mission,Interpersonal Relationship,Service Learning,Phenomenology,Semiotics,Interpersonal Communication,Hermeneutics

The curriculum of each learning community at Duquesne University is integrated around a shared theme. The integrated classes equip students to articulate their biases in reference to the theme. The residual effect of the thematic communities is a byproduct of pedagogy informed by theory and embodied in service. The learning communities at Duquesne invite students into an intellectual community guided by questions, not answers, where their perspectives are valued. In this perspective, I outline three theoretical frameworks--constructive hermeneutic, faith and reason, and the Duquesne mission- that informed my own pedagogy in Duquesne's &quot;Justitia&quot; learning community.
Washington Center's Online Student Survey Validation Study: Surfacing Students' Individual and Collective Understanding of Their Learning Community Experiences
Author: Malnarich, Gillies
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Online Surveys,Student Surveys,Validity,Mixed Methods Research,Student Experience,Learning Experience,Correlation,Teacher Behavior,College Faculty,Student Behavior,Critical Thinking,Factor Analysis,Student Responsibility,Cooperative Learning,Student Reaction,Discussion,College Curriculum,Community,College Students,Case Studies,Interviews

This article reports on findings from a mixed-methods validation study of the &quot;Online Survey of Students' Experiences of Learning in Learning Communities&quot;. In the quantitative part of the study, we found strong correlations among survey items related to faculty behaviors, student behaviors, and critical thinking. Factor analysis yielded four primary factors: faculty behaviors that support quality learning for all students; student behaviors that foster responsibility for their own learning; student behaviors that support collaborative learning; and, student and faculty behaviors that together create an academic learning community. For the qualitative part of the study, we worked with LC programs at four institutions to investigate whether students think about the survey items in the same way we do. These findings--and an in-depth analysis of student responses at one campus--led to unexpected outcomes and new insights regarding LC assessment, specifically what students are learning from one another. In response, we developed a companion tool to the online survey, the &quot;Peer-to-Peer Reflection Protocol.&quot; We conclude by addressing the potential of this guided discussion protocol to surface students' experiences of individual and collaborative learning.
Exploring Living Learning Community: Aiding Undecided Students' Decision Making or Simply a Residence Hall Option?
Author: Workman, Jamie L.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Freshmen,Communities of Practice,Dormitories,Majors (Students),Career Choice,Academic Advising,Semi Structured Interviews,Phenomenology,Grounded Theory,Theories,Student Personnel Services

This research explored first year undecided college student experiences with a Living Learning Community (LLC) designed to aid them in major and career decision making process. The study took place at a public high research Midwestern university. Twelve students who were undeclared majors when they began college participated in the study. The LLC's provides specific programming and academic advising for undecided students. The study examined student experiences with both the programmatic and advising components of the LLC. The project was conducted using grounded theory techniques, phenomenological perspective, and semi-structured interviewing technique. At the time of interview, some students had declared majors, while others had not. Themes emerged from the data, categorized into one of the four S's of Schlossberg's transition theory. The study provided insight into how students made meaning of their experiences which can aid professional practice for supporting this unique populations and creating effective Living Learning Communities with similar learning outcomes.