Journal of Computing in Higher Education

RESEARCH has shown that introducing computing technology into a statistics class can have a gender-specific, negative effect on achievement. In order to better understand this phenomenon, the purpose of this study was to investigate one construct, learner anxiety, that has been shown to be highly correlated with achievement. During the study, a control group of graduate level education majors (n=44) used hand-held calculators for computation during the statistical portion of an educational research course, whereas an experimental group (n=43) used statistical software. Results from theState Trait Anxiety Inventory showed no statistically significant differences in anxiety by treatment group. However, a significant treatment group by gender interaction did exist. When compared to the control group, females using the software showed significantly higher levels of anxiety, whereas males using the software demonstrated significantly lower levels of anxiety. Given these findings, careful consideration should be given as to how and when it is appropriate to introduce technology. Interventions that are designed to address one problem may wind up creating other problems that negatively affect student achievement. Educators should be prepared to deal with the problems as well as the opportunities that educational technology presents.

This study aims to find out how students prepared for a flipped classroom and to examine what type of instruction could effectively guide students to do pre-class preparation. We conducted case studies for over two years in a physiology class at a Japanese university. In a survey performed in 2017, students were asked to participate in a questionnaire and an interview. Their responses in the questionnaire indicated that there was a clear and positive correlation between their class preparation time and individual grades, while class preparation of some students was proven not so productive or efficient. By the same token, the student interview made clear that students were not well informed of what to focus on or how to prepare appropriately for the flipped classes. Based on the 2017 findings, we started to share learning objectives with students for their pre-class preparation in the 2018 course. Amid and after the 2018 spring semester, questionnaires were administered to examine the effectiveness of instructions for preparation, and of sharing learning objectives to measure the level of students’ metacognition. As a result, the students who continuously review the learning objectives achieved significantly higher grades than the students who did not. We also found that the level of students’ metacognition exerted a stronger influence on their grades than the amount of effort invested in reviewing the learning objectives for pre-class preparation. In conclusion, our study suggests that instructors should design a comprehensive flipped class model which maximizes the benefit of pre-class preparation time by envisioning that students’ preparation would be more sustainable and effective with proper guidance.

This study investigated the effectiveness of an integrated web-based portfolio system, namely the BOUNCE System, which primarily focuses on improving preservice teachers’ reflective thinking skills. BOUNCE©, the software component of the system, was designed and developed to support a teaching practice model including a cycle of activities to be performed in teaching practicum courses. The effectiveness of the BOUNCE System was evaluated by investigating the development of preservice teachers’ reflective thinking skills over time and the usability of the BOUNCE software. Preservice teachers demonstrated both high- and low-level reflective thinking indicators throughout the semester. A statistically significant change was detected in the number of high-level reflective thinking indicators from the first teaching experience to the second. Furthermore, the usability ratings of the BOUNCE© were above average. These findings highlighted the importance of integrated portfolio systems that combine technological and pedagogical elements to develop reflective thinking.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) carries considerable potential for enhancing education. However, despite growing use, universities have been slow to extend IT beyond the automation of administrative functions and the enhancement of teaching tasks. Failure to reshape core teaching and learning functions results in under utilization of IT. One cause is that faculty are reluctant to make radical changes to their teaching methods. In particular, adverse attitudes towards computers can prevent faculty from making the best use of them. Understanding what influences such attitudes can help remove barriers to the full exploitation of IT. This study found evidence that Hong Kong’s tertiary educators become personally involved with computers from using them for a variety of tasks, and that involvement generates positive attitudes and helps to alleviate computer anxiety. Women are less likely to become involved with computers and are more likely to feel anxious about them, as are individuals with a dependent personality. Those who feel anxious about computers will be more likely to have negative attitudes towards them, as will those who perceive less autonomy in their work. Achieving advanced use of IT in education requires the operation of mechanisms which will foster positive attitudes towards computers among faculty staff.

AS PART OF Babson College’s continuous quality improvement (CQI) efforts, the administration regularly surveys their primary customers (undergraduate and graduate students, their parents and employers) to assess the degree to which the institution meets or exceeds customer requirements. Surveys conducted during the period 1989 to 1992 indicated in unambiguous terms that the College’s educational programs were highly regarded, but that customers were generally dissatisfied with the quality of administrative support services, including: admission processing, registration, financial aid packaging, student billing and student loans processing. During this same period, Babson substantially redesigned its educational programs to prepare students for the management challenges of the twenty-first century. With an emphasis on interdisciplinary team teaching and enhanced field-based learning, this effort required additional resources at a time when the overall cost of College operations grew at a higher rate than inflation, and revenues remained static. Recognizing that radical change was required to improve administrative services and simultaneously reduce expenses, Babson committed itself to the reengineering of its student administrative support services. This study chronicles the effort through which the College transformed these business processes to achieve enhanced customer service performance and associated cost reductions. It also discusses in some detail the information resource management and information technology strategies deployed to enable these sweeping changes.