As a learner-centered pedagogy, project-based learning (PBL) is recognized to improve students' engagement and long-term learning effectiveness. The present PBL practices are based on instructor-defined topics and are assigned as a partial or full substitution of traditional assessments. Here, open-topic PBL as an opt-in activity is proposed and…

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of Real-World Experiences in Active Learning (R.E.A.L.) impacted student learning outcomes in an undergraduate information systems (IS) data communication and networking course. A quasi-experimental, quantitative approach was used to investigate whether the R.E.A.L. treatments, used as active…

Our field has generally reached a consensus that active-learning approaches improve student success; however, there is a need to explore the ways that particular instructional approaches affect various student groups. We examined the relationship between gender and student learning outcomes in one context: inquiry-oriented abstract algebra. Using…

This article uses new survey data to examine student preferences and experiences with active learning among a graduate student cohort across two key identity markers: international student status and gender. Our survey of students enrolled in a Master of International Relations program suggests that most view active learning favorably and believe…

In this dissertation I will present my work in both the fields of spintronics and physics education research. In the first section, I present a method to account for spin pumping in spin torque ferromagnetic resonance (ST-FMR) measurements. A spin current can be generated via the spin Hall effect (SHE), which is typically transverse to the charge…

Team-based learning (TBL) is a highly intense active learning pedagogy that uses a cycle of preclass preparation, formative assessment for readiness, mini-lectures, and complex team exercises. Consistent with the literature on active learning, prior research on TBL consistently shows its benefits for student outcomes as compared with previous…

Growing evidence has come to suggest that model-based inquiry can improve student learning outcomes and attitudes toward STEM in the biological sciences and beyond. In our introductory biology laboratory course that focuses on cellular and molecular biology, we introduced model-based inquiry (MBI) labs to create a more student-focused course that…

Project-based learning can be beneficial for engineering students, giving students the opportunity to complete mastery experiences that improve their engineering self-efficacy or academic self-confidence. However, despite the many potential benefits of projects, there can be issues with project-based learning: students may take on different tasks…

Students enrolled in accounting courses often struggle because of the complexity of the topic. Accounting instructors have searched for effective means of fostering student success, but the learning process continues to change. Critical thinking and problem solving abilities are vital for students and future professionals. Thus, teaching should…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of project-based learning on the scale scores of 11th grade students on Arkansas' 11th Grade End of Course Literacy exam and to determine the cost effectiveness of project-based learning by determining the return on investment and productivity of a project-based learning model. I compared the…

Since programming processes involve different thinking skills and different fields of knowledge, it is especially important for children to acquire 21st-century skills. Even though the programming education activities are being intensively applied, it can be said that there is a gap in quantitative researches supporting the effort to reveal the…

It is advocated that flipped learning environment has the potential to affect student learning outcomes in a positive way. However, very few previous research findings are available to support this. Additionally, postulated that flipped learning has not caught on in social sciences. The current study explored whether students' specific learning…

The authors in a convergent parallel mixed method design aimed to investigate whether and how the geometry knowledge and attitude toward geometry of students with field-dependent/independent cognitive style improve differentially within a project-based learning environment. Quantitative data were collected from 97 seventh-grade students before and…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is twofold--first, to compare the assessment in two subjects of the Business Administration Degree between Finland and Spain and, second, to test whether there are factors such as gender, age, subject, students' motivation, or preferences that may have an impact on the assessment. Design/methodology/approach: A…

Women make up the majority of doctoral degree earners yet remain underrepresented in tenure-track positions within the academy. Gender disparities result in part from the accumulation of subtle, typically unintentional biases that pervade workplace structures, practices, and patterns of interactions that inadvertently favor men. However, the…