Final Portfolio - SPARC Open Education Leadership Program, 2017-18

Final portfolio of work completed for the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program, 2017-18, including the Capstone Project Final Report, the Community Resource entitled “Piloting Faculty OER Grant Programs: A Practical Guide for Librarians,” and the blog Opening Up Liberal Arts Colleges (linked). “Piloting Faculty OER Grant Programs is also available separately in The Cupola

Bridging the cultural divide: the emergence of Global Language Programs at Boston University

As the fourth largest private research institution in the United States Boston University (BU) serves more than 18,000 students, and approximately seven percent study a second language. Since 2007, when the President unveiled his Strategic Plan, the overall scope and diversity of foreign language instruction across campus and through BU’s Office of International Programs has increased dramatically. He is clearly fulfilling his mandate to strengthen the quality of the faculty, strive for excellence in undergraduate education, emphasize interdisciplinary studies, and deepen connections to the city of Boston and the world.1 The unveiling of his plan coincided with the arrival of a new Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) who recognized that BU’s assets in languages could be developed into a signature strength of the College, and made a special commitment to nurturing the less commonly taught languages that cannot rely on prior student preparation.Accepted manuscrip

Educational use cases from a shared exploration of e-books and iPads

E-books and e-book readers are becoming increasingly widely available, particularly for the general reader, and there have been many studies on their adoption. However, less is known about their use for educational and academic purposes. We report here on work carried out on e-books and e-book applications using iPads by academic and teaching staff. After considering pedagogical issues and reporting survey results, we identify a spiral of six key use case areas for e-books. This spiral of use cases moves from basic e-book use, through situational reading, e-books and learning, using multiple learning resources, collaborative/group learning, to e-book production. We discuss each of these use case areas and provide guidelines that will be of interest to practitioners and researchers alike

A Comparison of Cryptography Courses

The author taught two courses on cryptography, one at Duke University aimed at non-mathematics majors and one at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology aimed at mathematics and computer science majors. Both tried to incorporate technical and societal aspects of cryptography, with varying emphases. This paper will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both courses and compare the differences in the author's approach.Comment: 14 pages; to appear in Cryptologi

Design and Delivery of Multiple Server-Side Computer Languages Course

Given the emergence of service-oriented architecture, IS students need to be knowledgeable of multiple server-side computer programming languages to be able to meet the needs of the job market. This paper outlines the pedagogy of an innovative course of multiple server-side computer languages for the undergraduate IS majors. The paper discusses the rationale of why the proposed pedagogy is different from and improves the traditional methods. The paper provides a description of the approach to teaching a multiple server-side computer languages course. Based on our experiences in the past years, it is concluded that a single course of multiple server-side computer languages is useful and feasible for the IS programs

Constructing a Methodology for Developing a Cybersecurity Program

This paper serves to introduce the problem of constructing a methodology to develop a cybersecurity program. The goal of the program is to prepare students graduating from an accredited two-year college for success in cybersecurity careers. Several challenges must be addressed such as program accreditation, workforce development, and DHS/NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) designation. All of these serve as inputs in constructing a methodology to develop such a program to meet local industry needs for cyber professional

Manifestation of cultural identity(s) in an Iranian English language Literacy classroom: a critical discourse analysis

English language Literacy education has recently focused attention on cultural identity(s). In these studies, cultural identities are defined as a significant “source of meaning and experience” constructed by and connected to the social context of the external world. More precisely, cultural identities are constructed by increasingly complexities of what construct literacy and multi literate practices in 21 century as a constantly changing socially and culturally diverse, globalized and technological era. This view can open a new horizon to English language literacy education in the new era which is supposed to go beyond merely 4 -skill dominant pedagogical orthodoxy. The current study as a qualitative case study framed in New London Group focuses on how literacy practices and consequently cultural identities are constructed in an Iranian EFL classroom. To do so, we applied a critical classroom discourse analysis as the main technique of data collection. Results of this study can enrich the research literature in new literacy studies in which EFL contexts are still less visible

Creating Pedagogy to Integrate Sustainability and the Arts

The creation of a sustainable world urgently requires managers of organizations to consider large-scale changes in the practices and policies of social and economic institutions. Compelling scientific and economic information on the environment, while the basis of much dialogue in higher education and in the public sphere, has failed to motivate adequate progress to date. In this article, therefore, we present an original theoretical model for a pedagogy that brings together the arts and sustainability. We postulate that motivation or “heart” to initiate such actions for the environment and persist in the face of societal and institutional inertia can come from the arts, particularly given their unique and time-proven ability to move the human heart in authentic ways. A sustainability pedagogy that utilizes the arts can be incorporated moreover into any discipline at any level of education. This  pedagogy reaches students not only intellectually but empathetically as well, thereby increasing the depth and effectiveness of learning. Indeed, emphasizing the content characteristics of complexity, modernity, and equity/justice as well as incorporating student reflection/discernment, experiential learning, and community engagement will further enhance an arts/ sustainability pedagogy. In this light, we briefly examine some preliminary courses integrating the arts and sustainability in four different disciplines, including business. We find these examples indicate that the pedagogy suggested by this theory is a promising avenue to pursue. Finally, we provide some specific suggestions for instructors. New pedagogy that integrates the arts with sustainability can thus contribute significantly to the education of future and current managers, those who are essential agents in effecting needed change

ACM Curriculum Reports: A Pedagogic Perspective

In this paper, we illuminate themes that emerged in interviews with participants in the major curriculum recommendation efforts: we characterize the way the computing community interacts with and influences these reports and introduce the term “pedagogic projection” to describe implicit assumptions of how these reports will be used in practice. We then illuminate how this perceived use has changed over time and may affect future reports

Text Selection and Course Design: Faculty Perspectives on Critical Reading and Critical Thinking

This study of sociology faculty in twelve private colleges and universities compares teaching with textbooks and textbook alternatives in undergraduate classes. Faculty explain that textbooks provide a breadth of material that is organized and streamlined in a way that promotes consistency across instructors, facilitates content delivery to students with a range of abilities, and reduces course preparation time. Despite these benefits, faculty have a strong preference for textbook alternatives. Faculty argue that readings, like monographs and journal articles, develop students’ critical reading and thinking skills. Additionally, when instructors design courses with alternative readings they engage their own critical reading and thinking, as they critique and synthesize the literature in their discipline in order to curate texts for the syllabus. We argue that teaching courses with alternative readings creates course experiences where students and faculty engage with a discipline togethe