The traditional model of undergraduate research is less effective for engaging students who have little or no previous exposure to research, are unfamiliar with available research opportunities, or face financial or time constraints that prevent them from engaging in co- or extracurricular activities. Given today's changing student demographics,…

Increasingly, students training in the biological sciences depend on a proper grounding in biological statistics, data science and experimental design. As biological datasets increase in size and complexity, transparent data management and analytical methods are essential skills for undergraduate biologists. We propose that using the software R…

The advent of relatively inexpensive 360-degree cameras and virtual reality (VR) headsets brings new possibilities to the study of religion by allowing students to become virtually immersed in distant religious environments at very little cost. These tools can serve as the basis for assignments that help to engage students and meet core learning…

In this article, Tracy L. Hawkins observes it is clear that educational technology use has moved beyond Blackboard and Desire-2Learn (D2L) to include the use of public sites and social media tools. This move toward inclusion of social media and other Web 2.0 technologies in education is important because it means that tools/products not created…

Many career and technical education (CTE) courses not only provide students with vocational and technical skills and knowledge, but engage them in academic content as well. Designed thoughtfully, these courses can address rigorous academic content standards and be as intellectually demanding as traditional academic courses (Southern Regional…

The Society for the Teaching of Psychology and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) partnered to disseminate U-Pace, a technology-enabled instructional model that promotes student success through deeper learning. UWM developed U-Pace in 2006 for an Introduction to Psychology course and, over time, evidence indicates that U-Pace not only…

This article describes a senior seminar course in the Health and Human Performance (HHP) Department at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. All students in the HHP department are required to complete the course. The emphases within HHP include physical education, health education, and exercise and sport science. In this course students learn…

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, sponsored by the IRS, offers free tax services for individuals with low-to-moderate incomes, the elderly, disabled and/or those who lack English language proficiency. Although established by the IRS in 1969, it is administered by partnering community based volunteer organizations throughout U.S.,…

Where do students find out about courses they might take? Potentially, from just about anywhere: friends, bulletin boards, department Web sites, advisors, e-mails, or flyers posted in the halls. Of course, some of these sources are more trustworthy than others. Where should students go to get reliable information that can help them make wise…

Undergraduate research experiences have been shown to enhance the educational experience and retention of college students, especially those from underrepresented populations. However, many challenges still exist relative to building community among students navigating large institutions. We developed a novel course called "Entering…

In light of research on diversity learning and teaching, this article describes how an introductory course on cinematic depictions of African Americans taught at a predominately white, rural university campus leads students to see the impact of history and Hollywood on their own local and statewide communities. Like others who teach courses on…

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Senior Mentor Program (SMP) has been offered to a small group of first and second year medical students as a course alternative to the traditional physician mentor program. The program links students with healthy older adult mentors and includes mentor/student visits, didactic sessions, written assignments,…

In 1989-90, the General Education Task Force of the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) was convened to determine the role of the general education curriculum in the attainment of skills that enhance the likelihood of success among technical college graduates in their careers, homes and communities. The Task Force consisted of at least one…

Project Career Exploration's overall purpose was designing and implementing a method of providing juniors and seniors in high school with career exploration opportunities relative to the occupational programs offered by the Waukesha County Technical Institute and other postsecondary institutions. Course outlines make up the body of the report,…

Describes a two-week summer course for elementary and secondary teachers on soil and water conservation taught in Wisconsin. Discusses the efforts to recruit teachers for the course, the course content, the field trips, and the evaluation procedures. Stresses the cooperation between educators and conservation agencies in developing the course. (TW)