Welcome to the second edition of the International Journal of Process Education! We on the editorial board are very pleased to share with you our ongoing journey to improve higher education through continuous improvement. This year we have continued to practice what we preach, directing significant focused effort to improve our internal processes. It has been a pleasure to take concepts we developed during our work in producing the journal’s inaugural edition, to developing, over the past year, sustainable processes as we prepare to increase our distribution.

• From the Editorial Board

  In this edition, we open with two articles that deal with program design: one involves the design of a program with both academic and experiential learning components; the other involves program design that incorporates plans for the development of specific learning skills.

  “Validation of Hybrid Program Design Through Stakeholder Surveys,” by J. El-Sayed et al., utilizes a profile of an expert engineer to explore the benefits of a hybrid program design that combines traditional classroom learning with engineering co-operative education experiences.

  In the article, “Conditions for Online Learning Autonomy,” R. Cullen and M. Harris tender the concept that undergraduates’ progression into online learning should be deliberately designed into the curriculum.

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• Validation of Hybrid Program Design through Stakeholder Surveys

  by J. El-Sayed, M. El-Sayed, S. Beyerlein

  Abstract

  Achieving shared understanding of program educational objectives should be the first step in defining program structure and selecting appropriate pedagogies. A discipline specific profile that describes the holistic behaviors and observable actions of a practicing expert in the field is a useful tool that can be used to guide the development of educational objectives, learning outcomes expected of graduates, primary areas of emphasis, and preferred learning experiences. In this paper, a profile of an expert engineer is used to explore the benefits of a hybrid program design that combines traditional classroom experiences with engineering co-operative experiences at Kettering University. The profile was used to elicit input from key program stakeholders, especially alumni. The profile included four technical roles (analyst, problem solver, designer, and researcher), three interpersonal roles (communicator, collaborator, and leader), and three professional roles (self-grower, achiever, and practitioner). Findings suggest that the co-op experience complements the traditional classroom experience in the promotion of the roles of analyst, problem solver, and designer. Furthermore, the co-operative experience offers distinct benefits in the promotion of the roles of collaborator and practitioner.

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• Conditions for Online Learning Autonomy

  by Roxanne Cullen and Michael Harris

  Abstract

  This article posits that readiness for online learning has less to do with students’ knowledge of technology and digital dexterity than with their knowledge of how to learn and their motivation to engage fully in the process. The authors argue that the progression into the online learning environment should be intentionally built into the undergraduate curriculum as opposed to the current model at some institutions which simply presents students with face-to-face, hybrid or fully online courses in an open menu of offerings. The authors present a model for curricular review based on types of learning and learning environments, focusing on the online strategies that can foster a shift from transmissive to transactional and transformative learning.

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• Implementing POGIL in Allied Health Chemistry Courses: Insights from Process Education

  by Margaret (Peggy) Geiger

  Abstract

  This paper traces the development of POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) as an innovative teaching philosophy and strategy which increases student success in college level chemistry courses. POGIL philosophy and practice draws heavily from Process Education™ in its emphasis on conceptual understanding and the development of process skills. This paper examines the benefits and drawbacks of POGIL implementation in allied health courses (General, Organic, & Biochemistry or GOB) at Gaston College. With POGIL instruction in CHM 131, the first semester of a two-semester GOB sequence, final exam performance and retention results were encouraging. In CHM 130, a one-semester GOB course, POGIL was less successful, due to lack of student readiness for a more challenging learning environment. Models predict that students must have sufficient cognitive, affective, and team skills to succeed in team based learning at a higher cognitive level. The majority of CHM 130 students function at Piaget’s concrete operational stage, as measured by the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) survey, and have difficulty thinking abstractly, a key skill for chemistry (Bunce & Hutchinson, 1993). Gradually increasing cognitive challenge and the amount of student self-direction is more likely to lead to student growth and effective learning in allied health chemistry at Gaston College.

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• Process Education Best Practices for Teaching Open-Ended Problem Solving in a Project Context

  by Jim Morgan and Barbara Williams

  Abstract

  This paper presents a plan for teaching open-ended problem solving, using Process Education methods and tools to facilitate the learning of problem-solving skills. A team- and project-based approach is used to support higher levels of learning, and to reinforce for the learners the need for using all the steps of the problem-solving process. Support is provided for instructor facilitation in the form of: 1. a new rubric for evaluating team problem-solving performance
  2. a new template for problem-based learning activity design
  3. a sample facilitation plan with intervention and questioning strategies

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• Building a Stakeholder-based Rubric to Enhance Student Communication Skills

  by Judith Shaul Norback and Tristan T. Utschig

  Abstract

  The authors describe a step-by-step methodology used to create a rubric for measuring student communication skills in engineering. They also provide a description of the rubric’s content, along with scenarios for its application. This rubric is unique in that its content is based on input from a particular group of stakeholders, in this case executives whose companies hire many of the students who will be assessed and evaluated using the rubric. The research method employed semi-structured stakeholder focus group discussions, and real-time collaborative coding of data by the stakeholders and the researchers. Additionally, the researchers synthesized and clarified the results, sorting the rubric into six major categories, along with sub-dimensions and descriptors at each level. A prototype example of a dimension for each of the six categories is included. The paper concludes with a discussion of important factors to consider when applying the rubric to contexts outside of those for which it was originally developed, including scenarios for industrial engineering, nursing, and developmental math.

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• Improving Quality of Reflecting on Performance

  by Cy Leise

  Abstract

  Process educators recognize the potential power of reflection for enhancing insights gained from the assessment of any performance. The Theory of Performance has been articulated, as have methods and tools for the assessment process. However, for assessment to make a difference in future performance, the performer must become skilled at reflection, which expands the insights gained from the assessment. This type of reflection contrasts both with the tradition of Western philosophical reflection, and with the practice of mindfulness, which is related to Eastern traditions. The process educator’s approach to assessment and reflection is historically related to constructivist and socio-cultural perspectives in education. Two new tools are presented to augment the assessment of specific performances and to facilitate the increased quality of the reflection component required for performance growth. The first tool is a methodology for the process of reflecting on performance; the second tool is a holistic Rubric for Reflecting on Performance (Exhibit 1). Evidence for this work was gathered by classifying the quality of reflection found in a sample of journals written by counseling interns, written before these tools were developed. No significant differences in the quality of reflection could be identified, either due to increased intensity of assessment feedback during the journaling process, or as a result of students having more internship experience. These new tools have been designed in a generalized way to increase their potential for supporting improved quality of reflection in related performance contexts.

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• Assessing Service Quality for Continuous Improvement in Higher Education

  by Mohamed El-Sayed, Kathleen Burke , Cy Leise, and Jacqueline El-Sayed

  Abstract

  To address quality issues in higher education, instruments must be developed to appropriately identify and measure service attributes, as well as allow for an understanding of the users’ expectations and values. Furthermore, these instruments should facilitate the identification of the critical areas for improvements and their priorities. Identification of priorities is useful, since continuous improvement in an area that is not valued is an inefficient use of resources. In this paper, we present the fundamental principles for developing the tools that will allow for consistent assessment. These results will provide planners with comprehensive feedback for improvement which will allow them to achieve a higher level of quality. To illustrate this generalized approach, two examples of assessing for quality improvement are discussed.

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