Enrollment in online learning continues to grow in the higher education sector, along with persistent goals dedicated to achieving better student outcomes and lowering attrition rates. Improved student engagement has been shown to possibly reduce attrition rates through a greater sense of connectedness and decreased feelings of isolation among online learners. Instructor social presence may be the most important factor in building the relationships that foster learning and retention. Through communication, the instructor conveys the necessary immediacy behaviors required to cultivate these interpersonal relationships. With improved technology that allows for enhanced communication in online classrooms, the use of asynchronous video may be an effective way to improve instructor social presence and student engagement. This quasi-experimental design aimed to determine whether asynchronous video or text-based communication increased students’ perceptions of instructor social presence and student engagement in an online graduate classroom. Significance was found for student engagement based on the number of discussion posts and length of discussion posts. Students in the group who received text-based communication demonstrated increased student engagement in voluntary discussion boards as opposed to students in the group who received asynchronous video. There was no significant difference found for instructor social presence between the two groups.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the collective efficacy of teachers and student achievement at economically disadvantaged middle school campuses. The population of the study consisted of Texas campuses that served economically disadvantaged students and received a campus rating of Exemplary or Academically Unacceptable for two consecutive years, according to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The data shows that significant differences exist between the collective efficacy of teachers from Exemplary and Academically Unacceptable campuses. It was also discovered that the Assessment of Teaching Competence (GC) and Analysis of Teaching Task (TA) is higher for teachers from Exemplary campuses versus that of teachers from Academically Unacceptable campuses. The quantitative findings presented in the study provide further knowledge on the relationship between collective efficacy and student achievement. This study has found that the collective efficacy of a campus can influence student achievement at the middle school level.

It is unknown if matching students’ preferred learning style with course delivery style improves academic success and further study is warranted in this area (Feely & Biggerstaff, 2017; Newton & Miah, 2017). Recently, there has been a call to better identify and understand the preferred learning styles of physical therapy education students and the effect this has on education (Brudvig, Mattson, & Guarino, 2016; Lowdermilk, 2016). While the benefit of matching teaching and learning styles has been investigated in other academic disciplines, it has not been investigated in physical therapy education. The purpose of this study was to determine if student preferred learning style is related to success in a learner centered problem-based learning formatted class and program, specifically for physical therapy students. Results provide insights into preferred learning styles and student achievement in a problem-based learning centered Doctoral level Physical Therapy Program.

Despite a healthy production of teachers, teacher attrition is a significant concern facing school administrators across the state of Texas. This study sought to determine the extent to which questions on the Exit and Principal Surveys reflect three sets of standards which guide educator preparation in Texas: Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) Standards for Teacher Educators, Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Educator Preparation Program Curriculum Standards, and Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) Exam Standards. This analysis provides important information about the validity of survey questions as a measure of standards compliance for educator preparation in Texas and also sought to determine if there is a difference between teacher candidates’ Exit Survey evaluation of preparation and principals’ Principal Survey evaluation of first-year teachers’ preparation. Findings indicated a clear disconnect. Recommendations are provided as contributions for future discussion on much needed educator preparation program standards reform.

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