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David Porcaro and Ali al-Musawi Article Published in EDUCAUSE Quarterly |
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Written by Vicky Frank
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Friday, 16 December 2011 18:35 |
Minneapolis, MN -- Seward’s senior instructional designer, David S. Porcaro, Ph.D., has co-written an article titled “Lessons Learned from Adopting Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning in Oman”, which has been published by EDUCAUSE Quarterly. Dr. Porcaro co-wrote the article with Ali S. al-Musawi, Ph.D., the former Head of the Instructional and Learning Technologies department at Sultan Qaboos University.
Despite recent investments in and rapid modernization of university campuses in places like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia,higher education in the Middle East still faces many obstacles. One of the greatest has been a fundamental disconnect between education and employment, a possible factor contributing to many of the recent riots in the Arab World. In 2008 the World Bank highlighted the massive unemployment among college graduates across the Middle East and suggested that the traditional instructivist teaching methods long dominant there — which emphasize lecture, rote memorization, and high-stakes testing — have done little to prepare graduates for work in the knowledge economy of the 21st century.
Many experts agree that building knowledge societies requires improving students’ abilities to think for themselves, weigh competing claims, argue their position with others, and work together to solve problems. One powerful way of increasing the opportunities for students to develop these skills and habits of mind in formal courses is computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). This article examines the effects of introducing CSCL into a Middle Eastern undergraduate course and the cultural, institutional, and societal factors to consider for sustainable design. The article was published on December 15, 2011 and can be found online here.
David S. Porcaro, Ph.D., is an expert instructional designer with experience in designing and evaluating technology integration projects for preservice teachers, with a regional focus on the Middle East and Africa. In 2007, he led an international team of students in Brazil and American in the design and development of a multicultural learning object. Since 2007 he has researched the factors contributing to the successful introduction of a computer-supported collaborative learning environment in a teacher training program in Muscat, Oman. He spent the 2009-2010 academic year as a Fulbright Fellow in Oman, where he gathered data and taught courses in the college of education. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Near Eastern Studies and Ph.D. degree in Learning, Design and Technology. He has worked or studied in the US, Israel/Palestine, Oman, the UAE, Morocco, the UK, and the Netherlands.
About Seward Incorporated
Seward Incorporated is a leader in the design and development of custom eLearning and eBusiness solutions for corporate, academic, and government clients locally, nationally, and internationally. Founded in 1990, Seward Inc. has conducted information architecture and infrastructure consulting, design and development services for a wide variety of public and private entities, including 3M, HealthPartners, Medtronic, Target, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, University of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. State Department and internationally in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Region.
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Last Updated on Friday, 16 December 2011 18:42 |
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Seward Inc. Selected as Innovation Incubator Program Finalist |
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Written by Vicky Frank
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Friday, 18 November 2011 15:29 |
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Minneapolis, MN (November 10, 2011) -- The Education Division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) announced the selection of finalists for its Innovation Incubator Program that will be featured at the Ed Tech Business Forum, November 28‐29 at the Princeton Club in New York City. Seward Incorporated's The First 4,000 Words vocabulary building program was selected among the eleven finalists.
 Finalists were selected from among the 44 applicants based on key selection criteria, including the extent to which their innovation represents a "sea change" in thinking, the degree to which it has the potential to positively impact education by way of enhanced student achievement, teacher effectiveness, cost reduction and efficiency, and alignmnet to the conference's theme, "The New Normal."
The First 4,000 Words is an individualized, web-based program used to teach the 4,000 most frequently used English words to English Language Learners and struggling readers in grades 1-4 to help them succeed in school and in life. Students are individually placed within the 355 unique, highly-interactive and engaging lessons where shared reading experiences, game-like scenarios, and speech recognition technology all contribute to a rich learning environment. Development of The First 4,000 Words was funded under a Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
As a finalist, Seward's president, Victoria Frank, will present The First 4,000 Words product at the event, and awards will be presented to the most innovative business and the most likely to succeed, based on the votes of participants at the Forum.
Contact Information: Victoria Frank (spokesperson) 888-322-6621;
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About Seward Incorporated
Seward Incorporated is a leader in the design and development of custom eLearning and eBusiness solutions for corporate, academic, and government clients locally, nationally, and internationally. Founded in 1990, Seward Inc. has conducted information architecture and infrastructure consulting, design and development services for a wide variety of public and private entities, including 3M, HealthPartners, Medtronic, Target, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, University of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. State Department. For more information, call 888-322-6621or visit http://www.sewardinc.com.
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Last Updated on Friday, 18 November 2011 16:03 |
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Leadership Exchange Magazine Features CENTSS Audit Tool |
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Written by Nell Kauls
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Tuesday, 25 January 2011 18:08 |
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In the winter 2011 issue of Leadership Exchange Magazine, The Center for Transforming Student Services (CENTSS) audit tool was featured in the article “The Virtual World of Student Services: Evolving Practices for Engagement and Student Success,” by Joellen Barnhart. The magazine is published by NASPA, the foremost professional association for student affairs administrators, faculty, and graduate and undergraduate students, with over 11,000 members at 1,400 campuses, and representing 29 countries.
The article discusses that, with the increase of virtual learning programs, virtual services are being sought by parents, vendors, alumni, staff, faculty, and even legislators. These constituents require online support as part of campus outreach. Barnhart says, “As a parent of a University of Massachusetts student, I receive news alerts, newsletters, updates, and other information through a 24/7 electronic format aimed at keeping me informed and appropriately engaged with both the university and my child.”
The CENTSS audit tool helps institutions by giving them the tools and training they need to develop and deliver the high-quality student services online their constituents are demanding. Effectively implemented student services are a critical component of student retention, engagement, and satisfaction.
Vicky Frank, President of Seward Inc. and CENTSS co-creator, is quoted in the article saying, “We no longer use the term best practices. Now we refer to our pioneering work as ‘innovations.’” She adds, “There is no one way to implement an online student service because each institution is unique.” In the article, Frank also explains that online services were once designed primarily for students enrolled in online courses. “As it turns out, campus students regularly use the virtual services. The online environment now provides an opportunity to deliver integrated students services, blurring the boundaries of departments.”
Through CENTSS, institutions are able to blend the power of technology with the personal attention of traditional support services to serve these students.
About CENTSS
The Center for Transforming Student Services (CENTSS) provides educational institutions with the tools and training they need to develop and deliver high-quality student services online. Effectively implemented student services are a critical component of student retention, engagement, and satisfaction. Through CENTSS, institutions are able to blend the power of technology with the personal attention of traditional support services. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and Seward, Inc., worked with the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET, formerly the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunication) to develop the CENTSS audit tool. To date, CENTSS has worked with more than 200 institutions to assess their online student services practices and policies. For more information about the CENTSS audit, go to www.centss.org.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 18:12 |
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