Possession of prior knowledge has been shown to critically influence students' learning in major courses. Yet the topic remains unexplored in the realm of general education in higher education. The study aims at investigating whether students lacking relevant high school knowledge background could benefit in the two courses, one inclined to…

In 2014, the Finnish National Board of Education launched a new core curriculum with the aim of meeting the skills and competence requirements of the 21st century. The purpose of this case study was to find out what transversal competencies Finnish eighth graders developed and how they experienced studying in a problem-based transdisciplinary…

This study investigated to determine the online course design elements that are associated with student online course satisfaction. A total of 90 online courses were reviewed, using the course checklist based on the Quality Matters rubric. The results show that course structure and layout were inconsistent across courses within a program or…

The international trend of competency-based curricula is evident in the curricular framework in Finland. In the latest effort of curricular reform, seven transversal competencies were introduced to the Finnish educational system. In this article, we analyse the ways in which multiliteracy as a transversal competency, presented in the Core…

The Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (subsequently renamed the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, also known as TOPS) was created by Act 1375 of the 1997 Regular Legislative Session. The first college freshman class to receive TOPS awards entered postsecondary education in the fall of 1998. Act 1202 of the 2001 Regular Legislative…

In this article, an analogy is drawn between processes of land-grabbing or land enclosures and music education professionalization. It is suggested that specializations in musicing and music teaching serve to discourage participation or create musical helplessness on the part of those who don't view themselves as "musically inclined."…

Research in digital libraries (DLs) has gained much interest across the globe. Most funding related to DL are available for building DLs, rather than producing digital librarians by developing the DL curricula and offering necessary funding to introduce state-of-the-art DL labs for future library professionals. Based on online surveys, this…

The report provides a social and historical perspective on how Finland's education system was built and emerged as a high performer in Europe by 2000. In highlighting Finland's strengths, the authors focus on: (1) Finland's long-standing commitment to supporting all of its students as the driver of strong outcomes; (2 the systems's emphasis on…

Higher education is challenged by workforce needs to transform its outcomes from "knowledge-based" to "competency-based" outcomes. High-impact educational practices, commonly referred to as HIPs, provide, among other benefits, efficacious development of workforce-ready specific competencies. Strategic implementation of HIPs has…

This research aims to compare the social studies curricula of Thailand and New York State, USA, analyze their similarities and differences, and propose guidelines for improving the Thai social studies curriculum. The study employed a qualitative research methodology, using documentary analysis of the Thai Basic Education Core Curriculum B.E. 2551…

It is becoming increasingly necessary for every child to have experience with 21st century Computational Thinking (CT) skills including learning to program. Considerable efforts have been made within the last two decades including the development and widespread use of novice-friendly block-based programming environments such as Scratch and Snap!…

Marketing is often used to correct misperceptions and better align them with reality. Ironically, the discipline of marketing itself currently faces a misalignment between negative public perceptions of the field and the reality of marketing's vital role as a business function. The question this study addresses is: does this misalignment carry…

Core management courses bear a particularly challenging curricular as well as pedagogical burden insofar as they are typically the sole or primary vehicle for integrating management principles with larger university and school objectives. Compounding the challenge is that these very objectives are neither universally clear nor necessarily…

In July 2009, Brigham Young University's Recreation Management (RecM) Department moved to the Marriott School of Management (MSM), beginning its integration into a nationally ranked business school, including the transition from a college with little coordination between departments to one where all majors share a common core of classes. Despite…

Professional development in higher education is traditionally viewed as occurring through participation in workshops, attending conferences, and completing learning modules. But sometimes professional learning occurs in informal and unintended ways. This article contributes to the collective understanding of informal professional learning in…