Wendy Tilton completes dissertation in the School of Educational Leadership and Change

Adult Professional Development: Can brain-based teaching strategies increase learning effectiveness? -- Wendy Tilton is a licensed real estate broker and instructor in New Jersey, and an approved instructor in New York. Licensed since 1986, Wendy has extensive experience with residential and office professional properties which includes a strong working knowledge in the areas of sales, leasing, market analysis, and residential development. She has represented both large and small firms. Wendy has served as the principal and Broker of Record for Key Properties Consulting in Mercer County, New Jersey. Recently, Wendy was elected as the chairperson of the New Jersey Real Estate Commission Volunteer Advisory Committee for Continuing Education.

Wendy completed a Master of Science in Real Estate Investment & Development, with a minor in International Real Estate Markets in August of 1995 from New York University Real Estate Institute. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education in 2004 from Kennedy Western University, concentrating on effective real estate education. Wendy has served as an adjunct associate professor at New York University’s Schack Institute for Real Estate since 1995, where she earned the Award for Teaching Excellence.

Today, Wendy owns and operates Key Properties Consulting, a real estate education firm. Her engagements include teaching, course development, real estate and professional education analysis, coaching, real estate legal analysis, and expert witness testimony.

WendyTilton@Comcast.net

Abstract:
Brain-based teaching strategies, compared to facilitative student-centered teaching strategies, were employed with 62 real estate professionals in a quasi-mixed-methods study. Participants attended a 2-day proprietary real estate continuing education course. Both the experimental and control groups received the same facilitative instruction, as required by the course provider. The experimental group received additional brain-based teaching interventions. Quantitative analysis using independent samples t tests revealed no differences between scores for the groups; however, a repeated-measures t test revealed improved scores from the pretest to the posttest for both groups. Results of analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated no differences between the groups. Demographic and lifestyle characteristics of participants showed no statistically significant differences between the groups. Pearson correlations revealed no relationship between test scores and lifestyle characteristics. Post-course ratings and course and instructor evaluations revealed no differences between the groups. Post-course interviews with participants revealed the instructor’s influence on the learning experience and that the participants reported employing the new knowledge in their practice. It was concluded that the brain-based teaching interventions had no significant effect on participant outcomes. Recommendations for practice and further research are presented.