Internet Usage in Science Classrooms in Hawaii Catholic High Schools

The major purpose of this study was to determine what associations exist between student Internet usage in secondary science classrooms and the way students perceive their classroom environment. A second purpose was to study how the Internet was used in each classroom involved and to see what effects these various approaches had on classroom environments. The study included a sample of 431 students in five Hawaii Catholic high schools and data were collected using site observations, student-teacher interviews, and a questionnaire using the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey, a student attitude towards science scale, and Internet usage questions. Site observations were carried out periodically over an academic year, with a high degree of communication between the sample teachers and the author.Some three dozen students representing all five high schools were interviewed in depth in an attempt to qualitatively clarify the quantitative findings of the total sample. The results of the study indicate that there is an association between greater student Internet usage and a positive perception of classroom environment. Additionally, the students in this sample express an almost total acceptance of the Internet as an educational resource. Student interview data suggest that this new technology has moved past the innovative stage and into the mainstream of daily educational routine. It seems that student attitudes, as well as individual feelings of self-control and personal relevance seem to be enhanced by the use of the Internet, allowing students to construct unique meaning on a personal level. Finally, there is a high association between student Internet usage and teacher Internet usage, that is, the attitude and behaviour of individual teachers concerning their Internet usage has an influence on the extent to which their students use the Internet for academic purposes

Faculty Publications and Creative Works 1999

One of the ways in which we recognize our faculty at the University of New Mexico is through Faculty Publications & Creative Works. An annual publication, it highlights our faculty\u27s scholarly and creative activities and achievements and serves as a compendium of UNM faculty efforts during the 1999 calendar year. Faculty Publications & Creative Works strives to illustrate the depth and breadth of research activities performed throughout our University\u27s laboratories, studios and classrooms. We believe that the communication of individual research is a significant method of sharing concepts and thoughts and ultimately inspiring the birth of new ideas. In support of this, UNM faculty during 1999 produced over 2,292 works, including 1,837 scholarly papers and articles, 78 books, 82 book chapters, 175 reviews, 113 creative works and 7 patented works. We are proud of the accomplishments of our faculty which are in part reflected in this book, which illustrates the diversity of intellectual pursuits in support of research and education at the University of New Mexico

An exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis of the student online learning readiness (SOLR) instrument

The purpose of this study was to develop an effective instrument to measure student readiness in online learning with reliable predictors of online learning success factors such as learning outcomes and learner satisfaction. The validity and reliability of the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) instrument were tested using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and reliability analysis. Twenty items from three competencies, i.e. social competencies, communication competencies, and technical competencies, were designated for the initial instrument based on the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) Model as a new conceptual model. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that four factor-structures of the instrument of student readiness in online learning explained 66.69% of the variance in the pattern of relationships among the items. All four factors had high reliabilities (all at or above Cronbach\u27s alpha\u3e .823). Twenty items remained in the final questionnaire after deleting one item which cross-loaded on multiple factors (social competencies with classmates: five items, social competencies with instructor: five items, communication competencies: four items, and technical competencies: six items). The four-factor structure of the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) has been confirmed through this study. Educators can use the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) instrument in order to discover a better understanding of the level of freshmen college students\u27 online learning readiness by measuring their social, communication, and technical competencies. In addition, this study was looking at two factors of social integration in Tinto\u27s SIM and has introduced the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) conceptual model with the purpose to extend Tinto\u27s social integration to online learning environmen

Web-Based Courses In Higher Education: Creating Active Learning Environments

Problem. As more and more adults seek to continue their education, alternate methods of course delivery Will be required to meet their needs. Web-based courses allow students to learn at times and places that are convenient for them. There is concern, however, about whether or not such courses can create effective, active learning experiences, and whether or not knowledge can be socially constructed in online interactions. In order for higher education to provide exemplary online courses, it is important to identify necessary elements and instructional strategies to create virtual learning environments. The goals of this study were to determine instructional practices in exemplary higher education Web based courses and their perceived effectiveness and to determine implications of new delivery models for higher education. Method. This qualitative study examined the 1998 Paul Allen Virtual Education Foundation\u27s Outstanding Online Course Award winner and five of the six Honorable Mentions. Typical qualitative tools were used to gather data including a Web-based questionnaire, email correspondence, video recordings of conference presentations by four of the instructors, observations, interviews, course Web pages, plus articles and Web sites published by the instructors. Each course was a case study. Results. Effective practices and design features of these exemplary online courses demonstrate multiple ways to facilitate active learning in Web-based instruction. The rich environments of these six courses included a variety of interactions between the instructor and students and among the students themselves. They model how innovative pedagogy guides the use of technology and that virtual learning communities can be created in any discipline. Faculty who have administrative support will be more likely to design, develop, and deliver effective Web-based instruction. Conclusions. The study demonstrated ways online courses can be designed to meet the criteria of the American Psychological Association\u27s Learner-Centered Psychological Principles. A number of implications for higher education emerged

Perceived value of journals for academic prestige, general reading and classroom use: A study of journals in educational and instructional technology.

Conducting research, evaluating research, and publishing scholarly works all play an extremely prominent role for university faculty members. Tenure and promotion decisions are greatly influenced by the perceived value of publications as viewed by members of faculty evaluation committees. Faculty members seeking tenure may be limited to publishing in a limited group of journals perceived to be valuable by members of an academic committee. This study attempted to determine the value of various kinds of periodicals (journals, magazines, and e-journals), based on three principal criteria, as perceived by professionals (university faculty, K-12 practitioners, and corporate trainers) in the educational/instructional technology (E/IT) field. The criteria for journal evaluation were Academic Prestige, General Reading, and Classroom Use. The perceived value of journals based on each criterion was compared to determine any significant differences. Members of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) were asked to rate 30 journals in the E/IT field using the three criteria. Statistically significant differences were found among ratings in 63% of the journals. The statistical analyses indicated that differences in the perceived value of journals among E/IT professionals across the three criteria (Academic Prestige, General Reading, and Classroom Use) were statistically significant. It is also noted that refereed journals were rated higher than nonrefereed journals for the Academic Prestige criterion. Survey respondents indicated that individual journals were not valued for the same reasons. This finding implies that the formation of any equitable measure for determining the value of faculty members' journal article publications would be best if based on definable criteria determined by colleagues. Lists of valued journals for each area of faculty assessment would provide standards of excellence both inside and outside the E/IT field for those who serve on tenure and promotion committees in educational institutions

Department of Computer Science Activity 1998-2004

This report summarizes much of the research and teaching activity of the Department of Computer Science at Dartmouth College between late 1998 and late 2004. The material for this report was collected as part of the final report for NSF Institutional Infrastructure award EIA-9802068, which funded equipment and technical staff during that six-year period. This equipment and staff supported essentially all of the department\u27s research activity during that period

Development and Validation of an Instrument for Assessing Distance Education Learning Environments in Higher Education: The Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES)

Globally, as distance education has become firmly embedded as a part of the higher education landscape, governments and institutions are calling for meaningful research on distance education. This study involved designing, developing and validating a learning environment survey instrument for use in distance education-delivered courses in post-secondary education. Specifically it involved merging two distinctive areas of study: psychosocial learning environments research and distance education research. The unique social structure of asynchronous distance education learning environments requires a unique and economical instrument for measuring the perceptions of distance education course participants. The research followed a three-stage instrument-development process of identifying salient scales, developing survey items, and field testing and analysing data using item analysis and validation procedures. This was followed by an investigation into the associations between the psychosocial learning environment and students enjoyment of distance education. The results yielded a new six-scale, 34-item Web-based learning environment instrument suitable for use in a number of asynchronous post-secondary distance education environments. The new instrument, the Distance Education Learning Environment Survey (DELES) assesses Instructor Support, Student Interaction and Collaboration, Personal Relevance, Authentic Learning, Active Learning, and Student Autonomy. Analyses of data obtained from 680 subjects supported the factorial validity and internal consistency reliability. The results also indicated statistically significant associations between the distance education learning environment and student enjoyment of distance education

A case study of community college adult learners online

This case study investigated whether there was sufficient instruction andresources to provide a meaningful learning experience for adult learners online at a Philadelphia-suburban community college. This study addressed the factors that are changing the landscape of higher education: Web-based education competition, the increase of online course offerings, and the escalation of adult students in higher education. The research study was designed as a mixed methods case study. This mixed methods design included qualitative student interviews, qualitative analysis of course and institutional materials and artifacts, and quantitative analysis of Web course evaluation questionnaires. The results of the study were that students ranked technology dimensions above both course/program management and instruction/instructor dimensions. In addition, the following themes emerged at this college: (1) the Web courses were flexible and convenient for most learners, (2) for most students, the instructor employed learning strategies that facilitated understanding the material, provided sufficient interaction between the instructor and the students, and provided sufficient interaction between the instructor and the students, (3) most participants believed it was necessary to be self-motivated, and self-directed, (4) and in most instances, students had a high level of administrative support, access to essential instructional resources and reliable technology that sufficiently facilitated their learning activities. However, evidence indicated a need for course learning strategies that include multiple perspectives and case-based learning that closely resemble real-life events (Campbell, 1999). As a result, it appears the instructors and students would benefit from increased support in developing these types of learning activities. Within the context of this study, the conclusions were that: in most instances, adult students had meaningful learning experiences in the Web environment; a robust technology platform supported learning and was a critical factor in whether students learn well; and the course design and instructor significantly contributed to student achievement and satisfaction within a Web learning environment. As institutions of higher education continue to expand their Web-based educational offerings, they should continue to seek feedback from their students. Recommendations for further research conclude the report.Ph.D., Education -- Drexel University, 200

Autoría de documentos web dinámicos mediante ontologías y técnicas de programación por demostración

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Escuela Politécnica Superior, Departamento de Ingeniería Informática. Fecha de lectura: 16-09-200

UMAKE : adaptation et recommandation d'outils d'aide d'un quiz pour l'auto-évaluation

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal