谈流视频在大学教师培训中的应用

大学教师工作繁忙，因此教学技术人员总是面临这样的难题：怎样在大学教师繁忙的日程中安排培训项目。本文介绍了一种利用流视频和同步幻灯片来进行教学策略和技术方面培训的新途径，这种受到教师欢迎的培训策略是让教师通过实时观看或点播存档的流视频．与同事共享各自的技术经验和教学策略。     

The localization,diagnostic, and monitoring functions of student ratings in a model for improving university teaching

A diversity of student questionnaires are used by colleges and universities to provide data on faculty teaching performance. Yet the purposes for collecting this data are frequently unclear, and at times superficial. Rarely is student rating data used as a tool to improve faculty teaching. A more relevant approach incorporates a variety of types of student ratings into a model for improving university teaching. One type of student rating data is used to identify broad instructional problem areas. Another type pinpoints probable causes and solutions for the instructional problems. Instructional improvement procedures are designed on the basis of this data. A third type of student rating data evaluates the instructional improvement procedures and indicates when modifications are needed. In addition to these three types of student ratings, and the generation of appropriate questionnaires, this paper presents an overview of the teaching improvement model and discusses its effectiveness.     

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACULTY DEVELOPMENT: BRINGING TECHNOLOGY INTO INSTRUCTION

Community college faculty development programs assist faculty in the development of quality curricula, using current and expanding teaching technologies. The first step in helping faculty reach their respective goals is to help them articulate their instructional needs. Eighteen faculty members participated in this study, using a personal in-depth interview as the research method. Several implications for community college faculty and administration resulted from this study including: the need to emphasize information literacy, the faculty as lecturers who want to use technology as a means of enhancing that lecture, the need for more time to accomplish their instructional ideas, the need for help to incorporate technology in the classroom themselves, and the desire for training classes that fit their time schedules and location.     

Obstacles to instructional innovation according to college science and mathematics faculty

Numerous studies have documented the infrequent use of learner‐centered instruction in college science and mathematics classrooms and its negative effects on undergraduate learning and motivation. The present research deepened understanding of why. Specifically, an Internet survey was constructed that explored obstacles, supports, and incentives for instructional innovation in the classroom and was sent out to college science and mathematics faculty of Louisiana. Results revealed that colleges generally were perceived to assign little or an indeterminate weight to instruction in personnel decision making. Faculty members generally have little training in pedagogy; but when they do, they are more likely to consult sources of instructional innovation and consider teaching an important part of their professional identities. Data concerning the most common sources of instructional innovation information are presented. Several suggestions are made for institutional reform that if enacted might contribute to systemic improvement in the quality of instruction undergraduates receive. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach     

Hybrid structures: Faculty use and perception of web-based courseware as a supplement to face-to-face instruction

The researchers examined responses from 862 faculty members at 38 institutions nationwide using the blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) to supplement their face-to-face instruction. The four research questions addressed the primary uses that faculty make of blackboard, perceptions that faculty have of how certain blackboard features enhance or elevate (or might enhance or elevate) their assessment of student work and instructional capabilities, and how faculty use of blackboard might positively affect the psychosocial climate within the face-to-face classroom setting. Additional analysis sought to identify the factors that predict use and positive perception of blackboard as a supplement to face-to-face teaching activities. The results indicate that faculty primarily used blackboard as a course management/administration tool to make course documents available to students and manage course grades. Few faculty used blackboard for instructional or assessment purposes, and even fewer utilized blackboard to foster a more positive sense of community within their face-to-face classes. Faculty attitudes, on the whole, were positive when it came to the classroom management functions of blackboard, but neutral or otherwise undecided in terms of its instructional or psychosocial benefits. The main factor in determining blackboard usage—whether for course administration or instructional purposes—was experience with the tool. In addition, women had more positive attitudes than men did in terms of blackboard's potential to enhance classroom management and foster a positive relational climate. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed before concluding.     

MATHEMATICS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

The research reported in this article used regression analyses to examine the factors explaining the variation in instructional costs per full‐time equivalent (FTE) student at 592 public community colleges during the 1991‐92 academic year. The results suggests that instructional costs per FTE student tend to increase with the full‐time faculty‐to‐FTE student ratio, the part‐time faculty‐to‐FTE student ratio, faculty salaries, and the ratio of degree completions to total FTE enrollment in agricultural, skilled trade, and health‐related programs. Community colleges with total FTE enrollments between 1,000 and 1,499, between 2,000 and 2,499, and between 4,000 and 4,499 students tend to have lower instructional costs per FTE student than community colleges having total FTE enrollment less than 500 students.     

Assessing Implementation of Learner-Centered Teaching While Providing Faculty Development

ABSTRACT

This article describes a study of 58 faculty members using a practical method for assessing the prevalence of learner-centered practices through individual interviews and rating their described practices with published rubrics. Analysis of the interviews found that the same faculty member might use more learner-centered practices in one course and more instructor-centered practices in another, depending on the course level, instructional format, and enrollment. Through the collegial interviews, faculty members became more aware of learner-centered practices. Interviews can be an effective development technique. Via this process, faculty developers can achieve two purposes: assessment of teaching and instructional development, at once.     

Examining teachers’ use of computer-based technologies: A case study

This paper presents a case study that illustrates the extent to which technology is used in and out of the classroom in the elementary schools of Turkey. The data were collected through interviews, observations and document analyses. The results show that teachers use technology for administrative purposes, technology education, non-educational purposes, instructional preparation, teacher-directed instructional delivery, student homework and instructional assessment. This study further reveals that teachers’ use of technology is very limited. If teachers use technology for instruction, it is almost always to support their traditional teaching methods.     

Seven strategies for enabling faculty success in distance education

Many challenges associated with distance education and technology integration initiatives focus on faculty issues and concerns. This article analyzes these difficulties by identifying from the literature current trends affecting faculty, faculty motivators, and faculty challenges. Then, following this review and analysis, the article presents seven strategies for university administrators and faculty to consider as part of their own strategic plan to mitigate faculty concerns and ensure program success. The seven strategies discussed include the following: (1) enable colleges and departments to accept more responsibility for distance education activities; (2) provide faculty more information about distance education programs and activities; (3) encourage faculty to incorporate technology into their traditional classrooms; (4) provide strong incentives for faculty to participate in distance education; (5) improve training and instructional support for distance education faculty; (6) build a stronger distance education faculty community; and (7) encourage more distance education scholarship and research.     

U.S. methods for costing in higher education: taking the technology abroad

Costing, the process by which an organization's costs are determined, is one of the most useful policy-making and management tools available to higher education leaders throughout the world. Yet despite the ongoing demand for analytically derived cost information in higher education, the use of costing for policy and management purposes is only now gaining momentum. This article reports the results of the first known application of U.S. costing methods to an institution of higher learning in Latin America - the Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM), a prestigious independent university in Mexico. This study elucidates differences in direct and indirect instructional costs among the UDEM's seven academic colleges and discerns reasons for variations in these costs. Based on the correlation and regression analyses performed, the student-faculty ratio, the average class size, and the total number of courses (a measure of curricular breadth) were among the major factors creating differences in instructional costs among the seven colleges. An important implication of this study is that potential economies are available if faculty productivity levels are increased. Thus, UDEM could conceivably double the existing average class sizes and student-faculty ratios in several of its colleges without any deterioration in the quality of instruction.     

Student evaluation of instruction in higher education: exploring issues of validity and reliability

Many personnel committees at colleges and universities in the USA use student evaluation of faculty instruction to make decisions regarding tenure, promotion, merit pay or faculty professional development. This study examines the construct validity and internal consistency reliability of the student evaluation of instruction (SEI) used at a large mid‐western university in the USA for both administrative and instructional purposes. The sample consisted of 73,500 completed SEIs for undergraduate students who self‐reported as freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. Confirmatory factor analysis via structural equation modelling was used to explore the construct validity of the SEI instrument. The internal consistency of students' ratings was reported to provide reliability evidence. The results of this study showed that the model fits the data for the sample. The significance of this study as well as areas for further research are discussed.     

Inclusive Pedagogy: Teaching Methodologies to Reach Diverse Learners in Science Instruction

This study used quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the use of inclusive pedagogy by science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty at three community colleges. The purpose was to identify barriers to the adoption of inclusive teaching methods for diverse learners and students with disabilities and to propose ways to break down these barriers. Two hundred and eleven community college STEM faculty members in Western Massachusetts were sent a questionnaire that was administered electronically, and 11 faculty members were interviewed, 9 of whom also were observed in the classroom. The most significant among the barriers reported were the lack of an inclusive mindset, lack of knowledge about pedagogy, high teaching loads, and lack of time for instructional development. Implications for practice and research are discussed.     

The Other Side of Academic Dishonesty: The relationship between faculty scepticism,gender and strategies for managing student academic dishonesty cases

Student academic ethics is a serious concern for colleges and universities. The literature dealing with student academic ethics, however, focuses little attention on the possible connection between organizational characteristics and the efforts made by faculty to deter student academic ethics violations. In this case study analysis of faculty at a medium-sized university in the western USA, we found that the level of faculty institutional confidence is related to the use of formal deterrence strategies. Additionally, we found that female faculty members are less confident in the administration, but are only marginally less likely to use formal administrative approaches to manage academic ethics.     

Chickering's Seven Principles of Good Practice: Student Attrition in Community College Online Courses

As online enrollments escalate, so does concern about student attrition rates. There is an abundance of literature addressing student success in online courses, particularly using constructivist learning theories to create engaging learning experiences. Also emerging from the literature is the Seven principles of good instructional practice by Checkering and Gamson as an accepted rubric for evaluating effective online instruction. This study focused on whether the use of instructional strategies as measured by the seven principles had an effect on student attrition rates in online courses. Full and part-time faculty at three community colleges in Virginia who taught online course(s) in the last three semesters completed an online survey to determine the extent to which they used instructional strategies reflecting the constructivist-based seven principles in their online courses. Scores from the survey were then compared to the attrition rates in their courses. Results indicated both groups strongly used instructional strategies reflecting the seven principles of good practice in their online courses with full-time faculty scores ranging a bit higher. When the results for the principles were examined individually rather than as a set, both groups scored lower on principles reflecting innovative instructional strategies. No relation between the extent to which faculty reported using those instructional strategies and student success as measured by attrition rates were found. However, a moderate relation was found with the third principle, “encourage active learning.” This indicated that faculty who made strides toward actively engaging students found some success in reducing student attrition.     

Factors That Promote Faculty Involvement in and Satisfaction with Institutional and Classroom Student Assessment

This study examines institutional factors that promote faculty satisfaction with their institution's approach to and support for student assessment and that are related to faculty involvement in their institution's support practices and in their own engagement with student assessment in the classroom. The study is based on a survey of faculty from 7 institutions that vary by type, control, and accrediting region. The institution's student assessment purposes, its administrative support patterns, and its faculty instructional impacts are significant predictors of faculty satisfaction with their institution's approach to and support for student assessment. External influences on, faculty uses, and perceived benefits of professional development practices for student assessment are significant predictors of faculty involvement with student assessment in their institution and their classes.     

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks: Past,Present, and Future Priorities For Higher Education Physical Activity Programs

Physical education programs in colleges/universities have been called on to provide students with opportunities to develop an appreciation for, and increase participation in, lifetime physical activity. Higher Education Physical Activity Programs (HEPAPs) have evolved over the past 100 years in response to changing societal and institutional expectations. The purpose of this article is to celebrate the long history of HEPAPs and recommend innovative strategies for program development that will maintain their position as a valued aspect of campus life. After tracing the historical roots and trends of HEPAPs, the authors suggest (a) adopting a public health perspective, (b) applying theoretical models as a framework for program development, (c) focusing on meaningful learner engagement, and (d) employing learner-centered instructional approaches. Within these overall themes, specific recommendations for program improvement are provided, including the use of alternative content areas, model-based instruction, universal design, instructional technology, and professional development for faculty/staff.     

Perceived Utility of Methods and Instructional Strategies Used in Online and Face-to-face Teaching Environments

The purposes of this study were to compare the instructional methods and strategies identified as useful in online teaching environments with those used in a face-to-face teaching environment, to investigate relationships between the perceived usefulness of instructional strategies and methods used by higher education faculty in both teaching environments, and to identify instructional methods transferred from an online to a face-to-face teaching environment. The following instructional methods were found to have a significant relationship with the instructional environment: student collaborative projects, student-to-student electronic discussions, lecture (direct instruction), questioning and feedback to students, and e-mail communication with the instructor. Both authors are at Drake University. Peggy Steinbronn. Ed.D., Drake University, is the Instructional Technology Manager. Special interests include technology integration, faculty professional development, and online instruction. Eunice Merideth, Ph.D., Iowa State University, is the Associate Dean of the Drake School of Education. Her special interests include technology integration, social justice, and distance learning. Contact the authors at peggy.steinbronn@drake.edu and eunice.merideth@drake.edu     

Pre-service teachers’ and teacher-educators’ experiences and attitudes toward using social networking sites for collaborative learning

Extensive use of social networking sites by students and teachers makes educators and researchers to think whether they can be incorporated in instructional process to facilitate students’ learning. This survey-based study records and examines Pakistani pre-service teachers’ and teacher-educators’ current uses of Facebook, and their attitudes toward using Facebook for collaborative learning, and to see if there is a significant relationship between participants’ intensity of Facebook use and their attitude toward instructional use of Facebook. Results of the study indicated that pre-service teachers’ and teacher-educators’ motives for their current Facebook use are mainly limited for social purposes. Pre-service teachers’ use of Facebook is more intensified than the use of Facebook by teacher-educators. Further, pre-service teachers showed more positive attitudes toward using Facebook for collaborative learning than the attitudes of their faculty. Findings also indicated a positive relationship between participants’ Facebook intensity and their attitudes toward its use for collaborative learning.     

Middle-level Academic Management: A case study on the roles of the Heads of Department at a Vietnamese university

Although information technology is increasingly used to deliver distance and conventional courses, there have been few studies of the effect of technology‐enhanced education on the organization and purposes of academics’ instructional work. I explore this issue in undergraduate and masters level education through the vehicle of case analyses of technology‐rich classes taught in a public research university in the United States. What the cases illustrate is an emergent pattern of what I am calling ‘Mode III’ instructional production, in which the production of a course involves a matrix of non‐faculty support personnel, and may be oriented to commercial purposes reflective of an increasingly embedded academic capitalism in the new economy.