Annual Report, 2000-2001

Submitted by Charles E. Stegman, Dean, Aug. 1998-Aug. 1999; Interim Dean Sharon Hunt, Aug. 15, 2000 ; Dean Reed Greenwood, Aug. 2001-200

* ILR School Theses and Dissertations: A Listing

Compiled by Susan LaCette.revILRThesesComplete.pdf: 4443 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Online Learning in Vocational Education of China during COVID-19: Achievements, Challenges, and Future Developments

COVID-19 has challenged education systems globally. Traditional teaching and learning activities of more than 1,300 vocational colleges and nearly 11,000 vocational high schools in China have had to be paused and transformed into an online mode. A study had been conducted to trace the unprecedented change which would provide reflections on policies and practical experience worthy of reference for the follow-up development of online vocational education in China and other countries in the world. The study used two methods to collect data: (1) delivering questionnaires to 767 schools, 17009 teachers, 270,732 students, and (2) gathering 110 institute cases from 21 provinces and 170 curriculum cases from 14 provinces. The result showed that vocational institutions coped with the pandemic’s outbreak through online learning and achieved the overall goal of “Not Going to School but Classes still Ongoing.” Further, vocational institutions have faced problems and challenges of online learning in practice training and internship, organization, and technical environment. The development of vocational education in the information era requires thinking about the system-driven reform path and online learning strategy and putting it into action

Investigating innovation in English language teaching :three case studies at a junior college in Taiwan

PhD ThesisThis qualitative research study attempts to investigate innovation in general English language teaching/learning as perceived by English teachers at a private vocational junior college in Taiwan, a Chinese-speaking context. The underachievement reported in the literature highlights the important issue that innovation is always constrained by many factors at all levels, in terms of institutional, educational, and cultural levels, etc. (Kennedy 1988). Recently research on innovation has been moving from a method-oriented understanding to broadening perspectives beyond language and classroom (Holliday 1996). In this context, this research aims to identify the mechanisms of three ELT innovation projects and investigate the factors affecting their success on many levels. The method adopted was ethnographic research that gave a thick description of how the teachers participated in the ELT projects leading to innovation. The three ELT projects to be examined were carried out on a school basis and located in the same context. One was initiated entirely top-down, one from both directions, and the other bottom-up. The first one aimed to implement a new teacher role of teacher-cum-researcher, the second to integrate technology into the English program, and the last to improve teaching through better materials. These projects were non-aided and independent of expatriates, and in this way different from the expatriate-aided ELT projects in the literature. Besides, unlike many projects that are designed and evaluated by their change agents, these projects were examined from the perspective of the end users (teachers), and in this way provide insights from a different angle. Several conclusions can be drawn from the analysis of the outcomes. It is found that the rise of the double centre-periphery innovation model in the field of education was ineffective in helping under-informed implementers to develop their change capacity. Dalin's four barriers (1983) are inadequate to address the barriers to innovation effectiveness, without taking the communication barrier and local negative rhythms into account, as they also inhibited the success of innovation. This study also shows that it seems naYve to expect that success is more likely in bottom-up innovations than in top-down innovations. In fact, if innovations, whether top-down or bottom-up, are to succeed, they require the same favourable conditions to facilitate their success, such as the development of the change capacity and effective conflict management

Defining teachers’ professional development needs:a study of implementing Marine Educator Training Course in Taiwan

Abstract. This thesis focuses on understanding teachers’ professional development needs after attending the Marine Educators Training Course in Taiwan from teachers’ perspectives. Taiwan started to implement Marine Education in 2008 after the White Paper on Marine Education Policy was released by the Ministry of Education, R.O.C. Teachers at all school levels were expected to integrate and teach marine-related topics in various fields of the 12-year basic education. Therefore, Taiwan Marine Education Center (TMEC) conducted an official Marine Educator Training Course to enhance teachers’ marine knowledge and teaching skills since 2017 to solve the dilemmas of implementing Marine Education discovered by the Ministry of Education, R.O.C. The conceptual frameworks of the thesis consist of teachers’ Marine Science Content Knowledge, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), teacher professional needs, Ocean Literacy (OL), and inspiration from UNESCO and SDGs. For this study, all the conceptual concepts are discussed under teacher professional development as the main fundamental concept. To clarify the conceptual framework of teachers’ needs for Marine Education in Taiwan, these five concepts were considered and related in implementing Marine Education for teachers. This is a qualitative research study involving an analysis of 51 responders among 173 participants of the Marine Educator Training Course from 2017 to 2019 in Taiwan. This study focused on understanding the teachers’ professional development needs that are still required for implementing Marine Education in the classroom after attending this training course. This study aimed to analyze the teachers’ answers to this specific open question was collected by an e-questionnaire. The methodology of this study used Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA). This study indicated that teachers in different school levels have different demand levels, and these demands could be divided into three areas. First, for elementary and junior high school teachers, they are the majority groups needing the support of Marine Educational TPACK compared to the other two groups. Second, the possible potential for the sixth principle of Ocean Literacy. Because the teacher lacks official textbooks and teaching materials in Marine Education. Third, the importance of school internal support. This internal support helps teachers to reduce their stressed and inexperienced feelings when implementing Marine Education. Simultaneously, teachers feel valued and acknowledged by the support from peers and administrations within schools. This study aims to bring insight from teachers’ perspectives and point out what the teachers’ professional development needs should have for marine education teachers in Taiwan. The observations of this study could be a potential example of Education for Sustainable Development for teacher training in basic education

International Trends and Techniques Used to Teach Studio Art Courses Through Distance Education

This research collected data about international trends and techniques used to teach studio art courses through distance learning. The study presents information about methods of curriculum and instruction, background information about teaching face-to-face art courses and transitioning to online instruction, the amount of time dedicated to online studio art courses by students and instructors, and details about educational resources and projects. The information provides ideas and methods to solve problems in art education through distance learning and speculates about the pedagogical effects of international classes.  This self-report survey was sent to online studio art instructors at postsecondary institutions in the international arena. The instructors responded to a series of statements and questions regarding trends and techniques used to teach studio art courses through distance learning. This resulted in standardized, quantifiable information from members of the focused population. Data collection method was e-mail.  Of the professors surveyed, the most successful part of teaching studio art online was listed as the ability to reach a broader population. The most frustrating part was listed as skepticism on the success of studio art taught online and students' lack of experience with technology. The majority of professors considered an international population of students to be a multicultural learning opportunity despite language barriers. Eighty-eight percent of the instructors surveyed felt that online art instruction held the potential to become more prevalent in the future because of accessibility, cost effectiveness, and technological advancements. Recommendations about techniques and trends of online studio art courses have been provided based on the research data.  M.A.Ed

1990-1992 Wright State University Graduate Course Catalog

This is a Wright State University graduate course catalog from 1990-1992.https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/archives_catalogs/1035/thumbnail.jp

Three Surveys on Adult ESOL Pronunciation: Teachers, Students, Textbooks

This study used three instruments to examine the current state of the teaching of ESOL pronunciation. These instruments included a survey of 62 teachers, another survey of 508 ESOL students, and a comparative study of ten pronunciation textbooks in widespread use since 1990. The purpose of the study was to characterize the teaching of pronunciation at present through the voices of the teachers, the opinions of the students, and the content of the textbooks. The study also identified the approaches and types of activities being proposed by the experts and recommended additional activities as well as a rationale for their use. The responses from the teacher survey indicated that there is little formal teaching of pronunciation in adult education programs although teachers deal with pronunciation mistakes in an incidental manner. Results from the student survey indicated that false beginner adult learners strongly favor practicing pronunciation and that they want their teachers to correct their mistakes. The descriptive study of the textbooks showed three different tendencies: a traditional curriculum based on the sound and the word as the point of departure of the lesson, another based on the communicative context as the point of departure, and a third that proposed an integrative model, that is, listening, speaking, accuracy, and fluency where pronunciation accuracy is emphasized. There were discrepancies in the selection of phonetic symbols, use of metalanguage, and types of activities. There is a consensus on the importance of listening, the use of the tape recorder, and outside class activities. At the onset of the study, the researcher hypothesized that teachers did not address pronunciation in their classes. The survey, however, indicated that in spite of the fact that pronunciation is not considered as part of the curriculum, it is addressed by the teachers at least in an indirect manner. The results of this study confirmed the fact that students enjoy practicing the sounds of the language. The comparative study of the pronunciation textbooks showed that 90% of the books are intended for intermediate or advanced learners, thus revealing a surprising lack of pronunciation materials for ESOL false beginners