It can be difficult to find ways to motivate students while teaching a physics course for non-physics students. Students come to class with many different attitudes and preconceptions, some of which are detrimental to their learning. As physics educators, we strive for student engagement and motivation in course material no matter what type of…

Earning Open Badges instead of regular grades and credits can be a motivating factor for high-performing students in terms of attending classes and completing assignments in extracurricular courses, but to what extent? And for what student profiles? To tackle these questions, we conducted a quantitative study with high-performing students. Each…

All content to Wikipedia is added and edited in a crowdsourced model, wherein nearly anyone can click the "edit" button and change content on Wikipedia. An active community of dedicated volunteers is what keeps Wikipedia as reliable as it is today--good, but not complete. More diverse contributors are needed to add more content to…

This Quick Fix describes how the emerging "writing for Wikipedia" activity allows replacing a traditional written paper with a more motivating, digital assignment that also allows students to contribute to society. It presents the most efficient ways to incorporate Wikipedia into one's teaching curriculum, while also discussing best…

This study aimed to test three homework models defined in different cultures on Turkish high school students. HLM analyses were conducted on data collected from 1,229 high school students, considering 19 student-level and 7 grade-level variables. The dependent variables of the study were academic achievement and homework completion. The findings…

Anxiety is widely recognized as a significant affective factor that influences second language (L2) writing proficiency. However, its specific contributions to writing motivation and engagement, and how it interrelates with these constructs, are not clearly defined. To address this research void, this study explored the role of anxiety in the…

Renewable assignments are student created artifacts that have value outside of courses. However, more empirical inquiry in renewable assignments grounded in theoretical frameworks is necessary. In this study, students (N = 69) engaged in renewable assignments and were asked to report on their perceptions based on the self-determination theory of…

The demand for intensive educational experiences is increasing, necessitating a focus on ensuring quality and providing adequate student support. Increasing opportunities for student collaboration, including teacher/student co-creation of learning materials, has strong potential to increase engagement and support. Given increased interest in…

A variety of factors are associated with the learning difficulty in mathematics in the context of Pakistani schools. This study explored the different causes of learning difficulties in mathematics faced by primary school students in Karachi, Pakistan. Using a quantitative research design, the data was gathered from the parents and teachers of…

This study investigates the extent to which (a) Spanish heritage (HL) and second language (L2) writers' linguistic complexity differs across register contexts and (b) Spanish proficiency and writing motivational beliefs differentially affect HL and L2 writers' performance. Participants were 58 HL and 54 L2 Spanish learners who completed two…

In this "Distance Learning" Special Issue, Errol Craig Sull introduces the "Try This" series of articles to assist with Becoming a Better Distance Learning Instructor. Sull notes, in this article, what the distance learning educator does in the first few days in a course can go a long way in setting the tone for the entire…

Autonomy has been identified as an essential attribute of learner-centered teaching. Allowing learners some choice regarding their learning can positively impact motivation and performance. Some concepts can be illustrated more clearly through film, including agricultural leadership concepts such as the stages of small group development. In this…

Helping students recognize the value of humanistic inquiry can be challenging, especially in required courses. This essay presents a solution: an assignment in which students were asked to pitch one of the required readings to Netflix for adaptation. Through close readings of student responses and an analysis of the "so what" component…

With the highly interdisciplinary nature of biochemistry, and the diverse range of students taking introductory biochemistry courses, it can be difficult to incorporate authentic applications of course content that appeal broadly to students. However, it is important to engage students' learning at the affective level. One mode to achieve this…

Research on flexible assessment suggests that providing students with choice in assignments can increase motivation and deepen investment in learning. Although instructors are often advised to adopt flexible assessment, they are also warned about potential detriments such as perceived lack of rigour among colleagues, the stress that…