This applied dissertation was designed to provide deeper insight to current knowledge about establishing teaching presence (TP) in online courses. Distance education environments are considered more convenient than traditional learning environments, as they provide more opportunities for learning that occurs in various settings. In distance education environments, effective learning should focus on the interaction between e-learning technologies and educational practice in higher education. Online courses are typically devoid of the visual cues and interaction of the traditional classroom. Online learners may experience an isolation effect as a result of learning in the perceived absence of their peers and instructor. Feelings of isolation experienced by distant students are grounded in Moore’s transactional distance (TD) theory. The concept of distance in online education does not refer simply to geographic or temporal separation, but also to the pedagogical space between students and instructors. In Moore’s TD theory, as the amount of dialogue increases, TD decreases. Establishing TP in online education can minimize the isolation effect and reduce TD in many ways. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare student and faculty perceptions of TP in synchronous and asynchronous distance education courses at the college or university level. A mixed-method methodology was employed using a scale measuring TP for the quantitative strand and student and faculty focus groups for the qualitative strand.

If a group of engineering deans were asked whether students at their institutions were successful and why, what information might they immediately or subconsciously use to measure or gauge the engineering students’ success? If only academic performance outcomes like GPA, individual course grades, or graduation rate race to their minds, then their rationale aligns with the majority of researchers. My research seeks to shift the mindset that frames engineering student success mainly within the boundaries of academic performance measures. By measuring students’ perceived autonomy, competence, social integration and relatedness within their programs, and aspirations after graduation, one can more accurately judge whether engineering students are achieving holistic student success. By utilizing surveys and exit interviews for freshmen Summer Bridge Program (SBP) participants, interviewing continuing and past SBP participants, and surveying engineering seniors, this research gathered more in-depth information on students’ experiences. In turn, one can better understand how the structures of engineering summer and undergraduate programs either contribute to or detract from student success and motivation. Results from SBP freshmen indicated that community building, structured studying, real-world experiences, residential life, and mentorship were perceived as valuable components by the students. Also, a perceived difficulty gap, based on students’ prior engineering experience(s), was uncovered. For continuing SBP students, there was an emphasis on Black community, leadership, and discourse when moving from SBP to larger departments. Lastly, within the seniors, we found that students tend to choose engineering careers regardless of their undergraduate experiences. This information can be used in practice for enhancing programmatic planning and design as well as potentially developing novel program components that contribute to students becoming more self-determined, motivated engineers. It is my hope that one day in the near future, engineering education faculty, administrators, and leaders will cultivate and measure success based on a more comprehensive assessment of lived experiences and better recognize how their decisions regarding programmatic structures impact students’ success and motivation.

Background. A 2012 IOM report is just one of an increasing number of recommendations to incorporate a population health approach into training of all health professionals. In light of the emphasis on and necessity for all future health professionals to possess core public health competences, a medium sized public University incorporated Introduction to Public Health as a required course in their undergraduate, interprofessional Health Sciences curriculum. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to assess the change in core public health competencies of undergraduate Health Sciences students who completed an Introduction to Public Health course. Methods. The Tier 1 Public Health Professionals Competency Assessment was administered in the online Introduction to Public Health courses for undergraduate Health Sciences students; the pretest was administered during the first week and the posttest during the final week of the 15 week course. Purposive sampling was used to assess how the course increased the student’s acquisition of core public health competencies within the designated eight domains. Results. Results of this study showed an increase in the competency scores of the participants from pre to posttest across all of the eight domains. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that an Introduction to Public Health course can increase the core public health competencies of undergraduate Health Sciences students, and the Public Health Professionals Competency Assessment can be used to assess the acquisition of these competencies with and guide curriculum for future health care providers.

The purpose of this qualitative, critical race analysis study is to explore how White faculty conceptualize and apply critical race theory (CRT) and culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) to curricula within a college of education and how the perceptions of their students’ identities influence specific pedagogical decisions. The researcher sought to extend the research on CRT in education by analyzing specific, detailed cases and incorporating purposeful sampling by selecting participants who match specific study criteria, i.e. graduate-level White faculty located in Tennessee who teach in programs of education. This study was limited to six faculty in a college of education (in educational leadership and teacher education graduate programs) at a college in Tennessee. This study provided a framework for additional studies that may assist with exploring how faculty pedagogical decisions in the classroom could be impacted by incorporating CRT/CRP in courses and across curricula in educational leadership and teacher education graduate programs. A total of four themes emerged following the analysis of findings from this study: 1) CRT and CRP in Curriculum involved participants expressing awareness for the need to address race-related issues, e.g., race, diversity, equity, and inclusion matters, in their course curricula. In addition, this awareness highlighted their concerns for departmentwide consistency across course curricula/programs and not just within their isolated courses. 2) CRT/CRP are Novel with Room to Improve was developed based on over half of the participants discussing aspects related to how CRT and CRP within the realm of teaching are nascent and only beginning to be implemented. 3) Faculty Conceptualization of CRT/CRP involved participants expressing an awareness of CRT/CRP but not a full conceptualization of the matter or how to incorporate it in the classroom to address race-related issues (diversity, equity, and inclusion matters) in their course curricula. Lastly, 4) Student Perspective and Composition was another common theme expressed. With race and diversity being the focus, many participants discussed student composition and student perspectives as being relational.

This master's thesis explores the effectiveness of an educational intervention using an interactive notebook to support and supplement instruction in a foundational-level programming course. A quantitative, quasi-experimental group comparison method was employed, where students were placed into either a control or a treatment group. Data was collected from assignment and final grades, as well as self-reported time spent using the notebook. Independent t-tests and correlation were used for data analysis. Results were inconclusive but did indicate that the intervention had a possible effect. Further studies may explore better efficacy, implementation, and satisfaction of interactive notebooks across a larger population and multiple class topics.

Studies of the publishing practices in mathematics education have situated sets of journals in tiers of quality. These reports document the rankings and prestige of only a subset of the wealth of journals available for publishing in mathematics education. We posit that there is value, quality, and purpose to be found in journals that present studies that are of value on a regional level, and that the studies are extremely important to the field. This is particularly important for journals published in languages other than English, and the studies referenced above are almost entirely English-language journals. In this paper we seek to demonstrate that we as a field of researchers cannot discount the value and role of these regional and small-country journals. Using a case study of one small European country, we quantitatively present the areas of strength and weakness in the publishing practices in mathematics education journals that are unlikely to be seen beyond the region of their publication. We conclude with recommendations to publish in areas where research is lacking as well as recommendations to the community at large to recognize the value of such outlets.

Internationella studier visar att lärare inom hälso- och medicinutbildningar saknar kompetens att främja studenters interprofessionella lärande. Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur lärare, inom ramen för ett akademiskt lärarskap, arbetar med sin kompetensutveckling för att främja studenters interprofessionella lärande. Fallstudien genomfördes med semistrukturerade intervjuer av 17 lärare vid Linköpings universitet. Data analyserades med tematisk analys. Resultaten visade på behov av ökade kunskaper om akademiskt lärarskap samt samsyn kring lärarens roll och uppdrag. Kompetensutveckling genomfördes på generell nivå och ej utifrån identifierade lärbehov. Den systematiska och kontinuerliga uppföljningen av studenternas interprofessionella lärande försvårades då det saknades kompetens samt tid att kritiskt granska pedagogisk praktik. / International studies show that teachers in health and medical education needs more competence to promote students' interprofessional learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers, within the framework of scholarhip of teaching and learning work with their faculty development to promote students' interprofessional learning. The case study was conducted with semistructured interviews of 17 teachers at Linköping University. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results showed a need for increased knowledge of scholarship of teaching and learning as well as consensus regarding the teacher's role and responsibility. Competence development was carried out on a general level and not based on identified learning needs. The systematic and continuous follow-up of the students' interprofessional learning was difficult as there was a lack of competence and time to critically examine pedagogical practice.

This qualitative study, grounded in a phenomenological perspective, delves into the lived experiences of early childhood teachers who teach multilingual children in mainstream classrooms in Tennessee. Amidst the rising number of multilingual learners in mainstream educational settings and the dearth of adequate teacher training to address their needs, this research illuminates the experiences of these teachers. Furthermore, it seeks to advocate for the integration of translanguaging pedagogy into teacher training programs and state policies. This study employed a qualitative study using the three-in-depth-interview series from a phenomenological perspective (Seidman, 2019). The first interview focused on participants’ overall teaching experiences and classroom dynamics, while the second delved into their specific experiences with multilingual children. The final interview facilitated reflections on the preceding interviews and the participants’ reflections on the research process. Additionally, participants engaged in reflexivity by reviewing interview transcripts and adding comments. The study encompassed three kindergarten and three first-grade teachers in public schools in Tennessee. Data collection included in-depth interviews, screener and demographic questionnaires, and transcript comments. Key findings highlighted the high number of multilingual learners in mainstream classrooms, constraints stemming from scripted curricula, teachers’ assimilationist perspective on culture and monoglossic view on language; however, they demonstrated some positive views toward multilingual learners. Regarding the research process, both participants and the researcher expressed positive views. Ultimately, this study advocates for state policies to embrace a translanguaging approach to foster equitable environments for multilingual children so that they can use and develop their full linguistic repertoire. It also recommends the incorporation of translanguaging pedagogy and critical reflection in teacher training programs. Finally, it highlights the potential of research as a means for reflection, learning, and professional growth.

Predictive statistical modeling shows promise in accurately predicting academic performance for students enrolled in online programs. This approach has proven effective in accurately identifying students who are at-risk enabling instructors to provide instructional intervention. While the potential benefits of statistical modeling is significant, implementations have proven to be complex, costly, and difficult to maintain. To address these issues, the purpose of this study is to develop a fully integrated, automated predictive modeling system (PMS) that is flexible, easy to use, and portable to identify students who are potentially at-risk for not succeeding in a course they are currently enrolled in. Dynamic and static variables from a student system (edX) will be analyzed to predict academic performance of an individual student or entire class. The PMS model framework will include development of an open-source Web application, application programming interface (API), and SQL reporting services (SSRS). The model is based on knowledge discovery database (KDD) approach utilizing inductive logic programming language (ILP) to analyze student data. This alternative approach for predicting academic performance has several unique advantages over current predictive modeling techniques in use and is a promising new direction in educational research.

While research supports the integration of mobile computing into instruction, there is disagreement concerning the unstructured use of mobile devices in lecture-based college classrooms. Research supports the argument that unstructured use creates distraction and decreased academic performance. Research also suggests that unstructured use actually supports lecture instruction through personalized learning situations. In either case, the motivations of students to use mobile device is often unclear. This study sought to investigate the motivations for students’ acceptance of mobile devices. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was utilized to identify the factors leading to college students’ adoption of mobile devices. A survey based on UTAUT was distributed to 254 college students in six distinct lecture-based general education courses. The results revealed that Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, and Social Influence were positively correlated with Behavioral Intention for class-related behavior, with Performance Expectancy being the most significant. None of the constructs were significant for behavior unrelated to lecture. Analysis of the students’ intention based on the UTAUT moderators of age, gender, and experience did not produce any significant difference, nor did an analysis of the classes by subject. The study concludes that the ability of a mobile device to complete specific tasks was the strongest motivating factor leading to intention.