This study served two primary purposes: (a) to explore students' perceptions regarding the utilization of technology in their classroom-based instruction, and (b) to provide an overview of the current use of technology in classrooms that encompasses all high school students. The significance of the study was to contribute to the body of research…

This dissertation explored STEM faculty description of using a Student Response System (SRS) in higher education engineering classrooms, aimed to understand their experiences, practices, and perceptions of SRS as a pedagogical tool for enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. The research questions driving this qualitative study focused…

The purposes of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study were to examine the self-efficacy beliefs of school librarians about integrating technology during inquiry-based learning during the quantitative phase and then to explore how these practices about technology integration during inquiry-based learning were being implemented during the…

Teacher perceptions offer a perspective and point of view from a teacher's lens about a given topic. Professional behavior is often influenced by teacher perceptions. In this study, the researcher conducts interviews and surveys the teaching staff at a project-based learning high school after blending the curriculum with a computer-assisted…

This dissertation investigates how collective process-oriented documentation tools, combined with Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, can enhance knowledge construction in hands-on, open-ended learning environments, such as makerspaces. Through a three-year design-based research, the study developed and tested a collective documentation…

Defenses against adversarial attacks are essential to ensure the reliability of machine learning models as their applications are expanding in different domains. Existing ML defense techniques have several limitations in practical use. I proposed a trustworthy framework that employs an adaptive strategy to inspect both inputs and decisions. In…

The present study investigated the experiences of educators who taught in the virtual world Second Life®. Second Life has shown promise in the field of higher education but identified gaps exist: the identification of a set of best practices, a foundational theory, and educators' experiences using Second Life in higher education. Using a single…

Millennials and Generation Zers make up the majority of the undergraduate population in universities and colleges. These generation cohorts are better educated and more technologically inclined compared to prior generations. Even with these characteristics, undergraduate accounting enrollment has declined. Moreover, employers have seen a skill gap…

This dissertation focuses on three manuscripts all related to bolstering science achievement through recommendations from the National Research Council (NRC) regarding the teaching and learning of science. The manuscripts address meeting the NRC's call to incorporate curriculum and assessment that lead to more in-depth knowledge that can be…

Effective integration of active learning technology tools in classrooms is a key component of 21st century higher education classrooms. Challenged with outdated technology access and traditional classrooms, a local university in North Carolina initiated a strategic plan to update classrooms and laboratories with the 21st century technology. The…

Incorporating technology into instructional practices is needed to cultivate learners who are digitally competent to function in a society in which technology keeps evolving. The problem that exists at the study site is that although technology is available, it is primarily being used to enhance learning rather than transform learning.…

Digital technologies are prevalent in society and K-12 classrooms today and the belief that educational technology can be a transformative agent of change in education is ever increasing. However, the use of technology as a transformative learning tool for all students has not yet been realized. Research in this area indicates that teachers are…

Competency-based education (CBE) has become well-accepted as a powerful way to personalize learning. Today's advanced technologies have enhanced CBE even further. Practitioners in the field are seeking means to take advantage of technology to increase CBE's effectiveness and efficiency, especially for adult learners. Microlearning and digital open…

There has been much discussion over which environment most effectively provides optimum support and motivates student learning. It was discovered through the review of research literature that traditional face-to-face, a combination of face-to-face and online (blended), and solely online learning each provides a learning environment that appeals…

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and describe the barriers to the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) to support active learning in the classroom as perceived by middle school site principals. Methodology: This was a qualitative phenomenological study using data collected from…