The purpose of this article is to establish a distinct definition of engagement for academic librarians and describe how a definition supports a clearer understanding of what is expected of librarians with engagement responsibilities. In observing a growing use of the term "engagement" over the last two decades, the authors noted how the…

There is a wide array of accessibility features (e.g., universal features, designated supports, accommodations) which enable students who need them to better access assessments. Historically, however, there has been wide variation in the language used to describe these supports. For example, the accessibility policies of different states use…

This paper discusses the importance of definitions in the context of academic discussion, highlights the inconsistent terminology used to describe e-learning, and examines a range of different definitions of e-learning used by academic authors since 2011. Following an outline of the methodology, the paper identifies 15 unique definitions of…

There is currently no universally adopted definition of rural either by government entities or by rural special education researchers. Yet, the replicability, generalizability, transferability, and validity of rural special education research is dependent upon the definition of rural researchers' use to situate their work. Examining the…

Despite the efforts from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and from chemistry educators, misconceptions in the classroom and among professionals arise from the inherent complexity of chemical language and the remaining traces of the historical development of chemistry as a science. In order to improve the learning and…

Certain terms in mathematics were created according to conventions that are not obvious to students who will use the term. When this is the case, investigating the choice of a name can reveal interesting and unforeseen connections among mathematical topics. In this study, we tasked prospective and practicing teachers to consider: What is geometric…

Educational technology terminology is messy. The same meaning is often expressed using several terms. More confusingly, some terms are used with several meanings. This state is unfortunate, as it makes both research and development more difficult. Terminology is particularly important in the case of personalization techniques, where the nuances of…

In many descriptions of American Sign Language (ASL), signs like [breakfast] are identified as "compounds." These signs were once formed with two separate signs but have since fused into a single unit. This article presents an alternative definition of "compound" that includes both functional and formal properties. Following…

Evaluation use is a complex, iterative process involving diverse stakeholders and activities. Factors influencing evaluation use has long been discussed, however, little is known about current conceptualizations evaluation use including what counts as use, what encourages use, and how to measure use. Following two previous scoping reviews, we…

Prior research suggests that the effectiveness of retrieval practice may be moderated by response format: overt retrieval (e.g., typing a response) outperforms covert retrieval (e.g., mentally recalling a response) for complex materials like definitions, but both forms of retrieval are equally effective for simple materials like single words.…

There is general agreement among sociologists that teaching social structure is a core component of a sociological curriculum. Despite this agreement, there are few guides for instructors on how to teach this key concept. Using the sociological literacy framework, this research examines the most popular undergraduate Introduction to Sociology…

The conceptualization of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning [SoTL] has evolved over its 30-year history. This study sought to understand how faculty, staff, and students at a research-intensive institution in Ontario, Canada label and describe SoTL. We performed an environmental scan that consisted of: 1) mining academic journal titles to…

Background: Intelligibility and comprehensibility in speech disorders can be assessed both perceptually and instrumentally, but a lack of consensus exists regarding the terminology and related speech measures in both the clinical and scientific fields. Aims: To draw up a more consensual definition of intelligibility and comprehensibility and to…

In the past few years, certain labels for how we frame literacy teaching have become triggers for heated debates in various venues, such as media, social media, journal articles, blogs, and professional organization conference sessions. In this article, we aim to find common ground between proponents of balanced literacy and proponents of a…

This study explored the language preferences of instructors at Louisiana State University for library resources and whether library terminology influenced those choices. Participants were presented with both screen captures and definitions of electronic library resources and were asked to identify them in their own words. Faculty did not use…