The Development of Instruments for Assessment of Instructional Practices in Standards-Based Teaching

We provide a description and rationale for the development of two instruments: 1) a classroom observation protocol; and, 2) a teacher interview protocol—designed to document the impact of reform-based professional development with undergraduate mathematics and science faculty, and its impact on the resultant preparation of teachers. Constructed upon review of the research on teaching and standards documents in mathematics and science, these instruments form the basis for data collection in a three-year longitudinal study of teaching practice among early career teachers as well as undergraduate college faculty. In addition, we suggest further applications of the observation protocol beyond the original purpose of our research study

Collaborative examinations in asyncronous learning networks : field experiments on collaborative learning through online assessments

With the proliferation of computer networks and the emergence of virtual teams, learning and knowledge sharing in the online environment has become an increasingly important topic. Applying constructivism and collaborative learning theories to assessment, the collaborative online exam is designed featuring students\u27 active participation in various phases of the exam process through small group activities online. A participatory online exam process is designed featuring similar procedures except that students\u27 involvement in each phase of the exam is individual. The collaborative online exam and the participatory online exam are investigated regarding student exam study strategies, group process, exam outcomes, faculty satisfaction, and exam efficiency. A 1*3 field experiment was conducted to compare three exam modes: the traditional exam, the participatory exam, and the collaborative exam. Results show that the collaborative examination significantly enhanced interaction and promoted higher order learning. In particular, small group activities in the online learning process significantly increased interactions among students which enhanced their sense of an online learning community. Active involvement in the online exams significantly reduced the use of surface learning in exam study. Overall, students reported significantly higher perceptions of learning in the collaborative exam than the other exam modes

Master of Arts

thesisPrior research and best teaching practices in L2 academic writing suggest that a combination of information literacy content and language teaching is effective in helping L2 writers learn the skills needed to become effective researchers (Bordonaro, 2011; Grabe & Stoller, 1997; Stoller, 2004). Research has also shown that student and instructor beliefs about learning influence the impact of curricula (Brown, Murphy, & Nanny, 2003; Jackson, 2005; Maybee, 2006; Ouellette, 2011). Using a mixed methods approach, this study examines L2 writer and instructor perceptions of the effectiveness of the L2 Writer Subject Guide, a curriculum integrated library guide, in developing skills in using the library for research purposes. Student perceptions were analyzed via pre- and posttests, surveys, and focus group data using qualitative and quantitative instruments. Effectiveness of the L2 Writer Subject Guide was also analyzed in the context of student performance on module assessments. Quantitatively, there was no significant difference in the scores for the pretest and the posttest. Qualitative results among the four instruments reveal that students have diverse perceptions of the L2 Writers Subject Guide's effectiveness and also variable user experiences. Findings also suggest that the L2 Writers Subject Guide builds resource awareness among students, but the purposes of these resources are still misconstrued. Similarly, students reveal much declarative knowledge about the research process but have not yet developed the procedural knowledge to effectively use research resources and processes to incorporate sources into their own work. Data show that the L2 Writers Subject Guide complemented current instruction in one ESL writing class and provided diverse teaching and learning opportunities

Team-Based Peer Review as a Form of Formative Assessment - The Case of a Systems Analysis and Design Workshop

The present study was carried out within a systems analysis and design workshop. In addition to the standard analysis and design tasks, this workshop included practices designed to enhance student capabilities related to non-technical knowledge areas, such as critical thinking, interpersonal and team skills, and business understanding. Each task was reviewed and assessed by both the students and the instructor. The main research study objective was to examine the effect of team-based peer-review on the students’ learning process in an information systems workshop, What is presented is data referring to the grading process, to students’ enhanced learning reflected in the narrowing gap between the instructor’s and the students’ grading, as well as the students’ reflections demonstrating their perception of the workshop’s components

The development and evaluation of software to foster professional development in educational assessment

This dissertation sought to answer the question: Is it possible to build a software tool that will allow teachers to write better multiple-choice questions? The thesis proceeded from the finding that the quality of teaching is very influential in the amount that students learn. A basic premise of this research, then, is that improving teachers will improve learning. With this foundation, the next question became what area of teaching to improve. The literature on educational assessment indicated that teachers lack competence at effective assessment, particularly in the area of multiple-choice question generation. It is likely that improvement in this area would yield large gains in educational achievement by students. Several areas of literature including teacher professional development, modification of health-related behaviors, and the information systems theories of captology and structuration theory were synthesized to develop a general model for designing systems to foster teacher professional development. This model was then applied to design and build a tool, QuesGen a web-based system to help teachers write better multiple-choice questions. The tool was evaluated. Quantitative and qualitative results are presented, their implications discussed, and future steps are laid out

Media Effectiveness Training

An analysis of the Tolt Junior-Senior High School faculty\u27s use of instructional media showed a need for a program designed to increase the effective use of the Learning Resource Center\u27s available media. This project consisted of developing a series of inservice classes designed to train the teachers to better utilize the overhead, opaque, slide, filmstrip, and 16mm projectors, tape recorders, VTR, microfiche reader/printer, and dry mount press. Appropriate examples have been produced in each medium and a tool created for the evaluation of the inservice program

Guided instruction with Logo programming and the development of cognitive monitoring strategies among college students

As our society changes and becomes more complex, and as new knowledge and technology emerge, the need for teaching students to be independent thinkers and problem solvers increases more rapidly than ever before. Responding to the ever increasing societal demands, educators have sought for proper learning tools and methodologies to improve students\u27 higher-order thinking and problem solving skills. In particular, cognitive monitoring has been a primary concern of educators and cognitive psychologists. Cognitive monitoring has been regarded as one of the most important strategies in efficient thinking and problem solving. Logo programming has been considered a powerful tool to help students develop higher order thinking, an awareness of their thinking processes, and problem solving skills. Unfortunately, little evidence has been collected for the development of cognitive monitoring and problem solving through Logo programming;This research examined the effects of guided instruction with Logo programming on the development of cognitive monitoring strategies among college students. Guided instruction in this study involved three pedagogical elements. First, Logo programming was selected as a particular learning tool to teach cognitive monitoring strategies. Second, an explicit instructional model of cognitive monitoring processes was included in the process of solving Logo problems: decomposing, planning, executing, identifying errors, and debugging. Third, teacher mediated practice of cognitive monitoring activities was facilitated in a Logo programming environment as well as outside of the programming domain;The results of this study demonstrated positive effects of guided instruction with Logo programming on both near transfer and far transfer of cognitive monitoring strategies. The result also indicated that guided instruction contributed most significantly to the development of Logo error identification and debugging skills

Investigating and representing inquiry in a college mathematics course

Recent calls by the National Research Council and the National Science Foundation have stressed the need for excellence in undergraduate mathematics and science education with emphasis placed on inquiry learning. The purposes of this qualitative study include (1) the examination of the pursuit of inquiry in two collegiate mathematics classrooms incorporating methods of mathematical modeling and (2) the generation of a quantitative representation of characteristics of an inquiry environment;Instructors and students in two classes of laboratory-based calculus for life sciences majors were observed. To capture descriptions of the environments and students\u27 mathematical modeling skills, the classes surrounding three science investigations were audio or video recorded; interviews were conducted with one instructor and six students in the researcher\u27s class; and copies of students\u27 lab reports were obtained. Transcripts were coded using various scales to produce graphical images of the classroom environments;The data were used to describe and document the effects of both classroom environments. Instructors\u27 goals and time factors influenced the development of inquiry, mathematical modeling, symbol and language use, and the amount of reflection. In both classes when time was of minimal concern, the class pursued students\u27 questions, developed students\u27 modeling methods and notation, and consistently and frequently linked the mathematics and science contexts. When pressured by time to cover specific mathematical topics, the class pursued instructors\u27 questions and methods and less frequently linked the mathematics and science contexts. Most students in both classes retained a process conception of mathematical modeling as they could apply the developed methods but relied on instructor prompts to relate the mathematics and science contexts;The pictorial representations of the classroom environments illustrated that both classes had periods reflecting a constructivist inquiry environment. The graphs highlighted the classes\u27 implementation of multiple cycles of inquiry, periods of consistency and inconsistency in connecting the mathematics and science, and intervals in which students\u27 or instructor\u27s ideas dominated discussion. Class observations suggested that the pictures lacked clarity in identifying periods of agreement or disagreement of the resonating concepts of students and instructors. Recommendations are made for future examination and representation of inquiry environments