ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Embedding Digital Pedagogy in Pre-Service Higher Education to Better Prepare Teachers for the Digital Generation
Author: Kivunja, Charles
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teacher Education,Preservice Teachers,Technological Literacy,Technology Uses in Education,Technology Integration,Teacher Competencies,Skill Development,Handheld Devices,Telecommunications,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Social Networks,Computer Mediated Communication,Observation,Group Discussion,Asynchronous Communication,Foreign Countries

In preparing pre-service teachers for their professional practice in the information age, we need to impress upon them that the children in their classrooms will be Digital Natives, with skills for digital fluency rather than skills in the orthodoxy 3Rs developed with talk, chalk and board; paper, pencil and pen. Since most of our pre-service teachers belong to the pre-digital generation without the skills for 21st century digital fluency, there is a great need for us as higher education practitioners, to prepare them well for the new classrooms they will work in so as to prevent a mismatch between them and their students where they could be seen as illiterate teachers trying to teach literate children. Embedding digital pedagogy in the skilling of these teachers is urgently needed to help them appreciate the role of technology in the teaching of pedagogy and content knowledge (TPACK). Fortunately enough, a wide range of apps are available for use on iPads, Androids, eTablets, Smart Phones and other platforms, which our pre-service teachers could apply in their teaching. One example of how this was achieved in higher education with two cohorts of 2nd year B.Ed pre-service teachers is discussed in this paper. The paper demonstrates that social media digital tools can be embedded in pre-service higher education to help train pre-service teachers so they appreciate the TPACK model. The paper concludes that it is incumbent upon higher education providers, to ensure that graduates are well prepared to be effective teachers for the digital generation.
Can Near-Peer Teaching Improve Academic Performance?
Author: Williams, Brett
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Peer Teaching,Academic Achievement,Undergraduate Students,Allied Health Personnel,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Grades (Scholastic),Comparative Analysis,Program Effectiveness,Statistical Analysis,Surveys,Student Characteristics

Near peer teaching is becoming increasingly popular within healthcare education. The experiences and effects of near-peer teaching upon the near-peer teachers' academic performance are poorly understood. In order to address this, the objective of this study was to examine whether a near-peer teaching program improved the overall clinical unit scores of undergraduate paramedic near-peer teachers. Students in their final year of an undergraduate paramedic, or nursing/paramedic degree were given the opportunity to volunteer as near-peer teachers for a first year clinical skills unit. The overall unit scores in a final year clinical unit of 74 students involved in the near-peer teaching program were compared with a randomly selected sample not involved. 74 students participated in this study as near-peer teachers between 2011-2013 (n = 23 in 2011, n = 18 in 2012, n = 33 in 2013). In each year, the median clinical unit grade of participating near-peer teachers was significantly higher than that of the students not involved in the near-peer teaching program when examined using a Mann-Whitney U Test (71 vs 67, p = 0.006 in 2011; 76 vs 72, p = 0.007 in 2012; 75 vs 71, p = 0.004 in 2013). This study has demonstrated that participation in a near-peer teaching program can result in improved overall clinical unit grades for undergraduate paramedic near-peer teachers. This study has added objective data to the variety of subjective information evaluating the effects of near-peer teaching upon the teachers themselves.
When Failing Doesn't Matter: A Narrative Inquiry into the Social Work Practice Learning Experiences of Black African Students in England
Author: Tedam, Prospera
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Blacks,Social Work,Critical Theory,Race,Student Experience,Teaching Methods,Practicums,Qualitative Research,Personal Narratives,Semi Structured Interviews,College Students,Self Esteem,Failure,College Faculty

This paper reports the findings of a small-scale empirical study into the practice learning experiences of black African students of social work in England. Undertaken in the form of a pilot study, the findings reveal that practice learning experiences can be beneficial in enhancing skills and knowledge but can also cause distress, lower self-esteem and result in students feeling discriminated against. For participants, failing their practice learning appeared to be a far more pleasant outcome than undergoing the levels of disrespect and discrimination they believed they were subjected to on a regular basis during placements. Using elements of the critical race theoretical (CRT) framework, an attempt is made to conceptualise the narratives generated from participant interviews.
Do You Want Your Students to Be Job-Ready with 21st Century Skills? Change Pedagogies: A Pedagogical Paradigm Shift from Vygotskyian Social Constructivism to Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Siemens' Digital Connectivism
Author: Kivunja, Charles
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Career Readiness,Job Skills,Educational Change,Role of Education,Models,World Views,Learning Theories,Educational History,Constructivism (Learning),Critical Thinking,Problem Solving,Cooperation,Teamwork,Leadership,Daily Living Skills,Computer Literacy,Active Learning,Social Networks

As Michael Fullan (2001) so cogently asserts, the moral purpose of education is to equip students with the skills that will enable them to be productive citizens when they finish school. Whereas pre-21st century learning paradigms catered reasonably well for the pursuit of this moral purpose in turning out school leavers with specialized skills that were applicable in highly compartmentalized and specialized Industrial Age economies, 21st century skills require a new paradigm. In their seminal book entitled 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times, Trilling and Fadel (2009) eloquently elaborate on the essential skills for 21st century learning and occupations. I call the adoption of these essential skills the pedagogical paradigm shift. According to these leaders in the field, the essential skills for 21st century learning and occupations fall into four domains. First are the core subjects and skills such as the orthodoxy 3Rs that every educated person should have mastery of. Second is the learning and innovations skills domain requiring skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. The third is the career and life skills domain, calling for skills such as collaboration, teamwork and leadership. Fourth, is the digital literacy skills domain, requiring skills such as computer literacy and digital fluency. While computers and digital technologies play a central role in the development and utilization of the skills, the more essential skills for 21st century learning and occupations relate not just to the application of technology but more importantly, to the ability to engage in independent critical thinking, and a high level of problem solving, often using technology. This paper reviews the learning paradigms that have guided pedagogy over the centuries and argues that a shift is needed in pedagogy and curriculum towards a paradigm that emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving as proposed by Trilling and Fadel (2009) within the social connectivist paradigm as well articulated by Siemens rather than the dominant Vygotskyian social constructivist paradigm.
Critical Thinking: Intellectual Standards Essential to Reasoning well within Every Domain of Human Thought, Part 3
Author: Elder, Linda
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Critical Thinking,Standards,Languages,Language Usage

In the last two columns in this critical thinking series we briefly introduced and discussed the concept of intellectual standards in connection with natural languages. We presented nine essential intellectual standards: clarity, precision, accuracy, relevance, depth, breadth, logicalness, significance, and fairness. These nine intellectual standards are part of a much broader set of intellectual standards found in all natural languages. Natural, or ordinary, languages are those languages we speak every day and are to be distinguished from technical languages such as those developed in mathematics, formal logic, and other specialized fields. Throughout recorded history, scholars within disciplines and skilled thinkers in all parts of human life have applied universal intellectual standards to human reasoning, at differing levels and to varying degrees. The concept of criticality itself presupposes adherence to relevant intellectual standards (such as accuracy, relevance, logic, and so forth). In this column, we briefly analyze the concept of intellectual standards as an intellectual construct. Further, we explore the important realization that though humans routinely use standards to determine what to believe and how to act, these standards are not always intellectual in nature. [See EJ1067273 for Part 1, and EJ1067269 for Part 2.]
Teachers' Accounts of Their Perceptions and Practices of Providing Written Feedback to Nursing Students on Their Assignments
Author: Iqbal, Sajid
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Nursing Students,Feedback (Response),College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Nursing Education,Semi Structured Interviews,Audio Equipment,Educational Practices,Qualitative Research,Teacher Competencies

Written feedback can facilitate students' learning in several ways. However, the teachers' practices of written feedback may be affected by various factors. This study aimed to explore the nurse teachers' accounts of their perceptions and practices of providing written feedback. A descriptive exploratory design was employed in the study. A purposive sample of 12 teachers from nursing institutions in Karachi, Pakistan, participated in the study. Using a semi-structured guide, in-depth interviews were conducted with the participants, between January-September, 2013. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim and were manually content analyzed. The analysis of findings led to three sections: teachers' conceptions about written feedback, teachers' practices of providing written feedback, and factors that affect the teachers' practices of providing written feedback to their students. The findings indicated that although the teachers realize the importance of written feedback and its impact on students' learning, several factors, including teachers' competence and commitment, students' receptivity, and contextual barriers, affected their practices. To actualize the potential power of teachers' written feedback in students' learning, both teachers and institutional administrators need to realize the importance of written feedback. Moreover, concerted efforts including teachers' development and policies are required to overcome the factors that negatively influence the practices of written feedback.
Relational Study of Technical Education in Scotland and Nigeria for Sustainable Skill Development
Author: Umunadi, E. Kennedy
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Technical Education,Skill Development,Sustainability,Curriculum Evaluation,Curriculum Implementation,Role of Education,Educational History,Educational Objectives,Educational Change,Educational Development,Educational Practices,Teacher Surveys,Teacher Attitudes,Politics of Education,Comparative Education,Comparative Analysis,Career Development

This paper was designed to look at technical education curriculum and mode of implementation in Scotland in order to adopt the advantageous attributes of the Scottish technical education in Nigeria. The paper x-rayed the staff perceptions of technical education and its roles in Scotland; history of technical education before the advent of British government; technical education and its objectives; objectives of technical education Scotland; technical subject and career path in Scotland; factors affecting effective implementation of technical education curriculum in Nigeria reflecting on Scotland technical education; reforms of technical education for sustainable skill development in Nigeria. It was based on the content of the paper that recommendations were proffered that the government should provide adequate fund, intellectuals in technical education and provision of equipment and materials to achieve the National Policy on Education and Scottish standard of technical education for sustainable skill development in Nigeria.
Rhetorical Structures in Academic Research Writing by Non-Native Writers
Author: Suryani, Ina
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Academic Discourse,Journal Articles,Rhetoric,Writing (Composition),Writing for Publication,Writing Research,Language Minorities,Research Reports,Models,Computer Science,English for Special Purposes

Writers of research articles are expected to present research information in a structured manner by following a certain rhetorical patterns determined by the discourse community. Failures to keep to the writing standard and rhetorical pattern are likely to lower the acceptance rate. While producing a research article is understandably a complex task, it is even more difficult if one is writing in his or her second or third language. Even if grammatical mistakes can be ironed out by a language editor, researchers are on their own when it comes to rhetorical presentation of their research ideas. The available research writing guidelines constructed in the native speaker context often fall short in addressing rhetorical aspects related to cultural issues that have been known to influence most non native English (NNE) writings. Motivated by the complexity of rhetorical presentation in research articles and the problems on writing research articles by NNE writers, this paper is aimed to explore the rhetorical moves used by the Malaysian writers in the introduction section of Computer Science research articles for journal publication. CARS model (Swales, 2004) is used to analyze the rhetorical moves in the introduction section of Computer Science research articles by the Malaysian writers. The study begins with a corpus compilation of five research articles (RA) by the writers followed by move analysis use in the CARS model (Swales, 2004) was conducted to analyze the articles. The analysis revealed that majority of the writers adopted most of the rhetorical strategies in Swales model (2004). The paper concludes that CARS model is suitable in identifying the rhetorical moves in the RA by Malaysian writers.
Doctoral Education in a Successful Ecological Niche: A Qualitative Exploratory Case Study of the Relationship between the Microclimate and Doctoral Students' Learning to Become a Researcher
Author: Christensen, Mette K.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Doctoral Programs,Graduate Students,Educational Environment,Supervision,Organizational Climate,Qualitative Research,Higher Education,Hospitals,Emotional Response,Constructivism (Learning),Humor,Student Interests,Student Attitudes,Ethnography,Interviews

Scholarly communities are dependent on and often measured by their ability to attract and develop doctoral students. Recent literature suggests that most scholarly communities entail ecological niches in which the doctoral students learn the codes and practices of research. In this article, we explore the microclimate in an ecological niche of doctoral education. Based on a theoretical definition of microclimate as the emotional atmosphere that ties group members together and affects their actions, we conducted a case study that aimed to describe the key features of the microclimate in a successful ecological niche of doctoral education, and the ways in which the microclimate support the doctoral students' learning. The methods we applied in the case study were based on short-term ethnographic fieldwork. The results reveal four key features of the emotional atmosphere in the microclimate: mutual appreciation, balancing seriousness and humor, desire, and ambition. These features constitute the shared emotionality that sets the scene for the microclimate, and affects and guides the doctoral students' daily practices. Furthermore, the results indicate that the microclimate supports successful doctoral education because it: 1) fleshes out the professional attitude that is necessary for becoming a successful researcher in the department, 2) shapes and adapts the doctoral students' desires to grasp and identify with the department's practices, and 3) provides the doctoral students with access to flow zones that drive their education. These results may suggest practical implications for fostering and cultivating successful ecological niches in medical education at doctoral level.
Use of Personal Response Systems in Higher Education--A Case Study
Author: Or-Bach, Rachel
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Audience Response Systems,Higher Education,Instructional Design,College Students,Teacher Student Relationship,Learning Activities,Student Attitudes,Likert Scales,College Faculty,Foreign Countries

The study reported in this paper involved the employment of specially designed learning activities based on the use of a Personal Response System (PRS). Instructors in variety of disciplines are increasingly using personal response systems to increase participation, engagement and active learning. Most studies stress the benefits of using a PRS when dealing with large groups; in this paper we stress learning benefits for small classes. We demonstrate in a context of two very different courses how the PRS use can foster formative interactions in class as well as focusing students on the main discipline-specific concepts and skills. We describe the characteristics of these two courses along with their educational goals and how it influenced the design of the PRS-based learning activities. We describe the formative interactions in class as triggered by the PRS-based questions, and we describe findings regarding students' perceptions of the various contributions of the PRS-based learning activities.
The Paradox of Increasing Both Enrollment and Graduation Rates: Acknowledging Elephants in the Ivory Tower
Author: Mulvenon, Sean W.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Academic Standards,Graduation Rate,Enrollment,Education Majors,Student Costs,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Educational Benefits

The argument is made that increasing enrollments and graduation rates cannot occur while maintaining academic standards. Several U.S. universities are attempting to increase their enrollments to counter the financial difficulties created by a reduction in state support. These same universities are also under growing pressure from their state legislatures to increase four-year graduation rates and make degrees more affordable. In this essay, we describe how some universities and programs are attempting to meet both of these goals by lowering academic standards.
Factors Contributing to Research Team Effectiveness: Testing a Model of Team Effectiveness in an Academic Setting
Author: Omar, Zoharah
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teamwork,College Faculty,Teacher Collaboration,Research Universities,Teacher Researchers,Research Projects,Group Dynamics,Faculty Workload,Productivity,Job Satisfaction,Organizational Effectiveness,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Statistical Significance,Leadership,Factor Analysis

Following the classic systems model of inputs, processes, and outputs, this study examined the influence of three input factors, team climate, work overload, and team leadership, on research project team effectiveness as measured by publication productivity, team member satisfaction, and job frustration. This study also examined the mediating effect of a process factor, team commitment. The sample comprised 292 faculty members of four research universities in Malaysia. The respondents were asked to consider one research project in which they were involved either as a project leader or team member when completing the questionnaire. The results of the study demonstrated that there were direct relationships only between team climate and team member satisfaction (ß = 0.265, p &lt; 0.05) work overload and team member frustration ß = 0.381 p &lt; 0.05), and team leadership and team member satisfaction (ß = 0.200, p &lt; 0.05). Team commitment had a full or partial mediation effect on the relationships between team climate and research productivity (ß = 0.335, p &lt; 0.05) and team member satisfaction (ß = 0.235, p &lt; 0.05) and team member frustration (ß = -0.217, p &lt; 0.05). Team commitment only showed a statistically significant mediating effect on the relationship between work overload and research productivity (ß = -0.043, p &lt; 0.05) and team member satisfaction (ß = 0.030, p &lt; 0.05), and on the relationship between team leadership and research productivity (ß = 0.335, p &lt; 0.05). These findings suggest that different input factors influence different aspects of team effectiveness and that team climate is a key input factor that influences team effectiveness through team commitment as a process factor in an academic setting. The results of this study provide a potentially useful framework following the classical systems model of input-process-output for the establishment of effective research project teams in an academic setting.
The Experience of Student Occupational Therapists with Disabilities in Canadian Universities
Author: Jung, Bonny
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Experience,Occupational Therapy,Disabilities,Accessibility (for Disabled),Phenomenology,Interviews,Student Surveys,Student Attitudes,Inclusion,Allied Health Occupations Education,Special Needs Students,Disclosure,Adjustment (to Environment),Performance Factors,College Students

Background: Canadian health professions strive for inclusivity in practice and it is imperative to extend this philosophy to health science students with disabilities. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of student occupational therapists with disabilities enrolled in Canadian universities. Methods: A phenomenological approach was used to conduct fourteen open-ended interviews. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed to develop themes. Findings: Two themes emerged: participants recognizing strengths and needs plus participants navigating the environment. Both themes contain various sub-themes. Implications: Applying relevant practice elements, such as client-centred practice, when working with student occupational therapists with disabilities may facilitate a sense of fit for them within occupational therapy educational programs in Canada.