This paper addresses how students design multimodal digital text when making digital stories in school. Drawing on the perspective of 'multiliteracies', multimodal analysis of video recordings was used to understand the data. Findings revealed that: (1) multimodal digital text making requires particular digital and modal text-making skills and…

Changes in learning environments are pivotal when schools and local organizations embark on educational partnerships. Local organisations offer specialized knowledge to schools and, as classes move out schools, the contribution of the physical setting is crucial and central to understand the didactical potential of learning outside school.…

Despite the push for all institutions of higher learning to embrace a corequisite model for writing instruction, there is limited evidence that suggests this model is desirable for all students. This study seeks to expand our understanding of the characteristics of students enrolled in Basic Writing at a 4-year comprehensive university, and the…

In response to remote learning needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, introductory lecture and laboratory courses typically delivered fully in person were offered in a completely virtual format for the first time. Introductory laboratory courses are pivotal foundations for future discipline-specific learning and serve as prerequisites for a myriad of…

Among students and lecturers of Computer Science (CS)-related subjects, there is often anecdotal talk that Frustration Tolerance (FT) is a requirement for success in CS studies or that students would learn it during their studies. In order to relate the anecdotal perception and the psychological concept of FT and to explore the anecdotal…

This paper presents a fine-grained process analysis of 22 students in a classroom-based learning setting. The students engaged (and failed) in problem-solving attempts prior to instruction (i.e., the Productive-Failure approach). We used the HeuristicsMiner algorithm to analyze the data of a quasi-experimental study. The applied algorithm allowed…

The study aimed to investigate students' final grades in a linked course or chain course to determine any effect on students' academic performance in their next linked course. Courses with high D, F, and W grades were selected with their subsequent linked courses to form a chain so that each chain consisted of two courses or more. More…

Social studies teachers often have a love-hate relationship with inquiry. The possibilities of a dynamic and engaging approach to learning labor against time constraints imposed by a content-heavy curriculum. In that scenario, how can professional development (PD) on inquiry inform educators and encourage skeptical teachers to implement this…

Gatekeeper courses such as Anatomy and Physiology are often referenced in discussions regarding the national shortage of persons in allied health professions. In an attempt to bolster access to STEM professions, some community colleges are mandating prerequisite courses such as Natural Sciences and/or General Biology for STEM gatekeeping courses.…

This paper presents an analysis of fractions errors displayed by learners due to deficient mastery of prerequisite concepts. Fractions continue to pose a critical challenge for learners. Fractions can be a tricky concept for learners although they often use the concept of sharing in their daily lives. 30 purposefully sampled learners participated…

The present study analyzes the effects of two variables on the proficiency development of 907 university students of Spanish and French: years of high school experience; and level of initial placement into university language study. A 3-year grant-funded project administered ACTFL proficiency tests in reading, listening, and speaking to students…

A critical assumption made in Kapur's ("Instr Sci" 40:651-672, 2012) productive failure design is that students have the necessary prerequisite knowledge resources to generate and explore solutions to problems before learning the targeted concept. Through two quasi-experimental studies, we interrogated this assumption in the context of…

Mathematics has long served as a prerequisite to introductory financial accounting in the 4-year college business curriculum. However, 2-year colleges have been slower to adopt math as a prerequisite. Its usefulness in relation to achieving successful completion of accounting has not been demonstrated at either a 2-year or 4-year college. Using…

This article reports on data from a large-scale study investigating students' mathematical transitions to higher education. Three hundred and seventy-one undergraduate bioscientists were surveyed in order to investigate their perceptions and experiences of studying post-compulsory mathematics, as preparation for the mathematics elements of their…

For many political science programs, research methods courses are a fundamental component of the recommended undergraduate curriculum. However, instructors and students often see these courses as the most challenging. This study explores when it is most appropriate for political science majors to enroll and pass a research methods course. The…