Community college faculty need to learn and understand the technology that is available in their classrooms so that they can teach students how to use these tools. Professional development workshops are one way that faculty members acquire knowledge of classroom technology. However, little is known about the usefulness of technology professional development workshops using active learning in a community college setting as a development option. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify faculty members' perceptions and beliefs regarding technology professional development that incorporated active learning as a learning method. The conceptual framework included the concepts of transformative and active learning. Participants for this study included 5 faculty drawn from full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty who registered for a technology professional development workshop featuring active learning at a community college in the U.S. Midwest. Data sources included interviews conducted before and after the workshop. Data were analyzed using NVivo software and inductive coding to identify patterns and themes. The findings of this study indicated that faculty prefer active learning to self-study or problem-based learning when learning technology because of the collaboration available within the workshop setting. This study contributes to social change because it provides insights on how teachers believe they best learn technology. Educational leaders can use this knowledge to maximize quality in future technology trainings.

Millions have been spent in the Southern Gulf Coast states on equipping classrooms with Smart Board/interactive whiteboard (IWB) technology without an implementation plan for effective usage in lesson design and without teachers knowing how to best use these boards. The purpose of this project study was to explore the challenges and barriers that teachers face while using their IWB. Framed by the theories of adoption of technology within the K-12 classroom and self-efficacy of teachers regarding technology, the guiding research questions identified the challenges related to integrating IWB technology into lessons, as well the needs of teachers who are trying to implement this technology. This mixed-methods case study design included a convenient sample of 8 teachers and the data sets were collected by interviews and surveys. Interview analysis included coding and member checking and 3 themes emerged during analysis: (a) technical difficulties, (b) lack of sufficient professional development, and (c) finding resources for the Smart Board. The survey analysis entailed descriptive statistics and those survey results combined with the interview analysis found that teachers have problems incorporating Smart Board technology and require professional development in regards to integrating IWB technology into effective and efficient teaching and learning. The resulting outcome of this research was a comprehensive plan for an ongoing professional learning community designed to assist the teachers in gaining knowledge and skills needed to integrate IWB technology. This knowledge will improve professional practice at the local setting and provide a model for such training at the district level and beyond.

The probe method (PM) is a learning model that equips students with essential learning strategies and skills so they can be successful and competitive in a highly diverse technological global workforce. Although research indicates this learning model was successful at the elementary school level with improving students' motivation to learn, their critical thinking skills, and their ability to solve complex problems, little research has examined the impact of this method at the high school level for students who participated in a career and technical education (CTE) program. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to fill a gap in knowledge about the role and function of the PM on high school students' motivation to learn and their critical thinking skills in a CTE program. Guided by the conceptual framework of constructivism, data were collected through surveys, reflective journals, interviews with 17 students, and a teacher interview. Data were analyzed through descriptive and content analysis using open coding to determine what active learning was taking place, whether authentic project-based and problem-based learning strategies were implemented, and what 21st century workforce skills were being taught. Findings indicated that the PM had a positive impact on high school students' motivation to learn and their ability to think critically in a CTE program. This study supports positive social change by providing high school CTE teachers with a valuable learning model that infuses reflective thought, collaboration, communication, problem solving, and critical thinking into the learning process while at the same time motivating students to learn.

Large classes that allow smaller amounts of instructor-student interaction have become more common in today's colleges. The best way to provide needed opportunities for students to overcome this lack of interaction with instructors remains unidentified. This research evaluated the use of video lecture capture (VLC) as a supplemental method for teacher-student interaction and what, if any, impact it and attendance have on student performance in large lecture courses. This ex post facto study conducted at a Northeastern research university utilized cognitive and andragogical frameworks to examine the relationships between the independent variables frequency of video viewing, quantity of videos viewed, and course attendance, as well as their impact on course performance in a large lecture course (N=329). Data sources included archival data from the learning management system and student survey responses. Analysis included a series of two-way ANOVA tests. The results indicated that the frequency of video viewing was found to have a significant positive effect on course performance (F = 3.018, p = .030). The number of VLC videos not viewed was also found to have a significant negative effect on course performance (F = 1.875, p = 0.016). Other independent variables were not found to have any significant main effect or interaction effect with the dependent variable, course performance. Findings from this research may be used by educators, students, and administrators planning course sizes and availability to better understand the relationship between these variables and how VLC can be used effectively in large lecture classes thus leading to improved efficacy in VLC use.

Many students entering college in the United States need assistance in at least one academic area, causing remedial courses to be commonplace in higher education. This study evaluated the impact of video instruction in learning the content found in an online remedial math course. The instructional videos were created using the guidelines of Universal Design and cognitive load theory. A quantitative, quasi-experimental method was used to evaluate a dataset made available by a regionally accredited private New England college's online division. The online division offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certifications, and the students are located all over the world. The dataset started with 203 participants, with 78 completing the first module, 36 completing the second module, and 17 completing the third module. Paired t tests revealed that while both text and video instruction improved the scores between the pre- and posttests, there was no statistically significant difference between those two groups. However, the end sample size was small, with many students not completing all three modules. This limited the interpretation to the results of the pre- and posttest scores of the first module only. These findings inform faculty teaching remedial online math courses, as well as course designers, seeking to improve these courses and increase the success rate for students passing the course. This has implications for social change because student success in these remedial math courses may in turn increase persistence, retention and graduation.

Rapid technological advances have created major societal changes, transformed business sectors, and revolutionized enterprises. In contrast, the curricular structure of medical education has remained unchanged for the last 100 years, and, for the most part, medical education has been reluctant to embrace the use of technology. The prevalent pedagogical model is reliant on rote memorization. The conceptual framework that informed this study was the user-centered framework for meaningful gamification. This framework's components are organismic integration theory, situational relevance, situated motivational affordance, and the universal design for learning. This quantitative study focused on key research questions related to identifying whether significant increases occurred over time in cooperative learning, cognitive level, and personal skills 'the dependent variables' when using a gamified learning method-the independent variable. The validated Student Engagement Survey was used to collect data from second-year medical students in a Southern California medical school, with N = 64. A repeated measures MANOVA with follow-up univariate ANOVAs was used, and statistical results indicated that there were significant differences over time in cooperative learning, cognitive level, and personal skills when using gamified learning methods. This research was conducted over a period of 3 months, divided into 3 Time Periods (TP). For all three variables, significant increases were noticed between TP 1 and TP 2, followed by significant decreases between TP 2 and TP 3. These findings pointed to the fact that more studies are needed to better understand whether certain types of gamification implementations are detrimental to student engagement in medical education, or whether more sound design principles ought to be explored to produce effective gamified learning components that could positively impact student engagement in medical education.

Evidence-based remediation options are limited for nursing students who fail their clinical competency evaluations. Scholarly literature provides a paucity of studies related to the use of simulation-based technology to remediate nursing students. The research question focused on the difference in the initial competency demonstration evaluation scores of associate degree nursing students compared to the reevaluation scores after remediation with simulation-based technology. Benner's novice to expert and Kolb's experiential learning theories were used to explain how nurses acquire and develop skills. The researcher used a quantitative one-group pretest posttest design to examine archival data from 149 nursing students from a South-Central United States community college who failed their initial competency evaluation and were remediated with simulation-based technology. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the precompetency scores to the after remediation scores and was found to have a statistically significant improvement in students' scores following simulation remediation. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted showing the competency evaluation questions were measuring the construct they were designed to measure. This study supports prior research findings by substantiating the positive benefits of simulation adding to the limited body of research related to simulation used for remediation. This study can make a positive impact on the nursing profession and the community by contributing to the body of knowledge for those who seek additional methods for students to achieve clinical success. Future studies are needed to validate these findings, which indicate that remediation with simulation-based technology can assist with student retention and promote student success.

Colleges and universities face some retention problems for female adult learners over the age of 25 who face technical requirements in higher education courses. However, little is known about how technology influences the experiences of female adult learners. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to identify how female adult learners over the age of 25 perceived the technical demands of the courses in their degree programs and how they coped with those demands. The conceptual frameworks for the study were the adult learning theory, which focuses on self-directed learning, and the transactional distance theory. Participants for this study were 12 female adult learners who reside in Tennessee who have been enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses and were over the age of 25. Data sources included face-to-face and phone interviews. Data were analyzed using open coding to identify patterns and themes. The findings of this study indicated that participants were influenced by the technical demands they faced. Participants attributed the extent of success in their courses to the level of technical competence they possessed during their time as students. Participants used individual coping strategies in their courses as well as resources provided by the institutions they attended. This study contributes to positive social change because it provides information that higher education institutions can use to both increase retention and help female adult learners succeed during their higher education careers.

Many studies have documented that technology integration increases summative assessment scores, yet many teachers do not integrate technology in their teaching. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover the extent to which middle school mathematics educators are or are not integrating technology in a school district where summative scores were below mathematics state benchmarks. Guided by instructional constructivism and the technology acceptance model, this case study examined how teachers perceived advantages and barriers to mathematics instruction that uses technology. Five of the nine mathematics teachers at the middle school volunteered to participate in a semi-structured interview and be observed in the classroom for evidence that they used the technology in the manner they described it during their interview. Data were coded and analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that although teachers perceived technology integration as viable to student academic success, they used the interactive whiteboards either as projectors or as marker boards instead of interacting with them through educationally meaningful tasks. Predominant technology integration barriers were limited resources and technological pedagogical knowledge. To address this deficit, a professional development project was created with the goal of increasing teachers' technology pedagogical integration strategies for the interactive whiteboards. Because technology is an essential part of 21st century education, positive social change can occur when teacher competence in technology integration increases, is applied in the classroom, and raises test scores. Additional positive social change can be realized as students build valuable skills that help them become positive active members of society.

Evidence-based practices in nursing improve patient outcomes, decrease healthcare costs, and can be implemented with policies and procedures. However, there is limited literature describing how nurses acquire policy knowledge, the dissemination of which may require a significant investment of resources by a hospital. The purpose of this study was to learn more about how nurses obtain policy knowledge. Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory guided the examination of communication channels and how they relate to the formation of policy knowledge. The research questions were designed to gather information on the relationship of policy communication channels, demographic factors, and the frequency of document access in policy knowledge formation. This correlational study, using select subscales of the Policy Communication Index, was conducted to examine how nurses create and communicate policy knowledge. The sample included 22 nurses who practice at the bedside in a small hospital. Data sources included an anonymous online survey and frequency of policy access data. Data analyses included multiple regression, Pearson's r correlation, and Spearman's correlation of the data. The results showed that nurses report meeting discussions are the primary source of policy knowledge rather than written documents. A subset of participants who supplied an employee identification number showed a strong correlation with electronically distributed. Based on these results, nursing leaders can concentrate policy knowledge dissemination through meetings and safety huddles. The positive social change implication of this study includes better practices to convey evidence-based policy knowledge to nurses practicing at the bedside.