Virtual worlds, like Second Life, are transformative innovations in education. These immersive 3D environments offer teachers and students unique opportunities beyond traditional classrooms. They foster active learning, allowing students to interact, manipulate objects, and engage with diverse content. This multimodal approach accommodates various…

The product owner role is one of three key roles in the Scrum software development process. Industry demand for product owners is growing exponentially, and educators need effective techniques for teaching students the knowledge, skills, and competencies required to be effective product owners. To address this need, this Teaching Tip describes how…

Virtual laboratories and simulations have emerged as innovative solutions for science teaching. However, existing resources have various limitations and constraints including cognitive load/mental burden and limited coverage of all necessary steps in scientific inquiry, focusing mainly on the experimental simulation. To bridge this gap and address…

Many introductory astronomy courses include concepts related to basic stellar properties. In general, these are concepts that originate from the human perception of starlight. This observational aspect is not easy to incorporate in the classroom. We explore if these concepts could be developed using the built-in data in a planetarium software.…

Quantum computing is a growing field at the intersection of physics and computer science. The goal of this article is to highlight a successfully trialled quantum computing course for high school students between the ages of 15 and 18 years old. This course was designed to bridge the gap between popular science articles and advanced undergraduate…

The Boltzmann distribution lies at the heart of essentially all of statistical thermodynamics. In most textbooks, this distribution is introduced either "ad hoc" or it is mathematically derived by constrained entropy optimization using the method of Lagrange multipliers. Unfortunately, when students enroll in a statistical thermodynamics…

In the age of COVID-19, traditional teaching techniques are under scrutiny. Most concepts and labs in the area of information technology are intended to be taught face-to-face in labs using clusters and networking infrastructure. Simulation software's such as uCertify, Pearson online, etc.., are good alternative, but are not always a viable…

This article describes the redesign of a project-based course on soft and biological materials to include computational modeling. Including the construction of computational models in the course is described as a shift from constructivism--a theory that characterizes the development of formal reasoning, to constructionism--a theory that focuses on…

ResDiary is a Glasgow-based software company providing software to the hospitality industry. Over a 9-year period the company has grown from 5 to 100 employees and increased annual turnover 20x. In January 2019, the CEO retired from the business and two new CEOs were appointed. This account of practice investigates what organisational changes were…

It has often been found that students appreciate hands-on work, and find that they learn more with courses that include a project than those relying solely on conventional lectures and tests. This type of project driven learning is a key component of "Inquiry-based learning" (IBL), which aims at teaching methodology as well as content by…

This paper presents results from a comparative analysis of two sections of Introduction to International Politics, one of which used a traditional research paper as a supplemental assignment and one that used the Statecraft online simulation. Both sections were taught during the same semester and used common lecture notes, PowerPoint slides, exam…

This article uses a multimethod research design to compare Statecraft to non-Statecraft assignments and courses along three dimensions: student engagement, political attitudes, and academic honesty. The results indicate that Statecraft increased student engagement and academic honesty. In terms of political attitudes, students generally remained…

The development of information and communication technologies and the accessibility of mobile devices has increased the possibilities of the teaching and learning process anywhere and anytime. Mobile and web application allows the production of constructive teaching and learning models in various educational settings, showing the potential for…

Student engagement is a multidimensional construct that includes four distinct, though interrelated, aspects: behavioral, emotional, agentive, and cognitive engagement. The present study investigates students' perceptions about the impact of Padlet as a learning and assessment tool on the four aspects of class engagement. Padlet is a virtual wall…

We have developed and demonstrated the effectiveness of a set of online interactive learning modules to accompany physics courses at first- and second-year university levels. Students access the modules prior to attending lectures to familiarize themselves with content which is then discussed and reaffirmed in class. Student surveys and access…