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…

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 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'…

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,…

This study explores the challenges that elementary science educators face when teaching science in a time of crisis, as well as how to best provide elementary teachers with ongoing support for their science teaching during the novel COVID-19 pandemic. Using a phenomenological approach, this research focuses on elementary science teachers,…

Online courses have become an important part of a student's academic career. The variety and number of online course offerings grow each year. Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks to current online courses, including differences between success rates of general education courses and their face-to-face counterparts. Current research indicates…

CAL (Computer Assisted Learning) programs are widespread today in schools and families due to the effectiveness of CAL programs in improving students' learning and task performance. The flourishing of CAL programs in education has brought large amounts of students' learning data including log data, performance data, mouse movement data, eye…

Past efforts to teach novices programming through pair programming and project-based learning utilizing different low floors, high ceilings and wide walls platforms have been successful. Building from related work, this study investigates the effectiveness of Productive Failure (PF) pedagogical design in supporting youth and novices when learning…

In the spring of 2020, many colleges and universities had to move their classes online due to COVID-19. This move to the virtual environment highlighted a growing problem in higher education, being increase failure rates for online students. This study addressed two research questions: 1) To what extent does the use of short lectures and small…

The emergence of the pandemic, which saw the worldwide spread of the COVID-19 virus, temporarily disrupted teaching with traditional education models changing the way Health Science instruction and training are presented. Secondary and postsecondary schools were unprepared to follow health mandates that restricted group gatherings and…

This dissertation in practice created a new form of educator development called the Virtual Educator Network (VEN) and examined its impact on educators' attitudes towards inclusion, feelings of support, and incorporation of new strategies to solve problems of practice they find important. The VEN is a form of professional development that pulls…

This Dissertation in Practice (DIP) was a group dissertation as required by the Doctorate in Educational Leadership program and created a new form of educator development called the Virtual Educator Network (VEN). This DIP examined the VENs' impact on educators' attitudes towards inclusion, feelings of support, and incorporation of new strategies…

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore how Higher Education Institutions' (HEIs) instructors perceived the engagement of college learners with instructional practices online during the COVID-19 Pandemic at a college in New York. Underpinning the study was the engagement theory framework, which focuses on the use of…

This experimental research study examined the effects of using a mobile learning environment (MLE) that provided scaffolded assistive tutoring on student achievement in a Circuit Analysis (Network Theory) course. It also aimed to examine the relationships between students' user learning analytics and their learning outcomes. The design and…