Twenty Years of NSSE Data Use: Assessment Lessons for the Collective Good

How a university used evidence from a student engagement survey to make an impact on campus change

Virtual Students/Virtual Teachers: the Reality of Student Responsibility in Education

A wide range of possibilities exists for the use of computers in the freshman composition classroom. Computer technology can help students reach and understand new concepts of learning. A computer "pedagogy" in the writing class can promote collaboration, responsibility for learning, decentering of authority, understanding of the social construction of knowledge, the practice of freedom from dominant structures in society, and critical thinking skills. In this thesis, I demonstrate through the evaluation of freshman composition students and research in the field of composition how a computer pedagogy can help students be more responsible for their own learning and better prepared to enter upper-level classes and eventually the workplace.

Elbow to Elbow: Collaborative Writing with Colleagues

writing collaboratively with colleagues

Credit: English Journal

Blogging about books: Writing, reading, and thinking in a twenty-first century classroom

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to investigate how blogging as a reader response tool influences students' writing, response to literature, and thinking. From October 2006 through January 2007, thirty students in a ninth grade, English I Honors class, used the blog to post responses to literature. The data suggests that students can sustain appropriate and beneficial online conversations with minimal prompts from the teacher. Using open coding and categories from Hillocks (1980) and Odell (1999) student writing on the blog was analyzed for writing, specifically fluency and voice, levels of comprehension, and thinking. The data suggests that students' fluency, voice, and confidence increased.

How Does a High School Reading Class Influence Students' Reading Levels, Habits, and Perceptions?

The purpose of this case study was to describe and analyze a ninth grade reading class. The elements of the reading class were aligned with the literature supporting these practices Data collection included observations, teacher interviews, student interviews, pre-and post-reading test scores, sample lesson plans, and sample reading assignment handouts. Overall, student's reading scores, reading habits, and perceptions of reading improved through their experiences with a variety of research-based reading practices. The authors concluded that researchbased practices and a qualified reading teacher can positively influence and motivate struggling readers.

Credit: Journal of Reading Education

Semantic Analyses of Open-Ended Responses From Professional Development Workshop Promoting Computational Thinking in Rural Schools

a semantic analysis of open ended responses from professional development

Credit: International Journal of Computer Science Education

Translating Traditional Writing Process Tools to Digital Ones: Integrating Digital Writing in K-12 Classrooms

This chapter offers user-friendly free applications to help teachers incorporate digital writing tools in their classrooms. The authors encourage a collaborative and inquiry-driven environment to help teachers implement new digital tools that can motivate students and develop 21st century writers. The authors use the NCTE's Definition of 21st Century Literacies (2013) to discuss digital writing tools. The authors offer a framework for scaffolding the introduction of these applications in K-12 classrooms and in professional development and align traditional writing process tools to digital writing tools.

Credit: Open Source Technology: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications