We investigated university students' engagement with digital textbooks by analysing their real-time viewing and use in a linear algebra course taught at four different universities in the United States. Viewing data over a semester was complemented with responses to bi-weekly open-ended surveys and other course artefacts, such as course syllabi.…

This paper discusses the potential of DGBL to facilitate transformation in the context of religious education, arguing for the fact that it is immersive, interactive, and experiential. The paper outlines how this could substantially provide a more engaging learning environment for students, develop critical thinking, and ensure effective learning…

Kant writes, 'to have trained one's children is not enough … what really matters is that they learn to "think"'. By 'thinking', Kant means thinking for oneself. But how can one learn to think for oneself? I focus on how we can be motivated to think for ourselves and argue that for Kant it is through the feeling of wonder. I make my case…

In response to the increased attention and interest related to the application of virtual reality with head-mounted displays in education, this study examined the elementary students' perceptions of using immersive virtual field trips (VFTs) in the classroom. Reflection papers from 25 students were analyzed and triangulated with field notes from…

This auto ethnographic study examines the difficulty in defining student engagement. Definitions from the author and her students are compared for intersections and disconnect. Trickle down engagement, the teacher setting a contagious engaging tone, was considered. Though many intersections in definitions were noted, one disconnect related to the…

In 2020, a professor of gender, sexuality, and feminist studies at Middlebury College in the United States invited me as a visiting scholar-artist to help students stage the docudrama "Jane: Abortion and the Underground." The mission: to "both" rethink normative constructs of gender, sexuality, and abortion "and also"…

Many people with strong religious beliefs in the United States struggle with trusting the pronouncements of scientists. This is primarily because they have come to believe that science offers a perspective on ultimate questions such as origins and life after death that conflicts with their own. Education and public outreach efforts by scientists…

Physics is one of the least diverse disciplines amongst the natural sciences. Large-scale studies, such as those from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, have indicated that students from underrepresented and racially minoritized groups score below students from dominant groups, and female students are typically outperformed by their…

Students often request study guides; however, the impact of study guides on student learning is mixed. Here, some evidence on student study guide usage and collaborative learning is briefly reviewed. This information helped to shape the development of a collaborative activity where student groups create their own study guide questions based on the…

This article focuses on the benefits and barriers to engaging students as partners in educational projects.

Various strategies have been promoted to increase student engagement in collaborative activities in chemistry courses, including the use of small portable whiteboards where students can represent and share ideas. In this paper, we summarize the results of a study designed to investigate how the use of small portable whiteboards during groupwork…

Student engagement in higher education is theorized as a significant link between classroom behaviors and measurable student success outcomes such as grade point average, year-to-year retention, and (on-time) graduation. There are a wide variety of definitions of student engagement, some more dominant than others, in the higher education…

The book "Superhero Scientists" was published in March 2021. This non-fiction text allows children to read about people involved in the fascinating world of science. The 21 chapters are full of facts, life stories and scientific discoveries, from astrophysicists to pilots, epidemiologists to vets, marine biologists to scene-of-crime…

Background: Learning flow is an optimal learning experience representing full engagement in one's studies. The belief-affect-engagement model and control-value theory suggest that positivity would be a motivator of learning flow, while positive affect in school would be a mediator of the relation between positivity and learning flow. Aims: The…

This resource provides recommendations for methods, tools, suggested (not endorsed) sample solutions, and tasks trainers can use to increase participant engagement in professional learning experiences. It also outlines connections between adult learning principles and steps in the "Adult Learning Framework." This resource includes: (1)…