Data-driven decision making has become increasingly important in education. Policymakers require educators to use data to inform practice. Although the policy emphasis is growing, what has not increased is attention to building human capacity around data use. Educators need to gain data literacy skills to inform practice. Although some…

As more people seek the benefits of going online, more people are exposed to privacy risks from their time online. With a largely unregulated Internet, self-determination about privacy risks must be feasible for people from all walks of life. Yet in many cases decisions are either not obvious or not accessible. As one example, privacy policies are…

This dissertation examines an understudied group according to the American Council on Education: the tenure-track early career faculty (ECF). The focus is on the culturalization, socialization, academic culture, and emergent themes discerned from ten semi-structured interviews with tenure-track ECF. This qualitative bounded system case study…

Preservice teachers do not enter teacher education institutions unfamiliar with the educational process, but rather with thousands of hours of experience in classrooms. As such, they hold beliefs about what it means to teach, which can often form barriers to understanding and implementing more innovative, student-centered, knowledge-construction…

In this symposium, the participants discuss some preliminary data collected from their problem solving project which uses a design experiment approach. Their approach to problem solving in the school curriculum is in tandem with what Schoenfeld (2007) claimed: "Crafting instruction that would make a wide range of problem-solving strategies…

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence first-year nonmusic majors' decisions regarding participation in music ensembles at small liberal arts colleges in Indiana. A survey questionnaire was used to gather data. The data collected was analyzed to determine significant differences between the nonmusic majors who have…

This mixed methods study (Creswell, 2008) was designed to test the influence of collaborative testing on learning using a quasi-experimental approach. This study used a modified embedded mixed method design in which the qualitative and quantitative data, associated with the secondary questions, provided a supportive role in a study based primarily…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between transformational leadership behaviors of middle school principals and the development of learning communities in middle schools in rural areas of Mississippi. Additionally, this study examined the relationship between learning communities and student academic achievement in middle…

This document supports the report "Practitioner Expectations and Experiences with the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAA40104)". The first section outlines the methodology used to undertake the research and covers the design of the research, sample details, data collection processes and the strategy for data analysis and…

In the fall of 2009, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation launched the two-year Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project to rigorously develop and test multiple measures of teacher effectiveness. As part of the project, partners from more than a dozen reputable academic, non-profit and for-profit organizations collected and analyzed data from…

This article describes a technique for measuring the magnetic field inside a long solenoid using computer data logging. This is a new approach to a standard student practical. The design and construction of the sensors is described; they significantly reduce the cost of the apparatus. The approach of the practical is for the students to…

This paper describes a novel method for the delivery of an introductory module on survey sampling at a third-level institution. As part of the module, students undertake a practical survey that is of interest not only to themselves but also to university administrators and other module coordinators. Unlike many data collection activities used in…

The objective of this study is to present and to evaluate the E-Junior application: a serious virtual world (SVW) for teaching children natural science and ecology. E-Junior was designed according to pedagogical theories and curricular objectives to help children learn about the Mediterranean Sea and its environmental issues while playing. In this…

This paper describes a participatory design approach to the development of inquiry-based learning supported through a technology toolkit. The work is part of an interdisciplinary project--Personal Inquiry (PI). The paper focuses on the approach we adopted, concentrating in particular on the two mediating artefacts we used to guide and frame the…

This study explored how social networking technology can be used to supplement face-to-face courses as a means of enhancing students' sense of community and, thus, to promote classroom communities of practice in the context of higher education. Data were collected from 67 students who enrolled in four face-to-face courses at two public…