HSLIC Annual Report FY2007-08

https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hslic-annual-reports/1002/thumbnail.jp

Broadband in Nebraska: Current Landscape and Recommendations

N ebraska’s broadband vision is that residents, businesses, government entities, commu-nity partners, and visitors have access to affordable broadband service and have the necessary skills to effectively utilize broadband technologies. Objectives To increase economic development opportunities, create good-paying jobs, at-tract and retain population, overcome the barriers of distance, and enhance qual-ity of life in Nebraska by stimulating the continuing deployment of broadband technologies which meet the need for increasing connection speeds. To increase digital literacy and the widespread adoption of broadband technolo-gies in business, agriculture, health care, education, government and by individu-al Nebraskans. Goals The following goals and targets help focus attention on key aspects of the plan and provide a way to assess the state’s progress in addressing broadband development: Increase household adoption of broadband Over 90% of households statewide will subscribe to broadband by 2020. 85% of households in rural Nebraska will subscribe to broadband by 2020. Increase broadband availability Broadband service of 25 Mbps down will be available to 90% of house-holds by 2020. Broadband service of 1 gbps down will be available to 25% of households by 2020. Support broadband-related development by increasing the number and diver-sity of IT workers At least 1,400 degrees in computer and information science, management information systems, computer engineering, and bioinformatics will be awarded annually by Nebraska colleges and universities by 2020. Women receive at least 25% of the degrees in computer and information science, management information systems, computer engineering, and bioinformatics will be awarded by Nebraska colleges and universities by 2020

Broadband in Nebraska: Current Landscape and Recommendations

N ebraska’s broadband vision is that residents, businesses, government entities, commu-nity partners, and visitors have access to affordable broadband service and have the necessary skills to effectively utilize broadband technologies. Objectives To increase economic development opportunities, create good-paying jobs, at-tract and retain population, overcome the barriers of distance, and enhance qual-ity of life in Nebraska by stimulating the continuing deployment of broadband technologies which meet the need for increasing connection speeds. To increase digital literacy and the widespread adoption of broadband technolo-gies in business, agriculture, health care, education, government and by individu-al Nebraskans. Goals The following goals and targets help focus attention on key aspects of the plan and provide a way to assess the state’s progress in addressing broadband development: Increase household adoption of broadband Over 90% of households statewide will subscribe to broadband by 2020. 85% of households in rural Nebraska will subscribe to broadband by 2020. Increase broadband availability Broadband service of 25 Mbps down will be available to 90% of house-holds by 2020. Broadband service of 1 gbps down will be available to 25% of households by 2020. Support broadband-related development by increasing the number and diver-sity of IT workers At least 1,400 degrees in computer and information science, management information systems, computer engineering, and bioinformatics will be awarded annually by Nebraska colleges and universities by 2020. Women receive at least 25% of the degrees in computer and information science, management information systems, computer engineering, and bioinformatics will be awarded by Nebraska colleges and universities by 2020

Scholar’s vocabulary-knowledge favored listening-reading tenets: Concurrences from Madura

The study objective was to seek the favored tenets betwixt mobile-assisted-language-learning (MALL) listening-reading appliances by video-conferencing-technology (VCT) and direct-listening-reading appliances to Madurese-scholar’s second-language (L2) vocabulary-knowledge (VK) listening-reading competencies. The analysis of variance (ANOVA), which produced concurrences, contained 41 scholars in two distinct emplacements amidst a Madurese-scholars preponderance and the different amounts in groups. Several significant conclusions emerged from the current ANOVA analysis. First, the comprehensive implication betwixt MALL listening-reading-appliance and direct-listening-reading-appliance to scholar’s L2-VK listening-reading competencies was not substantiated because it was more than level significant (0.440>0.05). Second, we convened cognizance by direct perception, inside and outside deliberation, and documented it. Third, the cross-examination eventualities of perception-documentation were coded, and research eventualities established the Madurese-scholar higher education framework to pervade case study evidence vacuity that aims to scrutinize: i) the Madurese-scholar teaching-learning peculiarities performance of MALL-VCT-Zoom and Smart-TV multimedia edification; ii) Madurese-scholar interminable concurrences in MALL-VCT-Zoom and Smart-TV; and iii) impediments obtain by MALL-VCT-Zoom and Smart-TV during participation in edification. Irrevocably, concurrence betwixt MALL-VCT-Zoom and smart-TV to scholars’ L2-VK listening-reading competencies were interrelated impacts as Madurese-scholars can learn conveniently with their necessity and concurrently utilize smart-TV or Zoom despite their impediments

A COMPARISON OF FIRST-SEMESTER ORGANIC CHEMISTRY STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES AND MASTERY OF CURVED-ARROW FORMALISM IN FACE-TO-FACE AND CYBER PEER-LED TEAM LEARNING

The cyber Peer-Led Team Learning (cPLTL) workshops are a synchronous online adaptation of the educational intervention PLTL, in which students, under the guidance of undergraduate peer facilitators, collaboratively solve problems in small groups. The purpose of this parallel convergent mixed methods study was to assess the impact of implementing cPLTL in an organic chemistry course on students’ workshop experiences, performance, and development of curved arrow formalism skills. Statistical analyses revealed comparable attendance rates, distribution of course grades, and achievement on American Chemical Society First-semester Organic Chemistry Exams. However, plotting workshop grades by AB, C, and DFW grade groupings revealed that PLTL students earned more successful grades than their cPLTL counterparts. Utilization of a new curved arrow formalism analytic framework for coding student interview artifacts revealed that cPLTL students were statistically less likely to successfully draw the product suggested by the curved arrows than their PLTL classmates. Both PLTL and cPLTL students exhibited a comparable incidence of relational to instrumental learning approaches. Similarly, both PLTL and cPLTL students were more likely to exhibit a common Scheme for Problem-Solving in Organic Chemistry (SPOC) than having dialogue that could be characterized by Toulmin’s Argumentation scheme. Lastly, implications for faculty are suggested, including: developing more explicit connections concept, mode, and reasoning components of understanding curved arrow formalism for organic chemistry students; optimizing graphical collaborative learning activities for online learners; and developing online students’ sense of community

Ten simple rules for supporting a temporary online pivot in higher education

As continued COVID-19 disruption looks likely across the world, perhaps until 2021, contingency plans are evolving in case of further disruption in the 2020–2021 academic year. This includes delivering face-to-face programs fully online for at least part of the upcoming academic year for new and continuing cohorts. This temporary pivot will necessitate distance teaching and learning across almost every conceivable pedagogy, from fundamental degrees to professionally accredited ones. Each institution, program, and course will have its own myriad of individualized needs; however, there is a common question that unites us all: how do we provide teaching and assessment to students in a manner that is accessible, fair, equitable, and provides the best learning whilst acknowledging the temporary nature of the pivot? No “one size fits all” solution exists, and many of the choices that need to be made will be far from simple; however, this paper provides a starting point and basic principles to facilitate discussions taking place around the globe by balancing what we know from the pedagogy of online learning with the practicalities imposed by this crisis and any future crises

Skype as a Scaffolding Tool for Underprepared Freshmen English Composition Students

Nontraditional students enrolled in online courses tend to drop out within their first year because they do not have the basic literacy skills or essential college skills needed for success. They often need the guidance of an online instructor. The purpose of this case study was to explore the perceptions of instructors and students about the effectiveness of Skype as a scaffolding tool for increasing academic achievement for underprepared students in online remedial English composition courses through interactions with their instructor. The conceptual framework included Bruner\u27s cultural-psychological theory of education, Vygotsky\u27s social constructivist theory, and Siemens\u27s connectivism theory. The study was centered on 4 research questions; the first 2 focused on students\u27 and instructors\u27 perceptions of student writing based on student-instructor Skype interactions, and the last 2 concentrated on students\u27 and instructors\u27 perceptions of Skype\u27s effectiveness to scaffold English composition skills to remedial online students. The data sources were 6 student interviews, 2 instructor interviews, and 12 audio recordings of Skype sessions. Data were analyzed for patterns and themes using open coding. The key findings were that students and instructors perceived the Skype interactions created changes in students\u27 writing because of ease of use, indispensableness, rapport, and skill acquisition. This study may affect positive social change by informing online instructors and other personnel of online institutions of higher education about the importance of real-time interactions between students and instructors and providing services for underprepared students using Skype to help enhance their learning of critical writing skills