Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2001. / Title from title page screen, viewed March 23, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Dissertation Committee: Russell Rutter (chair), James Kalmbach, Kenneth Lindblom. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-171) and abstract. Also available in print.

No description available.

The extent to which writing can be used to promote learning from laboratory activities has received limited attention in engineering contexts in South Africa. In this study the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach and aspects of academic literacies approach were used to develop laboratory report writing among first year mechanical engineering students. The intervention utilised a modified report writing template for engineering practical sessions which focused on argumentation, conceptual understanding, critical thinking and language literacies. Quantitative and qualitative data were generated via pre-post-analysis of the modified practical report template, Cornell Critical Thinking Test, questionnaires, as well as focus group interviews with students; and individual interviews with staff, on their perceptions of the SWH. The sample (n=56 matched pairs) was divided into three groups through convenience sampling. Group 1 (n=15) utilised an online intervention, Group 2 (n=20) utilised a paper-based intervention and Group 3 (n=21) utilised a standard paper-based laboratory report template. Statistically significant differences with large effect sizes were obtained between group scores from pre- to post-tests in terms of argumentation and language. No differences between the pre-post-test changes in terms of group conceptual scores (n= 91) were found and there was a drop in scores from pre- to post-test in terms of critical thinking (n= 56). Overall, the data indicates that the SWH approach improved students‟ argumentation and language literacies with large effect sizes. Focus group interviews revealed that students believed that the SWH approach made them “think deeper” and that they preferred the intervention (SWH) over the traditional approach. The apparent unawareness of the academics concerned in terms of argument-based inquiry provides a possible answer for their use of assessment strategies focused only on concepts. Focus group interviews revealed that students believed that the SWH approach made them “think deeper” and that they preferred the intervention (SWH) over the traditional approach. The apparent unawareness of the academics concerned in terms of argument-based inquiry provides a possible answer for their use of assessment strategies focused only on concepts.

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Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 90-96). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1998. / Title from title page screen, viewed July 3, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Russell K. Rutter (chair), James R. Kalmbach, Dana K. Harrington. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 233-248) and abstract. Also available in print.

No description available.

Higher education professionals are always seeking new and better ways to prepare students for life after college—a goal that requires not only providing knowledge and experience in their chosen field, but also helping them stay engaged in the process. Recently, computer based simulations have magnified role playing and case study techniques that have been used in classrooms for many years. These simulations have found great success in many settings, including engineering, business, and medicine, but there have been very few computer simulations designed for writing classes. Given that some of the greatest challenges in such classes are teaching students to respond to a context, write to an audience, and stay engaged in the process, simulations have great potential to improve pedagogy in writing classes by providing a more authentic and engaging context. In this pilot study of a computer simulation designed for technical writing classes, we examined how the simulation affected these factors (authenticity and engagement). We combined qualitative and quantitative methods, doing surveys in three classes (the class using the simulation and two classes with other pedagogies) and focus groups with the simulation class. While the results of the survey were rather inconclusive, the surveys and focus groups combined taught us two main lessons: (1) the simulation needs to be believable to be effective—making it too much like a game can backfire with some students, and (2) students remain more interested when the simulation is complex and leaves them some autonomy concerning what happens. While not necessarily groundbreaking, knowing what worked and what didn’t in our simulation can provide valuable insights for future simulation designers.

Much recent attention has been devoted to the semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic properties of phrasal verbs--those two-part lexical items like "put on" and "tighten up", along with suggestions regarding effective methods of teaching them to non-native speakers. According to Cornell (1985), phrasal verbs, "have been 'discovered' as an important component in curricula for English as a Foreign Language" (p. 1). However, it is very possible that they have become objects of current research primarily because of their complexity: their polysemy, their idiomaticity, their syntactic restraints, a complexity that means covering phrasal verbs in an ESL/EFL course can be a time-consuming process.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-133). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.