Learning Disabilities and the Virtual College Campus: A Grounded Theory of Accessibility

Two trends currently impacting higher education intersect in this study: (1) students with learning disabilities are enrolling in colleges and universities in increasing numbers, and (2) colleges and universities are increasingly relying on the web to provide services to students. This reliance on the virtual campus comes without apparent consideration of accessibility issues that may be experienced by students with learning disabilities. This study explored the experiences of 16 college students, self-identified as having learning disabilities, as they interacted with the virtual campus of one college. Consistent with the social model of disability, this study initially focused on the features of the virtual campus that were both helpful and not helpful to the informants as they performed eight tasks considered typical of those expected of a college student. Using a grounded theory methodology, the model that evolved from this data indicated that to understand the informants\u27 experiences, consideration had to be given also to what the informants brought to the experience, including their active choice and use of helpful strategies. The results of this study suggest that web accessibility as currently conceived is too limiting. A one-size-fits-all approach to universal access is unrealistic as users of the virtual campus bring varied strengths and capabilities as well as varied impairments to their interaction with web-based services. While colleges and universities are encouraged to follow current usability and accessibility principles, attention should also be given to the construction of a web-human interface that can be individualized to meet a user\u27s specific needs

Modeling Student Affective State Patterns during Self-Regulated Learning in Physics Playground

This dissertation research focuses on investigating the incidence of student self-regulated learning behavior, and examines patterns in student affective states that accompany such self-regulated behavior. This dissertation leverages prediction models of student affective states in the Physics Playground educational game platform to identify common patterns in student affective states during use of self-regulated learning behavior. In Study 1, prediction models of student affective states are developed in the context of the educational game environment Physics Playground, using affective state observations and computer log data that had already been collected as part of a larger project. The performances of student affective state prediction models generated using a combination of the computer log and observational data are then compared against those of similar prediction models generated using video data collected at the same time. In Study 2, I apply these affective state prediction models to generate predictions of student affective states on a broader set of data collected from students participants playing Physics Playground. In parallel, I define aggregated behavioral features that represent the self-observation and strategic planning components of self-regulated learning. Affective state predictions are then mapped to playground level attempts that contain these self-regulated learning behavioral features, and sequential pattern mining is applied to the affective state predictions to identify the most common patterns in student emotions. Findings from Study 1 demonstrate that both video data and interaction log data can be used to predict student affective states with significant accuracy. Since the video data is a direct measure of student emotions, it shows better performance across most affective states. However, the interaction log data can be collected natively by Physics Playground and is able to be generalized more easily to other learning environments. Findings from Study 2 suggest that self-regulatory behavior is closely associated with sustained periods of engaged concentration and .self-regulated learning behaviors are associated with transitions from negative affective states (confusion, frustration, and boredom) to the positive engaged concentration state. The results of this dissertation project demonstrate the power of measuring student affective states in real time and examining the temporal relationship to self-regulated learning behavior within an unstructured educational game platform. These results thus provide a building block for future research on the real-time assessment of student emotions and its relationship with self-regulated learning behaviors, particularly within online student-centered and self-directed learning contexts

Integrative Learning Within Tutoring in Higher Education: Contexts for Connections

In response to a gap in the literature regarding integrative learning within higher education tutoring services and the discursive gap that limits how such tutoring is imagined, this multiple case study explored the ways integrative learning takes place within tutoring in higher education and the tools that enabled or constrained such learning. Six tutor-tutee pairs engaged in regular appointments for the topics of college algebra, psychology, finance, biology, theatre, and history, respectively. During the course of one academic semester, 12 participants took part in three interviews, and each pair was observed up to four times. Drawing from sociocultural activity theory, the transcripts were coded and analyzed to identify examples and mediational means of integrative learning in these cases. This analysis yielded a working definition in which integrative learning in tutoring in higher education takes place as learners create relevance from required coursework by articulating why the content has value, making connections, and exercising agency. Major tools affecting integrative learning in this study included dialogue, examples, and context. This study provided descriptive data and patterns that could contribute insights into integrative learning, expand the way tutoring is conceived in higher education, and offer models for tutor training and classroom instruction

Cleveland Schools That Are Making a Difference

Profiles thirteen Cleveland schools -- a cross section of traditional public, private, parochial, and charter schools, where the majority of students are economically disadvantaged -- that have demonstrated progress in student achievement gains

Understanding Children’s Help-Seeking Behaviors: Effects of Domain Knowledge

This dissertation explores children’s help-seeking behaviors and use of help features when they formulate search queries and evaluate search results in IR systems. This study was conducted with 30 children who were 8 to 10 years old. The study was designed to answer three research questions with two parts in each: 1(a) What are the types of help-seeking situations experienced by children (8-10 years old) when they formulate search queries in a search engine and a kid-friendly web portal?, 1(b) What are the types of help-seeking situations experienced by children (8-10 years old) when they evaluate search results in a search engine and a kid-friendly web portal?, 2(a) What types of help features do children (8-10 years old) use and desire when they formulate search queries in a search engine and a kid-friendly web portal?, 2(b) What types of help features do children (8-10 years old) use and desire when they evaluate search results in a search engine and a kid-friendly web portal?, 3(a) How does children’s (8-10 years old) domain knowledge affect their help seeking and use of help features when they formulate search queries in a search engine and a kid-friendly web portal?, 3(b) How does children’s (8-10 years old) domain knowledge affect their help seeking and use of help features when they evaluate search results in a search engine and a kid-friendly web portal? This study used multiple data collection methods including performance-based domain knowledge quizzes as direct measurement, domain knowledge self-assessments as indirect measurement, pre-questionnaires, transaction logs, think-aloud protocols, observations, and post-interviews. Open coding analysis was used to examine children’s help-seeking situations. Children’s cognitive, physical, and emotional types of help-seeking situations when using Google and Kids.gov were identified. To explore help features children use and desire when they formulate search queries and evaluate results in Google and Kids.gov, open coding analysis was conducted. Additional descriptive statistics summarized the frequency of help features children used when they formulated search queries and evaluated results in Google and Kids.gov. Finally, this study investigated the effect of children’s domain knowledge on their help seeking and use of help features in using Google and Kids.gov based on linear regression. The level of children’s self-assessed domain knowledge affects occurrences of their help-seeking situations when they formulated search queries in Google. Similarly, children’s domain knowledge quiz scores showed a statistically significant effect on occurrences of their help-seeking situations when they formulated keywords in Google. In the stage of result evaluations, the level of children’s self-assessed domain knowledge influenced their use of help features in Kids.gov. Furthermore, scores of children’s domain knowledge quiz affected their use of help features when they evaluated search results in Kids.gov. Theoretical and practical implications for reducing children’s cognitive, physical, and emotional help-seeking situations when they formulate search queries and evaluate search results in IR systems were discussed based on the results

Handheld computers: Do they support or constrain nursing students at the point -of -care?

Technology has made a significant impact within the healthcare system over recent years. As technology continues to evolve and becomes a major driving force within the healthcare system, so will the need for preparing technologically competent healthcare professionals. Also within the healthcare system, changes such as a decrease in the length of hospital stay, the aging population, and the multi-disease processes of the aging population, presents a challenge to nursing faculty to adequately prepare tomorrows\u27 nurse. One of the most promising technological devices being used by healthcare professionals is the handheld computer or personal digital assistant (PDA). Although the current literature supports the use of the PDA by practicing nurses and nursing students, little is known how to incorporate these devices to support and develop life-long learners; A mixed-method design directed this study. Biemiller & Meichenbaum\u27s Think-Aloud was conducted at the onset and conclusion of the study. A grounded theory approach was utilized to gather data pertaining to PDAs and nursing students. Upon observing the participant accessing the PDA, a semi-structured interview occurred. The last component of data collection was obtained via a tracking system on a nursing focused PDA software program; The results demonstrate that the PDA supports self-regulated/self-directed learning in nursing students. Biemiller & Meichenbaum\u27s Think-Aloud demonstrated that all participants increased in their ability to be self-directed learners at the conclusion of the study. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that students are accessing the PDA in the clinical site, in the classroom, in studying for test/exams, and when completing assignments. Although the age varied for the participants, the method preferred for learning was from the screen; Pintrich\u27s self-regulated learning model was used as a method of determining the extent and progression of identifying self-regulated learners. Again, the results displayed that the PDA supported the participant in becoming self-regulated learners by providing them with a tool that offers precise, current, accurate, and current time information. With the ease of accessing information any time and from anywhere, nursing students have the potential to control what and how learning occurs

Identifying and motivating at-risk students

It is the goal of this program to identify these at-risk students, track their grades, and incorporate a tutorial program to motivate and build their self-esteem and ultimately, their academic performance. This program can succeed with the proper administrative support, teacher involvement and parent and community assistance

Reading Matters : A Case Study of a Community Volunteer Tutoring Program

The objective of this qualitative research was to study through a phenomenological approach Reading Matters, a community volunteer reading program to determine if students are demonstrating improvement, to uncover the characteristics of the program and the tutoring techniques used by volunteers, and to create a potential model by which administrators can design volunteer tutoring programs for other schools. One coordinator, one principal, eight classroom teachers, three volunteers, and five students participated in the study. Conclusions drawn indicate that the volunteer tutoring program was successful for the students not only for academic results but also for the mentoring relationship that the tutoring sessions created

Beyond Automated Assessment: Building Metacognitive Awareness in Novice Programmers in CS1

The primary task of learning to program in introductory computer science courses (CS1) cognitively overloads novices and must be better supported. Several recent studies have attempted to address this problem by understanding the role of metacognitive awareness in novices learning programming. These studies have focused on teaching metacognitive awareness to students by helping them understand the six stages of learning so students can know where they are in the problem-solving process, but these approaches are not scalable. One way to address scalability is to implement features in an automated assessment tool (AAT) that build metacognitive awareness in novice programmers. Currently, AATs that provide feedback messages to students can be said to implement the fifth and sixth learning stages integral to metacognitive awareness: implement solution (compilation) and evaluate implemented solution (test cases). The computer science education (CSed) community is actively engaged in research on the efficacy of compile error messages (CEMs) and how best to enhance them to maximize student learning and it is currently heavily disputed whether or not enhanced compile error messages (ECEMs) in AATs actually improve student learning. The discussion on the effectiveness of ECEMs in AATs remains focused on only one learning stage critical to metacognitive awareness in novices: implement solution. This research carries out an ethnomethodologically-informed study of CS1 students via think-aloud studies and interviews in order to propose a framework for designing an AAT that builds metacognitive awareness by supporting novices through all six stages of learning. The results of this study provide two important contributions. The first is the confirmation that ECEMs that are designed from a human-factors approach are more helpful for students than standard compiler error messages. The second important contribution is that the results from the observations and post-assessment interviews revealed the difficulties novice programmers often face to developing metacognitive awareness when using an AAT. Understanding these barriers revealed concrete ways to help novice programmers through all six stages of the problem-solving process. This was presented above as a framework of features, which when implemented properly, provides a scalable way to implicitly produce metacognitive awareness in novice programmers