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For almost 40 years, our university's first year writing program has included a shared outcome: "Students will appreciate the capacity of writing to change oneself and the world." This outcome, unlike our more typical composition goals concerning writing processes, rhetorical acumen, and critical research abilities, had never been assessed. Based on survey data collected from first year writing students (n=145) during the Spring 2020 semester, this article offers a student-generated construct of what "writing to change oneself and the world" meant to students at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore how this nebulous outcome helps us better understand the ways students situate themselves in enacting change as well as the productively uncertain relationship between self and world for student writers. We also consider how the outcome's open-endedness creates space for meaningful, writing-adjacent learning.

The personnel preparation of early intervention/early childhood special educator (EI/ECSE) candidates is a pivotal stage in supporting the development of professionals who can effectively work with young children with and at-risk of developmental disabilities, their families, and other service providers. This process encompasses a multifaceted approach to equip candidates with knowledge, skills, and attitudes/dispositions to successfully work within the field. This compilation article includes multiple authors of each section who share strategies, assignments, tools, and experiences to center the Initial Practice-Based Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators (Division for Early Childhood [DEC] of the Council for Exceptional Children [CEC], 2020; hereafter referred to as the EI/ECSE Standards) and DEC's Recommended Practices (RPs). These strategies are shared through a "spiraling curriculum" framework, and progress from an awareness level to reflection of candidates' own practice. In addition, this article shares related resources to consider in planning for innovative coursework and practicum/student teaching opportunities. Specific examples of spiraling experiences to deepen learning through opportunities to introduce content aligned to RPs and EI/ECSE Standards are included.

Prior research on college choice indicates parents are the preferred source of information about college, yet little research exists from the viewpoint of parents, and even less research from the viewpoint of rural and minoritized parents. Using Q methodology, this study explored rural parent viewpoints of what makes college possible. The study was framed in social capital, community cultural wealth, and Perna's conceptual model of college choice. Factor analysis showed five distinct viewpoints and three consensus viewpoints among the parents. The five distinct factor viewpoints focused on academic achievement, college costs, the influence of family and friends, hard work, and staying close to home. Most notably, three consensus statements across all five factors indicated parents did not view teacher or school counselor expectations as important for making college possible. Findings can inform college access program planning and school outreach to parents and offer direction for future research on parent and community capital in college access.

Sense of belonging has been associated with increases in perceived task importance, along with motivation and academic achievement. These factors indicate that sense of belonging may be an important and relevant concept to consider when preparing clinicians to practice cultural humility, which entails a commitment to lifelong learning. This study utilized qualitative data to examine 20 undergraduate students' experience of belonging in an undergraduate cultural and linguistic diversity course. Additionally, pedagogical practices and student identity-related factors that promote belonging were explored. Results revealed four interrelated themes that characterized how students experienced belonging in the course. Salient components of belonging as they relate to a diversity context are discussed. Additionally, practice recommendations to foster sense of belonging in the classroom are provided.

The universal design for learning framework aims to remove barriers from the learning environment so that as many students as possible can fully participate in it. The COVID19 pandemic has brought about additional challenges in higher education, but in many cases, it has also provided a unique opportunity to examine change. This study investigated students' and faculty's perceptions of how frequently various elements of universal design for learning were used in the classroom as well as how useful these elements were perceived to be for student learning. Different groups of students and faculty responded to an online survey pre-pandemic and then again approximately one year into the pandemic. The findings indicated consistently robust correlations between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. However, the pandemic initiated certain shifts, notably an uptick in faculty incorporating specific UDL elements, such as recording lectures. Additionally, students perceive a greater number of UDL elements as advantageous for their learning compared to the faculty perspective. [Articles in this journal were presented at the University of Calgary Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching.]

In 2006, Schulman and colleagues made a call to "reclaim" education's doctorate (i.e., the EdD) by developing a robust professional practice doctoral degree with a distinctive scholarly base. Separate from its more traditional and research-intensive counterpart (i.e., the PhD), the EdD is intended to be more specifically tailored to and focused on skills necessary for enhancing practice. In this conceptual article, the authors argue that "reclaiming" special education's professional practice doctorate--especially amid times of great workforce instability--serves an important and often overlooked need in terms of developing and sustaining the pipeline of special education leaders. They discuss the role of the EdD student as a scholarly practitioner and "credible insider," illustrating how they are uniquely positioned to enact local change and build or strengthen the school's capacity through improvement science. Recommendations for multiple impacted groups will also be addressed.

In this article, the Education Studies Department (ESD) at Berea College shares lessons learned while becoming an inclusive, justice-focused, and democratic Education Preparation Program (EPP) together with its "Community of Teachers" (CoT). ESD values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI+B) and democratic relationships. These values influence how we do our work. We begin by sharing how the theoretical framework of Community of Practice (CoP) frames our case study. After explaining how a CoP applies to ESD's approach to educator preparation, we give an overview of Berea College. We share some of its history and its eight Great Commitments. We detail how ESD is a unique EPP compared with other more traditional EPPs. Next, we chronicle the story of how ESD "walks its talk" and invests in the teacher profession. We detail the participants of the case study, outline our methodology of the case study, and share the data we analyzed for this article. Data were analyzed and three emergent themes were discovered about the praxis of ESD: (a) community-engaged and justice-focused teacher preparation, (b) community building within teacher preparation programs, and (c) diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The article concludes by sharing implications for EPPs and a conclusion.

Postgraduate engagement in delivering outreach activities is more commonplace than it once was. However, the impact on postgraduate students (typically studying for a Ph.D. degree) of participating in the delivery of these outreach activities has rarely, if ever, been recorded. The Bristol ChemLabS Outreach program has been running for ca. 17 years, and in that time, many postgraduate students have been involved (approximately 500), with around 250 typically for up to 3 years. We sought to investigate the impact of outreach engagement on postgraduate alumni who were involved in the program for over 3 years (32) and how the experiences and training of the outreach program had impacted on their careers postgraduation. Thirty of the 32 postgraduates engaged and ~70% reported that their outreach experience had influenced their decision making on future careers. Many respondents reported that the skills and experiences gained through outreach participation had contributed to success in applying for and interviewing at their future employers. All respondents reported that outreach had helped them to develop key skills that were valued in the workplace, specifically, communication, teamwork, organizational skills, time planning, event planning, and event management. Rather than a pleasant distraction or an opportunity to supplement income, all participants noted that they felt there were many additional benefits and that this was time well spent. Outreach should not be viewed as a distraction to science research but rather an important enhancement to it provided that the program is well constructed and seeks to develop those delivering the outreach activities.

This study examined the relationship between financial stress and student retention for post-secondary students. Data from 2014 collected at a Pacific Northwest University using The Ohio State's National Student Financial Wellness Study were used to examine the students' reported levels of stress related to finances. Students reported the most financial stress came from their student loan debt. Data analyses showed significance between participants who reported "large" and "extreme" amounts of stress from debt and their decisions to reduce course work, drop out, and/or take a break. Although future research is needed to determine the exact relationship between financial stress and retention rates, it is important to acknowledge that financial stress influences students' educational decisions.

Higher education institutions rely on part-time faculty to teach a large percentage of courses in a range of disciplines. Existing research indicates that instruction by part-time faculty can negatively impact academic outcomes, student retention, and subsequent interest in a field of study. This study investigates if using a motivational information system can help close this performance gap. It introduces a type of motivational information system called an educational engagement information system (EEIS). EEISs draw on principles of behavioral economics, motivation theory, and learning cognition theory to help students want to improve their performance. The study compared student failure status in course sections taught by part- and full-time instructors both with and without an EEIS. Results suggest that using an EEIS can help improve student failure rates in courses taught by part-time faculty members and bring students' performance to parity with the performance of students taught by a full-time instructor. Features of an EEIS, such as the additional structure, grade and outcome trackers, and motivational elements, can augment a part-time instructor's approach and may compensate for limitations sometimes associated with part-time instruction including limitations of expertise, time, or rewards that can have a negative impact on students' academic outcomes. As a result, students can experience higher completion rates and better performance.

In early 2022, the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society (HAPS) Curriculum & Instruction Lab Survey subcommittee launched the third survey of instructors for introductory undergraduate-level courses in human anatomy and physiology. This manuscript presents analyses of questions regarding the laboratory activities and learning outcomes (LOs) section of the survey and compares results to the first (2014) and second (2017) offerings of the lab survey. Laboratory instruction continues to be a valued component of anatomy and physiology instruction, although a greater variety of resources are now being used. New questions on curriculum development revealed that respondents utilize many techniques and resources to develop their curricula, though respondents at 2-year institutions report significantly lower levels of influence on their A&P curricula compared to respondents at 4-year institutions. Identification of anatomical structure LOs appeared to be prioritized over LOs for each structure's physiological role. Dissections, plastic model manipulations, use of human subjects for physiological experiments, and use of computer simulations have remained stable across all three surveys, although use of anatomical donors and computer simulations have increased over time. Collectively, we observed respondents developing intentional, outcome-directed changes to laboratory instruction while also being limited by historical practices at their institutions. Results also indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the speed at which instructors are making long-term curricular changes.

In 2022, a subset of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) Curriculum & Instruction Committee administered the third offering of the HAPS lab survey. This survey included a three-part framework of (1) demographics, (2) lab activities and learning outcomes, and, (3) the impact of a global pandemic on instruction. Here we report on demographics of respondents, their institutions, and students. Survey results related to lab activities and outcomes, and COVID-19 impacts, will be addressed in subsequent manuscripts. The duration of teaching service has been stable with 54.3% to 58.3% of respondents serving at least ten years in their current position, and 88% of respondents working at a single institution. Job responsibilities focused on teaching (98.9%) as well as multiple other commitments including service and lab and/or course coordination. The number of respondents with a terminal degree increased and there has been a decrease in the percentage of respondents working at 2-year institutions, with 50% of respondents working at 4-year institutions, of which a slight majority had graduate programs. Career goals of enrolled students remained focused on allied-health and instructors indicated nursing as the most common student career goal, with a range of other careers also mentioned. Overall, the results affirmed the importance of anatomy and physiology (A&P) instruction and the multiple roles that A&P instructors serve at their institutions.

Objective: This study examined college students' perceptions of how parents, family, friends, significant others, and the media influenced eating and exercise behaviors and weight perceptions. Participants: Forty-one college students, mostly female, participated in interviews. Methods: A Grounded Theory approach, using open coding and memoing, was used to uncover key themes. Results: Healthy cooking and exercise role models at home were viewed as positive, encouraging healthy eating and exercise. Criticism was perceived as negative for healthy habits and weight perceptions. Friends and significant others who practiced positive health habits and were body accepting were uplifting. Cultural transmission of the thin ideal could occur through the media. Some noted that media messages were becoming more positive. Conclusions: Using peers, especially friends, as collaborators in interventions, and discussing parental influences on eating, exercise, and weight perceptions may positively impact obesity prevention programs and interventions for college students.

Conversations and networks are essential for transforming academics' teaching practices as learning experiences (Palmer 1993). Yet, there has been little research reporting academics' informal conversations about teaching (Thomson and Trigwell 2018). Teachers will generally access small significant networks (Becher and Trowler 2001) for nuanced and personal issues relating to teaching and learning. Collaborative transnational projects provide fertile ground for unique conversations about Higher Education (HE) teaching (Thomson 2015), with the added value of cross-national perspectives. This study examines the conditions that help to create significant networks and conversations, based on collective autoethnographic reflections of the member of an Erasmus+ project, including five partner universities from four different countries. The results provide insights into how the project have afforded the generation and continuation of cross-national and interdisciplinary significant networks and how unique conversations have allowed for trust, relationships and common goals to develop, which add value beyond the individual level.

Objective: This study explored medical trainees' understanding of collaborative writing sessions in the Dominican Republic as a strategy to strengthen their technical writing and critical analysis skills in health education and communication. Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven medical trainees who participated in a series of collaborative writing sessions and published their articles in medical journals. Thematic analysis was used to study coded notes and identify salient themes with quotations and a conceptual model. Results: Five perceived individual- and programme-level enabling factors of the collaborative writing sessions were described: (1) detailed agenda, (2) direct mentorship, (3) effective teamwork, (4) personal investment and dedication, and (5) future vision. Conclusion: Study findings highlight that collaborative writing sessions with direct mentorship offers medical trainees a unique opportunity to acquire key written communication and analytical competencies and publish their articles, as part of their professional development. The incorporation of these valuable health education training exercises for health professional students can help develop an academic culture of writing and publishing on emerging global health topics.

Visual representations of data are widely used for communication and understanding, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, despite their importance, many people have difficulty understanding data-based visualizations. This work presents a series of three studies that examine how understanding time-based Earth-science data visualizations are influenced by scale and the different directions time can be represented (e.g., the Geologic Time Scale represents time moving from bottom-to-top, whereas many calendars represent time moving left-to-right). In Study 1, 316 visualizations from two top scholarly geoscience journals were analyzed for how time was represented. These expert-made graphs represented time in a range of ways, with smaller timescales more likely to be represented as moving left-to-right and larger scales more likely to be represented in other directions. In Study 2, 47 STEM novices were recruited from an undergraduate psychology experiment pool and asked to construct four separate graphs representing change over two scales of time (Earth's history or a single day) and two phenomena (temperature or sea level). Novices overwhelmingly represented time moving from left-to-right, regardless of scale. In Study 3, 40 STEM novices were shown expert-made graphs where the direction of time varied. Novices had difficulty interpreting the expert-made graphs when time was represented moving in directions other than left-to-right. The study highlights the importance of considering representations of time and scale in STEM education and offers insights into how experts and novices approach visualizations. The findings inform the development of educational resources and strategies to improve students' understanding of scientific concepts where time and space are intrinsically related.

Purpose: Universities of Small Island States (SIS) have the potential to fulfill a crucial role in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but also face barriers to local capacity building. The University of Aruba partly addresses these challenges through the development of The Academic Foundation Year (AFY), a one-year pre-university program aiming to optimally equip students for higher education. This study aims to assess to what extent the program can foster the local embeddedness of the students in ecology, culture and history and an understanding of opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in SIS. Design/methodology/approach: The authors provide examples of how the program incorporates education for sustainable development and how it emphasizes experiential learning. In addition, quantitative survey data and qualitative analysis of focus group meetings are used to reflect on the program's achievements and its potential for further development. Findings: The survey results suggest that AFY courses not only increase knowledge but also change students' perceptions regarding sustainability. Indeed, key impacts emerging from the student focus group related to both academic preparation and engagement with sustainability. Reflections by teachers emphasized the importance of experiential learning, an expansive view of the SDGs and preparing students as citizens. Originality/value: This study highlights that the program could provide a starting point for the development of similar initiatives in other SIS, the common basis being the fostering of sustainability literacy and social adoption of the SDGs.

To reduce their attrition rates, institutions need to ensure that their students can manage the stressors they confront in their academic work and persist to complete their study programs. Given the significance of non-cognitive attributes in education, this study aimed to identify the non-cognitive profiles exhibited by students which related significantly to academic stress and persistence levels in the middle of a given academic year. Undergraduate students from one of the largest private higher education institutions in Singapore participated in two online surveys. A total of 565 and 122 students participated in the first and second surveys, respectively. Results indicated that three distinct non-cognitive profiles could be identified, which were associated significantly with students' academic stress levels and their intentions to persist with their studies. Possible implications for enhancing student outcomes by offering students with opportunities to enhance their affective 'readiness' profiles are discussed.

This article describes an interactive activity for the first week of an undergraduate Strategic Management (SM) or Business Policy and Strategy (BPS) course. This activity is designed to foster student engagement, which is critical to both the teaching of theory and the practice of strategy while reinforcing course learning objectives regarding crucial SM concepts. This activity moves students to active learning by asking the class, "What happens in the world if dogs talk?" Post-activity survey results indicated that students found the activity an effective way to introduce fundamental strategy concepts, create a conversational learning space, and motivate them to learn throughout the course.

This article focuses on the development of a network learning system to enhance professional learning in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) through collaboration in a university-school partnership. The Chilean education system, characterised by market-oriented reforms and competition, serves as a unique context where to explore the development of an initiative designed to reframe relationships between ITE staff and school teachers with the purpose of reducing the distance between academic preparation and the day-to-day realities of teaching in schools. The findings of this exploratory study offer optimistic insights on how the initiative becomes a space for building trust and relationships among professionals and disrupts boundaries between institutions enhancing teacher professional learning, which are particularly promising given the policy context.

Mathematics teacher candidates enter teacher education with knowledge that could support or limit their learning. It is therefore important to gain insights of this knowledge to inform teacher education. This paper offers such insights for prospective mathematics teachers' initial knowledge of problem solving (PS) for teaching at the beginning of their teacher education programme. It reports on a study that investigated three categories of problem-solving knowledge for teaching: problem characterization, the PS process, and PS disposition. Participants were 109 prospective primary teachers at a university in Spain. Data sources were questionnaires designed for the study to explore the initial knowledge held by the participants for three categories of problem-solving knowledge. Findings indicated that the participants' knowledge was stronger regarding the PS process and disposition than for problem characterization but had limitations that needed to be addressed in their teacher preparation programme.

The Faculty Conversation Series at North Carolina State University, offered by the Office for Faculty Excellence, is a virtual option to connect faculty across campus to discuss topics immediately relevant to the unique teaching needs that we are currently experiencing, ranging from technical aspects of teaching online to mental health needs of faculty and students. The purpose is to engage faculty in discovery and discussions that will be helpful to their teaching practice. To this end, we provide the attendees with reading materials, invite a subject matter expert, and facilitate a confidential conversation among interested faculty members in a secure online learning environment. In this article, we discuss the outcomes of the first year of this program, both qualitatively and quantitatively, including a content analysis of written faculty comments collected during the sessions, as well as best practices to organize similar meetings and to facilitate this kind of inclusive faculty engagement.

Predictors of academic success at university are of great interest to educators, researchers and policymakers. With more students studying online, it is important to understand whether traditional predictors of academic outcomes in face-to-face settings are relevant to online learning. This study modelled self-regulatory and demographic predictors of subject grades in 84 online and 80 face-to-face undergraduate students. Predictors were effort regulation, grade goal, academic self-efficacy, performance self-efficacy, age, sex, socio-economic status (SES) and first-in-family status. A multi-group path analysis indicated that the models were significantly different across learning modalities. For face-to-face students, none of the model variables significantly predicted grades. For online students, only performance self-efficacy significantly predicted grades (small effect). Findings suggest that learner characteristics may not function in the same way across learning modes. Further factor analytic and hierarchical research is needed to determine whether self-regulatory predictors of academic success continue to be relevant to modern student cohorts.

Research on gamification's effects in educational environments has been a growing domain in recent years. As research has demonstrated the power of gamified systems to effectively motivate learners in educational settings, it has also become clear that not all individuals are motivated in the same way, or to the same extent, by the same gamified system. Patterns in individuals' attitudes and behaviors in online gaming are commonly known as player types. Nearly all player-type models were developed in online gaming settings, though they are sometimes applied to educational environments. Because online gaming and educational gamification are different in important ways, player-type models developed in online gaming are not optimal tools for describing the individuals' motivations in education or prescribing best practices for educational gamification design. In this paper we address this gap by presenting a motivational-style model developed in a gamified educational setting. Using principal component analysis on motivational data taken from gamified Organizational Behavior courses, we define a two-factor space including the following motivational dimensions: (1) social versus individual motivators and (2) utility versus accomplishment motivators. Within this space, we describe four motivational profiles: Citizen--being motivated by social assignments like group work and peer review; Pragmatist--being motivated by completing traditional assignments and exams; Gamer--being motivated by game elements that show one's progress compared to their peers and provide social reinforcing feedback; and Achiever--being motivated by improving one's individual progress in a course. We also suggest best practices for designing educational gamification experiences optimized for students from each motivational type.

This article describes elements of Self-Care with Self-Compassion (SC[superscript 2]), a novel program designed to foster well-being in graduate speech-language-pathology (SLP) students. Graduate SLP students experience elevated levels of perceived stress, which can ultimately impact their professional competence. University programs, faculty, and staff are uniquely positioned to help students learn to cope with stress. Self-care and self-compassion may buffer some of the effects of stress, and at the same time foster qualities in students that facilitate learning and promote healthy clinical practice. Twenty-five incoming SLP graduate students participated in SC[superscript 2], a required, two-part workshop. Levels of perceived stress and self-compassion were collected, along with program evaluations and perceptions of/ engagement with self-care pre- and post-program. Results confirm that graduate SLP students experience elevated levels of stress, along with moderate levels of self-compassion. Students value self-care, and most want to maintain or increase their engagement in self-care practices. However, students face several barriers in implementing and maintaining self-care plans. Students provided positive reviews of the program. Program limitations and possible future modifications of the program are discussed.

To better understand existing ensemble requirements for music education majors at U.S. institutions, we conducted a content analysis of ensemble requirements for 1,021 degree programs at 465 colleges and universities accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The mean number of ensemble credits required for each degree program was 7.25 (SD = 2.89), and the mean number of semester enrollments required was 7.86 (SD = 1.95). There were significant differences between degree types (e.g., instrumental-focused, choral-focused) in terms of total ensemble credits required and number and kind of subrequirements (e.g., chamber or small ensemble). A majority of programs did not contain specific subrequirements beyond traditional large ensembles, suggesting that many students may not undertake the varied complement of ensemble experiences called for in the NASM standards. By continuing to diversify ensemble offerings and encouraging or requiring students in all degree specializations to develop their musicianship through a variety of ensemble experiences, music programs may be able to make valuable ensemble experiences even more beneficial for undergraduate music education students.

Given the pivotal role of student satisfaction in the higher education sector, myriad factors contributing to higher education satisfaction have been examined in the literature. Within this literature, one lesser-researched factor has been that of the quality and types of interpersonal interactions in which students engage. As existing literature has yet to fully explore the contributions made by different forms of interaction to student satisfaction in higher education, this study aimed to provide a more fine-grained analysis of how different forms of interaction between students, their peers and their instructors relate to different aspects of student satisfaction. A total of 280 undergraduate students from one of the largest higher education institutions in Singapore participated in the study. Results provided an in-depth analysis of eight aspects of student satisfaction (i.e. satisfaction with the program, teaching of lecturers, institution, campus facilities, student support provided, own learning, overall university experience and life as a university student in general) and suggested that the different aspects of student satisfaction were associated with three different forms of interaction: student-student formal, student-student informal and student-instructor.

There are a disproportionate number of teachers of colour (ToC) in Wales in comparison to pupils of colour. Teachers are less ethnically diverse than the pupils they are teaching with only 1.3% of teachers categorising themselves as being from a non-White background. This paper sets out findings from research investigating recruitment into Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and the career progression of ToC in Wales. Through a qualitative case study approach, employing participant voice, it gives participants a platform to articulate their experiences. Sixty-eight semi-structured interviews took place and participants were a mixture of 14+ learners and serving teachers/leaders, all from diverse backgrounds. As a multi-ethnic research team ourselves, we were aware of issues that participants faced within the Welsh school system, either as pupils or teachers, and were committed to carrying out the research, employing an empathetic lens. This was especially relevant as participants were relaying incidents of racism and racial trauma suffered, as well as sharing their achievements. This provided us with rich data, detailing lived experience and gave an insight into the unique experiences of teachers of colour, within a predominantly White school system in Wales and as a result, suggests what needs to change.

Higher education institutions have switched from the traditional paper-based assessment to online assessment in the last decade, and it is worthwhile to examine how the users have perceived such a change. While many technology acceptance studies focused on students as participants, this study examines the lecturers' perception of online assessment. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model (UTAUT) has been widely adapted for technology acceptance studies, and it is suitable for the study on online assessment systems. Unlike the findings from the original UTAUT model, performance expectancy did not have a significant effect on behavioral intention. A new relationship was found between Social Influence and Use Behavior. The UTAUT was extended with Usability, Learnability and Attitude as additional constructs. An essential aspect of this study ascertained that attitude, a construct that was absent in the original model, has a significant effect on behavioral intention.

Historically, the professional structure of higher education has provided restricted employment, career, and leadership opportunities for women. This is exacerbated where there is an intersection between gender and race, culture, religion, or age. Women continue to be underrepresented in senior leadership positions across a range of disciplines, and this lack of representation of women within the professional structure of higher education itself acts as a barrier for more women reaching senior levels within institutions. More women are needed in higher positions to increase representation and visibility, and to encourage and mentor others to then aspire to follow a similar path. This critical review examines gender equity across the major career benchmarks of the academy in light of the impact of the personal contexts of women, systemic processes, and cultural barriers that hinder career progression. Research-based systemic solutions that work towards improved gender equity for women are discussed. The findings from this critical review highlight the need for global systemic change in higher education to create ethical equities in the employment, career, and leadership opportunities for women.

North Carolina postsecondary faculty, similar to faculty around the world, who prepared their spring 2020 semester courses for face-to-face delivery, were required to quickly transition to Rapid Online Teaching and Learning (ROTL). This transition was expected within a short time frame, often one to two weeks, and for many faculty members, both time and resources to incorporate design practices found in high-quality online courses were limited. Faculty members demonstrated great determination and grit as they shifted to remote teaching and learning with a focus on the student success, even while feeling overwhelmed and disrupted themselves. Researchers examined two faculty-support programs designed to assist with the shift to online teaching during the COVID-19 crisis: one at a research-intensive, land-grant university and another for faculty at 58 community colleges, some of whom are enrolled in a CPED Ed.D. program. Lessons learned and thoughts on planning for future semesters are examined.

Online doctoral programming geared toward working professionals can provide unprecedented flexibility in terms of time and place that affords greater access to a broader student demographic. At the same time, online learning poses its own unique set of challenges and limitations for students with and without disabilities. Universal Design (UD) is a framework built around the idea of proactively identifying and removing barriers to learning in the environment, pedagogical practices, and materials. In this essay, we highlight the necessity and relevance of UD to online doctoral programs and share insights related to its use in our program from faculty and student perspectives.

Higher education students are required to demonstrate value beyond their curricula achievements to secure jobs in increasingly competitive labour markets. Focusing on extracurricular activities as one-way students can do so, this paper uses a motivation perspective to examine what drives students to engage in extracurricular activities, and how student motivation varies between early and late-stage students. We conducted 46 in-depth interviews with students in a post-92 widening-participation university and found that four motivations -- extrinsic, intrinsic, social, and pro-social -- explained extracurricular participation. The motivations varied across types of extracurricular activities; extrinsic motivation was prominent for employment, academic, society and volunteering extracurriculars; intrinsic and social motivations were vital for sports and societies; and pro-social motivation for academic, volunteering, and society extracurriculars. Moreover, we found important differences between the motivations of early-year and final-year students, suggesting that motivations vary across the university journey. Our paper contributes to the literature on extracurricular activities within higher education by providing new evidence on the motivations that propel students to engage in (different) activities in the current marketised higher education environment and by identifying the level of study as an important boundary condition shaping motivations for extracurricular participation.

For preservice teachers, inclusive education practices are daunting, highlighting concerns around confidence, individualisation, and student behaviour. To explore this issue further, this study examined the perceptions of preservice Health and Physical Education (HPE) teachers on inclusion using a sequential, explanatory mixed-methods research design. Preservice HPE teachers (n = 44) completed a compulsory course on inclusion and a 10-week school internship. Sentiments, attitudes, and concerns were examined using the Sentiments, Attitudes and Concerns about Inclusive Education-Revised Scale (SACIE-R) and reported a Total Scale Score (TSS) and respective Sub-Scale Scores (SSS) for Sentiments, Attitudes and Concerns across three time points. Linear mixed models showed a significant improvement in TSS (p = 0.005) over time from course participation to internship. In addition, the SSS for Concerns was significant over time (p < 0.001) resulting in reduced Concerns about inclusion as time progressed. Qualitatively, six students participated in semi-structured interviews that examined views of inclusive education practices. Findings suggest an improvement in attitudes towards inclusive practices through participation in specific courses that provide direct opportunities for preservice teachers to practice inclusion. Implications for preservice teacher education programmes include the importance of direct experience with and without the pressure of school environments.

The current research aimed to evaluate UK student mental health during the first 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we were interested in exploring factors that contribute to students' anxiety levels about COVID-19. Demographics, mental health symptomatology and well-being-related variables were tested as predictors of COVID-19 anxiety. A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 1,164 UK university students (71.8% females). Measures included self-reported data on stress, social phobia, anxiety, depression, psychotic-like experiences, hopefulness, group membership, social identity, belonging, loneliness, COVID-19 related variables and demographics. The majority of participants were between 18 and 24 years old (92.2%), White British (57.9%) and in the first or second year of their course study (63.12%). A series of multiple linear regressions revealed that being female, experiencing more stress and anxiety, and greater worry about COVID-19 and its effects on social relationships were significant in explaining students' pandemic-related anxiety. Students' level of pandemic-related anxiety was independent of ethnicity, socioeconomic background and pre-existing mental health problems. Worrying about the future was the most common pandemic-related stressor, but it was not a significant predictor of COVID-19 anxiety. Our findings are in line with previous findings that females and students experiencing more stress have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings could inform the delivery of targeted stress-management interventions that might prove beneficial for student wellbeing.

This research investigates the effect of exceptionally poor team members (identified as "bad apples") on team dynamics and team performance. The negative impact of bad apples is shown to harm group dynamic factors of team effectiveness, relationships, cohesion, and increase conflict. In addition, we show that bad apples reduce team satisfaction and overall team grades. The use of a two-stage peer evaluation process is explored as a viable technique to minimize the negative impact of bad apples and appears to reduce the number of bad apples. We conclude with a discussion of applicable tools and techniques that can be utilized in a classroom to enhance the group experience and outcomes.

In 2015, a university from Hong Kong led an international service-learning course to Kigali, Rwanda. The focus of the course was to install solar panels in individual households in a community, on the outskirts of Kigali, without access to electricity. The following year, the Hong Kong university partnered with a university in the United States and returned to Rwanda to expand the solar panel project in the same community. The central question of the qualitative impact assessment was, "How, if at all, has the installation of solar panels impacted individual households and the community as a whole in the past year?" Data methods included semi-structured interviews and observations during visits to the 16 households who had received solar panels in previous iterations of the service-learning project. Findings demonstrating five reoccurring themes emerged: project implementation, economic savings, improvement of study environment for childhood, women's empowerment, and improved quality of life. A strategic government development plan, a sustained relationship between a university and a local organization, and the type of service project are highlighted as important factors. The importance of local participation in the design and implementation of the solar home systems (SHS) project is emphasized, and an unexpected impact on gender dynamics related to project design is explored.

There is an increasing demand for pre-service teachers to acquire the skills necessary to be proficient with the execution of teaching with technology as part of their educator preparation programs (GaPSC, 2018). This need for learning and applying technological proficiencies to enhance student performance in online classes can lead to divergent educator perceptions of self-efficacy in using technology. This study examined elementary, special education, and secondary pre-service educators' technology integration self-efficacy (TISE) before and after the completion of a comprehensive technology integration project and two semester of education courses.

This manuscript is a confluence of voices: A Black university professor at a Historically Black University in the Southeast and her two pre-service teachers. Using journaling as a catalyst for transformative healing; three young, Black women discuss their intersecting identities and bear witness to each other's memories. To resist racist representations Black women must confront the colonizing ideology by developing a critical consciousness. In short, we must confront massive hate by fully loving and embracing our Blackness. The study elucidates how self-actualization writing can cultivate healing while promoting academic success.

Many educational institutions have adopted online assessment in recent years. Previous studies on online assessment have often been tied to studies on learning management systems. As such, questions of online assessment acceptance have typically been overshadowed by a focus on the acceptance of learning management systems in general. The focus of the present research on online assessment is relatively rare. This paper describes the validation of an instrument to measure online assessment adoption by lecturers in higher education. A total of 213 participants responded to a 20-item online questionnaire. With the data collected and the model fit, the instrument developed was able to meet the expectations to measure online assessment. The preliminary evidence of the validity of the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model, based on its reliability found in the current study, supports the use of the instrument as a technology acceptance framework for online assessment systems.

Studies show teaching assistants (TAs) can positively influence the learning environment by increasing student comprehension and retention and impacting students' choices of academic and career paths. However, use of TAs in higher education is not universal. Following a fruitful panel discussion at the 2017 HAPS Conference, we conducted a survey to assess the prevalence of undergraduate and graduate TAs in human anatomy and physiology courses across a range of institutions and to evaluate how TAs are recruited, trained and compensated. Data from 329 respondents who used TAs, indicate most institutions use a formal application process, training procedures vary, and most TAs are compensated financially through hourly wages, stipends, or tuition credit. However, some TAs are unpaid but receive course credit as compensation. We highlight one of the more successful recruiting and training programs, where paid master TAs mentor unpaid apprentice TAs. This tiered training program excites and motivates student leadership, maintains high academic standards, and alleviates the lead instructor from continually training novice TAs.

Embedded Work Integrated Learning (EWIL) is a specific model of Work Integrated Learning (WIL); students work with industry in small blocks of time at regular intervals throughout semester focussing on reflective learning in authentic work environments. This study highlights benefits and challenges experienced when incorporating EWIL into a university education degree. Data was collected through survey and interview; students and graduates were surveyed and industry partners were interviewed. Reflections from university staff involved in the degree were also included. Results demonstrate EWIL is an effective pedagogical strategy in terms of providing authentic, real world learning experiences and enhancing students' employability skills. Specifically, students' communication skills, organisational abilities and confidence are enriched. Challenges encountered included time constraints, increasing student cohort size and staffing changes. These challenges can be overcome with planning and relationship development. The findings of this study provide insight and guidance for institutions considering implementing EWIL models into comparable university programs.

One of the great challenges interdisciplinary programs face is fguring out how to get students to engage subject matter in a truly integrative way. To accomplish integration, students do not need to become experts in multiple felds, but they do need to understand how multiple modes of thinking, theoretical lenses, and content knowledge can be integrated so as to be applicable to real world issues. To complicate matters further, to become truly critical, analytical thinkers, students also need to integrate interrogation of their own processing strategies, attitudes, and biases into the interdisciplinary process. This combination of theoretical knowledge, content knowledge, and critical self-refection is diffcult for interdisciplinary students to do and equally diffcult for instructors to teach them to do. One invaluable tool to aid in this challenge is a curriculum based on a critical pedagogical approach that explicitly focuses on metacognitive development. The objective of this article is to aid interdisciplinary educators in developing the integrative thinking and reasoning processes of their interdisciplinary students by reviewing the metacognition literature and by demonstrating the value of specifc pedagogical practices that explicitly and critically engage students in metacognitive capacity building.

A primary motivation for people to behave as they do is the need to belong socially to a group and to have relevance. A positive learning environment for young students is created when students are recognized and accepted by their peers and their teachers, and studies reveal that in such environments, students perform better academically and tend to have fewer behavioral issues. These environments may also act as a buffer against school dropout rates. This study examined whether teaching prosocial lessons to first-grade students in the southeastern United States would create positive learning environments for children who otherwise may not be recognized and accepted by their peers and also examined the relationship of teacher evaluations of observable classroom behaviors by their students with student recognition by peers. This study confirms the relevance of prosocial lessons in the creation of positive learning environments for young students.

Problem-based Learning (PBL) has long been touted as an effective pedagogical approach in higher education to promote students' authentic learning. As a learner-centered pedagogy, PBL is characterized by students working collaboratively in small groups to solve messy, ill-structured problems that mirror real-world problems encountered by expert professionals in the field. Students are also expected to engage in self-directed learning. PBL instructors play a pivotal role as facilitators of learning. Authentic assessment is deemed to be a viable method in PBL-oriented courses because of its focus on realistic tasks that require students to solve worthwhile problems. This enables students to demonstrate what they know and can do like the professionals in the field. However, little is known about how instructors in higher education institutions perceive the importance of and their satisfaction in using authentic assessment in PBL-oriented courses. Specifically, how do they use authentic assessment tasks to promote assessment for learning and assessment as learning in PBL lessons? Both types of assessments can increase students' interests in learning and persistence on tasks, and help them develop professional competences, such as critical thinking, complex problem solving, creativity and innovation, effective communication, and collaboration. In this paper, we report on a self-study of instructors' perspectives of using authentic assessment tasks to develop student teachers' assessment literacy in a PBL-oriented assessment course.