Evaluation of 'Business Enterprise' Module

This report outlines a process of evaluation for a business enterprise module. This exploratory research investigates the impact of 'contextual' based evaluation of enterprise education curricul

Estudio de los Portafolios en el Practicum: An álisis de un PLE - Portafolio

The specialized literature agrees to notice that even existing some conditions, it is not a generalized methodology at universities. In the new grades and knowledge areas is found the subject of external practices that would be able to show conditions for using the portfolios. Whereas, there are some questions in the educational area: What conditions exist for the use of the portfolios in the Practicum of the education grades in Spain? What level of utilization are evident? What problems of understanding, the students express about the documentation of evidences in portfolios? The research performs a mixed methodology: a first quantitative study with descriptive methodology, interview to 31 coordinators of Practicum of all grades in 10 (20%) Faculty of Education, along with a qualitative study and content analysis of 256 Practicum guides of all grades of 36 (72%) Faculties of Education of public universities in Spain. A second case study, perform a content analysis of 592 annotations of 212 students to show and evaluate the evidences in ePortfolios of the Practicum of the degree of Pedagogy. The results reveal that there are 11 students per tutor 2,88h medium for tutoring and assess ePortfolios. Being mail (between 37.77% and 46.66%) followed by the platforms most used technologies. The eRúbricas and video annotations help document the evidence, however, students still show difficulties in some competencesFunded by Spanish Plan of R+D+i Excellence (2014-16) No. EDU2013-41974P. Project entitled: “Study of the Impact of Federated eRubrics on Assessing Competences in the Practicum”. http://goo.gl/u07aN

"Is There Anybody There?": Engaging With Open University Distance Learners

The Open University (UK) Library supports its distance-learning students with interactive, real-time events on social media. In this chapter the authors take a case study approach and concentrate on the examples of Facebook and Livestream to illustrate how live engagement events on social media have helped to build communities of learners in spaces they already occupy, raise the visibility of the library's services and resources with staff and students, and foster collaboration with other departments, while also being effective mechanisms for instruction. The chapter concludes with the library's plans for the future and recommendations for other academic libraries wishing to run live engagement events on social media

An Action Research Evaluation of an Online Inclusive Sport Peer Coach Training

Background: Trained peer tutors are a proven pedagogical technique that can help eliminate barriers to inclusion in physical education and extracurricular sport, including a reported lack of training and experience of professionals. When adequately trained, peer tutors can encourage social interactions, provide constant feedback, and increase active learning and engagement. While recommendations for training peer tutors have been provided, there are currently no known studies examining a peer tutor training in an online format for middle and high school-aged students participating in an inclusive sport program. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an online peer coach training program for middle and high school school-aged students in the Prime Time Games® organization. This study aimed to (a) investigate if there was a statistically significant increase in knowledge from pre- to post-training completion, (b) investigate perceived strengths and weaknesses of the online training modules post-completion, and (c) determine the perceived applicability of module content after training and hands-on experience. Finally, recommendations for improvements were provided. Method: This study employed two rounds of data collection based on an action research framework. First, peer coach participants (n=36) completed a demographic questionnaire, a pre- and post-knowledge evaluation, and open ended survey prompts. Next, semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with peer (n=13) and head coach participants (n=4). Data analysis included a paired sample t-test and point biserial correlations and transcription, inductive coding, and peer debriefing Results: Results of a paired sample t-test indicated a statistically significant increase in knowledge from pre-training (M=66.29, SD=17.84) to post-training (M=80.29, SD=21.89), t(35) = 4.48, pd=0.76. Four major themes emerged from open-ended questions including (a) comprehension, (b) disability awareness, (c) interacting with the athletes, and (d) instructional design. Five major themes were identified from interviews including (a) expectations versus the reality of the role, (b) intrapersonal outcomes, (c) understanding commonalities, (d) athlete development, and (e) areas of improvement Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that training peer coaches to provide instruction and support to athletes with disabilities utilizing an online format can be effective for middle and high school-aged students. Recommendations for improvement include additional information to enhance peer coach learning, a standard evaluation score to ensure competence, and a focus on communication strategies toward the beginning of training. Future research should continue the cyclical nature of action based research to determine if the recommendations provided are effective in improving the four online training modules

Innovative learning in action (ILIA) issue three: Employability, enterprise & entrepreneurship

The theme of the 3rd issue of ILIA is Employability, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, reflecting the University of Salford’s Learning and Teaching Strategy and our Goal “To produce graduates with the skills, creativity, confidence and adaptability to succeed in the labour market and make a meaningful contribution to society”. The creativity, problem solving and change orientation this implies recognizes Salford’s distinctive strengths in this regard, and provides us with a conceptualization of employability which embraces enterprise and entrepreneurship, manifest in the form of selfemployment, but equally relevant to those working within organizations i.e. to intrapreneurship. The contributions to this edition provide us with examples of excellent practice demonstrating how practitioners at Salford have responded to the challenge of providing a quality learning experience for our students. Consideration of the papers and snapshots reveal how colleagues have embedded employability into teaching and learning and assessment strategies, and into frameworks of student support, in differing and innovative ways, across the institution. As this edition of ILIA goes to print work is underway to develop an Employability Policy and Strategy for the University. Designed to provide a coherent and progressive approach to Employability, Enterprise and Careers Education and Guidance, this Strategy will be able to build on the good practice evident both in this edition of ILIA and across the institution. ILIA therefore has once again provided us with a range of perspectives on a key area of curriculum design and development. It also has provided an opportunity to reflect on practice and student learning, to share experience and hopefully to identify future areas for collaboration

From Gatekeeping to Engagement: A Multicontextual, Mixed Method Study of Student Academic Engagement in Introductory STEM Courses.

The lack of academic engagement in introductory science courses is considered by some to be a primary reason why students switch out of science majors. This study employed a sequential, explanatory mixed methods approach to provide a richer understanding of the relationship between student engagement and introductory science instruction. Quantitative survey data were drawn from 2,873 students within 73 introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses across 15 colleges and universities, and qualitative data were collected from 41 student focus groups at eight of these institutions. The findings indicate that students tended to be more engaged in courses where the instructor consistently signaled an openness to student questions and recognizes her/his role in helping students succeed. Likewise, students who reported feeling comfortable asking questions in class, seeking out tutoring, attending supplemental instruction sessions, and collaborating with other students in the course were also more likely to be engaged. Instructional implications for improving students' levels of academic engagement are discussed