Full Issue: Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 7, Issue 2, Fall 2023

The full-length Fall 2023 issue (Volume 7, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here. The Fall 2023 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to educational adaptation. The first article by C. Farrell describes an adaptation of the interteaching method to the hybrid delivery method. The second article by C. C. Loose and R. Jagielo-Manion describes a study of modules on personalized learning to preservice teachers and its impact on their comfort level and preparation to implement personalized learning in their classrooms. The third article by B. Bean presents a case study in which students in an introductory data science course are asked to complete a reproducible final project, with proposed adaptations for non-data-science courses. The fourth article by K. Klein et al. reports the results of a study evaluating the effectiveness of traditional and active lecture methods in higher education using a multiple group convergent parallel mixed method design. The final article by S. L. Brosi et al., provides a book review of Rural Education in America, What Works for Our Students, Teachers, and Communities, by G. Marietta and S. Marietta

Enhancing Free-text Interactions in a Communication Skills Learning Environment

Learning environments frequently use gamification to enhance user interactions.Virtual characters with whom players engage in simulated conversations often employ prescripted dialogues; however, free user inputs enable deeper immersion and higher-order cognition. In our learning environment, experts developed a scripted scenario as a sequence of potential actions, and we explore possibilities for enhancing interactions by enabling users to type free inputs that are matched to the pre-scripted statements using Natural Language Processing techniques. In this paper, we introduce a clustering mechanism that provides recommendations for fine-tuning the pre-scripted answers in order to better match user inputs

Recommender Systems and Scratch: An integrated approach for enhancing computer programming learning

Learning computer programming is a challenging process. Among the current approaches for overcoming this challenge, visual programming languages (VPLs), such as Scratch, have shown very promising results for beginners. Interestingly, some higher education institutions have started to use VPLs to introduce basic programming concepts, mainly in CS1 courses. However, an important issue regarding Scratchs usage in higher education environments is that students may feel unmotivated being confronted by programming exercises that do not fulfill their individual expectations. To try and overcome this barrier, we propose CARAMBA, a Scratch extension including an exercise recommender system. Based on features, such as taste and complexity, CARAMBA is able to personalize student learning with Scratch by suitably suggesting exercises for students. An in-depth evaluation was conducted about the effects of our proposal on both the learning of basic concepts of CS1 and the overall performance of students. We adopted an equivalent pretest-posttest design with 88 college students at an Ecuadorian university. Results confirm that recommending exercises in Scratch had a positive effect on students programming learning abilities in terms of pass rates. In totality, the pass rate achieved by our proposal was over 52%, which is 8% higher than the rate achieved during a previous experience using only Scratch (without recommendation) and 21% higher than the historical results of traditional teaching (without Scratch). Furthermore, we analyzed the degree of exploitation of CARAMBA by students to portray two facts: students actually used CARAMBA and there was a significant, positive correlation between the utilization of CARAMBA and the scores obtained by the students

A first metadata schema for learning analytics research data management

Forschungsdaten bilden die Grundlage für wissenschaftliches Arbeiten und um neue Erkenntnisse zu gewinnen. Learning Analytics ist die Wissenschaft zur Verbesserung des Lernens in verschiedenen Bereichen des Bildungssektors, doch obwohl die Datenerhebung zum größten Teil mittels computer-gestützter Verfahren durchgeführt wird, besitzt die Disziplin zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt noch keine Forschungsdatenmanagementkultur oder -konzepte. Wie jede Forschungsdisziplin hat Learning Analytics ihre Eigenheiten, die für die Erstellung von Forschungsdatenmanagementkonzepten, insbesondere für die Generalisierung von Daten und die Modellierung eines Metadatenmodells, wichtig sind. Die folgende Arbeit präsentiert Ergebnisse einer Anforderungsanalyse für Learning Analytics, um relevante Elemente für ein Metadatenschema zu identifizieren. Zur Erreichung dieses Ziels führten wir zunächst eine Literaturrecherche durch, gefolgt von einer Untersuchung unserer eigenen Forschung an Softwareumgebungen zur Evaluierung von kollaborativen Programmierszenarien an zwei Hochschulstandorten. Aus den Ergebnissen lassen sich ein disziplinspezifischer wissenschaftlicher Workflow sowie ein fachspezifisches Objektmodell ableiten, das alle erforderlichen Merkmale für die Entwicklung eines für Learning Analytics spezifischen Metadatenmodells für die Nutzung von Datenbeständen aufzeigt.In most cases, research data builds the ground for scientific work and to gain new knowledge. Learning analytics is the science to improve learning in different fields of the educational sector. Even though it is a data-driven science, there is no research data management culture or concepts yet. As every research discipline, learning analytics has its own characteristics, which are important for the creation of research data management concepts, in particular for generalization of data and modeling of a metadata model. The following work presents our results of a requirements analysis for learning analytics, in order to identify relevant elements for a metadata schema. To reach this goal, we conducted a literature survey followed by an analysis of our own research about frameworks for evaluation of collaborative programming scenarios from two universities. With these results, we present a discipline-specific scientific workflow, as well as a subject-specific object model, which lists all required characteristics for the development of a learning analytics specific metadata model for data repository usage

Examining Student Engagement with Safe Dates

A growing body of evidence suggests that program implementation is significantly related to the efficacy of child and adolescent prevention programming. Moreover, participant responsiveness (also referred to as engagement) has been identified as a key component of the implementation of programs designed to prevent problems like school violence, bullying, and drug use. Teen dating violence (TDV) is another significant public health issue in the United States for which prevention programs are being designed and delivered. Perhaps one of the most popular and empirically supported of these programs is Safe Dates, though researchers have yet to investigate students’ engagement with the curriculum. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a measure of engagement that could be used with Safe Dates and to examine whether students’ engagement with the program was related to changes in students’ acceptance of TDV. Data were collected from 81 high school students (50 girls, 31 boys; ages 13-17) across eight health classes at a school in metro Atlanta where Safe Dates was delivered. Participants were asked about their attitudes toward various types of dating violence in a pre- and post-test survey that was administered before and after the ten-session Safe Dates program. Participants also completed a survey at the end of each session that asked about their behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement with that session of the program. Results of confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the engagement survey operated better as an overall measure of engagement rather than a set of subscales measuring each dimension. Linear growth models revealed that students’ engagement with the program over the course of the ten-session curriculum was unrelated to changes in their attitudes toward female physical violence, male physical violence, verbal aggression, and jealous behaviors. Possible explanations and limitations are discussed, as well as ways for future studies to address these. Future research should also investigate other aspects of implementation, like dosage, facilitator quality, and fidelity vs. adaptation, as they relate to Safe Dates and its efficacy

Program Evaluation of the Strong Start Curriculum as a Selected Intervention for Early Elementary Students

Consistent with the need for implementation research and prevention programming for students in schools, the current study evaluated the implementation and outcomes of Strong Start, a social-emotional learning program, as a supplemental intervention for students in kindergarten through second grade at risk for developing emotional and behavioral problems. This intervention took place during the first year of a county-wide restructuring of mental health supports and was part of a multi-tiered system of supports provided in schools. A mixed method program evaluation was conducted to examine four areas of interest. First, the contextual factors related to program adoption were examined; second, program implementation was evaluated; third, student outcomes were assessed; and finally, the social validity of the Strong Start curriculum was evaluated. Results indicate that some contextual factors were related to decisions to adopt and implement Strong Start, that implementation integrity varied but was adequate overall, and that the curriculum was viewed positively by multiple stakeholders. However, no significant differences were detected between treatment and comparison groups in this first year of program implementation. These results are discussed in reference to theoretical implementation models and used to elucidate the process and challenges encountered in the first year implementation of large-scale initiatives across multiple schools. Limitations of this study and directions for future research are discussed

Pedagogy, curriculum, teaching practices and teacher education in developing countries

This rigorous literature review focused on pedagogy, curriculum, teaching practices and teacher education in developing countries. It aimed to: 1. review existing evidence on the review topic to inform programme design and policy making undertaken by the DFID, other agencies and researchers 2. identify critical evidence gaps to guide the development of future research programme