The Value of Peer Interaction in the First-Term Community College Classroom: A Faculty Perspective

ABSTRACT

Existing literature suggests that social connection with peers is beneficial for first-term college students. First-term community college students are less likely to experience social interactions than their counterparts at residential universities. However, recent attention has pointed to the classroom as the main place where social interaction can occur. The objective of this study was to understand the value in promoting social integration in the first-term community college classroom. This qualitative study used a multiple case-study design to interview 13 instructors who promote social interaction in their community college classrooms filled with primarily first-term students. The sampling was reputational. Coding and thematic analysis was applied to each completed interview, and then a cross-case analysis was used to generate comprehensive themes for the entire study. According to the data generated by this study, the value of promoting social interaction in the community college classes is found in: (a) enhanced learning, (b) appealing classroom atmosphere, (c) student development and growth, (d) membership in supportive community, (e) student success, and (f) safety and comfort. The themes that emerged from the data indicate that there is qualitative value for both the student and the instructor when social interaction is present in a community college classroom. This study also suggests further research is needed to better understand how social interaction activities impact the student, and how practices can be delivered effectively and beneficially.     

A Planning Tool for Incorporating Backward Design,Active Learning,and Authentic Assessment in the College Classroom

Backward course design is a compelling strategy for achieving results-based, student-centered learning. The backward course-design approach is first to identify student-learning outcomes, then the means of assessing the outcomes, and lastly the classroom activities that would support the learning outcomes. With demonstrated success at improving teaching and learning at K–12 levels, this design approach is receiving increasing attention at the college level. Yet college faculty, who receive comparatively little instruction in course design, may find it challenging to enact the principles of backward course design into day-to-day lecture planning. To help address this challenge, we developed a backward design-inspired lesson planner to assist in restructuring college course periods for more active, learner-centered activities that align with course goals. We describe the planner and its application to a non-majors college biology class, and we share student and instructor perceptions of classroom structure and use of classroom time before and after implementation. Benefits of implementing the backward design planner included enhanced ability to prioritize content delivery to students, better time management in and out of the classroom, improved experience of lecture preparation, more engaged students, and more frequent feedback on student comprehension.     

Cross-Institutional Collaboration: (Co)Constructing Knowledge About Teaching and Learning in the Middle-Level Classroom

Utilizing technology to connect three geographically separate institutions within the same state and drawing on Bhabba, and Zeichner’s notions of third space, four teacher educators developed an opportunity for the middle-level teacher candidates from each university to simultaneously observe a live classroom teaching event virtually while participating in a backchannel conversation about the lesson. Upon completion of the live teaching event, candidates engaged in a debriefing session with the classroom teacher. This promising practice allowed candidates to discuss a lesson from multiple perspectives, broadening their views of teaching and learning at the middle level and enabling middle-level teacher educators an opportunity to scaffold (co)construction of knowledge about young adolescents and effective classroom practices.     

The College Classroom as a Community: Impact on Student Attitudes and Learning

Abstract. This study is an exploration of the "sense of community" in a college classroom. The construct was successfully developed by incorporating six variables borrowed from neighborhood community research. Sense of community scores significantly predicted students' classroom attitudes, perception of learning, and actual performance on course exams.     

Faculty do Matter: The Role of College Faculty in Student Learning and Engagement

This study uses two national data sets to explore the relationship between faculty practices and student engagement. Our findings suggest that students report higher levels of engagement and learning at institutions where faculty members use active and collaborative learning techniques, engage students in experiences, emphasize higher-order cognitive activities in the classroom, interact with students, challenge students academically, and value enriching educational experiences.     

Community College Student Perceptions of Their Experiences Related to Global Learning: Understanding the Impact of Family,Faculty, and the Curriculum

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this mixed-method research study was to better understand community college students’ engagement in global learning. The study, supported by the Florida Consortium for International Education, was conducted during the 2015–2016 academic year in Florida across nine community colleges drawing from a 55-question survey with an 11% response rate (n = 175). Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used, with data analysis conducted using NVivo and SPSS software. An electronic survey was piloted with one institution, and a refined version was sent to select professors across nine community colleges in the state for distribution to students in the fall semester of 2015. A total of 175 students completed the survey. The majority of students responding were interested in global learning; however, they reported that this interest stemmed primarily from family encouragement and personal experiences rather than from their academic experiences. Students did report that professors were promoting global learning in their classes, although the results were not statistically significant. Students who did not express an interest in global learning felt as though it was not important because it was unrelated to their daily lives. It is the hope that this study will inform community college administrators and faculty to better understand how and why students become interested in global learning to more effectively promote their engagement both on and off campus.     

运用信息技术环境．创设听障学生课堂学习的乐园——浅谈《荷叶圆圆》一课的教学实践与体会

在特殊学校听障学生的语文教学中运用信息技术,能充分调动听障学生的视觉感官,加深对知识的理解和掌握,可以达到事半功倍的效果。本文从《荷叶圆圆》（小学语文一年级下册）一课的教学中成功运用信息技术与听障学生语文学科教学整合的角度,浅谈在听障学生语文学科教学中进行创新探索的实践与体会。     

Assessing Enhancement of Learning, Personal Learning Environment, and Student Efficacy: Alternatives to Traditional Faculty Evaluation in Higher Education

This study was informed by three bodies of important literature: (1) research on faculty teaching performance and course evaluation in higher education, (2) research on students' personal (constructivist-based) views of characteristics of teaching and learning environments, and (3) human efficacy. The article describes the development and validation of a new measure designed to assess students' perceptions of the extent to which higher education learning environment characteristics enhance students' personal learning. Results of factor analyses of the Student Assessment of Teaching and Learning (SATL) and criterion-related validity analyses are reported for 2,190 students in 145 separate classes. Criteria used for analysis are (1) measures of students' perceptions of constructivist-based, personal learning environments and students' self-efficacy beliefs, (2) course emphasis on higher-order thinking skills and personal and applied knowledge, and (3) two summative judgments of overall course quality. Implications of the findings are discussed in light of using student rating information for formative evaluation purposes and using students' reflections on personal learning as an element of assessing the quality of teaching and learning in higher education settings. This latter view is contrasted to procedures that are more traditionally used to evaluate faculty, teaching, and course characteristics.     

Reshaping Teaching and Learning: The Transformation of Faculty Pedagogical Content Knowledge

A qualitative study of faculty members participating in a campus-wide problem-based learning initiative examined the process of transforming faculty pedagogical content knowledge. Researchers found that faculty existing knowledge and the institutional intervention influenced new knowledge of faculty roles, student roles, disciplinary structures, and pedagogy. Communicating new knowledge solidified the transformation.     

知识建构社区课堂互动分析工具的设计与应用

如何评价和改进社区成员之间的互动,一直是国内外知识建构研究的重点与难点问题之一。文章以H大学"教育技术学专业英语"课程为例,基于弗兰德斯互动分析系统,重新构建了知识建构课堂互动分析系统。该系统改进与优化的地方包括:精简教师言语部分,增加自由人角色编码等;丰富学生言语部分,细化学生提问-应答编码等;沉寂细分为思考性和混乱性沉寂。课堂应用结果表明:KBIAS能够反映互动主体从教师权威机械到师生民主平等;体现互动模式从单向线性到立体多维的转变;呈现出互动问题从静态预设到动态生成。     

Service Learning in the Community College: Drive to Employment

As community college leaders strive for institutional efficacy, programs are needed to promote student success through the alignment of curricular objectives and community needs. To meet this objective, service learning (SL) is becoming increasingly popular in the community college. A new SL program called Drive to Employment (DTE) was developed as a means of preparing students for employment by serving unemployed and underemployed community clients. As a result, the curriculum was better connected to workplace competencies, students were prepared for employment, and the capacity of community-based partner organizations was expanded. An overview of DTE will familiarize stakeholders with SL, lessons learned, and the potential impact of similar programs on student, institutional, and community outcomes.     

Scholarly Learning as Vocation: A Study of Community and Broad Access Liberal Arts College Faculty

In this study we extended Neumann’s scholarly learning theory (2009)?and Hansen’s theory on vocation (1994, 1995) to explore the scholarly learning of faculty members employed at institutional types not typically recognized for faculty work beyond teaching. Through interviews with 22 participants, we studied the content of and reasons for faculty engagement in scholarly learning. Our analysis found that the content of participants’ scholarly learning focused on expanding and constructing disciplinary knowledge whereas their reasons connected to a sense of obligation and personal fulfillment. Such findings confirmed Neumann’s suggestion that administrators should conceptualize the academic profession as a learning enterprise.     

美国社区学院兼职教师发展特征对我国高职教师队伍建设的启示

兼职教师是美国社区学院的主力军,在美国社区学院发展中具有重要作用。美国社区学院兼职教师具有比重高与实践能力强、聘任标准明确灵活、职业晋升途径多元畅通与培训体系规范可操作等鲜明特征。当前我国在"专兼结合"双师型师资队伍建设中正面临兼职教师进不来和专任教师实践弱的困境。有必要借鉴美国社区学院兼职教师发展的经验,加强职业院校教师聘任标准建设,引进更多兼职教师;借鉴美国"双路径"思路,强化教师"职业更新"和"教学更新";创新教师晋升体制的政策。     

Enhancing Teachers' Technological Knowledge and Assessment Practices to Enhance Student Learning in Technology: A Two-year Classroom Study

This paper reports on a two-year classroom investigation of primary school (Years 1–8) technology education. The first year of the project explored emerging classroom practices in technology. In the second year intervention strategies were developed to enhance teaching, learning and assessment practices. Findings from the first year revealed that assessment was often seen in terms of social and managerial aspects, such as teamwork, turn taking and co-operative skills, rather than procedural and conceptual technological aspects. Existing formative interactions with students distorted the learning away from the procedural and conceptual aspects of the subject. The second year explored the development of teachers' technological knowledge in order to enhance formative assessment practices in technology, to inform classroom practice in technology, and to enhance student learning. Intervention strategies were designed to enhance the development of procedural, conceptual, societal and technical aspects of technology for teachers and students. The results from this intervention were very positive. This paper highlights the importance of developing teacher expertise pertaining to broad concepts of technology, detailed concepts in different technological areas and general pedagogical knowledge. The findings from this research therefore have implications for thinking about teaching, learning and assessment in technology.     

浅论社区学院在建设学习型城区中的作用

社区学院是构建学习型社会和终身教育体系的重要载体。它是根据社区内的企事业、机关单位,居民需求融学历教育和培训教育为一体的社区教育基地。     

The Use of Facebook in an Introductory MIS Course: Social Constructivist Learning Environment*

The major objective of this article is to evaluate via a Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) the implementation of a Social Constructivist learning framework for an introductory Management Information System (MIS) course. Facebook was used as a learning artifact to build and foster a learning environment, and a series of features and activities using this artifact were conducted to utilize the social interactions amongst the system's users to foster constructivist learning. Various pedagogic strategies were used to integrate activities occurring both inside and outside of the classroom setting to achieve social learning. All features utilized were evaluated based upon activities and interactions amongst all users. The research findings show great potential for the implemented features, as well as the activities conducted to take advantage of these features, and suggest possible innovative features for use in similar future studies based on feedback from this study's sample group.     

课堂教学动手、动脑、动口的几点体会

改进课堂教学，关键是从“静态学生”中解放出来，摒弃“注入式”，突出“启发式”，使课堂教学真正成为以教师为主导，学生为主体的活动，让学生在兴趣中操作，在操作中思考，在思考中释疑，寓教学于动口、动脑、动手之中，在掌握基础知识和技能的同时发展能力。     

心理学知识在信息技术课堂的应用

提高学生的信息素养是信息技术教育的培养目标。心理学知识应用于信息技术课堂可以很好地提高信息技术教育的教学质量。根据心理学知识的相关理论,在信息技术课堂教学中应注意以学生为本,让学生全面参与教育教学的各个方面,提倡在信息技术教学中应用任务驱动法等教学策略,提倡合作学习和小组协作学习。