1,720,990 research outputs found
Teacher Supports Using the Facilitator Model for Dual Credit in Open Ended Design Thinking Coursework: University Collaboration and High School Implementation
No full textThis research focuses on the teacher supports needed to implement university courses using a facilitator model approach to dual credit. This study runs parallel to a pilot program at Purdue that aims to provide a bridge for students who may otherwise feel that a four-year university is out of reach by providing directly transcripted dual credit and reducing required courses in the students’ plan of study.The facilitator model offers a unique approach to dual credit with the following three key features: secondary teachers that facilitate university curriculum, a Student Success Coach from the university who collaborates weekly with the secondary teachers, and an instructor of record from the university who allows for students to earn directly transcripted college credit. This model addresses many of the suggested changes to current dual credit models, including: ensuring credit transfer and articulation, affordability, accessibility, collaboration with the high school and college, and student supports. By addressing these barriers, successful incorporation of this model is likely to influence an increased enrollment and success of all students, including advancing equity for low-income and minority students.Few studies, if any, have examined teacher preparation for and implementation of the facilitator model. Unlike other dual credit models that utilize a secondary teacher, a facilitator model enhances collaboration between high school and college instructors, and, if done well, ensures college credit transfer and articulation. This unique model situates the teacher with the crucial role of fostering student learning and navigating enrollment in the college registration (L. J. Pyzdrowski et al., 2011). This research has two main goals, to contribute to studies of the facilitator model in a complex project-based curriculum, and to identify supports needed by school districts and teachers if this were to be scaled up to other schools.A qualitative case study was chosen to explore the needs of teachers as facilitators of college curriculum. Multiple interviews, focus groups, observations, questionnaires, and artifacts were triangulated and analyzed to draw conclusions on the needs of teachers through a summer professional development, and the implementation of the first year of the program. A thematic content analysis was conducted using both axial coding and code-recode techniques, with themes and data organized using NVivo software.Successful implementation of the facilitator model for administering dual credit is expected to increase access of underrepresented students to dual credit programs as students receive directly transcripted grades that articulates with the college, there are strong communications between the teachers and university, students have the added support of a facilitating teacher, and barriers such as requirements for a masters or credit hours in the subject area are navigated around as the instructor of record is a faculty member from the participating university. Results include a discussion of recommendations for professional development and ongoing support essential to maintaining such a program. For higher education, implications of the facilitator model include a greater confidence in dual enrollment offerings, allowing for greater exposure to a wider variety of students. Implications for secondary schools might be to reach out to colleges and universities to collaboratively establish these facilitator model-based pathways
The Impact of Interactive Synchronous Hyflex Model on Students’ Perception of Social, Teaching and Cognitive Presence in a Design Thinking Course
No full textUniversities have increased the number of fully or partially online courses they offer to meet students\u27 family, work-life, and academic needs. As a result of this shift, the HyFlex learning paradigm, which provides hybrid and flexible learning options, has gained traction in academia in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the standards for academic levels of success in higher education for the foreseeable future. In order to offer a sense of belonging and sustain an equal or greater degree of engagement, instructors have been compelled to try and replicate the rich interaction of face-to-face situations in a virtual context. During the pandemic, the results of studies and surveys revealed a story of student dissatisfaction due to a lack of involvement, participation, sense of community, lack of faculty readiness, and technology concerns. Evidence from the past has supported the fact that synchronous online modality not only facilitates the tasks of a traditional face-to-face learning environment, but also has some distinct advantages over conventional approaches. Students\u27 commitment to stay connected in the learning experience is linked to their sense of belonging to a learning cohort. It is vital to create a learning environment in which students feel a part of a learning community and actively participate in the learning process in order to foster knowledge generation. An Interactive Synchronous HyFlex model, intended to help students feel committed and engaged in their learning community through these uncertain times and beyond, is being explored as part of this research. The approach is studied using a Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, as communities are a crucial part of effective student-centered learning settings. A convergent parallel mixed methods case study design was used to gain a deeper knowledge of the usefulness of the new HyFlex model under study. Students enrolled in the Interactive Synchronous HyFlex design thinking course during the Fall 2020 semester were the study\u27s participants. The quantitative phase of the study looked into a) the students’ perception of overall teaching, social and cognitive presences in the HyFlex design thinking classroom; and b) if there was any change in students’ perception of community of inquiry based on their mode of participation (face-to-face/remote). The qualitative part of the study looked in-depth at the lived experiences of students in the HyFlex design thinking classrooms throughout the semester. The integration and interpretation of the two phases provides a positive student perspective of the Interactive Synchronous HyFlex model, and it helps to observe how the community of inquiry has played out in HyFlex design thinking classrooms
A Case Study of High-School Student Self-Regulation Responses to Design Failure
No full textAlthough design is part of everyday experience, increased proficiency in managing and reflecting while designing signify greater proficiency as a designer. This capacity for regulation in design is crucial for learning, including from failure experiences, while designing. Failure and iteration are integral parts of design, with potential cognitive and psychological ramifications. On the one hand, failure can be framed as a learning experience that interrupts thinking and evokes reflection. On the other hand, it can be detrimental for confidence and motivation or derail the design process. Based on similarities between design and self-regulation, I articulate a framework whereby responses to failure might be regulated by beginning designers. Then, this case study applies the framework to describe the experiences and perspectives of beginning designers as they work and fail, illuminating issues of failure in design and the extent of their self-regulation.The in situ design processes of four teams was examined to describe self-regulation strategies among student designers. Analysis was conducted with two methods: linkography and typological thematic analysis. Linkography, based on think-aloud data, provided a visual representation of the design process and tools to identify reflection, planning, and critical moments in the design process. Typological analysis, based on think-aloud data, follow-up interviews, and design journals, was used to investigate specific strategies of self-regulation. The complementary methods contribute to understanding beginning designers’ self-regulation from multiple perspectives.Results portray varied trajectories in design, ranging from repeated failure and determination to fleeting success and satisfaction. Class structures emerge in designers’ patterns of planning and reflection. These highlight the contextualized and evolutionary nature of design and self-regulation. Furthermore, linkographic evidence showed a beginning sense-making process, followed by oscillating phases of forward and backward thinking, to various degrees. Moments of testing, both successes and failure, were critically connected in the design process.Thematic analysis identified 10 themes, aligning with the self-regulatory phases of forethought, performance, and reflection. The themes highlight how regulation in forethought is used to shape performance based on past iterations; meanwhile, the identification and attribution of failures relays information on how, and whether to iterate. Collectively, thematic findings reinforce the cyclical nature of design and self-regulation.Design and self-regulation are compatible ways of thinking; for designers, the juxtaposition of these concepts may be useful to inform patterns of navigating the problem-solving process. For educators, the imposition of classroom structures in design and self-regulatory thinking draws attention to instructional design and assessment for supporting student thinking. And for researchers of design or self-regulation, these methods can give confidence for further exploration
Effect of Modalities on Group Performance in Hyflex Environment
No full textThe pandemic disrupted and challenged higher education institutions across the United States to find an effective and feasible solution to deliver instruction without impacting students’ social interaction and performance. HyFlex model, which blends the best of the two modes of instruction namely, face-to-face, and online instruction, emerged as an effective solution during the pandemic and proved that it has the potential to stay relevant even in the post-pandemic world. The purpose of this study was to examine if the attendance patterns of students during group work in a HyFlex classroom affect their group performance. Evidence from literature studies on HyFlex has focused their investigation on understanding how attendance patterns affect students’ individual performance while there are limited studies that have looked into group performance. The guiding theory behind this study is social constructivism. The research question investigated the relationship between the extent to which teammates were remote and the group’s assignment grades. This study used a sample of 645 students enrolled in first-year undergraduate course which involved working on two significant group projects at a Midwestern university during Fall of 2021. There were 168 and 146 project groups across 18 sections of the course. Data were analyzed using the non-experimental Pearson correlational design method, where the two continuous variables included group remoteness (number of times students participated remotely in a group) and group performance (points received in group assignments for each project). The results of the study indicated a slightly negative correlation that was not statistically significant between group remotenessand group grade for Project 2 (r = -.068, p= .38) and Project 3 (r= -.095, p= 0.25). Even though the results were non-significant the negative correlation hints that the remote participation might affect the group grades. Based on the weak correlation between student participation and group grades, we can recommend that the Hyflex model can be adopted in the future for courses that involve working in groups even in the post-pandemic period
Instructional design considerations promoting engineering design self-efficacy
No full textEngineering design activities are frequently included in technology and engineering classrooms. These activities provide an open-ended context for practicing critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and innovation—collectively part of the 21st Century Skills which are increasingly needed for success in the workplace. Self-efficacy is a perceptual belief that impacts learning and behavior. It has been shown to directly impact each of these 21st Century Skills but its relation to engineering design is only recently being studied. The purpose of this study was to examine how instructional considerations made when implementing engineering design activities might affect student self-efficacy outcomes in a middle school engineering classroom. Student responses to two self-efficacy inventories related to design, the Engineering Design Self-Efficacy Instrument and Creative Thinking Self-Efficacy Inventory, were collected before and after participation in an engineering design curriculum. Students were also answered questions on specific factors of their experience during the curriculum which teachers may exhibit control over: teamwork and feedback. Results were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficients, paired and independent t-tests, and structural equation modeling to better understand patterns for self-efficacy beliefs in students. Results suggested that design self-efficacy and creative thinking self-efficacy are significantly correlated, r(1541) = .783, p \u3c .001, and increased following participation in a design curriculum, M diff = 1.32, t(133) = 7.60, p \u3c .001 and Mdiff = 0.79, t(124) = 4.19, p \u3c .001 respectively. Structural models also showed that students perceive team inclusion and feedback as significant contributors to their self-efficacy beliefs, while team diversity was not related to self-efficacy. Separate models for each predictor demonstrated good fit. Recommendations are made based on the corresponding nature of engineering design self-efficacy and creative thinking self-efficacy: strategies encouraging self-efficacy in these domains may be transferrable. Instructors are made aware of the significant impact of classroom strategies for increasing self-efficacy and given specific recommendations related to teamwork and feedback to support students. Finally, although there were weaknesses in the study related to the survey administration, future research opportunities are presented which may build from this work
What Are the Lived Challenges Experienced by Black Females in a STEM Doctoral Program at a Majority White Institution?
Full text linkThe purpose of this study is to explore the challenges experienced by Black female STEM doctoral students at a Majority White Institution. This study examined how, and to what extent did the Majority White Institution\u27s STEM environment influenced such challenges. The qualitative phenomenological approach to this investigation utilized the lenses of Black Feminist Thought and Critical Race Feminism Theoretical Frameworks as interconnected lenses by which to conceptualize this phenomenon. This study answered the following question: What are the lived challenges experienced by Black female in a STEM doctoral program at a Majority White Institution? Purposeful and snowball sampling were employed to recruit participants for this investigation. Both sampling methods were selected because of their wide use in qualitative investigations, as well as their proven ability to precisely source quality participants (Biernacki, & Waldorf,1981; Palinkas, Horwitz, Green, Wisdom, Duan, & Hoagwood, (2015). Observations, in-depth semi-structured interviews, and focus groups were conducted with eleven (11) Black females STEM doctoral students currently studying at a large Majority White Institution in the Midwest. The findings from this study suggest that this is a phenomenon worthy of considerable attention. Research in the area of Black females in STEM doctoral programs at Majority White Institutions can be further expanded and updated. Therefore, this study will contribute and supplement existing literature on Black females in STEM doctoral programs at Majority White Institutions. Most importantly, the results obtained from this study can assist Majority White Institutions in the development and enhancement of programs and policies specifically geared towards addressing the needs of this underrepresented minority population segment
The effect of integrated science, engineering, technology, and mathematics lessons on interest and engagement of secondary students
Full text linkThis study set out to answer the research question: Does teaching a single lesson, utilizing the interconnected principles of STEM in STEM courses, increase overall student interest and engagement in STEM classes in secondary schools? The literature review established a need for student interest in STEM to help fill future STEM careers. Integrated STEM lessons were a viable option for increasing interest, but existing research on the matter was limited. Integrated STEM lessons were applied at a test site school using a multiple baseline framework and evaluated responses with a variation of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI). According to the results, two of the classes, Natural Resources, and Introduction to Agriculture, Foods, and Natural Resources, showed improved interest/motivation when exposed to an integrated STEM lesson. Two other classes, General Science, and Introduction to Engineering Design, did not show improvement, but maintained high scores on the IMI throughout the study and may have represented a ceiling effect. At the end of data collection and analysis, it was concluded that integrated STEM lessons show potential for increasing student interest/motivation in STEM in certain contexts, depending on what was happening in each classroom
INFLUENCE OF TEAM FORMATION ON TEAM MEMBER PERCEPTION OF SATISFACTION AND PARTICIPATION
No full textBackground: Purdue Polytechnic’s Tech12000, Design Thinking in Technology, course incorporates many instances of team work. Over the last 8 years, there have been varied methods of how to create the teams for the projects.Purpose: This study compares two methods of team formation, software generated and instructor/student-selected, to determine which, if any, method generates increased perception of team member satisfaction and increased team member contribution.Methodology: The subjects for this study were students enrolled in a design course at a Purdue Polytechnic, divided into a comparison group with instructor/student-selected teams, and a treatment group with software-generated teams. These students were predominately first year students enrolled in their first semester of college.Findings/conclusions: The researcher discovered that the computer software-generated teams produced teams that had slightly larger mean scores on satisfaction and contribution versus the instructor/student-selected teams, although not at a statistically significant level.Implications: The findings of this study provide another tool for educators, with possible implications for industry, to generate teams in the classroom.</div
Cognitive Diversity and Knowledge Integration in Student Design Teams
No full textThis research investigated the influence and relationship of two cognitive diversity frameworks on student design team knowledge integration capabilities and team contribution among seventy-five (75) student teams in Purdue’s Tech 120: Design Thinking in Technology course.When in cognitively diverse teams, students do not effectively integrate the knowledge available to them. Past research results in this area have further demonstrated that students tend to get worse at collaboration as the cognitive differences emerge and are exposed over time. The costs of this lack of collaboration and assimilation of knowledge assets are significant, such as diminished creativity, coordination, and other team performance measures. The purpose of this study then, was to provide student design teams with models or frameworks for visualizing and understanding the cognitive diversity available to them in their team and test the impact these frameworks have on various measures of team effectiveness: knowledge integration, psychological safety, and individual contribution.Cognitive diversity frameworks in question have been used successfully in various industry and organizational settings. The first, is the FourSight Thinking Profile™. This framework is used to understand one’s creative problem-solving preferences and how those preferences (high, neutral, and low) impact group dynamics. The second, is the AEM-Cube®. This framework draws on several theoretical foundations to assess an individua’s patterns of thinking and responses to change. Both the FourSight Thinking Profile™ and the AEM-Cube® have shown to help teams in industry settings collaborate (DeCusatis, 2008; Reynolds & Lewis, 2017), but their use in educational settings to solve the knowledge integration and team contribution problem in student teams is untested.The nearly 470 students in Purdue’s TECH 120 course were organized into teams ranging from 3-5 members by their instructors, thus creating a total of 129 teams. The researcher then divided the 129 teams into two fairly equal treatment groups. Each treatment group was given one of two cognitive diversity assessments (FourSight or AEM-Cube) to complete individually, time to review the results, and then asked to create a team charter or contract where students discussed cognitive strengths and weaknesses and how they planned to manage those assets and deficiencies as they worked on a 4-week long design thinking project. Only 75 teams completed all steps of the treatment (either FourSight or AEM-Cube) and thus were the focus of analysis.The major conclusions of this study are that while neither the FourSight or AEM-Cube frameworks for cognitive diversity were more effective in raising student knowledge integration capability or overall team contribution, these frameworks did not negatively impact the student experience; high levels of psychological safety were maintained among both more homogeneous teams and those that were more heterogeneous; and higher levels of knowledge integration capabilities and team contribution were achieved by students in varying degrees of diversity of creative problem-solving preferences and strategic agility. While the reason(s) for such high scores for knowledge integration capability, team member contribution, and psychological safety are unknown, the students reported that the processes by which these teams integrated their knowledge assets and solicited the contribution of their team members was both positive and effective
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