Critical Issues Facing School Principals

The purpose of this study was to further extend research initially conducted in 2003 pertaining to the critical issues K-12 principals address on a daily basis. The study involved surveying school principals within the state of Mississippi to discover the critical issues they identified, the significance level of these issues, and the rationale behind the top ranked critical issue as identified by each principal. Findings indicated several changes in rank order of the issues, but accountability was once again noted as the most critical issue. A chi-square and Cramer’s V treatments suggested no statistically significant relationship between the independent variables, gender, age, school level, administrative experience, education system and highest degree, and the dependent variable, critical issue. Moreover, data indicated school safety was considered less critical than several other issues

Considerations of Distance Education Integration: A Qualitative Study

As higher education institutions determine whether or not to initiate or expand distance education offerings, there are many considerations and levels of decision making that need to be measured. This study investigated the role of key administrators at the departmental chair and dean levels in expanding distance education offerings. Findings of this study included faculty and student considerations, resources and external support, and integration costs of distance education offerings as major considerations within distance education decision making. Furthermore, the need for realistic timelines, planning for the associated costs of distance education offerings, and current tenure and promotion policies are discussed. The findings of the study provide insight into the planning, preparation, development, and implementation stages of distance education offerings

Teaching to the Test: A Controversial Issue in Quantitative Measurement

discussion of the pros and cons of focusing curricular and pedagogical decisions primarily on mastery of those skills and concepts measured by standardized tests. This paper presents scholarly discourse based on testing systems and school accountability, along with a presentation of the advantages and disadvantages of what is commonly referred to as 'teaching to the test.' The authors of this document found research studies to be inconclusive with no clear indication of whether or not there is an advantage or disadvantage to the practice of teaching to the test. But most notably, the actual issue connected to this debate may be the lack of understanding of item-teaching and curricular teaching. In the mind of many educators, item teaching, curriculum teaching and teaching to the test are synonymous

Fostering Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Improve Student Learning

The purpose of this study was to compare the impact on student learning of those enrolled in courses where instructors participated in collegial coaching and peer mentoring. A nonequivalent group design methodology was employed along with an analysis of variance to analyze data. Findings indicated higher mastery levels of student learning outcomes, higher levels of perceived critical thinking and collaboration by students, statistical significance in critical thinking constructs, higher levels of persistence, and more A's and B's and fewer D's and F's in courses where faculty members were mentored as compared to courses where faculty members were not

Using a Common Pedagogy across Multiple Disciplines to Improve Student Learning

This study includes findings from a university-wide instructional improvement project conducted across multiple disciplines in undergraduate and graduate courses. The project was constructed around a common pedagogy, Michaelsen's Team-Based Learning [1]. The purpose of the project was to improve several outcomes based on the constructs of critical thinking, collaboration, engagement and persistence. Data indicated a positive impact on each of these outcomes with a number of statistically significant findings.<br><br>[1] Michaelsen, L. K., Knight, A. B., & Fink, L. D. (2004). Team-Based Learning: A transformative use of small groups in college teaching. Sterling, VA: Stylus

Directing a Quality Enhancement Plan

This paper is drawn from a project aimed at enhancing the quality of instructional practice and improving studentlearning outcomes in classes across an urban university located in the southern region of the United States. The strategies, employed by the project leader, are discussed in detail as framed by a new problem-solving leadership design called the Alloy Improvement Model (AIM). Data collected at the end of the second full year and reported in this paper indicated all project goals were met and that the utilization of the AIM was central to project success

Perceptions of Electronic Health Records in Mississippi

The study reports perceptions of Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption among key constituents in Mississippi to inform health care professionals and administrators about factors that influence the adoption and integration of EHRs into practice. The results from a survey conducted at two statewide health conferences in Mississippi indicated a high degree of optimism in regards to successful EHR adoption, but less for specific practices and in rural areas. These results are relevant to healthcare decision and policy makers to determine needed professional preparation and programming, if any, for current and future healthcare professionals; and to identify workforce development challenges lending insight into the technology skills needed to adopt and utilize EHRs at a meaningful level. Further, the assessment identified potential factors that may be associated with the current level of adoption of utilization of EHRs

Application exercise design for team-based learning in online courses

This chapter describes best practices for adapting traditional, face-to-face, team-based learning principles to develop online application exercise design, support effective facilitation, and use appropriate technology to promote effective online team collaboration. The unique challenges of online TBL applications include maintaining effective team collaboration, discussion facilitation, and simultaneous reporting. A framework is proposed to guide practitioners to make appropriate, systematic choices in the development of online TBL applications.This is the published version of the following article: Dorneich, Michael C., Brian O'Dwyer, Annetta R. Dolowitz, Jennifer L. Styron, and James Grogan. "Application exercise design for team‐based learning in online courses." New Directions for Teaching and Learning 2021, no. 165 (2021): 41-52. DOI: 10.1002/tl.20435. Copyright 2021 The Authors. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Posted with permission