Who is a Student: Completion in Coursera Courses at Duke University

Much of the interest in MOOCs centers on questions about who completes them. Duke’s Coursera-based Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) confirm many demographic trends previously delineated by researchers at peer institutions. As found in previous research, this study found individuals who speak English as a first language and who already earned at least a bachelor’s degree are the most likely to complete a Coursera course. MOOC researchers to date have not, however, developed clear operational definitions about who constitutes a learner at the outset of the course. This paper proposes some possible definitions to standardize future research. Further, this study looked at factors that predict different learner participation levels and investigated which activities predict Coursera course completion. Study results indicated that viewing online forums and participation in online discussions are both predictive of course completion. The findings suggest that the socio-demographic composition of the group being investigated will depend on how researchers elect to define what a student is. Thus, while any of the definitions presented in this paper may be appropriate, depending on what is being studied, the decision of which definition to use should be intentional

Homeownership and parenting practices: Evidence from the community advantage panel

This study examines whether there is a significant relationship between homeownership and engaged parenting practices among low- and moderate-income households. Using analytic methods which account for selection effects and clustering, we test whether homeownership can act as a protective factor against parental disengagement from children. Controlling for individual characteristics, analyses demonstrate that homeowners are more likely than renters to demonstrate engaged parenting behaviors such as organizing structured activities for their children. While renters are more likely to read to their children, the children of homeowners spend less time watching television and playing video games. Implications for low-income housing policy are discussed in light of these findings

The WALTer Toolkit: Resources for Building and Sustaining a Culture of SoTL

In 2018, Duke University launched an initiative to expand teaching research across the university. We called this initiative WALTer, a reference to the phrase “We are learning too!” that appeared at the top of all our student consent forms for SoTL. WALTer provided faculty members with the knowledge, resources, and incentives needed to do impactful research on our campus and beyond. In this presentation, we describe WALTer and the associated exponential increase in SoTL projects at Duke. We also share the WALTer 2.0 toolkit resources so attendees can implement a similar initiative at their universities

A validation of the short-form classroom community scale for undergraduate mathematics and statistics students

This study examines Cho & Demmans Epp’s short-form adaptation of Rovai’s well-known Classroom Community Scale (CCS-SF) as a measure of classroom community among introductory undergraduate math and statistics students. A series of statistical analyses were conducted to investigate the validity of the CCS-SF for this new population. Data were collected from 351 students enrolled in 21 online classes, offered for credit in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 at a private university in the United States. Further confirmatory analysis was conducted with data from 128 undergraduates enrolled in 13 in-person and hybrid classes, offered for credit in Fall 2021 at the same institution. Following Rovai’s original 20-item CCS, the 8-item CCS-SF yields two interpretable factors, connectedness and learning. This study confirms the two-factor structure of the CCS-SF, and concludes that it is a valid measure of classroom community among undergraduate students enrolled in remote, hybrid, and in-person introductory mathematics and statistics courses

Homeownership and Local Voting in Disadvantaged Urban Neighborhoods

Homeownership has long been considered the cornerstone of the American dream, and considerable research has pointed to the social benefits of homeownership for both families and communities. Yet research concerning this link between homeownership and social participation has recently undergone critique for failing to consider neighborhood context. Do homeowners in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods become active participants in neighborhood improvement, or do they feel stuck in undesirable neighborhoods where they perceive little potential for change? The research addresses endogeneity concerns and shows that, when compared with renters, homeowners are more likely to have voted in recent local elections. Neighborhood context does moderate this relationship, with homeowners in disadvantaged neighborhoods being more likely to vote than owners in other areas. These findings suggest that, despite potential household-level costs associated with owning a home in a disadvantaged urban area, responsible homeownership in such areas promotes local political involvement among lower income residents

Nursing Students’ Perceptions about Effective Pedagogy: Netnographic Analysis

BackgroundEffective pedagogy that encourages high standards of excellence and commitment to lifelong learning is essential in health professions education to prepare students for real-life challenges such as health disparities and global health issues. Creative learning and innovative teaching strategies empower students with high-quality, practical, real-world knowledge and meaningful skills to reach their potential as future health care providers. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore health profession students’ perceptions of whether their learning experiences were associated with good or bad pedagogy during asynchronous discussion forums. The further objective of the study was to identify how perceptions of the best and worst pedagogical practices reflected the students’ values, beliefs, and understanding about factors that made a pedagogy good during their learning history. MethodsA netnographic qualitative design was employed in this study. The data were collected on February 3, 2020 by exporting archived data from multiple sessions of a graduate-level nursing course offered between the fall 2016 and spring 2020 semesters at a large private university in the southeast region of the United States. Each student was a data unit. As an immersive data operation, field notes were taken by all research members. Data management and analysis were performed with NVivo 12. ResultsA total of 634 posts were generated by 153 students identified in the dataset. Most of these students were female (88.9%). From the 97 categories identified, four themes emerged: (T) teacher presence built through relationship and communication, (E) environment conducive to affective and cognitive learning, (A) assessment and feedback processes that yield a growth mindset, and (M) mobilization of pedagogy through learner- and community-centeredness. ConclusionsThe themes that emerged from our analysis confirm findings from previous studies and provide new insights. Our study highlights the value of technology as a tool for effective pedagogy. A resourceful teacher can use various communication techniques to develop meaningful connections between the learner and teacher. Styles of communication will vary according to the unique expectations and needs of learners with different learning preferences; however, the aim is to fully engage each learner, establish a rapport between and among students, and nurture an environment characterized by freedom of expression in which ideas flow freely. We suggest that future research continue to explore the influence of differing course formats and pedagogical modalities on student learning experiences

Homeownership and parenting practices: Evidence from the community advantage panel

This study examines whether there is a significant relationship between homeownership and engaged parenting practices among low- and moderate-income households. Using analytic methods which account for selection effects and clustering, we test whether homeownership can act as a protective factor against parental disengagement from children. Controlling for individual characteristics, analyses demonstrate that homeowners are more likely than renters to demonstrate engaged parenting behaviors such as organizing structured activities for their children. While renters are more likely to read to their children, the children of homeowners spend less time watching television and playing video games. Implications for low-income housing policy are discussed in light of these findings.Parenting Homeownership Assets Low-income families Child development