Automation-enabled Learning in Global Virtual Classrooms
Dipra Jha
This innovation project will support global virtual classrooms in CEHS by incorporating a telepresence robot to enhance the quality of synchronous virtual exchange sessions and student engagement.
Smart Home Technology for Students working with Individuals with Special Needs
Kristy Weissling
We propose the creation of a "smart room" that would contain smart home technology. This room would be used to train students in special education, communication disorders, and audiology in how to create and maximize use of this technology for individuals with special needs. This training would set our students apart from others by allowing them to understand and assist in the prescription of such technology.
Telepresence Robots to Enable Remote Participation
Amanda Thomas
The proposed project will incorporate telepresence robots in hybrid graduate-level courses in TLTE. The use of thee robots will improve access for distance students participating synchronously in on-campus courses, while allowing for a broader array of pedagogical practices. Off-site students will be able to join courses remotely and, through the use of the robots, have a physical classroom presence that allows them to participate more fully in discussions and group work, independently move around the classroom, and view class activities without someone in the classroom redirecting a device on their behalf. The project will directly impact a minimum of 12 students and a maximum of over 100 students and indirectly impact all students in the six courses where robots will be incorporated, as well as the four TLTE faculty members who teach those courses.The project team intends to collect data from a variety of sources to document impact and will share the results of the project with TLTE, CEHS, and UNL audiences, as well as disseminating project findings to more broadly through conferences and journal articles.
Use of Computer-Based Simulations in Audiology Clinical Education
Kelly Pritchett
The purpose of this grant proposal is to secure funding to purchase three different computer-based audiological simulators and the required user accounts for the two faculty members managing the project, along with user accounts for the Fall 2019 AuD cohort. This simulation equipment will provide the students additional hands-on practice with basic audiological clinical skills to supplement and enhance their clinical practicum experience.
Using TheraWe Connect to Enhancing Caregiver-Student Engagement During and Between Home Visits
Johanna Taylor
Caregiver engagement is critical to the success of Early Intervention (EI) services delivered in homes and community settings for children with delays and disabilities under the age of three. Engagement levels are often gauged by the frequency and quality of communication in-between visits as well as the caregiver’s use of strategies within daily routines when the EI provider is not present. To improve the quality of caregiver engagement during and between home visit sessions with Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education students (i.e., preservice professionals) I am proposing the use of TheraWe Connect, a web-based platform that allows video uploads, text-messaging and document sharing. In this project, three graduate students will use this platform to learn to systematically communicate with caregivers which I believe will lead to stronger caregiver-student partnerships and increased caregiver use of strategies with their children.
Exploring BBC Micro:bits as a Tool for Improving Elementary Pre-service Teacher STEM Preparation and Science Teaching Self-Efficacy
Julie Thomas
Historically, elementary preservice science teacher (PST) preparation has been unable to interrupt preservice elementary teachers’ science teaching self-efficacy. More recently, the contextual nature of new, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) further exacerbates concern for expanding PSTs ability to connect science teaching across the three dimensions of disciplinary core ideas, science/engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts. This integrated technology project focuses on improving elementary PSTs science teaching efficacy beliefs in an NGSS-world via introduction of BBC Micro:bits as a novel teaching tool that encourages children to ask-and-answer science questions in the real world. This project will monitor the transference of PSTs BBC Mirco:bits knowledge and implementation from methods to practicum to student teaching. Findings of this project are expected to improve understanding about how to increase elementary PSTs self-efficacy (in Nebraska and beyond) and to inform future STEM programming in TLTE’s elementary education program.
The next steps in video analysis
Matthew Kutscher
Swivl has shown both pros and cons in the process of student reflection of practice. The ease of uploading video is clearly one of Swivl’s strengths. Yet, some question whether Swivl captures enough of the learning in the classroom (Males, L. (2019, February 1) and others wonder if students have enough structure within the video to be able to reflect at a meaningful level. Vosaic is a tool that not only contains the strengths of Swivl, but addresses the limitations of reflection by allowing an administrator to provide rubrics within the tool to provide a structure to the work we are asking students to reflect upon. Yet, it does more than that. It provides tools to tag videos for data collection. And provides the features to provide additional tools for supervision of student teachers who choose to do their last semester out of state or out of country. Vosaic is a product that not only is based here in Lincoln, but used being used by many colleges and universities (including Penn State). I would like to purchase 75 licenses of Vosaic and not only revisit the topic of student reflection, but expand the use of commenting to include research as well as student teaching supervision. 75 Vosaic accounts would give our college 300 hours of video storage for the year in which to expand and explore the three areas of (1) student reflection, (2) video data analysis, and (3) student teacher supervision tools using video.
Fostering Enginuity Through the Use of Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom
Mollie von Kampen
The purpose of the project is to provide Apple iPad Pros to student teachers for use during their Early Childhood Education placement at Ruth Staples Child Development Lab school. Access to current technology will allow student teachers to utilize innovative applications and programing to provide high quality technology experiences to young children. Student teachers will gain one-on-one coaching focused on providing developmentally appropriate experiences with technology in the classroom.
Using Simulated Cases in Speech-Language Pathology Education
Katie Brennan
The purpose of this proposal is to fund subscriptions for a computer-based simulation system for a cohort of graduate students in the speech-language pathology program. The use of simulated cases will enhance the student's clinical preparation in our program by providing increased opportunities for assessment experiences as well as increased exposure to low-incidence disabilities they may not encounter in the Barkley Clinic or off-site clinical practicum placements.
Future Speech Language Pathologists Discovering, Using, and Designing Innovative Speech Language Tools
Justin Olmanson
Speech language pathology tools and techniques (e.g. AAC devices) meant to support clients in meeting their communication needs are often priced too high for pre-major / early major SLP students to purchase and experiment with them on their own. Furthermore, access to these devices does not currently begin, programmatically speaking, until their first semester of graduate school. Should this proposal be funded, it would enable the purchase of a range of commonly used tools within the SLP field. These tools would not only allow future practitioners to gain experience with the tools but also allow a foundation for innovative design and redesign thinking about utilizing and improving upon the applications and artifacts. Interactions with the tools and technologies will happen within TEAC 259 (which serves all SLP and Special Education majors during their pre and early SLP/SpEd coursework). All SLP majors will also be able to interact with the technologies during CEHS Design Studio open hours.
CEHS Maker X Competition
Justin Olmanson
The Maker X Competition is focused on fostering the conditions necessary for design thinking and making for CEHS students. Students may participate in the CEHS Maker X competition wherein they use Human Centered Design in the construction of prototypes that, “enhance the lives of individuals, families, schools and communities and strengthen the relationships among them”. The Maker X Competition is an opportunity for all CEHS students to contribute to their fields in an applied, design positive way. The competition will invite and support faculty from across CEHS to embed design/maker projects within their courses (with TEAC 259 as a model). Interested faculty would optionally participate in two collaborative design and making integration sessions and one Human Centered Design experience in the Fall of 2019 in preparation for integrating making into their Spring 2020 course. Students enrolled in course sections led by participating faculty would be automatically enrolled in the competition. CEHS students outside of the participating CEHS courses could participate in the competition via attendance in several human centered design meetings held during the Spring of 2020. Participating Faculty may nominate projects from their courses to the quarter finals (early April). All CEHS student groups that have attended all/most human centered design meetings and who turn in the competition materials on time will advance to the quarter finals. A panel of Lincoln community members and UNL Representatives will review the quarter-finalists to provide feedback and determine who advances to the semi-finals (mid-April). Semi-finalists will be invited to the CEHS Maker X Showcase and Competition wherein they will present their updated materials to the judges. The winning prototype will be awarded money for additional prototyping materials. All participating faculty and students will have access to the CEHS Design Studio (Henzlik 46).
A Peck of Owls: Bridging Distance for Online Students Participating in On-Campus Courses
Justin Olmanson
In this proposal we put forward a plan to investigate an innovative approach to bridging distance for online students participating in on-campus seminar and low-enrollment courses. In short, the plan is to purchase three Meeting Owls (a technology that allows online students to see multiple students engaged in conversation at the same time. Faculty could check out a Meeting Owl for use in their class (one for courses on East Campus, one for courses in Teachers College Hall, and one for courses taught in Henzlik Hall.