Analysis of weekly peer-reviewed writing exercises in undergraduate introductory biology courses revealed that student improvement in ability to judge essays correlated with improvement in their own writing (n = 121 students). This correlation occurred across the spectrum of academic ability. The essays were scored by peers, self, and the…

Peer review offers benefits to post-secondary students and their instructors. In recent years, some instructors have shifted to virtual means of student peer review; however, face-to-face peer review is still a viable option. This mixed-methods study explored the substance of peer review conversations, as well as their impact on students' academic…

This comparative, mixed-methods study illustrates the impact of weekly facilitated peer review ("Writing Circles") in STEM courses across time: 1) in a lower-division course, Circles improve all learning outcomes for writing and critical thinking, and most significantly, writing; 2) in an upper-division course, Circles are most effective…

Background and Context: Assessing team members' indivdiual contributions to software development projects poses a key problem for computing instructors. While instructors typically rely on subjective assessments, objective assessments could provide a more robust picture. To explore this possibility, In a 2020 paper, Buffardi presented a…

The purpose of this sequential transformative study was to elucidate the negative experiences of teachers with performance evaluations and to juxtapose the intended use of current popular teacher evaluation reform movements to the evident implementation. One may quickly assume that negative experiences with evaluation are a result of…

The 2019-20 year continued the important work of refining and improving the new accreditation system. Significant progress was made by the Commission, the Committee on Accreditation (COA), and the Commission staff with respect to implementation of the revised accreditation system. The accreditation system is the primary means by which the…

Classroom observations remain the predominant data source used in teacher evaluations, but little is known about how rater characteristics may affect teachers' scores. For special educators, whose instructional practice requires specialized knowledge and skills, school administrators (i.e., the raters) without experience in special education…

The 2018-19 year continued the important work of refining and improving the new accreditation system. Significant progress was made by the Commission, the Committee on Accreditation (COA), and the Commission staff with respect to implementation of the revised accreditation system. The accreditation system is the primary means by which the…

Classroom observations are an integral component of teacher evaluation systems, but little is known about who is best qualified to observe and evaluate special educators, who have a specialized skillset, and whether observation instruments adequately reflect their instructional practices. In this study, 19 special education teachers in California…

The 2017-18 year marked a significant milestone in the future of accreditation activities for educator preparation in California. Important progress was made by the Commission, the Committee on Accreditation (COA), and the Commission staff with respect to beginning the implementation of the revised accreditation system. The accreditation system is…

New teachers rarely come to their first years of teaching with the expertise of a veteran teacher. Because teachers need to deliver impactful instruction, the education community has expanded induction initiatives that support new teachers. Understanding how induction mentors develop expertise in feedback and reflection can guide efforts to foster…

As technology changes in our everyday lives, so does education to parallel those changes in technology. Nationally, distance education is rapidly changing, and community colleges are chasing after students digitally to add them to their enrollment numbers. Federal regulations require distance education courses to include regular and substantive…

To support pupils' learning, teachers must understand what and how their pupils have learned, and teacher education should teach candidates how to do this. This article reports on survey data (n = 270) from three programmes and observation data (N = 104 h) from six programmes, located in Norway, Finland and the US. It examines the candidates'…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the most influential elements of teacher evaluation as perceived by K-8 teachers and administrators, determined through their lived experiences related to this topic. The researcher utilized a phenomenological approach in this study, engaging in semi-structured interviews of 11 K-8 teachers and…

The present study used a unique design in which multiple factors were combined in a multiphase study to find if there are any significant interactions among six factors known to be effective in successful group work. The results indicated that the effectiveness of group work depends on how the effectiveness is measured, how the group is formed,…