Teaching Presence in Online Courses: Similar Perceptions but Different Experiences from Multiple Instructor Perspectives

Online course instructors’ perceptions and perspectives regarding their teaching presence as a key presence in online learning environments significantly influence, if not determine, their online teaching practices, which in turn influence the quality of online students’ learning experiences. Although gaining deeper insights into online course instructors’ perceptions and experiences of teaching presence is quite important and valuable for online education, there is still limited qualitative inquiry into this critical presence across diverse online teaching contexts. The purpose in this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore and understand online course instructors’ perceptions and experiences regarding their own presence in their online courses. We explored the perceptions and experiences of eight course instructors teaching undergraduate and graduate-level online courses at a midwestern U.S. college. Our findings indicated that teaching presence was uniformly considered important and necessary by the instructors although their applications and priorities regarding their teaching presence varied. We discussed our themes that emerged from our interview data and offered several theoretical and practical implications regarding teaching presence in online learning environments

6. ve 7. sınıf öğrencilerinin fen-teknoloji-toplum-çevre ilişkilendirmelerini geliştirmeye yönelik bir eylem araştırması: çevremi eğitiyorum

06.03.2018 tarihli ve 30352 sayılı Resmi Gazetede yayımlanan “Yükseköğretim Kanunu İle Bazı Kanun Ve Kanun Hükmünde Kararnamelerde Değişiklik Yapılması Hakkında Kanun” ile 18.06.2018 tarihli “Lisansüstü Tezlerin Elektronik Ortamda Toplanması, Düzenlenmesi ve Erişime Açılmasına İlişkin Yönerge” gereğince tam metin erişime açılmıştır.Bu çalışma 6. ve 7. sınıf öğrencilerinin, ebeveynlerini ve yaĢadıkları çevre halkını Fen-Teknoloji-Toplum-Çevre iliĢkilendirmeleri hakkında bilgilendirmelerini konu edinen bir eylem araĢtırmasıdır. Bu kapsamda öğrencilerden 6. sınıf "Canlılarda Üreme, Büyüme ve GeliĢme" ve 7. sınıf "Vücudumuzdaki Sistemler" ünitesindeki Fen-Teknoloji-Toplum-Çevre iliĢkilendirmelerini içeren kazanımlar doğrultusunda afiĢ, poster, drama vb. öğretim materyalleri hazırlamaları istenmiĢ, araĢtırmanın sonunda öğrenciler ebeveynlerini bilgilendirecekleri bir bilim Ģenliği yaparak hazırladıkları materyalleri yaĢadıkları köy halkına sunmuĢlardır.AraĢtırmanın çalıĢma grubunu Sakarya Ġli, Adapazarı ilçesinde bulunan taĢımalı sistemle eğitim yapan bir okulun 6. sınıfında öğrenim gören 33 öğrenci ve 7. sınıfında öğrenim gören 28 öğrenci olmak üzere toplam 61 öğrenci, 11 veli, köy halkından 5 birey ve köy muhtarı oluĢturmaktadır. 2011-2012 eğitim-öğretim döneminde gerçekleĢtirilen bu çalıĢmada araĢtırmacı öğretmen, birincil veri kaynağı olarak açık uçlu soru formu, gözlem ve doküman (öğrencilerin hazırladıkları materyaller, öğrenci mektupları, alan notları) kullanmıĢ; ikincil veri kaynağı olarak da görüĢmelerden faydalanmıĢtır. ÇalıĢmada elde edilen veriler sonuçların analiz edilmesi ve yorumlanması için uygun bir biçimde kullanılmıĢtır. AraĢtırmada elde edilen veriler açık kodlama tekniği ile kodlanmıĢ ve temalaĢtırma yapılmıĢtır. Dokümanlardan örnekörnekler alınarak kodlar ve temalar detaylandırılmıĢtır. ixAraĢtırmanın baĢında öğrenciler organik tarım, ergenlik, canlılarda üreme, sindirim ve boĢaltım sistemi, duyu organları, engelli olmak, organ bağıĢı, bağımlılıktemalarında FTTÇ iliĢkilendirmeleri ile ilgili yeteri kadar bilgi sahibi olmadıkları fakat araĢtırmanın sonunda bu konulara iliĢkin biliĢsel düzeylerinde olumlu yönde farklılık sağlandığı tespit edilmiĢtir. AraĢtırmaya dâhil olan velilerin de çocukları aracılığıyla söz konusu konular hakkında bilinçlendikleri gözlemlenmiĢtir. AyrıcaaraĢtırmanın öğrencilere sorumluluk alma, empati kurma, özgüven, kariyer bilinci geliĢtirme, baĢarma hissi, derse yönelik olumlu tutum, duyarlılık gibi duyuĢsal geliĢim alanlarında katkı sağladığı gözlenmiĢtir. Fen ve Teknoloji dersi kapsamında öğrencilerin FTTÇ iliĢkilendirmelerini arttıracak yönde proje geliĢtirme ve öğrenme sorumluluğu alarak öğretmeye yönelik aktivitelerin farklı sınıf seviyelerinde ve farklı sosyo-ekonomik düzeydeki okullarda yapılması, halkın fen okuryazarlığını ve sosyobilimsel konularda farkındalıklarını geliĢtirmeye yönelik çalıĢmalar yapılması bu çalıĢmadan elde edilen sonuçlar doğrultusunda önerilmiĢtir.Anahtar Kelimeler: Fen Öğretimi, Fen-Teknoloji-Toplum-Çevre ĠliĢkilendirmeleriThis study is an action research that deals with 6th and 7th grade students‟ activities to keep informed their parents and their close environment about science, technology, society and environment associations. In this context, 6th grade students for the chapter in the name of "Procreation, Growth and Development of Creatures" and 7thgrade students for the chapter in the name of " System of Our Body" were asked to prepare posters, banners, role-plays suitable for educational attainments of science, technology, society and environment associations. At the end of the study, students displayed their materials to their close environment by organizing science-fest.The sample of the study consists of 33 students in 6th. grade and 28 students in 7thgrade from a mobile educating school and 11 parents, 5 people from the village and a local authority in Adapazarı which is a county of Sakarya. In the study which was conducted 2011-2012 academic year document analysis, observation and open-ended question form (materials prepared by students, students‟ letters and researcher‟s diary) as primary data source and interviewed as secondary data source were used. In the study data collected from the sources has been used properly to analyze and interpret the results. Collected data was coded with straight-line coding technique and created themes. Codes and themes were detailed by presenting samples from documents. At the initial stages students were found to have insufficient knowledge about organic agriculture, adolescence, reproductive in living being, digest and urinarysystem, sense organs, being handicapped, organ donation and dependency, but at theend of the study a positive difference has been found out in their cognitive level. It is seen that the parents have been informed about the issues via their children. At the same time the study has support students‟ affective progress in such as taking over responsibility, empathy, self-esteem, developing career consciousness, being achievement, positive attitude towards lesson and sensibility. It is suggested that students to make projects about STSE and to take over the responsibility of learning for teaching activities in different schools from different socio-economic levels, public to make more conscious about scientific literacy and to make studies for developing their awarenes

“I Don’t Want My Child to Be a Guinea Pig”: Reasons for Non-Participation in a Parental Tobacco Cessation Trial in the Pediatric Emergency Department Setting

(1) Background: Pediatric emergency department (PED) settings are opportune venues in which to recruit parental smokers into tobacco cessation interventions. However, the barriers associated with parents’ participation in PED-based cessation trials are unknown. The objective was to explore parents’ reasons for non-participation in a PED-based tobacco cessation trial. (2) Methods: We employed the framework method and conducted a qualitative data analysis of parental smokers who were eligible to participate in a PED-based tobacco cessation trial and did not choose to participate (n = 371). (3) Results: Two main themes emerged about reasons for non-participation: (a) Not interested in participating in a research study, and (b) concerns specific to the study. Parents had various reasons for not participating in the cessation trial including not being interested in quitting, parents’ health and well-being, parents’ beliefs about research, and time required for the study and follow-up visits. (4) Conclusion: General disinterest and specific study-related concerns were touted as reasons for non-participation in a PED-based tobacco cessation trial. Given the potential reductions in tobacco-related morbidity to both parents and children that tobacco control interventions can facilitate, future tobacco interventions should consider alterations in study design and recruitment strategies to encourage all eligible parental smokers to participate

Evaluation of 2015-2016 MOTAKK HBV DNA and HCV RNA External Quality Assessment National Program Results

MOTAKK, as a national external quality control program has been launched to evaluate the molecular detection of viral infections including HBV DNA and HCV RNA in molecular microbiology diagnostic laboratories in Turkey. This program is prepared in compliance with ISO 17043:2010 (Conformity assessment general requirements for proficiency testing) standards, and aims to take the place of external quality control programs from abroad, contributing to standardization and accuracy of molecular diagnostic tests in our country. The aim of this study was to evaluate 2015 and 2016 results of the MOTAKK External Quality Control Program for HBV DNA and HCV RNA viral load. The calls were announced on the web page of MOTAKK (www.motakk.org). The quality control samples were sent to participating laboratories in 2015 and 2016. Main stocks were prepared from patients with chronic hepatitis B and C who had viral load detection with reference methods according to WHO reference materials for viral load studies to improve quality control sera. From these main stocks, samples with different viral loads were prepared from dilutions of plasma with HBV, HCV, HAV, HIV, Parvovirus B19 and CMV negative serologic markers. Quality control samples were sent to the participating laboratories along with the negative samples in the cold chain. The laboratories accomplished the related tests within 2-3 weeks and entered their results on the MOTAKK web page. These results were analysed according to ISO 13528 (Statistical methods for use in proficiency testing by interlaboratory comparison) and scoring reports were created by a software developed by MOTAKK and sent to participating labs. Each laboratory evaluated their own results in comparison with the other laboratory results, reassessed the tests via observing the distance from the mean result and the reference values. The number of laboratories participating in the HBV DNA and HCV RNA external quality control program was 70-73 in 2015-2016. Participants were able to comply with the program tools, registering, entering results and receiving the results reports problem. In HBV panel, 72.6-89.1% and 84.7-90.3% of the participant laboratories were in 1 standard deviation (SD) in 2015-2016, respectively. In HCV panel, 70.8-89.1% and 84.7-90.3% of the participant laboratories were in 1 SD in 2015-2016, respectively. A national external quality control program for HBV DNA and HCV RNA in Turkey has been prepared for the first time with this project and implemented successfully. All the data provided in the MOTAKK external quality control program final report, compensate all the data provided by the quality control program final reports from abroad; additionally, the report allows comparison of used technologies and commercial products