Studies have shown the importance of visual metaphor in facilitating learning. Metaphor aids in communicating complex concepts in a clear manner, and enhances the learning experience. This study investigates graduate students' experiences and attitudes toward visual metaphors in an online learning environment. The visual metaphor used in this…

It is widely recognized that mathematical typesetting is more difficult than typesetting in most other disciplines due to the need for specialized mathematical notation and symbols. While most mathematicians type mathematical documents using LaTeX, with varying levels of proficiency, students often use other options or handwrite mathematics. Here,…

The purpose of this multiple case study was to describe the experiences of graduate education faculty of varying racial/ethnic backgrounds, learning to navigate difficult discourses on race effectively over time. The study employed positionality as a theoretical framework. Findings indicate that faculty balance what we refer to as "strategies…

Fostering a strong sense of community among students in online courses is the goal of many instructors because it is seen as being essential in supporting students' learning experiences. However, high dropout rates in online learning suggest that students feel disconnected and isolated from their course, feelings which have been attributed to the…

"Making" represents an increasingly popular label for describing a form of engineering design. While making is growing in popularity, there are still open questions about the strategies that students are using in these activities. Assessing and improving learning in making/ engineering design contexts require that we have a better…

This paper documents a case study undertaken to understand the effect of group processes on student evaluation of teaching (SET). The study used interviews to investigate the experiences of students in a cohort model Master of Science in Accountancy degree program and how those experiences influenced SET. The cohort served as an extreme example in…

The population of California continues to become increasingly diverse, and graduate programs in counselor preparation are dedicating more focus to curriculum and instruction that provide an inclusive space to explore diverse experiences and develop multicultural competence. One specific group contributing to the diversity of the national landscape…

To succeed within scientific disciplines, using representations, including those based on words, graphs, equations, and diagrams, is important. Research indicates that the use of discipline specific representations (sometimes referred to as expert generated representations), as well as multi-representational use, is critical for problem solving…

This paper examines the endemic separation between K-12 schools and colleges of education in teacher preparation. Specifically, we examine a new approach related to the promise of clinical practice--a clinical practice program that overlaps a public high school, a graduate-level teacher preparation program, and a professional practice doctoral…

The purpose of this study was to investigate three second-year graduate students' awareness and understanding of the relationships among the "big ideas" that underlie the concept of derivative through modeling tasks and Skemp's distinction between relational and instrumental understanding. The modeling tasks consisting of warm-up,…

This case study examined student preference for delivery mode of online courses in two graduate degree programs in Library and Information Science. Within-group and between-groups comparisons indicated a distinct preference across the institutions. Findings from focus groups conducted with two cohorts of students enrolled in a federally funded…

The availability of user-friendly coding software is increasing, yet teachers might hesitate to use this technology to develop for educational needs. This paper discusses studies related to technology for educational uses and introduces an evaluation application being developed. Through questionnaires by student users and open-ended discussion by…

Teacher education students confront the challenging task of acquiring a unique and complex set of skills during their courses. These skills are acquired through the study of education theory together with practical experience in the classroom. Perhaps one of the most important skills that students quickly need to develop is that of reflective…

This dissertation utilized a multiple case study design to explore how advanced learners synthesize information about ill-structured topics when reading-to-learn and reading-to-do on the Web. Eight graduate students provided data in the form of think-alouds, interviews, screen video, digital trails, and task artifacts. Data analysis was based on…

This case study focused on whether women, enrolled in a graduate course, would engage in online debate, and if so, whether their postings would contain traditional elements of argumentation (i.e., argue, elaborate, critique). Content analyses for two debates were performed. For the most part, the overarching messages in both debates were…