Reconsidering Teacher Presence and Community Building in an Online ESOL College Composition Course During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2022 ◽  
pp. 354-371
Author(s):  
Mark A. McGuire ◽  
Zhenjie Weng ◽  
Karen P. Macbeth

The pandemic of 2019 exposed considerable weaknesses in how teachers were present and communities were built in asynchronous, international, online ESOL composition classrooms. Although teachers put more time into their courses, students still felt disconnected from their educational experience. This study, through student surveys and teacher reflections, followed two teachers who devised innovative solutions to actively do “being present” as teachers and to thereby more compellingly draw students into the community-building process despite the limitations of the online space amidst an international crisis. Included are recommendations about specific ways to challenge traditional online instructional methods, to allow and promote student agency through unstructured and semi-structured activities, to create connections via strategic vulnerability, and more. Also discussed are key concepts for future research and general conclusions about the need for such teacher adaptability and the lessons from it, both for during the pandemic and beyond it.

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Irati Hurtado ◽  
Kacie Gastañaga

University Spanish courses designed specifically for heritage language learners (HLLs) are becoming more common, and researchers have indicated that empirical research is needed to evaluate their effectiveness. This longitudinal study investigates the writing development of 24 HLLs as a result of instruction over the course of the semester. Nine were enrolled in a heritage-only section of a Spanish composition course, and the remainder were from mixed HL/L2 sections of the same course. Both section types were taught online. The major assignments the students produced were two 500-word essays, and students also completed bi-weekly forum posts. We examined the development of lexical density, sophistication, and diversity as well as syntactic complexity and accuracy by comparing each student’s first and final essay and forum posts. Findings indicate that there were significant differences between the scores received on the forum posts in comparison to the essays. However, there were no significant developmental differences in terms of group. Implications, avenues for future research, and pedagogical suggestions are discussed.


Author(s):  
Patrik N. Juslin

There are several features that we have come to expect from an expert performance: technical mastery, confidence, originality, flexibility, and a true understanding of the musical style. Yet the feature that both performers and listeners appear to regard as the most important is that the performer is expressive. The most-loved artists are commonly the ones that are able to express and evoke emotions in listeners. Previous studies have mainly concerned how performers express emotions, and this article focuses on this question. The article first provides working definitions of key concepts (e.g. expression, communication), and considers how performers conceive of these issues. It then reviews up-to-date evidence on how performers express emotions. Finally, the article proposes directions for future research.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hoa Thi Hai Vu

<p>Although there is a large literature on ASEAN regionalism, comparatively little attention has been devoted to Southeast Asia’s efforts to build a shared social and cultural community. This thesis examines how the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) is understood in ASEAN and explores challenges that stand in the way of the Community being realized by its 2015 deadline. The study reviews the origins and response to the ASCC at both the regional level, and at the national level through a case-study of Vietnam’s participation. It argues that although the ASCC is an important component of the ASEAN Community building process and member states have proclaimed their determination to realize the ASCC by 2015, the reality in ASEAN with its “unity in diversity” and “ASEAN Way” norms, means there are many obstacles in the way. Divergent national interests and priorities have led to different priorities in designing and implementing the ASCC Blueprint in the period 2009-2015. The thesis concludes by speculating about the likely scenario for ASCC implementation. It argues that in 2015, the most likely scenario for the ASCC is one in which a nascent ASCC will be formed but with only some of its components in place. ASEAN needs a longer journey to realize its aspiration of a shared socio-culture community.</p>


Author(s):  
Katherine M. Auty

In recent years interest in the use of meditation programs in prison has grown considerably, yet empirical research evidence for their effectiveness has been slower to accumulate. This chapter explores the application of meditation programs that take place within prison walls and evaluates their effectiveness in three key areas: (i) mental health and psychological wellbeing; (ii) substance misuse; (iii) and reoffending behavior. Evidence from prison studies, most of them conducted in the USA, is reviewed with a focus on their effectiveness. The philosophical and historical context of meditation is taken into account, and key concepts and definitions are critiqued. The chapter explores the meditation practices that are most often found in prison, such as Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and Vipassana meditation. It examines meditation’s role as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of substance misuse disorders and more general applications that aim to enhance well-being. The limitations of current studies together with directions for future research are also discussed.


Author(s):  
Eleni Didaskalou ◽  
Petros Manesiotis ◽  
Dimitrios Georgakellos

Engineering concepts usually, are complex concepts, thus many times are difficult for infusing into curriculums or to be comprehensive for practitioners. A concept that still now is not fully understandable is that of Industry 4.0, an approach that increases the complexity of production systems. Nowadays production systems are facing new challenges, as physical productions systems and internet technologies are directly linked, hence increasing the complexity but also the productivity of the systems. The paper introduces an approach of visualizing the concept of smart manufacturing in the context of Industry 4.0, as the term is not clearly specified, although has attracted attention both academicians and businesses. Concept mapping is a method of capturing and visualizing complex ideas. Concept maps are graphical tools for organizing, representing and communicating complex ideas by breaking them into more key concepts. As Industry 4.0 is a factor that can boost innovation and competitiveness of business, all parties involved in shaping the strategy of an organization, should perceive the issues to be covered. Furthermore, learners must be prepared to meet these challenges and knowledgebuilding activities may enhance their process of learning. The paper makes an interesting and valuable contribution, by identifying key concepts within the subject of smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0, using the method of concept mapping. Taking into consideration these concepts a conceptual framework will be introduced, by using the software tool CmapTools. The map can be used as a basis for future research in constructing a more comprehensive framework and identifying the concepts that describe smart manufacturing in the context of Industry 4.0, in a more thorough manner.


Author(s):  
A. Townsend Peterson ◽  
Jorge Soberón ◽  
Richard G. Pearson ◽  
Robert P. Anderson ◽  
Enrique Martínez-Meyer ◽  
...  

This chapter describes a framework for selecting appropriate strategies for evaluating model performance and significance. It begins with a review of key concepts, focusing on how primary occurrence data can be presence-only, presence/background, presence/pseudoabsence, or presence/absence as well as factors that may contribute to apparent commission error. It then considers the availability of two pools of occurrence data: one for model calibration and another for evaluation of model predictions. It also discusses strategies for detecting overfitting or sensitivity to bias in model calibration, with particular emphasis on quantification of performance and tests of significance. Finally, it suggests directions for future research as regards model evaluation, highlighting areas in need of theoretical and/or methodological advances.


2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter P. Cheung ◽  
Maarten de Wit ◽  
Clifton O. Bingham ◽  
John R. Kirwan ◽  
Amye Leong ◽  
...  

Objective.Patient participation in research is increasing; however, practical guidelines to enhance this participation are lacking. Specifically within the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) organization, although patients have participated in OMERACT meetings since 2002, consensus about the procedures for involving patients in working groups has not been formalized. The objective is to develop a set of recommendations regarding patient research partner (PRP) involvement in research working groups.Methods.We conducted a systematic literature review on recommendations/guidelines of PRP involvement in research; elaborated a structured consensus process involving multiple participants to develop a set of recommendations; and sought endorsement of recommendations by OMERACT.Results.In the 18 articles included in the literature review, there was general agreement on the broad concepts for recommendations covering PRP involvement in research although they were heterogeneous in detail. Most considered PRP involvement in all phases of research with early engagement, training, and support important, but details on the content were scarce. This review informed a larger consensus-building process regarding PRP inclusion in OMERACT research. Three overarching principles and 8 recommendations were developed, discussed, and refined at OMERACT 2014. The guiding principles were endorsed during the OMERACT plenary session.Conclusion.These recommendations for PRP involvement in OMERACT research reinforce the importance of patient participation throughout the research process as integral members. Although the applicability of the recommendations in other research contexts should be assessed, the generalizability is expected to be high. Future research should evaluate their implementation and their effect on outcome development.


Author(s):  
David Brady ◽  
Agnes Blome ◽  
Hanna Kleider

This article explores the influence of politics and institutions on poverty and inequality. It first considers the general contention that poverty is shaped by the combination of power resources and institutions. On one hand, scholars in the power resources tradition have emphasized the role of class-based collective political actors for mobilizing “power resources” in the state and economy. On the other hand, institutionalists have highlighted the role of formal rules and regulations. The article goes on to discuss the theoretical arguments of power resources theory and the evidence for key power resources (that is, collective political actors like labor unions and parties). It also reviews institutional explanations, focusing on the key concepts and theories and as well as the evidence linking the most salient institutions to poverty. Finally, it examines how state policy influences poverty and presents several challenges for future research.


2019 ◽  
pp. 174804851985376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Myslik ◽  
Liudmila Khalitova ◽  
Tianduo Zhang ◽  
Sophia Tarasevich ◽  
Spiro Kiousis ◽  
...  

This study aims to advance the theoretical and practical knowledge of political public relations, and influence that political profile of the media can have on the agenda-building process. The influences of agenda indexing are also discussed with regard to different media profiles. A quantitative content analysis was conducted to examine the influence of Polish and Russian government messages from presidents and prime ministers regarding the Smolensk plane crash on media coverage in both counties. Newspapers were categorized by political profile representing pro-government, mainstream, or opposition profile. Nearly all of the hypotheses were fully supported for the first, second, and third level of agenda building. Results of this study demonstrate that political public relations’ success and agenda indexing can be affected by a medium’s political profile, particularly in the case of opposition media. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed along with areas of future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 4-6
Author(s):  
B.S. Kiran

Purpose The paper presents the pros and cons of crowdsourcing competitions and highlights the importance of strategy and collaborative efforts. The study identifies the key stakeholders of crowdsourcing and its critical elements (7Ps) that need to be mapped and managed efficiently for obtaining innovative solutions. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws its insights from the explorative research conducted over a two-year period (2016-18). Qualitative interviews held with competition organizers, participants and innovation intermediaries (Innocentive, Nine Sigma, Skild) provided the primary data. Secondary data came from literature survey and the study of archival documents and competition websites. The study was conducted as a part of doctoral research. Findings Crowdsourcing competitions can help organizations to discover innovative solutions by tapping the power of collective intelligence. However, they need to envision and execute these collaborative initiatives strategically and synergistically. Proper design, managerial buy-in and orchestrated efforts by the triumvirate ‘Seekers, solvers and supporters’ are critical to derive the desired outcomes. Research limitations/implications These findings are the resultant outcomes of an exploratory research. Further investigation can help companies to identify the relative importance of the critical elements identified in the study. Future research on the best practices can amplify the prospects of finding innovative solutions through crowdsourcing competitions. Practical implications Crowdsourcing competitions cannot be used impulsively and indiscriminately. Managers have to carefully align the motive and incentive of different actors. Attention to design and the critical factors identified in the study can enhance the prospects of getting qualitative and innovative submissions from the crowd. Social implications Crowdsourcing competitions have great potential to find innovative solutions for many stubborn global problems. When designed and driven rightly, it can expand the solution mix and accelerate the discovery process. Originality/value The paper highlights the need to converge the efforts for diverse stakeholder in crowdsourcing competitions. There are actionable insights for managers in form of 7 Ps- Purpose, Problem, Prize, Platform, Promotion and Partners. When aligned effectively, it can yield innovation dividends to all. By focusing on these vital factors, companies can fine-tune their crowdsourcing strategy and make the initiative more engaging and create value for all the actors.


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