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The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast faculty and graduate students' perceptions of engaging online courses. This mixed-methods study occurred in a mid-sized state university in northeastern United States. Data from an online survey and semi-structured interviews indicated that graduate students and faculty perceived similar online course elements in the areas of social and teaching presence as engaging: interpersonal connections, structured learning environments, and variety in course activities and type of technology used. Both believed that poor organization was unengaging. Subtle differences in perception were illuminated by the qualitative analysis. The results have implications for online course pedagogy and research methodology.

This qualitative case study examined the influence of the use of VoiceThread technology on the feedback process for thesis writing in two online asynchronous graduate courses. The influence on instructor feedback process and graduate student writers’ perceptions of the use of VoiceThread were the foci of the study. Master’s-level students ( n = 18) in two different degree programs received and responded to multiple rounds of instructor feedback on their thesis paper via VoiceThread technology for one semester. Instructor and student comments on VoiceThread and an open-ended survey of students’ experiences using VoiceThread in the course were analyzed. Findings show that VoiceThread promoted a two-way dialogue between the instructors and the students during the revision process, students had a generally positive perception of the use of the technology, and that instructors’ feedback processes were impacted in different ways by the use of the technology.

This study primarily explored the perceptions of dyslexia held by early childhood educators teaching in Head Start centers. A secondary purpose was to investigate how early childhood educators in Head Start centers perceive the notion of risk for dyslexia and how they identify at-risk students in ways that are consist with the results of a research-based assessment instrument. A case study approach was used for this study of two Head Start centers, one in the state of New Jersey and one in the state of Pennsylvania. Two teachers in each center (n = 4) and a total of 19 preschoolers participated in the study. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, observations, a teacher rating scale, and the Preschool Early Literacy Indicator (PELI) assessment. Findings indicate that the Head Start teachers held the prevailing misconception that dyslexia is a visual processing disorder rather than a phonological processing disorder. The Head Start teachers did not view phonemic awareness as a key factor in identifying children at-risk for dyslexia. Participants had a high success rate in identifying students at-risk in the areas of alphabet knowledge and oral language, but not in phonemic awareness and vocabulary. The results suggest that the stereotypes of dyslexia are hard to dispel and that professional development for pre-service and in-service teachers in early literacy practices and dyslexia are needed.

Este es un artículo publicado en acceso abierto bajo una licencia Creative Commons

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