This Design-based research study aimed to develop a design framework that would help learning designers to apply learning theory principles when designing learning objects. The study examined the experiential learning theory, information processing theory, and cognitive load theory to develop the iterative learning development (ILD) model. Several…

Fewer than 10% of private and public school teachers implement instructional innovation following professional development sessions (Spelman et al., 2016). This qualitative interpretive phenomenological study addressed the problem of private school teachers' desires for effective professional development to improve student learning outcomes. The…

Given the expanding field of education within medicine, the purpose of this dissertation is to introduce an augmented reality (AR) medical simulator to the medical education community. This dissertation will describe the simulator development, feasibility, and acceptability to medical students and medical trainees. The following series of studies…

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is vital in students' secondary education, vocational skills, and college, career, and military readiness. To determine how CTE affects students' success, Texas CTE teachers were asked about their perceptions of CTE elements to determine how secondary education students are experiencing fundamental knowledge…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how experiences with mentoring lived, professional turning points, and crises of faith influenced post-seminary professional development for Christian church leaders in Southern Michigan. The theoretical foundation that guided the development of the study was based on Mezirow's…

In this naturalistic and formative evaluation, The purpose of the study was to examine and understand how the clinical grading system at Southern College of Optometry (SCO) is being used, whether it is effective as a grading system and in teaching, and how it can be improved to better suit the needs of administration, faculty, and students. I used…

Social emotional learning is commonly referred to as the "fifth curriculum" in addition to math, literacy, social studies, and science. However, educators cannot teach what they do not understand, practice, or model. The problem addressed by this study was some educators in private schools lack training in social emotional learning,…

Experiential learning (EL) is often perceived as valuable to education and prioritized in higher education curricula. The value of EL from the student perspective has been researched, but few have explored faculty perspectives in business programs. The purpose of this study was to explore faculty perceptions of the meaning of EL, implementation…

The United States higher education institutions' mission is to support students' academic success and career development goals by preparing them to become globally competent citizens and workforce-ready graduates. With student workforce preparation at the core of their mission, there is concern that colleges and universities are not adequately…

Low achievement in literacy for children entering kindergarten exists despite district-sponsored professional development (PD) in literacy pedagogy for prekindergarten teachers. PD has been shown to be important in improving teachers' instruction, so low achievement of children is unexplained. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to…

Professional training for language instructors needs to be more accessible and high-leverage in order to meet the growing demand for proficient users of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese languages. More specifically, teachers of these languages need exposure to effective teaching methods designed to meet the language-specific needs required to help…

Critical thinking (CT) is widely recognized as an important component for effective instruction and learning. Numerous researchers have studied critical thinking and its impact on students and educational institutions at all levels (Pithers & Soden, 2000). Puig et al. (2019) acknowledged that very little research had been done to capture…

As graduates have transitioned into the workforce, employers have complained that these younger employees lack the soft skills that are needed to be successful in the workforce. Soft skills are personal traits and skills that employers seek in employees. Internship programs can be used to develop soft skills. Few qualitative studies have looked at…

This mixed-methods case study examined the intercultural development of US students participating in a summer internship abroad program. Using Kelley's (1995) Construct of Cross-Cultural Adaptability and Bennett's (1986, 1993) Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, the study explored changes in cross-cultural skills and how students…

As globalized industries evolve, leaders of today and tomorrow will need multifaceted skills for multilayered engagement in an international environment. One method to develop competencies built for a global setting is study abroad, where U.S. colleges embed students in a travel context beyond classroom walls and borders. Study abroad is made up…