Search Results

open access

U.S. International ESL Students' Experiences with and Perceptions of Utilizing Mobile Technologies for English Learning

Description: The purpose of this research was to examine ESL (English as a second language) students' current use of their mobile phones for English skill building activities outside of class in a U.S. school setting. In addition, this research reported on students' perceptions of the potential benefits of using smartphones in class for English learning. Also learners' current English related activities using mobile devices and time duration of using different phone features were studied. The literature rev… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Zhu, Shanyuan
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Exploring the Impact on Self-regulated Learning: a Comparative Analysis of Learner Experiences Using Problem-based Learning, Game Play, and Computer-based Instruction

Description: The ability to transfer what you know to new and different contexts is a sign of successful learning. While students often graduate from college with the required number of courses many lack the skills necessary to apply appropriate strategies to solve problems in different contexts, to reason, and think critically. More than a decade ago the Boyer Report (1995) pointed to this fact as a sign that Universities were falling short in adequately supporting their undergraduate populations. As a res… more
Date: August 2013
Creator: Najmi, Anjum A.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Relationship of Career and Technical Education Information Technology Teachers' Technology Self-Proficiency to Levels of Technology Integration, Prior Work Experience, Years of Teaching Experience, and Stage of Adoption of Technology

Description: The focus of this study is to determine the relationship between a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Information Technology (IT) teacher's self-assessed level of technology proficiency to the level of technology integration into the classroom, the prior work experience in the information technology field, the years of teaching experience, and the stage of adoption of technology. Participants were CTE IT teachers who were members of an IT teacher listserv that was established by the UNT Grant… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Ritter, Rhonda LeDoux
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Transmedia STEM Intervention Book in Middle School for Educational Change

Description: The world is becoming a global place in which science, technology, engineering and mathematics hold a key to a successful future. To help secure this future it is important to engage students early with relevant curriculum that sparks interest and success in STEM fields. However, education reform occurs slowly, so this paper looked at a potential paradigm that can help to bring about change in a middle school environment that harnesses the long standing strengths of learning and education with … more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Stansell, Alicia
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Factors influencing parental attitudes toward digital game-based learning.

Description: The purpose of this non-positivistic mixed-methods study is to examine parental attitudes towards the use of computer and video games in their child’s classroom and to investigate how the sociocultural contexts in which parents live affect those attitudes. The research was conducted using a mixed-methods triangulation design, including both quantitative and qualitative techniques. First, the study tried to identify which groups of parents were better positioned to accept and support digital ga… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Piller, Yulia
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Student Preferences for Technology-Based Learning Environment Interfaces as Influenced by Social Presence

Description: The purpose of this research was to investigate the preferences of online students for technology-based learning environments (TBLEs) as influenced by the level of social presence in the online courses the participating students have taken. This investigation was centered around utilizing TBLEs and methods for establishing social presence in online classes (MESPOC) survey instruments to obtain the preferences of current online students at public university in the state of Texas. This study assu… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Marmon, Michael, 1983-
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Phenomenology of Fostering Learning: Alternate Reality Games and Transmedia Storytelling

Description: This dissertation presents the essence of the experience of instructional designers and instructors who have used alternate reality games (ARGs) and transmedia storytelling (TS) for teaching and learning. The use of game-like narratives, such as ARGs and TS, is slowly increasing. However, we know little about the lived experiences of those who have implemented such transmedia experiences in formal or informal learning. The data consists of written transcripts from interviews with 11 co-research… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Wakefield, Jenny S.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Customizable Modality Pathway Learning Design: Exploring Personalized Learning Choices through a Lens of Self-Regulated Learning

Description: 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 ex… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Crosslin, Matthew B.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Implications of Social Media: Secondary Teachers' use of Social Media for Personal, Professional, and Instructional Purposes

Description: Social media has the potential to be a critical force in creating connected educators. The collaborative nature of social media encourages personal connection, professional enrichment, and learning through co-creation of meaning. Secondary teachers are in a place that would permit them to harness these affordances, not only in their personal and professional environments, but also in their classrooms. This qualitative phenomenographic study aimed to uncover how secondary teachers used social me… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Quintanilla, Brenda U.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

2D and 3D Fabrication Devices: Can They Improve Spatial Reasoning Skills in Children?

Description: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential benefit of two hours of activities involving 2D and 3D fabricators on the spatial reasoning skills of children in Grades 4 and 5, ages 9 to 10, from a private school in Southeast Texas. Can the introduction to hands-on activities with products created with these devices and learning about how these devices operate improve spatial reasoning skills? The research also evaluates the use of the Shapes Test as a valid measure of the spatial reaso… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Zimmerman, Ellen L
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Digital Games on High School Students' Academic Achievement in Mathematics Education: A Meta-Analytic Investigation

Description: The focus of this study was to conduct a meta-analytic investigation to combine the results obtained in independent studies aimed at determining the effectiveness of using digital games, as opposed to traditional methods, as a strategy for improving students' performance in high school mathematics. The major question of this study is: "Does the research on the use of games in high school mathematics support the use of games as a teaching strategy for improving student achievement?" To answer th… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Okeke, Godwin Nnaemeka
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Faculty Experiences with Collaborative Learning in the Online Classroom

Description: The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the perceptions and experiences that instructors in higher education have toward providing collaborative learning activities and opportunities in their online classroom. Through semi-structured interviews, the experiences of four higher education instructors from two universities were collected concerning their provision of collaborative learning opportunities in their online classrooms. A multi-phase coding process was used to analyze … more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Robinson, Heather A.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Design of Informal Online Learning Communities in Education

Description: The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Ed Tech Future Ready program has encouraged the use of open informal learning communities as professional learning opportunities for educators. This study categorizes 46 state Twitter chats by their moderation techniques and design. A purposive sample of Twitter chat designers participated in this phenomenological exploration that demonstrates how the designs of these informal learning spaces are aligned with the designers' pedagogical philosophies. R… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Kilgore, Whitney Kay
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of a Paired Grouping Pre-Service Technology Integration Course on Student Participant Attitudes, Proficiency, and Technological Knowledge Toward Technology

Description: The purpose of this case study with supporting quantitative data was to investigate the influence of paired grouping on student participants' perceived attitudes toward technology, perceived proficiency with technology, and perceived technological knowledge after completing a required educational technology course. Additionally, student participants' perceptions regarding the use of paired grouping on their attitudes, proficiency, and technological knowledge with regard to technology was also i… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Giles, Linda M
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Effect of Makerspace Professional Development Activities on Elementary and Middle School Educator Perceptions of Integrating Technologies with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)

Description: This study investigated a Makerspace professional development program, the Makers' Guild, provided to teachers within north Texas over the course of a semester. The research employed a constructionist approach delivered via 2D and 3D technologies during STEM instructional activities within a creative space. Participants reported statistically significant increases in self-reported competence in technology integration, confidence levels toward integrating World Wide Web, Emerging Technologies fo… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Miller, Jennifer R
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Using Situated Learning, Community of Practice, and Guided Online Discourse in Healthcare Education for Learning Effective Interprofessional Communication

Description: The problem exists that there are no education initiatives focused on teaching and taking into practice the skills of effective interprofessional discourse in this online, asynchronous, professional environment. The purpose of this study was to examine whether it is possible for students in the health professions to learn to practice effective interprofesssional online discourse in an electronic health record. This was a mixed methods study that included both quantitative ad qualitative inquiry… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Krumwiede, Kimberly A.H.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

STEM Professional Volunteers in K-12 Competition Programs: Educator Practices and Impact on Pedagogy

Description: This mixed methods dissertation study explored how secondary school educators in specific K-12 competition programs recruited and deployed STEM professional volunteers. The study explored which practices were viewed as most important, and how practices related to constructivist pedagogy, all from the viewpoint of educators. The non-positivist approach sought new knowledge without pursuing generalized results. Review of the literature uncovered extensive anecdotal information about current pract… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Zintgraff, Alfred Clifton
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Adult Learning: Evaluation of Preferences for Technology and Learning Sources for Workplace Learning

Description: 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 … more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Kaiser, Robert Cresswell
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact on Achievement from Student and Parent Attitudes Towards Using Smartphones in School

Description: The purpose of this research was to determine what type of correlations existed between student and parent attitudes towards using smartphones in school and the resulting impact on achievement, specifically for low-achieving students. Participants in the study were third-grade students and their parents from a primary school in Singapore. The study employed a quantitative analysis to understand the correlations among the different participant groups. The instruments used were Likert-based surve… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Gordesky, Joshua Todd
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Associations Between Collaborative Learning and Personality/Cognitive Style Among Online Community College Students

Description: This research study investigated associations between online community college students' personal characteristics and experiences in online courses (n = 123). Specifically, students' personalities and cognitive styles were examined alongside the perceived quality and outcomes of collaboration. Negative correlations were found between the conscientiousness personality style and both the quality of collaboration (p = .09) and the outcome of collaboration (p = .05). This finding indicates that con… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Sheffield, Anneliese
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Validation Study of the Triple E Rubric for Lesson Design: A Measurement Tool for Technology Use in the Classroom

Description: This validation study examined the Triple E Rubric for Lesson Design as a measurement tool to test the effectiveness of a lesson when using technology to support learning goals. This study also measured the content and concurrent validity as well as reliability of the Triple E Rubric developed by Liz Kolb.
Date: May 2019
Creator: Schatzke, Sheila Erin
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Student Information Gathering: Examining What Happens when School Librarians Attempt to Convey Online Information Search Strategies to Meet Information Needs

Description: There is a growing expectation that school librarians function within their job descriptions beyond the role of reading promoter and resource manager. With college and career readiness standards, technology use and digital learning standards and information literacy standards now in place for student learning expectations, it is vital that students have opportunities to acquire, develop and practice such skills for future success in the global market economy. For students to receive such opport… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Chetzron, Jackie B.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Transformative Learning Theory as a Basis for Identifying Barriers to Faculty Confidence in Online Instruction

Description: This study applied the stages of transformative learning to faculty perceptions and application of best practices to online learning. Research questions included: Can transformative learning theory constructs be used to identify potential barriers in faculty development and delivery of online instruction?; How does the stage of transformative learning of online faculty relate to their perceptions about online learning and their application of best practices?; Is there a correlation between stag… more
Date: August 2017
Creator: Allen, Julia Elizabeth
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Role Humor Plays in Facilitating Rapport, Engagement, and Motivation in Graduate Online Learning Environments

Description: This study seeks to explore, using an interpretivist phenomenological approach, how humor may impact rapport, engagement, and motivation in graduate online learning environments. Through detailed qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and demographic survey data, emergent themes were identified that support the use of appropriate humor to create a positive online environment in which learning can take place. Evidence indicates that humor, when used purposefully… more
Date: August 2017
Creator: Steele, James
Partner: UNT Libraries
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