Over the past three years, a community of faculty and graduate teaching assistants has developed within the University of Kentucky Mathematics department centered around the use and development of student-centered assessment methods. In this article, we discuss the environmental factors that contributed to the growth of this community, our…

A comprehensive chemistry laboratory experiment, including the synthesis of Pt/Al[subscript 2]O[subscript 3] catalysts at different conditions, structure characterization, and the real-world application exploration, has been designed for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students as an expansion and improvement of the professional…

the learning environment has become a focus of research and evolved the sectors of academics inquiry within elementary, secondary and postsecondary research (Barry J. Zimmerman, 2013). The relationship between the environment and learning reflects the combination of system of education, environmental psychology, campus ecology cycle, and…

Student development theory has been an important guide in practice; however, few theories focus on both the individual and the influence of the environment. Spencer's (1997) Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) examines the individual, the environment, and the role of environmental feedback on self-perceptions, with a…

Educators consistently identify student motivation as a top concern, particularly during the transition to college, but often feel helpless to influence it. Some assume that students are simply motivated or not. Others are daunted by trying to shape an unobservable psychological phenomenon. "Invisible Forces" provides a framework for…

This article troubles a pervasive concept within higher education studies: authentic assessment. Authentic assessment is well-established within higher education, and yet its common usage leaves it limited in possibility. Often understood as a practice focused on tasks, where assessments represent a 'reality' beyond universities, authentic…

In this laboratory exercise, students have an opportunity to evaluate the potential endocrine disrupting abilities of environmental chemicals of their choice using human cell culture. Over the course of 9 weeks, students learn how to aseptically handle and manipulate cells, perform and analyze a cytotoxicity assay and an enzyme-linked…

Processes of globalisation, sustainable development, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other current circumstances influence the development of higher education. Higher education institutions in Ukraine also face challenges related to the military aggression by the Russian Federation since 2014, martial law since February 2022 and efforts to prepare for…

Curricular guidelines promote standardized approaches to coverage of essential knowledge and skills in undergraduate education. The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Microbiology were developed in 2012. Continuous, rapid growth of knowledge in science and a dynamic, changing world necessitate updates…

Women academics face unparalleled challenges such as underrepresentation and marginalization in Chinese higher education. A review of the literature revealed a tendency in the scholarly discussions that separates gender from the social and organizational processes, which is a missed opportunity to better understand how gender interacts with the…

Online and distance learning is a practice situated in environments--places, spaces, and times, with particular people, in particular contexts, with particular technologies, within particular institutions. In other words, the practice of online and distance learning is not wholly individual: it is situated within broader environments. In this…

Academic conferences are integral to the dissemination of novel research findings and discussion of pioneering ideas across all postsecondary disciplines. For some participants, these environments are spaces to develop new collaborations, research projects, and social bonds; however, for others, conferences can be a place of marginalization and…

The COVID-19 pandemic provoked a need for rapid adaptation of teaching strategies and learning environments. Thus novel approaches, predominantly based on online/virtual platforms are needed to minimize the negative effects of the pandemic on teaching (and learning). Herein we describe our recent web-based symposium series on environmental…

The Ministry of Education in Malaysia has been appointed to be one of the leaders in the innovation landscape with the responsibility to facilitate the adoption of quadruple helix (QH) across institutions of higher learning in Malaysia (IHL) to accelerate the commercialization of IHL technology. However, it was reported that the adoption of QH in…

This activity helps students conceptualize and apply systems theory principles to a family communication context by having them create personal whole systems using paper, string, index cards, and the floor. In completing this exercise, students see how their subsystems interact and emerge as something greater than the sum of their parts. They also…