Problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability to in-person and virtual environments are critical for success today. Therefore, brick-and-mortar and online instructional models have shifted to ensure that K-12 students are prepared with these skills for 21st-century challenges. Grounded in systems theory, the study examined the inputs,…

Societal shifts increasingly demand that people work across social and geographic borders, often virtually, to solve complex problems in the areas of education, environment, healthcare, poverty, technology innovation and ethics, and more. This collaboration requires critical and emancipatory dialogue and problem-solving. This qualitative multiple…

Play has been discussed by mathematicians and mathematics educators as essential to mathematical progress and has been widely acknowledged to have a role in learning. Yet, play is rarely acknowledged, leveraged, or studied for mathematics learners beyond early childhood. Moreover, there are theoretical and empirical challenges with designing for…

COVID-19 had a significant impact on adolescents. Local governments mandated schools to cancel in-person schooling for the first time in history due to the heightened exposure to the coronavirus. The shift to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic removed students from the supportive academic and social environment of the physical school…

In education, machine learning (ML), especially deep learning (DL) in recent years, has been extensively used to improve both teaching and learning. Despite the rapid advancement of ML and its application in education, a few challenges remain to be addressed. In this thesis, in particular, we focus on two such challenges: (i) data scarcity and…

Digital learning environments are becoming increasingly ubiquitous as a wide range of EdTech products and services enter classrooms and households across the globe. One salient attribute of these environments is their capacity to generate large amounts of data as students interact with the technology. These data logs can help construct a detailed…

There is a strong need for fifth-grade students to become proficient in mathematical problem-solving using fractional computations because it will have a lasting impact on student achievement. Traditionally, mathematics is taught inside a brick-and-mortar classroom, grounded in rote memorization of facts, rules, and formulas. In recent years, more…

The overarching theme of this research was to explore different aspects of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education experience across cultures and contexts in two engineering education communities, higher education and K-12. This dissertation offers new perspectives and resources to the engineering education community and…

While e-technology plays an important role in education, there have been some countries that have not yet utilized e- technology to reform their education goals and meet the global standards as other advanced countries. As of today, in many less developed countries such as Iraq, faculty members support traditional styles of teaching and do not…

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in Online learning. With this increase comes several challenges for instructors and students such as connectivity issues and student engagement. Organizations are spending millions of dollars developing emerging technologies such as emotion AI and other AI applications without taking cognizance of users'…

Nontraditional students in Nebraska colleges have lower graduation rates than traditional students. Approximately 40% of nontraditional students at a private college withdraw before completing a degree. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover barriers preventing nontraditional students from completing a degree. The conceptual…

This qualitative study examined the experiences of graduate students enrolled in online programs that have varying levels of outsourced student services. Specifically, the study examined students' experiences in graduate programs that fully outsourced services, those that outsourced some student services, and those that did not outsource services.…

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in early 2020. With it, came a range of concerns, panic, and scrambling for "quick fixes," as families learned to navigate rapid and sometimes confusing pandemic changes. Thirty million Americans were under- or uninsured at the start of the pandemic, so both preventive measures and access to…

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an effective instructional methodology used in higher learning. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore what undergraduate engineering students perceive as barriers to the implementation of PBL in engineering courses at higher learning institutions in the Southwest United States. This…

Design problems are highly ill-structured, having "ambiguous specifications of goals, no determined solution path, and the need to integrate multiple knowledge domains" (Jonassen, 2000, p. 80). Design problems are generated by stakeholders to meet needs that exist outside of the classroom (Simon, 1973; Jonassen, 2000)--this is in…