Design and Development of a Faculty Technology Practices Directory

Kevin Oliver

Educause Quarterly Vol. 30, No. 4 (2007) pp. 38–47

As one part of a quality enhancement plan, North Carolina State University implemented a technology initiative with an initial focus on evaluating and improving classroom technology, piloting technology-rich workspaces for student projects, and...

A Case Study of Student Tool Use During Hypermedia-Based Problem Solving

Kevin Oliver

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2000 (2000) pp. 842–847

During a qualitative case study in which middle school learners used computer tools to scaffold scientific problem solving, three research questions were addressed: how do students use technological tools to find, frame, and resolve open-ended...

Topics: Training, Computer Sciences, Information Sciences, Middle School Education, Students

Leveraging Web 2.0 in the Redesign of a Graduate-Level Technology Integration Course

Kevin Oliver

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 51, No. 5 (October 2007) pp. 55–61

In the emerging era of the "read-write" web, students can not only research and collect information from existing web resources, but also collaborate and create new information on the web in a surprising number of ways. Web 2.0 is an umbrella term...

Recommendations for Student Tools in Online Course Management Systems

Kevin Oliver

Journal of Computing in Higher Education Vol. 13, No. 1 (2001) pp. 47–70

Proposes a three-tiered model of online teaching, consisting of low-level information dissemination, Web-enabled course supplements, and Web-engaged activities. Discusses how existing online course management systems generally do not support the...

Design and Development of a New Online Course on Culture, Media, and Technology

Kevin Oliver

E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2019 (Nov 04, 2019) pp. 538–543

This practical brief paper presents the rationale for a new online course on Culture, Media, and Technology developed for graduate students in a Master of Education (M.Ed.) program on Learning, Design, and Technology. Topical focus areas, discussion ...

Topics: Global competencies and perspectives, Digital and social media for engaging youth about cultures, Global courses, programs, degrees, and initiatives

Web-Based Concept Mapping Activities in Distance Teacher Education

Kevin Oliver

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2007 (Jun 25, 2007) pp. 3380–3384

This best practices session will illustrate how one professor utilizes the freeware Cmap application (IHMC, 2006) in three graduate-level teacher education courses taught from a distance. Cmap enables students to create and store concept maps online....

Topics: Collaboration, Distance Education

An Investigation of Student Thinking from Concept Mapping of Reading Material

Kevin Oliver

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2007 (Jun 25, 2007) pp. 2593–2602

A fall 2006 case study with one teacher and her sixth grade class investigated the range of thinking skills supported by electronic concept mapping of reading material. Only three students out of 22 were reading at or above grade level. Individual...

Topics: Students, Middle School Education

Encouraging Teacher Development of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) in Twitter

Kevin Oliver

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2016 (Mar 21, 2016) pp. 743–748

Fourteen teachers enrolled in an online graduate class participated in a nine-week assignment to test the usefulness of Twitter for building a personal learning network (PLN). Most teachers responded favorably to the tool for professional learning,...

Topics: Graduate Education & Faculty Development, Technology Leadership, Research & Evaluation

Promoting Continuing Computer Science Education Through A Massively Open Online Course

Kevin Oliver

Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching Vol. 35, No. 4 (October 2016) pp. 355–368

This paper presents the results of a comparison study between graduate students taking a software security course at an American university and international working professionals taking a version of the same course online through a free massive...

The Instructional Portal Project

Kevin Oliver

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2000 (2000) p. 1826

The Instructional Portal is a clearinghouse of information, resources, tools, and services at Virginia Tech, designed to facilitate practical instructional design among faculty. Faculty can increasingly adopt and easily utilize educational ...

Topics: Educational Technology, Instructional Design, Faculty, Teaching Methods

What Are They Doing: The Technology Practices Directory

Kevin Oliver

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2007 (Jun 25, 2007) pp. 505–508

The Technology Practices Directory is a searchable database created at one university to document faculty uses of technology in teaching. Since it is often challenging for faculty to talk about their own teaching practice in relationship to...

Topics: Faculty

An Investigation of Concept Mapping to Improve the Reading Comprehension of Science Texts

Kevin Oliver

Journal of Science Education and Technology Vol. 18, No. 5 (October 2009) pp. 402–414

This study investigated how well 74 6th-grade science students represented text structures from a 900-word textbook chapter on soil conservation, given a concept map template with four superordinate terms and 24 unsorted concepts. Findings suggest...

A Comparison of Web-Based Concept Mapping Tasks for Alternative Assessment in Distance Teacher Education

Kevin Oliver

Journal of Computing in Teacher Education Vol. 24, No. 3 (2008) pp. 95–103

Three sections of the same distance education class completed a series of Web-based concept map assessments using one of two methods. Open-ended maps applied in section 1 led students to conduct more relational thinking overall, but variance in map...

Integrating Web 2.0 across the Curriculum

Kevin Oliver

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 54, No. 2 (March 2010) pp. 50–60

For many years, educators have touted the benefits of learning with educational tools such as spreadsheets and databases that allow students to actively process and manipulate information (Jonassen, 1995). Hundreds if not thousands of Web 2.0 tools...

Promoting Continuing Computer Science Education Through A Massively Open Online Course

Kevin Oliver

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2016 (Mar 21, 2016) pp. 333–340

This paper presents the results of a comparison study between graduate students taking a software security course at an American university and international working professionals taking a version of the same course online through a free massive...

Topics: Distance/Flexible Education, Workforce Education, Research & Evaluation

Multimodal Composing with GoAnimate

Kevin Oliver; Ruie Pritchard

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2016 (Mar 21, 2016) pp. 1611–1616

This poster/demonstration showcases five multimodal composing projects in GoAnimate aligned with expressive, narrative, and expository writing. GoAnimate is a useful tool for combining varied modes including student textual writing, related and...

Topics: English Education, Teaching and Learning with Emerging Technologies

Credit Recovery in a Virtual School: Affordances of Online Learning for the At-Risk Student

Kevin Oliver; Shaun Kellogg

Journal of Online Learning Research Vol. 1, No. 2 (August 2015) pp. 191–218

This paper summarizes evaluation findings about a high school credit recovery (CR) program as solicited by a state-sponsored virtual school in the United States. Student and teacher surveys explained why CR students failed previous instances of face-...

Topics: Learning Objects, High Risk, Virtual Environments

Supporting Documentation of Informal Learning and Making from a Distance with Voicethread

Kevin Oliver; Rob Moore

E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2016 (Nov 14, 2016) pp. 966–970

This best practices session and paper describes the incorporation of Voicethread as a tool for supporting design documentation of makerspace projects among graduate distance education students in a course on informal learning. All students...

Topics: Instructional Design, Tools & Systems, Implementation Examples & Issues

Developing and Refining Mental Models in Open-Ended Learning Environments: A Case Study

Kevin Oliver; Michael Hannafin

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 49, No. 4 (2001) pp. 5–32

This qualitative case study focused on the nature of science learning through open-ended problem solving with eighth graders. Discusses results of interviews and observation that suggested students only partially derived accurate mental models, and...

Faculty Recommendations for Web Tools: Implications for Course Management Systems

Kevin Oliver; John Moore

Journal of Computing in Higher Education Vol. 19, No. 2 (March 2008) pp. 3–24

A gap analysis of web tools in Engineering was undertaken as one part of the Digital Library Network for Engineering and Technology (DLNET) grant funded by NSF (DUE-0085849). DLNET represents a Web portal and an online review process to archive...

Student use of computer tools designed to scaffold scientific problem-solving with hypermedia resources: A case study

Kevin Matthew Oliver

(1999) pp. 1–286

National science standards call for increasing student exposure to inquiry and real-world problem solving. Students can benefit from open-ended learning environments that stress the engagement of real problems and the development of thinking skills...

Preparing Teachers to Capture and Assess Evidence of Computational Thinking

Kevin Oliver; Jennifer Houchins

EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2019 (Jun 24, 2019) pp. 370–375

As computational thinking (CT) approaches filter into teacher education and schools, teachers should be educated about CT and its underlying competencies (e.g., decomposition, abstraction, algorithmic thinking) to inform appropriate assessments....

Topics: Best practices in assessment, Teacher education and technology integration

A Case-Based Pharmacy Environment: Cognitive Flexibility + Social Constructivism

Kevin M. Oliver

EUROCALL 1997 (Jun 15, 1997)

The Internet Web Site on Virtual Clinical Applications and Disease Management is a hypermedia, case-based open learning environment that was designed to promote cognitive flexibility in college students at The University of Georgia College of...

Online Concept Mapping in Distance Teacher Education: Two Case Studies

Kevin Oliver; Dianne Raubenheimer

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2006 (Mar 19, 2006) pp. 114–119

Two faculty members incorporated online concept mapping assessments in their fall 2005 teacher education courses, varying in terms of content depth and participation. Students expressed great interest in mapping as an alternative form of assessment...

Topics: Distance Education, Assessment, Students

Getting Online with K-12 Internet Projects

Kevin M. Oliver

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 42, No. 6 (1997) pp. 33–40

An analysis of 79 K-12 Internet projects revealed seven common activities: pre-project activities; gathering information; sharing and communicating; data integration; constructing products; evaluating products; and demonstrating/teaching. Discussion ...

Using Digital Primary Sources and Technology Tools to Engage Students in Inquiry and Project-Based Learning

Kevin Oliver; John Lee

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2011 (Mar 07, 2011) pp. 4198–4201

A digital history project called the Plantation Letters is designed to inform students about the community experiences of enslaved persons living on multiple plantations owned by the Cameron family of North Carolina. The project models promising...

Evidence of Computational Thinking from Circuitry Projects in the After-School Makerspace

Kevin Oliver; Jennifer Houchins

EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2019 (Jun 24, 2019) pp. 364–369

Between 2016-2019, an after-school maker club was established at a public, all-girls school in the United States. Club members in grades 6-10 (ages 11-15) participated in three project areas tied to state and national science standards: circuitry,...

Topics: Best practices in assessment, Lifelong, informal, and nontraditional learning

Preparing Teachers for Emerging Blended Learning Environments

Kevin Oliver; Dallas Stallings

Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 22, No. 1 (January 2014) pp. 57–81

Blended learning environments that merge learning strategies, resources, and modes have been implemented in higher education settings for nearly two decades, and research has identified many positive effects. More recently, K-12 traditional and...

Changes in Student Technology Use and Skill in the First Year of a 1-to-1 Computing Program

Kevin Oliver; Lori Holcomb

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2008 (Mar 03, 2008) pp. 2154–2160

This study documents changes in students' classroom experiences before and after the implementation of a new one-to-one tablet computing program at a private middle school. After one year with tablets, results show significant increases in...

Evidence of Computational Thinking in the After-School Makerspace from Written Project Documentation

Kevin Oliver; Jennifer Houchins

EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2018 (Jun 25, 2018) pp. 402–407

This paper presents analyzed data from the first year of a three-year grant investigating computational thinking in an after-school makerspace that supports projects in circuitry, programmed robotics, and fabrication. To document evidence of...

Topics: Performance and outcome assessment, Course, program, project, and other forms of evaluation

Professional Development Considerations for Makerspace Leaders, Part One: Addressing "What?" and "Why?"

Kevin M. Oliver

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 60, No. 2 (2016) pp. 160–166

As makerspaces begin to move into school libraries and classrooms, there is a growing need for professional development to help K-12 educators answer common questions such as "what is a makerspace," "why should I bother with a...

Capturing Global Perspectives During Study Abroad: A Comparison of Three Visual Tools

Kevin Oliver; Michael Cook

EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2015 (Jun 22, 2015) pp. 284–290

Sixteen American teachers were competitively selected for a professional development study abroad program in England that sought to improve teacher writing competence, technical competence for integrating digital tools in writing instruction, and...

Topics: Institution-Specific Cases, Exemplary Projects, improving classroom teaching, Culture

Computational Thinking in Student Reflections: A Thematic Analysis of Video Project Documentation in the Afterschool Makerspace

Jennifer Houchins; Kevin Oliver

EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2019 (Jun 24, 2019) pp. 358–363

This paper presents analyzed data from the second year of a three-year grant investigating computational thinking in an after-school makerspace that supports projects in circuitry, programmed robotics, and fabrication. To document evidence of...

Topics: Best practices in assessment

Analyzing Historical Primary Source Open Educational Resources: A Blended Pedagogical Approach

Kevin Oliver; Heather Purichia

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 18, No. 2 (June 2018) pp. 392–415

This qualitative case study addresses the need for pedagogical approaches to working with open educational resources (OER). Drawing on a mix of historical thinking heuristics and case analysis approaches, a blended pedagogical strategy and primary...

Professional Development Considerations for Makerspace Leaders, Part Two: Addressing "How?"

Kevin M. Oliver

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 60, No. 3 (2016) pp. 211–217

As makerspaces begin to move into school libraries and classrooms, there is a growing need for professional development to help K-12 educators answer common questions such as "what is a makerspace," "why should I bother with a...

Student Beliefs About Online Teaching: Implications for Virtual School Teachers

Kevin Oliver; Kevin Brady; Jason Osborne

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2009 (Mar 02, 2009) pp. 1050–1057

A mixed methods evaluation was conducted of the new North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS), revealing significant student expectations for teachers in virtual school environments. While students generally agreed their teachers provided a high...

What Are Secondary Students' Expectations for Teachers in Virtual School Environments?

Kevin Oliver; Jason Osborne; Kevin Brady

Distance Education Vol. 30, No. 1 (May 2009) pp. 23–45

A recent evaluation of the new North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) in the USA revealed numerous expectations for virtual school teachers from secondary students. Specifically, students expected their teachers to actually teach rather than...

Student Management of Web-based Hypermedia Resources during Open-Ended Problem Solving

Kevin Oliver; Michael J. Hannafin

Journal of Educational Research Vol. 94, No. 2 (2000) pp. 75–92

Investigated middle school students' computer tool use in managing and manipulating Internet-based hypermedia resources, hypothesizing that tools would let students process hypermedia resources at higher levels to solve complex, open-ended questions....

An Investigation into Reported Differences Between Online Math Instruction and Other Subject Areas in a Virtual School

Kevin Oliver; Shaun Kellogg; Ruchi Patel

Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching Vol. 29, No. 4 (October 2010) pp. 417–453

Students and teachers affiliated with Spring 2009 online mathematics courses offered by the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) completed end-of-course surveys detailing the effectiveness of their courses. Several significant differences...

Topics: eLearning, Secondary Education, Teaching Methods, Virtual Environments, Instructional Design, Mathematics, Distance Education

A Social Network Perspective on Peer Supported Learning in MOOCs for Educators

Shaun Kellogg; Sherry Booth; Kevin Oliver

The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Vol. 15, No. 5 (Oct 06, 2014) pp. 263–289

A recent phenomenon in the MOOC space has been the development of courses tailored to educators serving in K-12 settings. MOOCs, particularly as a form of educator professional development, face a number of challenges. Academics, as well as pundits...

Student-Reported Differences in Technology Use and Skills after the Implementation of One-to-One Computing

Kevin M. Oliver; Jeni O. Corn

Educational Media International Vol. 45, No. 3 (September 2008) pp. 215–229

This two-year, mixed methods study with surveys, observations, and interviews, documented student technology use and skill before and after the implementation of a new one-to-one tablet computing program at a private middle school in the United...

Teachers Abroad: Integrating Writing and Technology

Kevin Oliver; Ruie Pritchard; Tanya Watson

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2013 (Mar 25, 2013) pp. 3532–3539

This paper reports findings from an American graduate-level course on the topic of writing and technology taught via study abroad in England. The course was structured to introduce twenty-four teachers across the content areas to writing in various...

A social network perspective on peer supported learning in MOOCs for educators

Shaun Kellogg; Sherry Booth; Kevin Oliver

International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning Vol. 15, No. 5 (Oct 06, 2014)

A recent phenomenon in the MOOC space has been the development of courses tailored to educators serving in K-12 settings. MOOCs, particularly as a form of educator professional development, face a number of challenges. Academics, as well as pundits...

The New Learning Ecology of One-to-One Computing Environments: Preparing Teachers for Shifting Dynamics and Relationships

Hiller A. Spires; Kevin Oliver; Jenifer Corn

Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education Vol. 28, No. 2 (2012) pp. 63–72

Despite growing research and evaluation results on one-to-one computing environments, how these environments affect learning in schools remains underexamined. The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to use a theoretical lens, namely a new...

Teachers’ First Experiences with Global Projects: Emerging Collaboration and Cultural Awareness

Kevin Oliver; Michael Cook; Angela Wiseman

Journal of Online Learning Research Vol. 5, No. 1 (March 2019) pp. 65–96

Two cohorts of teachers recently participated in a professional development program focused on incorporating global perspectives and activities into K-12 classrooms using contemporary technologies. One part of this program requires teachers to plan...

Supporting Cultural Connections, Collections, and Reflections through Technology in Short-Term Study Abroad

Kevin Oliver; Angela Wiseman; Michael Cook

EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2018 (Jun 25, 2018) pp. 769–776

A short-term study abroad program funded by a local foundation provides teachers with a professional development opportunity in an international context. The goal of the grant is to train teachers in technology-enhanced strategies that can better...

Topics: Global competencies and perspectives, Global courses, programs, degrees, and initiatives

Informing Recommended Makerspace Outcomes through Linguistic Analytics

Kevin Oliver; Jennifer Houchins; Robert Moore

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2019 (Mar 18, 2019) pp. 1624–1629

An after-school maker club collected student reflections on makerspace projects in different formats over two years: private written reflections captured in the 3D GameLab gamification platform and video-recorded reflections posted in the more...

Topics: Assessment and E-Folios, Research & Evaluation, Maker (Formerly Engineering Education)

An Investigation into Reported Differences between Online Foreign Language Instruction and Other Subject Areas in a Virtual School

Kevin Oliver; Shaun Kellogg; Ruchi Patel

CALICO Journal Vol. 29, No. 2 (January 2012) pp. 269–296

High school students participating in online courses offered by the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) completed end-of-course surveys in spring 2009. When the responses of 559 foreign language students were compared to students in five...

Using Educational Technology Standards to Gauge Teacher Knowledge and Application of One-to-One Computing at Implementation

Kevin Oliver; Jeni Corn; Jason Osborne

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2009 (Mar 02, 2009) pp. 2032–2039

This paper presents interview and focus group data from teachers, technology facilitators, and school administrators at seven Early College High Schools in North Carolina beginning a new 1:1 computing pilot. Using ISTE's National Educational...

Establishing a Virtual Makerspace for an Online Graduate Course: A Design Case

Kevin Oliver; Robert Moore; Michael Evans

International Journal of Designs for Learning Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jun 24, 2017)

This design case discusses key steps taken to establish a virtual makerspace for students enrolled in an online graduate course on informal learning. Two key design decisions are elaborated around (a) the selection of appropriate projects and...

Language: English