Full Issue: Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 2, Issue 2, Fall 2018

The full Spring 2018 issue (Volume 2, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, Fall 201

A Universal Design for Success: A Mixed-methods Case Study of a First-year BScN Course

No single universal learner type exists, however historically, pedagogical practices in higher education have focused on meeting the learning needs of an average or typical student. The purpose of this study was to describe the manner and extent in which a course, designed using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, provided an inclusive learning environment to a diverse population of first-year baccalaureate nursing students. Co-instructors redesigned a large in-person and place-based course using theoretical and structural principles of UDL to remove potential learning barriers and promote authentic inclusion of all students. A convergent mixed methods descriptive case study design was used to gather qualitative and quantitative data. A purposive convenience sample was drawn from a class of 223 full and part time nursing students. Qualitative data were collected through an end of semester focus group interview (n=12) and research team meetings. Quantitative data collection involved using the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory-Students survey questionnaire (Gawronski, et al., 2016) at course completion (n=32), and document review of final grades (n= 206). The use of UDL principles in the design and teaching supported the needs and abilities of learners with a variety of learning preferences and experience. Students experienced a more inclusive environment with fewer barriers to learning. Large in-person and place-based post-secondary courses designed using the key tenets of UDL successfully support inclusivity of the needs of learners with diverse backgrounds, abilities, and preferences, by proactively reducing barriers in the learning environment. Résumé Il existe plusieurs types d’apprenantes, mais historiquement, les pratiques pédagogiques en formation de niveau supérieur ont été axées sur la satisfaction des besoins d’apprentissage d’une étudiante moyenne ou typique. Le but de cette étude était de décrire la manière et la mesure dans laquelle un cours, conçu selon les principes de la conception universelle pour l’apprentissage (CUA), offrait un environnement d’apprentissage inclusif à une population diversifiée d’étudiantes de première année au baccalauréat en sciences infirmières. Les co-enseignantes ont repensé un cours donné à un vaste groupe en présentiel, en utilisant les principes théoriques et structurels de la CUA pour éliminer les obstacles potentiels à l’apprentissage et promouvoir l’inclusion authentique de toutes les étudiantes. Une combinaison d’une approche mixte et d’étude de cas descriptive a été utilisée pour recueillir des données qualitatives et quantitatives. Un échantillon de convenance a été tiré d’une classe de 223 étudiantes en sciences infirmières inscrites à temps plein ou à temps partiel. Les données qualitatives ont été recueillies lors d’une entrevue de groupe en fin de semestre (n=12) et lors de réunions de l’équipe de recherche. La collecte de données quantitatives impliquait l’utilisation du questionnaire d’enquête Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory-Students (inventaire des stratégies inclusives d’enseignement — étudiantes; Gawronski et al., 2016) à la fin du cours (n = 32) ainsi que l’examen des documents de notes finales (n = 206). Les principes de la CUA appliqués à la conception et à l’enseignement ont soutenu les besoins et les capacités des apprenantes détenant une variété de préférences et d’expériences d’apprentissage. Les étudiantes ont connu un environnement plus inclusif avec moins d’obstacles à l’apprentissage. Les grands cours postsecondaires en présentiel conçus à l’aide des principes clés de la CUA soutiennent avec succès l’inclusion des besoins des apprenantes ayant des expériences antérieures différentes, des capacités et des préférences diverses, tout en réduisant de manière proactive les obstacles dans l’environnement d’apprentissage

Profiles, perceptions, and practices related to customizable computer-aided instructions (MacGAMUT) among postsecondary aural-training instructors

Thesis (D.M.A.)--Boston UniversityThe purpose of this study was to examine relationships between demographic and educational characteristics of postsecondary aural-training instructors and their practices using CAI (here, MacGAMUT). Instructors who use MacGAMUT (N = 278) were surveyed about their profiles, perceptions, and practices using a pilot-tested, researcher-designed online questionnaire. Two separate four-way MANOVAs were chosen to simultaneously analyze whether respondents differed on eight dependent variables. Significant main effects were found for the whole model (p = .010), gender (p = .018), and years using MacGAMUT (p = .006) in MANOVA 1; and the whole model (p = .022), years teaching aural skills (p = .015), and years using MacGAMUT (p = .001) in MANOVA 2. Significant interaction effects included the influence of gender on monitoring student usages of MacGAMUT (p = .017), years using MacGAMUT on the impact of CAI on learning dictation skills (p < .0001), years using MacGAMUT on the impact of instructors' interactions and involvement with MacGAMUT on learning dictation skills (p < .0001), and years using MacGAMUT on the impact of customization on learning dictation skills (p = .004) in MANOVA 1; and the influence of years using MacGAMUT on the importance of requiring students to use MacGAMUT in Mastery Mode (p = .005), and years using MacGAMUT on how often students are required to submit MacGAMUT assignments (p = .011) in MANOVA 2. Conclusions focus on the instructional uses of MacGAMUT as having a positive impact on student learning of dictation, thus placing a greater responsibility on the instructor to coordinate their uses of CAI thoughtfully with the curriculum. Suggestions for further research include gender differences using more complex types of music technology, in-class practices of aural training, reasons for default changes, userfriendliness, reasons for discontinued use, professional development, graduate training in technology, foundational assumptions among Digital Natives, and a replication of the study

Lessons from Five Years of Funding Digital Coursework, Executive Summary

As the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Postsecondary Success strategy enters its fifth year of learning technology investments, it is a good time to take stock of what has been learned and to draw implications for future investments. The foundation asked SRI Education to review the major courseware-related projects in the Postsecondary Success portfolio and provide an independent synthesis of findings.The foundation identified the 12 major postsecondary courseware-related projects in Exhibit 1 as sufficiently completed to contribute to SRI's review. Three of the projects were actually sets of multiple grants or subgrants addressing a common goal. In total, the courseware investments reviewed by SRI involved 137 courses and represented approximately 90% of the foundation's financial investment in postsecondary courseware over the last five years.Primary data sources for this synthesis and review were final and interim reports submitted by the 12 projects and their subgrantees, interviews with principal investigators, and project-related research articles and additional data provided in response to SRI's request. Proposals, RFPs (requests for proposals), and project websites provided additional background information.SRI analyzed the features of the 137 different courses developed or evaluated through these projects and performed a quantitative meta-analysis of student outcomes for those projects that provided the data needed to estimate the impact of the project's courseware.It is important to keep in mind that this review reflects a window in time. Technology advances rapidly, and product features and approaches that are commonplace today were either just emerging or even unheard of in 2009 when the first of the grants reviewed here was awarded. To take a prominent example, MOOCs (massive open online courses) as they are known today did not really arrive on the scene until 2012, and the MOOCs that were the products of some of the Postsecondary Success grants reviewed here were using early versions of MOOC platforms that have since been revised

Predicting Successful Completion of Biology from Course Satisfaction and Curriculum Format for Nontraditional Students

The overall purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between the biology curriculum design with student course satisfaction and the successful completion for nontraditional adult students. The current study was important in determining course curriculum format leading to nontraditional students’ successful course completion. The selected college is a small two-year community college in the southeast United States. This quantitative, predictive correlation study surveyed 85 nontraditional students’ satisfaction with the biology course curriculum format using the Online Course Satisfaction Scale. The survey data was correlated along with the type curriculum used in the course section (Open Educational Resources or publisher created content) and student course satisfaction to predict successful course completion using binary logistic regression. The results of the statistical analysis showed curriculum type and student course satisfaction were not significant predictors of successful completion. Based on the results gathered from this research, nontraditional students did not successfully complete the course significantly better with one type of curriculum compared to the other. This study points to the need for further research to determine what factors can contribute to greater successful completion for nontraditional students

The Administration of Online Programs in Statewide Systems: A Case Study of the University System of New Hampshire

Enrollments in postsecondary online programs have grown over the years. As enrollments have grown, postsecondary institutions have experimented with different ways to administer their online programs. In many cases, institutions have shifted to a more centralized business model that consolidates the governance of their online programs under a single high-level institutional officer (Legon & Garrett, 2017). However, even as more colleges and universities prioritize the administration of online programming and dedicate staffing and resources to administer those programs, there is very little research focused on the best way to administer online programs in four-year public statewide systems. Given this gap in the literature, this study used an exploratory case study design to investigate how online programs are administered at four institutions in the University System of New Hampshire (USNH). Eighteen administrators from the University of New Hampshire, Keene State College, Granite State College, Plymouth State University and the USNH system office participated in a 20-question online survey. Survey questions were shaped by Rovai (2003) and Rovai and Downey’s (2010) factors of online program management. After survey data were analyzed using a constant comparison method, six survey respondents were invited to participate in a follow-up interview. As data from interviews were analyzed, several insights emerged about administering online programs in a statewide system. First, study participants had a difficult time finding a common vocabulary when talking about online programs and the potential benefits of system-level collaboration; second, administrators always prioritized their local program tasks before any consideration about collaboration could occur; and third, although there was not a strategic plan in place to help system institutions collaborate, all interview participants felt that such a plan would be valuable and several interview participants offered actionable suggestions for how to develop such a plan

A case study of Universal Design for Learning applied in the college classroom

As the landscape of education and the demographics of the postsecondary classroom continue to evolve, so too must the teaching practices at our nation\u27s institutions of higher education. This study follows an instructor who has evolved to incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) techniques into her classroom, even though prior to participation in this research study, she had not heard of UDL. UDL is a flexible framework used to design curricula that enable all learners to acquire knowledge, skills, and motivation to learn. This qualitative, descriptive case study addressed how and to what extent UDL techniques are being implemented in the college classroom and what student\u27s perceptions of how these UDL techniques affect their learning. Data were collected over the course of a semester via field-based observations, semi-structured interviews, a survey, and a review of course materials. The case study participants included 38 students and an assistant professor at an institution of higher education in West Virginia. Results indicated that the instructor was implementing many UDL techniques in her classroom and that the majority of students both acknowledged and positively received these techniques. The data gathered during this study also revealed that the implementation of UDL in the college classroom is more than mere theory; the application of the UDL framework and principles are practical. Neuroscience suggests that no two students learn the same way or experience the same event with identical observations; responses are as unique as our fingerprints or DNA. As educators, our instruction must meet the needs of unique and diverse learners. UDL assists instructors to meet a diversity of needs through a single curriculum design. Research studies indicate that UDL is best practice teaching

FACULTY JOB SATISFACTION RELATED TO ONLINE COURSE DESIGN

Online education has expanded and evolved slowly through the decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021 put online education at the forefront of teaching and learning worldwide and sped up the design and delivery of online courses. This study sought to examine faculty attitudes and opinions (amid a global pandemic) toward online course design that may affect their job satisfaction levels. Specifically, it explored factors that could inhibit or contribute to faculty job satisfaction during their engagement in online instructional design. Further, the study was designed to gain an understanding of how pedagogical and technological changes influence the degree of job satisfaction for online faculty. Lastly, a collection of faculty-preferred strategies related to online course creation was sought. Online higher education faculty throughout the United States were asked to participate in an online 12-question survey. Responses were analyzed using t-tests, an analysis of variance, and means and percentages. The results of the survey suggested that job satisfaction varies based on certain aspects of work and the faculty’s work experience or situation. It also suggested that satisfaction levels are dependent upon the amount of support and resources provided during times of change. Finally, the survey highlighted the potential for greater job dissatisfaction when faculty are asked to engage in online design initiatives rather than daily online design tasks and strategies. Based on this, institutional policies, practices, and procedures should be examined to determine the amount of support and authority online faculty are given related to all aspects of online course design

Does Online Course Design Encourage Attrition? Assessing Usability Factors in Learning Management Systems

Online coursework offers many college students flexibility and increased earning potential that they otherwise may not have due to personal or professional responsibilities and restrictions. Unfortunately, for students with disadvantaged technology backgrounds or disabilities limited accessibility compromises these opportunities for students who already face significant challenges to the completion of their post-secondary education. In the same manner that universal design of physical spaces increases usability of buildings and other facilities for all patrons, universal design of web-based courses could improve retention of course content for all learners. In a case study based on cognitive load theory and constructivist pedagogy, the researcher investigated the experience of postsecondary students with varying levels of technology background with user interface design of online courses, and how that design may inhibit the ability of these students to learn course content due to usability and accessibility issues. It was found that for students with the least technology background, course design could be an absolute barrier to successful course completion. Additionally, online courses with design features that deviate from common HTML standards and W3C norms can frustrate experienced users and also result in increased course attrition