Browsing by Subject "Curriculum"
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Item Agribusiness Faculty Members? Perceptions of Importance and Inclusion of Decision Science Topics in Undergraduate Agribusiness Curricula(2012-10-19) Wolfskill, Lawrence ArthurAgribusiness degree programs train managers to make decisions in complex business environments. Curriculum designers generally look to the offerings of peer institutions for guidance. Decision science (DS) topics are important parts of agribusiness curricula, and students should learn about these areas. Measuring faculty members? perceptions of the current inclusion and importance of teaching DS topics is a necessary step in developing a prioritized list of teaching needs. Leaving curriculum design to undocumented or random processes would be a poor start to training our nation?s future agribusiness managers. This research used a correlational ex post facto design to analyze faculty members? perceptions of topic importance and inclusion. A random sample of faculty members was emailed a link to an online four-part questionnaire. Forced Likert-type scales measured the perceptions of importance and inclusion of 18 selected DS topics. Borich?s (1980) model of weighted discrepancy scores was used to develop a rank order of DS topic curricular needs. Forced-entry multiple regression was used to describe how the variation in the dependent variables measuring perceived importance was partitioned among sets of predictor variables. Teaching DS topics in a faculty member?s coursework was significantly correlated with faculty members? overall perception of the importance of DS topics in the agribusiness curriculum, albeit at a low level. Although most dedicated DS courses were taught in agribusiness departments, no significant relationship existed between department and overall perceived importance of teaching DS topics. Faculty members who had earned a business degree did not rate DS topics as more important compared to those who had not earned a business degree. Respondents from departments with industry advisory councils did not rate the importance of DS topics higher than those from departments without such councils. Of the 18 DS topics studied, Project Management was identified as the one most needed to be added to agribusiness curricula. Forced-entry multiple regression was used for explaining variation among variables. Of the 18 importance-related dependent variables, those for Linear Programming and Material Resource Planning had no significant relationship with any independent variables. The remaining models explained at most 13.9% of the variations, and frequently much less.Item An eighth grade curriculum incorporating logical thinking and active learning(Texas A&M University, 2006-10-30) Kobiela, Marta AnnaWith the increasing stress on teachers and students to meet and raise mathematics standards in schools, especially in the secondary level, the need for strong curricula and supporting materials for teachers has grown. A good curriculum, however, must do more than align with state standards and teach to the state exams; it must encourage students to enjoy mathematics. In an effort to help ease the plague of math anxiety, this thesis presents an eighth grade curriculum, called MathTAKStic, not only directly aligning with the Texas state standards, the Texas Essential Knowledge Skills (TEKS), but also encouraging students to pursue higher level thinking through active learning and logical thinking. To test the curriculum and find out its usefulness, several lessons were taught at a middle school. Although the scores of those learning with the curriculum were not always better than others, MathTAKStic led to a greater increase in students?????? performance compared to those who were not exposed to the lessons, an increased interest in math and a plethora of ideas for the future. These results were concluded based on a comparison of students?????? scores from the previous year to the current year on the Texas standardized test. Overall, the increase in passing scores of MathTAKStic students preceded other classes in the same school.Item An impact evaluation of active learning literacy charts on student reading outcomesGonzalez-Garcia, Frances LItem An analysis of the prescribed and enacted curriculum of an engineering unit on helmet design(2011-08) Gustafson, Katherine Alessandra; Petrosino, Anthony J. (Anthony Joseph), 1961-; Allen, DavidUsing grounded theory, action research and ethnographic case study methodology this research explores the contrasting ways in which a prescribed curriculum is translated into an enacted curriculum. The current study looks at a 12 week secondary engineering unit (helmet design) which was designed with significant input from a university based team including content experts, learning scientists, master teachers, classroom teachers and school district administrators as part of a grant focused on the creation of a high school engineering course. The unit was enacted in a rural/suburban school by a group of average students by a teacher with high content knowledge in engineering. Five thrusts were identified for analysis including Assessment, Activities, Apparatus, Technology and Standards. Findings indicate much alignment with Apparatus, Standards and Technology thrusts and disparity within the Assessment and Activities thrusts.Item The art of manipulation : gender inequity and the picture study movement(2012-08) Kern, Jasmin Nikol; Bolin, Paul Erik, 1954-; Bain, Christina BThis study locates and examines the relationship between societal gendered expectations in nineteenth century United States and the content of a picture study manual published at the turn of the century: Lucy Langdon Williams Wilson’s Picture Study in Elementary Schools: A Manual for Teachers (1909). Critical analysis of the images, artists, and content of the picture study manual provides insight into the relationship between curricular materials and the social climate during which they were produced. Recognition of this connection will enable art educators and curriculum developers to produce materials and textbooks conscious of the potential bias and marginalization of students.Item The Cell Membrane Science Suitcase: An Educational Module for High School Biology Students(2011-02-01T19:37:22Z) Nelson, Roshni; Coulter, KennethThis thesis documents the production and testing of an educational module, the Cell Membrane Science Briefcase, for high school introductory biology students. The module is part of the Science Teacher Access to Resources at Southwestern series of educational Science Suitcases, made available to teachers within the Dallas Independent School District and neighboring communities. The series is funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and produced by the Biomedical Communications graduate program at the University of Texas Southwestern, and the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science. The Cell Membrane Science Briefcase is intended to supplement the current curriculum with a comprehensive, three-dimensional animation, models, and student activities related to biological membranes. The goal is to not only provide a useful resource for teachers, but to engage and appeal to students through a variety of media and tools not often found in the science classroom.Item Cellular Respiration: A Stars Science Suitcase for High School Biology Students(2011-12-12) Gordon, Alexandra; Diehl, AngelaThe goal of this thesis project was to create a portable Science Suitcase on cellular respiration intended to supplement the current high school biology curriculum in the Dallas Independent School District. The Science Suitcase includes a narrated animation, a magnetic board game and printable student handouts. The Science Suitcase will help high school students understand the broad concepts of cellular respiration and help them improve performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) exam.Item Continued fractions(2011-08) Hannsz, Baron Kurt; Armendáriz, Efraim P.; Daniels, MarkThis report examines the theory of continued fractions and how their use enhances the secondary mathematics curriculum. The use of continued fractions to calculate best approximants of real numbers is justified geometrically, and famous irrational numbers are described as continued fractions. Periodic continued fractions and other applications of continued fractions are also discussed.Item CRP was-is-will be here : sustaining an academic service-learning approach to planning instruction(2006-12) Tirpak, Mark Andrew; Oden, MichaelThe Community and Regional Planning program of the University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture (UTSOA-CRP) has made course-integrated community-based project work (CCPW) a key - if not a requisite, component of its classroom-based teaching and planning instruction. Often referred to as academic service-learning, the pedagogy of incorporating community-based project work with classroom instruction is recognized to have significant benefits for college students, faculty members, institutions, and communities. More specifically, this teaching approach is understood to have substantial advantages in planning instruction. This professional report attempts to offer recommendations towards addressing the question of how a CCPW, or academic service-learning, approach to planning instruction can best be sustained and/or enhanced by the UTSOA-CRP program. Ideally, this report will add to the growing body of literature and research related to academic service-learning in planning instruction, while offering the CRP program useful tools and resources to consider in program design, implementation, evaluation, and planning.Item Developing and testing a protocol for curricula feedback in higher education(Texas Tech University, 1997-05) Ergish, Gary A.The purpose of this investigation was to develop and test a curriculum evaluation protocol to determine its validity, comprehensiveness, and usefulness for evaluating higher education academic curricula. While having application in other higher education environments, the Curriculum-Evaluation Protocol was tested in the specific professional higher education environment of the United States Air Force's B-IB (strategic bomber) student academic curriculum. This study of the Curriculum-Evaluation Protocol included two independent groups composed of 183 adult students and curriculum development experts which were given an accompanying survey to determine the validity, comprehensiveness, and usefulness of the protocol. One group was composed of 129 students in seven separate student classes throughout one academic year. The students were requested to use the protocol in an academic setting prior to completing the survey, and 116 students returned completed surveys. The same survey instrument was given to a second group of 54 curriculum development experts, and 52 returned completed surveys. Statistical analysis of the 116 student and 52 curriculum development expert survey resuhs indicate that both populations rated the Curriculum-Evaluation Protocol, using a rating scale of 0 to 5, to be overall valid, overall comprehensive, and overall useful. Additionally, both populations rated the individual parts that comprise the protocol to also be valid.Item Development of an Interactive Program on the Jacobson's Organ and Defense/Prey Methods of Snakes as a Model for Teaching Complex Biological Concepts to Children in Grades Four - Six(2009-01-08) Cammilleri, Aimee L.; Krumwiede, Kim HoggattThe goal of this thesis was to create a model for an educational interactive animated program that explains complex biological concepts to children in grades four through six. The program uses illustrations, animations, photographs, and interactive games to enhance the teaching of the Jacobson's organ in snakes and snake defense/prey methods. The program serves not only as an educational tool, but also engages the learner through its interactive games which reinforce important concepts.Item Factors superintendents consider when making the decision between commercially developed curriculum or locally developed curriculum(2011-05) Veazey, Lana Kay; Olivárez, Rubén; Sharpe, Edwin; Keating, Xiaofen; Ott, Bobby; Siler, JillThis study examined the factors superintendents consider when making the decision between commercially developed curriculum or locally developed curriculum. This study was guided by three research questions: (a) What factors does the superintendent consider in selecting a curriculum? (b) How do these factors impact the decision to use a commercially developed curriculum or to use a locally developed curriculum? and (c) How does the decision-making process regarding curriculum selection correlate with other functions of the superintendent and the school district? This qualitative multiple-case study intended to describe the experiences of six school superintendents who have served in this capacity for ample time to have developed a perspective in relation to curriculum choice for their respective districts. During semi-structured interviews, questions posed to the participants were organized around the following themes: (a) importance of curriculum along with time devoted to overseeing curriculum and how this relates to other responsibilities of the superintendent; (b) the factors considered when deciding curriculum choice; (c) the pros and cons of commercially developed curriculum and locally developed curriculum; and (d) the challenges associated with curriculum. This questioning along with the review of documents relating to curriculum guided the development of the findings and provided structure for the reporting of data and analysis. The data collected through the interviews and document reviews were coded according to first-level coding and pattern coding. This research study revealed that overseeing and maintaining a guaranteed and viable curriculum is very time and cost intensive, but the essential piece for student achievement. In addition, in regards to deciding between commercially developed or locally developed curriculum, the superintendents in this study were adamant advocates for their curriculum choice and had justifiable reasons for their choice. The final finding disclosed in this study was that with the role of the superintendent being very taxing, the function of Curriculum and Instruction does not always take priority. In conclusion, with such emphasis placed on having a guaranteed and viable curriculum, as the chief instructional leader, superintendents must put forth a concentrated effort to select a curriculum that will promote and support student learning and success.Item Graduates' Perceptions of the Criminal Justice Degree as Preparation for a Career in Law Enforcement(2010-10-12) Franks, George RobertThere continues to be much debate in the criminal justice academic community about the value of the degree in the practice of law enforcement. Most of the debate centers on earlier research that was both non-discipline specific and did not include direct data collected from persons holding the degree and serving as police officers. Unfortunately, there is little identifiable research into whether criminal justice graduates perceive their degree as having a positive impact on their career in law enforcement. This research is an exploration of the relationship between criminal justice higher education and the majoring graduate?s success in a law enforcement career. The research is vital in understanding the perceived relationship between the criminal justice degree and the law enforcement career from a program graduate/law enforcement practitioner perspective. The study utilized qualitative inquiry and interpretive phenomenological analysis to develop major themes of the graduates' perceptions of how their criminal justice degree has contributed to their success in a law enforcement career. The findings of the study indicate that most graduates perceive the degree as having direct links between college course curriculum and the academy training programs for law enforcement officers. There is also an indication that strong criminal justice related writing requirements improve career opportunities. In addition, the study supports the inclusion of required internship programs in the criminal justice curriculum, and the use of regular and adjunct faculty with career experience in law enforcement.Item The Integration of Health Care Policy in Medical Education(2009-05-14) Nguyen-Trong, Phuong-Khanh Jessica; Wagner, JamesTraditional medical school curriculums currently do not include introductory courses on various health care policy topics. The 2005-2006 U.T. Southwestern Congressional Health Care Fellowship activities are examined in this thesis, including Avian Influenza, the Ryan White Care Act reauthorization, and Massachusetts Health Care Reform Plan. It is predicted that the inclusion of several curriculum reforms in medical education will increase the participation from physicians in reforming our nation's healthcare system.Item "It's not because I wanted it-- I knew I wasn't ready" : young mothering teens in the borderlands speak out about the pressures of sex, love and relationships(2010-05) Reyes, Ganiva; González-López, Gloria, 1960-; Heinzelman, Susan S.Why are so many girls becoming pregnant in Brownsville, Texas? I encountered this question as a result of my field work. Teachers, school administrators, community officials, parents, and even students pose this question as part of a local concern over the high birth rate among Brownsville youth. As a response to this concern, I engage with this overarching research question by exploring the sex lives and romantic experiences of young mothering teens in Brownsville, through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. However, as part of a larger mission of problematizing common misconceptions and misunderstanding regarding Mexican-origin youth and their sex lives, this thesis offers a Chicana feminist/borderlands analysis of what the young women shared concerning their sexual experiences. Through their stories, I situate teen pregnancy as a symptom of a complex web of discourses, practices, social institutions, and ideologies regarding sex, thereby elucidating the socio-cultural factors that make young Mexicanas vulnerable to unprotected sex, and consequently unintended pregnancy in Brownsville, Texas. Throughout this thesis I focus on three social and personal venues that stood out as the most influential sources from which my informants learned and talked about sex: peers, mothers, and boyfriends. Contrary to the culture of silence presumed by the literature, the mothers and peers of the young respondents are quite vocal about sex; in fact, there is strong peer pressure for young women to have sex. However, they are expected to so within the context of a committed, heterosexual relationship in which young women give into male desire. This set of social expectations compels young women to have unprotected sex, but also to engage in unwanted sex. In the final chapter, I suggest how sex education can be improved and tailored to the particular needs of Brownsville youth—that is both women and men.Item Light! Carbon! Action!: A Portable Science Suitcase on Photosynthesis for High School Biology Students(2010-05-14) Wu, Derek Thomas; Krumwiede, Kim HoggattThe goal of this thesis was to create a traveling “science suitcase” teaching aid that could encourage the improvement of 9th and 10th grade students’ understanding of the complex physical, chemical, and biological processes involved in photosynthesis. The suitcase includes a narrated animation, an interactive board game, three laboratory experiments, and a hands-on cell model. The suitcase is a resource to enhance the teacher's curriculum on photosynthesis, possibly help students meet the state of Texas science education requirements, and stimulate student interest to take advances science classes such as Advanced Placement Biology.Item Mars north polar ice stratigraphy project : a curriculum module for 5th grade(2011-08) Chavez, Augustine Faustino; Holt, John W., Ph.D.; Wilson, Clark R.This report is explores the need for a curriculum module for late elementary school students by looking at what drives student interests and motivations in pursuing careers in the sciences. The curriculum module created is composed of visual aids, including video animations, a 3-D scale model, and a hands-on, guided classroom activity. Exploring the stratigraphy on Mars Planum Boreum northern polar ice cap using radargrams from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and modeling sublimation of Carbon Dioxide with a dry ice experiment, the curriculum module will be tested and improved upon over the next academic year in a 5th grade classroom with intent for submission to NASA for funding and eventual dissemination to the general public. The goal of the project is to add new, engaging dimensions to space science activities and to understanding of fundamental geologic principles, using real-time applications to foster interest and motivate students to enter the fields of the geosciences in the future.Item Mathematics TEKS Connections Program in Texas: Follow-Up Analysis of Teacher Trainers' Attitudes and Systematic Observation of Elementary Mathematics Instruction(2012-08-22) Woods, MelanieThe purpose of this study is to examine two components of a statewide professional development program designed to improve mathematics instruction in Texas: perceptions of train-the-participants and mathematics classroom processes during mathematics instruction. The dissertation utilized a multiple journal article format to explore each component as a stand-alone, yet connected, study using data from an evaluation of the statewide professional development program. The first study explored the impact of the train-the-trainer model used in the professional development program. An online survey was administered to participants to determine their attitudes about a new mathematics curriculum, as well as the potential impact of the curriculum on teacher knowledge and student achievement in mathematics. Descriptive statistics identified the number of trainers who provided professional development in Texas. Independent sample t-tests revealed no statistically significant differences in the attitudes of the participant groups. A content analysis identified themes related to conceptual knowledge, instructional strategies, and classroom interaction as possible impact on teacher content knowledge and student achievement. The second study examined the long-term effects of the statewide professional development program on mathematics classroom processes from one elementary school district in Texas. Quantitative analysis of the systematic classroom observation indicated significant differences in the classroom processes of teachers who participated versus those who did not participate in the professional development program. Descriptive statistics identified the most frequently observed Setting, Instructional Orientation, and Instructional Practice used by teachers, and t-test identified significant different in the classroom processes of teachers who participated versus those who did not participate in the professional development program. The findings from this dissertation have implications on mathematics education research. First, curriculum developers should monitor trainers' attitudes about curriculum materials on an on-going basis to establish differences over time. Second, classroom observations should follow professional development to determine the long term effects of the strategies used by teachers during mathematics instruction.Item The meanings behind the screens : a qualitative study of the Screen It! program(2013-08) Gleixner, Alison Marie; Bain, ChristinaThis case study examined the Screen It! Program and focused on how this program benefitted the students. This study focused on students’ perceptions and in order to have a holistic understanding of the phenomenon, it was important to understand the viewpoint of museum educators, teachers, and students. In these types of museum-school partnerships, students’ voices are rarely heard and considered when creating curricula. Therefore, consideration of students’ voices may help museum educators craft these partnership programs in the future. Three themes emerged emphasizing the importance of expectations and program goals, curricular relevancy to student life and community, and meaningful learning outcomes. Along with utilizing relevant learning theories during classroom instruction, by actively responding to the voices and needs of the students in these areas, museum educators can provide more meaningful learning experiences for students.Item Mexican immigrant newcomer students in central Texas : a study of immigrant adaptation(2012-08) Rubio, Brenda 1984-; Valenzuela, Angela; De Lissovoy, NoahThe purpose of the study was to identify the sociocultural and sociopolitical supports and practices that foster or hinder the successful integration of the Mexican immigrant student. The study was centered on the student perspective of their newcomer school in Central Texas. New school models have emerged in an attempt meet the educational needs of immigrant children by providing targeted instruction and concentrated resources to facilitate their successful integration into their new school system and academic success. In order to identify promising practices that positively impact the academic incorporation of newcomer students in Texas, attention was paid to the school discourse, organizational structures, institutional policies and practices, supports through social resources and services, supports through adult-student relationships, school opportunities, and high-expectations. Unfortunately, the Mexican immigrant student was a forgotten majority and found themselves not receiving the adequate support.