California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) successfully completed a six-year initiative (including a no-cost extension in its final year) funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Promoting Post-Baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) program (Award No. P031M190029; $2.99 million). The project aimed to expand graduate…

This explanatory study explored what graduate programs should embrace in educating public serving professionals to become able to respond to paramount challenges unknown at the time of studies. For conceptual frameworks, the study employed: (1) principal-agent theory on how predominant philanthropic organizations pushed the creation of globalized…

In the Indian academia, at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the focus on teaching "writing" is relatively new; traditional focus has been on teaching the English language or Communication Skills. The novelty of academic writing has called for rigorous efforts in its operation in the Indian context. In addition, the virtual learning…

This paper reviews an Open University module for distance learning of finite element analysis (FEA) in MEng degree qualifications recognised for Chartered status. Presentation has evolved from physical hard copy study packs to fully online. The emphasis is on understanding limits and assumptions behind all aspects of FEA for safe and effective…

In this pedagogical study, we introduce the design and findings of a pilot study on the effectiveness of a new Engineering graduate course, "Total Sustainability Management", in teaching and learning sustainability, both at the cognitive and the management level. The design of an "arms-length" anonymized pre- and post-course…

Scientists need to engage stakeholders in natural resource management; however, few graduate programs prepare students to conduct outreach and engagement. Given this need, the authors' goals were to (1) create a one-credit course that introduced outreach and engagement practices and participatory approaches, (2) improve the quality of graduate…

Learner motivation is considered a vital factor in second language instruction. An analysis of motivation types and degrees can reveal learners' expectations and learning objectives. The present study analyzes the motivational patterns of a group of English for academic and professional purposes (EAPP) learners while focusing on types and degrees…

Beginning in 2000, a number of new graduate schools of education (nGSEs) have been established in the U.S. in response to increasing calls for more effective teachers. Among these are programs affiliated with "No Excuses"-style charter schools, which are focused on closing the achievement gap in urban K-12 schools. Teacher education…

Purpose: The global expansion of higher education has brought about more ambitious educational goals that require new approaches to curriculum, teaching, and learning. While higher education in East Asia is no exception to this trend, it has been observed that both teachers and learners in the region have adhered to a strong tradition of…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore faculty definitions of college-level learning in order to develop a universal definition to assist employers, career counselors, and academic institutions in assessing college-level workplace learning. Design/methodology/approach: Faculty were administered an electronic survey to gather definitions…

The past few years have witnessed new interest in doctoral production in South Africa. In the first section of the article, it is argued that this new interest has its roots in various higher education policy documents over the past decade. The second part of the article presents some of the most recent statistics on various aspects of doctoral…

It can reasonably be said that the discussion board is the "heart" of an online course. The discussion board can and should help the learner to make meaning of the content or topic and to find relevance to their lives. When this "engagement" does not occur, the individual does not benefit from the discussion, and it becomes…

This article is Part 2 in a 2-part series discussing the new guidelines for Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) issued in April 2008 by the Council on Social Work Education. The 2008 EPAS shifted the focus of assessment for accreditation or reaffirmation from the evaluation of program objectives to assessment of educational…

Student discussions are a common teaching approach in graduate and advanced undergraduate courses because of their benefits to student learning, and to future professional development for natural resources professionals. However, traditional student-led discussions often are ineffective at meeting course and learning objectives and suffer from…

This article describes the AECT PacifiCorp Design and Development competition, an important event for students of and academic programs in instructional design and human performance improvement. It details the three phases of the competition and describes how students and academic programs benefit from it. Included are the general topics and…