Following the 2002 work of economist Henry Levin, who laid out a framework for evaluating school vouchers, we provide an updated framework involving four major goals: equity, efficiency, accountability and democratic goals. We review what is known from recent research around these four major areas under today's voucher programs. We raise questions…

Despite generous financial aid provided by the government for low-income students studying at universities, eligible students are still reluctant to apply for such aid. This study aimed to assess the effects of students' expectations; knowledge, attitudes, and actions toward higher education; financial aid; parental, school, and student…

In three studies, college student participants read a description of ambiguous (i.e., neither explicitly positive nor explicitly negative) academic feedback from a faculty member. Evaluations of the ambiguous feedback were compared across participants' gender identities and levels of social and intellectual belonging in their academic majors and…

This study investigated the association between students' perceptions of digital accessibility and competence, self-efficacy for self-directed learning (SDL) and their self-rated final grades in the virtual laboratory course during the COVID-19 outbreak. Data were collected from 217 engineering students enrolled in four virtual undergraduate…

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…

Kindergarten teachers face the challenge of integrating contemporary assessment practices with play-based pedagogy. The current study addresses this challenge by presenting a kindergarten assessment framework rooted in theory and current classroom practices, based on teacher interview and observational data collected in 20 kindergarten classrooms.…

Like many higher education institutions, amplifying experiential learning (EL) is a priority for the University of Calgary. In order to capture the extent and complexity of EL that exists in an institution, it is crucial to have a common understanding of the concept. In 2018, the University of Calgary created the EL Working Group, tasked with…

This study aims to assess and measure students' performances using course-key performance indicators (course-KPIs) in an academic course at a Saudi university. The approach includes three aspects of assessment (i) integrating course components and correlating course learning objectives with the program learning domain, (ii) course evaluation using…

The Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility model (TPSR) is a well-established pedagogical approach that is implemented in physical education and sport-based youth development programs in the USA and internationally. This article offers an alternative model which presents the levels/goals as non-hierarchical and positions transfer of learning,…

Learning outcomes are the first and most essential element of the curricula and the correct and rigorous determination of the learning outcomes is very important in order to ensure formal education in schools to be well-planned and to design and apply curriculums effectively. Because, the other elements of the curriculum which are content,…

This essay explores the advantages and disadvantages of online learning courses in relation to traditional courses and considers the need to create an online learning environment that reflects positive characteristics of traditional courses. A common deficiency in online learning environments is the ability to create an 'organic' and spontaneous…

Plant blindness is an important phenomenon with a growing body of literature. According to researchers, the educational system is listed both among the causes and solutions to this issue. Therefore, previous work regarding this matter has mainly focused on the educational context. While sustainable development is a top priority for every modern…

Undergraduate research has been documented as yielding valuable student learning outcomes. While the outcomes have been extensively investigated, the development and characteristics of the relationship with the research mentor has received less attention. To better understand how participating in undergraduate research yields substantial benefits…

Over the last decade, there has been a renewed interest in capturing twenty-first century skills using new data collection tools. In this article, we leverage an existing dataset where electrodermal activity (EDA) was used to identify markers of productive collaboration. The data came from 42 pairs of participants (N = 84) who had no coding…

The Chemistry Department at Sonoma State University teaches two upper division capstone laboratory courses as culminating experiences for our BS chemistry and biochemistry majors. The courses share complementary learning experiences and have student learning objectives (SLOs) of literature competency, experimental design, development of…