Supporting Student Learning through Instructional Videos in Business Statistics

While statistics is an essential topic for business students, many students experience barriers to successful learning due to anxiety, motivation, or difficulty with quantitative understanding. This research examines the use of online videos with an effort to explore the relationship between student characteristics, video usage, and course performance measures. In addition, the study examines student perceptions of the supplemental resources in an effort to examine the efficacy related to student learning and performance. This study seeks to confirm previous research regarding the benefit of supplemental video resources and extend the knowledge base by understanding the impact for various types of students (e.g., level of course, level of previous academic performance, etc.). The study found that the use of the video resources varies based on students’ previous math performance and the difficulty of the material. Student ratings indicate that the videos were helpful in learning the content and that they provided an important resource when students needed additional tools to master the material. Analysis of the results provides implications for understanding how different students use online videos and offers recommendations for educators and researchers about how to enhance student success in difficult statistics coursework.     

The role of pre-game learning attitude in the prediction to competitive anxiety,perceived utility of pre-game learning of game,and gameplay interest

Educational games can be viewed in two ways, “learning to play” or “playing to learn.” The Chinese Idiom String Up Game was specifically designed to examine the effect of “learning to play” on the interrelatedness of players' gameplay interest, competitive anxiety, and perceived utility of pre-game learning (PUPGL). Data from 288 subjects were validated and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Results indicated that players' pre-game learning attitude (PGLA) served positively to predict participants' gameplay interest and reflected a higher level of PUPGL of learning gameplay. PGLA was negatively correlated to competitive anxiety but was not significantly associated with players' PUPGL of learning gameplay. These results implied that by enhancing players' willingness to learn before engaging in a competitive game can contribute to increased gameplay interest and reduced competitive anxiety, thereby reinforcing the benefits of educational games.     

A comparison of Web 2.0 tools in a doctoral course

Adult, professional students in a doctoral-level course used Web 2.0 tools such as wikis, blogs, and online discussions to develop answers to six “Big Questions” related to higher education finance and also produced a research paper that used original data or the research literature to improve understanding of a specific topic. At the close of the course, students were asked to provide examples of learning for each question and each tool, and to evaluate the tools used. Bloom's Digital Taxonomy was used to evaluate levels of learning. Results indicated that the level of learning mirrored that of the Big Question or was at higher levels when students used new tools. Wikis generated objections from students who did not care for group work, although others found it a good collaborative tool. Blogs were more acceptable, but online discussions were preferred because of the interaction and sharing among students. Research papers allowed students to learn material of their own interest and to do so in depth.     

Concurrent and longitudinal associations between parental educational involvement,teacher support,and math anxiety: The role of math learning involvement in elementary school children

Environmental and individual factors are regarded as powerful predictors of math anxiety. However, their joint contribution to predicting math anxiety has not been thoroughly explored. To address this, two studies were conducted to examine how parental educational involvement and teacher support related to math evaluation anxiety and learning math anxiety concurrently (Study 1) and longitudinally (Study 2) and whether the effect of parental educational involvement and teacher support on math anxiety needed to go through math learning involvement. Third-grade students (Study 1: N = 1780, Study 2: N = 1850) from three public elementary schools participated in the studies. Concurrent analyses revealed that higher parental educational involvement and teacher support were associated with higher math learning involvement and lower math anxiety. Moreover, math learning involvement partially mediated the relation between parental educational involvement and math evaluation anxiety, teacher support and math evaluation anxiety, teacher support and learning math anxiety, but fully mediated the relation between parental educational involvement and learning math anxiety. Longitudinally, robust associations were found between current parental educational involvement, current teacher support, and subsequent learning math anxiety. But similar patterns did not emerge in math evaluation anxiety. Specifically, the direct effect of parental educational involvement and teacher support on math evaluation anxiety was not significant. These findings suggested the importance of taking into account the dimension of math anxiety when understanding the mechanisms of math anxiety from a dynamic developmental perspective. We demonstrate areas that need improvement and suggest possible future directions.     

Affection as a separate dimension of meaningfulness

The meaningfulness of affectively significant (liked) materials has been shown to be separate from traditional explanations of meaningfulness, such as familiarity and rehearsal, in the verbal learning laboratory. The present investigation studied affective meaningfulness in the learning of course materials. Before the course began, students rated summaries of the study units of their course for affection. As predicted, subjects obtained higher examination grades on liked topics than on disliked topics, independently of perhaps the most prominent “rehearsal” explanation, amount of study on the various units. Also as expected, poor students showed a greater reliance on affective meaningfulness in their learning than did good students. Greater awareness of the role of affection in learning is recommended. Present findings suggest that considering this dimension of meaningfulness to be merely a by-product of familiarity or rehearsal may be the most detrimental to the students with the most learning difficulty.     

Developmental Math Pilot: Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), Psychology Concepts,and Group Work

Researchers observed their students’ frequent choices to use technology and the students' weak developmental math course completion rates. These observations piqued researchers' interest to find a new approach to improve students’ math learning—utilizing disruptive innovation. The purpose of this study was to understand students’ perceptions about learning developmental math with a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and face-to-face group activities interwoven with psychology of learning concepts. Research findings suggest that MOOCs used in developmental math coursework can improve math success, and group work within face-to-face classrooms can increase connectivity to learning. A MOOC was merged with face-to-face psychology of learning group projects, and students described increased connectivity to their learning. For example, Haley exclaimed, “So definitely learned how to learn all over again this semester and I’m doing awesome … It’s like I’m breezing through!”     

THE COLLABORATIVE COURSE: INNOVATIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING

Advances in information technology provide an opportunity for academic librarians and professors to offer innovative collaborative courses. The purpose of collaboration between a faculty member and a professional librarian is to integrate instruction in the course subject matter with bibliographic instruction. This integration promotes learning information acquisition skills and critical thinking, as well as the use of library resources. Research skills that students need in order to use contemporary information technology are included. The integration of those skills with the subject material of the course is described.

Two applications of freshman/sophomore level courses are discussed in the paper. Course rationale, topics, and course assignments are illustrated. It is argued that students must learn modern methods of acquiring information in order to make informed independent judgments and in order to achieve understanding in any particular discipline. Providing students with the skills required to achieve access to the ever‐widening body of available information is an essential requirement of contemporary liberal education. These skills are transferable to subsequent course work and will provide the basis for life‐long learning habits. The paper presents the argument that students' achievement of “library literacy” can be promoted by effective course collaboration between faculty members and professional librarians. Benefits and problems of such collaborative courses are also discussed.     

On Developing Content‐oriented Theories Taking Biological Evolution as an Example

Both in Europe and the United States there is a growing interest in design research. One example is the design and validation of topic‐oriented teaching–learning sequences. This research may be said to have two objectives. One is to design and test “useful products”, such as teachers’ guides and study material for students, which may be put into practice in various ways. The second is to contribute to the development of educational science; for example, understanding conditions for learning of given topics under regular classroom conditions. This article concerns the latter objective and deals with the development of content‐oriented theories stating conditions that promote learning with long‐term understanding of given topics. We present one such theory, concerning evolution by natural selection, and describe the arguments and evidence that underlie the theory, which we regard as a well‐founded hypothesis. Some methodological problems associated with testing this type of theory are discussed, as well as the role of content‐oriented theories in strengthening science education research as an autonomous specialization within educational science.     

Thinking outside the (voice) box: A case study of students' perceptions of the relevance of anatomy to speech pathology

Speech pathology students readily identify the importance of a sound understanding of anatomical structures central to their intended profession. In contrast, they often do not recognize the relevance of a broader understanding of structure and function. This study aimed to explore students' perceptions of the relevance of anatomy to speech pathology. The effect of two learning activities on students' perceptions was also evaluated. First, a written assignment required students to illustrate the relevance of anatomy to speech pathology by using an example selected from one of the four alternative structures. The second approach was the introduction of brief “scenarios” with directed questions into the practical class. The effects of these activities were assessed via two surveys designed to evaluate students' perceptions of the relevance of anatomy before and during the course experience. A focus group was conducted to clarify and extend discussion of issues arising from the survey data. The results showed that the students perceived some course material as irrelevant to speech pathology. The importance of relevance to the students' “state” motivation was well supported by the data. Although the students believed that the learning activities helped their understanding of the relevance of anatomy, some structures were considered less relevant at the end of the course. It is likely that the perceived amount of content and surface approach to learning may have prevented students from “thinking outside the box” regarding which anatomical structures are relevant to the profession. Anat Sci Ed 2008. © 2008 American Association of Anatomists.     

Improving learning achievements,motivations and problem-solving skills through a peer assessment-based game development approach

In this study, a peer assessment-based game development approach is proposed for improving students’ learning achievements, motivations and problem-solving skills. An experiment has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in a science course at an elementary school. A total of 167 sixth graders participated in the experiment, 82 of whom were assigned to the experimental group and learned with the peer assessment-based game development approach, while 85 students were in the control group and learned with the conventional game development approach. From the empirical results, it was found that the proposed approach could effectively promote students’ learning achievement, learning motivation, problem-solving skills, as well as their perceptions of the use of educational computer games. Moreover, it was found from the open-ended questions that most of the students perceived peer assessment-based game development as an effective learning strategy that helped them improve their deep learning status in terms of “in-depth thinking,” “creativity,” and “motivation.”     

Flipping Quantitative Classes: A Triple Win

In the “flipped” class, students use online materials to learn what is traditionally learned by attending lectures, and class time is used for interactive group learning. A required quantitative business class was taught as a flipped classroom in an attempt to improve student satisfaction in the course and reduce the “transactional distance” (perceived barriers to engaging with the instructor, other students, technology, and course content) and increase satisfaction. Analysis indicated improvements to both transactional distance and student satisfaction in the flipped classroom. Multiple regression analysis quantified the extent of which each transactional distance was a predictor of student satisfaction. The improved satisfaction in the flipped classroom was predicted by the improvement in transactional distances between students, students and the instructor, and students and the instructional technology used in the class. The conclusions from this study suggest that the flipped classroom is a particularly good pedagogical strategy for quantitative classes. It allows the instructor to increase student satisfaction (a win for the students) in a course in which it is usually low without compromising academic standards (a win for the teachers). Finally, increased satisfaction leads to increased retention and hence increased revenues for the institution, which is a win for the administration.     

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.     

Uncovering Malaysian Secondary School Students’ Academic Hardiness in Science,Conceptions of Learning Science,and Science Learning Self-Efficacy: a Structural Equation Modelling Analysis

The objective of this study was to explore the relationships between academic hardiness in science, conceptions of learning science, and science learning self-efficacy among Malaysian middle school students. The respondents were 320 eighth-grade students from two selected Malaysian middle schools. Three questionnaires were used for this survey: Academic Hardiness in Science (AHS) regarding “commitment,” Conceptions of Learning Science (COLS), including “memorizing,” “calculating and practicing,” and “understanding and seeing in a new way,” and Science Learning Self-Efficacy (SLSE), consisting of “cognition,” “practical work,” “everyday application,” and “science communication.” These three questionnaires were validated and found to be reliable for measuring students’ AHS, COLS, and SLSE. Pearson’s correlation findings indicated that AHS was significantly and positively correlated to all the factors in COLS and SLSE, and all the factors in COLS were significantly and positively correlated to all the factors in SLSE. The relationships among AHS, COLS, and SLSE were then identified by the structural equation model technique. Students with a high commitment to learning science, and who perceived learning science as understanding and seeing in a new way are prone to have confidence at all levels of science learning self-efficacy.

     

Language Development of Children in Two Types of Rural Environments

The aim of this study was to examine the role of motivational beliefs in mediating the relationship among perceived teacher support, learning strategy use, and student achievement. The author analyzed the Programme for International Student Assessment mathematics scores and questionnaire responses of 4,855 15-year-old students in Turkey via multilevel analysis. Results indicated that perceived teacher support was positively related to learning strategy use in mathematics and that this relation was mediated through math self-efficacy, anxiety, intrinsic value, and instrumental value. Math self-efficacy and anxiety were, in turn, correlated with Programme for International Student Assessment mathematics achievement. In addition, the author found between-school SES differences to be strong predictors of math self-efficacy, anxiety, and achievement. Findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Challenges and Changes: Developing Teachers’ and Initial Teacher Education Students’ Understandings of the Nature of Science

Teachers need an understanding of the nature of science (NOS) to enable them to incorporate NOS into their teaching of science. The current study examines the usefulness of a strategy for challenging or changing teachers’ understandings of NOS. The teachers who participated in this study were 10 initial teacher education chemistry students and six experienced teachers from secondary and primary schools who were introduced to an explicit and reflective activity, a dramatic reading about a historical scientific development. Concept maps were used before and after the activity to assess teachers’ knowledge of NOS. The participants also took part in a focus group interview to establish whether they perceived the activity as useful in developing their own understanding of NOS. Initial analysis led us to ask another group, comprising seven initial teacher education chemistry students, to take part in a modified study. These participants not only completed the same tasks as the previous participants but also completed a written reflection commenting on whether the activity and focus group discussion enhanced their understanding of NOS. Both Lederman et al.’s (Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(6), 497–521, 2002) concepts of NOS and notions of “naive” and “informed” understandings of NOS and Hay’s (Studies in Higher Education, 32(1), 39–57, 2007) notions of “surface” and “deep” learning were used as frameworks to examine the participants’ specific understandings of NOS and the depth of their learning. The ways in which participants’ understandings of NOS were broadened or changed by taking part in the dramatic reading are presented. The impact of the data-gathering tools on the participants’ professional learning is also discussed.     

The effects of digital storytelling on student achievement,social presence,and attitude in online collaborative learning environments

This study investigated the effects of digital storytelling on student achievement, social presence, and attitude in online collaborative learning environments. Students in one middle school course were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups after they received initial general instruction regarding teamwork skills. The “digital storytelling-based online collaborative learning (DST-OCL)” and the “general online collaborative learning (G-OCL)” groups received subsequent associated skills training. The overall results indicated that after each group took part in the treatment during online collaborative learning activities, the “DST-OCL” groups had significantly higher social presence than the “G-OCL” groups. Specifically, using “DST-OCL” strategies was significantly more effective than using “G-OCL” strategies for improving the “online communication,” “interactivity,” and “privacy” components of students’ social presence in online collaborative learning environments. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding student achievement and attitude. The findings of this study offer an insight into methods for using digital storytelling as an instructional strategy for improving online collaborative learning effectiveness.     

Safety,celebration, and risk: educator responses to LGBTQ professional development

Research has explored multicultural teacher education from multiple, sometimes divergent perspectives; yet, these studies agree that what passes for multicultural education fails to address issues of educational inequity. This paper is part of a larger evaluation study of Reduction of Stigma in Schools (RSIS) – a professional development program aiming to empower educators to create affirming environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Interview data indicate that though workshops utilized a critical approach, what teachers embraced was a call to understand and “protect” LGBTQ students through the “safety” discourse – a form of understanding and valuing the “cultural other” – and investment in one time “visibility” or “celebration” events as symbols of improved school climate. Further, educators framed LGBTQ issues as “risk” issues rather than as equity issues, which continue to mark LGBTQ students as “victims” or “problems” in need of saving or solving. We posit that responses to RSIS content reflect educators’ understanding of their obligation to “diversity” as presented during their teacher preparation programs and that workshop content which resonated with them was that which they could easily fit into these familiar frameworks.     

Identifying critical junctures in learning in a college course on evolution

The purpose of this research study was to (a) describe how concept mapping can be used as an integral instructional strategy for teaching a college course on evolution, (b) evaluate the utility of incorporating concept mapping in a college course on evolution, (c) determine whether students' concept maps reveal “critical junctures” in learning as the course unfolds, and (d) assess the impact of concept mapping on students' study practices and on students' understanding of course content. Key findings include: (a) Critical junctures in learning evolution can be identified by monitoring the degree of concordance of superordinate concepts appearing on the class set of concept maps submitted after each of the course lectures; (b) students who made concept maps reported spending an average of 37% more study time on this college biology course than on their previous biology courses; and (c) the use of “seed concepts,” “micromapping,” a standard concept map format, and a standard concept map checklist made the strategy feasible for the instructor to implement and for the student to adopt. A concept map performance index formulas was also developed for this research study in order to assess students' overall mapping performance.     

面向深度学习的项目式编程学习优化设计与实践

编程课程的深度学习具有一定的领域特殊性,体现为学习者深度应用编程知识解决现实问题的程序设计策略构建与编程自我效能感培养。项目式编程学习不应局限于学习者对于领域知识的理解与配对应用,更需要关注学习者在项目驱动的编程问题解决过程中程序设计策略的构建与迁移。本研究以优化设计项目式编程学习为核心目标,融合编程领域深度学习的特殊性,构建项目式编程学习“四层”过程模型;基于编程方案生成与评估以及程序设计策略构建等过程,梳理编程项目设计原则;结合程序设计支持技术、阶段性结果及启发性问题,结构化地设计促进学习者有效完成程序设计的项目支架。学习者自我感知的程序设计策略水平和编程自我效能感在前测与后测中出现了显著性差异,验证了编程项目设计原则与项目支架设计的有效性。     

Emotions,Transformation, and Redemption: Dirkx's “Soul Work” in Christian Higher Education

Institutions of Christian higher education are charged with helping students steward their current callings and prepare for future callings (Plantinga, 2002). Subjective knowledge, or knowledge of self, plays an important role in this sort of vocational discernment. John Dirkx's “soul work” can help educators lead their students to a deeper understanding of themselves. Soul work does not require additional course content but rather heightened attentiveness to the emotional reactions of students as they engage both course material and their colleagues in a learning environment. This article introduces faculty in Christian higher education to soul work and equips them to apply relevant concepts to their pedagogy.