Browsing by Author "Egenrieder, James A."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Considerations in Building an Elementary Makerspace Lab
    Marinoble, Mark Anthony (Virginia Tech, 2019-04-05)
    Globalization and technology have placed a recognizable pressure on both employers and educational institutions. Entry-level employees must be adaptive, innovative, collaborative, and have strong problem-solving and communication skills. To prepare students for the future workforce, schools must revisit existing practices and find new ways to foster innovation as the gap between the new skills students need verses what is being taught in public schools continues to grow (Bybee et al, 2006; Wagner, 2012). One way to increase students' interest and skills in STEM education is by incorporating makerspaces into schools. Makerspaces are physical spaces where people have opportunities to build and construct objects based on their own personal interests. Makerspaces foster the innovative ideas and skills students need upon graduation. This qualitative case study investigates why educational leaders decided to launch a makerspace lab and how school leaders established a model makerspace lab at an elementary school. The purpose of this study was to document and describe the change process connected with the implementation of the makerspace lab, how leaders navigated various obstacles, perceptions of the change process, and lessons learned from educators. The findings show that school leaders experienced a novel concept after visiting an extraordinary model makerspace program which demonstrated a unique approach to developing the innovative capacity of young learners. These experiences created a transformational moment in school leaders that motivated them to be change agents and launch their own makerspace lab. School leaders developed community partnerships with an engineering university, a Fortune 500 company, an education community foundation, and a large school district to make this work possible. Together, these educational and business collaborators created a model elementary makerspace model that is one of the first of its kind on the east coast and currently services students from other schools in the region. The findings further discuss the importance of community partnerships, inviting other schools to participate, having a model program to emulate, having the right people, and how a school initiative became a district opportunity.
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    Designing Human-Centered Collaborative Systems for School Redistricting
    Sistrunk, Virginia Andreea (Virginia Tech, 2024-07-24)
    In a multitude of nations, the provision of education is predominantly facilitated through public schooling systems. These systems are structured in accordance with school districts, which are geographical territories where educational institutions share identical administrative frameworks and frequently coincide with the confines of a city or county. To enhance the operational efficiency of these schooling systems, the demarcations of public schools undergo periodic modifications. This procedure, also known as school redistricting, invariably engenders a myriad of tensions within the associated communities. This dissertation addresses the potential and necessity to integrate geographically-enabled crowd-sourced input into the redistricting process, and concurrently presents and evaluates a feasible solution. The pivotal contributions of this dissertation encompass: i) the delineation of the interdisciplinary sub-field at the nexus of HCI, CSCW, and education policy, ii) the identification of requirements from participants proficient in traditional, face-to-face deliberations, representing a diverse array of stakeholder groups, iii) the conception of a self-serve interactive boundary optimization system, and iv) a comprehensive user study conducted during a live public school rezoning deliberation utilizing the newly proposed hybrid approach. The live study specifically elucidates the efficacy of key design choices and the representation and rationalization of intricate user constraints in civic deliberations and educational policy architecture. My research looks into four primary areas of exploration: (i) the application of computer science usability-design principles to augment and expedite the visual deconstruction of intricate multi-domain data, thereby enhancing comprehension for novice users, (ii) the identification of salient elements of experiential learning within the milieu of visual scaffolding, (iii) the development of a preliminary platform designed to expand the capacity for crowd-sourcing novice users in the act of reconciling geo-spatial constraints, and finally, (iv) the utilization of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and data-driven analysis to discern, consolidate, and inaugurate novel communication channels that foster the restoration of trust within communities. To do so, I analyzed the previous work that was done in the domain, proposed a new direction, and created a web-application, called Redistrict. This an on-line platform allows the user to generate and explore "what if" scenarios, express opinions, and participate asynchronously in proximity-based public school boundary deliberations. I first evaluated the perceived value added by Redistrict through a user study with 12 participants experienced in traditional in-person deliberations, representing multiple stakeholder groups. Subsequently, I expanded the testing to an online rezoning. As a result of all interactions and the use of the web application, the participants reported a better understanding of geographically enabled projections, proposals from public officials, and increased consideration of how difficult it is to balance multidisciplinary constraints. Here, I present the design possibilities used and the effective online aid for the issue of public school rezoning deliberations and redistricting. This data-driven approach aids the school board and decision makers by offering automated strategies, a straightforward, visual, and intuitive method to comprehend intricate geographical limitations. The users demonstrated the ability to navigate the interface without iii any previous training or explanation. In this work, I propose the following three new concepts: (i) A new interdisciplinary subfield for Human Computing Interaction -Computer Supported Cooperative Work that combines Computer Science, Geography, and Education Policy. We explain and demonstrate how single domain approach failed in supporting this field and how complex geo-spatial problems require intensive technology to simultaneously balance all education policy constraints. This sits only at the intersection of a multi-domain approach. (ii) A sophisticated deconstruction of intricate data sets is presented through this methodology. It enables users to assimilate, comprehend, and formulate decisions predicated on the information delineated on a geospatial representation, leveraging preexisting knowledge of geographical proximity, and engaging in scenario analysis. Each iterative attempt facilitates incremental understanding, epitomizing the concept of information scaffolding. The efficacy of this process is demonstrated by its ability to foster independent thought and comprehension, obviating the need for explicit instructions. This technique is henceforth referred to as 'visual scaffolding'. (iii) In our most recent investigation, we engage in an introspective analysis of the observed input in civic decision making. We present the proposition of integrating digital civic engagement with user geolocation data. We advocate for the balance of this input, as certain geographical areas may be disproportionately represented in civic deliberations. The introduction of a weighting mechanism could facilitate a deeper understanding of the foundational premises on which civic decisions are based. We coin the term 'digital geo-civics' to characterize this pioneering approach.
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    I'm the Smart Kid: Adult Attitudes and Perceptions about Enrichment and Special Education
    Misitzis, Yannos Dimitrios (Virginia Tech, 2019-05-17)
    Within the educational community, there is a growing shift towards the development of essential skills, emphasizing process-skills over mastery of content. This shift is mirrored in the rapid changes in workplace-related technology, outpacing the creativity and flexibility of current graduates. Makerspaces and related technology education approaches have been increasingly implemented to offer students opportunities for developing these desired skills. Parallel to this effort, students who receive special education services but access the general education curriculum continue to lag behind the general education population in high-stakes testing, graduation-rates, and long-term employment outcomes. Remediation-based services often preclude students receiving services from exposure to technology- or other enrichment-based educational opportunities. The initial phase of this exploratory case study focused on the impacts of a technology-based enrichment club on a small group of special education learners. Through this proof-of-concept study, it became apparent that adult participants across stakeholder groups were showing evidence of transformative learning through their experiences with the club. The follow-up study, therefore, focused on changes in adult perceptions and/or practices resulting from these experiences, as evidenced through the Nerstrom Transformative Learning Model (2014). Following exposure, interviews were conducted with participating cosponsors, school-based educational leaders, and guest presenters from technical fields. These interviews were analyzed for both commonly identified and group-specific themes. Results suggest that experiences with the club challenged various assumptions held by participants, often leading to new perspectives on special education practices and students who receive services. These results suggest that potential shifts are a function of how many established perspective-based obstacles these challenged and reformed assumptions can address. Recommendations for future research include replication, extension beyond a club setting, and further exploration of identified themes, as well as investigating the deeper implications of obstacles to transformative learning.
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    Instructional coaching and influences on program implementation by elementary principals and instructional coaches: A qualitative case study
    Swoger, James Franklin (Virginia Tech, 2024-05-14)
    Instructional coaching and influences on program implementation by elementary principals and instructional coaches: A qualitative case study James F. Swoger Abstract A shared vision between the instructional coach and principal aligned with district policies and programs is essential to the success of instructional coaching. The purpose of this study was to explore the way principals and instructional coaches envision the role of the instructional coach within the school and the influences within the school that impact the implementation of instructional coaching. The two research questions guiding this study were: How do principals and instructional coaches envision the role of the instructional coach? What influences the implementation of instructional coaching in schools? Guided by Creswell and Creswell's (2017) Framework for Research, the principals and instructional coaches from nine schools within one defined cluster of one school district were interviewed for this qualitative, multiple case study. Transcripts were sorted by interview question and position to support the two research questions. There were 10 findings identified. Findings for Research Question 1 include instructional coaches work with the principal to clarify the mission and visions of the school, communication between the principal and coach and the coach and teachers is vital, instructional coaches need high quality professional development, and the instructional coach is tasked to lead other school-based initiatives. Findings for Research Question 2 include that the instructional coach is critical to building capacity, providing individualized coaching, supporting professional learning communities, and building trust. Findings also noted staffing challenges, time, and competing priorities influence the implementation of instructional coaching. These findings led to six implications including that school districts should provide planning support for principals and instructional coaches to work together to clarify the mission and vision of the school, principal preparation programs should provide professional learning on working with instructional coaches, districts should prioritize high quality professional development for instructional coaches to include individualized coaching and trust building, coaches should continue to build capacity of all staff and provide novice teachers coaching cycles, and school divisions should clearly define the role of the instructional coach. These findings and implications may be of interest to district leaders, principals, instructional coaches, and aspiring instructional coaches to better understand instructional coaching and influences on program implementation.
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    STEM Program Implementation: A Case Study Analysis of Perceptions, Resources, Equity and Diversity
    Egenrieder, James A. (Virginia Tech, 2015-05-20)
    This case study examined the perceptions of administrators, teachers and parents of the implementation of an elementary school science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) academy program that featured characteristics of both magnet school programs and schoolwithin-a-school programs. I conducted interviews of key personnel, informed by classroom observations and a survey of parents to determine how stakeholders perceived equity in the access and allocation of opportunities and resources. The STEM Academy selected students from neighboring elementary schools and was housed within a larger K-5 elementary school. I found the STEM Academy teachers were widely praised for their innovations and teaching excellence, and alignment with emerging best practices. However, there were perceptions that their curriculum was neither sufficiently documented nor aligned with school division priorities, and was insufficiently communicated with school division central office leaders Academy parents, teachers, and community partners praised the Academy’s approach to curriculum, instruction, and uncommon learning experiences; but resentment and perceptions of inequity and exclusivity among most other stakeholders compromised the program implementation, leading to administrative and political pressure that challenged the Academy’s sustainability. I provide discussion and recommendations concerning elementary STEM programs, highlighting the importance of stakeholder perceptions and program evaluation. I also provide several suggestions for further research.