This study examined the use of popular culture-themed (PCT) courses in higher education. The goal was to define PCT courses operationally as well as qualitatively to explore benefits and challenges associated with teaching these courses. Instructors from a wide range of disciplines who have taught or are currently teaching a PCT course were asked…

Although an abundance of research has discussed the importance of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), there is little research on how UDL may be used in syllabus construction. The authors developed and validated the UDL Syllabus Scale (UDLSS), which evaluates higher education instructors' ability to design a syllabus using UDL principles. Over…

Given the increasing diversity in the nation's classrooms, educator preparation programs (EPPs) are evaluating and restructuring their existing programs to prepare preservice teachers to become inclusive and culturally responsive educators. Traditionally, EPPs have considered diversity as ethnicity, race, and/or culture. This study explored…

Although many professors realize that note taking while listening to a lecture results in shallow learning and a lack of student engagement (Hartley & Davies, 1978), lecturing remains the primary mode of instruction. A recent challenger to the dominant notetaking/PowerPoint paradigm is Reacting to the Past (RTTP). To capitalize on the…

This study aimed to find predictors of learning outcomes for an undergraduate social work research course. Participants' scores on various assessment tasks were used as dependent variables and their perceptions and learning experiences as independent variables. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Student performance on weekly…

This study examined how one set of instructors' stated classroom teaching philosophies did or did not manifest during their first day of class. Data included classroom observations, interviews, and content analysis of syllabi. Findings suggest that instructors employed "learner-attentive" rather than "learner-centered"…

Evidence suggests that facilitated interventions in study abroad enhance gains in intercultural development, but many recent studies are not generalizable due to small numbers and lack of experimental design. In this study, subjects received individual or small-group interventions online in a course with trained intercultural mentors. The authors…

Despite the claim made in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) literature for over two decades that a syllabus is a contract, the courts have uniformly ruled that it is not. While there is no harm in thinking one's syllabus is a contract, there may be legal risk in proclaiming it so. The author provides an analysis of the…

This study investigated the experiences of engineering students who participated in a cultural simulation activity to promote cross-cultural communication skills. A sample of 138 post-activity short reflections from a global engineering practice course were analyzed using qualitative inquiry. Results suggest that students recognize parallels…

Recent literary practices such as surface reading or the digital humanities have challenged the centrality of close reading in literary studies. Nonetheless, reading literature still involves sustained and productive attentiveness to texts. Fostering this skill, however, can seem increasingly difficult. From paper mills, to SparkNotes, to blogs…

A collaborative course introduced history students to a variety of digital tools and printed materials for historical research. The authors explore the development of this program by a historian and a librarian as a case study to address the value of teaching history outside of the classroom and allowing students to conduct research on-site. This…

This study evaluated syllabi (N = 87) from introductory advertising and public relations courses to examine to what extent and how stated course goals and assignments signal the overall learning orientation of a course and which type of learning orientation--mastery or performance--was most common. Mastery orientations emphasize intrinsic rewards,…

The complexity of a course's structure may influence how well students understand what is expected of them. Using the foundation of the industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology literature, the authors modified a measure of "Perceived System Knowledge" (Williams & Levy, 1992) for employee performance appraisal to be appropriate for…

Two professors co-taught critical and civic thinking in the same first-semester course for four years. For the first year, they used computerized argument mapping and critical-thinking-for-civic-thinking (CT)[superscript 2] exercises based on open-ended scenarios framed within a civic context. The instructors assessed student skill levels using…

The authors describe a model for embedding science communication into the science curriculum without displacing science content. They describe the rationale, development, design, and implementation of two courses taught by science faculty addressing these criteria. They also outline the evaluation plan for these courses, which emphasize broad…