Educational Coursework Research Articles

Vulnerability Assessment of Learning Management Systems

This article presents a vulnerability assessment of a class of web applications designed to serve educational coursework to online users. We describe the deployment landscape, the known vulnerabilities institutions must be aware of, and document how nonsupervised deployment puts institutions at risk from cybercriminals.

Aspiring teachers’ technology-enhanced learning practices within and beyond teacher education coursework: lessons for a post COVID-19 era

ABSTRACT The shift to emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic has further revealed a range of issues related to technology-enhanced learning (TEL). Among these were educators’ lack of prior exposure to more creative and participatory forms of TEL in credential coursework and professional development. To address the new realities of schooling, we must first understand the TEL practices that aspiring teachers have had in their teacher education courses. This study examined the TEL practices of aspiring teachers within and beyond their educational coursework prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their perceived degree of proficiency with these practices. Our survey research found that participants reported more experience and proficiency with TEL practices involving consumption-based and transactional modes of learning, and less experience and proficiency with practices related to creativity, collaboration, and knowledge generation. We discuss how these findings suggest improvements for credentialing programs in the area of TEL.

Attitudes of Indian Undergraduate Occupational Therapy Students Toward Mental Health and Psychiatry

Background: In India, the number of occupational therapy practitioners currently working in mental health settings is lower than most other specialties. The attitudes of students influence their interest in any field and their desire for working in it. Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the attitudes of Indian undergraduate occupational therapy students toward mental health and psychiatry, and to explore the differences in attitudes across different years of study, gender, resulting from personal experiences, and educational coursework, and to examine if the attitudes influence future career choices. Study Design: This was a cross-sectional survey. Methods: Permission was obtained from heads of institutions of 14 occupational therapy colleges and the survey link was sent. In order to obtain a representative sample, the link was also shared on social groups. The purpose of the study, voluntary participation, and confidentiality were explained on the landing page. The subsequent sections consisted of the demographic questionnaire, the Attitudes toward Psychiatry-30 (ATP-30) Questionnaire, and the Career Preference Questionnaire. A total of 402 responses were obtained within the stipulated period. Statistical analysis was performed, and the odds ratio using logistic regression and Pearson's correlation coefficient were determined. Results: Gender and contact with persons with mental illness were significant predictors of positive ATP. Females are 5.387 times more likely to have positive ATP (odds ratio [OR] = 5.387, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.101–13.814, P = 0.000). Furthermore, those in contact with persons with mental illness are 2.883 times more likely to have positive ATP (OR = 2.883, 95% CI: 1.076–7.724, P = 0.035). Moderately high positive correlations existed between ATP and career preference in psychiatry. Conclusions: Overall, positive attitudes were found. Significant correlations were seen across the domains of the ATP-30 and career preference in psychiatry. Female students are five times more likely to have positive attitudes than male students. Those in contact with persons with mental illness were almost thrice more likely to have positive attitudes than those without any contact.

Effects of a Pair Programming Educational Robot-Based Approach on Students' Interdisciplinary Learning of Computational Thinking and Language Learning.

Using educational robots (ERs) to integrate computational thinking (CT) with cross-disciplinary content has gone beyond Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), to include foreign-language learning (FL) and further cross-context target-language (TL) acquisition. Such integration must not solely emphasise CT problem-solving skills. Rather, it must provide students with interactive learning to support their target-language (TL) interaction while reducing potential TL anxiety. This study aimed to validate the effects of the proposed method of pair programming (PP) along with question-and-response interaction in a board-game activity on young learners’ CT skills and TL learning across contexts. Two Grade 6 classes, one with 15 students who were studying Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) and the other with 15 students who were studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL), participated in the activity. A series of instruments on achievement assessment, questionnaires on CT skills and TL anxiety, and sequential learning behaviour analysis were used to critically examine the results. The main conclusion is that the EFL group showed better social skills of cooperation on CT and lower TL learning anxiety, while the CSL group demonstrated better problem-solving skills in CT, but presented more behaviours of trial-and-error loops. Results not only contribute suggestions for cross-disciplinary learning but also provide support for cross-context instruction beyond educational coursework.

Is ethical computing ready to grow up?

Recently, I've been thinking about differences in the treatment of ethics across the computing, business, legal, and medical disciplines/professions. Each of these professions appears to be concerned that its practitioners act ethically with associated codes of conduct and educational coursework focused on providing students with exposure to the ethical behaviors expected of future practitioners. However, these disciplines also appear to differ in the approach to ethics upon becoming a professional.

Students’ Level of Satisfaction and Their Technological Proficiency Growth in Teacher Education Coursework

Teachers are increasingly expected to demonstrate frequent use of and proficiency with educational technologies in the classroom. Meanwhile, teacher experiences with new technologies prior to their entry into the classroom do not always match these expectations. For many teacher education programs, the solution to this challenge lies in the incorporation of educational technologies into coursework for pre-service teachers (PSTs). This study examines PST reported uses and proficiency with educational technologies before and after taking introductory educational coursework. Based on surveys administered at the beginning and end of introductory education courses, the study found that PSTs reported consistent improvement in their technological skills. There were also positive relationships among skills competence and PST outcomes of satisfaction, effectiveness, and usefulness. These findings support existing efforts to incorporate educational technology into teacher certification coursework, while also suggesting ways to expand on these approaches to better support PSTs experience with educational technologies.

Designing a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Virtual Curriculum: Assessment of Medical Student Knowledge, Surgical Skill, and Community Building

PURPOSE: Virtual and interactive learning are the future of plastic surgery education.1 This shift is essential in the COVID-19 era, as medical students have been displaced from clinical rotations into virtual classrooms resulting in losses of traditional opportunities to learn about plastic and reconstructive surgery. The impact of this pandemic is far-reaching and may adversely influence interest in surgical specialties, diversity in anatomic knowledge, and hands-on surgical experience. We aimed to provide medical students worldwide with a virtual educational opportunity and developed the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Virtual Curriculum (PRSVC), a structured, four-week, flipped classroom course with virtual clinical case discussions and surgical skills workshops. Additional programming was available for medical students applying to or considering applying into plastic surgery residency programs to socialize with each other and build community. METHODS: We designed and implemented a structured, four-week educational curriculum, which included curated learning modules that covered main topics within plastic surgery. Students were provided daily assignments from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Resident Education Curriculum and DeckerMed Plastic Surgery Core Curriculum, which were available to all enrolled participants free of charge. As an adjunct to the educational coursework, students had opportunities to participate in biweekly, small group virtual flipped classroom case discussions and weekly surgical skills workshops. Pre- and postcourse surveys were administered and analyzed using SPSS. RESULTS: In total, 303 medical students and recent graduates (43.4% fourth-years) from 18 countries enrolled in the course in June 2020. An estimated 182 students completed the precourse survey (60% response rate), and of those, 50.0% (n = 91) completed the postcourse survey for paired comparison. About two-thirds were medical students in the United States and the remaining one-third of students were from Canada and other international countries. Over one-third did not have home plastic surgery programs, and almost half of the participants reported having an educational experience scheduled for June 2020 cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students reported significant improvement in confidence discussing the relevant anatomy, work-up, and surgical approaches to clinical cases, as well as confidence in knowledge of all topic areas (P < 0.001). Confidence in suturing and knot-tying techniques significantly improved among workshop participants (P < 0.001). Students applying to residency programs this cycle felt significantly more prepared for sub-internships (P < 0.001) and significantly more connected to the community of applicants (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Virtual Curriculum improved knowledge, surgical skills, and community in the field among medical student participants. This course may serve to inform other surgical subspecialties in developing similar virtual educational opportunities and also serve to provide a paradigm for structured virtual learning activities for students interested in plastic surgery. REFERENCE: 1. Ali K, Colchado D, Davis MJ, et al. Online resources in plastic surgery education: a toolbox for modern trainees and plastic surgeons. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2020;8(7):e2894. Published 2020 Jul 17. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002894

Holistic Nursing Values in Nurse Practitioner Education

Much has been written about the inclusion of holistic nursing values and practices in undergraduate nursing education, but their inclusion and influence in advanced practice nursing education has not been fully explored. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are nurses, so it is assumed that the nursing perspective provides a framework for NP education and practice, and that NP education represents the blending of a holistic nursing approach with medical diagnosis and treatment. Nurse practitioners are taking increasing responsibility for filling the gap in primary healthcare availability in the U.S., and in the current political and economic healthcare climate, NPs are in a position to promote primary care models that honor comprehensive, patient-centered, and relationship-based care. As a result, it becomes essential to quantify the inclusion of these values in NP educational programs and coursework, as instilling core values for practice begins in educational environments. This quantitative, descriptive study explored the inclusion of holistic nursing values by NP faculty, using the Nurse Practitioner Holistic Caring Instrument (NPHCI). The NPHCI exhibited quite high reliability and validity in the sample, including confirmation of its three subscales. Survey results suggest that NP faculty actively incorporate holistic nursing values in educational coursework, and that age, length of time teaching in NP programs, highest educational degree, and academics as the primary area of practice were important indicators of the inclusion of holistic nursing values in NP program curricula. Findings add to knowledge of NP education, but further study is warranted.

Advancing scholarship by publishing curriculum as an e-book

Medical educators provide service by developing curricula and writing learning material. In addition, academic institutions expect medical educators to publish scholarship to be considered for promotion and academic advancement. Unfortunately, educators may receive limited time to execute these duties and expectations. One way medical educators can streamline their workload is by publishing educational coursework they have previously written into an e-book through an online publisher. This allows them to transform educational service they have already completed into scholarship required for academic recognition, thus maximizing the efficient use of their time. Publishing educational material as an e-book requires four steps. First, medical educators must determine which of their educational materials is best suited for publishing as an e-book. Second, educators must rank the features of each e-book publisher and choose the one that best meets their needs. Third, the educational material must be adapted as a manuscript and submitted for publication. Finally, the e-book must be advertised, promoted, and distributed to its intended audience. In addition, the success of the project should be evaluated. To illustrate this process, we describe the steps we took to publish the learning material we created for our internal medicine residents into an e-book. The overall process took approximately 3 months and went smoothly. For future publications, we would determine better ways to track the number of downloads of the e-book, ensure all of our images are adequately large, and consider the use of academic, rather than commercial e-book publishers.

“I'm Not Teaching English, I'm Teaching Something Else!”: How New Teachers Create Curriculum Under Mandates of Educational Reform

This study presents how beginning teachers create and teach an English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum in urban schools in the context of an educational reform movement driven by mandates such as Common Core State Standards (CCSS), high stakes tests, and prescribed curricula. They serve in schools with each using unique and individual curricula due to frequent administrative turnover and reorganization. Through the use of participants' classroom writings, interviews, and records of their classroom teaching, this study presents that the participants are neither teaching the content they wish, nor able to use pedagogies they see as effective. They experience confusion about the nature of the curricula imposed on them which differs significantly from their understanding of the ELA curriculum. The curricula they teach has little to do with either personal understandings of ELA, or how it is presented it in their educational coursework.

A Balancing Act in the Third Space: Graduate-Level Earth Science in an Urban Teacher-Residency Program

ABSTRACTThis article describes a museum-based urban teacher-residency (UTR) program's approach to building subject-specific content knowledge and research experience in Earth Science teacher candidates. In the museum-based program, graduate-level science courses and research experiences are designed and implemented specifically for the UTR by active Earth and Space research scientists that account for almost half of the program's faculty. Because these courses and research experiences are designed specifically for the teacher candidates, they are different from many science courses and research experiences available to preservice teachers in a university setting. At the same time, the museum-based program is the only UTR, to our knowledge, to incorporate such a rigorous science curriculum, and this article considers some possible advantages and disadvantages of the program's approach. Because the museum-based program's science curriculum is balanced against the educational coursework and teaching residencies that necessarily form the program's backbone, the museum's approach to strengthening the teacher candidate's science background may also inform the faculty and administration of other UTRs in cases in which one of their program goals is to further expand their teacher candidate's content knowledge and practical subject matter experience.

Micro-Credentials, Nano Degrees, and Digital Badges

Digital technologies offer myriad access to learning; entree to education is still a necessity for economic success, with access increasingly promoted to those wishing access to furthering their skills (; Pascarella &amp; Terezini, 2005; ). As new technologies and traditional education paradigms have collided, credentialing paradigms have also needed review (; European Association for International Education (EAIA), 2012, 2015; ). Traditionally, academic credentials and professional certifications were awarded as students emerged from education and vocational/technical programs (Ledesma, 2012). By 2015, global higher education institutions were considering validation of knowledge from online learning coursework in one single common, broad-based credentialing platform (EAIA, 2012, 2015). Accreditation for online learning or Massive Open Online Coursework provides challenges for universities to accept and acknowledge learning as credited coursework; awarding credit for different types of educational coursework disrupts higher education's traditional, formal educational processes for financial and educational accountability (; ; ). The challenge for post-secondary institutions is to look at online learning opportunities through a lens of reform and innovation and equally, as an opportunity to increase higher education participation. (; ).

The Common Goals and Elusive Solutions for Providing Access to Students with Visual Impairments to Standardized Testing

Horace Mann, an early American educational reformer, considered public education essential for democracy. In 1975, P.L. 94142, the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, expanded the rights to a free appropriate public education for children with disabilities, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) further refined those rights. In 2001, No Child Left Behind, the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), was intended to improve education for all students. Every child, regardless of their circumstances, would achieve to high standards. If achievement was mandated, then how could schools demonstrate that all students were leaving school for college and careers? Assessment took on new significance as outcomes became ever more important for students, their teachers, and their schools. Yet major differences between schools in funding, community support, curriculum, and achievement still existed. Not all schools produced the same outcomes. Not all children with disabilities had access to a rigorous curriculum and highly qualified teachers. U.S. states began working to standardize the content of educational coursework. By doing so, a diploma would represent the same high standards across states and would emphasize necessary skills, particularly in reading and math. The U.S. Department of Education explained the intent was to close achievement gaps, promote rigorous accountability, and ensure that all students are on track to graduate, college and career ready (Department of Education, 2014). Enter the common core curriculum (which has been adopted by 43 states as of this writing) and on its heels a need for large-scale standardized testing. Twenty states have adopted tests from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (2014); 12 states and the District of Columbia have adopted tests created by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PAARC, 2014). Both companies are developing tests that will be taken and scored using computers. The past school year (2013-2014) was considered a practice year for these evaluations, an opportunity to test the online assessments and work out any issues. The 2014-2015 school year will be the first year in which these new testing systems will be fully implemented. The computerized tests have embedded and non-embedded supports (calculators on the screen, for example, or enlarged print). There are tools, supports, and in the Smarter Balanced platform. These supports are designed to provide universal accessibility at levels needed by students as designated in their Individualized Education Programs or 504 plans. PAARC provides both embedded and external accommodations. Although there were numerous problems during the trial phase, many of the issues that were identified have been reported and are being addressed. The biggest issues affected braille, readers who needed to have access to refreshable braille displays and tactile graphics printers or needed hardcopy braille with tactile graphics in order to take these tests. At this time, neither company appears to be fully prepared to facilitate access to braille readers in a smooth and coordinated fashion, and these accommodations may encounter additional obstacles in individual school settings. …

Pediatric emergency medicine asynchronous e-learning: a multicenter randomized controlled Solomon four-group study.

Asynchronous e-learning allows for targeted teaching, particularly advantageous when bedside and didactic education is insufficient. An asynchronous e-learning curriculum has not been studied across multiple centers in the context of a clinical rotation. We hypothesize that an asynchronous e-learning curriculum during the pediatric emergency medicine (EM) rotation improves medical knowledge among residents and students across multiple participating centers. Trainees on pediatric EM rotations at four large pediatric centers from 2012 to 2013 were randomized in a Solomon four-group design. The experimental arms received an asynchronous e-learning curriculum consisting of nine Web-based, interactive, peer-reviewed Flash/HTML5 modules. Postrotation testing and in-training examination (ITE) scores quantified improvements in knowledge. A 2 × 2 analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tested interaction and main effects, and Pearson's correlation tested associations between module usage, scores, and ITE scores. A total of 256 of 458 participants completed all study elements; 104 had access to asynchronous e-learning modules, and 152 were controls who used the current education standards. No pretest sensitization was found (p = 0.75). Use of asynchronous e-learning modules was associated with an improvement in posttest scores (p < 0.001), from a mean score of 18.45 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 17.92 to 18.98) to 21.30 (95% CI = 20.69 to 21.91), a large effect (partial η(2) = 0.19). Posttest scores correlated with ITE scores (r(2) = 0.14, p < 0.001) among pediatric residents. Asynchronous e-learning is an effective educational tool to improve knowledge in a clinical rotation. Web-based asynchronous e-learning is a promising modality to standardize education among multiple institutions with common curricula, particularly in clinical rotations where scheduling difficulties, seasonality, and variable experiences limit in-hospital learning.

Differential Response family assessments: Listening to what parents say about service helpfulness

An increasing number of Child Protective Services (CPS) systems are implementing Differential Response (DR) approaches in which lower-risk families are served through a family assessment response that emphasizes a family centered approach and the provision of concrete and preventative services. Quantitative survey data collected from parents suggests that those who receive family assessments are more engaged, receive more concrete services, and have higher overall satisfaction than those who receive a traditional investigation; yet little is known about which services provided through a family assessment are most helpful to parents. This qualitative study sought input from 20 parents who received a DR family assessment response in order to provide an in-depth analysis of which aspects of their CPS experience they perceived as most helpful. Results suggest that a positive and emotionally supportive relationship with the caseworker was of utmost significance. Other caseworker-provided services were described as helpful, particularly those that helped parents establish or improve relationships with others, including advocacy with other service providers, mediation of family disagreements, and coaching on parenting or relationship skills. Material support, such as providing cash assistance for rent or furniture, was helpful when received but occurred less frequently and was sometimes a source of frustration when accompanied by lengthy waits for assistance. These findings have implications for CPS practice, including enhancing caseworkers’ relationship-building and engagement skills through pre-service educational coursework and in-service trainings; allowing caseworkers adequate time to develop supportive relationships with parents; and reducing the institutional barriers that delay the provision of concrete support.

Toward a Framework for Development of Qualifications in Meetings, Expositions, Events, and Conventions in South Africa

The meetings, incentives, conventions, and events industry continues to grow, not only in the United States but around the world. With this growth comes demand for qualified, highly trained employees. Postsecondary education is the mechanism by which these employees are developed. While a previous article in this journal investigated meetings, incentives, conventions, and events coursework and programs in the United States, to date, no other research has looked at educational coursework and programming in other parts of the world. This article seeks to address this shortcoming by investigating and assessing meetings, incentives, conventions, and events educational offerings and programming in South Africa. This region of Africa has one of the most vibrant tourism economies on the continent and, commensurately, strong meetings, incentives, conventions, and events business activities. The current research assesses the educational framework in South Africa along with the institutions offering meetings, incentives, conventions, and events education, along with the courses they offer.

The Relationship Between Student Evaluation of Instruction Scores and Faculty Formal Educational Coursework

Context: Emphasis is placed on athletic training educators' content area expertise and not on their formal training in educational concepts. Objective: The purposes of this study were to identify the amount of educational coursework completed by ATEP faculty and investigate the relationship between ATEP instructors' student evaluation of instruction scores and their formal educational coursework completed. Design: Survey design that included demographic and questionnaire components. Setting: Self-administered questionnaires Participants: The population for the study was athletic trainers working as full-time faculty in Florida ATEPs (n = 19; mean age 39.2 ± 8.03; mean teaching experience 8.84 ± 5.79 years). Data Collection: Faculty participants completed a demographic questionnaire. Students in a non-laboratory based and non-clinical education course taught by the faculty member completed the Students' Evaluation of Educational Quality questionnaire. Analysis: Correlations and independent samples t-tests were analyzed. Results: Faculty completed 9.25 ± 7.39 education courses. The study found positive correlations of moderate/large effect sizes between 7 of the 9 Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) subscales as well as the total SEEQ score, and the number of education courses taken by faculty. The positive correlation between the “Assignments/Readings” subscale and the number of education courses taken by faculty was significant. Independent samples t-tests demonstrated that when faculty had taken more than 10 courses related to education, their students rated them significantly higher on the “Learning/Academic Value” and “Assignments/Readings” subscales than faculty who have taken 10 or fewer courses. Conclusion(s): There is a lack of uniformity among ATEP faculty regarding the quantity of formal educational coursework. The results of this study provide some evidence that a positive relationship exists between educational coursework and some student evaluation of instruction subscale scores.

The Effectiveness of a Supported Education Program for Adults with Psychiatric Disabilities

This pilot study assessed the effectiveness of a supported education program for adults with psychiatric disabilities. Supported education programs help people to gain the basic academic and social skills needed to pursue postsecondary education. The program in this study, the Bridge Program, was conducted over 12 weeks, once every week for three hours. Each session consisted of two hours of lecture/lab activities followed by an hour of individualized mentoring. The program used five outcome assessments to measure effectiveness: (1) pre — and posttests for each academic module; (2) the Participants' Comfort with the Student Role Scale; (3) the Participant Overall Satisfaction Scale; (4) the Task Skills, Interpersonal Skills, and School Behavior Scales; and (5) a frequency count of the percentage of participants who successfully completed the program and enrolled in further educational coursework. Additionally, the occupational therapy students—who participated in the program as instructors and mentors— completed pre — and postscales measuring how comfortable they were working with this population. Of the 18 participants, 16 successfully completed the program, and 12 enrolled in further educational coursework. Upon program completion, the majority of participants reported that they felt better prepared for future educational endeavors and felt more comfortable in the student role. Similarly, the occupational therapy students reported higher levels of comfort with this population and had greater confidence in their clinical skills in the area of mental health practice. Limitations of the study included lack of established reliability and validity for several outcome assessments, lack of a control group, and a small number of participants. It is anticipated that these limitations will be corrected in future studies and as the program grows.

Marketing education on a shoestring: A model

Few educators envision themselves as marketing or public relations experts, yet economic reality is forcing many academicians into these roles. Over the past four years, the Eastern Washington University Department of Education has developed a successful marketing model for educators. The model begins with a successful reform of department programming and includes research, publication, public relations, internal communications and marketing ideas. This article details each of these areas as well as supplying a rationale for the marketing of educational coursework.