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…

This study aims to gain a better understanding of the practices of first-year university teachers by considering the distinction between direct instruction and active learning. It is based on the responses of 356 teachers to questions relating to three areas of teaching practice: preparation, implementation and use of digital technology. Principal…

As flipped learning continues to become a recognized instructional practice, professional development has become necessary to ensure the practice is implemented based on its research-informed active learning tenets. This study examined how a long-term professional development program influenced the instructional practices and perspectives of…

Purpose: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of active teaching methodologies, namely, problem-oriented learning and the case method, to develop sustainability competencies. It also analyses the advantages and challenges for teachers when implementing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in eight undergraduate and postgraduate degrees…

Background: Effective project management and project work skills are important requirements in higher education and many other work place settings. Simulation-based learning, with its use of simulated scenarios and environments, may be a helpful way of supporting skill development. However, much more needs to be understood about the possibilities…

A course community (CC) was formed to facilitate the implementation of active-learning materials in the Introductory Statistics course at a large southeastern U.S. university. Instructors met every two weeks for the semester before and the semester of the implementation. The CC helped instructors improve their content knowledge and pedagogical…

A variety of assessment options that incorporate high-impact educational practices (HIPS) have emerged to assist higher education faculty in meeting student learning outcomes. HIPS are teaching and learning tools which have been demonstrated to increase student engagement and persistence. Practices such as first-year seminars, tech-rich learning…

In 2014, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences implemented a fundamental change in its curriculum from small single topic 3-5 credits courses into 15 credits multidisciplinary courses implemented by teacher teams. This paper focuses on how teachers of Information Technology programs experienced the reform. Research data include teacher…

As the introduction of active learning techniques such as project-based learning (PjBL) becomes more widespread in engineering schools, it is important to understand the implications and development needs of staff in the transition to this mode of teaching. Through a review of education literature and a structured interview process, a set of…

In scientific disciplines, most postdoctoral fellowships focus on research training. Postdoctoral fellows ("postdocs") develop research expertise and research projects that they will use in future independent faculty positions. This research focus often precludes opportunities for undergraduate teaching. However, most academic faculty…

Gateways-ND is a 5-year, National Science Foundation-funded effort directed toward three goals: maximizing the instructional effectiveness of postsecondary STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) faculty by building expertise in learner-focused practice, positively impacting student success in STEM-based "gateway"…

This article presents a case study that details the successes and lessons learned by faculty and administrators at San Diego State University (SDSU) who are in the process of implementing a substantial improvement to the Precalculus to Calculus 2 sequence. Improvement efforts have been informed by national studies of successful programs and center…

Based on the implementation and assessment of a coteaching pilot program called the Practitioner Scholars Program, this study draws attention to the need for equity in community-university learning partnerships, recognizing and emphasizing that the knowledge and expertise of community practitioners is as valuable as that of faculty in academia.…

Educators have recommended that the affordances provided by ICTs should be used to promote student-centered constructivist learning. While the actual use of ICT in education has increased, not much change has occurred in terms of the pedagogical practices followed. Information transmission models of teaching are still being followed, albeit with…

In their seminal 1995 article, Barr and Tagg encouraged higher education to think differently about undergraduate education and suggested that a new paradigm be adopted that focused less on what is taught and more on what is learned. Dubbed the learner-centered paradigm, this reframing of education challenges long standing practices and removes…