This article discusses an alternative learning project that was conducted in an online course at a teacher education program from Fall 2012 to Fall 2015. As part of the course, students had to create avatars, an alter ego, and think and act as their avatars when faced with educational issues. The project strives to overcome challenges that teacher…

To guide and support teacher candidates in developing the knowledge and skills they need in the classroom, teacher preparation programs must prepare students in acquiring the experience and expertise needed to demonstrate mastery of general knowledge in the specific subject or content area. In addition, teacher preparation programs must support…

This paper identifies approaches, challenges, and best practices related to planning and designing today's academic library learning spaces. As part of the Project Information Literacy (PIL) Practitioner Series, qualitative data is presented from 49 interviews conducted with a sample of academic librarians, architects, and library consultants.…

The development of Web 2.0 technologies has made a multitude of educational innovations possible in language classrooms. The aim of this inquiry is to explore advanced English language learners' perceptions, motivation and confidence along with their perceived strengths and weaknesses of learning academic writing through blog-assisted language…

Stories in one form or another have been used for thousands of years to influence social behaviour. A social story is a short story created specifically for an individual with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and focuses on social skills (e.g. initiating conversations) that need to be developed for him or her or on helping the individual adjust…

One of the many roles of two year community colleges in the United States is to bridge the gap between secondary school and college for students who graduate from high school with weak mathematics skills that prevent them from enrolling in college level mathematics courses. At community colleges remedial or developmental mathematics courses review…

Social work educators have an ethical responsibility to graduate students who are academically, behaviorally, and professionally prepared to enter the social work profession. Although a student's suitability to the profession is not necessarily hindered because of the effects of a psychiatric disability or an emotional problem, sometimes it is.…

This paper reports a diary-based qualitative study on college students' reading habits with regard to print and electronic media. Students used a form to record information about their reading practices for twelve days, including length of reading event, location, format used, and the purpose of reading. Students tended to use print for academic…

The profusion of human rights atrocities and purported incidents of genocide across the globe in recent decades has increasingly forced multiple and complicated issues associated with combating these violations onto the political agendas of world leaders and institutions. Scholars are united in recognizing the growing importance and need for…

This qualitative research study was aimed at examining the experiences and perceptions of students at a four-year college in New York City who were enrolled in an integrated reading and writing course designed to help students connect the literacy skills learned in the course to other contexts. Focusing on three students enrolled in the course,…

The authors analyze twenty in-depth interviews with faculty members about how they perceive information literacy (IL) to examine two key factors: how disciplinary background influences conceptions of IL among faculty members in academic departments and how the instructors' perception of information literacy differs from that of professionals in…

This article reports on student surveys and faculty interviews with regard to a university pilot project of a common book program for first-year students. We found that a minority of students read the book and the book was integrated into only some faculty members' courses. First-year students varied in their perceptions of the impact the project…

The dilemma for many college students' job search process is their overwhelming desire to locate any job rather than to satisfy their true passions. Thus, a job search can become a highly instrumental, task-oriented process, preventing students' opportunity to discover themselves and their life's purpose. Self-awareness, however, is a central…

In this paper, we describe a rural school-university 22 year partnership. The partnership serves students with disabilities and students at-risk for being classified with a disability. Despite personnel changes, the undergraduate teacher candidates have consistently provided intense instruction to their assigned students. Electronic surveys were…

Historical simulations are often criticized for being superficial, reinforcing negative stereotypes, and skewing students' view of history. Simulation critics argue if inexperienced teachers implement simulations, they may adversely influence students' psychological development, especially if students take roles as perpetrators or victims.…