STEM experiences that capture students' curiosity have a unique role in inspiring awe in science, enculturing science engagement, and recruiting students to pursue STEM careers. Here, we present a unique interdisciplinary STEM experience for elementary school students that teaches them to write computer code to test primate intelligence at a zoo…

Project-based learning (PBL) grounds instruction in authentic learning experiences where students engage in real-world explorations that culminate in a final product or performance. We report on a mixed methods study with 43 ninth-grade English language arts (ELA) teachers (22 PBL and 21 comparison) and 1,671 students exploring the feasibility of…

This study examines the impact of a situated learning class framework on student learning and sense of belonging in a first-year introductory computer programming course offered at an urban commuter campus. The framework provided students opportunities to engage in hands-on activities embedded in authentic contexts facilitated or led by students…

Education systems around the world closed schools to cope with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this current mixed-method study, 181 schoolteachers completed online questionnaires to characterize the pedagogical strategies which they used during Emergency Remote Learning Environment (ERLE) in May 2020. In addition, we conducted…

In the realm of international education there are many calls to increase and improve faculty development to make study abroad experiences more intellectually and interculturally enriching, for both faculty and students (Anderson et al., 2016; Gillespie, 2019; Gillespie et al., 2020; Johnstone et al., 2020; Layne et al., 2020). In this study we…

The damped harmonic oscillator physics problem is a standard oscillation problem in calculus physics for pre-engineering students in a community college. The use of alternative linear algebra eigenvalue stability method is consistent with the upper engineering courses using control theory. The external force and friction damping would become the…

Internship courses are an active and applied opportunity to integrate educational learning programs and courses within practice settings. Individual learners in internship courses have different work internship placements and they start a unique professional and practice journey. How can this authentic learning environment be supported with…

Engaging students as pedagogical partners creates a brave space for students to become critical thinkers and beings that shapes not just what they know, but also who they are (Arao & Clemens, 2013; Bovill, Cook-Sather, & Felten, 2011). The language of brave space conveys a tone for engagement while also proposing a manner of engagement…

Co-written by a student and his teacher, this article illustrates how a carefully structured individual education program supported by appropriate software can provide suitable challenges for a gifted Year 3 student. While the focus is on one student's statistical investigation, the story has relevance to the wider primary school environment.

Investigating a "problem of practice" is a signature feature of the EdD dissertation. Yet, little is known about how doctoral students derive their problems, the nature of the problems they study, and the impact studying problems of practice has on students' local contexts. The purpose of this study was to investigate EdD students'…

At a time when changes in standards and curriculum compound the pressures of fifth-grade state testing, the authors wanted to find an engaging way to involve students in authentic science and engineering. Rather than put their efforts into a traditional science fair that would inevitably lead to inequitable input by parents and students alike,…

This research aims to explore the latent effect of elementary student engagement in a Spherical Video-based Virtual Reality (SVVR) environment for a school-based course on higher level competence development. Student engagement and higher level competence development were investigated using a valid sample of 324 students from five elementary…

As higher education is pressured to prove its students' readiness to work, preparing marketing students to become successful professionals requires faculty to employ a myriad of approaches. Among these approaches that emerged over the past 30 years are client-sponsored projects (CSP) as a superior method to transferring practical experience…

In the fall of 2020, due to COVID, our pre-service teachers did not have access to student work samples early in the semester. In order to learn how to assess student learning I reached out to an Arts and Sciences faculty who teaches a freshman course. The Arts and Sciences faculty was a former middle school teacher who was scheduled to talk about…

In a world marked by virtual learning amidst COVID-19, we are inundated with videos, images, memes, and new technology platforms, yet students and parents are hungry for authentic learning experiences. Even with all that is now available, there is a struggle to find opportunities for students to engage in problem-based, real world exploration. In…