College-level Courses Research Articles

A brief history of distance education in Chemistry at McGill University in Canada

AbstractDistance education began as correspondence courses in the 1700s, chiefly to connect rural communities with secondary and post-secondary educational institutions located in major cities. Since then, owing to the overwhelming improvements in communication technologies over the past two centuries, distance education is now well-established and is a major educational approach employed throughout the world. This paper will include a brief overview of the history of distance education in general and a description of some of the author’s personal experiences with respect to distance teaching of university-level Chemistry courses since he began his academic career as a professor over 50 years ago.

Accelerated Integrated Reading and Writing: A Statewide Natural Experiment

ABSTRACT A recent state-wide curricular shift in developmental course offerings mandated that the exit levels of developmental reading and writing coursework in every public institution of higher education in Texas be merged into one accelerated and integrated developmental reading and writing course. This project examined the effects of that curricular shift on community college students by evaluating the efficacy of the mandate on the students’ pass/fail rates on their first college-level reading or writing-intensive course. Four models with differing levels of sampling precision and analysis were tested. Results varied based on the level of precision of each model. The most precise model, which employed a quasi-experimental methodology involving propensity score matching, demonstrated significantly greater outcomes for students who took non-accelerated separate developmental reading and writing courses than for matched students who took an accelerated and integrated course.

Flipped Inclusion, Between Didactic Research and University Teaching for Lifelong Learning

The experimental (Dewey, 1961), descriptive-transformative (Cox et al., 2011) multi-method (Ogbu et al., 1996) study of the flipped inclusion model, carried out at the University of Salerno stemmed from a reflection on the perturbed (Dewey, 1961), complex (Morin, 1993) and liquid (Bauman, 2003) of knowledge society (Castells, 1997). The study design comprised two research contexts - general and situational. Each research context was sub-divided in three levels: macrosystemic level (inter-institutional), mesosystemic level (university course or school); microsystemic level (class context) (Bronfenbrenner, 2002). Methodologically, a didactic transposition of system learning was carried out (Alberici, 2002). The research data collected and analyzed has highlighted the importance of the impact of teaching and the simplex (Sibilio, 2014) planning towards an integrated educational system to promote empowerment (Hawks, 1992) that are socio-contextual and transformative in nature (Corona, De Giuseppe, 2016) of inclusive identity profiles and ecological contexts (Bronfenbrenner, 2002), starting from the microsociety class.

Lessons Learned from the Development of Open Educational Resources at Post-Secondary Level in the Field of Environmental Modelling: An Exploratory Study

Open educational resources (OER) have become increasingly popular in recent times. Here, the aim was to synthesise the lessons learned through the development of OER materials for a university-level course called “environmental modelling”. Consequently, the topics of discussion included: (i) how to choose an appropriate creative commons license; (ii) ways of incorporating materials from other sources, such as publicly available sources, other open access materials, and an author’s own published materials if not published under a creative commons license; (iii) the impact of the developed OER in the field of environmental modelling; and (iv) the challenges in developing OER material. Upon developing the materials, we observed the following: (i) students enrolled in the course did not purchase textbooks; (ii) our OER materials ranked as one of the most accessed (i.e., number 7) materials according to the usage data that summed the number of file downloads and item views from PRISM (i.e., the hosting platform maintained by the University of Calgary); (iii) the students learned relatively better as per the data acquired by the University of Calgary’s universal student ratings of instruction (USRI) instrument; and (iv) other universities expressed interest in adopting the materials.

Promoting learning in online, ill-structured problem solving: The effects of scaffolding type and metacognition level

This study aims to identify the effects of scaffolding type (supportive or reflective) and metacognition level (low or high) on presence, problem-solving performance, and achievement in online ill-structured problem solving. One hundred forty-eight students who enrolled in a college-level course on instructional design participated in this study in South Korea. The course was delivered as eight sessions led by the same instructor using the same content, and four of them were provided with supportive scaffolding, while the other four with reflective scaffolding. All of them were given an ill-structured problem of designing a lesson plan for a three-week project in a web-based learning environment without any face-to-face classes or meetings, and were asked to go through five stages of problem-solving. Metacognition and presence were measured using survey instruments, while problem-solving performance and achievement were measured using a rubric and quiz items, respectively. Data were analyzed using two-way MANOVA and ANCOVA, using pretest scores as a covariate. The results indicated that the reflective scaffolding group scored higher on cognitive and social presence, and also on problem representation, monitoring and evaluation in problem-solving performance than the supportive scaffolding group. The reflective scaffolding group also showed higher achievement than did the supportive scaffolding group. There was a significant interaction effect between scaffolding types and metacognition level on teaching presence and achievement. The results provide implications on the design of scaffolding for online ill-structured problem solving activities in association with learner characteristics.

Promoting Career Planning Through the Use of an Engineering Experience Evaluation for Licensure

Professional registration (P.Eng.) applicants in B.C. must use the Engineers & Geoscientists BC web-based Competency Experience Reporting System (CERS) to have their work experience evaluated. CERS measures competencies – measures of the ability to perform the tasks and roles of an occupational category to standards expected and recognized by employers and the community at large – in seven competency categories, each of which can be related to the twelve CEAB graduate attributes.As part of a university-level course in engineering professionalism, students were given an assignment to use CERS to conduct a self-evaluation and make recommendations for their own future professional development.To measure the perceived effectiveness of the assignment, students completed three identical questionnaires: one before the topic was introduced, one after a guest speaker presentation on the topic, and one after submitting the assignment. The questionnaire measured each student’s degree of knowledge or understanding of ten different aspects of professional registration and professional development. The results indicated a progressive increase in agreement between the first, second and third questionnaire for all ten questions, with the greatest increases relating to registration procedures and students’ identification of shortcomings of their own experience.Usage of the competency assessment system by regulators is being expanded in Canada, which potentially provides the opportunity to conduct similar student assignments within other engineering programs.

Preservice Teacher Experiences Implementing Classroom Management Practices Through Mixed-Reality Simulations

The effects of mixed-reality teaching experiences on participants’ perceptions of their classroom management ability are evaluated using a mixed-methods design. Mursion, a technology that enables virtual simulations, is used. Participants include 29 undergraduates pursuing a degree in special education for learners with mild or moderate/severe disabilities enrolled in a university-level course focused on developing skills in managing the learning environment. Participants teach three different scenarios in the Mursion lab over the semester and complete a 21-statement survey using a 5-point Likert-type scale (i.e., strongly agree–strongly disagree) and reflect about their experience into a video camera. Results indicate that some participant perceptions changed over time because of the Mursion experiences and that the academic program being pursued made no difference in the participants’ Mursion experience. Implications for practice with a focus on rural education and limitations of the study are also discussed.

Improving Placement Accuracy in California’s Community Colleges Using Multiple Measures of High School Achievement

Objective: Standardized placement tests remain the primary means by which new community college students are assessed and placed in the hierarchy of math and English coursework. A growing body of evidence indicates that placement tests tend to underestimate students’ likelihood of achieving passing grades in college-level courses, leading to students being misplaced in developmental coursework, slowing their academic progress, and increasing their likelihood of dropping out of college. This article discusses the results of a statewide research effort to improve the accuracy of student placement in math and English in the California Community College system. Method: Decision tree methods were applied to high school and college transcript data to identify key measures of high school achievement that predict performance in nine levels of community college math courses (three developmental and six college level) and four levels of community college English courses (three developmental and one college level). Results: Cumulative high school grade point average (GPA) is the most consistently useful predictor of performance across levels of math and English coursework, and a higher GPA is necessary to signal readiness for college-level coursework in math than is necessary to signal readiness for college-level coursework in English. In addition, cumulative GPA combined with specific indications of progress in the high school curriculum is frequently useful for predicting performance in math among direct matriculants and for predicting performance in both math and English among nondirect matriculants. Conclusion: Drawing on the findings, placement rules that colleges can apply directly in their placement processes are developed and validated.

A case study of flipped learning applied to a college-level course on the culture of family living and its effect

A case study of flipped learning applied to a college-level course on the culture of family living and its effect

The Influence of Classroom Engagement on Community College Student Learning: A Quantitative Analysis of Effective Faculty Practices

Objective: This study asked how faculty behaviors and course decisions best predict learning gains for students. Next, it investigated how the identified engaging practices vary based on faculty employment status, course experience, course level taught, and teaching area. Method: The sample was taken from students and faculty at one community college with a Hispanic-serving designation in California. Student participants took the 2012 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and faculty took the 2012 Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (CCFSSE). Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to identify significant faculty-related CCSSE variables that predicted academic learning, career learning, or personal development gains. Results: The models explained one third or more of the variance in each learning domain. Among the 16 significant predictors, seven were identified as having the strongest effects and served as dependent variables to determine whether there were significant differences in use of these practices among faculty groups. Faculty teaching full-time, faculty with more course experience, and faculty in career technical education (CTE) programs applied faculty-related engagement practices more than their counterparts. In addition, faculty teaching only college-level courses perceived better quality relationships with their students than faculty who taught only developmental courses. Conclusion: Grounded in the study findings are recommendations for community colleges to invest in programs that increase faculty availability to students and schedule courses so faculty gain experience teaching the same courses over time and implement faculty development programs specific to teaching strategies.

Impacts of college-level courses via Asynchronous Learning Networks: Some Preliminary Results

New Jersey Institute of Technology has been delivering college courses via an Asynchronous Learning Network (ALN) system called the Virtual ClassroomTM for a decade, using various media mixes. Currently, two complete undergraduate degree programs are available via a mix of video plus Virtual Classroom, the B.A. in Information Systems and the B.S. in Computer Science. This paper presents preliminary findings about impacts on students, and touches on some issues and potential impacts for faculty, individual universities, and the structure of higher education. Overall ratings of courses by students who complete ALN based courses are equal or superior to those for traditional courses. Dropout or Incomplete outcomes are somewhat more prevalent, while grade distributions for those who complete tend to be similar to those for traditional courses. For both students and faculty, more startup time devoted to solving the "logistics" of ALN delivery seems to be required at the beginning of courses. ALN delivery is not just a "different" way of doing the same thing, however; it is likely to change the nature and structure of higher education.

Re-Envisioning College Readiness Reforms: Florida's Statewide Initiative and Promising Practices in Other States

There is nationwide concern about the number of high-school students who graduate unprepared to take college-level courses and students' lack of awareness of their college readiness. According to t...

Teaching Computer Graphics Through a Digital Humanities Project.

Teaching computer graphics in an effective way is a challenging task. Different approaches are proposed in the literature, some focusing on traditional teacher-led lectures, others on interactive teaching methods. This paper describes an experiential learning approach applied in a university-level course in computer engineering. Students were involved in the realization of a digital humanities project, the 3-D modeling of the city of Pavia, Italy, as it was in the 16th century. Traditional lectures introduced key theoretical elements, but students were subsequently given specific assignments and retrieved additional content when completing the tasks assigned to them under the overall guidance of their supervisors.

Teaching for Creativity: Mini-c, Little-c and Experiential Learning in College Classroom

The wave of changes in teaching approaches due to the introduction of the 21 century skills – including creativity and problem solving – has affected not only K through 12 classrooms, but also colleges and universities. Thompson (2014) suggests that when designing courses and curricula college educators should consider not only the content knowledge, skills and dispositions their students need to learn, but also what capacities ought to be developed and through what type of pedagogies. In this article, I propose that pedagogies of engagement are developed and used to teach content and skills in a college level course on Psychology of Creativity. In the main section of the article, I present three groups of creative assignments developed in collaboration with Dr. Heather Snyder: journal activities, creative project assignments, and creative problem-solving workshops. I argue that these assignments not only affect students’ motivation, engagement, and deep learning, but they also facilitate the development of mini-c and little-c creativity.

USING MULTIPLE TEXTS TO TEACH CRITICAL READING SKILLS TO LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS

Mastery of developmental reading courses offers both an opportunity for academic enrichment and a barrier to college completion. We examine what it means to use multiple texts in college developmental reading courses, the benefits of using them, and considerations that instructors may employ in their instructions. A review of the literature indicates Linguistically Diverse students (LDs) often lack the required critical thinking skills needed to tackle the rigor and demand of their college level courses. We conducted a study to tests whether using multiple texts improved LDs critical reading skills.� Participants of 30 undergraduate students taking RDL 500 course were analyzed using pre and posttest results. Findings indicated that integrated use of multiple texts is a practical teaching approach for LDs improved their critical reading skills and their navigation of unfamiliar texts. This implies the use of the one size-fits-all approach may not be an effective pedagogical practice by instructors who teach the LD student.Keywords:�community college; critical literacy; cultural capital; developmental reading; language minority students; linguistically diverse students; multiple texts; sociocultural literacy.

Computer science and engineering: utilizing action research and lesson study

ABSTRACTThis article explores one group’s use of action research (AR) and lesson study in three US university-level computer science courses affecting 85 undergraduate computer science and engineering students. It offers an overview of three areas including AR, lesson study, and engineering soft skills. The research group identified a problem: undergraduate engineering student soft skill understanding. The group collaborated to enhance participant engagement with this problem by utilizing one lesson focused on soft skills over three research lesson iterations in three distinct university semesters (2017-2018). Field notes were the main data collection method. Observational field notes were recorded in the three research lesson iterations, and themes from the notes were identified. The group valued peer interactions, and the research lesson adaptations as well as pedagogical changes were based on evidence. Four themes were identified, and participant comments were considered as the lessons became more focused . The research group argues that AR and lesson study are separate and distinct ventures based on this yearlong experience, which is counter to some other literature presented. Implications are large for all stakeholders interested in AR, lesson study, soft skill utilization, conflict management, and participant learning impact. Possibilities for enhanced participant engagement exists with honed lesson pedagogy.

Applying the ESD approach in textile and apparel education

Purpose The purpose of this study was to provide more information about the effectiveness of the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) approach in textiles and apparel by applying it to a semester-long sustainability course. Design/methodology/approach A University-level course was re-designed using the ESD concepts. The course was taught from a consumer viewpoint using the product lifecycle as a focus, so the information was applicable to students’ lives and multiple consumer products. Quantitative results of a pre- and post-test taken by students measured changes in knowledge, attitudes and behavior related to sustainability. Qualitative data from open-ended questions collected student feedback on instructional strategies. Findings A significant change in knowledge and attitudes were observed on the post-test. Students perceived assignments that required critical thinking, research and related to their lives as the most beneficial. Practical implications The ESD approach changed student knowledge and attitudes to be more sustainable. Assignments that included real world examples had the most impact on pro-environmental attitudes and support the use of a student-centered pedagogy. Originality/value This study is based on a semester-long sustainability course designed with ESD, while many existing studies are based on a single intervention or lesson. The results of this study add to the body of ESD literature in the textile and apparel area and are applicable to other disciplines.

Effect of fading scaffolds on the mastery of scientific abilities in inquiry-based laboratory exercises of a college-level environmental science course

Inquiry-based instruction facilitates students’ acquisition of scientific abilities, but little is known about how rapidly college students master these skills, particularly when this form of instruction includes scaffolding and especially when those scaffolds are removed. To address this gap, this study aimed to evaluate the effect that removing scaffolding from laboratory assignments had on students’ application of scientific abilities in an inquiry-based environmental course, a strategy that also permitted an assessment of the pace at which students developed these skills. Results show that the rate at which students successfully apply scientific abilities depends on their complexity. For example, over 85% of the students rapidly mastered lower-order abilities. These abilities included data representation and identification of uncertainty and assumptions, among others. In contrast, by the end of the semester, fewer than 45% of the students successfully evaluated the effects of uncertainty and assumptions on their claims, distinguished hypotheses from predictions, or provided a theoretical framework for their arguments. This unsuccessful application of higher-order skills coincided with the removal of scaffolds. A dynamic system model permitted an evaluation of the observed learning process, revealing a good agreement between obtained results and modeled outcomes. This good agreement suggests that external factors (e.g., cognitive demand, domain-specific knowledge) potentially played a critical role in the mastery of scientific abilities.

Recommending Personalized Summaries of Teaching Materials

Teaching activities have nowadays been supported by a variety of electronic devices. Formative assessment tools allow teachers to evaluate the level of understanding of learners during frontal lessons and to tailor the next teaching activities accordingly. Despite plenty of teaching materials are available in the textual form, manually exploring these very large collections of documents can be extremely time-consuming. The analysis of learner-produced data (e.g., test outcomes) can be exploited to recommend short extracts of teaching documents based on the actual learner's needs. This paper proposes a new methodology to recommend summaries of potentially large teaching documents. Summary recommendations are customized to student's needs according to the results of comprehension tests performed at the end of frontal lectures. Specifically, students undergo multiple-choice tests through a mobile application. In parallel, a set of topic-specific summaries of the teaching documents is generated. They consist of the most significant sentences related to a specific topic. According to the results of the tests, summaries are personally recommended to students. We assessed the applicability of the proposed approach in real context, i.e., a B.S. university-level course. The results achieved in the experimental evaluation confirmed its usability.

Transforming Developmental Reading Through Information Literacy: Developing A Contextualized Course Curriculum

ABSTRACTSkill and drill remediation in developmental reading courses do not prepare students for reading tasks in future college-level courses. When a skill and drill model is replaced with a model that utilizes contextualization, students engage in relevant activities with authentic texts to prepare students for college-level activities. The reading department at Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) eliminated the skill and drill textbook from its courses and teamed with library faculty to create a curriculum integrated with information literacy. Reading and library faculty provided students contextualized project-based activities that integrated reading and information literacy strategies. The development, redesign, and implementation of CGCC’s reading program that eliminated textbooks and contextualized information literacy and reading strategies through project-based activities are described in the present study. This study further addresses gaps in the literature regarding a fully contextualized reading course that can be implemented for no more cost than the cost of a traditional curriculum.