The application of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in a Reinforced Concrete course through the development of a real-life civil engineering project from its conception, as a coursework, is a challenged experience for students. As long as the coursework evolves, students develop real ways to think as an engineer and they work in an environment similar…

This developmental study explores the process and outcomes of creating an active learning classroom within a higher education setting. To support student success, institutions have increasingly redesigned their learning spaces to promote active learning. Early initiatives often aimed to facilitate collaborative learning and reduce reliance on…

This study aims to propose a method for mapping the implementation of active learning approaches by quantifying engineering teachers' self-perception. It also seeks to examine the correlations between the implementation of active learning approaches and training, as well as publications focused on active learning. To conduct the study, active…

This article builds upon current research to understand the value and limitations of teaching and learning design thinking (DT) in higher education. We implemented a mixed-methods study with faculty and students across 23 diverse courses in four higher education institutions in the United States. Findings showed that following structured learning…

Mathematics is a challenging subject for most students in technical and vocational institutions. The institutions apply great effort towards developing mathematics knowledge and skills, mainly by influencing students' motivations. This study tries: (1) to present evidence for the validity of an instrument for measuring students' motivational…

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) at the University of Louisiana at Monroe aimed to improve academic performance in two gateway science courses that are required for all STEM and pre-health sciences majors and are known to be barriers to student success. The project sought to achieve this primarily by a course redesign that incorporated an extra…

Prior findings on the effects of active learning environments were limited by both research design and data-analysis techniques, such as lack of controls over confounding factors and misuse of statistical modeling. We (1) investigated the effects of active learning environments on student achievement and motivation and (2) overcame the limitations…

Academic developers work with colleagues from every discipline to facilitate learning about teaching, learning and assessment. Boud and Brew (2013) called for academic development to be significantly 'closer to everyday practice' while also recognising development involves extending notions of what 'practice' is. Moreover, Loads and Campbell…

The COVID-19 pandemic brought monumental changes to life around the world, including drastic changes to how traditional face-to-face (F2F) American university courses have been conducted. In Spring 2020, institutions of higher education had to move courses fully online (if they were mid-term) or in some cases end a term of F2F only to return from…

Industry and higher education are increasingly utilizing online environments due to digitalization. As a result, the learning experiences in these new digital learning ecosystems as communities must be re-examined critically. This study incorporates the second cycle of the design-based research (DBR) study developing the design principles and…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional and active lecture methods in higher-education courses. A multiple group convergent parallel mixed method design was used, with measurement of learning, attention, and student preference for active or traditional lecture methods. Six faculty at a public university in the…

Purpose: This research aims to focus on analysing the opinion of university students on the effects that agile methodologies are having on their education during this time of pandemic that is affecting the normal functioning of on-site universities. Specifically, the authors intend to analyse the effect that different constructs have on the…

This study aims to examine whether it is possible to match digital society, academia and students interests in higher education by testing to what extent the introduction of gamification into active learning setups affects the skills development demanded by the workplace of the digital society of the twenty-first century, the academic achievement…

The higher education system in the United Arab Emirates is loosely based on models developed in many Western countries. Expatriate faculty members trained in Western universities are often times recruited to teach at government or public universities. Confusion often arises when faculty members expect similar learning patterns and values which…

In this article, we argue that physical rooms cannot be replaced by virtual space without literally losing the student's body and that experimenting with rooms and active learning is imperative for improving and advancing students' learning. Our case study offers insight into a 'soft room experiment' without hard furniture or audio-visual…