*Resources for Instruction in the Social Sciences

Assessment and accountability are now inescapable features of the landscape of higher education, and ensuring that these assessments are psychometrically sound has become a high priority for accrediting agencies and therefore also for higher education institutions. Bringing together the higher education assessment literature with the psychometric literature, this book focuses on how to practice sound assessment. This volume provides comprehensive and detailed descriptions of tools for and approaches to assessing student learning outcomes in higher education. The book is divided into three sections: overview, assessment in higher education, and case studies. The central section looks at direct and indirect measures of student learning, and how to assure the validity, reliability, and fairness of both types. The first six chapters (the first two sections) alternate chapters written by experts in assessment in higher education and experts in psychometrics. The remaining three chapters are applications of assessment practices in three higher education institutions. Finally, the book includes a glossary of key terms in the field.

This book explores how different classroom discourses and concepts of knowledge permeate teaching in high- and low-performance classrooms. Drawing on empirical research from classrooms in Sweden, it presents a theory-based framework for classroom research. The book examines the central concepts of knowledge, curriculum, pedagogy and equity to discuss differences in access to knowledge and the implications of these differences for students' future opportunities and well-being. It analyses the relationships between different teaching factors and discusses teaching from democratic perspectives developed within curriculum theory. Combining insights from curriculum theory with insights from sociolinguistic and sociocultural classroom research, this project breaks new ground in how knowledge from curriculum content is recontextualised into concrete teaching practices in the context of a standards-based curriculum. Providing valuable insights into the intersections between classroom practice, student performance and teacher expectations, this book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the fields of curriculum research, education policy, teacher education and classroom practice.

How can higher education empower students as agents of the social transformations that our societies need so urgently? Linn Friedrichs connects John Dewey's education theory, current research on globalization, and inclusive curriculum design approaches to propose a new educational model for our age of complexity, crisis, and innovation. Drawing lessons from NYU's efforts to globalize its research, pedagogy, and social impact, she presents building blocks for a new curricular core that is structured around the key challenges of our time and the competencies of complexity resilience. It becomes the essential foundation for action-oriented partnerships across cultural, disciplinary, generational, and institutional boundaries.

This book presents a comprehensive, systematic approach to the development of curricula in higher education in which each component is configured to optimize learning. The approach is based in an analysis of the psychophysics of the learner and employs theories of learning, instruction, and environment to design each component. The result of this process is the development of curricula that demonstrate optimal design attributes, remove barriers to learning, and expedite the learning.

Learning from Each Other includes 20 original chapters written by well-known experts in the field of teaching and learning. Conceived for both new and experienced faculty at community colleges, four-year institutions, and research-intensive universities, the volume also addresses the interests of faculty and graduate students in programs designed to prepare future faculty and campus individuals responsible for faculty professional development. With the aim of cultivating engagement amongst students and deepening their understanding of the content, topics covered in this edited volume include: employing the science of learning in a social science context understanding the effects of a flipped classroom on student success pedagogical techniques to create a community of inquiry in online learning environments the risks and rewards of co-teaching reaching and teaching "non-traditional" students facilitating learning and leadership in student team projects connecting students with the community through research issues of assessment, including backward design, developing and using rubrics, and defining and implementing the scholarship of teaching and learning Through Learning from Each Other, all faculty who care about their teaching, but especially faculty in the social sciences, can successfully employ curricular innovations, classroom techniques, and advances in assessment to create better learning environments for their students.  

As students are bearing an increasing proportion of the costs of their participation in higher education, increasing attention has been paid nationally and internationally to the issue of what higher education does for its students. What do students gain from engaging in higher education, and how might this be accurately measured?  This volume explores the latest thinking, research and practice on this topic from across the globe. Acknowledging that institutions of higher education, along with national governments and international organizations, are closely concerned with the answers to these questions, the authors demonstrate how it is critically important to be able to demonstrate convincingly and transparently how students have progressed, and what measurable skills and knowledge they have acquired.

Advocates for the rights of people with disabilities have worked hard to make universal design in the built environment "just part of what we do." We no longer see curb cuts, for instance, as accommodations for people with disabilities, but perceive their usefulness every time we ride our bikes or push our strollers through crosswalks. This is also a perfect model for Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework grounded in the neuroscience of why, what, and how people learn. Tobin and Behling show that, although it is often associated with students with disabilities, UDL can be profitably broadened toward a larger ease-of-use and general diversity framework. Captioned instructional videos, for example, benefit learners with hearing impairments but also the student who worries about waking her young children at night or those studying on a noisy team bus. Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone is aimed at faculty members, faculty-service staff, disability support providers, student-service staff, campus leaders, and graduate students who want to strengthen the engagement, interaction, and performance of all college students. It includes resources for readers who want to become UDL experts and advocates: real-world case studies, active-learning techniques, UDL coaching skills, micro- and macro-level UDL-adoption guidance, and use-them-now resources.

Media literacy educators rely on the ability to make use of copyrighted materials from mass media, digital media and popular culture for both analysis and production activities. Whether they work in higher education, elementary and secondary schools, or in informal learning settings in libraries, community and non-profit organizations, educators know that the practice of media literacy depends on a robust interpretation of copyright and fair use. With chapters written by leading scholars and practitioners from the fields of media studies, education, writing and rhetoric, law and society, library and information studies, and the digital humanities, this companion provides a scholarly and professional context for understanding the ways in which new conceptualizations of copyright and fair use are shaping the pedagogical practices of media literacy.

This freshly updated edition featuring research-based teaching techniques that faculty in any discipline can easily implement explores how we learn and can help facilitate better student learning--if we know how to apply it. In this book, James Lang presents a strategy for improving student learning with a series of small but powerful changes that make a big difference, many of which can be put into practice in a single class period. These small tweaks will bring your classroom into alignment with the latest evidence in cognitive research.

Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in today's high-stakes, standards-based environment? Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design.

How can educators leverage neuroscience research about how the human brain learns? How can we use this information to improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment so our students achieve deep learning and understanding in all subject areas? Upgrade Your Teaching: Understanding by Design Meets Neuroscience answers these questions by merging insights from neuroscience with Understanding by Design (UbD), the framework used by thousands of educators to craft units of instruction and authentic assessments that emphasize understanding rather than recall. Readers will learn: How the brain processes incoming information and determines what is (or is not) retained as long-term memory. How brain science reveals factors that influence student motivation and willingness to put forth effort. How to fully engage all students through relevance and achievable challenge. How key components of UbD, including backward design, essential questions, and transfer tasks, are supported by research in neuroscience. Why specific kinds of teaching and assessment strategies are effective in helping students gain the knowledge, skills, and deep understanding they need to succeed in school and beyond. How to create a brain-friendly classroom climate that supports lasting learning. Authors Jay McTighe and Judy Willis translate research findings into practical information for everyday use in schools, at all grade levels and in all subject areas. With their guidance, educators at all levels can learn how to design and implement units that empower teachers and students alike to capitalize on the brain's tremendous capacity for learning.

An accessible, practical guide to incorporating the 10 essential EdTech skills and strategies in every learning setting. In a world awash in technology, what EdTech skills and strategies should educators focus on to ensure they are making the best use of online spaces for classroom learning? How can they navigate through the overwhelming number of options in digital tools and spaces? How can they guide students in learning best practices? EdTech consultant Monica Burns answers these and other questions in this powerful and reader-friendly guide to incorporating EdTech across all grade levels and subject areas, and in both distance-learning and face-to-face environments. Readers will gain practical advice on Navigating online spaces, Curating resources, Introducing opportunities for exploring the world, Developing collaboration structures, Providing time and space to create learning products, Assessing students, Creating opportunities for sharing, Connecting student work to relevant audiences, Developing transferable skills, and Planning for tech-rich learning experiences. Each chapter explains why the skill or strategy is essential, including supporting research, classroom examples, guiding questions for planning and reflection, and suggested websites and digital tools for classroom use. The book also includes access to downloadable forms to help you set goals, assess your progress, and build your EdTech tool belt. Timely, accessible, and informed by the author's experience and expertise, EdTech Essentials is a must-read for educators who want proven ways to prepare their students to be productive, responsible users of technology both within and outside the classroom.

The Quarterly Review of Distance Education is a rigorously refereed journal publishing articles, research briefs, reviews, and editorials dealing with the theories, research, and practices of distance education. The Quarterly Review publishes articles that utilize various methodologies that permit generalizable results which help guide the practice of the field of distance education in the public and private sectors. The Quarterly Review publishes full-length manuscripts as well as research briefs, editorials, reviews of programs and scholarly works, and columns. The Quarterly Review defines distance education as institutionally-based formal education in which the learning group is separated and interactive technologies are used to unite the learning group.

Education in the Condition of “a Total Lockdown," COVID-19—Transformation from Traditional to Online Education, A Pandemic Case Journal of One Higher Education Institution, Shifting to Online Instruction in the Epicenter of a U.S. Pandemic, “Just Keep Swimming," COVID-19 in Indonesia, Systems Perspective of Academic Library Technology Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Rising Demand for Instructional Technologists, Instructional Technology in a Time of Crisis, Technology Means Machines