The purpose of this qualitative content analysis study is to investigate the themes and potential gaps in quality assurance rubrics and scorecards used to evaluate online courses in higher education. For the utility of this study, the themes and potential gaps in quality assurance rubrics and scorecards is generally defined as the recurring…

The notion of free college is appealing to students and families, particularly those who struggle to manage climbing college prices. The promise of "free" can encourage low-income or first-generation students to enroll in college when the fear of high prices may deter them otherwise. But what does "free" actually mean? Who…

This study investigated the prevalence of increasingly popular animal-assisted stress relief programs at higher education institutions across the United States. Although research on animal-assisted programs is increasing, there is still a lack of information documenting implementation of these programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to…

The Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze and interpret data, Think of the next Experiment (CREATE) strategy for teaching and learning uses intensive analysis of primary literature to improve students' critical-thinking and content integration abilities, as well as their self-rated science attitudes, understanding, and confidence. CREATE…

Online education can be leveraged to help current students complete their degrees and to attract new students. While online learning is not new, in recent years, it has been moving away from the periphery of higher education and becoming a central component of institutional strategies for increasing student enrollment, retention, and completion.…

Catholic higher education aims to educate students about the Catholic Social Tradition, yet few resources exist to articulate specific learning goals and assess such learning. This article presents the process used by a multi-university team to validate a rubric intended to strengthen curricular and co-curricular student learning about the…

This paper addresses the concern of educating diverse university students in an increasingly digital environment. Specifically, educators question the quality of student online research skills and how to address gaps in research skills in both the virtual and physical classroom. A 2012 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in collaboration…

CREATE (Consider, Read, Elucidate the hypotheses, Analyze and interpret the data, and Think of the next Experiment) is an innovative pedagogy for teaching science through the intensive analysis of scientific literature. Initiated at the City College of New York, a minority-serving institution, and regionally expanded in the New York/New…

Virtually every study of the impact of college on incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people demonstrates a positive effect on income, civic engagement, family, and personal health, as well as dramatically reduced recidivism rates. College in and after prison offers a singularly effective strategy for redeveloping individuals, families and…

This article describes a disruptive approach that offers higher education students and faculty the experience of learning from world business leaders and interacting with fellow members at their institutions. The World Business Forum event was transmitted live to 36 higher education institutions in 19 countries. Webcast and social media…

Many U.S. colleges and universities have established student learning outcomes for diversity education in their general education programs. These education goals, frequently developed for assessment or other policy purposes, convey a range of possible purposes for diversity and multicultural learning. The manner in which these purposes are…

Second Life (SL) is a user-created virtual environment with possible merit for teaching and learning in higher education. In this article, two teacher educators reflect on their initial development in SL, considering the ways they worked within SL to meet their differing instructional needs and the ways they prepared students for these learning…

Industrial materials were used to construct a physical education facility containing two large gymnasiums, a multipurpose space, a dance studio, two handball courts, and a swimming pool. (Author/MLF)

New facilities at schools and universities are being designed that embrace the latest learning techniques and philosophies. The article describes two facilities that exemplify this trend: Thomas Jefferson Hall at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and Cass Technical High School library in Detroit, Michigan. Libraries, once thought…

Learning communities are a popular strategy that community colleges nationwide have embraced in support of developmental students. In a learning community, a cohort of students takes two or more courses linked by integrated themes and assignments that are developed through ongoing faculty collaboration. While the number of learning community…