Providing targeted experiences for first-year students both inside and outside the classroom is essential for building connections and creating a foundation for skill development necessary for academic success. Many first-year programs include a standalone course for incoming students or specific content weaved into existing course offerings.…

Immersive virtual reality (VR) is a technology that can be effective for procedural skills training through game-based simulations such as serious games. The current study describes the instructional design, development, and evaluation of the FSCHOOL fire preparedness serious game in a cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE-VR) for elementary…

This research addresses the challenges of rebuilding a political science department from the ground up. By looking at student needs, departmental resources, and assessment of recent graduates and seniors, this research helps faculty by providing tools and information about building and strengthening a department. By describing what is unique to…

Integrated "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics" (STEM) education is recognised as the latest development stage on the pathway to a highly capable future workforce, and is thus linked to a nation's future development and prosperity. However, despite various appeals and efforts by the Australian Government, effective…

This study aims to determine the extent and manner in which the notion of death is provided for in laws regulating school curricula in Spain and the Spanish Autonomous Regions, and to identify any differences and similarities among the Regions. To this end a documentary survey of current legislation, curricular regulations and educational…

This article presents information relating to the use of a specific family of pedagogical approaches, namely gamebased approaches (GBAs), as a means to design physical education curricula that develops and recognizes learners as MKOs. Also discussed is Wiggins and McTighe's (2005) Understanding by Design framework and its use in designing a PE…

Although there have been increased calls to prepare teachers with the pedagogical content knowledge to teach statistics, there are few stand-alone statistics courses for preservice teachers. Teachers across content areas need to be able to understand the data being produced about their students, their schools, and themselves. This article reports…

This study uses the Aristotelian notion of "phronesis" as a critical lens for examining how global citizenship education is prefigured in the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. Based on a content analysis of key curriculum documentation, the findings outline the way in which "techne" and "episteme" with their…

While social-emotional learning (SEL) is regularly identified as a top priority for student well-being and achievement, effective implementation will not happen on its own. That's what makes the SEL coach critical to success. Effective systems change happens with an SEL coach who has the skills to lead, communicate, analyze, train, collaborate,…

Designing an assessment that is fit for purpose in the initial teacher education (ITE) setting is complex. The assessment must meet the university and New Zealand Teaching Council regulations, mirror educational best practice, support ITE students to learn curricular and pedagogical content as well as be practicable to teach and assess. This…

"Reforming Lessons" provides a first-hand account of the ambitious programme of reform that has led to a transformation in English schools since 2010 and seen pupils rise through the ranks of international comparison tests such as PIRLS and PISA. Co-authored by former Schools Minister Nick Gibb and Headteacher Robert Peal, the book…

The recent inclusion of texts by a range of Black British writers in GCSE English Literature syllabuses seems an attempt to rectify historical racial inequities in English curricula. In this paper, I argue that curricular change must move beyond diversity and inclusion initiatives towards anti-racist approaches where we "tell it how it…

Background: This paper represents an empirical study that examines the impact of specific teaching methods on the effectiveness of preschool music education. Objectives: The current study seeks to determine whether the integration of digital technology improves the music learning outcomes of preschoolers. Methods: The author compared the learning…

Authentic assessments are seen as a promising response to many of the challenges currently facing Higher Education. Studies have identified shared characteristics of authentic assessments, but it is also argued that the term is vague and subjective. Drawing on existing frameworks we have established a standardised measure to evaluate authenticity…

This study examines an urban middle school teacher design team's capacity for creating integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curricula. Using Brown's pedagogical design capacity (PDC) theory, which highlights interactions between personal and curricular resources, this paper introduces an extended framework that includes…