Creating authentic science assessments that engage students in conceptual understanding and provide evidence of their learning is challenging. Student-centered instruction and assessments provide an opportunity to build student agency and foster positive student relations with science. This qualitative work showcases assessments that focus on…

Language proficiency policies act as critical gatekeepers for multilingual international students (MIS) who intend to pursue an education at English-medium universities. The current study revisits the question of the predictive validity of a standardized English proficiency exam--International English Language Testing System (IELTS)--in comparison…

Although artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT) have potential to act as a transformative educational tool, the widespread adoption of such technology also brings forth concerns related to academic integrity and learning gaps. This study examines whether class discussions on the negative aspects of AI-driven writing assistance have any…

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented number of higher education institutions adopted test-optional admissions policies. The proliferation of these policies and the criticism of standardized admissions tests as unreliable predictors of applicants' postsecondary educational promise have prompted the reimagining of evaluative methodologies in…

Objective: To examine what factors impact college students in the United States who are deciding to initiate or continue mental health services. Participants: Spring 2021 undergraduate students (N = 453) at a large urban university. Methods: Online, cross-sectional survey with mental health service experience as the independent variable and social…

Existing research demonstrates gender- and race/ethnicity-based inequities in college outcomes. Separately, recent research suggests a relationship between time poverty and college outcomes for student parents and online students. However, to date, no studies have empirically explored whether differential access to time as a resource for college…

Collaborative drawing is a multimodal approach to examining problems within small groups of individuals when the perspectives of multiple stakeholders should be considered. Collaborative drawing can be useful for helping students visualize and analyze a challenging problem from different world views and provide opportunities to confront, discuss,…

The Board of Regents appointed President Thomas to the helm of Nuestra University, a large and urban Hispanic-Serving University. In the first years of his presidency, Nuestra achieved important milestone in its quest to better serve and graduate students from underrepresented populations. However, Thomas's hiring and presidency has faced critical…

This study investigates the attitudes of educators of different race, class, linguistic, political, and disciplinary backgrounds at a large, urban, public university to code-meshed Black English in academic texts. This research draws on surveys as well as interviews gauging how educators responded to the idea of code-meshing not only in principle…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore advisor accessibility and its connection to academic achievement using technology as a means of communication with African American males at a four-year urban university. Qualitative data was collected through the interviews of five advisor participants and ten student participants. The study…

This qualitative study examined the experiences of nonbinary students in higher education at an urban, public, research institution in the Midwest. Purposeful sampling was used to find interested participants. Interviews from eight currently enrolled students who are nonbinary were transcribed. Numerous codes were developed from the interviews…

Trauma-informed frameworks are needed in metropolitan and urban university settings because many who enter higher education have experienced trauma or will experience trauma while at the university. This paper addresses the neurobiological and psychological underpinnings of trauma and addresses how these experiences can pose academic challenges,…

A method called multi-attribute utility analysis (MAUA) provides a decision-making framework that facilitates comparative analysis of multiple real-world decision alternatives with unique complex attributes. Utility analysis as a measure of effectiveness has been minimally used by educational researchers to date, despite clear relevance in complex…

A growing number of colleges and universities have come to recognize the role and responsibilities they have in the economic and social fabric of their surrounding communities and regions as anchor institutions. Yet, the conditions of urban communities surrounding even the most engaged universities--including under-resourced public schools,…

UMass Boston has been a campus in turmoil for the past 20 months. Internal upheaval first became public in January 2017 when the UMass Board of Trustees (BoT) refused to extend Chancellor Keith Motley's contract. In March 2017 the trustees disclosed that the campus was facing a budget deficit of up to $30 million with just three months remaining…