This article introduces a selective approach to curriculum integration that consists of linking the subject matter of a new course with knowledge and skills acquired in two or more completed courses to create a deeper and richer learning experience. Benefits and challenges of the selective approach and an example of implementing an integrative…

This paper, commissioned by [National Postsecondary Education Cooperative] NPEC--Sample Surveys, considers issues important to any effort in which the [National Center for Education Statistics] NCES chose to engage the higher education community in a deliberative process that explores the development of data on student learning through a…

Results from this study show that the use of online discussion forums as an instructional tool in a face-to-face course improved undergraduate preservice teachers' critical thinking skills. Participants in the study were 93 students registered in four sections of an Educational Psychology course at a Midwestern university. To control for learning…

This paper discusses the findings of a research study concerning the use of e-portfolios to develop independent learning, from the perspectives of teachers and students in a Hong Kong university. While most of the findings confirm the value of e-portfolio practice reported in other contexts, they throw into relief a complicated interplay and…

We describe an active learning exercise intended to improve undergraduate students' understanding of statistics by grounding complex concepts within a meaningful, applied context. Students in a journal excerpt activity class read brief excerpts of statistical reporting from published research articles, answered factual and interpretive questions,…

This paper reports an adaptation of a classroom-based, traditionally taught module to both facilitate field-based knowledge acquisition and contribute towards research. The module enabled students, through a combination of new research and co-learning, to achieve the original classroom-based learning outcomes. Students engaged enthusiastically…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine variables explaining students' positive and negative experiences of groupwork and connect country of residence with the perception of generic skills development and self-reported satisfaction with groupwork. It also aims to examine the effect of prior training in groups from the perspective of…

The study describes the effects of formal instruction (FI) and a stay abroad (SA) on the fluency displayed by 19 bilingual EFL undergraduate non-native speakers (NNSs). It includes data from 10 native speakers (NSs). The relative frequencies of seven dysfluency phenomena at three data-collection points are compared statistically, and a linear…

This paper discusses a sophomore-level course that teaches engineering design and technical writing. Historically, the course was taught using semester-long design projects. Most students' overall approach to design problems left considerable room for improvement. Many teams chose a design without investigating alternatives, and important…

Student learning is enriched by problem-based service learning (PBSL) projects. For Hispanic students, the learning that takes place in PBSL projects may be even more significant, although the research published in academic journals about client-based projects for Hispanic students is limited. This article begins to advance an understanding of how…

The ability to use literature effectively is essential to provide context and interpret results for any research project. Undergraduate students in geographical disciplines are regularly required to produce research reports, yet formal training in effective literature use is minimal. In this study students were taught effective literature use…

Using the principles of the scholarship of teaching and learning, we evaluated 2 learning strategies to determine if they could improve student exam performance in general psychology. After the second of 3 exams, we gave students the option of participating in a specific learning activity and assessed its impact using the third exam. In Study 1,…

The most effective pedagogies are those that foster students' metacognition and their learning effectiveness. This paper presents a new model of activity-based learning in which students construct knowledge using practices that include constructs of engagement, motivation, and affect that drive deeper processing and higher levels of metacognitive…

This article explores perceptions of the speaking fluency of 24 adult ESL learners (11 men, 13 women) who narrated picture stories at Time 1 and again 10 weeks later at Time 2. One-minute excerpts from each rendition were randomized and played to 15 novice and six expert native speakers of English (undergraduate education students and experienced…

One of the toughest hurdles to overcome in construction education is the varying levels of construction field experience among undergraduate students. Although an internship is a common construction management requirement, it is often completed after students complete classes in planning and scheduling. This poses a challenge for the modern…