Designing first-year experiences for first-time in college students (FTICs) is challenging and the COVID-19 pandemic created additional issues for university professionals striving to support them. This article describes a unique interdisciplinary response that one Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) engaged in for creating an intervention plan to…

This article describes the authors' experiences developing and implementing an innovative curriculum connecting mathematics and the biological sciences. It describes the original plan, the modifications that were necessary, and some advice to readers who might want to develop comparable programs.

This article outlines a faculty-led, interdisciplinary study abroad program to Dakar, Senegal, in 2014 and 2016 sponsored by South Dakota State University (SDSU) and hosted by the West African Research Center (WARC). This article highlights in particular the contributions of Geography, Global Studies, and Francophone Studies to program design and…

Humanities have traditionally played a limited role in STEM education, yet their natural connections may be used to enrich academic understanding and student experience. Authors explore their mutuality by presenting an interdisciplinary curriculum, Humanities-Driven STEM (HDSTEM). Unlike other iterations of blended disciplines, HDSTEM provides…

During the 2018-2019 academic year, the authors had the opportunity to begin work on a unique multi-year virtual heritage "Virtual Shikoku Pilgrimage" (VSP) project. The main goal of this project is to design and develop an immersive virtual landscape exploration platform that uses 3-D digital technologies, including the Unity video game…

One often overlooked challenge of undergraduate research (UR) is access to information. Growing student diversity, including first-generation students, and increasing calls for a better-trained workforce suggest that higher education should be providing more support for UR. The authors propose that higher education needs cost-effective, impactful…

As an instructor of the developmental reading and writing course at Texas State University, Barrie McGee is required per state mandate to design a course as an accelerated version of an integrated reading and writing (IRW) course. Furthermore, she is uniquely positioned as a student enrolled in the program in developmental education to access…

This paper describes the 20-year evolution of an information studies program from one primarily focused on librarianship, to one that now encompasses a range of interdisciplinary topics including knowledge management, user-experience design, data science, and bioinformatics, among others. The program revisions, course development, and faculty…

This paper explores the idea of a formalized "critical space" in higher education, using elements of Habermas's theory of communicative action and ideas from Barnett, Englund, and Marginson. Inquiry in this hypothetical space would use knowledge generated in existing domains to engage in dialogue, debate, and development of proposals and…

One of the ways school librarians can become a leader in the school community is to design, organize, and present professional development opportunities for fellow educators. Running professional development is a chance for school librarians to become leaders in the school, as well as an opportunity to collaborate with fellow educators, advance…

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to "forced innovation" in the health education industry. High-quality training of the future rural health workforce is crucial to ensure a pipeline of rural health practitioners to meet the needs of rural communities. This paper describes the implementation of an online multidisciplinary teaching…

SHINE for Girls, a nonprofit with the mission of empowering young women to value their own potential and capabilities within STEM fields, employs a unique curriculum that blends math with dance. They were selected as part of HundreED's 100 Global Education Innovations for 2017. In this article, Tara Hally, Director of Programming, and Kirin Sinha,…

Universities have always been acknowledged as important drivers of economic development. Traditionally Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) contributed indirectly by disseminating knowledge and providing educated personnel to industries. A shift in the primary missions of universities encourages universities to take a more active role in…

Created by Tufts University through a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project, the Novel Engineering website explains that "Novel Engineering is an integrated approach to teaching engineering and literacy" (2018) that asks teachers to support students' engagement in a project-based endeavor of problem-and-solution processes and…

CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) is a recent teaching approach widely adopted in numerous international contexts, especially in Europe where it was promoted as a way to promote language learning within the educational system. When implemented, CLIL predominantly involves subject content teachers using English to teach their subject.…