Responsiveness of selected community colleges to work-force preparedness education and training

Postsecondary institutions, businesses, and industries are being required to give more attention to the education of the work force. The community college can assist in addressing the education and training needs of the changing American economy. The purpose of this study was to examine the planning, program development, marketing, and evaluation functions of three selected North Carolina community colleges as these functions address work-force preparedness basic skills education and specialized skills training. A multisite, case-study qualitative research methodology utilizing ethnographic techniques was used to address the questions of the study. Three of the fifty-eight North Carolina community colleges were chosen for the study based on the size of the college, demographics of the communities, and individual populations served by the respective community colleges. Data collection was limited to the non-degree programs addressing basic skills education and specialized skills training for work-force preparedness. Computer-assisted and manual content analysis of interviews and documentation were the primary analytic approaches used in the study. Ethnograph, a qualitative research software program commercially available, was utilized in the computer-assisted content analysis

FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND PARENTS SATISFACTION WITH FLEXIBLE LEARNING IMPLEMENTATION IN A STATE-FUNDED UNIVERSITY

Learner satisfaction and experience have a big impact on how well and how widely distant learning is accepted in higher education institutions. This study used a quantitative research methodology with the use of adapted standardized questionnaires from several sources to find out how satisfied 173 faculty members, 548 students, and 321 parents were with the deployment of flexible learning modes throughout the pandemic years. The frequency count, percent, and mean statistical techniques were used to total the scores, tabulate them, and conduct further analysis and interpretation. The faculty, students, and parents were generally satisfied in terms of the online learning modality. The faculty perceived the online teaching process as efficient, effective, and beneficial for both students and faculty. The students believed that the online learning was "satisfactory" in acquiring knowledge, while the parents believed that the online learning aided their children's learning. On the other hand, the faculty and students were satisfied with modular learning, while the parents were dissatisfied. The faculty found modular learning to be one of the ways to aid teaching during the pandemic. The students believed that the distribution and retrieval of modules were organized, the time allotment was acceptable, and safety and health protocols were ensured. The parents found that distribution and retrieval of modules are not well organized, and the orientation as to the use of modules during distribution is not clearly explained. A training workshop may be conducted for the faculty to repackage and revise the modules to ensure that enough and adequate time is allotted to each activity or assessment, to ensure that the learning activities and assessments adhere to complexity, timeliness, relevance, and alignment to the learning outcomes, and to structure and plan the course online, upload pictures, images, and videos on the chosen platform, attach links, use Google Forms, and engage in other computer-aided games and activities. The guidelines and procedures for the distribution and retrieval of the modules may be disseminated to parents and other stakeholders through brochures and flyers. Moreover, the administration may allot funds to provide internet connectivity to students who choose online learning modes, such as free cell cards, or form partnerships with LGUs and NTC to create a free wifi connection at a specific location in each barangay. &nbsp

An evaluation of the development and use of a microcomputer assisted system for planning individualised adult literacy programmes in an adult basic education unit

The thesis describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a computer assisted system for planning individualised adult literacy programmes in an adult basic education (ABE) unit located in an English College of Further Education. After examining past and current developments of Computer Based Applications in Education, both in general and in Literacy Teaching Applications, conclusions as to the appropriate use of computer-based learning in the proposed context are drawn. Human and hardware resources available in the ABE unit are detailed and appropriate aims for a proposed system based on the earlier conclusions are set out. A possible system instructional model is discussed via details of the current teaching, monitoring and evaluation activities of the unit. An examination of the current theory, practice and literature relating to literacy and adult literacy teaching enables a conclusion that a student-centred approach, in a real world context, using a common core curriculum, is most suitable. A detailed common-core curriculum model for teaching adult literacy is then proposed, following which a Warnier-Orr design exercise of a computer-based system known as MALCM, using the model, is described, from initial considerations through to system testing. The implementation and evaluation of the MALCM system in the setting of the ABE Unit is then described in the form of a case study. The reported and observed experiences of staff involved are analysed and the appropriateness of the case study as a means for evaluation is discussed. The thesis concludes by endorsing the potential for a system such as MALCM but underlines the need for user involvement in any CBL learning management development; It suggests that further development of the MALCM system as currently constituted is non-viable without considerable refinements to take account of developments in the field of hardware and intelligent knowledge-based systems

N.C. community college/industry interactions : present status and future possibilities

The purpose of this study was to extend the current literature on college/industry relationships by examining the present status of college/industry relationships in North Carolina community colleges and offering a conceptual framework for managing those interactions. In developing the framework, several areas were studied: the literature on American College/Industry programs; the types, extensiveness, and effectiveness of college/industry relationships in the N.C.C.C.S.; and the linkage between community colleges' services and economic development. Data for the current status of college/industry relationship were supplied by surveys sent to the academic deans in the fifty-eight institutions and by interviews with six community college administrators with primary responsibility for managing college/industry relationships. The conceptual framework for managing college/industry programs includes both strategic and operational planning components. Both components are based on a sequence of planning, selecting, organizing and delivering, and evaluating services

The implementation of first steps in four primary classrooms

The First Steps Project was developed by the Education Department of Western Australia to facilitate literacy learning of students who were perceived to be at risk . The project has resulted in state-wide professional development for teachers, and the subsequent marketing of the program interstate and overseas. The purpose of this study is to present an insight into the various ways that teachers use First Steps in their classrooms and to discover where different teachers stand within the theoretical framework of language learning, and what orientation and experiences lead them to make the planning, teaching and evaluation choices they make. The study examined the literacy teaching practices of teachers in four classrooms in Perth metropolitan schools. In two of these classrooms, two teachers taught together in team-teaching situations. The teachers reflected a diversity of professional development experiences related to First Steps. One teacher had received First Steps professional development in a Core School, which was supported by four Collaborative Teachers. Another teacher had learned about First Steps as part of her teacher education program at University. The other teachers in the study had received their professional development through Central or District Office, and two of these had received further training as First Steps Focus Teachers. Data was collected through participant-observation and interviews. Using a form of educational criticism (Eisner, 1985), a case-study was constructed for each classroom and a cross-case analysis was performed to identify patterns of shared or conflicting understandings and the ways in which these understandings influenced language learning events. All the teachers in the study used a variety of First Steps teaching strategies, and all teachers, to varying extents, used the First Steps developmental continua. Teachers who appeared to have a deeper understanding of the philosophies of literacy development underpinning First Steps were more able to manipulate First Steps resources and teaching strategies to suit to needs of their own particular teaching situation. While all teachers made planning decisions on the basis of the assessment of their students\u27 progress, this process \u27most often happened in teachers\u27 heads, rather then being recorded in any documents. Teachers who demonstrated a deep understanding of First Steps theoretical principles appeared to have internalised the First Steps developmental indicators as part of their tacit monitoring system. Other teachers seemed to have their own sets of indicators, which they translated to First Steps language when the time came to record students\u27 progress on the developmental continua. The study demonstrates that, while all case-study teachers used a variety of First Steps practices in their classrooms, both for teaching and assessing students\u27 learning, the extent to which teachers used and adapted First Steps materials was influenced not only by their professional development experiences, but also by their own life histories and the context of their teaching situations, and the ways in which these factors impacted on their understandings about the nature of literacy development

Evaluation of Public Services and Public Services Personnel (Papers presented at the Allerton Park Institute held October 28-30, 1990)

On three magnificent late fall days in October 1990, 150 librarians met at Allerton Park to grapple with the issues of evaluation of public services and public services personnel. These proceedings are the formal record of the 1990 Allerton Institute although, clearly, they cannot fully convey the experiences shared by the participants. The papers document the formal presentations, but they do not reflect the atmosphere of intense debate inside the Allerton conference buildings that contrasted so strongly with the lazy sunshine and the beauty of the late fall foliage outside. Keynote speakers are supposed to start the debate by outlining the issues. James Rettig certainly was effective in starting the process of creative dialog. He reminded us that evaluation cannot begin until we have clearly understood goals and objectives. He then raised a number of objections to one of our more cherished ideals and objectives in reference work: that of providing bibliographic instruction. Reading his paper may provide a partial insight into the discussion that it generated. After the keynote presentation, papers presented theories and practical examples, overviews and individual experiences. This range of coverage was planned, as was the balance between speakers from library education and from the practice of public service librarianship. Tom Childers gave an overview of the history and capabilities of unobtrusive evaluation; then Wilf Lancaster, Alan Nourie and Cheryl Elzy presented a specific instance of unobtrusive testing in which they expanded the boundaries of the method by evaluating individual service providers. Charles Bunge spoke about a thoroughly tried-and-tested mechanism for evaluating what goes on in a reference encounter; following him, Prudence Dalrymple discussed ways in which information science research can point out new directions for evaluating information services. Mary Goulding's paper described a classic approach to objectives-based evaluation, while Betty Turock suggested six or seven additional kinds of evaluation that might be attempted. Finally, Rick Rubin gave a masterful survey of personnel evaluation for public service librarians, and Geraldine King provided a specific example of peer evaluation.published or submitted for publicatio

An experience of elicited inquiry elucidating the electron transport in semiconductor crystals

In this study we report the results of an inquiry-driven learning path experienced by a sample of 10 electronic engineering students, engaged to investigate the electron transport in semiconductors. The undergraduates were first instructed by following a lecture-based class on condensed matter physics and then involved into an inquiry based path of simulative explorations. The students were invited by two instructors to explore the electron dynamics in a semiconductor bulk by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The students, working in group, had to design their own procedure of exploration, as expected in a traditional guided inquiry. But they experienced several difficulties on planning and carrying out a meaningful sequence of simulative experiments, many times coming to a standstill. At this stage, the two instructors actively participated to the students’ debate on the physics governing the observed phenomena, never providing exhaustive explanations to the students, but giving comments and hints, sometimes expressly incorrect, but effective to stimulate students’ reasoning and activating a proficient scientific inquiry. The relation between this teaching intervention and student cognitive and affective development has been investigated by methods of discourse and behaviour analysis, as well as by the analysis of a student motivation/satisfaction inventory. The elicited inquiry stimulated the students to follow a question-driven path of exploration, starting from the validation of the model of electron dynamics within the semiconductor, up to performing reasoned inquiries about the observed characteristic of charge transport. Our results show that the stimulated activation of the inquiry process constitutes an efficient teaching/learning approach both to effectively engage students into an active learning and, at the same time, to clarify important experimental and technological aspects of semiconductor science, representing a viable example of integration of a traditional lecture-based teaching approach with effective learning strategies

OER Adoption in Higher Education: A Case Study of Stakeholders’ Perceptions at a Florida State College

The purpose of this case study was to document stakeholders’ perceptions of adopting and integrating OER materials in higher education. Specifically, this study sought to understand the perceptions of institutional faculty, librarians, instructional designers, and students with the adoption and use of OER at a state college in east Florida. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with institutional faculty, librarians, and instructional designers. A survey was distributed to students enrolled in OER integrated courses during the Spring semester. Theoretical perspectives on the adoption and diffusion of OER as an innovation were grounded in Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation theory. An analysis of the data revealed that stakeholder perceptions are a key factor in the rate of adoption and diffusion within the institution. Faculty perceptions of resource quality and time involved to curate the resources proved challenging for OER adoption and integration. Instructional designers perceived the resources as time consuming yet highly accessible. Librarians perceived the resources as beneficial, but a lack of awareness and understanding of licensing rules made adoption and integration challenging. Students perceived the resources as advantageous, above average in quality, and just as effective as traditional textbooks. Despite the challenges presented, stakeholders agreed that access to the resources and the cost savings for students were significant enough to outweigh the time involved to locate, adapt, implement, and utilize the resources

Bridges and barriers to developing visual literacy in UK undergraduates

Today’s communication is multimedia and visually-rich. However, there is a possibility that many students leave university without the visual literacy they need to understand the multifaceted role that visuals can play in such messages or to create such messages themselves. This study had three main aims: first, to find out if that possibility was real; second, to try to understand why; and third, to identify what could be done about it.Within the UK education system generic and interdisciplinary skills are primarily developed within disciplinary frameworks. To obtain a general picture of where skills relating to working with visual materials may be developed within specific subject areas, an institutional case study was undertaken where the module specifications for all undergraduate academic programmes were analysed to audit the opportunities for students to develop aspects of visual literacy. This process also identified a suitable selection of academic staff who were interviewed to help identify potential barriers to widening those opportunities and bridges for overcoming many of these barriers.The audit of module specifications found that students studying the majority of degrees at the institution do not appear to get the opportunities they need to be fully visually literate. For many, only critical skills or creative skills are developed rather than both. For some, the visuals used or created are highly technical and not particularly transferable to other situations which may be an issue when careers paths are increasingly unpredictable and society beyond employment is more visually oriented. Comparing the audit results with the requirements of subject benchmark statements (QAA, 2020b) and the UK Quality Code for Higher Education (QAA, 2014b) indicates that the ability to use visuals when communicating with different audiences, especially non-specialists, may be implied within these statements and therefore not given the prominence it deserves in many degree programmes.Several barriers to developing visual literacy were identified. In line with the pragmatic research approach, these were classified by their level of surmountability. In addition, several bridges were identified, which can be used to overcome at least the more resolvable barriers. Two main recommendations were made: the provision of a range of assessment rubrics to facilitate the adoption of more visually-rich multimodal assignments and more specific wording in some subject benchmark statements to ensure programme designers also see the need to include these in order to develop the skills needed to communicate disciplinary knowledge and more in today’s visual society