COVID-19 has besieged academic institutions worldwide. As countries closed their international borders and imposed lockdowns, faculty have faced unprecedented challenges in finding alternative modes of teaching and assessment as replacements for the traditional face-to-face classes. In this piece, we describe the journey of the chemistry…

The COVID-19 pandemic in the first quarter of 2020 resulted in the worldwide disruption of teaching and learning in main stream schools and in institutes of higher learning. Singapore was not spared. With the closure of schools in early April, it was imminent that the delivery and assessment of our freshman general chemistry course must be…

The paper explores the effectiveness of hands-on learning (HOL) as a student-centered model to train first year chemical engineering undergraduates. The pedagogical design of the course uses laboratory sessions, lectures, reflection sessions, projects, and assessments to achieve the course learning outcomes. The adopted assessment methodology…

This chapter provides a discussion on how the Singapore education system uses evidence from educational research conducted both locally and internationally, to shape policies and initiatives that can effectuate the "common good". In addition to research outcomes, the Singapore Ministry of Education also takes into consideration the…

There has been a major shift in educational learning goals--as seen most recently by Goal 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals--focused on global citizenship education and education for sustainable development. The shift concerns recognition of the need for education systems to equip learners with competencies such as problem solving,…

This report illustrates how four high-performing systems--British Columbia (Canada), Hong Kong, Shanghai (China) and Singapore--developed their teacher professional learning. The report and accompanying materials are designed as a resource for teachers, school leaders and policymakers wanting to improve teacher professional learning in their…

After passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, states assumed greater responsibility for designing their own accountability and assessment systems. ESSA requires states to measure "higher order thinking skills and understanding" and encourages the use of open-ended performance assessments, which are essential for…

Using a conceptual framework grounded in globalization and the knowledge economy, this paper addresses teacher evaluation policy reform in the United Kingdom*** and Singapore. Specifically, the authors discuss similar demands faced by both countries: maintaining economic competitiveness in a globalized society, preparing citizens to participate in…

On the Southeast Asian island-nation of Singapore, many elementary schools feature a different kind of field trip. Under the name "fieldwork," first- through sixth-grade students regularly venture out of the school on excursions into the community. They conduct surveys and interviews, do simple experiments, observe and gather relevant…

Much has been written about globalization and the challenge of preparing young people for the new world of work and life in times of complexity and continuous change. However, few works have examined how globalization has and will continue to shape education in the East. This volume discusses education within the context of globalization and…

One way of implementing project-based science (PBS) is to use problem-based learning (PBL), in which students formulate their own problems. These problems are often ill-structured, mirroring complex real-life problems where data are often messy and inclusive. In this article, the authors describe how they used PBL in a ninth-grade biology class in…

One of the key requirements of the Common Core State Standards for Reading is that all students must be able to comprehend texts of steadily increasing complexity as they progress through school. By the time they complete the core, students must be able to read and comprehend independently and proficiently the kinds of complex texts commonly found…

Presents an overview of the English and Singaporean education systems, focusing on the high stakes assessment systems operating at the elementary level in both countries. The effects of these high stakes assessments on teachers and students are described, noting potential lessons for U.S. educators related to establishing credibility, engaging the…

Discussion of evaluation methods to determine how a library's collection is being used focuses on use of citation analysis to evaluate the collection of the Ministry of Education library in Singapore. Highlights include compiling lists of citations from users; and an analysis of interlibrary loan records. (LRW)

A program providing second-year civil engineering students in Singapore with experience in constructing full-size structures assigns students to companies involved in the construction process for role-playing in each of the major functions. (MSE)