Sonia Kovalevsky Days (SK Days) are nationally-held outreach events that are commonly organized by local chapters of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) to encourage young women to continue their study of mathematics. The AWM Student Chapter at Worcester Polytechnic Institute hosted virtual renditions of SK Day for middle school girls…

User experience (UX) internships generate ideas for usability projects, improve the design of existing and new services, investigate users' motivations and behavior, and build transferable skills for interns. This case study proposes a micro-internship model, grounded in the design cycle, that institutions can adapt to address their libraries and…

Nationwide, many students fail to complete the key mathematics courses that are required for most STEM majors, including Precalculus. This paper describes the rationale, implementation, and impact of the redesign of Precalculus at one regional west coast institution. Prior to the redesign, pass rates in Precalculus were modest (75.8% of all…

This chapter makes the case that the sophomore year of college presents specific developmental challenges and, thus, opportunities for improved design of the college sophomore experience.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many youth felt disconnected from on-the-ground engagement with their peers, their communities, and the wider society. School closures also impeded progress in some students' abilities to write, speak, and express themselves through various media. A team of interdisciplinary and intergenerational faculty and…

The COVID-19 crisis has upended students' lives and their career plans, including their ability to line up college internships. As millions of people across the country continue to work or attend school from home, many companies and organizations have had to cancel their internship programs, which are an important part of recruitment and diversity…

Sharing the journey of developing an ePortfolio assignment, this article focuses on the design process, implementation, and benefits of the ePortfolio as a capstone project for a bachelor's degree program using a constructivist approach. Integrating constructivist educational practices (e.g., student-centered learning, autonomy, self-regulation,…

The field of special education is currently in the grip of a pressing polycrisis, a convergence of multiple issues that collectively pose a significant threat. These issues, including a nationwide shortage of U.S. special education teachers, particularly in rural areas; declining enrollment in teacher preparation programs; and high teacher…

We present an experiential exercise to teach key principles of training design. Selected students participate in a self-learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation training program, CPR Anytime®, offered by the American Heart Association, while the rest of the class observes. The class then assesses the use of several training design principles in the…

Like many institutions around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted us to shift our summer 2020 in-person undergraduate experiential learning program to a remote, virtual format. Here, we present our observations, summarized in 10 best practices, for moving a STEM-focused research experience for undergraduates, experiential learning program or…

In this paper, I share my experience conceptualizing, designing, and implementing a short-term faculty-led study abroad program for undergraduate and graduate students. The primary theme of the program was on innovation in Swiss teaching and training practices. The location of the 10-day study abroad program was Lucerne, Switzerland; however, as…

GlobalEx is a co-curricular program designed to enhance cross-cultural engagement at the undergraduate level at Texas Christian University. This student-designed and student-led project arose from recognition of a need to integrate the experiences of international students and domestic students, and it uses a three-step model (EXplore, EXchange,…

This paper discusses Implementation of a new educational approach to develop competencies for the future STEM workforce, and to build knowledge on success factors for educating a non-traditional target population in data competencies. It is widely accepted that a data capable workforce is critical to science and industry. The literature suggests…

This paper shares the process and outcomes of utilizing case competitions as an approach to diversity education. A university-wide case competition was held for two consecutive years. We detail the procedure for facilitating the competition, the role of internal and external stakeholders, and student performance and feedback. It is our position…

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, undergraduate institution that educates and trains its students (cadets) to become future leaders in the US Army officer corps. The Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) at West Point plays an integral role in developing cadets' cultural and linguistic competencies in preparation for…