Facility and ease in using computer technology increase the value that students attach to online learning environments. The current study provides an analysis of teacher candidates' attitudes toward information technology as they predict receptivity to electronic resources (known as e-resources). This questionnaire-based study recruited a representative sample of teacher candidates (N = 101) at an American Pacific Island university as participants. Questions addressed the relationship between teacher candidates' levels of comfort with technology and the Internet, and their preferences for e-resources. Information literacy skills strongly predicted successful use of resource-based approaches to teacher education, which, in turn, predicted positive attitudes toward online learning environments. The results may guide teacher education programs, as they seek to optimize pre-service teachers' receptivity to course-appropriate resources. Working with future teachers affords an opportunity to promote their use of information technology, and their view of learning as a lifelong enterprise.
The challenges in the information age include restructuring the teaching and learning process-changing the role of higher education teachers from presenters of prefabricated facts to facilitators of active learning. Two research questions were: Is designing for a mixed-mode course different than designing for a standalone course, and how do students respond to mixed-mode learning if it is offered as a research course? This case study is a real-life application, and four methodical processes were utilized: (a) designing a mixedmode course; (b) creating an effective course syllabus; (c) aligning assessments with learning objectives; and (d) implementing the course: students completed an opinion survey essay about the impacts of their participation. Factors contributing to student satisfaction in mixed-mode learning are strongly associated with the instructor's feedback to students. Although both summative and formative assessments are linked with instructional practices in the course, formative assessments are beneficial to modify "pedagogical" methods of the mixed-mode course and to facilitate active learning.
A variety of grading systems, including a whole-letter grading system, are used in American education. A letter plus/minus grading system (e.g., B+, C-) has become increasingly common in U.S. undergraduate higher education: a trend that has also attracted considerable debate. Yet the literature about the effects of the plus/minus grading system is limited. Historically, the U.S. institution in the Western Pacific where the present investigation was conducted did not allow for plus/minus grades in undergraduate courses. The present paper therefore discusses a survey of faculty, their differing perspectives, and how the institution eventually adopted plus/minus grading for undergraduate courses. This case study provides evidence that plus/minus grading, while imperfect, is superior as a measure of academic performance in terms of grade point averages, grade accuracy, and fairness in grading.
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