Michelle Eady

Creating Virtual Classrooms for Rural and Remote Communities.

Online learning may be the key to enabling people in less populous areas to earn teaching degrees and other professional certificates.

Pre-service perspectives on e-teaching: Assessing e-teaching using the EPEC hierarchy of conditions for e-learning/teaching competence

This article examines pre-service teacher perspectives of teaching with an online synchronous (live-time) platform as a part of their training. Fifty-three students who participated in a blended learning (including both face-to-face and online lectures) course were assessed in a teaching simulation through an online presentation, and participated in questionnaires and interviews about their experiences as e-learners using the platform. The EPEC hierarchy of conditions (Ease of use, Psychologically safe environment, e-learning/e-teaching Efficacy, and e-learning Competence) for e-learning competency, developed based on an analysis of pre-service teachers’ experience as e-learners in this same study, was used as a framework to assess teacher perspectives as e-teachers using this technology. Qualitative interview data were collected about students’ experiences using the platform, and analyzed via thematic content analysis. The findings showed that students generally favoured the online e-teaching synchronous platform over in-person presentations, and the quality of online presentations was considered at least as good as in person.

Rights, respect and responsibilities online - Reflections and efficacy

Demands for moral development are increasing in business and professional training. Mixed results of diversity training programs in the higher education sector suggest that innovative approaches are required for preparing students to become morally upright leaders and teachers. This research looks at the implementation of an online interactive tutorial that focuses on students working and learning together with others from a variety of diverse backgrounds. The study comprises a three-year investigation on the attitudes and understandings of students prior to a group work assessment task, and after completing the online tutorial. First year primary education students (n=594) completed preand post-surveys on their perspective of working with others, with a moderating educational intervention. Results revealed mixed views about the value of the program to this generation of students. We make suggestions for institutions of higher education to consider when creating diversity training and support for university students.

What is the impact of professional learning on physical activity interventions among preschool children? A systematic review: Professional learning and physical activity

The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate professional learning models (length, mode, content) offered as part of objectively measured physical childcare‐based interventions. A systematic review of eight electronic databases was conducted to June 2017. Only English, peer‐reviewed studies that evaluated childcare‐based physical activity interventions, incorporated professional learning and reported objectively measured physical activity were included. Study designs included randomized controlled trails, cluster randomized trials, experimental or pilot studies. The search identified 11 studies. Ten studies objectively measured physical activity using accelerometers; five studies used both accelerometer and direct observation tools and one study measured physical activity using direct observation only. Seven of these studies reported statistically significant intervention effects. Only six studies described all components of professional learning, but only two studies reported specific professional learning outcomes and physical activity outcomes. No patterns were identified between the length, mode and content of professional learning and childrens physical activity outcomes in childcare settings. Educators play a critical role in modifying childrens levels of physical activity in childcare settings. The findings of this review suggest that professional learning offered as part of a physical activity intervention that potentially impacts on childrens physical activity outcomes remains under‐reported.

Canadian university students’ gendered attitudes toward plagiarism

Abstract Prior research on plagiarism has indicated that men may have a greater predisposition toward academic dishonesty than women. However, little research has been conducted using psychometrically tested instruments to validate such claims. To address this gap, a survey was conducted with 377 undergraduate students at a Canadian university on their attitudes toward plagiarism using a psychometrically validated instrument (the Attitudes Toward Plagiarism Questionnaire – Revised). Using differential item functioning/Rasch analysis, no overall differences in attitudes toward plagiarism based on gender were found. A descriptive analysis of both men and women revealed that while only a concerning minority of students reported engaging in plagiarist behaviours; there was a tendency for students to take a permissive stance on plagiarism. These results are discussed within the wider context of plagiarism research in higher education.

What Do Canadian Aboriginal Children in the Northwest Territories Understand about Themselves through their Drawings

At the onset of this project, our idea was to travel to the Canadian arctic to meet with the children there and have both the Aboriginal children and non-Aboriginal children draw pictures of what an Aboriginal child means to them and compare these drawings.