Visible Facebook profiles and e-professionalism in undergraduate medical students in India.

PubMed

Gupta, Setu; Singh, Satendra; Dhaliwal, Upreet

2015-01-01

This study aimed to assess medical students' presence on Facebook and the extent of their visible activity, with particular reference to online professionalism. This was a cross-sectional study including all medical students enrolled in the University College of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi, India during the period of the study, which was conducted from 2011 to 2012. After approval by the Institutional Ethical Committee, the full names of all students were obtained from our institution. After creating a fictitious profile, Facebook was searched for students' profiles, and those found were examined for visible content and unprofessional behaviour. Of 611 students, 477 (78.1%) had detectable Facebook profiles. Out of 477 profiles, date of birth, address, email, phone number, religion, and political views were rarely shared; sexual orientation and relationship status were displayed on approximately one third of the profiles; and an identifiable profile picture (80.3%), field of study (51.6%), and institution (86.2%) were commonly shared . The visible content included friend lists (88.7%), photo albums (36.1%), and associations with diverse groups and pages (97.1%). Five profiles (1.05%) displayed unprofessional content, including one profile photograph depicting alcohol consumption, one association with groups relating to excessive alcohol consumption, two profiles containing sexually explicit language, and one association with a sexist page. Most of our students use Facebook's privacy settings to hide some content from others. Unprofessional content was rarely visible from a stranger's profile. However, even when hidden from strangers, unprofessional behaviour is still unprofessional behaviour. As Facebook is an integral part of life, it is important for medical educators and students to understand the implications and importance of e-professionalism. Professionalism curricula should address e-professionalism.

Energy matters: An investigation of drama pedagogy in the science classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alrutz, Megan

The purpose of this study is to explore and document how informal and improvisational drama techniques affect student learning in the science classroom. While implementing a drama-based science unit, I examined multiple notions of learning, including, but not limited to, traditional notions of achievement, student understanding, student participation in the science classroom, and student engagement with, and knowledge of, science content. Employing an interpretivist research methodology, as outlined by Fredrick Erickson for qualitative analysis in the classroom, I collected data through personal observations; student and teacher interviews; written, artistic and performed class work; video-recorded class work; written tests; and questionnaires. In analyzing the data, I found strong support for student engagement during drama-based science instruction. The drama-based lessons provided structures that drew students into lessons, created enthusiasm for the science curriculum, and encouraged meaningful engagement with, and connections to, the science content, including the application and synthesis of science concepts and skills. By making student contributions essential to each of the lessons, and by challenging students to justify, explain, and clarify their understandings within a dramatic scenario, the classroom facilitators created a conducive learning environment that included both support for student ideas and intellectual rigor. The integration of drama-based pedagogy most affected student access to science learning and content. Students' participation levels, as well as their interest in both science and drama, increased during this drama-based science unit. In addition, the drama-based lessons accommodated multiple learning styles and interests, improving students' access to science content and perceptions of their learning experience and abilities. Finally, while the drama-based science lessons provided multiple opportunities for solidifying understanding of the science content, the data also revealed missed opportunities for sense-making within the delivery of several drama-based science lessons. In conclusion, this study demonstrates how the integration of drama and science prepares students for seeking, accessing, and organizing information in different ways, providing multiple means for students to build knowledge and understanding for actively participating in the changing world around us.

Improving Geoscience Learning and Increasing Student Engagement Using Online Interactive Writing Assignments with Calibrated Peer Review.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harbor, Jon

2014-05-01

Peer review is a hallmark of the publication process for scientific research, yet it is rarely used as a pedagogical approach in university geoscience courses. Learning outcomes for university geoscience courses include content knowledge and critical thinking and analysis skills, and often include written communication of scientific issues or concepts. Because lecture and memorization is not the most effective learning approach for many students, instructors are increasingly exploring teaching approaches that involve active engagement. In this context, writing assignments that engage students in using content, constructing arguments, and critiquing other students' work are highly desirable. However, many of us struggle with extensive writing requirements in our courses because the workload associated with having the instructor provide detailed comments on writing is daunting, especially in large-enrollment courses, and organizing effective peer review by students is very challenging. Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) is a web-based program that involves students in writing and in reviewing each other's writing. It is designed to allow for more involved writing and feedback experiences with much less instructor time. Here we report on the results of a qualitative-methods analysis of narrative survey responses from students using CPR in an introductory geoscience class. In addition to an impact on the students' writing and their understanding of what goes in to effective writing, the results indicate that CPR acted as reinforcement for content learning, and an impetus for gaining a deeper understanding of content material. It allowed students to see how other students explained and analyzed content, and to check their understanding of a topic in relation to other students in the class. Not surprisingly, the instructor reported that students performed far better on exam questions that tested knowledge covered by CPR assignments.

Middle school students' earthquake content and preparedness knowledge - A mixed method study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henson, Harvey, Jr.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of earthquake instruction on students' earthquake content and preparedness for earthquakes. This study used an innovative direct instruction on earthquake science content and concepts with an inquiry-based group activity on earthquake safety followed by an earthquake simulation and preparedness video to help middle school students understand and prepare for the regional seismic threat. A convenience sample of 384 sixth and seventh grade students at two small middle schools in southern Illinois was used in this study. Qualitative information was gathered using open-ended survey questions, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were collected using a 21 item content questionnaire administered to test students' General Earthquake Knowledge, Local Earthquake Knowledge, and Earthquake Preparedness Knowledge before and after instruction. A pre-test and post-test survey Likert scale with 21 items was used to collect students' perceptions and attitudes. Qualitative data analysis included quantification of student responses to the open-ended questions and thematic analysis of observation notes and interview transcripts. Quantitative datasets were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including t tests to evaluate the differences in means scores between paired groups before and after interventions and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test for differences between mean scores of the comparison groups. Significant mean differences between groups were further examined using a Dunnett's C post hoc statistical analysis. Integration and interpretation of the qualitative and quantitative results of the study revealed a significant increase in general, local and preparedness earthquake knowledge among middle school students after the interventions. The findings specifically indicated that these students felt most aware and prepared for an earthquake after an intervention that consisted of an inquiry-based group discussion on safety, earthquake content presentation and earthquake simulation video presentation on preparedness. Variations of the intervention, including no intervention, were not as effective in significantly increasing students' conceptual learning of earthquake knowledge.

Examining the Effect of Enactment of a Geospatial Curriculum on Students' Geospatial Thinking and Reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodzin, Alec M.; Fu, Qiong; Kulo, Violet; Peffer, Tamara

2014-08-01

A potential method for teaching geospatial thinking and reasoning (GTR) is through geospatially enabled learning technologies. We developed an energy resources geospatial curriculum that included learning activities with geographic information systems and virtual globes. This study investigated how 13 urban middle school teachers implemented and varied the enactment of the curriculum with their students and investigated which teacher- and student-level factors accounted for students' GTR posttest achievement. Data included biweekly implementation surveys from teachers and energy resources content and GTR pre- and posttest achievement measures from 1,049 students. Students significantly increased both their energy resources content knowledge and their GTR skills related to energy resources at the end of the curriculum enactment. Both multiple regression and hierarchical linear modeling found that students' initial GTR abilities and gain in energy content knowledge were significantly explanatory variables for their geospatial achievement at the end of curriculum enactment, p < .001. Teacher enactment factors, including adherence to implementing the critical components of the curriculum or the number of years the teachers had taught the curriculum, did not have significant effects on students' geospatial posttest achievement. The findings from this study provide support that learning with geospatially enabled learning technologies can support GTR with urban middle-level learners.

Investigation of the Influence of a Writing-to-Learn Assignment on Student Understanding of Polymer Properties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finkenstaedt-Quinn, Solaire A.; Halim, Audrey S.; Chambers, Timothy G.; Moon, Alena; Goldman, R. S.; Gere, Anne Ruggles; Shultz, Ginger V.

2017-01-01

We conducted a study to examine how a writing-to-learn assignment influenced student learning of polymer behavior. In particular, we examined the role of specific content and a rhetorical framework as well as a structured writing process including peer review and revision. The student-generated writing was analyzed via a content-directed rubric.…

Enhancing Student Communication Skills Through Arabic Language Competency and Simulated Patient Assessments.

PubMed

Hasan, Sanah; Tarazi, Hamadeh M Khier; Halim Hilal, Dana Abdel

2017-05-01

Objective. To assess student communication and patient management skill with introduction of Arabic and use of simulated patient assessments to a communication and counseling course. Design. Five, 3-hour tutorials (clinical skill laboratory) were added to the course covering: listening and empathic responding, non-verbal communications, interviewing skills, assertiveness, counseling in special situations: conflict, anger, worry or rushed situations, and professional decision making. Arabic content was introduced to the course to enhance Arabic communications and competence among students. Simulated patient assessment was used to evaluate student skills. Students' feedback about course changes was evaluated. Assessment. The course now covers a wider content and Arabic language. Students' scores were similar in the assessment and other assessments within the course and between Arabic and English groups. Students favorably rated the changes in the course and provided constructive feedback on content usefulness and adequacy. Conclusion. Expanding the course to include Arabic language and content and simulated patient assessments enhanced student communication skills.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Project ReCharge: A STEM Based Energy Efficiency Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pozarski Connolly, Catherine J.

This research evaluates the effectiveness of Project ReCharge, an energy efficiency, STEM curriculum designed for middle and high school students. The project includes a five-unit curriculum, and monthly professional development spanning a year. The project was implemented in ten schools over three years. Four areas were explored in the study including (1) changes to student content knowledge, (2) changes to student attitudes towards STEM subjects and careers, (3) changes to teacher self-efficacy and beliefs, and (4) changes to teacher content knowledge. A content test for teachers and students, the STEM Semantics Survey, and STEBI-A were used to collect data on 4123 students and 47 teachers. Data were collected in a quasi-experimental design utilizing parametric and nonparametric techniques. Analyses suggest student content knowledge increased significantly from pretest to posttest for all years (Pretest: M = 11.38, SD = 4.97, Posttest: M = 16.67, SD = 5.83, t = 45.05, p < 0.001, d = 0.98). Increases to student attitudes in STEM varied by year and grade, but overall increases were found in science (N = 2362, z = -2.618, p = 0.030, eta 2 = 0.002), and math attitudes (N = 2348, z = -2.280, p = 0.023, eta2 = 0.002). High school students tended to show more increased attitudes in more subject areas than middle school students. No changes to teacher self-efficacy and beliefs were found, and increases to teacher content knowledge only occurred in the third year (N = 22, x2 = 5.158; p = 0.076, eta2 = 0.319).

Impact of Chemistry Teachers' Knowledge and Practices on Student Achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scantlebury, Kathryn

2008-10-01

Professional development programs promoting inquiry-based teaching are challenged with providing teachers content knowledge and using pedagogical approaches that model standards based instruction. Inquiry practices are also important for undergraduate students. This paper focuses on the evaluation of an extensive professional development program for chemistry teachers that included chemistry content tests for students and the teachers and the impact of undergraduate research experiences on college students' attitudes towards chemistry. Baseline results for the students showed that there were no gender differences on the achievement test but white students scored significantly higher than non-white students. However, parent/adult involvement with chemistry homework and projects, was a significant negative predictor of 11th grade students' test chemistry achievement score. This paper will focus on students' achievement and attitude results for teachers who are mid-way through the program providing evidence that on-going, sustained professional development in content and pedagogy is critical for improving students' science achievement.

Health students' expectations of the ideal educational environment: a qualitative research.

PubMed

Aghamolaei, Teamur; Shirazi, Mandana; Dadgaran, Ideh; Shahsavari, Hooman; Ghanbarnejad, Amin

2014-10-01

Educational environment is an important determinant of students' behavior and its elements are associated with academic achievement and course satisfaction. The aim of this study was to determine students' expectations of the ideal educational environment. This was a qualitative study with content analysis approach. Using a theoretical sampling method, we selected eight students from Health School of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, studying health education, public health, environmental health, occupational health and medical entomology. To collect data, semi-structured interviews were used and continued until reaching data saturation. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Students' expectations of the ideal educational environment emerged in four main themes including school atmosphere, teaching, human aspects (with three subthemes including teachers, students, and school staff) and non-human aspects (with two subthemes including educational equipment and physical environment). Educational environment is a multidimensional issue and to achieve an ideal educational environment, educational planners should meet the students' expectations of the school atmosphere, teaching, teachers, students, school staff, educational equipment and physical environment.

Food Marketing: Cashier-Checker. Teacher's Guide. Competency Based Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froelich, Larry; And Others

This teacher's guide is designed to accompany the Competency Based Cashier-Checker Curriculum student materials--see note. Contents include a listing of reference materials, tool and equipment lists, copy of the table of contents for student competency sheets, teacher's suggestions, and answer keys for information sheets and exercises.…

Maths Games: A Universal Design Approach to Mathematical Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchheister, Kelley; Jackson, Christa; Taylor, Cynthia E.

2017-01-01

Providing students with an opportunity to explore mathematical content through games allows teachers to include tasks that: (1) present alternative representations of the content; (2) welcome various expressions of mathematical reasoning; and (3) incorporate variations that empower all students to engage in the problem solving process. Games not…

Chemistry Vocabulary Attainment among Higher Secondary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gafoor, K. Abdul; Greeshma, K.

2014-01-01

In the context of growing empirical evidence to lack of clear understanding of the language of the science content, undesirable student outcomes including difficulty in learning science and a lack of interest with their science content area, and chemistry being particularly loaded with specialized terminology of its own, this study analyzed the…

Assessing Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities on Academic Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Jessica; Behuniak, Peter

2012-01-01

Federal and state policies require all students with significant cognitive disabilities to participate in state assessments and be included in measures of adequate yearly progress. Although these alternate assessments of grade-level content based on alternate achievement standards have been in place for several years, little is known about the…

Automatic Digital Content Generation System for Real-Time Distance Lectures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iwatsuki, Masami; Takeuchi, Norio; Kobayashi, Hisato; Yana, Kazuo; Takeda, Hiroshi; Yaginuma, Hisashi; Kiyohara, Hajime; Tokuyasu, Akira

2007-01-01

This article describes a new automatic digital content generation system we have developed. Recently some universities, including Hosei University, have been offering students opportunities to take distance interactive classes over the Internet from overseas. When such distance lectures are delivered in English to Japanese students, there is a…

Radiological Monitoring for Instructors. Student Workbook. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of Civil Defense (DOD), Washington, DC.

This student workbook includes the necessary materials and some of the references needed by each student during the conduct of the Radiological Monitoring for Instructors (RMI) course. The contents include a radiation exposure record, instrument exercise materials, fallout forecasting problems, dose and dose rate problems, source handling…

Promoting pedagogical experimentation: using a wiki in graduate level education.

PubMed

Martin, Carolyn Thompson

2012-12-01

Learning to write in a scholarly manner is often a challenge for graduate students. This study describes nursing students' use of a wiki to encourage writing collaboration among students by allowing them to cocreate, review, and edit each other's material as it is created. Students are introduced to the online wiki site the first week of the course. A technology representative assists students with a short introduction and class visits. All students participate in making decisions related to the overall character of the site. They create pages on topics related to their clinical placements. Student pages are peer and content expert reviewed for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Students include pictures, YouTube links, attachments, videos, and Web site links into their pages. Evidence-based content includes pharmacology, diagnostic criteria, pathophysiology, history, genetics, and references. Students present their pages, and feedback questionnaires are collected at the end of the semester. The wiki writing assignment introduces students, faculty, and the community to graduate student projects while exposing students to new technology. Areas explored include issues and best practices regarding classroom pedagogy, as well as student support and technical challenges in the use of a wiki. Suggestions for improvement are discussed.

Science Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Achievement Standards (AA-AAS) during School Year 2014-2015. Synthesis Report 99

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Christopher M.; Thurlow, Martha L.; Lazarus, Sheryl S.

2015-01-01

Federal law requires that all students, including students with disabilities, participate in state assessments used for accountability purposes. It also requires states to assess students in several content areas, including science. Most students with disabilities take the general science assessment with or without accommodations, but a few…

Examining the Affects of Student Multitasking with Laptops during the Lecture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraushaar, James M.; Novak, David C.

2010-01-01

This paper examines undergraduate student use of laptop computers during a lecture-style class that includes substantial problem-solving activities and graphic-based content. The study includes both a self-reported use component collected from student surveys as well as a monitored use component collected via activity monitoring…

Review of Evidence-Based Mathematics Interventions for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart Barnett, Juliet E.; Cleary, Shannon

2015-01-01

Students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are being included more frequently in the general educational setting, and are therefore increasingly expected to access and master core curricular content, including mathematics. However, mathematics often presents challenges to students with ASD. Interventions to improve the mathematics skills of…

Alignment of learning objectives and assessments in therapeutics courses to foster higher-order thinking.

PubMed

FitzPatrick, Beverly; Hawboldt, John; Doyle, Daniel; Genge, Terri

2015-02-17

To determine whether national educational outcomes, course objectives, and classroom assessments for 2 therapeutics courses were aligned for curricular content and cognitive processes, and if they included higher-order thinking. Document analysis and student focus groups were used. Outcomes, objectives, and assessment tasks were matched for specific therapeutics content and cognitive processes. Anderson and Krathwohl's Taxonomy was used to define higher-order thinking. Students discussed whether assessments tested objectives and described their thinking when responding to assessments. There were 7 outcomes, 31 objectives, and 412 assessment tasks. The alignment for content and cognitive processes was not satisfactory. Twelve students participated in the focus groups. Students thought more short-answer questions than multiple choice questions matched the objectives for content and required higher-order thinking. The alignment analysis provided data that could be used to reveal and strengthen the enacted curriculum and improve student learning.

Integrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Content Into Undergraduate Medical School Curricula: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Sequeira, Gina M; Chakraborti, Chayan; Panunti, Brandy A

2012-01-01

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community is a diverse, underserved, and often stigmatized group that faces many barriers to accessing quality healthcare. Not only are few practicing physicians knowledgeable about and sensitive to the needs of LGBT patients, but medical school curricula include limited LGBT-related content. Our goals were to use LGBT-related educational sessions to gauge undergraduate medical students' interest and their perceptions of relevance and to eventually incorporate this topic into the curriculum. We provided 4 educational sessions to preclinical medical students at the Tulane University School of Medicine: 3 optional, 1-hour didactic sessions and 1 standardized patient encounter. Following sessions 1-3, students completed electronic feedback forms; we then analyzed their responses thematically. THE THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF STUDENT RESPONSES IDENTIFIED KEY THEMES: a current lack of exposure to LGBT content, agreement that LGBT material is applicable to students' work as future physicians, and the relevance of including such information in the medical school curriculum. The study validated the underlying assumption that LGBT educational sessions are meaningful to and valued by medical students.

Visible Facebook profiles and e-professionalism in undergraduate medical students in India

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Purpose: This study aimed to assess medical students’ presence on Facebook and the extent of their visible activity, with particular reference to online professionalism. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study including all medical students enrolled in the University College of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi, India during the period of the study, which was conducted from 2011 to 2012. After approval by the Institutional Ethical Committee, the full names of all students were obtained from our institution. After creating a fictitious profile, Facebook was searched for students’ profiles, and those found were examined for visible content and unprofessional behaviour. Results: Of 611 students, 477 (78.1%) had detectable Facebook profiles. Out of 477 profiles, date of birth, address, email, phone number, religion, and political views were rarely shared; sexual orientation and relationship status were displayed on approximately one third of the profiles; and an identifiable profile picture (80.3%), field of study (51.6%), and institution (86.2%) were commonly shared . The visible content included friend lists (88.7%), photo albums (36.1%), and associations with diverse groups and pages (97.1%). Five profiles (1.05%) displayed unprofessional content, including one profile photograph depicting alcohol consumption, one association with groups relating to excessive alcohol consumption, two profiles containing sexually explicit language, and one association with a sexist page. Conclusion: Most of our students use Facebook’s privacy settings to hide some content from others. Unprofessional content was rarely visible from a stranger’s profile. However, even when hidden from strangers, unprofessional behaviour is still unprofessional behaviour. As Facebook is an integral part of life, it is important for medical educators and students to understand the implications and importance of e-professionalism. Professionalism curricula should address e-professionalism. PMID:26582630

Unprofessional behaviour on social media by medical students.

PubMed

Barlow, Christopher J; Morrison, Stewart; Stephens, Hugh On; Jenkins, Emily; Bailey, Michael J; Pilcher, David

2015-12-14

To describe the social media usage patterns of medical students and to identify factors associated with their posting of unprofessional content on social media. Voluntary survey, delivered online. All students in all 20 Australian medical schools were eligible to participate (16 993 individuals). Of 1027 initial respondents during the study period (29 March - 12 August 2013), 880 completed the survey. Prevalence of unprofessional online behaviour on social media by medical students, as reported by students about their own and others' accounts. Posting of unprofessional content was self-reported by 306 students (34.7%), mainly depictions of intoxication (301 students, 34.2%) or illegal drug use (14 students, 1.6%), or posting of patient information (14 students, 1.6%). Posting of unprofessional content was associated with posting evidence of alcohol use and racist content online, MySpace use, and planning to change one's profile name after graduation. Factors associated with reduced unprofessional content included believing that videos depicting medical events with heavy alcohol use were inappropriate, and being happy with one's own social media portrayal. Exposure to guidelines on professional online conduct had no effect on posting behaviour. Social media use was nearly universal in the surveyed cohort. Posting of unprofessional content was highly prevalent despite understanding that this might be considered inappropriate, and despite awareness of professionalism guidelines. Medical educators should consider approaches to this problem that involve more than simply providing guidelines or policies, and students should be regularly prompted to evaluate and moderate their own online behaviour.

Embedding Sustainability Instruction across Content Areas: best Classroom Practices from Informal Environmental Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clary, R. M.; Walker, R. M.; Wissehr, C.

2017-12-01

Environmental education (EE) facilitates students' scientific and environmental literacy, and addresses content areas including sustainability, ecology, and civic responsibility. However, U.S. science content compartmentalization and EE's interdisciplinary nature historically made it a fragmented curriculum within U.S. schools. To gain a better understanding of effective EE instruction that can be transferred to traditional K-12 classrooms, we researched the interactions between a recognized environmental residential camp and students and teachers from six participating schools using grounded theory methodology. Our research identified the residential learning center's objectives, methods of instruction, and objectives' alignment to the delivered curricula. Data generated included lesson plans, survey responses, and interviews. Students (n = 215) identified wilderness and geology activities as the activities they wanted to experience more; they also identified developing curiosity and a sense of discovery as the most meaningful. Whereas most student-identified meaningful experiences aligned with the center's curricular objectives within the optional units, categories emerged that were not explicitly targeted in the unit activities but were embedded throughout the curriculum in sustainable practices, data collection, and reflections. We propose that embedded activities and implicit instruction can be included across content areas within K-12 classrooms. Teacher modeling and implicit instruction will require minimal classroom time, and facilitate students' scientific and environmental literacy in topics such as sustainability and citizen responsibility.

Patterns of Oral Choice and Evaluation across Secondary Content Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gleason, Jesse; Berg, Margaret; Huang, Jingzi

2018-01-01

Our study focuses on Choice and Evaluation, two of Mohan's knowledge structures to uncover how teachers and students across content areas developed disciplinary knowledge through classroom talk. Participants included in-service teachers and their students in rural and urban secondary schools in the Eastern and Western US. Through Choice and…

Focusing on Content: Discourse in L2 Peer Review Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vorobel, Oksana; Kim, Deoksoon

2014-01-01

Recent studies on peer review groups in second language classes have focused on various topics, including collaboration (Carr, 2008) and the effect of peer review versus teacher feedback on students' writing (Zhang, 1995). One area that has received little attention is the content of students' speech during peer review. This longitudinal case…

Seven Individualized Reading and Study Strategies for Mainstreamed Students in Content Area Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maring, Gerald H.; Furman, Gail

The paper describes ways in which mainstreamed special education students can engage in individual assignments to master course content. The activities include developing a word parts dictionary which addresses prefixes, roots, and suffixes of the subject area; highlighting the textbook to sort out main ideas, vocabulary words, and supporting…

Short- and Long-Term Effects of Cumulative Finals on Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khanna, Maya M.; Brack, Amy S. Badura; Finken, Laura L.

2013-01-01

In two experiments, we examined the benefits of cumulative and noncumulative finals on students' short- and long-term course material retention. In Experiment 1, we examined results from course content exams administered immediately after course finals. Course sections including cumulative finals had higher content exam scores than sections…

Do Special Education Interventions Improve Learning of Secondary Content? A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scruggs, Thomas E.; Mastropieri, Margo A.; Berkeley, Sheri; Graetz, Janet E.

2010-01-01

The authors describe findings from a research synthesis on content area instruction for students with disabilities. Seventy studies were identified from a comprehensive literature search, examined, and coded for a number of variables, including weighted standardized mean-difference effect sizes. More than 2,400 students were participants in these…

Enhancing Student Communication Skills Through Arabic Language Competency and Simulated Patient Assessments

PubMed Central

Tarazi, Hamadeh (M. Khier); Halim Hilal, Dana Abdel

2017-01-01

Objective. To assess student communication and patient management skill with introduction of Arabic and use of simulated patient assessments to a communication and counseling course. Design. Five, 3-hour tutorials (clinical skill laboratory) were added to the course covering: listening and empathic responding, non-verbal communications, interviewing skills, assertiveness, counseling in special situations: conflict, anger, worry or rushed situations, and professional decision making. Arabic content was introduced to the course to enhance Arabic communications and competence among students. Simulated patient assessment was used to evaluate student skills. Students’ feedback about course changes was evaluated. Assessment. The course now covers a wider content and Arabic language. Students’ scores were similar in the assessment and other assessments within the course and between Arabic and English groups. Students favorably rated the changes in the course and provided constructive feedback on content usefulness and adequacy. Conclusion. Expanding the course to include Arabic language and content and simulated patient assessments enhanced student communication skills. PMID:28630517

The Development, Field Testing and Evaluation of Three Hierarchies of Behaviorally Stated Objectives for the Chemistry Content of a Course of Instruction in Physical Science for Pre-Service Nursing Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Love, Robert Alden

The purpose of this research was to develop hierarchies of behavioral objectives for the chemistry content of a one-semester course in physical science for preservice associate degree nursing students. Each of three content objectives was expressed by a series of behaviorally stated objectives which included a terminal objective for a unit of…

Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten through Grade Twelve.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruton, Sheila, Ed.; Ong, Faye, Ed.; Geeting, Greg, Ed.

This document represents the content of science education in California and includes the essential skills and knowledge students will need to be scientifically literate citizens in the 21st century. The standards include grade-level specific content for kindergarten through grade 8. A significant feature is the focus on earth science in the 6th…

Examination of social networking professionalism among dental and dental hygiene students.

PubMed

Henry, Rachel K; Molnar, Amy L

2013-11-01

Becoming a dental professional requires one to apply ethical decision making skills and demonstrate high standards of professionalism in practice, including the way professionals present themselves to the public. With social media as an evergrowing part of personal and professional communications, this study aimed to determine the accessibility, amount, and type of unprofessional content on Facebook profiles of dental hygiene and dental students in a college of dentistry. The authors evaluated the online profiles of all 499 dental and dental hygiene students at The Ohio State University using objective measures that included existence of a profile, current privacy settings, and access to personally identifiable information. A sample of profiles were evaluated for unprofessional content including photos, comments, and wall posts. The majority of these students were found to use Facebook, with 61 percent having Facebook profiles. Dental hygiene students were more likely to have a Facebook profile than were dental students: 72.6 percent and 59.1 percent, respectively (p=0.027). The majority of the students' profiles had some form of privacy setting enabled, with only 4 percent being entirely open to the public. Fewer than 2 percent of the students allowed non-friends access to personal information. Based on in-depth analysis of the profiles, fourteen (5.8 percent) instances of unprofessionalism were recorded; the most common unprofessional content involved substance abuse. This study found that these dental and dental hygiene students frequently possessed an identifiable Facebook account and nearly half had some kind of personal information on their profile that could potentially be shared with the public. In some instances, the students gave patients, faculty, and potential employers access to content that is not reflective of a dental professional. Academic institutions should consider implementing policies that bring awareness to and address the use of social media in a professional environment.

Making space part of general education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horan, Stephen

1992-01-01

General education reform is on-going at many universities to, in part, make undergraduate students more technically literate. The space program provides an area of study that is still exciting to students, provides technical content, and can incorporate the other goals. Additionally, human space activity contains international and interdisciplinary dimensions that can reach students outside of the technical disciplines. The development and contents of a space education course to become part of the university's general education program open to all students is presented. Included in the presentation is a listing of the course materials to be used by the students.

Physical Science. Teacher's Guide [and Student Guide]. Parallel Alternative Strategies for Students (PASS).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danner, Greg, Ed.; Fresen, Sue, Ed.

This teacher's guide and student guide unit contains supplemental readings, activities, and methods adapted for secondary students who have disabilities and other students with diverse learning needs. The materials are designed to help these students succeed in regular education content courses and include simplified text and smaller units of…

Learning Science and the Science of Learning. Science Educators' Essay Collection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bybee, Rodger W., Ed.

This yearbook addresses critical issues in science learning and teaching. Contents are divided into four sections: (1) "How Do Students Learn Science?"; (2) "Designing Curriculum for Student Learning"; (3) "Teaching That Enhances Student Learning"; and (4) "Assessing Student Learning." Papers include: (1) "How Students Learn and How Teachers…

Engaging adolescents with LD in higher order thinking about history concepts using integrated content enhancement routines.

PubMed

Bulgren, Janis; Deshler, Donald D; Lenz, B Keith

2007-01-01

The understanding and use of historical concepts specified in national history standards pose many challenges to students. These challenges include both the acquisition of content knowledge and the use of that knowledge in ways that require higher order thinking. All students, including adolescents with learning disabilities (LD), are expected to understand and use concepts of history to pass high-stakes assessments and to participate meaningfully in a democratic society. This article describes Content Enhancement Routines (CERs) to illustrate instructional planning, teaching, and assessing for higher order thinking with examples from an American history unit. Research on the individual components of Content Enhancement Routines will be illustrated with data from 1 of the routines. The potential use of integrated sets of materials and procedures across grade levels and content areas will be discussed.

Model Curriculum Emphasizing Transition: A Curriculum Planning Guide for Students with Mild Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersen, Lee; And Others

This curriculum emphasizes successful transition from school to work and to a quality adult life for students with mild disabilities. The curriculum includes a scope and sequence outlining 11 subject matter content areas, covering tasks appropriate for learners from a developmental age of 1 month to 21 years. The 11 content areas include…

Cross-Cultural Context, Content, and Design: Development of Courses in Global Topics Serving International Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Hook, Steven R.

2011-01-01

This research was conducted in the development of courses for students from multiple nations at two California universities, applying cross-cultural tactics in course content and design. The paper examines the evolution of courses in Global Issues and Global Economics, including the theoretical foundations of socioeconomic development, how those…

A Task-Content Analysis of an Introductory Entomology Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brandenburg, R.

Described is an analysis of the content, tasks, and strategies needed by students to enable them to identify insects to order by sight and to family by use of a standard dichotomous taxonomic key. Tasks and strategies are broken down and arranged progressively in the approximate order in which students should progress. Included are listings of…

Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK) in Redox and Electrochemistry of Experienced Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Stephanie

2017-01-01

Topic specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK) is the basis by which knowledge of subject matter of a particular topic is conveyed to students. This includes students' prior knowledge, curricular saliency, what makes a topic easy or difficult to teach, representations, and teaching strategies. The goal of this study is to assess the…

Maintaining Positive Attitudes toward Science and Technology in First-Year Female Undergraduates: Peril and promise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machina, Kenton; Gokhale, Anu

2010-03-01

This study investigated attitude changes of 18-year-old first-year college students at a large state-operated institution in the USA during their initial semester in college. Attitudes of 375 students enrolled in a non-science first-year student seminar during the Fall of 2004 were measured, using a new instrument designed to focus on five attitude constructs especially relevant to female engagement with science and technology (S & T). The authors found that students whose seminar included visits with S & T professionals, plus at least four weeks of context-based S & T content, maintained modestly positive attitudes toward S & T. Students whose seminars included the science content but not the visits from professionals also maintained relatively positive attitudes, except that the females became less accepting of female participation in S & T. Notably, females enrolled in seminars that did not include any of these interventions declined significantly in all five attitudes toward S & T, even though 95% of these students were simultaneously enrolled in required introductory natural science courses. Thus, introducing context-based science content into the curriculum appears to be helpful in maintaining positive attitudes toward S & T in 18-year-old US female college students, while more traditional natural science pedagogy is associated with attitude decline in these students. This result is socially significant because females continue to be under-represented in several S & T fields at the level of first university degree, in many regions of the world.

Read, retrieve, connect and use: An intervention strategy for science and scientific literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monahan, Kerryane T.

American students underachieve on local, state, national, and international assessments of science. Student performance on standardized assessments has driven numerous educational reforms including No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top with a resulting increased focus on student achievement. Local districts and schools struggle with how to improve student achievement in order to meet the requirements of state and federal legislation. International and national government officials extoll the value of science in driving the economic prosperity of a nation adding increased pressure to improve science scores in the United States. Moreover, to be effective decision-makers personally and within a democracy, citizens must be scientifically literate. Read, Retrieve, Connect and Use (RRCU) is an instructional strategy that combined state biology content standards, with the new Common Core Standards for Literacy in Science through evidenced-based literacy strategies recommended by the National Reading Panel. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of an intervention, RRCU to improve science content knowledge and literacy skills in Biology and Language Arts. The findings identified reading skill, as measured by FCAT Reading as predictive of Biology test scores indicating a close relationship between reading comprehension and the ability to learn and be assessed on science content knowledge. The data did not indicate RRCU was an effective means of improving student science content knowledge or literacy skills. However, teachers responded positively to the strategy as a means to reinforce content knowledge and support literacy skills. Future recommendations include improving the study design and expanding the use of the strategy to middle school to build a foundation of effective literacy skills students can use to cope with the depth and complexity of science content at the high school level.

Using gaming to help nursing students understand ethics.

PubMed

Metcalf, Barbara L; Yankou, Dawn

2003-05-01

The authors developed an ethics game that uses specially designed ethical situations for students to consider. Two students argue a course of action based on the scenario and defend that action using content discussed in class. Substantive issues include decision-making models, values as they pertain to the situation, professional responsibilities, ethical principles, social expectations, and legal requirements. Points are awarded based on how compelling each argument is. All students have an opportunity to participate. The benefits of using the game are that students gain confidence in their ability to defend an ethical decision, are able to see ethical situations from more than one perspective, and have an opportunity to clarify values. In addition, ethical principles and decision-making models are brought to life in a fun way. Difficulties involved in using the game include class size and limited time between the students learning course content and using it in the game.

Encouraging Student Biological Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frame, Kathy, Ed.; Hays, Rachel, Ed.; Mack, Alison, Ed.

This publication encourages student involvement in biological research through student research with the cooperation of teachers and scientists. The contents of the book are divided into two sections. The first section introduces students to research investigations and includes: (1) "How the Investigations Are Set Up and the Rationale Behind…

Renewing and Developing the Partnership: Federal/State/Campus Cooperation in Student Financial Aid.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenske, Robert H., Ed.; Clark, Patricia L., Ed.

The proceedings of the conference are summarized, including a symposium discussion following the formal conference. Contents include: two views of the present advisory structure for student aid (The Case for Maintaining and Expanding the Coalition for the Coordination of Student Financial Aid, by Robert H. Atwell, and The Need for Developing a…

Teaching Core Content with Real-Life Applications to Secondary Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Belva C.; Karl, Jennifer; Riggs, Leah; Galloway, Carey C.; Hager, Karen D.

2010-01-01

Many students identified as having moderate and severe disabilities (MSD) benefit from a curriculum that includes instruction on the functional skills that they will need to successfully transition to adulthood. In particular, this includes students with cognitive disabilities who are most likely to qualify in the 1% who are eligible for the…

The everyday meets the academic: How bilingual Latino/a third graders use sociocultural resources to learn in science and social studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McIntosh Ciechanowski, Kathryn E.

Driven by questions surrounding the documented "fourth-grade slump" in student test scores and about the content learning of English language learners, this dissertation examines the science and social studies literacy practices of third grade bilingual Latino/as in an urban school. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, I examined three questions: (a) What content area demands are evident in instruction and in the assigned texts that children read? (b) What sociocultural knowledge do students draw on in the reading and writing of content area texts? How does it shape their reading and writing? and (c) What linguistic knowledge do students draw on in the reading and writing of content area texts? How does it shape their reading and writing? These questions are premised on three key tenets from the extant research literature. First, research has documented that middle grade students struggle to make sense of content texts, which could be caused by not only a scarcity of expository texts in early grades but also by discipline-specific demands in the content texts. Second, although all students may struggle to read specialized texts, students from non-mainstream backgrounds may struggle more because they do not possess the social and linguistic capital valued in mainstream schools. Third, sociocultural research has documented the importance of social and cultural funds of knowledge in classroom learning and knowledge construction. Guided by these tenets, I observed for six months in 2 classes and recorded field notes, interviewed participants, collected artifacts, and conducted pre- and post-unit assessments. Analytic methods included quantitative evaluation of assessments and constant comparative and discourse analyses. Findings indicate that the textbooks posed linguistic and conceptual demands and represented multiple discourses including the discourses of the natural and social sciences. To make sense of texts, students drew from various sociocultural resources such as popular culture, family, and children's literature. The teacher was more likely to take up these resources (although briefly) when they tightly aligned with instructional goals. Bilingual students faced great complexity as they drew upon linguistic resources to learn technical language and content in two languages and within multiple academic and everyday discourses.

Content-Based Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CATESOL Journal, 1992

1992-01-01

This English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) journal periodical devotes entire issues to specific issues. The theme of this issue is "Content-Base Instruction." Articles include: "Syllabus Design in Content-Based Instruction" (David E. Eskey); "How Relevant Is Relevance?: An Examination of Student Needs, Interests, and…

Expedition Earth and Beyond: Student Scientist Guidebook. Model Research Investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graff, Paige Valderrama

2009-01-01

The Expedition Earth and Beyond Student Scientist Guidebook is designed to help student researchers model the process of science and conduct a research investigation. The Table of Contents listed outlines the steps included in this guidebook

Relation between body composition and bone mineral density in young undregraduate students with different nutritional status

PubMed Central

Rodrigues, Edil de Albuquerque; dos Santos, Marcos André Moura; da Silva, Amanda Tabosa Pereira; Farah, Breno Quintella; Costa, Manoel da Cunha; Campos, Florisbela de Arruda Camara e Siqueira; Falcão, Ana Patrícia Siqueira Tavares

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the relationship between total and segmental body fat, bone mineral density and bone mineral content in undergraduate students stratified according to nutritional status. Methods The study included 45 male undergraduate students aged between 20 and 30 years. Total and segmental body composition, bone mineral density and bone mineral content assessments were performed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Subjects were allocated into three groups (eutrophic, overweight and obese). Results With the exception of upper limb bone mineral content, significantly higher (p<0.05) mean bone mineral density, bone mineral content, and relative body fat values were documented in the obese group. Total body and segmental relative body fat (lower limbs and trunk) were positively correlated (p<0.05) with bone mineral density in the overweight group. Upper limb fat was negatively correlated (p<0.05) with bone mineral content in the normal and eutrophic groups. Conclusion Total body and segmental body fat were correlated with bone mineral density and bone mineral content in male undergraduate students, particularly in overweight individuals. PMID:27074228

Defining a mismatch: differences in usage of social networking sites between medical students and the faculty who teach them.

PubMed

Brisson, Gregory E; Fisher, Matthew J; LaBelle, Mark W; Kozmic, Sarah E

2015-01-01

Use of social networking sites (SNS) by medical students is increasing, and some students lack awareness of pitfalls arising from the intersection of social networking and medicine. Many institutions have developed guidelines on using SNS, but they are insufficient for students. Educators need new methods to train students on the appropriate use of this technology, but more information is needed before implementing change. Differences in SNS usage between students and faculty were examined. The goal was to evaluate four content areas: SNS usage patterns, attitudes regarding activity on SNS, experience with patient interactions online, and awareness of institutional guidelines on use of SNS. A cross-sectional survey took place at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, in 2012. Participants included all students and a cohort of faculty who teach them in a class on professionalism. The response rate was 42% by students (300/711) and 78% by faculty (31/40). Of the students, 94% use SNS, compared to 48% of faculty. Students were more likely than faculty to display content they would not want patients to see (57% vs. 27%), report seeing inappropriate content on colleagues' SNS profiles (64% vs. 42%), and ignore harmful postings by colleagues (25% vs. 7%). Faculty were more likely than students to have been approached by patients on SNS (53% vs. 3%). Most participants were unlikely to conduct Internet searches on patients. Students are more likely than faculty to use SNS and use it very differently than faculty. Students would benefit from training on appropriate use of SNS. Topics that should be addressed include editing one's online presence, managing friend requests from patients, dealing with colleagues who post harmful content, conducting Internet searches on patients, and discussion of boundaries to identify potential harms associated with SNS usage. Differences in usage between students and faculty raise questions if faculty are well suited to provide this training.

An interprofessional diabetes experience to improve pharmacy and nursing students' competency in collaborative practice.

PubMed

Pittenger, Amy L; Westberg, Sarah; Rowan, Mary; Schweiss, Sarah

2013-11-12

To improve pharmacy and nursing students' competency in collaborative practice by having them participate in an interprofessional diabetes experience involving social networking. An existing elective course on diabetes management was modified to include interprofessional content based on Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competency domains. Web-based collaborative tools (social networking and video chat) were used to allow nursing and pharmacy students located on 2 different campuses to apply diabetes management content as an interprofessional team. Mixed-method analyses demonstrated an increase in students' knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of the other profession and developed an understanding of interprofessional communication strategies and their central role in effective teamwork. Interprofessional content and activities can be effectively integrated into an existing course and offered successfully to students from other professional programs and on remote campuses.

An Investigation Into the Effects of Background Music in a Dramatic Television Presentation on University Students' Perception and Retention of Cognitive Content.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rink, Otho P.

To investigate the effects of background music on perception and retention of a dramatic television presentation's cognitive content, 107 English literature students were randomly assigned to one of five background treatments for a play. Four of the videotaped presentations included background music; Shostakovich's Symphony No. 6; Japanese jazz;…

Affordances of students' using the World Wide Web as a publishing medium in project-based learning environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bos, Nathan Daniel

This dissertation investigates the emerging affordance of the World Wide Web as a place for high school students to become authors and publishers of information. Two empirical studies lay groundwork for student publishing by examining learning issues related to audience adaptation in writing, motivation and engagement with hypermedia, design, problem-solving, and critical evaluation. Two models of student publishing on the World Wide Web were investigated over the course of two 11spth grade project-based science curriculums. In the first curricular model, students worked in pairs to design informative hypermedia projects about infectious diseases that were published on the Web. Four case studies were written, drawing on both product- and process-related data sources. Four theoretically important findings are illustrated through these cases: (1) multimedia, especially graphics, seemed to catalyze some students' design processes by affecting the sequence of their design process and by providing a connection between the science content and their personal interest areas, (2) hypermedia design can demand high levels of analysis and synthesis of science content, (3) students can learn to think about science content representation through engagement with challenging design tasks, and (4) students' consideration of an outside audience can be facilitated by teacher-given design principles. The second Web-publishing model examines how students critically evaluate scientific resources on the Web, and how students can contribute to the Web's organization and usability by publishing critical reviews. Students critically evaluated Web resources using a four-part scheme: summarization of content, content, evaluation of credibility, evaluation of organizational structure, and evaluation of appearance. Content analyses comparing students' reviews and reviewed Web documents showed that students were proficient at summarizing content of Web documents, identifying their publishing source, and evaluating their organizational features; however, students struggled to identify scientific evidence, bias, or sophisticated use of media in Web pages. Shortcomings were shown to be partly due to deficiencies in the Web pages themselves and partly due to students' inexperience with the medium or lack of critical evaluation skills. Future directions of this idea are discussed, including discussion of how students' reviews have been integrated into a current digital library development project.

An Interactive Online Approach to Small-Group Student Presentations and Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thor, Der; Xiao, Nan; Zheng, Meixun; Ma, Ruidan; Yu, Xiao Xi

2017-01-01

Student presentations had been widely implemented across content areas, including health sciences education. However, due to various limitations, small-group student presentations in the classroom may not reach their full potential for student learning. To address challenges with presentations in the classroom, we redesigned the assignment by…

Students as Audience: Identity and Information Literacy Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Carolyn N.; Thomas, Wm. Joseph

2006-01-01

This article encourages librarians to ask who their students are and how the makeup of the student body influences their instructional planning and presentations. Specifically included are implications for teaching space, planning for and presenting instructional content in person, and identifying outreach activities to selected student groups.…

Creating Sacred Places for Students in Grades 7&8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Sandra J.

This guide attempts to help teachers of American Indian students in grades 7-8 provide a culturally relevant education that takes place in the regular classroom, includes content related to Indian students' lives, makes students proud, expands to other experiences, and enhances learning. Creating sacred places means responding appropriately to…

Creating Sacred Places for Students in Grades 9-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Sandra J.

This guide attempts to help teachers of American Indian students in grades 9-12 provide a culturally relevant education that takes place in the regular classroom, includes content related to Indian students' lives, makes students proud, expands to other experiences, and enhances learning. Creating sacred places means responding appropriately to…

How Do You Listen to Your Students to Help Them Learn about Race and Racism?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kernahan, Cyndi; Chick, Nancy L.

2017-01-01

Teaching and learning can be especially difficult when the content includes race. We argue here that an effective approach is one that includes multiple angles, learning from our students and from a broad range of colleagues and disciplines.

A comparative study on student perceptions of their learning outcomes in undergraduate science degree programmes with differing curriculum models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, Kelly E.; Firn, Jennifer; Schmidt, Susanne; Whelan, Karen

2017-04-01

This study investigated students' perceptions of their graduate learning outcomes including content knowledge, communication, writing, teamwork, quantitative skills, and ethical thinking in two Australian universities. One university has a traditional discipline-orientated curriculum and the other, an interdisciplinary curriculum in the entry semester of first year. The Science Students Skills Inventory asked students (n = 613) in first and final years to rate their perceptions of the importance of developing graduate learning outcomes within the programme; how much they improved their graduate learning outcomes throughout their undergraduate science programme; how much they saw learning outcomes included in the programme; and how confident they were about their learning outcomes. A framework of progressive curriculum development was adopted to interpret results. Students in the discipline-oriented degree programme reported higher perceptions of scientific content knowledge and ethical thinking while students from the interdisciplinary curriculum indicated higher perceptions of oral communication and teamwork. Implications for curriculum development include ensuring progressive development from first to third years, a need for enhanced focus on scientific ethics, and career opportunities from first year onwards.

Construction of technological artifacts and teaching strategies to promote flexible scientific understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spitulnik, Michele Wisnudel

Science education reforms advocate inquiry as a way to build explanations and make informed decisions. Based on this call this dissertation (1) defines flexible scientific understanding by elaborating on content, inquiry and epistemic understandings; (2) describes an inquiry based unit that integrates dynamic modeling software; (3) examines students' understandings as they construct models; and (4) identifies instructional strategies that support inquiry and model building. A curriculum unit was designed to engage students in inquiry by identifying problems and constructing models to represent, explain and predict phenomena. Ninth grade students in a public mid-western high school worked in teams of 2-3 to ask questions, find information and reflect on the purposes of models. Data sources including classroom video, observations, interviews, student models and handouts were used to formulate cases that examine how two groups construct understanding. A teacher case study identifies the teaching strategies that support understanding. Categories within content, inquiry and epistemic understandings were used to analyze student understandings and teaching supports. The findings demonstrate that students can build flexible understanding by constructing models. Students built: (1) content understanding by identifying key ideas and building relationships and explanations of phenomena; (2) inquiry understanding by defining problems, constructing models and developing positions; and (3) epistemic understanding by describing the purposes of models as generalizing phenomena, testing hypotheses and making predictions. However, students demonstrated difficulty in using evidence to defend scientific arguments. Strategies that support flexible understanding were also identified. Content supports include: setting expectations for explanations; using examples to illustrate explanations; modeling questions; and providing feedback that prompts detailed explanations. Supports for inquiry are setting expectations for data gathering; using examples that illustrate model building; modeling the development of an argument; and providing feedback to promote coherent models. Epistemic supports include: using examples to illustrate purposes and assumptions within models, and providing feedback as students evaluate their models. The dissertation demonstrates that teaching strategies impact student understanding but are challenging to implement. When strategies are not used, students do not necessarily construct desired outcomes such as, using evidence to support arguments.

Ideology Awareness Project: An Exercise in Item Unit Content Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, David R.

1981-01-01

Describes an exercise in the content analysis of political ideologies. Advantages of the exercise include that it teaches students to employ content analysis as a method of research and that it introduces them to the ideological statements of America's leading social critics. (DB)

Mathematics teaching experiences of elementary preservice teachers with high and low mathematics anxiety during student teaching: A multiple case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nisbet, Leslie Deanna

This study investigated the teaching experiences of six elementary preservice teachers (EPTs), three with high mathematics anxiety and three with low mathematics anxiety, during their student teaching semester. The EPTs were selected from an initial pool of 121 EPTs who took the Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Scale. The cases were compared in a cross case analysis to highlight mathematics teaching experiences among EPTs. Data sources included EPT and researcher journal entries, interview transcripts, pre-lesson surveys, field notes, lesson plans, and artifacts of observed lessons. Data were coded using Shulman's content knowledge, Graeber's mathematics pedagogical content knowledge, and mathematics anxiety characteristics. Findings revealed both similarities and differences across EPTs as related to four major categories: (a) planning and resources used, (b) role of the cooperating teacher, (c) content knowledge, and (d) pedagogical content knowledge. All EPTs used mostly direct instruction and relied on the course textbook and their respective cooperating teacher as their primary resources for planning. Additionally, across participants, the cooperating teacher influenced EPTs' perceptions of students and teaching. Also, EPTs with high mathematics anxiety were weaker with respect to content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Findings suggest a need to re-design methods courses to address improving the pedagogical content knowledge of EPTs with mathematics anxiety. Findings also suggest a need to develop content specific mathematics courses for EPTs to improve their content knowledge. Future studies could include a longitudinal study to follow highly anxious EPTs who take content specific elementary mathematics courses to observe their content knowledge and mathematics anxiety.

Investigating Students' Ideas about the Flow of Matter and Energy in Living Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Melanie; Cohen, Kimberley; Esch, R. Keith; Smith, P. Sean

2012-01-01

It is fascinating to listen to middle school students talk about food for plants and animals and how that food is used. Some students describe ideas that are essentially correct. Some comments suggest that students are familiar with the content, but their understanding is incomplete or includes inaccuracies. Finally, some students have little…

Students Own Their Introductory Chemistry Experience: Becoming an Element for a Semester

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fautch, Jessica M.; Foresman, James B.

2017-01-01

Introductory science courses serve a population of students in the major (i.e., chemistry) as well as those students outside the discipline (i.e., premed, biology, engineering). In an effort to help this diverse population of students connect personally with the content of the course, we sought ways to include student-centered activities, provide…

A Student Teacher Checklist: Professional Preparation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grosshans, Onie R.

1978-01-01

A checklist of communication skills and techniques for student teachers includes items in the following categories: knowledge of content; knows students' names; blackboard use; use of notes; distracting mannerisms; eye contact; use of voice; facial expressions; use of humor; seating arrangement; classroom control. (JMF)

Adopt-a-Dino

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clary, Renee; Wandersee, James

2011-01-01

This article discusses a creative visualization project to motivate and engage students. Students depict a dinosaur in its ecosystem and include all three elements of the environment: air, land, and water. Students explore scientific content in evolution, natural selection, food webs, ecosystems and geologic time. (Contains 6 figures.)

Marketing Your College Music Program to Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Steven N.

1988-01-01

Suggests the use of time-proven marketing methods to attract high school students to college music programs and keep them interested in the music program. Explores facets of the college and the program that draw students, including reputation, location, costs, and program content. (LS)

The Impact of a Racing Feature on Middle School Science Students' Performance in an Educational Game: The Effect of Content-Free Game-Actions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ault, Marilyn; Craig-Hare, Jana; Frey, Bruce

2016-01-01

Reason Racer is an online, rate-based, multiplayer game designed to engage middle school students in the knowledge and skills related to scientific argumentation. Several game features are included as design considerations unrelated to science content or argumentation. One specific feature, a competitive racing component that occurs in between…

Curbing the Financial Exploitation of the Poor: Financial Literacy and Social Work Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karger, Howard

2015-01-01

The article investigates the importance of financial literacy content for social work students who at some point in their career will encounter financially-excluded clients. Financial literacy content can include understanding how fringe economy businesses operate, including their business model, knowledge of local and national nonpredatory…

Summary of the Journal of Geoscience Education Urban Theme Issue (Published in November, 2004)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abolins, M. J.

2004-12-01

The urban geoscience education theme issue includes twelve manuscripts describing efforts to make geoscience more inclusive. These efforts reflect two central beliefs: (1) that urban geoscience education more effectively serves urban residents (slightly more than 80% of the American population) and (2) that urban education encourages minority participation in the geosciences. These convictions spawned educational programs serving many different kinds of learners. Educators developed unique curricula to meet the needs of each audience, but most curricula incorporate content associated with the built environment. The following paragraphs summarize audience characteristics and curricular content. Audience Urban geoscience education served many different kinds of learners. Although most programs targeted an audience with a specific level of educational experience (e.g., elementary school students) at a specific location (e.g., Syracuse, NY), audience characteristics varied greatly from one program to another: (1) Participants included elementary, middle, and high school students, undergraduates (both majors and non-majors), K-12 teachers (both pre-service and in-service), graduate students, realtors, and community members. (2) At least three programs served populations with substantial numbers of African American, Hispanic, and Asian American students. (3) Audiences were drawn from every corner of the nation except the Pacific Northwest and Florida and resided in cities varying greatly in population. These cities included the nation's largest combined metropolitan area (New York City, NY-NJ-CT-PA), other metropolitan areas containing populations of over one million, and communities as small as Ithaca, NY (population: 96,501). As illustrated by the preceding examples, urban geoscience education served learners with different levels of educational experience, some programs focused on minority learners, and program participants lived in cities both big and small. Content Most urban geoscience curricula include content associated with the built environment. Some content is organized around themes that are unique to the largest cities, but much content is explicitly suburban. Examples follow: (1) A good example of a theme unique to the largest cities is the impact of geology on the construction of early Twentieth Century skyscrapers. (2) Much explicitly suburban material addresses human-environment interactions in urbanizing areas. The above examples show that curricula described in the theme issue include content relevant to both big city and suburban learners. Summary Although urban geoscience education programs serve many different kinds of learners, most curricula include content focusing on the built environment. Taken together, urban geoscience education programs utilized content relevant to both big city and suburban learners and served audiences with different levels of educational experience and various ethnic backgrounds.

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching Science to Improve Student Content Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephenson, Robert L.

The majority of Grade 5 students demonstrate limited science knowledge on state assessments. This trend has been documented since 2010 with no evidence of improvement. Because state accountability formulas include proficiency scores and carry sanctions against districts that fail to meet proficiency thresholds, improved student performance in science is an important issue to school districts. The purpose of this study was to explore elementary teachers' perceptions about their students' science knowledge, the strategies used to teach science, the barriers affecting science teaching, and the self-efficacy beliefs teachers maintain for teaching science. This study, guided by Vygotsky's social constructivist theory and Bandura's concept of self-efficacy, was a bounded instrumental case study in which 15 participants, required to be teaching K-5 elementary science in the county, were interviewed. An analytic technique was used to review the qualitative interview data through open coding, clustering, and analytical coding resulting in identified categorical themes that addressed the research questions. Key findings reflect students' limited content knowledge in earth and physical science. Teachers identified barriers including limited science instructional time, poor curricular resources, few professional learning opportunities, concern about new state standards, and a lack of teaching confidence. To improve student content knowledge, teachers identified the need for professional development. The project is a professional development series provided by a regional education service agency for K-5 teachers to experience science and engineering 3-dimensional learning. Area students will demonstrate deeper science content knowledge and benefit from improved science instructional practice and learning opportunities to become science problem solvers and innovative contributors to society.

Fieldwork Lesson based on" the International Geography Olympiad" (iGeo)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otani, Seiichi

2017-04-01

Japanese social studies consist of three fields. That's geography, history and civics. About geographical studies in Japan, it has a lot of contents of human geography and has little contents of natural geography. I think that Japanese social studies teachers should teach more natural geography contents for ESD. 　 There is a fieldwork lesson in geographical studies in Japan. This is the educational activity by which body and head were used. But in fact, fieldwork lessons are not performed in many Japanese junior high schools. I was a leader of iGeo2012 (in Germany). iGeo is held by three tests; Multimedia tests, Writing tests and Fieldwork tests. The test is included of a lot of contents of natural geography. And there are two skills that students acquire through the fieldwork test in iGeo. One is a map making skill, the other is decision making skill. Japanese students need more knowledge of natural geography. And those are not enough skills for Japanese students. So I did a fieldwork lesson based on iGeo's fieldwork test. The fieldwork lesson was performed around the school. It was also performed under the point of natural geography. After the lessons, students could improve map making skill. Because a lot of maps made by students in this lesson got prize of map contest in Japan. Some maps were included the view of natural geography.

Personnel Administrators' Preferences for Resume Content: A Survey and Review of Empirically Based Conclusions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutchinson, Kevin L.

1984-01-01

Reports results of a survey of Fortune 500 personnel administrators' preferences for the content of resumes submitted by college students entering the job market. Concludes that textbooks, teachers, and applicants should not only include but stress this preferred content. (PD)

Teaching and Learning Science Through Song: Exploring the experiences of students and teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Governor, Donna; Hall, Jori; Jackson, David

2013-12-01

This qualitative, multi-case study explored the use of science-content music for teaching and learning in six middle school science classrooms. The researcher sought to understand how teachers made use of content-rich songs for teaching science, how they impacted student engagement and learning, and what the experiences of these teachers and students suggested about using songs for middle school classroom science instruction. Data gathered included three teacher interviews, one classroom observation and a student focus-group discussion from each of six cases. The data from each unit of analysis were examined independently and then synthesized in a multi-case analysis, resulting in a number of merged findings, or assertions, about the experience. The results of this study indicated that teachers used content-rich music to enhance student understanding of concepts in science by developing content-based vocabulary, providing students with alternative examples and explanations of concepts, and as a sense-making experience to help build conceptual understanding. The use of science-content songs engaged students by providing both situational and personal interest, and provided a mnemonic device for remembering key concepts in science. The use of songs has relevance from a constructivist approach as they were used to help students build meaning; from a socio-cultural perspective in terms of student engagement; and from a cognitive viewpoint in that in these cases they helped students make connections in learning. The results of this research have implications for science teachers and the science education community in developing new instructional strategies for the middle school science classroom.

Effective Instructor Feedback: Perceptions of Online Graduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Getzlaf, Beverley; Perry, Beth; Toffner, Greg; Lamarche, Kimberley; Edwards, Margaret

2009-01-01

This descriptive study explored online graduate students' perceptions of effective instructor feedback. The objectives of the study were to determine the students' perceptions of the content of effective instructor feedback ("what should be included in effective feedback?") and the process of effective instructor feedback ("how…

Embedding Literacy Strategies in Social Studies for Eighth-Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaston, Alishia; Martinez, James; Martin, Ellice P.

2016-01-01

This action research study evaluated the effects of literacy strategies on academic achievement, motivation, and engagement of eighth-grade social studies students. Incorporating literacy strategies included teaching students to construct meaning, think critically, and build content knowledge, while stimulating their interests, using multiple…

Information-seeking strategies and science content understandings of sixth-grade students using on-line learning environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffman, Joseph Loris

1999-11-01

This study examined the information-seeking strategies and science content understandings learners developed as a result of using on-line resources in the University of Michigan Digital Library and on the World Wide Web. Eight pairs of sixth grade students from two teachers' classrooms were observed during inquiries for astronomy, ecology, geology, and weather, and a final transfer task assessed learners' capabilities at the end of the school year. Data included video recordings of students' screen activity and conversations, journals and completed activity sheets, final artifacts, and semi-structured interviews. Learners' information-seeking strategies included activities related to asking, planning, tool usage, searching, assessing, synthesizing, writing, and creating. Analysis of data found a majority of learners posed meaningful, openended questions, used technological tools appropriately, developed pertinent search topics, were thoughtful in queries to the digital library, browsed sites purposefully to locate information, and constructed artifacts with novel formats. Students faced challenges when planning activities, assessing resources, and synthesizing information. Possible explanations were posed linking pedagogical practices with learners' growth and use of inquiry strategies. Data from classroom-lab video and teacher interviews showed varying degrees of student scaffolding: development and critique of initial questions, utilization of search tools, use of journals for reflection on activities, and requirements for final artifacts. Science content understandings included recalling information, offering explanations, articulating relationships, and extending explanations. A majority of learners constructed partial understandings limited to information recall and simple explanations, and these occasionally contained inaccurate conceptualizations. Web site design features had some influence on the construction of learners' content understandings. Analysis of data suggests sites with high quality general design, navigation, and content helped to foster the construction of broad and accurate understandings, while context and interactivity had less impact. However, student engagement with inquiry strategies had a greater impact on the construction of understandings. Gaining accurate and in-depth understandings from on-line resources is a complex process for young learners. Teachers can support students by helping them engage in all phases of the information-seeking process, locate useful information with prescreened resources, build background understanding with off-line instruction, and process new information deeply through extending writing and conversation.

Promoting diversity through program websites: A multicultural content analysis of school psychology program websites.

PubMed

Smith, Leann V; Blake, Jamilia J; Graves, Scott L; Vaughan-Jensen, Jessica; Pulido, Ryne; Banks, Courtney

2016-09-01

The recruitment of culturally and linguistically diverse students to graduate programs is critical to the overall growth and development of school psychology as a field. Program websites serve as an effective recruitment tool for attracting prospective students, yet there is limited research on how school psychology programs use their websites to recruit diverse students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether school psychology program websites include sufficient levels of diversity-related content critical for attracting diverse applicants. The website content of 250 professional psychology programs (165 school psychology training programs and 85 clinical and counseling psychology programs) were examined for the presence of themes of diversity and multiculturalism that prospective racially/ethnically and linguistically diverse students deem important for selecting a graduate program. Results indicated that school psychology programs had less diversity-related content on their program's website relative to clinical and counseling psychology programs.' Implications for improving recruitment of racially/ethnically and linguistically diverse students through websites are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Sharing of Alcohol-Related Content on Social Networking Sites: Frequency, Content, and Correlates.

PubMed

Erevik, Eilin K; Torsheim, Torbjørn; Vedaa, Øystein; Andreassen, Cecilie S; Pallesen, Ståle

2017-05-01

The present study aimed to explore students' reports of their sharing of alcohol-related content on different social networking sites (i.e., frequency of sharing and connotations of alcohol-related posts), and to identify indicators of such posting. Students at the four largest institutions for higher education in Bergen, Norway, were invited to participate in an Internet-based survey. The sample size was 11,236 (a 39.4% response rate). The survey included questions about disclosure of alcohol-related content on social networking sites, alcohol use (using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), personality factors (using the Mini-IPIP), and demographic characteristics. Binary logistic regressions were used to analyze indicators of frequent sharing of alcohol-related content depicting positive and negative aspects of alcohol use. A majority of the students had posted alcohol-related content (71.0%), although few reported having done so frequently. Positive aspects of alcohol use (e.g., enjoyment or social community) were most frequently shared. Young, single, and extroverted students with high alcohol consumption were more likely to report frequent sharing of alcohol-related content. Positive attitudes toward posting alcohol-related content and reports of exposure to such content particularly increased the likelihood of one's own posting of alcohol-related content. Positive aspects of alcohol use seem to be emphasized on social networking sites. Sharing of alcohol-related content is associated with heightened alcohol use, which implies that such sites can be relevant for prevention agents. Social influence from social networking sites, such as exposure to others' alcohol-related content, is associated with one's own sharing of similar content.

Embedding Sustainability Instruction across Content Areas: Best Classroom Practices from Informal Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Ryan; Clary, Renee M.; Wissehr, Cathy

2017-01-01

Environmental education (EE) facilitates students' scientific and environmental literacy, and addresses content areas including sustainability, ecology, and civic responsibility. However, U.S. science content compartmentalization and EE's interdisciplinary nature historically made it a fragmented curriculum within U.S. schools. To gain a better…

Job Interviewing Skills for ESL Students with a Cross-Cultural Emphasis. Instructor's Manual and Student Workbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gosak, Alice; Nguyen, Patricia

These instructor and student manuals contain the content for a course on getting a job for students of English as a Second Language. The course emphasizes the cultural values and nuances of U.S. culture that students may expect to encounter during the job search and job interviews. Topics covered include exploring cultural assumptions, culture…

Student mathematical imagination instruments: construction, cultural adaptation and validity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwijayanti, I.; Budayasa, I. K.; Siswono, T. Y. E.

2018-03-01

Imagination has an important role as the center of sensorimotor activity of the students. The purpose of this research is to construct the instrument of students’ mathematical imagination in understanding concept of algebraic expression. The researcher performs validity using questionnaire and test technique and data analysis using descriptive method. Stages performed include: 1) the construction of the embodiment of the imagination; 2) determine the learning style questionnaire; 3) construct instruments; 4) translate to Indonesian as well as adaptation of learning style questionnaire content to student culture; 5) perform content validation. The results stated that the constructed instrument is valid by content validation and empirical validation so that it can be used with revisions. Content validation involves Indonesian linguists, english linguists and mathematics material experts. Empirical validation is done through a legibility test (10 students) and shows that in general the language used can be understood. In addition, a questionnaire test (86 students) was analyzed using a biserial point correlation technique resulting in 16 valid items with a reliability test using KR 20 with medium reability criteria. While the test instrument test (32 students) to find all items are valid and reliability test using KR 21 with reability is 0,62.

Influence of using challenging tasks in biology classrooms on students' cognitive knowledge structure: an empirical video study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nawani, Jigna; Rixius, Julia; Neuhaus, Birgit J.

2016-08-01

Empirical analysis of secondary biology classrooms revealed that, on average, 68% of teaching time in Germany revolved around processing tasks. Quality of instruction can thus be assessed by analyzing the quality of tasks used in classroom discourse. This quasi-experimental study analyzed how teachers used tasks in 38 videotaped biology lessons pertaining to the topic 'blood and circulatory system'. Two fundamental characteristics used to analyze tasks include: (1) required cognitive level of processing (e.g. low level information processing: repetiition, summary, define, classify and high level information processing: interpret-analyze data, formulate hypothesis, etc.) and (2) complexity of task content (e.g. if tasks require use of factual, linking or concept level content). Additionally, students' cognitive knowledge structure about the topic 'blood and circulatory system' was measured using student-drawn concept maps (N = 970 students). Finally, linear multilevel models were created with high-level cognitive processing tasks and higher content complexity tasks as class-level predictors and students' prior knowledge, students' interest in biology, and students' interest in biology activities as control covariates. Results showed a positive influence of high-level cognitive processing tasks (β = 0.07; p < .01) on students' cognitive knowledge structure. However, there was no observed effect of higher content complexity tasks on students' cognitive knowledge structure. Presented findings encourage the use of high-level cognitive processing tasks in biology instruction.

Manipulatives-Based Laboratory for Majors Biology – a Hands-On Approach to Understanding Respiration and Photosynthesis †

PubMed Central

Boomer, Sarah M.; Latham, Kristin L.

2011-01-01

The first course in our year-long introductory series for Biology majors encompasses four learning units: biological molecules and cells, metabolism, genetics, and evolution. Of these, the metabolism unit, which includes respiration and photosynthesis, has shown the lowest student exam scores, least interest, and lowest laboratory ratings. Consequently, we hypothesized that modeling metabolic processes in the laboratory would improve student content learning during this course unit. Specifically, we developed manipulatives-based laboratory exercises that combined paper cutouts, movable blocks, and large diagrams of the cell. In particular, our novel use of connecting LEGO blocks allowed students to move model electrons and phosphates between molecules and within defined spaces of the cell. We assessed student learning using both formal (content indicators and attitude surveys) and informal (the identification of misconceptions or discussions with students) approaches. On the metabolism unit content exam, student performance improved by 46% over pretest scores and by the end of the course, the majority of students rated metabolism as their most-improved (43%) and favorite (33%) subject as compared with other unit topics. The majority of students rated manipulatives-based labs as very helpful, as compared to non-manipulatives-based labs. In this report, we will demonstrate that students made learning gains across all content areas, but most notably in the unit that covered respiration and photosynthesis. PMID:23653756

Business Students' Perceptions of Corporate Ethical Behavior.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baron, Philip; And Others

Business students' observations of corporate ethical behavior and social responsibility were studied. The research objective was to examine the contention that the education of business managers should include courses in business and society because such courses would heighten student perceptions of the ethical and social dimensions of managerial…

Espanol comercial para estudiantes posgraduados (Commercial Spanish for Postgraduate Students).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valdivieso, Jorge H.

1987-01-01

Describes a commercial Spanish language program for postgraduate students of business administration that attempts to fulfill the immediate professional needs of all students. The content of intermediate and advanced courses is discussed, and a list of textbooks for Spanish commercial correspondence is included. (TR)

Students' Learning Experiences from Didactic Teaching Sessions Including Patient Case Examples as Either Text or Video: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Pedersen, Kamilla; Moeller, Martin Holdgaard; Paltved, Charlotte; Mors, Ole; Ringsted, Charlotte; Morcke, Anne Mette

2017-10-06

The aim of this study was to explore medical students' learning experiences from the didactic teaching formats using either text-based patient cases or video-based patient cases with similar content. The authors explored how the two different patient case formats influenced students' perceptions of psychiatric patients and students' reflections on meeting and communicating with psychiatric patients. The authors conducted group interviews with 30 medical students who volunteered to participate in interviews and applied inductive thematic content analysis to the transcribed interviews. Students taught with text-based patient cases emphasized excitement and drama towards the personal clinical narratives presented by the teachers during the course, but never referred to the patient cases. Authority and boundary setting were regarded as important in managing patients. Students taught with video-based patient cases, in contrast, often referred to the patient cases when highlighting new insights, including the importance of patient perspectives when communicating with patients. The format of patient cases included in teaching may have a substantial impact on students' patient-centeredness. Video-based patient cases are probably more effective than text-based patient cases in fostering patient-centered perspectives in medical students. Teachers sharing stories from their own clinical experiences stimulates both engagement and excitement, but may also provoke unintended stigma and influence an authoritative approach in medical students towards managing patients in clinical psychiatry.

Exploring the value and role of integrated supportive science courses in the reformed medical curriculum iMED: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Eisenbarth, Sophie; Tilling, Thomas; Lueerss, Eva; Meyer, Jelka; Sehner, Susanne; Guse, Andreas H; Guse Nee Kurré, Jennifer

2016-04-29

Heterogeneous basic science knowledge of medical students is an important challenge for medical education. In this study, the authors aimed at exploring the value and role of integrated supportive science (ISS) courses as a novel approach to address this challenge and to promote learning basic science concepts in medical education. ISS courses were embedded in a reformed medical curriculum. The authors used a mixed methods approach including four focus groups involving ISS course lecturers and students (two each), and five surveys of one student cohort covering the results of regular student evaluations including the ISS courses across one study year. They conducted their study at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf between December 2013 and July 2014. Fourteen first-year medical students and thirteen ISS course lecturers participated in the focus groups. The authors identified several themes focused on the temporal integration of ISS courses into the medical curriculum, the integration of ISS course contents into core curriculum contents, the value and role of ISS courses, and the courses' setting and atmosphere. The integrated course concept was positively accepted by both groups, with participants suggesting that it promotes retention of basic science knowledge. Values and roles identified by focus group participants included promotion of basic understanding of science concepts, integration of foundational and applied learning, and maximization of students' engagement and motivation. Building close links between ISS course contents and the core curriculum appeared to be crucial. Survey results confirmed qualitative findings regarding students' satisfaction, with some courses still requiring optimization. Integration of supportive basic science courses, traditionally rather part of premedical education, into the medical curriculum appears to be a feasible strategy to improve medical students' understanding of basic science concepts and to increase their motivation and engagement.

Health students’ expectations of the ideal educational environment: a qualitative research

PubMed Central

AGHAMOLAEI, TEAMUR; SHIRAZI, MANDANA; DADGARAN, IDEH; SHAHSAVARI, HOOMAN; GHANBARNEJAD, AMIN

2014-01-01

Introduction: Educational environment is an important determinant of students’ behavior and its elements are associated with academic achievement and course satisfaction. The aim of this study was to determine students’ expectations of the ideal educational environment. Methods: This was a qualitative study with content analysis approach. Using a theoretical sampling method, we selected eight students from Health School of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, studying health education, public health, environmental health, occupational health and medical entomology. To collect data, semi-structured interviews were used and continued until reaching data saturation. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Students' expectations of the ideal educational environment emerged in four main themes including school atmosphere, teaching, human aspects (with three subthemes including teachers, students, and school staff) and non-human aspects (with two subthemes including educational equipment and physical environment). Conclusion: Educational environment is a multidimensional issue and to achieve an ideal educational environment, educational planners should meet the students' expectations of the school atmosphere, teaching, teachers, students, school staff, educational equipment and physical environment. PMID:25512939

Implementing the adapted physical education E-learning program into physical education teacher education program.

PubMed

Kwon, Eun Hye; Block, Martin E

2017-10-01

According to the Ministry of Education Korea (2014), the approximately 70.4% of all students with disabilities are included in general schools in Korea. However, studies show that Korean GPE teachers do not feel comforatble or prepared to include students with disabilities (Oh & Lee, 1999; Roh, 2002; Roh & Oh, 2005). The purpose of this study was to explore whether an APE e-learning supplement would have an impact on the level of self-efficacy and content knowledge of pre-service teachers related to including students with intellectual disabilities. An APE supplement was developed based on the Instructional Design Model (Dick, Carey, & Carey, 2005) to provide three sources of self-efficacy, mastery experience, vicarious experience, and social persuasions. Three groups of pre-service teachers (N=75) took the same content supplement with different delivery system, E-learning group (n=25) with online, traditional group (n=25) with printed handout, and control group (n=25) without supplement. Two instruments, the Physical Educators' Situation-Specific Self-efficacy and Inclusion Student with Disabilities in Physical Education (SE-PETE-D) and the content knowledge test, were given to all participants twice (i.e., pretest and posttest). A 3×2 mixed effect ANOVA revealed that pre-service teachers' perceived self-efficacy (p=0.023) improved after taking the e-learning supplement. However, there was no significant difference in the level of content knowledge (p=0.248) between the learning group and tranditional group. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discussion on teaching reform of environmental planning and management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qiugen; Chen, Suhua; Xie, Yu; Wei, Li'an; Ding, Yuan

2018-05-01

The curriculum of environmental planning and management is an environmental engineering major curriculum established by the teaching steering committee of environmental science and engineering of Education Ministry, which is the core curriculum of Chinese engineering education professional certification. It plays an important role in cultivating environmental planning and environmental management ability of environmental engineering major. The selection and optimization of the course teaching content of environmental planning and management were discussed which including curriculum teaching content updating and optimizing and teaching resource system construction. The comprehensive application of teaching method was discussed which including teaching method synthesis and teaching method. The final combination of the assessment method was also discussed which including the formative assessment normal grades and the final result of the course examination. Through the curriculum comprehensive teaching reform, students' knowledge had been broadened, the subject status and autonomy of learning had been enhanced, students' learning interest had been motivated, the ability of students' finding, analyzing and solving problems had been improved. Students' innovative ability and positive spirit had been well cultivated.

Homepage to distribute the anatomy learning contents including Visible Korean products, comics, and books.

PubMed

Chung, Beom Sun; Chung, Min Suk

2018-03-01

The authors have operated the homepage (http://anatomy.co.kr) to provide the learning contents of anatomy. From the homepage, sectioned images, volume models, and surface models-all Visible Korean products-can be downloaded. The realistic images can be interactively manipulated, which will give rise to the interest in anatomy. The various anatomy comics (learning comics, comic strips, plastination comics, etc.) are approachable. Visitors can obtain the regional anatomy book with concise contents, mnemonics, and schematics as well as the simplified dissection manual and the pleasant anatomy essay. Medical students, health allied professional students, and even laypeople are expected to utilize the easy and comforting anatomy contents. It is hoped that other anatomists successively produce and distribute their own informative contents.

Improving Reading Comprehension and Social Studies Knowledge among Middle School Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Elizabeth; Wanzek, Jeanne; Vaughn, Sharon; Roberts, Greg; Fall, Ana-Mari

2015-01-01

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a content knowledge and reading comprehension treatment implemented by eighth-grade general education social studies teachers among students with disabilities included in the classes. Data on students with disabilities across 2 years of study were combined for the analysis presented here. Students in…

What Challenges and Benefits Can Non-Formal Law and Language Integrated Learning Bring to University Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atabekova, Atabekova; Gorbatenko, Rimma; Belousov, Aleksandr; Grebnev, Ruslan; Sheremetieva, Olga

2016-01-01

The paper explores the ways in which non-formal content and language integrated learning within university studies can affect students' academic progress. The research has included theoretical and empirical studies. The article focuses on the observation of students' learning process, draws attention to challenges and benefits students experienced…

Alternative Assessment Strategy and Its Impact on Student Comprehension in an Undergraduate Microbiology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Margulies, Barry J.; Ghent, Cynthia A.

2005-01-01

Medical Microbiology is a content-intensive course that requires a large time commitment from the students. Students are typically biology or prenursing majors, including students headed for professional schools, such as medical school and pharmacy school. This group is somewhat diverse in terms of background science coursework, so it can be…

Using Reading Strategies To Reduce the Failure Rate in the Content Area. Subject: Social Studies. Grade Level: 6-7-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dobbs, Olivett

Content area reading instruction includes two elements: the information presented in subject matter text, and the plan that teachers use to help students understand the content. According to research and interviews with social studies teachers, there is a high failure rate in the social studies content area because children have problems…

An interactive online approach to small-group student presentations and discussions.

PubMed

Thor, Der; Xiao, Nan; Zheng, Meixun; Ma, Ruidan; Yu, Xiao Xi

2017-12-01

Student presentations had been widely implemented across content areas, including health sciences education. However, due to various limitations, small-group student presentations in the classroom may not reach their full potential for student learning. To address challenges with presentations in the classroom, we redesigned the assignment by having students present and discuss online using VoiceThread, a cloud-based presentation and discussion tool. First-year students pursuing a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree were assigned into small groups to present physiology content and to discuss that content online. This assignment was similar to traditional student classroom presentations, with the exception that the entire assignment was conducted online. The primary purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the impact of the online format on the discussion quality. Another purpose of the study was to examine students' perceptions of using VoiceThread for presenting and learning, as well as the online interactions between the presenter and audience. Students posted a higher number of questions and comments than required by the assignment. The questions from students were also higher level questions, and the answers to these questions were more thorough compared with what we had previously observed in classroom presentations. The survey results showed that students preferred using VoiceThread for presenting, learning from other presentations, and discussing presentation content over performing this process in the classroom. Preliminary findings suggested that having dental students make presentations and hold discussions online might help address the challenges of student presentations in the classroom. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Student experiences of creating and sharing material in online learning.

PubMed

Potts, Henry W W

2011-01-01

User-generated content in an online environment has significant implications in both education and health. Instead of a model of knowledge being something transferred from the expert to the student or to the patient, Web 2.0 technologies offer the hope of making learning, and healthcare delivery, a more collaborative and participative process. However, some evidence suggests that this supposed democratisation of production is not entirely democratic and, in an educational context, many students are uncomfortable about sharing material they create with their peers. To understand students' affective and other experiences of generating content to be shared online with peers (e.g. in online discussions). Online interviews, face-to-face focus groups and further methods with two student groups in medical education, one undergraduate and one postgraduate. Students were broadly positive about creating and sharing material online, but were also quite anxious about doing so. Many practical issues, including around course design, student workload and assessment pressures, were barriers to students creating and sharing material. Group size is also important, with self-sustaining activity less likely in small groups. Successfully introducing user-generated content into medical education requires attention to practical details and an awareness of the student anxiety that can arise.

Short-term effects of a health promotion course for Taiwanese nursing students.

PubMed

Hsiao, Ya-Chu; Chen, Mei-Yen; Gau, Yueh-Mei; Hung, Li-Ling; Chang, Shu-Hung; Tsai, Hsia-Min

2005-01-01

The purposes of this study were to (a) develop a teaching course on health promotion for nursing students in Taiwan, (b) evaluate the effects of this teaching course, and (c) understand students' appraisals of its effectiveness in helping them to change unhealthy behavior. A sample of 65 randomly selected female nursing students took an 18-week course developed by the investigators, which included 30 h of classroom lectures and 4 weeks of written reports by students chronicling the changes in their behavior. Health promotion questionnaires administered before and after the course and content analysis of the students' reports were used to evaluate the effects of the course. Students' questionnaire scores after course completion indicated significantly increased intent to adopt healthy lifestyles. Content analysis of students' reports on their personal behavior-changing experiences showed that they accepted the potential value of curriculum aspects such as experiencing the struggle, suffering, and even abandonment of the process, experiencing the benefits of change, increasing self-confidence, and empathizing with how difficult it is for clients to change behavior. These results support the value of teaching courses on health promotion to nursing students. The authors recommend including such a course as part of a regular nursing education.

A synthesis and meta-analysis of reading interventions using social studies content for students with learning disabilities.

PubMed

Swanson, Elizabeth; Hairrell, Angela; Kent, Shawn; Ciullo, Stephen; Wanzek, Jeanne A; Vaughn, Sharon

2014-01-01

A synthesis and meta-analysis of the extant research on the effects of reading interventions delivered using social studies content for students with learning disabilities in kindergarten through Grade 12 is provided. A total of 27 studies met criteria for the synthesis, with 16 studies providing sufficient data for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Reading interventions implemented within the context of social studies have employed the use of graphic organizers, mnemonics, reading and answering questions, guided notes, and multicomponent comprehension instruction. The overall mean effect size for interventions included in the meta-analysis was 1.02, indicating that reading interventions delivered using social studies content have a substantial positive effect on outcomes among students with learning disabilities.

Designing Online Instruction for Postsecondary Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simoncelli, Andrew; Hinson, Janice

2010-01-01

This research details the methodologies that could be used to better deliver online course content to students with learning disabilities. Research has shown how the design of the course affects the students' attitudes and performance. This article details the methodology and pedagogical side of the delivery including instructional methods that…

Basic Reading Instruction for Students in Automotive Occupations. Student's Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

General Behavioral Systems, Inc., Torrance, CA.

The basic reading course outlined in this student handbook emphasizes the decoding process. The contents consist of a letter-and-sound spelling chart and 87 course modules which are based on single-letter and letter-combination sounds. Many of the modules include exercises, and some contain reading material. (JM)

Archaeology of Early Colonial Life. Teaching with Primary Sources Series, Volume 13.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Jean

This kit, for grades 5 and up, helps students master the content of Colonial American history and develops students' historiographic and upper level thinking skills. The documents and activities included in this volume allow students to become "historical detectives," peeling back the layers, deciphering archaic lettering, reassembling…

Food Additives: "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy". Health and the Consumer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Elementary and Secondary Education.

One in a series, this consumer education learning activity package teaches secondary students about food additives. The package includes instructions for the teacher, suggestions for activities, lists of resource materials, film guides, student activity worksheets, a student resource booklet of background readings, and answer keys. Content taught…

34 CFR 75.119 - Information needed if private school students participate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Information needed if private school students... PROGRAMS How To Apply for a Grant Application Contents § 75.119 Information needed if private school... students enrolled in private schools, the application must include the information required of subgrantees...

34 CFR 75.119 - Information needed if private school students participate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Information needed if private school students... PROGRAMS How To Apply for a Grant Application Contents § 75.119 Information needed if private school... students enrolled in private schools, the application must include the information required of subgrantees...

Open Wide and Trek Inside. Grades 1-2. NIH Curriculum Supplement Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, Colorado Springs.

This document, an inquiry-based curriculum supplement that includes materials for both teachers and students, is designed to develop an understanding among students about oral health. Contents include: (1) "About the National Institutes of Health"; (2) "About the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research"; (3) "Introduction to Open…

Correlation between Teacher's PCK (Pedagogical Content Knowledge) and Student's Motivation in Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maryani, Ika; Martaningsih, Sri Tutur

2015-01-01

Various learning problems occur due to the teachers' inability in managing the learning process. Teacher's learning skill is influenced by their understanding in the curriculum components which are including pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge. The aims of this research were to determine: 1) the condition of Pedagogical Content Knowledge…

Mathematics Coaching Handbook: Working with Teachers to Improve Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Pia

2009-01-01

This book serves as a reference to help prepare and support effective math content coaches. It provides insight into the leadership skills necessary to mentor other teachers, establish collaborative teacher teams, influence school culture positively, and improve student achievement. Contents include: (1) Examining the Role of a Math Content Coach;…

Technical Considerations in the Delivery of Audio-Visual Course Content.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lightfoot, Jay M.

2002-01-01

In an attempt to provide students with the benefit of the latest technology, some instructors include multimedia content on their class Web sites. This article introduces the basic terms and concepts needed to understand the multimedia domain. Provides a brief tutorial designed to help instructors create good, consistent audio-visual content. (AEF)

The relationship between student engagement with online content and achievement in a blended learning anatomy course.

PubMed

Green, Rodney A; Whitburn, Laura Y; Zacharias, Anita; Byrne, Graeme; Hughes, Diane L

2017-12-13

Blended learning has become increasingly common in higher education. Recent findings suggest that blended learning achieves better student outcomes than traditional face-to-face teaching in gross anatomy courses. While face-to-face content is perceived as important to learning there is less evidence for the significance of online content in improving student outcomes. Students enrolled in a second-year anatomy course from the physiotherapy (PT), exercise physiology (EP), and exercise science (ES) programs across two campuses were included (n = 500). A structural equation model was used to evaluate the relationship of prior student ability (represented by grade in prerequisite anatomy course) and final course grade and whether the relationship was mediated by program, campus or engagement with the online elements of the learning management system (LMS; proportion of documents and video segments viewed and number of interactions with discussion forums). PT students obtained higher grades and were more likely to engage with online course materials than EP and ES students. Prerequisite grade made a direct contribution to course final grade (P < 0.001) but was also mediated by engagement with LMS videos and discussion forums (P < 0.001). Student learning outcomes in a blended anatomy course can be predicted the by level of engagement with online content. Anat Sci Educ. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

Developing a Telecommunications Curriculum for Students with Physical Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gandell, Terry S.; Laufer, Dorothy

1993-01-01

A telecommunications curriculum was developed for students (ages 15-21) with physical disabilities. Curriculum content included an internal mailbox program (Mailbox), interactive communication system (Blisscom), bulletin board system (Arctel), and a mainframe system (Compuserv). (JDD)

Teaching Science Through the Language of Students in Technology-Enhanced Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryoo, Kihyun

2015-02-01

This study examines whether and how tapping into students' everyday language in a web-based learning environment can improve all students' science learning in linguistically heterogeneous classrooms. A total of 220 fifth-grade English Language Learners (ELLs) and their non-ELL peers were assigned to either an everyday English approach condition or a textbook approach condition, and completed technology-enhanced instruction focusing on respiration and photosynthesis. Students in the everyday English approach condition were taught the concepts in everyday, conversational English before content-specific scientific terms were introduced, while students in the textbook approach condition were taught the same concepts and vocabulary simultaneously. The results show that the everyday English approach was significantly more effective in helping both ELLs and non-ELL students develop a coherent understanding of abstract concepts related to photosynthesis and respiration. Students in the everyday English approach condition were also better able to link content-specific terms to their understanding of the concepts. These findings show the potential advantage of using students' everyday English as a resource to make science more accessible to linguistically diverse students in mainstream classrooms. By integrating students' everyday language in science instruction, it is possible for all students including ELLs to acquire both the content and language of science.

Elementary GLOBE: Inquiring About the Earth System Through Elementary Student Investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderson, S.; Hatheway, B.; Gardiner, L.; Gallagher, S.

2006-12-01

Elementary GLOBE was designed to introduce K-4 students to the study of Earth System Science (ESS). Elementary GLOBE forms an instructional unit comprised of five modules that address ESS and interrelated subjects including weather, hydrology, seasons, and soils. Each Elementary GLOBE module contains a science based storybook, classroom learning activities that complement the science content covered in each book, and teacher's notes. The storybooks explore a component of the Earth system and the associated classroom learning activities provide students with a meaningful introduction to technology, a basic understanding of the methods of inquiry, and connection to math and literacy skills. The science content in the books and activities serves as a springboard to GLOBE's scientific protocols. All Elementary GLOBE materials are freely downloadable (www.globe.gov/elementaryglobe) The use of science storybooks with elementary students has proven to be an effective practice in exposing students to science content while providing opportunities for students to improve their reading, writing, and oral communication skills. The Elementary GLOBE storybooks portray kids asking questions about the natural world, doing science investigations, and exploring the world around them. Through the storybook characters, scientific inquiry is modeled for young learners. The associated learning activities provide opportunities for students to practice science inquiry and investigation skills, including observation, recording, measuring, etc. Students also gain exposure and increase their comfort with different tools that scientists use. The learning activities give students experiences with asking questions, conducting scientific investigations, and scientific journaling. Elementary GLOBE fills an important niche in K-4 instruction. The international GLOBE Program brings together students, teachers, and scientists with the basic goals of increasing scientific understanding of the Earth, supporting improved student achievement in science and math, and enhancing environmental awareness. NASA provides the primary source of funding for GLOBE.

QRAC-the-Code: a comprehension monitoring strategy for middle school social studies textbooks.

PubMed

Berkeley, Sheri; Riccomini, Paul J

2013-01-01

Requirements for reading and ascertaining information from text increase as students advance through the educational system, especially in content-rich classes; hence, monitoring comprehension is especially important. However, this is a particularly challenging skill for many students who struggle with reading comprehension, including students with learning disabilities. A randomized pre-post experimental design was employed to investigate the effectiveness of a comprehension monitoring strategy (QRAC-the-Code) for improving the reading comprehension of 323 students in grades 6 and 7 in inclusive social studies classes. Findings indicated that both general education students and students with learning disabilities who were taught a simple comprehension monitoring strategy improved their comprehension of textbook content compared to students who read independently and noted important points. In addition, students in the comprehension monitoring condition reported using more reading strategies after the intervention. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

GeoMapApp Learning Activities: Grab-and-go inquiry-based geoscience activities that bring cutting-edge technology to the classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodwillie, A. M.; Kluge, S.

2011-12-01

NSF-funded GeoMapApp Learning Activities (http://serc.carleton.edu/geomapapp) provide self-contained learning opportunities that are centred around the principles of guided inquiry. The activities allow students to interact with and analyse research-quality geoscience data to explore and enhance student understanding of underlying geoscience content and concepts. Each activity offers ready-to-use step-by-step student instructions and answer sheets that can be downloaded from the web page. Also provided are annotated teacher versions of the worksheets that include teaching tips, additional content and suggestions for further work. Downloadable pre- and post- quizzes tied to each activity help educators gauge the learning progression of their students. Short multimedia tutorials and details on content alignment with state and national teaching standards round out the package of material that comprises each "grab-and-go" activity. GeoMapApp Learning Activities expose students to content and concepts typically found at the community college, high school and introductory undergraduate levels. The activities are based upon GeoMapApp (http://www.geomapapp.org), a free, easy-to-use map-based data exploration and visualisation tool that allows students to access a wide range of geoscience data sets in a virtual lab-like environment. Activities that have so far been created under this project include student exploration of seafloor spreading rates, a study of mass wasting as revealed through geomorphological evidence, and an analysis of plate motion and hotspot traces. The step-by-step instructions and guided inquiry approach lead students through each activity, thus reducing the need for teacher intervention whilst also boosting the time that students can spend on productive exploration and learning. The activities can be used, for example, in a classroom lab with the educator present and as self-paced assignments in an out-of-class setting. GeoMapApp Learning Activities are hosted on the SERC-Carleton web site.

The Impact of Project-Based Climate Change Learning Experiences on Students' Broad Climate Literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeWaters, J.; Powers, S. E.; Dhaniyala, S.

2014-12-01

Evidence-based pedagogical approaches such as project- and inquiry-based techniques have been shown to promote effective learning in science and engineering. The impact of project-based learning experiences on middle school (MS), high school (HS), and undergraduate (UG) students' climate literacy was investigated as part of a NASA Innovations in Climate Education (NICE) project. Project-based modules were developed and taught by MS and HS teachers who participated in climate change education workshops. UG students enrolled in a climate science course completed independent research projects that provided the basis for several of the HS/MS modules. All modules required students to acquire and analyze historical temperature data and future climate predictions, and apply their analysis to the solution of a societal or environmental problem related to our changing climate. Three versions of a quantitative survey were developed and used in a pre-test/post-test research design to help evaluate the project's impact on MS, HS, and UG students' climate literacy, which includes broad climate knowledge as well as affective and behavioral aspects. Content objectives were guided primarily by the 2009 document, Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences. All three groups of students made modest but statistically significant cognitive (p<<0.001) and affective (p<0.01) gains; UG students also showed an increase in behavior scores (p=0.001). Results of an ANCOVA showed significant differences in students' cognitive (p<0.001), behavioral (p=0.005) and self-efficacy (p=0.012) outcomes among the 9 participating MS and HS classrooms, where both teacher and module content varied. The presentation will include a description of some key aspects of the project-based curricula developed and used in this research, the development and content of the climate literacy survey, and the interpretation of specific pre/post changes in participating students relative to the content of and approach used in the project-based modules.

Enhancing learning using questions, adjunct to science charts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holliday, William G.; Benson, Garth

This study supported two hypotheses. First, adjunct questions interacted with a science chart so powerfully that content established as difficult to learn in the pilot and in this study's control groups became easier to learn when charted. Second, students familiar with the chart test before instruction (test exposure) were better prepared to take this test after instruction. This adjunct-question study examined the generalizability of selective-attention and academic-studying hypotheses to a modified science chart medium. About 300 high school students were randomly assigned to four conditions each including a vitamin chart (chart only, test exposure, importance of questions emphasized to students by teachers, and combinational conditions - test exposure and question importance) across 16 biology classrooms. Then these same students were again randomly assigned within each classroom to a control and to four question treatments no questions, questions focusing on easy-to-learn charted content, questions focusing on difficult-to-learn charted content, and a combinational treatment.

Enhancing learning using questions adjunct to science charts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holliday, William G.; Benson, Garth

This study supported two hypotheses. First, adjunct questions interacted with a science chart so powerfully that content established as difficult to learn in the pilot and in this study's control groups became easier to learn when charted. Second, students familiar with the chart test before instruction (test exposure) were better prepared to take this test after instruction. This adjunct-question study examined the generalizability of selective-attention and academic-studying hypotheses to a modified science chart medium. About 300 high school students were randomly assigned to four conditions each including a vitamin chart (chart only, test exposure, importance of questions emphasized to students by teachers, and combinational conditions--test exposure and question importance) across 16 biology classrooms. Then these same students were again randomly assigned within each classroom to a control and to four question treatments (no questions, questions focusing on easy-to-learn charted content, questions focusing on difficult-to-learn charted content, and a combinational treatment).

Unintentional Exposure to Online Sexual Content and Sexual Behavior Intentions Among College Students in China.

PubMed

Zhang, Jingwen; Jemmott, John B

2015-07-01

This study examined the relations of unintentional exposure to Internet sexual content to intentions for sex and condom use and potential mediators of these relations, including attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy, among college students in China. A sample of 524 Chinese college students completed an online questionnaire. Mediation path analyses were conducted to test the theory of planned behavior as a model of the relations between unintentional exposure and intentions to have sex and use condoms. On average, students reported being unintentionally exposed to Internet sexual content about 3 to 4 times during the past month. Unintentional exposure was indirectly associated with intention to have sex, mediated through descriptive and injunctive norms. Descriptive norm was a stronger mediator for females than males. In contrast, unintentional exposure was unrelated to condom-use intention and mediators. The theory of planned behavior provides a model for the development of Internet-based interventions with these students. © 2014 APJPH.

Descriptive Analysis of Teacher Instructional Practices and Student Engagement among Adolescents with and without Challenging Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirn, Regina G.; Scott, Terrance M.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine teacher and student behavior in high school classrooms that included at least one student identified with challenging behavior. Across two school years and within the content areas of math, reading/English, social studies, and science, student/ teacher dyads were directly observed in the typical…

Examining the pedagogical content knowledge and practice of experienced secondary biology teachers for teaching diffusion and osmosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lankford, Deanna

Teachers are the most important factor in student learning (National Research Council, 1996); yet little is known about the specialized knowledge held by experienced teachers. The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to make explicit the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching diffusion and osmosis held by experienced biology teachers and, second, to reveal how topic-specific PCK informs teacher practice. The Magnusson et al. (1999) PCK model served as the theoretical framework for the study. The overarching research question was: When teaching lessons on osmosis and diffusion, how do experienced biology teachers draw upon their topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge? Data sources included observations of two consecutive lessons, three semi-structured interviews, lesson plans, and student handouts. Data analysis indicated five of the six teachers held a constructivist orientation to science teaching and engaged students in explorations of diffusion and osmosis prior to introducing the concepts to students. Explanations for diffusion and osmosis were based upon students' observations and experiences during explorations. All six teachers used representations at the molecular, cellular, and plant organ levels to serve as foci for explorations of diffusion and osmosis. Three potential learning difficulties identified by the teachers included: (a) understanding vocabulary terms, (b) predicting the direction of osmosis, and (c) identifying random molecular motion as the driving force for diffusion and osmosis. Participants used student predictions as formative assessments to reveal misconceptions before instruction and evaluate conceptual understanding during instruction. This study includes implications for teacher preparation, research, and policy.

Preparing Teachers to Support the Development of Climate Literate Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.; Ellins, K. K.; Bardar, E. W.; Youngman, E.; Dunlap, C.; Lockwood, J.; Mote, A. S.; McNeal, K.; Libarkin, J. C.; Lynds, S. E.; Gold, A. U.

2014-12-01

The EarthLabs climate project includes curriculum development, teacher professional development, teacher leadership development, and research on student learning, all directed at increasing high school teachers' and students' understanding of the factors that shape our planet's climate. The project has developed four new modules which focus on climate literacy and which are part of the larger Web based EarthLabs collection of Earth science modules. Climate related themes highlighted in the new modules include the Earth system with its positive and negative feedback loops; the range of temporal and spatial scales at which climate, weather, and other Earth system processes occur; and the recurring question, "How do we know what we know about Earth's past and present climate?" which addresses proxy data and scientific instrumentation. EarthLabs climate modules use two central strategies to help students navigate the multiple challenges inherent in understanding climate science. The first is to actively engage students with the content by using a variety of learning modes, and by allowing students to pace themselves through interactive visualizations that address particularly challenging content. The second strategy, which is the focus of this presentation, is to support teachers in a subject area where few have substantive content knowledge or technical skills. Teachers who grasp the processes and interactions that give Earth its climate and the technical skills to engage with relevant data and visualizations are more likely to be successful in supporting students' understanding of climate's complexities. This presentation will briefly introduce the EarthLabs project and will describe the steps the project takes to prepare climate literate teachers, including Web based resources, teacher workshops, and the development of a cadre of teacher leaders who are prepared to continue leading the workshops after project funding ends.

Does content knowledge matter for new teachers?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reeves, Todd D.

There is considerable evidence that new teachers are ill prepared for classroom practice, including self-reported evidence collected from teachers (e.g., Levine, 2006), and statistical evidence for differences in the achievement of students with new versus more experienced teachers (Rivkin, Hanushek, & Kain, 2005). In light of the challenges encountered by new teachers (e.g., Levine, 2006), this study examined the value of different forms of teacher knowledge for teachers with different levels of experience. In particular, this study investigated the interactive relationship between teaching experience and teacher content knowledge, and student achievement in mathematics and science. In New York City, Boyd et al. (2009) linked practice-focused teacher preparation to student mathematics achievement in the first year of teaching and teacher content preparation to achievement in the second. However, other studies demonstrated interactions between teaching experience and content knowledge with different interpretations (e.g., Kukla-Acevedo, 2009; Monk, 1994). At the same time, this study examined the interactive relationship between teaching experience and teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, and student achievement. Extant models of teacher career development (Huberman, 1989; National Research Council, 2010) and how teacher education affects student achievement (e.g., Desimone, 2009) offered theoretical grounding for the study. With nationally representative samples of fourth and eighth grade U.S. students--participants in the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study--this study employed hierarchical linear modeling to address its research questions among an array of student achievement outcomes in the domains of mathematics and science. This study attempted to account for salient student, teacher, and contextual factors, and the probabilities of teachers' receipt of various teacher education "treatments" (i.e., propensity score analysis) to reduce the plausibility of selection threats to internal validity. The study found no evidence for relationships between teacher content knowledge or pedagogical content knowledge and student mathematics and science achievement in fourth and eighth grade. Furthermore, the results indicated no interactive relationships between forms of teacher knowledge and teaching experience, and student achievement in these grades/subjects. The limitations of cross-sectional, observational studies using large-scale data and directions for further research are discussed.

Impact of introduction of blended learning in gross anatomy on student outcomes.

PubMed

Green, Rodney A; Whitburn, Laura Y

2016-10-01

Blended learning has become increasingly common, in a variety of disciplines, to take advantage of new technology and potentially increase the efficiency and flexibility of delivery. This study aimed to describe blended delivery of a gross anatomy course and to evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery in terms of student outcomes. A gross anatomy course for second-year physiotherapy students across two campuses was delivered in traditional face-to-face teaching mode in 2013 (n = 150 students), some online content was introduced in 2014 (n = 160) and the subject was fully blended in 2015 (n = 151). The final 'blend' consisted of one lecture per week with most content delivered using online video resources (prepared by staff using a structured peer-reviewed process) and retention of face-to-face practical classes. Outcomes evaluated included student grades, student engagement with content through online discussion forums and student feedback using both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Grades were higher in 2014 and 2015 than in 2013 (P < 0.01). There were no differences in student engagement with online discussion forums. Student feedback identified some negative comments and lower levels of intellectual stimulation (P < 0.05) with the initial introduction of online content in 2014. The fully blended version in 2015 resulted in more balanced comments about online content but higher perceived workload (P < 0.05). All cohorts listed practical classes as a major factor contributing to learning. Blended learning appears to be well-suited to gross anatomy teaching on the proviso that face-to-face practical classes are maintained, but may result in higher perceived workloads. Anat Sci Educ 9: 422-430. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

Tweets from the forest: using Twitter to increase student engagement in an undergraduate field biology course

PubMed Central

Soluk, Lauren; Buddle, Christopher M.

2015-01-01

Twitter is a cold medium that allows users to deliver content-rich but small packets of information to other users, and provides an opportunity for active and collaborative communication. In an education setting, this social media tool has potential to increase active learning opportunities, and increase student engagement with course content. The effects of Twitter on learning dynamics was tested in a field biology course offered by a large Canadian University: 29 students agreed to take part in the Twitter project and quantitative and qualitative data were collected, including survey data from 18 students. Students published 200% more public Tweets than what was required, and interacted frequently with the instructor and teaching assistant, their peers, and users external to the course. Almost 80% of students stated that Twitter increased opportunities for among-group communication, and 94% of students felt this kind of collaborative communication was beneficial to their learning. Although students did not think they would use Twitter after the course was over, 77% of the students still felt it was a good learning tool, and 67% of students felt Twitter had a positive impact on how they engaged with course content. These results suggest social media tools such as Twitter can help achieve active and collaborative learning in higher education. PMID:26594328

Tweets from the forest: using Twitter to increase student engagement in an undergraduate field biology course.

PubMed

Soluk, Lauren; Buddle, Christopher M

2015-01-01

Twitter is a cold medium that allows users to deliver content-rich but small packets of information to other users, and provides an opportunity for active and collaborative communication. In an education setting, this social media tool has potential to increase active learning opportunities, and increase student engagement with course content. The effects of Twitter on learning dynamics was tested in a field biology course offered by a large Canadian University: 29 students agreed to take part in the Twitter project and quantitative and qualitative data were collected, including survey data from 18 students. Students published 200% more public Tweets than what was required, and interacted frequently with the instructor and teaching assistant, their peers, and users external to the course. Almost 80% of students stated that Twitter increased opportunities for among-group communication, and 94% of students felt this kind of collaborative communication was beneficial to their learning. Although students did not think they would use Twitter after the course was over, 77% of the students still felt it was a good learning tool, and 67% of students felt Twitter had a positive impact on how they engaged with course content. These results suggest social media tools such as Twitter can help achieve active and collaborative learning in higher education.

Homepage to distribute the anatomy learning contents including Visible Korean products, comics, and books

PubMed Central

Chung, Beom Sun

2018-01-01

The authors have operated the homepage (http://anatomy.co.kr) to provide the learning contents of anatomy. From the homepage, sectioned images, volume models, and surface models—all Visible Korean products—can be downloaded. The realistic images can be interactively manipulated, which will give rise to the interest in anatomy. The various anatomy comics (learning comics, comic strips, plastination comics, etc.) are approachable. Visitors can obtain the regional anatomy book with concise contents, mnemonics, and schematics as well as the simplified dissection manual and the pleasant anatomy essay. Medical students, health allied professional students, and even laypeople are expected to utilize the easy and comforting anatomy contents. It is hoped that other anatomists successively produce and distribute their own informative contents. PMID:29644104

Potato Types and Characteristics: Laboratory Exercises.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pavlista, Alexander D.

1997-01-01

Presents a number of simple exercises that demonstrate potato tuber characteristics and are designed for high school biology students and teachers. Exercises include Typing, Grading, Shape, Eye Characteristics, Defects, Specific Gravity, Dry Matter Content, Glucose Content, Baking, Frying/Chipping, and Taste Testing. (JRH)

Teaching Students to Compose Informational Poetic Riddles to Further Scientific Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frye, Elizabeth M.; Bradbury, Leslie; Gross, Lisa A.

2016-01-01

In most elementary schools, students spend more time reading and writing narrative texts and less time with informational texts. Yet, the Common Core State Standards advocate that informational texts comprise nearly half of K-8 students' entire academic reading, including content areas like science and social studies. The authors propose remixing…

The Effects of Digital Learning Material on Students' Mathematics Learning in Vocational Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zwart, Diana P.; Van Luit, Johannes E. H.; Noroozi, Omid; Goei, Sui Lin

2017-01-01

This study investigates the effects of Digital Learning Material (DLM) including instructional clips, online guidance, structuring of content, and a collaboration tool on students' mathematics learning in Dutch vocational education. A pretest-posttest design was used. Apprenticeship students were asked to complete assignments and to discuss them…

The Effectiveness of an Online Curriculum on High School Students' Understanding of Biological Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsteller, Robert B.; Bodzin, Alec M.

2015-01-01

An online curriculum about biological evolution was designed to promote increased student content knowledge and evidentiary reasoning. A feasibility study was conducted with 77 rural high school biology students who learned with the online biological evolution unit. Data sources included the Biological Evolution Assessment Measure (BEAM), an…

Research on Model of Student Engagement in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peng, Wang

2017-01-01

In this study, online learning refers students under the guidance of teachers through the online learning platform for organized learning. Based on the analysis of related research results, considering the existing problems, the main contents of this paper include the following aspects: (1) Analyze and study the current student engagement model.…

Helping Young Children Understand Graphs: A Demonstration Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeland, Kent; Madden, Wendy

1990-01-01

Outlines a demonstration lesson showing third graders how to make and interpret graphs. Includes descriptions of purpose, vocabulary, and learning activities in which students graph numbers of students with dogs at home and analyze the contents of M&M candy packages by color. Argues process helps students understand large amounts of abstract…

Multidimensional Ability Tests and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students: Evidence of Measurement Invariance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakin, Joni M.

2012-01-01

Ability tests are used by teachers to provide additional context for interpreting student achievement and as a tool for differentiating instruction to the cognitive strengths and weaknesses of students. Tests that provide the most useful information for these purposes measure school-related content domains including verbal and quantitative…

Assessing Community College Student Knowledge in the Liberal Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Arthur M.; Schuetz, Pam; Chang, June C.; Plecha, Michelle

2003-01-01

The General Academic Learning Experience (GALE) is an assessment of community college student knowledge in the liberal arts. The study involved the design and administration of an instrument, which included a demographic survey and a multiple-choice content test. In total, over 2,500 students from 10 colleges in Southern California participated.…

Making It Happen: Using Differentiated Instruction, Retrofit Framework, and Universal Design for Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanford, Barbara; Reeves, Stacy

2009-01-01

When children of diverse disabilities and students with ELL rulings are included in traditional classrooms, regular education teachers face a dilemma: How to teach the standard curriculum and teach the new inclusion students? How do they teach students with different heritages and linguistic backgrounds? Differentiated Instruction (DI) is content,…

Using Video Modeling and Video Prompting to Teach Core Academic Content to Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellems, Ryan O.; Edwards, Sean

2016-01-01

Practitioners are constantly searching for evidence-based practices that are effective in teaching academic skills to students with learning disabilities (LD). Video modeling (VM) and video prompting have become popular instructional interventions for many students across a wide range of different disability classifications, including those with…

Civil Technology Applications. Teacher Edition [and] Student Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schertz, Karen

Teacher and student editions of Civil Technology Applications are one in a series of competency-based instructional materials for drafting and civil technology programs. It includes the technical content and tasks necessary for a student to be employed as a drafter or civil technician in a civil engineering firm. Introductory pages in the teacher…

Measurement Invariance of Expectancy-Value Questionnaire in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhu, Xihe; Sun, Haichun; Chen, Ang; Ennis, Catherine

2012-01-01

Expectancy-Value Questionnaire (EVQ) measures student expectancy beliefs and task values of the domain content (Eccles & Wigfield, 1995). In this study the authors examine measurement invariance of EVQ in the domain of physical education between elementary and middle-school students. Participants included 811 students (3rd-5th grades) from 13…

Technology in College Unions and Student Activities: A Collection of Technology Resources from the ACUI Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association of College Unions International (NJ1), 2012

2012-01-01

This publication presents a collection of technology resources from the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) community. Contents include: (1) Podcasting (Jeff Lail); (2) Video Podcasting (Ed Cabellon); (3) Building a Multimedia Production Center (Nathan Byrer); (4) Cloud Computing in the Student Union and Student Activities (TJ…

Exploring Norms and Moral Authority through Content Analysis of Classic Texts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Richard Cheever

1993-01-01

Describes a class assignment for a college-level sociology course in which students read from religious texts to identify norms and sanctions. Reports that students expressed positive comments about the activity. Includes suggestions for preparing materials, instructions for implementing the activity, and a coding sheet to be used by students.…

Undergraduates Achieve Learning Gains in Plant Genetics through Peer Teaching of Secondary Students

PubMed Central

Chrispeels, H. E.; Klosterman, M. L.; Martin, J. B.; Lundy, S. R.; Watkins, J. M.; Gibson, C. L.

2014-01-01

This study tests the hypothesis that undergraduates who peer teach genetics will have greater understanding of genetic and molecular biology concepts as a result of their teaching experiences. Undergraduates enrolled in a non–majors biology course participated in a service-learning program in which they led middle school (MS) or high school (HS) students through a case study curriculum to discover the cause of a green tomato variant. The curriculum explored plant reproduction and genetic principles, highlighting variation in heirloom tomato fruits to reinforce the concept of the genetic basis of phenotypic variation. HS students were taught additional activities related to mole­cular biology techniques not included in the MS curriculum. We measured undergraduates’ learning outcomes using pre/postteaching content assessments and the course final exam. Undergraduates showed significant gains in understanding of topics related to the curriculum they taught, compared with other course content, on both types of assessments. Undergraduates who taught HS students scored higher on questions specific to the HS curriculum compared with undergraduates who taught MS students, despite identical lecture content, on both types of assessments. These results indicate the positive effect of service-learning peer-teaching experiences on undergraduates’ content knowledge, even for non–science major students. PMID:25452487

Training graduate students to be teachers.

PubMed

de-Macedo, D V; de-Paula, E; Torres, B B

1999-12-01

Pedagogic education of graduate students, when and where it exists, is restricted to theoretical courses or to the participation of the students as teachers' assistants. This model is essentially reproductive and offers few opportunities for any significant curriculum innovation. To open an opportunity for novelty we have introduced a new approach in "Biochemistry Teaching", a course included in the Biochemistry Graduate Program of the Biochemistry Department (Universidade Estadual de Campinas and Universidade de São Paulo). The content of the course consists of a) choosing the theme, b) selecting and organizing the topics, c) preparing written material, d) establishing the methodological strategies, e) planning the evaluation tools and, finally, f) as teachers, conducting the course as an optional summer course for undergraduate students. During the first semester the graduate students establish general and specific educational objectives, select and organize contents, decide on the instructional strategies and plan evaluation tools. The contents are explored using a wide range of strategies, which include computer-aided instruction, laboratory classes, small group teaching, a few lectures and round table discussions. The graduate students also organize printed class notes to be used by the undergraduate students. Finally, as a group, they teach the summer course. In the three versions already developed, the themes chosen were Biochemistry of Exercise (UNICAMP), Biochemistry of Nutrition (UNICAMP) and Molecular Biology of Plants (USP). In all cases the number of registrations greatly exceeded the number of places and a selection had to be made. The evaluation of the experience by both graduate and undergraduate students was very positive. Graduate students considered this experience to be unique and recommended it to their schoolmates; the undergraduate students benefited from a more flexible curriculum (more options) and gave very high scores to both the courses and the teachers.

NEXUS/Physics: An interdisciplinary repurposing of physics for biologists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redish, E. F.; Bauer, C.; Carleton, K. L.; Cooke, T. J.; Cooper, M.; Crouch, C. H.; Dreyfus, B. W.; Geller, B. D.; Giannini, J.; Gouvea, J. S.; Klymkowsky, M. W.; Losert, W.; Moore, K.; Presson, J.; Sawtelle, V.; Thompson, K. V.; Turpen, C.; Zia, R. K. P.

2014-05-01

In response to increasing calls for the reform of the undergraduate science curriculum for life science majors and pre-medical students (Bio2010, Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians, Vision & Change), an interdisciplinary team has created NEXUS/Physics: a repurposing of an introductory physics curriculum for the life sciences. The curriculum interacts strongly and supportively with introductory biology and chemistry courses taken by life-science students, with the goal of helping students build general, multi-discipline scientific competencies. NEXUS/Physics stresses interdisciplinary examples and the content differs markedly from traditional introductory physics to facilitate this: it extends the discussion of energy to include interatomic potentials and chemical reactions, the discussion of thermodynamics to include enthalpy and Gibbs free energy and includes a serious discussion of random vs coherent motion including diffusion. The development of instructional materials is coordinated with careful education research. Both the new content and the results of the research are described in a series of papers for which this paper serves as an overview and context.

A Comparative Analysis of Numbers and Biology Content Domains between Turkey and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Incikabi, Lutfi; Ozgelen, Sinan; Tjoe, Hartono

2012-01-01

This study aimed to compare Mathematics and Science programs focusing on TIMSS content domains of Numbers and Biology that produced the largest achievement gap among students from Turkey and the USA. Specifically, it utilized the content analysis method within Turkish and New York State (NYS) frameworks. The procedures of study included matching…

The Effectiveness of an Online Curriculum on High School Students' Understanding of Biological Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsteller, Robert B.; Bodzin, Alec M.

2015-12-01

An online curriculum about biological evolution was designed to promote increased student content knowledge and evidentiary reasoning. A feasibility study was conducted with 77 rural high school biology students who learned with the online biological evolution unit. Data sources included the Biological Evolution Assessment Measure (BEAM), an analysis of discussion forum posts, and a post-implementation perceptions and attitudes questionnaire. BEAM posttest scores were significantly higher than the pretest scores. However, the findings revealed that the students required additional support to develop evidentiary reasoning. Many students perceived that the Web-based curriculum would have been enhanced by increased immediate interaction and feedback. Students required greater scaffolding to support complex, process-oriented tasks. Implications for designing Web-based science instruction with curriculum materials to support students' acquisition of content knowledge and science process skills in a Web-based setting are discussed.

Student Teachers' Approaches to Teaching Biological Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borgerding, Lisa A.; Klein, Vanessa A.; Ghosh, Rajlakshmi; Eibel, Albert

2015-01-01

Evolution is fundamental to biology and scientific literacy, but teaching high school evolution is often difficult. Evolution teachers face several challenges including limited content knowledge, personal conflicts with evolution, expectations of resistance, concerns about students' conflicts with religion, and curricular constraints. Evolution…

Basic Commercial Art. Florida Vocational Program Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

University of South Florida, Tampa. Dept. of Adult and Vocational Education.

This document includes a vocational program guide and Career Merit Achievement Plan (Career MAP) for secondary and postsecondary basic commercial art programs. The guide contains the following sections: occupational description; program content (curriculum framework and student performance standards); program implementation (student admission…

Collaboration Model for ESL and Content Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broer, Kathleen

2013-01-01

This study will examine strategies that ESL teachers and content teachers can use to help middle school ESL students acquire science vocabulary and meta-cognitive strategies for writing skills in non-fiction text forms. Two appendixes are included. (Contains 3 figures and 2 footnotes.)

The Multicultural Classroom: Readings for Content-Area Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richard-Amato, Patricia A., Comp.; Snow, Marguerite Ann

Readings in part 1 include the following: "Language Minority Students in Multicultural Classrooms" (D. Brinton and others); "Language Proficiency, Bilingualism, and Academic Achievement" (J. Cummins);"A Conceptual Framework for the Integration of Language and Content Instruction" (M. A. Snow and others); "The…

Influence of tutors' subject-matter expertise on student effort and achievement in problem-based learning.

PubMed

Schmidt, H G; van der Arend, A; Moust, J H; Kokx, I; Boon, L

1993-10-01

To investigate the effects of tutors' subject-matter expertise on students' levels of academic achievement and study effort in a problem-based health sciences curriculum. Also, to study differences in tutors' behaviors and the influences of these differences on students' performances. Data were analyzed from 336 staff-led tutorial groups involving student participants in seven four-year undergraduate programs at the University of Limburg Faculty of Health Sciences in 1989-90. Overall, 1,925 data records were studied, with each student participating in an average of 1.7 groups led by either content experts or non-experts. The basic analyses were of (1) students' achievement scores as a function of tutors' expertise levels and students' curriculum year; (2) students' estimates of self-study time as a function of tutors' expertise levels and students' curriculum year; and (3) the average ratings of the tutors' behaviors as a function of tutors' expertise levels. Statistical methods included analysis of variance and Pearson correlations. The students guided by subject-matter experts were shown to spend more time on self-directed study, and they achieved somewhat better than did the students guided by non-expert tutors. The effect of subject-matter expertise on achievement was strongest in the first curriculum year, suggesting that novice students are more dependent on their tutors' expertise than are more advanced students. Also, the content-expert tutors made more extensive use of their subject-matter knowledge to guide students. However, in addition to the tutors' knowledge-related behaviors, the tutors' process-facilitation skills affected student achievement. Moreover, these two sets of behaviors were correlated, indicating that both are necessary conditions for effective tutoring. The results indicate that, at least for the curriculum studied, the assumption in the literature that tutors do not necessarily need content knowledge so long as they are skilled in the tutoring process is not entirely justified: the students who were guided by content experts achieved somewhat better and spent more time on self-directed learning. More important, tutoring skill and content knowledge seemed to be necessary and closely related conditions for effective tutoring.

The Accessibility of Learning Content for All Students, Including Students with Disabilities, Must Be Addressed in the Shift to Digital Instructional Materials. SETDA Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, Geoff; Levin, Doug; Lipper, Katherine; Leichty, Reg

2014-01-01

This is a time of rapid technological advancement, with innovations in education holding great promise for improving teaching and learning, particularly for students with unique needs. High-quality digital educational materials, tools, and resources offer students relevant, up-to-date, and innovative ways to acquire knowledge and skills. Created…

Student Teachers' Approaches to Teaching Biological Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borgerding, Lisa A.; Klein, Vanessa A.; Ghosh, Rajlakshmi; Eibel, Albert

2015-06-01

Evolution is fundamental to biology and scientific literacy, but teaching high school evolution is often difficult. Evolution teachers face several challenges including limited content knowledge, personal conflicts with evolution, expectations of resistance, concerns about students' conflicts with religion, and curricular constraints. Evolution teaching can be particularly challenging for student teachers who are just beginning to gain pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge related to evolution teaching and who seek approval from university supervisors and cooperating teachers. Science teacher educators need to know how to best support student teachers as they broach the sometimes daunting task of teaching evolution within student teaching placements. This multiple case study report documents how three student teachers approached evolution instruction and what influenced their approaches. Data sources included student teacher interviews, field note observations for 4-5 days of evolution instruction, and evolution instructional artifacts. Data were analyzed using grounded theory approaches to develop individual cases and a cross-case analysis. Seven influences (state exams and standards, cooperating teacher, ideas about teaching and learning, concerns about evolution controversy, personal commitment to evolution, knowledge and preparation for teaching evolution, and own evolution learning experiences) were identified and compared across cases. Implications for science teacher preparation and future research are provided.

Assessing Student Understanding of the "New Biology": Development and Evaluation of a Criterion-Referenced Genomics and Bioinformatics Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Chad Edward

Over the past decade, hundreds of studies have introduced genomics and bioinformatics (GB) curricula and laboratory activities at the undergraduate level. While these publications have facilitated the teaching and learning of cutting-edge content, there has yet to be an evaluation of these assessment tools to determine if they are meeting the quality control benchmarks set forth by the educational research community. An analysis of these assessment tools indicated that <10% referenced any quality control criteria and that none of the assessments met more than one of the quality control benchmarks. In the absence of evidence that these benchmarks had been met, it is unclear whether these assessment tools are capable of generating valid and reliable inferences about student learning. To remedy this situation the development of a robust GB assessment aligned with the quality control benchmarks was undertaken in order to ensure evidence-based evaluation of student learning outcomes. Content validity is a central piece of construct validity, and it must be used to guide instrument and item development. This study reports on: (1) the correspondence of content validity evidence gathered from independent sources; (2) the process of item development using this evidence; (3) the results from a pilot administration of the assessment; (4) the subsequent modification of the assessment based on the pilot administration results and; (5) the results from the second administration of the assessment. Twenty-nine different subtopics within GB (Appendix B: Genomics and Bioinformatics Expert Survey) were developed based on preliminary GB textbook analyses. These subtopics were analyzed using two methods designed to gather content validity evidence: (1) a survey of GB experts (n=61) and (2) a detailed content analyses of GB textbooks (n=6). By including only the subtopics that were shown to have robust support across these sources, 22 GB subtopics were established for inclusion in the assessment. An expert panel subsequently developed, evaluated, and revised two multiple-choice items to align with each of the 22 subtopics, producing a final item pool of 44 items. These items were piloted with student samples of varying content exposure levels. Both Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) methodologies were used to evaluate the assessment's validity, reliability and ability inferences, and its ability to differentiate students with different magnitudes of content exposure. A total of 18 items were subsequently modified and reevaluated by an expert panel. The 26 original and 18 modified items were once again piloted with student samples of varying content exposure levels. Both CTT and IRT methodologies were once again used to evaluate student responses in order to evaluate the assessment's validity and reliability inferences as well as its ability to differentiate students with different magnitudes of content exposure. Interviews with students from different content exposure levels were also performed in order to gather convergent validity evidence (external validity evidence) as well as substantive validity evidence. Also included are the limitations of the assessment and a set of guidelines on how the assessment can best be used.

A comparison of literature-based and content-based guided reading materials on elementary student reading and science achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guns, Christine

Guided reading, as developed by Fountas and Pinnell (2001), has been a staple of elementary reading programs for the past decade. Teachers in the elementary school setting utilize this small group, tailored instruction in order to differentiate and meet the instructional needs of the students. The literature shows academic benefit for students who have special needs, such as learning disabilities, autism, and hearing impairments but consideration of academic impact has not been investigated for regular education students. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the academic impact of the use of content-related (Group C) and the traditional literature-based (Group L) reading materials. During the Living Systems and Life Processes unit in science, two teachers self-selected to utilized science-related materials for guided reading instruction while the other three teacher participants utilized their normal literature-based guided reading materials. The two groups were compared using an ANCOVA in this pre-test/post-test design. The dependent variables included the Reading for Application and Instruction assessment (RAI) and a Living Systems and Life Processes assessment (LSA). Further analysis compared students of different reading levels and gender. The data analyses revealed a practical but not statistical significance for students in science performance. It was discovered that below level male and female students performed better on the LSA when provided with content-related guided reading materials. As far as reading achievement is concerned, students in both groups had comparable results. The teachers provided guided reading instruction to their students with fidelity and made adjustments to their practices due to the needs of their students. The content-related teachers utilized a larger number of expository texts than the literature-based teachers. These teachers expressed the desire to continue the practice of providing the students with content-related materials.

Guiding students towards sensemaking: teacher questions focused on integrating scientific practices with science content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedict-Chambers, Amanda; Kademian, Sylvie M.; Davis, Elizabeth A.; Palincsar, Annemarie Sullivan

2017-10-01

Science education reforms articulate a vision of ambitious science teaching where teachers engage students in sensemaking discussions and emphasise the integration of scientific practices with science content. Learning to teach in this way is complex, and there are few examples of sensemaking discussions in schools where textbook lessons and teacher-directed discussions are the norm. The purpose of this study was to characterise the questioning practices of an experienced teacher who taught a curricular unit enhanced with educative features that emphasised students' engagement in scientific practices integrated with science content. Analyses indicated the teacher asked four types of questions: explication questions, explanation questions, science concept questions, and scientific practice questions, and she used three questioning patterns including: (1) focusing students on scientific practices, which involved a sequence of questions to turn students back to the scientific practice; (2) supporting students in naming observed phenomena, which involved a sequence of questions to help students use scientific language; and (3) guiding students in sensemaking, which involved a sequence of questions to help students learn about scientific practices, describe evidence, and develop explanations. Although many of the discussions in this study were not yet student-centred, they provide an image of a teacher asking specific questions that move students towards reform-oriented instruction. Implications for classroom practice are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided.

The nurse-patient communication: voices from nursing students.

PubMed

Chan, Zenobia C Y; Lai, Claudia K Y

2016-07-02

Effective communication skills have been found to be one of the pivotal factors in building positive interpersonal relationships. Little is known about nursing undergraduates' perspectives on communicating with patients. This study aimed to explore nursing students' perspectives and experiences of nurse-patient communication in their clinical placement. The participants included 21 second-year undergraduates and 21 first-year master's students. Interviews were conducted in Cantonese and then transcribed in Chinese and translated into English. A content analysis approach was adopted to analyze the data. Five themes emerged from the interview data. 'The necessity of nurse-patient communication' reveals why the students valued nurse-patient communication. 'The conversation contents' describes the content of the conversations that students typically had with patients. The third theme is 'self-reflection on the nurse-patient communication'. The last two themes, 'the communication pattern in different hospital settings' and 'the obstacles impeding nurse-patient communication', are about the students' communication styles in different hospitals and the barriers they encounter. To improve students' communication skills, educators and clinical staff should listen to students, enhance students' reflective skills and strengthen their confidence. Through understanding students' difficulties in the nurse-patient communication experience and the skills that they lack, educators can provide them with helpful recommendations to improve their communication skills in clinical practice. The results of this study reveal that students' nurse-patient communication skills need to be improved.

Elementary student teachers' science content representations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zembal-Saul, Carla; Krajcik, Joseph; Blumenfeld, Phyllis

2002-08-01

This purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which three prospective teachers who had early opportunities to teach science would approach representing science content within the context of their student teaching experiences. The study is framed in the literature on pedagogical content knowledge and learning to teach. A situated perspective on cognition is applied to better understand the influence of context and the role of the cooperating teacher. The three participants were enrolled in an experimental teacher preparation program designed to enhance the teaching of science at the elementary level. Qualitative case study design guided the collection, organization, and analysis of data. Multiple forms of data associated with student teachers' content representations were collected, including audiotaped planning and reflection interviews, written lesson plans and reflections, and videotaped teaching experiences. Broad analysis categories were developed and refined around the subconstructs of content representation (i.e., knowledge of instructional strategies that promote learning and knowledge of students and their requirements for meaningful science learning). Findings suggest that when prospective teachers are provided with opportunities to apply and reflect substantively on their developing considerations for supporting children's science learning, they are able to maintain a subject matter emphasis. However, in the absence of such opportunities, student teachers abandon their subject matter emphasis, even when they have had extensive background and experiences addressing subject-specific considerations for teaching and learning.

Investigating Climate Change Issues With Web-Based Geospatial Inquiry Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dempsey, C.; Bodzin, A. M.; Sahagian, D. L.; Anastasio, D. J.; Peffer, T.; Cirucci, L.

2011-12-01

In the Environmental Literacy and Inquiry middle school Climate Change curriculum we focus on essential climate literacy principles with an emphasis on weather and climate, Earth system energy balance, greenhouse gases, paleoclimatology, and how human activities influence climate change (http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/eli/cc/). It incorporates a related set of a framework and design principles to provide guidance for the development of the geospatial technology-integrated Earth and environmental science curriculum materials. Students use virtual globes, Web-based tools including an interactive carbon calculator and geologic timeline, and inquiry-based lab activities to investigate climate change topics. The curriculum includes educative curriculum materials that are designed to promote and support teachers' learning of important climate change content and issues, geospatial pedagogical content knowledge, and geographic spatial thinking. The curriculum includes baseline instructional guidance for teachers and provides implementation and adaptation guidance for teaching with diverse learners including low-level readers, English language learners and students with disabilities. In the curriculum, students use geospatial technology tools including Google Earth with embedded spatial data to investigate global temperature changes, areas affected by climate change, evidence of climate change, and the effects of sea level rise on the existing landscape. We conducted a designed-based research implementation study with urban middle school students. Findings showed that the use of the Climate Change curriculum showed significant improvement in urban middle school students' understanding of climate change concepts.

Integrated neuroscience program: an alternative approach to teaching neurosciences to chiropractic students.

PubMed

He, Xiaohua; La Rose, James; Zhang, Niu

2009-01-01

Most chiropractic colleges do not offer independent neuroscience courses because of an already crowded curriculum. The Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida has developed and implemented an integrated neuroscience program that incorporates neurosciences into different courses. The goals of the program have been to bring neurosciences to students, excite students about the interrelationship of neuroscience and chiropractic, improve students' understanding of neuroscience, and help the students understand the mechanisms underpinning the chiropractic practice. This study provides a descriptive analysis on how the integrated neuroscience program is taught via students' attitudes toward neuroscience and the comparison of students' perceptions of neuroscience content knowledge at different points in the program. A questionnaire consisting of 58 questions regarding the neuroscience courses was conducted among 339 students. The questionnaire was developed by faculty members who were involved in teaching neuroscience and administered in the classroom by faculty members who were not involved in the study. Student perceptions of their neuroscience knowledge, self-confidence, learning strategies, and knowledge application increased considerably through the quarters, especially among the 2nd-year students. The integrated neuroscience program achieved several of its goals, including an increase in students' confidence, positive attitude, ability to learn, and perception of neuroscience content knowledge. The authors believe that such gains can expand student ability to interpret clinical cases and inspire students to become excited about chiropractic research. The survey provides valuable information for teaching faculty to make the course content more relevant to chiropractic students.

The Epic Poem "Raol de Cambrai" and Student Analysis of the French Feudal Aristocracy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madison, Kenneth G.

1980-01-01

Suggests how college history teachers can help students understand the French aristocracy and its role in medieval society by using a twelfth century epic. "Raol de Cambrai" gives students a sense that the poem's action could have happened to real people. A content analysis of the poem's action and characters is included. (DB)

Note-Taking Interventions to Assist Students with Disabilities in Content Area Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Joseph R.; Forchelli, Gina A.; Cariss, Kaitlyn

2015-01-01

As high-stakes testing, Common Core, and state standards become the new norms in schools, teachers are tasked with helping all students meet specific benchmarks. In conjunction with the influx of more students with disabilities being included in inclusive and general education classrooms where lectures with note-taking comprise a majority of…

Exploring Flipboard to Support Coursework: Student Beliefs, Attitudes, Engagement, and Device Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hornik, Steven; deNoyelles, Aimee; Chen, Baiyun

2016-01-01

The purpose of the study is to explore the use of a mobile application called Flipboard, which facilitates the curation of digital content into a magazine-like product, to engage students in class discussion and participation in a college course. Research questions include: (1) What were students' beliefs and attitudes regarding the use of…

Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS DPA). Student Guide. Grade 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arizona Department of Education, 2006

2006-01-01

Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards Dual Purpose Assessment (AIMS DPA) is a combination of two separate tests. One test is AIMS, which measures how well the student knows the reading, writing , and mathematics content that all Arizona students at the third grade level are expected to know and be able to do. AIMS includes multiple-choice…

GSBPP CAPSTONE REVIEW

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

including the GSBPP exit survey , archived GSBPP capstones, faculty advisement data, faculty interviews, and a new GSBPP student survey in order to detail...analysis from multiple sources, including the GSBPP exit survey , archived GSBPP capstones, faculty advisement data, faculty interviews, and a new...GSBPP student survey in order to detail the capstone’s process, content, and value to multiple stakeholders. The project team also employs the Plan-Do

Content in Native Literature Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grant, Agnes

Including Native literature in school curricula is an important way of enhancing the Native student's self-concept and providing accurate Native cultural knowledge to Native and non-Native students alike. Nevertheless, Canadian school literature programs generally contain neither contemporary nor traditional Native literature. Some programs…

Using cancer to make cellular reproduction rigorous and relevant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duncan, Cynthia F.

The 1983 report Nation at Risk highlighted the fact that test scores of American students were far below that of competing nations and educational standards were being lowered. This trend has continued and studies have also shown that students are not entering college ready for success. This trend can be reversed. Students can better understand and retain biology content expectations if they are taught in a way that is both rigorous and relevant. In the past, students have learned the details of cellular reproduction with little knowledge of why it is important to their everyday lives. This material is learned only for the test. Knowing the details of cellular reproduction is crucial for understanding cancer. Cancer is a topic that will likely affect all of my students at some point in their lives. Students used hands on activities, including simulations, labs, and models to learn about cellular reproduction with cancer as a theme throughout. Students were challenged to learn how to use the rigorous biology content expectations to think about cancer, including stem cell research. Students that will some day be college students, voting citizens, and parents, will become better learners. Students were assessed before and after the completion of the unit to determine if learning occurs. Students did learn the material and became more critical thinkers. Statistical analysis was completed to insure confidence in the results.

A Course on Terror Medicine: Content and Evaluations.

PubMed

Cole, Leonard A; Natal, Brenda; Fox, Adam; Cooper, Arthur; Kennedy, Cheryl A; Connell, Nancy D; Sugalski, Gregory; Kulkarni, Miriam; Feravolo, Michael; Lamba, Sangeeta

2016-02-01

The development of medical school courses on medical responses for disaster victims has been deemed largely inadequate. To address this gap, a 2-week elective course on Terror Medicine (a field related to Disaster and Emergency Medicine) has been designed for fourth year students at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey (USA). This elective is part of an overall curricular plan to broaden exposure to topics related to Terror Medicine throughout the undergraduate medical education. A course on Terror Medicine necessarily includes key aspects of Disaster and Emergency Medicine, though the converse is not the case. Courses on Disaster Medicine may not address features distinctively associated with a terror attack. Thus, a terror-related focus not only assures attention to this important subject but to accidental or naturally occurring incidents as well. The course, implemented in 2014, uses a variety of teaching modalities including lectures, videos, and tabletop and hands-on simulation exercises. The subject matter includes biological and chemical terrorism, disaster management, mechanisms of injury, and psychiatry. This report outlines the elective's goals and objectives, describes the course syllabus, and presents outcomes based on student evaluations of the initial iterations of the elective offering. All students rated the course as "excellent" or "very good." Evaluations included enthusiastic comments about the content, methods of instruction, and especially the value of the simulation exercises. Students also reported finding the course novel and engaging. An elective course on Terror Medicine, as described, is shown to be feasible and successful. The student participants found the content relevant to their education and the manner of instruction effective. This course may serve as a model for other medical schools contemplating the expansion or inclusion of Terror Medicine-related topics in their curriculum.

Teaching the Content Subjects to Indochinese Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thuy, Vuong G.

Indochinese children entering American schools face many problems in learning the content area subjects. The problems include the tremendous linguistic barrier, differences in American and Indochinese educational practices, values, expectations, and patterns of thinking, and misplacement in American schools based on the age of Indochinese…

Curricular Guidelines for Pharmacy Education: Substance Abuse and Addictive Disease.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldwin, Jeffrey N.; And Others

1991-01-01

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy guidelines for required and elective instructional content concerning substance abuse for pharmacy students is presented. Recommended required content includes psychosocial aspects of drug use; pharmacology and toxicology; identification, intervention, and treatment of addiction; and legal issues.…

Teacher Subject Matter Knowledge of Number Sense

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briand-Newman, Hannah; Wong, Monica; Evans, David

2012-01-01

Pedagogical content knowledge has been widely acknowledged by researchers and practitioners as a significant factor for improving student knowledge, understanding and achievement. Recently, the knowledge teachers need for teaching has expanded to include teacher horizon content knowledge, "an awareness of how mathematical topics are related…

The Development of Interactive Mathematics Learning Material Based on Local Wisdom with .swf Format

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abadi, M. K.; Asih, E. C. M.; Jupri, A.

2018-05-01

Learning materials used by students and schools in Serang district are lacking because they do not contain local wisdom content. The aim of this study is to improve the deficiencies in learning materials used by students by making interactive materials based on local wisdom content with format .swf. The method in this research is research and development (RnD) with ADDIE model. In making this interactive learning materials in accordance with the stages of the ADDIE study. The results of this study include interactive learning materials based on local wisdom. This learning material is suitable for digital students.

Medical education and social environment.

PubMed

Rasool, Ahsan; Qayum, Iftikhar; Ahmad, Ashfaq; Farooq, Umer; Shah, Awais Ali; Waqas, Muhammad; Rasool, Maleeha; Hameed, Sania; Kanwal, Rana; Azmat, Muneeba; Marwat, Saleem; Afridit, Faheem

2014-01-01

A positive learning environment and quality of course content have an imperative role in academic achievement of students. This study aims to assess students' point of view about the quality of education and social environment of a public sector medical college in Pakistan. Relative scarcity of data from students' perspective merited this study. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken at Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan, including 300 medical students from all five years of the MBBS course. Systematic random sampling was used with a kth interval of 4 for each class. Self-administered questionnaire was used and contained items related to academics, learning environment, learning resources, teaching methodologies and student-friendly activities. The data were analysed using SPSS-16. There were 265 respondents (88.3%) to the questionnaire with males accounting for 58.9% (n=156). In general students showed satisfaction with quality of content being taught; however there was discontent towards various academic and non- academic facilities provided to the students. Only 44.10% and 31.50% students reported provision of academic related facilities and interactive sessions as up to mark respectively; 83% students reported that undergraduate medical research was in need of improvement; 55.5% and 60.2% reported that facilities in hostel and recreational facilities needed improvement respectively; and 52.8% students stated presence of a healthy, student friendly, encouraging environment was not up to mark. Although course content and teaching methodologies are generally satisfactory, a healthy, student friendly, encouraging environment is vet to be created to help students foster their abilities completely.

Teaching Nature of Science to K-2 Students: What understandings can they attain?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akerson, Valarie; Donnelly, Lisa A.

2010-01-01

This study explored the influence of a Saturday Science program that used explicit reflective instruction through contextualized and decontextualized guided and authentic inquiry on K-2 students' views of nature of science (NOS). The six-week program ran for 2.5 hours weekly and emphasized NOS in a variety of science content areas, culminating in an authentic inquiry designed and carried out by the K-2 students. The Views of Nature of Science Form D was used to interview K-2 students pre- and post-instruction. Copies of student work were retained for content analysis. Videotapes made of each week's science instruction were reviewed to ensure that explicit reflective NOS instruction took place. Explicit NOS teaching strategies included (1) introducing NOS through decontextualized activities, (2) embedding NOS into science content through contextualized activities, (3) using children's literature, (4) debriefings and embedded NOS assessments, and (5) guided and student-designed inquiries. Results indicate that K-2 students improved their NOS views over the course of the program, suggesting that they are developmentally ready for these concepts. Students developed adequate views of the distinction between observation and inference, the creative NOS, the tentative NOS, the empirical NOS, and to a lesser degree, the subjective NOS.

Promoting children's agency and communication skills in an informal science program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wulf, Rosemary; Hinko, Kathleen; Finkelstein, Noah

2013-01-01

The Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC) program at the University of Colorado Boulder brings together university and community institutions to create an environment where K-12 students join with university educators to engage in inquiry-based scientific practices after school. In our original framing, these afterschool activities were developed to reinforce the traditional learning goals of the classroom, including mastering scientific content, skills and processes. Recently, the primary focus of the PISEC curriculum has been shifted towards the development of students' scientific identity, an explicit objective of informal learning environments. The new curriculum offers students more activity choices, affords opportunities for scientific drawings and descriptions, and provides incentive for students to design their own experiments. We have analyzed student science notebooks from both old and new curricula and find that with the redesigned curriculum, students exhibit increased agency and more instances of scientific communication while still demonstrating substantial content learning gains.

Reading, Writing & Rings: Science Literacy for K-4 Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McConnell, S.; Spilker, L.; Zimmerman-Brachman, R.

2007-12-01

Scientific discovery is the impetus for the K-4 Education program, "Reading, Writing & Rings." This program is unique because its focus is to engage elementary students in reading and writing to strengthen these basic academic skills through scientific content. As science has been increasingly overtaken by the language arts in elementary classrooms, the Cassini Education Program has taken advantage of a new cross-disciplinary approach to use language arts as a vehicle for increasing scientific content in the classroom. By utilizing the planet Saturn and the Cassini-Huygens mission as a model in both primary reading and writing students in these grade levels, young students can explore science material while at the same time learning these basic academic skills. Content includes reading, thinking, and hands-on activities. Developed in partnership with the Cassini-Huygens Education and Public Outreach Program, the Bay Area Writing Project/California Writing Project, Foundations in Reading Through Science & Technology (FIRST), and the Caltech Pre-College Science Initiative (CAPSI), and classroom educators, "Reading, Writing & Rings" blends the excitement of space exploration with reading and writing. All materials are teacher developed, aligned with national science and language education standards, and are available from the Cassini-Huygens website: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/edu-k4.cfm Materials are divided into two grade level units. One unit is designed for students in grades 1 and 2 while the other unit focuses on students in grades 3 and 4. Each includes a series of lessons that take students on a path of exploration of Saturn using reading and writing prompts.

Spaced education activates students in a theoretical radiological science course: a pilot study.

PubMed

Nkenke, Emeka; Vairaktaris, Elefterios; Bauersachs, Anne; Eitner, Stephan; Budach, Alexander; Knipfer, Christian; Stelzle, Florian

2012-05-23

The present study aimed at determining if the addition of spaced education to traditional face-to-face lectures increased the time students kept busy with the learning content of a theoretical radiological science course. The study comprised two groups of 21 third-year dental students. The students were randomly assigned to a "traditional group" and a "spaced education group". Both groups followed a traditional face-to-face course. The intervention in the spaced education group was performed in way that these students received e-mails with a delay of 14 days to each face-to-face lecture. These e-mails contained multiple choice questions on the learning content of the lectures. The students returned their answers to the questions also by e-mail. On return they received an additional e-mail that included the correct answers and additional explanatory material.All students of both groups documented the time they worked on the learning content of the different lectures before a multiple choice exam was held after the completion of the course. All students of both groups completed the TRIL questionnaire (Trierer Inventar zur Lehrevaluation) for the evaluation of courses at university after the completion of the course. The results for the time invested in the learning content and the results of the questionnaire for the two groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney-U test. The spaced education group spent significantly more time (216.2 ± 123.9 min) on keeping busy with the learning content compared to the traditional group (58.4 ± 94.8 min, p < .0005). The spaced education group rated the didactics of the course significantly better than the traditional group (p = .034). The students of the spaced education group also felt that their needs were fulfilled significantly better compared to the traditional group as far as communication with the teacher was concerned (p = .022). Adding spaced education to a face-to-face theoretical radiological science course activates students in a way that they spend significantly more time on keeping busy with the learning content.

Development of diagnostic test instruments to reveal level student conception in kinematic and dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handhika, J.; Cari, C.; Suparmi, A.; Sunarno, W.; Purwandari, P.

2018-03-01

The purpose of this research was to develop a diagnostic test instrument to reveal students' conceptions in kinematics and dynamics. The diagnostic test was developed based on the content indicator the concept of (1) displacement and distance, (2) instantaneous and average velocity, (3) zero and constant acceleration, (4) gravitational acceleration (5) Newton's first Law, (6) and Newton's third Law. The diagnostic test development model includes: Diagnostic test requirement analysis, formulating test-making objectives, developing tests, checking the validity of the content and the performance of reliability, and application of tests. The Content Validation Index (CVI) results in the category are highly relevant, with a value of 0.85. Three questions get negative Content Validation Ratio CVR) (-0.6), after revised distractors and clarify visual presentation; the CVR become 1 (highly relevant). This test was applied, obtained 16 valid test items, with Cronbach Alpha value of 0.80. It can conclude that diagnostic test can be used to reveal the level of students conception in kinematics and dynamics.

Mummies, Vampires and Things That Go Bump in the Night.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCormack, Bunnie

1994-01-01

Describes two interdisciplinary programs developed for middle school students that focus on mummies and vampires and include social studies, art, language arts, creative dramatics, and media production skills. Content, multimedia, new and interesting information, and student participation are emphasized. (11 references) (LRW)

Reinventing School Libraries: Alternatives, Models and Options for the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haycock, Ken

1998-01-01

In collaboration with teachers, teacher librarians have a positive impact on student achievement in content areas, information literacy, and reading motivation and ability. Current professional issues of teacher librarians include role clarification, appropriate preservice education, standards for student information literacy, articulation of…

The Forgotten Majority: Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weaver, A. Miles, III

1970-01-01

Describes the objectives and content of an experience-oriented approach for 9th grade general science students. The emphasis is on the learning of science processes, through field studies and student investigations. Topic areas include measurement, landforms, weather, soil, plants and animals, population relationships, conservation, and pollution.…

Generating Linear Equations Based on Quantitative Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Mi Yeon

2017-01-01

The Common Core's Standards for Mathematical Practice encourage teachers to develop their students' ability to reason abstractly and quantitatively by helping students make sense of quantities and their relationships within problem situations. The seventh-grade content standards include objectives pertaining to developing linear equations in…

Redesign of a required undergraduate pharmacy management course to improve student engagement and concept retention.

PubMed

Perepelkin, Jason

2012-12-12

To change the structure of a required pharmacy management course to make it more interactive and engaging for students. The course is a required component of undergraduate curriculum and is completed over 2 semesters during the students' third year. Changes included requiring students to lead classroom discussions and complete a business plan in groups. A questionnaire centering on methods of delivery, course content, and outcomes was distributed in 2 academic years, with 74.7% of students responding. Even though the redesigned course required more time, there was strong support for the course among students because they realized the content contributed to their learning. A major course redesign is a big commitment by faculty members, but if done through consultations with former and current students, it can be rewarding for all involved. Students overwhelmingly embraced the changes to the course as they realized the restructuring and the resulting increase in workload were necessary to raise the relevance of the course to their future professional practice.

The effects of teacher read-alouds and student silent reading on predominantly bilingual high school seniors’ learning and retention of social studies content

PubMed Central

Reed, Deborah K.; Swanson, Elizabeth; Petscher, Yaacov; Vaughn, Sharon

2015-01-01

Teacher read-alouds (TRA) are common in middle and high school content area classes. Because the practice of reading the textbook out loud to students is often used out of concern about students’ ability to understand and learn from text when reading silently (SR), this randomized controlled trial was designed to experimentally manipulate text reading while blocking on all other instructional elements to determine the relative effects on learning content. Predominantly Spanish–English bilingual twelfth-graders (n = 123) were randomly assigned to either a TRA or SR condition and provided 1 week of high quality instruction in US history. Daily lessons included teaching key terms in the passage, previewing text headings, and conducting comprehension checks. Results of immediate, 1-week delayed, and 1-month delayed assessments of content learning revealed no significant differences between the two groups. Students were also asked to rate the method of reading they believed best helped them understand and remember information. Students in the SR condition more consistently agreed that reading silently was beneficial. Findings suggest low performing adolescents of different linguistic backgrounds can learn content as well when reading appropriately challenging text silently as when the teacher reads the text aloud to them. PMID:26346215

Elderly Alcoholism: Implications for Human Service Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beechem, Michael

2004-01-01

Incumbent upon those faculty who teach substance abuse courses is the need to integrate elderly alcoholism-related course content to encourage and adequately prepare university students to serve this "hidden" population. Course content would ideally include theories specific to loss-grief, aging, and alcoholism. In addition, field placement…

What should students learn about complementary and alternative medicine?

PubMed

Gaster, Barak; Unterborn, John N; Scott, Richard B; Schneeweiss, Ronald

2007-10-01

With thousands of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments currently being used in the United States today, it is challenging to design a concise body of CAM content which will fit into already overly full curricula for health care students. The purpose of this article is to outline key principles which 15 National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine-funded education programs found useful when developing CAM course-work and selecting CAM content. Three key guiding principles are discussed: teach foundational CAM competencies to give students a framework for learning about CAM; choose specific content on the basis of evidence, demographics and condition (what conditions are most appropriate for CAM therapies?); and finally, provide students with skills for future learning, including where to find reliable information about CAM and how to search the scientific literature and assess the results of CAM research. Most of the programs developed evidence-based guides to help students find reliable CAM resources. The cumulative experiences of the 15 programs have been compiled, and an annotated table outlining the most highly recommended resources about CAM is presented.

Exploring Biology Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge in the Teaching of Genetics in Swaziland Science Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mthethwa-Kunene, Eunice; Oke Onwu, Gilbert; de Villiers, Rian

2015-05-01

This study explored the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and its development of four experienced biology teachers in the context of teaching school genetics. PCK was defined in terms of teacher content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and knowledge of students' preconceptions and learning difficulties. Data sources of teacher knowledge base included teacher-constructed concept maps, pre- and post-lesson teacher interviews, video-recorded genetics lessons, post-lesson teacher questionnaire and document analysis of teacher's reflective journals and students' work samples. The results showed that the teachers' individual PCK profiles consisted predominantly of declarative and procedural content knowledge in teaching basic genetics concepts. Conditional knowledge, which is a type of meta-knowledge for blending together declarative and procedural knowledge, was also demonstrated by some teachers. Furthermore, the teachers used topic-specific instructional strategies such as context-based teaching, illustrations, peer teaching, and analogies in diverse forms but failed to use physical models and individual or group student experimental activities to assist students' internalization of the concepts. The finding that all four teachers lacked knowledge of students' genetics-related preconceptions was equally significant. Formal university education, school context, journal reflection and professional development programmes were considered as contributing to the teachers' continuing PCK development. Implications of the findings for biology teacher education are briefly discussed.

Interpretive versus noninterpretive content in top-selling radiology textbooks: what are we teaching medical students?

PubMed

Webb, Emily M; Vella, Maya; Straus, Christopher M; Phelps, Andrew; Naeger, David M

2015-04-01

There are little data as to whether appropriate, cost effective, and safe ordering of imaging examinations are adequately taught in US medical school curricula. We sought to determine the proportion of noninterpretive content (such as appropriate ordering) versus interpretive content (such as reading a chest x-ray) in the top-selling medical student radiology textbooks. We performed an online search to identify a ranked list of the six top-selling general radiology textbooks for medical students. Each textbook was reviewed including content in the text, tables, images, figures, appendices, practice questions, question explanations, and glossaries. Individual pages of text and individual images were semiquantitatively scored on a six-level scale as to the percentage of material that was interpretive versus noninterpretive. The predominant imaging modality addressed in each was also recorded. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. All six books had more interpretive content. On average, 1.4 pages of text focused on interpretation for every one page focused on noninterpretive content. Seventeen images/figures were dedicated to interpretive skills for every one focused on noninterpretive skills. In all books, the largest proportion of text and image content was dedicated to plain films (51.2%), with computed tomography (CT) a distant second (16%). The content on radiographs (3.1:1) and CT (1.6:1) was more interpretive than not. The current six top-selling medical student radiology textbooks contain a preponderance of material teaching image interpretation compared to material teaching noninterpretive skills, such as appropriate imaging examination selection, rational utilization, and patient safety. Copyright © 2015 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Peer Promotions as a Method to Identify Quality Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunnarsson, Bjorn Levi; Alterman, Richard

2014-01-01

Promoting blog content is a social activity--a means of communicating one student's appreciation of another student's work. This article explores the feasibility of using student promotions of content, in a blogosphere, to identify quality content, and implications for students and instructors. We show that students actively and voluntarily…

Challenging Science and Literacy Activities for K-9 Students--The Cricket Chronicles. Teacher Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Catherine E.

2006-01-01

This book is an extensive integrated unit of study focused on that common and familiar insect--the cricket. In this edition, teachers are given a complete guide and reproducible worksheets for elementary and middle school students. With over 30 different activities on crickets, students learn science content and skills including: (1) Taxonomy; (2)…

Using Computer Assisted Instruction to Teach Science Facts to Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berrong, Amy Ketterer

2011-01-01

Previous research has found the use of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) to be effective in teaching skills to a variety of populations. Students with and without disabilities have been taught a variety of skills including social skills and core academic content using CAI. Students with moderate to severe disabilities (MSD) have been taught a…

Challenging Science and Literacy Activities for K-9 Students - The Cricket Chronicles: Student Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Catherine E.

2006-01-01

This is an extensive integrated unit of study focused on that common and familiar insect-the cricket. In this edition, students are provided with more than 30 activities on crickets, which will help them learn science content and skills including: (1) Taxonomy; (2) Anatomy; (3) Ecology; (4) Mark and recapture techniques for estimating population…

Entering Adulthood: Examining Drugs and Risks. A Curriculum for Grades 9-12. Contemporary Health Series. [Teacher's Guide and] Student Workbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giarratano, Susan; Evans, Dale

This curriculum guide for high-school students presents in-depth coverage of the full range of content related to drugs, including tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, narcotics, and hallucinogens. It is part of a series designed to provide educators with the curricular tools necessary to challenge students to take personal responsibility for…

An Examination of the Potential of Secondary Mathematics Curriculum Materials to Support Teacher and Student Learning of Probabiility and Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Joshua E.

2016-01-01

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSSM) suggest many changes to secondary mathematics education including an increased focus on conceptual understanding and the inclusion of content and processes that are beyond what is currently taught to most high school students. To facilitate these changes, students will need opportunities to…

Development of a Math-Learning App for Students with Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beal, Carole R.; Rosenblum, L. Penny

2015-01-01

The project was conducted to make an online tutoring program for math word problem solving accessible to students with visual impairments (VI). An online survey of teachers of students with VI (TVIs) guided the decision to provide the math content in the form of an iPad app, accompanied by print and braille materials. The app includes audio…

Incorporating bioterrorism content in the nursing curriculum: a creative approach.

PubMed

Carter, Melondie R; Gaskins, Susan W

2010-07-01

The community health faculty has developed a creative and comprehensive approach with community agencies to present bioterrorism content that could be useful to community health faculty in other schools of nursing. Since September 11, 2001, the United States has recognized that the threat of bioterrorism is real. Nurses are recognized by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing as key players in disaster response efforts. However, bioterrorism knowledge among nurses and nursing students has been reported to be low, and textbooks do not include comprehensive information about bioterrorism preparedness. Our college of nursing has collaborated with the U.S. Public Health Department to design a creative educational experience for community health students on bioterrorism and disaster preparedness. Content areas include the National Stockpile, the Planned Response to Pandemic Influenza provided by the U.S. Public Health Department, recognition and treatment of biological threats, and the care of patients with smallpox. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

Online Calculus: The Course and Survey Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, G. Donald

2001-01-01

Describes the development and implementation of a Web-based calculus course at Texas A & M University. Discusses the course design, layout of content and the contrast with textbook structure, results of course surveys that included student reactions, and how students learn form Web-based materials. (Author/LRW)

Access Nature[TM]: 45 Fun, Hands-On Activities for Everyone!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almeras, Bethe Gilbert; Heath, David

"Access Nature" is an outdoor science curriculum that focuses on habitats. This curriculum targets students ages 6-14 and aims to develop environmental awareness, environmental leadership skills, and outdoor knowledge and skills. Specific adaptations for disabled students are also considered. Contents include: (1) "Introduction to…

Alternative Strategy in English Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, M. Robert, Ed.

This collection of articles discusses various ways of teaching English to college, high school, and elementary students. The contents include: -Values in Today's Society: A Non-Lecture Composition Course," which discusses ways that college students are encouraged to participate in and direct class discussions; "Gambits: A Teacher Centered Language…

Continuous Progress Education: An Ideal that Works.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, John M.

1982-01-01

Continuous progress education (CP) provides for the individualization of all significant aspects of learning, including materials, content, objectives, methods, pacing, and student-teacher relationships. It is based on the proposition that no general prescriptions are equally appropriate for all students. A brief description of Hood River Valley…

Norms and Mathematical Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kastberg, Signe E.; Frye, R. Scott

2013-01-01

To challenge students' reasoning and to align with a physical fitness unit that students were studying, teachers and authors, Scott Frye and Signe Kastberg adapted a ratio comparison problem from Susan Lamon, "Ratio and Proportion: Connecting Content and Children's Thinking," (1994) to include athletes and doctors who share…

Designing an eMap to Teach Multimedia Applications Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruffini, Michael F.

2004-01-01

Teachers and students use multimedia software to create interactive presentations and content projects. Popular multimedia programs include: Microsoft's PowerPoint[R], Knowledge Adventure's HyperStudio[R], and Macromedia's Director MX 2004[R]. Creating multimedia projects engage students in active learning and thinking as they complete projects…

Corporation Accounting, Business Education: 7709.31.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carino, Mariano G.

The course aims to help students develop an understanding of the organization of corporations, corporate stock and bond transactions, fiscal reports, income tax returns, and dividends. Students also analyze financial statements and complete a corporation practice set. An outline of course content includes: (1) equipment and supplies, (2)…

Standards and Students with Disabilities: Reality or Virtual Reality? Brief Report 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saint Cloud State Univ., MN.

This Brief Report highlights current activities focused on setting standards in education, and examines whether students with disabilities are considered when standards are set. Types of standards are distinguished, including performance standards, delivery standards, and content standards. Information on organizations developing standards in…

Color Me a Writer: Teaching Students To Think Critically.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viau, Elizabeth Anne

1998-01-01

Teachers and students can use color to identify different types of writing. This article describes using color to highlight annotations, identity, topic sentences, thoughts and emotions, logical arguments, advertising and selling, showing and telling, and looking and seeing. Includes sample assignments for identifying emotional content, topic…

Catching the Dream Annual Report, 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chavers, Dean, Ed.

2002-01-01

In 2002, Catching the Dream (CTD) provided college scholarships to 208 American Indian students as well as grants to improve education in schools that serve Native students. This annual report describes CTD's programs and activities in 2002. Contents include short descriptions of CTD's scholarship, fellowship, and internship programs; describe…

Team-Based Learning in a Pipeline Course in Medical Microbiology for Under-Represented Student Populations in Medicine Improves Learning of Microbiology Concepts.

PubMed

Behling, K C; Murphy, M M; Mitchell-Williams, J; Rogers-McQuade, H; Lopez, O J

2016-12-01

As part of an undergraduate pipeline program at our institution for students from underrepresented minorities in medicine backgrounds, we created an intensive four-week medical microbiology course. Team-based learning (TBL) was implemented in this course to enhance student learning of course content. Three different student cohorts participated in the study, and there were no significant differences in their prior academic achievement based on their undergraduate grade point average (GPA) and pre-course examination scores. Teaching techniques included engaged lectures using an audience response system, TBL, and guided self-directed learning. We hypothesized that more active learning exercises, irrespective of the amount of lecture time, would help students master course content. In year 2 as compared with year 1, TBL exercises were decreased from six to three with a concomitant increase in lecture time, while in year 3, TBL exercises were increased from three to six while maintaining the same amount of lecture time as in year 2. As we hypothesized, there was significant ( p < 0.01) improvement in performance on the post-course examination in years 1 and 3 compared with year 2, when only three TBL exercises were used. In contrast to the students' perceptions that more lecture time enhances learning of course content, our findings suggest that active learning strategies, such as TBL, are more effective than engaged lectures in improving student understanding of course content, as measured by post-course examination performance. Introduction of TBL in pipeline program courses may help achieve better student learning outcomes.

Teaching and Learning in Preschool: Using Individually Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Literacy Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venn, Elizabeth Claire; Jahn, Monica Dacy

2004-01-01

Students will benefit from this unique preschool framework that integrates individually appropriate practices, literacy activities, play, and explicit instruction into content area lessons. Included are chapters on Oral language development; Phonological awareness; Early reading and writing; Print concepts; Instruction in content areas; and…

Rock-Solid Support: Florida District Weighs Effectiveness of Science Professional Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shear, Linda; Penuel, William R.

2010-01-01

The best science teachers are not only experts in teaching and knowledgeable about science content, but they are also great at teaching science. They have specialized teaching knowledge, including knowledge of effective pedagogical practices in science, student difficulties with understanding content, and curricular purposes. As a result,…

The International Approach: Learning English through Content Area Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaGuardia Community Coll., Long Island City, NY. International High School.

Descriptive material about LaGuardia Community College International High School's program teaching English to limited-English-speaking students through content area instruction includes descriptions of individual program elements and courses. Two courses in the integrated learning center--a course on orientation to school and society, and a…

Integrating Language and Content Learning in the Social Studies Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Hee-Won; LeSourd, Sandra J.

This paper focuses on helping social studies teachers discover ways to help second language students comprehend, use, and learn language as well as content in the classroom. Activities conducive to this purpose include: providing contextual support such as pictures, globes, videotapes, diagrams, body and facial gestures, pantomime and role…

Computing Education in Korea--Current Issues and Endeavors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Jeongwon; An, Sangjin; Lee, Youngjun

2015-01-01

Computer education has been provided for a long period of time in Korea. Starting as a vocational program, the content of computer education for students evolved to include content on computer literacy, Information Communication Technology (ICT) literacy, and brand-new computer science. While a new curriculum related to computer science was…

Content Analysis Schedule for Bilingual Education Programs: Proyecto PAL.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Castor

This content analysis schedule for "Proyecto PAL" in San Jose, California, presents information on the history, funding, and scope of the project. Included are sociolinguistic process variables such as the native and dominant languages of students and their interaction. Information is provided on staff selection and the linguistic…

The Language of Mathematics: The Importance of Teaching and Learning Mathematical Vocabulary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riccomini, Paul J.; Smith, Gregory W.; Hughes, Elizabeth M.; Fries, Karen M.

2015-01-01

Vocabulary understanding is a major contributor to overall comprehension in many content areas, including mathematics. Effective methods for teaching vocabulary in all content areas are diverse and long standing. Teaching and learning the language of mathematics is vital for the development of mathematical proficiency. Students' mathematical…

Fostering learners' interaction with content: A learner-centered mobile device interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdous, M.

2015-12-01

With the ever-increasing omnipresence of mobile devices in student life, leveraging smart devices to foster students' interaction with course content is critical. Following a learner-centered design iterative approach, we designed a mobile interface that may enable learners to access and interact with online course content efficiently and intuitively. Our design process leveraged recent technologies, such as bootstrap, Google's Material Design, HTML5, and JavaScript to design an intuitive, efficient, and portable mobile interface with a variety of built-in features, including context sensitive bookmarking, searching, progress tracking, captioning, and transcript display. The mobile interface also offers students the ability to ask context-related questions and to complete self-checks as they watch audio/video presentations. Our design process involved ongoing iterative feedback from learners, allowing us to refine and tweak the interface to provide learners with a unified experience across platforms and devices. The innovative combination of technologies built around well-structured and well-designed content seems to provide an effective learning experience to mobile learners. Early feedback indicates a high level of satisfaction with the interface's efficiency, intuitiveness, and robustness from both students and faculty.

An exploratory study with preliminary results: The development and evaluation of a Genetics Concept Inventory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hott, Adam M.

Modern science education reform includes the development of standards and recommendations for content as well as the development and evaluation of pedagogy, but demonstrates limited assessment of student knowledge. Student knowledge assessment is an important factor in measuring the scientific literacy of current students. Concept inventories have been developed and used for the past fourteen years to assess non-science major student conceptual understanding of a content area. Inventories have been developed in the fields of physics, astronomy, chemistry and biology. The development and evaluation of a Genetics Concept Inventory (GCI) is presented here. The reliability estimate of 0.62 is supported by a respected panel of genetics educators' revisions, no significant gender bias, and the ability of junior and senior biology majors to outperform the non-science majors. Pretest/Posttest comparisons show a significant increase in five of six genetics content areas as well as a 9% increase on the overall percent score for the instrument. Although the Genetics Concept Inventory presented here needs further modification and testing, it is the first step in the development of a quality assessment tool for genetics content.

A Comparison of Web-based and Small-Group Palliative and End-of-Life Care Curricula: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Study at One Institution

PubMed Central

Day, Frank C.; Srinivasan, Malathi; Der-Martirosian, Claudia; Griffin, Erin; Hoffman, Jerome R.; Wilkes, Michael S.

2014-01-01

Purpose Few studies have compared the effect of web-based eLearning versus small-group learning on medical student outcomes. Palliative and end-of-life (PEOL) education is ideal for this comparison, given uneven access to PEOL experts and content nationally. Method In 2010, the authors enrolled all third-year medical students at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine into a quasi-randomized controlled trial of web-based interactive education (eDoctoring) compared to small-group education (Doctoring) on PEOL clinical content over two months. All students participated in three 3-hour PEOL sessions with similar content. Outcomes included a 24-item PEOL-specific self-efficacy scale with three domains (diagnosis/treatment [Cronbach’s alpha = 0.92, CI: 0.91–0.93], communication/prognosis [alpha = 0.95; CI: 0.93–0.96], and social impact/self-care [alpha = 0.91; CI: 0.88–0.92]); eight knowledge items; ten curricular advantage/disadvantages, and curricular satisfaction (both students and faculty). Results Students were randomly assigned to web-based eDoctoring (n = 48) or small-group Doctoring (n = 71) curricula. Self-efficacy and knowledge improved equivalently between groups: e.g., prognosis self-efficacy, 19%; knowledge, 10–42%. Student and faculty ratings of the web-based eDoctoring curriculum and the small group Doctoring curriculum were equivalent for most goals, and overall satisfaction was equivalent for each, with a trend towards decreased eDoctoring student satisfaction. Conclusions Findings showed equivalent gains in self-efficacy and knowledge between students participating in a web-based PEOL curriculum, in comparison to students learning similar content in a small-group format. Web-based curricula can standardize content presentation when local teaching expertise is limited, but may lead to decreased user satisfaction. PMID:25539518

Curriculum-Based Language Assessment With Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in the Context of Mathematics.

PubMed

Newkirk-Turner, Brandi L; Johnson, Valerie E

2018-04-05

The purpose of this tutorial is to discuss the use of curriculum-based language assessment (CBLA) with students who are English language learners and students who speak nonmainstream varieties of English, such as African American English. The article begins with a discussion of the discourse of mathematics and the role of the speech-language pathologist (SLP), followed by a review of studies that includes those that examined the performance of English language learner and nonmainstream dialect-speaking students on word-based math items. The literature review highlights the linguistic and content biases associated with word-based math problems. Useful strategies that SLPs and educators can incorporate in culturally and linguistically appropriate assessments are discussed. The tutorial ends with a discussion of CBLA as a viable assessment approach to use with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Tests used at national, state, and school levels to assess students' math abilities have associated linguistic bias and content bias often leading to an inaccurate depiction of culturally and linguistically diverse students' math skills. CBLA as an assessment method can be used by school-based SLPs to gather valid and useful information about culturally and linguistically diverse students' language for learning math. By using CBLA, SLPs can help modify curricular tasks in broader contexts in an effort to make math, including high-level math, "accessible and achievable for all" students (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2017).

Data article on the effectiveness of entrepreneurship curriculum contents on entrepreneurial interest and knowledge of Nigerian university students.

PubMed

Olokundun, Maxwell; Iyiola, Oluwole; Ibidunni, Stephen; Ogbari, Mercy; Falola, Hezekiah; Salau, Odunayo; Peter, Fred; Borishade, Taiye

2018-06-01

The article presented data on the effectiveness of entrepreneurship curriculum contents on university students' entrepreneurial interest and knowledge. The study focused on the perceptions of Nigerian university students. Emphasis was laid on the first four universities in Nigeria to offer a degree programme in entrepreneurship. The study adopted quantitative approach with a descriptive research design to establish trends related to the objective of the study. Survey was be used as quantitative research method. The population of this study included all students in the selected universities. Data was analyzed with the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Mean score was used as statistical tool of analysis. The field data set is made widely accessible to enable critical or a more comprehensive investigation.

Particle Physics in High School: A Diagnose Study.

PubMed

Tuzón, Paula; Solbes, Jordi

2016-01-01

The science learning process improves when the contents are connected to students' lives. Particle physics has had a great impact in our society in the last years and has changed the theoretical picture about matter fundamental dynamics. Thus, we think that academic contents about matter components and interactions should be updated. With this study we aim to characterize the level of knowledge of high school students about this topic. We built a test with questions about classical atomic models, particle physics, recent discoveries, social implications and students opinions about it. Contrary to our first suspicion, students' answers show a high variability. They have new physics ideas and show a great interest towards modern concepts. We suggest including an updated view of this topic as part of the curriculum.

Teaching Thinking Skills in Context-Based Learning: Teachers' Challenges and Assessment Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avargil, Shirly; Herscovitz, Orit; Dori, Yehudit Judy

2012-04-01

For an educational reform to succeed, teachers need to adjust their perceptions to the reform's new curricula and strategies and cope with new content, as well as new teaching and assessment strategies. Developing students' scientific literacy through context-based chemistry and higher order thinking skills was the framework for establishing a new chemistry curriculum for Israeli high school students. As part of this endeavor, we developed the Taste of Chemistry module, which focuses on context-based chemistry, chemical understanding, and higher order thinking skills. Our research objectives were (a) to identify the challenges and difficulties chemistry teachers faced, as well as the advantages they found, while teaching and assessing the Taste of Chemistry module; and (b) to investigate how they coped with teaching and assessing thinking skills that include analyzing data from graphs and tables, transferring between multiple representations and, transferring between chemistry understanding levels. Research participants included eight teachers who taught the module. Research tools included interviews, classroom observations, teachers-designed students' assignments, and developers-designed students' assignments. We documented different challenges teachers had faced while teaching the module and found that the teachers developed different ways of coping with these challenges. Developing teachers' assessment knowledge (AK) was found to be the highest stage in teachers' professional growth, building on teachers' content knowledge (CK), pedagogy knowledge (PK), and pedagogical-content knowledge (PCK). We propose the use of assignments designed by teachers as an instrument for determining their professional growth.

Brewing for Students: An Inquiry-Based Microbiology Lab †

PubMed Central

Sato, Brian K.; Alam, Usman; Dacanay, Samantha J.; Lee, Amanda K.; Shaffer, Justin F.

2015-01-01

In an effort to improve and assess student learning, there has been a push to increase the incorporation of discovery-driven modules and those that contain real-world relevance into laboratory curricula. To further this effort, we have developed, implemented, and assessed an undergraduate microbiology laboratory experiment that requires students to use the scientific method while brewing beer. The experiment allows students to brew their own beer and characterize it based on taste, alcohol content, calorie content, pH, and standard reference method. In addition, we assessed whether students were capable of achieving the module learning objectives through a pre-/posttest, student self-evaluation, exam-embedded questions, and an associated worksheet. These objectives included describing the role of the brewing ingredients and predicting how altering the ingredients would affect the characteristics of the beer, amongst others. By completing this experimental module, students accomplished the module objectives, had greater interest in brewing, and were more likely to view beer in scientific terms. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education PMID:26753030

Brewing for Students: An Inquiry-Based Microbiology Lab.

PubMed

Sato, Brian K; Alam, Usman; Dacanay, Samantha J; Lee, Amanda K; Shaffer, Justin F

2015-12-01

In an effort to improve and assess student learning, there has been a push to increase the incorporation of discovery-driven modules and those that contain real-world relevance into laboratory curricula. To further this effort, we have developed, implemented, and assessed an undergraduate microbiology laboratory experiment that requires students to use the scientific method while brewing beer. The experiment allows students to brew their own beer and characterize it based on taste, alcohol content, calorie content, pH, and standard reference method. In addition, we assessed whether students were capable of achieving the module learning objectives through a pre-/posttest, student self-evaluation, exam-embedded questions, and an associated worksheet. These objectives included describing the role of the brewing ingredients and predicting how altering the ingredients would affect the characteristics of the beer, amongst others. By completing this experimental module, students accomplished the module objectives, had greater interest in brewing, and were more likely to view beer in scientific terms. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education.

More Than Just Chemistry: The Impact of a Collaborative Participant Structure on Student Perceptions of Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patchen, Terri; Smithenry, Dennis W.

2015-02-01

Researchers have theorized that integrating authentic science activities into classrooms will help students learn how working scientists collaboratively construct knowledge, but few empirical studies have examined students' experiences with these types of activities. Utilizing data from a comparative, mixed-methods study, we considered how integrating a complex, collaborative participant structure into a secondary school chemistry curriculum shapes students' perceptions of what constitutes "science." We found that the implementation of this participant structure expanded student perceptions of chemistry learning beyond the typical focus on science content knowledge to include the acquisition of collaboration skills. This support for the collaborative construction of knowledge, in addition to the appropriation of scientific content, establishes the conditions for what science educators and scientists say they want: students who can work together to solve science problems. Radical shifts towards such collaborative participant structures are necessary if we are to modify student perceptions of science and science classrooms in ways that are aligned with recent calls for science education reform.

The role of entomology in environmental and science education: Comparing outreach methods for their impact on student and teacher content knowledge and motivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weeks, Faith J.

Outreach programming can be an important way for local students and teachers to be exposed to new fields while enhancing classroom learning. University-based outreach programs are offered throughout the country, including most entomology departments as few individuals learn about insects in school and these programs can be excellent sources of entomological education, as well as models to teach environmental and science education. Each department utilizes different instructional delivery methods for teaching about insects, which may impact the way in which students and teachers understand the insect concepts presented. To determine the impact of using entomology to enhance science and environmental education, this study used a series of university-based entomology outreach programs to compare three of the most common delivery methods for their effect on teacher and student content knowledge and motivation, specifically student interest in entomology and teacher self-efficacy. Twenty fifth grade classrooms were assessed over the course of one school year. The results show that teacher knowledge significantly increased when teachers were unfamiliar with the content and when trained by an expert, and teacher self-efficacy did not decrease when asked about teaching with insects. For students, content knowledge increased for each lesson regardless of treatment, suggesting that outreach program providers should focus on working with local schools to integrate their field into the classroom through the delivery methods best suited to the needs of the university, teachers, and students. The lessons also had an impact on student interest in science and environmental education, with an overall finding that student interest increases when using insects in the classroom.

The Bleeder's Digest: A Campus Blood Collection Reference Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bean, Melissa; And Others

This manual was written for students and blood donor recruiters interested in starting a campus blood program or in improving an already existing blood program. Contents include discussions of the reasons for blood programs, goals, elements of successful programs, organization of student committees, and comprehensive planning for annual campus and…

RTI Strategies That Work in the K-2 Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Eli; Karns, Michelle

2011-01-01

Targeted specifically to K-2 classrooms, the 25 Response-to-Intervention (RTI) strategies in this book are research-based and perfect for teachers who want to expand their toolbox of classroom interventions that work! Contents include: (1) Listening Strategies--Help students focus and understand; (2) Reading Strategies--Help students comprehend…

Man's Search: English, Mythology. 5112.22.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gundersheimer, Lenore C.

A course which is an exploration of man's eternal search to understand himself and his world through the study of the mythology of the world is presented. Performance objectives include: (1) Students will recognize the content of the myths studied; (2) Students will identify the specific characteristics of the civilization studied; (3) Students…

Flipping Undergraduate Finite Mathematics: Findings and Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerrero, Shannon; Beal, Melissa; Lamb, Chris; Sonderegger, Derek; Baumgartel, Drew

2015-01-01

This paper reports on a research project that investigated the effects of a flipped instructional approach on student attitudes and achievement in a lower division university-level Finite Mathematics course. The project employed a mixed-methods design that included content exams, an attitude survey, open-ended student responses, observations, and…

Bridges. A Physics Unit for 14/15 Year Old Students. Experimental Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utrecht State Univ., (Netherlands).

Bridges and similar constructions are highlighted in this book of guided lessons and activities for secondary school physics students. This program was developed by the Physics Curriculum Development Project under the auspices of the Physics Curriculum Innovation Committee. Contents include: (1) "Introduction" (presenting a rationale for…

IDRA Newsletter. Volume 44, No. 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Christie L., Ed.

2017-01-01

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Student Leadership and Engagement and includes: (1) Project Based Learning for Student Success--Teaching Across Content Areas for…

Dueling Complexities: Experiences of Dual-Lang Immersion Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Valerie

2017-01-01

Dual-language immersion is an educational practice in which "literacy and content instruction" is provided in two languages at school (Howard et al., 2007, p.1). The students in these programs have been the center of many studies including student literacy development (Genesee & Jared, 2008), academic achievement (Lindholm-Leary,…

Technology and Pedagogy: Using Big Data to Enhance Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brinton, Christopher Greg

2016-01-01

The "big data revolution" has penetrated many fields, from network monitoring to online retail. Education and learning are quickly becoming part of it, too, because today, course delivery platforms can collect unprecedented amounts of behavioral data about students as they interact with learning content online. This data includes, for…

Student Performance Standards for Senior High Language Arts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brevard County School Board, Cocoa, FL.

Developed by a team of 13 teachers, this guide presents student performance standards for 36 high school language arts courses. For each course described, performance standards and intended outcomes are preceded by a curriculum framework that includes a statement of major concepts and content, laboratory activities, special notes, and intended…

Predicting Undergraduate Leadership Student Goal Orientation Using Personality Traits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamm, Kevan W.; Sheikh, Emana; Carter, Hannah S.; Lamm, Alexa J.

2017-01-01

Finding strategies to increase the motivation of students, their connection with the material, and retention of the content, has been very important within leadership education. Previous research studies have shown that personality traits can predict desired outcomes, including goal orientation or motivational disposition. However, there have not…

Content and Context: Entropy Principle Experiments in a Course for Non-Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Jerry A.

1975-01-01

Describes an approach which begins with observations and systems familiar to the student and proceeds to develop and test models to explain them. Experimental topics include Brownian motion, a germinating cell, phase change of p-dichlorobenzene, extension and contraction of rubber, and an enzyme system. (GS)

Creating Sacred Places for Children in Grades 4-6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Sandra J.

This guide attempts to help teachers of American Indian children in grades 4-6 provide a culturally relevant education that takes place in the regular classroom, includes content related to Indian students' lives, makes students proud, expands to other experiences, and enhances learning. Creating sacred places means responding appropriately to…

Tilesetting. Pre-Apprenticeship Phase 2 Training. Instructor's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ausland, Greg

This instructor's guide accompanies the self-paced student training modules on tilesetting, available separately as CE 031 564. Introductory materials include a description of the components of the pre-apprenticeship project, discussion of teacher's role in students' completion of the modules, and scope and contents of Phase 2 training. Each of…

Accelerated Online Learning: Perceptions of Interaction and Learning Outcomes among African American Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Yu-Chun

2014-01-01

This study investigated student interaction, satisfaction, and performance in accelerated online learning environments with the use of an online learning course-management system. The interactions assessed in this study included learner-learner interaction, learner-instructor interaction, and learner-content interaction. The participants were…

Student Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Psychotropic Drugs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bentley, Kia J.; And Others

1991-01-01

A survey of 260 graduate social work students found their knowledge of and attitudes toward psychotropic medication uneven and lower than desirable. Results also suggest personal and professional experiences influence knowledge and attitudes. It is recommended that social work course content be expanded to include relevant information on these…

Identifying Students Difficulties in Understanding Concepts Pertaining to Cell Water Relations: An Exploratory Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedler, Y.; And Others

This study identified students' conceptual difficulties in understanding concepts and processes associated with cell water relationships (osmosis), determined possible reasons for these difficulties, and pilot-tested instruments and research strategies for a large scale comprehensive study. Research strategies used included content analysis of…

Special Topics Courses - A Happy Medium between Mini-Courses and Full-Coverage Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, John R.; And Others

1979-01-01

Describes a special topics program which allows students some choice in content to be studied. Topics include Continental Drift and Ice Ages, Geology and National Parks, the Coast of South Carolina, and Medical Geology. Student evaluations indicate positive attitudes towards the program. (MA)

Retail Flower Shop Operation and Management. A Student Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stinson, Richard F.; And Others

Field tested by teachers from the northeastern states who participated in a landscape horticulture teacher's institute July 5-22, 1966, this student reference is one of a series of instructional aids developed by the Pennsylvania State University Department of Agricultural Education. The content includes problem areas of: (1) Exploring…

Social Justice Advocacy in Graduate Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoyle, Amy Gratch

2018-01-01

This article includes a description and analysis of a graduate teacher education course designed to engage teachers in taking action for social justice. In the course, students participate in a community of learners in which they examine their cultural identities and engage in social justice advocacy work. Students developed content knowledge and…

Assessment and Grading in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohnsen, Bonnie

2006-01-01

This article discusses the basis for assessing and grading students in physical education. Although students should dress appropriately for physical education, be physically active during class time, and improve their fitness (e.g., mile-run time), these items are typically not included in the physical education content standards. The vast…

Summer Science Camp for Middle School Students: A Turkish Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sezen Vekli, Gulsah

2013-01-01

The present study aims to identify the effectiveness of summer science camp experience on middle school students' content knowledge and interest towards biology. For this purpose, two instruments including reflective journal and pre-post questionnaire were developed by four researchers who are expert in science education. Besides, the instruction…

Exploring Third-Grade Student Model-Based Explanations about Plant Relationships within an Ecosystem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zangori, Laura; Forbes, Cory T.

2015-01-01

Elementary students should have opportunities to develop scientific models to reason and build understanding about how and why plants depend on relationships within an ecosystem for growth and survival. However, scientific modeling practices are rarely included within elementary science learning environments and disciplinary content is often…

Ice Cream Seminars for Graduate Students: Imparting Chemical Information Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garritano, Jeremy R.

2007-01-01

This article provides information on a chemical information literacy program designed primarily for new graduate students. The full implementation of this program is discussed, including defining its purpose, topics covered, content presented, methods of marketing, and evaluation. The result is a series of voluntary seminars given biweekly…

QRAC-the-Code: A Comprehension Monitoring Strategy for Middle School Social Studies Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkeley, Sheri; Riccomini, Paul J.

2013-01-01

Requirements for reading and ascertaining information from text increase as students advance through the educational system, especially in content-rich classes; hence, monitoring comprehension is especially important. However, this is a particularly challenging skill for many students who struggle with reading comprehension, including students…

Experience with an Independent Study Program in Pathophysiology for Doctor of Pharmacy Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nahata, Milap C.

1986-01-01

A pharmacy doctoral program's independent-study component in pathophysiology, supported by computer-assisted instruction and self-evaluation, has the advantages of self-pacing, reduced faculty time commitment, and increased ability to work effectively with physicians. Disadvantages include student feeling of isolation, imbalanced content, and…

Writing to Learn in Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyer, Tara L.

2006-01-01

One of the best ways to enrich students' social studies experience is to include assignments in which students interact with social studies content and skills. In this article, the author explains how teachers can use writing exercises to encourage such interaction. She describes the following writing activities: (1) acrostics; (2) haiku; (3)…

Special Educators and Mathematics Phobia: An Initial Qualitative Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphrey, Michael; Hourcade, Jack J.

2010-01-01

Special educators are uniquely challenged to be content experts in all curricular areas, including mathematics, because students in their caseloads may require academic instruction in any area. However, special educators with math phobia may be limited in their ability to provide effective instruction to their students with mathematical deficits…

Creating a 'Born Digital' Introductory Online Geology Course with a Community of Inquiry that Supports Discussion of Societal Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

d'Alessio, M. A.; Schwartz, J. J.

2014-12-01

With earth science relevant to so many societal challenges, we created an introductory geology course as a forum for students to explore the interplay between geoscience and society. With new media and digital tools enabling such rich collaboration, we designed the course as a fully online lecture and laboratory experience that meets the natural science general education requirements of our university. We hook students by using popular Hollywood blockbusters paired with documentary films that address related science content. Student ask questions using an online question ranking tool (Google Moderator) to guide the direction of further content delivery using the slide sharing/collaboration tool 'VoiceThread.' It allows instructors to post slides, add video narration, and invite students to comment or answer specific questions using video, voice, or text. Students report that VoiceThread makes an asynchronous class feel like a face-to-face experience. Student also collect data using online tools and pool their data in Google Spreadsheets. They discuss their collective findings in VoiceThread. With these tools in place, each content unit culminates with a challenge scenario. Students work in teams to come to a consensus about a real-world decision that requires them to apply their geologic knowledge. Examples include whether or not to evacuate a town in light of volcanic activity, which house to purchase in an earthquake prone area, which industry was polluting local groundwater, and whether or not to sell mineral rights for hydraulic fracturing. While many of these activities are widely utilized, our approach using them in an integrated online lecture/lab environment is unique. A survey of student attitudes towards the course revealed that students felt a stronger personal connection to the course instructor and one another than typical face-to-face GE classes, including those from our own department. Students' self-report of how much they learned was strongly correlated to their perceived sense of community. We attribute the high course grades and low failure rates (30% A's with only 13% D/F/W) to this sense of community and the socially relevant content it enabled students to engage, as the scores were much higher than more traditional face-to-face courses taught by the same instructors.

The Effects of Clickers and Online Homework on Students' Achievement in General Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebru, Misganaw T.

Retention of an introductory general chemistry course material is vital for student success in future chemistry and chemistry-related courses. This study investigated the effects of clickers versus online homework on students' long-term content retention, examined the effectiveness of online homework versus no graded homework on students' achievement in a first-semester general chemistry course, and assessed students' attitudes toward the use of online homework. Students' data from the yearlong American Chemical Society General Chemistry (ACS GC97) exam, teacher-prepared final exams, and online surveys were analyzed to measure the effects of clickers and online homework on students' long-term content retention and performance, and to capture students' attitudes. A variety of methods including Welch ANOVA, independent samples t -test (Welch), Pearson's correlation, test of proportions, and Pearson's Chi-square test were used to analyze the data. The analyses indicated that the use of clickers or online homework did not significantly improve students' long-term content retention of general chemistry course material, that the use of online homework was more beneficial than, or at least as effective as no graded homework in improving students' performance, and students valued the fact that online homework provided immediate feedback. Additionally, results of this study revealed that greater numbers of students were retained in clicker and online homework classes than non-clicker, non-online homework classes and that various types of online homework systems used in general chemistry could impact student performance differently. Implications of the findings and future research directions were presented.

Sixth Grade Students' Content-Specific Competencies and Challenges in Learning the Seasons Through Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Ji Young; Oh, Phil Seok

2017-06-01

Recent science education reform initiatives suggest that learning in science should be organized on the basis of scientists' actual practices including the development and use of models. In line with this, the current study adapted three types of modeling practices to teach two Korean 6th grade science classes the causes of the Earth's seasons. Specifically, the study aimed to identify the students' content-specific competencies and challenges based on fine-grained descriptions and analyses of two target groups' cases. Data included digital recordings of modeling-based science lessons in the two classes, the teacher's and students' artifacts, and interviews with the students. These multiple types of data were analyzed complementarily and qualitatively. It was revealed that the students had a competency in constructing models to generate the desired phenomenon (i.e., seasons). They had difficulty, however, in considering the tilt of the Earth's rotation axis as a cause of the seasons and in finding a proper way of representing the Sun's meridian altitude on a globe. But, when the students were helped and guided by the teacher and peers' interventions, they were able to revise their models in alignment with the scientific understanding of the seasons. Based on these findings, the teacher's pedagogical roles, which include using student competencies as resources, asking physical questions, and explicit guidance on experimentation skills, were recommended to support successful incorporations of modeling practices in the science classroom.

A Changing Tide: What the New ‘Foundations of Behavior’ Section of the 2015 Medical College Admissions Test® Might Mean for Undergraduate Neuroscience Programs

PubMed Central

Roxanne Prichard, J.

2015-01-01

Each year over 50,000 college students and alumni take the Medical College Admissions Test® (MCAT) and apply for admissions to medical school. After an extensive review process, the MCAT has undergone a major revision in form and content in order to better reflect the competencies medical students will need to be successful in their training and practice. Starting in April 2015, for the first time since the test’s inception, the MCAT will include social and behavioral sciences content. The new section of the MCAT exam titled “The Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior” will test pre-health competencies that combine content knowledge with scientific inquiry and reasoning skills. Anticipating growing interest in curriculum related to the new competency based content on the exam, the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) established the Pre-health Collection within MedEdPORTAL’s iCollaborative, a free repository of teaching resources. This online space gives faculty members the opportunity to share access to instructional resources in order to prepare or revise courses to include pre-health competencies. As a result of the increased content related to mind-body connections, undergraduate pre-medical students will be more likely to enroll in neuroscience courses to learn these competencies, or declare neuroscience majors, as the typical neuroscience major course requirements now meet most of the suggested pre-requisite competencies for medical school. PMID:25838809

The dynamics of student learning within a high school virtual reality design class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, Teresa M.

This mixed method study investigated knowledge and skill development of high school students in a project-based VR design class, in which 3-D projects were developed within a student-centered, student-directed environment. This investigation focused on student content learning, and problem solving. Additionally the social dynamics of the class and the role of peer mentoring were examined to determine how these factors influenced student behavior and learning. Finally, parent and teachers perceptions of the influence of the class were examined. The participants included freshmen through senior students, parents, teachers and the high school principal. Student interviews and classroom observations were used to collect data from students, while teachers and parents completed surveys. The results of this study suggested that this application of virtual reality (VR) learning environment promoted the development of; meaningful cognitive experiences, creativity, leadership, global socialization, problem solving and a deeper understanding of academic content. Further theoretical implications for 3-D virtual reality technology are exceedingly promising, and warrant additional research and development as an instructional tool for practical use.

A Comparative Study of Students' Learning Experiences in Intensive and Semester-Length Courses and of the Attributes of High-Quality Intensive and Semester Course Learning Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Patricia A.

This study compared students' learning experiences in a set of courses in British literature and a set of courses in marketing, in which each set included a course taught in an intensive format and a semester-long format with the same instructor and content. Data collection included participant observation, videotaped class sessions,…

Using an iPad2® with Systematic Instruction to Teach Shared Stories for Elementary-Aged Students with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spooner, Fred; Ahlgrim-Delzell, Lynn; Kemp-Inman, Amy; Wood, Leah A.

2014-01-01

Literacy skills are important for accessing all areas of academic content as well as for increasing quality of life. The use of shared stories to teach early literacy skills to students with extensive support needs, including students with autism, is an evidence-based practice. This project extends the research by examining the effects of…

Student Support in E-Learning Courses in Higher Education--Insights from a Metasynthesis "A Pedagogy of Panic Attacks"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnaar, A.

2011-01-01

E-learning includes the use of the internet for accessing learning materials, interacting with learning content and with instructors and students to obtain support during the learning process in order to gain knowledge and personal meaning and to grow. It occurs when students have electronic access to resources and where they are in regular online…

An Investigation of Factors That Influence the Hypothesis Generation Ability of Students in School- Based Agricultural Education Programs When Troubleshooting Small Gasoline Engines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackburn, J. Joey; Robinson, J. Shane

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if selected factors influenced the ability of students in school-based agricultural education programs to generate a correct hypothesis when troubleshooting small gasoline engines. Variables of interest included students' cognitive style, age, GPA, and content knowledge in small gasoline engines. Kirton's…

Examining the Effects of the Flipped Model of Instruction on Student Engagement and Performance in the Secondary Mathematics Classroom: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Kevin R.

2013-01-01

In many of the secondary classrooms across the country, including the research site for this study, students are passively engaged in the mathematics content, and academic performance can be described, at best, as mediocre. This action research study sought to bring about improvements in student engagement and performance in the secondary…

The extent to which Latina/o preservice teachers demonstrate culturally responsive teaching practices during science and mathematics instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, Cecilia M.

2011-12-01

Complex social, racial, economic, and political issues involved in the practice of teaching today require beginning teachers to be informed, skilled, and culturally responsive when entering the classroom. Teacher educators must educate future teachers in ways that will help them teach all children regardless of language, cultural background, or prior knowledge. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) novice teachers described and demonstrated culturally responsive teaching strategies using their students' cultural and academic profiles to inform practice in science and mathematics instruction. This qualitative exploratory case study considered the culturally responsive teaching practices of 12, non-traditional, Latina/o students as they progressed through a distance-based collaborative teacher education program. Qualitative techniques used throughout this exploratory case study investigated cultural responsiveness of these student teachers as they demonstrated their abilities to: a) integrate content and facilitate knowledge construction; b) illustrate social justice and prejudice reduction; and c) develop students academically. In conclusion, student teachers participating in this study demonstrated their ability to integrate content by: (1) including content from other cultures, (2) building positive teacher-student relationships, and (3) holding high expectations for all students. They also demonstrated their ability to facilitate knowledge construction by building on what students knew. Since there is not sufficient data to support the student teachers' abilities to assist students in learning to be critical, independent thinkers who are open to other ways of knowing, no conclusions regarding this subcategory could be drawn. Student teachers in this study illustrated prejudice reduction by: (1) using native language support to assist students in learning and understanding science and math content, (2) fostering positive student-student interactions, and (3) creating a safe learning environment. Results also indicated that these student teachers demonstrated their ability to develop students academically by creating opportunities for learning in the classroom through their knowledge of students and by the use of research-based instructional strategies. However, based on the data collected as part of this study, the student teachers' abilities to illustrate or model social justice during science and math instruction were not demonstrated.

The Effects of Incorporating Classroom Pets into the Fourth Grade Science Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Admire, Maegan

The purpose of this study was to identify and promote successful teaching strategies that incorporate classroom pets in order to influence student engagement, achievement, and perceptions of animals. This was a small action research study conducted in a fourth grade science classroom. Both quantitative and qualitative data were obtained including, pre- and post-assessments, student interviews, researcher field notes, researcher journal, and student work. The results of this study revealed an increased academic achievement from the pre- to post-assessment, increased student observations and descriptions when discussing the animals, and increased student empathy toward the animals. The results also revealed that the teacher's incorporation of the animals within the science curriculum grew in ease over time, and that the animals provided the educator with opportunities to teach non-content related lessons and also a concrete experience for the teacher to apply and extend the science content.

Teaching nursing concepts through an online discussion board.

PubMed

Hudson, Kandi Ann

2014-09-01

Barriers to course content engagement and student learning in nursing education abound. Some of these barriers include content overload, classroom time constraints, and large student numbers. One way to overcome these issues is the implementation of active learning strategies in the classroom. Despite the positive learning outcomes associated with active learning strategies described in the education literature, traditional passive learning strategies continue to be used by nurse educators in the classroom. This article details the results of a pilot study using an active teaching strategy—an online discussion board—which was designed to improve the learning engagement of beginning nursing students enrolled in their first face-to-face nursing course. The results of the semester-long pilot study indicated a favorable student response to the active teaching strategy and improved overall success in the course by the students who participated fully in the online discussions.

A Student Authored Online Medical Education Textbook: Editing Patterns and Content Evaluation of a Medical Student Wiki

PubMed Central

Thompson, CL; Schulz1, Wade L.; Terrence, Adam

2011-01-01

The University of Minnesota medical student wiki (UMMedWiki) allows students to collaboratively edit classroom notes to support medical education. Since 2007, UMMedWiki has grown to include 1,591 articles that have collectively received 1.2 million pageviews. Although small-scale wikis have become increasingly important, little is known about their dynamics compared to large wikis, such as Wikipedia. To better understand UMMedWiki’s management and its potential reproducibility at other medical schools, we used an edit log with 28,000 entries to evaluate the behavior of its student editors. The development of tools to survey UMMedwiki allows for quality comparisons that improve both the wiki and the curriculum itself. We completed a content survey by comparing the UMMedWiki with two types of rubric data: TIME, a medical education taxonomy consisting of 1500 terms and national epidemiological data on 2,100 diseases. PMID:22195202

How are Canadian universities training and supporting undergraduate medical, physiotherapy and occupational therapy students for global health experiences in international low-resource settings?

PubMed

Bessette, Jennifer; Camden, Chantal

2016-12-27

Canadian medical (MD), physiotherapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) students increasingly show an interest in global health experiences (GHEs). As certain moral hazards can occur as a result of student GHEs, a growing consensus exists that universities must have an established selection process, in-depth pre-departure training (PDT), adequate onsite supervision and formal debriefing for their students. This study aimed to identify current practices in Canadian MD, PT and OT programs and discuss areas for improvement by comparing them with recommendations found in the literature. Canadian MD, PT and OT programs (n = 45) were invited to answer an online survey about their current practices for GHE support and training. The survey included 24 close-ended questions and 18 open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics and a thematic analysis were performed on the data and results were discussed in comparison with recommendations found in the literature. Twenty-three programs responded to the survey. Student selection processes varied across universities; examples included using academic performance, interviews and motivation letters. All but one MD program had mandatory PDT; content and teaching formats varied, as did training duration (2-38 hours). All but one MD program had onsite supervision; local clinicians were frequently involved. Debriefing, although not systematic, covered similar content; debriefing was variable in duration (1-8 hours). Many current practices are encouraging, but areas for improvement exist. Integrating global health content into the regular curriculum, with advanced study options for students participating in GHEs, could help universities standardize support and training.

High school and college introductory science education experiences: A study regarding perceptions of university students persisting in science as a major area of study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fredrick, L. Denise

The focus of this study was to investigate college students' perception of high school and college introductory science learning experiences related to persistence in science as a major area of study in college. The study included students' perceptions of the following areas of science education: (1) teacher interpersonal relationship with students, (2) teacher personality styles, (3) teacher knowledge of the content, (4) instructional methods, and (5) science course content. A survey research design was employed in the investigative study to collect and analyze data. One hundred ninety two students participated in the research study. A survey instrument entitled Science Education Perception Survey was used to collect data. The researcher sought to reject or support three null hypotheses as related to participants' perceptions of high school and college introductory science education experiences. Using binomial regression analysis, this study analyzed differences between students persisting in science and students not persisting in science as a major. The quantitative research indicated that significant differences exist between persistence in science as a major and high school science teacher traits and college introductory science instructional methods. Although these variables were found to be significant predictors, the percent variance was low and should be considered closely before concluded these as strong predictors of persistence. Major findings of the qualitative component indicated that students perceived that: (a) interest in high school science course content and high school science teacher personality and interpersonal relationships had the greatest effect on students' choice of major area of study; (b) interest in college introductory science course content had the greatest effect on students' choice of major area of study; (c) students recalled laboratory activities and overall good teaching as most meaningful to their high school science educational experiences and (d) students recalled laboratory activities and lectures linking practical application of science knowledge as meaningful to their college introductory science education experiences.

Effects of multisensory resources on the achievement and science attitudes of seventh-grade suburban students taught science concepts on and above grade level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Patrice Helen

This research was designed to determine the relationships among students' achievement scores on grade-level science content, on science content that was three years above-grade level, on attitudes toward instructional approaches, and learning-styles perceptual preferences when instructional approaches were multisensory versus traditional. The dependent variables for this investigation were scores on achievement posttests and scores on the attitude survey. The independent variables were the instructional strategy and students' perceptual preferences. The sample consisted of 74 educationally oriented seventh-grade students. The Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) (Dunn, Dunn, & Price, 1990) was administered to determine perceptual preferences. The control group was taught seventh-grade and tenth-grade science units using a traditional approach and the experimental group was instructed on the same units using multisensory instructional resources. The Semantic Differential Scale (SDS) (Pizzo, 1981) was administered to reveal attitudinal differences. The traditional unit included oral reading from the textbook, completing outlines, labeling diagrams, and correcting the outlines and diagrams as a class. The multisensory unit included five instructional stations established in different sections of the classroom to allow students to learn by: (a) manipulating Flip Chutes, (b) using Electroboards, (c) assembling Task Cards, (d) playing a kinesthetic Floor Game, and (e) reading an individual Programmed Learning Sequence. Audio tapes and scripts were provided at each location. Students circulated in groups of four from station to station. The data subjected to statistical analyses supported the use of a multisensory, rather than a traditional approach, for teaching science content that is above-grade level. T-tests revealed a positive and significant impact on achievement scores (p < 0.0007). No significance was detected on grade-level achievement nor on the perceptual-preference effect. Furthermore, the students indicated significantly more positive attitudes when instructed with a multisensory approach on either grade-level or above-grade level science content (p < 0.0001). The findings supported using a multisensory approach when teaching science concepts that are new to and difficult for students (Martini, 1986).

Learning About Energy Resources Through Student Created Video Documentaries in the University Science Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wade, P.; Courtney, A.

2010-12-01

Students enrolled in an undergraduate non-science majors’ Energy Perspectives course created 10-15 minute video documentaries on topics related to Energy Resources and the Environment. Video project topics included wave, biodiesel, clean coal, hydro, solar and “off-the-grid” energy technologies. No student had any prior experience with creating video projects. Students had Liberal Arts academic backgrounds that included Anthropology, Theater Arts, International Studies, English and Early Childhood Education. Students were required to: 1) select a topic, 2) conduct research, 3) write a narrative, 4) construct a project storyboard, 5) shoot or acquire video and photos (from legal sources), 6) record the narrative, and 7) construct the video documentary. This study describes the instructional approach of using student created video documentaries as projects in an undergraduate non-science majors’ science course. Two knowledge survey instruments were used for assessment purposes. Each instrument was administered Pre-, Mid- and Post course. One survey focused on the skills necessary to research and produce video documentaries. Results showed students acquired enhanced technology skills especially with regard to research techniques, writing skills and video editing. The second survey assessed students’ content knowledge acquired from each documentary. Results indicated students’ increased their content knowledge of energy resource topics. Students reported very favorable evaluations concerning their experience with creating “Ken Burns” video project documentaries.

The third-year medical student "grapevine": managing transitions between third-year clerkships using peer-to-peer handoffs.

PubMed

Masters, Dylan E; O'Brien, Bridget C; Chou, Calvin L

2013-10-01

As third-year medical students rotate between clerkships, they experience multiple transitions across workplace cultures and shifting learning expectations. The authors explored clerkship transitions from the students' perspective by examining the advice they passed on to their peers in preparation for new clerkships. Seventy-one students from three Veterans Affairs-based clerkship rotations at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine participated in a peer-to-peer handoff session from 2008 to 2011. In the handoff session, they gave tips for optimizing performance to students starting the clerkship they had just completed. The authors transcribed student comments from four handoff sessions and used qualitative content analysis to identify and compare advice across clerkships. Students shared advice about workplace culture, content learning, logistics, and work-life balance. Common themes included expectations of the rotation, workplace norms, specific tasks, learning opportunities, and learning strategies. Comments about patient care and work-life balance were rare. Students emphasized different themes for each clerkship; for example, for some clerkships, students commented heavily on tasks and content learning, while in another students focused on workplace culture and exam preparation. These findings characterize the transitions that third-year students undergo as they rotate into new clinical training environments. Students emphasized different aspects of each clerkship in the advice they passed to their peers, and their comments often describe informal norms or opportunities that official clerkship orientations may not address. Peer-to-peer handoffs may help ease transitions between clerkships with dissimilar cultures and expectations.

Consumption of caffeinated beverages and the awareness of their caffeine content among Dutch students.

PubMed

Mackus, Marlou; van de Loo, Aurora J A E; Benson, Sarah; Scholey, Andrew; Verster, Joris C

2016-08-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine the knowledge of caffeine content of a variety of caffeinated beverages among Dutch university students. A pencil-and-paper survey was conducted among N = 800 Dutch students. Most participants (87.8%) reported consuming caffeinated beverages during the past 24 h. Their mean ± SD past 24-h caffeine intake from beverages was 144.2 ± 169.5 mg (2.2 ± 3.0 mg/kg bw). Most prevalent sources of caffeine were coffee beverages (50.8%) and tea (34.8%), followed by energy drink (9.2%), cola (4.7%), and chocolate milk (0.5%). Participants had poor knowledge on the relative caffeine content of caffeinated beverages. That is, they overestimated the caffeine content of energy drinks and cola, and underestimated the caffeine content of coffee beverages. If caffeine consumption is a concern, it is important to inform consumers about the caffeine content of all caffeine containing beverages, including coffee and tea. The current findings support previous research that the most effective way to reduce caffeine intake is to limit the consumption of coffee beverages and tea. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Content Analysis Schedule for Bilingual Education Programs: BICEP Intercambio de la Cultura.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shore, Marietta Saravia; Nafus, Charles

This content analysis schedule for BICEP Intercambio de la Cultura (San Bernardino, California), presents information on the history, funding, and scope of the project. Included are sociolinguistic process variables such as the native and dominant languages of students and their interaction. Information is provided on staff selection and the…

Modules in Agricultural Education for Agricultural Production.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Occupational and Career Curriculum Development.

Each of the 61 modules in this packet contains a brief description of the module contents, a list of the major division of units, the overall objectives, objectives by units, content outline, and suggested teaching method, student application activities, and evaluation procedures. A list of resource materials is also included for each. Some of the…

Content Analysis Schedule for Bilingual Education Programs: Bilingual Project Forward-Adelante.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Figueroa, Ramon

This content analysis schedule for the Bilingual Project of Rochester, New York presents information on the history, funding, and scope of the project. Included are sociolinguistic process variables such as the native and dominant languages of students and their interaction. Information is provided on staff selection and the linguistic background…

Readability Levels of Health-Based Websites: From Content to Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schutten, Mary; McFarland, Allison

2009-01-01

Three of the national health education standards include decision-making, accessing information and analyzing influences. WebQuests are a popular inquiry-oriented method used by secondary teachers to help students achieve these content standards. While WebQuests support higher level thinking skills, the readability level of the information on the…

Content Analysis Schedule for Bilingual Education Programs: Albuquerque Public School Bicultural-Bilingual Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hess, Richard T.; And Others

This content analysis schedule for the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Public School Bicultural-Bilingual Program presents information on the history, funding, and scope of the project. Included are sociolinguistic process variables such as the native and dominant languages of students and their interaction. Information is provided on staff selection and…

Striking a Balance: The Speechwriting Educator's Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarver, Jerry

The content of a good speech writing course includes an explanation of the function and impact of speech writers, an examination of speeches produced by professional writers, and a focus on the sharpening of students' writing skills. The content must also be balanced between the practical/professional and the abstract/academic aspects of the…

Learning to Critique and Adapt Science Curriculum Materials: Examining the Development of Preservice Elementary Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beyer, Carrie J.; Davis, Elizabeth A.

2012-01-01

Teachers often engage in curricular planning by critiquing and adapting existing curriculum materials to contextualize lessons and compensate for their deficiencies. Designing instruction for students is shaped by teachers' ability to apply a variety of personal resources, including their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study…

Reviews.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Chemical Education, 1988

1988-01-01

Reviews three computer software packages for chemistry education including "Osmosis and Diffusion" and "E.M.E. Titration Lab" for Apple II and "Simplex-V: An Interactive Computer Program for Experimental Optimization" for IBM PC. Summary ratings include ease of use, content, pedagogic value, student reaction, and…

CIMAC: A Coordinated Introduction to Calculus and Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fathe, Laurie; Quinn, Jennifer; McDonald, Michael A.

1997-04-01

CIMAC, new course incorporating Mechanics, Precalculus, and Calculus, targets the growing number of motivated but underprepared students who wish to pursue a major in science or mathematics. Team-taught by a Physicist and a Mathematician, CIMAC, a new course incorporating Mechanics, Precalculus, and Calculus, targets the growing number of motivated but underprepared students who wish to pursue a major in science or mathematics. Team-taught by a Physicist and a Mathematician, the class contains specific content while exploiting the substantial commonality of these subjects. CIMAC also addresses variety of non-content areas, including supplementing basic mathematics and communication skills, accommodating various learning styles, and building student confidence. Specific approaches include class formats; gateway exams; group assignments; emphasis on writing and reading; use of computers and graphing calculators for comprehension, data acquisition, analysis, and modeling; student-led help sessions; and use of the Web http://www.oxy.edu/ departments/math/cimac/ This talk highlights the development of the course and teaching insights and innovations which have arisen from it, and addresses benefits and difficulties of coordinating material and team teaching across disciplinary lines. Finally, it presents data on student success and retention.

Assessing and Addressing Students' Scientific Literacy Needs in Physical Geology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell-Stone, E. A.; Myers, J. D.

2005-12-01

Exacting excellence equally from university students around the globe can be accomplished by providing all students with necessary background tools to achieve mastery of their courses, even if those tools are not part of normal content. As instructors we hope to see our students grasp the substance of our courses, make mental connections between course material and practical applications, and use this knowledge to make informed decisions as citizens. Yet many educators have found that students enter university-level introductory courses in mathematics, science and engineering without adequate academic preparation. As part of a FIPSE-funded project at the University of Wyoming, the instructors of the Physical Geology course have taken a new approach to tackling the problem of lack of scientific/mathematic skills in incoming students. Instead of assuming that students should already know or will learn these skills on their own, they assess students' needs and provide them the opportunity to master scientific literacies as they learn geologic content. In the introductory geology course, instructors identified two categories of literacies, or basic skills that are necessary for academic success and citizen participation. Fundamental literacies include performing simple quantitative calculations, making qualitative assessments, and reading and analyzing tables and graphs. Technical literacies are those specific to understanding geology, and comprise the ability to read maps, visualize changes through time, and conceptualize in three dimensions. Because these skills are most easily taught in lab, the in-house lab manual was rewritten to be both literacy- and content-based. Early labs include simple exercises addressing literacies in the context of geological science, and each subsequent lab repeats exposure to literacies, but at increasing levels of difficulty. Resources available to assist students with literacy mastery include individual instruction, a detailed appendix to the lab manual explaining simple tasks such as converting units, and web-based resources. To document the progress of this program, students take pre- and post-course surveys assessing their grasp of the literacies. The surveys gather data on demographics, background, level of interest, level of confidence, understanding, and willingness to complete additional problem sets. This information has been integral in identifying areas of greatest weakness, least interest, and in gauging how backgrounds, expectations, and students' confidence affect their performance.

Using Science Songs to Enhance Learning: An Interdisciplinary Approach

PubMed Central

Crowther, Gregory

2012-01-01

Music is recognized as an effective mode of teaching young children but is rarely used in university-level science courses. This article reviews the somewhat limited evidence on whether and how content-rich music might affect college students' understanding of science and offers practical suggestions for incorporating music into courses. Aside from aiding memorization, songs may potentially improve learning by helping students feel relaxed and welcome in stressful settings, engaging students through multiple modes (verbal vs. nonverbal) and modalities (auditory vs. visual vs. kinesthetic) simultaneously, challenging students to integrate and “own” the material through the medium of song lyrics, and increasing students' time on task outside of class through enjoyable listening or songwriting assignments. Students may produce content-rich songs of good quality if given sufficient assistance and encouragement by instructors and peers. The challenges ahead include 1) defining the circumstances in which music is most likely to promote learning and 2) developing rubrics for evaluating the quality of songs. PMID:22383614

Infusing and sustaining aging content in social work education: findings from GeroRich projects.

PubMed

Hash, Kristina M; Gottlieb, Jody; Harper-Dorton, Karen V; Crawley-Woods, Geraldine; Shelek-Furbee, Katherine; Smith, John David; Brown, Rita

2007-01-01

This article presents findings from experiences of 67 projects involved in GeroRich, an initiative funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation designed to infuse, enrich and sustain aging content in BSW and MSW curricula. Thematic qualitative analysis was used to uncover themes in answers to open-ended questions contained in End-of-Year 2 project reports. Content areas addressed by open-ended answers were: (1) successes and innovations, and (2) challenges requiring responses. Primary successes and innovations identified were as follows: curriculum enrichment, faculty and student involvement, student-learning activities and community. Challenges to be responded to were identified as lack of faculty involvement, competing demands on faculty and programs, and sustainability of project efforts. Examples of strategies implemented to overcome these obstacles include providing teaching resources, instituting financial and other supports, and developing strategic plans for sustaining content infusion post-funding. Experiences of the GeroRich projects offer practical considerations for other social work programs that accept the challenge of attracting and preparing students to work with the increasing population of older adults.

"Drinking won't get you thinking": a content analysis of adolescent-created print alcohol counter-advertisements.

PubMed

Banerjee, Smita C; Greene, Kathryn; Hecht, Michael L; Magsamen-Conrad, Kate; Elek, Elvira

2013-01-01

Involvement in creating antialcohol advertisements generates enthusiasm among adolescents; however, little is known about the messages adolescents develop for these activities. In this article, we present a content analysis of 72 print alcohol counteradvertisements created by high school (age 14-17 years old) and college (18-25 years old) students. The posters were content analyzed for poster message content, persuasion strategies, and production components, and we compared high school and college student posters. All of the posters used a slogan to highlight the main point/message of the ad and counterarguments/consequences to support the slogans. The most frequently depicted consequences were negative consequences of alcohol use, followed by negative-positive consequence comparison. Persuasion strategies were sparingly used in advertisements and included having fun/one of the gang, humor/unexpected, glamour/sex appeal, and endorsement. Finally, posters displayed a number of production techniques including depicting people, clear setting, multiple colors, different font sizes, and object placement. College and high school student-constructed posters were similar on many features (e.g., posters displayed similar frequency of utilization of slogans, negative consequences, and positive-negative consequence comparisons), but were different on the use of positive consequences of not using alcohol and before-after comparisons. Implications for teaching media literacy and involving adolescents and youth in developing alcohol prevention messages are discussed.

“Drinking Won’t Get You Thinking”: A Content Analysis of Adolescent-Created Print Alcohol Counter-Advertisements

PubMed Central

Banerjee, Smita C.; Greene, Kathryn; Hecht, Michael L.; Magsamen-Conrad, Kate; Elek, Elvira

2013-01-01

Involvement in creating anti-alcohol advertisements generates enthusiasm among adolescents, however, little is known about the messages adolescents develop for these activities. In this paper, we present a content analysis of 72 print alcohol counter-advertisements created by high school (age 14–17 years old) and college (18–25 years old) students. The posters were content analyzed for poster message content, persuasion strategies, and production components, and we compared high school and college student posters. All of the posters used a slogan to highlight the main point/message of the ad and counter-arguments/consequences to support the slogans. The most frequently depicted consequences were negative consequences of alcohol use followed by negative-positive consequence comparison. Persuasion strategies were sparingly used in advertisements and included having fun/one of the gang, humor/unexpected, glamour/sex appeal, and endorsement. Finally, posters displayed a number of production techniques including depicting people, clear setting, multiple colors, different font sizes, and object placement. College and high school student constructed posters were similar on many features (for instance, posters displayed similar frequency of utilization of slogans, negative consequences and positive-negative consequence comparisons), but were different on the use of positive consequences of not using alcohol and before-after comparisons. Implications for teaching media literacy and involving adolescents and youth in developing alcohol prevention messages are discussed. PMID:23980705

A Partnership between English Language Learners and a Team of Rocket Scientists: EPO for the NASA SDO Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buhr, S. M.; McCaffrey, M. S.; Eparvier, F.; Murillo, M.

2008-05-01

Recent immigrant high school students were successfully engaged in learning about Sun-Earth connections through a partnership with the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) project. The students were enrolled in a pilot course as part of the Math, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) program. The English Language Learner (ELL) students doubled their achievement on a pre- and post- assessment on the content of the course. Students learned scientific content and vocabulary in English with support in Spanish, attended field trips, hosted scientist speakers, built antenna and deployed space weather monitors as part of the Stanford SOLAR project, and gave final presentations in English, showcasing their new computer skills. Teachers who taught the students in other courses noted gains in the students' willingness to use English in class and noted gains in math skills. The course has been broken into modules for use in shorter after-school environments, or for use by EVE scientists who are outside of the Boulder area. Video footage of "The Making of a Satellite", and "All About EVE" is completed for use in the kits. Other EVE EPO includes upcoming professional development for teachers and content workshops for journalists.

Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories: Volume 1. Accident Prevention for College and University Students, 7th Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Chemical Society, Washington, DC.

This book contains volume 1 of 2 and describes safety guidelines for academic chemistry laboratories to prevent accidents for college and university students. Contents include: (1) "Your Responsibility for Accident Prevention"; (2) "Guide to Chemical Hazards"; (3) "Recommended Laboratory Techniques"; and (4) "Safety Equipment and Emergency…

College Students' Usage of Personal Music Players (PMP) during Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barney, David; Gust, Anita; Liguori, Gary

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of personal music players (PMPs) during exercise, including their purpose(s), how they affect exercise, and the most common music listened to. A representative sample of 184 undergraduate students from two separate university wellness centers completed a 17-item, content validated questionnaire…

K-12 Online Lesson Alignment to the Principles of Universal Design for Learning: The Khan Academy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Sean J.; Harvey, Evelyn E.

2014-01-01

The field of K-12 education is being transformed, with an influx of students, including those with identified disabilities, engaging in blended and fully online learning. While online learning shows promise for students with disabilities through flexible content and personalised instruction, concerns regarding accessibility and appropriateness of…

Examining LGBTQ-Based Literature Intended for Primary and Intermediate Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bickford, John H., III

2018-01-01

This content analysis research examined how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and issues are represented in elementary-level trade books. The data pool included every LGBTQ-based trade book with intended audiences of primary (grades K-2) and intermediate (grades 3-5) elementary students. Trade books…

Building New Partnerships--Museums, Universities, and Schools: A "Rocks and Minerals" Thematic Loan Kit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, George E.; And Others

Ten activities that feature a hands-on, student inquiry-based investigatory approach to rocks and minerals are presented. "Guided discovery" and/or inquiry instructional strategies are emphasized. They focus on a student-centered active classroom. Each activity includes the heading, science content, the scientific process skills, objective or…

Using the Internet To Teach the Internet: An Opportunistic Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pasch, Grete; Stewart, Quinn

2002-01-01

Describes the development of a Web-based version of an information in cyberspace course at the University of Texas at Austin for the library and information science graduate school. Topics include using the best technology; focusing on course content; streaming media; student needs and student feedback; reusing materials; and future plans. (LRW)

Student Subsidy of the Internationalised Curriculum: Knowing, Voicing and Producing the Other

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doherty, Catherine

2008-01-01

This paper explores cultural production in online internationalised education. The analysis samples interactions in a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) unit offered online by an Australian university to a student group including enrolments through a Malaysian institution. Part of the curricular content was a consideration of how different…

Drywall. Pre-Apprenticeship Phase 2 Training. Instructor's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Doug

This instructor's guide accompanies the self-paced student training modules on drywall available separately as CE 031 574. Introductory materials include a description of the components of the pre-apprenticeship project, discussion of teacher's role in students' completion of the modules, and scope and contents of Phase 2 training. Each of the 18…

Service Learning in Introductory Astronomy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orleski, Michael

2013-01-01

Service learning is a method of instruction where the students in a course use the course's content in a service project. The service is included as a portion of the students' course grades. During the fall semester 2010, service learning was incorporated into the Introduction to Astronomy course at Misericordia University. The class had eight…

Preparing Students for Computer Aided Drafting (CAD). A Conceptual Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Putnam, A. R.; Duelm, Brian

This presentation outlines guidelines for developing and implementing an introductory course in computer-aided drafting (CAD) that is geared toward secondary-level students. The first section of the paper, which deals with content identification and selection, includes lists of mechanical drawing and CAD competencies and a list of rationales for…

At Issue: MOOCs, an Annotated Webliography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pricer, Wayne

2013-01-01

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offer students free access to course content. Several colleges and universities are experimenting with them as a means to reach more students, and they continue to be a growing phenomenon within higher education. Is this a trend or is it the future of instruction? This webliography includes the following…

An Exploration of Note-Taking in an Online Calculus Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van de Sande, Carla; Abramson, Jay; Judson-Garcia, Julia

2017-01-01

Taking notes is a popular activity for students attending instructional lectures and has been linked to achievement. Research on note-taking has shown that the contents and usefulness of student notes depends on several factors, including the pace of the lecture and the presence of organizational and selection cues. However, this research has…

Microblogging to Foster Connections and Community in a Weekly Graduate Seminar Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Domizi, Denise P.

2013-01-01

This study investigated the use of microblogs to enhance content learning and to foster community between participants in a weekly multidisciplinary graduate seminar on teaching and pedagogy. Data included students' and instructor's Twitter posts, an initial reaction paper, and an end-of-semester survey to determine if and how students' attitudes…

Innovative Techniques for Large-Group Instruction. An NSTA Press Journals Collection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cusick, Judy, Ed.

This document presents instructional strategies for college faculty on how to stimulate active learning with groups of more than 50 students. Contents include: (1) "How Do College Students Best Learn Science: An Assessment of Popular Teaching Styles and Their Effectiveness" (William H. Leonard); (2) "Are We Cultivating 'Couch Potatoes' in Our…

Introduction to Communication, Grades PreK-2. The Math Process Standards Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connell, Susan; O'Connor, Kelly

2007-01-01

In this book, the authors offer suggestions for teachers to help students explore, express, and better understand mathematical content through talking and writing. They offer an array of entry points for understanding, planning, and teaching, including strategies that help students put their ideas into words, clarify them, elaborate on them, and…

Edification of Multimedia Resources: Aligning Technology for Student Empowerment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thamarasseri, Ismail

2014-01-01

Multimedia offers exciting possibilities for meeting the needs of 21st century learners. Multimedia learning can be defined in a number of ways. Multimedia learning is the delivery of instructional content using multiple modes that include visual and auditory information and students' use of this information to construct knowledge. Today's…

Effective Writing Content Conferences in a Sixth Grade Classroom: A Cross-Case Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ricks, Paul H.; Morrison, Timothy G.; Wilcox, Brad; Cutri, Ramona

2017-01-01

Conferencing gives teachers and students opportunities to discuss student writing and provide feedback in individual settings. Practitioner guides offer suggestions on how conferences can be conducted, but little is known about what types of interactions occur. Two case studies, including a cross-case analysis, were conducted to describe key…

Caring for Our Students in Courses with Potentially Threatening Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barlow, M. Rose; Becker-Blease, Kathryn

2012-01-01

The authors enjoy the challenge of teaching classes on gender and violence, including violence against women, psychology of trauma, and psychology of gender. Although various sources provide suggestions for teaching classes that provoke strong reactions in students, they have found that one size does not fit all. Rather, they must first identify…

Bricklaying. Pre-Apprenticeship Phase 2 Training. Instructor's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cholewinski, Scott

This instructor's guide accompanies the self-paced student training modules on bricklaying available separately as CE 031 568. Introductory materials include a description of the components of the pre-apprenticeship project, discussion of teacher's role in students' completion of the modules, and scope and contents of Phase 2 training. Each of the…

Welder's Helper. Coordinator's Guide. Individualized Study Guide. General Metal Trades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, James W.

This guide provides information to enable coordinators to direct learning activities for students using an individualized study guide on being a welder's helper. The study material is designed for students enrolled in cooperative part-time training and employed, or desiring to be employed, as welders' helpers. Contents include a sample progress…

Archaeology. Second Teacher Edition. Grades 5-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stark, Rebecca

This book includes a student edition by the same name and introduces students to various civilizations and their achievements. The self-directed activities emphasize higher-level thinking skills and activities keyed to "Bloom's Taxonomy." The table of contents lists: (1) "What Is Archaeology?"; (2) "What Is Culture?"; (3) "Where to Dig"; (4)…

Teaching Handicapped Students English: A Resource Handbook for K-12 Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Jane W., Ed.

One of five volumes devoted to teaching content subjects to the handicapped, the book addresses ways in which elementary and secondary regular class teachers have successfully worked with mainstreamed students in English. The following titles and authors are included: "Chris Learns to Read" (E. Roake); "Working Together" (B. Bodner-Johnson);…

Today's Students, Tomorrow's Citizens: Pathways for Learning, Science. Alabama High School Graduation Exam.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alabama State Dept. of Education, Montgomery. Div. of Instructional Services.

This document introduces the Alabama Graduation Examination Program (AGEP) which provides learning opportunities for high school students to meet the minimum competency requirements to earn a high school diploma in the state of Alabama. The Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE) content includes the subject areas of reading…

Parts Counter. Pre-Apprenticeship Phase 2 Training. Instructor's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snyder, James A.

This instructor's guide accompanies the self-paced student training modules on parts counter, available separately as CE 031 572. Introductory materials include a description of the components of the pre-apprenticeship project, discussion of teacher's role in students' completion of the modules, and scope and contents of Phase 2 training. Each of…

Integrating Common Core Content into Physical Education: Creating New Knowledge Connections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scrabis-Fletcher, Kristin A.

2016-01-01

Recent trends highlight the connection between engagement in physical activity and cognitive function. This is a key point to consider when designing physical education curricula and the activities that are included. By exposing students to material in a variety of ways students' interest can be sparked, yielding greater learning and understanding…

Academic help seeking: theory and strategies for nursing faculty.

PubMed

Lee, Carolyn J

2007-10-01

This article examines the topic of academic student help seeking and its significance to nursing faculty. Content includes definitions of help seeking, pertinent theory and research on the influence of individual and environmental factors on academic help-seeking behaviors, and suggested strategies in assisting undergraduate nursing students in help seeking endeavors.

Teaching and Evaluation of Critical Appraisal Skills to Postgraduate ESL Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melles, Gavin

2009-01-01

Enrolments in postgraduate engineering in Australia include a significant proportion of Asian ESL (English as a Second Language) students, and there is some debate in the literature about whether they are capable of critical appraisal. Content-based discipline-specific EAP (English for Academic Purposes) courses provide an environment for…

Teaching for Social Justice in Multicultural Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sleeter, Christine

2013-01-01

Drawing on my work in the U.S., I briefly discuss four related hallmarks of teaching for social justice in diverse classrooms, supported by research on their impact on students. They include explicitly recognizing and working with students' culture as a basis for learning, teaching key concepts in the curriculum through content and examples drawn…

Tillamook's Learning Disabilities Program for Secondary Students. OSSC Bulletin, Vol. 24, No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Maggie

The Tillamook program provides support to learning disabled students who experience difficulty in science, social studies, and other content areas in the regular class setting, as a result of mainstreaming efforts. The program model includes a professionally staffed resource room, a diagnostic-prescriptive team, and a library of multimedia…

Virtual and Concrete Manipulatives: A Comparison of Approaches for Solving Mathematics Problems for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bouck, Emily C.; Satsangi, Rajiv; Doughty, Teresa Taber; Courtney, William T.

2014-01-01

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are included in general education classes and expected to participate in general education content, such as mathematics. Yet, little research explores academically-based mathematics instruction for this population. This single subject alternating treatment design study explored the effectiveness of…

A Comparative Study on Student Perceptions of Their Learning Outcomes in Undergraduate Science Degree Programmes with Differing Curriculum Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Kelly E.; Firn, Jennifer; Schmidt, Susanne; Whelan, Karen

2017-01-01

This study investigated students' perceptions of their graduate learning outcomes including content knowledge, communication, writing, teamwork, quantitative skills, and ethical thinking in two Australian universities. One university has a traditional discipline-orientated curriculum and the other, an interdisciplinary curriculum in the entry…

Using Technology to Create and Administer Accessible Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salend, Spencer

2009-01-01

Technology is transforming many aspects of society including the ways teachers teach and students learn. Although technology has been firmly established as a teaching tool across a range of content areas, educators are realizing that technology also offers innovative ways to help their students take standardized tests that comply with the mandates…

Lathe Operator. Coordinator's Guide. Individualized Study Guide. General Metal Trades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

East Texas State Univ., Commerce. Occupational Curriculum Lab.

This guide provides information to enable coordinators to direct learning activities for students using an individualized study guide on operating a lathe. The study material is designed for students enrolled in cooperative part-time training and employed, or desiring to be employed, as lathe operators. Contents include a sample progress chart,…

Ciencias 2. Manual do Professor (Science Teacher's Manual).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raposo, Lucilia

This is the teacher's manual for Ciencias 2, the second in a series of elementary science textbooks for Portuguese-speaking students. The student textbook contains 10 chapters and 57 activities. The teacher's manual presents an explanation of the educational goals and the organization of the content, Topics included are environment, the human,…

JMG[SM] Junior Master Gardener Handbook. Level 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas A and M Univ., College Station. Texas Agricultural Extension Service.

This student handbook targets children in grades 3-5 and features both group and individual activities. By completing one group and one individual activity in each section of the eighth chapter, a student can become a certified Junior Master Gardener. Contents include: (1) "Plant Growth and Development"; (2) "Soils and Water"; (3) "Ecology and…

An Exploratory Study of Adult Learners' Perceptions of Online Learning: Minority Students in Continuing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Yu-Chun; Belland, Brian R.

2016-01-01

The study was an investigation of online adult learners' perceptions of interaction, satisfaction, and performance within an online course using the Blackboard platform. Interaction included learners' interaction with the instructor, content, and the classmates. The effect of student background variables and course-related variables on interaction…

Cement Finishing. Pre-Apprenticeship Phase 2 Training. Instructor's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nama, Joe

This instructor's guide accompanies the self-paced student training modules on cement finishing, available separately as CE 031 576. Introductory materials include a description of the components of the pre-apprenticeship project, discussion of teacher's role in students' completion of the modules, and scope and contents of Phase 2 training. Each…

Improving Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge: The Impact of Instructional Content within a Mathematics Lesson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Fyfe, Emily R.; Loehr, Abbey M.

2016-01-01

Background: Students, parents, teachers, and theorists often advocate for direct instruction on both concepts and procedures, but some theorists suggest that including instruction on procedures in combination with concepts may limit learning opportunities and student understanding. Aims: This study evaluated the effect of instruction on a math…

Issues with Tissues: A Tale of Gameful Learning in an Introductory Undergraduate Biology Laboratory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, David

2017-01-01

An introductory undergraduate biology laboratory session about vertebrate tissues was gamified to elucidate the effects of gameful learning on students' perceptions of their own learning and motivation. Student groups were randomly assigned a vertebrate tissue, including corresponding slides and content from the laboratory manual, and tasked with…

Experienced Early Childhood Teachers as Graduate Students: A Process of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mevorach, Miriam; Miron, Mordechai

2011-01-01

This paper explores perceptions of professional identity among experienced early childhood educators (ECEs) who are novice students in a new master's degree program in ECE. We sought to examine the changes experienced by these educators. The study used qualitative content analysis, which included an open-ended questionnaire that was administered…

An Analysis of Undergraduate Students' Search Behaviors in an Information Literacy Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Hsin-Liang

2009-01-01

The purpose of this project was to investigate how students' search strategies changed over the course of a semester-long information literacy class. Data collection included four different paper questionnaires corresponding to course content in the spring 2008 semester. Seventy-seven participants completed the questionnaires and course work in…

Science Assessments for Students with Disabilities in School Year 2006-2007: What We Know about Participation, Performance, and Accommodations. Synthesis Report 77

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thurlow, Martha; Rogers, Christopher; Christensen, Laurene

2010-01-01

The success of all students, including students with disabilities, on statewide assessments in mathematics and reading/English language arts has been examined closely. This is due, in part, to the role of these content areas in school accountability for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) known as "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB).…

The use of geospatial technologies to increase students' spatial abilities and knowledge of certain atmospheric science content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hedley, Mikell Lynne

2008-10-01

The purpose of the study was to use geospatial technologies to improve the spatial abilities and specific atmospheric science content knowledge of students in high schools and junior highs in primarily high-needs schools. These technologies include remote sensing, geographic information systems, and global positioning systems. The program involved training the teachers in the use of the technologies at a five-day institute. Scientists who use the technologies in their research taught the basics of their use and scientific background. Standards-based activities were used to integrate the technologies in the classroom setting. Students were tested before any instruction in the technologies and then tested two other times. They used the technologies in field data collection and used that data in an inquiry-based project. Their projects were presented at a mini-science conference with scientists, teachers, parents, and other students in attendance. Significant differences were noted from pre-test to second post-test in the test in both the spatial abilities and science section. There was a gain in both spatial abilities and in specific atmospheric science content knowledge.

The influence of test mode and visuospatial ability on mathematics assessment performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Logan, Tracy

2015-12-01

Mathematics assessment and testing are increasingly situated within digital environments with international tests moving to computer-based testing in the near future. This paper reports on a secondary data analysis which explored the influence the mode of assessment—computer-based (CBT) and pencil-and-paper based (PPT)—and visuospatial ability had on students' mathematics test performance. Data from 804 grade 6 Singaporean students were analysed using the knowledge discovery in data design. The results revealed statistically significant differences between performance on CBT and PPT test modes across content areas concerning whole number algebraic patterns and data and chance. However, there were no performance differences for content areas related to spatial arrangements geometric measurement or other number. There were also statistically significant differences in performance between those students who possess higher levels of visuospatial ability compared to those with lower levels across all six content areas. Implications include careful consideration for the comparability of CBT and PPT testing and the need for increased attention to the role of visuospatial reasoning in student's mathematics reasoning.

A study of student perceptions of learning transfer from a human anatomy and physiology course in an allied health program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrell, Leigh S.

The purpose of this study was two-fold. First the study was designed to determine student perceptions regarding the perceived degree of original learning from a human anatomy and physiology course, and the student perception of the use of the knowledge in an allied health program. Second, the intention of the study was to establish student beliefs on the characteristics of the transfer of learning including those factors which enhance learning transfer and those that serve as barriers to learning transfer. The study participants were those students enrolled in any allied health program at a community college in a Midwest state, including: nursing, radiology, surgical technology, health information technology, and paramedic. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed from the responses to the survey. A sub-group of participants were chosen to participate in semi-structured formal interviews. From the interviews, additional qualitative data were gathered. The data collected through the study demonstrated student perception of successful transfer experiences. The students in the study were able to provide specific examples of learning transfer experienced from the human anatomy and physiology course in their allied health program. Findings also suggested students who earned higher grades in the human anatomy and physiology course perceived greater understanding and greater use of the course's learning objectives in their allied health program. The study found the students believed the following learning activities enhances the transfer of learning: (1) Providing application of the information or skills being learned during the instruction of the course content enhances the transfer of learning. (2) Providing resource materials and activities which allow the students to practice the content being taught facilitates the transfer of learning. The students made the following recommendations to remove barriers to the transfer of learning: (1) Teachers should be friendly, non-intimidating, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and organized to encourage successful transfer of learning. (2) Teachers should use different methods to teach ideas, get their students involved, and test over the content taught to facilitate the transfer of learning.

A Partnership between English Language Learners and a Team of Rocket Scientists: EPO for the NASA SDO Extreme-Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buhr, S. M.; Eparvier, F.; McCaffrey, M.; Murillo, M.

2007-12-01

Recent immigrant high school students were successfully engaged in learning about Sun-Earth connections through a partnership with the NASA SDO Extreme-Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) project. The students were enrolled in a pilot course as part of the Math, Engineering and Science Achievement MESA) program. For many of the students, this was the only science option available to them due to language limitations. The English Language Learner (ELL) students doubled their achievement on a pre- and post-assessment on the content of the course. Students learned scientific content and vocabulary in English with support in Spanish, attended field trips, hosted scientist speakers, built and deployed space weather monitors as part of the Stanford SOLAR project, and gave final presentations in English, showcasing their new computer skills. Teachers who taught the students in other courses noted gains in the students' willingness to use English in class and noted gains in math skills. The MESA-EVE course won recognition as a Colorado MESA Program of Excellence and is being offered again in 2007-08. The course has been broken into modules for use in shorter after-school environments, or for use by EVE scientists who are outside of the Boulder area. Other EVE EPO includes professional development for teachers and content workshops for journalists.

Introducing the Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey (PIPS): A Concise, Interdisciplinary, and Easy-to-Score Survey

PubMed Central

Walter, Emily M.; Henderson, Charles R.; Beach, Andrea L.; Williams, Cody T.

2016-01-01

Researchers, administrators, and policy makers need valid and reliable information about teaching practices. The Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey (PIPS) is designed to measure the instructional practices of postsecondary instructors from any discipline. The PIPS has 24 instructional practice statements and nine demographic questions. Users calculate PIPS scores by an intuitive proportion-based scoring convention. Factor analyses from 72 departments at four institutions (N = 891) support a 2- or 5-factor solution for the PIPS; both models include all 24 instructional practice items and have good model fit statistics. Factors in the 2-factor model include (a) instructor-centered practices, nine items; and (b) student-centered practices, 13 items. Factors in the 5-factor model include (a) student–student interactions, six items; (b) content delivery, four items; (c) formative assessment, five items; (d) student-content engagement, five items; and (e) summative assessment, four items. In this article, we describe our development and validation processes, provide scoring conventions and outputs for results, and describe wider applications of the instrument. PMID:27810868

It's all in the delivery! An analysis of instructional strategies from effective health education curricula.

PubMed

Herbert, Patrick C; Lohrmann, David K

2011-05-01

This study explores the relationship between instructional strategies and effective health education curricula. A content analysis of 10 health education curricula was conducted to determine if they include common instructional strategies for actively engaging students in acquisition of health skills. To be included, the curricula had to (1) be research-based and proven via empirical testing to positively influence the health behaviors and (2) address 1 of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 6 priority health risk behaviors. Content analysis revealed 5 active learning strategies incorporated to involve students in acquiring health skills. Role play, group cooperation, and small group discussion were found in all 10 curricula. To a lesser extent, interactive technology and team games were also included. When combined with previous research regarding the characteristics of effective teachers, it becomes clear that effective health education is delivered by teachers who employ a wide repertoire of active learning strategies while devoting substantial instructional time to those specific strategies that involve students in skills practice. © 2011, American School Health Association.

Using peer teaching to introduce the Pharmaceutical Care Model to incoming pharmacy students.

PubMed

Kolar, Claire; Hager, Keri; Janke, Kristin K

2018-02-01

The aim of this initiative was to design and evaluate a peer teaching activity where pairs of second-year pharmacy students introduced the Pharmaceutical Care Model and discussed success in the broader first-year pharmacy curriculum with pairs of first year students. Second-year pharmacy students individually created concept maps illustrating the main components of pharmaceutical care to be used as teaching tools with first-year students. First-year students were given a brief introduction to pharmaceutical care by faculty and prepared questions to ask their second-year colleagues. Two second-year students were then matched with two first-year students for a two-part peer teaching event. Each student completed documentation of the peer experience, which included questions about the effectiveness of the teaching, changes to be made in the future, and the usefulness of the exercise. The documentation was analyzed via content analysis and instructors evaluated the concept maps based on their effectiveness as a teaching tool for novices. A rubric was used to evaluate 166 concept maps of which 145 were rated good, 18 were rated as better, and 3 as best. Themes emerging from the content analysis included: positive impact of teaching and learning pharmaceutical care, value of broader curriculum discussion, and beneficial first- and second-year connections. A structured peer teaching event outside the traditional classroom setting can create a space for: teaching and learning to occur, student-student connections to be made, and advice on the curriculum to be shared. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Draping education to promote patient dignity: canadian physiotherapy student and instructor perceptions.

PubMed

Wilson, Nicole; Hopkins-Rosseel, Diana; Lusty, Christopher; Averns, Henry; Hopman, Wilma

2012-01-01

To determine the perceptions of educators and students in Canadian entry-level professional physiotherapy programmes with respect to the current draping curriculum and the methods of delivery of that content and to determine if there is a need for additional draping education time and resources in these programmes. Canadian university physiotherapy students (n=127) and educators (n=183) completed questionnaires designed by the authors. Data were collected via Survey Monkey, exported as Excel files, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square analysis. Students and educators agreed that dignity as a concept and draping as a skill to protect patient dignity are both important and should be included in Canadian physiotherapy curricula. Respondents also agreed that students often have difficulty with draping. Educators identified barriers to teaching draping while students identified components of an effective educational resource on draping. To enhance the development of effective draping skills among entry-level physiotherapists, draping education should be included in Canadian physiotherapy curricula. An effective draping educational resource should be developed for educators and students. Purpose: To determine the perceptions of educators and students in Canadian entry-level professional physiotherapy programmes with respect to the current draping curriculum and the methods of delivery of that content and to determine if there is a need for additional draping education time and resources in these programmes. Methods: Canadian university physiotherapy students ( n =127) and educators ( n =183) completed questionnaires designed by the authors. Data were collected via Survey Monkey, exported as Excel files, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square analysis. Results: Students and educators agreed that dignity as a concept and draping as a skill to protect patient dignity are both important and should be included in Canadian physiotherapy curricula. Respondents also agreed that students often have difficulty with draping. Educators identified barriers to teaching draping while students identified components of an effective educational resource on draping. Conclusions: To enhance the development of effective draping skills among entry-level physiotherapists, draping education should be included in Canadian physiotherapy curricula. An effective draping educational resource should be developed for educators and students.

The effect of e-health contents on health science students' attitude toward the efficiency of health ICT in care provision.

PubMed

Lam, Mary K; Amon, Krestina L; Nguyen, Melanie; Campbell, Andrew J; Neville, Victoria

2012-01-01

This study aimed to examine the effects of e-health education content on the attitude of undergraduate health science students towards the efficiency of health ICT in healthcare provision. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Participants were Health Sciences students attending The University of Sydney. Students were divided into three groups: junior students enrolled in a subject with non e-health content; senior students enrolled in a subject with non e-health content; and students enrolled in a subject with e-health content. Students' attitude towards the efficiency of ICT in healthcare provision was measured by a modified version of the Information Technology Attitude Scales for Health (ITASH). Students enrolled in the subject with e-health content had a significantly higher average baseline attitude score than the other two groups (T198=-3.47, p=0.001; T93=-2.43, p=0.017). The repeat measures analysis yielded a result with significant interaction between survey time and student group (F2, 267=4.99, p=0.007) suggesting that changes of score was dependent on student group status. Subjects rich in e-health content significantly enhanced student attitudes, even with a group of students with a rather positive initial attitude. To facilitate the uptake and utilisation of health ICT by the future health workforce, it is important for tertiary educational institutes to provide students with sufficient exposure to specific health-related ICT training, via specifically designed subjects delivering both generic and specific e-health content.

Credit Quandaries: How Career and Technical Education Teachers Can Teach Courses That Include Academic Credit. Ask the Team

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacques, Catherine

2014-01-01

Many career and technical education (CTE) courses not only provide students with vocational and technical skills and knowledge, but engage them in academic content as well. Designed thoughtfully, these courses can address rigorous academic content standards and be as intellectually demanding as traditional academic courses (Southern Regional…

What U.S. History Textbooks Fail To Tell Students about Religion and Faith.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romanowski, Michael H.

Current history textbooks include Christianity in their discussion of U.S. history. A study systematically examined the content of secondary U.S. history textbooks to evaluate the portrayal Christianity. The content of 10 of the nation's most widely used secondary U.S. history textbooks was analyzed. All excerpts dealing with Christianity in…

Japan: Land of the Rising Sun. A Twelve Day Unit of Study for Fourth Grade Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craycraft, Kenneth; Winters, Norm

This unit of study on Japan contains the following content areas: Unit Focus/Motivation; Islands of Japan; Living on an Island; Buildings; Economics; Transportation; and Culminating Activities. The objectives of the unit include knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Suggested activities for each of the content areas are offered and explained to assist…

Scaffolded Writing and Rewriting in the Discipline: A Web-Based Reciprocal Peer Review System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cho, Kwangsu; Schunn, Christian D.

2007-01-01

This paper describes how SWoRD (scaffolded writing and rewriting in the discipline), a web-based reciprocal peer review system, supports writing practice, particularly for large content courses in which writing is considered critical but not feasibly included. To help students gain content knowledge as well as writing and reviewing skills, SWoRD…

Relationships between Conceptual Knowledge and Reasoning about Systems: Implications for Fostering Systems Thinking in Secondary Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyons, Cheryl

Reasoning about systems is necessary for understanding many modern issues that face society and is important for future scientists and all citizens. Systems thinking may allow students to make connections and identify common themes between seemingly different situations and phenomena, and is relevant to the focus on cross-cutting concepts in science emphasized in the Framework for K-12 Science Education Standards (NRC, 2011) and Next Generation Science Standards (Achieve, 2013). At the same time, there is emerging empirical and theoretical support in science education for fostering the development of science reasoning alongside content understanding, as opposed to the perspective that reasoning occurs after a certain threshold of content mastery has been achieved. However, existing research on systems thinking has treated this reasoning as a set of universal skills and neglected the role of content, or has conceptualized a progression in which content mastery precedes systems reasoning without consideration of rudimentary forms of reasoning. This study focused on describing individual variations in the ways that 8th and 9th grade students reason about changes in a system over time to identify characteristics of systems and pre-systems thinking and to investigate the relationship between this reasoning and the students' application of content. This study found a generally linear relationship between content and reasoning, with interesting deviations from this trend among students who demonstrated at least a moderate level of content understanding but had not yet achieved mastery. Four profiles of this relationship emerged which warrant different instructional support. Implications are presented for science educators and developers of curricula and assessments. This includes recommendations for learning objectives, the design of written curriculum materials, and the development of assessments that aim to promote and measure reasoning about systems in science.

Fun Science: The Use of Variable Manipulation to Avoid Content Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters-Burton, Erin E.; Hiller, Suzanne E.

2013-02-01

This study examined the beliefs and rationale pre-service elementary teachers used to choose activities for upper-elementary students in a 1-week intensive science camp. Six undergraduate elementary pre-service teachers were observed as they took a semester-long science methods class that culminated in a 1-week science camp. This qualitative, phenomenological study found that counselors chose activities with the possibility of fun being a priority rather than teaching content, even after they were confronted with campers who demanded more content. Additionally, all six of the counselors agreed that activities involving variable manipulation were the most successful, even though content knowledge was not required to complete the activities. The counselors felt the variable manipulation activities were successful because students were constructing products and therefore getting to the end of the activity. Implications include building an awareness of the complexity of self-efficacy of science teaching and outcome expectancy to improve teacher education programs.

Redesign of a Required Undergraduate Pharmacy Management Course to Improve Student Engagement and Concept Retention

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Objective. To change the structure of a required pharmacy management course to make it more interactive and engaging for students. Design. The course is a required component of undergraduate curriculum and is completed over 2 semesters during the students’ third year. Changes included requiring students to lead classroom discussions and complete a business plan in groups. Assessment. A questionnaire centering on methods of delivery, course content, and outcomes was distributed in 2 academic years, with 74.7% of students responding. Even though the redesigned course required more time, there was strong support for the course among students because they realized the content contributed to their learning. Conclusion. A major course redesign is a big commitment by faculty members, but if done through consultations with former and current students, it can be rewarding for all involved. Students overwhelmingly embraced the changes to the course as they realized the restructuring and the resulting increase in workload were necessary to raise the relevance of the course to their future professional practice. PMID:23275666

How to build a course in mathematical-biological modeling: content and processes for knowledge and skill.

PubMed

Hoskinson, Anne-Marie

2010-01-01

Biological problems in the twenty-first century are complex and require mathematical insight, often resulting in mathematical models of biological systems. Building mathematical-biological models requires cooperation among biologists and mathematicians, and mastery of building models. A new course in mathematical modeling presented the opportunity to build both content and process learning of mathematical models, the modeling process, and the cooperative process. There was little guidance from the literature on how to build such a course. Here, I describe the iterative process of developing such a course, beginning with objectives and choosing content and process competencies to fulfill the objectives. I include some inductive heuristics for instructors seeking guidance in planning and developing their own courses, and I illustrate with a description of one instructional model cycle. Students completing this class reported gains in learning of modeling content, the modeling process, and cooperative skills. Student content and process mastery increased, as assessed on several objective-driven metrics in many types of assessments.

Preparing nursing students for enhanced roles in primary care: The current state of prelicensure and RN-to-BSN education.

PubMed

Wojnar, Danuta M; Whelan, Ellen Marie

With the current emphasis on including registered nurses (RNs) on the primary care teams, it is essential that nursing programs prepare students for employment in these settings. This study explored the current state of prelicensure and RN-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) online education regarding the implementation of primary care content in the curricula. A sample of 1,409 schools and/or colleges from across the United States was invited to participate in an online survey. About 529 surveys were returned for an overall response rate of 37.5%. Summative content analysis was used to analyze survey data. Although most respondents have implemented some primary care content, some found it challenging and others have demurred from incorporating primary care content altogether. Nursing leaders and faculty in academia must collaborate with clinical partners to design and expand didactic and clinical learning experiences that emphasize primary care content in the prelicensure and RN-to-BSN education. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How to Build a Course in Mathematical–Biological Modeling: Content and Processes for Knowledge and Skill

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Biological problems in the twenty-first century are complex and require mathematical insight, often resulting in mathematical models of biological systems. Building mathematical–biological models requires cooperation among biologists and mathematicians, and mastery of building models. A new course in mathematical modeling presented the opportunity to build both content and process learning of mathematical models, the modeling process, and the cooperative process. There was little guidance from the literature on how to build such a course. Here, I describe the iterative process of developing such a course, beginning with objectives and choosing content and process competencies to fulfill the objectives. I include some inductive heuristics for instructors seeking guidance in planning and developing their own courses, and I illustrate with a description of one instructional model cycle. Students completing this class reported gains in learning of modeling content, the modeling process, and cooperative skills. Student content and process mastery increased, as assessed on several objective-driven metrics in many types of assessments. PMID:20810966

When parents talk about college drinking: an examination of content, frequency, and associations with students' dangerous drinking.

PubMed

Menegatos, Lisa; Lederman, Linda C; Floyd, Kory

2016-01-01

This project examines alcohol messages exchanged between college students and their parents, as well as how such messages associate with college students' dangerous drinking. Undergraduate students ages 18 to 25 years were recruited for the study and asked to recruit a parent. The sample included 198 students and 188 parents, all of whom completed an online survey. This study found parents tended to emphasize the negative aspects of drinking, particularly the dangers of drinking and driving and the academic consequences of too much partying. Results indicated that parent-student alcohol communication has various dimensions, including negative aspects of drinking, rules about drinking, drinking in moderation, and benefits of drinking. Parents' reports of discussing alcohol rules had a significant, negative association with students' alcohol consumption, whereas parents' reports of discussing the negative aspects of alcohol use had significant, positive associations with students' dangerous drinking.

Considerations of multicultural science and curriculum reform: A content analysis of state-adopted biology textbooks in Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgato, Margaret H.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the extent to which multicultural science education, including indigenous knowledge representations, had been infused within the content of high school biology textbooks. The study evaluated the textbook as an instructional tool and framework for multicultural science education instruction by comparing the mainstream content to indigenous knowledge perspectives portrayed in the student and teacher editions of 34 textbooks adopted in Florida within the last four adoption cycles occurring from 1990 to 2006. The investigation involved a content analysis framed from a mixed methods approach. Emphasis was placed, in consideration of the research questions and practicality of interpreting text with the potential for multiple meanings, within qualitative methods. The investigation incorporated five strategies to assess the extent of multicultural content: (1) calculation of frequency of indigenous representations through the use of a tally; (2) assessment of content in the teacher editions by coding the degree of incorporation of multicultural content; (3) development of an archaeology of statements to determine the ways in which indigenous representations were incorporated into the content; (4) use of the Evaluation Coefficient Analysis (ECO) to determine extent of multicultural terminologies within content; and (5) analysis of visuals and illustrations to gauge percentages of depictions of minority groups. Results indicated no solid trend in an increase of inclusion of multicultural content over the last four adoption cycles. Efforts at most reduced the inclusion of indigenous representations and other multicultural content to the level of the teacher edition distributed among the teacher-interleafed pages or as annotations in the margins. Degree of support of multicultural content to the specific goals and objectives remained limited across all four of the adoption cycles represented in the study. Emphasis on standardized testing appeared in the six textbooks representing the most recent adoption cycle. Recommendations included increased efforts to identify quality of content by including input from scholars in the field of multicultural education as well as indigenous peoples in the creation of textbook content. Recommendations also included further clarification of the definition of science within multicultural science education frameworks, indigenous knowledge as compared to Western science and pseudoscienc e, and scientific literacy as a central focus to a multicultural science education meant to address the needs of an increasingly diverse student population and prime-age workforce.

The effect of content delivery style on student performance in anatomy.

PubMed

White, Lloyd J; McGowan, Heath W; McDonald, Aaron C

2018-04-12

The development of new technologies and ensuing pedagogical research has led many tertiary institutions to integrate and adopt online learning strategies. The authors of this study have incorporated online learning strategies into existing educational practices of a second year anatomy course, resulting in half of the course content delivered via face-to-face lectures, and half delivered online via tailored video vignettes, with accompanying worksheets and activities. The effect of the content delivery mode on student learning was analyzed by tailoring questions to content presented either face-to-face or online. Four practical tests were conducted across the semester with each consisting of four questions. Within each test, two questions were based on content delivered face-to-face, and two questions were based on content delivered online. Examination multiple choice questions were similarly divided and assessed. Findings indicate that student learning is consistent regardless of the mode of content delivery. However, student viewing habits had a significant impact on learning, with students who viewed videos multiple times achieving higher marks than those less engaged with the online content. Student comments also indicated that content delivery mode was not an influence on learning. Therefore student engagement, rather than the mode of content delivery, is a determinant of student learning and performance in human anatomy. Anat Sci Educ. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.

Differences in gender performance on competitive physics selection tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Kate; Low, David; Verdon, Matthew; Verdon, Alix

2016-12-01

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Gender in Physics.] We have investigated gender differences in performance over the past eight years on the Australian Science Olympiad Exam (ASOE) for physics, which is taken by nearly 1000 high school students each year. The ASOE, run by Australian Science Innovations (ASI), is the initial stage of the process of selection of teams to represent Australia at the Asian and International Physics Olympiads. Students taking the exam are generally in their penultimate year of school and selected by teachers as being high performing in physics. Together with the overall differences in facility, we have investigated how the content and presentation of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) affects the particular answers selected by male and female students. Differences in the patterns of responses by male and female students indicate that males and females might be modeling situations in different ways. Some strong patterns were found in the gender gaps when the questions were categorized in five broad dimensions: content, process required, difficulty, presentation, and context. Almost all questions saw male students performing better, although gender differences were relatively small for questions with a more abstract context. Male students performed significantly better on most questions with a concrete context, although notable exceptions were found, including two such questions where female students performed better. Other categories that showed consistently large gaps favoring male students include questions with projectile motion and other two-dimensional motion or forces content, and processes involving interpreting diagrams. Our results have important implications, suggesting that we should be able to reduce the gender gaps in performance on MCQ tests by changing the way information is presented and setting questions in contexts that are less likely to favor males over females. This is important as MCQ tests are frequently used as diagnostic tests and aptitude tests as well as to assess learning.

Climate Science across the Liberal Arts Curriculum at Gustavus Adolphus College

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartley, J. K.; Triplett, L.; Dontje, J.; Huber, T.; Koomen, M.; Jeremiason, J.; La Frenierre, J.; Niederriter, C.; Versluis, A.

2014-12-01

The human and social dimensions of climate change are addressed in courses in humanities, social sciences, and arts disciplines. However, faculty members in these disciplines are not climate science experts and thus may feel uncomfortable discussing the science that underpins our understanding of climate change. In addition, many students are interested in the connections between climate change and their program of study, but not all students take courses that address climate science as a principal goal. At Gustavus Adolphus College, the Climate Science Project aims to help non-geoscience faculty introduce climate science content in their courses in order to increase climate science literacy among students and inform discussions of the implications of climate change. We assembled an interdisciplinary team of faculty with climate science expertise to develop climate science modules for use in non-geoscience courses. Faculty from the social sciences, humanities, arts, education, and natural sciences attended workshops in which they developed plans to include climate science in their courses. Based on these workshops, members of the development team created short modules for use by participating faculty that introduce climate science concepts to a non-specialist audience. Each module was tested and modified prior to classroom implementation by a team of faculty and geoscience students. Faculty and student learning are assessed throughout the process, and participating faculty members are interviewed to improve the module development process. The Climate Science Project at Gustavus Adolphus College aims to increase climate science literacy in both faculty members and students by creating accessible climate science content and supporting non-specialist faculty in learning key climate science concepts. In this way, climate science becomes embedded in current course offerings, including non-science courses, reaching many more students than new courses or enhanced content in the geosciences can reach. In addition, this model can be adopted by institutions with limited geoscience course offerings to increase geoscience literacy among a broad cross-section of students.

The development, outline and evaluation of the second level of an interprofessional learning programme – listening to the students.

PubMed

Wright, Anna; Lindqvist, Susanne

2008-10-01

The delivery and content of interprofessional education (IPE) varies greatly. Currently there is little evidence to suggest the most effective approach. This paper describes an interprofessional learning programme offered to second year healthcare students (IPL2), which was developed together with the students. At the outset of developing IPL2, an interprofessional student planning group (supported by a facilitator) was formed. The student planning group (SPG) reported back their ideas to an IPL steering group. Student feedback forms from 2005–2006 were used for the review and further development of IPL2. Analysis of student feedback was completed using median (for the quantitative elements of the form) and content analysis (for the qualitative elements). Post-programme student feedback included suggestions such as improvements to the case scenario, issues such as the logistical problems associated with students being on placement and how to overcome this by expanding the use of a virtual learning environment. Student views have informed both the original and ongoing development of IPL2 and ensure that the IPL programme remains relevant to the students. This model of involving students in the development of IPL has proven effective and can be applied to other settings.

Physics Education Research at the Upper Division at the University of Maine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, John

2013-04-01

Researchers from the University of Maine Physics Education Research Laboratory are conducting several investigations of the learning and teaching of physics beyond the introductory level. Content topics include intermediate mechanics, electronics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. One focus of our work is the identification and addressing of specific student difficulties with topics such as damped harmonic motion, bipolar junction transistor (BJT) circuits, work, entropy, and the Boltzmann factor. Student understanding and use of the underlying mathematics has been one important emerging theme, including definite integrals, partial derivatives, and linear differential equations. Recent work in mechanics has focused on understanding the interplay of mathematical and physical reasoning when describing damped harmonic motion, including framing and representational issues. In electronics, there has been an ongoing investigation of student understanding of the behavior of basic BJT follower and amplifier circuits as well as related issues of signal and bias. In thermal physics, student understanding of state functions, heat engines and the Carnot cycle, the First and Second Laws of thermodynamics, and the macroscopic and microscopic perspectives on entropy have been investigated. The greater content sophistication in these courses has drawn attention to the specific needs, constraints, and advantages of instructional materials tailored to the upper division. Future directions include more attention to interdisciplinary topics across mathematics, physics, and engineering in particular, as well as metacognition in the laboratory.

A New Role Change Approach in Pre-service Teacher Education for Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge in the Context of a Student Outreach Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scharfenberg, Franz-Josef; Bogner, Franz X.

2016-10-01

How pre-service teachers (PST) develop pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) during science teacher education is an open research question. Our teacher education module, theoretically based on PCK, specifically combines biology PSTs' education with high school students' biology education and includes an innovative role change approach. Altogether, 41 PSTs each participated in three subsequent module days with students ( N = 823) from 50 classes. The module's content dealt with the syllabus topic Genetic Fingerprinting. During participation, the PSTs changed their role by assuming a student's role on the first day, a tutor's role on the second day, and a teacher's role on the third day. By quasi-experimentally administering pre- and delayed posttests, we qualitatively monitored, then content-analytically categorized, and finally quantitatively analyzed three specific PCK components. In contrast to a control group (which did not participate in the module), our treatment preferentially changed the PSTs' orientations toward teaching biology to a more student-centered orientation (both intra- and inter-group differences with medium effect sizes). Additionally, the PSTs who participated in the three modules days differed before and after module participation in how they addressed potential student learning difficulties and identified potential instructional strategies for avoiding these difficulties. The changes in these PCK components point to a step-by-step development of the PSTs' PCK. In this process, our participating PSTs assessed the importance of their three roles on the 3 days quite differently; most notably, we found one relationship between the teacher role and the PSTs' student-centeredness. We specifically discuss the potential and importance of our role change approach within science teacher education.

Hamline/3M Project: Liaison for Curricular Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rundquist, Andy

2002-03-01

This project was designed to catalyze curricular changes to better prepare students for the workplace. Industrial managers provided a list of 16 characteristics valued in the workplace: most were NOT related to science course content. The project formed 5 teams each including 3M professionals and students. Each team developed curricular changes in one of the 16 areas. Team goals were to improve skills in communication, data analysis, business/economics, team problem solving, and culture competency. Curricular changes realized include communication skill activities embodied in science courses and faculty communication teaching skill seminars, self learning tools in data analysis, statistics and model building, a new course developed with assistance from 3M personnel focussing on topics directly related to technological industries, high performance team problem solving training/coaching for faculty and workshops for students and faculty relative to importance of cultural competencies in the workplace, and a new course focusing on culture, team problem solving and conflict resolution in the technical workplace. Process for developing and content of curricular changes will be reported.

Dimensions of autonomy: Primary teachers' decisions about involvement in science professional development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schibeci, Renato A.; Hickey, Ruth L.

2004-01-01

Professional development (PD) for primary science teachers is recognized as an important activity which can support improved science education for students. Analysis of interviews with practicing primary science teachers is used to identify the range of PD experiences of a sample of teachers from Western Australia. Teachers' reasons for attending or avoiding science-related PD are categorized as decision issues which include opportunity, compulsion, convenience, enticement, interest, recommendation, and relevance. Case studies describe the interplay of these issues, which result in teachers' attendance or avoidance of PD. A subset of the sample is used to explore teachers' views of other activities which they recognize as contributing to their science teaching, content knowledge, and pedagogy. These other activities include hobbies, partner's job, and pursuing students' interests. Legitimating teachers' own interests as a source of personally derived PD is supported as an avenue to increase the diversity of topics studied by students and to increase the level of content knowledge held by teachers.

Effect of collaborative testing on learning and retention of course content in nursing students.

PubMed

Rivaz, Mozhgan; Momennasab, Marzieh; Shokrollahi, Paymaneh

2015-10-01

Collaborative testing is a learning strategy that provides students with the opportunity to learn and practice collaboration. This study aimed to determine the effect of collaborative testing on test performance and retention of course content in nursing students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. This quasi-experimental study was carried out on 84 students enrolled in the course of Medical-Surgical 2 in Spring 2013 and Fall 2013 semesters. The control group consisting of 39 students participated in the first mid-term exam in an individual format. The intervention group, on the other hand, consisted of 45 students who took the test in a two-stage process. The first stage included an individual testing, while the second stage was a collaborative one given in groups of five individuals chosen randomly. Four weeks later, in order to investigate retention of the course content, both groups took part in the second mid-term exam held individually. The study findings showed significant difference between the mean scores in the intervention group in the Fall 2013 semester (p=0.001). Besides, a statistically significant difference was found between the two groups regarding the tests mean scores (p=0.001). Moreover, retention of course content improved in the collaborative group (p=0.001). The results indicated an increase in test performance and a long-term learning enhancement in collaborative testing compared with the traditional method. Collaborative testing, as an active learning technique and a valuable assessment method, can help nursing instructors provide the alumni with strong problem-solving and critical thinking abilities at healthcare environments.

Undergraduates achieve learning gains in plant genetics through peer teaching of secondary students.

PubMed

Chrispeels, H E; Klosterman, M L; Martin, J B; Lundy, S R; Watkins, J M; Gibson, C L; Muday, G K

2014-01-01

This study tests the hypothesis that undergraduates who peer teach genetics will have greater understanding of genetic and molecular biology concepts as a result of their teaching experiences. Undergraduates enrolled in a non-majors biology course participated in a service-learning program in which they led middle school (MS) or high school (HS) students through a case study curriculum to discover the cause of a green tomato variant. The curriculum explored plant reproduction and genetic principles, highlighting variation in heirloom tomato fruits to reinforce the concept of the genetic basis of phenotypic variation. HS students were taught additional activities related to mole-cular biology techniques not included in the MS curriculum. We measured undergraduates' learning outcomes using pre/postteaching content assessments and the course final exam. Undergraduates showed significant gains in understanding of topics related to the curriculum they taught, compared with other course content, on both types of assessments. Undergraduates who taught HS students scored higher on questions specific to the HS curriculum compared with undergraduates who taught MS students, despite identical lecture content, on both types of assessments. These results indicate the positive effect of service-learning peer-teaching experiences on undergraduates' content knowledge, even for non-science major students. © 2014 H. E. Chrispeels et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2014 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Addressing scientific literacy through content area reading and processes of scientific inquiry: What teachers report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, Susan J.

The purpose of this study was to interpret the experiences of secondary science teachers in Florida as they address the scientific literacy of their students through teaching content reading strategies and student inquiry skills. Knowledge of the successful integration of content reading and inquiry skills by experienced classroom teachers would be useful to many educators as they plan instruction to achieve challenging state and national standards for reading as well as science. The problem was investigated using grounded theory methodology. Open-ended questions were asked in three focus groups and six individual interviews that included teachers from various Florida school districts. The constant comparative approach was used to analyze the data. Initial codes were collapsed into categories to determine the conceptual relationships among the data. From this, the five core categories were determined to be Influencers, Issues, Perceptions, Class Routines, and Future Needs. These relate to the central phenomenon, Instructional Modifications, because teachers often described pragmatic and philosophical changes in their teaching as they deliberated to meet state standards in both reading and science. Although Florida's secondary science teachers have been asked to incorporate content reading strategies into their science instruction for the past several years, there was limited evidence of using these strategies to further student understanding of scientific processes. Most teachers saw little connection between reading and inquiry, other than the fact that students must know how to read to follow directions in the lab. Scientific literacy, when it was addressed by teachers, was approached mainly through class discussions, not reading. Teachers realized that students cannot learn secondary science content unless they read science text with comprehension; therefore the focus of reading instruction was on learning science content, not scientific literacy or student inquiry. Most of the teachers were actively looking for reading materials and strategies to facilitate student understanding of science concepts, but they did not want to give up limited class time attempting methods that have not been proven to be successful in science classrooms.

Examining How Professional Development Impacted Teachers and Students of U.S. History Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffield, Stacy; Wageman, Justin; Hodge, Angela

2013-01-01

A causal-comparative, mixed methods design was used to study a partnership between a university and school district formed with the goal of improving history teachers' United States history content knowledge to raise student engagement and achievement. Data were collected from middle and high school history teachers including teacher interviews,…

Developing a Master's Student's Research and Practitioner Skills through Collaboration with a Doctoral Researcher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrams, Rachel; Nolan, Emily

2016-01-01

Art therapy master's programs are required to include research coursework in their curriculum; however, they differ in content and types of required projects. Students encouraged to conduct studies that increase the evidence base of art therapy may struggle to do so. This article describes a research collaboration that allowed a master's level…

Characterization of Catch-Up Behavior: Accession of Lecture Capture Videos Following Student Absenteeism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brady, Magen; Wong, Rachel; Newton, Genevieve

2013-01-01

The use of lecture capture in higher education is becoming increasingly widespread, with many instructors now providing digital videos of lecture content that can be used by students as learning resources in a variety of ways, including to catch up on material after a class absence. Despite accumulating research regarding the relationship between…

Computer Oriented Exercises on Attitudes and U.S. Gasoline Consumption, Attitude. Student Guide. Computer Technology Program Environmental Education Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR.

This is the student guide in a set of five computer-oriented environmental/energy education units. Contents of this guide present: (1) the three gasoline consumption-reducing options for which attitudes are to be explored; (2) exercises; and (3) appendices including an energy attitudes survey. (MR)

Conversion of Gasoline Engines to Use Ethanol as the Sole Fuel. Student Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mishler, Glenn; Spignesi, Bill

This student guide is a learning packet that is intended for use as part of the regular auto mechanics curriculum and that provides the information necessary to convert a gasoline engine with a minimum of modifications to successfully be operated on ethanol alcohol. Contents include an introduction, objectives, procedures, list of tasks to be…

Empowering Students to Write and Re-Write: Standards-Based Strategies for Middle and High School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Combs, Warren E.

2009-01-01

In this book, the author provides teachers with detailed strategies and lesson plans, along with real student writing samples. He describes effective routines of formative self-assessment, and shows teachers how to form a professional learning team with their colleagues using the 6-session professional learning guide. Contents include: (1)…

Metasynthesis of In-Service Professional Development Research: Features Associated with Positive Educator and Student Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunst, Carl J.; Bruder, Mary Beth; Hamby, Deborah W.

2015-01-01

Findings from a metasynthesis of 15 research reviews of in service professional development to improve or change teacher content knowledge and practice and student/child knowledge and behavior are described. The research reviews included 550 studies of more than 50,000 early intervention, preschool, elementary, and secondary education teachers,…

A Cognitive Semiotic Study of Students' Reading a Textless Image versus a Verbal Image

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Roaa Hasan; Aslaadi, Shatha

2016-01-01

This study explores fourth year college students' content retrieval from reading textless versus verbal images. Furthermore, it examines the extent to which the respondents comprehend and understand them. The procedures include selecting an image from the internet, designing a written test with its rubrics and exposing it to jury members to…

Development of a Self-Efficacy Scale toward Piano Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurtuldu, M. Kayhan; Bulut, Damla

2017-01-01

This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale to determine students' levels of self-efficacy toward piano lessons. The sample consisted of 456 university-level piano students enrolled in Music Education programs. Experts in language and the field of music were consulted to establish content validity of the items included in the scalar…

Oral Academic Language by Design: Bilingual Pre-Service Teachers' Purposeful Infusion of Paired Strategies during Science Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arreguín-Anderson, María G.; Alanis, Iliana

2017-01-01

This study explores ways in which university science courses can be infused with opportunities for pre-service teachers to design student student interactions that promote language development and content mastery. Participants included bilingual pre-service teachers enrolled in an elementary science approaches course and its school-based fieldwork…

The Effect of Higher Education Faculty Training in Improvisational Theatre Techniques on Student Learning and Perceptions of Engagement and Faculty Perceptions of Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massie, DeAnna

2017-01-01

College instructors are content experts but ineffective at creating engaging and productive learning environments. This mixed methods study explored how improvisational theatre techniques affect college instructors' ability to increase student engagement and learning. Theoretical foundations included engagement, active learning, collaboration and…

Orientation to Commercial and Advertising Art; Commercial and Advertising Art--Basic: 9183.01.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

This outline is presented as an introduction to help the student become familiar with the many facets and requirements to be adhered to in the field of Commercial and Advertising Art. The student is given an in-depth orientation to the entire course content, including rules, regulations, safety factors, and employment opportunities available in…

The Inclusion of Online Education Data in the MLDS Inventory: A Review with Recommendations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Croninger, Robert G.; Mao, Lillian Xiulin; Stapleton, Laura M.; Woolley, Michael E.

2015-01-01

The rapid growth in "digital connectivity" has dramatically altered how we interact with each other as citizens, students and educators. Along with this change has been the creation of new ways to deliver educational content to students at all levels of education, including online courses, programs, and even virtual schools. The…

Meta-Analysis of Math Interventions for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Templeton, Tran Nguyen; Neel, Richard S.; Blood, Erika

2008-01-01

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) struggle in the area of academics as well as behavior, and these academic difficulties manifest a great deal in mathematics. The number of children with EBD served in general education settings is increasing, and mathematics curriculum is expanding to include additional content areas and more…

Lecture Capture with Real-Time Rearrangement of Visual Elements: Impact on Student Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, P.-T.; Wang, B.-Y.; Su, M.-H.

2015-01-01

The primary goal of this study is to create and test a lecture-capture system that can rearrange visual elements while recording is still taking place, in such a way that student performance can be positively influenced. The system we have devised is capable of integrating and rearranging multimedia sources, including learning content, the…

The Physics of Living in Space: A Physicist's Attempt to Provide Science and Engineering Education for Non-Science Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holbrow, C. H.

1983-01-01

A course was developed to teach physics concepts and to help students understand mathematics, the nature and role of engineers and engineering in society, and to distinguish between science/technology from pseudo-science. Includes course goals/content, mechanics, start-up, and long-term projects. (JN)

Book of Ideas in Business Education. Activities and Ideas to Motivate Students toward Improved Business Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oklahoma State Dept. of Education, Oklahoma City.

Developed by Oklahoma Business Education Teachers under the auspices of the Oklahoma State Department of Education, this book of ideas contains short, one-to-three-paragraph descriptions of activities and ideas to motivate students toward improved business education. The business education content areas included in this document are divided into…

Foundations of Psychological Testing: A Practical Approach. Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McIntire, Sandra A.; Miller, Leslie A.

2006-01-01

The second edition of "Foundations of Psychological Testing: A Practical Approach" is a text for undergraduate students new to the field of psychological testing. Using a conversational format, the authors aim to prepare students to be informed consumers as test users or test takers. Features new to the second edition include: (1) New Content; (2)…

Evaluating Changes in Climate Literacy among Middle and High School Students who Participate in Climate Change Education Modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeWaters, J.; Powers, S.; Dhaniyala, S.; Small, M.

2012-12-01

Middle school (MS) and high school (HS) teachers have developed and taught instructional modules that were created through their participation in Clarkson University's NASA-funded Project-Based Global Climate Change Education project. A quantitative survey was developed to help evaluate the project's impact on students' climate literacy, which includes content knowledge as well as affective and behavioral attributes. Content objectives were guided primarily by the 2009 document, Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences. The survey was developed according to established psychometric principles and methodologies in the sociological and educational sciences which involved developing and evaluating a pool of survey items, adapted primarily from existing climate surveys and questionnaires; preparing, administering, and evaluating two rounds of pilot tests; and preparing a final instrument with revisions informed by both pilot assessments. The resulting survey contains three separate subscales: cognitive, affective, and behavioral, with five self-efficacy items embedded within the affective subscale. Cognitive items use a multiple choice format with one correct response; non-cognitive items use a 5-point Likert-type scale with options generally ranging from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree" (affective), or "almost always" to "hardly ever" (behavioral). Three versions of the survey were developed and administered using an on-line Zoomerang™ platform to college students/adults; HS students; and MS students, respectively. Instrument validity was supported by using items drawn from existing surveys, by reviewing/applying prior research in climate literacy, and through comparative age-group analysis. The internal consistency reliability of each subscale, as measured by Cronbach's alpha, ranges from 0.78-0.86 (cognitive), 0.87-0.89 (affective) and 0.84-0.85 (behavioral), all satisfying generally accepted criteria for internal reliability of educational surveys. MS and HS students completed the on-line survey prior to and at least 3 weeks following participation in one of the newly developed project-based climate change modules. Surveys were completed anonymously. In all, 9 HS and 3 MS teachers successfully completed the educational programming and assessment protocol in AY2012, yielding 200 HS and 227 MS matched pre/post climate literacy surveys. Both groups of students demonstrated significant gains in climate-related content knowledge (p<<0.001) and affect (p<0.01). MS students also experienced significant gains in their climate-related self-efficacy (p=0.03), with no significant change in self-efficacy for HS students and no change in either group on the behavioral subscale. Post-scores were remarkably similar for the two groups of students; reported as percent of maximum attainable score for HS/MS students: 59%/58%, knowledge; 65%/64%, affect; 71%/72%, self-efficacy, and 63%/62%, behavior. The presentation will include a description of the development and content of the climate literacy survey used in this research, as well the interpretation of specific pre/post changes in participating MS and HS students relative to the content of and approach used in the project-based modules.

Peer, social media, and alcohol marketing influences on college student drinking.

PubMed

Roberson, Angela A; McKinney, Cliff; Walker, Courtney; Coleman, Ashley

2018-07-01

To investigate how alcohol marketing and peers may promote college students' alcohol use through social media. College students (N = 682) aged 18 to 22 years from a large Southern university completed paper surveys in April 2014. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate relationships among variables as well as moderation by gender and race. Drinking behavior was directly related to perceived norms and attitudes toward alcohol that develop, in part, from direct and indirect interactions with their online and offline peers, as well as engagement with alcohol-related content on social media. Gender and ethnicity moderated some effects. College student drinking is influenced by friends' alcohol-related content posted on social networking sites and by greater engagement with traditional and online alcohol marketing. College campus alcohol misuse interventions should include components to counter peer influences and alcohol marketing on social media.

The Impact of a Geospatial Technology-Supported Energy Curriculum on Middle School Students' Science Achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulo, Violet; Bodzin, Alec

2013-02-01

Geospatial technologies are increasingly being integrated in science classrooms to foster learning. This study examined whether a Web-enhanced science inquiry curriculum supported by geospatial technologies promoted urban middle school students' understanding of energy concepts. The participants included one science teacher and 108 eighth-grade students classified in three ability level tracks. Data were gathered through pre/posttest content knowledge assessments, daily classroom observations, and daily reflective meetings with the teacher. Findings indicated a significant increase in the energy content knowledge for all the students. Effect sizes were large for all three ability level tracks, with the middle and low track classes having larger effect sizes than the upper track class. Learners in all three tracks were highly engaged with the curriculum. Curriculum effectiveness and practical issues involved with using geospatial technologies to support science learning are discussed.

User-based Resource Design in Earth Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luby, M.; Haber, J.; Wittenberg, K.

2001-12-01

Reform in the classroom, and certainly in academic publishing, is greatly influenced not only by educational research, but also by direct surveys of students and instructors. This presentation looks at changes to Columbia Earthscape, www.earthscape.org, based on an ongoing series of evaluation and testing measures. Two years ago, the Earthscape project was introduced as a central online resource. It aimed to select and make available authoritative materials from all the disciplines that constitute Earth-system science. Its design harnessed the dynamics of the Web and the interrelatedness of research, education, and public policy. In response to substantial class tests, involving five universities in the United States and abroad, three focus groups of geoscience faculty and librarians, user feedback, internal editorial-board review, and extensive consultation with colleagues in commercial and nonprofit educational publishing, Earthscape is implementing broad changes in design and content. These include arranging the site into sections that correspond to user profiles (scientist, policy-maker, teacher, and student), providing easier search or browsing (by research area, policy content, or lesson concept), and streamlining the presentation of links among our resources. These changes are implemented through more advanced searching capabilities, greater specificity of content metatags, and an overall increase in content from journals, books, and original material. The metatags now include all core geoscience disciplines or a range of pertinent issues (such as climate change, geologic hazards, and pollution). Reflecting the evaluation by librarians, Earthscape's revised interface will permit users to begin with a primary area of interest based on who they are, their "profile." They can then either browse the site's entire holdings in that area, perform searches within each area, or follow the extensive hyperlinks to explore connections to other areas and user needs. Another two focus groups consisting of undergraduate geoscience teaching faculty brought about a rearrangement of hyperlinked resources within course-module pages. This involved less-cluttered hot-linking in running text and uniform lists of video and images links and research links at the end of all modules. Finally, after analyzing the results of a survey questionnaire administered to hundreds of students, we increased and revised content metatags to produce more specific search returns and redistributed lists of annotated links throughout the site. We are also are continuing to seek more full-text content, including original student research and exposition.

Student perception of writing in the science classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deakin, Kathleen J.

This study examines factors that shape four student's perceptions of writing tasks in their science classroom. This qualitative retrospective interview study focuses on four students concurrently enrolled in honors English and honors biology. This research employs a phenomenological perspective on writing, examining whether the writing strategies students acquire in the Language Arts classroom manifest in the content areas. I also adopt Bandura's theoretical perspective on self-efficacy as well as Hillock's notion of writing as inquiry and meaning making. This study concludes that students need ample opportunity to generate content and language that will help reveal a purpose and genre for writing tasks in the content areas. Although all four students approached the writing tasks differently in this study, the tasks set before them were opportunities for replication rather than inquiry Through the case studies of four students as well as current research on content writing, this project works to inform all content area teachers about student perceptions of writing in the content areas.

The NASA eClips 4D Program: Impacts from the First Year Quasi-Experimental Study on Video Development and Viewing on Students.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davey, B.; Davis, H. B.; Harper-Neely, J.; Bowers, S.

2017-12-01

NASA eClips™ is a multi-media educational program providing educational resources relevant to the formal K-12 classroom. Science content for the NASA eClips™ 4D elements is drawn from all four divisions of the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) as well as cross-divisional topics. The suite of elements fulfills the following SMD education objectives: Enable STEM education, Improve U.S. scientific literacy, Advance national education goals (CoSTEM), and Leverage efforts through partnerships. A component of eClips™ was the development of NASA Spotlite videos (student developed videos designed to increase student literacy and address misconceptions of other students) by digital media students. While developing the Sptolite videos, the students gained skills in teamwork, working in groups to accomplish a task, and how to convey specific concepts in a video. The teachers felt the video project was a good fit for their courses and enhanced what the students were already learning. Teachers also reported that the students learned knowledge and skills that would help them in future careers including how to gain a better understanding of a project and the importance of being knowledgeable about the topic. The student developed eClips videos were then used as part of interactive lessons to help other students learn about key science concepts. As part of our research, we established a quasi-experimental design where one group of students received the intervention including the Spotlite videos (intervention group) and one group did not receive the intervention (comparison group). An overall comparison of post scores between intervention group and comparison group students showed intervention groups had significantly higher scores in three of the four content areas - Ozone, Clouds, and Phase Change.

Improving the content of feedback.

PubMed

McKinley, Robert K; Williams, Valerie; Stephenson, Catherine

2010-09-01

Feedback, although an important element of skills teaching, is not well regarded by students. This lack of regard may be perpetuated by the differing expectations of tutors and learners, by the weakness of the process and by the apparent irrelevance of its content to learners. We contend that the content of feedback is critical, and has previously been neglected. We describe a concept for a tutor support tool (a glossary of strategies for improvement) that any group responsible for skills development within an institution can develop in-house and disseminate to improve the content of the feedback given to its learners. All institutions have skills assessment criteria that represent what students are expected to achieve. Conversely, they can also identify the likely range of deficiencies in students' skills, which can therefore be used as a template for identifying a core set of strategies for improvement. The strategies can be quickly developed by a group of experienced tutors, and then shared with all tutors and students. By monitoring the feedback provided to learners, potential new strategies or revisions of existing strategies can be identified. If these new strategies are considered useful they can be included in updates. In this way the collective wisdom of the school's tutors can be captured and shared. We suggest that this approach has the potential to increase congruence between the taught and assessed curriculum. If it is shared with students it may reduce the gap between the hidden and published curriculum. We encourage others to experiment with this approach. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2010.

The impact of a dedicated Science-Technology-Society (STS) course on student knowledge of STS content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barron, Paul E.

In the last half century, public awareness of issues such as population growth, environmental pollution and the threat of nuclear war has pressured science education to reform to increase student social responsibility. The emerging Science-Technology-Society (STS) movement addressed these concerns by developing numerous strategies and curricula. Considerable diagnostic research has been conducted on student knowledge of the nature of science, but not on the wider scope of STS content (e.g., the nature of science and technology and their interactions with society). However, researchers have not widely studied the impact of comprehensive STS curricula on students' knowledge of STS content nor the nature of STS teaching practice that influenced this knowledge gain. This study examined student success and teacher performance in a special STS course in Ontario, Canada. Research questions focused on the STS content knowledge gain by students completing this course and the impact of the STS teachers' teaching practices on this knowledge gain. Student data were collected using pre-course and post-course assessments of students' STS content knowledge. Teacher data were obtained using semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and videotapes. Statistical analysis indicated that, after completing the STS course, students significantly increased their STS content knowledge as measured by the Views on Science Technology Society instrument. Gender and academic achievement had no significant impact on this knowledge gain, implying that this course, as taught by these teachers, could appeal to a wide range of students as a general education course. The second part of the study indicated that detailed research is needed on the relationship between STS teaching practice and student STS content knowledge gain. The small sample size prevents generalizations but initial indications show that factors such constructivist teaching practices and strong teacher STS content knowledge may generate greater student knowledge gains than didactic teaching and weak teacher STS content knowledge. In this limited sample, it was found that constructivist teaching practice can overcome weak teacher STS content knowledge in increasing student STS content knowledge. In addition, other factors such as problem-solving and decision-making skills need to be studied as part of an overall framework for STS teaching.

Simple Versus Elaborate Feedback in a Nursing Science Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elder, Betty L.; Brooks, David W.

2008-08-01

Feedback techniques, including computer-assisted feedback, have had mixed results in improving student learning outcomes. This project addresses the effect of type of feedback, simple or elaborate, for both short-term comprehension and long-term outcomes. A sample of 75 graduate nursing students was given a total of ten examinations. Four examinations provided tutorials in which the students received one of two types of feedback, simple or elaborate. Five examinations provided tutorials with no feedback. A comprehensive final examination compared initial content and final scores. This study found no significant differences between the types of feedback the students received. The mean scores were significantly higher on the four examinations where the students received feedback than on the five examinations with no feedback on tutorials. The comparison between the individual examinations and the similar content portion of the final examination indicated a significant drop in each of the four examinations where feedback was given and a significant improvement in four of the five examinations where no feedback was given.

Influences of Learning Environment Characteristics on Student Learning During Authentic Science Inquiry in an Introductory Physical Geology Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, H. R.; Sell, K. S.; Herbert, B. E.

2004-12-01

Shifts in learning goals in introductory earth science courses to greater emphasis on critical thinking and the nature of science has led to the adoption of new pedagogical techniques, including inquiry-based learning (IBL). IBL is thought to support understanding of the nature of science and foster development of scientific reasoning and critical thinking skills by modeling authentic science inquiry. Implementation of new pedagogical techniques do not occur without influence, instruction and learning occurs in a complex learning environment, referring to the social, physical, mental, and pedagogical contexts. This study characterized the impact of an IBL module verses a traditionally structured laboratory exercise in an introductory physical geology class at Texas A&M University. Student activities in this study included manipulation of large-scale data sets, use of multiple representations, and exposure to ill-constrained problems common to the Texas Gulf Coast system. Formative assessment data collected included an initial survey of self efficacy, student demographics, content knowledge and a pre-mental model expression. Summative data collected included a post-test, post-mental model expression, final laboratory report, and a post-survey on student attitudes toward the module. Mental model expressions and final reports were scored according to a validated rubric instrument (Cronbrach alpha: 0.84-0.98). Nine lab sections were randomized into experimental and control groups. Experimental groups were taught using IBL pedagogical techniques, while the control groups were taught using traditional laboratory "workbook" techniques. Preliminary assessment based on rubric scores for pre-tests using Student's t-test (N ˜ 140) indicated that the experimental and control groups were not significantly different (ρ > 0.05), therefore, the learning environment likely impacted student's ability to succeed. A non-supportive learning environment, including student attitudes, teaching assistant attitudes, the lack of scaffolded learning, limited pedagogical content knowledge, and departmental oversight, which were all encountered during this study, can have an affect on the students' attitudes and achievements during the course. Data collected showed an overall improvement in content knowledge (38% increase); while performance effort clearly declined as seen through post-mental model expressions (a decline in performance by 24.8%) and percentage of assignments turned in (39% of all students turned in the required final report). A non-supportive learning environment was also seen through student comments on the final survey, "I think that all the TA's and the professor have forgotten that we are an intro class". A non-supportive environment clearly does not encourage critical thinking and completion of work. This pilot study showed that the complex learning environment can play a significant role in student learning. It also illustrates the need for future studies in IBL with supportive learning environments in order for students to achieve academic excellence and develop scientific reasoning and critical thinking skills.

Physiotherapy Students' Attitudes toward Psychiatry and Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Connaughton, Joanne; Gibson, William

Purpose: A cross-sectional exploration of Notre Dame Australia physiotherapy students' attitudes toward psychiatry and mental illness, students' perceptions regarding preparation in this area for general clinical practice, and a cross-sectional investigation of current mental health-and psychiatry-related content in physiotherapy curricula across Australia and New Zealand. Methods: A questionnaire including demographic details, level of exposure to mental illness, and the Attitudes Toward Psychiatry-30 items (ATP-30) was completed by pre-clinical and clinically experienced physiotherapy students from the University of Notre Dame Australia. Students with clinical experience were asked additional questions about preparedness for practice. Staff of 10 of 17 physiotherapy programmes across Australia and New Zealand responded to an online questionnaire investigating relevant content and quantity of learning experiences in mental health. Results: Student response rate was 89%. Students generally had a positive attitude about psychiatry and mental health. Women were significantly more positive than men, and students who had completed clinical experience had a significantly more positive attitude. Physiotherapy program responses (response rate=59%) highlighted disparate approaches to psychiatry and mental health learning opportunities in terms of quantity and content. Conclusion: Entry-level physiotherapy students who have clinical experience generally have a more positive attitude toward psychiatry and people with mental illness. Given the prevalence of mental health problems and the increase in physical and mental health comorbidities, it is imperative that future clinicians have positive educational experiences in psychiatry. A coherent, integrated approach to mental illness and psychiatry is suggested for entry-level physiotherapy programmes in Australia and New Zealand.

Physiotherapy Students' Attitudes toward Psychiatry and Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Gibson, William

2016-01-01

Purpose: A cross-sectional exploration of Notre Dame Australia physiotherapy students' attitudes toward psychiatry and mental illness, students' perceptions regarding preparation in this area for general clinical practice, and a cross-sectional investigation of current mental health—and psychiatry-related content in physiotherapy curricula across Australia and New Zealand. Methods: A questionnaire including demographic details, level of exposure to mental illness, and the Attitudes Toward Psychiatry–30 items (ATP-30) was completed by pre-clinical and clinically experienced physiotherapy students from the University of Notre Dame Australia. Students with clinical experience were asked additional questions about preparedness for practice. Staff of 10 of 17 physiotherapy programmes across Australia and New Zealand responded to an online questionnaire investigating relevant content and quantity of learning experiences in mental health. Results: Student response rate was 89%. Students generally had a positive attitude about psychiatry and mental health. Women were significantly more positive than men, and students who had completed clinical experience had a significantly more positive attitude. Physiotherapy program responses (response rate=59%) highlighted disparate approaches to psychiatry and mental health learning opportunities in terms of quantity and content. Conclusion: Entry-level physiotherapy students who have clinical experience generally have a more positive attitude toward psychiatry and people with mental illness. Given the prevalence of mental health problems and the increase in physical and mental health comorbidities, it is imperative that future clinicians have positive educational experiences in psychiatry. A coherent, integrated approach to mental illness and psychiatry is suggested for entry-level physiotherapy programmes in Australia and New Zealand. PMID:27909364

Academic Content, Student Learning, and the Persistence of Preschool Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Claessens, Amy; Engel, Mimi; Curran, F. Chris

2014-01-01

Little research has examined the relationship between academic content coverage in kindergarten and student achievement. Using nationally representative data, we examine the association between reading and mathematics content coverage in kindergarten and student learning, both overall and for students who attended preschool, Head Start, or…

Data-driven Approaches to Teaching Stable Isotopes in Hydrology and Environmental Geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jefferson, A.; Merchant, W. R.; Dees, D.; Griffith, E. M.; Ortiz, J. D.

2016-12-01

Stable isotopes have revolutionized our understanding of watershed hydrology and other earth science processes. However, students may struggle to correctly interpret isotope ratios and few students understand how isotope measurements are made. New laser-based technologies lower the barrier to entry for giving students hands on experience with isotope measurements and data analysis. We hypothesizedthat integrating such activities into the curriculum would increase student content knowledge, perceptions, and motivation to learn. This project assessed the impact that different pedagogical approaches have on student learning of stable isotope concepts in upper-division geoscience courses. An isotope hydrograph separation module was developed and taught for a Watershed Hydrology course, and a Rayleigh distillation activity was developed and deployed for Environmental Geochemistry and Sedimentology/Stratigraphy classes. Groups of students were exposed to this content via (1) a lecture-only format; (2) a paper-based data analysis activity; and (3) hands-on data collection, sometimes including spectrometer analysis. Pre- and post-tests measured gains in content knowledge while approaches to learning and motivational questionnaires instruments were used to identify the effects of the classroom environment on learning approaches and motivation. Focus group interviews were also conducted to verify the quantitative data. All instructional styles appear to be equally effective at increasing student content knowledge of stable isotopes in the geosciences, but future studies need to move beyond "exam question" style assessment of learning. Our results may reflect that hands-on experiences are not new to upper-level geosciences students, because this is the way that many classes are taught in the geosciences (labs, field trips). Thus, active learning approaches may not have had the impact they would with other groups. The "messiness" of hands-on activities and authentic research experiences may be perceived as negatives by students, particularly those who use surface learning techniques and extrinsic motivation.

The effects of academic literacy instruction on engagement and conceptual understanding of biology of ninth-grade students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larson, Susan C.

Academic language, discourse, vocabulary, motivation, and comprehension of complex texts and concepts are keys to learning subject-area content. The need for a disciplinary literacy approach in high school classrooms accelerates as students become increasing disengaged in school and as content complexity increases. In the present quasi-experimental mixed-method study, a ninth-grade biology unit was designed with an emphasis on promoting academic literacy skills, discourse, meaningful constructivist learning, interest development, and positive learning experiences in order to learn science content. Quantitative and qualitative analyses on a variety of measures completed by 222 students in two high schools revealed that those who received academic literacy instruction in science class performed at significantly higher levels of conceptual understanding of biology content, academic language and vocabulary use, reasoned thought, engagement, and quality of learning experience than control-group students receiving traditionally-organized instruction. Academic literacy was embedded into biology instruction to engage students in meaning-making discourses of science to promote learning. Academic literacy activities were organized according the phases of interest development to trigger and sustain interest and goal-oriented engagement throughout the unit. Specific methods included the Generative Vocabulary Matrix (GVM), scenario-based writing, and involvement in a variety of strategically-placed discourse activities to sustain or "boost" engagement for learning. Traditional instruction for the control group included teacher lecture, whole-group discussion, a conceptual organizer, and textbook reading. Theoretical foundations include flow theory, sociocultural learning theory, and interest theory. Qualitative data were obtained from field notes and participants' journals. Quantitative survey data were collected and analyzed using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) to measure cognitive and emotional states, revealing patterns of engagement, quality of experience, and flow over the course of the instructional unit. Conceptual understanding was measured using the state persuasive writing rubric to analyze science essays in which students supported a claim with scientific evidence. The study contributes an Engagement Model of Academic Literacy for Learning (EngageALL), a Rubric for Academic Persuasive Writing (RAPW), a unique classification system for analyzing academic vocabulary, and suggestions for situated professional development around a research-based planning framework. A discussion addresses a new direction for future research that explores academic identity development.

Benefits and costs of Channel One in a middle school setting and the role of media-literacy training.

PubMed

Austin, Erica Weintraub; Chen, Yi-Chun Yvonnes; Pinkleton, Bruce E; Quintero Johnson, Jessie

2006-03-01

Channel One is a public-affairs program that includes 10 minutes of news and 2 minutes of paid product advertising or public service announcements. Advocates assert that it increases public-affairs knowledge, but critics charge that it garners a captive audience for teen-targeted advertising. This experiment analyzed the differential effects of Channel One depending on whether early-adolescent viewers received a media-literacy lesson in conjunction with viewing the program. Outcomes included perceptions of Channel One news programming, recall of program content and advertising, materialism, and political efficacy. Researchers used a posttest-only field experiment (N = 240) of seventh- and eighth-grade students using random assignment to conditions. Conditions included a control group, a group that received a fact-based lesson, and a group that received the same lesson content using a more emotive teaching style. It was expected that the emotion-added lesson condition would be more effective than the logic-only lesson condition because of its motivational component. On average, students remembered more ads from Channel One than news stories. Participants in the control group remembered fewer news stories than did the groups that received the lessons. Students reported having purchased during the preceding 3 months an average of 2.5 items advertised on the program. Both fact-based and affect-added training increased student skepticism toward advertisers. As expected, student liking of the program enhanced their learning from it and was associated with higher levels of political efficacy. Students held misconceptions about the role of their school in the production of Channel One. The use of Channel One by schools can have benefits, but these come with risk that some may consider unacceptable. On the positive side, student liking of the program was associated with their political efficacy. Although those who responded positively to program content and presentation style learned more from it, they also tended to want things that they saw in the advertisements. The data therefore show that the program can provide some benefits to young adolescents, but the results also provide justification for concerns about the commercialization of the classroom.

Integrated Learning with Physical Education and Music

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphries, Charlotte A.; Bidner, Sara; Edwards, Cheryl

2011-01-01

Integrated learning is well established in education, primarily in the classroom subjects. This article describes settings and ways for extending integrated instruction to physical education and music. Benefits of these connections include reinforcing content and better meeting the needs of students whose intelligences include the bodily…

Business Applications of Typewriting Skills; Business Education: 7704.21.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallock, Dorothy

The course described in this pamphlet is for the student interested in typewriting for vocational use, and includes activity-oriented exercises concerning carbon copies, envelopes, postal cards, announements, memoranda, and two styles of business letters. Contents include occupational relationships, enrollment guidelines, performance objectives…

Identifying Content Knowledge for Teaching Energy: Examples from High School Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Amy D.; Scherr, Rachel E.; Goodhew, Lisa M.; Daane, Abigail R.; Gray, Kara E.; Aker, Leanna B.

2017-01-01

"Content knowledge for teaching" is the specialized content knowledge that teachers use in practice the content knowledge that serves them for tasks of teaching such as revoicing students' ideas, choosing an instructional activity to address a student misunderstanding, and evaluating student statements. We describe a methodology for…

Facilitating Student-Generated Content Using Web 2.0 Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Eunbae

2011-01-01

Web 2.0 technologies have created a trend of user-generated content by supporting media production, collaboration, communication, and dissemination. User-generated content is translated into student-generated content (SGC) in education. SGC engages learners in an authentic project that fosters students' autonomy, creativity, and real-world…

MANTLE: An Investigation of the Non-Text Elements Included in Social Studies Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Debra D.

2017-01-01

The textbook is often a primary resource for teachers in elementary content areas, and it is often used to the exclusion of other resources. Research indicates that students may not have sufficient exposure to elements of nonfiction texts in order to be successful when encountering them in the content area. For many years, there has been little…

When Science and Information Literacy Meet: An Approach to Exploring the Sources of Science News with Non-Science Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Majetic, Cassie; Pellegrino, Catherine

2014-01-01

The skill set associated with lifelong scientific literacy often includes the ability to decode the content and accuracy of scientific research as presented in the media. However, students often find decoding science in the media difficult, due to limited content knowledge and shifting definitions of accuracy. Faculty have developed a variety of…

How Should Fifth-Grade Mathematics Teachers Start the School Year?: Relations between Teacher-Student Interactions and Mathematics Instruction over One Year

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banse, Holland W.; Curby, Timothy W.; Palacios, Natalia A.; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E.

2018-01-01

Background: Teaching is comprised of interconnected practices. Some practices are domain neutral (DN), or independent of a content area. Examples of DN practices include emotional and instructional support and classroom organization. Others are domain specific (DS), or content dependent. Within a mathematics context, examples of DS practices…

Social Studies: Grades 4, 8, & 11. Content Specifications for Statewide Assessment by Standard.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Missouri State Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Jefferson City.

This state of Missouri guide to content specifications for social studies assessment is designed to give teachers direction for assessment at the benchmark levels of grades 4, 8, and 11 for each standard that is appropriate for a statewide assessment. The guide includes specifications of what students are expected to know at the benchmark levels…

Should students design or interact with models? Using the Bifocal Modelling Framework to investigate model construction in high school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuhrmann, Tamar; Schneider, Bertrand; Blikstein, Paulo

2018-05-01

The Bifocal Modelling Framework (BMF) is an approach for science learning which links students' physical experimentation with computer modelling in real time, focusing on the comparison of the two media. In this paper, we explore how a Bifocal Modelling implementation supported learning outcomes related to both content and metamodeling knowledge, focusing on the role of designing models. Our study consisted of three conditions implemented with a total of 69 9th grade high-school students. The first and second classes were assigned two implementation modes of BMF: with and without a model design module. The third condition, employed as a control, consisted of a class that received instruction in the school's traditional approach. Our results indicate that students participating in both BMF implementations demonstrated improved content knowledge and a better understanding of metamodeling. However, only the 'BMF-with-design' group improved significantly in both content and metamodeling knowledge. Our qualitative analyses indicate that both BMF groups designed detailed models that included scientific explanations. However only students who engaged in the model design component: (1) completed a detailed model displaying molecular interaction; and (2) developed a critical perspective about models. We discuss the implications of those results for teaching scientific science concepts and metamodeling knowledge.

Online Higher Education in the Natural Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearson, Karen; Liddicoat, Joseph

2013-04-01

Online courses in higher education allow traditional and non-traditional students to complete course work in all disciplines with great flexibility. Courses in the Natural Sciences are no exception because the online environment allows students to collapse time and space; to access a course anywhere; to get immediate feedback, tutoring and coaching; and to receive real-time interaction between themselves and the instructor. This presentation will highlight successful examples of course content from the areas of astronomy, environmental, and earth and physical sciences. Content examples will focus on helping students use their 'environment' as part of the laboratory experience in courses traditionally thought of as lecture and laboratory courses. These examples will include real and virtual field trips, use of multimedia content, collaboration between students and faculty to design and conduct experiments and field work, and modifications to traditional lecture methods for the online environment. Dr. Karen Pearson former director of Online-Learning and Academic Technologies and Professor Science and Mathematics at the Fashion Institute of Technology (SUNY) and Dr. Joseph Liddicoat will focus on how courses in the Natural Sciences can be delivered in the online environment while maintaining high academic standards and not losing the "hands" on experience students need while completing a laboratory science course as part of a liberal arts curriculum.

Disentangling the Impact of Diversity Courses: Examining the Influence of Diversity Course Content on Students' Civic Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castellanos, Michelle; Cole, Darnell

2015-01-01

Utilizing Bennett's genres of multicultural education, the authors examine whether diversity course content clusters influence students' civic engagement. Diversity course content clusters were predicted to influence White students and students of color differently, given principles identified by social development, cognitive development, and…

Including information technology project management in the nursing informatics curriculum.

PubMed

Sockolow, Paulina; Bowles, Kathryn H

2008-01-01

Project management is a critical skill for nurse informaticists who are in prominent roles developing and implementing clinical information systems. It should be included in the nursing informatics curriculum, as evidenced by its inclusion in informatics competencies and surveys of important skills for informaticists. The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing includes project management in two of the four courses in the master's level informatics minor. Course content includes the phases of the project management process; the iterative unified process methodology; and related systems analysis and project management skills. During the introductory course, students learn about the project plan, requirements development, project feasibility, and executive summary documents. In the capstone course, students apply the system development life cycle and project management skills during precepted informatics projects. During this in situ experience, students learn, the preceptors benefit, and the institution better prepares its students for the real world.

Leadership content important in athletic training education with implications for allied health care.

PubMed

Kutz, Matthew R; Scialli, Joan

2008-01-01

A two-phase exploratory and comparative research study using a Delphi technique and a web-based national survey was done to determine leadership content (i.e., theories, styles, or practices) important to include in athletic training education. Eighteen athletic training experts participated in the Delphi technique, followed by 161 athletic trainers completing the national survey. Consensus of experts was reached after two rounds (77% interrater agreement, alpha = 0.80 and alpha = 0.93 per respective round) and identified 31 leadership content items important to include in athletic training education. The national sample then rated importance of each leadership content area for inclusion in four types of athletic training education programs (entry-level baccalaureate, entry-level master's degree, postgraduate certifications, and doctoral degree). The respondents ranked the leadership content in order of importance according to mean (mean = 1.53 +/- 0.84 to 2.55 +/- 0.55; scale, 0-3). Twenty-two content items (63%) were rated at least "very important" (mean > or = 2.0). Exploratory factor analysis established construct validity and organized leadership content by three factors: managerial leadership and knowledge management; leadership theories; and leadership issues, trends, and policies (alpha = 0.84-0.91). Repeated-measures analysis of variance (Sidak post-hoc adjustments) established criterion-related concurrent validity, which found increasing levels of importance as education type progressed (F = 4.88, p = 0.003-32.56, p = 0.000). Adding leadership content within athletic training enhances the professionalization of students, facilitates leadership competency among students and practicing professionals enrolled in postcertification educational programs, and facilitates job placement and role.

TK3 eBook software to author, distribute, and use electronic course content for medical education.

PubMed

Morton, David A; Foreman, K Bo; Goede, Patricia A; Bezzant, John L; Albertine, Kurt H

2007-03-01

The methods for authoring and distributing course content are undergoing substantial changes due to advancement in computer technology. Paper has been the traditional method to author and distribute course content. Paper enables students to personalize content through highlighting and note taking but does not enable the incorporation of multimedia elements. Computers enable multimedia content but lack the capability of the user to personalize the content. Therefore, we investigated TK3 eBooks as a potential solution to incorporate the benefits of both paper and computer technology. The objective of our study was to assess the utility of TK3 eBooks in the context of authoring and distributing dermatology course content for use by second-year medical students at the University of Utah School of Medicine during the spring of 2004. We incorporated all dermatology course content into TK3 eBook format. TK3 eBooks enable students to personalize information through tools such as "notebook," "hiliter," "stickies," mark pages, and keyword search. Students were given the course content in both paper and eBook formats. At the conclusion of the dermatology course, students completed a questionnaire designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the eBooks compared with paper. Students perceived eBooks as an effective way to distribute course content and as a study tool. However, students preferred paper over eBooks to take notes during lecture. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that eBooks provide a convenient method for authoring, distributing, and using course content but that students preferred paper to take notes during lecture.

Availability of state-based obesity surveillance data on high school students with disabilities in the United States.

PubMed

Yamaki, Kiyoshi; Lowry, Brienne Davis; Buscaj, Emilie; Zisko, Leigh; Rimmer, James H

2015-05-01

The aim of this study was to assess the availability of public health surveillance data on obesity among American children with disabilities in state-based surveillance programs. We reviewed annual cross-sectional datasets in state-level surveillance programs for high school students, implemented 2001-2011, for the inclusion of weight and height and disability screening questions. When datasets included a disability screen, its content and consistency of use across years were examined. We identified 54 surveillance programs with 261 annual datasets containing obesity data. Twelve surveillance programs in 11 states included a disability screening question that could be used to extract obesity data for high school students with disabilities, leaving the other 39 states with no state-level obesity data for students with disabilities. A total of 43 annual datasets, 16.5 % of the available datasets, could be used to estimate the obesity status of students with disabilities. The frequency of use of disability questions varied across states, and the content of the questions often changed across years and within a state. We concluded that state surveillance programs rarely contained questions that could be used to identify high school students with disabilities. This limits the availability of data that can be used to monitor obesity and related health statuses among this population in the majority of states.

Teachers' Organization of Participation Structures for Teaching Science with Computer Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramaniam, Karthigeyan

2016-08-01

This paper describes a qualitative study that investigated the nature of the participation structures and how the participation structures were organized by four science teachers when they constructed and communicated science content in their classrooms with computer technology. Participation structures focus on the activity structures and processes in social settings like classrooms thereby providing glimpses into the complex dynamics of teacher-students interactions, configurations, and conventions during collective meaning making and knowledge creation. Data included observations, interviews, and focus group interviews. Analysis revealed that the dominant participation structure evident within participants' instruction with computer technology was ( Teacher) initiation-( Student and Teacher) response sequences-( Teacher) evaluate participation structure. Three key events characterized the how participants organized this participation structure in their classrooms: setting the stage for interactive instruction, the joint activity, and maintaining accountability. Implications include the following: (1) teacher educators need to tap into the knowledge base that underscores science teachers' learning to teach philosophies when computer technology is used in instruction. (2) Teacher educators need to emphasize the essential idea that learning and cognition is not situated within the computer technology but within the pedagogical practices, specifically the participation structures. (3) The pedagogical practices developed with the integration or with the use of computer technology underscored by the teachers' own knowledge of classroom contexts and curriculum needs to be the focus for how students learn science content with computer technology instead of just focusing on how computer technology solely supports students learning of science content.

Development and initial evaluation of an instrument to assess physiotherapists' clinical reasoning focused on clients' behavior change.

PubMed

Elvén, Maria; Hochwälder, Jacek; Dean, Elizabeth; Söderlund, Anne

2018-05-01

A systematically developed and evaluated instrument is needed to support investigations of physiotherapists' clinical reasoning integrated with the process of clients' behavior change. This study's aim was to develop an instrument to assess physiotherapy students' and physiotherapists' clinical reasoning focused on clients' activity-related behavior and behavior change, and initiate its evaluation, including feasibility and content validity. The study was conducted in three phases: 1) determination of instrument structure and item generation, based on a model, guidelines for assessing clinical reasoning, and existing measures; 2) cognitive interviews with five physiotherapy students to evaluate item understanding and feasibility; and 3) a Delphi process with 18 experts to evaluate content relevance. Phase 1 resulted in an instrument with four domains: Physiotherapist; Input from client; Functional behavioral analysis; and Strategies for behavior change. The instrument consists of case scenarios followed by items in which key features are identified, prioritized, or interpreted. Phase 2 resulted in revisions of problems and approval of feasibility. Phase 3 demonstrated high level of consensus regarding the instrument's content relevance. This feasible and content-validated instrument shows potential for use in investigations of physiotherapy students' and physiotherapists' clinical reasoning, however continued development and testing are needed.

Urban fifth graders' connections-making between formal earth science content and their lived experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brkich, Katie Lynn

2014-03-01

Earth science education, as it is traditionally taught, involves presenting concepts such as weathering, erosion, and deposition using relatively well-known examples—the Grand Canyon, beach erosion, and others. However, these examples—which resonate well with middle- and upper-class students—ill-serve students of poverty attending urban schools who may have never traveled farther from home than the corner store. In this paper, I explore the use of a place-based educational framework in teaching earth science concepts to urban fifth graders and explore the connections they make between formal earth science content and their lived experiences using participant-driven photo elicitation techniques. I argue that students are able to gain a sounder understanding of earth science concepts when they are able to make direct observations between the content and their lived experiences and that when such direct observations are impossible they make analogies of appearance, structure, and response to make sense of the content. I discuss additionally the importance of expanding earth science instruction to include man-made materials, as these materials are excluded traditionally from the curriculum yet are most immediately available to urban students for examination.

GeoMapApp Learning Activities: Enabling the democratisation of geoscience learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodwillie, A. M.; Kluge, S.

2011-12-01

GeoMapApp Learning Activities (http://serc.carleton.edu/geomapapp) are step-by-step guided inquiry geoscience education activities that enable students to dictate the pace of learning. They can be used in the classroom or out of class, and their guided nature means that the requirement for teacher intervention is minimised which allows students to spend increased time analysing and understanding a broad range of geoscience data, content and concepts. Based upon GeoMapApp (http://www.geomapapp.org), a free, easy-to-use map-based data exploration and visualisation tool, each activity furnishes the educator with an efficient package of downloadable documents. This includes step-by-step student instructions and answer sheet; a teacher's edition annotated worksheet containing teaching tips, additional content and suggestions for further work; quizzes for use before and after the activity to assess learning; and a multimedia tutorial. The activities can be used by anyone at any time in any place with an internet connection. In essence, GeoMapApp Learning Activities provide students with cutting-edge technology, research-quality geoscience data sets, and inquiry-based learning in a virtual lab-like environment. Examples of activities so far created are student calculation and analysis of the rate of seafloor spreading, and present-day evidence on the seafloor for huge ancient landslides around the Hawaiian islands. The activities are designed primarily for students at the community college, high school and introductory undergraduate levels, exposing students to content and concepts typically found in those settings.

Engineering the path to higher-order thinking in elementary education: A problem-based learning approach for STEM integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rehmat, Abeera Parvaiz

As we progress into the 21st century, higher-order thinking skills and achievement in science and math are essential to meet the educational requirement of STEM careers. Educators need to think of innovative ways to engage and prepare students for current and future challenges while cultivating an interest among students in STEM disciplines. An instructional pedagogy that can capture students' attention, support interdisciplinary STEM practices, and foster higher-order thinking skills is problem-based learning. Problem-based learning embedded in the social constructivist view of teaching and learning (Savery & Duffy, 1995) promotes self-regulated learning that is enhanced through exploration, cooperative social activity, and discourse (Fosnot, 1996). This quasi-experimental mixed methods study was conducted with 98 fourth grade students. The study utilized STEM content assessments, a standardized critical thinking test, STEM attitude survey, PBL questionnaire, and field notes from classroom observations to investigate the impact of problem-based learning on students' content knowledge, critical thinking, and their attitude towards STEM. Subsequently, it explored students' experiences of STEM integration in a PBL environment. The quantitative results revealed a significant difference between groups in regards to their content knowledge, critical thinking skills, and STEM attitude. From the qualitative results, three themes emerged: learning approaches, increased interaction, and design and engineering implementation. From the overall data set, students described the PBL environment to be highly interactive that prompted them to employ multiple approaches, including design and engineering to solve the problem.

Effects of interactive technology, teacher scaffolding and feedback on university students' conceptual development in motion and force concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stecklein, Jason Jeffrey

The utilization of interactive technologies will affect learning in science classrooms of the future. And although these technologies have improved in form and function, their effective employment in university science classrooms has lagged behind the rapid development of new constructivist pedagogies and means of instruction. This dissertation examines the enlistment of instructional technologies, in particular tablet PCs and DyKnow Interactive Software, in a technologically enhanced, university-level, introductory physics course. Results of this qualitative case study of three university students indicate that (1) the use of interactive technology positively affects both student learning within force and motion and self-reported beliefs about physics, (2) ad hoc use of instructional technologies may not sufficient for effective learning in introductory physics, (3) student learners dictate the leveraging of technology in any classroom, and (4) that purposeful teacher structuring of classroom activities with technologies are essential for student construction of knowledge. This includes designing activities to elicit attention and make knowledge visible for low-level content, while augmenting student interactions and modelling procedural steps for higher-level content.

Effects of multimedia vocabulary instruction on adolescents with learning disabilities.

PubMed

Kennedy, Michael J; Deshler, Donald D; Lloyd, John Wills

2015-01-01

The purpose of this experimental study is to investigate the effects of using content acquisition podcasts (CAPs), an example of instructional technology, to provide vocabulary instruction to adolescents with and without learning disabilities (LD). A total of 279 urban high school students, including 30 with LD in an area related to reading, were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions with instruction occurring at individual computer terminals over a 3-week period. Each of the four conditions contained different configurations of multimedia-based instruction and evidence-based vocabulary instruction. Dependent measures of vocabulary knowledge indicated that students with LD who received vocabulary instruction using CAPs through an explicit instructional methodology and the keyword mnemonic strategy significantly outperformed other students with LD who were taught using the same content, but with multimedia instruction that did not adhere to a specific theoretical design framework. Results for general education students mirrored those for students with LD. Students also completed a satisfaction measure following instruction with multimedia and expressed overall agreement that CAPs are useful for learning vocabulary terms. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2013.

Student feedback on a pioneer subject on leadership and intrapersonal development in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Shek, Daniel T L; Yu, Lu; Xie, Qiu Zhi

2017-02-01

To promote leadership and intrapersonal development in university students, a subject entitled "Tomorrow's Leaders" was developed and offered at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. To assess the perceived effectiveness of this subject, 647 students completed the student feedback questionnaire (SFQ). Results showed that the feedback questionnaire had very good psychometric properties, including internal consistency reliability and construct validity. Regarding students' views of the subject, results showed that students generally had good evaluation of the content of the subject, teaching quality, and perceived benefits of the subject. The present findings have implications for the teaching of general education regarding leadership development.

A Chemical Plant Safety and Hazard Analysis Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gupta, J. P.

1989-01-01

Describes a course for teaching chemical engineering students about safety and hazards. Summarizes the course content including topics for term papers and disciplines related to this course. Lists 18 references. (YP)

A Mixed-Methods Study on the Impact of Socratic Seminars on Eighth Grade Students' Comprehension of Science Texts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roncke, Nancy

This formative, convergent-mixed methods research study investigated the impact of Socratic Seminars on eighth grade science students' independent comprehension of science texts. The study also highlighted how eighth grade students of varying reading abilities interacted with and comprehended science texts differently during and after the use of Socratic Seminars. In order to document any changes in the students' overall comprehension of science texts, this study compared the experimental and control groups' pre- and post-test performances on the Content Area Reading Assessment (Leslie & Caldwell, 2014) and self-perception surveys on students' scientific reading engagement. Student think-alouds and interviews also captured the students' evolving understandings of the science texts. At the conclusion of this sixteen-week study, the achievement gap between the experimental and control group was closed in five of the seven categories on the Content Area Reading Assessment, including supporting an inference with textual evidence, determining central ideas, explaining why or how, determining word meaning, and summarizing a science text. Students' self-perception surveys were more positive regarding reading science texts after the Socratic Seminars. Finally, the student think-alouds revealed that some students moved from a literal interpretation of the science texts to inquiries that questioned the text and world events.

Capturing and portraying science student teachers' pedagogical content knowledge through CoRe construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thongnoppakun, Warangkana; Yuenyong, Chokchai

2018-01-01

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is an essential kind of knowledge that teacher have for teaching particular content to particular students for enhance students' understanding, therefore, teachers with adequate PCK can give content to their students in an understandable way rather than transfer subject matter knowledge to learner. This study explored science student teachers' PCK for teaching science using Content representation base methodology. Research participants were 68 4th year science student teachers from department of General Science, faculty of Education, Phuket Rajabhat University. PCK conceptualization for teaching science by Magnusson et al. (1999) was applied as a theoretical framework in this study. In this study, Content representation (CoRe) by Loughran et al. (2004) was employed as research methodology in the lesson preparation process. In addition, CoRe consisted of eight questions (CoRe prompts) that designed to elicit and portray teacher's PCK for teaching science. Data were collected from science student teachers' CoRes design for teaching a given topic and student grade. Science student teachers asked to create CoRes design for teaching in topic `Motion in one direction' for 7th grade student and further class discussion. Science student teachers mostly created a same group of science concepts according to subunits of school science textbook rather than planned and arranged content to support students' understanding. Furthermore, they described about the effect of student's prior knowledge and learning difficulties such as students' knowledge of Scalar and Vector quantity; and calculating skill. These responses portrayed science student teacher's knowledge of students' understanding of science and their content knowledge. However, they still have inadequate knowledge of instructional strategies and activities for enhance student learning. In summary, CoRes design can represented holistic overviews of science student teachers' PCK related to the teaching of a particular topic and also support them to gain more understanding about how to teach for understanding. Research implications are given for teacher education and educational research to offer a potential way to enhance science student teachers' PCK for teaching science and support their professional learning.

Nursing students collaborating to develop multiple-choice exam revision questions: A student engagement study.

PubMed

Craft, Judy A; Christensen, Martin; Shaw, Natasha; Bakon, Shannon

2017-12-01

Nursing students find bioscience subjects challenging. Bioscience exams pose particular concerns for these students, which may lead to students adopting a surface-approach to learning. To promote student collective understanding of bioscience, improve their confidence for the final exam, and improve deeper understanding of bioscience. In order to address exam anxiety, and improve student understanding of content, this student engagement project involved nursing students collaborating in small groups to develop multiple-choice questions and answers, which became available to the entire student cohort. This study was conducted at two campuses of an Australian university, within a first year bioscience subject as part of the undergraduate nursing programme. All students enrolled in the subject were encouraged to attend face-to-face workshops, and collaborate in revision question writing. Online anonymous questionnaires were used to invite student feedback on this initiative; 79 respondents completed this feedback. Students collaborated in groups to write revision questions as part of in-class activities. These questions were made available on the student online learning site for revision. An online feedback survey was deployed at the conclusion of all workshops for this subject, with questions rated using a Likert scale. Participants indicated that they enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate in this activity, and almost all of these respondents used these questions in their exam preparation. There was strong agreement that this activity improved their confidence for the final exam. Importantly, almost two-thirds of respondents agreed that writing questions improved their understanding of content, and assisted in their active reflection of content. Overall, this initiative revealed various potential benefits for the students, including promoting bioscience understanding and confidence. This may improve their long-term understanding of bioscience for nursing practice, as registered nurses' bioscience knowledge can impact on patient outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE): extending GAISE into nursing education.

PubMed

Hayat, Matthew J

2014-04-01

Statistics coursework is usually a core curriculum requirement for nursing students at all degree levels. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) establishes curriculum standards for academic nursing programs. However, the AACN provides little guidance on statistics education and does not offer standardized competency guidelines or recommendations about course content or learning objectives. Published standards may be used in the course development process to clarify course content and learning objectives. This article includes suggestions for implementing and integrating recommendations given in the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) report into statistics education for nursing students. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

"But I Grew Up Here!" Science Inquiry, Pedagogy and Technology Through a Sociocultural Lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, Brian R.

The majority of students in the urban setting are considered underrepresented. These students frequently perform below their proficiency level on standardized tests locally and nationally. If we treat education as the ticket out of the culture of poverty that underrepresented students find themselves, it is incumbent upon us to find pedagogical, content, and cultural methods that allow for these students to achieve at a high level. The purpose behind this case study was to determine the pedagogical, content and cultural knowledge of two urban junior high school science teachers with the specific intention of drawing on the mitigating factors in the use, or non-use, of technology by these respective classroom teachers. Participants in this case study included two teachers both of whom teach 7th and 8th grade science in the urban setting. Their students are deemed to be underachieving by local and state measures of assessment, and the schools in which they teach are both considered low on measures of socioeconomic status. Data were collected over an academic year and included: teacher and student interviews, classroom video recordings, student work, teacher plans, and researcher field notes. These data were analyzed using an inductive approach and a constant-comparative method. The teachers shared their beliefs about the schools and district in which they teach, about the students they teach, and about their own upbringing. These female teachers had many demographics in common, including the duration of their teaching careers, their age, their content area, their time teaching in the district, and their professed caring for their students and their students' success. Where they contrasted, however, was in their own educational background at the grade school level - one teacher grew up in a middle class suburban home while the other was raised in the urban setting. Another difference was in their early choice of career, as the suburban teacher knew she wanted to teach science while the urban teacher chose science from a marketability standpoint. Results from this study indicate that both teachers and students have established belief sets of what good teaching looks like, and both are able to know when those practices do not match the professed beliefs. Results from this study could play a significant role in the types of teachers that are hired in the urban setting. These results may also speak to the importance level that a school district places on professional development versus technological implementation.

Investigating Evolution with Living Plants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlessman, Mark A.

1997-01-01

Describes two investigative labs that use live plants to illustrate important biological principles, include quantitative analysis, and require very little equipment. Each lab is adaptable to a variety of class sizes, course contents, and student backgrounds. Topics include the evolution of flower size in Mimulus and pollination of Brassicas. (DDR)

Selected Bibliography of Egyptian Educational Materials, Vol. 2, No. 3, 1976.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Ahram Center for Scientific Translations, Cairo (Egypt).

The selective annotated bibliography of Egyptian educational publications contains 109 entries on 42 topics. Included are journal articles, books, and government documents published during 1976. Content includes the following topics: adult education, art education, audiovisual aids, care for distinguished students, educational planning,…

Improving Outcomes for English Language Learners by Integrating Social Studies and Literacy with OCDE Project GLAD Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoff, Rachel

2017-01-01

Elementary teachers are challenged to maximize instructional time to cover standards in all content areas and to meet a wide variety of student needs including students who are not proficient in English. This action research looks at how one fourth-grade teacher improved achievement for English Language Learners by integrating social studies into…

An Online Course in Multicultural Materials for LIS Graduate Students at the University of South Florida

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Linda B.

2008-01-01

The author discusses the content included in an online course on "Multicultural Materials for Young Adults and Children." This graduate course (LIS 5937) for Library and information Science students at the University of South Florida, is a very popular offering for those who plan to work with youth in libraries. The class teaches…

Do Disadvantaged Students Get Less Effective Teaching? Key Findings from Recent Institute of Education Sciences Studies. NCEE Evaluation Brief. Technical Appendix. NCEE 2014-4010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Max, Jeffrey; Glazerman, Steven

2014-01-01

This document represents the technical appendix intended to accompany "Do Disadvantaged Students Get Less Effective Teaching? Key Findings from Recent Institute of Education Sciences Studies. NCEE Evaluation Brief. NCEE 2014-4010." Contents include: (1) Summary of Related, Non-Peer-Reviewed Studies; (2) Methods for Comparing Findings…

Evaluation of Students' Views about the Use of SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model)-Compatible Materials in Physics Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonen, Selahattin; Basaran, Bulent

2013-01-01

In the present study, a web site including instructional materials such as Whiteboard Movies (WBM), simulations and animations and testing materials such as true-false, fill-in-the-blanks, puzzles, open-ended questions and multiple-choice questions was designed. The study was carried out with 76 students attending Dicle College (DC), Diyarbakir…

Designing Chemistry Practice Exams for Enhanced Benefits: An Instrument for Comparing Performance and Mental Effort Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knaus, Karen J.; Murphy, Kristen L.; Holme, Thomas A.

2009-01-01

The design and use of a chemistry practice exam instrument that includes a measure for student mental effort is described in this paper. Use of such an instrument can beneficial to chemistry students and chemistry educators as well as chemical education researchers from both a content and cognitive science perspective. The method for calculating…

Using a Tablet PC to Enhance Student Engagement and Learning in an Introductory Organic Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Derting, Terry L.; Cox, James R.

2008-01-01

Over the past three decades, computer-based technologies have influenced all aspects of chemistry, including chemical education. Pen-based computing applications, such as the tablet PC, have reemerged in the past few years and are providing new ways for educators to deliver content and engage students inside and outside the classroom and…

Use for Teachers and Students | Galaxy of Images

Science.gov Websites

the website. Some Frequently Asked Questions by Students and Teachers May I put unaltered images, text Libraries (http://www.sil.si.edu). May I put unaltered images, text or content from this website on my should include a link back to Smithsonian Libraries (http://www.sil.si.edu). May I put images, text or

New York City Russian Bilingual Program, 1981-1982. O.E.E. Final Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY. Office of Educational Evaluation.

The New York City Russian Bilingual Program, evaluated here, serves students in grades 9-12 in three public and eight private schools. Three groups of subjects are included in the program: English as a second language, native language arts, and content-area subjects. All students take some mainstream classes from the beginning of the program. In…

"Probably True" Says the Expert: How Two Types of Lexical Hedges Influence Students' Evaluation of Scientificness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thiebach, Monja; Mayweg-Paus, Elisabeth; Jucks, Regina

2015-01-01

Contemporary school learning typically includes the processing of popular scientific information as found in journals, magazines, and/or the WWW. The German high school curriculum emphasizes that students should have achieved science literacy and have learned to evaluate the substance of text-based learning content by the end of high school.…

The Game of History: A Creative Review Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Christine

2005-01-01

About eight days before final exams, teacher, Christine Bell, gives her students a study guide and a new assignment: to create their own board game. She groups students into threes. They have a week or so to prepare their game, the form of which should be based on anything of interest. The key is that the content of their game must include one…

Project Application Guidelines for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Program Funding. Student Services, Prevention, and Wellness Team. Bulletin No. 95202.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin State Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison. Bureau for Pupil Services.

This publication provides information and application forms for alcohol and other drug abuse (AODA) funding. The contents include the following: Framework for Student Services, Prevention and Wellness; Abstracts of AODA Grants; Timetable for Grants; Criteria Applicable to all State AODA Grants; Criteria Specific to Aoda Program Grant; AODA…

Building Model NASA Satellites: Elementary Students Studying Science Using a NASA-Themed Transmedia Book Featuring Digital Fabrication Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tillman, Daniel; An, Song; Boren, Rachel; Slykhuis, David

2014-01-01

This study assessed the impact of nine lessons incorporating a NASA-themed transmedia book featuring digital fabrication activities on 5th-grade students (n = 29) recognized as advanced in mathematics based on their academic record. Data collected included a pretest and posttest of science content questions taken from released Virginia Standards…

Arts Integration: A Strategy to Improve Teaching and Learning, Promote Personal Competencies, and Turn Around Low-Performing Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biscoe, Belinda; Wilson, Kirk

2015-01-01

This paper connects the dots between arts integration, students' personal competencies, and school turnaround. Its thesis is that by intertwining art forms and methods with content in all subject areas, students learn more about art and the other subjects and build their personal competencies for learning. The paper includes the story of an…

Doing a Group Presentation: Negotiations and Challenges Experienced by Five Chinese ESL Students of Commerce at a Canadian University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Luxin

2010-01-01

This study investigated the negotiations and challenges experienced by five Chinese ESL (English as a second language) students of Commerce through their engagement in an academic presentation in a regular content course at a Canadian university. Multiple sources of data were collected, including interviews, class observations, group discussions,…

Setting the Direction: The Role of the Principal in Developing an Effective, Inclusive School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waldron, Nancy L.; McLeskey, James; Redd, Lacy

2011-01-01

Many schools are currently faced with the difficult task of including increasing numbers of students with disabilities and improving academic outcomes for these and other students who struggle to learn academic content. Recent research has shown that the principal is the key to ensuring that a school meets both of these goals and is both inclusive…

Examining the Factors That Influence Students' Science Learning Processes and Their Learning Outcomes: 30 Years of Conceptual Change Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Jing-Wen; Yen, Miao-Hsuan; Liang, Jia-Chi; Chiu, Mei-Hung; Guo, Chorng-Jee

2016-01-01

This study used content analysis to examine the most studied conceptual change factors that influence students' science learning processes and their learning outcomes. The reviewed research included empirical studies published since Posner et al. proposed their conceptual change model 30 years ago (from 1982 to 2011). One hundred sixteen SSCI…

They'll Read if It Matters: Study Guides for Books about Pregnancy and Parenting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsay, Jeanne

This guide includes teaching suggestions for teachers of pregnant minors and other students and approximately 815 study questions and answers about the content of 26 books concerning pregnancy and babies. Part I indicates how the materials can be used for classroom instruction of pregnant minors and for other students in general science or social…

Teaching to Learn and Learning to Teach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, Lei

2010-02-01

In STEM education, widely accepted teaching goals include not only the development of solid content knowledge but also the development of general scientific reasoning abilities that will enable students to successfully handle open-ended real-world tasks in future careers and design their own experiments to solve scientific, engineering, and social problems. Traditionally, it is often expected that consistent and rigorous content learning will help develop students' general reasoning abilities; however, our research has shown that the content-rich style of STEM education made little impact on the development of students' scientific reasoning abilities. Therefore, how to train teachers who can help students develop both solid content knowledge and adequate scientific reasoning skills has become an important question for educators and researchers. Research has also suggested that inquiry based science instruction can promote scientific reasoning abilities and that the scientific reasoning skills of instructors can also significantly affect their ability to use inquiry methods effectively in science courses. In this talk, I will compare the features of the teacher preparation programs in China and USA and discuss the possible strength and weakness of the education systems and programs in the two countries. Understanding the different education settings and the outcome can help researchers in both countries to learn from each other's success and to avoid known problems. Examples of current research that may foster such knowledge development among researchers from both countries will be discussed. )

Instruction of Multidisciplinary Content in Introductory Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaibani, Saami J.

2017-01-01

There has been an ever-increasing emphasis on the integration of material in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics during the past decade or so. However, there are two major requirements for accomplishing the effective delivery of such multidisciplinary content in the classroom: having high levels of expertise in all of the subjects; and, having the ability to combine the separate fields in a consistent manner without compromising academic purity. The research reported here involves a teacher with this skill set and it includes an example from kinematics, which is initially explored with standard treatment of concepts in mechanics and then developed with analysis employing algebra. As often happens, the non-trivial nature of the result in this case does not readily allow students to have a sense that the physics-based outcome is correct. This shortfall is remedied by adopting a complementary approach with geometry and calculus, which adds an independent perspective that reassures students by confirming the validity of the original answer. The enhanced quality of instruction achieved with the above methodology produces many benefits, including greater student understanding and more opportunities for active involvement by students in the learning process.

Assessment of microbiology students' progress with an audience response system.

PubMed

Chaudhry, M Ahmad

2011-01-01

The development of new approaches to teaching of large lecture courses is needed. Today's classroom has a wide range of students including high-achieving motivated learners, students struggling to understand basic concepts, and learning-challenged students. Many of these students can be lost in large classes under the shadow of the high-achieving extroverted students who dominate classroom question-and-answer sessions. Measuring a student's understanding and achievement of content standards becomes difficult until an assessment has been done. To close this gap, an audience response system was introduced in an introductory Principles of Microbiology course. This technology specifically addressed the goal of individualizing instruction to the needs of the students. The evaluation of this project indicated an overall positive impact on student learning.

Assessing student understanding of sound waves and trigonometric reasoning in a technology-rich, project-enhanced environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilhelm, Jennifer Anne

This case study examined what student content understanding could occur in an inner city Industrial Electronics classroom located at Tree High School where project-based instruction, enhanced with technology, was implemented for the first time. Students participated in a project implementation unit involving sound waves and trigonometric reasoning. The unit was designed to foster common content learning (via benchmark lessons) by all students in the class, and to help students gain a deeper conceptual understanding of a sub-set of the larger content unit (via group project research). The objective goal of the implementation design unit was to have students gain conceptual understanding of sound waves, such as what actually waves in a wave, how waves interfere with one another, and what affects the speed of a wave. This design unit also intended for students to develop trigonometric reasoning associated with sinusoidal curves and superposition of sinusoidal waves. Project criteria within this design included implementation features, such as the need for the student to have a driving research question and focus, the need for benchmark lessons to help foster and scaffold content knowledge and understanding, and the need for project milestones to complete throughout the implementation unit to allow students the time for feedback and revision. The Industrial Electronics class at Tree High School consisted of nine students who met daily during double class periods giving 100 minutes of class time per day. The class teacher had been teaching for 18 years (mathematics, physics, and computer science). He had a background in engineering and experience teaching at the college level. Benchmark activities during implementation were used to scaffold fundamental ideas and terminology needed to investigate characteristics of sound and waves. Students participating in benchmark activities analyzed motion and musical waveforms using probeware, and explored wave phenomena using waves simulation software. Benchmark activities were also used to bridge the ideas of triangle trigonometric ratios to the graphs of sinusoidal curves, which could lead to understanding the concepts of frequency, period, amplitude, and wavelength. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Investigating the impact of a LEGO(TM)-based, engineering-oriented curriculum compared to an inquiry-based curriculum on fifth graders' content learning of simple machines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marulcu, Ismail

This mixed method study examined the impact of a LEGO-based, engineering-oriented curriculum compared to an inquiry-based curriculum on fifth graders' content learning of simple machines. This study takes a social constructivist theoretical stance that science learning involves learning scientific concepts and their relations to each other. From this perspective, students are active participants, and they construct their conceptual understanding through the guidance of their teacher. With the goal of better understanding the use of engineering education materials in classrooms the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council in the book "Engineering in K-12 Education" conducted an in-depth review of the potential benefits of including engineering in K--12 schools as (a) improved learning and achievement in science and mathematics, (b) increased awareness of engineering and the work of engineers, (c) understanding of and the ability to engage in engineering design, (d) interest in pursuing engineering as a career, and (e) increased technological literacy (Katehi, Pearson, & Feder, 2009). However, they also noted a lack of reliable data and rigorous research to support these assertions. Data sources included identical written tests and interviews, classroom observations and videos, teacher interviews, and classroom artifacts. To investigate the impact of the design-based simple machines curriculum compared to the scientific inquiry-based simple machines curriculum on student learning outcomes, I compared the control and the experimental groups' scores on the tests and interviews by using ANCOVA. To analyze and characterize the classroom observation videotapes, I used Jordan and Henderson's (1995) method and divide them into episodes. My analyses revealed that the design-based Design a People Mover: Simple Machines unit was, if not better, as successful as the inquiry-based FOSS Levers and Pulleys unit in terms of students' content learning. I also found that students in the engineering group outperformed students in the control group in regards to their ability to answer open-ended questions when interviewed. Implications for students' science content learning and teachers' professional development are discussed.

Revisiting Social Network Utilization by Physicians-in-Training.

PubMed

Black, Erik W; Thompson, Lindsay A; Duff, W Patrick; Dawson, Kara; Saliba, Heidi; Black, Nicole M Paradise

2010-06-01

To measure and compare the frequency and content of online social networking among 2 cohorts of medical students and residents (2007 and 2009). Using the online social networking application Facebook, we evaluated social networking profiles for 2 cohorts of medical students (n  =  528) and residents (n  =  712) at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Objective measures included existence of a profile, whether it was made private, and whether any personally identifiable information was included. Subjective outcomes included photographic content, affiliated social groups, and personal information not generally disclosed in a doctor-patient encounter. We compared our results to our previously published and reported data from 2007. Social networking continues to be common amongst physicians-in-training, with 39.8% of residents and 69.5% of medical students maintaining Facebook accounts. Residents' participation significantly increased (P < .01) when compared to the 2007 data. Individuals in the 2009 cohort had significantly more "friends" (P < .01), belonged to more "groups" (P < .01), and were more likely to limit public access to their profiles through the use of privacy settings (P < .01) than the individuals in the 2007 cohort. Online social networking application use by physicians-in-training remains common. While most now limit access to their profiles, personal profiles that still allow public access exhibited a few instances of unprofessional behavior. Concerns remain related to the discovery of content in violation of patient privacy and the expansive and impersonal networks of online "friends" who may view profiles.

Using a flipped classroom and the perspective of families to teach medical students about children with disabilities and special education.

PubMed

Sheppard, Mary E; Vitalone-Raccaro, Nancy; Kaari, Jacqueline M; Ajumobi, Taiwo T

2017-10-01

The need to teach medical students to care for children with disabilities, work effectively with these patients' families, and collaborate with schools has been well established. Yet, what is not clear is the exact nature of the content to be taught and how medical schools develop the systems and enabling structures required to ensure medical education responds to the needs of children with disabilities and their families. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the efficacy of an educational intervention designed to introduce the topics of special education law and practices and working with parents of children with disabilities into an undergraduate medical education pediatrics course. A new curricular element based upon the flipped classroom that included an on-line module followed by participation in a panel discussion comprised of parents of children with disabilities, and concluding with an on-line discussion was implemented. Medical students completed a pre- and post-assessment that evaluated their knowledge of special education law and practices. Students demonstrated increased understanding of special education laws and practices. Qualitative findings showed that students recognized the importance and value of learning the content to support their patients and their patients' families. Based upon study findings, the flipped classroom method improved student knowledge of the topic and students reported they valued the content. This addition to the undergraduate medical curriculum provided students with an effective introductory overview and demonstrated one viable option for incorporating necessary topics into the undergraduate medical curriculum. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Small group activities within academic communities improve the connectedness of students and faculty.

PubMed

Brandl, Katharina; Schneid, Stephen D; Smith, Sunny; Winegarden, Babbi; Mandel, Jess; Kelly, Carolyn J

2017-08-01

The University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine implemented a curriculum change that included reduction of lectures, incorporation of problem-based learning and other small group activities. Six academic communities were introduced for teaching longitudinal curricular content and organizing extracurricular activities. Surveys were collected from 904 first- and second-year medical students over 6 years. Student satisfaction data with their sense of connectedness and community support were collected before and after the implementation of the new curriculum. In a follow-up survey, medical students rated factors that contributed to their sense of connectedness with faculty and students (n = 134). Students' perception of connectedness to faculty significantly increased following implementation of a curriculum change that included academic communities. Students ranked small group clinical skills activities within academic communities significantly higher than other activities concerning their sense of connectedness with faculty. Students' perception of connectedness among each other was high at baseline and did not significantly change. Small group activities scored higher than extracurricular activities regarding students' connectedness among themselves. The implementation of a new curriculum with more small group educational activities including academic communities enhanced connectedness between students and faculty and resulted in an increased sense of community.

Exploration of multidimensional interactive classroom teaching for CCD principle and application course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Xinghu; Tan, Ailing; Zhang, Baojun; Fu, Guangwei; Bi, Weihong

2017-08-01

The CCD principle and application course is professional and comprehensive. It involves many subject contents. The course content includes eight aspects. In order to complete the teaching tasks within a limited time, improve the classroom teaching quality and prompt students master the course content faster and better, so the multidimensional interactive classroom teaching is proposed. In the teaching practice, the interactive relationship between the frontier science, scientific research project, living example and classroom content is researched detailedly. Finally, it has been proved practically that the proposed multidimensional interactive classroom teaching can achieved good teaching effect.

Interpreting values conflicts experienced by obstetrics-gynecology clerkship students using reflective writing.

PubMed

Cohn, Felicia G; Shapiro, Johanna; Lie, Désirée A; Boker, John; Stephens, Frances; Leung, Lee Ann

2009-05-01

To examine students' responses to reflective practice assignments used in medical ethics and professionalism education. The study goals include an examination of what reflective writing reveals about students' personal and professional values, identification of the narrative typologies students use to tell stories of ethical dilemmas, and a determination of the usefulness of reflective writing in informing ethics/professionalism curricula assessment and development. This study employed a mixed-methods design generating both descriptive data and interpretive analysis. Students' reflective writing assignments, guided by a series of six questions designed to elicit students' perceptions of moral conflicts they have encountered and their personal and professional ethical values, were collected from three successive cohorts of third-year medical students (n = 299) from July 2002 to January 2006 during an obstetrics-gynecology clerkship at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. Content, thematic, and global narrative analyses of students' reflective writing were conducted, drawing on content analysis, grounded theory, and narrative methodologies. Values conflicts usually were patient centered (181; 60.5%) and student centered (172; 57.5%), without much regard for important contextual issues such as patients' socioeconomic status, insurance coverage, or culture. Common personal values included religious beliefs (82; 27.4%), respect (72; 24.1%), and the Golden Rule (66; 22.1%); frequent professional values were respect (72; 25.1%), beneficence (71; 23.7%), nonmaleficence (69; 23.1%), and autonomy (65; 21.7%). Whereas 35.5% (106) claimed to have addressed conflicts, 23.4% (70) said they did nothing. Restitution narratives (113; 37.8%) dominated. This analytic approach facilitated assessment of student values, conflict sources, and narrative types. Findings reveal aspects of the influence of the hidden curriculum and can inform strategies for effective implementation of bioethics/professionalism curricula.

A Mile Wide or an Inch Deep? Improving Elementary Preservice Teachers' Science Content Knowledge within the Context of a Science Methods Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santau, Alexandra O.; Maerten-Rivera, Jaime L.; Bovis, Stephanie; Orend, Jacob

2014-01-01

Since the beginning of the reform movement in science education, there has been concern that elementary teachers lack the science content knowledge (SCK) needed to engage students in authentic scientific inquiry. This study included 19 preservice elementary teachers and examined the development of their SCK within the context of a uniquely…

Strategies for increasing student knowledge and understanding about conflict minerals in a mineralogy class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, G. W.

2014-12-01

Conflict minerals, including their uses and methods of extraction, are associated with significant societal and environmental issues in today's world. Minerals such as columbite-tantalite (also referred to as COLTAN), wolframite, cassiterite and gold are important in electronics manufacturing and have a wide variety of other usages. Mining practices are frequently unsustainable and have significant impacts on the environment; moreover, in many locations, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo—the epicenter of the conflict mineral trade—major human rights violations are associated with the extraction and production of these minerals. Because conflict minerals represent a relatively new issue, students in geology classes are frequently unfamiliar with the topic and commonly have little understanding of the concerns. In some cases they are completely unaware of the issues. In an introductory mineralogy class at the University of California, San Diego I have introduced a content module into my otherwise traditional curriculum that introduces students to conflict minerals, explains the issues, and delineates the problems our society will face with the continued uses of these natural resources. Most significantly, an assignment has been created and implemented in class that is paired with the content module and is designed to enhance and reinforce student learning. Its goal is to increase awareness of the societal and environmental issues surrounding conflict minerals. Initial results suggest (based on pre and post-tests) that our students have learned significantly from the combination of content, exercise, and assessment and that they are much better informed on the issues of conflict minerals. This model, including the exercise, can be modified and adapted for other introductory classes and learning settings.

General Business: Grades 10-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Instructional Objectives Exchange, Los Angeles, CA.

Thirty-five objectives and related test items assessing general business skills taught in grades 10 through 12 are included in this collection. Each objective is stated in operational terms and identified by a subject area within the hood category of general business. Objectives include the desired behavior and subject content so that students are…

Utah's New Mathematics Core

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utah State Office of Education, 2011

2011-01-01

Utah has adopted more rigorous mathematics standards known as the Utah Mathematics Core Standards. They are the foundation of the mathematics curriculum for the State of Utah. The standards include the skills and understanding students need to succeed in college and careers. They include rigorous content and application of knowledge and reflect…

Banking Services, Business Education: 7713.15.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffee, Alice

This course in banking intends to give students an insight into the personal and business services that banks provide. It includes instruction on savings and checking accounts, loans, trusts, and safety deposit facilities. Also included are the performance objectives, five pages of an outline on course content, suggested teaching and learning…

Teaching Accessibility Standards to Generation Y Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klitzing, Sandra

2011-01-01

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 mandated that facilities and programs are accessible, so people with disabilities can be included in all aspects of community life including recreation (Dattilo, 2002). Understanding accessibility standards is not an easy task. Educators are faced with the challenge of teaching technical content,…

College Students' Attitudes towards Sexually Themed Science Content: A Socioscientific Issues Approach to Resolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yahaya, Jamil Mikhail; Nurulazam, Ahmad; Karpudewan, Mageswary

2016-01-01

A socioscientific issues integrated instruction was used in the study to resolve college students attitude towards sexually-themed science content. Some 200 college students participated in the study as experimental and control groups. The former consisting of 98 students from one college was taught the content using the socioscientific issues…

Amazingly resilient Indigenous people! Using transformative learning to facilitate positive student engagement with sensitive material.

PubMed

Jackson, Debra; Power, Tamara; Sherwood, Juanita; Geia, Lynore

2013-12-01

If health professionals are to effectively contribute to improving the health of Indigenous people, understanding of the historical, political, and social disadvantage that has lead to health disparity is essential. This paper describes a teaching and learning experience in which four Australian Indigenous academics in collaboration with a non-Indigenous colleague delivered an intensive workshop for masters level post-graduate students. Drawing upon the paedagogy of Transformative Learning, the objectives of the day included facilitating students to explore their existing understandings of Indigenous people, the impact of ongoing colonisation, the diversity of Australia's Indigenous people, and developing respect for alternative worldviews. Drawing on a range of resources including personal stories, autobiography, film and interactive sessions, students were challenged intellectually and emotionally by the content. Students experienced the workshop as a significant educational event, and described feeling transformed by the content, better informed, more appreciative of other worldviews and Indigenous resilience and better equipped to contribute in a more meaningful way to improving the quality of health care for Indigenous people. Where this workshop differs from other Indigenous classes was in the involvement of an Indigenous teaching team. Rather than a lone academic who can often feel vulnerable teaching a large cohort of non-Indigenous students, an Indigenous teaching team reinforced Indigenous authority and created an emotionally and culturally safe space within which students were allowed to confront and explore difficult truths. Findings support the value of multiple teaching strategies underpinned by the theory of transformational learning, and the potential benefits of facilitating emotional as well as intellectual student engagement when presenting sensitive material.

Undergraduate Education with the WIYN 0.9-m Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilachowski, Catherine A.

2017-01-01

Several models have been explored at Indiana University Bloomington for undergraduate student engagement in astronomy using the WIYN 0.9-m telescope at Kitt Peak. These models include individual student research projects using the telescope, student observations as part of an observational techniques course for majors, and enrichment activities for non-science majors in general education courses. Where possible, we arrange for students to travel to the telescope. More often, we are able to use simple online tools such as Skype and VNC viewers to give students an authentic observing experience. Experiences with the telescope motivate students to learn basic content in astronomy, including the celestial sphere, the electromagnetic spectrum, telescopes and detectors, the variety of astronomical objects, date reduction processes, image analysis, and color image creation and appreciation. The WIYN 0.9-m telescope is an essential tool for our program at all levels of undergraduate education

The 24th International Physics Olympiad

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1993-07-01

Contents include the following: listings of committees, grading teams, participating and observing delegations, and sponsors; the Michelson Interferometer; the opening ceremony; social, cultural and scientific events; the closing ceremony; and award winners. The examination and its syllabus are included with histograms of the scores. The International Board is listed along with observers, student participants, and guides. Preliminary mailings are included.

Curricular Inclusion of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Content in Occupational Therapy Education in the United States.

PubMed

Bradshaw, Michelle L

2016-10-01

An exploratory, cross-sectional survey design was used to explore the extent to which CAM was included, what factors impacted its inclusion, topics and student learning outcomes covered, who taught the material, and what sources were used to prepare for delivering course content. While the vast majority of responding occupational therapy educators reported curricular inclusion of CAM, educational experiences for occupational therapy students varied widely. This overview of the curricular inclusion of CAM by faculty in occupational therapy programs in the United States indicated that many occupational therapy educators are responding to the demands of a more integrative healthcare system. Resolving ethical and pragmatic issues, providing faculty development opportunities, and standardizing student learning outcomes would align all stakeholders and mitigate ambiguities that currently exist surrounding the inclusion of CAM in occupational therapy education.

Introducing the Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey (PIPS): A Concise, Interdisciplinary, and Easy-to-Score Survey.

PubMed

Walter, Emily M; Henderson, Charles R; Beach, Andrea L; Williams, Cody T

Researchers, administrators, and policy makers need valid and reliable information about teaching practices. The Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey (PIPS) is designed to measure the instructional practices of postsecondary instructors from any discipline. The PIPS has 24 instructional practice statements and nine demographic questions. Users calculate PIPS scores by an intuitive proportion-based scoring convention. Factor analyses from 72 departments at four institutions (N = 891) support a 2- or 5-factor solution for the PIPS; both models include all 24 instructional practice items and have good model fit statistics. Factors in the 2-factor model include (a) instructor-centered practices, nine items; and (b) student-centered practices, 13 items. Factors in the 5-factor model include (a) student-student interactions, six items; (b) content delivery, four items; (c) formative assessment, five items; (d) student-content engagement, five items; and (e) summative assessment, four items. In this article, we describe our development and validation processes, provide scoring conventions and outputs for results, and describe wider applications of the instrument. © 2016 E. M. Walter et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Teaching Occupational Health to Physicians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wegman, David H.; And Others

1978-01-01

A comprehensive training program is described that prepares students to identify and prevent occupational disease, emphasizing public health. Content areas include epidemiology and biostatistics, toxicology, industrial hygiene, safety and ergonomics, policy issues, administration, and clinical aspects. (Author/LBH)

Reviews.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Chemical Education, 1988

1988-01-01

Reviews three computer software packages for Apple II computers. Includes "Simulation of Hemoglobin Function,""Solution Equilibrium Problems," and "Thin-Layer Chromatography." Contains ratings of ease of use, subject matter content, pedagogic value, and student reaction according to two separate reviewers for each…

Development of Micro-Level Curriculum Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koncelik, Joseph

1977-01-01

A course on design for aging populations, developed at Ohio State University, is described. Student-team projects included designs for an upgraded signage system for apartment dwellers, outdoor furniture, and recreational area in a nursing home. (LBH)

Rhetorical meta-language to promote the development of students' writing skills and subject matter understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelger, Susanne; Sigrell, Anders

2016-01-01

Background: Feedback is one of the most significant factors for students' development of writing skills. For feedback to be successful, however, students and teachers need a common language - a meta-language - for discussing texts. Not least because in science education such a meta-language might contribute to improve writing training and feedback-giving. Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore students' perception of teachers' feedback given on their texts in two genres, and to suggest how writing training and feedback-giving could become more efficient. Sample: In this study were included 44 degree project students in biology and molecular biology, and 21 supervising teachers at a Swedish university. Design and methods: The study concerned students' writing about their degree projects in two genres: scientific writing and popular science writing. The data consisted of documented teacher feedback on the students' popular science texts. It also included students' and teachers' answers to questionnaires about writing and feedback. All data were collected during the spring of 2012. Teachers' feedback, actual and recalled - by students and teachers, respectively - was analysed and compared using the so-called Canons of rhetoric. Results: While the teachers recalled the given feedback as mainly positive, most students recalled only negative feedback. According to the teachers, suggested improvements concerned firstly the content, and secondly the structure of the text. In contrast, the students mentioned language style first, followed by content. Conclusions: The disagreement between students and teachers regarding how and what feedback was given on the students texts confirm the need of improved strategies for writing training and feedback-giving in science education. We suggest that the rhetorical meta-language might play a crucial role in overcoming the difficulties observed in this study. We also discuss how training of writing skills may contribute to students' understanding of their subject matter.

The use of "vertical integration groups" to help define and update course/clerkship content.

PubMed

Nierenberg, D W

1998-10-01

Faculty at many medical schools are working hard to improve the quality of their curricula. While the world "curriculum" means different things to different people, curricular change often includes improving the structure of the teaching/learning environment (e.g., seminars or problem-based learning groups vs lectures), the content of courses and clerkships (the core set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that should be learned), and the manner in which student learning of knowledge and skills is evaluated (the sense that evaluation can help "drive" the curriculum). The author describes how "vertical integration groups" have been used over four years at Dartmouth Medical School to improve and modernize the content of courses and clerkships. In this approach, students and faculty work together to address and improve content areas that normally are not associated with traditional, discipline-centered courses or clerkships. The author discusses the advantages of this approach, the challenges encountered during implementation, and examples of how the approach has been put into action.

Prior Knowledge Assessment Guide

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

marksmanship, advanced rifle marksmanship, and even specialized shooting courses. A comparison of the means on the test for the two groups showed that the...hands- on evaluations of student knowledge and/or skills. Pretests however, determine how much knowledge a student currently possesses of the course...content; thus, questions on pretests assess knowledge about what is to be taught in the course. Also, most pretests will include test items

The Good Behavior Game Is No Longer Just an Effective Intervention for Students: An Examination of the Reciprocal Effects on Teacher Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elswick, Susan; Casey, Laura Baylot

2011-01-01

Positive educational outcomes often include success in reading, math, and writing, which are beneficial skills that will assist students in school and beyond. However, in education it is important that the classroom focus not only on subject and content-specific learning, but also on behavior and societal expectations for following rules. When…

Volcanology: Self-Directed Study Units for Grades K-3 and 4-8, Gifted. Easily Adapted for Regular Classroom Use. Zephyr Learning Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rassmusen, Bonnie

Originally designed for gifted students, these reproducible volcanology units emphasize the use of higher order thinking skills and are appropriate for use in any classroom. Interdisciplinary in content, the units provide a broad view of volcanology. Included are two complete units, one created for the upper elementary gifted student and the other…

First Season Catfish Farming. A Workbook for Beginning Pond and Cage Culture of Channel Catfish. Teacher Edition and Student Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oklahoma State Board of Vocational and Technical Education, Stillwater. Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center.

This workbook, comprised of both the teacher and student editions, presents guidelines useful for first-year catfish farmers in Oklahoma using pond or cage cultures to raise channel catfish. The teacher edition is a set of unit guidelines only. Contents include a list of suggested readings, important addresses with types of information available…

Occupational Training Plans for Disadvantaged and Handicapped Students in Vocational Education. A Manual for Use in Cooperative Work Experience Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eley, Robert K., Ed.

This manual, developed to provide vocational instructors or coordinators with model training plans to be used to conduct concurrent work and education programs for disadvantaged and handicapped students, has the purposes of: (1) serving as a description of the kinds of content that should be included in a training plan, (2) serving as an example…

Maximising Resource Allocation in the Teaching Laboratory: Understanding Student Evaluations of Teaching Assistants in a Team-Based Teaching Format

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikolic, Sasha; Suesse, Thomas F.; McCarthy, Timothy J.; Goldfinch, Thomas L.

2017-01-01

Minimal research papers have investigated the use of student evaluations on the laboratory, a learning medium usually run by teaching assistants with little control of the content, delivery and equipment. Finding the right mix of teaching assistants for the laboratory can be an onerous task due to the many skills required including theoretical and…