The video essay is an opportunity for students to record their words and combine other visual elements to complete the typical requirements of a standard written paper. Applicable across disciplines and pedagogically aligned with an honors ethos of self-directed learning, video essays allow for individual and collaborative forms of expression…

This article describes the results of an experiential learning activity conducted at Cal Poly Pomona (CPP) and the University of North Florida (UNF). The activity formed the basis for an assignment required for class credit in a course titled "Politics of the Developing Areas" ("Politics of Developing Countries" at UNF). The…

A modified essay is an open-ended question about clinical presentations, with the goal to test application of basic science principles to novel scenarios. Due to high reliability and validity, multiple-choice question (MCQ) examinations are more commonly used. We have employed a combination of MCQ and modified essay examinations in medical school.…

This essay describes a prison-university writing exchange that culminated in the collection of audio and written essays "Why I Write" (http://www.why-i-write.com) and offers "writing to listen" as a strategy for communicating and listening across institutional and social boundaries. I argue that sound reveals the material…

ENC 3310 Advanced Exposition is an upper-level writing course offered by the English department at the University of Florida. According to the undergraduate catalog, ENC 3310 is intended to introduce students to the "methods of exposition," including "definition, classification, comparison and contrast, analysis, illustration and…

The number of English language learners (ELLs) mainstreamed into regular classrooms continues to increase. Curricular writing standards required by the Common Core State Standards require students to write essays analytically in response to text(s). Many English Language Arts (ELA) teachers may worry about effectively delivering essay writing…

The purpose of this study is to determine if incentive programs like Renaissance impact high school students and faculty. Incentives can go a long way for students in schools. At Lehigh Senior High School (LSHS), for example, students were introduced to the Renaissance Program this school year, by receiving goodies. Coupons at Dairy Queen,…

The authors describe their attempt to develop students' critical perspectives on the content and assumptions in the 2008 Florida Principal Leadership Standards (FPLS) through a reflective essay assignment in a class titled Ethics, Equity, and Leadership in Education. The authors conducted textual analysis of 92 student essays (a total of 922…

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation invested in the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) as one strategy to support teachers' and students' transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts. This report provides an early look at the implementation of LDC in sixth-grade Advanced Reading classes in a large Florida…

Embedded librarians in online courses provide a wealth of service and information to students. Though students indicate that these services are valuable, the librarians providing embedded services frequently note that these projects are very time consuming. This study examines the provision of a less time-intensive model of embedded librarianship…

Students in undergraduate physiology courses often have difficulty understanding complex, multi-step processes, and these concepts consume a large portion of class time. For this pilot study, it was hypothesized that online multimedia resources may improve student performance in a high-risk population and reduce the in-class workload. A narrated…

The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of feedback that English as a Second Language (ESL) students received on their writings either from an automated essay scoring (AES) system or from the teacher. The participants were 12 adult ESL students who were attending an intensive English center at a university in Florida. The drafts of the…

THE PROBLEM OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF FREQUENCY OF WRITING AND INTENSITY OF TEACHER EVALUATION UPON PERFORMANCE BY STUDENTS OF VARYING ABILITIES. THE STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO INCLUDE EIGHT 10TH-GRADE CLASSES WITH TWO TEACHERS FOLLOWING FOUR DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO INTENSITY OF TEACHER EVALUATION AND FREQUENCY OF WRITING.…

Examines the effects of essay topic variations on the writing performance of honors students and students of low ability taking Florida's College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST). Finds that the effects of variations in essay topics are not significant compared to general verbal ability in English and prior experiences in writing. (RS)

This collection of 16 essays is ideal for staff development providers (university faculty, district supervisors, lead teachers, and principals) as well as preservice science methods instructors. Each essay describes a specific program designed to train current or future teachers to carry out the constructivist, inquiry-based approach of the…