Retention is crucial to the mission of an institution, and University leaders must strategize to increase student persistence. Introductory math can be a gatekeeper or a gateway. Supplemental instruction (SI) can help students' chances of success in math. This study reports on the three-term pilot of an SI program at a private mid-size…

Purpose: Researchers piloted a problem-based learning (PBL) activity in a master's degree-granting strategic studies program to explore how students apply knowledge and skills learned from the curriculum to their formulation of a strategy addressing a real-world global security scenario. Design/methodology/approach: This mixed-methods pilot study…

Qualifying social work education is recognised as playing a critical role in equipping practitioners with the skills and interest to develop a 'research minded' approach to practice, yet in the UK context, the profession continues to grapple with questions about how to support practitioners to sustain and develop these skills post-qualification.…

Objective: The aims of this pilot study were--first, to assess the impact of a brief classroom-based mindfulness program on students' reported levels of mindfulness, well-being, and stress; and, second, to understand students' experiences of participating in the program. Participants: Students at a private midwestern research-intensive university,…

The aim of the "First in Family" pilot podcast project was for students and staff to work together to produce a podcast which would support the student experience and recruitment of first-generation students (FGSs). This case study reports on the project, which used funds from the University of Reading's Partnerships in Learning and…

Metacognition, or the monitoring of one's own learning, is an underutilized tool in STEM education. Previous research suggests instructional strategies that attempt to improve student metacognitive skills could increase student resilience and retention in STEM classes. This pilot initiative aimed to improve student metacognitive skills and…

Objective: Focusing on body functionality -- what the body can do -- may benefit women's body image. This pilot study examined the effects of focusing on body functionality appreciation during an audio-guided mirror gazing task (F-MGT). Participants: 101 college women, M(SD)[subscript AGE] = 19.49(1.31), were alternately assigned to F-MGT or a…

While pair learning (PL) is considered a potential method in STEM education including robotics education (RE), the question of how to pair students for superior learning effects remains. Current grouping strategies for PL in RE are constrained by fixed grouping (FG) and short of attention to dynamic grouping (DG). Therefore, this study aims to…

Many efforts are under way around the world to make children aware of their cultural heritage, as stated in the 2018-2021 strategy of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO 2017). One reason children should have awareness of their heritage is that it, in combination with a sense of place, can play an important role in…

Given the novelty of human--machine communication (HMC) in task-based language learning (TBLL), we conducted a multimethodological pilot study to explore the use of Alexa in out-of-class task-based learning to mediate texts in English as a foreign language. Fourteen Polish intermediate learners participated in the quasi-experiment and programme…