Integrating Technology With Student-Centered Learning

Reviews research on technology's role in personalizing learning, its integration into curriculum-based and school- or district-wide initiatives, and the potential of emerging digital technologies to expand student-centered learning. Outlines implications

When Failure Is Not an Option: Designing Competency-Based Pathways for Next Generation Learning

Proposes an online learning-assisted model in which students advance by demonstrating mastery of subjects based on clear, measurable objectives and meaningful assessments. Examines innovation drivers, challenges, and philanthropic opportunities

Teaching Students about Machine Learning Through a Gamified Approach

© 2018 IEEE. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1109/TALE.2018.8615279The teaching of machine learning requires a range of tools and techniques to engage students and allow them to relate the processes involved to real world situations that they have previously experienced. One way to facilitate this learning process is to integrate the learning into a game situation, which is by definition fun to engage with and offers immediate rewards. This research shows that by collecting the student's behaviour and actions as they engage with well-known game software, the learning of key machine learning concepts can be enabled. It is also shown that customising of learning can be made possible by the use of gamification

Approaches to Support Student Learning in Introductory Programming Laboratory Classes

Objectives: This thesis will explore some innovative solutions to communication difficulties that exist in higher education teaching of introductory programming. Communication between a teacher and student is important, as it is the main opportunity where a student can ask a teacher questions about a particular problem they have, and a teacher can give feedback to direct them towards a solution. It is expected that through utilising technology in laboratory practical classes, communication between teachers and student can be improved. Methods: This thesis primarily explores the possibilities of using student compiler and method invocation data, collected during a practical class and sent directly to a teacher. This data maybe beneficial as a method of allowing teachers to see if a student requires help. This thesis utilises a variety of research methods including questionnaires, observations of classroom interactions and collection of data recorded from student and teachers interactions with the technology. The approaches are used during an investigation into the current approaches of laboratory practical teaching, before progressing onto investigations using the technology developed that accompanies this thesis. Results: The results identified that the majority of the students and teachers who used the technology felt that it improved their ability to communicate within laboratory practical classes. The teachers felt that they could use the data collected by the technology to view activity from the students and see a student’s progress. The teachers could interpret the data collected from the technology and students who needed help could be identified. Conclusions: This thesis has demonstrated that technology has the potential to improve communication in laboratory classes, and enable teachers to support students more effectively. However, the technology developed in this thesis, does not eliminate the requirement for a teacher to interact with a student face-to-face, but rather its role is to act as an indicator of students who may need assistance

A Comparison of the Aptitude and Attitude of College Students Toward Social and Technical Computer Technology

The purpose of this study was to investigate college students\u27 technical and social technology competencies based upon their attitudes toward computers and their perception of technical computer knowledge. The participants for this investigation were college undergraduates majoring in apparel merchandising and design and other related and non-related majors at the University of Arkansas. The research model selected for use in this study was the survey design method. There were a total of 1270 students responding to the survey with 1052 usable surveys remaining after cleaning the data for missing entries. This constituted an 83% response rate. The findings included significant effects of social aptitude by age and major, and technical aptitude by major. Males had significantly higher perceptions of technical aptitude, and both social and technical attitude toward computer technology than females. Whites had significantly higher perceptions of social aptitude toward computer technology than Nonwhites. Class standing had no significant effect on college student\u27s perceptions of either aptitude or attitude in social or technical computer technology. There were strong correlations between social aptitude and technical aptitude and social attitude and technical attitude. Colleges and universities as well as industry are taking advantage of social technology not only for recruitment but in the classroom and on the job as well. A strong relationship between social and technical aptitude and social and technical attitude would tend to indicate that students are ready for this type of interaction

Utilizing educational technology in computer science and programming courses : theory and practice

There is one thing the Computer Science Education researchers seem to agree: programming is a difficult skill to learn. Educational technology can potentially solve a number of difficulties associated with programming and computer science education by automating assessment, providing immediate feedback and by gamifying the learning process. Still, there are two very important issues to solve regarding the use of technology: what tools to use, and how to apply them? In this thesis, I present a model for successfully adapting educational technology to computer science and programming courses. The model is based on several years of studies conducted while developing and utilizing an exercise-based educational tool in various courses. The focus of the model is in improving student performance, measured by two easily quantifiable factors: the pass rate of the course and the average grade obtained from the course. The final model consists of five features that need to be considered in order to adapt technology effectively into a computer science course: active learning and continuous assessment, heterogeneous exercise types, electronic examination, tutorial-based learning, and continuous feedback cycle. Additionally, I recommend that student mentoring is provided and cognitive load of adapting the tools considered when applying the model. The features are classified as core components, supportive components or evaluation components based on their role in the complete model. Based on the results, it seems that adapting the complete model can increase the pass rate statistically significantly and provide higher grades when compared with a “traditional” programming course. The results also indicate that although adapting the model partially can create some improvements to the performance, all features are required for the full effect to take place. Naturally, there are some limits in the model. First, I do not consider it as the only possible model for adapting educational technology into programming or computer science courses. Second, there are various other factors in addition to students’ performance for creating a satisfying learning experience that need to be considered when refactoring courses. Still, the model presented can provide significantly better results, and as such, it works as a base for future improvements in computer science education.Ohjelmoinnin oppimisen vaikeus on yksi harvoja asioita, joista lähes kaikki tietojenkäsittelyn opetuksen tutkijat ovat jokseenkin yksimielisiä. Opetusteknologian avulla on mahdollista ratkaista useita ohjelmoinnin oppimiseen liittyviä ongelmia esimerkiksi hyödyntämällä automaattista arviointia, välitöntä palautetta ja pelillisyyttä. Teknologiaan liittyy kuitenkin kaksi olennaista kysymystä: mitä työkaluja käyttää ja miten ottaa ne kursseilla tehokkaasti käyttöön? Tässä väitöskirjassa esitellään malli opetusteknologian tehokkaaseen hyödyntämiseen tietojenkäsittelyn ja ohjelmoinnin kursseilla. Malli perustuu tehtäväpohjaisen oppimisjärjestelmän runsaan vuosikymmenen pituiseen kehitys- ja tutkimusprosessiin. Mallin painopiste on opiskelijoiden suoriutumisen parantamisessa. Tätä arvioidaan kahdella kvantitatiivisella mittarilla: kurssin läpäisyprosentilla ja arvosanojen keskiarvolla. Malli koostuu viidestä tekijästä, jotka on otettava huomioon tuotaessa opetusteknologiaa ohjelmoinnin kursseille. Näitä ovat aktiivinen oppiminen ja jatkuva arviointi, heterogeeniset tehtävätyypit, sähköinen tentti, tutoriaalipohjainen oppiminen sekä jatkuva palautesykli. Lisäksi opiskelijamentoroinnin järjestäminen kursseilla ja järjestelmän käyttöönottoon liittyvän kognitiivisen kuorman arviointi tukevat mallin käyttöä. Malliin liittyvät tekijät on tässä työssä lajiteltu kolmeen kategoriaan: ydinkomponentteihin, tukikomponentteihin ja arviontiin liittyviin komponentteihin. Tulosten perusteella vaikuttaa siltä, että mallin käyttöönotto parantaa kurssien läpäisyprosenttia tilastollisesti merkittävästi ja nostaa arvosanojen keskiarvoa ”perinteiseen” kurssimalliin verrattuna. Vaikka mallin yksittäistenkin ominaisuuksien käyttöönotto voi sinällään parantaa kurssin tuloksia, väitöskirjaan kuuluvien tutkimusten perusteella näyttää siltä, että parhaat tulokset saavutetaan ottamalla malli käyttöön kokonaisuudessaan. On selvää, että malli ei ratkaise kaikkia opetusteknologian käyttöönottoon liittyviä kysymyksiä. Ensinnäkään esitetyn mallin ei ole tarkoituskaan olla ainoa mahdollinen tapa hyödyntää opetusteknologiaa ohjelmoinnin ja tietojenkäsittelyn kursseilla. Toiseksi tyydyttävään oppimiskokemukseen liittyy opiskelijoiden suoriutumisen lisäksi paljon muitakin tekijöitä, jotka tulee huomioida kurssien uudelleensuunnittelussa. Esitetty malli mahdollistaa kuitenkin merkittävästi parempien tulosten saavuttamisen kursseilla ja tarjoaa sellaisena perustan entistä parempaan opetukseen

STUDENT PREFERENCE AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN TECHNOLOGY-ENRICHED E-LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: AN EVALUATION OF THE TTeSN VIRTUAL E-SCHOOL NETWORK

This evaluation of the Tulsa Technology Center eSchool Network explored two years of empirical evidence where secondary students (N=382) took over 500 online virtual e-learning core academic courses in English II and III as well as Geometry and Algebra II. The study examined students’ performance in these e-learning platforms by reviewing course completion grades, and the study compared the association of days to complete online virtual courses on earned course grades. The study revealed that there was high variation in the time to completion of virtual e-learning platform courses in comparison to a fixed school calendar. The study further indicated there was no association influence of time spent on a virtual e-learning course and grades earned for the course. The study also compared performance levels on state mandated end of course exams for students that completed a virtual e-learning course to those that took the same course in a traditional face-to-face format. The findings of the study indicated that students who completed a virtual e-learning course scored at significantly lower proficiency rates on Oklahoma’s English II and Algebra II exams when compared to end of course scores of traditionally trained students. Conversely, there was no statistically significant difference noted when conducting the same comparison for English III and Geometry end of course exams. Lastly, the case study conducted a survey seeking Tulsa area students’ feedback about learning platform preferences, and it was found that a larger portion of students indicated a preference for virtual e-learning platforms over the traditional face-to-face school design. The survey responses regarding preference for a customized e-learning platform aligns with the data trends that have emerged throughout the past decade in Oklahoma. The findings of this evaluation study provide some support for the assertion that virtual and blended e-learning platforms can provide Oklahoma’s secondary students with viable and relevant learning options which support expectations for high school graduation as well as support efforts to score proficiently on state mandated tests. Yet, the study demonstrates that for Oklahoma e-platforms to meet their promise and potential, greater attention needs to be paid to how stakeholders ensure that participating students perform on-par academically with their traditional course taking peers. Key words: Technology enhanced, technology enriched, virtual e-learning, techno-centric, distance education, blended and online learning

Effects of regular use of scalable, technology enhanced solution for primary mathematics education

Mathematics is one of the key subjects in any school curriculum and most teachers agree that mathematical skills are important for students to master. There is an abundance of research in learning mathematics and a consensus exists among researchers that technology can enhance the learning process. However, many factors need to be taken into consideration when introducing technology into teaching mathematics. Developing a more natural collaboration between learning technology experts, teachers, and students ensures all stakeholders are considered. Involving teachers early on helps develop enduring commitment to innovations and practical solutions. Moreover, creating a culture of collaboration between experts in the field and teachers brings to bear the best of what both worlds have to offer. This thesis synthesizes six papers and offers additional findings that focus on how technology experts can collaborate with elementary teachers to improve student learning outcomes. We focus on managing educational change in ways that improve the sustainability of innovations. We also explore how technical and teaching experts co-create effective lesson plans. In one of the six papers we collected and reported teachers’ responses to survey questions covering typical usage patterns on a platform. Teachers’ direct feedback was collected and incorporated to improve technical solutions. Moreover, one study was conducted abroad to measure the effect of culture on the teaching and learning process. Evidence of effectiveness of technologically enhanced lessons and corresponding homework was based on multiple studies in grades 1 - 3, covering 379 students. The effectiveness of educational technology was measured based on two variables: student performance in mathematics, based on the learning objectives specified in the curriculum, and arithmetic fluency measured by how rapidly and accurately students solved basic arithmetic operations. Statistically significant findings show that educational technology can improve two target variables when comparing students who did not use educational technology to students who did. An additional effect size analysis was conducted to verify and compare results with previous research. Based on these results, platform use produced the same or better effect than previous studies. Based on teacher feedback and user growth on the platform, we managed to integrate technology into the regular school classroom in meaningful and sustainable ways. We were clearly able to support teachers in their practice in a manner that resulted in noticeable student achievement gains. A survey revealed a need to emphasize new features that were introduced to the platform in teacher training programs. Teachers also reported having a positive attitude towards the platform and the initiative gained wide acceptance among their peers.Matematiikka on yksi tärkeimmistä kouluaineista pelkästään tuntimääräisesti mitattunakin. Matematiikan osaamista ja oppimista pidetään yleisesti tärkeänä ja arvostettuna taitona. Matematiikan oppimisesta on valtavasti tutkimusta ja tutkijoiden keskuudessa vallitsee yhteisymmärrys tietotekniikan positiivisista mahdollisuuksista edistää matematiikan oppimista. Tietotekniikan ja oppimisen vuorovaikutus on kuitenkin monisyinen vyyhti ja sen onnistunut hyödyntäminen vaatii tutkijoiden, opettajien ja oppilaiden välistä tiivistä ja vuorovaikutteista yhteistyötä. Uusien innovaatioiden ja kokeilujen onnistumiselle ja niihin sitoutumiselle luodaan vahva pohja, kun opettajat otetaan mukaan kehitystyöhön ensimetreiltä lähtien. Tällaisen tiiviin yhteistyökulttuurin vaaliminen mahdollistaa käytännön työn ja teorian vahvuuksien hyödyntämisen. Tämä väitöstyö koostuu kuudesta artikkelista. Artikkelit kuvaavat, kuinka tutkijat ja opettajat työskentelivät yhdessä parantaakseen oppilaiden matematiikan oppimista. Tavoitteenamme oli muuttaa koulun käytänteitä pitkäjänteisesti ja kestävällä tavalla. Tutkimme kuinka tutkijat ja opettajat pystyivät yhdessä luomaan onnistuneita ja tehokkaita oppimiskokonaisuuksia. Opettajat olivat koko ajan kehitystyön keskiössä. Yhdessä kuudesta artikkelista tutkittiin kyselytutkimuksen avulla opettajien kokemuksia ja käyttötottumuksia. Näitä vastauksia hyödynnettiin teknisessä kehitystyössä ja hyvien käytänteiden hiomisessa. Yksi väitöskirjan tutkimuksista tehtiin ulkomailla opetus- ja oppimiskulttuureista vaikutusten huomioimiseksi. Sähköisten oppituntien ja kotitehtävien vaikuttavuuden arviointi perustuu useisiin 1.-3. luokilla tehtyihin tutkimuksiin ja kaikkiaan 379 oppilaan vastauksiin. Sähköisten oppituntien vaikuttavuutta arvioitiin kahden eri mittarin perusteella. Ensin matematiikan taitojen perusteella, eli kuinka hyvin kunkin luokka-asteen oppimistavoitteet olivat täyttyneet ja myöhemmin myös laskusujuvuuden perusteella, eli kuinka nopeasti ja tarkasti oppilaat pystyivät laskemaan peruslaskutoimituksia. Tulokset osoittavat, että opetusteknologian avulla pystytään parantamaan oppilaiden suoriutumista edellä mainittujen osa-alueiden osalta verrattuna oppilaisiin, jotka eivät käyttäneet opetusteknologiaa. Tulokset olivat tilastollisesti merkitseviä. Näiden tulosten varmistamiseksi laskettiin vaikuttavuuden suuruus ja sitä verrattiin aiempiin alan tutkimuksiin. Tulosten perusteella sähköisillä oppitunneilla oli sama tai parempi vaikuttavuus kuin aiemmissa tutkimuksissa. Opettajien palautteiden ja kasvavan käyttäjämäärän perusteella voidaan sanoa, että onnistuimme tavoitteessamme integroida opetusteknologiaa mielekkäällä tavalla osaksi koulutyötä. Onnistuimme myös tukemaan ja auttamaan opettajia opetustyössään ja samalla merkittävästi parantamaan oppilaiden suoriutumista. Kyselytutkimuksen perusteella huomasimme, että uusien ominaisuuksien kouluttamiseen tulee kiinnittää enemmän huomiota. Samassa tutkimuksessa opettajat raportoivat olevansa tyytyväisiä alustaan ja sähköiset oppitunnit näyttävät saaneen vankan jalansijan suomalaisessa opettajakunnassa

The Governor’s Task Force on African-Americans in Prison, 2001

Report produced by the Department of Correction

Comparing Koha and Software for University Libraries (SOUL): A Comprehensive Analysis of Their Functional Modules

In the ever-evolving landscape of library management systems, the choice of the most suitable solution can significantly impact the efficiency and effectiveness of a library\u27s daily operations. This in-depth practical analysis compares the key functional modules of two prominent contenders, Koha and SOUL 3.0, providing valuable insights for librarians and decision-makers in their selection process. Koha, an open-source Integrated Library System (ILS), offers a flexible, cost-effective platform with extensive modules for libraries of varying sizes. SOUL 3.0, a commercial system, focuses on innovation and seamless integration, emphasizing user experience and efficiency. The analysis delves into their hardware and software requirements, core modules such as acquisition, cataloguing, circulation, and more, and highlights their strengths and unique offerings. By understanding the features and implications of each system, libraries can make informed decisions to optimize resource management, improve user experiences, and embrace a more vibrant and technologically adept future