To confront the sense of isolation created by a global pandemic, a rise in book challenges, and navigating newly enacted laws pertaining to school and classroom libraries, school librarians can achieve a positive impact by creating inclusive communities for their students, while also engaging with their own professional communities to increase…

Undergraduate and graduate students have a higher risk of mental illness than the general population. Multiple barriers may contribute to decreased help-seeking, including mental health stigma, lack of awareness of available resources, lack of prioritization of self-care, busy class schedules, and different preferences in communication styles.…

Dr. Montessori noted that imitating the work of adults was an important component of Practical Life activities. Modern Practical Life shelves can become limited to transferring lessons and crafts inspired by the current holiday season or Pinterest board, with limited space and time for activities like cleaning and preparing food. There is a place…

This paper presents the Screencast-Based Assessment Technique (SBAT) for a mobile app development curriculum in the information systems discipline. SBAT was implemented as a midterm take-home exam in which students design and develop an app project based on their own interests, passions, or ambitions. In addition to coding, students must create…

What does it take to make online discussions work? Educator Michael B. Sherry offers three strategies for addressing the challenges of online conversations and engaging students in going deeper in their digital discussions.

This article provides a short overview of how to communicate about the purposes of educational assessments. The authors address the assessments that may be required at the state or district level, including summative assessments, interim assessments, and formative assessment practices. The article describes the needs of various audiences and the…

When learning is virtual and students' webcams are turned off, interaction between students and teachers compared to an in-person classroom can fall short. The reasons some students keep their webcams off are numerous and compelling from an equity lens perspective (Yu 2020a): The history of policing in the United States points to an increased use…

Assessment of students' work in Virtual Exchange (VE) frequently focuses on their participation in the activities and may also include an evaluation of students' learning. In this chapter, we discuss a two-sided approach to assessing students' work in an intercultural VE project. On the one hand, we evaluated students' engagement in the exchange…

Building communicative competence in textual and multimodal literacies has become a linchpin of learning, of engagement with the world, and of participation in online and blended spaces. Young creators now compose online and with digital tools, often in what we call "user-generated content affinity spaces" -- interest-based spaces that…

In the e-learning context, social network analysis (SNA) can be used to build understanding around the ways students participate and interact in online forums. This study contributes to the growing body of research that uses statistical methods to test hypotheses about structures in social networks. Specifically, we show how statistical analysis…

This article highlights efficient ways to combine tech tools, such as Remind and video conferencing, to increase student engagement and faculty/student communication. Using Remind is a great way to provide information to students outside of LoudCloud, and video conferencing is a tool for having synchronous meetings and conferences with students.…

The classrooms of the twenty-first century will require faculty to redefine and infuse active learning strategies to the online platform. The discussion forum can be much more. It can serve not only as a great tool to keep students engaged and connected to the online classroom but also as a space for students to be creative and develop deep…

Wawasan Open University (WOU) provides working Malaysians access to quality higher education via Open Distance Learning (ODL). As admission of students involves students from diverse backgrounds, including diversity of ability, age groups and educational backgrounds, WOU faces the real challenge of effectively engaging and supporting these…

Research suggests that cooperative interactions are associated with enhanced cognitive and affective outcomes. This paper describes eight principles that can be used to promote such interactions among students working in online environments. The principles derive from a well-established approach to education, known variously as cooperative…

Discussion has long been identified by many in the field of social studies education as one of the most important elements of social studies instruction. However, many classroom teachers face several challenges in implementing the strategy. As a way to combat these challenges and encourage the use of discussion in American's classrooms, the…