Objective: To determine the impact of four classroom-based sessions on mindfulness and symptoms of psychological distress among first-year students. A secondary objective was to explore participants' involvement experiences. Participants: First-year undergraduate students at a Canadian university were recruited. Methods: A mixed-methods…

As students transition from high school to university, they must navigate new academic learning environments, develop new social networks, manage multiple new responsibilities, explore and regulate independence, and deal with the stressors that they will encounter. Successful transitioning to university often involves sources of support as well as…

Literature suggests post-secondary students feel disengaged and socially isolated while learning virtually, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we explored whether a sense of belonging is differentially achieved in an inquiry-based course between two different delivery formats: virtual and blended (combination of virtual and in-person).…

The first year of university is a challenging period of academic and personal development for students. Through phenomenographic analysis of 27 interviews with students who had just completed their first year at university, this study provides valuable insight into students' perceptions of adapting to learning in a university environment. Four…

This paper describes key discoveries and lessons learned about the practice of reciprocity in community-engaged learning (CEL). We draw from an example of a multi-partner, multi-year CEL project that addresses a community-identified priority to access jargon-free research findings about their community. Our project benefits community members in an…

This paper aims to study the effects that asynchronous and synchronous instructional methods have on student perceptions and attitudes towards online education. We analyze both qualitative and quantitative survey responses from 496 students in three large (greater than 200 enrolled students) first-year calculus classes at the University of Guelph.…

Leisure activities engagement could promote freshmen's well-being by providing social support and improving positive mood. Little is known about the day-to-day variability in leisure activities and stress and their links to daily well-being. Using a month-long daily diary design among 273 Canadian freshmen (M[subscript age] = 18, 73% female, 32%…

Homework completion and self-regulatory ability have both been extensively studied to examine their impact on learning achievement. Moreover, the reciprocal nature of how these two qualities affect one another is also an area of research. While evidence shows that voluntary completion of assigned homework predicts self-regulation in students, a…

Nearly 40% of Canadian university students are depressed. However, strong social support may mitigate adverse outcomes for some. This study examined: (1) If students who showed initial depression were more likely to experience poorer end-of-semester well-being (continued depressive symptoms, burnout, and poor social and academic adjustment); and…

Diversity in age, background, circumstances, and abilities among post-secondary learners has become increasingly common in online nursing education. Thus, there is a need for educators to build an inclusive environment that is responsive to this variety, to optimize learner achievement. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers educators a…

First-year seminars that teach foundational academic skills are common in universities around the world, but few studies have been conducted to determine whether the specific skills students develop in these courses transfer to other academic contexts. Our research presents a case study that addresses this gap by measuring students' perceptions of…

Purpose: The goals of this research study included evaluating the outcomes of Interdisciplinary Science Threshold Experience (InSciTE) on student experience of science discipline, level of sense belongingness to a large Faculty of Science (FoS), outcomes in learning science literacy skills and whether a student's background played a role in the…

Fair assessment in the classroom is a concern from student, teacher, principal and public perspectives. Standards and policies also underscore fairness as a key underpinning for assessments. Perceptions of fairness impact students' socio-emotional and learning outcomes, and build confidence, trust and legitimacy for the assessment outcomes.…

Objective: To compare the prevalence and trajectories of risky health behaviors in sexual minority (SM; lesbian/gay/bisexual/questioning/asexual) versus heterosexual undergraduates across their first year of post-secondary. Participants: First-year undergraduates (N = 704, M[subscript age] = 17.97 years, 24% SM) from a midsized Canadian…

A primary aim of science education is to teach students how to interpret and engage with scientific information. To do so effectively requires an adequate understanding of the nature of science (NOS)--in other words, what science is and how it works. There is a long history of evidence to suggest that many undergraduate students struggle to…