Incorporating Spirituality in the Classroom

This study tested the extent to which professors could be trained to help enhance students’ experiences of spirituality in their classes. Three areas of focus that may be important to incorporating spirituality into the classroom were identified in the integration of faith and learning literature: 1) Professor Self-Disclosure, 2) Intellectual Connections, and 3) Interpersonal Connections. In a quasi-experimental design, two professors were trained to incorporate these focus areas into four experimental conditions. A sample of 203 student participants attended different teaching conditions and rated their perception of the teaching quality. Statistical tests revealed that professor ratings on General Teaching Skills and Spirituality greatly improved after training; however, ratings also depended on the professor. Results indicated that applying such a pedagogical training can be a useful tool in educating faculty to successfully incorporate spirituality in the classroom and improve student perceptions of their general teaching skills.

Incorporating Physics Principles in General Biology to Promote Integrative Learning and Thinking

Students often struggle to identify correlations among various concepts in STEM courses, such as energy, mechanics, and cellular communication. Integrative learning incorporates numerous concepts and subjects to aid understanding and enhance critical thinking. This research describes an integrative learning approach in a General Biology I course where key physics-based concepts that are connected to biological topics were emphasized. In addition, students’ knowledge and their beliefs towards biology in all General Biology I classes were assessed using American Association of Colleges and Universities’ Integrative Learning VALUE Rubric and the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). It was found that correlations existed between students’ attitudes towards biology and their overall content knowledge. The results of this study support that integrative learning is a powerful approach to aid in the understanding of physical and biological concepts, leading to improved student success.

Incorporating Physics Principles in General Biology to Promote Integrative Learning and Thinking

Students often struggle to identify correlations among various concepts in STEM courses, such as energy, mechanics, and cellular communication. Integrative learning incorporates numerous concepts and subjects to aid understanding and enhance critical thinking. This research describes an integrative learning approach in a General Biology I course where key physics-based concepts that are connected to biological topics were emphasized. In addition, students’ knowledge and their beliefs towards biology in all General Biology I classes were assessed using American Association of Colleges and Universities’ Integrative Learning VALUE Rubric and the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). It was found that correlations existed between students’ attitudes towards biology and their overall content knowledge. The results of this study support that integrative learning is a powerful approach to aid in the understanding of physical and biological concepts, leading to improved student success.

A Cost-Effective Model to Address Student Readiness Through the Lens of a College Physics Course

Students enter college with widely varying levels of preparation. This is especially visible to faculty and administrators tasked with ensuring student success in core STEM courses and helping underrepresented students succeed. Flexible support strategies are needed. They must be timely and measurable so that limited funds can be optimally allocated. This paper reviews a program that addresses these concerns and is translatable to many higher education settings and disciplines. It is situated in a physics department at a large public research university in an urban city in the southern United States. A group of rotating faculty improved the success rate in an introductory physics course for non-physics majors. A diagnostic exam is used to assess students’ preparation in order to assign some to a peer-led supplementary recitation. An overview of program implementation and results is shared, along with strategies and suggested solutions to further address gaps in success rates in order to provide all students an equitable university experience and chance of success.

Using Experiential Learning to Improve Student Attitude and Learning Quality in Software Engineering Education

Experiential learning (EL) has great potential to transform students’ learning experience. Few studies, however, have focused on the use of EL in computer science education. The purpose of this study was to examine students' experiences with EL in computer science. Data were collected to examine the influence of EL on students' attitudes and quality of learning. The antecedent variables included student involvement, learning expectancy, instructor impact, course structure, and prior experience. PLS-SEM with PLSc was used to test generated hypotheses. The findings indicated that student involvement positively correlated with attitudes and learning expectancy. Instructor impact is positively associated with student involvement, quality of learning, and attitudes. Prior experience positively correlated with learning expectancy. Finally, course structure positively moderated the relationship between student involvement and learning expectancy. It is concluded that EL is a promising pedagogy to improve student attitudes and quality of learning in software engineering education.

Smartphone-based Virtual Reality as an Immersive Tool for Teaching Marketing Concepts

With the advent of Virtual Reality (VR) technology and the ubiquity of mobile devices, smartphone-based VR has become more affordable and accessible to business educators and millennial students. While millennials expect learning to be fun and prefer working with current technology, educators are constantly challenged to integrate new technology into the curriculum and evaluate the learning outcomes. This study examines the gain in learning effectiveness and students' intrinsic motivations that would result from the use of VR as compared to the use of traditional learning activity, namely think-pair and share. The results show that students who took part in the VR simulation demonstrated a better understanding of concepts and reported a better learning experience as compared to those who participated in the think-pair-share activity. In particular, the findings show evidence of higher intrinsic motivation and better learning outcomes.

Incorporating Spirituality in the Classroom

This study tested the extent to which professors could be trained to help enhance students’ experiences of spirituality in their classes. Three areas of focus that may be important to incorporating spirituality into the classroom were identified in the integration of faith and learning literature: 1) Professor Self-Disclosure, 2) Intellectual Connections, and 3) Interpersonal Connections. In a quasi-experimental design, two professors were trained to incorporate these focus areas into four experimental conditions. A sample of 203 student participants attended different teaching conditions and rated their perception of the teaching quality. Statistical tests revealed that professor ratings on General Teaching Skills and Spirituality greatly improved after training; however, ratings also depended on the professor. Results indicated that applying such a pedagogical training can be a useful tool in educating faculty to successfully incorporate spirituality in the classroom and improve student perceptions of their general teaching skills.

Assessment of Theses in Design Education

This article explores and proposes a design concept of a co-creative process that aims to support the assessment and grading of theses in design education through automated criteria evaluation. The research is based on a concept-driven design approach that theoretically anchored and empirically informed the design concept. The research was achieved by grounding the concept in theoretical resources concerning pedagogical principles and assessment, existing tools and models for examiners in assessment processes, and current design practices for assessment in higher education. The main contribution of this article, namely the concept of grading by automated criteria evaluation (GRACE), aims to provide support and structure for examiners and students to collectively advance the design, implementation, and evaluation of the concept through the co-creation and evaluation of criteria in higher education. GRACE could supplement existing assessment practices of theses in design education by focusing on both explicit criteria and the development of students' design thinking and abilities.

Using Experiential Learning to Improve Student Attitude and Learning Quality in Software Engineering Education

Experiential learning (EL) has great potential to transform students’ learning experience. Few studies, however, have focused on the use of EL in computer science education. The purpose of this study was to examine students' experiences with EL in computer science. Data were collected to examine the influence of EL on students' attitudes and quality of learning. The antecedent variables included student involvement, learning expectancy, instructor impact, course structure, and prior experience. PLS-SEM with PLSc was used to test generated hypotheses. The findings indicated that student involvement positively correlated with attitudes and learning expectancy. Instructor impact is positively associated with student involvement, quality of learning, and attitudes. Prior experience positively correlated with learning expectancy. Finally, course structure positively moderated the relationship between student involvement and learning expectancy. It is concluded that EL is a promising pedagogy to improve student attitudes and quality of learning in software engineering education.

Smartphone-Based Virtual Reality as an Immersive Tool for Teaching Marketing Concepts

With the advent of Virtual Reality (VR) technology and the ubiquity of mobile devices, smartphone-based VR has become more affordable and accessible to business educators and millennial students. While millennials expect learning to be fun and prefer working with current technology, educators are constantly challenged to integrate new technology into the curriculum and evaluate the learning outcomes. This study examines the gain in learning effectiveness and students' intrinsic motivations that would result from the use of VR as compared to the use of traditional learning activity, namely think-pair and share. The results show that students who took part in the VR simulation demonstrated a better understanding of concepts and reported a better learning experience as compared to those who participated in the think-pair-share activity. In particular, the findings show evidence of higher intrinsic motivation and better learning outcomes.