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This literature review examines the implementation of e-Portfolios in higher education, with a focus on the implementation process, potential barriers, and strategies for overcoming challenges. This review seeks to provide instructional designers and higher education instructors with design strategies to effectively implement e-Portfolios. Through an analysis of seventeen studies, we identified six common steps in the implementation process, including identifying a purpose, stakeholders, platform, conducting workshops, creating e-Portfolios, and evaluating the project. The implementation process also raised eight concerns, including concerns related to technology, policy, pedagogy, artifact quality, privacy, student motivation, academic integrity, and teacher workload. To address these concerns, existing strategies suggest that successful implementation requires training and policy support, student-centered pedagogy, criteria for assessing artifacts, privacy and data protection, feedback, anti-plagiarism measures, and shared successful models.

This article proposes a comprehensive AI curriculum tailored for young learners aged 11 to 14, emphasizing a humanistic approach. We review other AI curricula proposals for children and young people and underline that they focus primarily on AI's technological benefits and on learning coding and logic. Our curriculum explores human cognition that is often overlooked in existing AI curriculum. Our proposal combines learning through construction, reflective discussions and project-based learning in order to approach AI from variety of angles. Implemented by CreaTIC Academy during 2023/24 school year as an out-of-school activity in a secondary (middle) school in Barcelona, Spain, this curriculum integrates technological, philosophical, cognitive, and cultural dimensions. It draws from diverse fields, including Philosophy of Mind, Cognitive Psychology and Philosophy of Children, and includes practical coding with tools like Scratch and AppInventor, as well as Machine Learning for Kids. Designed to be adaptable across various socio-economic contexts, our approach aims to promote a broader liberal education for children and help teachers implement AI activities in their classrooms.

Given the changing nature of the meaning of literacy, this study seeks to adopt a pluralistic view of literacies and provide a holistic picture of how coursebooks help learners improve their technological-related literacies to participate fully in the present and future world of multiple and multimodal literacies. Accordingly, the elements of digital literacies in sixteen widely used ELT coursebooks were explored through content analysis. The findings revealed the implementation of the four foci of literacies (communication, collaboration, information, and re-design) in the digital literacies framework throughout the coursebooks. All coursebook series primarily emphasized the aspects of communication and collaboration, allocating comparatively less attention to the elements of information and re-design. The findings have call for practitioners in the field to rethink the curriculum, take the digital literacy components into account, and augment the digital aspects that are less discussed in coursebooks.

This paper presents the results of a multi-year effort to redesign the introduction to business course at Western Michigan University. ScrimmageSIM, a business simulation that emulates commercial ERP systems, provides the core experience in the course and is a mechanism for students to develop their understanding of business with a focus on quantitative analysis. The design and implementation of the simulation experience follows the experiential learning spiral, as students run the simulation five times with increasingly complex scenarios. The overall design of the course is competency-based, as students have the opportunity to redo many of the course assignments to earn a better grade. The simulation experience, combined with the competency-based design of the course, has resulted in a more rigorous course with students earning grades that are better than they were with the previous curriculum.

There has been an increasing demand for healthcare analytics skills and competence by healthcare organizations. Although many universities have established programs and courses on healthcare analytics, most of these curricula have been designed for information systems (IS), information technology (IT), or analytics students. It is unclear how these curricula would fit the needs of healthcare professionals who have little IT knowledge and background yet also need analytics for their clinical or administrative job roles. This research reports on the design of an executive MBA course intended for an audience of healthcare professionals. The learning objectives, topic coverage, software tools, and assessment methods are presented along with students' perceptions of these aspects of the course. Several important lessons learned are shared and future directions are proposed, which can help other educators design similar healthcare analytics courses for professional audiences.

The advent of digital technology has enabled the development of alternative learning methods that enable personalized education to meet the demands of the modern era. Regardless of geographical location and time, online education facilitates the provision of personalized learning opportunities through asynchronous or synchronous recording. Thanks to COVID-19, the rapid adaptation of formal education to digital environments promoted individualization and self-directed learning. The increasing use of design software in architectural education due to digitalization promotes integrating synchronous or asynchronous extracurricular training into the individual learning process. By exploring the diversity of informal online education programs in design software, this study aims to identify the contributions and limitations of informal learning in personalization. Examining the context of a five-day online workshop and a 21-day course can provide new perspectives through a multidisciplinary environment of discussion and practice, even in a short period of time. These programs provide education and training for skilled designers who have their own unique perspectives and techniques on design. Participants' economic situation regarding course fees introduces a competitive medium, which restricts learning accessibility in any scenario. Moreover, excluding these educational programs from transcripts due to imprecise evaluation conditions results in unfairness. With equal access and fair and accurate evaluation mechanisms, informal online education can help professionals develop unique, global, and harmonious perspectives.

In this article, we explore demands and tensions involved when schools implement ambitious mathematics teaching (AMT). Following a description of a framework that distinguishes between internal and external demands, we characterize the tension between these in terms of alignment, balance, and buffering, which collectively speak to coherence. We then describe AMT and how it represents a departure from traditional mathematics instruction found in most countries. We applied the framework to an illustrative case and found that while the school devoted considerable resources to reforming mathematics teaching and learning, challenges persisted. These challenges include ongoing language and participatory demands for students and, for teachers, balancing the demands of implementing AMT with a range of other initiatives. The framework provides a means of exploring the full range of demands associated with ambitious instructional reforms, how these demands are mitigated or exacerbated, and the kinds of resources necessary to sustain AMT.

This research investigates the integration of Urban Environmental Quality, Materials and Resource Management, and Green and Sustainable Environment within the international maritime education framework at Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Pelayaran (STIP Jakarta/ Maritime Institute of Jakarta). The study explores cadet experiences in Nautical, Technical, and Port and Shipping Management Majors, analysing theoretical foundations, curriculum satisfaction, practical training, and the incorporation of Environmental Science elements. Utilizing a qualitative descriptive approach, data is gathered through document analysis and self-reported reflections from 100 randomly selected cadets. The findings reveal distinct dynamics across majors, indicating a strong alignment between theoretical foundations and curriculum satisfaction. However, variations exist in the emphasis on practical training and the integration of Environmental Science elements. Port and Shipping Management Majors stand out with a notable commitment to sustainability principles, while Nautical and Technical Majors show potential areas for enhancement. The implications for future research underscore the need for ongoing refinements in curricula to address the evolving demands of the maritime industry. The study contributes to the scholarly discourse on international maritime education, providing insights for academic institutions to foster environmentally conscious and globally competent maritime professionals.

Utilising the ABC Learning Design based on the ABC curriculum design method (Young & Perovic 2016) and the Conversational Framework (Laurillard 2012), specifically the six learning types that underpin that model, eight Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from Coursera or FutureLearn were examined. These MOOCs were selected because they represent a wide range of disciplines, assessment options, and course structures. This paper will demonstrate how the application of various learning types impacts how learners engage with the material, progress through the course, and how it influences their commitment to continue learning (Martin & Bolliger 2018). Additionally, results from this research provide evidence of how the frequency and sequencing of learning types create opportunities for learners to engage with content in a meaningful way. By synthesising the secondary data from pre-course surveys, exit surveys, end-of-course surveys, comment sections, and several other course metrics, including but not limited to the watch-through rates and technical feedback of over 400 videos, course completion, assessment completion, and learner satisfaction, seven key areas of impactful course design were identified and will be explored throughout this paper. These key areas will focus on the following elements of course design (1) quality and duration of videos, (2) balance and distribution of acquisition learning types (3) structure of discussions, (4) effective guidance for exploration activities, (5) balance of assessment and feedback opportunities, (6) utilisation of e-learning tools and plugins, and (7) successfully leveraging the synergies between the learning types in online course design. This empirical research will present evidence on how learning types can be successfully deployed in course design and course design sequencing.

Today's global challenges are characterised by rapid change. Adjusting to these changes, requires professionals to learn at pace, then rapidly adapt how they work. To support this need, professional development programmes have been designed as Massive Open Online Courses aimed at universal reach, large numbers, and knowledge transfer. However, focus on the scale and reach of knowledge transfer is not sufficient. Professional development programmes must extend beyond learning at scale by supporting professionals not only to learn new knowledge, but also to apply this knowledge to their work. Achieving this goal means taking into account the local context by combining knowledge learned on the programme with local knowledge, by reflecting on the role, and by planning how to adapt work practice and processes. This new focus is particularly relevant to areas of healthcare that are changing at pace. The global health challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens our ability to treat infections and achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Mitigating the impacts of AMR requires professionals across a wide range of roles to change how they work and there is widespread recognition of the need to provide learning opportunities for professionals to build capacity to tackle this challenge. Provoked by a funder's interest in 'developing a MOOC' to support capacity building for AMR surveillance, this paper investigates how we reconceptualise MOOCs as professional learning in rapidly changing contexts and how we combine 'learning at scale' with the need for professionals to adapt and apply knowledge. The paper presents the theoretical framework and methodological approach and offers reflections on key decisions concerning the design of 'Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance', a professional development MOOC designed as a collection of online modules aiming to support professionals to reflect on how the knowledge learned applies to their everyday practice. Although this study is contextualised within the global health challenge of AMR, these findings are likely to have applicability for the design of professional learning to support other global challenges.

The primary aim of institutional learning outcomes assessment is the creation of a culture of assessment where faculty use evidence-based data to validate and improve teaching and learning for the benefit of students. Faculty are key to these processes and yet, they are often woefully disengaged from them. This paper presents findings from an action research project that utilized a collaborative self-study approach to engage faculty in the strategic assessment of institutional learning (SAIL). SAIL is an immersive professional development opportunity that bridged quality assurance with meaningful improvements in the classroom. Findings indicated that cross-disciplinary dialogue about assessment increased faculty awareness of the (mis)alignment between course, program, and institutional learning aims while also identifying and informing potential gaps in curriculum and program design. SAIL is an excellent mechanism to engage faculty in an immersive assessment of student achievement that may then lead to meaningful improvement in teaching and learning.

Virtual laboratories are transformative tools in science education, yet comprehensive reviews of their prospects are limited. This study addresses this gap through a bibliometric analysis of 218 articles published between 2013 and 2023. Key findings included: (1) research has evolved from initial exploration to rapid expansion; (2) virtual labs have demonstrated adaptability across various scientific disciplines, including chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, and medicine; (3) five research trajectories focus on virtual labs, science education, and computer-based learning; and (4) eight research topics, such as comparisons with physical labs and student performance, have gained prominence. These findings had implications for educational practices, research methodologies, and policy considerations. For educational practices, virtual laboratories offer benefits by removing the need for physical resources, providing flexible delivery, enabling safe exploration, fostering engagement through hands-on experimentation, and enhancing understanding with immersive experiences. For research, virtual labs improve learning and analytical skills, generate detailed data on student behaviors and learning patterns, and lead to innovations in teaching methods and curriculum design. For policymakers, strategic planning is needed to create supportive policies for the effective adoption of virtual labs, including teacher training, infrastructure development, and curriculum integration, making science education more accessible and equitable for all students.

Instructors in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) have used problem-based learning (PBL) for a variety of purposes across academic levels. Problem-based learning offers a framework for considering and including student strengths. In this paper, the authors describe the development of a PBL with specific utility to an introductory CSD course, explain how student strengths were considered in the problem development, and provide evidence of student strengths in outcomes of the PBL. This investigation followed 70 undergraduate students registered in introductory CSD courses across two universities as they engaged in a semester long PBL. A thematic analysis of 217 student solutions to the PBL was conducted. Evidence of two primary means of strengths inclusion, funds of knowledge and student interests, were found in the students' solutions. The authors provide considerations for designing a strengths inclusive PBL in CSD.

This article is a collaboration among three Philadelphia public school teachers who wrote curriculum units based on their new learning and research of W.E.B. Du Bois' groundbreaking book, "The Philadelphia Negro" (1899) of the Seventh Ward. Du Bois' book was the first major race study of an African-American urban community ever published in the United States. Teachers Holloway, Moon, and Yau utilize the past and current history of the Seventh Ward being in Philadelphia to give their students the first hand experience of Du Bois' scholarly work. Tyriese James (TJ) Holloway, an 11th and 12th grade teacher from Overbrook High School begins his session with a personal narrative about the complex meanings of "home" and shares his class assignments and examples of student works. Similarly, Jeannette Moon, a 7th and 8th Grade Teacher from Penn Alexander School designs her curriculum unit to focus students with the essential question: "What is home?" with mapping, reading of primary sources as well as fictional works of Du Bois. Lisa Yuk Kuen Yau, a 5th Grade Teacher from Francis Scott Key School finds it crucial to introduce students at a young age to the race issue by having them create accordion books, data portraits, and community spaces inspired by Du Bois' scholar works.

Background: In Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes, there are concerns about student teachers' English language proficiency. Aim: To discuss the first iteration of the PrimTEd English language and literacy test and analyse the results for information about the test instrument and about student teacher attainment. Setting: South African student teachers in BEd programmes preparing for teaching in primary schools, across six public universities, participated in the test from 2020 to 2022. Methods: The student results for the PrimTEd English assessment were analysed using basic statistics, focussing on the largest samples of first-year and fourth-year students who took both the subtests. The items in each subtest were coded according to their underlying language constructs, and each subtest was subjected to Rasch analysis before the test was considered as a whole. Results: The initial test showed the attainment of fourth-year students (mean = 55%, standard deviation [SD] = 21%, n = 731) was only 3 percentage points higher than that of first-year students (mean = 52%, SD = 20%, n = 1177). Conclusion: The similarities between the first- and fourth-year students' test results is concerning. There remains much work to be done in building student teachers' English language proficiency in BEd programmes. Contribution: The findings and recommendations should be useful to ITE lecturers in designing programmes that enable progressive development of English language and literacy competence from first year to graduation.

Brightpoint's HyFlex Pilot Program was a year-long project funded by the Online Virginia Network (OVN) to support faculty in the design and delivery of an actual HyFlex course. The cohort consisted of faculty who teach in the biology, architecture, early childhood, and web design disciplines. Participants worked in collaboration with one another and the Center for Teaching and Learning. In the following essay, members of the 2021-22 pilot cohort will reflect on their experiences learning and implementing a HyFlex approach in their courses. Each author will share challenges and successes as well as conclusions with implications for practice by colleagues statewide.

Despite the needs for the facilitation for multicultural group work (MCGW) in classrooms in internationalized higher education, research on teaching assistants' (TAs) potential to facilitate MCGW has been lacked. This mixed-method study examined how a course design for activating MCGW, which strategically engaged TAs, influenced the social dynamics of MCGW and students' learning outcomes in an English-taught undergraduate course at a standalone international university in Japan. The results revealed that both Japanese and international students made group work inclusive and international students demonstrated altruistic attitudes for Japanese students with foundational English skills. Students expressed their views in their groups and increasingly bore responsibility for group tasks, but not to the extent that everyone in the group equally expressed their views and bore an equal share of the responsibility. Meanwhile, the percentage of students receiving lower grades decreased. Therefore, the course design positively affected the group dynamics and students' learning outcomes.

Despite extensive efforts to improve the quality of English language teaching, Saudi students in the local primary schools have a poor level of proficiency in English. Hence, this study aims to examine the barriers to effective English teaching from the perspectives of teachers in the primary schools in Burydah primary schools in Saudi Arabia. 50 teachers in primary schools in Saudi Arabia were recruited through convenience sampling. The study recruited teachers from Buryadah, a city in Saudi Arabia. Self-reported questionnaires with close- and open-ended questions were used to collect rich data. Several teacher-related, student-related, classroom-related, and school-related challenges were reported. Teachers believed that the key barriers to effective English teaching in descending order were the limited ability to use technology, limited technical support to use technology, irrelevant curriculum, lack of training in immersive learning, lack of student motivation, cultural differences among students, overcrowded curriculum, malfunctioning air conditioners, limited engagement at the class, impaired communication skills, limited use of interactive teaching methods, limited teacher training, dull curriculum or unengaging content, limited students' ability to use technology, large class size, and limited flexibility in adapting the curriculum to the interests and needs of students. There is a need for cooperation among teachers, school headmasters, students, policymakers, and parents to address these barriers.

Assessments in education enables educators, curriculum designers, and program developers to evaluate the success of their programs. It also allows for assessing learners enrolled in the programs. Assessment frameworks emanate from a Western and positivistic stance and tend to disregard linguistic and cultural diversity from the mainstream European point of view. That said, failing to recognize the distinctions of diverse learners has led to inequitable learning experiences for minority learners, who have distinct ways of knowing, worldviews, and epistemologies, and have led to their high-rates of drop-out and under-performance in academe. Thus, this study reviews the literature on assessment and has found that current assessment frameworks have contributed to the high drop-out rate and academic under-performance among minority learners. This, however, could be resolved when educators indigenize and re-define assessment frameworks and assess their minority learners' academic performance using culturally appropriate frameworks that incorporate their Indigeneity and ways of knowing.

Purpose: During the last decade, new continuing learning pathways have been designed and implemented in the Dutch Vocational Education and Training (VET) column aiming to foster students' transitions between successive educational levels. Prototypical examples of such continuing learning pathways are the Green Lyceum (GL) and the Technical Talent Development programme (TTD). In the present exploratory study, GL and TTD were compared in terms of curriculum design aspects and students' acquired VET diplomas and transitions to higher VET levels. Methods: Ten curriculum design aspects of GL and TTD were described through curriculum description forms and focus group discussions to be able to determine similarities and differences between both learning trajectories. Moreover, acquisition of VET diplomas and transitions to higher VET levels of students from both programmes were compared. Findings: The ultimate goal of GL was to promote student transitions to higher professional bachelor (HBO) programmes while TTD mainly intended to increase student numbers in the technical domain at the secondary VET level. For GL, a new and integrated VET curriculum was built with specific ingredients to prepare students for the HBO level. For TTD, the contents of the regular VET programmes were roof tile stacked in an accelerated curriculum with a stronger focus on vocation-oriented assignments in the technical domain. Conclusion: If the ultimate goal of a continuing learning pathway is to promote students' transitions to higher VET levels, curriculum design aspects as represented in GL seem more effective. However, if the focus is on promoting students' diploma acquisition at lower VET levels for specific sectors, curriculum design aspects as represented in TTD seem more effective.

Educational trends have influenced occupational therapy education as evidenced by the adoption of new teaching methods such as blended learning. Blended learning is a combination of both synchronous and asynchronous learning that occurs online as well as portions of the learning occurring in a brick-and-mortar. As more occupational therapy programs design their curriculum to include blended learning, it is essential to understand occupational therapy educators' self-efficacy related to their skills and capabilities to teach in such an innovative format. Little is known regarding occupational therapy educators' selfefficacy to teach in a blended curriculum. This qualitative study aimed to examine the perceptions of occupational therapy educators' self-efficacy when teaching in a blended curriculum. The theoretical framework for this study was Bandura's self-efficacy theory. Ten occupational therapy educators teaching in a blended curriculum were interviewed for this study. Content analysis, descriptive, in vivo, and pattern coding were used to code and analyze the data. Four themes emerged that may contribute to an enhanced self-efficacy when teaching in a blended curriculum: (a) Personal agency enhances performance in teaching, (b) university resources support growth as an educator, (c) feedback as an opportunity for reflection and growth, and (d) coping to overcome frustration teaching in a blended curriculum. Results of the study may provide university leaders insight on creating structured professional and mentoring programs that focus on educational learning theories and instructional design, training on educational technology, and providing feedback from peers and supervisors to promote reflection and behavior change which may lead to enhanced self-efficacy as a blended learning educator.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of scripted biology curriculum as a means of providing students with the information required to increase content knowledge, while comparing curriculum developed by the teacher that utilizesthe Understanding by Design (UbD) framework (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). The study used a mixed method, concurrent triangulation design which revealed that there was a significant difference between student growth from the pretest to the posttest. The teacher reflection logs and student focus groups identified two themes regarding science content knowledge: instructional/learning style and using discussion within the instructional cycle for both curricula. It was evident that the increase in content knowledge was associated with the utilization of discussion during the learning cycle. The teacher reflection logs and student focus groups also identified two themes when looking at the perception of the learning environment: the effect of teacher relationship on instruction and the effect of time on the learning environment. According to the instrument used, both groups of students showed growth, however, there was a larger gain among the students receiving the Understanding by Design curriculum. A major contributing factor for the growth among all students was the relationship the teacher had with them to meet their individual academic needs.

This study explores the significance of the online teaching ability of higher education teachers, and how teachers perceived their level of competence in teaching online in north-east (NE) India. The Faculty Readiness to Teach Online (FRTO) instrument developed by Martin et al. (2019) was adapted to conduct a study from 130 teachers in higher education institutions across NE India. The ability to teach online was categorised into four categories, i.e., course design, course communication, time management, and technical competence. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was carried out to do direct and indirect path analysis of the proposed conceptual model. Multiple regression analysis was used in analysing the demographic profiles of the teachers and their perceptions of the importance of online teaching competencies. The findings indicate that the perceived readiness to teach online was not significantly influenced by course design, course communication, time management and technical competencies. Furthermore, regression analysis showed that both age and gender negatively impacted perceptions towards readiness to teach online, with older and female teachers having lower perception scores.

The current practices and shortcomings of engineering students' English language teaching (ELT) syllabi were examined from the perspectives of learners and teachers in English as a foreign language (EFL) context. The syllabi included content that had little impact on students' communicative competence in English (CC-E). Students were generally concerned about their professional communication abilities. In this study, the researchers collected data from ten engineering-focused universities in Bangladesh. These universities' existing ELT syllabi (ELT-S) were examined, seeking the current practices and pitfalls. The study sampled 152 participants from the selected universities. The study followed a mixed-method approach. In the qualitative technique, content analysis, focus group discussion (FGD), and interviews were employed for data collection, while survey questions were used in the quantitative approach. The study's findings revealed that the existing English syllabi of those selected universities required updating and modification to meet the identified professional requirements regarding the type, credit allotment, content, classroom practices, class size, policies, etc. The improvements included redesigning English syllabi, material, and teaching methods to improve engineering students' communicative abilities. A uniform curriculum with at least one English language sessional course per semester in all engineering majors was strongly recommended.

Sonography is a highly specialized diagnostic imaging profession facing significant workforce challenges due to increased service delivery demands and a shortage of clinical training opportunities. Developing sustainable solutions is crucial for workforce growth. Using examples from the Australian workforce and education context, this paper explores the current sonography training pathways available and the benefits and challenges of each, highlighting the importance of work-integrated learning (WIL) in facilitating the development of professional identity, clinical competence and the quality of sonographer education. Conclusions are drawn that WIL is integral to the future of the sonography profession to improve patient outcomes and address workforce shortages. However, effective implementation requires careful planning and consideration of many factors, including regulatory requirements, industry partnerships, student and supervisor/tutor support, and issues related to equitable access and participation in WIL. Key recommendations are provided to encourage ethical student learning, university-industry collaboration, effective resource allocation, and WIL-specific research.

This study of a K-12 administrator preparation program adds to the research literature on trauma-informed education by addressing a gap in the literature on K-12 administrator candidates' knowledge of the meaning of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and what their roles are in supporting teachers who have students with ACEs. K-12 school administrator candidates (N = 102) completed a survey designed by these researchers on this topic. The concept of ACEs is addressed as part of trauma-informed education from the K-12 administrator candidates' point of view using a concurrent mixed methods case study approach at one administrator preparation program. Implications and recommendations for school administrator preparation programs are discussed.

This study examined the perceptions of participants regarding the use of embedded video demonstration lessons during literacy professional development sessions. The videos were captured in an urban elementary classroom and modeled two new literacy strategies. Based on survey responses from 160 kindergarten through fifth grade elementary school teachers and 117 school or district administrators and instructional specialists, the findings revealed positive participant perceptions and effective instructional use of the videos that modeled the implementation of the strategies in a relevant classroom setting. The analysis of the use of videos during the professional development (PD) sessions was found to positively affect the instructional capacity of teachers to implement the strategies in their classroom settings. The findings also suggest that school administrators more positively understood the process of using the strategies to support the standards, resulting in increased leadership capacity. Implications of using specifically created videos to enhance clarity and credibility of PD for participants are discussed.

Increased time-on-task is one of the overall goals for teacher education in both Denmark and Norway. However, student teachers' time-on-task in those programs are uncertain and highly debated indicators of research input. Researchers adopt this indicator with the expectation that student teachers must invest time and effort in their courses that are approximately equivalent to that expended during a standard workweek. The purpose of this article is to analyse the differences between Danish and Norwegian teacher education for elementary schools based on a uniform survey conducted in each country; more specifically, the survey queried student teachers' time-on-task in faculty- and student faculty-led campus activities. In this empirical study, we use survey data to examine factors that influence the duration of student teachers' time-on-task in Norway (n = 274) and Denmark (n = 1224). To meet the study's objectives, we conducted an ordinary least squares regression analysis and found that student teachers' self-discipline and perceived study demands are the most important exogenous factors in the duration of their time-on-task. The analyses led us to explore their implications for the structure of teacher education programs, particularly in terms of curriculum design and the articulation of academic expectations.

Instructional design (ID) is a systematic process that is used to develop education and training programmes in a consistent and reliable way. A key challenge faced by educators is selecting an ID model by deciding which ID model will be more suitable in order to achieve an effective digital teaching and learning process. The objective of this scoping review was to present recommendations to select ID models for digital learning in higher education. Nine databases were searched for eligible publications. The search retrieved 643 records. Forty articles were included in this review. Results show that employing a systematic process in instructional design (an ID model) has produced an effective, consistent and reliable digital teaching and learning process in higher education. Selection of an ID model depends on the requirements of the course, timeline, resources available for the design and development of the course and the expertise in the ID process.

The ability to comprehend reading material is a crucial skill for academic and professional success, yet many students struggle with it, negatively impacting their academic performance. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of AI-based personalised reading platforms in improving reading comprehension among senior high school students. The study involved an experimental group of 43 students who used the platform and a control group of 42 students who did not. Pre- and post-test assessments were conducted using the Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) test, and an independent samples t-test was used for statistical analysis. The study found that the students who used the AI-based platform had significantly higher reading comprehension scores than those who did not, indicating that the platform effectively enhanced reading comprehension. Educators and administrators should consider incorporating AI-based personalised reading platforms into their teaching strategies to improve students' reading skills. Further research could investigate the long-term impact of these platforms.

Listening comprehension is a crucial skill in English as a Foreign Language education, yet listening assessment still needs to be explored. This study aims to understand how listening is assessed in a Colombian private language institution and its potential connection to students' underperformance in listening proficiency tests. We characterize the listening assessment used in B1-level classes through a descriptive case study. Utilizing a rubric, we analyzed fourteen listening tasks from various sources, including course materials and a mock PET exam. Our analysis had two primary objectives: (a) to uncover the rationale behind test design and its alignment with the curriculum, and (b) to evaluate the knowledge types targeted and the forms of listening assessment employed using categorization. Our findings reveal that despite the curriculum's holistic listening development goals, assessments predominantly focus on phonological knowledge through dictation tests, in which students primarily engage with audio media and recordings. These findings suggest a misalignment in the way listening is approached during the whole course, the examinations used to assess listening during the B1 level, and the use of an external standardized test as the exit exam. This study holds potential implications for curriculum alignment and the enhancement of language assessment literacy within our context, shedding light on potential factors contributing to students' underperformance in listening comprehension.

Curriculum mapping is a comparability method that facilitates comparisons of content within multiple settings (usually multiple jurisdictions or specifications) and enables claims to be made about those curriculums/jurisdictions. Although curriculum maps have been published, there is little academic literature about the process of constructing and using them. Our study extends the literature by considering the different types of comparisons that can be made from curriculum maps: content coverage, placement, depth, and breadth. We also consider how these comparisons are affected by structural differences in the curricula or using a subset of the content. We use our mapping of mathematics in the US Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the national curriculum in England to explore this. The CCSS for mathematical practice are common to all grades; we mapped these standards against the content for individual years in the national curriculum. The CCSS for mathematical content are set out by grade; we mapped a subset of this content to the national curriculum. Our mapping shows that it is possible to map curricula and make meaningful comparisons despite structural differences and content limitations. However, this affected the types of comparisons that we could carry out and the claims that we could make.

With postsecondary institutions increasing offerings of online courses, there is much to learn about how online group work is designed to support collaborative learning, particularly for professional certification programs such as education. As part of a case study research, we synthesized data collected from instructors and students at two Canadian postsecondary institutions offering online courses in their Bachelor of Education degree pathways. Results suggest four design considerations to help support instructors when planning learning activities involving online group work: (1) clearly articulate the purpose of group work, (2) provide learner support through teaching presence, (3) be intentional in how groups are established, and (4) leverage digital tools for collaboration.

Background: Research has shown the benefits of play for children's learning and development. Play can also be harnessed for pursuing pre-determined learning goals related to school curricula through "guided" play. Aim: The research inquired into the implementation of a pre-service teacher education course on play as pedagogy to evaluate and refine the course's design principles. Setting: The study was conducted at the University of Johannesburg, involving pre-service teachers within the Bachelor of Education in the foundation phase of schooling. Methods: The research formed part of a broader design-based research study. The data were collected via questionnaires, interviews, analysis of students' work and a research journal. A combination of inductive and deductive data analysis was used. Results: The way in which the course was designed and implemented was successful in helping students develop a basic understanding of guided play, although there were gaps in their understanding of their guiding role; student teachers learnt that creativity could be developed through play. Conclusion: In general, the design principles served the course and its implementation well because students learnt much about guided play. However, a major gap was the insufficient focus on guiding practices. Such practices should receive considerable attention in a preservice teacher education course on guided play. A stronger focus on the interconnectedness of play and creativity in a course on guided play for pre-service teachers will be beneficial. Contribution: The research on teacher preparation for using play-based teaching and learning is limited. This study contributes to addressing this gap.

This paper focuses on the Education Systems Improvement EdD program (EDSI) at the University of South Carolina and how the program faculty utilize the signature methodology of the program, improvement science, towards its improvement efforts towards enhancing its equity focus, especially post-pandemic. We utilize the framework of improvement science including tools such as gap analysis, program evaluations, empathy interviews, and focus groups to better understand the problem and best design the appropriate improvement efforts. Broadly, three program improvement foci were identified for the improvement arc: program purpose, curricular design, and continuous improvement processes. Findings from this study provide details about program improvement efforts in improving an EdD program's equity focus post-pandemic, in a particular setting. In the spirit of continuous improvement, this work is never done. It will be forwarded by follow-up improvement endeavors and activities.

The design case details the collaborative work of a design team--three faculty members, one instructional designer, and one educational resource specialist--to create a simulation-based interprofessional education (IPE) experience for future healthcare professionals. Before the COVID-19 pandemic that caused the shutdown of campuses across the country/world, this simulation-based learning experience was always offered in a face-to-face format. Thus, this case highlights the challenges and opportunities of designing this online learning experience within a limited period of time. Further, this case documents what theories or evidence-based practices were instrumental in designing this learning experience, along with the design team's narrative regarding key design decisions and moves. It also includes a design narrative focusing on the description of the design process, such as key design judgments, decisions, and concrete examples of the design process outcome. Lastly, the design case highlights unique design features: Scalability of instruction through accessibility and usability, authenticity, interprofessional collaboration, and reflection. The design was guided by the TEACH (Team Education Advancing Collaboration in Health) core curriculum in the state of Indiana that foregrounds interprofessional practice competencies and teamwork in preparing future healthcare professionals.

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a well-established educational strategy with acknowledged benefits for student learning and employability. This paper explores and documents Intensive WIL, where students undertake short or condensed WIL experiences, ranging from 35 to 400 hours. Four case studies from different universities, designed for different purposes, using either placement or project approaches, and with different student cohorts, showcase the flexibility and adaptability of this model of WIL. Drawing on existing quality frameworks developed for WIL, a new, dedicated set of quality indicators was developed to evaluate examples of intensive WIL, as demonstrated in the case studies. This new framework places greater emphasis on the WIL experience itself, which has had little previous attention. The study confirms that given the right conditions, and used for the right purposes, Intensive WIL delivers quality experiences for students. Unique challenges of Intensive WIL include: sourcing projects with appropriate scope and complexity that are achievable and from which students will learn; ensuring students have command of previous theoretical concepts, as there may be little time to get them up to speed during Intensive WIL; ensuring all stakeholders understand their roles and responsibilities for smooth operation; and effective communication between workplace and university staff, as there is less time to recover from any difficult situations that may arise.

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is crucial for the development of employability skills and has an influence on employment outcomes. Given the significance of WIL pedagogies for graduate preparedness and transitions into work, concerns have been raised on the barriers to access and participation in WIL for some cohorts of learners. Equity and inclusion in WIL, that is, considerations for diverse learners once enrolled into a subject or course with varying WIL components, is not a new concept with some guidelines purported over a decade ago. Designing WIL to accommodate for equity and inclusion, however, has presented challenges with few studies offering navigation for curriculum design. This paper draws on empirically sound curriculum design principles for inclusion for learner variability through Universal Design for Learning (UDL), to offer the UDL for WIL design framework. The paper presents conceptual and practical contributions for educators of WIL experiences to reduce barriers and integrate student voice to support all graduates' career transitions.

The subject Mathematical Literacy (ML) prioritises an interplay of mathematics and real-life contexts in pursuit of an empowerment agenda for improved life opportunities. In seeking to identify processes of inclusion-exclusion afforded by different conceptualisations of this interplay, a network of Bernstein's theoretical constructs -- classification, framing, discourses, and the pedagogic device -- are used to analyse how different ML curricula conceptualise the notion of mathematical literacy and the criteria for legitimate communication, knowledge and practice in the subject. This analysis illustrates that despite differences in the formulation of the school subjects ML and Mathematics, enactments of the original ML National Curriculum Statement prioritised heavily mathematised methods in pseudo-realistic contexts. This approach thwarted the critical citizenship agenda of this curriculum and made it possible for ML to be criticised as watered-down mathematics. The analysis then reveals how the current ML Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement, supported by specific curriculum features, has attempted to overcome these challenges by foregrounding a life-preparedness orientation for empowered self-management and citizenship. This involved weakening the classification of academic and everyday knowledge, strengthening the framing of curriculum specifications, and foregrounding criteria for legitimate communication, knowledge and practice around contextual problem-solving and decision-making. Challenges with this approach are considered.

The accelerated adoption of distance learning in post-pandemic times has resulted in increasing research publications and review studies in a short time. This necessitates the exploration of a large corpus of academic publications for effective distance learning and learning strategies. As distance learning stakeholders have assimilated the transactional approach to understanding distance learning, transactional distance theory (TDT) is relevant to understand ways to reduce the distance between learners and educators for maximum effectiveness of distance learning. Our study applies TDT to review distance learning from a supply perspective and as a tool to ensure the improved quality of distance learning. This paper has two key contributions: we have presented evidence synthesis and conducted a foresight exercise. Following preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines, 275 documents published between 1994 and 2022 were identified for review. Our analysis revealed patterns, relationships, and trends in the application of TDT in various distance learning contexts. Most TDT research is conducted in social sciences (83.7%), with computer science accounting for 42.6% of the studies. The course materials' structure and design have also received considerable attention, with around 40.0% of the research focused on this area. For distance learning, studies revolve around factors such as student engagement, satisfaction, and TDT, which examine the distance between learners and instructors in various learning environments. Through systematic review and metaanalysis, we identify the three thematic areas in TDT research on distance learning. We have chartered themes on the effect of alternate design distance learning platforms on learner success, pushing the development boundaries in distance learning success through TDT, and the practical processes for designing successful distance learning courses via TDT-based pedagogical frameworks. In doing so, we streamline research in TDT and distance learning thematically and provide insight into further work. In addition, this study analyzed the relationships between sustainable development goal (SDG) and TDT literature. The co-citation analysis suggested that the strongest links were observed between education and innovation (SDG 4 and SDG 9), followed by education and gender equality (SDG 4 and SDG 5).

Understanding by Design (UbD) is a well-known curricular methodology aiming at leading students to develop a deep understanding of the arguments proposed by teachers. Through a path including stimulating questions, student motivation, deepening of the argument, reflection, design and assessment of authentic performances, the students develop a broad understanding of the learned argument. While there are plenty of articles describing various experiences in classrooms and schools showing the benefits of UbD, rarely has this methodology been the object of experimental or quasi-experimental studies. A study conforming to quasi-experimental criteria has been performed in a Swiss vocational school, where a teacher taught two groups of students using UbD principles, while using with a third group a more usual teaching approach. The curriculum topic was the study of mathematical relations and functions. The results, collected during one school year, showed that the first two groups outperformed the third and that the effect of UbD lasted at least for one school year. Since the teacher remained the same, we can likely attribute the outcome to the use of the methodology.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, two higher education teachers, located respectively in the United States and Aotearoa New Zealand, collaborated in the design of curricula on the relationship between identity and food for their students. Intended to help their students develop cross-cultural knowledge and relationships, they hoped that their collaboration would also benefit their professional relationship and learning at a time when these aspects of their teaching lives were negatively impacted by COVID-19. As a contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), they undertook, with the help of a researcher colleague, an investigation of (a) factors that influenced their ability to start and sustain a successful international collaboration, and (b) its subsequent impact on their on-going relationship and learning. In this article, the rationale, purpose, and design of the study are outlined, and findings and associated theory presented and discussed. A key conclusion reflects the relationship between the hospitality 'mindset' of the teachers and their ability to conceptualize, enact and benefit from their collaboration in meaningful ways. Insights into the way SoTL can enhance teachers' ability to navigate such periods of deep uncertainty are also presented and discussed.