The purpose of this study was to examine the use and cognitive load associated with Open Educational Resources (OERS) and Affordable Digital Textbook (ADT) among prelicensure Baccalaureate of Nursing students in an asynchronous on-line health policy course. OERS and ADT provide low student cost curriculum options for nursing faculty. The…

English Language Arts has historically been tied to the civic purposes of schools, and this qualitative study of a social design-based project (Gutierrez & Vossoughi, 2010) examines the intersection of language and literacy learning and youth civic engagement, a problem space I call "Civics English." In this dissertation, I describe…

The purpose of this study was to build on recent survey research on writing instruction to examine both the types and extent of teachers' preparation to teach writing and what teachers' writing instruction currently looks like, including the evidence-based practices teachers use, the amount of time spent teaching writing, and the types of writing…

This applied dissertation investigated middle school literacy educators' views about the impact of text messaging on students' spelling and writing abilities. Specifically, the researcher determined educators' views about the impact of text messages from Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and Short Message Service (SMS) on middle school student…

Grade-level proficiency for secondary literacy classrooms remains an area to probe for improved student achievement. Tools to measure effectiveness of classroom practices also do not exist in large quantities. Based on the findings of The Opportunity Myth (2018), equity in the literacy classroom can be identified as: (1) grade level appropriate…

The purpose of this mixed methods action research project was to address the problem of practice of incorporating foundational grammar, spelling, and punctuation (GSP) instruction into community college journalism classes through the intervention of online interactive modules called The Story Mechanics Project (SMP). The modules were developed and…

Art Appreciation is often a course that undergraduate students take to meet their general education requirements. However, many students have little interest or value of art due to a lack of previous art experiences and often choose the course because they feel it will be relatively easy. This qualitative, naturalistic inquiry focused on students'…

Gameful course design creates learning environments that support student motivation, drawing inspiration from well-designed games. This dissertation establishes the theoretical framework on which gameful pedagogy is founded. One key piece of gameful course design is that the instructor creates opportunities for students to make decisions about how…

As the standards in different content areas become more in depth, many students especially ESOL students, tend to have difficulty understanding the vocabulary and are unable to read and understand the content, especially in science and social studies. If students are given a literacy push in all areas of school, not just in reading and language…

Written language occupies a uniquely important space in the university. The present investigation concentrates upon variation in the situations and language that characterize the different varieties of writing produced at the undergraduate level in the English department. The aim of such an investigation is to identify and characterize the…

Social determinants of health (SDOH) greatly impact an individual's health, yet health care professionals are undereducated on addressing SDOH when identified. While many factors influence and drive educational practices, there is a lack of guidance in understanding best practices in teaching SDOH in online undergraduate health programs. Through…

Scientific modeling is a scientific practice that uses models to prepare elementary and middle school science teachers to engage students using scientific inquiry. Model-based inquiry (MBI) is a pedagogical teaching approach that engages students using scientific inquiry during scientific modeling. However, preservice teachers lack understanding…

This study explored the adoption level of a specific plagiarism detection software by college professors in a classroom environment. As universities and colleges struggle with the issue of plagiarism and maintaining high standards of integrity, technology tools have been created and provided to assist faculty in identifying if a student has…

When transitioning to higher education, students need to develop the skills to become self-regulated learners capable of setting their own learning goals and planning and monitoring their learning. Self-regulated learning and academic performance have been shown to positively correlate with effective time management and study skills. There are…

Errors in mathematics are common hurdles for teachers and students; therefore, it is important to learn what errors students make and how students treat them. This study initially identified the types of errors students made while working with algebraic expressions and documented and analyzed the process of students completing an error analysis…