Lessons learned: Institutional research as support for academic improvement

John, St.; Edward, Peter

doi:10.1002/ir.182

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Research suggests that a range of factors significantly contribute to students' improved achievement of learning outcomes (St John & Wilkerson, 2006). These factors include (although are not limited to) educators' teaching practices and belief systems about learning and teaching (McKenzie & Turbill, 1999).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, PLD has been offered in a variety of formats-some of which have proven more effective than others. One common example is a series of institution-wide workshops for which disparate groups come together in a classroom setting for a period of time ranging from an hour to several days (St John & Wilkerson, 2006). A number of issues can be observed:  Short workshops do not encourage participants to form lasting communities of practice (CoPs).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Personalised, Contextualised Professional Learning Development: Putting it into Practice

Owen

2011

JOFDL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Research, such as that collated as part of the New Zealand Ministry of Education‘s (MoE) Iterative Best Evidence Synthesis (BES), indicates that regular Professional Learning and Development (PLD) for educators can have a positive effect on the quality of teaching and, in turn, on outcomes for diverse students. PLD, though, needs to offer flexibility of choice, time and approach, and to value personal theories and experiences. Learning should be accessible (both physically and design-wise), cumulative and relevant, and couched within an active community of practice (CoP).A pilot to develop a Virtual Professional Learning and Development (VPLD) model that offered personalised, contextualised PLD was initiated by the New Zealand MoE. The project focused on primary and secondary school teachers, although one tertiary teacher participated. This paper provides an overview of the VPLD pilot (2009–2010) while also synthesising main findings from the in-depth evaluation conducted during the pilot and summarising some of the lessons learned.In brief, results suggest that there are affordances built into the VPLD model that encourage and enable education practitioners to develop at their own pace, in a supported, supportive environment, with access to all that they need to scaffold their learning journey. Thus, if it is accepted that student outcomes can mirror practitioner performance (although this is a somewhat simplistic relationship), it would follow that, if practitioners can be mentored and guided in their own continual development and thinking around learning and teaching, there is potential for the overall learning experience for students to be enhanced.

show abstract

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personalised, Contextualised Professional Learning Development: Putting it into Practice

Owen

2011

JOFDL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…More salient to the present study is the criticism that few evaluations of retention program effectiveness exist (Goldrick-Rab et al, 2007;Tinto & Pusser, 2006 (Green, 2007;Tinto & Pusser, 2006). Lastly, there is call by researchers (Deil-Amen & Turley, 2007;St. John, 2006b;Terenzini et al, 1994;Terenzini et al, 2001) for qualitative research to be completed on issues of retention as a means by which to complement the large body of quantitative work.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…St. John (2006b) criticizes the lack of rigorous research that exists on institutional practices and policies and their effect on low-income student retention, noting that retention theories are frequently used to rationalize interventions but not used to evaluate the effects of an intervention And while quantitative studies are necessary to determine effects, St. John (2006b) argues that studies that employ qualitative methods are -needed to build understanding of challenges and effects of interventions [and] to build an understanding of the reasons that interventions worked or failed as to reveal ways that practices might be altered to improve outcomes‖ (p. 98).…”

Section: Applying Theory To Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Bridging the Class Divide: The Qualitative Evaluation of A Summer Bridge Program for Low-Income Students at an Elite University

Schmertz

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study qualitatively evaluates an elite university's summer bridge program, which is offered to low-income, academically talented, incoming first year students. The goals of the study were to provide an evaluation of a newly created summer bridge program and to explore the first-year experiences of low-income students at a selective institution. The study sought to understand how student participants' experiences differed from non-participants and how their perceptions of the program were aligned or misaligned with the views of the program administrators. The theoretical framework weaves together social reproduction and persistence theory to illuminate the students' stories and experiences before and within college.The research methodology included observations of the summer bridge program and semi-structured interviews with five administrative stakeholders tied to the summer intervention. In addition, two sets of semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20, low-income students, which included 10 program participants, four waitlisted students, and six students who had been invited but did not respond. Evaluative and phenomenological methods were used to analyze the interview, observation and document data.Findings reveal that participation in the summer bridge program did not eliminate the challenges students faced in their transition to and ongoing success in college. Instead, students' commitment to persist was tied to psychosocial characteristics, such as a sense of self-efficacy, and their ability and willingness to enact the highly valued social and cultural capital necessary within the elite university culture. Students' pre-college experiences influenced their successful negotiation of the first semesters at the university. In addition, while financial aid served to help equalize students' academic and social experiences, reminders of social class differences remained.The summer bridge program was established with the aim of helping low-income students transition to college and attracted students who varied in their academic skills, and social and cultural capital. Recommendations include honing the process by which students are selected and re-aligning the summer bridge program's goals and content to better support the needs of the students it aims to target. In addition, the results of the study illuminate the complex pathways to and through college for low-income students.

show abstract

Joining the dots: the Scholarship of Teaching as part of institutional research

Shreeve

2011

Higher Education Research & Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Lessons learned: Institutional research as support for academic improvement

Abstract: Although the process of integrating institutional research into professional practice is still in a formative stage, we have learned some lessons from our experience.

Cited by 3 publications

References 10 publications

Personalised, Contextualised Professional Learning Development: Putting it into Practice

Personalised, Contextualised Professional Learning Development: Putting it into Practice

Bridging the Class Divide: The Qualitative Evaluation of A Summer Bridge Program for Low-Income Students at an Elite University

Joining the dots: the Scholarship of Teaching as part of institutional research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About