Formation and development of the regional system of continuous environmental education of a teacher

© Foundation Environmental Protection & Research-FEPR. The relevance of the study is due to the contradictions between man and nature. By now, these contradictions have reached global proportions and are becoming increasingly difficult to resolve. The further development of civilization deepens the contradictions between man and nature. The consumptive attitude to natural resources has led to the formation of global environmental problems. The most serious are: destruction of the ozone layer, pollution of the world’s oceans, deforestation of tropical forests, intensification of the greenhouse effect, pollution of fresh water and desertification of fertile lands. The existence of the human civilization itself depends on the solution of these problems. The purpose of the article is to study the process of formation and development of the regional system of continuous environmental education for teachers. The study involved 60 university students, 150 students of general education schools and 10 pre-school teachers. To solve the task and check the initial assumptions, a complex of research methods was used: a comprehensive, systematic, personal, integrative approach to the formation of ecological culture, the study of training educational programs for environmental education of preschool children, students of general education institutions and university students; a sociological survey of schoolchildren and students university. The analysis made it possible to distinguish the main contradiction: between the realistic need to take into account regional determinants in the continuous environmental education of a teacher and the insufficiently developed regional system of continuous environmental education in the teacher’s training. The developed model of ecological education and upbringing of preschool children, students of general education institutions and students of the university will have practical significance for determining the theoretical, methodological and curricular foundations for the creation, functioning and development of a regional system of continuous environmental education of a teacher in achieving sustainable development of environmental education

The Impact of Quality Content Educational Resources on Students’ Academic Achievement: Survey Research (on the Example of Northern Border University, Arar)

Introduction. Academic achievement is reflected in marks (points) achieved in the disciplines studied and it assumes that the student has acquired the required set of skills and knowledge, which he or she can use while performing educational and professional tasks after learning a particular discipline or a group of disciplines. This means that the concept of “academic achievement” represents measuring the student’s ability to comprehend academic programmes in the class or independently.The aims of the present research were the following: to determine the ability of students to be active users of educational databases and their elements, which are considered to be effective especially in this type of educational activity; to identify the opportunities to improve academic achievement and the quality of academic curriculum implementation (in accordance with the necessary content) through digital educational content.Methodology and research methods. The present research is based on the field survey methodology. Empirical data were collected through questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. The validity of the collected material was verified through the method of mathematical statistics.Results and scientific novelty. It is known that information technology today is one of the most important factors, which can have a powerful impact on the quality of the education system in universities. The research conducted at the Northern Border University (Arar, Saudi Arabia) investigated the following questions: how the databases available at the Saudi Digital Library assist students of various specialties (faculties) in their studies; what the real contribution of the databases to the training of future professionals is; how learners define their goals and needs by using these databases. The processed questionnaire and interview results demonstrated that for most students e-learning content is not a tool to improve academic performance. The students’ satisfaction with the offered e-learning content was very low. Meanwhile, the students noted that they needed accessible and quality digitised educational information. However, they lack the information competency to find, store and apply information in its various forms. This competency is not limited only to the skills to work with the computer (all young people possess this skill today) - it includes the skills to systematise and structure the received information; critical attitudes towards it; ability to summarise and draw conclusions. It is also important to have easy and user-friendly database tools. Thus, it is necessary to provide further guidance for learners on effective work with digital databases; to develop students’ research skills; to carry out specialised workshops in order to motivate students to use digital educational resources.Practical significance. The present research materials can be useful for specialists developing university digital databases based on curricula mastered by students.Введение: Академическая успеваемость отражается в оценках (присвоенных баллах) по изучаемым предметам и предполагает, что студент овладел требующимся набором навыков и знаний, которые он после ознакомления с конкретной дисциплиной или группой дисциплин может использовать при выполнении образовательных и профессиональных задач. Иными словами, понятие «академическая успеваемость» подразумевает измерение уровня способности студента осваивать содержание учебных программ как в очном режиме, находясь в аудитории, так и самостоятельно.Цель исследования, представленного в статье, заключалась в определении способности студентов быть активными пользователями учебных баз данных и их элементов, от которых зависит эффективность этого вида образовательной деятельности; а также в выявлении возможностей повышения успеваемости и качества академического усвоения учебных программ (при соблюдении необходимого охвата их содержания) с помощью цифрового образовательного контента.Методология и методы. Работа выполнялась на основе методологии полевого исследования. Сбор эмпирических данных производился посредством анкетирования и личных интервью. Достоверность собранного материала проверялась методом математической статистики. Результаты и научная новизна. Известно, что информационные технологии сегодня - один из важнейших факторов, которые могут оказывать мощное воздействие на качество системы образования в вузах. В ходе исследования, проведенного в Северном пограничном университете (Арар, Саудовская Аравия), выяснялось, насколько базы данных, доступные в Саудовской цифровой библиотеке, помогают студентам различных специальностей (факультетов) в учебе, каков их реальный вклад в профессиональную подготовку будущих специалистов и каким образом обучающиеся определяют свои цели и потребности, обращаясь к этим базам данных. Обработанные результаты анкетного опроса и интервью показали, что для большинства респондентов предлагаемый электронный образовательный контент не является инструментом улучшения успеваемости. Степень удовлетворенности им оказалась весьма низкой. Между тем студенты отметили, что нуждаются в доступной и качественной оцифрованной учебной информации. Однако им не хватает информационной компетентности, проявляющейся в способности находить, хранить и применять информацию в различных ее видах. Причем эта компетентность не ограничивается только владением навыками работы с компьютером (которыми сегодня обладают все молодые люди) - она включает умения систематизации и структурирования получаемой информации; критическое отношение к ней; способность резюмировать и делать выводы. Важно также наличие простых и удобных инструментов работы с базами данных. Таким образом, необходимы дополнительные консультации обучающихсяо том, как эффективно работать с цифровыми базами данных; развитие исследовательских навыков студентов; проведение мастер-классов, мотивирующих к использованию цифровых образовательных ресурсов. Практическая значимость. Материалы исследования могут быть полезны специалистам, разрабатывающим университетские цифровые базы данных, основанные на учебных программах, осваиваемых студентами.The author gratefully acknowledges the approval and the support of this research study by the grant № EAR-2018-2033-9-F from the De-anship of Scientific Research at Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia.Автор выражает благодарность Институту научных исследований Северного пограничного университета (Арар, Саудовская Аравия) за одобрение и поддержку данного исследования в соответствии с грантом № EAR-2018-2033-9-F

How Ideology And Pedagogy Impact Technology Adoption In The Classroom, A Causal-Comparative Study

As the world changes from an industrial driven society to one more focused on services and knowledge, the drive for change within higher education is mounting from both students and employers. With the availability of the vast majority of the world’s knowledge available to an ever-increasing populace via the Internet, students and employers alike are no longer satisfied with the three r’s – reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead, employers are expecting graduates to be knowledgeable of the three C’s – collaboration, communication, and creative problem solving to negotiate a progressively complex global market. Through advances in cognitive science, we now have a better understanding of how individual learners construct and retain new knowledge. At odds with this understanding of how individuals learn is the continued use of the lecture class format where an instructor is the center of the classroom. The lecture class format or Socratic Method has not only demonstrated a lack of effectiveness compared to other methods such as active-learning which places the student at the center of the classroom but may even disenfranchise students leading to lower test scores and retention issues. Yet, when higher education institutions attempt more productive methods of learning based on the ideas of constructivism such as active-learning or student-centered learning the efforts fail as instructors naturally revert back to the lecture method for a variety of reasons. Where technology has enabled change in other areas of our lives such as social media, entertainment, and retail it has yet to make as profound of an effect in higher education. Understanding to what extent certain curricular ideologies may predict the adoption of technology in the classroom may be beneficial in emboldening change from the Socratic Method to a more student-centered learning experience. Other benefits may include improvements in the return on investments made by higher education institutions as well as shortened technology deployment timelines improving opportunities to keep up with rapidly changing technology trends. Using a combination of two survey instruments, the Schiro Curriculum Ideology Instrument (2013) and the iTEaCH Instrument (Choy, 2013), this causal-comparative research study analyzed data collected from both full-time and part-time faculty at a private liberal arts institution. Through the application of a one-way ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer post hoc test, the results identified statistically significant differences among several of the curriculum ideology types and the adoption of technology in the classroom. Insight into the relationship between curriculum ideology and technology adoption can be used both by technologists and pedagogical specialists as part of technology deployments to improve not only the use of technology in the classroom but also enabling faculty seeking opportunities to change the classroom dynamic focusing more on students and opportunities for individual learning

An ecological model for university faculty members’ thinking about technology

When university faculty and students use technology, they do so in a specific context and researchers have acknowledged that in order to understand use (or non-use) of technology in higher education they need to account for this. However, although the importance of context is not questioned, there is little consensus over which contexts are relevant and how they interact with an individual’s use of technology. This article proposes an “ecological” model for the contexts that influence a university faculty member’s thinking about technology and uses qualitative case study data to show the wide range of contexts that need to be included in this. It argues that a much broader range of contexts needs to be taken into account in any research that investigates faculty thinking, perceptions or decisions about using technology and that only considering some of these contexts risks misunderstanding the complex influences on faculty members’ thinking about their work

Online Instructors’ Use of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning Design Principles: A Mixed Methods Investigation

The growing use of digital video for online learning among US higher education instructors accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic raising questions about instructors’ knowledge of video creation principles (Bétrancourt & Benetos, 2018; Chorianopoulos, 2018; Kay, 2012; McCormack, 2020; Seaman, et al, 2018). This explanatory sequential mixed methods research describes the extent to which higher education instructors who create digital instructional video for online learning applied 11 multimedia design principles of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML). The case study triangulated self-reported survey data from 55 online instructors, interview data from five instructors with the highest implementation of CTML design principles as measured in the survey, and analysis of five video artifacts. Instructors implemented the CTML design principles more often than not, but applied certain principles like redundancy less frequently. Students and personal impacts are factors that informed instructor video design decisions and implementation of CTML design principles is driven more by instructors’ personal experiences and preferences rather than knowledge of the design principles. Given these findings, recommendations for instructors include continuing to be “video stars”, incorporating more signals into their videos, checking on-screen text to ensure it is used as little as possible, accounting for the time needed to create a video, and remembering that it is not the tool, but how they use it that matters

Educator Perspectives on Incorporating Digital Citizenship Skills in Interpreter Education

Appropriate digital citizenship skills are considered essential for modern professionals, including signed language interpreters. However, little is known about the experiences and practices of interpreter educators regarding digital citizenship. This exploratory qualitative interview study was conducted to examine the experiences and practices of interpreter educators related to incorporating opportunities for digital citizenship skill-building in their teaching practice. A conceptual framework based on digital citizenship theory guided development of this study. Data were collected from interviews of 6 interpreter educators in bachelor-degree programs in American Sign Language/English interpreting across the United States. Data sets were analyzed through open and axial coding and assessed for themes and patterns. Findings of the study indicated that interpreter educators were aware of elements of digital citizenship but were not knowledgeable about institutional or other policies, that they prioritized the soft skills of digital citizenship, and that they assumed their students acquired the technical skills of digital citizenship elsewhere. Findings may lead to better informed pedagogical decisions about incorporating digital citizenship into instruction, better prepared new professionals, and can contribute to positive social change for practitioners and the consumers they serve

Effect of Dispositional Factors on Computer-Mediated Communication Use and Employees' Incivility: A Study of a Historically Black University in the United States

This thesis diagnoses and proposes action toward addressing issues related to workplace incivility and computer-mediated communication use at my university. The conception of the idea to examine these issues originated from a meeting where one of the university’s administrators mentioned the issues and suggested that there was a need to address them. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to explore the relationships between dispositional factors and computer-mediated communication use, as well as the influence of computer-mediated communication use on (in)civility in my organizational environment. Constructed point-by-point throughout this thesis is the whole argument that such relationships exist. This study was undertaken to propose an action plan based on the following: (1) my doctoral and practical knowledge base; (2) the identification of a management issue; (3) literature about (in)civility and computer-mediated communication use; (4) arguments on methods and findings; (5) the development and design of proposed management action and (6) testing of the proposed management action in discussions with relevant stakeholders. Clark’s (2013) study on workplace incivility and Kettinger and Grover’s (1997) work on computer-mediated communication usage as a determinant of workplace incivility offer the basis for the framework of this study. The approach to conducting this research involved mixed method and participatory action research using the four phases of action research proposed by Coghlan and Brannick (2014). The first phase of this study examined the context of the problem to determine if the issue was worth studying. Phase 2 entailed the development of a plan for examining the issue. Taking action in phase three, involved data collection to diagnose and assess the problem. Finally, phase four involved analysis of the collected data and preparation and sharing of an action plan with employees and pertinent organizational decision makers for feedback via focus group discussion. Although the nature of action research differs from a typical traditional research, to put the study into perspective, at the diagnoses stage (Stage 3), I considered important propositions (hypotheses) based on previous studies. With regard to the data collected to diagnose the issue, the sample size was appropriate and inclusive of the organization’s employee population. From the employee population of 729, the sample included 298 university respondents of which, 45.5% were faculty and 52.1% were staff. I used both descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze the data. Findings from the study indicated significant relationships between computer-mediated communication use and perceived task interdependence, perceived usefulness, gender, and employee class. Generally, results of the data collection indicate that workplace incivility does exist in the organizational environment. However, it rarely occurs in the form of a direct attack and most commonly occurs in a passive-aggressive nature. Moreover, in alignment with other studies that applied traditional research methods that have suggested a linkage between computer-mediated communication use and workplace incivility, the results of this study also show significant evidence that the use of computer-mediated communication influences workplace incivility. In addition, based on further examination of the findings based on focus group feedback, this study also specifically exposed a significant correlation between workplace incivility and the use of email as a form of computer-mediated communication. The development of a proposed action plan resulted from the feedback received from the survey. However, in response to the feasibility testing results, which suggest that the proposed action plan was feasible but not detailed or cost-effective, modifications to the plan incorporated a more detailed, cost-effective approach to resolving the organizational issue. Ultimately, based on the findings of the focus group discussions, participant-managers agreed to promote implementation of the proposed action plan based on the findings of the research. Although, the aim of the thesis was not at generalization of its findings, nonetheless, this study offers university administrators insight into the organization’s incivility problem and provides implications that can potentially help to address the organizational issue. Its findings also contribute to the previous studies related to incivility in the higher education environment that typically addressed faculty and students while neglecting to include (or specifically specifying the inclusion of) staff (or others working in a supporting capacity) participants in the sample. In addition, this study contributes to previous studies that largely neglect historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in their examination of civility as it relates to the higher education industry

Speaking into the Abyss: An Exploratory Study of Academics’ Use of Educational Technology and its Impact on Practice.

This is a study of educational technology use in academic practice undertaken in an Irish Higher Education setting. Based on interviews with fifteen academics, the enquiry attempts to respond to Selwyn’s (2010) call for an increase in social scientific accounts of technology use which pay heed to the ‘state-of-the-actual’, examining the actuality and consequences of technology use on academic practice and identity. Efforts to understand the socially constructed nature of technology use draw upon the researcher’s own varied experiences as an educational technologist, academic, and academic manager. The development of understanding is also guided by a theoretical framework drawn from Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice (Bourdieu, 1977) and its interlocking concepts of habitus, field, and capital. The key research questions addressed in the study highlight a varied and meaningful integration of technology into academic practice. Academic use of technology is shown to be strongly influenced by implicitly held knowledge of teaching and underlying belief systems which are shaped by assumptions, technological truisms, pseudo theories, and folk pedagogies. Technology use is also shown to be shaped by the surrounding organisational culture and the normative technological practices carried out within the academic disciplines. In examining the consequences of technology adoption for the academic, the research highlights impact on wellbeing, relationships, emotional state, and sense of place. Technology is exposed as a site of tension as academics struggle with fears, questions of ideology, discourse, challenges to identity and destabilising shifts in practice. Most importantly, the research exposes educational technology as a site of struggle. In an effort to mediate between agency and structure, these academics seek to hold autonomy over their own practices while also attempting to align their practice with the broader organisational culture of technology use. Tensions arise between academics, students, and academic management, as each group seeks power over what forms of technology are used, how they are used, and by whom they are used