ACM Curriculum Reports: A Pedagogic Perspective

In this paper, we illuminate themes that emerged in interviews with participants in the major curriculum recommendation efforts: we characterize the way the computing community interacts with and influences these reports and introduce the term “pedagogic projection” to describe implicit assumptions of how these reports will be used in practice. We then illuminate how this perceived use has changed over time and may affect future reports

Multinational perspectives on information technology from academia and industry

As the term \u27information technology\u27 has many meanings for various stakeholders and continues to evolve, this work presents a comprehensive approach for developing curriculum guidelines for rigorous, high quality, bachelor\u27s degree programs in information technology (IT) to prepare successful graduates for a future global technological society. The aim is to address three research questions in the context of IT concerning (1) the educational frameworks relevant for academics and students of IT, (2) the pathways into IT programs, and (3) graduates\u27 preparation for meeting future technologies. The analysis of current trends comes from survey data of IT faculty members and professional IT industry leaders. With these analyses, the IT Model Curricula of CC2005, IT2008, IT2017, extensive literature review, and the multinational insights of the authors into the status of IT, this paper presents a comprehensive overview and discussion of future directions of global IT education toward 2025

Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs in Data Science

The Park City Math Institute (PCMI) 2016 Summer Undergraduate Faculty Program met for the purpose of composing guidelines for undergraduate programs in Data Science. The group consisted of 25 undergraduate faculty from a variety of institutions in the U.S., primarily from the disciplines of mathematics, statistics and computer science. These guidelines are meant to provide some structure for institutions planning for or revising a major in Data Science

Inclusion of an Introduction to Infrastructure Course in a Civil and Environmental Engineering Curriculum

Civil infrastructure refers to the built environment (sometimes referred to as public works) and consists of roads, bridges, buildings, dams, levees, drinking water treatment facilities, wastewater treatment facilities, power generation and transmission facilities, communications, solid waste facilities, hazardous waste facilities, and other sectors. Although there is a need to train engineers who have a holistic view of infrastructure, there is evidence that civil and environmental engineering (CEE) programs have not fully addressed this increasingly recognized need. One effective approach to address this educational gap is to incorporate a course related to infrastructure into the curriculum for first-year or second-year civil and environmental engineering students. Therefore, this study assesses the current status of teaching such courses in the United States and identifies the incentives for, and the barriers against, incorporating an introduction to infrastructure course into schools’ current CEE curricula. Two distinct activities enabled these objectives. First, a questionnaire was distributed to CEE programs across the United States, to which 33 responses were received. The results indicated that although the majority of participants believe that offering such a course will benefit students by increasing the breadth of the curriculum and by providing a holistic view of CEE, barriers such as the maximum allowable credits for graduation, the lack of motivation within a department—either because such a course did not have a champion or because the department had no plans to revise their curriculum—and a lack of expertise among faculty members inhibited inclusion of the course in curricula. Second, three case studies demonstrating successful inclusion of an introduction to infrastructure course into the CEE curriculum were evaluated. Cases were collected from Marquette University, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and West Point CEE programs, and it was found that the key to success in including such a course is a motivated team of faculty members who are committed to educating students about different aspects of infrastructure. The results of the study can be used as a road map to help universities successfully incorporate an introduction to infrastructure course in their CEE programs

Mediators of Inequity: Online Literate Activity in Two Eighth Grade English Language Arts Classes

This comparative case study, framed by Cultural Historical Activity Theory and sociocultural understandings of literacy, investigated students’ online literate activity in two eighth grade English Language Arts classes taught by the same teacher - one with a scripted literacy curriculum and the other without. During a year-long research project, we used ethnographic methods to explore the nature of middle school students’ literate activity in each of these classes, with particular attention to the mediators evident as students engaged in online literate activity. Specifically, this article addresses the following research question: What mediators were evident within and across each of the classes and how did these mediators influence students’ online literate activity? In addressing this question, we illustrate how particular configurations of mediators – even those operating within the context of the same school and same teacher – significantly influenced the nature of students’ online literate activity and the literate identities available to students. This study reinforces the importance of attending to the influence of offline mediators in school settings. Without such attention, students’ formal education is likely to be transferred online rather than transformed online

Teachers' perceptions of the factors that influence student achievement : a descriptive study

A substantial amount of research analyzing student academic achievement has beenconducted throughout the years. Hattie (2009) synthesized over 800 meta-analyses related toachievement. He organized this information into six broad groups that may influence studentachievement: Contributions of the Teacher, Contributions of the Curriculum, Contributions ofthe Teaching Approaches, Contributions of the Child, Contributions of the Home, andContributions of the School. While this knowledge is significant, there is no indication that thisevidence is being used in the schools and classrooms. Hattie expressed concerns about the gapbetween scientific evidence and practice in the schools.The overarching purpose of conducting this research was to gather information aboutwhat teachers perceive to be the factors that influence student achievement. Teachers have asignificant opportunity to influence student achievement. Thus, it is important for theirperceptions to align with research findings. When teachers’ perceptions align with the researchfindings, students may be educated in the most effective manner possible.For this study, participants were solicited from school districts that were willing toparticipate in a web-based survey to measure perceptions of factors that influence studentacademic achievement. Participants in this study included teachers working with elementary through high school students. There was even distribution of the participants who teach eachgrade level, with most participants having obtained either a Bachelor’s Degree or a Master’sDegree. The majority of the participants were female, veteran teachers that provide regulareducation services in traditional public schools. The sample had a disproportionate number ofparticipants in rural communities, with only a handful of nationally certified teachers.The online survey provider, Qualtrics, was used to create a survey for this research. TheTeachers’ Perceptions of the Factors that Influence Student Achievement Survey (see AppendixG) is a survey that was designed to gauge teachers’ perspectives regarding the factors thatinfluence student academic achievement. The survey first provided participants with an overviewof the survey questions, information about informed consent, and whom to contact if they hadany questions about the survey results. The survey gathered information on demographics,perceptions of the influence of each factor within the six broad categories, and rankings of mostimportant to least important factor within each group.The information gathered through this study suggests that teachers may not be aware ofthe current research findings regarding the factors that may impact student academicachievement. Results of this study suggested that teachers tend to evaluate most factors to impactstudent achievement in a positive direction

Digital Literacy Adoption with Academic Technology: Namely Digital Information Literacy to Enhance Student Learning Outcomes

This study explores Arts & Science faculty and librarians’ attitude of learning theory and perceptions of digital literacy (DL) and how digital information literacy (DIL) might improve and enhance student learning outcomes. Digital literacy (DL), information literacy (IL), and digital information literacy (DIL) consists of interaction with academic technology (AT) programs and tools. The objectives are: the rise of IL within the parameters of DL and discuss the birth of DIL, examine the modes of adoption and explore the levels of inclusion for faculty and librarians’ concepts of DL with DIL instruction with AT, define the IL phenomenon, and how IL affects faculty and librarian pedagogy. The study reveals the tension and distinction between DL and IL. Key research questions are: What are Arts & Science faculties’ digital literacy (DL) epistemology? What is the librarian’s/ library digital literacy (DL) epistemology perspectives, and what are Arts & Science faculties’ concept of DIL

IMPACT: The Journal of the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning. Volume 2, Issue 2, Summer 2013

Impact: The Journal of the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning is a peer-reviewed, biannual online journal that publishes scholarly and creative non-fiction essays about the theory, practice and assessment of interdisciplinary education. Impact is produced by the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning at the College of General Studies, Boston University (www.bu.edu/cgs/citl)

Current Perspectives on the Gestalt of Nursing Curricula

This research study aimed to investigate the current gestalt of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) curricula in the United States. Presently there is an emphasis in nursing education on the practice–education gap in order to ensure new graduate Registered Nurses are adequately prepared for entry into practice in a dynamic and complex healthcare environment. There has also been movement in nursing education to remove nursing theory from BSN curriculum guiding frameworks and replace them with essential educational standards. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore the lived experiences and perspectives of faculty curriculum leaders and administrative program directors as they implement, develop, and/or revise a BSN curriculum. Ten nurse educators and/or administrators from across the United States participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews that were guided by open-ended questions, recorded, and then transcribed verbatim. Data analysis and coding using qualitative data analysis software resulted in seven themes: (a) graduates readiness for practice and awareness of practice–education gap, (b) clinical placements impact nursing curriculum, (c) faculty influences on nursing curriculum, (d) students’ characteristics that influence nursing curriculum, (e) curriculum revision, (f) nursing essential educational standards predominantly guide and influence BSN curriculum, and (g) nursing theory. Findings from this research study reveal the greatest influences and motivations for the BSN curriculum and the current issues for the BSN curriculum. This research study confirms that the practice environment greatly influences program outcomes and availability and usage of resources in nursing programs. Faculty, students’ characteristics, and clinical education play a larger role in the BSN curriculum than originally hypothesized. Therefore, issues in these areas are also issues for the BSN curriculum. This study also found that nursing theory is being taught and used less as a theoretical curricular framework in the BSN curriculum as well. Essential educational standards heavily guide and influence the BSN curriculum to a point where they may be replacing theoretical frameworks within the curriculum. Implications for nursing education include transformation of clinical education to mimic the changes in the healthcare environment, faculty development and mentorship for novice nurses on their role within the BSN curriculum, and guidance and support on how to teach and include nursing theory within the BSN curriculum. Recommendations for future research include a comprehensive investigation nationwide on the preparedness of and employer satisfaction with new graduate RNs, further studies on the faculty’s perceptions of nursing students with disabilities, and higher levels of research and evidence to evaluate the implementation of the concept-based learning curriculum

A Neocolonial Warp of Outmoded Hierarchies, Curricula and Disciplinary Technologies in Trinidad’s Educational System

I re-appropriate the image of a space-time warp and its notion of disorientation to argue that colonialism created a warp in Trinidad’s educational system. Through an analysis of school violence and the wider network of structural violence in which it is steeped, I focus on three outmoded aspects as evidence of this warp--hierarchies, curricula and disciplinary technologies--by using data (interviews, documents and observations) from a longitudinal case study at a secondary school in Trinidad. Colonialism was about exclusion, alienation, violence, control and order, and this functionalism persists today; I therefore contend that hierarchies, curricula and disciplinary technologies are all enforcers of these tenets of (neo)colonialism in Trinidad’s schools. I conclude with some nascent thoughts on a Systemic Restorative Praxis (SRP) model as a way of de-stabilizing the warp, by stitching together literature/approaches from systems thinking, restorative justice and Freirean notions of praxis. SRP implies that colonialism (and this modern-day warp) has rendered much psychic and material damage, and that any intervention to address structural violence has to be systemic and iterative in scope and process, include healing, be participatory, and foster an ethic of horizontalization in human relations