Evrim Baran

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK): The Development and Validation of an Assessment Instrument for Preservice Teachers.

Abstract Based in Shulman’s idea of Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) has emerged as a useful frame for describing and understanding the goals for technology use in preservice teacher education. This paper addresses the need for a survey instrument designed to assess TPACK for preservice teachers. The paper describes survey development process and results from a pilot study on 124 preservice teachers. Data analysis procedures included Cronbach’s alpha statistics on the TPACK knowledge domains and factor analysis for each domain. Results suggest that, with the modification and/or deletion of 18 of the survey items, the survey is a reliable and valid instrument that will help educators design longitudinal studies to assess preservice teachers’ development of TPACK.

Transforming Online Teaching Practice: Critical Analysis of the Literature on the Roles and Competencies of Online Teachers.

Understanding what is lacking in the online teaching literature is critical to helping researchers and practitioners develop programs and support mechanisms for online teachers in higher education. This review formulates a critique of the standards- and competency-driven vision of online teaching from the perspective of transformative learning theory, in order to offer an alternative exploration of the professional development of online teachers as adult learners. The results indicate that while research about online teacher roles and competencies guides the development of teacher preparation and training programs, it lacks in terms of addressing the issues of empowerment of online teachers, promoting critical reflection, and integrating technology into pedagogical inquiry. An alternative perspective is suggested that considers teachers as adult learners who continuously transform their meaning of structures related to online teaching through a continuous process of critical reflection and action.

Student-led facilitation strategies in online discussions

This study explored student‐led facilitation strategies used to overcome the challenges of instructor‐dominated facilitation, enhance the sense of learning community, and encourage student participation in online discussions. It presents a series of cases of students’ facilitation strategies and using qualitative data analysis of discussion threads within the naturalistic inquiry framework, identifies three facilitation strategies: inspirational; practice‐oriented; and highly structured. The study shows that these facilitation strategies generated innovative ideas, motivated students to participate, and provided a risk‐free and relaxed atmosphere for participation.

Investigating faculty technology mentoring as a university-wide professional development model

A growing and increasingly important area of research in higher education is the investigation of how different forms of support and training programs facilitate faculty adoption of technology into pedagogical practices. This study explored the implementation of a faculty technology mentoring (FTM) program as a university-wide professional development model, focusing on the success factors and critical strategies that encourage technology adoption in faculty teaching practices. The goal of this effort is to provide evidence-based discussion on an FTM model tailored to faculty members’ needs in a university context. Participants included 12 faculty members (mentees) and 12 graduate students (mentors), paired throughout the FTM program. Analysis of mentors’ weekly blog posts, case reports, and interviews with faculty members revealed six critical strategies: determining needs; exploring technologies’ affordances and limitations; scaffolding; sharing feedback; connecting technology, pedagogy, and content; and evaluating. Success factors included motivation, meeting challenges, the nature of mentoring relationships, communication channels, and support. The results point to key recommendations for higher education institutions that plan to implement similar mentoring programs in order to support technology integration into faculty members’ teaching practices.

Examining Preservice Teachers’ Criteria for Evaluating Educational Mobile Apps

Recent interest in integrating mobile apps into teaching will continue growing. There remains, however, a pressing need to develop methods and resources to support and educate preservice teachers about the use of these technologies. This case study aimed to examine preservice teachers’ criteria for evaluating educational mobile apps. Nineteen fourth-year preservice teachers, who studied math, science, English, and computer education at a public university, participated in the research. During the usability tests, the preservice teachers were asked to evaluate the affordances and limitations of selected educational mobile apps from their particular subject domains. Their interactions with and evaluations of the mobile apps were collected through think-aloud sessions and interviews. Qualitative analysis revealed preservice teachers’ evaluation criteria in five categories such as pedagogy, technical usability, content, connectivity, and contextuality. The results point to recommendations for future research on evaluating the capabilities of existing mobile apps with key players such as in-service and preservice teachers.