Since the beginning of the development of massive open online courses (MOOCs), these and other online learning environments have been considered as potential partial solutions to some persistent problems in higher education. These learning environments, while they have great educational value, have not been as effective as they could be, because…

This dissertation describes a practitioner's design-based development of a prototype chatbot to guide students in learning biological concepts of genetic mutations and protein synthesis. This chatbot's architecture provides learning activities, feedback, and support throughout a series of short, connected lessons. The chatbot is designed to…

This three-article dissertation explores Learning by Evaluating (LbE), an educational approach that enhances student learning through the process of assessing and providing feedback on peer work. Leveraging principles of comparative judgement, students evaluate pairs of exemplars side-by-side to determine which is better and provide a rational for…

Reform in science education has led to the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) by 20 states, the District of Columbia, and an additional 24 states have based their science standards on the framework that inspired NGSS. A specific component of NGSS, the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), are critical to prepare students…

This mixed-methods study explored the influence and applicability of the Perry Scheme to students from mainland China studying in the U.S. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the intellectual and ethical development of students from mainland China enrolled in a U.S graduate engineering program using the Perry Scheme of…