Having been presented the opportunity to teach a special section of American and Texas Government for new freshman majors, my first goal was to find ways to enhance and enrich the academic and intellectual experience of my students. My thoughts turned right away to undergraduate research and the many benefits it provides, as pointed out by the…

This study assessed the impact of a course required of students placed on Academic Probation at a 4-year university. We focused our analysis on the 4,673 students who took the course as part of the 2008-2012 Fall cohorts, examining in detail the demographic composition of students taking the course as well as the timing of when the course was…

The aim of this study is to show student perception of the value of library reference and consultation work in the building of information literacy skills. Using student answers to questions about library research help received in a required first year course, the authors analyzed motivations for use of librarian aid, and the types of assistance…

A research methods and statistics course is a crucial component of any health care professions program. Statistics is a difficult subject for students to learn, but studies have shown implementing short video lectures in the online platform can enhance student learning and improve course success rates. The purpose of this paper is to detail the…

In recent years, many journalistic exposés and research reports have raised concerns about the quality of credit recovery programs, which are available in about 75 percent of US high schools and serve about 6 percent of students. Stories relay how schools from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, have used the system of makeup courses to boost…

Since the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board launched their ambitious strategic plan entitled "60x30TX," higher education institutions must test and correctly place undergraduates in appropriate developmental or college-level courses based on undergraduates' academic ability. However, students who are required to take…

This hypothesis-generating research study provided insight into the impact of project-based learning on student content knowledge in an undergraduate, teacher preparation, Foundations of Education Course. Two instructors and 44-students participated in this mixed methods study. Data were collected over the course of 14-weeks and consisted of…

Following state legislation mandating corequisite support in lieu of remedial prerequisites for underprepared students, this article tells the story of a specific corequisite program piloted in South Texas. Our model transformed certain sections of our institution's first-year seminar into corequisite courses, which were paired with required…

Using a dataset of 48 faculty members and 88 courses over 26 semesters, the authors estimate Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) ratings that are conditional on a multitude of course, faculty, and student attributes. They find that ratings are lower for required courses and those where students report a lower prior level of interest. Controlling…

Developing knowledge and understandings related to children's literature among preservice elementary teachers is a vital component of teacher preparation that should be addressed in a required course. The purpose of the present study was to identify essential learning outcomes addressed in children's literature courses that were required…

This article describes the assessment of accredited or in-candidacy master of social work programs' inclusion of a course on religion and spirituality (RS) in the United States. In June 2016, of the 257 eligible programs, 78 (30.4%) indicated they offer at least one required or elective course on RS in social work, either in or outside the…

This quantitative, quasi-experimental study examined the leadership skills of pre-service and career teachers to determine how education influences leadership skills when assessed by two valid and reliable leadership assessments. The general problem was some teachers leave the field of education, due to lack of effective leadership skills in…

The purpose of this study was to explore the regulatory styles, as identified in Ryan and Deci's Self-Determination Theory, of graduate students enrolled in prescribed and elective courses, in a fully online Master of Education degree program. A sample consisting of 53 participants, enrolled in a master's degree program in education at a state…

In this paper, we present our experience with redesigning an introductory computer science course for (electrical) engineers with blended learning concepts. It is a large mandatory course with eight credit points over the course of two semesters, where first year electrical engineers learn how to program with Arduino, C and Python. Additionally,…

COVID-19 has impacted education negatively to a certain extent by suspending schools and universities, ending face-to-face and practical education, and causing a rapid transition to distance education. These changes have led to several negative effects on teachers and students such as anxiety, stress, and depression, which demonstrates the…