"Learning-in-action" depends on interactions with learning content, peers and real world problems. However, effective learning-in-action also depends on the extent to which students are "active-in-thinking," making meaning of their learning experience. A critical component of any technology to support active thinking is the…

When teachers first wrap their heads around scientific modeling, it can be a bit tricky to distinguish scientific models from diagrams and three-dimensional models. If a fifth grader draws and labels a food web, it's a model. Right? Not necessarily. When creating a model, students should be representing a system inspired by an inquiry or…

Contribution: A rubric for assessing the systems thinking expressed in conceptual models of technological systems has been constructed and assessed using a formal methodology. The rubric, a synthesis of prior findings in science and engineering education, forms a framework for improving communication between science and engineering educators.…

Over the past 8 years, U.S. kindergarten classrooms have been impacted by policies mandating or recommending the administration of a specific kindergarten entry assessment (KEA) in the initial months of school as well as the increasing reliance on digital technology in the form of mobile apps, touchscreen devices, and online data platforms. Using…

When used effectively, reflective writing tasks can deepen learners' understanding of key concepts, help them critically appraise their developing professional identity, and build qualities for lifelong learning. As such, reflective writing is attracting substantial interest from universities concerned with experiential learning, reflective…

Textbook prices are continuously rising in higher education. This paper analyzes a business model which makes commercial textbooks more expensive, and explains why this issue tends to be more severe in the field of distance learning in higher education. It reports a case of adoption of open educational resources (OER) textbook for an online course…

This article outlines the a educational design for Digital Ensemble, an innovative approach to English assessment integrating drama pedagogy with mobile computing (e.g. ad). a represents the key themes that framed and informed the research: ensemble, narrative, collaboration and technology. Starting with a as a prototype concept design for the…

Background: Education reforms over the last several decades have relied heavily on external assistance to help schools increase capacity for improving outcomes, but investing in sustained outside coaching and support is increasingly difficult with diminishing federal, state, and district resources. One under-investigated possibility for…

Responding to a student-expressed need for consistency among courses within the online Baccalaureate Nursing Completion program at Midwestern University, an instructional designer and nursing faculty member collaborated to build a course evaluation rubric, learning management system template, and corresponding matrix to help support student…

With the benefit of multimedia and the learning cycle approach in promoting effective active learning, this paper proposed a learning cycle approach-based, multimedia-supplemented instructional unit for Structured Query Language (SQL) for second-year undergraduate students with the aim of enhancing their basic knowledge of SQL and ability to apply…

This article presents the findings of a qualitative evaluation on the effect of a specialised software tool on the efficiency and quality of assignment marking. The software, Lightwork, combines with the Moodle learning management system and provides support through marking rubrics and marker allocations. To enable the evaluation a framework has…

Regardless of your stage at implementing the design tools and using the improved template for Understanding by Design[R] (UbD), this companion to "The UbD Guide to Creating High-Quality Units" is essential for taking your work to a higher plane. This volume features a set of hands-on modules containing worksheets, models, and self-assessments that…

Digital media applications (DMAs) have emerged in abundance over the last ten years. Enabled by exponential growth in computing power and inexpensive data storage, these applications are easy to use and inexpensive (often free) to own. DMAs not only allow users to produce digital content efficiently they allow users to exploit the connective power…

Critical thinking is a vital skill for higher education students. The Virtual Exchange was created by the authors to provide instructors with a unique approach to helping students enhance their critical thinking skills. Pilot data were collected from three universities where instructors used Virtual Exchange scenarios in their courses in different…

This article describes how a diverse, interdisciplinary team of faculty formed a topic-based faculty learning community. Following an introduction to faculty learning communities and a brief discussion of their benefit to faculty engaged in the process of adopting new technology, we explain how our team, through a competitive mini-grant…