Beyond High-Stakes Assessment

High-stakes assessments in higher education serve a gate-keeping function for institutional and programmatic accreditation and determine outcomes for students on state boards and professional licensing and certification examinations. The assessments are defined by specific characteristics such as: a single, summative examination, a clear measure of success and failure, and significant consequences for candidates. Controversial aspects are related to whether they actually measure individual achievement or meaningful skills, the current mismatch between education and workplace needs, and the increased use of technology in instruction. Can high-stakes testing evolve and move with the times?

A heutagogical approach for the assessment of Internet Communication Technology (ICT) assignments in higher education

Pedagogical foundations exist for incorporating technology in instruction; however, these foundations have not kept pace with technology's evolution. Through the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), students now can share content directed at external audiences, i.e., audiences other than the instructor. These audiences are referred to as authentic audiences as they are public-facing and exist outside of the classroom. The existing literature offers evidence of student satisfaction with assignments directed at appealing to external audiences, however, the literature provides no comprehensive pedagogical rationale for assignments directed at authentic audiences wherein the goals are self-determined. The authors discuss the theory of heutagogy, the study of self-determined learning, as an approach for assessing assignments that utilize ICTs and are directed at authentic audiences. Finally, the authors offer an approach for the assessment of these assignments, including a rubric.

Effects of the Application of Information Technology to E-Book Learning on Learning Motivation and Effectiveness

Along with the rapid development of electronic technology, the appeal of information technology to students and teachers in domestic and international information education has become universal. Education-related departments aim to positively cultivate the professional information knowledge and skills of teachers. The use of information technology in instruction allows students to enhance their creativity and learning motivation. A total of 232 college students from Fujian Province participated in the experimental research. The results show the following: (1) the application of information technology to e-book teaching could enhance a sense of achievement of students in self-directed learning, and students could answer test questions in a confidential and relaxed manner; (2) the application of information technology to e-book teaching activates teaching flexibility, and many teaching models, such as teaching by wandering around, interactive teaching, and blended teaching, are therefore derived to enhance the richness of teaching; (3) the application of information technology to e-book teaching bridges the distance between instructors and students and leads to a deeper understanding of learning conditions of students, expanding the possibilities for content planning and teaching models. The results give rise to suggestions enhancing enjoyment in learning and promoting higher motivation and more effective teaching.

Teachers’ Utilization of Computer-Based Technology in Science Instruction

With the onset of Education 4.0 and the VUCAD2 world, the use of technology in instruction has been fully maximized. This study aimed to determine the teachers’ utilization of computer-based technology in science instruction. The study used descriptive survey research using the Computer-Based Technology Inventory Survey Questionnaire (CBTI-SQ). A total of 41 science teachers in two state-owned secondary schools in Zambales, Philippines served as respondents in the study. Based on the findings, the computer-based technology (CBT) in science instruction is a trend in the 21st-century learning. Teachers utilized CBT in instruction to improve their teaching that significantly uplifts students’ learning interests and concept understanding. However, teachers encounter difficulties due to low ICT literacy, unstable internet connection, power interruption, and sometimes they find it too expensive to use the CBT. The study recommends ICT training-workshop and encourages teachers to utilize appropriate CBT instruction based on the context of the students. The findings have important implications to policy development and curriculum enhancement.

INVESTIGATING THE STUDENT-TEACHER TECHNOLOGY COMPETENCY FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING: DOES IT MATTER?

The availability of technological tools, the Student and Teacher Technology Competency (STTC) are the essential considerations for the effective use of technology integration in ELT. However, these three aspects are closely interrelated as the key indicators of successful teaching English with technology. This paper reports on the result of an investigation on STTC involving 6 English lecturers and 80 students across the multidisciplinary courses at a vocational higher education setting. The survey is concerned with four domains of technology competencies, they are 1) basic technology operation, 2) personal/ professional use of technology tools, 3) social, ethical, and human issues, and 4) application of technology in instruction (classroom and web-based technology in instruction). This study’s implications call for an inclusion of technological literacy skills in pre-service and in-service EFL teacher professional development programs and education.

Game Development-Based Learning

This chapter presents the findings from a quasi-experimental study analyzing the effect of Game Development-Based Learning on students' academic performance in programming courses in Jordan. The study tested an argument proposing a positive significant association between GDBL instruction and students' performance. The analysis of variance results investigating the effect of enrollment and completion of a concurrent GDBL course to normal courses found that the treatment group outperformed two other groups: the control and the comparison group. The positive gains in the post-assessment scores, were consistent across the two programming courses: C++ and Object-Oriented Programming. This finding confirms the earlier results across countries and contexts documenting the salubrious effect of GDBL on students' academic performance in Computer Science and Information Technology courses. Findings also support the overarching constructionist approach where the use of scaffolding and technology in instruction and assessment yield better academic outcomes for learners.

Educational Technology and Teacher-Student Technology Competency: a Pathway to Teaching English with Technology

<p><em>This article presents a pathway to teaching English with technology which focuses on the elaboration of three essential approaches; they are 1) the technology tools (TT), 2) the teacher technology competency (TTC), and 3) the student technology competency (STC). Although EFL teachers have wide access to the high-end technology tools, however, their application in instruction will not be successful without being supported by the teacher professional use and student acceptance of the technology. Preparing the EFL teachers for teaching English with technology requires a continuing evaluation regarding the readiness of the technology tools, TTC, and STC. These three approaches should be taken into account seriously to transform TEFL into technology in instruction. The implications for research, teachers, students, practice, curriculum developers, and EFL teacher educator will also be discussed. </em></p><p><em><br /></em></p>

Contextual Influences on Science Teachers' TPACK Levels

The contextual factors influencing teachers' use of technology as well as teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) levels were investigated through multiple embedded case studies of five science teachers who were regular users of technology in their teaching. The case studies reported in this chapter revealed that teachers used technology to support inquiry learning through a wide range of ways in lower levels of high school but mostly to clarify concepts and theories for senior level students. This chapter identified that teachers demonstrated different TPACK levels of expertise and engagement in the use of technology when transferring different types of knowledge from one teaching and learning context to another and for addressing differences amongst learners. The context of assessment driven teaching influences science teachers' TPACK for integrating technology in instruction. The chapter noted that having teachers actively evaluate the effectiveness of the technology on students' learning may help increase teachers' TPACK levels.