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Vignettes are short stories along with a set of questions that engage the reader to comment on the story. Vignettes have been used in professional academic programs (e.g., teacher preparation and medical education), for professional development in various fields (e.g., teaching ethics in psychology and medicine), and in various research fields for data collection. In this work, vignettes are used to elicit students' understanding of dispositions in computing education. Professional dispositions enable behaviors that are valued in the workplace, such as adaptability or self-directedness. They are often explicitly stated in computing job postings. While the relevance of dispositions is widely recognized in the workplace, only recently have curricular guidelines for computing programs recognized professional dispositions as an integral part of competencies and as complementary to knowledge and skills. There is scarce literature on the use of vignettes in teaching undergraduate computing, or on how best to foster dispositions in students. In this project, four faculty from four diverse institutions in the U.S., along with three consulting experts, have collaborated to design and evaluate the use of vignettes in the classroom. This paper documents researchers' efforts to gain insights into students' perceptions of dispositions through the use of vignettes. Such insights may guide educators to identify pedagogical strategies for fostering dispositions among students. This paper presents an iterative process for vignette design with continuous review by researchers and focus group members. The vignettes in this study use stories of situations which demonstrate the application of a disposition, drawn from various fields and walks of life to represent diverse groups and experiences. Students are presented with the vignette story and asked to identify the disposition illustrated. To elicit students' understanding of dispositions in terms of their personal behaviors, students are asked to describe a situation in which they have experienced the disposition. Lessons learned in the design and use of vignettes are discussed.
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Beyond the Cognitive: Educator Readiness for Fostering Dispositions
This paper explores Computing and Engineering (C&E) educators' perceptions about dispositions and investigates their readiness to integrate dispositions into their teaching. Dispositions are the underlying beliefs, attitudes, and values that influence how individuals apply their knowledge and skills. Employers recognize the importance of dispositions in the workplace, yet in C&E education the cultivation and assessment of dispositions is not frequently emphasized. Recent guidelines and frameworks in C&E education require dispositional competencies. However, implementing these guidelines requires pedagogical and curricular transformations, including authentic teaching and learning experiences and innovative assessment techniques. This study aims to address an important gap in C&E education by investigating educators' perceptions and readiness for integrating dispositions into curricula, thereby contributing to the ongoing efforts to align educational programs' objectives with industry needs to foster graduates' success in their careers. This work is guided by the Agency Influence Framework, adapted to incorporate educators' worldview (epistemology) in addition to their beliefs, abilities, and motivations towards their readiness for change. The study provides preliminary insights and serves as a foundation for future research in educators' perception about dispositions.
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- PAR ID:
- 10504619
- Publisher / Repository:
- IEEE
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the 2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)
- ISBN:
- 979-8-3503-3642-9
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 5
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Dispositions educator-readiness competency-based education multiple case study
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- College Station, TX, USA
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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