For most beginners, learning computer programming is a complex undertaking. Demotivation and learned helplessness have been widely reported. In addition to the subject's complexity, low in-class involvement has been linked to poor student performance. This work introduces a novel instructional technique called Student-Driven Probe Instruction…

As our world moves away from historic models of self-contained countries, toward a more integrated and connected world, research suggests transnational approaches may be advantageous for advancing social justice agendas. While social work higher education has long prioritized cultural competencies and global perspectives in practice and research,…

School algebra serves as the language of mathematics and a foundational subject for learning advanced mathematics courses. This makes developing learners' proficiency in algebra the most desirable instructional goal of school mathematics. Despite having such importance emphasis, however, studies indicate that the vast majority of learners are…

We demonstrate evaluating levels of student engagement in online classes for accreditation. By synthesizing four categories of student engagement (Hillman, Willis, & Gunawardena, 1994) and individual activities from Adler (2020), we extend and use a comprehensive set of student engagement activities for assessment. This systematic evaluation…

The purpose of this study is to explore world language teacher perceptions of inclusion in online instructional practices. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews conducted with six world language teachers in one large public school district during the 2020-2021 academic year. Four of six teachers described practices that incorporate…

Instructor support is associated with various positive outcomes for students. Self-care (taking care of one's physical, mental, and emotional health) has become a mainstream concept. Self-care may be one way for students to increase wellness, particularly students enrolled in rigorous science courses. If self-care is facilitated or suggested by an…

This study reports how ethics of care principles were foregrounded in a first-year English module offered at an open distance e-learning (ODeL) university in South Africa to enhance online student engagement. Current research indicates that online student engagement predicts student success; however, there is a paucity of how ethics of care…

We add to a growing literature suggesting that demographic grade gaps should be attributed to biases embedded in the courses themselves. Changes in the structure of two different introductory physics classes were made while leaving the topics covered and the level of coverage unchanged. First, a class where conceptual issues were studied before…

Students' understanding of the electronic structure of the atom has been investigated by many authors. This study outlines students' conceptual and representational understanding of quantum concepts explored in lower and upper level chemistry courses, in three different chemistry majors, identifying learning obstacles and monitoring student…

We tested the long-term effects of a utility-value intervention administered in a gateway chemistry course, with the goal of promoting persistence and diversity in STEM. In a randomized controlled trial (N = 2,505), students wrote three essays about course content and its personal relevance or three control essays. The intervention significantly…

Teaching symmetry point groups to introductory inorganic chemistry students is often complicated by the difficulties students face with mental manipulation of complex molecules. Additionally, most textbooks provide practice in the form of random two-dimensional molecules or figures of little significance. As an alternative, an assignment is…

This article explores secondary teachers' opportunities to learn from an innovative real analysis course, as reflected in their actual classroom teaching. The course used cases of teaching as a site for applying mathematics and developing pedagogical mathematical practices. This article explores particular teaching moments in (N = 6) secondary…

Humans have been learning at a distance for millennia. Modern information and communications technology has enabled formal distance education to be conducted online, though significant variation exists in purpose, course format, delivery methods, etc. Under duress of COVID-19, educators and students alike have been forced to engage in their…

Experiments involving RC circuits are an integral part of introductory physics courses. Previous articles using RC circuits describe determining the charge on a Van de Graaff generator, measuring currents and voltages in a charging RC circuit using a multimeter or an Arduino, measuring the decay constants of complex RC circuits, and using the…

The early 20th century marked a number of transformational experimental and theoretical discoveries in physics. Among them is one that is often neglected in the introductory physics curriculum, which revolutionized our understanding of the molecular world. Evidence for the thermal motions of atoms was first observed by Perrin in 1909, which had…