TLAD 2010 Proceedings:8th international workshop on teaching, learning and assesment of databases (TLAD)

This is the eighth in the series of highly successful international workshops on the Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Databases (TLAD 2010), which once again is held as a workshop of BNCOD 2010 - the 27th International Information Systems Conference. TLAD 2010 is held on the 28th June at the beautiful Dudhope Castle at the Abertay University, just before BNCOD, and hopes to be just as successful as its predecessors.The teaching of databases is central to all Computing Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems and Information Technology courses, and this year, the workshop aims to continue the tradition of bringing together both database teachers and researchers, in order to share good learning, teaching and assessment practice and experience, and further the growing community amongst database academics. As well as attracting academics from the UK community, the workshop has also been successful in attracting academics from the wider international community, through serving on the programme committee, and attending and presenting papers.This year, the workshop includes an invited talk given by Richard Cooper (of the University of Glasgow) who will present a discussion and some results from the Database Disciplinary Commons which was held in the UK over the academic year. Due to the healthy number of high quality submissions this year, the workshop will also present seven peer reviewed papers, and six refereed poster papers. Of the seven presented papers, three will be presented as full papers and four as short papers. These papers and posters cover a number of themes, including: approaches to teaching databases, e.g. group centered and problem based learning; use of novel case studies, e.g. forensics and XML data; techniques and approaches for improving teaching and student learning processes; assessment techniques, e.g. peer review; methods for improving students abilities to develop database queries and develop E-R diagrams; and e-learning platforms for supporting teaching and learning

TLAD 2010 Proceedings:8th international workshop on teaching, learning and assesment of databases (TLAD)

This is the eighth in the series of highly successful international workshops on the Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Databases (TLAD 2010), which once again is held as a workshop of BNCOD 2010 - the 27th International Information Systems Conference. TLAD 2010 is held on the 28th June at the beautiful Dudhope Castle at the Abertay University, just before BNCOD, and hopes to be just as successful as its predecessors.The teaching of databases is central to all Computing Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems and Information Technology courses, and this year, the workshop aims to continue the tradition of bringing together both database teachers and researchers, in order to share good learning, teaching and assessment practice and experience, and further the growing community amongst database academics. As well as attracting academics from the UK community, the workshop has also been successful in attracting academics from the wider international community, through serving on the programme committee, and attending and presenting papers.This year, the workshop includes an invited talk given by Richard Cooper (of the University of Glasgow) who will present a discussion and some results from the Database Disciplinary Commons which was held in the UK over the academic year. Due to the healthy number of high quality submissions this year, the workshop will also present seven peer reviewed papers, and six refereed poster papers. Of the seven presented papers, three will be presented as full papers and four as short papers. These papers and posters cover a number of themes, including: approaches to teaching databases, e.g. group centered and problem based learning; use of novel case studies, e.g. forensics and XML data; techniques and approaches for improving teaching and student learning processes; assessment techniques, e.g. peer review; methods for improving students abilities to develop database queries and develop E-R diagrams; and e-learning platforms for supporting teaching and learning

Learning, Arts, and the Brain: The Dana Consortium Report on Arts and Cognition

Reports findings from multiple neuroscientific studies on the impact of arts training on the enhancement of other cognitive capacities, such as reading acquisition, sequence learning, geometrical reasoning, and memory

Power of Near-Peers: Conceptualizing and Testing a Near-Peer Mentoring Model in Raising Youths\u27 Self-Efficacy in Computer Programming

Self-efficacy is seen as a barrier for youth, females in particular, to enter computer science (CS). In this study, I presented a near-peer mentoring model that focused on changing the mentee’s self-efficacy in CS. The present study had three objectives: (a) to design a near-peer mentoring model (i.e., a conceptual model) around the sources of information that influence self-efficacy, (b) to develop a mentor training model based on the conceptual model, and (c) to test the effectiveness of the training model in increasing mentees’ self-efficacy in the context of a summer App programming camp. The present study adopted a mixed-methods approach following a concurrent, embedded design to answer research questions. Data were collected from pre-post surveys and camper interviews. Comparison of quantitative and qualitative findings indicated that the near-peer mentoring model has a potential in increasing youth’s self-efficacy regardless of their gender. It was also found that encouragement was important for fostering self-efficacy and while they did not directly influence self-efficacy, modeling and instructive feedback enhanced campers’ learning experience, which, in turn, would boost self-efficacy. The present study also provided examples of how to train mentors to do modeling and provide instructive and encouraging feedback, which may be helpful for programs that use mentors to recruit youth to CS

The Effect Of Self-Explanation And Strategy Training On L2 Reading Comprehension Using An Intelligent Tutoring System

While research suggests that secondary language (L2) learners at postsecondary institutions face academic reading challenges, and that reading strategy training can improve primary language (L1) learners\u27 reading comprehension, it remains a challenge to find scalable ways to deliver such training to L2 learners. Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) have been shown to be nearly as effective as human tutors while reaching potentially unlimited numbers of learners in a variety of subjects, including reading comprehension. However, few studies have explored the effectiveness of such systems for improving L2 learners\u27 reading comprehension. Self-Explanation Reading Training (SERT) is an instructional model that combines self-explanation and five reading strategies (monitoring, paraphrasing, prediction, elaboration, and bridging), and has been shown to be effective. SERT has also been built into a game-based intelligent tutoring system environment called Interactive Strategy Trainer for Active Reading and Thinking ---Motivationally Enhanced (iSTART-ME). Studies have demonstrated the effects of iSTART-ME in improving L1 students\u27 reading comprehension and learning motivation, but little evidence exists for its efficacy for L2 learners. This research tested the reading strategy training effect through iSTART-ME on 34 incoming international L2 students admitted to a large public American higher institution in the Southwest. In addition to pretests, presurveys, posttests, and postsurveys, these students received three hours training within two consecutive days right before their fall semester school courses formally started. The results showed that their self-explanation quality scores, short-answer reading comprehension test scores, and learning motivation scores were significantly improved with a medium effect size. The results also suggested that students with lower self-explanation and comprehension ability benefited the most, although all students benefitted from the training. After the training, the interviewees reported that their learning with iSTART-ME was interesting and successful, expressed a desire to learn more strategies with iSTART-ME in the future, and expected to apply the strategies they learned to other subjects. This study implied that iSTART-ME, with low cost in reaching large numbers of students, effectively taught the incoming international college students reading strategies, and improved their L2 reading comprehension abilities and learning motivations

Impact of an Educational Gymnastics Course on the Motor Skills and Health-Related Fitness Components of Physical Education Teacher Education Students

Standard 2 of the National Initial Physical Education Teacher Education Standards indicates physical education teacher candidates are physically educated individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to demonstrate competent movement performance and health enhancing fitness (NASPE, 2008). Many PETE programs seek to develop candidates’ content knowledge through various physical activity courses. However, limited empirical evidence exists that links activity courses to the development of content knowledge in the form of motor skill proficiency or fitness outcomes. This study examined the impact of an educational gymnastics course on PETE students’ motor skill proficiency and health-related fitness. A mixed method, pre-post no control group design was used. Participants (N = 22) included PETE students enrolled in a 16-week educational gymnastics course. Data were collected from three primary sources including, 1) four individual skills tests and the South Carolina Physical Education Assessment Program elementary school educational gymnastics assessments for combining and sequencing skills, 2) the FITNESSGRAM test battery, and 3) a survey (with a Likert scale and open ended questions) that assessed perceptions related to the qualities of a good instructor of educational gymnastics and comfort level for teaching and performing educational gymnastics. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire served as a secondary data source. Pre-test and post-test scores on motor skills assessments were analyzed in separate related-samples Wilcoxon signed rank nonparametric tests to determine if there was any improvement in educational gymnastics skills. The pre-test and post-test scores on each item of the FITNESSGRAM fitness test battery were analyzed using separate, repeated measures within-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests to determine if there were any improvements in fitness. A Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient was used to analyze whether any relationships existed between motor skill level and fitness. Responses to the two Likert Scale survey questions were analyzed using separate, repeated measures ANOVA tests to determine if there were any changes in comfort levels with teaching and performing educational gymnastics. The open-ended survey data were analyzed qualitatively using constant comparison. Findings indicate that motor skill proficiency improved significantly on all educational gymnastics tasks from pre-test to post-test. Scores improved on the Curl-Up and Body Composition tests from pre-test to post-test. Scores on the 90° Push-Up and Back-Saver Sit and Reach tests improved, although not significantly. Scores on the PACER test decreased significantly from pre-test to post-test. Primary findings suggest 1) an educational gymnastic course can improve the content knowledge/motor skill proficiency of PETE students, 2) a relationship may exist between certain fitness indicators and motor skill level across the stages of content development in educational gymnastics and 3) comfort level for both teaching and performing educational gymnastics can be significantly impacted by an educational gymnastics course. The results of this study may be used by PETE programs to make decisions regarding the inclusion of an educational gymnastics course in their programs as such a course may help assure that teacher candidates are physically educated individuals who are able to demonstrate competent movement performance and health enhancing fitness (NASPE, 2008)

Trialing project-based learning in a new EAP ESP course: A collaborative reflective practice of three college English teachers

Currently in many Chinese universities, the traditional College English course is facing the risk of being ‘marginalized’, replaced or even removed, and many hours previously allocated to the course are now being taken by EAP or ESP. At X University in northern China, a curriculum reform as such is taking place, as a result of which a new course has been created called ‘xue ke’ English. Despite the fact that ‘xue ke’ means subject literally, the course designer has made it clear that subject content is not the target, nor is the course the same as EAP or ESP. This curriculum initiative, while possibly having been justified with a rationale of some kind (e.g. to meet with changing social and/or academic needs of students and/or institutions), this is posing a great challenge for, as well as considerable pressure on, a number of College English teachers who have taught this single course for almost their entire teaching career. In such a context, three teachers formed a peer support group in Semester One this year, to work collaboratively co-tackling the challenge, and they chose Project-Based Learning (PBL) for the new course. This presentation will report on the implementation of this project, including the overall designing, operational procedure, and the teachers’ reflections. Based on discussion, pre-agreement was reached on the purpose and manner of collaboration as offering peer support for more effective teaching and learning and fulfilling and pleasant professional development. A WeChat group was set up as the chief platform for messaging, idea-sharing, and resource-exchanging. Physical meetings were supplementary, with sound agenda but flexible time, and venues. Mosoteach cloud class (lan mo yun ban ke) was established as a tool for virtual learning, employed both in and after class. Discussions were held at the beginning of the semester which determined only brief outlines for PBL implementation and allowed space for everyone to autonomously explore in their own way. Constant further discussions followed, which generated a great deal of opportunities for peer learning and lesson plan modifications. A reflective journal, in a greater or lesser detailed manner, was also kept by each teacher to record the journey of the collaboration. At the end of the semester, it was commonly recognized that, although challenges existed, the collaboration was overall a success and they were all willing to continue with it and endeavor to refine it to be a more professional and productive approach

2021 SERA Annual Meeting Program and Abstracts

Southwest Educational Research Association www.sera–edresearch.org 2021 Annual Meeting Program and Abstracts February 3 - 5, 202