Rural schools have repeatedly been subjected to standardizing state and federal education policies that seek to minimize variance in instructional systems and increase the number of college- and career-ready graduates. The Race to the Top policy agenda combined standards-based and accountability-based reforms to meet these objectives and once…

The aim of this explorative study was to develop and test a pedagogy aimed at promoting students' ability to perform historical contextualization. Teaching historical contextualization was conceptualized in terms of four pedagogical design principles: (1) making students aware of the consequences of a present-oriented perspective when examining…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a professional development experience for higher education academic staff within the framework of an international Tempus project focused on reorienting university curricula to address sustainability. The project included revising curricula to phase sustainable development principles into university…

Often the stakeholders most affected by curriculum change are uninvolved in the change process, leading to curriculum reforms that fail. Thus, a group of university researchers conducted a small-scale study to explore the thoughts and opinions of parents and elementary students on the use of mathematics and science graphic novels to support the…

Purpose: To address the dynamic challenges associated with developing a globally sustainable society, numerous scholars have stressed the need to cultivate the imagination of agricultural students. This study aimed to explore how pictorial representations stimulate the imaginative capacities of agricultural extension students.…

As the healthcare industry has evolved over the years, so too has the administration of healthcare organizations. The signing into law of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has brought additional changes to the healthcare industry that will require changes to the healthcare administration curriculum. The movement toward a…

Objective: This study investigated the practices and impact of interdisciplinary faculty at a flagship university in the American Southwest who were engaged in the process of redesigning curriculum in order to center candidates on what they need to know and do as culturally competent school leaders. Method: Participants were 31 interdisciplinary…

The present study describes a yearlong collaborative inquiry involving six teachers and their professional discussions about literacy instruction as they developed a curriculum to support the cultural and linguistic needs of their school's 88% Native American student population. Participants in this study were four Native American teachers and two…

Mobile devices are the constant companions of technology users of all ages. Studies show, how-ever, that making calls is a minimal part of our engagement with today's smart phones and that even texting has fallen off, leaving web browsing, gaming, and social media as top uses. A cross-disciplinary group of faculty at our university came together…

This article presents a case study illustrating the potential value of enhanced student participation in higher education (HE) curriculum development, in response to an absence of research in this area. Lecturers and students had divergent views of the effectiveness of a staff-led redesign of a module curriculum. Focus groups were used to…

This article reports on an empirical case study centering on adult ESL learners' motivational patterns for learning English and its relevance to their career goals. It looks at past patterns of immigrant insertion within the socioeconomic context of the US and explores current trends in adult ESL curriculum development focused on the task of…

Drawing on a three-year multimethod study of civic engagement within "Dewey Elementary," this article identifies the contextual supports of civic efficacy. In particular, it works to map the role of the teacher in supporting the civic action and efficacy of six fifth-grade girls who requested changes to the school's existing lunch plan.…

A primary goal of university instruction is the students' demonstration of improved, highly developed critical thinking (CT) skills. However, how do faculty encourage CT and its potential concomitant increase in student workload without negatively impacting student perceptions of the course? In this investigation, an advanced biology course is…

This paper investigated teachers' and educational consultants' perceptions of ICT integration in Québec English Schools, specifically with regards to the benefits and challenges of ICT integration therein. 23 teachers and educational consultants from seven different school boards participated in the focus group sessions. Results revealed higher…

A first year non-majors biology course, with an enrollment of around 440 students, has been redesigned from a course of traditional content and teaching style to one that emphasizes biological concepts in current global issues and incorporates active learning strategies. We were informed by the education literature incorporating many aspects of…