Dannelle D. Stevens

Bridging in‐class participation with innovative instruction: use and implications in a Turkish university classroom

Student‐centred university classrooms not only support student learning but also provide a forum to practise the skills of democratic participation, a particularly important set of skills for citizens in young democracies like Turkey where this study takes place. Yet, often classroom assessment methods do not match these innovative teaching methods and, therefore, do not encourage students to increase and learn from their participation. This paper describes how two professors bridged innovative classroom instruction and student participation through the use of a detailed, written description of in‐class participation. They document the changes in their classroom practices and the student responses to these innovations and assessments.

Journal‐keeping and academic work: four cases of higher education professionals

This study examines the journal‐keeping methods of four higher education professionals. Framed in the literature of adult learning theory, the study’s purposes were twofold: to describe the work‐related journal‐keeping practices of these educators and to examine the professional and personal benefits of journal‐keeping. Findings indicate that these professionals use their journals in four ways: to create conversations with themselves about their work and their lives; to organize their work experience and demands; to adapt unique and individual journal‐keeping practices to match their current needs; and to review and reflect on overall, long term career goals and organizational directions. Through the journal, these adults cope with the complex external demands of work life, enabling them to inhabit multiple roles, maintain balance and to see the larger picture in their lives and organizations. These adults believe that taking the time to journal leads to a more organized and meaningful professional life.

The ideal, real and surreal in school–university partnerships: reflections of a boundary spanner

Abstract Few would argue with the concept that a school–university partnership has the potential of creating positive outcomes for both universities and schools. The practice, however, is far harder to achieve, and explaining the processes as well as the outcomes is often hardest of all. The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of the “boundary spanner” who facilitates the development of school–university partnerships. As a university-based boundary spanner, the author finds it useful to liken the processes and outcomes of partnering to the surreal art of Rene Magritte. First the author describes the ideal school-university partnership, then offers some examples of the real issues that emerge while building partnerships, and finally, analyzes the surreal aspects of boundary spanning. In the conclusion, the author offers specific suggestions for developing school–university partnerships as one accepts the necessarily surreal quality of the work.

Mentoring through reflective journal writing: a qualitative study by a mentor/professor and two international graduate students

Universities and colleges seek to help all students succeed. However, foreign graduate students experience a different set of challenges than domestic students. Culture shock and writing in a foreign language are just a few examples that threaten their overall success. This qualitative participatory action research study describes and explains how two graduate students and a faculty mentor engaged in mentoring and structured reflective writing activities designed to address these challenges. The research data include a focus group interview, analysis of selected journal pages and conference presentations. Results indicate that reflective journal writing and mentoring help foreign graduate students de‐stress, learn the tacit knowledge of the academy and participate in scholarly activities like conference presentations and publishing.

“I’m in a Professional School! Why Are You Making Me Do This?” A Cross-Disciplinary Study of the Use of Creative Classroom Projects on Student Learning

Creative thinking skills are essential for todays workplace. Three faculty members from different professional schools (business, higher education administration, teacher education) examined student responses to the creative assignments in their courses. The assignments exemplify the following criteria: invited taking risks, encouraged innovative thinking, stressed connecting, demonstrated synthesis and transformation of course content. The study examined student responses to creative projects via a Likert-scale survey, open-ended narrative responses, and then scores on a rubric on creativity and integrative learning. Fifty-seven students were surveyed across all three courses. Overall, results indicate that students not only found these assignments worthwhile but also found that they furthered their learning of course content. Implications for practice are included.

Presenting Complex Teacher Evaluation Data: Advantages of Dossier Organization Techniques over Portfolios.

The development of extensive and authentic teacher evaluation raises questions about how best to organize and present the increased amount and variety of assessment materials. Portfolios have been suggested for teacher evaluation because they are well suited to capture the complexities of teaching. However, portfolios 1) are difficult to judge, 2) are difficult to archive, 3) lack key information, 4) miss excellent teachers with simple materials, 5) rarely plan for audiences, 6) distort when required, and 7) bring conflicts of interest. Teacher dossiers are compressed collections of objective data which are easier to judge, demonstrably reliable, and cost-effective.

The Value of Midterm Student Feedback in Cross-Disciplinary Graduate Programs

End-of-course student evaluations are frequently used to evaluate university faculty teaching. However, employing midterm student feedback has been found to be instrumental in informing faculty about instructional quality and improving student learning outcomes. This study examined and compared the effects on classroom instruction of using a midterm student feedback (MSF) survey in the graduate courses of two faculty, an untenured professor in public administration and a full professor in education. The researchers gathered data from 122 students over two years for three courses in 6 classes—4 in public administration, 2 in education. Results indicate that midterm student feedback offered insight for faculty at both levels. In addition, when faculty make instructional changes based on MSF data, students’ responses improve. Implications for future research are also discussed.

Fostering Master's Students' Metacognition and Self-Regulation Practices for Research Writing

ABSTRACT Proficiency in writing is crucial for success in graduate school. While doctoral student writing has received attention in the research literature, little research has focused on masters student writing. Masters students need to be skilled writers in their professional lives, and have the same if not greater need for writing instruction as other graduate students. When writing is taught in graduate school, the instruction often focuses on content and text, not on the writing context and process. Recent research on academic writing suggests the importance of focusing on the behaviors, motivations, and cognitions that surround student writing, especially metacognitive awareness and self-regulation of the writing processes. This qualitative case study examined MA TESOL students’ reactions to classroom activities designed to teach metacognitive awareness of writing strategies, self-regulation of writing practices, and text strategies. Data collected included surveys and students’ writing plans. Five themes emerged from the data analysis. Students benefitted from: Increased metacognitive awareness of writing practices, the focus on the social support of writing, the opportunity to review peers’ papers, discussion of the stress points around writing, and instruction about the text structures underlying academic writing. Suggestions for application of instructional practices to other writing programs are included.