Posters (Asynchronous Session)
Understanding and Visualizing the Novel Roles of Ribosomal Proteins Through 3D Animation View Digital Media
Poster Session Stavroula Andreopoulos
Ribosomes are complex molecular machines that directly translate the genetic information encoded by messenger RNA (mRNA) into the twenty amino acid code for proteins. The structure of the ribosome contains both ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and ribosomal proteins where the latter stabilizes the overall ribosomal structure. Recent research indicates that ribosomal proteins may have roles beyond ribosome structural scaffolding. This project focuses on generating alternative learning modalities to help undergraduate learners in introductory molecular biology courses visualize and understand the extra-ribosomal functions of these proteins. We created a 3D animation that highlights how the molecular structure and interactions of certain ribosomal proteins permit them to serve dual roles as both structural scaffolds and cell-cycle regulators. Specifically, we highlight the altered degradation of p53 tumour suppressor protein by the direct interaction of mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) with ribosomal proteins. In addition, we touch upon the clinical consequences of improper ribosomal assembly leading to an imbalance between the dual roles for these ribosomal proteins. We anticipate that this 3D animation will facilitate student learning and understanding of visual literacy in the context of molecular biology and ribosomal proteins.
Effects of Online Reality Laboratory in Science Education for Junior High School View Digital Media
Poster Session Hsin-Yih Cindy Shyu, Yuhur Chou
The latest National Education Curriculum in Taiwan advocated that schools were required to add hands-on experiments in order to increase students ’interests in scientific learning. It was also recommended that the teaching should aim at cultivating students’ problem-solving abilities, and encouraging them to explore principles of cooperation, thinking, operational skills, and achieving course goals. However, the science curriculum in schools at present was relatively more in didactic teaching. In order to overcome the above dilemma, the authors had developed a online experiment of circuit unit for 9th graders and tried to explore its implementation on the effects in learning physics experiment for junior high school students. There were eighty-three 9th graders selected from three classes of a junior high school located in Taipei City. They were randomly assigned into two groups: 55 students in the experimental group and 28 in the control group. The experimental group conducted experiments with PC VR software, while the control group in a traditional laboratory courses. The results showed significant differences in learning effects including a achievement cognitive test and a worksheet on performing procedural tasks; However, there was no significant difference in the leaning motivation. But, it indicated that students were not afraid of doing experiments anymore, which may suggest VR was great for practicing and honing skills without fear of failure. This study was significant since it provided evidence that the online reality experiment can serve well as an auxiliary teaching material for enhancing effects and interests in a science experiment course.
The Use of an Assessment Management System as an ePortfolio in Higher Education View Digital Media
Poster Session Misty LaCour, Kelvin Beckett, Carolyn Mckeon, Lisa Wright, Dena AuCoin, Julia Nyberg
This study shares the details of how one education department in higher education utilized an Assessment Management System as an ePortfolio. Through the use of this ePortfolio system, the department collected, analyzed, and used key assessments to make data-driven program improvements. The authentic, significant program improvements made based on the student data included the development of new assessment strategies, curriculum revisions, restructuring of course and program outcomes, procedural changes, training opportunities for faculty and staff, and the development of new committees and restructuring of existing committees. The presentation highlights the five year trend results of implementing these improvements within the education department based upon the use of the ePortfolio data.
Synchronous Student Engagement - Course Buddy Connection: Special Education and General Education Teacher Teamwork View Digital Media
Poster Session Marsha Swindler
Special Education and General Education teachers are partners in education. Designing concepts to teach and learn how to be better collaborative partners using the Course Buddy system has proven to be beneficial in engaging students in learning. Elevating synchronous student engagement through the Course Buddy connection improves critical thinking, interaction with other students and with the professor, active listening, insightful responses, and how to stimulate high commitment and high attention from students. Course Buddies work throughout the courses collaboratively, mirroring the expectations of their future school environment where they will be expected to work together for the benefit of students in need of a team of cooperative educators. Course Buddies break the stereotypical argument that two educational leader groups in special education and general education cannot work together collaboratively! Synchronous student engagement provides solutions rooted in active learning and formative assessment, connecting with learners of every age and ability. Learners work together in the shared Course Buddy experience by offering their buddy feedback on their work and finding examples in the curriculum to further develop ideas for scaffolding, thus enhancing the content of the class. The Course Buddy discussions are a required part of the course, thus adding validity to each individual contribution informally assessed by many, not just the course instructor. The flow of knowledge is unlimited allowing many deliveries through the e-learning Course Buddy experiences. What a better way to prepare for the teamwork needed on school campuses in twenty-first century classrooms between Special Education and General Education!
Successfully Planning and Supervising Higher Education Online Programs View Digital Media
Poster Session Mary Dereshiwsky
Most research on online instruction has focused on the needs of students and faculty. Very little research exists related to effective educational leadership of online programs of study. This poster session summarizes the results of a qualitative descriptive research study of interviews with administrators regarding their experiences in planning and supervising online instructional programs. Specific focus is placed on the areas of benefits of online instruction, necessary skills to look for and evaluate in faculty who are hired and supervised to teach online, supports that are necessary for faculty in the areas of technology and library services, and future directions of online programs as they relate to educational administration.
Promoting Inclusion and Belonging in Online Learning Spaces : Celebrating Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in the Classroom Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic View Digital Media
Poster Session Melody Mann
COVID-19 has shifted the scope of education globally. Virtual and hybrid instruction is taking place via online platforms to deliver curriculum and intervention to students in a socially distanced manner. Promoting inclusion and belonging in these online spaces is integral to maintaining cultural and linguistic diversity in the classroom. Educators can foster an inclusive and equitable learning environment for their students by 1) collecting student demographics, 2) allowing students to screen-share autobiographical presentations, 3) initiating parental involvement and feedback, and 4) creating an accessible forum for ongoing student engagement. By employing online resources such as Trello, FlipGrid, JamBoard, and Google Slides, students can demonstrate their ethnic and racial identities in a manner that caters to their preferred learning style. There is an abundance of online tools for educators to provide the students and families they serve remotely that meet students at their present level. This paper explores how these four facets can bolster the online classroom culture and build rapport among all parties online. By detailing supports and resources for educators, this paper outline how to facilitate these four steps amid distance instruction for all learners, including suggested adaptations for students with disabilities. Working together with families, educators can continue to embody best practices in a sensible manner to meet the needs of their students during unprecedented times.
Socializing: Building Better Online Communities View Digital Media
Poster Session Ashley Jordan
There is a plethora of past research that indicates the importance of instructor presence in online education. Specifically, instructor presence is associated with better student satisfaction, learning quality, cognition, and motivation (Ladyshewsky 2013; Baker, 2010; Marks et al., 2005). Additionally, experimental evidence has shown that students are more likely to be successful in a class and to have better retention when they feel their professor cares about them. This is particularly true of first-year and underrepresented groups (Carrell & Kurlaender, 2020). In this study, I implemented socializing sessions in a large, undergraduate, fully online course. The purpose of these sessions was purely to enhance community building and instructor presence and attendance was optional. At the end of the class, students who participated in the socializing sessions reported feeling more connected to the class and to the teaching team. Additionally, the majority of students who participated in socializing sessions reported positive feelings toward the instructor and the class.
Use of Digital Tools in Higher Education: Creating an Online Index of Theatrical Reviews View Digital Media
Poster Session Aliki Antonopoulou, Evagelia Spyropoulou, Barbara Georgopoulou, Zoe Ververopoulou
Theater criticism holds an important place in theater studies, especially as a tool for studying theater history and reception - it is one of the three main branches of theatrology along with theater history and theory. This study presents the cataloguing, digitization and interpretive study of a body of theater reviews published in Greek literary journals in the years 1900-1950. In this context and with the aim of linking research with new technologies, we created a searchable electronic database, comprising a complete index of theater criticism published in Greek journals in the years 1900-1950, which offers users access to the full reviews, allowing them to search from a predefined list of fields, thus contributing to the modern needs of the information society and constituting a valuable and modern study tool for the educational and research community.
