In this study we propose using path analysis and residual plotting as methods supporting environmental scanning in strategic planning for higher education institutions. As an illustration, path models of three levels of independent variables, that is, socioeconomic background, current economic variables, and educational variables, are developed. The dependent variables measuring applications and enrollments at a research university, Virginia Tech, and enrollments at four-year institutions in Virginia are regressed on the independent variables. The residuals from the multiple regression models are plotted on the county maps of Virginia to identify the geographic regions in which the applications and enrollments at Virginia Tech and the enrollments in colleges and universities of Virginia are higher or lower than expected according to the models. The implications of the variables in the models and the geographic distributions of residuals for strategic planning decisions are discussed. 相似文献
AbstractThis case report explored the implementation of flipped classrooms at two higher education institutions. Experiences and publications from the institutions were used to identify and describe common themes, including successes and challenges encountered along with potential solutions to common misalignments, particularly as related to technology-enhanced learning. Strategies for selecting and delivering pre-class content, designing and implementing in-class activities, and identifying and using assessments to inform practice are described. Overall design considerations include instructor skill development, student buy-in, and institutional support for the model. This report highlights several critical approaches to effectively designing and implementing the flipped classroom model, with consideration given to the use of technology to support this innovation. 相似文献
The Classroom Practices Survey assesses educators’ use of differentiated instruction with students achieving at average and high levels. The purposes of this study were to investigate if the Classroom Practices Survey (1) yields reliable and valid data from the groups for which it was originally designed and (2) can be used to evaluate teachers’ differentiation practices for students who achieve at low levels. Participants included 648 elementary teachers who completed the Classroom Practices Survey for students achieving at high, average and low levels. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the original six-factor model was not supported by the current data. Model fit was improved with a four-factor model, but did not reach the recommended values for good model fit. Further research and possibly modifications are needed before this tool is used by researchers and schools. This study highlights the importance of periodically evaluating instruments and revising them if necessary.
While online instructional technologies are becoming more popular in higher education, educators’ opinions about online learning tend to be generally negative. Furthermore, many studies have failed to systematically examine the features that distinguish one instructional mode from another, which weakens possible explanations for why online instructional technology can be beneficial. The current study isolates three benefits of the authors’ particular online instructional technology: (1) providing flexibility in how students learn, (2) offering immediate and targeted feedback and (3) increasing student participation and engagement with instructional material. Maximum benefits were observed when students used the online instructional technology to prepare for their face-to-face class – that is, students with this blended instruction learned twice as much content in the same amount of time in comparison to students with face-to-face instruction alone, without creating an atypically high workload. 相似文献
This paper examines some neglected aspects of the conceptualisation of teaching as a 'practice' and as involving a 'community of practice'. The concepts of a 'practice' and of a 'community of practice' are brought into focus by contrasting the differing senses of the notions employed in the work of Alasdair MacIntyre and Etienne Wenger respectively. Concepts of educational 'practice' and 'communities of practice' which embody a coherent overall holistic vision of education are contrasted with senses of educational 'practice' and 'communities of practice' which relate to lower level, specific and subordinate elements of the educational process which are detachable from such visions. The possibility of specifying a single, common, overall, holistic conception of an educational 'practice' or 'community of practice' in the context of a pluralistic, diverse, liberal democratic society is discussed. It is suggested that the demands of diversity in this context open up the possibility of, and the need for, diverse forms of teacher education and training based on differing and partly competing conceptions of educational 'practice' and 'communities of practice' involving contrasting, coherent, overall, holistic visions of education. 相似文献
We investigate the impact of a relatively brief cross-curricular intervention, Word Generation, on middle school students' development of taught academic vocabulary. Students (n = 8382) in forty-four middle schools in three urban districts were randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. Treatment teachers implemented the program with minimal support and varying levels of commitment. Students in treatment schools scored almost a point higher on the curriculum-based vocabulary posttests than those in control schools (Hedges's g = 0.094, p < 0.05). Though there was no main treatment effect on the standardized measures of students' general vocabulary knowledge or reading comprehension, baseline-by-treatment interactions at the school and student level acted to attenuate the Matthew Effect in reading and vocabulary growth. 相似文献
Based on the result of the study, the following conclusions are made:
1. 1. The parenting inventory developed has adequate levels of content validity, construct validity, internal reliability, and stability over time.
2. 2. Approximately 13% (150) of the adolescents responding to the inventory had factor scores -1 or more standard deviations below the group mean. It is concluded that the further the score deviates below the mean, the greater the risk the adolescent becomes for practicing abusive parenting behaviors.
3. 3. Abused adolescents have significantly lower mean scores than non-identified abused adolescents, suggesting that abused adolescents espress attitudes towards parenting and child-rearing which are similar to the parenting and child-rearing practices of abusive parents.
4. 4. Female adolescents, whether members of the abused or non-identified abused group, have higher mean scores than abused or non-identified abused male adolescents. The results suggest that male adolescents of both groups express more abusive parenting attitudes than females of both groups.
5. 5. Each of the four group parenting constructs can effectively be used to discriminate between abused and non-identified abused adolescents. Construct B:
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, however, had the greatest discriminatory capability.
The results of the study have indicated the utility of the inventory in assessing the parenting attitudes of adolescents and in discriminating between adolescents identified as abused and those non-identified as abused. In its present stage of development, the inventory may only be validly used to identify adolescents' attitudes towards child-rearing and parenting. Before the inventory is employed to identify potential child abusers for treatment purposes, it is recommended that longitudinal research be concluded. Such research should be designed to provide data relative to the predictive validity of the inventory. 相似文献
Task instruction may be presented in many forms. However, training system designers are often forced to depend on intuition when choosing a presentation medium. Though past research has investigated the effectiveness of instructional media types, results have been mixed with no clear recommendations of which medium to use for instruction. An organizational framework for matching the appropriate medium or media to a learning situation is necessary for progress to occur in this research area. Through three experiments, we investigated the attributes of audio and video as instructional media, identified tasks for which we might predict the most beneficial instructional media, and tested our proposed organizational framework by manipulating the difficulty of the task and the complexity of the instructions. Older and younger adults participated in the experiments to help us understand differences in training needs for varying cognitive and perceptual abilities. We provide the basis for a taxonomy of instructional media and task demands, to be added through further research. 相似文献
In 2005, the School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University, Melbourne, introduced a new curriculum format for all first year students. All students enrolling in one of the four undergraduate degrees offered by the school commenced a common first year programme. This new curriculum was adopted to provide students with a broader depth of knowledge and experience across all study areas and to provide greater skill enhancement for graduates. The common first year university experience allows students to build a multidisciplinary degree based upon their interests and skills. But the common first year has created a number of challenges for the lecturing staff: extremely large classes, space and resourcing issues, assessment and administration problems; greater strains upon technology; and increase in the impersonal nature of the learning environment. This paper examines how one of these large first year classes (construction science) was conducted to address some of the learning issues arising from a common first year. It describes how students were encouraged over the semester to electronically build and create a classroom resource of e-reference material on construction science topics, which was the basis for classroom discussion, interaction and assessment. The result was an electronic reference folder on CD that provided students with both a starting point for assignments, class interaction and assessment, and the development of vital information technology literacy skills. 相似文献