Science Teachers’ Use of a Concept Map Marking Guide as a Formative Assessment Tool for the Concept of Energy

In this study, we investigated the value of a concept map marking guide as an alternative formative assessment tool for science teachers to adopt for the topic of energy. Eight high school science teachers marked students’ concept maps using an itemized holistic marking guide. Their marking was compared with the researchers’ marking and the scores of a multiple-choice diagnostic test. Statistical analysis revealed that teachers evaluated students’ concept maps consistently, but the concept map scores were only mildly correlated with the multiple-choice test scores. We explored what each assessment method revealed in terms of students’ understanding with one student’s performance as a showcase. Teachers’ views on using the marking guide of concept maps as an assessment tool were also included. We discuss the value of the concept map marking guide as a formative assessment tool for science teachers to create and modify in order to encourage students’ conceptual learning.     

Giving Feedback on Peers’ Concept Maps in an Inquiry Learning Context: The Effect of Providing Assessment Criteria

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Giving and receiving peer feedback is seen as an important vehicle for deep learning. Defining assessment criteria is a first step in giving feedback...     

Board Game in Physics Classes—a Proposal for a New Method of Student Assessment

Research in Science Education - The aim of this study was to examine the impact of assessing students’ achievements in a physics course in the form of a group board game. Research was...     

Are There Gender Differences in Quantitative Student Evaluations of Instructors?

Research in Higher Education - Recent research conducted at numerous universities has found evidence of instructor-gender differences in student evaluations of teaching (SET). This paper examines...     

Rubrics as a Tool for Learning and Assessment: What Do Baccalaureate Students Think?

Rubrics are increasingly used as tools to evaluate student work. This study examined BSW students' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of using rubrics. Pre- and posttest questionnaires were administered to 35 students in two sections of a diversity course. Students judged the use of rubrics favorably. Rubrics communicated the instructors' expectations, clarified how to write course assignments, explained grade and point deductions and, in general, made course expectations clearer. Students suggested that the rubric design should be self-explanatory and easy to follow. If carefully developed, rubrics may be a useful tool for advancing student learning in social work programs.     

Can Wii Engage College-Level Learners? Use of Commercial Off-the-Shelf Gaming in an Introductory Statistics Course

Technological advancements and growing dependence on media outlets as sources of information compete for the attention of individuals born in a rapidly expanding digital age. As a result, educators using traditional, nondigital teaching methods struggle with keeping students engaged in the classroom. The present study assessed the extent to which a digitally enhanced learning environment can improve student involvement in learning. A traditional behavioral statistics lecture was supplemented with Nintendo Wii video gaming to increase student content knowledge comprehension and engagement with course material. A mixed Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that those in the video gaming condition improved significantly more than those receiving traditional lecture only. This research suggests that students can learn difficult conceptual material (i.e., statistics) through more novel, interactive teaching methods.     

Can the History of Science Contribute to Modelling in Physics Teaching?

A characterization of the modelling process in science is proposed for science education, based on Mario Bunge’s ideas about the construction of models in science. Galileo’s Dialogues are analysed as a potentially fruitful starting point to implement strategies aimed at modelling in the classroom in the light of that proposal. It is argued that a modelling process for science education can be conceived as the evolution from phenomenological approaches towards more representational ones, emphasizing the role of abstraction and idealization in model construction. The shift of reference of theories—from sensible objects to conceptual objects—and the black-box models construction process, which are both explicitly presented features in Galileo’s Dialogues, are indicated as highly relevant aspects for modelling in science education.     

The Outcomes of an International Education for Indonesian Graduates: The third place?

The outcomes derived from an international overseas education by Indonesian graduates are a complex mix of professional, affective, cultural and career advantages mediated by the nature of the environment in which they work and the nature of the work they do. Most graduates believe the advantages of an overseas education are more important than the disadvantages. Nevertheless, there are important disadvantages such as difficulties with re-entry, work relationships, and the development of appropriate professional networks. Respondents place more importance on outcomes such as changes in intellectual abilities, attitudes and cultural perspectives than on narrower career advantages such as salary and promotion, which may actually suffer as a consequence of an international education. The rich cultural and educational experiences appear to create a distinct inter-cultural group in professional society—a "third place"—which may be seen as a source of professional advantage for both employers and individuals. By giving thorough attention to the unique potential of this third place, and by strengthening the links in the educational and employment situation of graduates, stakeholders can enhance the outcomes from an international, overseas education.     

Power Lines: The Rhetoric of Maps as Social Change in the Post–Cold War Landscape

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of state socialism in Eastern and Central Europe, cartographers were faced with choices on how the new post–Cold War political landscape would be mapped. One such group called the Pluto Project had been producing atlases since 1981 with a progressive point of view about the nature of state power in the Cold War. This essay examines two of the Pluto Project's atlases as they function to identify a radical cartographic style that animates the social control of space by subverting traditional cartographic forms and defying scientific expectations and standards.     

Can creative podcasting promote deep learning? The use of podcasting for learning content in an undergraduate science unit

This paper examines the effect of a podcasting task on the examination performance of several hundred first‐year chemistry undergraduate students. Educational researchers have established that a deep approach to learning that promotes active understanding of meaning can lead to better student outcomes, higher grades and superior retention of knowledge over time. We attempted to promote such an approach by setting a task that involved student collaboration, contextualisation of content, and communication through new media, specifically creative podcasting. Examination results were used as a source of empirical evidence of changes in understanding and retention that occurred for students who completed this task. In comparing results across 2 years on similar questions related to the podcasting topics, we found a statistically significant improvement after introduction of the podcasting task on the questions related to one of the topics on which students had actively created their own podcasts (“acids & bases”), but not on the other (“oxidisation and reduction”). Improved learning outcomes in the form of better understanding and retention over time in at least one case suggest that under some circumstances creative podcasting may indeed help to promote a deep learning approach.     

Professional Issues: Questioning the Use of Alcoholics Anonymous With College Students: Is an Old Concept the Only Alternative for a New Generation?

The recommended treatment for alcoholism in the past typically has been participation in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). However, the use of AA on college campuses has not been proven effective. With a new generation comes the opportunity to rethink this approach to the problem of alcohol abuse on campuses and to incorporate new methods in counseling practice with young adults.     

The Use of Different Simulations and Different Types of Feedback and Students’ Academic Performance in Physics

Research in Science Education - The aim of this study was to determine the impact of three different software simulations for studying Ohm’s law and connecting resistors on students’...     

Can Personalized Nudges Improve Learning in Hybrid Classes? Experimental Evidence From an Introductory Undergraduate Course

A field experiment was conducted to investigate whether personalized e-mail reminders can improve study consistency and learning outcomes in an introductory-level undergraduate course. By randomly assigning whether nearly 300 students would receive occasional e-mail messages encouraging out-of-class study, we find that these reminders increased exam performance by 0.2 standard deviations. Using detailed information on the timing and duration of study effort, we find two distinct patterns explaining this increase. Reminders increased weekend study time slightly, and weekday studying remained constant although it was shifted approximately 2 to 3 hours earlier for those who received reminders. A follow-up survey corroborates these channels, and suggests a third mechanism: increased cognitive effort during study. These findings highlight the potential for low-cost behavioral interventions to improve student performance. (Keywords: e-mail reminders; personalized nudges; hybrid learning; higher education)     

The Effectiveness of Video as a Learning Tool in On‐line Multimedia Modules

The Broadnet Project produced on‐line interactive multimedia training modules in order to support local small and medium sized (SME) businesses. Two of these modules used videos which were incorporated into the modules and were designed to stream over the Broadnet network. These videos were produced by several different contributors to the project. This report examines the producers’ views and SME trainees’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the videos as training material. Findings suggests that it is the interactive nature of the videos with the clips and questions, and the use of narrative incorporating the information which these trainees found most useful for learning.     

The State of the Literature on Student Evaluations of Teaching and an Exploratory Analysis of Written Comments: Who Benefits Most?

The purpose of this exploratory analysis is to review the state of the literature on student evaluations (SEs) of teaching and examine to what extent an instructor's race/ethnicity influences student's qualitative comments. Also, does the intersection of race and gender influence student's qualitative comments on SEs? Utilizing an online survey distributed among various organizational listserv in the discipline of Political Science, this study highlights written comments received on SEs by faculty generally. Additionally, we hope to contribute findings that support how negative comments may affect faculty of color and women.     

Are Student Evaluations of Teaching Effectiveness Valid for Measuring Student Learning Outcomes in Business Related Classes? A Neural Network and Bayesian Analyses

In this study we investigate the underlying relational structure between student evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETEs) and achievement of student learning outcomes in 116 business related courses. Utilizing traditional statistical techniques, a neural network analysis and a Bayesian data reduction and classification algorithm, we find little or no support for the validity of SETEs as a general indicator of teaching effectiveness or student learning. In fact, the underlying structure appears to be non-linear and possibly negatively bimodal where the most effective instructors are within the middle percentiles of student course ratings, while instructors receiving ratings in the top quintile or the bottom quintile are associated with significantly lower levels of student achievement.     

Twitter as an informal learning space for teachers!? The role of social capital in Twitter conversations among teachers

Twitter can contribute to the continuous professional development of teachers by initiating and fostering informal learning. Social capital theory can aid to analyze the underlying communication processes and outcomes. Yet, previous research has largely neglected teachers and the role of social capital on Twitter. The present study addresses this shortcoming by analysing a hashtag conversation among German speaking teachers. Using social network analysis, we are able to show the relevance of the structural dimension of social capital in Twitter conversations among teachers.     

Rapid Feedback Assessment Methods: Can We Improve Engagement and Preparation for Exams in Large-enrollment Courses?

Scratch-off immediate feedback assessment technique (IF-AT) forms and classroom response systems (clickers) can increase student engagement and interaction and help students prepare for exams by indicating the type and level of questions they will encounter. We used the IF-AT throughout the semester in three sections of a lower-division biology class; in two, students worked on IF-AT questions in small permanent groups, and in one, students alternated between IF-AT and clickers each week. At the end of the semester, students answered surveys about instant feedback techniques. Students appreciated prompt feedback on their understanding of course material, enjoyed the group interaction and opportunities to learn from each other, and continued to have positive perceptions of instant feedback activities and to take them seriously throughout the semester. While appreciating the versatility of clicker questions, we find that the ease of use, low cost, effectiveness, and improved classroom climate of the IF-AT method are particularly commendable.