An Analysis Of Student XBRL Project Teams: Value-Adding Educational Experiences Using Emerging Technology

Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) is a new approach that offers great promise for a fundamental improvement to the way in which financial information is maintained and reported.  With every innovation, comes the need to educate.  Because of the overarching aspects of XBRL and its implications, a team learning approach is appropriate.  This paper presents a case study of three student projects that resulted in the development of XBRL applications.  An analysis is provided of the teams, the projects, and important lessons learned

The Nature and Meaning of Insulin Pump Use in Emerging Adults with Type 1 Diabetes

Emerging adults (ages 18-25) with type 1 diabetes are a vulnerable population as they transition from the family home and their pediatric healthcare providers and deal with multiple competing demands. There is very little literature addressing those in this developmental group who use insulin pump technology for diabetes self-management. Listening to the voices of emerging adults who use insulin pump technology will increase our understanding of their experience and will give health care providers the opportunity to develop evidence based practice based on their lived experiences. The qualitative research, using the hermeneutic phenomenological approach described by Max van Manen, provides a deeper understanding of the day-to-day journey of the emerging adult. Four themes represent the essences that were ultimately viewed as strategies used by emerging adults as they crossed from adolescence to adulthood with type 1 diabetes and an insulin pump. This journey is presented metaphorically as learning to walk a tightrope

How do personalized learning programs’ instructional designs match gifted students’ experiences in using them?

Personalized learning technology is a quickly spreading and well-funded educational trend that is the focus of much discussion and controversy. The impact of personalized learning tools for reading in the general education population have been widely researched and hotly debated, but there is little research around the success and impact of its use with gifted students. Using a grounded theory methodology, my qualitative research study worked within the theoretical frameworks of critical technology and New Literacy to compare the assumptions and understandings about the reading process applied by the developers of Reading Plus, a personalized learning program for reading, with the experiences of gifted fourth-grade students using it. My research showed that Reading Plus matches the extant researched criteria for quality personalized learning tools for reading development. Overall, the product’s features fit with the experiences and learning needs of the students in the study; however, there was some misalignment in the areas of students’ motivation, challenge, and academic confidence. Although the student participants comprised a generally homogenous group, their experiences, preferences, and understandings of technology were quite varied. My key recommendations are that educators and curriculum as well as instructional technology developers should focus on the differences in the experiences, preferences, and abilities of students when building, selecting, and using educational technology tools. The need to more individually and holistically match a personalized learning tool with students is necessary and possible, given the increased adaptability of emerging software and hardware in the educational technology marketplace. In addition, researchers need to look more deeply into the impacts of technology on more diverse learner populations, including gifted students

Work-integrated practices in a technology education setting

Published ArticleThis study sought to explore emerging university-industry partnerships in technology transfer education, the process for the engagement, and benefits to the learning and teaching experience Participants were a convenience sample of ten lecturers at a technology university (females = 80%; management sciences = 70%) Data on the scope and nature of industry partnership practices and experiences were collected using semi-structured interview Thematic data analysis revealed the lecturers to perceive benefits to learning and teaching from the university-industry engagement, including the use of field practice examples, customer service-orientated skills, innovation learning and technology transfer, curriculum enhancement and professional learning A work-integrated approach to learning appears to be a serviceable model for real-world technology transfer education outcome

The Evolution of Pre-Service Teachers TPACK After Completing an Undergraduate Technology Integration Course

The steady momentum of emerging technology tools continues to impact the educational environment, generating dramatic changes over the past five years (Spalding, 2016). According to the 2016 National Educational Technology Plan (NETP), educational institutions that prepare educators often fail to give teachers the technology skills required to do their job well. Many teacher preparation programs claimed technology was integrated throughout the courses within the program; however, the comfort level with technology for pre-service teachers entering the teaching field remained low (Moore-Hayes, 2011; Giles & Kent, 2016; NETP, 2016; Niess & Gillow-Wiles, 2016). As members of the educational learning community, teacher preparation programs must remain focused in supporting pre-service teachers as technology integration has become an integral part of the teaching process. This case study focuses on the experiences of two pre-service teachers as they address teaching requirements during their practicum, working to seamlessly integrate technology into their students’ learning experiences. Both teachers participated in the ITEC 3100 stand-alone course at the beginning of their Junior year. The course extended the learning experience beyond basic skill development to include an overview of various technology frameworks. Using both the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2007) and the Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi) Model (Moersch, 2013), the course design focuses on identifying specific tools and strategies that best support pre-service teachers as they develop the necessary skills to integrate technology into the learning environment ultimately enhancing the learning experiences for the students

School Stakeholders' Experience with Navigating ICT Policy Reforms in Singapore

Using qualitative research inquiry methods, this inquiry attempts to explore how school stakeholders cope with incessant and seemingly endless transformations in schools. The central phenomenon to be studied focuses on how school stakeholders “make sense” of educational reform. In order to do this, an exploratory case study of two target schools taking part in policy reform initiatives directed at ubiquitous use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) in a Singapore context would be the locus of this inquiry. Using Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), interviews, and observations this inquiry investigates and builds emerging explanations to sense-making experiences of stakeholders. Policy learning narratives of actors involved in the ICT-education reforms would be analysed using the lens of Actor-Network Theory (ANT). Findings from this exploratory inquiry provide insights to ongoing debates on policy learning experiences of school stakeholders in periods of uncertainty

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Use and Adoption of Technology by Small Business Owners in Queens, NY

Many small businesses today experience apprehension or anxiety when adopting new and emerging technologies in their place of business. Though we live in a time of unparalleled access to technology, many businesses still avoid adopting technology or upgrading to the latest version. Despite knowing the advantages of using technology to conduct business (in-person or on the Internet), some businesses purposely choose to not use technology. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative case study was to understand why these businesses choose to do so, and to learn what can be done to help them overcome these barriers to technological adoption. The method for this study included in-depth interviews with 30 small businesses located in Queens, New York. Queens, NY was selected for the site of this study because I am from Queens, is a small business owner, and has an intimate knowledge of how business is conducted in this region. Queens is the most ethnically and linguistically diverse borough in NYC, and by situating the study here, I hoped to examine how and why technology was used. Thus, the data collection and data analysis process sought to record the experiences and beliefs of all participants to understand their technology adoption position based on social and cultural experiences, motivations, and beliefs

Faculty Perceptions of Student Experiences Regarding the Use of MyFoundationsLab

MyFoundationsLab (MFL) was implemented to complement math instruction and increase student performance in developmental/transitional algebra courses. However, student learning outcomes at the college under study demonstrated that some students were still unsuccessful in passing their math course (i.e., Summer 2015:30%, Fall 2015: 27.2%, Spring 2016: 41.6%). The problem addressed in this study explored the learning experiences of students, via a faculty lens, who were unsuccessful in their math course instructionally supported by MFL. Bandura\u27s theory of reciprocal determinism, the technology acceptance model, and the ARCS model of motivational design were used in this qualitative case study to examine the perceptions of 4 faculty regarding student experiences with MFL; faculty were selected through purposeful sampling. The research question explored faculty perceptions of students who failed math while using MFL in addition to the overall learning experiences of students in using the learning system. The major themes that resulted from data analysis through semistructured interviews were student challenges with technology, learning barriers that students experienced, and faculty teaching influences. The emerging project was a faculty professional development seminar emphasizing teaching strategies that supported MFL instruction and faculty in-class teaching. The findings of the study can positively impact social change through affording students positive learning experiences that encourage them to persist in college and ultimately contribute to the economic growth of their communities

Evaluating the effects of Virtual Reality training on the accuracy rate of a Supply Chain Fulfilment team.

Learning technology advancements have shown how employees can benefit from new and varied learning experiences in comparison to traditional on-the-job training. This is true for manual tasks which if done incorrectly could result in high error costs to companies. This research applied the use of an immersive virtual reality learning experience to evaluate the impact on a supply chain fulfilment teams accuracy rate. The overall team accuracy rate did improve as a result, producing a reduction in error rate and costs of resent/refunded orders. The participants reported that they enjoyed training with new technology and that it impacted their daily practice. This research also discusses the benefits of using emerging technology for training over traditional trainer-led learning and how organisations could benefit from investing in new learning technology to create engaging and scaffolded content for their employees