Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2003. / Advisor: Dr. Lois Wright Hawkes, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Computer Science. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 25, 2003). Includes bibliographical references.

Instruction at a distance is rapidly becoming one of the most widely used modes for teaching post-secondary learners. One of the distinctive characteristics of distance education is the emphasis on course development and the models of course development which have evolved. To date, however, the literature offers little understanding of the knowledge bases upon which current practice in distance education course development is based. Expertise in course development has not been characterized in any systematic way, and it is not known how novice and expert DE course developers differ in the way they conceptualize and go about course development. Even less is known about how course developers move toward expertise and from where they draw their understanding. The primary purpose of this study is to begin the investigation of these questions, based on data collected from multiple sources and contexts. Qualitative methods were used to collect and analyze data on the reflections of the course design process by nine participants. Participants varied in their experience level, the level of course they designed, and their role in the design process. Participants took part in a semi-structured interview and were asked to provide written responses to a practical design critique exercise. Themes or issues were allowed to emerge from the data, and were characterized along three main topics: the learner, design decisions, and evaluation. Differences between novices and more experienced participants were observed in their depth of understanding about the learner, the influence of theoretical constructs on their making design decisions, and the influence of context on the design process.

The role of teaching experience has been acknowledged in the development of pedagogical expertise, however, past research has failed to specify the relationship between experience and expertise. The ill-defined nature of the teaching task has led researchers to inadequately define pedagogical expertise directly in terms of years of teaching experience. Moreover, the literature on pedagogical expertise is primarily based on data from school teachers, who typically are not subject matter experts in the topics they teach. This study attempted to establish the differences and similarities between experienced and inexperienced university professors in the planning and delivery of teaching and the extent to which these activities and processes resembled expert characteristics. Indices of teaching effectiveness were derived from both theoretical and empirical sources and applied to the practices of 11 university professors, ranging in experience from 1 to 30 years. After the conduction of a lecture, subjects were interviewed and asked to elaborate on planning decisions made prior to teaching and to trace the events of the class. Protocols were then analyzed for the presence of characteristics of pedagogical expertise as defined above. Important differences were revealed between the teaching practices of experienced and less experienced professors which involved: (1) automaticity of activities, (2) teaching a lecture as part of the global task of teaching, (3) knowledge integration, (4) flexibility of plan implementation, (5) use of planning notes, (6) time management, and (7) reflections. Important group similarities were also revealed. Implications for the development of pedagogical expertise are discussed.

No description available.

This dissertation will examine the Knowledge-as-Theory-and-Elements perspective on knowledge structure. The dissertation creates a set of theoretical criteria given within a template by which lesson plans can be designed to teach mathematics and the physical sciences. The dissertation also will test the Knowledge-as-Theory and-Elements theoretical perspective by designing lesson plans to teach a branch of mathematics, graph theory, by using the new template. The dissertation will include a comparative study investigating the effectiveness of the lesson plans conforming to the new template and the lesson plans designed by the traditional theoretical perspective Knowledge-as-Elements.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2005. / "July 2005." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-108). Online version available on the World Wide Web. Library also has microfilm. Ann Arbor, Mich. : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [2005]. 1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2007. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Oct. 29, 2007). Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

This exploratory study examined how pre-service teachers use the Internet while preparing lesson plans. Participants (N=30) prepared a literacy-focused lesson using the Internet as their only resource. Data were collected through screen capture technology, tracking where participants went and how they used the Internet, and afterwards, participants’ reflections were obtained through structured interviews. Most participants first visited the Google search engine to find information, or the Ontario curriculum document to check the grade level expectations. Participants conducted three or more Google searches on average, and government, commercial, teacher hosted, and organization sites were the most often visited. These sites were used to find more information on the selected lesson plan, generate ideas by seeing what lessons are available online, look for materials for the lesson, check curriculum expectations and/or, in a few instances, copy a lesson plan directly from a website. Many participants reported regularly preparing lessons in the observed manner.

This exploratory study examined how pre-service teachers use the Internet while preparing lesson plans. Participants (N=30) prepared a literacy-focused lesson using the Internet as their only resource. Data were collected through screen capture technology, tracking where participants went and how they used the Internet, and afterwards, participants’ reflections were obtained through structured interviews. Most participants first visited the Google search engine to find information, or the Ontario curriculum document to check the grade level expectations. Participants conducted three or more Google searches on average, and government, commercial, teacher hosted, and organization sites were the most often visited. These sites were used to find more information on the selected lesson plan, generate ideas by seeing what lessons are available online, look for materials for the lesson, check curriculum expectations and/or, in a few instances, copy a lesson plan directly from a website. Many participants reported regularly preparing lessons in the observed manner.