Application Of Content Knowledge Research Articles

Forbidden Neurds: A Neuroscience Word Game.

Game-based learning is a promising approach that can promote engagement and deep learning of course content in a fun setting. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a card game designed to help students develop greater familiarity and comfort with complex neuroscience vocabulary. To play Forbidden Neurds, students within a team take turns acting as the Lead Neurd, who must get the team to guess a Neuroscience word without using any of the Forbidden words listed on the card. The game is designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of neuroscience terminology, identify relationships between terms, identify gaps in their understanding, and reinforce learning. The game was evaluated in a 200-level fundamentals of neuroscience course at a small public liberal arts university. Students showed increased content knowledge through pre-post testing, and a post-game self-reported survey showed that playing Forbidden Neurds enabled students to assess, increase, and apply content knowledge. Gameplay also helped students develop greater communication, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. In addition, students reported experiencing greater engagement through this fun learning activity. This game could act as an adaptable and effective learning tool across a range of neuroscience courses.

Teachers’ Competency in Content Knowledge and Pedagogy in Buhi South District, Philippines

This study investigated the competency of teachers in content knowledge and pedagogy. This involved the forty-five Elementary teachers teaching Grade levels 1 to 3 in the nine selected public elementary schools in the Department of Education (DepEd), Division of Camarines Sur, Buhi South District, Philippines, for the School Year 2022-2023. The study results revealed that teachers are Highly competent in content knowledge and pedagogy except in the utilization and application of research-based knowledge and principles of teaching and learning. The results further revealed that their professional peers were the most influential factor that affects them. Quantitative data shows that teachers' competency along content knowledge application within and across the curriculum areas, as well as the utilization of Mother tongue, Filipino, and English language, were significant in their demographic characteristics. It recommends that DepEd officials prioritize teachers' professional development that is tailored to their needs to continuously improve

The Lasting Impact of Memories from Personal Physical Education Experiences on PE Preservice Teachers

Preparing tomorrow’s teachers includes carefully developed curriculums, extensive class work and experiences that support student teachers to learn and apply content knowledge, theory and pedagogical skills. A significant part of this is often clinical work and student teaching experiences, which allow student teachers to put theory into practice. Teacher preparation programs seek to instill necessary skills and dispositions to be effective physical education teachers. However, there are previous, personal experiences of student teachers/ preservice teachers that are not part of formal teacher preparation that may influence teacher preparation. This professional enquiry considered the lasting impact of personal physical education (PE) experiences on preservice teachers (PSTs).

Using creative artifacts to teach scientific communication to psychology students

The pandemic of 2020 forced many instructors to reevaluate their teaching and assessment practices. Assignments and assessments designed for face-to-face classes were quickly adapted to go online. Faculty-to-student relationships built through classroom interactions were transformed by the mediation of online platforms. At the time, the co-authors of this article were teaching different psychology courses at different institutions. However, we had similar concerns about the validity of our assessments in an unmonitored online environment and about maintaining personal connections with our students. We used the summer of 2020 to reimagine how our courses could be adapted to this new environment while satisfying specific learning goals, including demonstrating the ability to apply content knowledge and communicating scientific information through writing. To meet these challenges, we implemented a variation on authentic assessments. We replaced our exams with an assignment where students created artifacts of various forms to demonstrate what they had learned and how it connected to their future careers, personal interests, or real-world problems. They also had to include a written description for a non-expert audience to demonstrate their ability to explain their artifacts. This manuscript presents our rationale, requirements, assignments, grading rubrics, student feedback, and reflections on our experiences.

Vibration Analysis of Rotating Elements of A Motor

Abstract: With the industrial revolution, the range of applications for rotating machinery in daily life as well as for industrial use in manufacturing and processing, nuclear power plants, automobiles, oil & gas refineries, etc., has greatly expanded. And for all this rotating machinery, the problems brought on by bearing faults significantly contribute to machine failure. Machine Design courses usually teach students how to design a system consisting of a shaft and its bearings under rotating, bending, transverse, axial, and torsional loads. Most textbooks cover Rayleigh's and Holzer's methods, which do not cover other important dynamic effects in shaft and bearing system design. The diameter of the shaft is calculated and then the deflection of the shaft is evaluated by using static deflection formulas. However, this assumption can cause serious errors in shafts' deflection due to eccentric and nonaligned gears mounted on the shaft. The authors addressed this potential manufacturing defect issue in a Machine Design class as a term project, which required students to transfer and apply content knowledge from their dynamics and vibrations’ courses. This paper presents all aspects of this successful experience of implementing ABET strategies in the engineering classroom to maximize its reach and potential impact.

“I guess it was more than just my general knowledge of chemistry”: exploring students’ confidence judgments in two-tiered assessments

Two-tiered assessment structures with paired content and confidence items are frequently used within chemistry assessments to stimulate and measure students’ metacognition. The confidence judgment is designed to promote students’ reflection on their application of content knowledge and can be characterized as calibrated or miscalibrated based on their accuracy. Previous studies often attributed students’ miscalibrated confidence rankings to metaignorance, however, in this qualitative study, interviews with general chemistry students were thematically analysed to provide a more robust understanding of the processes and factors students use when engaging with these metacognitive prompts in a chemistry assessment. Both calibrated and miscalibrated confidence judgments were observed independent of accuracy. Students who provided miscalibrated confidence judgments often used unreliable metrics such as processing fluency which can mimic content mastery whereas students who provided more accurate evaluations of their confidence relied more heavily on their stable understanding of chemistry concepts. Many students cited previous experiences, underlying self-efficacy beliefs, and/or the use of test-taking strategies which negatively or positively impacted their confidence. These findings suggest that the confidence tier is indeed capturing students’ self-assessment, however, students’ confidence judgments are based on a range of factors independent of content knowledge which may impede on the utility of this metacognitive tool for students, researchers, and instructors.

How Do Online Educated Early Childhood Teachers Learn to Teach?

Little was known about how online credential recipients developed practical expertise in childcare. The purpose of the study was to explore how online recipients of the Child Development Associate credential developed practical expertise in early childhood education without the benefit of an apprenticeship. Learning the practice of teaching from qualified “more knowledgeable others” through an apprenticeship is a feature of teacher preparation in public-school contexts yet missing in preparation for childcare teachers. Vygotsky’s Social Construction of Knowledge formed the conceptual framework of the study. The research question addressed the application of content knowledge and identification of problems in classroom situations. Ten center-based childcare teachers who earned a Child Development Associate credential online were interviewed. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed Child Development Associate credential recipient-teachers had little opportunity for observation by others in teaching contexts, relying primarily on trial and error and self-initiated actions to gain teaching practical expertise. Findings from this research demonstrates the need for early childhood professional apprenticeship experiences that might contribute to better teaching and improved outcomes for young children. Keywords: Apprenticeship, expert-novice research, Child Development Associate or CDA, early childhood, online or distance learning

Scaffolding students’ preparation for a pharmacology practical improves their self-efficacy and learning

Laboratory practicals are important learning elements in science teaching. We used principles of active learning to develop interactive online teaching materials to scaffold students’ preparation for a simulated pharmacology practical. We aimed at increasing students’ self-efficacy and evaluated the effect of the intervention qualitatively and quantitatively. The online material contained elements of formative assessment for the students to follow their learning progress. Students’ readiness for the practical was assessed through a mandatory multiple-choice test. Students (73%) agree or strongly agree that the course of the practical increased their competences in pharmacology. We infer from the evaluations that the interactive material increased students’ self-efficacy, informed refinement of the conceptual understanding of pharmacology and increased their ability to apply content knowledge to solve the inquiries for the practical. The pedagogical principles, e-learning tools and learning elements demonstrated in this development project can be used in many other educational contexts and disciplines.

Using Asynchronous, Online Discussion Forums to Explore How Life Sciences Students Approach an Ill-Structured Problem

To foster students’ learning of critical-thinking skills, I previously introduced ill-structured problems to provide students opportunities to apply content knowledge and thinking skills. However, I noted that my third-year, life sciences students were not solving such problems effectively. Therefore, I used a grounded approach and conducted content analysis of students’ forum discussions to understand their problem-solving approaches. The students worked in small groups using asynchronous, online discussion forums (AODFs) to discuss their approaches to solving an ill-structured problem posed. Each group submitted their solution to the problem in an essay. From my analysis of students’ posts at AODFs, students seemed fairly competent in using domain-specific knowledge and certain domain-general skills in scientific argumentation. However, they lacked the ability to properly define the problem scope and, consequently, failed to address the problem adequately. The study illuminated students’ challenges and provided me possible ways to plan relevant scaffolds in subsequent iterations of the activity.

Using Asynchronous, Online Discussion Forums to Explore How Life Sciences Students Approach an Ill-Structured Problem

To foster students’ learning of critical-thinking skills, I previously introduced ill-structured problems to provide students opportunities to apply content knowledge and thinking skills. However, I noted that my third-year, life sciences students were not solving such problems effectively. Therefore, I used a grounded approach and conducted content analysis of students’ forum discussions to understand their problem-solving approaches. The students worked in small groups using asynchronous, online discussion forums (AODFs) to discuss their approaches to solving an ill-structured problem posed. Each group submitted their solution to the problem in an essay. From my analysis of students’ posts at AODFs, students seemed fairly competent in using domain-specific knowledge and certain domain-general skills in scientific argumentation. However, they lacked the ability to properly define the problem scope and, consequently, failed to address the problem adequately. The study illuminated students’ challenges and provided me possible ways to plan relevant scaffolds in subsequent iterations of the activity.

Immersion learning at an aphasia camp: Analysing student video reflections

Purpose Aphasia camps provide a learning context where students can gain knowledge and skills for clinical practise and regarding the lived experience of individuals affected by aphasia. The aim was to examine student learning experiences at a rustic, residential aphasia camp and explore the potential utility of video reflections. Method Twenty-two student participants, who served as volunteer staff at an aphasia camp, reflected daily on their learning experiences. Manual, qualitative coding was used to characterise individual, verbal reflections conducted through video modality. Result Three overarching themes were identified: applied learning, service, and clinical experience. Categories within applied learning included increased application of content knowledge, an evolving perspective of living with aphasia, and collaborative learning. Within service, students identified a commitment to making a meaningful impact, interpersonal relationships, and meeting the challenge. The clinical experience theme included increased confidence/self-efficacy and inspirational/rewarding categories. Conclusion Aphasia camp is a unique learning environment where hands-on experiences influence students’ knowledge, sense of civic responsibility, and developing clinical skills. Being immersed in a remote environment alongside individuals affected by aphasia fosters insights into the lived experience of aphasia and may enhance empathy. Video reflections appear to be a viable means of capturing authentic, organic, and emotional reflections.

Real-client projects in the LSP classroom: Business and German students teamworking across disciplines

This paper presents a cross-disciplinary project in which business German and international marketing management students were teamed up to complete work for a real client. Each team developed a proposal for a new marketing and communications strategy for a non-profit organization focused on the German language and cultures. We first examine real-client projects as a subcomponent of experiential learning, with benefits highlighted in the secondary literature including the opportunity for students to apply their course-gained knowledge and skills and to interact with local communities, which lends purpose and authenticity to their classroom learning. We then present our cross-disciplinary version of a real-client project, outlined in four phases with specific tasks, deliverables, and goals. Project outcomes demonstrate the ways in which the real-client project allowed students to apply content knowledge and skills from their respective fields, while supporting peer-to-peer learning within a disciplinarily diverse team in a professional setting. We conclude with recommendations to facilitate developing and carrying out cross-disciplinary real-client projects in business language or other LSP fields.

Creating accounts of diverse developmental writing paths within a Colombian major in industrial engineering

This paper describes developmental writing paths within a Colombian major in Industrial Engineering. The accounts were created through retrospective descriptions of students' writing experiences collected by a qualitative survey and analyzing writing samples. The study shows that writing throughout the major embraces diverse functions (Writing to learn; Writing to apply content knowledge; Writing to research; Writing to communicate ideas), and traces diverse developmental paths (Writing for innovation; Lab writing; Writing for company analysis; Writing for conducting a senior thesis). This analysis also reveals that different types of problems (improving profits in companies or creating new devices) can be treated through different types of genres (research proposals in companies and projects of innovation), despite the fact that the same label (report) is being used by participants to group writing experiences. One of the writing functions in the major that seems overtly identified by the students is conducting a senior thesis. Since there are other writing functions present across the curriculum, further studies and pedagogical debates with faculty members are necessary to define what writing developmental paths are expected from the students and how many curriculum projects (that include explicit teaching on theories of disciplinary writing and genre knowledge) across the curriculum should be undertaken.

Clinical Scenario Videos Improve D.M.D Students' Perception of the Basic Sciences and Ability to Apply Content Knowledge

Students enrolled in D.M.D. programs often have difficulty understanding the importance of basic science classes, such as physiology, for their future careers as practicing dentists. In order to help alleviate this issue, a series of video modules were created using simulated patients and custom‐designed animations that showcase medical emergencies in the dental practice. Students formatively assessed their knowledge using embedded questions. These responses indicated that while students could initially recognize the cause of the medical emergency, they had difficulty in applying their knowledge of physiology to the scenario. In two of the three videos, students drastically improved their ability to answer high‐level clinical questions at the conclusion of the video. Additionally, when compared to the previous year of the course, there was a significant improvement in unit exam scores on clinically‐related questions (6.2% increase), while no change was found for the basic science questions. Surveys were administered to freshmen and senior dental students to compare their perception of these changes. Freshmen students indicated a more positive perception of the physiology course and its importance for success on board examinations and their dental career. The most positive reported aspects of the clinical scenario modules were the clear applications of physiology to real‐life dental situations, the interactive nature of the videos, and the improved student comprehension of course concepts. These results suggest that online modules may successfully be used to improve student perceptions of the basic sciences, and enhance the ability of students to apply basic science content to clinically‐important scenarios.

Clinical Scenario Videos Improve D.M.D Students’ Perception of the Basic Sciences and Ability to Apply Content Knowledge

Students enrolled in D.M.D. programs often have difficulty understanding the importance of basic science classes, such as physiology, for their future careers as practicing dentists. In order to help alleviate this issue, a series of video modules were created using simulated patients and custom‐designed animations that showcase medical emergencies in the dental practice. Students formatively assessed their knowledge using embedded questions. These responses indicated that while students could initially recognize the cause of the medical emergency, they had difficulty in applying their knowledge of physiology to the scenario. In two of the three videos, students drastically improved their ability to answer high‐level clinical questions at the conclusion of the video. Additionally, when compared to the previous year of the course, there was a significant improvement in unit exam scores on clinically‐related questions (6.2% increase), while no change was found for the basic science questions. Surveys were administered to freshmen and senior dental students to compare their perception of these changes. Freshmen students indicated a more positive perception of the physiology course and its importance for success on board examinations and their dental career. The most positive reported aspects of the clinical scenario modules were the clear applications of physiology to real‐life dental situations, the interactive nature of the videos, and the improved student comprehension of course concepts. These results suggest that online modules may successfully be used to improve student perceptions of the basic sciences, and enhance the ability of students to apply basic science content to clinically‐important scenarios.

Can Clinical Scenario Videos Improve Dental Students’ Perceptions of the Basic Sciences and Ability to Apply Content Knowledge?

Dental students often have difficulty understanding the importance of basic science classes, such as physiology, for their future careers. To help alleviate this problem, the aim of this study was to create and evaluate a series of video modules using simulated patients and custom-designed animations that showcase medical emergencies in the dental practice. First-year students in a dental physiology course formatively assessed their knowledge using embedded questions in each of the three videos; 108 to 114 of the total 120 first-year students answered the questions, for a 90-95% response rate. These responses indicated that while the students could initially recognize the cause of the medical emergency, they had difficulty in applying their knowledge of physiology to the scenario. In two of the three videos, students drastically improved their ability to answer high-level clinical questions at the conclusion of the video. Additionally, when compared to the previous year of the course, there was a significant improvement in unit exam scores on clinically related questions (6.2% increase). Surveys were administered to the first-year students who participated in the video modules and fourth-year students who had completed the course prior to implementation of any clinical material. The response rate for the first-year students was 96% (115/120) and for the fourth-year students was 57% (68/120). The first-year students indicated a more positive perception of the physiology course and its importance for success on board examinations and their dental career than the fourth-year students. The students perceived that the most positive aspects of the modules were the clear applications of physiology to real-life dental situations, the interactive nature of the videos, and the improved student comprehension of course concepts. These results suggest that online modules may be used successfully to improve students' perceptions of the basic sciences and enhance their ability to apply basic science content to clinically important scenarios.

A Tri-part Model for Genetics Literacy: Exploring Undergraduate Student Reasoning About Authentic Genetics Dilemmas

Genetics literacy is becoming increasingly important as advancements in our application of genetic technologies such as stem cell research, cloning, and genetic screening become more prevalent. Very few studies examine how genetics literacy is applied when reasoning about authentic genetic dilemmas. However, there is evidence that situational features of a reasoning task may influence how students apply content knowledge as they generate and support arguments. Understanding how students apply content knowledge to reason about authentic and complex issues is important for considering instructional practices that best support student thinking and reasoning. In this conceptual report, we present a tri-part model for genetics literacy that embodies the relationships between content knowledge use, argumentation quality, and the role of situational features in reasoning to support genetics literacy. Using illustrative examples from an interview study with early career undergraduate students majoring in the biological sciences and late career undergraduate students majoring in genetics, we provide insights into undergraduate student reasoning about complex genetics issues and discuss implications for teaching and learning. We further discuss the need for research about how the tri-part model of genetics literacy can be used to explore students’ thinking and reasoning abilities in genetics.

Preparing physical education preservice teachers to design instructionally aligned lessons through constructivist pedagogical practices

Examining how teacher education influences preservice teachers' (PSTs) application of content knowledge, decision making when planning for teaching, creation of innovative teaching practices and design of aligned instruction, has significant implications for understanding learning to teach. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which the constructivist pedagogies (e.g., interactive community discussions, problem solving, group challenges) employed by teacher educators through the implementation of a rich task (Macdonald, Hunter, & Tinning, 2007) assisted PSTs in their understanding and construction of knowledge about instructional alignment. Data collection employed rich tasks and focus-group interviews with a sample of 31 physical education teacher education (PETE) PSTs enrolled on a one-year Graduate Diploma Physical Education program. Data were analysed inductively (Patton, 1990) using the constant comparative method (Rubin & Rubin, 1995). Results revealed that PSTs varied in their articulation of the various elements of instructional alignment that were captured in the rich task. Through the use of such constructivist strategies as problem solving, group discussions, and critical friends, PSTs understood and valued the process of instructional alignment as they moved from feelings of fear and apprehension to being confident in their own development. Areas of strength and deficiency that were noted in the PSTs' attempts to design instructionally aligned lessons will guide the teacher educators in revising program components and their own practice.

Building creative thinking in the classroom: From research to practice

Classroom instruction often overlooks the importance of encouraging and explicitly teaching students to think creatively. Yet classroom learning offers an ideal opportunity for students to master content knowledge and to creatively apply that knowledge, a skill important for success in any environment. Here we review literatures on creativity, focusing on findings that clearly inform how it can be taught. We argue that some changes in the ability to think creatively arise due to factors that are directly manipulable in the classroom whereas other changes stem from increases in capacities of cognitive function. We propose simple guidelines, based on theories and research on creativity, for how teachers can build students’ ability to think creatively and apply content knowledge in creative ways.

Teachers Doing Science: An Authentic Geology Research Experience for Teachers

Fairmont State University (FSU) and the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (WVGES) provided a small pilot group of West Virginia science teachers with a professional development session designed to mimic experiences obtained by geology majors during a typical summer field camp. Called GEOTEACH, the program served as a research capstone event complimenting the participants' multi-year association with the RockCamp professional development program. GEOTEACH was funded through a Improving Teacher Quality Grant administered by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Over the course of three weeks, eight GEOTEACH participants learned field measurement and field data collection techniques which they then applied to the construction of a surficial geologic map. The program exposed participants to authentic scientific processes by emphasizing the authentic scientific application of content knowledge. As a secondary product, it also enhanced their appreciation of the true nature of science in general and geology in particular. After the session, a new appreciation of the effort involved in making a geologic map emerged as tacit knowledge ready to be transferred to their students. The program was assessed using pre/post instruments, group interviews, journals, artifacts (including geologic maps, field books, and described sections), performance assessments, and constructed response items. Evaluation of the accumulated data revealed an increase in participants demonstrated use of science content knowledge, an enhanced awareness and understanding of the processes and nature of geologic mapping, positive dispositions toward geologic research, and a high satisfaction rating for the program. These findings support the efficacy of the experience and document future programmatic enhancements.