Welcome to the inaugural edition of the International Journal of Process Education! We are excited to see how far our efforts have taken us and how much the Academy of Process Educators has grown from the grass roots foundations of passionate educators.

• From the Editorial Board

  Our vision at the International Journal of Process Education is “to be a catalyst for the scholarship of teaching and learning in support of the efforts of the Process Education Academy to transform higher education.” We intend to accomplish this goal through the steps in our mission:
  • To provide a forum for, and an archival record of, scholarly research process education
  • To elevate skills in the discipline of the scholarship of teaching and learning
  • To explore promising new research areas in process education
  • To foster classroom-based research

  With this journal we invite scholars with interests in constructivism, experiential learning, problem-based learning, and pedagogies incorporating active learning strategies and a learner-centered approach, to join us in a continuing conversation about teaching and learning.

  In this inaugural edition the reader will find articles that explain the history of process education interspersed with articles applying process education to contemporary classroom settings in higher education. Following our principles of constructionistic learning, we begin this edition with applications, merge into our history then follow up with insight into the importance of the learning environment quality.

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• Using a Developmental Model to Facilitate Team-Based Design Experiences in a Pre-College Engineering Science Camp

  by W.C. Duncan-Hewitt, D. Mount, S.W. Beyerlein, D. Cordon, and J. Steciak

  Abstract

  Design projects in engineering education should help students both develop and demonstrate integrated performance capabilities. Ideally, design experiences should produce growth in student’s cognitive, social, and affective processes. The central question driving this work is how to purposefully design and facilitate classroom projects in order to generate all three types of growth. To this end, we applied a model of development, synthesized from the educational and developmental literatures, to investigate successful and unsuccessful design activities in the context of an Engineering Science Camp for teenagers. To assess the efficacy of the model of development, we gathered qualitative research data through observation, mentor notes, and interviews with campers. Our study supports the notion that beginning college students occupy a distinctly different cognitive and social level than that expected of graduating seniors. Furthermore, these differences stem more from ‘how’ they think and relate to other’s points of view than from ‘what’ they know. Effective project learning needs to include a strong mentoring element that builds trust by engaging cognitive, affective, and social behaviors at the current developmental level and then promoting new, more complex behaviors through appropriate learning challenges.

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• Using Rubrics for Course Assignments

  by Cy Leise and Mohamed El-Sayed

  Abstract

  Measurement of learning and growth is increasingly valued in higher education because of the focus on continuous improvement at all levels of the system. Well-constructed course rubrics can support the faculty goal of establishing clear standards for assessing and grading while also helping to make assignment and activity instructions more “transparent” for learners. This paper provides an overview of the types of rubrics and their purposes as well as a methodology for rapid design of basic tools for course use. Examples are used to illustrate how to connect course assignments and rubrics and also how to use measurement theory to improve quality of rubric design and usage. Insights gained should help readers with important distinctions about applications of rubrics as measurement tools in course learning activities.

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• Learning Communities as a Strategy for Success

  by David M. Hanson and Jacob Heller

  Abstract

  This paper reports on the success of students in General Chemistry who were in a Learning Community that focused instruction on both the development of learning process skills and mastery of course content. A quasi-experimental research design was used in this study with an experimental group and two control groups. Students in the Learning Community (the experimental group) did better than those in the control groups on weekly assignments and quizzes. They also achieved higher scores on the examinations than predicted or expected at the beginning of the semester. Factors responsible for this success are identified.

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• Process Education and Constructive Alignment: The Challenge of Student Assessment Online

  by Betty Hurley Lawrence and Lisa Snyder

  Abstract

  Student assessment is a growing area of study for educators. In this paper, we will review the basic concepts of constructivism, which underlies Process Education, and the theory of constructive alignment. Connections among these theoretical foundations will be explored and then applied to the challenging issue of student assessment in an online environment . We end with some specific examples of how these principles can be combined to achieve quality student assessment in online environments.

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• Process Education ™ — Past, Present, and Future

  by Kathleen Burke, Betty Lawrence, Mohamed El-Sayed, and Dan Apple

  Abstract

  Process Education (PE), a term that came into being twenty-five years ago, is built upon a foundation of educational philosophies and approaches centered in active and facilitated learning. As background, we define Process Education, as well as identify some of its underlying concepts and related efforts. We describe the evolution of Process Education and provide examples of its impact within higher education. Finally, we explore potential future directions of Process Education.

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• Keys to Improving Academic Assessment

  by Tris Utschig and Dan Apple

  Abstract

  This paper presents ten critical ideas about assessment that, when placed into practice, can significantly advance and add value to every academic professional’s work. Together, these ideas form a set of principles and practices whose impact can be measured to provide a comprehensive picture of the assessment culture in an organization. Each idea presented here is supported by the literature and informed by the use of the idea in practice. Key terms and schema relating to assessment are defined, related resources are noted, and ways in which assessment can enhance student learning and growth, enhance faculty performance, and improve institutional effectiveness and quality in its collective learning environment are shown. The ideas presented here fall within three categories. The first category addresses vital issues in the relationship between assessment and evaluation. Specific topics addressed in this category are the role of measurement in assessment, common misconceptions about assessment, using assessment to enhance performance on an evaluation, and turning evaluation into assessment. The second category deals with assessment values, practice, and mindset. Specific topics addressed in this category are key steps in the assessment process, writing clear performance criteria, assessing assessments, and self-assessment for growth. The third category deals with conditioning and historical cultural norms in higher education that prevent change toward an assessment culture. Specific topics addressed in this category are the role of assessment in the mentoring process and the assessment mindset. The paper closes with a brief description of issues regarding cultural change that must be confronted when an organization in higher education begins to embrace and implement these ideas.

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• Uncovering Hidden Pre-dispositions about Race: A Critical Step toward Enriching Campus Culture

  by Babette J. Cuadrado

  Abstract

  Beginning without prejudging plays a central role in creating quality learning environments. This principle also applies inside and outside the classroom in cultivating and maintaining a campus climate that values racial diversity and promotes positive identity. When hidden racial pre-dispositions are not carefully questioned, discriminating behaviors can persist despite a low level of inter-racial contact. Racial predispositions were queried in a survey about racial attitudes at a mid-western, four-year public university. Different perspectives about the presence or absence of racial discrimination are evident in responses by students of color compared to students who are white.

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• Conditions for Challenging Learner Performance

  by Peter Smith and Linda Spoelman

  Abstract

  Thoughtfully challenging students to display higher levels of performance can stimulate personal and professional growth. To do this effectively, it is important to be aware of the positive and negative consequences of issuing different levels of challenge. There is always a tension between challenging the performance of learners and providing affective support. Faculty need to learn to embrace this tension and preserve a healthy balance by neither challenging simply for the sake of challenge nor accepting mediocre performance in the guise of learner support. In this paper, challenging performance is presented as the culminating step in a methodology for creating a Quality Learning Environment (QLE). The methodology is shown to be consistent with educational literature on self-regulation. Educator and learner actions associated with issuing productive challenges are also aligned with different levels of maturity in self-regulation.

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