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

Full Issue: Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 2, Issue 1

The full Spring 2018 issue (Volume 2, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Nursing students’ motivation regulation strategies in blended learning: A qualitative study

Although there is a strong body of evidence showing that motivational factors are critical components of self‐regulated professional learning and commitment to work, little is known about nursing students' motivation regulation during their studies. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of nursing students' motivation regulation (MR) strategies and factors contributing to their reported use along their 3‐year study path in a blended learning environment. A purposeful sampling was used to select 12 undergraduate nursing students, who exhibited different MR profiles and had completed almost 3 years of study in a BL degree program. A qualitative, deductive, content analysis was used to depict students' experiences from their retrospective recollection in the interview situation. Seven motivation strategies were identified: environmental structuring, self‐consequating, goal‐oriented self‐talk, efficacy management, emotion regulation, regulation of value, and interest enhancement. Individual and situational factors were found to enhance and to sustain the use of appropriate MR strategies. The students exhibited versatility in their use of MR strategies, which were related to the study phase. These findings regarding nursing students' MR strategies should be considered in the development of nursing education programs and the implementation of improvements that contribute to professional and self‐regulated learning in BL programs.Peer reviewe

A G-READY model to support subject design for software engineering

This paper contributes to Scholarship of Teaching and Learning by proposing a dynamic model to support subject design for Computer Science during the current Coronavirus pandemic. The proposed G-READY model borrows from the greedy algorithm, which can support quick and efficient transition of subject teaching from F2f to online mode and vice versa in the most economical and time efficient manner. This model aims to deliver adaptable, optimized learning experience to students within shortest possible time frame. The paper also offers a support repository of learning and teaching tools that can help the faculty with designing their subjects with minimal effort spent on exploration for resources. This open source repository is aimed to bring efficiency to the process of curating effective learning and teaching resources for computer science teaching and can be extended further. The G-READY model proposes a learning design that is insightful, reflective, dynamic and learning supportive

National research on the postgraduate student experience:Case presentation on postgraduate student diversity (Volume 2 of 3)

This is volume two of a set of three case studies that explore the postgraduate student experience. The theme of this case study is postgraduate student diversity and is based on experiences derived from student engagement breakfasts, interviews, and focus groups with 366 people across the stakeholder groups of postgraduate students, educators, and university executives from 26 institutions. The case studies constitute part of the output from the project, Engaging postgraduate students and supporting higher education to enhance the 21st century student experience

Flipped Classroom: Students’ Cognitive Needs of Relatedness, Competence, and Autonomy in a Fully-Flipped Program

This study examines how the flipped classroom approach to teaching and learning supports or inhibits the cognitive needs of relatedness, competence, and autonomy, leading to either increased or decreased levels of motivation. We use semi-structured interviews involving twenty-two students and five facilitators in an Australian university to qualitatively investigate perceptions of motivation through the lens of self-determination theory (SDT). Using thematic analysis, our findings reveal that the flipped classroom approach supports students’ cognitive need for relatedness by providing more opportunities for interaction in the classroom. Further, relatedness has been shown to facilitate internalisation and support competence as a result of students supporting each other. However, our findings demonstrate that despite overall satisfaction with the flipped learning environment, the students raised concerns about how the learning is executed. Among recommendations for pedagogical practices, academics and education providers are urged to create an environment that supports a sense of belongingness and self-endorsement of learning activities among students to promote more autonomous forms of motivation

Thematic analysis of issues experienced by blended learning learners / Noridah Abu Bakar … [et al.]

Blended learning has been recognised as an opportunity to improve the teaching and learning process by complementing the strengths and weaknesses of face-to-face instructions and online learning. While most researches focused on the success factors, there is a research gap in the issues of blended learning which has become a barrier to the learning process. This research seeks to explore the issues of blended learning process experienced by learners in higher education. A survey to a selected group of Blended Learning learners based on convenience sampling techniques was carried out to explore these issues. Qualitative data analysis was used to analyse descriptive data thematically and categorised into few main themes. With regards to the issues, 37 raw themes were identified and were categorised into seven (7) main themes. The findings showed that Learning Management System (LMS) was the main issue followed by engagement issue, material issue, server issue, network issue, instructor issue and device issue. The recommendations made by the respondents were also discussed as their points of view are treasured. This study has direct implications to higher education policy makers, ICT administrative teams, curriculum designers, and educators as instructors for blended learning approach

E-Mentorship in Speech-Language Pathology

Current literature on mentorship stems from the fields of higher education, intercultural psychology and counseling and focuses on the personal, interpersonal, and professional aspects that facilitate positive and successful relationships. However, these aspects have seldom been explored in speech- language pathology literature even though mentorship occurs in all facets of the field (student training, as well as clinical and academic settings). Despite a growing consensus in the field that mentorship promotes the development of theoretical and clinical knowledge, there is a dearth of speech-language pathology research exploring collaborative and synergistic frameworks of mentorship which promote interpersonal skill development. Such learning is specifically relevant to perseverance during difficult times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we suggest a new model of e-mentorship or remote mentorship as an alternative to the canonical model of face-to-face mentorship. Subsequently, we define the potential roles that a mentor and a mentee could assume in this context by linking interpersonal and professional skills in an innovative tutorial for e-mentorship in speech-language pathology

The changing nature of learning and teaching at Charles Sturt University 2008-2011

This essay draws a picture of the changing learning and teaching environment at Charles Sturt University (CSU) as a context for the six case studies that were developed for the larger study. It uses a social-ecological systems approach to describe this environment. From 2007 to 2011 what was life like at CSU? What were the aspirations for learning and teaching, who were the staff and students and what day to day challenges did they face? How did the University vision, infrastructure and processes frame and support learning and teaching? What was happening in the broader higher education environment? Four of the cases are of strategies and activities conducted within the Flexible Learning Institute (the FLI) at CSU. What were the aspirations of the FLI within CSU as an institution? And finally, in the midst of massive change in a number of spheres, what strategies were being used effectively on-ground to develop learning leadership

The Effect of Blended Learning and Virtual Learning on Student Performance in High School Physical Education

The relationship between blended, virtual, and traditional learning on student performance can significantly affect the future of physical education programs’ curriculum and instructional methods. This causal-comparative research design study examines the difference in student performance measured by FitnessGram® scores between ninth-grade female physical education students who participate in an all-online/virtual learning instructional model, a blended learning instructional model, and a traditional face-to-face learning instructional model. Using a random sample of 143 students from six physical education classes from two high schools in a rural South Carolina school district, a one-way ANOVA was conducted to examine the difference in student performance measured by the FitnessGram® based on learning models. The results were not statistically significant, suggesting that there is no significant difference in student performance as measured by FitnessGram® scores among female ninth-grade physical education students who participate in an all-online/virtual learning instructional model, a blended learning instructional model, and a traditional face-to-face learning instructional model. Recommendations for future research will suggest a larger sample size, including male students, and further investigation identifying which student population benefits most from virtual physical education