Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Chesterfield College of Technology'

The California community college system is the largest in the country and is a crucial part of the higher education system. The ESL population within that system is a significant one in terms of size and needs. In order to successfully educate this population, the language-learning instruction must be appropriate, current, and effective. In today’s technological world, that means it must incorporate the technologies of the modern world in which these community college ESL students live and work. While technology use in language learning and teaching has been the subject of many studies, the use of technologies by community college ESL faculty in credit courses has been less investigated.

The purpose of this study was to investigate technology use within community college credit ESL classes in three areas: (a) the best and most frequently used technologies, (b) the way technologies are used, and (c) the barriers to technology use. The methodology for the study was a modified electronic Delphi survey. Two rounds of the survey were conducted with a panel of experts in order to reach consensus on the areas under investigation.

The study revealed that: (a) the most frequently used technologies in the community college ESL classroom are desktop computers, ESL websites, the Internet, and smartphones; (b) technologies are being used in traditional ways; (c) technologies are being used to teach independent learning and collaboration, and to teach technological skills; (d) technologies are being used to support and enhance the learning environment; (e) the primary barriers to technology use in community college credit ESL courses are training, funding, and time, the State, students’ language abilities, and students’ technology abilities. These findings add to Dobransky’s (2015) recent research on ESL in community colleges and the broader work of Kessler (2013) and Fuchs and Akbar (2013).

The findings of this study may be utilized as a call to further investigation on the practical applications of technology use that is or is not happening in community college ESL classrooms. It may also be utilized to inform and inspire new leadership at all levels within the community college system to set priorities and policies to eliminate barriers to technology use and to broaden technology use to go beyond on-site traditional uses.

College faculty members are often inadequately prepared to use technology in their classrooms. They often learn technology without institutional support, and without understanding technology's impact on student learning. As a result of these shortcomings, the use of technology in the college classroom is often not systematic or focused on improving learning. This study used a conceptual framework based on Wenger's learning community or community of practice idea. This study examined a Midwestern university where faculty made only limited use of classroom technology and did not demonstrate contemporary approaches to student learning. The study set out to determine the impact of technology-based faculty learning communities on student engagement. Five university faculty members served as research participants; all agreed to form a learning community and participate in a series of interviews that examined the impact of technology integration and the role of learning communities on adopting technology. Interview data were analyzed using an emergent and exploratory approach where themes and trends were identified through direct observation and examination of interview transcripts. One of the emergent themes was that increased faculty technology use depends primarily on positive prior experiences with technology. Another theme was that students' self-reported technology competency does not accurately reflect classroom uses, which may have a significant impact on educational technology integration strategies. The study's findings provide guidelines for a best practice model of faculty professional development to improve and enhance classroom learning with educational technology.

The researcher explored the lived experience of adult online college honor students (AOCHS) with the goal of describing critical factors that support academic success. The study addressed a gap in the literature concerning how the technology and virtual context of adult online college education are perceived, interpreted, and employed by the most successful students in undergraduate online college degree programs. Participants described how they perceived their online learning experience, what meaning they attribute to this experience, and what strategies they employ to achieve academic success in the online learning environment. The study was based on Deming’s total quality management philosophy, Nonaka’s theoretical context for knowledge generation, and the community of inquiry (CoI), a conceptual framework for online education. An online questionnaire and individual telephone interviews were used to gather qualitative data, which were analyzed using thematic coding and analytic induction to address the study’s purpose and answer the research questions. Follow-up interview subjects were purposefully selected to provide a heterogeneous sample based on self-reported demographics, priorities, and motivations. Results showed that honor students’ expect that the technologies and user interfaces in online college classes should be as engaging and effective as social media, online entertainment, and Internet commerce technologies that they use in their nonacademic lives. That online instructors should be active and encouraging participants in the learning process. And that students’ personal, academic success is supported by a mature self-image and work ethic, effective time management and workload planning, clear and timely communication with faculty members, positive collaboration with classmates, and fluent use of learning technology.

The role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in higher education has increased in recent years, and most university administrators consider ICT important in effective teaching practices. While administrators encourage the use of ICT, many teachers do not use technology. Most studies regarding ICT have been concerned with the practices of full-time faculty. This is problematic, since adjunct faculty members are becoming a growing and influential presence on college campuses, and research suggests that factors unique to adjuncts may create barriers to ICT implementation. A review of the available literature indicates that the body of knowledge regarding adjunct faculty members' perceptions toward ICT implementation is limited. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to investigate the degree to which differences or variations in gender, teaching discipline, average number of courses taught per semester, and perceived barriers to ICT use are related to adjunct faculty members' reported ICT integration into teaching and perceptions of ICT use to improve teaching. Data were collected via an anonymous, Internet-based survey administered to a random sample (n = 186) of part-time faculty who were on the contact list of New Faculty Majority: The National Coalition for Adjunct and Contingency Equity. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted, one for each dependent variable. Statistically significant correlations were found between reported ICT integration into teaching and average number of courses taught per semester, (β = .17, t(141) = 2.12, p = .04), as well as perceived barriers to ICT use (β = -.22, t(141) = -2.72, p =.01). Statistically significant correlations also were found between perceptions of ICT use to improve teaching and perceived barriers to ICT use, (β = .49, t(152) = 7.05, p =.00), as well as teaching discipline, (β = .23, t(152) = 3.32, p = .00). Based on the results, it is recommended that institutions implement mentoring and training policies to encourage best practices in ICT implementation. To expand the results of the study, future research is recommended to replicate the study using a larger sample, compare perceptions of adjunct faculty members with full-time, and examine differences in low-level and high-level ICT use.

Purpose. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to examine the factors that influence students’ intentions to continue to use digital texts. Specifically, the purpose was to investigate what impact the external factors of instructor modeling and instructor expectation to use had on the intention to continue to use digital textbooks as well as how the internal factors of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction with the digital textbook impact students’ intentions to continue to use digital textbooks.

Theoretical Framework. The theoretical framework for this study is the Technology Adoption Model (TAM). This user acceptance model was developed by Fred Davis (1986) and is used extensively to provide an understanding of user acceptance processes as well as theoretical insights into the design and implementation learning technology.

Methodology. This study used a quantitative, cross-sectional survey instrument based on the E-Book Adoption Scale (Jin, 2014b), an instrument that was tested for reliability and validity using a Cronbach’s alpha test.

Findings. Students’ perceived ease of use and usefulness of the digital text predict student satisfaction with the digital text. Students whose instructors did not provide resources for using a digital text were more likely to be satisfied with the digital version of the textbook yet, there is no significant relationship between instructor expectations and intervention to students’ intentions to continue to use digital textbooks.

Recommendations. The ease of use of a digital interface is the aspect most likely to impact student satisfaction. College student purchasing patterns of digital texts are significantly influenced by the perceived ease of use of the text and the perceived usefulness of the text. Perceived ease of use is related to the interface of the text. Publishers who clearly apply this field of research to their product development will provide digital texts that students are more likely to be satisfied with and to adopt as a preferred learning platform. Institutions that develop support systems to help their faculty members make the most of the digital features of the texts will better support students.