This study explores the role of an online pre-sessional program in preparing students to matriculate into an English-medium bachelor's program at a Japanese university. The study covers two program sessions, the first of which consisted primarily of international students, and the second comprised mainly of graduates of Japanese high schools. To…

Students gain a lasting impression of a course and of the instructor on the first day of class (Lang, 2019). In asynchronous online or hybrid classes, the equivalent of the first day of class is the Start Here module. This orientation module should contain essential information about class expectations and technology requirements and provide help…

Complex global challenges and declining scientific literacy demand novel approaches to engaging students with science and the natural world. While evidence supports integrating creative and scientific modes of inquiry, these approaches are often separated in undergraduate education. We designed Ecology Through the Writer's Lens (ETWL) to allow…

This paper discusses the outcomes of an action-research project designed to consider whether a compulsory foundational work-integrated learning (WIL) subject within a faculty at an Australian university could make an impact on three key outcomes: 1) student awareness of employability; 2) student perceptions of WIL approaches to enhance…

The science laboratory learning environment has been a distinctive area in science education since the 19th century. Unfortunately, students are generally not aware of what science instructors expect from laboratory experiences, and far too often, the undergraduate science laboratory curriculum lacks explicit, well-defined goals. Science…

The present study aimed to investigate the statistical literacy perceptions of instructors who teach undergraduate statistics courses in different disciplines. Participants of the study were consisted of nine instructors of the introductory statistics course from nine different undergraduate programs. Data were collected by the help of the…

Literature on simulation games stresses both the need for objective assessment of pedagogical effectiveness and the concern that such assessment may not be happening because it is too difficult. This article speaks to both points by presenting an approach to objectively assess the effectiveness of a simulation called the Human Rights Foreign…

Minority students, particularly those of the Black and Latinx communities, face daunting challenges--confronted with the recent pandemic, ongoing inequality, and increased financial uncertainty due to job loss and rising unemployment. With recent shifts to skill-based learning and remaining "work-ready," competency-based education (CBE)…

Online education is growing, but retaining students is still a challenge. However, student engagement is one of the factors contributing to student retention in online education. Online instructors and instructional designers should value student engagement in online courses. The first two weeks of an online course are critical; students start to…

Research indicates that there are many key things a professor may do to contribute to the success of a college student. Teaching style, instructor enthusiasm for the subject, and knowledge of a professor all have impacts on the kind of experience a student has in the classroom. There is a strong body of research to pull from indicating effort on…

Scientific laboratories are among the most challenging course components to integrate into online instruction. Available technology restricts the design and nature of experiments, and it can be hard to replicate the collaborative lab environment where frequent and immediate instructor feedback is the norm. Here we report on technological and…

Based upon Paulo Freire's theory of humanizing pedagogy and informed more recently by Freirean scholars Lilia Bartolomé and Maria del Carmen Salazar, this practice-based article provides two immersive learning experiences in which learners engage and question their educational histories, beliefs, and values, reflecting upon and unpacking their…

One desired outcome of introductory physics instruction is that students will develop facility with reasoning quantitatively about physical phenomena. Little research has been done regarding how students develop the algebraic concepts and skills involved in reasoning productively about physics quantities, which is different from either…

This case study explored a university faculty development seminar that prepared instructors to design and teach online courses taking place at a mid-sized liberal Arts & Sciences university in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of this study was to examine how faculty development for online teaching may influence changes in thinking…

With a solid foundation in public administration since the 1980s, few could argue that ethics is not an important aspect of a public service education. Yet, in many public human resource management (HRM) or personnel courses, ethics is relegated to one class discussion. In this study, we contend that ethics is best understood when situated within…