Debbie Jackson | Cleveland State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Debbie Jackson

Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 2020

Operation STEM (OpSTEM) is a NSF grant-funded program in the USA to improve retention and graduat... more Operation STEM (OpSTEM) is a NSF grant-funded program in the USA to improve retention and graduation among high-risk students seeking STEM degrees by supporting them through early mathematics. OpSTEM focuses on students from underrepresented minority (URM) groups, first-generation college students, and women. The OpSTEM program has two levels of treatment: supplemental instruction and a comprehensive program. This study considers URM students and their non-URM counterparts. For non-URM students, the majority of gains are seen in pass rates with supplemental instruction. The comprehensive program is associated with increases in pass rates such that URM students are indistinguishable from their non-URM counterparts. For URM students, a comprehensive program is associated with a narrowing of the achievement gap that is not found with supplemental instruction alone.

Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, 2019

Students studying transformations of trigonometric functions may learn formulas associated with p... more Students studying transformations of trigonometric functions may learn formulas associated with period and frequency without developing an understanding of the concepts themselves. In this article, the authors present a task that uses arts integration in the form of sound waves to help students explore the relationship between period and frequency. Students are guided through a task of generating a ringtone for a smartphone that blends music, maths, and technology. Links to worksheets and a sample ringtone are provided to facilitate a teacher's implementation of the task; suggestions and advice are included. Using the arts to teach traditional STEM topics, an initiative known as STEAM offers promising opportunities for students to apply creative elements to solve technical problems. Although the topic in this article is suitable for precalculus students, STEAM-based instruction is applicable across multiple grade levels.

ACM Transactions on Computing Education

In a nationwide initiative to increase computer science Education in K-12, many teachers were rec... more In a nationwide initiative to increase computer science Education in K-12, many teachers were recruited to CS teaching positions but without adequate preparation, which can lead to lack of confidence and feelings of isolation [ 35 , 54 ]. In response to these issues, the purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a newly developed summer professional development program with follow-up support with the goal of improving teacher confidence and informing teacher beliefs about computer science. This training featured peer instruction and an emphasis on computer science principles. It took place over three years, and was used to prepare teachers from over 50 schools across a midwestern state. Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling, data analysis from 57 teachers and 871 students showed that teacher confidence and content knowledge increased significantly, and to a greater extent for those who began with the lowest levels of confidence. Students also made significant knowledg...

The environment is important to science educators. These programs are recyclable and were printed... more The environment is important to science educators. These programs are recyclable and were printed on recycled paper.

Subject matter and pedagogy have been components of teacher education since its origin, and resea... more Subject matter and pedagogy have been components of teacher education since its origin, and research shows that they will continue to be debated in research and policy circles (Sosniak, 1999). Both components of teacher education are necessary, and research exists in both areas; however, explicit research about the content knowledge involved in effective teaching is lacking. This study focuses on

Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 2017

In 2012, Cleveland State University implemented a comprehensive program, called Operation STEM (O... more In 2012, Cleveland State University implemented a comprehensive program, called Operation STEM (OpSTEM), funded by two National Science Foundation grants, federal work study, and Cleveland State University. Its goal is to increase retention and graduation rates among Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students by helping them complete the precalculus-calculus sequence successfully. OpSTEM targets freshmen pursuing STEM majors who are members of minority groups that are underrepresented in STEM, and/or first-generation college students. The majority of OpSTEM Scholars begin their mathematics coursework at the beginning of the precalculus sequence. OpSTEM provides these students with many services: a two-week summer institute, mandatory supplemental instruction, project-based instruction, mentoring, STEM speakers, free summer calculus, college success workshops, social activities, and stipends based on participation in these activities and successful completion o...

In 2012, Cleveland State University implemented a comprehensive program, called Operation STEM (O... more In 2012, Cleveland State University implemented a comprehensive program, called Operation STEM (OpSTEM), funded by two National Science Foundation grants, federal work study, and Cleveland State University. Its goal is to increase retention and graduation rates among mathematically underprepared Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students by helping them complete the precalculus-calculus sequence successfully. OpSTEM provides support to all mathematically underprepared students, and it also creates a special cohort of under-resourced students that become OpSTEM Scholars and receive additional supports. OpSTEM Scholars are predominantly freshmen pursuing STEM majors who are members of minority groups that are underrepresented in STEM, first-generation college students, and/ or women. The majority of OpSTEM Scholars begin their mathematics coursework at the beginning of the precalculus sequence. OpSTEM provides these students with many services: a two-week summer...

Proceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

Common barriers to broad-based adoption of Computer Science in secondary schools include 1) insuf... more Common barriers to broad-based adoption of Computer Science in secondary schools include 1) insufficient numbers of trained teachers who are capable of teaching CS courses in K-12 schools, and 2) a narrow base of students interested in taking CS courses which does not include a large number of females or students from traditionally underrepresented racial groups. In an effort to overcome these obstacles, we developed and employed a teacher professional development program to develop both content and pedagogical strategies to teach Computer Science Principles while also broadening and expanding participation in CS. Teachers were selected for this program in an effort to understand the impact of the intervention with teachers of diverse backgrounds, who teach in a variety of types of schools and with diverse student populations, and with a range of previous Computer Science content knowledge and teaching experience. Teacher content mastery, confidence and attitudes, as well as student content mastery and confidence were assessed at multiple times. Key goals of the program were to develop ability and confidence in programming skills among teachers and students, and to train and encourage teachers to use peer instruction, allowing for a great deal of interaction among students and engagement with the content facilitating the development of expertise among students. Significant findings showed that teachers improved in both knowledge and confidence after taking the workshop, and the gains were evident for their students as well. Their students also demonstrated improvement in both skills and confidence after taking CS Principles, regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity.

Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Higher Education Studies, 2014

This article supports the notion of high quality clinical teacher preparation models and lays out... more This article supports the notion of high quality clinical teacher preparation models and lays out an argument for investing in professional education that is organized around more coherent systems for cultivating clinical practice. This article outlines the creation and implementation of a clinically-based teacher preparation program. Project CREATE, the result of the contributions of university faculty, administrators, and P-12 stakeholders, proposes strict admission criteria, extensive field experiences, and the integration of field-based assignments and collaborative mentoring by university and P-12 faculty to address criticisms aimed at traditional models of teacher training.

Journal of Science Education and Technology, 2014

ABSTRACT The present study investigated the impact of a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathema... more ABSTRACT The present study investigated the impact of a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Health (STEM+H) university-based pipeline program, the Careers in Health and Medical Professions Program, over the course of two summers among predominantly African-American high school students recruited from urban school districts (N = 155). Based on a mixed methods approach, results indicated that youth made significant gains in both academic and career knowledge. Furthermore, youth generally rated the program’s sessions favorably, but also rated sessions with varying levels of satisfaction. The limitations and implications for program delivery and evaluation methods among pipeline programs are discussed.

Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 2020

Operation STEM (OpSTEM) is a NSF grant-funded program in the USA to improve retention and graduat... more Operation STEM (OpSTEM) is a NSF grant-funded program in the USA to improve retention and graduation among high-risk students seeking STEM degrees by supporting them through early mathematics. OpSTEM focuses on students from underrepresented minority (URM) groups, first-generation college students, and women. The OpSTEM program has two levels of treatment: supplemental instruction and a comprehensive program. This study considers URM students and their non-URM counterparts. For non-URM students, the majority of gains are seen in pass rates with supplemental instruction. The comprehensive program is associated with increases in pass rates such that URM students are indistinguishable from their non-URM counterparts. For URM students, a comprehensive program is associated with a narrowing of the achievement gap that is not found with supplemental instruction alone.

Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, 2019

Students studying transformations of trigonometric functions may learn formulas associated with p... more Students studying transformations of trigonometric functions may learn formulas associated with period and frequency without developing an understanding of the concepts themselves. In this article, the authors present a task that uses arts integration in the form of sound waves to help students explore the relationship between period and frequency. Students are guided through a task of generating a ringtone for a smartphone that blends music, maths, and technology. Links to worksheets and a sample ringtone are provided to facilitate a teacher's implementation of the task; suggestions and advice are included. Using the arts to teach traditional STEM topics, an initiative known as STEAM offers promising opportunities for students to apply creative elements to solve technical problems. Although the topic in this article is suitable for precalculus students, STEAM-based instruction is applicable across multiple grade levels.

ACM Transactions on Computing Education

In a nationwide initiative to increase computer science Education in K-12, many teachers were rec... more In a nationwide initiative to increase computer science Education in K-12, many teachers were recruited to CS teaching positions but without adequate preparation, which can lead to lack of confidence and feelings of isolation [ 35 , 54 ]. In response to these issues, the purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a newly developed summer professional development program with follow-up support with the goal of improving teacher confidence and informing teacher beliefs about computer science. This training featured peer instruction and an emphasis on computer science principles. It took place over three years, and was used to prepare teachers from over 50 schools across a midwestern state. Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling, data analysis from 57 teachers and 871 students showed that teacher confidence and content knowledge increased significantly, and to a greater extent for those who began with the lowest levels of confidence. Students also made significant knowledg...

The environment is important to science educators. These programs are recyclable and were printed... more The environment is important to science educators. These programs are recyclable and were printed on recycled paper.

Subject matter and pedagogy have been components of teacher education since its origin, and resea... more Subject matter and pedagogy have been components of teacher education since its origin, and research shows that they will continue to be debated in research and policy circles (Sosniak, 1999). Both components of teacher education are necessary, and research exists in both areas; however, explicit research about the content knowledge involved in effective teaching is lacking. This study focuses on

Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 2017

In 2012, Cleveland State University implemented a comprehensive program, called Operation STEM (O... more In 2012, Cleveland State University implemented a comprehensive program, called Operation STEM (OpSTEM), funded by two National Science Foundation grants, federal work study, and Cleveland State University. Its goal is to increase retention and graduation rates among Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students by helping them complete the precalculus-calculus sequence successfully. OpSTEM targets freshmen pursuing STEM majors who are members of minority groups that are underrepresented in STEM, and/or first-generation college students. The majority of OpSTEM Scholars begin their mathematics coursework at the beginning of the precalculus sequence. OpSTEM provides these students with many services: a two-week summer institute, mandatory supplemental instruction, project-based instruction, mentoring, STEM speakers, free summer calculus, college success workshops, social activities, and stipends based on participation in these activities and successful completion o...

In 2012, Cleveland State University implemented a comprehensive program, called Operation STEM (O... more In 2012, Cleveland State University implemented a comprehensive program, called Operation STEM (OpSTEM), funded by two National Science Foundation grants, federal work study, and Cleveland State University. Its goal is to increase retention and graduation rates among mathematically underprepared Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students by helping them complete the precalculus-calculus sequence successfully. OpSTEM provides support to all mathematically underprepared students, and it also creates a special cohort of under-resourced students that become OpSTEM Scholars and receive additional supports. OpSTEM Scholars are predominantly freshmen pursuing STEM majors who are members of minority groups that are underrepresented in STEM, first-generation college students, and/ or women. The majority of OpSTEM Scholars begin their mathematics coursework at the beginning of the precalculus sequence. OpSTEM provides these students with many services: a two-week summer...

Proceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

Common barriers to broad-based adoption of Computer Science in secondary schools include 1) insuf... more Common barriers to broad-based adoption of Computer Science in secondary schools include 1) insufficient numbers of trained teachers who are capable of teaching CS courses in K-12 schools, and 2) a narrow base of students interested in taking CS courses which does not include a large number of females or students from traditionally underrepresented racial groups. In an effort to overcome these obstacles, we developed and employed a teacher professional development program to develop both content and pedagogical strategies to teach Computer Science Principles while also broadening and expanding participation in CS. Teachers were selected for this program in an effort to understand the impact of the intervention with teachers of diverse backgrounds, who teach in a variety of types of schools and with diverse student populations, and with a range of previous Computer Science content knowledge and teaching experience. Teacher content mastery, confidence and attitudes, as well as student content mastery and confidence were assessed at multiple times. Key goals of the program were to develop ability and confidence in programming skills among teachers and students, and to train and encourage teachers to use peer instruction, allowing for a great deal of interaction among students and engagement with the content facilitating the development of expertise among students. Significant findings showed that teachers improved in both knowledge and confidence after taking the workshop, and the gains were evident for their students as well. Their students also demonstrated improvement in both skills and confidence after taking CS Principles, regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity.

Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Higher Education Studies, 2014

This article supports the notion of high quality clinical teacher preparation models and lays out... more This article supports the notion of high quality clinical teacher preparation models and lays out an argument for investing in professional education that is organized around more coherent systems for cultivating clinical practice. This article outlines the creation and implementation of a clinically-based teacher preparation program. Project CREATE, the result of the contributions of university faculty, administrators, and P-12 stakeholders, proposes strict admission criteria, extensive field experiences, and the integration of field-based assignments and collaborative mentoring by university and P-12 faculty to address criticisms aimed at traditional models of teacher training.

Journal of Science Education and Technology, 2014

ABSTRACT The present study investigated the impact of a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathema... more ABSTRACT The present study investigated the impact of a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Health (STEM+H) university-based pipeline program, the Careers in Health and Medical Professions Program, over the course of two summers among predominantly African-American high school students recruited from urban school districts (N = 155). Based on a mixed methods approach, results indicated that youth made significant gains in both academic and career knowledge. Furthermore, youth generally rated the program’s sessions favorably, but also rated sessions with varying levels of satisfaction. The limitations and implications for program delivery and evaluation methods among pipeline programs are discussed.