University Instructors Research Articles

Addressing the Challenges Facing University Instructors in Test Construction Practices in Tanzania

Addressing the Challenges Facing University Instructors in Test Construction Practices in Tanzania

The Impacts of Ongoing Higher Education Legislation on University Instruction: Perspectives from an Anthropology Graduate Student in the State of Florida

The Impacts of Ongoing Higher Education Legislation on University Instruction: Perspectives from an Anthropology Graduate Student in the State of Florida

Design and evaluation of multimodal learning resources in blended teaching of college English

Higher Education (HE) is transforming towards embracing global pedagogical standards, particularly emphasizing student-centered learning models. In conjunction with these progressive initiatives, the incorporation of the Internet is aimed at enhancing course flexibility for both university instructors and students. Blended Learning (BL), a synthesis of online and face-to-face instruction, emerges as a methodology capable of leveraging the advantages inherent in both traditional classroom learning and online learning environments. The research being examined discovers the HE sector's application of globally recognized educational ethics and student-focused teaching. Online access has better-quality course flexibility. This type of education, which participates in classroom teaching with Online Education (OE), is being verified for communication skills. The research uses Moodle and a predictable informative setting to deal with several modes of education. The 49 HE pupils shared in a pre and post-test. Combining teaching improves communication skills, increasing the relationship between students and educators for a more practical education practice.

Transformative Technologies in the Evaluation of a Vocational Education System

The increasing demand for vocational education has necessitated the presence of highly skilled teachers. This study presents a novel framework for the effective management of vocational college instructors’ professional development through the utilization of advanced technologies. The system utilizes deep learning technology to analyze many data points, including academic achievements, teaching experience, student comments, and professional activities, in order to assess the performance and potential of teachers. The system evaluates both the positive and negative aspects, offers customized training programs, and enhances the delivery of instruction through the utilization of a generative language model. The effectiveness of the system is supported by a case study, which demonstrates enhancements in talent management, professional development, teaching quality, and student happiness. This proposed solution aims to improve vocational education by empowering educators and transforming the processes of evaluation, support, and guidance throughout their professional trajectories.

The Application of Behavioral and Constructivist Theories in Educational Technology

The educational technology designer should know about the learning theories to analyze the needs and design the contents in terms of the target that aimed to reach from learning operations. Educational technology is known as a process that includes many factors, which will provide a good simulation for the students. This research study used a basic qualitative study because it interprets an educational field experience. This is the type of research most commonly used in the fields of education, health, and social work because it is interpretative research. The participants in this study were two college instructors and 10 college students who volunteered to participate in this study. All participants have teaching experience and work in the same school. This study concludes that mixing instructional technology with behavioral theory provides an opportunity to stimulate students through psychological conditions by direct experiences and activities inside the classroom. Mixing instructional technology with constructivist theory allows educators to focus on how students can explore and discover class content and new experiences by explaining their mistakes, ideas, and experiences and the basics of the content.

Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching About African American Language in College Classrooms

Background: African American Language (AAL) refers to a rich, widely used, and extensively researched language variety. Despite its importance, AAL remains widely stigmatized in the United States due to anti-Black linguistic racism. Many colleges offer courses with AAL content, and these courses have the potential to help disrupt anti-Black linguistic racism by promoting understanding and respect for this language. Purpose: Simply increasing students’ knowledge about AAL is unlikely to disrupt anti-Black linguistic racism. College instructors must also attend to a wide range of challenges involved in teaching this content. Instructors’ knowledge of such challenges, as well as strategies for addressing them, constitutes a form of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study contributes to the emerging scholarship on PCK for teaching and learning about AAL. Research Design: In this qualitative study, we analyze open-ended survey data from college instructors to identify challenges faced when teaching AAL content. We also add depth and nuance to discussion of these challenges by analyzing qualitative interview data and qualitative survey responses from college students enrolled in courses with AAL content. Finally, we outline pedagogical recommendations that could potentially address these challenges. Conclusions: We identify three major categories of pedagogical challenges that commonly arise when teaching AAL content: protecting Black or AAL-using students from harm; managing other students’ knowledge, ideologies, and/or resistance; and addressing instructor positionality. We present six research-based recommendations to help instructors address these challenges, and identify key directions for future research on the teaching and learning of AAL.

EFL Teachers’ Attitudes Towards a Glocalized Approach: An International, Mixed-Methods Study

Glocalization is the practice of combining global and local approaches. In English language teaching, it involves adapting materials to reflect the students’ local environment while still equipping them with intercultural communication skills. Nevertheless, it is a phenomenon that teachers are unfamiliar with in many parts of the world. Guided by glocalization research, this study aims to study the teaching practices of university instructors of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Yemen, Algeria, and France, as well as their attitudes towards glocalization. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, including both a questionnaire addressed to 78 teachers and interviews with a select group of 21 EFL professors and instructors working in the three countries, to understand and analyze their use of a glocalized approach for teaching EFL. The results revealed that EFL teachers in all three countries recognized the importance of applying a glocalized approach in their classrooms and used a variety of strategies, technologies, and materials to implement it. Finally, the study found no significant differences in the attitudes of EFL teachers in Yemen, Algeria, and France towards adopting glocalized approaches. Still, some noticeable differences can be observed, particularly in how teachers in the different countries glocalized their classrooms. French participants, for example, focused on the types of documents studied in class and how they were selected, while the Algerian and Yemeni participants focused their comments on their general strategies. This study highlights the awareness of EFL teachers of the importance of including local values while teaching a foreign language to their students.

Application, Development, and Innovation of Educational Technology in the New Media Era

With the development and progress of information technology, people have gradually entered the digital information age, and the Internet has become a platform for information dissemination and the development and proliferation of new media. Simultaneously, relying on the advancements in mobile Internet technology, new media has emerged as a crucial medium for communication. The integration of digital new media technology into education has introduced fresh characteristics and developmental trends to educational technology, providing education with corresponding opportunities for development and innovation. The extensive adoption and dissemination of computer technology have propelled the amalgamation and advancement of new media technology and educational technology. This paper examines how Chinese college instructors apply, develop, and innovate educational technology in the era of new media, and explores methods to enhance educational technology.

Policy reforms and unresolved educational challenges in Ethiopia: Implications for the University of Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the education reform initiatives and ongoing educational challenges in Ethiopia, with a focus on the role of the country's university of education in addressing these challenges. Using a qualitative research approach, the study examined reform documents, research findings, and personal experiences as its primary sources of data. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 senior university instructors who were selected purposively. The results of the study revealed that Ethiopia's education system has undergone multiple reform initiatives, resulting in some visible improvements. Despite this, the study highlighted numerous challenges that persist in the country’s education system. In light of this, the study emphasized the importance of evidence-based and innovative measures focusing on the quality, relevance, and efficiency agendas of education, mainly through the recently established university of education.

Judge rules against college instructor

Case name: Miramontes v. Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District, No. 20GDCV00444 (Ca. Super. Ct., L.A. County 11/08/23).

Resolving pedagogical dilemmas with preservice and in‐service teachers in Japan

AbstractA pedagogical dilemma occurs when an in‐class event or external factor challenges a teacher's principles or instructional practices and compels the teacher to resolve the dilemma. This article focuses on how resolving dilemmas can enhance the conceptual understanding of both student teachers and their supervisors. The supervisory setting this article describes—university instructors in Japan supervising preservice and in‐service teachers—has not been extensively researched. The article presents three case studies: two on supervising preservice teachers and one on supervising an in‐service teacher. Although approaches to supervision emphasize the facilitative aspect, the case studies of the preservice teachers exhibited circumstances more conducive to a directive‐oriented approach. Nevertheless, with the assistance of the supervisors, the preservice teachers were able to develop episodic knowledge of pedagogical concepts through navigating the dilemmas they experienced. The case study with the in‐service teacher, on the other hand, required a more facilitative approach to supervision. It suggests that the supervisor should understand and accommodate the pedagogical concepts under which the teacher operates to provide useful support in resolving classroom‐based dilemmas.

Judge rules against college instructor

Case name: Miramontes v. Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District, No. 20GDCV00444 (Ca. Super. Ct., L.A. County 11/08/23).

United We Learn: Seven Strategies for Fostering an Inclusive and Engaging Synchronous Online Teaching Environment

Since online learning may be the best option for some programs or institutions, college instructors should have the competence and confidence to offer relevant learning experiences for their students in online learning environments. This article provides physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty with effective strategies for fostering an inclusive and engaging synchronous online learning environment for college students using a range of technology tools.

Engaging Emotional Fundamentalism in the University Classroom: Pedagogical and Ethical Dilemmas

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to turn attention to the role of affects and emotions in fundamentalism, and examine two interrelated dilemmas that emerge when university instructors come across students who express fundamentalist beliefs and emotions in the classroom: pedagogical and ethical dilemmas. The paper examines these dilemmas through the analysis of an incident in which the author engaged with a student holding religious fundamentalist beliefs. The analysis brings two significant bodies of literature together – the literature on fundamentalism in different disciplines and the body of work that theorizes the cultural politics of affect and emotion – and sheds further light on an emerging concept in education, namely, ‘emotional fundamentalism.’ Through an examination of the ways in which affects and emotions are entangled with fundamentalism, the paper suggests ways in which educators and scholars may expand the concept of ‘emotional fundamentalism’ and rethink how we might engage with it in higher education.

Creating Culture of Thinking in Language Classrooms: An Interpretive Inquiry Into Saudi University EFL Instructors’ Beliefs and Practices

Guided by sociocultural theory (SCT) perspectives, this mixed-methods study investigated Saudi university EFL instructors' beliefs and teaching practices regarding the creation of culture of thinking (CoT) in language skills classrooms, and the factors affecting this process. Research data were gathered from 169 EFL university instructors through a self-report questionnaire. Among the participants, 12 instructors participated in a semi-structured interview. Additionally, classroom observations were conducted in seven classrooms. Questionnaire data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics while interview and classroom observation data were analyzed qualitatively. Instructors’ beliefs were examined in terms of their conceptions of thinking skills, and their perceptions of the importance of creating and sustaining a CoT in EFL classrooms. Their beliefs and reported practices were then compared to their actual classroom practices. Data analysis revealed several key findings. Firstly, there was an obvious incongruence between instructors' stated beliefs, reported practices, and actual classroom teaching practices. Though most instructors were favorable toward the CoT, they did not apply it to their classrooms. Secondly, several factors were identified to have mediated instructors' beliefs and practices pertaining to the CoT. These factors were related to cultural values (e.g., individual thinking, obedience, and respect for adults) as well as institutional and classroom contexts (e.g., workload, examination system, students’ thinking habits, and language proficiency). Finally, instructors lacked the strategies necessary to effectively implement CoT. Based on these findings, pedagogical implications and future research studies are proposed.

An investigation into the attitudes of Iranian EFL instructors and students towards online education: Lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic had a profound effect on the delivery of teaching and learning. Recent studies indicate that Covid-19 interfered with years of educational gains and that university EFL instructors and students faced a variety of problems as they sought to adjust to pandemic requirements. This study explored Iranian university EFL instructors’ and students’ attitudes towards on-line education. It also examined learning and teaching barriers and challenges they encountered during Covid-19. 60 university EFL instructors and 93 students completed two on-line questionnaires. Following, six university instructors and six students took part in interview sessions. The results showed that students favored various advantages that on-line education offered such as convenience, comfort, accessibility, flexibility, and suitability. Students further appreciated the potential of new technology and the opportunities that on-line education brought. However, they identified poor Internet access and excessive screen time as common barriers that could hinder the success and sustainability of high-quality on-line education. The results, moreover, demonstrated university EFL instructors recognized the multiple challenges associated with on-line education. They expressed difficulties in tracking attendance during on-line classes, monitoring students’ progress in on-line classes, as well as concerns about security issues and privacy regarding on-line classes. We believe that the experiences of both university instructors and students should be considered when designing new approaches to empower them.

Instructors' perspectives on teaching music online after the COVID-19 lockdown: A qualitative analysis in Indonesia

The current study analyzes the practices and strategies used by university instructors in Indonesia to deliver online music classes after the COVID-19 lockdown. Using a qualitative method based on semi-structured interviews, perspectives from music professors were gathered to explore various aspects, including the support provided by universities, teaching practices adopted by instructors, students’ reactions, limitations, and advantages of online music learning. The data were analyzed with an inductive method based on grounded theory. Participants highlighted several strategies utilized during online learning, such as (a) the use of video recordings to focus on specific aspects of music performance; (b) the implementation of project-based assessments to address various learning outcomes in different classes; and (c) the development of teamwork for sharing the best teaching practices. Teachers reported being more responsive to the students, placing a greater emphasis on self-reflection and becoming more effective educators. While recognizing several limitations associated with online music learning, the participants believe that this will be the teaching approach of the future, attributing it to improvements in students' independence and self-assessment skills, teachers' self-reflexivity, and enhanced flexibility in scheduling. Implications for institutions and university professors regarding the development of policies and curricula for online music education are also discussed.

대학 교원이 인식한 학생 강의평가의 실태 분석과 개선 방안 탐색

This study aims to analyze the awareness of instructors regarding course evaluations conducted by students and explore the current state and implications of course evaluations based on their perceptions. To achieve this, a survey was conducted to 394 instructors from universities and colleges nationwide. The key research findings are as follows: Firstly, university instructors generally expressed satisfaction with current course evaluation systems and held a positive perception of their purposes. Secondly, a significant issue identified in course evaluations is the potential reduction in accuracy due to the insincere responses of some students. Thirdly, for improvements of course evaluations, conducting course evaluations twice per semester, spanning mid-term and final exams, with flexible timing between two weeks before final exams and before grade disclosure were suggested. The composition of evaluation items should encompass both objective and subjective questions. Consideration should be given to limiting the application of evaluations from students with low academic achievement. Evaluation items should be designed with consideration for the characteristics of the courses, and the results should be utilized for faculty performance assessments and instructor selection. It is suggested that lower-ranked instructors in course evaluations should be mandated to undergo coaching or training related to teaching methods. Lastly, beyond student evaluations, it is requred to explore various evaluation methods such as self-evaluation, teaching portfolios, and peer evaluations.

Comparing University Students’ Performance in the Statistical Processing and Visualization of Laboratory Data before, during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

The face-to-face education system around the world unexpectedly collapsed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The priority education process became remote education and activities related to self-study and self-education. This paper investigates how university students’ performance has been influenced by remote learning during the lockdown period. Academic performance is evaluated by measuring the time required to complete specific homework in statistical data processing. Comparisons of performance are made for before, during and after the pandemic period. This study examines a population of third-year university students majoring in Materials Science and Engineering. The students were asked to complete a specific homework requiring the processing and evaluation of random laboratory data using analytical software. The delivery times of the completed homework before, during and after the lockdown period are compared. It has been found that although the students had to spend more time on their task during the pandemic, their relative performance remained unchanged and was comparable to that of pre-pandemic. After the end of the lockdown period, an increase in academic performance was noted. Our results suggest that the sudden transition to remote education may have been beneficial for the long-term performance of a group of selected university students in data processing and evaluation. The findings support the idea that teachers and their institutions should be willing to use a variety of teaching methods. The inclusion of remote learning methods in university instruction is encouraged.

Using design thinking for interdisciplinary curriculum design and teaching: a case study in higher education

This study investigates the utilization of design thinking by a university instructor in the development and delivery of an interdisciplinary curriculum. It examines the challenges encountered and the coping strategies employed during the process. The research, conducted as a case study of an interdisciplinary program course at a university in southern Taiwan from September to December 2022, involved data collection through field observations, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. All data were transcribed verbatim, coded, and triangulated to enhance research validity. The findings suggest that design thinking serves as an effective methodology for interdisciplinary curriculum design and teaching. It emphasizes the integration of practice and application to facilitate students’ interdisciplinary collaboration and co-creation. Additionally, the study evaluates teaching strategies, with a focus on the role of visual tools, communication, and on-site observation. The insights gained from this research provide valuable perspectives on challenges in interdisciplinary teaching, particularly in a post-pandemic context. They guided the development of effective practices in Taiwan and beyond, addressing crucial aspects such as the roles of instructors, resource allocation, and the cultivation of interdisciplinary talent. The study emphasizes the continuous need for adaptation and the prioritization of depth in learning outcomes.