ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
An Exploration of Burnout among Online University Professors
Author: McCann, Jack Thomas
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Distance Education,Teacher Burnout,Virtual Universities,Online Courses,College Faculty,Teaching Methods,Teaching Conditions,Stress Variables,Correlation,Gender Differences,Educational Attainment,Conventional Instruction,Computer Uses in Education,Teaching Experience,Ethnicity,Age Differences,Preservice Teacher Education

Stress and burnout have emerged as a serious concern for today's higher education instructors. As the growth in distance education continues, the demands on online academics will increase, potentially leading to the burnout. This study examined the correlation between years of online work experience, gender, educational level, academic training, and burnout. The correlation was not found to be significant among these areas. In addition, this research examined stress among higher education faculty members with online courses. The analysis revealed there were appreciable differences in syndromes for burnout when comparing online and traditional teaching methods. In fact, it appears as though online instructors are less stressed than their face-to-face counterparts. (Contains 9 tables.)
The Effectiveness of Instructional Methods Based on Learning Style Preferences of Agricultural Students: A Research Tool for Continuous Improvement for Faculty in Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs
Author: Fazarro, Dominick E.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Control Groups,Research Tools,Cognitive Style,Grade Point Average,Soil Science,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Agricultural Education,Intermode Differences,Academic Achievement,Educational Improvement,Student Surveys,Interest Inventories

This study was conducted to research learning style preferences of agriculture students. Specifically, the objectives which guided the study were: (1) to determine the learning style preferences of undergraduate agricultural students enrolled in a given Soil Science course and (2) to ascertain if there were differences in the students' course grade average (CGA) in the given Soil Science course when the treatment group were taught according to their learning style preferences versus the control group. For research question two, there was a hypothesis statement to determine if modifying the instructional approach to the students' learning style preference for the treatment group produces a higher course grade average (CGA) than the control group. The Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) was used to obtain the students' preferred learning style preferences. Results indicate that modifying the instructional approach to the students' learning styles preference (Structure) would result in a higher course grade average (CGA) for the treatment group versus the control group. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)
Immigrant Asian Indians in the U.S.: A Population at Risk for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
Author: Misra, Ranjita
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Health Education,Health Promotion,Prevention,Diabetes,Asian Americans,Indians,Immigrants,Genetic Disorders,Heart Disorders,At Risk Persons,Culturally Relevant Education,Life Style,Body Composition,Hypertension

Asian Indians are the third largest and fastest growing Asian subgroup in the U.S. and considered the model minority due to their high education and income level. Unlike other Asian immigrants, they are a more heterogeneous group with a genetic predisposition for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Current national surveys are incapable of assessing risk factors and disease prevalence in specific Asian subpopulations because multiple ethnic groups are aggregated into the general category of &quot;Asian and Pacific Islander,&quot; and because sample sizes of individual Asian sub-groups are small. This literature review highlights the need for large population-based studies to examine prevalence rate and changes in clinical and non-clinical risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease among the growing immigrant Asian Indians in the United States. Implications for primary and secondary prevention and health promotion/health education are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)
Academic Red-Shirting among Children with Learning Disabilities
Author: Barnard-Brak, Lucy
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Intervention,Learning Disabilities,Academic Achievement,Kindergarten,Special Education,Young Children,Enrollment,School Entrance Age,Age Grade Placement,Elementary School Students,Measures (Individuals)

The current study examined whether the parental practice of delayed kindergarten entrance, also known as academic red-shirting, was associated with gains in academic achievement among children with learning disabilities. Results indicate no significant differences in the academic achievement among children with learning disabilities who were delayed in their kindergarten entrance and those who entered on time. A discussion of special education intervention services and future research concludes the study. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)
Join the Conversation: Teaching Students to "Cook"--Promoting Reading in the First Year Experience Course
Author: Self Trand, Patsy A.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learning Strategies,Critical Thinking,Lesson Plans,Student Reaction,Reading Achievement,Academic Achievement,College Freshmen,School Holding Power,Enrollment,Critical Reading,Intervention,Socialization,Reading Strategies,Reading Programs,Reading Instruction,Course Content,Grade Point Average,Models

The current trend in First Year Experience (FYE) courses is to add critical thinking through reading and writing. Research now suggests this design for a learning strategy based FYE course improves retention rates. This paper provides methods of incorporating critical thinking through reading and learning into the FYE course curriculum through a common reading lesson plan and a sample lesson plan that teaches the four vectors of critical thinking through reading and learning. Student responses to the lessons indicate usefulness for college success. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)
SI Plus: A Program Description and an Analysis of Student Feedback
Author: Jarrett, Courtney J.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Student Attitudes,Program Descriptions,Supplementary Education,Enrollment,Surveys,Satisfaction,Higher Education,Study Skills

To enhance the establishment of study behaviors, the traditional model of Supplemental Instruction was complemented with study strategies presented within a World Civilizations classroom to all the enrolled students. Organization of the program, delivery of the study strategies, and student reactions are discussed. During the six semester study from Fall 2004 to Spring 2007, results of student satisfaction surveys conducted at the completion of the semester indicated high satisfaction ratings regarding the enhanced SI model, not only for the course itself but also for the students' ability to apply their newly learned study stills in other classes. (Contains 1 table.)
e-Learning Indicators: A Multi-Dimensional Model for Planning and Evaluating e-Learning Software Solutions
Author: Fetaji, Bekim
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Research Methodology,Outcomes of Education,Learning Strategies,Audiences,Decision Making,Computer Software,Evaluation,Focus Groups,Questionnaires,Surveys,Grounded Theory,Distance Education,Cognitive Style,Multiple Intelligences,Higher Education

As a number of recent studies suggest applications of networked computers in education have very inconsistent results ranging from success stories to complete failures. Literally, thousands of e-learning projects have been carried out that greatly differ in their outcomes. Until now, however, there is no systematic or a standardized way of planning, comparing and evaluating e-learning projects, their outcomes, and their effectiveness. Therefore, the main objective of this research was an investigation of possible approaches to systematic planning, development and evaluation of e-learning initiatives and their corresponding e-learning projects. The result of this work is a multidimensional model of e-learning Indicators that are defined as the important concepts and factors that are used to communicate information about the level of e-learning and used to make management decisions when planning e-learning strategy. The lack of knowledge of the learner audience as well as of the factors influencing that audience and e-learning projects overall results in failing to provide satisfactory support in the decision making process. In order to address this issue, an approach dealing with e-learning indicators is proposed. Having a standardised guide of e-learning indicators accepted by the scientific community enables comparison and evaluation of different initiatives regarding e-learning in a standardised manner. The proposed E-learning Indicators Methodology enables successful planning, comparison and evaluation of different e-learning projects. It represents an empirical methodology that gives concrete results expressed through numbers that could be analysed and later used to compare and conclude its e-learning efficiency. A practical value of this approach was analyzed in the realized comparative analyses of two different institutions using different LMS tools: Angel and Moodle focusing on comparison and evaluation of e-learning indicators of these two e-learning projects. With the application of this methodology in e-learning projects it is more likely to achieve better results and higher efficiency as well as higher Return on Investment-ROI. (Contains 36 figures.)
Towards a Fusion of Formal and Informal Learning Environments: The Impact of the Read/Write Web
Author: Hall, Richard
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Informal Education,Learning Processes,Profiles,Educational Environment,Educational Opportunities,Social Networks,Higher Education,Foreign Countries,Learning Experience,Evaluation,Educational Technology

The read/write web, or Web 2.0, offers ways for users to personalise their online existence, and to develop their own critical identities though their control of a range of tools. Exerting control enables those users to forge new contexts, profiles and content through which to represent themselves, based upon the user-centred, participative, social networking affordances of specific technologies. In turn these technologies enable learners to integrate their own contexts, profiles and content, in order to develop informal associations or communities of inquiry. Within educational contexts these tools enable spaces for learners to extend their own formal learning into more informal places though the fusion of web-based tools into a task-oriented personal learning environment. The personal definition or fusion of tools and tasks is afforded through individual control over the learning environment. The flowering of personal learning aims, mediated by technologies and rules of engagement, occurs within task-specific loops where learners can interpret and process epistemological signals. In turn, where those loops are located within broader, personalised environments students can make contextual sense of their learning and extend their own educational opportunities. Moreover, they can extend their own academic decision-making through application in other contexts, and as a result manage their own academic uncertainties. This is evidenced through a thematic study of the voices of both learners and tutors, which highlights how the read/write web can be used proactively by educators, using specific tasks to enable learners to fuse their informal and formal learning spaces, and thereby enhance their decision-making confidence. The structuring of learning spaces that enable users and social networks to manage their educational processes is enhanced by read/write web approaches and tools, and in this paper is defined through a Fused Learner Integration model. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)
An e-Class in Action: Experiences with ICT-Intensive Teaching and Learning of Discrete Dynamical Models at Secondary School
Author: Heck, Andre
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Multimedia Materials,Instructional Materials,Secondary School Teachers,Educational Environment,Mathematics Instruction,Teaching Methods,Information Technology,Models,Secondary Schools,Higher Education,Science Education

In 2007, a small team of university and secondary school teachers jointly developed and piloted an e-class for 4th and 5th grade students (age: 16-17 yrs) at both pre-university and general vocational level. The goal was to develop and try out innovative ways of teaching mathematics that would enable schools to offer optional courses for small numbers of students. The e-class can be summarized as web-supported instruction in a blended learning approach. The instructional material consisted of the chapter on discrete dynamical models from a brand-new mathematics textbook, supplemented by investigative activities. Students could build and simulate dynamical models with the computer learning environment Coach. Instructions for learning to work with software were given through screen casts created by the teacher to gear with students' needs and made available in the Sakai-based virtual learning environment. Students got weekly on-line assignments, which they submitted digitally. At home they could get assistance from peers and the teacher in a chat room. We discuss some of the e-ingredients of the e-class and their potential for teaching and learning mathematics and science in terms of principled design approaches to multimedia learning and pedagogical arrangements. We report the experiences of the participants of the project and present the future plans based on this work. (Contains 3 tables and 6 figures.)
Realizing Wisdom Theory in Complex Learning Networks
Author: Kok, Ayse
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Evaluation,Models,Educational Technology,Electronic Learning,Academic Discourse,Stimuli,Computer Networks

The word "wisdom" is rarely seen in contemporary technology and learning discourse. This conceptual paper aims to provide some clear principles that answer the question: How can we establish wisdom in complex learning networks? By considering the nature of contemporary calls for wisdom the paper provides a metatheoretial framework to evaluate the appropriateness of the characteristics of learning technologies in the postmodern context. By taking into account the complexities of paradox and uncertainty in contemporary life, the paper also indicates where future research would be best directed and considers how wisdom might practically be applied via use of learning technologies.
e-Learning Success Model: An Information Systems Perspective
Author: Lee-Post, Anita
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Distance Education,Action Research,Research Methodology,Online Courses,Information Systems,Systems Development,Undergraduate Students,Higher Education,Business Administration Education,Models,Pilot Projects,Success,Evaluation,Internet,Computer Assisted Instruction

This paper reports the observations made and experience gained from developing and delivering an online quantitative methods course for Business undergraduates. Inspired by issues and challenges experienced in developing the online course, a model is advanced to address the question of how to guide the design, development, and delivery of successful e-learning initiatives based on theories of a user-centered information systems development paradigm. The benefits of using the proposed model for e-learning success assessment is demonstrated through four cycles of action research after two action research cycles of pilot study. Findings from our empirical study confirm the value of an action research methodology for promoting e-learning success. The paper concludes with a discussion on the merits of the proposed model in furthering our understanding of how to define, assess, and promote e-learning success. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)
Impact of Communication Patterns, Network Positions and Social Dynamics Factors on Learning among Students in a CSCL Environment
Author: Sundararajan, Binod
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cooperative Learning,Electronic Learning,Computer Mediated Communication,Network Analysis,Structural Equation Models,Synchronous Communication,Path Analysis,Social Networks,Peer Influence,Group Dynamics,Distance Education,Student Attitudes,College Students,Student Motivation

At present, it is difficult to assess the quality of learning in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) environments, because standard pretest and posttest measures do not capture the differences in the learner's ability to engage in the material, pose interesting new questions, engage others in learning and work collaboratively. This research investigates the impact of communication patterns, network positions and social dynamics factors on students' self-perception of learning in a CSCL environment. The study involved a combination of methodologies combining questionnaires, and archiving of communication logs for data collection. Social network analysis tools were used to analyze relational data, map emergent student communication patterns and calculate centrality scores based on the electronic and face-to-face communication patterns among class members in the CSCL environment. Structural equation modeling was then performed on the hypotheses model to determine the impact of these centrality measures and the social factors on students' perceptions of knowledge gained and their satisfaction with their performance in the course.
Mobile City and Language Guides--New Links between Formal and Informal Learning Environments
Author: Bo-Kristensen, Mads
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Informal Education,Maps,Geographic Location,Internet,Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,College Students,Secondary School Students,Experiential Learning,Teaching Methods,Educational Technology,Computer Uses in Education,Web Sites,Handheld Devices,Computer Software,Computer System Design,Second Language Programs,Geographic Information Systems,Student Developed Materials,Teacher Developed Materials

One of the major challenges in second and foreign language education, is to create links between formal and informal learning environments. Mobile City and Language Guides present examples of theoretical and practical reflections on such links. This paper presents and discusses the first considerations of Mobile City and Language Guides in language centres, upper secondary schools and universities. The core concept of Mobile City and Language Guides is geotagging. Geographical locations can be geotagged either through GPS or by marking positions directly in, e.g., Google Earth or Google Maps. Students or teachers can add various kinds of information to geotags: Photos, audio, text, movies, links, vocabulary and various language tasks. This allows the student, in self-defined learning contexts, to down- and upload location-based materials with his or her mobile phone, for immediate or later processing. More and more students are able to afford mobile phones with multimedia and broadband Internet. The potentials of user-generated mobile- and web-based content are increasing. In these years, the internet is moving from the so-called Web 1.0 to the more user-centered Web 2.0, i.e. Weblogs, YouTube, Google Maps, MySpace, FlickR, etc. In an educational context, Web 2.0 represents an interesting development of the relatively monologue Web 1.0, where traditional homepages often only allow minimal interaction with the site content. This paper investigates the opportunities that Mobile City and Language Guides seem to give second and foreign language students to learn from informal, location-based, experience-based and authentic materials; and discusses how language centres, upper secondary education and universities can involve informal learning contexts through student use of mobiles with broadband and Internet technology supporting second and foreign learning. Mobile City and Language Guides is only of several possible mobile and Internet-based language educational scenarios. The challenge for the future, therefore, is to develop and implement new, meaningful and exciting scenarios that strengthen the linkages between formal and informal learning environments. (Contains 2 figures.)
Some Factors to Consider when Designing Semi-Autonomous Learning Environments
Author: Bouchard, Paul
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Personal Autonomy,Educational Technology,Educational Environment,Learner Controlled Instruction,Active Learning,Performance Factors,Interviews,Online Courses,Adult Students,Aptitude Treatment Interaction,Delivery Systems,Design Requirements,Courseware

This research aims to answer the question, "in what ways do mediated learning environments support or hinder learner autonomy?" Learner autonomy has been identified as one important factor in the success of mediated learning environments. The central aspect of learner autonomy is the control that the learner exercises over the various aspects of learning, beginning with the decision to learn or not to learn. But as Candy (1995) points out, there are several areas where learner-control can be exercised. The first are the motivational-intentional forces that drive the learner to apply some determination (or "vigour") to the act of learning. They are the conative functions of learning and include learner intiative, motivation and personal involvement. They are often associated with life goals that are independent of the actual learning goals pursued within the strict confines of the learning environment (Long, 1994). The second area of learner-control is the one comprising the "nuts-and-bolts" of the act of learning, such as defining learning goals, deciding on a learning sequence, choosing a workable pacing of learning activities, and selecting learning resources (Hrimech & Bouchard, 1998). These are the algorithmic aspects of learning, and in traditional schooling, they are the sole responsibility of the teacher. In mediated learning environments, it can be shared between the platform and the actual learner. Just a few years ago, learner control was necessarily limited to these two sets of features, conative and algorithmic. Today however, with the proliferation of educational offerings in both the private and public sector, as well as the developments in educational technology, two other aspects of the learning environment emerge as important areas where learner-control can be exercised. The semiotic dimension of learner-control includes the symbolic platforms used to convey information and meaning, for example web "pages", hypertext, video/audio multimedia, animation, each of these bringing with them their own specific set of possibilities and limitations for autonomy in learning. And then again, all learning environments exist in their own distinct economic sphere where decisions about whether, what and how to learn are made on the basis of cost-benefit, opportunity cost, and extrinsic market value. We will examine the implications of each of these areas of learner-control, and share our analysis of a series of interviews with cyber-learners, based on this framework of conative, algorithmic, semiotic and economic factors. (Contains 1 figure.)