Showing papers on "Coursework published in 2018"

Grounding Teacher Education in Practice around the World: An Examination of Teacher Education Coursework in Teacher Education Programs in Finland, Norway, and the United States.

Abstract: Worldwide, teacher educators and policy makers have called for teacher preparation that is more deeply linked to practice. Yet we know little about how such linkages are achieved within different i...

Self-Awareness and Cultural Identity as an Effort to Reduce Bias in Medicine.

Abstract: In response to persistently documented health disparities based on race and other demographic factors, medical schools have implemented “cultural competency” coursework. While many of these courses have focused on strategies for treating patients of different cultural backgrounds, very few have addressed the impact of the physician’s own cultural background and offered methods to overcome his or her own unconscious biases. In hopes of training physicians to contextualize the impact of their own cultural background on their ability to provide optimal patient care, the authors created a 14-session course on culture, self-reflection, and medicine. After completing the course, students reported an increased awareness of their blind spots and that providing equitable care and treatment would require lifelong reflection and attention to these biases. In this article, the authors describe the formation and implementation of a novel medical school course on self-awareness and cultural identity designed to reduce unconscious bias in medicine. Finally, we discuss our observations and lessons learned after more than 10 years of experience teaching the course.

Evolution of Teachers’ Technology Integration Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices: How Can We Support Beginning Teachers Use of Technology?

Abstract: In this study, we examined a group of four teachers who completed extra educational technology coursework and field experiences during their teacher education programs to determine how their techno...

Empirical Approach to Machine Learning

Abstract: This book provides a ‘one-stop source’ for all readers who are interested in a new, empirical approach to machine learning that, unlike traditional methods, successfully addresses the demands of today’s data-driven world. After an introduction to the fundamentals, the book discusses in depth anomaly detection, data partitioning and clustering, as well as classification and predictors. It describes classifiers of zero and first order, and the new, highly efficient and transparent deep rule-based classifiers, particularly highlighting their applications to image processing. Local optimality and stability conditions for the methods presented are formally derived and stated, while the software is also provided as supplemental, open-source material. The book will greatly benefit postgraduate students, researchers and practitioners dealing with advanced data processing, applied mathematicians, software developers of agent-oriented systems, and developers of embedded and real-time systems. It can also be used as a textbook for postgraduate coursework; for this purpose, a standalone set of lecture notes and corresponding lab session notes are available on the same website as the code.

Antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions among students in vocational training programmes

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to research on individual entrepreneurial intention (IEI) by assessing the importance of entrepreneurship education to students in vocational training programmes and using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to analyse these students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The family background of the students and their exposure to entrepreneurship subject matter were included as antecedents of TPB components and IEI.,To test the research model, the primary data were collected with questionnaires distributed to students in their last year of vocational training programmes with and without entrepreneurship coursework, in a region of Northern Portugal. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling.,The results show that TPB dimensions substantially contribute to explaining students’ IEI. However, their family background makes only a minor contribution, and exposure to entrepreneurship education has no influence on IEI.,Given these results, the authors propose a broader discussion is needed of the importance of introducing business classes into the curricula of vocational training programmes.,This research’s results show that IEI models need to assign greater importance to variables related to previous exposure to entrepreneurial experiences through direct family members. The findings contribute to a fuller understanding of IEI and the factors that precede the formation of this intention among students in training programmes.

Affordances of Virtual and Physical Laboratory Projects for Instructional Design: Impacts on Student Engagement

Abstract: Contribution: Student engagement and interest in engineering is compared between virtual and physical laboratory projects, designed to be realistic and replicate engineering practice. Reported motivation and engagement was greater in the virtual project than the physical projects. Results are interpreted in terms of the different affordances for instructional design using physical and virtual laboratories. Background: Interest is increasing in incorporating virtual laboratories in engineering curricula. Numerous studies report equal or greater gains in students’ conceptual understanding in a virtual laboratory than a corresponding physical laboratory, but many researchers question if virtual laboratories can stimulate the same level of excitement for engineering as physical laboratories. Research Questions: Do students’ self-reports of interest in engineering depend on the instructional design afforded by the laboratory mode? How do instructional designs of virtual and physical laboratory projects relate to students’ perceptions of engagement, their contribution to the team, and the transfer of prior coursework to meet project objectives? Method: In a within-subjects design, 118 students’ interest and engagement in two physical laboratory projects and one of two virtual laboratory projects in a senior-year capstone course is investigated. Separate principal components analyses were used to develop reliable scales for interest and for engagement. Findings: Students reported greater engagement, perceptions of contribution to their group’s learning, opportunities to transfer prior learning from coursework, and end-of-course interest in engineering problem solving in the virtual laboratory project rather than the physical laboratory projects. The positive outcomes are connected to instructional design through the affordances of the virtual laboratory.

Out-of-class communication and awareness of English as a Lingua Franca

Abstract: This article reports on the implementation of an out-of-class communication component of a university ELT course in Hong Kong to raise students’ awareness of the pluralistic nature of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Drawing on students’ written reflections as part of the coursework, the study investigated how out-of-class ELF communication activities impacted on students’ understanding of English in a global context. Findings suggest that students developed an increased awareness of ELF as a result of the communication activities. In particular, they appreciated the diversity of English in the world, questioned the relevance of native-speaker norms, and emphasized the importance of communicative strategies in ELF communication. In addition, they reported practical and personal benefits derived from the out-of-class communication activities. The study points to the importance of first-hand, out-of-class communication experiences in raising students’ awareness of ELF and the role of reflection in developing students’ critical consciousness of the global role of English.

Traditional and New Approaches to Career Preparation Through Coursework

Abstract: Traditional career preparation courses provide students with a variety of benefits. Students taking these courses report a better understanding of psychology-related careers, less indecision about ...

STEM Excellence and Leadership Program: Increasing the Level of STEM Challenge and Engagement for High-Achieving Students in Economically Disadvantaged Rural Communities:

Abstract: High-achieving students in economically disadvantaged, rural schools lack access to advanced coursework necessary to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational and ...

Challenges and strategies for assessing student workplace performance during work-integrated learning

Abstract: This study explores the challenges of assessing student workplace performance during work-integrated learning. It highlights the need for, yet difficulties with, combining positivist and constructivist assessments where workplace supervisors make evaluative judgements on performance yet students are also agents in their own assessment. It examines the ratings awarded by 163 workplace supervisors for 213 business undergraduates completing a work placement as part of their degree program in Western Australia. Students were rated on 17 capabilities associated with employability and results indicate, in alignment with previous studies, a tendency among supervisors to assign inflated marks across capabilities. The mean capability rating awarded to each student was significantly higher than their weighted course average, suggesting workplace supervisors mark more highly than academics in coursework units. To identify solutions to manage leniency bias, the study examined variations in supervisor ratings ...

The ethnicity attainment gap among medical and biomedical science students: a qualitative study

Abstract: Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) medical students and professionals frequently underachieve when compared with their White counterparts not only in the United Kingdom, but across the globe. There is no consensus for the definitive causes of this attainment gap, but suggestions contributing towards it include: increased feelings of isolation as a member of a minority culture or religion; a poorer higher education (HE) experience compared with White counterparts; and stereotype threat, whereby students underperform in exams from the stresses of fearing confirming to a negative-stereotype. The aim of this study was to gather qualitative data on HE experiences of medical and biomedical science students to explore factors contributing to the attainment gap. Audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews and a novel approach for this research area of ethnically-homogenous student-led focus groups, were held with students and staff at a healthcare-based university in London, where lower attainment, slower rates of degree completion and lower levels of satisfaction with HE experience were identified in BAME students compared with White students. Thematic analysis was used to manage, summarize and analyse the data. Forty-one students and eight staff members were interviewed or took part in focus groups. The student data were best explained by two main themes: social factors and stereotyping, whilst staff data were also best explained by two main themes: social factors and student and staff behaviour. Social factors suggested ethnically-defined social networks and the informal transfer of knowledge impacted academic performance, isolating minority groups from useful academic information. BAME students may also be at a further disadvantage, being unable to attend social and academic functions for cultural or family reasons. Black students also mentioned changing their behaviour to combat negative stereotypes in a variety of contexts. This study suggests that forms of discrimination, whether conscious or unconscious, may be negatively impacting the abilities of BAME students both in examinations and in coursework choice. It highlights the importance of social networks for the transfer of academic knowledge and the impact ethnicity may have on their formation, with issues around segregation and the sharing of information outside defined groups.

Behavior and Factors Causing Plagiarism Among Undergraduate Students in Accomplishing The Coursework on Religion Education Subject

Abstract: The objectives of this study were to analyze the behavior and causal factors of plagiarism among the undergraduate students in accomplishing their coursework in Islamic religion subject. The study used methods combination of qualitative and quantitative research or Exploratory mixed methods designs. Qualitative data were taken from 15 papers of group works in the subjects of Islamic religion, while quantitative data were taken using questionnaires towards 80 students who are taking course in Islamic religion at State University of Padang (UNP). Data taken from papers of groupwork were analyzed thematically with method of data collection, data reduction, data presentation and taking conclusion, while questionnaires were analyzed descriptively using SPSS software version 18.0 for Windows. R esults of the document analysis found that there are three forms of behavior of student plagiarism in accomplishing the coursework, first: by quoting the entire writings of the other person without mentioning the source, second: by quoting part / half of the text/writings of others, third: by quoting the writing of others then converted into their own statements. While there are eight factors that cause plagiarism which are: not understand about plagiarism, the student’s instant culture in accomplishing academic tasks, the high volume of academic tasks given by lecturers, students’ low interest in reading, not enough time to find the answer in the book, the ease of Information Technology, low purchasing power and lack of knowledge in how to write a scientific papers.

The impact of anonymous marking on students’ perceptions of fairness, feedback and relationships with lecturers

Abstract: Anonymity in marking is a contentious issue within higher education. Conflicting research findings have identified issues surrounding gender bias, ethnicity bias and fairness in marking. However, the effects of anonymity upon feedback mechanisms have not been systematically explored. This study sought to understand the effects of anonymous marking and feedback upon students’ perceptions of its potential for future learning and relationship building with their lecturers. First year United Kingdom undergraduate business, politics, pharmacy and french students experienced anonymous and non-anonymous marking of coursework across different modules. Student performance data were collected, and a survey was administered following the completion of their modules. Results revealed that anonymous marking did not seem to advantage or disadvantage particular groups of students in terms of grade outcome. There was no significant difference in perceptions of fairness according to whether or not marking was anon...

Action research – connecting practice and theory

Abstract: Teacher education is often criticised for not being relevant and for there being a lack of continuity between practice teaching and the university coursework. In the literature, action research is ...

Data Mining Analysis on Student’s Academic Performance through Exploration of Student’s Background and Social Activities

Abstract: Educational data mining techniques are widely used in academic prediction on student performance in classroom education. However most of the existing researches were studied and evaluated student coursework performance against the passing grade of the exam. In this paper, we performed analysis to identify the significant and impact of student background, student social activities and student coursework achievement in predicting student academic performance. Supervised educational data mining techniques, namely Naive Bayesian, Multilayer Perceptron, Decision Tree J48 and Random Forest were used in predicting mathematic performance in secondary school. The prediction was performed on 2-level classification and 5-level classification on final grade. The experimental results have shown that student background and student social activities were significant in predicting student performance on 2-level classification. The model can be used for early predicting student performance to help in improving student performance on the subject.

Applied STEM Coursework, High School Dropout Rates, and Students With Learning Disabilities:

Abstract: Applied science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) coursetaking is becoming more commonplace in traditional high school settings to help students reinforce their learning in academic STEM courses. Throughout U.S. educational history, vocational education has been a consistent focus for schools to keep students on the school-to-career pathway. However, very few studies have examined the role of applied STEM coursetaking in improving schooling outcomes for students with learning disabilities. This is a major missing link as students with learning disabilities tend to exhibit much higher dropout rates than students from the general population. This study examines mechanisms displayed through applied STEM courses and the role they play in helping students with learning disabilities complete high school and transition into college. Using a nationally representative data set of high school students and their full transcripts (i.e., Education Longitudinal Study of 2002), we found that students with learni...

Developmental Education: The Evolution of Research and Reform

Abstract: Almost two-thirds of entering community college students and over one-third of students entering less-selective four year colleges are judged as lacking in the math and language skills necessary for success in college-level courses. Traditionally, these students have been referred to “remedial” or “developmental education” programs, which are designed to bring students’ math, reading, and writing skills up to the college’s expectations of entry-level students. Unfortunately, however, the vast majority of students referred to traditional developmental education sequences never complete these requirements. In response, states, college systems, and individual institutions have embarked on a wide array of reform efforts focused on increasing the accuracy of systems that place students into developmental education, accelerating student progress into college-level coursework, and improving the instruction and student supports for underprepared students. In this chapter, we review the traditional system’s structure and effectiveness and provide a history of first, second, and third-wave reforms and research on those approaches. This chapter also delineates the teaching and learning issues that must be addressed in order to further advance the reform movement, and discusses areas for future research.

A Landscape Study of Computer Science Education in NYC: Early Findings and Implications for Policy and Practice

Abstract: NYC's Computer Science for All (CS4All) is a 10-year, districtwide initiative aimed at providing high-quality computer science (CS) education to all NYC public school students. It aspires to greatly increase the number of students, teachers, and schools exposed to CS in NYC, and to offer meaningful learning experiences that build on prior exposure and skills at every grade level. These plans include providing high-quality professional development (PD) to some 5,000 teachers, designed to help them learn new programs and pedagogies in CS education, as well as strategies for integrating CS into existing courses. This paper presents findings from an assessment of CS in NYC, conducted in the second year of the CS4All initiative. Using a telephone survey of a representative sample of schools, we describe the current state of CS programming and training in the City. Overall, we found high participation in CS teacher training opportunities (both through and independent of the initiative) and widespread offering of CS courses Specifically, we estimate just over half of schools districtwide (56%) participated in some type of CS training in the 2015-16 school year, and about two thirds of schools (64%) offered students some kind of CS coursework in the 2016-17 school year (through either stand-alone CS courses or the integration of CS into other subjects). The type of programming and training varied by school level (elementary, middle and high). We also explored the extent to which programming and training are reaching schools and students who are historically underrepresented in CS--including women and girls, students of color, low-income students and students with disabilities. We found that schools offering CS courses and activities served fewer Black and Latino students and more White and Asian Students, compared with schools not offering CS. This work is unique, as it is the only districtwide assessment of CS education conducted anywhere in the country to date, thus adding to an under-researched but important and growing field of study

A Playful Approach to Fostering Motivation in a Distance Education Computer Programming Course: Behaviour Change and Student Perceptions

Abstract: The central role of motivation to learn in distance education has been noted, and gamification has been proposed as one approach to promote student motivation. This study explores promoting motivation in a distance education, third-year computer programming course via a gamified approach to improve coursework participation and student experience. Motivation was examined from a Self-Determination Theory (SDT) perspective, as gamified approaches often rely on external motivation and the explicit use of competition to engender internal motivation leading to desired behaviours. The results of using gamification in education are mixed, and its use is controversial. Two cycles of action research on the introduction of eight playful elements are reported on, and data relating to student engagement with the course and a student questionnaire was gathered. There was little evidence that the intervention led to behaviour change or improved scores; however, students responded very positively to the intervention, although some negative themes emerged. The extent to which the playful approach supported the basic psychological needs of SDT is discussed and the intervention’s results critically considered, including whether the effort involved in such an approach was worth it. It was concluded that such playful approaches might have positive motivational effects.

Mathematics Course Placement Using Holistic Measures: Possibilities for Community College Students

Abstract: Background/ContextMost community colleges across the country use a placement test to determine students’ readiness for college-level coursework, yet these tests are admittedly imperfect instruments...

Sources of Student Engagement in Introductory Physics for Life Sciences.

Abstract: In an introductory physics for life-science course examples that make interdisciplinary connections with students' other coursework in biology and chemistry are particularly effective at fostering interest.

Funds of Identity in Education: Acknowledging the Life Experiences of First Year Tertiary Students

Abstract: Teacher education students bring diverse funds of knowledge to formal education. These funds of knowledge are particularly important for the successful transition of first year tertiary students into higher education. In preservice teacher education contexts, students draw knowledge from varied life contexts and their funds of knowledge become funds of identity when experiences associated with onto-epistemologies are used in the service of identity formation. This descriptive case study draws data from an online first year preservice teacher education unit (subject) to consider examples of funds of identity that can inform the work of practitioners in developing significant and contextualized learning experiences. Students' prior schooling experiences give meaning to their teacher education coursework and project potential teacher identities.

“The Soccer Field, It Has Dirt”: A Critical Analysis of Teacher Learners in Contact With Emergent Multilingual Students

Abstract: In today’s globalized world, superdiversity and global migration have led to an increased focus on emergent multilingual students and how schools can best serve them. The authors explore how teacher learners in an undergraduate course on emergent multilinguals in a mid-sized university in the Midwest critically reflect on their learning in a practicum experience. Utilizing tools and perspectives from critical discourse studies (CDS), the researchers/teacher educators examine ideologies that surface in teacher learner reflections on their practicum experiences to find out how they renegotiate (or withhold) their beliefs while connecting to critical readings, coursework, and their experiences working with emergent multilingual students. Findings reveal ethnocentrism, gaps in understanding of language practices, continued misconceptions about language learning, and ideologies that view languages other than English as a privilege. However, findings also show some areas of growth resulting from their p...

Online Course Enrollment in Community College and Degree Completion: The Tipping Point

Abstract: Recent research indicates that certain students are at risk of lower levels of academic performance in online settings when compared to peers who study only in the classroom. Community college students have been a population of particular concern. In this paper, we hypothesize that online course load and institutional quality may impact outcomes for such students at risk for lower levels of degree attainment. Using comprehensive data from the 30 community colleges (n=45,557) of the State University of New York (SUNY), we conducted a state-wide study to examine whether there is a “tipping point” at which online course load becomes problematic for community college learners seeking to attain a degree through a mix of online and face-to-face coursework. We also test the conjecture that some institutions may excel at supporting online learner success among more at risk populations who choose online study. Results indicate that community college students who take more than 40% of their courses online begin to lose the benefits of enhanced degree completion conferred through a mix of online and face-to-face enrollment. Moderating variables are also identified and discussed.

Teaching climate change in middle schools and high schools: investigating STEM education’s deficit model

Abstract: Science teachers play an important role promoting civic scientific literacy, but recent research suggests they are less effective than they could be in educating the next generation of citizens about climate change and its causes. One particular area of concern is that many science teachers in the USA encourage students to debate settled empirical findings, such as the role of human-generated emissions of greenhouse gases in raising global temperatures. A common reaction is to call for science teachers to receive more formal training in climate science to increase their knowledge, which will then improve teaching. Using a nationally representative survey of 1500 middle school and high school science teachers, we investigate each element in this argument, and show that increased science coursework in college has modest effects on teachers’ content knowledge and on their teaching choices, including decisions about debating “both sides.” We also find that teachers’ personal political orientations play a large role in their teaching strategies: right-leaning teachers devote somewhat less time to global warming and are much more likely to encourage student debate on the causes of global warming. We discuss the implications of these findings and argue teacher education might be more effective if informed by insights from the emerging discipline of science communication. However, although knowledge and ideology are predictive of pedagogy, a large number of teachers of all ideological positions and all levels of subject expertise encourage students to debate established findings. We discuss this and highlight potential explanations.