ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Open Educational Resources (OER): Opportunities and Challenges for Indian Higher Education
Author: Dutta, Indrajeet
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Resource Units,Computer Uses in Education,Shared Resources and Services,Educational Opportunities,Higher Education,Educational Quality,Educational Resources,Educational Innovation,Technological Advancement,Teacher Empowerment,Multilingual Materials,Outreach Programs,Government School Relationship,Educational Change,Sustainability,Global Approach,Computer Networks,Demography,Educational Benefits

Creation of knowledge workers holds key for success of a country. Unfortunately, many of the countries though having chain of human resources yet are unable to transform human resources to their advantage as they face multiple challenges like poverty, poor economy, poor infrastructure, limited access to education and inadequate technological growth. Fortunately, India is one of among such countries in the recent past which has improved its position in the world forum and has taken a big stride by transforming human resource into knowledge workers. The entire credit goes to government of India, their schemes and most importantly the people working tirelessly in the higher education institutions. But, the percentage is very low. The reason is higher education of India is plagued with several challenges like poor quality of teachers, poor infrastructure, poor libraries and poor educational resources. Unless high quality of education both in terms of infrastructure and academic is not provided and sustained in all higher education institutes, it will be difficult to match with global world. One way it could be done at least in academic front is developing and disseminating quality educational material among the institutes of higher education. National Knowledge Commission has recommended that problems of educational material to a large extent can be reduced by Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Access (OA). The easy and widespread availability of high quality educational material will change the paradigm of teaching and learning and thus improve the quality of education. Government of India has started several innovative programs and schemes like SHAKSHAT, NMEICT, NPTEL, OSCAR, E-grid etc. related to developing and disseminating educational resources. The national and global level are tremendous but it comes with many challenges specifically in a country like India which has a diversified population. The present paper will try to focus on the opportunities and challenges with respect to OER in Indian higher education.
Children in Need of Protection: Reporting Policies in British Columbia School Boards
Author: Shewchuk, Samantha
Date: 2016-04-10
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Child Abuse,Sexual Abuse,Child Safety,Boards of Education,School Policy,Disclosure,Documentation,Legislation,Child Welfare,Policy Analysis,Data Analysis,Board of Education Policy,Training,Information Dissemination,Compliance (Legal),Accountability

High profile sexual assault cases by British Columbia elementary school teachers in 2010 revealed BC school boards had &quot;disturbingly inconsistent&quot; child protection policies. As a result of the intense media scrutiny, the BC Ministry of Education required all school boards to reassess and update their policies on reporting suspected child abuse. This article presents an analysis of (N = 50) current school board child protection policies and procedures in British Columbia and an exploration of what training, resources, and support school boards state they provide to help teachers recognize and report cases where a child needs protection. The review revealed that most boards had documentation. However, the amount of information provided by each board varied greatly. An analysis of the documents revealed some school board procedures need to be updated to reflect current legislation and expectations regarding child welfare. Policy recommendations are proposed based on the results of the study.
Reviewing the Review: An Assessment of Dissertation Reviewer Feedback Quality
Author: Lehan, Tara
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Students,Doctoral Dissertations,Student Evaluation,Feedback (Response),Evaluators,Educational Quality,Virtual Universities,Psychometrics,Comparative Analysis,Validity,Reliability,Interrater Reliability,Error Patterns,Committees,Distance Education,Statistical Analysis,Nonparametric Statistics

Throughout the dissertation process, the chair and committee members provide feedback regarding quality to help the doctoral candidate to produce the highest-quality document and become an independent scholar. Nevertheless, results of previous research suggest that overall dissertation quality generally is poor. Because much of the feedback about dissertation quality provided to candidates, especially those in online learning environments, is written, there is an opportunity to assess the quality of that feedback. In this study, a comparative descriptive design was employed using a random sample of 120 dissertation reviews at one online university. Common foundational errors across dissertations and strengths and growth areas in reviewer feedback were noted. Whereas reviewer feedback quality was acceptable overall, there were significant differences across reviewers. Based on the findings, increased discourse, standardization of psychometrically sound measures that assess reviewer feedback quality, and ongoing training for faculty members who review dissertations might be warranted.
Engaging Students with Self-Assessment and Tutor Feedback to Improve Performance and Support Assessment Capacity
Author: McKevitt, Conor Thomas
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Evaluation,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Tutors,Feedback (Response),Student Improvement,Performance Based Assessment,Mixed Methods Research,Scoring Rubrics,Likert Scales,Focus Groups,Writing Assignments,Evaluation Criteria,College Students,Humanities,Revision (Written Composition),Statistical Analysis,Nonparametric Statistics,Intervention,Formative Evaluation,Guidance

Assessment is one of the most important elements of student life and significantly shapes their learning. Consequently, tutors need to ensure that student awareness regarding assessment is promoted. Students should get the opportunity to practise assessing work and receive tutor feedback so that they might improve on both the work and their assessment of it. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how student engagement with criteria, exemplars, self-assessment, and feedback influenced students' performance, their assessment capacity, and also how students experienced the process. A mixed methods approach was used. Students' performance and assessments were established using a rubric that included 5 criteria each evaluated using 5 point Likert scale linked to descriptors. A thematic analysis of the focus group resulted in two themes. The findings show that overall students' performance in the assignment significantly improved between draft and final submissions. Students' assessment of their work significantly differed to the tutor's on some criteria at both submissions but in opposite directions on one criterion between both submissions. The focus group found that the rubric guided students to produce their draft while tutor feedback guided them to improve on it. However, these findings require further investigation. The following recommendations ensue from the research and should assist student development concerning assessment. Tutors should give students an opportunity to assess work and also see tutor's assessment of that work using the same criteria. Also, tutors should provide constructive feedback during an assignment.
Assessing the Impact of a Multi-Disciplinary Peer-Led-Team Learning Program on Undergraduate STEM Education
Author: Carlson, Kerri
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,STEM Education,Cooperative Learning,Active Learning,Problem Solving,Mixed Methods Research,Peer Teaching,Supplementary Education,Skill Development,Introductory Courses,Biology,Chemistry,Calculus,Statistics,Matched Groups,Learner Engagement,Outcomes of Education,Program Effectiveness,Science Achievement,Scores,Student Surveys,Time Management,Educational Benefits,Barriers

There has been a national call to transition away from the traditional, passive, lecture-based model of STEM education towards one that facilitates learning through active engagement and problem solving. This mixed-methods research study examines the impact of a supplemental Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) program on knowledge and skill acquisition for students in introductory biology, chemistry, calculus and applied statistics courses. Results indicate program participants reliably outperform their matched pairs in courses that emphasize quantitative reasoning. Moreover, program participants report acquiring important insights about learning, collaboration, and engagement in undergraduate STEM education. These results are consistent with previous findings on PLTL and also provide insight into the roles of course context and student population on program outcomes.
A Novel Idea: The Freshman Book and the Writing Center
Author: Baker, Austin
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Freshmen,Writing Instruction,Skill Centers,Novels,Books,Liberal Arts,Humanities Instruction,Essays,Group Discussion,Discussion (Teaching Technique),Freshman Composition,Directed Reading Activity

Wofford College, like many other schools, assigns a book to its incoming freshmen each summer for them to read before they arrive on campus in the fall. The goal is for them to share a common intellectual experience and to see right away that the emphasis of a liberal arts education is learning though reading, thinking, and discussing. This article provides a detailed description of The Novel Experience, which Wofford incorporated into freshman Humanities 101 class. The class is very writing-intensive, is taught by professors from all the humanities, and covers a wide range of topics. It is designed to convince students that reading is worth their time as it introduces students to close relationships they will form with some of their professors. It also lets students connect with one another, and teaches them that intellectual curiosity, reflection, and expression are valued.
Rhetoric in Reality: Postmodernism Viewed from Outer Space
Author: Werner, Maximilian
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Rhetoric,Rhetorical Theory,Postmodernism,Evolution,Multicultural Education,Cultural Pluralism,Epistemology,Learning Theories,Constructivism (Learning),Ideology,World Views,Social Theories,Biology

This article discusses the fundamental difference between the poststructuralist and evolutionary perspective of the postmodern emphasis on multiculturalism. The author discusses how Michael Foucault's relativistic view of the episteme is useful to the extent that it describes how individuals and groups of people generate knowledge, but because it does not recognize how that narrative reflects and is informed by our biological or shared human nature, ultimately the theory does little more than maintain the status quo. The author contends that Darwinian evolutionary theory offers the truest basis with which to deal with the perils and opportunities of being human, as that awareness affects not only the work of teachers and scholars, but also our relationship with the nature which binds us to life on this decreasingly commodious sphere.
&quot;Bush Law 101&quot;: Realising Place Conscious Pedagogy in the Law Curriculum
Author: Kennedy, Amanda
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Place Based Education,Legal Education (Professions),Curriculum Development,Undergraduate Students,Elective Courses,Rural Areas,Geographic Location,Learning Modules,Lawyers,Stereotypes,Law Schools,Career Development

In 2012, a team of academics from six universities worked on an OLT-funded project, &quot;Rethinking Law Curriculum: developing strategies to prepare law graduates for practice in rural and regional Australia.&quot; The project was motivated by the declining proportion of lawyers being attracted to and remaining in practice in rural and regional Australia. The main outcome of the project was an open education resource designed to sensitise students to the realities of the rural and regional legal practice context in the form of a customisable curriculum package that can be embedded as components within existing units of study, or developed as a stand-alone unit. Three of the team members have now implemented the curriculum package within their law school programs, two in the form of a stand-alone elective unit delivered to undergraduate law students, and the third to support placement programs for law and paralegal students. Applying the process of peer observation and collaborative reflection, this paper reports on their experiences to offer insights on how to adapt and integrate the &quot;Rethinking law&quot; package within the law school curriculum. In particular, this paper will discuss the significance of place-consciousness as a pedagogical tool, and the capacity of the &quot;Rethinking Law&quot; package to encourage law students to &quot;re-imagine&quot; careers in rural and regional Australia and their role as the country's future lawyers.
The Feedback Process: Perspectives of First and Second Year Undergraduate Students in the Disciplines of Education, Health Science and Nursing
Author: Douglas, Tracy
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Student Attitudes,Undergraduate Students,Online Courses,Blended Learning,Conventional Instruction,Summative Evaluation,Student Role,Teaching Methods,Higher Education,Teacher Education,Health Sciences,Nursing Education,Foreign Countries,Student Surveys,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research

The purpose of this study was to determine the current perspectives of feedback from first and second year undergraduate students enrolled in blended units of study which incorporated both face-to-face and online components. Students enrolled in a unit of study taught by the School of Health Sciences at the University of Tasmania were surveyed to broadly determine their perception of the feedback process. Responses from the 55% of the cohort who completed the survey indicated that students recognised a wide variety of feedback processes in both written and online formats. Results indicated that students did not always identify that feedback (particularly formative) could feed forward to enhance their learning. There was a strong student focus on the importance of summative assessment feedback. The analysis of survey responses identified four main themes which form the focus of the discussion; types of feedback, student role in seeking feedback, the usefulness of feedback to learning and, feedback perception and awareness of students. The outcomes of this study also highlighted the necessity to educate both teaching staff and students with respect to feedback processes within the learning and teaching paradigm in higher education.
Student Perspectives on First Year Experience Initiatives Designed for Pre-Service Teachers in Their First Weeks of University Study
Author: Larkin, Kevin
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Freshmen,Student Teacher Attitudes,Preservice Teacher Education,Student Experience,First Year Seminars,School Orientation,Student Reaction,Social Support Groups,Educational Quality,Focus Groups,Interaction,Student Surveys,Delivery Systems,Student Evaluation,Foreign Countries

Universities throughout Australia are increasingly investing significant amounts of time and money in efforts to improve the quality of first year students' experiences and, by extension, increase retention, performance and student satisfaction. This paper reports upon a pilot research project conducted at a Queensland university that investigates student understandings of, and reactions to, a range of initiatives put in place to enhance their &quot;first year experience&quot;. The research showed that students had mixed reactions to the initiatives put in place to support them and that staff played a vital role in terms of how students responded to various forms of institutional support. In analysing the results the paper demonstrates the need for ongoing research into how a diverse cohort of students make sense of the first year experience they are offered.
Bishop, the Autobiographical Pact, and Poetic Pedagogy
Author: Hoff, Ann K.
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Autobiographies,Poetry,Reading Strategies,Literature Appreciation,Literary Styles,Literary Devices,Critical Reading,Story Grammar,Teaching Methods

The legacy of the New Critics, including its historically male-dominated canon of poets, continues to hold influence, in part because its methods of reading preside over many college classrooms. New Critical readings stress careful explications, based solely on the evidence offered in the lines of the poem. This way of reading encourages careful interpretations, and requires students to pay attention to details of syntax, diction, symbol, metaphor, and imagery. Because the method sets the student who is reading a poem for the first time on an equal footing with more experienced readers, it is an effective way of introducing students to poetry. However, it can become unduly restrictive, at its underlying biases. Here the author notes that it is often difficult to encourage students to accept the fruitfullness of considering the ways each author chooses to construct his or her &quot;self&quot; as an autobiographical subject when considering which are the truths and which are the lies presented in their poetry.
Owning My Thoughts Was Difficult: Encouraging Students to Read and Write Critically in a Tertiary Qualitative Research Methods Course
Author: Wiles, Janine L.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Students,Critical Reading,Critical Thinking,Writing Skills,Qualitative Research,Methods Courses,Teaching Methods,Skill Development,Student Evaluation,Learning Experience,Reading Skills,Reflection,Learning Strategies,Evaluation Methods,Writing Assignments,Reading Assignments,Instructional Effectiveness,Synthesis,Foreign Countries

This paper adds to the nascent literature on teaching research methods and what students learn from courses and assessment. Postgraduate students are often confronted with large amounts of reading, and the content of material can be intimidating. Convincing them also to engage critically with readings is even more difficult. We report on a successful strategy used to help postgraduate students in a qualitative research methods course develop the skills to read efficiently and critically. We outline the synopsis method and report on an evaluation of students' experiences of it as an assessment and learning tool. Evaluation showed that students saw their learning experience as challenging and rewarding and could articulate how the synopsis method was useful for specific reading/writing skills, critical engagement and reflexivity, content knowledge, and motivation. We were surprised students found it novel to be asked to question or critique &quot;published&quot; papers and articulate subjective reflections on them. Our evaluation shows that the synopsis method is an effective learning strategy to improve students' critical reading and writing skills. We argue that in learning the craft of qualitative research, students must understand not only how to summarise and critique but must also master the skill of articulating personal, reflexive responses.
Understanding an Emerging Field of Scholarship: Toward a Research Agenda for Engaged, Public Scholarship
Author: Giles, Dwight E., Jr.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Scholarship,Vocabulary,Service Learning,Standards,Teacher Researchers,College Faculty,Teacher Motivation,School Community Relationship,Teacher Role,Teacher Participation

The theme of both &quot;Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement&quot; volume 12 issues 1 and 2 collectively, is &quot;Faculty Motivation for Engagement in Public Scholarship.&quot; Herein Dwight Giles, Jr. touches upon each article in issue 2, specifically, noting the variability of the central terminology that is used across authors and even within the same article. While the theme of the issue references &quot;public scholarship,&quot; only some authors use this term, thus raising the focus question of the first part of this article, Is there is a difference merely in terminology or in the phenomenon being studied, or perhaps some combination of both? Since many of the authors include service-learning as a form of engaged scholarship, Giles begins by looking at the movement toward definitional clarity and standardized terminiology in that field of academic endeavor over the past twenty years. The article concludes by asking what an engaged process would like and how likely is it to succeed. In response to these questions, Giles proposes a process that would have three key elements. The first element is a practice element to broaden the scholarship to include practitioner voices as cogenerators of knowledge. The second element is an interactive approach. While research agendas and plans of inquiry are never set by summits alone, neither are they set by individual scholars or even small groups of scholars laboring under their own points of view, data variability, and even differing terms. The third element is more outlets of this type of scholarly exploration and advocacy for inclusion of this type of scholarship in other mainstream journals. [This article was originally published in: &quot;Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement&quot; v12 n2 p97-106 2008. For the author's 2016 reflection on this article, &quot;The Emergence of Engaged Scholarship: Seven Additional Years of Evolution,&quot; see EJ1097276.]