Transformative Dialogues: Teaching and Learning Journal
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Exploring Student Perceptions of Infographic Creation in an Undergraduate Social Inequalities Course
Get PDFInfographics help students develop transferable skills such as visual literacy, an increasingly important educational outcome. This paper examines the use of infographics as an educational tool in higher education, focusing on a semester-long project in a social inequalities course. The project, grounded in Kolb’s experiential learning theory, aimed to help students communicate social scientific information on inequality in the United States. Survey data gathered from 34 students at a southeastern university revealed that most students lacked prior infographic experience but reported increased knowledge and a preference for infographics over traditional assessments like PowerPoint presentations and research papers. This paper discusses the project’s structure, benefits, limitations, and future directions for integrating infographics into higher education courses to improve student engagement and learning outcomes
Connecting the Dots between Active Learning and Science Communication in the Graduate Classroom
Get PDFActive learning and science communication have previously been separated in the literature. A science communication course was developed for graduate students within a Geosciences department to educate students on how to communicate about the research they are completing while pursuing their degree. This course used active learning techniques throughout the education of the material to engage students. This article aids in bridging the gap between active learning and science communication in this graduate level science communication course. The initial premise of this study was to see how graduate students connected using active learning techniques to enhance their science communication. However, through class observations and one-on-one interviews, it was found that students did not realize the methods that were being used in class for instruction were active learning techniques. Students were not connecting the dots with the information that they were learning about communication was given to them in active learning formats. Those active learning formats could also be used to enhance their own communication techniques when discussing the research that is being conducted. Conclusions from this work generate methods of how active learning can be incorporated in science communication to improve how students learn how to talk about their research which also contributes to the advancement in the scholarship of teaching and learning around science communication
Variations in Students\u27 Metacognitive Awareness: A Semester-Long Study in STEM Classrooms
Get PDFTo foster students’ self-regulatory skills, metacognitive strategies have been widely encouraged in disciplinary teaching practices. Classroom research has shown that students encounter problems in transferring and applying learned concepts to different contexts, especially in STEM fields. However, differences through the use of metacognitive intervention have been observed across student levels and in students’ class performance. This study aims to understand the variations in students’ metacognitive awareness across class levels and disciplines in STEM fields. To assess students\u27 basic level of metacognition, we administered the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) assessment at the beginning and end of the semester in multiple STEM classrooms. Our results showed that natural growth of overall metacognitive awareness is not significant in all students, suggesting the need for targeted interventions. STEM disciplines and student academic levels are factors leading to the significant differences in students’ developing metacognitive skills. Within the same discipline, biology, our findings revealed a substantial variance of metacognition between entry-level and upper-level students, primarily centered around metacognitive knowledge, indicating the critical necessity to enhance entry-level students\u27 cognition-related knowledge early on in their academic journey
Transformative Role of Faculty in International Students’ Perceptions of Their Psychological, Cultural, and Linguistic Adjustments
Get PDFThe growing number of international students pursuing education abroad has led to increased interest in understanding their experiences, particularly regarding their academic life and interactions within the host country. This growing international presence on U.S. campuses, on the other hand, has heightened the interest in faculty perceptions of international students. While international students face legitimate linguistic and academic challenges in U.S. universities, faculty perceptions reveal problematic biases, assumptions, and blind spots. This empirical study aims to explore the role of international students’ psychological, cultural, and linguistic adjustments on faculty perceptions through an online survey at a southeastern university. The research questions focus on international students’ perceptions of their academic life in the host country compared to faculty perceptions of international students’ academic and linguistic interactions. The survey results from international graduate and undergraduate students at the target university represent the international students’ perceptions of their psychological, cultural, and linguistic adjustments in higher education in the host country. The findings declared that almost half of the participants were not psychologically adjusted to their new academic endeavors in the host country. This study opens new chapters in transformative dialogues between faculty and international students to flourish the scholarship of teaching and learning. These transformative discourses will promote higher education to not only move beyond stereotypes but also to recognize the legacies and value systems international students represent
Plagiarism Due to Cultural Misunderstanding of ESL Students: Higher Education Faculty Members’ Perspectives
Get PDFPlagiarism continues to be an issue in online and traditional higher education. Previous research discusses the three ways that higher education defines plagiarism being theft, deception, and misunderstanding. While institutions and instructors approach the issue of plagiarism much differently, it has left room for different interpretations of some of the aspects of the plagiarism of misunderstanding. There are three categories of misunderstanding in plagiarism, including cultural, generational, and academic enculturation. This article focuses on the aspect of cultural misunderstanding. The sample consisted of (n = 333) online faculty members. The results displayed significant differences in how faculty members approach plagiarism due to misunderstanding with regards to intentional plagiarism and coaching for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) or multicultural students
Navigating the Dual Nature of Generative AI: Faculty Perceptions, Opportunities, and Challenges in Higher Education
Get PDFThis study explores faculty perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education, focusing on their comfort, challenges, and potential use cases. Using a descriptive mixed-methods approach, 59 full-time faculty at a private Midwestern university completed surveys examining their attitudes toward AI, guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Quantitative findings highlight that perceived usefulness strongly influences faculty attitudes and intention to adopt AI for teaching and administrative tasks, while perceived ease of use plays a lesser but significant role. Qualitative analysis revealed four themes: navigating the dual nature of AI, adapting to technological change, ethical and educational implications, and the future outlook on AI. Faculty expressed ambivalence, citing both the potential of AI to enhance learning and concerns over plagiarism, critical thinking erosion, and time constraints for training. Results suggest that while faculty are optimistic about AI’s transformative potential, institutional support through training and ethical guidance is crucial for meaningful integration. This research underscores the need for balanced approaches to leverage AI’s benefits while addressing its challenges, offering recommendations for future faculty development, student preparation, and longitudinal studies on AI adoption in higher education
Analysing what-if-questions as a move in Decoding Interviews
No full textDecoding the Disciplines often involves helping instructors uncover hidden expertise. Suitable questions can facilitate this process. Here, we analyze and discuss the question “What would happen if you don’t do what experts do?” using parts of a recorded Decoding interview. This question can help to delve deep into expertise. Based on the recorded interview we conclude that several features contribute to this: The question helps to provoke lateral thinking and to move from vague to concrete descriptions of expertise
Dialogue, Process, and Reflection: Notes on Creating a Decoding Organization
No full textIn this article we introduce ourselves and invite those new to the burgeoning Decoding organization, and/or to Decoding itself, to join this community of Decoders/Disrupters. We each describe our recent experiences as co-chairs of the Decoding organization in order to highlight key features of the Decoding/Disrupting model and frameworks of interest to newcomers. Specifically, we focus on the following features of Decoding/Disrupting: perspective-taking, the value of “outsider” frames of reference, and a focus on process and relationship-building. We reflect on what we have learned from our experiences as co-chairs about Decoding/Disrupting and creating an organization. We describe next steps for developing a Decoding organization that will serve as a home base for Decoders and Disruptors in a variety of geographic locations and epistemological contexts
Building Student Confidence and Beliefs in Post-Graduation Success Through Skills Training
Get PDFUndergraduate students need professional skills for their future careers, and incorporating skills training or labs into our classes is an important way to support these needs. Many programs aim to build research literacy, but instructors struggle with not having time, worrying about cutting content, or structuring in-class research projects. To address these, I developed a series of research-based activities for a Psychology senior seminar class called the Learn It, Try It, Share It framework. I rooted these in growth mindsets, which helped students be more open to creating these studies as part of the learning process even when they did not feel confident yet. Learn It, Try It, Share It features a series of iterative research projects, two team-based then one individual, to build soft and hard professional skills for students. Support comes from student artifacts and an end-of-semester student survey on their perceptions of their skills and their attitudes about class. Students showed growth on these skills and increasingly advanced questions in class. In the surveys, students reported building their skills in Social Psychology and in understanding and conducting Social Psychology research. They reported feeling empowered in class, feeling like the class was preparing them for the future, and feeling confident in their future success. The Learn It, Try It, Share It framework helped students engage with the research behind our Psychology terms and concepts and highlighted research as an iterative process that they can do themselves through their own trial and error. This framework can serve as a template for other instructors who struggle to add high-impact practices into their classes
Fulbright and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: A Reflection on Cultural and Professional Experiences
Get PDFThis article describes one faculty member’s Fulbright experience that involved designing a new degree program at a small college in the West Indies. Use of theory in relation to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), this article reflects on one scholar’s experience with SoTL principles using a Fulbright project. It provides a study on how Fulbright allowed for transformation within the individual faculty member, developed teaching and learning collaborative experiences, and led to a proposed new degree program for the institution and the citizens of the country. Each of the Peter Felten’s five principles of SoTL are outlined in relation to the international teaching and learning experience, including the process of obtaining the award, collaborations before living abroad, traveling to live in the country during the pandemic, research and development of a degree program, and continued work with the community after returning home