Humanity is in a tight race between planetary catastrophe and enlightenment. It is not clear which will prevail. The old paradigm, that of materialism, individualism, and fierce competition, is failing at all levels--economic, social, political, and environmental--and bringing life as we know it to the edge of a precipice. At the same time, a…

Responding largely to the impact of industrialization and urbanization on American society, educators across the country embraced the "school gardening" and "nature study" movements advocated by Dewey. Promoted in varying degrees as ways to enhance learning, yield food for their schools, build character, and improve…

Design-based learning is often promoted as a way for students to practice the skills essential for their future success; however, little research in this area has been conducted in the field of dance. One aim of this research is to contribute to the literature by examining the process through which undergraduate students from multiple disciplines…

Using an expanded version of Alexander's (2008) theory of dialogic teaching developed by RojasDrummond, Torreblanca, Pedraza, Vélez, and Guzmán (2013), this case study explored how instructors and students in a hybrid graduate course engaged in the process of dialogic teaching and learning (DTL). In particular, we examined the ways in which…

The responsibility for college success has historically rested with the student, but since the 1980s, educators have taken increasing ownership of this, designing structures that increase the likelihood of learning, success, and retention. These efforts have included a variety of initiatives--first year seminars, learning communities,…

In this paper, we provide an in-depth view of the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) program at Virginia Commonwealth University as a potential model for other large research universities who might wish to implement similar learner-centered initiatives in their first-year experience courses. Unlike graduate teaching assistants, whose primary…

Although syllabi provide students with important course information, they can also affect perceptions of teaching effectiveness. To test this idea, we distributed 2 versions of a hypothetical course syllabus, a brief version and a detailed version, and asked students to rate the teacher of the course on qualities associated with master teaching.…

Classroom management systems, such as Blackboard, provide both students and faculty software to enhance the education experiences, but at the same time require the faculty to learn the new procedures and to transfer all digital class material to the new platform. Surveys assessed the experiences and preferences of both faculty members and students…

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) is increasingly offering more Web-based, online orientation courses to students. Since the fall semester of 1999, the community college campuses throughout the VCCS have offered over 100 sections of online orientation courses. However, no assessment data or research for these courses or students exists.…