Machines produce and operate using complex systems of metadata that need to be catalogued, sorted, and processed. Many students lack the experience with metadata and sufficient knowledge about it to understand it as part of their data literacy skills. This paper describes an educational and interactive database activity designed for teaching…

The SQL-Explore Learning Module detailed in this teaching tip provides an opportunity for students to apply database course knowledge beyond solving traditional pre-determined Structured Query Language (SQL) coding questions. In this unique constructivist activity using the apropos 5E Instructional Model, students explore tables to locate data…

How do cultural heritage scientists and art conservators identify pigments and other painting media in a decorated object or painting, preferably without taking samples that could potentially damage the artwork? A major emphasis in the characterization, authentication, and conservation of works of art and cultural heritage objects is the use of…

The following is an applied database scenario based on a single season in the FIA Formula One (F1) World Championship of auto racing. This scenario builds database understanding and skills through data modeling, data acquisition, creation of a database schema through a database management system, query construction, and report creation. In the…

In this article, I discuss the potential uses of the Department of Labor-sponsored Occupational Information Network (O*NET) in the classroom context. O*NET is a free, publicly available resource that provides an array of occupation-specific information, such as relevant tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities, and salary information. Tools such as the…

One of the greatest impacts of corpus linguistics on language teaching has been in the recognition of the importance of collocation. A very influential guide for language teachers with regard to teaching collocation has been the Lexical Approach. Activities pointing students to rich collocational information in monolingual dictionaries, in texts…

Evolutionary evidence is important scientific background for appreciating the theory of evolution. We describe a STEAM-based lesson plan that uses paleontological drawings and a modern evolutionary database to explore and understand fossil, morphological, and molecular evidence. Together, with a focus on arthropods and the Cambrian explosion,…

Active learning activities and pedagogical strategies can look different in online learning environments, particularly in asynchronous courses when students are not interacting with the instructor, or with each other, in real time. This paper suggests a three-pronged approach for conceptualizing active learning in the online asynchronous class:…

K-12 education standards in the U.S. require all students to read complex texts across many subject areas. The "Language Muse™ Activity Palette" is a web-based language-instruction application that uses NLP algorithms and lexical resources to automatically generate language activities and support English language learners' content…

The author discusses a pedagogical strategy based on data visualization and analysis in the teaching of intermediate macroeconomics and financial economics. In these short projects, students collect and manipulate economic data from the online Federal Reserve Economic Database (FRED) in order to illustrate theoretical relationships discussed in…

The author discusses their experiences teaching an upper-division seminar course in a traditional face-to-face setting, and re-designing a "long eighteenth century" survey course for delivery online. The article thus explores spatial strategies in both face-to-face and online courses, and suggests ways in which they can be particularly…

Computer data systems have become a lynchpin to supporting school data use. However, successfully implementing such systems is no easy task. In this case, readers explore the ways in which "technology problems" and "people problems" can be intertwined. The case follows Dr. Molly Winters as she encounters social and…

A nationally prominent woman's advocacy organization is featured in this case study. The scenario may be used as a teaching case, an assignment, or a project in systems analysis and design as well as database design classes. Students are required to document the system operations and requirements, apply logical data modeling concepts, and design…

Technology is an extension of the brain; it is a new way of thinking. It is the solution humans have created to deal with the difficult new context of variability, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Wise integration of evolving and powerful technology demands a rethinking of the curriculum. This article discusses technology as the new way of…

It is normal practice today for organizations to store large quantities of records of related information as computer-based files or databases. Purposeful information is retrieved by performing queries on the data sets. The purpose of DATABASE MANAGER is to communicate to students the method by which the computer performs these queries. This…