Proctoring and Apps in College Algebra

The pandemic forced more instructors and students to move to online learning. For the first time, many experienced a loosening of the reigns and were forced to allow students to submit non-proctored work. Many may have questioned what students really learned in the year 2020. Many college math course competencies emphasize procedures. Now that apps can do that for students, where does that leave math instructors? Additionally, online instruction has exploded over the last decade and has challenged the teaching of college mathematics. While online instruction opens the door to access, it does beg the question of whether students complete their own work and thus whether proctoring is necessary. These thoughts were heavy on my mind as I conducted this research. This research sought to answer questions pertaining to the use of apps and proctoring in College Algebra. These two seemed inter-related as a deeper question behind proctoring is whether students use cell phone apps to solve problems and if so, does this circumvent the purpose of the course. The review of literature demonstrated limited work on the two topics individually but appeared to be totally missing the interaction of the two. Additionally, much of the review of literature found a theme of conceptual versus procedural assessments. This study further addressed this topic in the assessment instrument provided. This study included the analysis of fourteen common College Algebra questions across four semesters. Results showed that proctoring and apps do make a significant difference in outcomes

The Impact of Distance Learning on Nontraditional High School Students\u27 Attendance and Dropout Prevention

High school dropout rates have long been a problem for school districts, and various contributing factors have excavated the problem. Most of these students have been plagued by the inability to integrate into the mainstream of school life, due to socioeconomic standing, lack of parental support, and many other problems. This qualitative study examined how distance learning courses have the potential to increase high school graduation rates and attendance rates. The research perspective was conducted at an alternative high school where the primary goal is to ensure nontraditional students\u27 academic and personal support needed to graduate from high school. A single instrumental case study was conducted at an alternative high school utilizing a sample of twelve nontraditional students that took distance learning courses which allowed the researcher to understand a particular phenomenon, dropout, and attendance. Individual interviews were conducted to explore student experiences with distance learning courses and how these courses played a part in their graduation attainment; focus group methods, the analysis of learning analytics reports, lesson plans, and progress reports were conducted to understand student experiences. The researcher analyzed the data by coding the participant’s answers. Eight themes emerged from the participants responses: Academic Acceleration, Flexible Scheduling, Academic Support, Safe Environment, Transportation, Socializing, and Teacher Instructional Pace. These themes data was consistent with previous literature that supports the success and demand of distance learning settings and the lower dropout rate for older students

College Instructor\u27s Experiences in Designing Online Courses for Student Learning Opportunities: A Transcendental Phenomenological Approach

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experiences that college instructor face when designing online courses to facilitate learning opportunities for students at Gotham University (a pseudonym). This study was guided by the E-learning theory developed by Mayer et al. (2016), which introduced the importance of understanding how to create learning environments that are engaging and motivating. The E-learning theory was used to answer the following central research question: What is the experience of college instructors in designing online college courses? The central research question allowed the participants to describe their experiences designing online courses that offer student engagement, motivation, and promote student learning. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants for the study. The data collection methods used in the study were interviews with each participant, an analysis of course documents, and observations of the courses. A total of 12 participants participated in the research study and provided a better understanding of the phenomenon. Data analysis followed Moustakas’ (1994) transcendental phenomenological research approach to help provide better insight into the experiences college instructors face when creating online courses. Three themes and eight sub-themes emerged from the study. The themes were instructional design, socialization, and effectiveness of online learning. All findings associated with this study could benefit higher education institutions, current and future instructors, and current and future students

Mathematics Funds of Knowledge Survey: A Development and Validation Study

“Real-world” contextualization of mathematics is derived from curriculum and educator experiences which lean heavily into White middle-class contexts which are not reflective of many U.S. schools. Using students’ frames of knowledge with which they are interested or familiar promotes an enhanced and more engaging learning experience in the mathematics classroom. This dissertation outlines the development and validation of an instrument that collects and quantifies students’ mathematics funds of knowledge in various areas. This study not only provides a new validated instrument for practitioner and researcher use but contributes to the field regarding the importance of the authentic connection between student experiences and interests outside of the classroom and mathematics learning inside of the classroom and acknowledging that knowledge as essential

Exploring the development of thinking in senior secondary mathematics : a focus on probability

Higher order thinking skills have been identified as desirable although elusive outcomes of many educational curricula. Through a qualitative case study, the alignment between the three levels of the curriculum: intended, implemented, and attained, was examined to determine the tensions and possibilities in the development of mathematical and thinking skills in senior secondary students in Gippsland, a large regional area of Victoria, Australia. Probability was the mathematical content area of focus. Data from document analysis of the intended curriculum, textbooks as the implemented curriculum, and assessments as the attained curriculum, was combined with qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with twenty students and fourteen senior secondary mathematics teachers. These diverse data sources scaffolded each other to identify tensions and possibilities influencing development of student thinking in senior secondary mathematics. This research demonstrated that the flow of content via the intended-implemented-attained curriculum was not adequate to describe all the influences on student learning. The lens of Activity Theory (Engeström, 2001) came closer to capturing the related complexities whereby the textbooks, calculators, bound reference books and assessments, combined with the balance of agency demonstrated by the teachers and students, were found to both support and cause tensions within the activity system. Probability was found to be a valuable topic to study in relation to the development of thinking skills due to its relevance in decision making, how it linked many areas of mathematics and the uniqueness of the classic, experimental, and subjective views of probability. This study is significant in the contribution it makes to understanding the tensions and possibilities associated with the development of mathematical thinking relating to probability through the lens of Activity Theory. While the intended curriculum encouraged a range of thinking skills, this intended curriculum could be implemented in a way that promotes memorisation rather than the intended higher order thinking. This study concludes with recommendations for the curriculum designers, textbook publishers, teachers, and students which may support the development of mathematical and thinking skills.Doctor of Philosoph

Exploring the Relationship Between Technology Use and Student Performance in Developmental Mathematics

Rooted in learning theory and developmental psychology, the field of developmental education is concerned with addressing underprepared students' needs for growth. Much of this development relates to college readiness, thus students considered underprepared for college-level coursework are referred to developmental education coursework in subjects like reading, writing, and mathematics. This approach is similarly taken in Texas, the setting for this study, with the Texas Success Initiative Assessment as the approved instrument for assessing students' college readiness. In Texas, legislation also has been used to govern developmental education programs, such as through state administrative and education codes levying various requirements on the higher education institutions at which developmental education is offered. Of particular interest, a state mandate exists wherein these institutions must provide technology-mediated developmental education. Texas policies also are focused on student performance, defined as students' achievement of state-established benchmarks on the state assessment. For these reasons as well as the wealth of literature about technology in developmental mathematics, this dissertation study explored the relationship between technology use and student performance in developmental mathematics courses. The study setting was a four-year public in Texas through which archival data relevant to technology use and student performance were explored to answer two research questions. One question focused on the relationship between technology use and student performance in developmental mathematics courses, and the second question focused on technology use in developmental mathematics courses in relation to student performance in gatekeeper, college-level mathematics courses. Through an application of the I-E-O model, data were analyzed using the chi-square test of association with relevant descriptive statistics and frequencies computed. Technologies considered for analyses were graphing calculators, scientific calculators, learning management systems, online homework, software, online supplements, and e-textbooks. The results of analyses indicated statistically significant associations between technology use overall and student performance in developmental mathematics courses as well as five of the seven technologies. Conversely, statistically significant associations between technology use overall in developmental mathematics courses and letter grades earned in gatekeeper mathematics courses did not exist; however, statistically significant associations were identified regarding two technologies: learning management systems and e-textbooks

Strategies for Improving Remedial Mathematics Performance Among Community College Students

Increasing numbers of underprepared students throughout the United States must enroll in college remedial math courses, which delays students’ graduation and increases withdrawal rates. Two-thirds of first-year college students at a rural community college in the southeastern United States were required to enroll in remedial mathematics. Only 65% completed the course. Guided by Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, which maintains that belief in one’s ability improves success, the purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions of instructors, administrators, and students to explain the gap in performance in remedial mathematics and to use the results of this study to identify strategies to improve student performance. The study incorporated semi structured interviews with purposeful sampling of 15 remedial math students, 4 remedial math instructors, and the head of the mathematics department. Perceptions of the students and instructors were coded to identify and analyze emerging themes. Findings revealed the following themes: effectiveness of the remedial class, teaching and learning preferences, obstacles to learning, and suggestions for improvement. These findings led to the development of a 3-day professional development project to develop instructional strategies to improve students’ skills in task managing goals, tasks, and challenges; and to collaborate with local school districts to develop strategies to improve student performance in college mathematics. The study provides teachers and administrators with strategies that may lead to improved student preparation and success in remedial math, and opportunities to collaborate with local high schools to reduce the number of students requiring remedial mathematics

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO ENHANCE TEACHERS’ CONSTRUCTIVIST-ORIENTED TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION PRACTICES

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ experiences with a professional learning (PL) intervention program to enhance their knowledge and application of student-centered technology integration practices in the classroom. The intervention design was based on the results of a needs assessment study with secondary school teachers of different subjects and experiences, the conceptions of andragogy (Knowles, 1984), teachers’ constructivist-oriented technological pedagogical content knowledge (C-TPACK, Koh et al., 2014), the TPACK for 21st-century learning PL model (TPACK-21CL, Koh et al., 2017), and the SAMR model for technology integration (Puentedura, 2006). The evaluation of the program employed an embedded single case study using multiple data sources to understand the process and outcome of the intervention for six teacher participants at the Beverly Hills School (BHS), a pseudonym. The findings suggested a high level of implementation fidelity for the PL program based on the participants’ responsiveness and engagement during the PL program. Most teachers showed enhancement in their C-TK and C-TPK domains of knowledge, development in their TPACK-21CL for lesson planning, and a deeper understanding of the SAMR framework using specific examples. Implications for practice and recommended directions for future studies related to the intervention program are provided

Educational Technology: The Case of Azerbaijan

Despite serious investments in technology, computer equipment, and teacher training across the education system of Azerbaijan, meaningful use of ICT to support teaching and learning in K-12 is still elusive. The literature and the needs assessment study revealed several barriers hindering the implementation of educational technology such as lack of communication, absence of shared vision and ICT integration plan, limited access to technology, limited effective training, teacher knowledge, and teacher beliefs. I designed and developed a cognitive apprenticeship-based professional learning program that addressed factors that emerged as important in my needs assessment study. This quasi-experimental study assessed the effectiveness of the intervention and identified changes associated with the program. A total of 24 individuals, two school administrators and four teachers from each of four public schools located in Baku participated in this study. The school administrator component of the intervention lasted 20 hours, while teachers were engaged in a 40-hour long professional learning opportunity. Quantitative data were collected from postworkshop survey and preintervention and postintervention questionnaires. Teachers enjoyed this professional learning program and found it useful; they particularly appreciated the mentoring component of the program. Comparison of preintervention and postintervention responses revealed that the program significantly increased both teachers’ technology integration knowledge as well as their self-efficacy for educational technology. Qualitative data were gathered from focus group interviews and document analysis. Participation in this professional learning opportunity helped school administrators develop both a vision relative to pedagogical use of technology and school-based ICT integration plans. These plans met most of the requirements found in the reviewed literature. Classroom observations were used to capture the ways in which the teachers used ICT within their instruction. Numerous ICT tools were used in geography and history lessons in both during and after-intervention lessons. The purpose for which the teachers used the technology changed toward the end of the program; the application of ICT served to activate prior knowledge, advance students’ understanding of geographical or historical content, demonstrate students’ comprehension of geographical or historical content, promote their geographical or historical thinking skills, develop their critical thinking skills, assess and reinforce student learning

Middle School Teacher Perceptions of Digital Tool Integration for Formative Assessment and Feedback

District leaders in a suburban New England middle school expect that teachers will use technology to administer formative assessments and use the resulting feedback to plan subsequent instruction, but it is often unclear how or if feedback is being used to do so. Anytown Middle School (a pseudonym) teachers inconsistently use digital tools for formative assessment and feedback. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teachers perceive the use of digital tools to facilitate formative assessment and use the resulting feedback to inform subsequent instruction. Guided by the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) conceptual framework, the research questions focused on understanding how teachers integrate digital tools to facilitate formative assessment and use feedback. Eight classroom teachers, who indicated in a prestudy survey that they used technology for formative assessment and feedback, were purposefully selected to provide study data via interviews and lesson plans. The study results indicated inconsistent demonstration of technological content knowledge (TCK) and TPACK by teachers when integrating digital tools to facilitate formative assessment and an inability to articulate how digital feedback informs subsequent instruction. A 3-day professional development opportunity was crafted to assist district leaders in addressing the inconsistent teaching practices illuminated by the study. The project and study findings may contribute to positive social change by providing teachers with specific strategies to improve TCK, TPACK, and planning practices, leading to effective digital formative assessment and feedback, which has been shown to have a positive influence on student achievement and in preparing students for 21st and 22nd century learning as well as a rapidly evolving global society