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
2015: Volume 27 Number 1

2015 - Research Article
O'Connell, T., Dyment, J., Smith, H.
Views: 1011       [1810]
Abstract: This paper explores the intersection of reflection, journal writing and creativity. Undergraduate students who participated in a residential field camp were required to keep a creative reflective journal to demonstrate their theoretical and practical understandings of their experience. This study reports on the content analysis of 42 student journals and interviews with eight students that explored if and how an invitation to be creative in a reflective journaling assignment was appropriated or rejected (as evidenced by the content analysis) and experienced (as evidenced by the interviews) by students. Content analysis revealed that 14% of journals contained no creativity, 50% had basic levels of creativity, 31% had moderate levels and 5% had high levels. Interviews were analyzed using themes of relevance, ownership, control and innovation and provided insight into reasons why students did and did not use creativity to support their journals. In the discussion, the concepts of deep and surface approaches to learning provide some insightful explanation as to why students were creative in their reflective journal. This paper concludes by providing several support strategies to help students enhance their skills related to reflection, journal writing and creativity.

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2015 - Research Article
Olson, M., Lewis, M., Rappe, P., Hartley, S.
Views: 840       [1853]
Abstract: A pilot study depicting a collaborative learning experience involving students in the helping professions (i.e., social work and paramedic) is presented, whereby students put discipline-specific practice behaviors into action in a training exercise using standardized clients (SCs). Real world scenarios commonly encountered in emergency response situations were replicated, providing students with opportunities to utilize assessment, intervention and referral skills in a carefully controlled, technologically enhanced learning environment. Simulations were observed and reviewed by faculty and classmates in debriefing sessions following student-SC interactions. Emergent themes, lessons learned and recommendations for further study are presented.

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2015 - Research Article
Gilmore, J., Maher, M., Lewis, D., Feldon, D., Timmerman, B.
Views: 816       [1874]
Abstract: We surveyed over 300 graduate students at a Southeastern research university to increase our understanding of their perceptions of (a) the connection between teaching and research, (b) the means by which integration occurs, and (c) the extent to which teaching and research contribute to a shared skill set that is of value in both contexts. We also examined differences across disciplines in the perception of this teaching-research nexus. Overall, findings indicate that graduate students perceive important relationships between teaching and research, and they point toward opportunities for administrators to promote teaching and research integration.

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2015 - Research Article
McCallum, S., Schultz, J., Sellke, K., Spartz, J.
Views: 2316       [1880]
Abstract: Colleges and universities remain attentive to developing and supporting ways to foster student academic success. These efforts have taken on more importance as student success, commonly measured by student learning achievement, has failed to meet expectations. For colleges and universities, the flipped classroom represents a student-centered method of fostering academic involvement that is recognized as a positive contributor to student success. This exploratory study examined the flipped classroom’s influence on student academic, student peer-to-peer and student-faculty involvement. The study involved 60 undergraduate students (28 male, 32 female) from three flipped classrooms consisting of courses in mathematics and business. Focus group interviews were conducted to gather student feedback regarding their behaviors and classroom engagement. Additionally, a brief survey was administered to collect demographic information as well as quantitative data regarding student perceptions. Findings indicated student academic involvement was present through note taking, viewing video lectures, active in-class learning and collaboration. Students cited peer-to-peer and student-faculty engagement as essential to relationship building, peer learning, and meaningful involvement with faculty.

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Abstract: Instructors and researchers often consider peer review an integral part of the writing process, providing myriad benefits for both writers and reviewers. Few empirical studies, however, directly address the relationship between specific methodological changes and peer review effectiveness, especially outside the composition classroom. To supplement these studies, this paper compares types of student commentary received between a control and guided rubric in an introductory biology course in order to determine if guided questions augment the amount of “feedforward” responses, questions and suggestions that consider the next draft and are reported to be more beneficial than feedback. Results indicate that guided rubrics significantly increase “feedfoward” observations and reduce less useful categories of feedback, such as problem detection and meanness. Yet, differences between rubrics, had limited influence on student attitudes post-peer review. Consequently, potential strategies for further improving student ratings and keeping mean commentary at a minimum are discussed.

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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.


2015 - Research Article
Hall, S., Villareal, D.
Views: 849       [1897]
Abstract: Hybrid courses combine online and face-to-face learning environments. To organize and teach hybrid courses, instructors must understand the uses of multiple online learning tools and face-to-face classroom activities to promote and monitor the progress of students. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perspectives of graduate students about the instructional activities of hybrid courses that motivated them and enhanced their understanding of course content. The perspectives of the students were obtained through an online survey and a focus group. The findings of the study describe the experiences of the students in hybrid courses and their suggestions to enhance the online and face-to-face components. Four overarching themes emerged from the data: organization and flexibility, online activities, interactive classes, and balance. The findings may be used to inform the planning and effective sequencing of online and face-to-face components of graduate level hybrid courses.

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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.


2015 - Research Article
Gordon, L., Foutz, T.
Views: 680       [1901]
Abstract: A new first-year seminar at a large research-intensive university provided the context for a topic-based faculty learning community (FLC) in which the first faculty to teach in the program worked together to identify the most effective ways of conducting the seminar. Membership in the FLC consisted of faculty from diverse disciplines and with varying degrees of experience with first-year students. Content analysis of an oral interview protocol reveals a heightened faculty focus regarding their goals and preparedness for teaching freshmen. Specifically, participants whose initial motivation for teaching the course was to interact with entering students became, through the course of the semester, more focused on defining pedagogical strategies that would lead to greater student engagement in the course. Results suggest that future faculty support for the new program could be structured around the principal emerging themes from this analysis.

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Abstract: Although social inequality is critical to the study of sociology, it is particularly challenging to teach about race, class and gender inequality to students who belong to privileged social groups. Simulation games are often used successfully to address this pedagogical challenge. While debriefing is a critical component of simulation exercises that focus on teaching about social inequality, empirical assessments of the significance and effectiveness of this tool is virtually non-existent in sociology and other social sciences. This paper analyzes the significance of debriefing in a simulation game called “Cultural Capital in the Classroom” in order to address this lacunae in the pedagogy literature. The analyses reveal that the simulation contributed to students developing a greater degree of empathy for the working class and that the individual debriefing was a crucial step in developing students’ critical thinking skills. Students gain even deeper insights during the collective debriefing session, which influenced them to question the validity of the ideology of meritocracy.

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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.


2015 - Research Article
Moussa-Inaty, J.
Views: 970       [1925]
Abstract: Reflections can be seen as powerful tools for growth and intellectual development. It is no surprise that the writing of reflections is common practice at a Federal Institute in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The research presented sought to explore possible differences in reflective writing once guidelines were presented to a group of interns in the College of Education. Text analysis of written work samples were used to determine possible differences in reflective writing. Results showed that most students preferred to use the guiding question while writing their reflections. There was also a significant improvement in the quality of written reflections after reflection guiding questions were presented and used. This study contributes to the knowledge base of reflective writing of Emirati students and emphasizes the importance of support in the form of guiding questions. Educational implications and future research direction are also discussed.

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2015 - Research Article
Hammonds, F., Mariano, G.
Views: 818       [1936]
Abstract: Research on variables related to test performance has produced mixed results. Typically, research of this type involves only a few variables. In an attempt to obtain a more complete picture, we investigated how test grades might be related to variables such as classification, student seating location, test completion time, predicted grade, time spent studying, and perceived test difficulty. Undergraduate students in five courses completed their regularly scheduled tests and responded to demographic questions as well as questions about test difficulty, time spent studying and predicted grade. The results revealed that test grades were positively correlated with students’ predicted grade. Test grades were negatively correlated with test completion time and with perceived test difficulty. Test grades were not correlated with students’ reported study times. Other relationships among the variables are discussed.

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2015 - Research Article
Parkes, K.
Views: 689       [1941]
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to ascertain the methods used to evaluate music faculty and whether achievement measures, or student progress, impact the evaluations made about teacher effectiveness for music faculty in the higher education context. The author surveyed Chairs of Departments or Directors of Schools of Music (n = 412) listed as degree-granting (Baccalaureate, Masters, and Doctorate) in music performance on the National Association of Schools of Music’s current membership directory in the United States. Administrators (n = 142) responded to an emailed link to an online survey where they were asked to give information regarding their programs, their faculty, and their processes for evaluating teachers’ effectiveness, yielding a response rate of 34%. Methods of faculty evaluations and the ways in which they were used were examined. Respondents shared exemplars of the instruments used to evaluate faculty. Results from this study suggest that the methods for evaluating faculty include students’ perceptions of instruction, peer evaluations of teaching, self-assessments of teaching and measures of student progress as the current practices being employed. Suggestions for the field include further investigation as to what administrators might agree upon as to appropriate measures of student progress, achievement or growth.

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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.


2015 - Instruction Article
Lumpkin , A.
Views: 929       [1565]
Abstract: Concern about the research and writing abilities of undergraduate students led to the development, implementation and enhancement of four sequential writing assignments in an introductory course. These writing assignments—which included a report on an interview of a professional in the field, a research paper on an aspirational career, a research paper on interim positions that would prepare a person for the chosen career, and a reflection paper—were designed to help students gain increased knowledge of, and understanding about, careers in sport management. Based on reflections and feedback from students, revisions in these assignments were made over three years to strengthen students’ research and writing skills. A course portfolio containing examples of student learning enabled the professor to provide evidence of student learning and to make the teaching-learning process more visible.

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2015 - Instruction Article
Austin, M., Z. Rust, D.
Views: 983       [1904]
Abstract: College and University faculty members have increasingly adopted experiential learning teaching methods that are designed to engage students in the learning process. Experiential learning is simply defined as “hands-on” learning and may involve any of the following activities: service learning, applied learning in the discipline, co-operative education, internships, study abroad and experimental activities. This paper includes a general discussion of the organizational and assessment activities that were required to implement the Experiential Learning Scholars Program (EXL) at a large public university. The program was developed over a three-year time period and was fully implemented in five years. After almost ten years operation, the EXL Scholars Program has become institutionalized on the campus and is a valued and high profile initiative that engages students in learning.

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Abstract: This instructional article is about an innovative teaching approach for enhancing student engagement and active learning in higher education through a combination of just-in-time teaching and the use of PowerPoint technology. The central component of this approach was students’ pre-lecture preparation of a short PowerPoint presentation in which they answered a few general conceptual questions about the coming lecture topic. The power of PowerPoint, it is argued, is about structuring student thought and student engagement before and during lectures, as well as giving students more power to be involved to shape content and interactivity of university lectures. The article concludes with some valuable lessons and pointers for course instructors across disciplines about the pedagogy and use of PowerPoint as an instructional method for enhancing student engagement and active learning.

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