<p> In today&rsquo;s global world, higher educational institutions and businesses are increasingly making use of virtual world learning environments to foster collaborative opportunities for adult students and employees across geographic boundaries, space, and time. Often, however, organizations place the responsibility for learning new skill sets on their adult learners. As a consequence, educators and employers alike argue this new, more complex virtual environment can create a steep learning curve for novice adult learners, causing frustration at the increased time it takes for novices to acquire necessary skills and confidence within the environment. This paper documents the ongoing creation and design of a new adult learner-focused, self-paced, structured skills-based curriculum and virtual world learning environment with situated, virtual world activities for novice adult learners. The primary focus of this project is to move the adult learner from novice to a more experienced user of virtual world environments. </p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to determine if the implementation of a standards-based grading system has an effect on classroom instruction. In particular, how does the implementation of a standards-based grading system impact the teaching methods, curriculum, differentiation, and formative assessments being used in classrooms? The researcher identified five schools in the Southern Illinois area that have adopted the standards-based grading system and chose eleven teachers to participate in this study through purposeful convenience sampling. This study used a phenomenological qualitative approach. There were two methods used in order to collect data including face to face interviews and document analysis. The findings of this study are significant to any district who is considering changing their grading system from a traditional grading system to a standards-based grading system. Through six major themes that emerged, this study shows that by switching to a standards-based grading system multiple parts of the classroom are impacted including the teaching methods, content, differentiation, and formative assessments. The six major themes included: teaching methods have been modified to better adjust to the standards-based grading system and include a larger variety of approaches, teaching methods are more of a response to student need than a pre-planned approach to teaching, the curriculum and content being taught in the classroom have better alignment to the standards, teachers have a greater awareness of both the curriculum and standards that are being taught at their grade level, as well as at other grade level, teachers have a better understanding of the individual needs of students and have used differentiation to meet these unique needs, and the use of formative assessments have increased in order to adjust for more fluid groupings being used in the classroom.

<p> The purpose of the study was to investigate whether storytelling can be utilized as an instructional strategy to enhance undergraduate learners&rsquo; critical thinking outcomes in an online general education Cinema course in the community college setting. The documented inability of undergraduate online learners to display adequate critical thinking skills in general education courses was identified as the area in need of further scholarly investigation. Storytelling served as the instructional strategy of choice due to its unifying quality of communicating information while creating memorable and lasting experiences. The research question guiding this project asked whether there is a difference between the critical thinking outcomes of undergraduate learners enrolled in an online general education Cinema course who are exposed to storytelling as an instructional strategy and learners who are not. The quasi-experimental quantitative design was employed to collect the participants&rsquo; critical thinking outcomes. Two sections of an <i>Introduction to Cinema</i> course, taught by the same instructor, were selected; one section served as the experimental group and the other section as the control group. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal II (Watson-Glaser II) measurement instrument was used as an end of semester assessment. The participants were undergraduate online general education learners. The independent samples <i>t-</i>test was utilized to compare the means of two unrelated groups with the independent variable consisting of two categorical, independent groups. The findings revealed that there was no significant difference between the critical thinking outcomes of the experimental and control groups. Nevertheless, the mean of the experimental group&rsquo;s critical thinking scores was higher than that of the control group and the standard deviation suggested a smaller range. Thus, there are indicators that if the number of the experimental group participants had been larger, there would have been a different result.</p>

<p> The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to investigate whether online interactive simulations would provide a positive improvement in learners&rsquo; ability to apply critical thinking skills in a dangerous work environment. The course in which an improvement in critical thinking skills was the target outcome was a course which addressed electrical safety-related work practices for electrical apprentices in dangerous work environments. The interactive simulation identified for this study provided different levels of high-fidelity simulations in a dangerous electrical environment, in which the learner was subjected to scenarios where that learner could face simulated injury or death. Critical thinking was measured by a post-Test instrument developed using a DELPHI process and designed to evaluate critical thinking skills in electrical scenarios presented in the simulation. An Independent Samples t-Test was conducted to determine if there was a significant difference, as determined by the post-Test, between a comparison group that did not use the simulation and an experimental group who did use the simulation. In this study, there was no significant difference between the comparison group and the experimental group on the post-Test. The theoretical framework examined in this study included constructivism, self-guided study, cognitive overload, and motivation; and the effect of each was discussed in the study. This research study identifies the need for additional research into the best use of interactive simulations in online course development.</p>

<p> The purpose of this research was to understand the perspectives of teachers and students regarding their use of specific e-textbooks in a higher education learning environment. The e-textbooks used by the teachers and students were examined in order to determine functions and features to focus on during the inquiry. This study was particularly interested in the design of e-textbooks and how they are used by both teachers and students in the learning process. The participants in the research were also prompted to suggest improvements to e-textbooks. </p><p> A case study approach was used as the methodology to examine three teachers represented three majors in three different colleges and a small sample of their students to gather information to answer the research questions. Qualitative data from multiple sources such as in depth interviews and document reviews were used to analyze and examine the overall utility of e-textbooks toward learning/teaching, and functions related to the instructional and navigational design of e-textbooks. </p><p> Results of this study showed that there was overall agreement that choosing books needs to be based on the quality of the material contained within the book, regardless of the format, print or electronic. E-textbooks facilitate teachers&rsquo; and students&rsquo; interactions and access to the materials and resources. However, both teachers and students viewed their e-textbooks as supplementary materials, even thought these e-textbooks allowed them to interact with the text using different tools. One recurring finding was how flexible e-textbooks are in individualizing student learning. Recommendations by students/teachers included the improvement of page layout, the interface, increasing window size, providing more complex tasks, keeping up with technology, and insuring the quality of information within the e-textbook. Implications for future research include further investigation into the use of e-textbooks as supplementary materials, and whether printed texts are also being considered as supplementary. Finally, there are indications that advanced technology may be changing how students learn and if e-textbooks reflect this change. Further research into this possible change in ways that students learn would shed additional light on this question.</p>

<p>Scholars have focused the majority of differentiated instruction research on the effect that differentiation has on student achievement, but have overlooked whether or not the delivery method makes a difference on student achievement. Research questions: Is there a significant difference in Language Arts fluency total mean scores between first grade students who received software computerized differentiated instruction and first grade students who received differentiated instruction provided by the teacher without software? Is there a significant difference in Language Arts in comprehension total mean scores between first grade students who received software computerized differentiated instruction and first grade students who received differentiated instruction provided by the teacher without software? Archival records (128) were examined from a (BOY) and (MOY) mClass Dibels Next and mClass Dibels TRC assessments. There was a statistically significant difference between the students who utilized the Lexia program when compared to their counterparts that received traditional instruction for growth focusing on fluency and it was determined through an independent samples t-test. There was not a statistically significant difference between the students who utilized the Lexia program when compared to their counterparts that receive traditional instruction for growth focusing on comprehension. The results of the inferential tests determined that the students that received their differentiation from the software program had significantly higher growth results than their counterparts that received the differentiation from their classroom teachers in the area of fluency. For the area of comprehension, there was not a significant difference between the two groups.

<p> Described as sitting, &ldquo;&hellip;at the intersection of three current popular approaches to the improvement of teaching and learning &ndash; walkthroughs, [professional] networks, and district improvement strategies&rdquo; (City, Elmore, Fiarman, &amp; Teital, 2011, p. 4)- instructional rounds is designed to bridge the gap between educators and their instruction. At its core, instructional rounds rests upon the same premise as any other community of practice; however, this community of practice has developed a set of protocols and procedures that quickly establishes expectations of the group, group norms, and a common language. THS implemented school-based IR as a way for teachers to build relationships and a common language around instructional practice, while also reflecting on and refining classroom instruction. </p><p> This study explores the experiences of ten teachers in the lower school division of The Haverford School (THS) who are engaged in school-based instructional rounds (IR) groups. It aims to understand teachers&rsquo; perceptions of IR as aiding in the development of collaborative relationships, as well as the tensions and possibilities that exist around the implementation of IR in a school and how these factors may influence the development of collaborative relationships. Finally, this study explores factors influence the type of learning community that emerges in a school. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.) </p>

<p> Current research uses effect size guidelines to determine if there is a small, medium, or large effect for group design interventions. A best practice methodology and guidelines for determining the effect size of an intensive intervention in a single-subject design have not been established. The present study identifies cut score guidelines for single-subject research designs to determine if the intervention had a small, medium, or large effect. This study examines the distribution of effect size, using the Percentage of Non-Overlapping Data (PNOD) and Cohen&rsquo;s d, for a large sample of intensive academic interventions. In addition, differences in distribution for varying environmental settings (e.g., clinic-based and school-based) and targeted skill areas (e.g., math, reading, and writing) are examined. This information will assist interventionists in selecting interventions, determining if an intervention is working, and if changes to an intervention should be considered.</p>

<p> Research on the "why" of collaborative learning is fairly extensive for a disciplinary focus that is comparatively young. Research on one critical aspect of collaborative learning, group work, has focused more on group functionality once they are together, as opposed to determining the most pedagogically sound method for forming the groups and determining their composition. The formation and composition of groups in a learning environment presents unique challenges. Structured as a phenomenological study, this study was not designed or intended to produce generalized solutions, it was designed to see what could be learned from the lived experience of seven full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty teaching an undergraduate class and utilizing group work. </p><p> Group work is an established part of the educational experience and considered a critical component of a collaborative learning model (Hoadley, 2010; Slavin &amp; Cooper, 1999; Strijbos &amp; Weinberger, 2010; Webb, 1982; Webb, Troper, &amp; Fall, 1995; Yeh, 2010). Although learning collaboratively promotes "higher achievement than competitive and individualistic learning situations" (Johnson, Johnson, &amp; Stanne, 1986, p. 383), it can also create more problems than its use might solve (Johnson &amp; Johnson, 1999; Linn &amp; Burbules, 1993). </p><p> Even though some of the benefits of effective and functional group work have been documented, the formation and composition, and support of student groups, is often wrought with complicated and time-consuming problems. Problems will always vary, but some of the more common examples include: the group member who does not do his/her share (or any) of the work; general resistance by students to working in groups; or pairing group members who do not have appropriate skills or work styles to complete the learning objective. </p><p> There are many things to consider when determining if group work is the appropriate pedagogical approach. This research is predicated on the understanding that the instructor has already determined that group work is the best pedagogical approach for the assignment, project, or class in question. </p><p> Although there are some fundamental differences between working in groups or teams in-person versus online, the location of the group work was treated as another variable in the decision-making process of the instruction leader. Technology used by the instructor for the group formation and composition process is discussed briefly here, but the focus of this study was not about how instructors implemented their decisions, but why they made those decisions in the first place.</p><p>

The purpose of the study was to examine organizational structural, cultural, pedagogical, and economic (reward system) elements of a traditional research-oriented university for influences on faculty adoption of computer-mediated learning technologies (CMLTs). Emergent driving and restraining societal and organizational influences (Lewin, 1951) on faculty members adoption of CMLTs were examined. Faculty members perceptions of the extent to which university policies and practices were aligned to support the successful design, development, and implementation of CMLTs were explored. <p>A case study of faculty members, who had led CMLT development teams in a provincially funded Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) initiative at one university between 2000 and 2005, was conducted in four stages. In the first stage of the study, focus groups and members checks were held with instructional designers in order to identify potentially information-rich CMLT projects. Findings from this included an examination of the social negotiation process among members of CMLT development teams, and provided the bases for selecting faculty members to invite to participate in the study. Stage Two was a pilot of the faculty interview protocol that resulted in protocol refinement. In Stage Three, seven faculty members and one graduate student participated in interviews and members checks of the results. Faculty members were asked to describe their motivations for adopting CMLTs into teaching praxis, any resultant changes to their scholarship of teaching, the compensation they received for time invested in pedagogical and technological innovation, and the extent to which institutional structures, cultures, and policies had supported or impeded their efforts. Stage Four involved an environmental scan of institutional and provincial documentation of the TEL initiative as an avenue to corroborating interview data.<p>In this study, it was found that faculty motivations for CMLT adoption included individual responses to departmental initiatives, curricular renewal and standardization activities, personal-professional development, integrating research into teaching, enhancing student learning, increasing the flexibility of student access to learning opportunities, and improving communications with students. Participants reported a variety of resultant changes to their scholarship of teaching: (1) a shift away from traditional lectures and toward learner-focused tutorials, small group and peer-to-peer discussions, and independent learning opportunities for students accessing electronic learning resources; (2) a new or renewed interest in using innovative instructional strategies and learning environments; and (3) a new or heightened interest in researching educational effectiveness. Organizational support for CMLT projects included fiscal support from the TEL program, and in some cases, additional funding provided by departments or colleges; project management support from the institution; pedagogical support from instructional designers; technical and aesthetic support from information technologists, media developers, graphic artists, and a medical illustrator. Organizational and cultural impediments to successful completion of projects varied across college settings. Lack of sufficient time to devote to CMLT development projects, balancing competing research, teaching, and administrative responsibilities with project activities, and therefore, coping with a mismatch between tenure and promotion requirements and necessary time commitments to CMLT projects were pervasive. Difficulties in coordinating large development teams, the slow pace of acquiring approvals for new programs, problematic project management models, and colleagues skepticism about and fear of integrating technology into teaching were common themes. <p>This study surfaced implications for organizational change that could better enable faculty efforts to adopt CMLTs. Expanding tenure and promotion criteria to include CMLT development work (Archer, Garrison, & Anderson, 1999; Hagner & Schneebeck, 2001) and revising intellectual property policies for CMLT artifacts to better acknowledge faculty efforts (Hilton & Neal, 2001; Tallman, 2000) could do much to encourage the integration of technology into teaching. Promoting educational effectiveness research studies (Chyung, 2001), and bringing CMLT efforts in from the margins to become a core activity in the scholarship of teaching (Bates, 2001) could erode current skepticism and fear about technologies displacing faculty members (Olcott & Schmidt, 2000). <p>Finally, in this study, theoretical implications for organizational change were posited. Traditional centralized and bureaucratic management styles are not well suited to supporting CMLT initiatives in higher education (Bates, 2001). A more distributed approach to leadership (Knapper, 2006) could better support necessary efforts to innovate, experiment, prototype, evaluate in order to incrementally improve project outcomes (Suter, 2001), create synergies between teaching and research activities, and garner faculty commitment to integrating computer-mediated learning technologies into contemporary teaching praxis.