Continuing medical education speakers with high evaluation scores use more image-based slides

Although continuing medical education (CME) presentations are common across health professions, it is unknown whether slide design is independently associated with audience evaluations of the speaker. Based on the conceptual framework of Mayer’s theory of multimedia learning, this study aimed to determine whether image use and text density in presentation slides are associated with overall speaker evaluations. This retrospective analysis of six sequential CME conferences (two annual emergency medicine conferences over a three-year period) used a mixed linear regression model to assess whether postconference speaker evaluations were associated with image fraction (percentage of image-based slides per presentation) and text density (number of words per slide). A total of 105 unique lectures were given by 49 faculty members, and 1,222 evaluations (70.1% response rate) were available for analysis. On average, 47.4% (SD=25.36) of slides had at least one educationally-relevant image (image fraction). Image fraction significantly predicted overall higher evaluation scores [F(1, 100.676)=6.158, p=0.015] in the mixed linear regression model. The mean (SD) text density was 25.61 (8.14) words/slide but was not a significant predictor [F(1, 86.293)=0.55, p=0.815]. Of note, the individual speaker [χ2 (1)=2.952, p=0.003] and speaker seniority [F(3, 59.713)=4.083, p=0.011] significantly predicted higher scores. This is the first published study to date assessing the linkage between slide design and CME speaker evaluations by an audience of practicing clinicians. The incorporation of images was associated with higher evaluation scores, in alignment with Mayer’s theory of multimedia learning. Contrary to this theory, however, text density showed no significant association, suggesting that these scores may be multifactorial. Professional development efforts should focus on teaching best practices in both slide design and presentation skills

Learning Languages in a Digital World

Aleidine J. Moeller, Editor Janine Theiler, Assistant Editor I. Embracing Technology: Tools Teacher Can Use to Improve Language Learning — Introduction to the section: Frauke Hachtmann, Katie Hayes, Leyla Masmaliyeva, Malia Perkins 1 Rich Internet Applications for Language Learning — Dennie Hoopingarner and Vineet Bansal 2 Leveraging Podcasting for Language Learning — Dan Schmit 3 Using PowerPoint Templates to Enhance Student Presentations — J. Sanford Dugan II. Teacher Education and Professional Development: Agents of Change — Introduction to the section: Silvia Betta and Janine Theiler 4 Preparing for the ACTFL/NCATE Program Report: Three Case Studies — Susan Colville-Hall, Bonnie Fonseca-Greber, and Isabel Cavour 5 Preparing Teacher Candidates to Integrate Technology in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Teacher Educator’s Perspective — Elvira Sanatullov-Allison and Marat Sanatullov 6 Training Elementary World Language Teachers to Use an Immersion-based Approach: Modeling and Methods Instruction Delivered via Video/DVD — Jean M. Hindson 7 Action Research on a Technology Integrated Elementary School Foreign Language Methods Course — Marcia Harmon Rosenbusch and Hsueh-Hua Chuang 8 National Board Certification in World Languages: A Worthwhile Journey — Meg Graham 9 Enhancing Learner Self-Efficacy through Continuous Self-Assessment: Implications for the Foreign Language Classroom — Javier Coronado-Aliegro III. Teaching Culture through Divergent Paths — Introduction to the section: Gabriel Cote and Amy Struthers 10 Japanese Language and Culture Learning through E-mail Communication — Yuki Ozawa 11 A Road Less Traveled: The Chemin de Saint-Jacques from LePuy to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port — Lisa Signori, Steven M. Gardner, and Carlos Mentle

Exploring Trauma-Informed Practices in Social Work Education

This banded dissertation consists of three distinct but related scholarly works, and examines the role of trauma-informed educational practices in social work education. The ecological perspective and the trauma-informed perspective serve as conceptual frameworks throughout. Each scholarly work is represented, and overarching implications for social work education and research are discussed. The first portion of this banded dissertation is a conceptual analysis that examines the need for a trauma-informed perspective in social work education, possible reasons for this curricular gap in undergraduate social work education, and highlights models of curriculum change used in graduate level social work programs to incorporate trauma content. This analysis then presents a rationale for extending the CSWE guidelines offered for advanced generalist social work education to undergraduate social work education. The second portion of this banded dissertation describes a qualitative study that explores the experiences of faculty with teaching about trauma in undergraduate social programs. Using a semi-structured interview format, this study captured the perceptions and experiences of 14 faculty from social work programs in three states in the Upper Midwest. Participants were asked about their conceptualization of trauma, their observations of the trauma-informed care model, and their experiences with teaching this content at the undergraduate level. The third portion of this banded dissertation provides an overview of an interactive presentation given on November 20, 2016 at the 36th Annual Original Lilly Conference on College Teaching. The presentation described here proposes that the trauma-informed perspective can serve as a useful conceptual framework for the university classroom, as a tool for supporting pre-professional students, and as a means for introducing an important model for working with clients. This banded dissertation brings awareness to the need for greater integration of the trauma-informed perspective in undergraduate social work education in particular, and recommends applications of trauma-informed educational practices for higher education. Future research opportunities include further investigation into the current use of these practices in social work programs and avenues for contributing to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning movement

Exploring Trauma-Informed Practices in Social Work Education

This banded dissertation consists of three distinct but related scholarly works, and examines the role of trauma-informed educational practices in social work education. The ecological perspective and the trauma-informed perspective serve as conceptual frameworks throughout. Each scholarly work is represented, and overarching implications for social work education and research are discussed. The first portion of this banded dissertation is a conceptual analysis that examines the need for a trauma-informed perspective in social work education, possible reasons for this curricular gap in undergraduate social work education, and highlights models of curriculum change used in graduate level social work programs to incorporate trauma content. This analysis then presents a rationale for extending the CSWE guidelines offered for advanced generalist social work education to undergraduate social work education. The second portion of this banded dissertation describes a qualitative study that explores the experiences of faculty with teaching about trauma in undergraduate social programs. Using a semi-structured interview format, this study captured the perceptions and experiences of 14 faculty from social work programs in three states in the Upper Midwest. Participants were asked about their conceptualization of trauma, their observations of the trauma-informed care model, and their experiences with teaching this content at the undergraduate level. The third portion of this banded dissertation provides an overview of an interactive presentation given on November 20, 2016 at the 36th Annual Original Lilly Conference on College Teaching. The presentation described here proposes that the trauma-informed perspective can serve as a useful conceptual framework for the university classroom, as a tool for supporting pre-professional students, and as a means for introducing an important model for working with clients. This banded dissertation brings awareness to the need for greater integration of the trauma-informed perspective in undergraduate social work education in particular, and recommends applications of trauma-informed educational practices for higher education. Future research opportunities include further investigation into the current use of these practices in social work programs and avenues for contributing to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning movement

The Effects of the Interactive Whiteboard and PowerPoint Presentation on the Writings and Attitudes of EFL Lebanese Learners

Presentació de PowerPoint (PPT) en les activitats de preescriptura i els seus corresponents efectes en el desenvolupament de les idees i l'ús de paraules de vocabulari relacionades amb el tema en els escrits dels estudiants Anglès Llengua Estrangera libanesos. També apunta a la inspecció de les actituds dels estudiants libanesos EFL 'cap a l'escriptura quan es van emprar al PDI i el PPT en les activitats prèvies a l'escriptura. Els participants van ser assignats a l'atzar en tres grups de control i 3 experimentals. Es va demanar als dos grups que escriure sobre la mateixa mostra d'escriptura per tal d'identificar el seu rendiment d'escriptura abans de rebre qualsevol tractament prescriptiu. Posteriorment, el grup de control va rebre preescriptura tradicional i el grup experimental va rebre la instrucció pre-escriptura a través de PDI i PPT que va proporcionar als estudiants amb les activitats prèvies a l'escriptura que els van permetre desenvolupar idees adequades sobre la mostra d'escriptura i adquirir vocabulari relacionats amb el tema. La recol·lecció de dades composta puntuacions pre-post-test dels participants, tres qüestionaris, entrevistes amb els professors dels grups experimentals, i els inventaris de PMI. Les dades quantitatives van ser analitzades utilitzant el SPSS, i l'anàlisi de contingut es va realitzar amb dades qualitatives. Troballes de quantitativa, així com anàlisi de dades qualitatives indiquen l'eficàcia de la PDI i PPT en millorar el desenvolupament de les idees i l'ús adequat de les paraules del vocabulari en la redacció de textos dels estudiants. Ells, també, van informar les actituds positives dels estudiants cap a l'ús de la PDI i PPT en pre-escriptura instrucció i cap a l'escriptura quan es van utilitzar al PDI i el PPT en la classe d'escriptura.Presentación de PowerPoint (PPT) en las actividades de pre-escritura y sus correspondientes efectos en el desarrollo de las ideas y el uso de palabras de vocabulario relacionadas con el tema en los escritos de los estudiantes Inglés Lengua Extranjera libaneses. También apunta a la inspección de las actitudes de los estudiantes libaneses EFL 'hacia la escritura cuando se emplearon el PDI y el PPT en las actividades previas a la escritura. Los participantes fueron asignados al azar en tres grupos de control y tres experimentales. Se pidió a ambos grupos que escribir sobre la misma muestra de escritura con el fin de identificar su rendimiento de escritura antes de recibir cualquier tratamiento prescriptivo. Posteriormente, el grupo de control recibió pre-escritura tradicional y el grupo experimental recibió la instrucción pre-escritura a través de PDI y PPT que proporcionó a los estudiantes con las actividades previas a la escritura que les permitieron desarrollar ideas adecuadas acerca de la muestra de escritura y adquirir vocabulario relacionados con el tema. La recolección de datos compuesta puntajes pre-post-test de los participantes, tres cuestionarios, entrevistas con los profesores de los grupos experimentales, y los inventarios de PMI. Los datos cuantitativos fueron analizados utilizando el SPSS, y el análisis de contenido se realizó con datos cualitativos. Hallazgos de cuantitativa, así como análisis de datos cualitativos indican la eficacia de la PDI y PPT en mejorar el desarrollo de las ideas y el uso adecuado de las palabras del vocabulario en la redacción de textos de los estudiantes. Ellos, también, informaron las actitudes positivas de los estudiantes hacia el uso de la PDI y PPT en pre-escritura instrucción y hacia la escritura cuando se utilizaron el PDI y el PPT en la clase de escritura.The purpose of the present research study was to examine the use of the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) and the PowerPoint presentation (PPT) in pre-writing activities and their corresponding effects on the development of ideas and the use of topic-related vocabulary words in the writings of Lebanese English Foreign Language students. It also aimed at inspecting the Lebanese EFL students’ attitudes towards writing when the IWB and PPT were employed in pre-writing activities. The participants were randomly assigned into three control groups and three experimental ones. Both groups were asked to write about the same writing prompt in order to identify their writing performance before they received any prescriptive treatment. Afterwards, the control group received traditional prewriting and the experimental group received prewriting instruction via IWB and PPT which provided students with pre-writing activities that enabled them to develop adequate ideas about the writing prompt and to acquire topic-related vocabulary words. Data collection comprised the participants’ pre-posttest scores, three questionnaires, interviews with the teachers of experimental groups, and PMI inventories. Quantitative data were analyzed using the SPSS, and content analysis was conducted with qualitative data. Findings of quantitative as well as qualitative data analysis indicated the effectiveness of the IWB and PPT in enhancing students’ development of ideas and proper use of vocabulary words in essay writing. They, also, reported positive attitudes of students towards the use of IWB and PPT in prewriting instruction and towards writing when the IWB and PPT were used in the writing class

Control-Alt-Incomplete? Using Technology to Assess Digital Natives

Law students matriculating today were “born digital.” As digital natives, they have never known a world without digital technology, and therefore, they think and process information differently than previous generations. Although law school student bodies have changed, law school assessment methods have remained static, with students nearly universally being evaluated entirely by one exam at the end of the course. Best Practices, the Carnegie Report, and more recently the ABA, have acknowledged that this system of evaluation is contrary to learning theory and that periodic assessment of student learning is crucial to improving the performance of both students and teachers. Nevertheless, change has yet to occur. It is time to change. Using technology to assess student learning is one way to begin effectuating this change. Digital Natives are comfortable with technology and expect to have it integrated into the curriculum. Moreover, incorporating technology as a means to assess student learning will help prepare future lawyers for the realities of law practice today. Technology also allows law professors to conduct meaningful assessments of large numbers of students more efficiently. This article therefore introduces several examples of how to use a number of today’s technologies - both inside the classroom and outside the classroom - in the hopes of initiating further exploration into effective means of using technology to assess student learning at the course level

Research genres and multiliteracies: channelling the audience's gaze in powerpoint presentations

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras/Inglês e Literatura Correspondente.PowerPoint-supported presentations have become an important event for creating and sharing scientific knowledge within and across disciplines (LaPorte et al., 2002; Kunkel, 2004; Tardy, 2005; Adams, 2006). Yet little is known about the ways semiotic resources enabled by PowerPoint technology of slide editing and management (e.g. slide dimensions, layout, colour) are combined with conventional resources of "research talks" (Swales, 2005[2004]) and contribute to building presentations that are valued in specific contexts. In order to inform our understanding of how research meanings are multimodally made under the influence of the software, in this thesis I investigate a set of fourteen PowerPoint Research Presentations (PPRPs) from Applied Linguistics. Two planes of cohesion are explored: (1) along the slideshows; and (2) between the slideshows and the performance. Regarding the first plane, the analysis of "periodicity" (Martin and Rose, 2007[2003]) revealed that applied linguists foreground the software's 'modularised logic', construing 'serial expansion' (Martin and Rose (2007[2003]). Others however customise slideshows so as to build 'Design Hierarchies', in which particular slides are assigned higher discursive statuses. These presenters construed a path for their audiences gaze by a configuration of semiotic resources of the display mode - e.g. slide position, background, layout, typography. As for the second plane of cohesion, I propose that slides and performance relate by 'synchronicity'. The tool recontextualizes the system of taxis (Halliday, 2009c; Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004) to account for the semantic interdependency between the displayed discourse and the performative discourse at a given point in PPRPs. In each of the cohesive planes, I set out to identify the software resources that play a role in construing cohesive ties, and evaluate both their "functional specialization" (cf. Halliday, 2009e[1975]; Kress, 2008[2003]; Jewitt and Kress, 2008[2003]) and the demands they impose on presenters and on audiences in terms of genre, discipline, software and multimodal literacies. By indicating some of the ways in which the software influences the "process of semiotic production" (Kress and van Leeuwen, 2001) of such practice, I intend to move beyond prescriptive (e. g. Costa, 2001; Cyphert, 2004; DuFrene and Lehman, 2004; Grant, 2010) as well as technically-focused (e.g. Downing and Garmon, 2002; Jones, 2003) accounts of PowerPoint. As a conclusion, I suggest that descriptions of the meaning potential in PPRPs and its conditions of access should be incorporated in pedagogies of academic multiliteracies (New London Group, 1996; Kope and Kalantizs, 2000).Apresentações de pesquisa com uso de PowerPoint desempenham um papel importante na criação e negociação de conhecimento científico em diferentes disciplinas (LaPorte et al., 2002; Kunkel, 2004; Tardy, 2005; Adams, 2006). Entretanto, pouco sabemos sobre os modos como os recursos semióticos potencializados pela tecnologia PowerPoint para edição e gerenciamento de slides (e.g. dimensões do slide, arranjo, cor) são combinados com recursos convencionais dos "relatos de pesquisa" (Swales, 2005[2004]) e contribuem para construir apresentações valorizadas em contextos específicos. No intuito de informar nosso entendimento sobre como significados de pesquisa são multimodalmente construídos sob a influência do software, nesta tese, investigo um conjunto de quatorze apresentações de pesquisa em PowerPoint (APPP) em Linguística Aplicada. Dois planos coesivos são explorados: (1) ao longo do texto em slides; e (2) entre os slides e a performance. No tocante ao primeiro plano, a análise da "periodicidade" (Martin e Rose, 2007[2003]) da informação revelou que os linguistas aplicados tendem a aderir à 'lógica modularizada' do software, realizando "expansão em série" (Martin e Rose (2007[2003]) do discurso. Outros, porém, 'personalizam' o texto em slides de modo a construir 'Hieraquias de Desenho', as quais atribuem valor de informação superordinada à determinados slides. Esses apresentadores direcionam o olhar de sua audiência por meio de uma configuração de recursos semióticos particulares do modo de exibição (e.g. sequência, fundo, arranjo, tipografia). Quanto ao segundo plano coesivo, proponho que slides e performance se relacionam por 'sincronicidade'. Essa erramenta recontextualiza o sistema de taxe (Halliday, 2009c; Halliday e Matthiessen, 2004) para explicar a interdependência semântica entre o discurso exibido e o discurso performado em um determinado ponto da APPP. Em cada um dos planos coesivos, busco identificar os recursos do software que desempenham função coesiva e avaliar tanto a sua "especialização funcional" (cf. Halliday, 2009e[1975]; Kress, 2008[2003]; Jewitt e Kress, 2008[2003]) quanto as demandas de letramento que impõem nos apresentadores e na audiência no que tange a gênero, disciplina, software e multimodalidade. Ao apontar alguns dos modos pelos quais o software influencia o "processo de produção semiótica" (Kress e van Leeuwen, 2001) dessa prática, pretendo ir além de orientações prescritivas (e. g. Costa, 2001; Cyphert, 2004; DuFrene e Lehman, 2004; Grant, 2010) e focadas em aspectos técnicos (e.g. Downing and Garmon, 2002; Jones, 2003). Sugiro, por fim, que a descrição dos significados potenciais em APPP e suas condições de acesso sejam incorporadas em pedagogias de multiletramentos acadêmicos (New London Group, 1996; Kope e Kalantizs, 2000)

An Analysis and Demonstration of eLearning Multimedia Best Practices

As contemporary education moves more and more online, multimedia has become an important aspect of the delivery of educational resources whether augmenting in-person, blended or distance courses. The multimedia eLearning module plays a targeted role within the broad spectrum of multimedia. This portfolio demonstrates best practices for eLearning module design and development. Intended as a resource for designers and developers, in particular those practicing in higher education, the portfolio reviews best practices from a theoretical and practical basis. Through eLearning Design Theory, which combines best practices with pedagogical support, the portfolio reviews four eLearning modules as well as an instructional design document. Emphasized is the use of the Principles of Multimedia Learning as the guiding foundation for the design and development of modules. The objective of this portfolio is to provide examples of multimedia modules that have been effectively implemented, review the design process necessary to create those modules and in so doing, provide a meaningful resource for educators who are incorporating multimedia eLearning modules into their course materials