Education Commons^™

Building Micro-Credential Frameworks: A Strategic Approach For Institutional Success, Justin R. Louder

TxDLA Journal of Digital Learning

The rise of micro-credentials in higher education presents a transformative opportunity for institutions to deliver flexible, workforce-aligned learning experiences. This article explores key strategies for implementing micro-credential frameworks that align with institutional goals while ensuring quality, scalability, and employer recognition. Drawing from existing models and institutional case studies, the article outlines five critical factors for success: (1) aligning micro-credentials with institutional priorities, (2) conducting market and audience analysis, (3) ensuring academic quality and rigor, (4) leveraging technological infrastructure, and (5) fostering external partnerships. The discussion highlights best practices from leading institutions and offers actionable recommendations for practitioners looking to launch …

Softchalk: Product Review, Claudia Vela-Hernández, Veronica Rodriguez

TxDLA Journal of Digital Learning

SoftChalk is a powerful content authoring tool designed to support self-directed learning (SDL) and student engagement. It enables instructors to build interactive, multimedia-rich lessons that are accessible across devices. This review explores SoftChalk's key features, including embedded quizzes, self assessment tools, and cloud-based access. It evaluates its effectiveness in enhancing student engagement and explores its system specifications, LMS integration, intuitive interface and flexible design capabilities. Whether used for language acquisition, portfolio creation, or ongoing professional development, SoftChalk proves to be a versatile and impactful tool in today’s digital education landscape.

Ignite Collaboration For Interactive Meetings, Kelli Erwin

TxDLA Journal of Digital Learning

This article explores how intentional design, inclusive facilitation, and purposeful tools can transform meetings into interactive environments that foster collaboration, creativity, and meaningful outcomes. Designed for educators, instructional leaders, and organizational facilitators, it provides practical strategies to elevate meetings through collaboration, interactivity, and purposeful design.

Five Key Points About Title Ii Ada Regulations For Web And Mobile Accessibility, Danae Harris

TxDLA Journal of Digital Learning

The latest revision to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was published by the Department of Justice on April 24, 2024. This update focuses on web and mobile application accessibility requirements for state and local government entities, including public higher education institutions. This is a summary of the additional requirements that the Americans with Disabilities Act imposes on public entities. These key points provide a foundational knowledge of the recent changes.

Art Teams Year 4 Annual (Ad Hoc) Report 2024-2025, Guy Trainin, Kimberley D'Adamo, Hyeonjin Yoon, Azadeh Hassani, Zohreh Tamimdari, Jiabin Lyu, Michael Nti Ababio, Sarah Trainin

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

This report documents the fourth year of the Art TEAMS project, a multi-year professional learning initiative focused on arts-integrated, transdisciplinary teaching practices across Nebraska K-12 schools. During the 2024-2025 academic year, the project advanced work with its second cohort of educators while maintaining engagement with the first cohort to assess the sustainability of implementation. The second cohort brought increased diversity in art forms, including ceramics, digital media, and career and technical education, demonstrating the versatility of arts integration across curricula.

Year Four activities included delivering refined professional development courses grounded in emergent curriculum design, with significant curriculum modifications based on …

Investigating Bilingual Co-Teaching In Kindergarten Classrooms In Abu Dhabi, Fatema Jamal Almahri

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This study investigates the perceptions and experiences of bilingual co-teaching in a school in Abu Dhabi, focusing on how teachers coordinate and collaborate to support students’ learning in both Arabic and English. This study aims to understand how teachers view their roles, challenges, and professional needs when implementing bilingual co-teaching in KG1 and KG2 classrooms.

This study uses a qualitative design with a bilingual open-ended survey that allows teachers to express their views freely and share examples from their daily practice. Eight teachers participated: four from KG1 and four from KG2, each working as part of an Arabic–English co-teaching pair. …

Exploring The Impact Of Faculty–Student Interactions Outside The Classroom On The Sense Of Belonging, Engagement, Self-Confidence, And Retention Among Undergraduates In Uae Federal Universities, Mona Malalla Alhammadi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of faculty-student interaction (FSI) in influencing students' social and academic outcomes and success. In particular, this study sought to investigate the impact of the informal interactions between faculty members and their students outside the classroom on four student outcomes: sense of belonging (SB), engagement (EG), self-confidence (SC), and retention (RT). The participants were 570 undergraduate students who were at their first- and second-year of study from three different UAE federal higher education institutions. The study employed quantitative research design while utilizing an online survey as the main data collection instrument. …

Exploring Student And Faculty Perceptions Of Website Credibility, Mark J. Viner Dr., Elizabeth S. Stewart Dr.

Intersections: Critical Issues in Education

This research investigation delves into the multifaceted realm of internet searches and online web pages, aiming to explore thoughts and opinions held by undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty. Understanding how individuals navigate and interpret information online is crucial as the digital landscape evolves.

The study investigates the factors concerning users' choices in searching for information online and search results' perceived accuracy or validity. Additionally, it delves into users' perceptions of online content, examining their practices, credibility, and the sharing of information online with others.

By collecting and analyzing responses from undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty, the research identifies …

Middle Level English Learners’ Engagement With Digital Multimodal Resources And Each Other, Mark Stevens

Intersections: Critical Issues in Education

Students in schools who speak multiple languages need opportunities for multimodal learning. A study was conducted to observe how middle level English Learners used multimodal (text, audio, video, imagery) resources in a Language Arts - Social Studies class. The research question was: What patterns of engagement with content, and each other, were manifest by middle level ELs while using multimodal resources in a general education history class? Qualitative case study was used to observe student work and interaction, inspect work artifacts, and interview for opinions and motivations. To learn multimodally, students (a) used approaches (whole class, small group, partner) that …

Critical Dialogue As A Decolonial Feminist Approach To Healing And Restoration In Antiracist Literacy Education, Dianne Wellington, Amy Walker

Intersections: Critical Issues in Education

Antiracist work requires healing and restorative practices to sustain meaningful change. This study examines critical dialogue as a restorative practice in literacy education, using duoethnography to explore its role in antiracist efforts. Grounded in decolonial feminist research, we frame healing as an intergenerational movement and literacy education as a catalyst for transformation. Our findings advocate for restorative literacies that challenge systemic oppression, emphasizing relational, justice-driven practices to foster resilience, transformation, and coalition-building in academia. We offer implications for how literacy education can engage lived experiences, histories, and epistemologies to support individual and collective healing.

Sustaining Momentum While Dissertating: The Journey Of Two Women Scholars, Tasha Egalite, Kristin L. Kew

Intersections: Critical Issues in Education

This paper is a narrative reflection on some reasons for earning a doctorate and writing a dissertation. We are two scholars interested in sustaining educational change and dedicated to better understanding and supporting the process and growth of students in doctoral programs. In our pláticas, we share and reflect on our own doctoral journeys, the critical issues we encountered, and the hoops we jumped through while completing our dissertations.

How Do Emirati University Students Develop Their Academic Biliteracy? A Mixed-Method Study, Eman Kamel Rababa

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Framed by Hornberger’s continua of biliteracy model, this study investigated the developmental dynamics of academic biliteracy among Emirati university students. The research employed a sequential mixed-methods design, conducted across three public universities in the UAE. In the initial qualitative phase, interview data were collected from 30 students. Informed by these findings and the extant literature, a quantitative survey was then developed and administered to a sample of 299 students from various disciplines. The qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, while the quantitative data were examined using advanced statistical analyses, including structural equation modeling. Three primary themes emerged from …

Knitting A Network Of Meaningful Partnership - Implementing An Operational Structure To Drive Success For All, Ronan T. Bree

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Guiding Growth Through Change: Developing A Staff Development Career Pathway In A Transforming University, Bridie Killoran

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Reflecting On The Atu Assessment Hackathon: Exploring Assessment And Ai Through Collaborative Challenge-Based Learning, Noreen Henry, Nokuvimba Chiyaka, Olya Antropova

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Learning With Champions: Genai Champions Project Ireland, Rebecca Roper

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Navigating Interdisciplinarity: A Holistic Reflection On Collaboration And Learning In An N-Tutorr Supported Hackathon, Elaine Edmonds

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Sustainability In Business Education, Gabriela Gliga, Auguste Buliauskaite

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

"No Closed Door": How A Peer-Led Wellness Café Model Facilitated & Supported Staff-Student Partnerships, Sharon Ferguson, Aimee O. Byrne

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Invisible Witnesses: Unpacking The Interactions Of Student-Staff Partnerships Through Reflective Interview Summary Notes, Sarah Carroll, Olya Antropova

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Fairy Godmothers: Empowerment By Design, Magic In Unexpected Moments, Jessica Duffy, Aoife Kelliher, Caitriona Mcgrattan, Roisin Murray, Raquel Volpini Cox

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Building A Student Empowerment And Partnership Programme Driving Innovation And Change Across The Technological Higher Education Sector In Ireland, Carina Ginty, Moira Maguire

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Towards A Holistic Model: Transition Pedagogy In High School Enabling Programs. A Practice Report, Johanna Elizabeth Nieuwoudt, Angela Jones

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The release of the Australian Universities Accord Final Report in 2024 and call for contextually relevant pathways to higher education continues the widening participation agenda that was introduced more than 50 years ago in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Enabling education continues to contribute to targets with the evolution of high school enabling programs. It is imperative, as the Accord suggests, that these programs support successful transition. Such programs thus require a pedagogical model for transition. This practice report adds to emerging research on high school enabling programs by exploring how an enabling transition pedagogy (ETP), an adaptation …

November 25, 2025 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Experiences Of First-Generation College Students Engaging In Online Learning Amid A Global Pandemic, Anthony Capers Jr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The global pandemic, COVID-19, had an impact on the academic experiences of all college students. First-generation college students who often experience special challenges in adjusting to academia may have faced additional challenges given the transition to online learning. However, there has been little research focused on the impact of COVID on their adjustment to college. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of an unanticipated learning transition among first-generation college students pursuing higher education at a 4-year school, during a global pandemic. The theoretical framework for this study was based on an interactionalist theory focused on the …

We Are Not Okay: Narratives Of Black Women Educators Working With Predominantly White Staff, Lindsay Charlotta Bussey

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Black women educators (BWEs) who worked in schools with a predominantly White staff endured environments that discouraged them from being themselves, oppressed their natural skill set, and limited their effectiveness. BWEs were not typically recognized for their pedagogical strengths and talents but rather only as racial minority representation in the school. This dissertation study’s two central research questions asked (a) how BWEs perceived the challenges and socio-emotional effects of working in school spaces with predominantly White staff and (b) what conditions were needed to be created for BWEs to heal and feel safe. This research utilized qualitative methods and focused …

Intro To Ai Literacies Discussion, Miranda Rectenwald

Generative AI Teaching Activities

Students consider and dicuss key literacies when using generative AI tools.

The Seed That Begot America: How Political Principles Of The Reformation Contributed To The American Founding, Gabriel Stisser

Senior Honors Theses

When teaching the American founding, the contemporary public-school curriculum tends to emphasize the influence of the thinkers from the antiquity and Enlightenment periods. However, the curriculum tends to neglect the impact that the Reformation had upon America's formation. Through a qualitative historical review, this study will analyze both primary and secondary sources to examine how Reformed ideals of the political covenant, limited government, and resistance to tyranny influenced the American founding. This analysis finds that the Reformed (sometimes called Calvinist) political ideals from the Reformation had a significant influence upon the formation of the New England colonies, the enlightenment figures …

Preservice Teachers’ Preconception Of Student Voice In Their Teacher Education, Joan Belfon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A 2022 Jamaican education report highlighted that student-centered pedagogy is crucial to educational outcomes. A problem exists in that there is limited research on how student voice practices within student-centered pedagogy are incorporated into teacher training. Before preservice teachers’ praxis can be transformed, greater understanding of their preconceptions about student voice is essential. Guided by conceptual change theory, the purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the preconceptions of preservice teachers in rural central Jamaica about student voice in their teacher education. Eight preservice teachers preparing for the secondary level in three Jamaican higher education institutions were purposefully …

Exploring The Recursive Meaning-Making And Multiliteracy Activities Of Arab College Students Through Engagement With Video Games: A Phenomenological Study, Nour Al Okla

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This study aims to explore the engagement of Arab college students as an assemblage of actors and actants within video games, focusing on their dynamic interactions within social networks. It seeks to examine the fluid nature of social structures by questioning conventional distinctions between societal and multimodal literacy elements, such as video games, and their contributions to multiliteracies through the study of unique digital communities and affinity spaces within video gaming communities. The study highlights Arab college students' perceptions of meaning-making processes and negotiation strategies in video games, including social interactions within these virtual communities, challenges encountered during gameplay, and …