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The instructional design and technology field is dynamic, requiring instructional designers to stay abreast through timely professional learning. Social media offers characteristics to collapse the time, geographical, and financial limitations of informal professional learning, but challenges exist. Continuous professional learning requires proactive actions, wherein self-regulated learning (SRL) plays an important role. However, not all professionals know the effective strategies to promote SRL skills. This study examines instructional designers' (N = 17) experiences of professional learning on social media through an SRL lens. Data collected through semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings include SRL strategies conducted by instructional designers and the challenges they faced. This study informs instructional-design professionals and educators of ways to encourage continuous professional learning using social media while fostering SRL simultaneously.

One of the goals of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is to promote students' understanding of and interest in STEM careers. However, young students often hold stereotypical perceptions of STEM professionals. This study aimed to apply two newly developed checklists to explore upper elementary students' perceptions of scientists, engineers, and technologists as STEM professionals. A total of 564 valid responses were collected from fourth- to sixth-grade students. The data were collected using an instrument revised from the Draw-A-Scientist Test (Chambers in Sci Educ 67(2):255-265, 1983). Content analysis was conducted on students' drawings and written descriptions of the STEM professionals' work with the newly developed checklists and a categorization process, and inter-rater reliabilities were calculated to ensure trustworthiness. Results show that both girls and boys drew more male than female scientists, engineers, and technologists. Moreover, students tended to associate scientists with laboratory-related features, engineers with building construction, and technologists with technological products. In addition, students' perceptions of scientists, engineers and technologists fell into seven major categories of careers, and students overwhelmingly placed inventors and programmers into their presentations of scientists and technologists, respectively, rather of engineers. The results indicate that gender stereotypes existed pervasively in the students' perceptions of scientists, engineers, and technologists, with engineers being the most stereotyped. Moreover, the students associated engineers with various professions related to civil construction and did not see many other engineering professionals as engineers, implying that students generally have a naïve understanding about engineering. The mechanism underlying the formation of these stereotypes and potential countermeasures are discussed.

Computational thinking (CT) and design thinking (DT) are critical tools for students to improve their problem-solving abilities. CT is most commonly used in science and technology fields such as computer science and mathematics, whereas DT is more commonly used in the design field. This study evaluates the impact of art programming education on college art students using both methods of thinking to identify the relationship between CT and DT. In total, 27 junior students from an art programming course for a digital media class were chosen as the study's participants. According to the study's findings, the art programming course was shown to improve students' programming attitude (PA) in terms of both DT and CT. Although the correlation analysis found no significant difference between DT and CT, the data showed that both were related to student grades. The findings of this study confirm the efficacy of programming in improving students' abilities in DT and CT. It also confirms the importance of the two distinct types of thinking, DT and CT, in the problem-solving process, which serves as the foundation for creative design.

This study investigates factors that stimulate better academic performance for female students in learning quantitative topics, such as those involving mathematical-related tasks. We explore the differences in self-regulated learning (e.g., sources of motivation and execution of learning strategies), learning behaviors, and learning achievement of female students in quantitative courses. A combination of primary survey data and secondary data from the course-specific Learning Management System (LMS) is used in this study to identify differences between the four grade groups (e.g., students earning final grades A, B, C, and D & F). Findings reveal that the higher-grade groups have stronger metacognitive self-regulation, elaboration, time and study environment management, and effort regulation skills than the lower-grade groups. The higher-grade groups also have stronger self-efficacy, lower test anxiety, more LMS activities, and earlier assignment and quiz submissions. The lower-grade group students consistently submit assignments at the last minute and show fewer LMS activities overall. Our findings have important implications for instructors, academic administrators, and scholars in promoting female students' self-regulated learning in quantitative courses.

Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1(LPCAT1), a key metabolic enzyme in the phosphatidyl-choline metabolism pathway, mediates phosphatidylcholine synthesis through deacylation-reacylation, which leads to alterations in the phospholipids composition of cell membranes and the remodelling of the cellular cytoskeleton. Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 has been shown to be highly expressed in gastric, breast and colorectal cancer, and can accelerate the alteration of the phospholipids composition of tumor cell membranes or interact with tumor driver genes, such as epidermal growth factor receptor and cell cycle-related genes. It might promote tumor development by affecting tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion and resistance to chemotherapy.

A novel PSMA targeting molecule ［177Lu］Lu-DOTA-CPN-PSMA with high uptake and long retention in prostate cancer was developed, in which DOTA was used as the bifunctional chelator, glutamic acid-urea-lysine(Glu-Urea-Lys) was used as the targeting group, and 4-(p-tolyl)butyric acid(CP) group together with quinoline ring were introduced at the linker of this molecule. The precursor DOTA-CPN-PSMA was synthesized using solid-phase peptide synthesis method. DOTA-CPN-PSMA was labeled with carrier-free 177Lu. The influences of pH, reaction time, temperature, and ratio of 177Lu/PSMA on the radiolabeling were investigated respectively, and the optimal labeling condition was determined accordingly. The lipid water partition coefficient and in vitro stability of ［177Lu］Lu-DOTA-CPN-PSMA were also measured. Preliminary SPECT/CT imaging study of ［177Lu］Lu-DOTA-CPN-PSMA was performed in nude mice bearing 22RV1 tumor and compared with ［177Lu］Lu-PSMA-I&T. The optimization of the labeling condition shows that the addition of gentisic acid is essential, and the reaction pH is at the range of 3.5-5.5, the reaction temperature and time is 60.94 ℃ and 5.15 min respectively, the ratio of 177Lu/PSMA(mCi/μg, 1 Ci=3.7×1010 Bq) is controlled at 1∶1-2∶1. The radiochemical purity reaches over 95%, and even up to 99%. The results of in vitro stability study show that the radiochemical purity is remained ≥95% after being incubated in saline and bovine serum at 37 ℃ for 24 h. So that the solution of ［177Lu］Lu-DOTA-CPN-PSMA is used for imaging study directly without further purification. The lipid-water partition coefficient of ［177Lu］Lu-DOTA-CPN-PSMA is -2.02, indicate that it is more lipophilic than ［177Lu］Lu-PSMA-I&T. Preliminary SPECT/CT studies reveal that ［177Lu］Lu-DOTA-CPN-PSMA is mainly metabolized through kidneys. Compared with images of ［177Lu］Lu-PSMA-I&T, higher uptake in prostate tumors and lower uptake in the kidneys are displayed. After 72 h, ［177Lu］Lu-DOTA-CPN-PSMA demonstrates longer retension in tumor than ［177Lu］-PSMA-I&T, but also displays longer retention in the body. These results demonstrate the potential of ［177Lu］Lu-DOTA-CPN-PSMA as a candidate for the treatment of prostate cancer and it is worth further study.

Homework completion is associated with learning achievement, but students' challenges revolve around meeting deadlines and preventing procrastination. Promoting students' self-regulated learning (SRL) can overcome these challenges. We explored the role of SRL (forethought and learning strategies) on the timeliness of homework submissions performed by undergraduate female students in quantitative courses. Data were collected from a survey and Learning Management System log. A structural equation modeling analysis indicated that the forethought components had a direct effect on the learning strategies. The use of learning strategies significantly influenced homework timeliness, which then significantly affected course achievement. Discussion regarding mixed results and strategies for scaffolding SRL through homework assignments are included. A suggestion on guiding students to execute suitable learning strategies for mastering quantitative topics is presented.

Inquiry-based learning as an instructional approach has been popular amongst STEM (i.e. science, technology, engineering, mathematics) disciplines, but the practice specifically in engineering education deserves further exploration. Employing a case-study approach, the present study was aimed to explore POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) as an instructional strategy in an engineering course that included inquiry-based group activities. Using a questionnaire, students were then asked to report how they perceived their experience. The instructor's perception was garnered through an interview. Findings suggested that most students were in favour of the inquiry-based activities, but challenges in the implementation coexisted especially because it was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pedagogical recommendations were provided to shed light on future implementation.

This design case shares how personas were utilized to create an online career resource center intended to help instructional design students in making informed career decisions. The outcome of this project has helped identify instructional opportunities to improve services currently provided to instructional design students and graduate student members of the Association for Education Communications and Technology (AECT). By evaluating the mechanisms and supports already in place and contrasting those with the needs of the students who are seeking career guidance, the intent of the project was to bridge the gap between graduate student members' career needs and the resources available to them within a professional association. We discuss how we gathered information through a needs assessment for the creation of a Career Resource Center to further educate and inform instructional design students of resources for career decision-making.

Guided notes were introduced decades ago, but there is still debate over their efficacy in improving student outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine peer-reviewed research on guided notes for adult learners in general populations since 2009, understanding the effects of guided notes on student learning, the knowledge and content areas supported by guided notes, and the impact of modality. Results of the 22 included studies indicate that students perceive guided notes in a positive light, and guided notes improve results in certain knowledge domains especially with complex content. However, modality does not influence the efficacy of guided notes. Implications for practice in teaching and learning and recommendations for research were provided.

Emerging practices of social media for professional purposes in higher education merit further attention. Reddit, a social media platform, is under-studied despite its significant presence. This study explores participation patterns on Reddit for two summer periods during 2019-2020, before and during COVID-19. We collected a total of 82,494 contributions from two subreddits, r/highereducation and r/Professors. Results show changes in contributions and interactions, with more consistent growth in r/Professors. Major topics discussed in both subreddits during summer 2020 had shifted from 2019, largely related to COVID-19. Findings are discussed with a community of practice lens, noting changes in participation and adjustment to the crisis. Additionally, we present implications for supporting and sustaining higher education professionals through Reddit during and after massive disruptions like those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.