International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
IJTLHE
International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
IJTLHE
International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
IJTLHE
International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
IJTLHE
2013: Volume 25 Number 2

Abstract: The authors describe their experiences of teaching through a series of major earthquakes and the lessons learned regarding sustaining teaching and learning through an ongoing natural disaster. Student feedback data from across the university is analyzed to generate a model of constructive practice for instructors responding to a crisis. The article challenges instructors to reflect on student and instructor needs before, during, and after a crisis in terms of preparedness for immediate disruption, programmatic and pedagogical changes, communication, and response to psychological needs. The authors’ experiences with teaching through the earthquakes reinforce the message that even the most well-intentioned and self-aware instructor will, at some stage, falter during an ongoing crisis. Psychological preparedness and classroom emergency management planning are vital to the continuity of teaching and learning in a crisis situation.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


2013 - Research Article
Bojinova, E., Oigara, J.
Views: 1300       [1497]
Abstract: Interactive technologies make classroom experience more engaging and enjoyable. Students get much more involved in class discussions in the presence of such technologies and tend to learn more through student-student and student-instructor interactions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether student response systems (i.e., clickers) influence student learning and performance. Overall, our findings show that students were satisfied with the use of clickers especially in increasing their participation and engagement in class. A regression analysis is employed to estimate the magnitude of clickers’ impact in two different disciplines. The regression results show that the use of clickers had positive and significant impact on student final course grades. In particular, students who used clickers as part of their course instruction received 4.7% higher course grades on average compared to the students in the non-clicker class when controlling for student abilities and characteristics. The outcome of this study suggests that clickers are useful tools in enhancing student learning and performance.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


Abstract: Educators are increasingly aware of the importance of sustainability and the need to educate for sustainable change within higher education. This article addresses the growing need to focus on how teaching and learning can be re-oriented towards sustainability, and more specifically how educators can effectively address increasingly well-known sociocultural and ecological problems in ways that transform learners and empower them to make change based on a sense of civic responsibility and sustainability. This research study draws on the Burns Model of Sustainability Pedagogy, which integrates ecological design, systemic and interdisciplinary learning, multiple perspectives, an active and engaged learning process, and attention to place-based learning. Focusing on the implementation of sustainability pedagogy within two different university courses, this study highlights the importance of sustainability learning that is thematic, introduces diverse and non-dominant perspectives, and is experiential. Pedagogical implications and practical suggestions for teaching sustainability in higher education are discussed.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


2013 - Research Article
Samples, J., Copeland, S.
Views: 2370       [1516]
Abstract: The literature on teaching is replete with definitions and examples of good teaching. They include the traits and characteristics of the best instructors, teachers, and professors. In recent years, the literature included the impact of teaching on the student learner, thus coming full circle, from teacher to learner. The literature provides good information, but it is the experience of one’s peers that provides reliable and current information. Since 1998, over 1000 faculty, mostly engineering faculty, have considered 5 questions concerning good teaching. They have pair-shared the results, and those results have accumulated. Collectively they have defined good teaching: the methods, the results and measures, and the need for good teaching to ensure that classes and courses are successful. They have even discussed the definition and meaning of “successful.” They have assigned adjectives and phrases as exemplars for the best practices of instructors/teachers/professors. In 2006, in discussions with colleagues at a teaching and learning conference, the question arose about the possibility that all teachers think approximately the same way about teaching. In response to these musings researchers conducted a survey of a non-engineering comparison group of faculty from two liberal arts related institutions who were asked to comment on the same five questions concerning good teaching: 66 responses were obtained, and their results are listed and compared below. This paper presents the results of the discussions and the survey on good teaching. It ties the results of faculty discussions and the survey with the literature and the voices of students who have discussed good teaching with educational psychologists. It shows that the fundamentals of good teaching are simple and attainable by every faculty member, and it frames a few of the most important traits and characteristics that the best instructors, teachers, and professors possess.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


2013 - Research Article
Gimbel, P., Mills, D.
Views: 888       [1518]
Abstract: The United States is poised to infuse writing into the K-16 curriculum. The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 46 states and the English Language Arts and Literacy Standards set benchmarks for literacy in history/social studies, the sciences, and technical coursework (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2010). The purpose of this retrospective, exploratory study is to understand the motivation of a random sample of 50 graduate students enrolled in educator preparatory programs at our state university with regard to why these students chose to rewrite an assignment. More specifically, the research question is: What motivates graduate students enrolled in educational licensure programs to rewrite an assignment and how do such students perceive the input of instructor feedback on their written work? Data were collected via a voluntary, anonymous, student questionnaire. Data analysis was thematic, using rereading to identify themes emerging from the data (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Findings suggest that integrating the teaching of writing into school licensure programs and providing focused, detailed instructor feedback is helpful to guiding students to revise and improve their writing.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


2013 - Research Article
Kendall, K., Schussler, E.
Views: 934       [1528]
Abstract: Undergraduates often use single words to describe their instructors, including “boring,” “enthusiastic,” and “organized,” but what instructional behaviors cause students to use these words? This study utilized interviews and an online survey to ask students to translate commonly used instructor descriptions into their associated instructional behaviors. Explanations from undergraduates revealed that these behaviors include both the way instructors interact personally with students as well as how they convey the content to the class. The instructional behaviors identified through this process were classified into themes representing three different aspects of classroom interactions and placed into a schema depicting the positive instructional behaviors that students indicated led to respect for an instructor. The results will give instructors insight into how what they do in the classroom relates to student perception of their ability to foster learning.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


2013 - Research Article
Everett, M.
Views: 1147       [1570]
Abstract: In recent years, great emphasis has been placed on student success and retention in higher education. To address this issue, many universities’ strategic retention programs include first-year seminars. A variety of pedagogical strategies have been employed in these seminars to help students succeed personally, socially and academically. This article reports findings from a qualitative study that explored the teaching/learning outcomes and benefits derived from the experience of reflective journal writing during a first-year seminar from the perspectives of students and the instructor. The findings document how journaling in a first-year seminar can be used to support institutional action to improve the quality of the undergraduate experience and student success.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


Abstract: The notion of internationalization in higher education is understood as the recruitment of international students, marketing of academic programs and courses, and teaching English as a Second Language to student cohorts from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Various models of internationalization (Knight, 2004, 2006; Leask, 2009; Pimpa, 2009; Welikala, 2011) have been explored and promoted in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Often, as noted in the literature, these models emphasize the acculturation of international students into the host country culture rather than a respectful exchange of academic and cultural knowledge and ideas. The central thesis of this critical reflective discussion paper is that glocalization in higher education is an appropriate alternative to internationalization. Glocalization advocates a positive learning experience and encourages the enhancement of learners’ glocal experience through a critical academic and cultural exchange of global and local socio-economic and political issues. Instructional strategies supporting glocalized learning curricula are recommended. The glocalization pedagogical framework for higher education, introduced in this paper, embraces the principles of social responsibility and justice with a firm commitment to sustainable futures for local and global societies.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


Abstract: Research-intensive universities around the world are increasingly drawing upon leading practitioners in professional fields as adjunct faculty to deliver high quality student learning experiences in diverse undergraduate and graduate program contexts. To support effective professional development in these contexts, many universities have developed flexible and responsive initiatives in order to meet the specific needs and circumstances of adjunct teaching faculty. However, very little has been documented about these initiatives. This paper is a reflective examination of the development and impact of strategic professional development initiatives for field practitioners in the Faculties of Education and Dentistry at The University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. Our experiences suggest that professional development programs designed to meet the specific needs and circumstances of adjunct teaching faculty can enhance scholarly approaches to university teaching and learning practices. Specifically, strategically led, situated and flexible communities of practice (e.g., mentoring, post-teaching reflective debriefs, blended and distance learning professional development opportunities) were critical supports for engaging adjunct teaching faculty in research-informed and inquiry-based pedagogical methods (e.g., learning-centered assessment practices, peer review).

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


Abstract: Current graduate student models of education reflect both traditional and contemporary pedagogical strategies. For professional degree programs centered on leadership and human services providing traditional instruction combined with experience-based and real-world learning is necessary. This paper shares a brief overview of graduate education pedagogy and a more in-depth description and review of a graduate course at a mid-sized private urban university. The course, Institutional Planning and Evaluation, marks a stark difference from most graduate courses: emphasizing practice-based learning and front-loading the materials so students can serve as consultants for a local nonprofit agency. The intentional design, based on accomplishing specific learning outcomes, was a positive learning experience for all constituents and is applicable to other graduate courses and programs.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


2013 - Instruction Article
Henderson Hurley, M., Hurley, D.
Views: 1061       [1555]
Abstract: This article focuses on assignments designed to enhance critical thinking skills for authoritarian personality types. This paper seeks to add to the literature by exploring instructional methods to overcome authoritarian traits that could inhibit the development of critical thinking skills. The article presents a strategy which can be employed to overcome authoritarian obstacles to critical thinking development through instructional design and the fostering of student engagement. The strategy elaborated herein resulted in increased application of critical thinking skills among authoritarian students. The article concludes with a call-to-action for greater exploration of the influence of nonrandom distribution of authoritarian personality characteristics on critical thinking across specific classes, disciplines, and institutions.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


Abstract: The Internet has emerged as a mainstream communication medium, resulting in the development of new educational opportunities for teaching and learning. This article describes and evaluates a learning opportunity which used a Wiki technology to support an aligned assessment activity which was focused around teamwork and students construction of learning materials. One of the learning outcomes in the unit in which the activity sits is to develop teamwork; consequently, the team product and the team process was the unit of analysis, not individual student product or process. Analysis of student to student communications and individual student reflections identified that students enjoyed the work and that during the exercise they identified aspects such as planning, communication and shared leadership—working to areas of individual strengths—were important in the process. The activity indicates that online technologies such as Wikis may facilitate assessment of affective outcomes such as teamwork and underpin development of students’ leadership capacity.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.


Abstract: “Theory? What does this have to do with anything we’re doing?” Sound familiar? Students may not always verbalize this, but they often think it, especially in courses where the emphasis is on the development of technical skills and the application of those skills to the building of products. Presenting theory in a way that is relevant and engaging can be challenging under these circumstances. This article describes how we addressed this challenge by involving students in an analysis of their “best learning experiences” stories, and then helped them apply their discoveries to the products they built.

Send article to:

As an open-source journal, IJTLHE makes articles freely available. This utility allows you to email the current article to anyone you wish. Simply enter their email address and click on Submit.

The International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is licensed
under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All images courtesy of unsplash.com.