This study was directed toward improving the balance and consistency of student participation by thinning, randomizing, and delaying credit for student participation. Each of three sections of a large college course (n = 55) employed a different contingency for choosing the days in which participation credit was awarded: (1) credit units identified ahead of time, (2) credit units announced at the end of the course, and (3) credit units randomly selected by students at the end of the course. For all contingencies, random selection of 2 out of 4 discussion days in each credit unit occurred at the conclusion of the course. The study compared the effects of the different credit contingencies on the percentage of students participating at selected levels across days and units. Students recorded their individual comments during class discussion. External raters recorded the number of timely and repetitious comments per student, the number of comprehension and factual questions posed by instructors, and the amount of positive and negative feedback provided to each student. Results showed that when students knew which units would provide participation credit (Section A), the percentage of non-participants and dominant participants decreased, while the percentage of credit-level participants increased. These results are consistent with previous research (e.g., Krohn et al, 2010) reporting balanced participation when students know in advance the specific units when credit is available for participation. Conversely, when students did not know until the end of the semester which units would provide credit (Sections B and C), participation patterns remained relatively similar across units. The percentage of participants at different levels in Sections B and C fell between the percentages for credit and non-credit levels in Section A. A 50-item survey also was given at the beginning of the course to assess student beliefs concerning class participation. The total survey scores significantly predicted student placement into low- or high-participation groups throughout the course. Logistic regression analyses showed that the primary factor, Personal History and Preference regarding Class Participation, better predicted membership in the low-participant group in non-credit units and membership in the high-participant group in credit units in Section A.

The purpose of this study was to study the effects of goal setting on students in a developmental algebra course. This study examined the effects on test scores for students that were prescribed a test score goal, students that created their own test score goal, and then compared to a control group. Three classes of developmental algebra were chosen with a total of 25 participants with reported results. Results showed that students with a goal on a test did not score significantly better than students without a goal, but did score significantly better on a test after the goal than tests before the goal.

Colleges and universities throughout the world are offering many of their courses via the Internet. Some institutions offer entire degrees online. This has ushered in a renewed interest in the debate on the effectiveness of non-traditional course delivery method. Numerous educational research studies have been conducted in an attempt to quantify that effectiveness. In any form of experimental research, control of variables is paramount. The rich multimedia capabilities of the World Wide Web give educators a wide variety of delivery media. However, with the exception of advice from artisans on design factors of the media, little research has been conducted with regard to the aesthetics of Web page design as viewed by the student. This study was conducted in an effort to establish student preferences with regard to two factors of Web page design as they might be used on those Web pages, background color and typeface used for text. In addition, it contains an analysis of whether or not there is an interaction between the two factors. Use of the results of this study should prove beneficial to both educators and educational researchers in their future endeavors.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:23:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Regina Maria Eneas.pdf: 2434577 bytes, checksum: 8eb88e61c946ad5182c8d61825dac4df (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-05-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / After a decade of this new millennium, it is still possible to see that concepts such as technology, which define this new era, are still not understood within the complexity and seriousness in which they should be. When these concepts define a professional category, its specific performance and its place in the business market, this fact is even more serious making this new professional an obsolete being, poorly understood and marginalized. This is the case of technologists in Brazil, professionals trained by the College Courses on Technology (Cursos Superiores de Tecnologia, CST), being classified in Brazil as higher education courses with a usual duration of 2 to 3 years. The CSTs are a new kind of education existing in Brazil for just over 30 years, and are trying to find its place in the business market and gaining prominence in the media and society only after the year of 2002. However, the CSTs are boycotted not only by society which ignores its rules and characteristics, but also by Institutions of Higher Education and by the Brazilian government, that not only wreck the education of students who opt for this kind of education but also turned them into objects of maneuver and support of neoliberal policies that leads our country since 1990. This thesis has thus the purpose of scrutinizing the relations involving the formation of the Brazilian technology, analyzing it from three areas: economic, social and political. Based on qualitative research and professional experience as a teacher and coordinator of this kind of course, I propose to examine positive and negative aspects of this issue which can allow the construction of a positive cultural identity of these specialized professionals and which can be important to the educational development of this country / Após uma década deste novo milênio, ainda é possível constatar que conceitos como tecnologia, que definem esta nova era, ainda não são compreendidos dentro da complexidade e seriedade que deveriam. Quando estes conceitos definem uma categoria profissional, seu exercício específico e seu espaço no mercado de trabalho, tal constatação é ainda mais grave, pois torna este novo profissional num ser obsoleto, mal compreendido e marginalizado. Este é o caso dos tecnólogos no Brasil, profissionais formados pelos Cursos Superiores de Tecnologia, CST, que são classificados no Brasil como cursos de educação superior e que geralmente são cursados entre 2 e 3 anos. Os CSTs são uma nova modalidade de ensino que vêm, no Brasil, há pouco mais de 30 anos, tentando achar seu lugar no mercado de trabalho e ganhando destaque na mídia e na sociedade apenas a partir de 2002. No entanto, os CSTs são boicotados não só pela sociedade que desconhece suas normas e características, mas também pelas Instituições de Educação Superior e pelo próprio governo brasileiro que, além de sucatearem o ensino dos discentes que optam por esta modalidade educacional, os têm transformado em objeto de manobra e sustentação da política neoliberal que conduz nosso país desde 1990. Esta tese tem, assim, o objetivo de esmiuçar as relações que envolvem a formação do tecnólogo brasileiro, tratando-a em três eixos: econômico, social e político. Com base em pesquisa qualitativa e vivência profissional enquanto docente e coordenadora de curso desta modalidade, proponho-me a analisar aspectos positivos e negativos deste tema e que, em seu enfrentamento acadêmico e social, possam permitir a construção de uma identidade cultural positiva desses profissionais especializados e importantes para o desenvolvimento educacional deste país

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:58:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Regina Maria Eneas.pdf: 2434577 bytes, checksum: 8eb88e61c946ad5182c8d61825dac4df (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-05-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / After a decade of this new millennium, it is still possible to see that concepts such as technology, which define this new era, are still not understood within the complexity and seriousness in which they should be. When these concepts define a professional category, its specific performance and its place in the business market, this fact is even more serious making this new professional an obsolete being, poorly understood and marginalized. This is the case of technologists in Brazil, professionals trained by the College Courses on Technology (Cursos Superiores de Tecnologia, CST), being classified in Brazil as higher education courses with a usual duration of 2 to 3 years. The CSTs are a new kind of education existing in Brazil for just over 30 years, and are trying to find its place in the business market and gaining prominence in the media and society only after the year of 2002. However, the CSTs are boycotted not only by society which ignores its rules and characteristics, but also by Institutions of Higher Education and by the Brazilian government, that not only wreck the education of students who opt for this kind of education but also turned them into objects of maneuver and support of neoliberal policies that leads our country since 1990. This thesis has thus the purpose of scrutinizing the relations involving the formation of the Brazilian technology, analyzing it from three areas: economic, social and political. Based on qualitative research and professional experience as a teacher and coordinator of this kind of course, I propose to examine positive and negative aspects of this issue which can allow the construction of a positive cultural identity of these specialized professionals and which can be important to the educational development of this country / Após uma década deste novo milênio, ainda é possível constatar que conceitos como tecnologia, que definem esta nova era, ainda não são compreendidos dentro da complexidade e seriedade que deveriam. Quando estes conceitos definem uma categoria profissional, seu exercício específico e seu espaço no mercado de trabalho, tal constatação é ainda mais grave, pois torna este novo profissional num ser obsoleto, mal compreendido e marginalizado. Este é o caso dos tecnólogos no Brasil, profissionais formados pelos Cursos Superiores de Tecnologia, CST, que são classificados no Brasil como cursos de educação superior e que geralmente são cursados entre 2 e 3 anos. Os CSTs são uma nova modalidade de ensino que vêm, no Brasil, há pouco mais de 30 anos, tentando achar seu lugar no mercado de trabalho e ganhando destaque na mídia e na sociedade apenas a partir de 2002. No entanto, os CSTs são boicotados não só pela sociedade que desconhece suas normas e características, mas também pelas Instituições de Educação Superior e pelo próprio governo brasileiro que, além de sucatearem o ensino dos discentes que optam por esta modalidade educacional, os têm transformado em objeto de manobra e sustentação da política neoliberal que conduz nosso país desde 1990. Esta tese tem, assim, o objetivo de esmiuçar as relações que envolvem a formação do tecnólogo brasileiro, tratando-a em três eixos: econômico, social e político. Com base em pesquisa qualitativa e vivência profissional enquanto docente e coordenadora de curso desta modalidade, proponho-me a analisar aspectos positivos e negativos deste tema e que, em seu enfrentamento acadêmico e social, possam permitir a construção de uma identidade cultural positiva desses profissionais especializados e importantes para o desenvolvimento educacional deste país

The following is a complete syllabus for a college level genetics course. The syllabus contains lecture outlines and notes for each chapter, along with a list of transparencies needed. The quizzes and exams are prepared and placed at the beginning of the syllabus. The beginning of the course will consist of a lecture to introduce the students to the basics of genetics, followed by many applications of genetics. The process of cell division will be mastered by the students, as well as Mendelian genetics, quantitative genetics, chromosome mapping, and inheritance. The replication, synthesis, and organization of DNA are also discussed within the lectures. The final topics that will be covered using this syllabus are genetics of cancer and immunology and population genetics. These topics are essential for a detailed genetics course. The syllabus is written in great detail, and will require a full semester to be completed. The book used in association with this syllabus is Essentials of Genetics by William S. Klug and Michael R. Cummings.

This study examined differences between adult first-generation (AFG) and adult-continuing generation (ACG) students’ academic self-efficacy with regard to the online courses in which they were currently enrolled. The study used an online survey methodology to collect self-reported quantitative data from 1,768 undergraduate students enrolled in an online course at a mid-sized, four-year public university in the southwestern United States; 325 cases were usable for the study. The t-tests revealed no statistically significant differences between the academic self-efficacy of the AFG and ACG students. Parents’ level of educational attainment was unrelated to adult students’ academic self-efficacy with online courses. Ordinary least-squares analysis was used to evaluate student characteristics that might be associated with academic self-efficacy in the online environment. A combination of gender, GPA, age, race/ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic, and other), and number of previous online courses predicted a statistically significant 12% of the variance in academic self-efficacy in an online environment (p < .001). Age (p < .001) and self-efficacy were positively correlated, meaning that adult students reported greater academic self-efficacy than did younger students; and number of previous online courses (p < .001) was also positively correlated to academic self-efficacy, indicating that students with greater experience with online courses reported a greater sense of academic self-efficacy in that environment than students who had completed fewer online courses. This study has implications of providing additional insight for higher education practitioners working with adult learners. Identifying additional factors influencing adult learners’ academic self-efficacy in an online academic environment may be useful when building effective strategies to improve online retention and completion rates for these students. Future research should examine a wider variety of variables beyond demographic characteristics. External and internal factors, along with existing theories of behaviors should be investigated to help explain adult persistence and retention online and in face-to-face courses.

The unbundling of the faculty role occurs when e-learning course tasks normally performed by a single faculty member--such as course design, development, delivery, grading, interaction with students, course improvement, and advisement--are segmented or unbundled so that they can be performed by other personnel or with technologies. Using a qualitative methods approach, this study examines the unbundling and restructuring of the faculty professional role in large enrollment e-learning courses. This study was conducted at three community colleges in a large, urban community college district, and presents three models of e-learning course production that affect the unbundling of the faculty role: craft, collegial, and virtual assembly line. This research also examines how e-learning faculty members seek to rebundle tasks associated with their professional role and identity, and the tasks they perceive as meeting student needs and demand. This study contributes to professional and economic theories concerning faculty members in the e-learning context, and advances theories associated with academic labor, managed professionals, Academic Capitalism, and the globalization of the community college.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T16:35:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sandro99838.pdf: 791384 bytes, checksum: a390b3c49116bf0ed0d172c0e8317074 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The purpose of this research is to examine the concept of technology expressed in the professional profile of completion by analyzing the legal documents and pedagogic project of course of three technology college courses in institution of higher education in the city of Florianópolis, SC. Initially we present a theoretical discussion of concept of technology from the perspective of Álvaro Vieira Pinto and Andrew Feenberg. Afterwards we present a historical review of technology college courses in Brazil and Santa Catarina state. In this process we sought to strengthen the dialogue with researchers in the field of Education and Labor and Public Policies, including: Bastos (1991), Ciavatta (2010), Cunha (2005), Frigotto (2005), Lima Filho (1999), Peterossi (1980) and Rocha (2009). The methodology adopted in this study was the descriptive research with a qualitative approach. Data collection was performed at government sites for the legal documents and directly at the institution of higher education for the pedagogic projects of course. The technique chosen for the document review was the content analysis. The conceptual and historical foundation provided the support necessary to examine the concept of technology expressed in two opinions and a resolution formally recorded by the National Council of Education and pedagogic projects of course of three institutions of higher education in Florianópolis, SC. This study revealed that in all documents reviewed, prevailed conceptions of technology related mainly to a set of techniques and to synonym of the technique. Both instrumental and deterministic views are characterized in the legal documents and in the pedagogic projects of institutions of higher education. The results showed that the pedagogic projects take from legal documents not only the elements of the standard, but particularly the conceptual foundations of technology / O propósito da pesquisa é examinar o conceito de tecnologia que se exprime no traçado dos perfis profissionais de conclusão mediante a análise do ordenamento jurídico e dos projetos pedagógicos de curso de três cursos superiores de tecnologia em instituições educacionais de Florianópolis-SC. Apresenta-se inicialmente uma discussão teórica acerca do conceito de tecnologia a partir da perspectiva de Álvaro Vieira Pinto e Andrew Feenberg. Oferece-se posteriormente uma retrospectiva histórica dos cursos superiores de tecnologia no Brasil e no estado de Santa Catarina. Nesse movimento procurou-se estreitar o diálogo com pesquisadores da área Educação e Trabalho e Políticas Públicas, dentre os quais: Bastos (1991), Ciavatta (2010), Cunha (2005), Frigotto (2005), Lima Filho (1999), Peterossi (1980) e Rocha (2009). O procedimento metodológico adotado privilegiou a pesquisa descritiva com abordagem qualitativa. A coleta de dados foi realizada em sites governamentais para os documentos legais e diretamente nas instituições educacionais para os projetos pedagógicos de curso. A técnica escolhida para o exame documental foi a análise de conteúdo. O alicerce conceitual-histórico evidenciado forneceu o suporte necessário para o exame do conceito de tecnologia expresso em dois pareceres e uma resolução exarados pelo Conselho Nacional de Educação e nos projetos pedagógicos de curso de três instituições de educação superior em Florianópolis-SC. O estudo permitiu verificar, em todos os documentos analisados, a prevalência de concepções de tecnologia relacionadas principalmente ao conjunto de técnicas e à sinonímia da técnica. As visões instrumental e determinista estão caracterizadas tanto no ordenamento jurídico quanto nos documentos das instituições de educação superior. Os resultados evidenciaram que os projetos pedagógicos de curso apropriam do ordenamento jurídico não somente os elementos da norma, mas particularmente os fundamentos conceituais de tecnologia