Exploring chinese international students’ acceptance of mobile learning

With the rapid development of mobile technology, many colleges and universities plan to incorporate, or have started to explore, the use of mobile technology in academics. To improve the educational use of mobile devices, it is necessary and important to investigate students’ acceptance of mobile learning. As one of the largest groups of international students in U.S. universities, Chinese international students were the major focus of this study. Using the Unified Theory of Technology Acceptance and Use (UTAUT) model as a theoretical framework, the researcher explored Chinese international students’ use of mobile learning and examined whether the four UTAUT determinants (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions) affect Chinese international students’ acceptance of mobile learning. Online surveys were used for data collection. The descriptive data indicate that the majority of the participants owned mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, iPads, MP3, and MP4 players. They frequently used these mobile devices for various learning activities. In addition, the results reveal that there was no significant difference of participants’ behavioral intention to use mobile learning based on gender, age, level of experience, and voluntariness of use. Effort expectancy and facilitating conditions were significant predictors of participants’ behavioral intention to use mobile learning. Facilitating conditions and behavioral intention were not significant predictors of participants’ use behavior of mobile learning. However, there was slight interaction between facilitation conditions and behavioral intention. This research provides university administrators and educators information on the factors influencing Chinese international students’ acceptance of mobile learning and their actual usage of mobile learning. The findings also expand the existing body of knowledge in the fields of mobile learning and the UTAUT model. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

A census of intercollegiate athletics at master's colleges and universities

This census explored characteristics of intercollegiate athletic programs at the public Master's Colleges and Universities (MCUs) in the United States. Those which hold membership in the two major intercollegiate athletic associations, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), as well as those who do not participate in either of these were included. The census organized data that was reported to the national surveys of the Institutional Postsecondary Educational Data System (IPEDS) and the Equity in Athletic Disclosure Act (EADA), and the findings were reported using the Carnegie Basic Classification scheme as it was refined by John Clinton Kinkead in 2009. The population for the study was the 266 public Master's Colleges and Universities which were identified by Kinkead. Topics that were examined include the sponsorship of intercollegiate athletics at MCUs, athletic association participation, student participation, athletically-related student aid, athletic division within NCAA member institutions, athletic revenues and expenditures, recruitment expenses, staffing requirements, and graduation rates using Kinkead's modified classification; and athletic association participation and student participation by Census Region. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Student recreation at The University of Alabama: the influence of intercollegiate athletics

Student recreation, particularly intramural competition, is an integral part of campus life at The University of Alabama flagship campus in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. However, this recreational activity is often overshadowed by varsity athletics. The prominence of the national champion Crimson Tide football team is such that many campus activities, including student recreation, are secondary to athletics. This paper provides a focused history of student recreation at The University of Alabama from approximately 1958 to 1982 as it developed under the influence of a nationally prominent athletics program. Presently, a historical perspective on the Department of University Recreation at the Tuscaloosa campus, including its interaction with the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, is lacking. The discussion begins with a brief examination of student recreation and athletics since the founding of The University of Alabama through 1958, the year the University's first recreation facility was constructed and the year Paul "Bear" Bryant was hired as Head Football Coach and Director of Athletics. The paper reviews the influence of Bryant and the Athletics Department on recreational activities. This is followed by the events leading up to the building of the Student Recreation Center, the first campus facility constructed exclusively for student recreational use, and not joint use with Athletics. The discussion concludes by noting recent growth at The University of Alabama and the place of recreation and athletics in institution building. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Degree production and curricular change in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning programs at Alabama community and technical colleges, 1994 to 2008

Two-year colleges in Alabama, in the curricular area of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) serve an important role in providing local HVAC industries with service technicians. Today, along with many other industries, the HVAC industry relies largely upon community colleges for formally training and educating individuals who choose to pursue technical degrees. Through this study, the researcher gives a clearer understanding of HVAC programs throughout Alabama, explores the distribution of awards across all award types, discusses the numerous changes that HVAC programs have encountered across the state, and examines the way in which these changes have affected degree production of HVAC programs. Additionally, mergers of Alabama technical colleges and community colleges and licensure certification policies and procedures for Alabama HVAC technicians are included within the study. Data is provided regarding degree production at two-year colleges in Alabama, in the curricular area of HVAC by gender and race/ethnicity from 1994 to 2008. Findings and conclusions are presented along with recommendations for policy, practice and future research. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

The aquisition, use, and disposition of school district property

This study examines the historical development of case law pertaining to the acquisition, use, and disposition of school district property. The study includes an analysis of 84 court cases involving litigation from a variety of states and court jurisdictions. The cases briefed in this study are clustered into subtopics to include the general authority of school districts to acquire, use,and dispose of real property in accordance with applicable federal or state laws. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

The influence of student engagement on the six-year graduation rates of African American students at a predominantly white university

The purpose of this study was to examine college engagement factors identified from questions from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and precollege variables (high school GPA, ACT/SAT scores, parents' education level) to predict academic success, in the form of six-year graduation rates, of African American students at a predominantly White institution. Previous research has shown the influence of both cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics, as well as in-college engagements as indicators of persistence to graduation. This study extends the literature by focusing on how the relative significance, weights, and interactions of these factors impact the graduation rates of African American students at a predominantly White institution. The study utilized existing data from the NSSE survey, which was administered to freshmen and seniors in the spring 2006 and spring 2007 academic years. The dataset included freshmen and seniors who were full-time, first-enrolled at the selected institution and participated in the 2006 and 2007 administrations of the NSSE survey. The results of this study provides implications for improved programs for postsecondary institutions by assisting them in cultivating college environments that encourage participation in educationally purposeful activities that may positively influence the graduation rates and academic experiences for African American students on predominantly White campuses. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Cuentenme sus historias: stories of persistence as told by first-generation Latina/o students

While colleges and universities around the country are becoming increasingly more diverse, the data on national retention rates indicate that institutions are not doing better jobs of retaining students despite all the initiatives that have been implemented over the last ten years. In fact, the attrition rate for Latina/os was 29.2 percent and 30.1 percent for African Americans. On the other hand, the rates for Asians and Whites were 14.9 percent and 18.8 percent respectively. According to the ACE Report, only 36.4 percent of African Americans and 42 percent of Latina/os had earned bachelor's degrees compared to 62.3 percent of their Asian and 58 percent of their White counterparts. These figures clearly illustrate a great disparity in the educational outcomes of Latina/os compared to that of Whites despite the increased enrollment of Latina/os in higher education. Given the compelling need to address the outcomes of an increasingly diverse undergraduate student population, I focused this study specifically on the interplay between sociocultural factors and institutional support as related to the experiences of first-generation Latina/o students attending a predominantly White institution (PWI). By exploring the interaction between these factors, this study offers insights into aspects of these students' life experiences that impact their persistence. Three questions that guided this study are: 1) What role does family play in the persistence of first-generation Latina/o students attending the PWI? 2) What role does institutional support play in the persistence of first-generation Latina/o students attending the PWI? 3) What role do peer networks play in the persistence of first-generation Latina/o students attending the PWI? These questions directed the qualitative research process and are based on a framework introduced by Stanton-Salazar (2001) who explored the experiences of low-income Mexican origin adolescents from immigrant families attending urban high schools using the concepts of social capital as well as peer, familial, and institutional support. These concepts have been positioned centrally to my research as they remain salient to understanding the experiences of first-generation Latina/o students once they enter higher education institutions. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

An exploratory study of the presentation of special education law in administrative preparation programs for aspiring administrators

Administrators must have a strong command of education and special education law. Case law rulings, additions to procedural safeguards, and legislation in the area of special education are demonstrative of the need for additional training in the area of law for preservice administrators to increase their competency level. Valesky and Hirth (1992) examined training received by administrators in administrative preparation programs and the number of due processes and complaints received at the State Department of Education level for each state. This study uses the results of the seventeen-year old study as a baseline of information to review the impact of IDEA 1997, NCLB 2001, and the reauthorization of the IDEIA 2004 on licensure requirements, numbers of complaints, appeals, and due process hearings. This study found no significant differences between clock hours of special education law presented in administrator preparation programs and complaints, due process hearings requests, and fully adjudicated hearings. The overall presence of special education law has increased tremendously since Valesky and Hirth (1992) investigated the topic prior to IDEA 1997. Descriptive conclusions were based on the continued abundance of complaints, due process hearing requests, and fully adjudicated hearings. After almost twenty years of reform efforts, a large percentage of university administrator preparation programs are not increasing the time focused on special education law; special education litigation continues to be faced by many school districts across the United States. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Teen opinions of the influence of parental technology use on teen technology use

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine teens' opinions of the influence their parents' technology practices have on teens' technology practices. There is an absence of research in the area of parental influence over teens' technology practices (Ito, 2010; Yu, Yuen, & Jae, 2012). Few teens have considered their parents' role in their technology practices. Other than providing teens with access to technology, parents' roles are often overlooked. Parents are often hesitant to discuss technology with their teens because of their lack of knowledge about technology (Odendaal, 2004). Parental concerns are typically the focus of research surrounding the parent-child relationship and teen technology practices (Ito, 2010; Odendaal, 2004; Plowman, 2010). This study contributes to the research on teens' opinions of their parents' technology use and knowledge. The teens discussed their interactions and views on the relationship with their parents and technology. Teens underestimated parents' contribution to teens' technology practices in discussions. The results to a teen questionnaire, however, indicated their parents affected their technology practices. This research will enable parents to understand the importance of their role in their teens' technology practices and allow teens to see how much their parents influence them. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

The effect of an interactive computer simulation video on clinical judgment

Simulation has been identified as an effective approach for preparing nursing students to transition from theory to practice. It is widely accepted that high-fidelity patient simulation has a positive impact on student learning and decision-making abilities. Computer-based simulation may be an effective alternative to the high cost of high-fidelity patient simulators. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine if the use of an interactive computer simulation video had an impact on the clinical judgment of undergraduate nursing students. This study also examined whether there was a relationship between students’ demographic and academic characteristics and their clinical judgment scores. A sample of 50 community college associate degree nursing students participated in this study. The students were placed into experimental (N=18) and control (N=32) groups. An interactive computer-simulation video was the intervention used for the experimental group. An independent samples t test was conducted to compare group findings. All participants completed a demographic/academic form including age, GPA, current working hours, and previous degrees to examine if a relationship existed between demographic and academic variables and clinical judgment scores as measured by the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric. The study found no significant differences in clinical judgment scores between students who used the interactive computer-simulation video and those who did not. The study also did not find any relationship between student demographic and academic variables and clinical judgment scores. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries