The problem addressed in this study was to understand the knowledge gap between project management competencies available and those needed for successful implementation of technology projects at a community college. The purpose of the qualitative study was to evaluate, compare, and analyze the performance of project managers of 2 large technology projects in a specific community college with respect to each other and what was known about achieving project success at a public institution of higher education (IHE). The research questions for this study examined the competencies exhibited by the project leaders, the success parameters established for the projects, and how the individual project leaders were selected. The conceptual frameworks that supported this study were enterprise wide technology implementation, project management, success assessment, and public IHE operational structures. A comparative case study approach using responsive interviewing techniques with 10 stakeholders from each of the projects yielded dialog that was coded in combination with documentation and observation evidence using recognized competency standards. The relationships and significance of patterns found in this data were analyzed against the proposition that the level of project success is a function of the application of project management competencies of the project leader. The results identified 9 elements that characterized competencies specific to effective project outcome success within the context of the community college. The results contribute to positive social change include implementation of organizational project management initiatives that will enable community colleges to continue to serve a vital role in providing an affordable college education.

Currently, a problem exists in K-12 education related to the use of technology for the assessment of student learning. Specifically, due to the lack of access to and infrequent use of computers for middle school students, the rise in the use of high stakes computer-based tests may negatively impact student test scores in poor, urban schools. The conceptual framework of this study was informed by Albert Bandura's theory of self-efficacy, the work of The National Center for Fair and Open Testing regarding ending the misuses and flaws of standardized testing, and James Popham's research on quality assessment. The central research question explored the influence of socioeconomic status, computer access/use, attitudes towards computers, and student achievement levels on computerized tests. This research study was a case study involving 2 charter schools in Michigan. The researcher assumed the role of a non-participant observer and was the primary source for data collection and analysis. The participants for this study were students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 at one suburban and one urban charter school. Multiple sources of evidence were collected, including observations, surveys, and documents. Data analysis was conducted at two levels: category construction was used to examine data for each single case, and a cross-case analysis was used to examine the data for patterns and themes, using the research questions as a guide. A key finding was that home computer access coupled with sole use had a positive influence on student achievement, a positive influence on self-perceptions of computer ability, and significantly influenced the amount of computer usage. Implications for positive social change in education were that practitioners would become aware of the negative effects of computerized testing and implement strategies to mitigate the negative effects.

While research supports that formative assessment can improve student learning, it is rarely used and difficult to implement. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the use of student handheld response systems (SRS) as a tool for formative assessment in high school classes as well as teachers' attitudes towards this emerging technology. Self-efficacy and motivation theories provide the theoretical framework for this study. To explore this phenomenon, data were collected via an online interview from high school teachers (n=11) and were analyzed using inductive coding. Three themes emerged from this analysis and served as a basis for a professional development plan that school districts may use to incorporate formative assessment via SRS into their curriculums. These themes included strong teacher and student satisfaction, improved formative assessment, and improved pace of instruction. This project study will contribute to the existing literature on formative assessment and student response systems. Additionally, it will also initiate social change by giving school districts a framework for how to implement the broader use of these devices in classrooms and may impact how these teachers use assessment. Shifting the focus of classroom assessment from simply measuring student learning to improving instruction can in turn increase student learning.

Numerous researchers have investigated distance education in postsecondary settings, but there is a paucity of research regarding the design and delivery of online professional development for K-12 educators. The goal of this mixed methods sequential exploratory study was to examine attitudes of middle grades educators toward an online professional development course held for teachers employed by one suburban school district in the southeast region of the United States. The theoretical framework is Knowles's theory of adult education (andragogy). The research questions addressed perceptions of connectedness and learning in an online professional development course. A structured interview protocol was used to collect qualitative data from 5 participants; data were coded and analyzed into 6 typologies. The Classroom Community Scale (CCS) that assessed perceptions of (a) connectedness and (b) learning effectiveness among 23 participants provided quantitative data to complement the interview findings. Mean ranks were used to prioritize 10 items within each of the 2 CCS subscales. Overall, participants felt like they could rely on others in the course yet were uncertain that others could depend on them. The study also identified a preference for immediate feedback and activities that required collaboration. These findings can be used to inform the design of online professional development courses for K-12 educators. This study contributes to positive social change by showing that online opportunities may allow teachers to collaborate with colleagues without the restrictions of time and travel by creating a community of learners through Web 2.0 tools.

Information literacy has become a priority in education. Elementary school library media specialists daily encounter the dilemma of having to teach information literacy skills without having time to do it adequately. With the proliferation of computers in schools, the possibility exists that students could use web-based information literacy tutorials or guides when teachers or librarians are not available. This study examines fifth grade students' perceptions of using on-line, web-based assistance to help them work through a research process, the Big6 . Qualitative research was conducted in 1998-1999 with ten students of diverse background and reading ability who were ten or eleven years old. Data collection instruments included questionnaires , interviews , observations , computer log files , student journals , researcher field notes , and student projects. The investigation raised new questions about the practice of inquiry with fifth grade students. Findings show that students were reluctant to use the on-line assistance, were looking for answers to factual questions, and had a "school research" mindset that did not result in disciplined inquiry . Although some students learned new research strategies, the on-line assistance did not prompt students to practice disciplined inquiry that begins with meaningful questions includes human mentoring and confrontation. Discussion revolves around the implications of the findings for information literacy standards, the Big6 approach on which the instructional intervention was designed, and classroom instruction for disciplined inquiry . Findings from this dissertation study suggest that students need to learn to use a framework or process to perform inquiry, guided by teachers and librarians who collaboratively follow students' processes with support and scaffolding through mentoring and social negotiation.

This study investigated the effects of Augmented Reality (AR) on learning, cognitive load and spatial abilities. More specifically, it measured learning gains, perceived cognitive load, and the role spatial abilities play with students engaged in an astronomy lesson about lunar phases. Research participants were 182 students from a public university in southeastern United States, and were recruited from psychology research pool. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: (a) Augmented Reality and Text Astronomy Treatment (ARTAT); and (b) Images and Text Astronomy Treatment (ITAT). Upon entering the experimental classroom, participants were given (a) Paper Folding Test to measure their spatial abilities; (b) the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) pre-test; (c) lesson on Lunar Phases; (d) NASA-TLX to measure participants’ cognitive load; and (e) LPCI post-test. Statistical analysis found (a) no statistical difference for learning gains between the ARTAT and ITAT groups; (b) statistically significant difference for cognitive load; and (c) no significant difference for spatial abilities scores.

The problem of this study was that, with the impact of new media and delivery systems, principals and librarians must respond to copyright issues in order to remain informed about the copyright law and the legal use of media. The purpose of this study was to gather and evaluate educator response to issues related to copyright. The study was conducted with a sample of regionally accredited secondary schools in the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. A total of 1008 questionnaires were mailed to the principal and the librarian of the 504 schools of the sample. The data of the study were provided by 546 (54%) questionnaires. The first twenty items of the questionnaire provided the variables used to organize, test, and report the data. The second part of the questionnaire was a multiple choice copyright test used to determine the copyright knowledge of the respondent. The t test was used to test the mean copyright test scores of educator groups for significant differences. Groups were defined by professional position, years of experience, involvement or no involvement in job related litigation, and law class or workshop participation since the enactment of the 1976 Copyright Law. Chi-square was used to test the frequencies of reported exposure to the 1976 Copyright Law between professional groups, experience groups, and law class or workshop participation groups. Seven null hypotheses were tested at the.05 level. The mean copyright test score of the librarian group was significantly higher than the mean score of the principal group. The mean test score of the law class participation group was significantly higher than the mean test score of the non-participation group. Responses of exposure to the 1976 Copyright Law provided a five category hierarchy. There was no significant difference in the exposure reported by the principal and librarian groups. The difference of exposure reported by the law class participation group and the non-participation group was significant. Fourteen research questions, which comprised the periphery of the study, were reported. The findings of the study provided the basis for the conclusions and recommendations.

A dramatic expansion of distance learning through the use of interactive television (ITV) is allowing colleges and universities to offer students potentially unlimited access to educational and training opportunities. While the expanding information age beckons us to consider mechanisms for using communication technologies for the benefit of meeting the needs of learners in a variety of locations, the question may be raised--Is ITV an effective medium of instruction? This study examined the effectiveness of using an interactive television system to broadcast developmental algebra classes at East Tennessee State University. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in math achievement of students taught in an ITV class setting with the instructor present (host site), students receiving instruction via television at an off-campus location (remote site), and students taught in a traditional classroom setting. This study also examined student attitudes toward enrolling in future ITV courses. Results showed no significant differences in math achievement among the three groups. There were also no differences in student attitudes toward enrolling in future ITV courses when comparing the host site with the remote site. Students in both television settings had positive attitudes toward future ITV course participation. The results of this study show that in developmental algebra students at the distance learning sites are learning as well as those students in the traditional classrooms. Thus, it was concluded that interactive television should be considered as an adequate method of providing developmental algebra instruction beyond the campus.

In the study, the population of educators in 21st Century Classrooms across the State of Tennessee was surveyed to determine teachers' satisfaction with 21st Century program implementation and associated changes in instructional practices. During fall 1998, six hundred of the 4,800 21st century classroom teachers were surveyed using the Technology Use Questionnaire. Three hundred two completed surveys were returned. Frequency rates and percentages were calculated for each of the 33 questions and the 8 demographic items. The questions were grouped into 7 subscales: Administration, Teacher Training, Implementation, Integration, Use on the Job, Use at Home and Instructional Change. Correlation analysis determined that at the.05 alpha level there were significant relationships between 5 subscales (Administration, Teacher Training, Implementation of the Technology Plan, Integration, and Use on the Job) and Instructional Change. Conversely, there was no significant relationship between the demographic data and instructional change. In general, teachers were unsatisfied with the implementation of the Master Plan for the 21st Century program and had made only moderate instructional changes. The correlation data supported previous research citing teacher training, use on the job, inclusion in future planning, administrative support as impacting instructional change.

An increasing amount of coursework, both at the secondary and postsecondary level, is being conducted online. This shift in the delivery method of education which began at the college level is now occurring throughout the K-16 continuum. Because many of the students in these classes and programs will never set foot into the host institution, this transformation has necessitated a great deal of change in all aspects of library services, including information literacy instruction. This conference program will spotlight some innovative ways that libraries are conducting and delivering instruction to this new cohort.