Peer review badge Incorporating a Success Module in Precalculus Algebra to Face Post-Pandemic Challenges

Description “In the United States, almost 50% of the students who follow a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) will not complete it” (Johnsom et al., 2022). Moreover, when the World Health Organization announced about the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kindergarten to 12th grade schools and institutions of higher learning worldwide responded …

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Peer review badge Modeling Spaced Repetition in Course Design

Description Instructors frequently depend on high stake assessments such as final exams to evaluate students’ knowledge at the end of courses. Those assessments could be timed and comprehensive. A reality that worries several students because high stake assignments can affect greatly their grades at the end of a semester if they do not perform as …

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Peer review badge Adopt Adaptive Courseware in First Year Online Math Course to Support STEM Retention

Description Approximately about half of students entering Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) change majors or leave college without completing a degree or certificate (Chen & Soldner, 2013). Researchers found that one of the main contributors for students to switch to non-STEM majors is the type of math courses taken in the first year (Chen …

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An Alternative Strategy for Using Online Discussions for Learning Course Content in STEM Courses

Description Online discussion boards offer students an opportunity to engage with their peers and instructor in a course outside of the classroom.  The discussion boards are often used to replicate a classroom discussion and have many positive benefits.  It is relatively straightforward to setup and facilitate online discussions where students weigh in on a certain …

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Strengthening STEM Laboratory Assessment Using Learner Portfolio and Electronic Assessment

Description Weekly lab reports are an integral part of the foundational engineering curriculum. In many conventional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curricula, students are required to write a report after each weekly experiment, documenting the lab process. Recent research by Vargas and Hanstedt (2014), however, indicates limitations of weekly lab reports, including reduced effectiveness …

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Use Learner Created Videos for Student Engagement in a Flipped Classroom

Description It has been a challenge to engage students in large-enrollment classes, especially in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The larger the class size is, the less likely students will actively engage in class activities (Rocca, 2010). The lack of engagement creates information overload (Hewitt & Brett, 2007), which consequently resulted in …

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Using Student Created Blogs as a Progressive Formative Assessment in an Online STEM Course

Description The utility of writing assignments to enhance learning biology is well documented (e.g. Mynlieff et al., 2014; Couch et al., 2015). Such assignments can provide the basis for assessing higher-order and critical-thinking skills (Kelly et al, n.d.). Furthermore, when students are able to react to instructors’ feedback by re-drafting or adjusting their written work, …

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Use Videos to Illustrate Complicated Conceptual Knowledge

Description Most academic disciplines include highly conceptual or abstract concepts that are difficult for students to grasp. For instance, building a solid foundation of conceptual knowledge for students is critical in engineering education (Streveler, Litzinger, Miller, & Steif, 2008). An incomplete conceptual understanding hinders the development of central engineering competencies and expertise. However, it is …

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