Abstract: English has evolved into the most widely learned and internationally used language because for the increasing numbers of learners in the globalization process. With the growing demand of English education, the competencies of English teachers as Native English-Speaking Teachers (NESTs) and Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs) have become a significant matter of discussion. The purpose of this study was to investigate Taiwanese English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ perceptions and preferences toward NESTs and NNESTs who hold a degree from a country where English is the dominant language through addressing the differences in their English instruction. This qualitative study consisted of 20 participants. Two open-ended questions were investigated and analyzed. The findings revealed that the participants held an overall preference for NESTs over NNESTs; nevertheless, they believed both NESTs and NNESTs offered strengths and weaknesses in their English instruction. The characteristics that were perceived to be disadvantages of one group appeared to be advantages of the other. For example, NESTs were considered more difficult to communicate with by the participants, while NNESTs were believed to have limited English proficiency.

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Abstract: We examined how predictive pre-course knowledge, critical thinking, attendance, course credit, and exam grades are of in-class participation. The association between exam performance and pre-course knowledge, critical thinking, participation, course credit, and attendance was also investigated. A two-level hierarchical linear model was used to examine these relationships in an undergraduate course. Students with higher critical thinking scores were more likely to participate when course credit was provided for participation than when no participation credit was available. Therefore, credit contingencies may more effectively raise participation levels of students with high critical thinking skills than students with low critical thinking skills.

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Abstract: Reform efforts in the teaching of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have included introducing faculty to specific teaching strategies and engaging them in collaborative initiatives. This study examined the experiences of STEM faculty learning interactive teaching strategies while also learning and applying self-study methodology in a year-long faculty self-study learning community. We used self-study methodology as an innovative design to support STEM faculty’s research about their teaching. Drawing on multiple sources of data, the researchers found that although participants reported that learning self-study methodology was unique and complex, they embraced the problematic and sophisticated nature of self-study to examine their teaching while recognizing the close link between teaching and research. As they reflected on their professional identities as teachers, they gained a better understanding of their role in their students’ learning. Supporting faculty’s small changes in teaching can lead to larger changes over time. Self-study methodology can reinforce the change process. The self-study learning community design may be useful as a catalyst for developing an advanced teaching trajectory for STEM faculty and useful for faculty from various disciplines. Implications for impacting individual and institutional capacity in higher education are discussed.

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Abstract: As the number of enrolled international ESL students in the US institutions increases rapidly, it is important to understand these students’ goal orientations and learning strategies in order to help them achieve the academic goals. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between achievement goal orientations and self-regulated learning strategies of 173 international ESL students in a large southeastern research institution in the US. Results indicate that approach goal orientations are positively associated with students’ self-regulated learning, while avoidance goal orientations are negatively linked with their self-regulated learning. Additionally, international ESL students have a strong intention of learning a specific knowledge as well as showing competitiveness, and these motivations drive them to use various self-regulated learning strategies during the learning process.

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Abstract: While a common refrain among some educators is that many young adults lack personal responsibility for learning, little empirical research exists that examines how tertiary students perceive or operationalize this construct. This research investigated how 124 freshman engineering students perceive responsibility in terms of what responsibility means, its benefits, and the factors that contribute to their own and peers’ learning. Students were surveyed in two project-based learning Communication courses. The survey sought to identify a) students’ perception of responsibility for their own learning and for supporting the learning of their peers, b) particular aspects of the courses that contribute to students’ development of responsibility, and c) the effect responsible behavior has on their own and peers’ learning. Results indicate that most students: 1) believe that they have more responsibility for their own learning than the need to support their peers’ learning; 2) can identify particular tasks and assignments that require them to be responsible for their learning; and 3) can recognize the benefits of being responsible for their own learning and for supporting their peers’ learning, but do not always operationalize this understanding. Results are discussed and recommendations are made as to how to develop students’ personal responsibility in team-based courses.

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Abstract: Textbook prices have increased exponentially in recent years, prompting educators to investigate the usefulness of alternative sources for course readings. This is particularly important for community college students who are more likely to be low-income and less likely to complete their educational credentials. Despite this need, there is a dearth of literature investigating community college students’ experiences with open educational resources. Therefore, we deployed a primarily open-prompt survey to current community college students who were using Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) as alternative textbooks or textbook supplements to gather their perceptions of this specific type of open educational resource. Students primarily viewed TIPs as better than traditional textbooks with the most common themes including relevance, free access, and ease of use. Students’ responses additionally revealed knowledge acquisition from the readings and the potential for a long-term connection to the professional resource.

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Abstract: This phenomenological study examined the perceptions and experiences of 22 traditional aged students when their African American faculty used “accessibility cues” in the classroom. Examples of “cues” include; encouraging students to actively participate in class, evaluate an assignment, or share personal experiences related to the class topic. Students perceive this form of active pedagogy as an indicator that the faculty member is willing to engage outside the formal classroom environment (Wilson, Woods, & Gaff, 1974). Results of in depth interviews with the students in this study, reveals that when faculty use these “cues” in the classroom, students felt respected, valued, supported, and safe in the learning environment. Although this study occurred at a singular institution in the northeastern region of the United States, the findings of this study are beneficial to faculty and administrators across the globe. This study illuminates how pedagogy in the class can have a direct influence on student engagement.

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Abstract: Teaching and learning of many undergraduate science courses often remains confined within the boundaries of classrooms rendering learning of these subjects irrelevant and detached from students’ lived experiences. Community-based experiential learning (CBEL) is one way to address this issue. This paper reports the development and implementation of a CBEL activity and its impact on students’ learning of Biology in a large university within Western Canada. Data corpus for the study included written pre- and post-CBEL student reflections, which were analyzed qualitatively. The results suggest that CBEL experience significantly enhanced the quality of students’ learning across academic, civic, and personal domains. Emerged themes inform that the students considered their CBEL experience as valuable and empowering as it created opportunities for them to contribute to their own and peers’ learning, as well as to the local community’s and entire ecosystem’s ecological wellbeing. They acknowledged that the CBEL experience enhanced their academic understandings and technical skills, which they can utilize in many other contexts. Outcomes of this study will inform revisions of the Biology 1000 curriculum in new iterations of the course. The study will also interest science educators who strive to promote students’ learning in wider Canadian and other international contexts.

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Abstract: Although there is a robust body of research that has addressed the psychometric properties of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) in different populations, no study has yet investigated the factor structure and congeneric reliability of the Arabic version of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, 2nd edition (LASSI-II) among Egyptian undergraduates. This study examined the test factor structure, the underlying factor structure of the subscales, and the congeneric reliability (omega coefficient) of an adapted Arabic version of the LASSI-II. Participants were 303 Egyptian undergraduate students. Results of confirmatory factor analyses revealed that each subscale had satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices. Results also confirmed the three-factor model (ER-GO-CA) proposed by Olejnik and Nist (1992) and refined by Olaussen and Braten (1998). Finally, results indicated relatively high omega coefficients for the subscales ranging from a low of .65 (Study Aids) to a high of .86 (Self-testing). Implications and suggestions for future research are presented.

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Abstract: Advancing Healthy and Socially Just Schools and Communities is a four-course graduate certificate program collaboratively developed by an interdisciplinary team comprised of faculty from the fields of Social Work and Education at a Canadian university. The aim of this program is to facilitate systems-level change through enhancing the knowledge and skills of graduate students from disciplines such as social work, education, and nursing who work with youth in schools and communities. The ultimate goal of this systems-level change is promotion of healthy youth relationships and prevention of violence. The topics for the four courses in the program include the following: promoting healthy relationships and preventing interpersonal violence, recognizing and counteracting oppression and structural violence, addressing trauma and building resilience, and fostering advocacy and community in the context of social justice. The development and pedagogy of the certificate program are described, along with findings from a pilot study designed to examine the utility and feasibility of the initial certificate offering. Experiences with the program to date highlight the potential for improvements in graduate students’ attitudes, beliefs, and confidence regarding what constitutes violence and their role in responding to it.

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Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine whether instructor disclosures of personal communication apprehension in the public speaking classroom are beneficial to students as they manage their own nervousness related to public speaking. Participants (N = 233) in the present study included students enrolled in public speaking courses at a medium-sized Midwestern university. Results indicated that participants rated instructors who disclosed personal experiences of communication apprehension to their classes as more competent than instructors who did not disclose this information. In addition, participants’ open-ended responses suggested that students perceive supportive instructors who share their personal experiences of communication apprehension with their students to be an important resource to students as they work on overcoming their fears related to public speaking. The implications of these findings in the public speaking classroom, other higher education classrooms, and in relation to general instructor disclosures are discussed.

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Abstract: This article describes an interdisciplinary teaching experience between two faculty members in an MBA course on global leadership. Critical systems thinking theory informed course design and activities. Detailed pedagogy, course competency assessment, and personal reflections are included. Faculty used quantitative and qualitative measures to assess students’ change in beliefs, attitudes, and competencies over the course. Data included written reflections from exercises, a quantitative pre-post measure of epistemological beliefs, and teaching reflections. Students reported gains in the importance of self-awareness, inter-cultural awareness, and complexity in decision making. Personal epistemology changes occurred, but less so. The course findings indicated that sense of self and one’s beliefs will impact decision making and openness to new ideas and information. The capacity of students to assimilate new information is connected to their ability to relate the material to their personal lives, values, and world views. Faculty reflections led to insights in how to teach critical systems thinking for epistemological development and decision-making.

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Abstract: In universities all over the world, academics are compelled to increase the quality and quantity of their own research while also attempting to mentor a new generation of scholars. In this work we explore literature surrounding significant issues in higher education affecting faculty mentors of graduate students who are themselves engaged in the publishing process. In light of this literature, we propose a spectrum of approaches for mentoring graduate scholars in ways that are professionally meaningful and manageable for faculty mentors.

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Abstract: The purpose of this article is to describe an internationalization project that was developed at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida to provide faculty across the disciplines with assignments they can use to foster the development of their students’ global competency. After describing the project and the series of assignments they developed, the authors focus on one of the assignments, a cultural interview, and describe how it was adapted in two disciplines: hospitality management and political science. Overall, the students found the experience to be a positive one. They gained confidence as a result of conducting the interview and developed a broader perspective on their chosen profession. Finally, many students reflected on the fact that before completing the interview they thought their level of cultural competence was much greater than it actually was. The interview assignment is a valuable tool for faculty who wish to help their students develop their global competency whether the primary motivation is to help students become more competitive in the job market or to foster students’ development as engaged global citizens. As shown by the findings of this study, the assignment has the potential to do both simultaneously.

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Abstract: Sustainability professionals need cosmopolitan competencies to be successful when working on environmental, social, and governance issues that span cultural and national boundaries. Working professionals often struggle building these competencies because they have limited time for international travel and limited access to international peers. Short-term (10 day) and highly curated educational travel programs, combined with pre- and post-trip study, provide powerful learning experiences that can overcome these obstacles. This paper does three things: 1) defines and justifies cosmopolitan competencies that are useful to sustainability professionals, 2) describes a pedagogy to teach these competencies to working professionals, and 3) evaluates whether intended learning outcomes were achieved. A quantitative survey instrument was completed before and after international education programs to China and India. The pre-post differences were statistically significant, suggesting the pedagogy has impact. Qualitative interviews supplement and help interpret the quantitative data.

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Abstract: Online courses are becoming more common at institutions of higher education, yet teaching online creates many challenges, including how to foster instructor immediacy in the online learning environment. Student feedback on audio and video teaching techniques were collected in two undergraduate online classes. Students thought that using video in multiple ways (weekly announcements and assignment feedback) provided increased immediacy and motivation for online students in two Communication courses: Mass Media and Society and Communication Theory. Ultimately, instructors can make a positive difference in perceived instructor immediacy and presence with small changes through general class directed videos and short weekly video announcements (roughly 3 minutes in length) periodically throughout the semester. Use of short videos for feedback as opposed to longer lecture-based videos can be a useful instructional technique for a wide range of online courses within higher education.

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