Individual readiness assurance tests (iRATs) are frequently graded in team-based learning (TBL) classrooms, with the goal of incentivizing individual pre-class preparation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether shifting to an ungraded iRAT process affects student preparation and learning, as measured using assessment scores, and…

The use of collaborative learning teams is successful at many traditional higher education institutions. However, the use of collaborative learning teams at 3 University X campuses was noted as a source of frustration for students and may affect student satisfaction. Lower satisfaction rates equate to lower rates of success, graduation, referrals,…

Current literature has highlighted various teaching methodologies that have been utilized within higher education that may assist with promoting learning. This literature identifies team-based learning and the flipped classroom as common teaching strategies utilized within allied medical fields such as occupational therapy, physical therapy,…

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive scientific phenomenological study was to explore what it is like for a community college student to experience group dynamics in a team-based gamified learning environment in the Southwestern U.S. Although the student or "player" experience is at the center of a gamified curriculum, it is not…

We introduce an online learning platform that scales collaborative learning. We study the impact of team formation and the team formation process in massive open online classes. We observe that learners prefers team members with similar location, age range and education level. We also observe that team members in more successful teams have diverse…

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore how Higher Education Institutions' (HEIs) instructors perceived the engagement of college learners with instructional practices online during the COVID-19 Pandemic at a college in New York. Underpinning the study was the engagement theory framework, which focuses on the use of…

21st century educational reform initiatives value creativity, collaboration, innovation, and higher-order thinking (Scardamalia, 2002), the skills needed for students to successfully address the complex engineering challenges facing society. "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practice, Crosscutting Concepts and Core Ideas" (NRC,…

Team-based learning is an instructional method of specifically structured in class team activities that has been proposed as an alternative to traditional lecture methods. Proponents of TBL claim that it promotes aspects of learning that traditional lecture methods do not. There have been numerous studies examining the benefits of TBL; however,…

Charrettes have a long history of use in medical, architectural, and planning professions. An extensive literature search found little application of the charrette model implemented to advance, support, and identify transdisciplinarity (TD) research, transdisciplinary teaming models (TDM), transdisciplinary learning (TDL) supporting transformative…

This posttest-only control group design study provides research on whether electronic-team (e-team) membership stability has an effect on team members' perception of peers' contributions and on learning performance. Team membership was either stable or fluid over the course of the study. The research on collaborative, synchronous e-team learning…

Previous qualitative research on educational practices designed to improve critical thinking has relied on anecdotal or student self-reports of gains in critical thinking. Unfortunately, student self-report data have been found to be unreliable proxies for measuring critical thinking gains. Therefore, in the current interpretivist study, five…

Decades of differing philosophies and conventions have placed the idea of change at the forefront of reform efforts (Rothkopf, 2009). With the implementation of the rigorous, complex Alabama College and Career Ready Standards, a deeper understanding of subject matter is required, and the complexities of these standards require specialized content…

Obtaining a degree from a community college could be the opportunity for students to advance their education or career. Nevertheless, nearly two-thirds of first-time community college students in the U.S. were required to take developmental mathematics courses. The problem was that approximately three-fourth of those students did not successfully…

Piaget's classic work on cognitive development showed that engaging learners in critical discussions with peers about ideas that are "different" than theirs leads to deep conceptual understanding. Implementing such an approach in college-level STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) courses has some specific challenges: (a) Short…

Since 1996 ABET has mandated that undergraduate engineering degree granting institutions focus on learning outcomes such as professional skills (i.e. solving unstructured problems and working in teams). As a result, engineering curricula were restructured to include team based learning--including team charters. Team charters were diffused into…