scholarly journals The Benefit of Utilizing Brain-Based Learning in Higher Education Online Environments

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Renee Winter
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Research Question ◽  
The United States ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Online Faculty ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Brain Based Learning ◽  
Face To Face Instruction

Higher education has experienced a significant transformation from traditional face-to-face instruction to online instruction. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine to what extent postsecondary online faculty utilized brain-based learning techniques as part of their academic practices in the online asynchronous learning environment and to assess differences in the use of these techniques between online full-time and online adjunct faculty employed by two public universities and one private university located in the Southwest region of the United States. The theoretical framework of Hart’s (1983) brain-based learning theory (BBLT) informed this study. The sample consisted of 539 accepted and completed surveys. The participants completed 55 questions based on brain-based learning. Quantitative data were collected using Klinek’s (2009) questionnaire about brain-based learning knowledge, beliefs, and practices. The data from the questionnaire measured the online faculty’s knowledge, beliefs, and practices of brain-based learning techniques. The data were analyzed using descriptive information about the sample computing frequencies of the variables. Cronbach’s alpha reliabilities were conducted to complete the descriptive statistics for the first research question. The statistical analysis used for research question two and three was Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) using a 2×2 factorial design to test the hypotheses. The researcher found that there was a significant difference between the BBLT practices of the online faculty from public (M = 3.45) and private universities (M = 3.28), F (1, 294) = 1.62, p = .004, ŋ2 = .044. The study revealed that there is a lack of knowledge about BBLT supporting the need for professional development and training.

The Possibility of Promotion: How Race and Gender Predict Promotion Clarity for Associate Professors

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Amanda M. Kulp ◽  
Lisa E. Wolf-Wendel ◽  
Daryl G. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
The United States ◽  
Associate Professor ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Full Professor ◽  
National Study ◽  
Institutional Characteristics ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Underrepresented Minority

Background/Context The research on promotion to full professor is sparse. Research that does exist has largely emerged from single campuses and studies conducted through disciplinary associations. Extant studies strongly suggest the presence of equity issues in advancement throughout the academic pipeline. Our study uses cross-institutional results to offer analysis of and potential solutions for the problem. Purpose/Objective/Research Question We explore the extent to which tenured faculty members at four-year postsecondary institutions are clear about their prospects of being promoted to full professor and how their background characteristics, institutional characteristics, and satisfaction with various aspects of academic work predict their perceptions of promotion clarity. We are focused on whether cultural taxation in the form of heavy service and advis-ing—often associated with underrepresented minority faculty and women faculty—is a factor. We examine the influence of ideal-worker norms and work/family demands on perceptions of promotion clarity. Lastly, we focus on the structural elements of the academy to frame the topic, rather than focusing on individual agency. Population/Participants/Subjects This study uses data from the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) survey, a large, national study of postsecondary faculty. Our sample consists of 3,246 individuals who held full-time, tenured positions as associate professor at four-year institutions when they responded to the surveys between 2010 and 2012. The sample was roughly divided between males (54%) and females (46%), and most faculty were employed at research institutions (59%). The sample was predominantly White (82%). The characteristics of the associate professors in the sample are representative of the larger U.S. faculty population at the time of the survey. Research Design This quantitative study uses descriptive statistics to examine patterns in promotion clarity across various demographic and institutional characteristics. We examine how satisfaction variables intersect with perceptions of promotion clarity for associate professors. Then we conduct a series of linear regression analyses to explore the influence of predictors on associate professors’ sense of clarity about promotion. Conclusions/Recommendations Being unclear about expectations of promotion to full professor is clearly of concern to faculty members at four-year universities in the United States, but it is especially of concern to women. Satisfaction with service is a very important variable in predicting perceptions of promotion clarity. For all associate professors, working at certain types of institutions or in particular academic disciplines had an inverse relationship with promotion clarity. The factors associated with lack of clarity about promotion are more structural than individual.

scholarly journals Increasing the Authenticity of Group Assignments in an Online Research Course may Lead to Higher Academic Achievement

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Cari Merkley
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Annotated Bibliography ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Library Research ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Online Library

A Review of: Finch, J. L., & Jefferson, R. N. (2013). Designing authentic learning tasks for online library instruction. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 39(2), 181-188. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2012.10.005 Abstract Objective – To explore what impact assigning authentic tasks to students deliberately grouped by their majors in an online library research course has on student perceptions of teaching quality (teaching presence) and satisfaction. Design – Empirical comparative study. Setting – Medium-size (10,500 full-time students) liberal arts college in the United States of America. Subjects – 33 undergraduate students enrolled in a library research course. Methods – The study focusses on two sections of a one-credit online library research course taught by library faculty. The 17 students in the Spring “express” section were randomly assigned to groups and asked to complete a group annotated bibliography project using MLA style (Class Random). The 16 students registered in the Summer section of the same course were grouped by their majors, and asked to complete a modified version of the annotated bibliography group project in which they were asked to identify and then utilize the citation style most appropriate for their discipline (Class Deliberate). Students in Class Deliberate also received instruction around the role of subject specific citation styles in scholarly communication. Both sections completed a final assignment in which they developed a portal of resources to support their future studies or careers. All 33 students in both sections were invited to complete a modified online version of the Community of Inquiry (COI) survey consisting of 16 questions relating to student perceptions of the course’s teaching and cognitive presences. Questions relating to social presence were not administered. The final grades awarded to all students in both sections were also analyzed. Main Results – A total of 59% of the students in Class Random (10/17) and 67% of the students in Class Deliberate (11/16) completed the online survey. There were no statistically significant differences in the survey responses between the two sections with both groups of students rating the instructor’s teaching presence and the course’s cognitive presence highly. Only 40% of the respondents from Class Random and 46% from Class Deliberate agreed that working with peers facilitated their learning. The mean final grade received by students in Class Deliberate was 95.27 versus 86.15 in Class Random, a statistically significant difference (p

scholarly journals The prevalence and characteristics of rapid response systems in hospitals with pediatric intensive care units in Japan and barriers to their use

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 325-331
Author(s):  
Taiki Haga ◽  
Hiroshi Kurosawa ◽  
Junji Maruyama ◽  
Katsuko Sakamoto ◽  
Ryo Ikebe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Intensive Care Units ◽  
Pediatric Intensive Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rapid Response ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Pediatric Intensive Care Units ◽  
Rapid Response Systems ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Response Systems

Abstract Objective The use of pediatric rapid response systems (RRSs) to improve the safety of hospitalized children has spread in various western countries including the United States and the United Kingdom. We aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of pediatric RRSs and barriers to use in Japan, where epidemiological information is limited. Design A cross-sectional online survey. Setting All 34 hospitals in Japan with pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in 2019. Participants One PICU physician per hospital responded to the questionnaire as a delegate. Main outcome measures Prevalence of pediatric RRSs in Japan and barriers to their use. Results The survey response rate was 100%. Pediatric RRSs had been introduced in 14 (41.2%) institutions, and response teams comprised a median of 6 core members. Most response teams employed no full-time members and largely comprised members from multiple disciplines and departments who served in addition to their main duties. Of 20 institutions without pediatric RRSs, 11 (55%) hoped to introduce them, 14 (70%) had insufficient knowledge concerning them and 11 (55%) considered that their introduction might be difficult. The main barrier to adopting RRSs was a perceived personnel and/or funding shortage. There was no significant difference in hospital beds (mean, 472 vs. 524, P = 0.86) and PICU beds (mean, 10 vs. 8, P = 0.34) between institutions with/without pediatric RRSs. Conclusions Fewer than half of Japanese institutions with PICUs had pediatric RRSs. Operating methods for and obstructions to RRSs were diverse. Our findings may help to popularize pediatric RRSs.

Adjuncts in Higher Education in the United States

Education ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Hecht ◽  
Isabel Balseiro ◽  
Daniel Maxey
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Tenure Track ◽  
Advanced Degrees ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
Tier System

Although teaching remains the province of tenured and tenure-track professors in some elite colleges and universities in the United States, this arrangement is increasingly anomalous in many other institutions of higher learning. “Contingent professors” (here used interchangeably with the term “adjuncts”) refers to anyone teaching at the tertiary level who is not in the tenure stream. This entry refers principally to those with higher degrees who are paid by the course. The shift away from the tenure system may not have been as rapid as is often thought (it dates back at least some decades), but it is a sweeping change. Contingents now constitute a significant majority of academics. In 1969, over 78 percent of faculty were tenured or tenure-track; by 2009, that figure had declined to about 33 percent. Research faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows are not included in those figures; if they were, the overall representation of adjunct or contingent faculty in higher education would be considerably higher. Most contingent professors teach for a living; some may hope to land a tenure-track position. Others have full-time jobs and teach out of pleasure; yet others, having reached the end of their careers, prefer to teach at a more leisurely pace. Some do it for a short time, whereas others make a lifelong career of it. A considerable portion of non-tenured teachers in the United States are international graduate students or postdoctoral scholars, many of whom have financial, immigration, and communication challenges. What these educators have in common is that their jobs are insecure and can be terminated without review or explanation. The pay is low, sometimes close to minimum wage if examined on an hourly basis; more often than not, those paid by the course receive no benefits. Once hailed as the road to equality, higher education is now imparted in a context of stark inequity—a two-tier system in which some have a job for life, and others can be dismissed at any time. When the policy of paying faculty by the course is defended by institutional leaders, it is often with reference to the purported goal of achieving a certain nimbleness in matching the workforce with changing enrollments, the need to balance budgets, and an alleged surplus of scholars with advanced degrees. However, the inequity in pay, benefits, and working conditions is so stark that discussion of adjuncts has moved beyond the mere denunciation of their working conditions to an increased interest in improving those conditions. Nevertheless, the status of adjuncts raises many questions. How does this policy affect student learning? What does it mean that most professors now lack traditional academic protections of freedom of speech? Is it acceptable that the majority of academics are excluded from institutional decisionmaking while also lacking any clear path toward advancement on the job? Are unions addressing the needs of adjunct professors?

scholarly journals Activism in Practice: The Influence of a Rural School Leader’s Beliefs and Practices in Disrupting Historical Patterns of Underachievement in Traditionally Marginalized Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-42
Author(s):  
Kristina A. Hesbol ◽  
Jennifer Sparkman Bartee ◽  
Fayaz Amiri
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rural School ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Marginalized Students ◽  
Beliefs And Practices

Despite the fact that rural communities across the United States are rapidly diversifying (Fusarelli & Militello, 2012), little research has examined the beliefs and practices of successful rural educational leaders, specifically in high poverty schools and districts where traditionally marginalized students demonstrate improving learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the beliefs and practices of a rural educational leader whose school or district met established study criteria for a high poverty, high performing school, in which traditionally marginalized students demonstrate increasingly productive learning outcomes. Interviews with the leader were conducted, and the data were coded and analyzed using a constant comparative method (Lincoln & Guba, 1985).The following research question guided the study:What impact do the beliefs and practices of a rural school district leader have on the learning outcomes of traditionally marginalized students in the Rocky Mountain West?The findings from this study contribute to the paucity of research on culturally responsive rural superintendent-principals. Identifying the rural leader’s beliefs and practices provides support for educational leaders who serve in that uniquely rural dual role, about which very little has been written. It informs leadership preparation programs, graduate students, researchers, and policy makers about the need for nuanced culturally responsive training for rural educational leaders.

scholarly journals Seedbed of Professionalism in Southeastern College Libraries, 1890-1920

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick M. Valentine
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
The United States ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Full Time ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
College And University ◽  
Consistent Basis ◽  
The 19Th Century

ABSTRACT:  The creation of academic libraries was a fundamental element in the rapid growth of higher education and mature literary culture in the United States at the end of the 19th century. This was the period when college and university libraries began their transformation from minor book depositories into centers of information. Southern colleges too were part of this transition and began developing their libraries and using full-time librarians during the Gilded and Progressive Eras.  Southern libraries, however, have seldom been studied on a consistent basis. This talk will explore the growth of academic libraries and the spread of academic librarians in the Southeast during this period.  These libraries, while remaining limited in size and numbers compared to those in other parts of the country, were quite aware of changes and attempted to keep up with professional growth.

scholarly journals BRIDGES AND BARRIERS TO TEACHING ONLINE COLLEGE COURSES: A STUDY OF EXPERIENCED ONLINE FACULTY IN THIRTY- SIX COLLEGES

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Shea
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Online Faculty ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
Barriers To Teaching

This paper reports on initial findings from a research study of factors that enable and constrain faculty participation in online teaching and learning environments. It is noted that demand for higher education continues to grow in the United States. It is argued that the nature of the higher education student population will likely continue to transform towards a non-traditional profile. These two trends drive an increased demand for alternative routes to a college degree and have fueled dramatic growth in online learning recently. The study identifies faculty acceptance of online teaching as a critical component for future growth to meet this demand and ensure quality. Through analysis of data from 386 faculty teaching online in 36 colleges in a large state university system, the most significant factors that support and undermine motivation to teach online are identified. The top motivator is a more flexible work schedule. The top demotivator is inadequate compensation for perceived greater work than for traditionally delivered courses, especially for online course development, revision, and teaching. However, respondents in this study chose to teach online for a wide variety of reasons many of which were associated with demographic and contextual differences. These distinctions are reviewed in light of their implications for future quality of online education. Additionally, through factor analysis, underlyingconstructs for online faculty motivations are identified. Finally, recommendations are made for policy, practice, faculty development and future research.

Children of Immigrants and Educational Expectations: The Roles of School Composition

2010 ◽  
Vol 112 (6) ◽  
pp. 1679-1704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Wells
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Educational Expectations ◽  
The United States ◽  
College Attendance ◽  
Children Of Immigrants ◽  
School Composition ◽  
Educational Processes ◽  
Research Questions

Background/Context Many children of immigrants are not enrolled in high schools that sufficiently meet their needs, and subsequently, many are not making a successful transition to, and/or successfully completing, higher education. As immigration grows in the United States, educators and policy makers must understand how the educational processes for children of immigrants differ from nonimmigrants. Because expectations for higher education are a necessary, though insufficient, step toward college attendance and degree attainment, and because students have these attitudes influenced by the schools they attend, I examine high school composition for its effects on educational expectations and how compositional effects differ between children of immigrants and nonimmigrants. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study intends to be another step on the path toward understanding the educational processes of children of immigrants specifically, and of all students more broadly, as the immigrant population grows in U.S. schools. Toward those ends, this study is based on two overarching research questions: (1) How do the immigrant compositions of U.S. secondary schools affect the educational expectations of all students? (2) How do the compositions of U.S. secondary schools affect the educational expectations of children of immigrants differently than nonimmigrant students? Research Design The research questions are addressed via secondary data analysis using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS:2002/2004), which were collected by the National Center for Education Statistics. I explore school composition effects on a binary dependent variable indicating whether a 12th-grade student expects to complete a graduate or professional degree. This study emphasizes a critical-quantitative approach by demonstrating that common theories and assumptions about educational expectations may be inaccurate for children of immigrants in today's schools. Conclusions/Recommendations Results show that children of immigrants are affected differently by school composition than are nonimmigrants, and in ways that contradict commonly accepted theoretical views. Specifically, this analysis demonstrates that comparative and normative theories of school effects are not accurate for children of immigrants, at least not to the same degree as they are for nonimmigrants. This is a reminder to researchers and practitioners alike that subgroups of students, in this case the children of immigrants, may not be affected by schools in similar ways.

scholarly journals AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION INTO INTERNET OPENCOURSEWARES IN LINE WITH THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Experimental Group

Once the recent studies regarding the use of the Internet in higher education are examined, it could be clearly seen that "OpenCourseWare" comprises an important research topic. “OpenCourseWare” is defined as opening the course materials such as lecture notes, presentations, project drafts, prepared by scholars themselves, to everyone without expecting any return over the Internet. "OpenCourseWare" was first commenced in the United States at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2001. The fact that “OpenCourseWare” is increasing and becoming common relatively more gradually in our country, despite increasing applications around the world, comprises the starting point for this study. The study includes pre-test-post test control group experimental design and the study group involves the senior students at the Graphics Department of Dumlupinar University Faculty of Fine Arts. There are 20 students in the experimental group and 19 students in the control group. 49% of theese students are female and 51% are male. The course materials prepared for the course “Graphic Production Techniques”, which was taught in the fall semester of 2010-2011 academic year have been published over the website prepared by the researcher (www.masaustuyayincilikdersi.com) due to the absence of a website for open course materials of Dumlupınar University. Through the achievement test conducted at the end of the research, a significant difference was found in favour of the students in the experimental group, who made use of the open course ware. Keywords: OpenCourseWare, graphic design education, desktop publishing

scholarly journals An Evaluation of the Prevalence of Substance Abuse among Students of Higher Education Institutions in Benue State, North- Central Nigeria: Implications for Counseling

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Anna Onoyase
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Colleges Of Education ◽  
North Central ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Government ◽  
The One ◽  
Research Assistants

The Investigation was directed towards the prevalence of substance abuse among students of higher education institutions, Benue State North – Central Nigeria. In order to undertake the research, one research question and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. The researcher made use of “Prevalence of Substance Abuse among Students Questionnaire” (POSAASQ) to obtain information for the research. The instrument was made up of twenty items. Students responded to substances abused by ticking always (A) 4 points, often (0) 3 points, sometimes (S) 2 points and never (N), 1 point. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was 0.89 while it had content validity and language appropriateness. Six research Assistants were used by the researcher to administer copies of the instrument on the respondents in colleges of education, polytechnics and universities. The mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the data, items 1 – 20. The One – Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypothesis. One of the findings revealed that, there is prevalence of substance abuse among students in colleges of education, polytechnics and universities. Another finding showed that, there is significant difference among students in colleges of education, polytechnics and universities in the prevalence of substance abuse. Some of the recommendations include; the government should formulate laws to guide the consumption of different substances in Nigeria so as to prevent abuse, Authorities of Higher Education Institutions should sensitize students on the dangers of substance abuse through the use of posters and handbills.

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