The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Education Strategic Plan provides a framework to guide collaboration across the NOAA education community and a structure in which to track and report progress. Congress recognized the importance of NOAA's education programs with the passage of the America COMPETES Act. The America COMPETES…

Extension educators are continually seeking ways to make instruction more effective and engaging. This study evaluated the Attention, Interact, Apply, and Invite -- Fact, Think, Feel, Do (AIAI-FTFD) Start-to-Finish Teaching Model for human service educators in an ongoing Extension educational program to determine the effectiveness of this model in…

This report examines traditional calendar school Read to Achieve reading camps implemented in the summer of 2014. Teacher and student survey respondents reported positive reading camp experiences and reading camp was well attended. Based on data for 502 students, a small percentage (16.1%) reached reading proficiency by the end of camp. Gains in…

Peer mentoring involves a reciprocal relationship of mutual benefits to both the mentee and mentor. To help first time in college students experience a smooth transition to college and empower at-risk college students, South Central University (all names in this paper are pseudonyms) implemented a pilot study for a FYE Peer Mentor Program in fall…

This paper explores students' perceived value of industry site visits during an engineering study abroad program. In this multi-method study, we collected data from students' (n = 54) reflective activities following each of two site visits and from the end of program evaluation administered by the Student Abroad Office (SAO). Using Kember et al.'s…

Although common barriers to studying abroad are well documented, this paper proposes a more-overarching barrier is that prevalent evaluation strategies provide little evidence of how study abroad contributes to discipline-specific learning outcomes. Such direct evidence is likely to encourage more employers to view studying abroad as adding value…

STEM achievement gaps between Latinx and their non-Hispanic White (NHW) counterparts emerge in early childhood and persist through adulthood. Culturally relevant STEM interventions can help counter some of the Latinx higher attrition rates in STEM, especially if they are initiated in elementary school. This study assesses the feasibility,…

The authors of this perspectives-based paper analyze the research process and results of an undergraduate research (UR) partnership that involved both of us -- an undergraduate student and a faculty member with international backgrounds--, a local non-profit organization in North Carolina that connected the authors with research participants who…

Quality and reputation are important value indicators for students learning online or in a conventional classroom setting. One of the ways that institutions demonstrate their achievement of quality is through accreditation. Though higher education institutions engage in the accreditation process voluntarily, an institution that is not accredited…

Research shows that high-quality pre-K can have lasting impacts on children's learning and development, with the largest effects clustered among children of color, multilin­gual learners, and children experiencing poverty. Yet policymakers, administrators, and teachers often wrestle with the complexities of providing these programs on a large…

In 2011, the "Let's Count" professional learning program was developed into an elective distance education subject offered at Charles Sturt University. The resulting subject, EMC101: Let's Count, has been offered every year since 2012, and has to date been completed by 796 students. This paper details the subject design and provides…

The expansion of MOOCs (massive open online courses) is very much associated with instructors interested in the craft of teaching, innovating, and experimenting with different methods to improve and expand students' learning experience. The Erasmus+ project MOONLITE has worked to create cross-institutional scenarios and new educational pathways…

Most students with disabilities in public schools are served in inclusive environments by teams of special and general education teachers working together to support their access to the curriculum and their disability related needs. This program evaluation sought to understand the knowledge, skills, and efficacy of a group of co-teachers following…

Far too many students worldwide are trapped in a cycle of low performance. The problem addressed in this study was that many third-grade students struggle with achieving the reading comprehension skills needed to be successful academically. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore teachers' perceptions of integrating Istation…

Professional nurses must demonstrate sensitivity to and understanding of a variety of cultures within United States (US) healthcare systems. Such skillsets are needed for the provision of high-quality nursing care across the entire spectrum of healthcare. Nurses are challenged to provide holistic care that is congruent with each patient's beliefs,…