Characteristics of the Effective Online Teaching Faculty: Perspectives of Online University Administrators

The purpose of this explorative qualitative case study was to identify the characteristics online administrators reveal as existing in their most effective, and ineffective online teaching faculty (OTF). By identifying the characteristics of effective OTF, online administrators can develop practices to reduce and avoid the negative effects associated with ineffective OTF. Negative effects include increased transactional distance and student attrition. Analyzed were personal interviews of ten online administrators from eight different universities, a year of student surveys from six courses, and faculty handbooks. Interview questions sought the best approach to online facilitation, recommendations for retention of students, factors related to course facilitation that bring positive or negative results and what attributes were found in both effective and ineffective OTF. The data collected and literature reviewed revealed an Online Student Hierarchy of Needs pyramid with four progressive levels satisfied by the Facilitation, Cognitive and Social Presences\u27 of the effective OTF

Exploring Professional Teacher Identity Development for STEM Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)

Graduate students are responsible for much undergraduate instruction (Boyle & Boice, 1998; Luft et al., 2004; Miller, Brickman and Oliver, 2014) and need professional learning that aims to develop their pedagogical knowledge and instructional skills. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the influence of a pedagogy course that focuses on the implementation of evidence based instructional practices, on STEM Graduate Teaching Assistants’ (GTAs) professional science teaching identities. Guided by Thomas Guskey’s (1985) model of teacher change that relates changes in practice to changes in teachers’ attitudes and perceptions, the guiding research question and sub-questions were as follows:Are STEM GTAs\u27 professional teaching identities influenced by participating in a sciencepedagogy course?1. What are STEM GTAs\u27 beliefs about science teaching and learning?2. What factors nurture or inhibit the development of their teaching identities?Data sources included anonymous artifacts from 53 participants, as well as interviews and representations of professional science teacher identity models for a subset of eight volunteers. Analysis revealed that (i) the professional teaching identities of the STEM GTAs were influenced by their participation in the course, (ii) STEM GTAs\u27 beliefs about science teaching and learning include connecting with students, academic identity/content knowledge, and cultural background, and (iii) the factors that STEM GTAs identified as nurturing or inhibiting the development of their teaching identities included pedagogical knowledge, self-efficacy, and mentoring. Conclusions that can be drawn from these findings include the following, which have implications for research and for practice:1. Activities of professional development must recognize the interactions and influences of the multiple identities of the individual (Fritz & Smith, 2008). The exploration of a teaching identity must therefore involve the interplay of the GTA’s cultural identity and academic identity as student researcher and teacher.2. Professional learning experiences explicitly addressing identity are valuable to STEM GTAs. Creating representations of their professional teaching identity can serve as a powerful metacognitive tool to help GTAs reflect on their instructor positionality.3. Educational developers and departments should provide graduate students with mastery experiences and mentorship to help develop their academic self-concept and professional teaching identity

Systematic Collective e-Cheating in a Saudi Arabian Higher Education Context: A Case Study

Objectives: The primary purpose was to investigate organized group cheating in a Middle Eastern institution during the shift to e-learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. Method: The study explores the personal experiences of ten Saudi Arabian English as a Foreign Language program graduates in a higher education institution through in-depth interviews via qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis. The study was guided by Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior. Results: A novel type of misconduct coined systematic collective e-cheating was identified and discussed. In addition, insights on the causes and types of e-cheating in a Middle Eastern context were provided. Conclusions: Academic misconduct was directly influenced by a rapid transition to e-learning, societal culture, and subjective norms, all of which jointly contributed to shifts in ethical perceptions leading to increased reports of cheating. Objectives: The primary purpose was to investigate organized group cheating in a Middle Eastern institution during the shift to e-learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. Method: The study explores the personal experiences of ten Saudi Arabian English as a Foreign Language program graduates in a higher education institution through in-depth interviews via qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis. The study was guided by Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior. Results: A novel type of misconduct coined systematic collective e-cheating was identified and discussed. In addition, insights on the causes and types of e-cheating in a Middle Eastern context were provided. Conclusions: Academic misconduct was directly influenced by a rapid transition to e-learning, societal culture, and subjective norms, all of which jointly contributed to shifts in ethical perceptions leading to increased reports of cheating. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: Education professionals need to be aware of underlying issues related to unethical behavior and encourage students to understand and address negative ideologies regarding ethics on a societal level. Efforts must also be made to raise instructor awareness of academic misconduct in e-learning through comprehensive professional development programs. Furthermore, with the increased use of technology in education, if the social, cultural, and perceptional factors are not addressed, educational systems will be impacted, affecting the credibility and value of academic degrees should cheating become the norm

An Exploratory Study of Learning Transfer from the Online Technical Communication Course to the Workplace

For technical communication educators, a fundamental consideration is to what extent the skills and information students learn in the classroom are applied in a workplace environment. While this issue has been studied, it has not been examined from the perspectives of students taking an online writing course or of instructors teaching that kind of course. To investigate this issue, I conducted a two-part, qualitative study consisting of surveys and follow-up interviews that explored instructor and student (former and current) perceptions regarding learning transfer from online business and technical writing courses to postgraduate jobs or careers. Learning transfer theory was used as a theoretical base to guide my investigation and interpret the results. Study findings show that many students in an online technical communication course learn the meta-level rhetorical skills needed for high road transfer to take place. Subjects also perceive inherent features in online technical communication courses that prepare them well for workplace writing. Students perceive strengths of online courses as including flexibility and the high degree of practical real world value that they offer. They also perceive shortcomings of these classes as including lack of community and lack of immediate feedback and guidance. This study resulted in a list of best practices for facilitating learning transfer from the online writing courses to the workplace, along with suggestions for future research

Learning to teach data journalism: Innovation, influence and constraints

Journalism education has tended to respond slowly to developments in digital journalism, such as data journalism, despite or because of close links with the industry. This paper examines the obstacles to innovation in journalism education with particular reference to data journalism, drawing on the literature, a review of stakeholders and course documents, and the author’s reflections on developing a data journalism module as part of a new MA programme. It highlights the complexities linked to the particular demands of data journalism, and identifies critical issues around student satisfaction; reputation and job/career outcomes; relevance, currency and appeal; programme management; and coherence. Rather than holding it back, more specialized socialization could assist journalism education to innovate effectively, the author suggests

Evaluation of a Successful High Risk Nursing Student Assistance Program: One ADN Program\u27s Journey

A college education is, for many in America, part and parcel of the American Dream, and is certainly achievable. For countless reasons, students may enroll at community colleges underprepared, unprepared, anxious, and destined for a high risk of failure. Although community colleges are higher education institutions open and accessible to all who want to pursue an education, some degree programs are selective enrollment programs, such as nursing. Considering the stringent admission criteria and rigors of an associate degree in nursing (ADN) program, few are admitted. However, due to the pending shortage of registered nurses, assistance programs to help high risk nursing students succeed in school and pass their licensure exams to become RNs are needed for the future of the profession. The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify factors of the successful Gateway/HRNS program embedded in the community college Associate Degree in Nursing program that fostered student retention, graduation and passing of the NCLEX-RN licensure exam on the first attempt. A qualitative case study methodology was utilized for this comprehensive program evaluation of one very successful ADN nursing program in a Midwest community college. Interviews of graduates of this high risk nursing program, focus groups of faculty teaching in the program, and archival and current document analysis were used to determined program factors that have helped high risk students over the past twenty years to succeed and become licensed, employed RNs. Findings revealed that students and faculty highly valued three components of the high risk nursing student assistance program. These components were a) a pre-nursing summer introduction to nursing component comprised of many small courses; b) a mid-curricular second summer LPN option component; and c) regularly-scheduled weekly tutoring sessions throughout the two years of the ADN program. The most valued experience, according to program graduates, was the mid-curricular LPN Option course, which is mandatory for these high risk students and optional for other nursing students. It was felt this second summer component in the assistance program helped students to integrate nursing theory coursework and clinical which provided a substantial benefit as they entered their final year of the ADN program. As a result of this study’s findings, the O’Sullivan Strive to Thrive (S2T) Model for Student Success was developed to enable community college nursing leaders to develop assistance programs for high risk nursing students. There are eight steps in the Strive to Thrive (S2T) Model, designed to help ADN leaders and faculty promote and orchestrate the successful persistence and graduation of high risk students. Also included are directions for each of the steps as well as corresponding useful forms. This model to plan and design assistance programs for high risk students can be adapted by nursing department leaders in community colleges, as well as other nursing program venues and degree programs

Teaching Personal Selling with Volunteer Professional Salesperson Role-play Scenarios

Producing what is often referred to as “career ready” graduates is a challenge that most business department faculty take seriously; after all, we are measured to some extent by the success of our students. As a faculty member with twenty-plus years of experience in competitive sales environments, I believe that it is essential to create roleplay personal selling situations for students that simulate what happens in the consultative sales environment. Providing students with realistic situations calls upon the student to perform at a higher level. It is my position that these role-plays provide the best learning outcomes when conducted with professional sales people versus the use of peers or faculty to facilitate the role play. As educators, we have a luxury that doesn’t exist in most professional settings. That luxury is in our purpose; we are here to develop career-ready business leaders. While this purpose is also true for sales training staff in their respective organizations, they have to do this without exposing their weaknesses. Corporate Sales Trainers cannot, in most cases, bring in one of their top clients and ask them to run role play practices with their new sales trainees. In the collegiate environment, many of those top clients are more than willing to do just that; they volunteer their time to help coach a sales student. Their reasons for doing so are likely quite varied, but regardless of motive, I’ve rarely had difficulty recruiting sales and buying professionals to serve as role-play partners for students. They want to give back; making a contribution is a strong motivator. While I will readily admit that I don’t use professional volunteer buyers in all of my classroom role play scenarios in my sales and marketing coursework, I have reached the conclusion that professional sales people as volunteers are essential to creating a more realistic role play situation. Mary Ellen Weimer in her book Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice, states, “(this book) seeks to answer this question: What should teachers do to maximize learning outcomes for their students?” Specifically, as it relates to this topic, I concur with Weimer’s concept that “learner-centered teaching engages students in the hard, messy work of learning.” We need to help our students develop learning skills through personal practice. This situational instruction requires that the following stipulations be followed for the best possible outcome for student learning. These specifications include: selecting the most appropriate professional sales role-play volunteers, creating a case study that is robust enough, but is still easy to follow, and creating a simulation that closely replicates a consultative sales call. In the use of role plays, I believe that student learning maximizes by securing the best professional sales role play volunteers. It is important to find a professional sales person that will be generous with his/her time. Sadly, I’ve had some professionals that have wanted to help, but have then not completely “shown up” for the situation; while they may show up for the event, they’ve over extended themselves and spend the time distracted by what is happening in their lives. While this may be realistic for some sales call experiences, it doesn’t maximize the student’s learning. Also, you need a sales professional that is going to provide detailed and prolific feedback both verbally and in writing. Giving and receiving clear feedback is the “messy” part of learning, but individuals will not grow in their sales skills unless they get accurate and honest feedback. Finally, the sales professional needs to be nurturing. I’m not suggesting that they hold back in their feedback, but they need to be able to encourage and mentor the students – not necessarily beyond the role play, but at least for the time they spend with the student. All of these combined attributes of a professional sales role play volunteer provide a positive learning experience for the student. The second essential element of a strong professional sales role play scenario is to have a robust case study but to not make it overly complex. The important aspects of the case study include having a strong, but not excessively detailed background story. Digging into research to gain product knowledge such as the features, benefits, and advantages of a product or service is essential learning for students on how to approach a sales call. As a part of the scenario, some conflict needs to be included as well; this can take many different forms as either an objection or a challenge, but this conflict helps students understand that uncovering the client’s “pain” will lead them to better understanding how to meet the clients’ needs. I have also had success with role play circumstances that are somewhat ambiguous. This ambiguity exists in real life sales situations, so helping students understand that they’re not going to have all the answers and that they will need to do some investigation in the form of both research and questions to the client are relevant to the learning outcomes. Finally, the final essential piece of an effective professional sales role play scenario is the creation of a simulated environment that closely replicates a sales call. There are several elements that I believe are important in this simulated environment. First, it is best if the professional sales person has not met the sales role play student before the role play. Not having a prior introduction creates a dynamic similar to that first sales call and places the responsibility of creating rapport in the hands of the student. Next, I think it’s best if no other students are in the room during the role play. It can be videotaped for shared learning later, but having a peer audience changes the dynamic of the situation, and it is a more realistic simulation if an audience is not present. Creating a realistic role play that puts the sales call experience into perspective will help students better understand their strengths and weaknesses as it relates to the sales process. Ultimately, some will argue that this is too much effort to go through to create a professional sales volunteer role play in each class. To not over tax my volunteers and to better utilize class time, I frequently set up many volunteers for the same class period. Also, I usually don’t rely on the same volunteer for more than one class. Following this plan of action puts the pressure on the instructor to develop a strong network of professional sales people. However, I would argue that the effort to present more opportunities for students to practice sales in this way will make a substantial difference in our student’s success in a commission-based sales career. REFERENCES Weimer, M., 1947, & ebrary, I. (2013). Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco;Palo Alto, Calif;: Jossey-Bass

Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Developmental Math Program Redesign at a Community College

North Carolina\u27s community colleges redesigned developmental math programs in 2011. The overall effectiveness of the redesign has not yet been evaluated. A concurrent mixed-methods study was conducted at Mid-Atlantic Community College (MACC) for a formative and summative evaluation of the redesigned program. Mezirow\u27s transformative learning theory, along with an emphasis on designing individualized methods of instruction as outlined by Keller were the theoretical foundations of the evaluation. The extent to which the redesigned math modules affected the effectiveness of the math program at MACC was the guiding research question. Data on student outcomes and participant perceptions were collected for this concurrent mixed methods evaluation. Quantitative data from MACC institutional databases (N = 827) were used to compare the overall GPAs and mean passing grades for students in the old (2012-13) and new (2013-15) programs using an independent samples t test. There were no significant differences in students\u27 mean passing grades or overall GPAs for the redesigned modules, compared to the semester classes. Qualitative data from 9 semi-structured interviews with 3 administrators, 3 instructors, and 3 students were analyzed inductively for thematic patterns. Qualitative results indicated that perceptions of administrators were more favorable regarding the effectiveness of the redesign than the perceptions of instructors and students and that programs implementing individualized modules need to provide professional development training to those individuals affected by the redesign. Results from this study can promote positive social change by providing information for improved teaching and learning practices among developmental math instructors

Collaborative provision within UK higher education: perceptions of stakeholders of UK and Sri Lankan private colleges offering university degrees in business and management

Collaborative higher education refers to an array of different arrangements between higher education institutions (HEIs) and other providers - private providers in the case of this thesis. The main focus of the thesis is to understand stakeholders’ perspectives on collaborative partnerships between HEIs and private for-profit providers in the provision of UK degree courses in business and management. Recent decades have seen the massification of HE. The demand for HE in the UK has been growing significantly. But the state has begun to disengage itself from financing HEIs and thus their continuing state funding is under challenge. Market mechanisms have been introduced. Collaborative HE provision between HEIs and private for-profit providers can be seen as an activity undertaken as part of an increasingly marketised UK HE landscape. Management, staff such as link-tutors, and policy-makers in quality organisations were interviewed: thirteen in the UK and six in Sri Lanka. Five former non-European Union (EU) private college international students were interviewed in the UK. Three focus groups were conducted with non-EU private college international students in the UK. This is an exploratory study, from which it is not possible to generalise, but findings indicate that: a. Non-EU international students choose to study in private HE colleges because it enables them to acquire a UK degree at a lower cost. b. Working with private partners in the UK and overseas is perceived to have an economic motive and collaborative partnerships are seen as a partial solution to the difficult financial situation of HEIs. c. Collaborative HE partnerships help UK HEIs to expand their market. d. Government intervention in the private for-profit HE sector is discernible, for example through the Educational Oversight Review of private providers. This is blurring the boundary between what is described as public and private

An analysis of the role of the textbook in the construction of accounting knowledge

This report examines the role of the textbook and training manual in the teaching of introductory financial accounting. Although it has long been recognised that the textbook plays an important role in the education process, the issue has not been systematically examined in a comprehensive manner with respect to the teaching of introductory financial accounting. Based on research carried out in 2005, the current report addresses this issue. It does so using a research framework proposed by Thompson (1990) which recommends a comprehensive approach to the understanding of texts involving three separate aspects: the production of the textbook/training manual; the content of the textbook/training manual; the usage of the textbook/training manual