This research centers on implementing Quantitative Reasoning (QR) within a differential equations course at an urban public community college. As a participant in the Numeracy Infusion for College Educators (NICE) faculty development program, I sought to integrate QR skills into my curriculum. Students in the course were introduced to QR goals…

Research has shown that modern courses and programs designed to foster critical thinking vary in both content and delivery, in turn leading to differences in their effectiveness. Few studies have investigated critical thinking among nontraditional students at community colleges taking STEM courses, especially within the geosciences. Furthermore,…

Transparency in learning and teaching (TILT) is a framework designed to enhance student engagement, learning, and overall success. The efficacy of TILT has been demonstrated through positive data, making it a promising method for higher education institutions to implement and adapt. In addition to increasing traditional students' mastery of…

This study aimed at developing a scale, "Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge-Thinking Tools" (TPACK-TT), and exploring Chinese in-service primary teachers' TPACK concerning the use of thinking tools. By revising a previous Chinese TPACK survey and validating with exploratory factor analysis, a six-component (i.e., TK-TT, PK, CK,…

Two case studies were conducted to examine whether inquiry-based learning (IBL) can help students in understanding normal distributions, and to determine if IBL methods have any effect on students' conceptual and computational capabilities. There were 16 students in the traditional class and 17 students in the IBL-implemented class who…

Instructors expect students to read before class to engage them in using higher-order thinking skills that are critical to performing in group work and engaging in discussions. As many instructors are aware, however, for various reasons many students don't read the assigned textbook. In this study, science news articles were used as prereadings to…

Nurse educators meet frequently in conference settings and peer groups seeking an answer to "How do you do clinical?". The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore faculty perceptions of clinical teaching experiences at the patient bedside at a level one or two associate's degree nursing program by faculty…

In this exploratory study, we examined the effects of a quantitative reasoning instructional approach to linear equations in two variables on community college students' conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and reasoning ability. This was done in comparison to the use of a traditional procedural approach for instruction on the same topic.…

Design thinking is a strategy for innovation popularized in the business press and recently investigated in academic literature. Some research points to design thinking as an enabler of an organizational culture of innovation. Much research demonstrates a link between a culture of innovation and successful business outcomes in every sector, and…

Gateway courses in English challenge students to strengthen skills in critical thinking, reading, grammar, and writing structure and strategies -- skills that also help build competency in comprehension and composition. They can also prove to be a particular challenge to many community college students. This case study examines the efforts at…

This narrative inquiry examined how students developed critical thinking skills for nursing from viewing and discussing a commercially produced film. Community of Inquiry was the theoretical model and demonstrated the development of critical thinking when the teaching presence pulled the social presence (students) into the cognitive presence with…

For students with little experience in mathematical thinking and conceptualization, writing-to-learn activities (WTL) can be particularly effective in promoting discovery and understanding. For community college students embarking on a first calculus course in particular, writing activities can help facilitate the transition from an "apply…

Using a primarily experimental design, this study investigated whether discussion boards in online community college philosophy classes can be designed in the Blackboard course management system to lead to higher order thinking. Discussions were designed using one of two teaching techniques: the activation of prior knowledge or the use of peer…

"Leading for Literacy" provides tools and real-life examples to expand the benefits of a literacy approach that sparks students' engaged reading and thinking across disciplines, from middle school through community college. A companion to the landmark "Reading for Understanding," this book guides teachers, leaders, and…

We synthesize ideas from the foregoing articles in this special issue and from the broader literature on transfer to explore several themes. In many ordinary life circumstances, transfer proceeds easily, but formal learning often shows much less transfer than educators would like, making failure to transfer a focus of investigation. Transfer, like…