Abstract: Student internships are valued as solid indicators of future employability, which often result in the acquisition of additional education and career skills. This study describes the perceptions of interior design students after completing a summer internship with a design firm. Utilizing a case study approach, the study data were collected through a survey instrument which gauged students’ perceptions of their internship experience, particularly compensation, learning, and satisfaction. They were also asked how beneficial this experiential learning activity was in gaining technical, professional, and communication skills. The results reveal that skills related to employability were perceived as most beneficial and that financial compensation had a weak relationship with overall internship satisfaction. Students believed they learned important hard and soft skills from their internship, regardless of their pay rate. Degree programs with an internship requirement can help their students be better prepared for successful employment upon graduation.

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Abstract: During the university term, in addition to graduation, some Brazilian science undergraduate students have the opportunity to join Scientific Initiation Programs (SI). Students are expected to be able to develop scientific writing skills. Based on these goals, this descriptive study aimed to investigate the efficacy of practical activities for SI students on the topic of the structure of scientific articles, using a qualitative approach via a case study. Five female students, who were aged between 20 and 30 years and enrolled in a Food Engineering undergraduate course, participated in the study. The students attended two meetings. In the first, texts that dealt with the structure of scientific articles were distributed, followed by a scientific bingo game. The second meeting focused on the creation of concept maps. The activity methodologies used allowed the SI students to remember their previous knowledge about the subject and generate new knowledge. The association between the two activities provided a better understanding of the subject. It was concluded that educators should seek new ways to introduce the understanding of topics that are part of the student's daily life and that practical activities usually generate a positive result because they are dynamic, interactive, and undertaken in groups.

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Abstract: This study explored faculty perceptions on the challenges and opportunities to engage and support digital natives, the new wave of students to include individuals who are now pursuing post-secondary education at colleges and universities across the country. The study also examined faculty perspectives on the kinds of support systems that they believe are most important to facilitate meaningful learning experiences in the classroom at a Southeastern University in the United States. Results indicate that institutions must have an enabling environment to help with greater integration and use of digital technology on campus. The data also showed there is need for strong operational support and tailored coaching to help faculty achieve desired learning outcomes in their assigned courses. Finally, the study found that a focus should be placed on creating a sense of a learning community among faculty and their peers to achieve the goal of sustained adoption and use of digital technology within a university.

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Abstract: Graduate education advances students’ competencies and skills to prepare them as professionals and should provide various learning experiences to support their development as socially responsible professionals who meet role expectations. Learning experiences that support the development of students’ professionalism are discussed in the research, but limitations lie in understanding the constructs of professionalism. In response, this study examined formal and informal learning experiences that influence graduate students’ understanding of professionalism and relevant learning experiences that support the development of professionalism. The study concludes with the implications of possible instructional strategies that can be used to promote professionalism in higher education.

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Abstract: How can we increase the level of students’ engagement in collaborative learning in higher education? To answer this question, we investigated the potential factors that were known to affect teamwork engagement in workplace settings because of the compatibility between collaborative learning and teamwork in the workplace. Specifically, we examined how Emergent Leadership and Group Cohesion mediate the relationship between Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) and engagement. Two hundred and thirty-four college students participated in the study. The hypothesized dual mediation model was tested using the SPSS PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2013). Overall, the proposed model was significant, and the relationship between OCB and engagement was fully mediated by Emergent Leadership and Group Cohesion. The results present the mechanism of how OCB can positively contribute to student engagement in a collaborative learning environment. By enhancing OCB in collaborative groups, therefore, it is expected that students can experience good shared leadership and cohesive groups, and eventually such students’ experiences will positively affect learners’ engagement levels in collaborative work. Our results provide evidence that instructors should consider how OCB can be encouraged in collaborative settings when they design, plan, and facilitate collaborative learning projects. Theoretical and practical implications of the research are also discussed.

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Abstract: The last 35 years have shown a greater interest among higher education professionals to adapt the principles of active learning within the classroom. Active learning, an instructional approach that allows students the opportunity to participate in the process of learning, requires them to do something more than just passively receive instruction. Increased student engagement, participation, and learning have long been linked with active learning, but little is known about any additional benefits. The focus of this study was to identify and examine any additional benefits associated with active learning above and beyond those of increased engagement, participation, and learning. A sample of 45 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: active learning or traditional lecture. Results indicate that in addition to engagement, participation, and learning, active learning also promotes increases in communication and interactivity, community and connectedness, satisfaction, and flexibility.

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Abstract: This article re-operationalizes the term “impact” to evaluate success in the USAF Leader Development Course for Squadron Command (LDC). Literature is used to define impact in a three-part way: area of impact (what topics were most effective in instruction), level of impact (how topics will be applied in the future), and depth of impact (why the course was effective). Based on qualitative analysis of 379 surveys completed by students and their supervisors, findings revealed 10 top areas of impact. Seven topics were common between what students indicated had impacted them with what graduates reported actually applying post-graduation. Regarding level of impact, self, others, and unit were the top-rated categories of applying course content. The depth of impact was seen as being in an ecosystem of interconnectedness between the human microsystem (interactions with instructors, peers, and self) and six overlapping elements – the exosystem – that brought the student experience to life. The system of relationships is depicted in a new model called the “Student Experience Ecosystem” that may serve as a blueprint for designing similar courses. The study aids LDC revisions, informs development of similar programs in the academic community, and offers a holistic way to improve pedagogy in higher education.

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Abstract: Quantitative reasoning and interdisciplinary skills are central to real-world environmental problem solving. Enhancing those skills for students in environmental programs will help them succeed as future environmental professionals. This paper describes an approach that uses an applied geophysical imaging course to enhance quantitative reasoning and interdisciplinary learning in an environmental geography program. To adapt the course to geography students, applied learning is emphasized through the high-impact educational practices (HEPs) of undergraduate research and service learning. Throughout the course, students learn the theories of, and utilize electrical resistivity (ER), ground penetrating radar (GPR), and electromagnetic (EM) induction methods to answer real-life environmental questions in the local community. Course evaluations indicate that the course produced positive learning outcomes consistent with the course objectives. Similarly, students appreciate the unique opportunity to learn and utilize these technologies that are not commonly found within geography programs. The teaching strategies described in this paper can benefit other faculty contemplating curricular integration for interdisciplinary learning and quantitative reasoning outcomes.

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Abstract: In recent years significant emphasis has been placed on staff and students as partners in higher education in order to address issues of engagement and transferable skills. However, the concept covers a wide range of meanings. On the one hand it can refer to module feedback questionnaires. At the other extreme it can include student input in curricular design, particularly constructing course materials. These very different experiences require different levels of academic preparation and student engagement. For the purpose of clarity in discussion it would seem useful to have a framework for the different levels of student-instructor partnerships, which emphasizes this range of experience rather than the activity content. This paper presents a framework based on the levels of student initiation of the partnership and of student involvement in the outcomes (referred to as ownership and autonomy respectively). The scheme was arrived at following study of the collaborative activities in two cognate programmes, the Natural Sciences degree programme at the University of Leicester and the Honours Integrated Science program at McMaster University. These programmes adopt pedagogical models which encourage the formation of strong, cohesive learning communities, thereby providing a rich variety of examples and an international perspective.

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Abstract: Research shows that students write better academic essays if the instructor facilitates a process of preparation that allows for purposeful peer discussion. Drawing on screenwriting pedagogy, this article proposes a workshop model that lets students express their essay’s structural elements as single sentences, which allows for effective peer and large-group feedback throughout the research, draft, and revision process. Sharing such elements on a digital workspace creates a sense of audience that motivates better work. Students can also apply insights from this model to other writing formats and oral presentations, which widens the utility of undergraduate writing classes. Particularly for inexperienced instructors, such as teaching assistants, this approach can offer useful step-by-step guidance for turning crowded classrooms or online sessions into workshops with small-group dynamics more commonly found in graduate writing seminars.

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Abstract: Students may not always be intrinsically motivated to complete learning activities in our courses. For these instances, we suggest taking advantage of heuristics, discovered through behavioral economics research, as one way to nudge students toward task completion. To date, most educational applications of behavioral economics’ heuristics use grades or points as the “currency.” We propose that time and effort may be additional currencies to employ when making use of the heuristics of loss aversion, goal framing, attribute framing, and anchoring. However, educational research first needs to be conducted to determine if using heuristics with these currencies is effective.

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Abstract: This study compared student engagement and performance in both open educational resources (OER) (n[open textbook users fall 2018] = 72) and traditional textbook (n[traditional textbook users fall 2017] = 66) classes. Data were drawn from the Learning Management System (LMS). Results show (1) final grades in the OER class were on a par with the traditional textbook class, and (2) OER equalize student engagement and performance by narrowing the dispersions of page views, on-time assignment submissions (OTAS), attendance, and final grades. (3) OER increased attendance and lessened excessive dependence on LMS course materials recorded in the traditional class. (4) The indirect effect of attendance on final grades was stronger than the direct effect of OTAS in the OER class. Attendance provided the opportunity for the instructor and students to be on the “same page,” which helps students better assimilate course content and comprehend lectures. (5) The availability of textbooks appears to be a factor influencing student course success. However, it remains unknown how much of the variance was explained by OER. It is apparent that OER are more important than ever in elevating overall student academic success.

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Abstract: This instructional article describes recent implementations of ethics education in a teacher education course at a large university in the Southwest United States. Using a case analysis framework in tandem with a principle-based ethics schema, a teacher educator and his research assistant designed five content interventions for their content area literacy curriculum in the hopes of helping preservice teachers position their developing pedagogies alongside a cultivation of ethical reasoning and decision making. Rooted in ethics education literature that reveals a lack of empirical data surrounding the impact of professional ethics in teacher education settings, the article explains innovative teaching methodologies while sharing samples of student work along with a review of students’ reactions. Finally, questions are posed for further research in higher education regarding the implementation of ethics for future teachers.

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Abstract: Research terminology is an underexamined challenge in the teaching of social science research methods and statistics courses. An important problem in research terminology is that many of the common terms have more than one meaning in English, which students often confuse. For example, the words random, pretest, validity, and regression have more than one meaning and are often problematic for students. Clarification of the most common of these misunderstandings is provided, and teaching strategies are suggested. This issue of ambiguous terminology has not previously been directly addressed in the literature.

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Abstract: Robust evidence links physical activity to positive cognitive and academic performance outcomes, and engaging students in movement within the classroom has the potential to benefit learners at every age. Offering college students an opportunity to be active in the classroom can enhance learner engagement, promote critical thinking, and increase content understanding and retention. Designed to bridge the gap between research and practice, this article shares specific strategies for movement integration at the college level. These strategies have been used successfully across content areas and class formats and can be modified to match student need and classroom environment. Increasing awareness of active pedagogy among educators has the potential to positively impact adoption and implementation of the practice with the ultimate goal of influencing students’ learning experiences and academic success. The purpose of this article is to provide college instructors with practical examples to incorporate movement into the college classroom.

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Abstract: This article reviews The A-Z of the PhD Trajectory: A Practical Guide for a Successful Journey, written by Eva O. L. Lantsoght. This book presents the major milestones throughout the PhD trajectory, covering topics from defining research question, developing a literature review, preparing and executing experiments, time management, scientific writing, academic presentations, to preparing for a career after the PhD. It also offers step-by-step instructions to help readers develop practical skills that support the PhD research process. Overall, this book is highly recommended to doctoral students and their supervisors as well as professors preparing for workshops or courses on research for first-year PhD students. Publisher: Springer (Cham. Switzerland, 2018). ISBN: 9783319774244. List price: $83.40 (U.S.). 406 pages.

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