While traditional English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms often lack context and authenticity, immersive virtual reality (iVR) provides a valuable alternative opportunity to practice and acquire the target language in a replica of the real world. The present study used iVR ("Immerse") for communicative tasks and investigated how…

We gathered data from business practitioners to learn how they describe successful online business presentations. We found that many--but not all--successful examples were described in terms of classical rhetorical concepts (e.g., source credibility and content). We also found that about 20% of the examples were described as successful because of…

The current demand for integrating technology into English language instruction to engage students in meaningful conversations is pressing in the digital era. Despite this, research on employing Google tools for collaborative, task-based activities in English education is scarce, particularly in meeting the needs of today's digital learners and…

One of the biggest challenges seasoned English language teacher Mina Gavell has faced in the classroom is how to liven up reading classes. Not only is reading inherently a quiet and solo task, but the standard skills teachers are trying to build in their students--skimming, scanning, making predictions and inferences, guessing vocabulary meaning…

This paper examines the influence of authentic materials on the motivation of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Kuwait University. The target population is male and female students of two intermediate levels at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Kuwait University. All students received both artificial and authentic materials. Data from two observation…

Ample research has identified several features of a learning experience likely to enhance student learning, including collaboration, open-ended exploration, and problem-based learning in real-life scenarios. Missing is a model of how instructors might combine these elements into a single project that works flexibly across disciplines and…

Learner-centered coaching and feedback are relevant to various educational contexts. Spaced retrieval enhances long-term knowledge retention. We examined the efficacy of Blank Slate, a novel spaced retrieval software application, to promote learning and prevent forgetting, while gathering and analyzing data in the background about learners'…

This study investigated personalization as an innovation that can be used to impact college mathematics achievement. In the reported study, similar tasks using personalized data and teacher-selected data were implemented in courses in both 4-year and 2-year colleges. Pre- and posttests and student work were analyzed to examine the impact of…

Research indicates that a majority of honors students across the country are able to earn honors credit through the fulfillment of honors contracts. These learning contracts grant honors credit to students who perform additional work in non-honors-designated sections of other courses. Despite their popularity, little has been written on the design…

This article describes the implementation of an interdisciplinary design studio as a means to teach creative problem-solving through project-based learning. "Learning and Innovation Skills" has been designated as a core skill that students need to be successful in today's world, and project-based learning is one approach to helping…