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

Influence of Course Delivery Method and Proctoring on Performance in Introductory Economics

This work was published in the Review of Agricultural Economics. See Wachenheim, C.J. 2009. Final Exam Scores in Introductory Economics Courses: Effect of Course Delivery Method and Proctoring. Review of Agricultural Economics 31(3), pp. 640-652.Online, Assessment, Education, Economics, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Evaluating the impact of video-based versus traditional lectures on student learning

Copyright ©2010 International Research Journals. This full-text open access article is available at the link below.Although, computer assisted learning and multimedia programs have emerged into higher education institutions, there is no clear evidence that such a movement can improve student learning. This study was conducted to provide an objective assessment of the impact of lectures with the use of video clips on student learning over traditional teaching methods. Five university students participated and experimental control was achieved using an alternating-treatments design. Overall, students experienced sixteen 5-minute lectures, half on kinesiology and half on psychological issues for children, delivered by either traditional or video-based methods. Results showed that teaching material based on video clips was at least as equally effective as standard teaching lectures. Similar data were collected during 1-, 2-, and 3-week follow-up measures. These results come in agreement with the current literature reinforcing the suggestion that the use of videos in education may hold great promises.This article is available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund

THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ENRICHED MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION ON AT-RISK SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

An obstacle to student learning with many at-risk students is not the lack of ability of the student, but rather the inability of the school system to design and implement options suited to their unique learning styles. This study examined the effectiveness of a computer-based instruction (CBI) system to teach Algebra I in an alternative high school serving at-risk students. The study focused on student achievement, attitudes toward mathematics, school climate, attendance and discipline referrals. Investigators found that CBI can be effective in improving learning with at-risk students. Studies, including those of Tobin & Sprague, Craik, & Kreil, Griffin and Raywid found improvement in academic performance, self-esteem, and reducing behavior problems and dropout rates among students in alternative settings using technology-enhanced instruction. The study examined 30 at-risk high school students using CBI and 40 students using textbook-based instruction to cover the same Algebra I concepts. The investigator administered an online survey from Tapia's Attitudes Towards Mathematics Inventory, and Gottfredson's survey on school climate. The investigator also collected course grades, state assessment scores, attendance and discipline records over a two-year period following the initial implementation of CBI. This investigation used analysis of variance with pairwise comparisons and post-hoc analysis. Results found a significant increase in grades for at-risk students in the CBI group from a D+ to a C+ between year one (M=4.07) and year two (M=6.53); t(29)=-.321, p<.05. The CBI students also had a significant increase in mathematics scores on state assessments between year one (M=1.63) and year two (M=1.87); t(29)=-2.04, p<.05. CBI students reported more positive attitudes toward mathematics (M=3.62) than did the students in the traditional class (M=3.21); F(1,68)=14.52, p<.001. CBI programs can be an effective option in improving student achievement and attitude in at-risk settings. The fact that the CBI students placed in an at-risk school for behavioral issues had better attitudes toward mathematics than those in a traditional school is encouraging. Further studies are needed to determine if the benefits of this CBI instructional approach might extend to other at-risk settings and across other content areas

Adolescent Literacy and Textbooks: An Annotated Bibliography

A companion report to Carnegie's Time to Act, provides an annotated bibliography of research on textbook design and reading comprehension for fourth through twelfth grade, arranged by topic. Calls for a dialogue between publishers and researchers

Investigation of pre-service TESOL teachers’ perceptions towards multimedia– based textbook development and usage

The purpose of the study is to present the results of investigating pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their readiness to develop and use multimedia-based English language training textbooks. &nbsp;The dimensional structure of the designed readiness is regarded as a complex personal integrative quality. A corresponding &nbsp;&nbsp;survey questionnaire is compiled to determine its content. The study included 81 senior students from the foreign language faculty at Karaganda Buketov University. The research's methodology included statistical analysis of quantitative data, experimental training and participant self-assessment questionnaires. Preliminary tests were conducted in both the experimental and control groups aimed at identifying participants’ perceptions of their initial level of readiness for the development and use of multimedia-based textbooks. Participants in the experimental group participated in an experimental course on technology development and &nbsp;&nbsp;the use of multimedia-based textbooks with the presentation of their final project. When the teaching period was over, the post-test was taken. The results demonstrated the efficiency of the complex assessment of readiness in the mentioned area enabling the definition and correction of gaps in its structural content. The designed course proved its effectiveness in practice as asserted by the post-test scores

Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum

The field of specialization known as the science of learning is not, in fact, one field. Science of learning is a term that serves as an umbrella for many lines of research, theory, and application. A term with an even wider reach is Learning Sciences (Sawyer, 2006). The present book represents a sliver, albeit a substantial one, of the scholarship on the science of learning and its application in educational settings (Science of Instruction, Mayer 2011). Although much, but not all, of what is presented in this book is focused on learning in college and university settings, teachers of all academic levels may find the recommendations made by chapter authors of service. The overarching theme of this book is on the interplay between the science of learning, the science of instruction, and the science of assessment (Mayer, 2011). The science of learning is a systematic and empirical approach to understanding how people learn. More formally, Mayer (2011) defined the science of learning as the “scientific study of how people learn” (p. 3). The science of instruction (Mayer 2011), informed in part by the science of learning, is also on display throughout the book. Mayer defined the science of instruction as the “scientific study of how to help people learn” (p. 3). Finally, the assessment of student learning (e.g., learning, remembering, transferring knowledge) during and after instruction helps us determine the effectiveness of our instructional methods. Mayer defined the science of assessment as the “scientific study of how to determine what people know” (p.3). Most of the research and applications presented in this book are completed within a science of learning framework. Researchers first conducted research to understand how people learn in certain controlled contexts (i.e., in the laboratory) and then they, or others, began to consider how these understandings could be applied in educational settings. Work on the cognitive load theory of learning, which is discussed in depth in several chapters of this book (e.g., Chew; Lee and Kalyuga; Mayer; Renkl), provides an excellent example that documents how science of learning has led to valuable work on the science of instruction. Most of the work described in this book is based on theory and research in cognitive psychology. We might have selected other topics (and, thus, other authors) that have their research base in behavior analysis, computational modeling and computer science, neuroscience, etc. We made the selections we did because the work of our authors ties together nicely and seemed to us to have direct applicability in academic settings

Human Resource Inputs and Educational Outcomes in Botswana’s Schools: Evidence from SACMEQ and TIMMS

This study explores the important relationship between policy variables that represent a school’s human resources and product variables in the form of student performance in Botswana’s schools. A focus of particular interest is if the teaching environment is related to student success and whether it can promote equity in learning between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Data for the study are drawn from a rich survey of students, teachers and schools in Southern and Eastern Africa. There is modest evidence to suggest that students attending well resourced schools are likely to perform better, irrespective of their background. The results points to a clear association between teacher content preparation and student achievement. Regular assessment is associated with better performance and greater social equity between students within the same school. Policy implications related to teacher preparation programmes in Botswana are discussed.Botswana, education production function, demand for schooling, teacher evaluation, teacher knowledge, teacher education

Effectiveness of Computer-Graded vs. Instructor-Graded Homework Assignments in an Elementary Spanish Course: A comparative study at two undergraduate institutions

Researchers at the United States Air Force Academy and MetropolitanState University of Denver collaborated on a study to determine theeffectiveness of computer-graded vs. instructor-graded homeworkassignments in elementary Spanish courses at their respectiveinstitutions. Subjects completed one or the other type of onlineactivities tied directly to a specific chapter of the textbook of the courseand accessed via the online ancillary MySpanishLab. Followingcompletion of the chapter activities and assessment, subjects wereasked to complete a satisfaction survey indicating their reactions toand preferences for either computer-graded or instructor-gradedactivities. No significant differences were found between groups onassessment scores, though definite differences were noted indicatingstrong preferences for one type of activity over another

Pedagogy, curriculum, teaching practices and teacher education in developing countries

This rigorous literature review focused on pedagogy, curriculum, teaching practices and teacher education in developing countries. It aimed to: 1. review existing evidence on the review topic to inform programme design and policy making undertaken by the DFID, other agencies and researchers 2. identify critical evidence gaps to guide the development of future research programme