The purpose of this two-phase, explanatory mixed methods study was to understand the benefits of teaching grammar from three different learning methods: face-to-face, online personalized learning lab and a blended learning method. The study obtained quantitative results from a pre and post-tests, a general survey and writing assignment rubrics from three English 1301 classes and then follow-up interviews with focus groups from each class to explore those results in more depth. In the first phase, quantitative research questions addressed the relationship of grammar teaching methods and grammar acquisition with students at a two-year technical and academic college. In the second phase, used focus groups to perform qualitative interviews to better explore the quantitative results.

This study explores the phenomenon of computational thinking indicated by the use of Bloom's taxonomy's cognitive domain verbs in the Scratch community, the online, collaborative environment for the Scratch Visual Programming Language (VPL). A corpus of 660,984 words from three Scratch community sub-forums provide the data for this study. By semantically aligning cognitive domain verbs of Bloom's revised taxonomy to computational thinking (CT) dimensions, the occurrences of the verbs in Scratch community sub-forums are used to indicate instances of computational thinking. The methodology utilizes qualitative coding and analysis with R® and RStudio®. The findings show language attributes such as expressions of imagination, sharing of creative details, collaborative development ideas, teaching, modeling, innovating, solutions focused, and technical support to be indicative of computational thinking and CT dimensions. The computational thinking dimension referred to as computational perspectives occurs most frequently within Scratch community participant discourse. The environmental factors found to contribute to computational thinking and the CT dimensions are supporting tools, personalized learning, supportive organizational culture, social learning, and organizational support. Common among the three computational dimensions is the contributing environmental factor described as supportive organizational culture, with the computational perspectives dimension prevailing among the corpora. The characteristics of computational perspectives and …

Open online courses provide a unique opportunity to examine learner preferences in an environment that removes several pressures associated with traditional learning. This mixed methods study sought to examine the pathways that learners will create for themselves when given the choice between an instructor-directed modality and learner-directed modality. Study participants were first examined based on their levels of self-regulated learning. Follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted to examine the choices that participants made, the impact of the course design on those choices, and what role self-regulation played in the process. The resulting analysis revealed that participants desired an overall learning experience that was tailored to personal learning preferences, but that technical and design limitations can create barriers in the learning experience. The results from this research can help shape future instructional design efforts that wish to increase learner agency and choice in the educational process.

Work-based and employee-driven informal learning, training and development have been increasing in importance in the last few decades. Concurrently, organizations seek to measure the extent to which they develop a culture and structure that supports individual learning and organizational learning. This study develops and validates a scale that can measure the extent to which an organization is perceived to provide online learning that is personalized for its employees and perceived to recognize skills and competencies acquired through non-degree and other pathways. This research can provide organizations with the ability to measure and benchmark attributes of their learning culture that are important to work-based and lifelong learning as well as talent recruitment and management.

Manually grading essays and providing comprehensive feedback pose significant challenges for writing instructors, requiring subjective assessments of various writing elements. Automated essay scoring (AES) systems have emerged as a potential solution, offering improved grading consistency and time efficiency, along with insightful analytics. However, the use of AES in English as a Second Language (ESL) remains rare. This dissertation aims to explore the implementation of AES in ESL education to enhance teaching and learning. The dissertation presents a study involving ESL teachers who learned to use a specific AES system called LightSide, a free and open text mining tool, to enhance writing instruction. The study involved observations, interviews, and a workshop where teachers learned to build their own AES using LightSide. The study aimed to address questions related to teacher interest in using AES, challenges faced by teachers, and the influence of the workshop on teachers' perceptions of AES. By exploring the use of AES in ESL education, this research provides valuable insights to inform the integration of technology and enhance the teaching and learning of writing skills for English language learners.

The purpose of the present qualitative multiple case study was to identify and describe sustainability efforts and the perceptions of sustainability managers of selected higher education institutions (HEIs) in Texas. Through a Qualtrics survey and semi-structured interviews, sustainability managers shared their experiences regarding the implementation of sustainable initiatives on their campuses. The present study identified four broad themes including Organizational and Leadership Challenges and the Impact They Can Have on Sustainability, Facilities Challenges and Their Impact on Sustainability, Issues with Full Buy-In on the Part of Stakeholders, and Sustainability Personnel Knowledge and Experience. The results of the present study are considered, and recommendations are provided to help researchers identify challenges to implementing sustainability initiatives on HEI campuses.

In 2016 employers hiring four-year college graduates indicate that 27.8% have deficiencies in written communication. Postsecondary learning objectives should focus on improving specific writing skills like grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary usage for individual students and monitoring text readability as an overall score to measure learning outcomes. Web-based applications and the tools integrated into them have the potential to serve as a diagnostic solution for analyzing the text readability and writing skills of students. Organization and structuring of Canvas data was required before adding text readability and other writing skills analytics as part of the process to develop diagnostic learning analytics that interprets student writing skills in the learning management system. Decision modeling was used to capture and describe the specifics of literacy improvement decisions for instructors and administrators in a graphical notation and structured format.

This study examined if using mobile technology-based activities would increase student performance in biological science courses. The study compared two groups of students in lectures and labs. Each group had about 20 students. The mobile group had mobile technology-based activities and the non-mobile group received conventional instruction. The mobile group used links to the website, or a QR Code to access the activities. The non-mobile group had handouts and worksheets over the same content. The research methodology for this study was mixed method. The study was a quasi-experimental design that used instruction method as the independent variable between two groups. The study used formative and summative assessment to compare the performance of the mobile group and non-mobile group in lecture and lab. The student in the mobile group had statistically significantly higher lab exam scores than students in the non-mobile group. Additionally, Students were surveyed about their performance expectancy and effort expectancy using mobile technology for learning, and they were asked about their self-management of learning. Analysis indicated that both groups had similar performance and effort expectancy using mobile technology for learning, but the two groups differed on self-management of learning responses to the survey. Focus groups from the mobile …

The purpose of this study is to analyze which behaviors are or are not helpful for debugging when a novice is in a state of unproductive persistence. Further, this project will exploratorily use a variety of analytical techniques -- including association rule mining, process mining, frequent sequence mining, and machine learning-- in order to determine which approaches are useful for data analysis. For the study, programming process data from hundreds of novice programmers were analyzed to determine which behaviors were more or less likely to be correlated with escaping a state of unproductive persistence. Of these events, only three had a statistically significant difference in their rates of occurrence and large effect sizes: file, edit, and compile events. While the data set cannot reveal a user's motivation for a file event, the most logical explanation of these events is that the user is tracing the code. Thus, a higher rate of file events suggests that code tracing (with the goal of code comprehension) is a key behavior correlated with a student's ability to escape a state of unproductive persistence. On the other hand, editing events are far more common in unproductive states that are not escaped. A content analysis suggests …

The purpose of this research is to identify longitudinal trends relevant to online learning research within 15 highly regarded, peer-reviewed publications in educational technology and online education. Online instruction has become a popular form of education delivery across academic institutions. A review of literature on the topic shows that missing from the corpus is a trend analysis focused in online learning research across multiple journals. Previous efforts of establishing trends in online learning are narrow in focus using only one journal or a shortened time frame. This metatrend analysis employed text mining techniques to examine twenty years (1997-2016) of published research in an effort to establish past, present and emerging trends within published literature. A general bibliometric analysis is offered highlighting prolific and yearly journal publications. Meaningful trending terms used during the twenty-year time period were identified and analyzed. A cluster analysis performed on the extracted data provides a single layer taxonomy regarding online learning research. Time trends within the clusters were identified to offer a more in-depth analysis. Trends revealed during the research indicate a changing relationship of online learning and distance education. A strong emphasis on students and learning was noted as a consistent trend throughout the literature. …

The purpose of this three-article dissertation was to expand knowledge and theory regarding digital tool use in biology laboratory courses, such as microbiology, which requires specific laboratory skill development through the perception of instructors and students. Article 1 establishes the broad digital literacy and fluency problem in education by providing definitions and the context behind digital literacy fluency and its impact on acquisition of knowledge in digital learning environments. The study provided a picture of the lack of knowledge about the use of digital tools in education and practical problems around appropriate implementation, infrastructure, and preparedness. Article 2 presents results of a literature research study about the foundational, pandemic-induced, and current digital tool use in biology and microbiology lab courses. Recommendations for improvement in digital tool implementation, pedagogical approach, and appropriate selection to meet learning outcomes were provided. Article 3 describes a 3-layered study to build a new instrument to understand minority-student perceptions of identity and digital literacy and technology barriers on student success in STEM courses. The study identified challenges and benefits of digital tool use in virtual microbiology lab courses, unique challenges of underrepresented populations, and the need to develop an instrument to capture the context of this …

This study investigates the effectiveness of an inquiry-based learning curriculum for middle school students with learning and/or attentional disabilities (LD and/or ADHD). The main questions asked were: To what extent can an inquiry-based learning curriculum focused on digital responsibility impact: (1) well-being; (2) smartphone usage; and (3) smartphone awareness among adolescents with LD and/or ADHD? Fifty middle school participants with LD and/or ADHD were divided into two groups, an experimental group and a control group. Findings showed a significant increase both in positive affect and in awareness of personal smartphone usage for experimental, but not control, participants, suggesting that inquiry-based learning may be an effective approach for teaching digital responsibility to students with LD and/or ADHD. Other findings indicated that social connectivity is a high priority for today's adolescents. Additional insights and implications are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to identify the essential competencies for entry-level management positions in the food and beverage (F&B) industry based on the perspectives of Taiwanese industry professionals across three groups: work experience in Taiwan and/or mainland China, two F&B sectors (Hotel F&Bs and restaurants), and three management levels (first-line, middle, and top). A total of 515 Taiwanese F&B industry professionals participated in this study with 104 participants currently employed in mainland China, some of whom worked previously in Taiwan, and 411 participants working in Taiwan, without work experience in mainland China. Factor analysis produced four dimensions of important competencies: leadership, F&B management, interpersonal skills, and communication skills. Results indicated that communication skills was the only dimension that showed significant difference between participants with and without work experience in mainland China. The findings of this study indicated that 14 of 41 competency items were ranked in the top 10 based on the responses of the three groups. Participants from all three groups ranked "high level of personal integrity" as the most important competence and "ability to communicate orally in proper English" was ranked as the second most important competence by all groups except the restaurant sector. The results …

The purpose of this research was to provide an initial investigation of the preferences for both technology and learning sources that are available today in the modern workplace at a large financial institution with a national presence in the USA. In addition to the preferences of the participants, the research includes insights about the culture of the learning organization by using the Dimension of Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) and two preference surveys. The research methods used in this study are categorized as mixed methods and include both quantitative and qualitative methods. This study is nonpositivist and descriptive. It is based on a triangulation design method which is comprised of analysis from data obtained from the DLOQ and preference surveys, as well as semi-structured interviews with several survey participants. The results of the studies provide the foundational information for an extended quantitative analysis.

This study investigated the presence of technology leadership components in Texas principal preparation programs. Programmatic and course information of principal preparation programs holding accreditation with Texas Education Agency were analyzed to determine presence of technology leadership instruction. Results were compared with Shrum et al.'s 2011 research, and showed a slight increase in presence. This study also examined possible differences in technology leadership components based on if the course was delivered online, face-to-face, or blended. Results showed a stronger presence of technology leadership in online courses. Additionally, the degree of alignment of technology leadership components being taught in principal preparation programs in Texas with the International Society for Technology in Education was explored. Results showed a positive correlation between technology leadership components instruction with the International Society for Technology in Education.

Online learning is no longer considered novel within higher education. It has emerged as an accepted distinct channel and environment for instructional engagement. There is a notable deficit of works and theoretical constructs specifically addressing the identification and differentiation of online learner types and examining them as a distinct system within the learning environment. Learning effectiveness within an online instructional environment is affected by the individual student engaged in the instruction. The instructional experience of the learner is determined by their individual perceptions of and reactions to both internal and external factors. Therefore, it is critical to address the online learner holistically as a stand-alone systemic dimension of the online learning environment to truly understand their differentiating behaviors, motives, characteristics, and dynamics. The study classified and articulated the distinctive types of learners engaged in online instruction within the higher education context based on the key dynamics, factors, and influencers of the individual in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the individuals engaged in learning. Additionally, the study generated a new theoretical model, the taxonomy of online learner types (TOLT) to provide unique insights into the different types of learners and serve as an essential step towards developing awareness …

The purpose of this study was to determine if students with special needs participating in an inclusive classroom can learn the skills related to a STEM career as compared to the general student population. The study involved seventh grade students from two rural middle schools in north central Texas and was framed through a constructivist lens using a quasi-experimental design with a convenience sample. The Solenoid Invention Kit Assessment and the STEM Semantics Survey used in this study were used from a previously large existing dataset from a grant funded by the National Science Foundation for Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers. Findings suggested that there were no significant differences between the general student population and students with special needs. However, STEM coursework in an inclusive classroom may impact students' decision to pursue STEM careers.

Collaborative writing technologies such as Google Docs is believed to be a helpful tool in supporting the development of constructivist learning environments. However, not much research has been done among special populations outside the United States. This dissertation examines how using google docs can enhance collaborative learning among non-native English-speaking students at a university in Oman. A total of 52 students participated in this study, where they completed a collaborative writing activity using Google Docs. This exploratory study yielded quantitative as well as qualitative data. Interviewees shared their experience of using Google Docs for the collaborative writing activity. The research shows that Google Docs promoted collaborative interactions among students, such as learning from each other and communicating with the teacher. Interestingly, the data indicate that students used alternate social media such as WhatsApp to communicate with their group mates regarding the collaborative writing activity. Overall, the results obtained here confirm that the Google Docs can be used to enhance collaborative learning among non-native English-speaking students.

Many academic institutions are tasked with trying to improve the usability of their online educational support technologies such as ePortfolios, intelligent websites, and other interface technology to make them as efficient as possible to meet the requirements of their end users. This is particularly important for the academic institutions during times and situations when they may not have a live human presence available to respond to various inquiries from their end users about the technology. The challenges of an academic institution in making its ePortfolios viable can cost itself, its end users, as well as its other stakeholders, money, time, and confidence in the technology. This study is about usability testing for improving the user-interface for ePortfolios. This is a qualitative study using the think-aloud protocol (TAP) for data collection and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) for data analysis.

The need for online remote working from home significantly increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This unexpected crisis forced individuals and organizations to rapidly transition from face-to-face training to remote learning at home. This switch happened overnight and was not optional but necessary. Employees had to adapt to new online learning techniques, seeking to preserve the same level of learning as working from the office. The study participants were male and female remote workers in the United States aged 18 and over. A questionnaire focused on evaluating online training in the workplace and a survey measuring two types of attitudes related to the transfer of training and technology integration while taking online training courses that were distributed online. The study collected a total of 50 responses from participants for analysis. According to the study results, employees noted some positive features of remote learning, such as flexibility, self-paced learning opportunities, and faster content absorption. Areas employees identified for improvement were closely related to the causes of complaints, such as network and technology issues, using a learning management system (LMS), instructions for using an LMS or course management system (CMS), face-to-face tech support, distractions, and suitable workspace at home. The study's results …

This mixed methods study examined professional development for higher education faculty members at four-year, state supported universities in Texas and the perceptions of professional development leaders at these institutions. The quantitative data was generated through an electronic survey aligned to the second iteration of the technology acceptance model while the qualitative data was generated through semi structured interviews with those that participated with the survey. Univariate analysis was performed on the survey data and the qualitative data was categorized using pattern coding. Limitations and future recommendations were also discussed.

This study investigates the effects of sketchnoting, a visualized approach of notetaking, on learning strategies. The main questions asked were: What are the effects of sketchnoting on learners' learning strategies, including cognitive strategies (rehearsal, elaboration, organizational) and metacognitive strategies? Forty-eight undergraduate participants were divided into two groups, an experimental group, and a control group. Findings demonstrated a significant increase in cognitive learning strategies and metacognitive strategies in the experimental group. Other findings revealed that the aesthetic appeal of sketchnoting is the major reason motivating participants' sketchnoting behavior and the corresponding connection between design strategies and the learning strategies is the key of positive impacts of sketchnoting on learning strategies. Additional insights and implications are discussed.

Traditional use of the multiple-choice question rewards a student for guessing. This technique encourages rote memorization of questions to pass a lengthy exam, and does not promote comprehensive understanding or subject correlation. This begs the question; do we really want question memorizers to operate the machinery of our industrialized society? In an effort to identify guessing on answers during an exam within a safety-critical aviation pilot training course, a qualitative research study was undertaken that introduced a confidence-based element to the end-of-ground-school exam followed by flight simulator sessions. The research goals were twofold, to clearly identify correct guesses and also provide an evidence-based snapshot of aircraft systems knowledge to be used as a formative study aid for the remainder of the course. Pilot and instructor interviews were conducted to gather perceptions and opinions about the effectiveness of the confidence-based assessment tool. The finding of overall positive interview comments confirmed that the pilots and flight instructors successfully used the confidence-based assessments as intended to identify weak knowledge areas and as aids, or plans, for their remaining study time. The study found that if properly trained and administered—especially through a computer-based medium—a robust confidence-based assessment tool would be minimally-burdensome while offering worthwhile …

Technology integration into the classroom is a multi-faceted and complex topic. One factor that can have an effect on a teacher's incorporation of technology into their classroom is pre-service teacher technology training. In this research study the ARCS instructional design model was applied to a pre-service teacher technology course in the hopes of motivating course attendees to both learn about technology incorporation and to incorporate technology into their future classrooms. The ARCS instructional design model that relies on the motivational sub-components of attention, relevance, confidences, and satisfaction to develop instruction that motivates to students to learn course content and goals. This study analyzed a group of pre-service teachers enrolled in a university technology training course to determine if the redesign resulted in the desired outcomes. Pre-test and post-test data was collected using both quantitative and qualitative instruments to analyze the potential effect of the redesigned course.