Rebekah K. Nix, Ph.D. 

 

 

 

rnix@utdallas.edu | www.utd.edu/~rnix

 

Senior Lecturer

The University of Texas at Dallas

Teacher Development Center

 

Adjunct Research Fellow

Curtin University of Technology

Science and Mathematics Education Centre

 

Teaching  |  Research  |  Service

Rebekah K. Nix centers her teaching and research on enhancing learning environments, focusing on information technology and professional development. Recipient of the 2007 USDLA Best Practices Gold Award for Distance Learning Teaching Online and 2010 UT System Innovations in Online Teaching Award, she has taught her completely online Educational Technology courses since 2000. She completed her Ph.D. in Science Education on Virtual Field Trips: Using Information Technology to Create an Integrated Science Learning Environment (2002) at Curtin University of Technology, where she is now an adjunct Research Fellow.

Pursuing innovative ideas to merge educational theory and scientific practice through strategic applications of technology, she created MT SCIENCE (Mobile Technology for teaching and learning SCIENCE in the real world), a collection of electronic probeware. In 2004 (with a second cohort in 2005), she helped design and deliver a hybrid Teacher Quality program for middle school science teachers called Taking them to the top! Cultivating an ISLE with applications of IT and environmental education. As PI for the Master of Arts in Teaching – Science Education Online program award, she co-authored and co-taught 10 new online graduate courses that were launched in the Fall 2006. She shares the 2007 UT-System Library Director’s Award for library integration for the online Evaluating Research in Science Education course.

Current UTD CV

UTTC Faculty Spotlight

Dr. Nix is currently collaborating on a longitudinal study of quality in online education and how technology-enabled learning environments impact on teaching efficiency and learning effectiveness.

 

  RNIX | Teaching  |  Research  |  Service

 

 

Teaching

 

 

USDLA | UTD | Acknowledgment

IOL - UTD | PCN

NROC Interview

You should be able to access your online course(s) on the first day of classes for this semester. Online coursework is delivered through UTD's eLearning system. 

If you have any problems with your account, contact the UTD Help Desk at assist@utdallas.edu or 972-883-2911.

ED 4372: Offered in the Fall and Spring full sessions.

Emphasis is placed on the use of technology to support the teaching and learning process. Information about specific instructional applications is presented to provide concrete examples of principles and procedures. Focuses on electronic instructional media, multimedia, telecommunications, multi-user networks, and their real-world applications to the secondary classroom. (3 semester hours)

ED4372 Course Overview

ED4372 Fall 2010 Syllabus

Getting Started in ED4372

The course content is focused on the Technology Applications Standards I-IV, specifically Competency 009 of the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Test Framework. Delivered completely online, the course pedagogy demonstrates critical aspects of technology integration across all Domains I-IV.

 

SCE 5303: Seminar-based instruction to explore research in science education to enrich classroom implementation and research integration.

This course explores the topics of learning environments, experimental creativity, and research awareness to stimulate new ways for approaching science and education. Video clips from the Center for Science Education Research's Seminars for Lifelong Learners by Drs. Fraser, Hulse, and MacDiarmid provide a springboard for discussion and interactive team collaboration.

SCE5303 Summer 2010 Syllabus

Preview UTTC Lesson 01 Conceptual Framework

Explore the G-E-M web

'Lessons Learned' is an elective course for the Master of Arts in Teaching - Science Education (MAT-SE) Online degree. (3 semester hours)

Please click on the logo to review a sample syllabus of these other recent courses taught by Dr. Nix:

 

  RNIX | Teaching  |  Research  |  Service

 

 

Research

 

Nix (2010)

Nix & Fraser (2010)

Nix (2009)

8(2) Nix, Ledbetter & Fraser (2005)

Nix (2001) cover | text

UTD | Library | Nomination

 

ED 4372 Educational Technology (course update)

Grant award - Teacher Development Center: UTD, Richardson, Texas

Re-design of original course to meet needs of today's pre-service teachers made possible by a 2008-2009 award from the UT-System TeleCampus. This undergraduate level course was taught completely online via UTTC from Fall 2001 through Spring 2010 when it was moved to UTD. This course update is important in that ED 4372 is now required for all students seeking Texas state teacher certification through the Teacher Development Center. Funds were used to enhance existing content resources, to address recent advances in information technology, to leverage new tools and resources for distance education, and to integrate literacy objectives overtly with best practices. Learning Outcomes: 1. The student will be able to execute the educational technologies utilized in an asynchronous, online course. 2. The student will be able to choose tools and resources to improve educational practice within their field. 3. The student will be able to construct electronic media to support their ideas for enhancing teaching and learning with educational technologies.

 

Texas Course Redesign Project – Environmental Science Online

Grant award - Teacher Development Center: UTD, Richardson, Texas

Investigation into faculty incorporation of third-party materials into online coursework made possible by a 2007-2008 award from the UT-System TeleCampus. In designing SCI 5325: Integrated Earth Science for Teachers, Nix presented a new look at fundamental content by incorporating the physical and life sciences within the broad field of earth science. The ultimate goal of this course was to help students to learn how to make the connections among information, opinion, observation, experimentation, and imagination. Such complex interdependencies are not readily apparent without an intentional exploration of topics and guided application across seemingly independent disciplines. This capability to transfer knowledge and understanding throughout multiple contexts is paramount to developing higher-order thinking skills and critical thinking abilities at all ages. The licensed resources in the National Repository of Online Courses (NROC) enabled efficient development and support effective delivery of UTTC coursework. Given the experience and expertise of faculty intellectual property, creative approaches to mixing these items with hands-on activities (inquiry-based Penny Ante Science laboratories and leading-edge PASCO probeware experiments) produced an academically rigorous and educationally robust course.

 

Adopting Third-Party Content for Online Courses in Higher Education by Robert Threlkeld, Ph.D.

 

Incorporating 3rd Party Content into Online Coursework by D. Smith, R. Nix, R. Herber & C. Moseley (PPS | Notes)

 

Space relations and abstract reasoning online

Research collaboration with Palma J. Longo. Ph.D.

The goal of this investigation is to determine to what extent visual thinking networking influenced the encoding and reconstruction of knowledge in memory for adults in an integrated earth science students. Abstract reasoning can be defined as the capacity to reason when problems are presented in terms of size, shape, or position, or quantity, or other non-verbal, non-numerical forms (Bennett, Seashore, & Wesman, 1974). This is important to us because it seems to correlate with increased problem-solving ability. The VTN metacognitive learning strategy did indeed improve Abstract Reasoning abilities in science learners online! A Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test revealed a statistically significant increase in abstract reasoning ability by using Visual Thinking Networking in an online science course, z = -2.432, p = .015 with a large effect size (r = .56). The median score on the Differential Abilities Test for Abstract Reasoning increased from pre-VTN (Md =58) to post-VTN (Md = 68).

 

MAT-SE Online!

UTTC Program Development | Master of Arts in Teaching - Science Education

Grant award - Science Education: University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas

The MAT-SE Online! is an distance education option of the thesis strand of UTD's 36-hour Master of Arts in Teaching – Science Education (MAT-SE) degree. Launched in Fall 2006, this completely-online, fully-asynchronous program was jointly developed by the Science/Mathematics Education Department and Teacher Development Center at the University of Texas at Dallas to serve science teachers around the globe. It is made possible by a 2005-2006 award from the UT-System TeleCampus.

Research Method Design Tool (RMD)

Drawing TEaCHNIQUES: Art Skills Tutorials

Balancing Act media collection

Not only are the MAT-SE Online! courses student-centered, but so are the program options in order to better serve a diverse population with specific needs. Degree plans can accommodate elective hours to fulfill prerequisite deficiencies and content hours to address specialization area interests. Course sequencing enables students to maintain a full or partial load over independent semesters. Thesis research is scalable from district-wide evaluations to individual case studies, as well as the range of possibilities within virtually unlimited bounds.

 

Form Following Function

PPS

Notes

Handout

Meeting in

the Middle

PPS

Notes

Handout

 

Taking them to the top! II
Teacher Quality Grant | Middle School Science, Grades 6 & 7

Grant award - Science Education: University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas

Taking them to the top! II is a year-long professional development program that was jointly developed by the Science/Mathematics Education Department and Teacher Development Center at the University of Texas at Dallas to serve science teachers in north Texas. It is made possible by a 2005-2006 award from the Teacher Quality Professional Development Grants Programs, which in Texas are administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Designed specifically for current or prospective middle school teachers, the year-long instruction includes an intensive summer field experience followed by on-campus meetings and on-line modules. Scientific investigations will use hands-on activities and infuse technology innovations into classroom instruction. A cohort of teachers will be instructed in the use of various scientific and educational technologies and exposed to an array of curriculum tools and resources.

 

Action-Interaction-Reaction: YOU are THE key!

Grant award - Science Education: University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas

YOU are THE key! is a 1-day professional development workshop that was jointly developed by the Teacher Development Center and the Science/Mathematics Education Department at the University of Texas at Dallas to serve K-12 teachers in north Texas. It is made possible by a 2004 award from the North Texas Clean Air Coalition Community Grants Program, which was funded by TXU. Participation is designed to inspire the artistry of teaching by enabling teachers to experience different types of learning and by empowering them to use a range of valuable curriculum tools and resources. Offered to current or prospective classroom school teachers, the 7-hour instruction specifically promotes the awareness and understanding of air quality - a critical resource that most of us take for granted. Virtually invisible, it is a difficult concept to master and a challenging topic to teach.

 

Taking them to the top:
Cultivating an integrated science learning environment with applications of information technology and environmental education

Grant award - Science Education: University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas

Taking them to the top! is a year-long professional development program that was jointly developed by the Science/Mathematics Education Department and Teacher Development Center at the University of Texas at Dallas to serve science teachers in north Texas. It is made possible by a 2004-2005 award from the Teacher Quality Professional Development Grants Programs, which in Texas are administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Designed specifically for current or prospective middle school teachers, the year-long instruction includes an intensive summer field experience followed by on-campus meetings and on-line modules. Scientific investigations will use hands-on activities and infuse technology innovations into classroom instruction. Coursework will support the development of a comprehensive virtual field trip web site. To that end, a cohort of teachers will be instructed in the use of various scientific and educational technologies and exposed to an array of curriculum tools and resources.

 

MT SCIENCE: Mobile Technology for teaching and learning SCIENCE in the real world

Grant award - Science Education: University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas

MT SCIENCE is an innovative and critical resource made possible by a grant from the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board. As the teachers of our teachers, we must update our higher education infrastructures to assure access to current information technology and meet the demands of an increasingly technological citizenry. UT-Dallas' past successes in delivering field-based programs within a multi-faceted learning environment make both content and pedagogy relevant. Using that same approach, supported by appropriate information technology, we will be enabled to provide a tangible opportunity for teachers to gain organized knowledge to make practical changes in education.

 

Virtual field trips: Using information technology to create an integrated science learning environment

Doctoral thesis - Science Education: Curtin University of Technology - Perth, Australia 

Research focused on developing a model to create a unique learning environment that results in a positive change in science teachers' attitude toward and understanding of educational applications of information technology. A "transparent" information technology learning environment unifies the three "classic" learning environments enabling direct transfer of knowledge through development of a virtual field trip. Specifically, this study determines if the program design fosters individual communication, collaboration and creativity.

  Expanded Abstract and Abbreviated Bibliography

AERA 2003

AERA 2006

 

What Educators Want from the World Wide Web

Masters thesis - Science Education: University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas

Research focused on defining what educators want from the World Wide Web and how content providers and administrators might fulfill needs with emerging multimedia tools. Studies included advanced educational research and science courses, in addition to development of lessons/units that reflect original applications of technology in teaching.

 

  RNIX | Teaching  |  Research  |  Service

 

 

Service

 

MT SCIENCE

Drawing TEaCHNIQUES

G.L.O.B.E. Program

Project WILD/Aquatic WILD

 

      Balancing Act media collection

G-E-M web

Research Method Design Tool

Teaching Units for Science Educators

These units were created by R. Nix in partial fulfillment of her MAT-SE degree at UT Dallas!

Teachers are welcome to save/edit the following resources for educational use in their own school classrooms. Save the PPTs to your hard drive to see the presentation notes in 'normal view'. Although the technology is a bit aged, hopefully new ideas and approaches will be inspired!

Mineralogy: Crystal System Models (PPT)

First-Order Changes in a Local Mountain Environment (PPT | Notes)

The Amazing Time Machine (PPT)

A Day in the Desert Digging Dinosaurs (PPT | Notes | Updated Site)

From Bones in a Box... to Heroes in Hollywood! (PPT)

The Gulf of California: A Physical, Geological & Biological Study (Notes)

WHY STUDY MARINE SCIENCE? One Geologist's Perspective (HTML)

Observation Skills: Hidden Pictures in the Intertidal Zone (HTML | Notes)

4 March 2010 presentation for the Science Education and Engineering Center at UT-Dallas

 

Technology in the Science/Mathematics Classroom:

Keeping Pace or Setting the Pace? (PPS | Links | Notes)

 

Class Starter Activities for Life-Long Learners

You need the QuickTime Player to view the video clips and listen to the audio snippets and the Acrobat Reader to view and print the activity descriptions. Just click on the links to download the free players to enjoy or implement:

 

Balancing Act

 

Community Juggling

 

Drawing Lesson

 

Garbled Message

 

Here Come the Commancheros!

 

If I Had a Hammer

 

It’s a What?

 

Who Am I? (& Where Do I Go?)

 

Mirror Image

 

People-to-People

 

Rope Trick

 

Just one good reason to use these activities…

Why Ask Why video clip!

 

Special thanks to all of the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) workshop attendees, UTD Science/Mathematics Education MAT students, and Dallas ISD AC students who were enthusiastic participants in the activities – and supportive 'stars' who helped us get started by allowing us to create these video supplements - and to SCE Associates and RNIX Company for the use of these activities. Use them freely for your own educational purposes (with proper citations).

 

  RNIX | Teaching  |  Research  |  Service

 

 

 

2010 © Rebekah K. Nix, Ph.D.   All rights reserved.

These items may be used by UTD students and graduates in their respective classrooms.

Email rnix@utdallas.edu for permission to use these items in other ways or for commercial use.