Our initial impetus for this project stems from the development of UNCP's Indigenous Cultures & Communities (ICC) graduation requirement. We recognize the efforts of individual faculty representing disciplines in the arts, education, humanities, library, and nursing to redesign class activities and courses. Our purpose is to share models and…

This article presents a constructivist writing placement framework, developed from the study of two pilot iterations of a local writing placement mechanism at a large public research university. Through preliminary analysis of data from these pilots, we present a model of constructivist writing placement and demonstrate how it helps move…

In a bid to make high school fruitful and engaging for every student, the Indiana State Board of Education in December 2024 approved a single new diploma that will be effective for all seniors in the 2028-29 school year. The diploma doubles elective credits to 12 to allow more flexibility for students to tailor their learning to their goals. They…

Specialized learning institutions (SLIs) feature organizational cultures, learning environments, and Postgraduation expectations that typically differ from traditional 4-year universities. For students pursuing foreign language (FL) study within an SLI, coursework is frequently accompanied by a range of nonacademic tasks that are required for…

Dialogue, listening, and compromise are essential elements of living in a democracy. In a highly partisan time, is it possible to reestablish common ground when it comes to how best to educate our children in and for democracy? Authors Brendan Sheran, Ashley Carey, Jack Schneider, Rebecca Woodland, and Kathryn McDermott, who are affiliated with…

This brief focuses on the important role that math requirements contribute to inequity in access to college, in particular the value placed on calculus, even though it is not an essential course for students who are seeking non-STEM degrees. The boost earned by students who are fortunate enough to have access to calculus, a benefit unequally…

Since 2019, the Washington State Board of Education has engaged stakeholders in creating a vision for mastery-based learning (MBL) that sparked pilot programs, outcome evaluations, and a push for legislative action. By decoupling how students earn high school credits from the amount of time spent in classroom seats, the board also sought to boost…

The final report of the "Australian Universities Accord" consultation process highlighted the impact of work-integrated learning requirements on students' ability to complete professional qualifications, conceptualising equity in terms of a need to ensure 'equitable participation'. This article uses the case of social work education to…

Purpose: This study aims to assess the spread of environmental literacy graduation requirements at public universities in the USA, and to highlight factors that mediate the adoption of this curriculum innovation. Design/methodology/approach: The author analyzed the undergraduate general education curriculum requirements at all 549 public…

In May and June 2021, the author conducted a survey of the computing and mathematical graduation requirements of 500 Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) programs in the U.S. to determine alignment among these requirements and those recommended by ACM/IEEE-CS's Computer Science Curricula 2013 guidelines and ABET's Criteria for…

M-DCPS had 21,354 graduates in the 2022-2023 academic year. Ninety two percent of students achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students opted for an international curriculum pathway, with 846 (4%) attaining an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma, and 436 (2%) obtaining an International Baccalaureate (IB)…

This policy brief examines the long-term outcomes of Texas high school students who graduated via the Individual Graduation Committee (IGC) pathway, a mechanism that permits graduation for students who fail one or two End-of-Course (EOC) standardized exams. Drawing on a matched comparison of students who narrowly failed versus narrowly passed…

Although course choice may shape students' academic futures, with some new courses, few students may register, resulting in course cancellation, lost student opportunities, and wasted faculty effort. This study aimed to explore the attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control factors influencing students' decisions to enroll in a new…

Designing balanced and optimized degree plans is a fundamental challenge in higher education, directly impacting student success, graduation rates, and institutional efficiency. This paper presents an innovative framework that addresses this challenge through a two-stage optimization approach. The first stage focuses on selecting a set of courses…

M-DCPS had 20,833 graduates in the 2021-2022 academic year as of June 2022. Most students, 89%, achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students chose an alternative curriculum where 857 (4%) achieved an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma and 454 (2%) achieved an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. An…