Due to the structured format of most engineering courses, the number of opportunities for engineering students to view matters differently from the traditional ways is limited. Therefore, a mandatory requirement was introduced into three engineering courses for students to propose an out of the ordinary solution to certain technical problems,…

Problem-solving is an essential undergraduate learning outcome that also supports students' professional success. The creative problem-solving model (CPS) (Isaksen et al., 2011) facilitates the development of these skills and aligns well with the scope of public relations (PR). The current study investigates student perceptions of an assignment…

What should science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) education look like? In the context of educational policy, the STEAM conversation has intensified and spread across the United States and some other counties (Eger, 2015; Yakman & Lee, 2012). This article advocates an arts-integrated approach to STEAM education and discusses…

In the writing classroom, collaborative learning often takes the form of coauthoring, peer workshops, or critique sessions. While these are useful, what other active-learning approaches might be effective, particularly in light of the range of media with which students are increasingly familiar? World building--creation of an…

When students are directly engaged in group activities, what factors make it more likely that group work will serve as a conduit to creativity? And--since working with groups means working with people--does the concept of "two minds are better than one" lead to greater creativity? An analysis of student teacher narratives uncovered six main,…

Empathy and interdisciplinarity are both concepts that are current and relevant--across professions, in research, and in academia. This paper describes a large, interdisciplinary, project-based assignment, the Empathy Project, which allows students to delve into and increase comfort and skill with interdisciplinary thinking and collaborative…

Teachers in K-12 schools are constantly being challenged to find new and engaging ways to teach students and help them gain the proficiencies needed to be successful in school and the world around them. During the 2010-2011 school year six teachers in a rural Midwestern school district were asked to implement a new six week digital story creation…

The complexity and interrelatedness of aspects of the geosciences is an important concept to convey in an undergraduate geoscience curriculum. A synthesis capstone project has served to integrate pattern-based learning of an introductory Earth History course into an active and process-based exercise in hypothesis production. In this exercise,…

Middle grades teachers should create meaningful learning activities involving stimulating literature and interesting composition prompts. This article describes a unit in which eighth graders read short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Using multiple learning and teaching approaches, they expanded their vocabularies, responded artistically to "The…

Imaginative writing is a great vehicle for creative thinking and risk taking as children structure a reality in a story. However, the author believes that American children are untrained for this sort of work and progress. They need connected experiences. This insight intensifies the author's resolution to seek collaboration with artists in other…

Use of group story writing in second language classes is discussed, and specific instructional techniques are outlined. In this activity, students sit in a circle and each begins to write a story. The story beginning is passed to the next student, who adds a portion and passes the story on. This pattern continues until stories are completed and…