Instructional Experiences Research Articles

Standardizing Virtual Curriculum – Examination of Slide Content to Improve Student Utilization


 
 
 Background/Objective:
 The COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions to adapt their courses for a completely virtual experience within a matter of weeks. Instructors rose to the challenge although many were lacking experience in virtual instruction and had modest framework to guide their content creation. Several studies have been conducted examining the efficacy of virtual courses however, guidance for content creation is still not widespread. This study aimed to examine guidance for creation of virtual slide decks to determine if standardizing slide decks would improve student interaction with course materials.
 Methods:
 This research used a retrospective analysis of Indiana University School of Medicine slide decks utilizing guidance from the IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning to determine how existing slide decks aligned with pedagogical recommendations. Content examined included number of slides with more than six bullets, number of bullets with more than ten words, and graphic utilization. Overall number of slides and recording length were also analyzed. Number of “plays” was used as a metric to determine what content students accessed more frequently to examine the relationship between slide deck content and utilization.
 Results:
 The relationship between bullets with more than ten words and number of plays demonstrated a negatively trending relationship whereby slide shows containing more slides exceeding ten words per bullet were played fewer times. Metrics concerning graphic utilization, slides with more than six bullets, recording length, and overall slide number did not yield conclusive results.
 Conclusion and Potential Impact:
 This study demonstrated that the negatively trending relationship between content utilization and exceeding ten words per bullet should be further explored. Examining this and other data points utilizing more accurate metrics will better elucidate the relationship between slide deck content and student utilization. This research will provide guidelines for instructors to streamline content delivery and improve the virtual education experience.
 
 

Does a cooperative training design influence pre-service teachers’ perceived quality of life?

PurposeOne of the main challenges of teacher education is to prepare pre-service teachers (PSTs) to implement various instructional models that promote the quality of learning at school. Beyond individualistic efforts and competition, cooperative learning (CL) environments provide PSTs with opportunities to experience positive interpersonal relationships and support. However, both instructional content knowledge acquisition and motivation for serenely implementing learning environments later in classrooms depend on PSTs being trained to make links between theory, research, and practice. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of CL instructional programs on PSTs’ quality of life in light of their motivation and competencies for teaching in comparison with traditional direct instruction in the physical education (PE) setting.MethodAfter a pre-test, 69 PE-PSTs were randomly assigned to one of the following three training conditions comprising a theoretical presentation of CL designs coupled with (a) a Learning Jigsaw experience (LJE), (b) a Teaching Jigsaw experience focused on instructional acts (TJE), and (c) a Direct Instruction experience (DI).ResultsAlthough integrating CL into the PE-PST training program positively influenced instructional content knowledge acquisition, unexpected results related to participants’ motivation were obtained when the instructor made links between theory, research, and practice focusing on the teaching activity during Jigsaw training sessions.DiscussionRecommendations for planning innovative conditions in PE-PSTs’ training with respect to CL instruction and quality of life are discussed.

Impacts of learning experiences within an online extension initiative on application of research-based principles by beef stakeholders.

The objective of this study was to evaluate, characterize and quantify the learning experiences and subsequent application of research-based technologies by beef producers upon conclusion of an online extension certification program (44 Farms International Beef Cattle Academy, IBCA). Upon conclusion of the program, paricipants were invited to complete a structured interview. Interview transcripts (n = 19) were coded, categorized, and merged into four overarching themes: Strengths, Struggles, Courses, and Geographical origin. Within Strengths, the most frequent codes were Connections, Application, and Instructor Experience, with 61, 53, and 50 coded segments respectively. Within Struggles, the most frequent codes were Time Management, Level of Knowledge, and Language issues, with 27, 18, and 15 coded segments, respectively. For Courses in the program, the most frequently mentioned were Nutrition, Reproduction, and Genetics, with 35, 28, and 24 coded segments respectively. Correlation between codes was evaluated using Pearson and only statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) correlations were included in the matrices for network analysis. Interpretation of the generated network analysis map (P ≤ 0.05; Q = 0.468) including all four categories of codes revealed close relationships between Application and the Strengths of Time management, Instructor Experience, and Connections. Application was also directly related to the Courses of Reproduction and Genetics, and the Struggle of Student Engagement and Guidance. Geographical origin was an important factor mediating different correlations. Developing countries (Brazil, Panama, Dominican Republic, and South Africa) were more closely related to the Struggle of Tuition cost, which, in turn was related to the perceived Prestige of the program. In Europe (Romania, Germany, and Kazakhstan), a stronger correlation to the Struggles of Material Relevance and Language Issues was described. Collectively, these results support the positive impact of a comprehensive and interactive extension initiative to leverage application of research-based principles by beef stakeholders around the world. Further, these outcomes indicate that the most valued aspects of the program regarding application are related to interpersonal experience with faculty and peers of the industry (Instructor Experience and Connections) and that perception of struggles and strengths is greatly influenced by socio-cultural aspects of the learning community.

The Quality of Online Instruction and Returns to Instructor Experience

The Quality of Online Instruction and Returns to Instructor Experience

A survey of instructional experience of faculty in teacher preparation programs during the COVID-19 pandemic

“In the spring of 2020, educational professionals rushed to suddenly and unexpectedly shift to remote teaching in light of the COVID-19 pandemic” (Boltz, Yadav, Dillman & Robertson, 2021). During this time, “Schools and universities had to quickly adapt to a distance learning model….” (Stevens, Stevens, & Grady, 2021) as “…professors everywhere scrambled to implement some version of their class in an online format” (Baker & Dannatt, 2020). This study provides an analysis of self-reported survey data gathered from college instructors tasked with preparing preservice teachers or developing in-service teachers, who were forced to transition to online delivery of their courses.

A swot analysis of online early childhood education during the pandemic in the light of an empirical research

The study summarizes the specific characteristics of preschool education during the pandemic. This is based on our empirical study, which outlined the phenomena associated with the online development and the digital diet of preschoolers, based on the indicators of the SWOT analysis. In the study, we present the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and challenges of this educational period along four focuses: online preschool education practice and elements of the digital diet, the chances of the curriculum prevailing, the quality of the educational partnership and the professional development of kindergarten teachers. In every researched area, all elements of the SWOT analysis could be identified. The positives, such as platforms and applications used in kindergarten development, as well as interesting development content elements, the implementation ideas of the curriculum demanded integrated development, the awareness of the role of the educational partnership, the strong development of professional knowledge (especially the digital pedagogical knowledge) are proof that this period cannot be framed only negatively in kindergarten education. At the same time, of course, we have to see the threats and challenges alongside the opportunities. In our study, we outline all these aspects because, since formulating the instructive experiences and making use of them wisely might serve as aids in outlining the educational practices and principles of the upcoming period.

“I’ve overcome a mountain that had little hills”: teacher candidates’ perspectives of student teaching during a global pandemic

In the fall of 2020, two teacher educators conducted a qualitative study to better understand how 14 female undergraduate, early childhood education teacher candidates completing student teaching at a large public university in a Midwestern state, navigated student teaching during a global pandemic. Analyzing data from transcripts of regularly submitted teaching reflections, we examined how these novice educators perceived and reacted to this situation, to determine the influence of this unique event on their professional growth. Findings revealed that while some elements of student teaching appeared similar to the experience of candidates completing student teaching in earlier times, these candidates’ experience was colored by the unavoidable challenges of a global pandemic, including altered instructional experiences, professional interactions, student relationships, and pedagogical options. Because candidates student teaching during the pandemic had such different experiences than their earlier counterparts, a traditional menu of learning opportunities and mentoring will likely be insufficient to meet their varied development requirements as new teachers. It will be critical to scrutinize the skills, knowledge base, and emotional perspectives of each early career educator and to create individualized development and support plans that build on the unique opportunities and challenges they will carry into their first teaching positions.

Academic Orthodontic Opportunities

Academic Orthodontic Opportunities

Academic Orthodontic Opportunities

Academic Orthodontic Opportunities

Visualizing the Power and Privilege of Failure in Higher Education

Learning from failure is a core component to education, however it is not often deliberately taught in university courses. In addition, while the rhetoric around taking risks, embracing failure, and bouncing back is pervasive in higher education, the corresponding structural supports are lacking. The purpose of the current work is to explore ways we can visualize and illustrate the power and privilege involved with embracing and learning from failure in the context of higher education. We offer three approaches to visualizing the same set of research data exploring student and instructor experiences of failure. The first figure is structured using a Venn diagram, the second uses a mobius strip, and the third draws on both puzzle imagery and the structure of a kernmantle rope to offer a more complex rendition of power and privilege in higher education. These illustrations are intended to serve as introductory guides to this topic. This work emphasizes that power is diffuse and mutable, and we underscore the critical importance of recognizing that each person will experience power and privilege differently in different circumstances. This exploration of illustrative concepts is a place to start theorizing about how students and instructors experience, resist, or wield power as they navigate academic institutions and engage with failure. We note that each instance of struggle, failure, or recovery exhibits specific configurations of power as multiple vectors contribute more or less strongly to the situation. The exact topography of power will change as different people, areas of the institution, or social policies and values enter the equation.

Learning How to Teach Languages Online: Voices from the Field

At this moment, fully online language courses are being taught all around the globe. In addition, blended courses offer an integration of online and live instructional experiences. This study examines who is instructing online language courses and what they point to as additive and advantageous to their online language teaching development. We set out to survey higher education faculty as to how they developed their knowledge and practices. Through an online survey and follow-up synchronous interviews, we asked practicing online language educators about the sources of their expertise. The resulting dataset has much to inform professional development and instructional support generally, as well as broader research and educator communities regarding the ongoing, open-ended, peer-supported, and social nature of this kind of educator learning. As more language educators move their instruction online, the question of how to maximize the pedagogical potential of the new medium can best be addressed by those who have successfully made and embraced this move.

The role of language aptitude probed within extensive instruction experience: morphosyntactic knowledge of advanced users of L2 English

Abstract This study investigated the role of language aptitude for participants with extensive instructed L2 English learning experience in judging the grammaticality of sentences in auditory and written modalities. Partially replicating a naturalistic L2 learning study, we administered written and auditory grammaticality judgement tests in L2 English and the LLAMA aptitude tests to 37 students at an English-medium state university in Turkey. The participants were divided into higher and lower aptitude groups based on LLAMA scores, and their accuracy/response time scores in early/intermediate/late-acquired structures were examined. The results showed that aptitude was significantly associated with performance only in late-acquired structures in the written modality. Additionally, aptitude distinguished response time rather than accuracy scores, suggesting a qualitative processing difference. The explicit and analytic nature of language aptitude was discussed for adult learners, which is more relevant for the Turkish context where English is taught as a foreign language in academic settings.

Integrating the Modern and the Archaic in an Introductory Programming Course - C++ 20; the Command Line; Multilingual Coding; and a Code Review Exam

This practice paper describes the design and implementation of a “one shot” redesign of an introductory programming course intended to support students both in developing programming and coding skills, and in obtaining a software development position in a competitive hiring environment. The technological and pedagogical approaches used in this course were drawn from a combination of the archaic (e.g. command lines; shell scripting; and, console graphics) and the emerging modern (e.g. multilingual instruction; “Pythonic C++”; and, a code review exam). This paper discusses each approach and design feature of the course in terms of its pedagogical objectives; setup and implementation; operational challenges; and, perceived impact on student learning and both student and instructor experience.

Academic Orthodontic Opportunities

Academic Orthodontic Opportunities

The effectiveness of the method of correctional and developmental orientation for preschoolers 3-5 years old with cerebral palsy

Relevance. The content of this article deals with the organization and conduct of classes in adaptive physical education for preschoolers 3-5 years old with children's cerebral pathology. The developed experimental technique based on the complex application of means of adaptive physical culture and physical rehabilitation is substantiated. The means, methods and forms of organizing and conducting correctional and developmental classes with children of this nosological and age group are described. The obtained experimental data are presented, proving the effectiveness of the developed methodology in relation to improving the indicators of physical fitness and mental processes of preschool children with cerebral palsy. Research methods and organization: The developed methodology was based on the results of the analysis of data from scientific and methodological literature, medical records of preschool children, as well as the experience of instructors of methodologists on AFC of preschool correctional institutions and the scientific and practical center "Without Borders" of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "VGAPC", carrying out correctional work -tu with children 3-5 years old suffering from cerebral palsy.

디지털 미디어 환경변화에 따른 평생교육 강사들의 배움에 대한 사례연구

This study studied what erudition experiences lifelong education instructors had to adapt to change in a changing digital media environment. Digital media has been developed as an important means for future information and society. But the COVID-19 has accelerated the pace of change. COVID-19 has made human life live in a rapidly changing digital media era. The education field has also undergone a major change without exception. The biggest change among them is digital media-based online classes. In particular, unlike the public education field, instructors in the lifelong education field were prepared and responsible for changes in the educational environment without systematic support. In this situation, the process of learning change that instructors experience newly is an important factor that affect learners' erudition and teaching design. Therefore, this study aims to examine the erudition experience of lifelong education instructors according to the digital media environment change. The following is the result of analysis after collecting data through in-depth interview. First, the subjects did not consider the change of educational environment as a disability. Each chose a erudition method that suits him. They tried to adapt themselves to environmental change by practicing themselves. Second, the subjects showed problem solving ability to adapt to the digital media environment change. This problem solving ability became a new learning that made you discover and grow yourself. Third, the help that the subjects have received to adapt to change is responsible for giving to someone else.

Youth Experiences Through The Journey Of Resiliency

Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, there have been an innumerable amount of distress on the lives of others. Among the many populations impacted are students of color who have experienced many difficulties with balancing their personal lives and education. This study is dedicated to exploring the experiences of students of color in an institution of higher education (HBCU) Historically, young people of color have been regarded as a marginalized population in the realm of education. Therefore, this chapter provides an in-depth view using qualitative methodology to: (a) better understand the complexity and challenges faced during the pandemic for this population; and (b) gain insight about their overall lived experiences. As students of color in higher education, preliminary analysis shows that many have had to face a myriad of obstacles including, but not limited to, adjustments in academic learning technological challenges, experiences of family casualties, personal bouts with surviving COVID-19, and economic challenges to name a few. . Despite these aforementioned barriers contributing to the unbalanced impact of COVID-19 as it relates to issues of equity and justice for communities of color, many students demonstrated a level of resilience that should be immensely commended. Therefore, when sampling students of color at HBCUs impacted by the global pandemic, emphasis is placed on their stories of resiliencies and unprecedented experiences, post COVID-19 instructional experiences, as well as personal life experiences. This study is deemed important because learning takes place over a lifespan and in the field of academia, despite challenges, the word “resilience” should be at the forefront and in the minds of our students of color as it relates to the unbalanced impact of the global pandemic.

Changing trends in remote teaching among instructors in higher education in the shadow of the coronavirus crisis

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to examine whether the remote teaching experience of instructors in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic has improved after one year.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved 75 instructors teaching at an institution of higher education in Israel, who answered twice (once in 2020 and again in 2021) a quantitative questionnaire that examined their remote teaching experience.FindingsThe hypotheses about greater use of digital tools and about more positive attitudes of instructors toward remote teaching and learning at the second measurement than at the first one were confirmed. This hypothesis about lower levels of technical difficulties in remote teaching at the second measurement was not confirmed, but the level of reported difficulty was already low at the first measurement.Practical implicationsIt is recommended that academic institutions continue the trend of deploying innovation in teaching with confidence in the ability of instructors to adapt to change. At the same time, instructors should be provided with mental and technical support.Originality/valueFew studies have examined the change in attitudes of instructors toward remote teaching over time. In the present study, we used a repeated measures design, which made it possible to monitor the instructors’ adaptation to remote teaching. Adaptation to the new teaching method can contribute to innovation in teaching in academic institutions and to improvement in its quality.

Mapping Information in the Wild: An Archivist’s Approach to Liaison Librarianship

ABSTRACT How do archivists who find themselves in dual librarian/archivist positions approach library instruction and reference services? This case study examines the instructional experiences of an archivist serving in an interim role as a liaison librarian to a public affairs college at a large, public university in the United States. Utilizing action research methodology to study and inform their instruction approach and philosophy, the archivist created an instructional model which incorporates archival principles and concepts into a landscape mapping exercise. Archivists can make material contributions to library instruction through their unique knowledge, skills, and perspectives.

The lived experience of clinical instructors as simulated patients: a qualitative study

Purpose: Simulated patients (SPs) during simulated learning experiences (SLEs) are typically played by a trained actor, potentially requiring significant training time and cost. The participating university’s physical therapist (PT) education program recruits clinical instructors (CIs) to play the SP role during SLEs that represent various learning environments (in and out patient). As there is limited literature exploring the SP experience, especially from a clinician perspective, the purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to describe the lived experience of CIs as SPs. Methods: This qualitative inquiry used an inductive approach to identify the experiences of CIs as SPs. Eight CIs participated in an individual semi-structured interview to gather their perspectives about their experiences playing the SP role during SLEs. A constant-comparative approach was used to develop codes, which were further collapsed into categories and main themes. Member checks and peer review were conducted to establish trustworthiness of the findings. Results: Qualitative analysis revealed four main themes: (1) Becoming the Patient, (2) A Window into the Student Experience, (3) We See It Every Day: Using Experience to Guide Performance, and (4) Giving Back Through Teaching. Conclusion: Being an SP was an enjoyable experience that allowed CIs to participate in teaching and give back to their profession. Empathy gained for both patients and students through the SP experience influenced the CIs’ own clinical practice and may enhance CIs’ preparation for student clinical experiences and improve CI mentoring skills.