Developing a purposeful and robust assessment system for multi-section courses

This session is highlights ways in which programs can adhere to aspects of quality assessment systems with multi-section courses and multiple teachers implementing common learning outcomes. Effective educational assessment systems are coherent, comprehensive, and continuous (The National Research Council, 2001). Educational assessment communicates to learners and other stakeholders how well students achieve the stated learning outcomes of a particular course/program. Results can be used for a multitude of purposes; therefore, it is essential that educational assessment systems are purposeful and robust. They should provide an appropriate balance of assessment practices that yields the most valid and reliable information about students\u27 learning while having positive washback into the classroom. The presenters draw on research and practical experience from two different cases within a university setting to frame recommended measures to develop a purposeful and robust assessment system. The session discusse..

Self-assessment resource for EAL pre-service and in-service teachers and EAL K-16 educators in the MENA region

The purpose of this session is to describe and share sample items of a contextually relevant resource developed specifically for English as an Additional Language (EAL) student-teachers and EAL teachers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Fifteen EAL and teacher/education academics created, reviewed and piloted the 300 multiple-choice-item resource. The resource supports teachers\u27 lifelong learning and measures their progress in applying strategies, methods, and theories in EAL teaching/learning in the five TESOL International domains: language foundations, culture, instruction, assessment and professionalism (2010). The resource supports EAL outcomes-based curricula and reinforces independent learning and self-assessment to improve EAL professional content knowledge, professional pedagogical skills and professional disposition. If used effectively, the self-assessment resource can be a powerful learning tool. This resource allows EAL student teachers and EAL teachers to engage in self assessing i..

Does size really matter in university preparatory english language classrooms?

© 2020, Western Australian Institute for Educational Research Inc.. All rights reserved. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of class size on the learning and teaching of English in an intensive pre-university program. Four ‘larger’ and four ‘smaller’ sized classes were created, and each class was populated with a mix of students in terms of achievement and motivation. Tutors were assigned to both large and small classes, and tutor quality was controlled for qualifications, experience, and demonstrated effectiveness. When student grades were analysed at the end of the course, no significant differences in student achievement were found in overall, end-of-course grades. However, for students at the elementary language level, class size had an impact on their success. In addition, it was found that tutors as well as students indicated a strong preference for smaller-sized classes at both elementary and intermediate language levels. The study adds insights from a rapidly evolving international higher education context to the existing body of research into the impact of class size on students and teachers

University Student-parents’ Experiences in the UAE during COVID-19: Future Implications for Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020 and threw higher education institutions worldwide into a rapid transition from face-to-face to online learning modes. While students everywhere were grappling with the changes to their learning experiences, those with parenting responsibilities had additional pressures. This study investigated how university student-parents across the United Arab Emirates experienced the change, and their perceptions of the impact of COVID- 19 on their studies. One hundred seventy-five students responded to a questionnaire exploring domains such as their domestic set-up for study, levels of support from family and their institutions, and the situation’s impact on their learning, well-being, and peer and instructor interactions. It was found that while many students relished being more involved with their children’s online schoolwork, this caused tremendous strain for some. Many students had responsibility for at least one child beside them as they studied, leading to multiple distractions that affected their learning and ability to meet deadlines. While most students reported keeping up social support networks with peers, a majority also stated feeling less supported academically by peers and faculty. Many students also felt that their mental health and wellbeing had been diminished due to the situation. The implications of the findings to higher education are discussed

University Student-parents’ Experiences in the UAE during COVID-19: Future Implications for Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020 and threw higher education institutions worldwide into a rapid transition from face-to-face to online learning modes. While students everywhere were grappling with the changes to their learning experiences, those with parenting responsibilities had additional pressures. This study investigated how university student-parents across the United Arab Emirates experienced the change, and their perceptions of the impact of COVID- 19 on their studies. One hundred seventy-five students responded to a questionnaire exploring domains such as their domestic set-up for study, levels of support from family and their institutions, and the situation’s impact on their learning, well-being, and peer and instructor interactions. It was found that while many students relished being more involved with their children’s online schoolwork, this caused tremendous strain for some. Many students had responsibility for at least one child beside them as they studied, leading to multiple distractions that affected their learning and ability to meet deadlines. While most students reported keeping up social support networks with peers, a majority also stated feeling less supported academically by peers and faculty. Many students also felt that their mental health and wellbeing had been diminished due to the situation. The implications of the findings to higher education are discussed

Academic parenthood in the United Arab Emirates in the time of COVID-19

Since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, early research already indicates that the personal and professional impact on academics juggling parenting responsibilities with their academic work has been immense. This study, set in the United Arab Emirates, explores the experiences of academic parents and looks at ways in which various aspects of their professional lives have been affected by the pandemic. Survey data from 93 participant parents indicated that certain elements of research productivity have been reduced during the pandemic, and having to support children with online schoolwork while teaching online themselves has been particularly stressful. Working from home with no dedicated space was a frequent challenge for the academic parents, and this impacted their ability to perform research tasks that demanded quiet spaces, e.g., reading and writing. However, the data also indicated that parents appreciated greater working flexibility, a reduction in commuting time, and being able to be more involved in their family lives. Some indications were perhaps unexpected, such as no statistically significant impact being observed on academic parents’ ability to interact with students or peers at their institutions while working from home. The implications of these findings to faculty and institutions are discussed

Parental Involvement and Grade Four Students\u27 English Reading Achievement

The intent of this study was to determine whether relationships exist between parental involvement indicators, private tutoring, students\u27 background, and Arabic reading achievement in fourth-grade Emirati students. Data was collected in the form of researcher-constructed parent and student surveys, a silent reading comprehension test, and a read aloud. Sixty-three female and 68 male students from four model schools and their parents participated in the study. The results show significant associations between some aspects of parents\u27 involvement, parents\u27 education level and employment and students\u27 reading achievement. There was a significant association between providing learning resources and Arabic reading comprehension (p= .008); and female students were provided with more learning resources than their male peers (p=.014). In addition, students who received private tutoring significantly scored lower in all areas of reading achievement than those who did not receive private tutoring (p=.001). As for parents\u27 level of education, children who had a parent with an undergraduate degree scored significantly higher than children who had a parent with a high school diploma (p=.016); and children whose parent worked in the business sector scored significantly lower than children whose parent worked for the government (p= .012). There were no significant findings between Arabic reading achievement and family size