As architects and designers, we face design challenges that are rooted in the built condition. In our collaboration with student activities professionals, the effective use of space to service, engage, and welcome the campus community is at the forefront of design and planning discussions. We must consider the social implications of our physical…

Nearly one-fifth of U.S. children attend rural schools; however, these students have fewer opportunities for high-quality STEM learning. Rural students are also less likely to attend college and less likely to enroll in STEM majors than their urban and suburban peers. In conjunction with these factors, female students are also less likely to…

Common over-the-counter medicines can be an exciting entry point for introducing students to the interesting chemistries that they encounter in their daily lives. In this inquiry-based activity, students are tasked with using a list of given supplies and information about four medications (Aspirin, Tums, Pepto-Bismol, and Tylenol) to design three…

One way to bring about change in higher education is to introduce professional development programs for higher education, however these programs have been found to be ineffective at promoting positive change for individuals and departments. To address the need for better programs, I worked on two projects: one project attempts to identify a way to…

Although natural playgrounds have originated from an intention to provide greater access to nature for children, these play spaces offer a designed and regulated space that diverges from other natural contexts. This study investigated the perceived and sociomaterially constructed role of nature in natural playgrounds by examining what people (i.e.…

Authors Casey Reason and Brandon J. Larson advocate for the strategic design and development of impactful activities and athletics to enhance school culture. Their Rally model provides strategies for aligning extracurricular programs with academic goals, fostering leadership, and boosting participation and engagement. The Rally approach improves…

In 2022, New Mexico joined the list of states that adopted a statewide promise program, offering tuition and fee assistance for eligible students to pursue higher education. The New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship (NMOS) differs from existing programs by including part-time and summer enrollment, academic and workforce degrees, and older adult…

Background: Schoolyards and/or playgrounds are important settings for fostering children's social, cognitive, and physical development. Optimal schoolyard design is likely an important health-promoting and equigenic strategy, but prior research does not fully consider multiple dimensions of these spaces, such as vegetation, slopes, ground cover,…

While STEM education is widely acknowledged for enhancing national competitiveness and fostering creativity and innovation, it's important to note that certain marginalized groups, such as women and rural communities, still need to reap its benefits fully. To address these marginalized groups in the context of STEM education, this study aimed to…

Teachers' agency in using teaching and learning resources (TLRs) like teachers' guides and learners' textbooks is crucial for developing countries to achieve the sustainable development goal 4 (SDG4) of education quality. I analysed 29 lesson plans and interview data from 6 grade 2 teachers from two schools to examine factors that influence their…

This study presents a structured hybrid framework integrating Design Thinking (DT), the Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO) methodology, and Root Assessment (RA) to enhance project-based learning (PBL) in engineering education. The framework addresses limitations in conventional PBL by embedding iterative ideation, structured engineering…

Ecologies of collective imagination involve creating and sharing imagination practice. This modest piece of research engaged 10 artists, environmentalists, and educators to think together about how nature can be a source and a driver of the imagination and sense of possibility for individuals and communities. Together we focused on the concept of…

The coherence principle suggests removing unnecessary--or seductive--content from educational texts to reduce cognitive load. However, the binary proposition that all seductive details should be excluded neglects images' potential to prime semantically related concepts, which makes texts easier to process. It was hypothesized that this priming…

The growing demand for leadership competencies in the global workforce has expanded undergraduate programs integrating leadership theory, organizational development, and data-driven decision-making. This paper examines the development of an undergraduate leadership program evaluation at a liberal arts college in the southern United States.…

It is difficult for consumers to access the evidence base for prevention programs to determine which models or practices have the strongest empirical support for improving youth social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) outcomes within their specific service contexts. Researchers can address this evidence-to-practice gap through innovations in…