Occupations in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are growing faster than all other fields in the United States. While this is exciting, there is concern that many of these positions will go unfilled, as students in STEM are leaving their educational pursuits at an alarming rate. The following two studies provide an in-depth…

This dissertation examines, in three studies, undergraduate student experiences in social aspects of online learning when conducting remote physics laboratories. The first quantitative, observational study examined introductory students' epistemological, socialization, and help seeking views (N=998). Parametric and nonparametric tests indicated no…

An educational researcher sought to collaborate with a classroom instructor to introduce problem-based learning as a new teaching intervention. First, a classroom instructor was approached to consider how a problem-based learning instructional approach might fit with their existing curriculum plan. The researcher and the classroom teacher used a…

The development of empathy in the healthcare setting is integral to high-quality patient care as empathy provides the ability to connect with patients to gain a better understanding of their emotions and experiences. Empathetic education is a component of medical education and nursing education; however, it is not a required curricular component…

It is not sufficient to just make changes in a nursing curriculum without a plan to evaluate the impact on program outcomes. This study sought to determine the outcomes of teaching the nursing process to Foundation of Nursing students in an Associate Degree Nursing program using a factorial design study. Four groups of students were taught the…

Online programs are increasing in the field of clinical laboratory sciences (CLS), however there is limited research regarding how well prepared online CLS program graduates are for the workplace, given that the field is highly hands-on skills based. Prior research suggests that online CLS graduates perform as well as their traditional graduate…

Recent initiatives in the laboratory curriculum have encouraged an inquiry-based approach to learning and teaching in the laboratory. It has been argued that laboratory instruction should not just be hands-on, but it should portray the essence of inquiry through the process of experiential learning and reflective engagement in collaboration with…

We designed and implemented curriculum intended to be used by students in an algebra-based introductory physics laboratory course. Our curricular goal was to foster, through observations in the lab, a coherent framework in students' understanding of general principles presented in the introductory mechanics course, while addressing known student…