Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

A Systematic Review Of Transmedia Literacy: Implications For Lifelong Learning, Rafel Meyerhofer-Parra

Journal of Media Literacy Education

One of the main objectives of international agendas is the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities. Transmedia literacy, usually acquired informally, offers many of the key skills, competences and strategies to ensure learning in a world where technology has a predominant role. However, no analyses reporting the impact of their use are systematically identified in the literature. Therefore, a systematic review of the literature on transmedia literacy and its practices is proposed, searching 4 databases and analysing a total of 42 articles. The results show experiences with plural thematic, extension and educational context, mainly located in the formal educational system, and …

How To Shape Digital Competences Among Pre-Service Teachers: A Global Expert Analysis, Łukasz Tomczyk, Francisco David Guillén-Gámez, Maria Lidia Mascia, Julio Ruiz-Palmero

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The article explores how to shape digital competences among pre-service teachers within the university education system. It addresses the challenges posed by the rapid development of the information society and the growing digitisation of education, necessitating the redefinition of existing teacher education models. Using the Delphi method, 36 media education experts from six continents were interviewed between June and August 2022. They identified 12 versatile solutions to enhance the effectiveness of digital competence formation in academia. These solutions aim to improve the content, methods, and forms of teacher education, ensuring future pedagogical staff are better prepared to integrate ICT into …

Insights From Educators: Integrating Ai Literacy Into Media Literacy Education In Practice, Stephanie Jean Tsang

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Through in-depth interviews with junior high school teachers in Hong Kong who participated in a media and artificial intelligence literacy program intervention, this research highlights the importance of prioritizing values and ethics education over technical proficiency when incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into media literacy training. While quantitatively assessing students’ literacy levels posed challenges, future media literacy programs should concentrate on introducing technological terminology and concepts, promoting awareness of potential issues, instilling values for responsible technology use, and fostering empathy to create a harmonious online environment. By focusing on fundamental values and key concepts rather than following fleeting AI trends, educators …

Classroom Contexts: Teachers Talk Teaching Media Literacy, Sakshi Bhalla, Michelle R. Nelson, Michael Spikes

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In this study, we examine the lived experiences of educators who engage with youth through media literacy education. While prior research has examined the efficacy of media literacy education interventions, little attention has been paid to the contexts in which these are conducted. Our analysis of 20 semistructured interviews reveals how the structural context illuminates several “divides,” shaping how media literacy is taught and experienced. Three major themes emerged from the data: (1) teachers and high school students inhabit distinct media worlds, shaping their media understanding differently; (2) the socio-economic status of the school determines whether media literacy is taught …

Battle Cry To “Do The Research”: Vulnerability To Qanon, Alt Media, And Low News Media Literacy, Kaye D. Sweetser, Kalyca Lynn Becktel

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This survey (N = 579) investigated news media literacy among those likely to believe in the conspiracy theories of QAnon. Vulnerability to belief in QAnon conspiracies was predicted by a media diet of alternative media such as 4chan and SnapChat. Those vulnerable to QAnon conspiracy theories had lower news media literacy scores than those who appeared to be resistant to QAnon theories, and rated themselves with lower need for cognition and higher cynicism. Vulnerability to QAnon was predicted by a belief in other specific conspiracy theories, low value of news media literacy, less understanding of the news business, belief …

Opportunities For Growth: A Metacognitive Self-Talk Strategy That Improves Classroom Unity And Academic Attitudes, Sera Anello, Michael J. Haslip

Journal of Practitioner Research

This teacher action research study describes the development and application of the opportunities for growth teaching method to increase learner motivation, persistence, cooperation and positive self-talk among primary school students. The approach was implemented with 30 fourth graders in a Philadelphia public school classroom to foster unity, support attitudes toward academics and participation, redefine failure, and reframe challenges. Before this intervention, most of the students lacked self-regulation, self-awareness, and relationship skills needed to thrive. This study investigates how and to what effect the opportunities for growth approach shifts students’ language and mindset about academic and social challenges. Qualitative data was …

Expanding The Role Of Embodiment And Teacher Noticing In Units Coordination And Construction, Claudia Bertolone-Smith, Jonathan Troup, Liza Bondurant, Diana Moss, Hortensia Soto

Journal of Practitioner Research

We aim to expand units coordination and construction assessment by examining the significance of embodiment and teacher noticing, especially in relation to recent developments in equitable mathematics teacher noticing research. We outline our approach as mathematics teacher educators with a wide range of expertise, wherein we investigated how prospective elementary mathematics teachers (PTs) notice students' units construction and coordination through embodied actions and the impact of incorporating a focus on embodiment in assessment. We also address how expanding the understanding of units coordination and construction assessment through embodied noticings can create more equitable classroom spaces. The study emphasizes the need …

A Phenomenological Study Of African American Males In Education Doctoral Programs, Byron L. Kelly

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to interpret the lived experiences of African American males in education doctoral programs at three universities in the southern region of the United States. The theory guiding this study was Tinto’s retention theory on integration, as it explained how academic and social integration help to retain students and ultimately assist them in graduating. This hermeneutical phenomenological study was designed to allow the researcher to interpret the lived experiences of individuals. Ten African American males enrolled in or graduated from education doctoral programs from three universities in the Southern region of the United States …

Subject Area Teachers' Perceptions Of The Influence Of Reading Instruction On Middle School Reading Skill Development: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Rachel Guiel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This discovery of subject area teachers' perceptions of the influence of reading instruction and reading skill development on middle school students' reading comprehension is the theme of this phenomenological study. A subject area teacher was defined as someone who teaches history, science, math, and Bible classes. Middle school students were defined as six, seventh, and eighth-grade students. Reading skill development was defined as vocabulary instruction, background knowledge, and the implementation of flexible reading groups. The theory guiding this study is Vygotsky's sociocultural learning theory, as it describes learning coming before language development, language being the main tool of thought, and …

Service-Learning At The Meso-Level: Integrating A Course On Sustainable Development With National Service Requirements, Mark Anthony D. Abenir, Helena Roxanne A. Indigne

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Higher education institutions have been leveraging service learning (SL) to enhance the effectiveness of sustainable development education within their curriculum and pedagogical practices.

What Happened To The Creative In The Creative Curriculum?, Lacey Peters, Mark K. Nagasawa, Maria Mavrides Calderon, Abigail Kerlin, Helen Frazier, Beth Ferholt, Erica Clarke Yardy, Margie Brickley, Alisa Algava

Straus Institute for Thriving Children & Families

This empirically-grounded commentary questions the basis for New York City Public Schools’ (NYCPS) adoption of the Teaching Strategies products—the Creative Curriculum (CC) and Teaching Strategies GOLD—as the mandated curriculum and assessment systems for early childhood education (ECE) programs administered by the New York City Public Schools. In an analysis shaped by our hybrid positionalities as early childhood educators, parents, policy makers, and researchers, we argue that this decision is a local case of neoliberalism’s simultaneous narrowing of educational quality and a transfer of public funding into private hands under the guise of the free market. Our commentary, …

Benefits And Impact Of Global And Bilingual Education: Dual Master’S Degree In Spanish Language And Culture For Educators, Diana Meza, Felix Wang, Yenisei Montes De Oca

International Journal on Responsibility

The dual master’s degree program in Spanish Language and Culture (SLC) for educators represents a pioneering initiative, emphasizing internationalization and global education through collaboration between James Madison University (JMU) and the University of Salamanca (USAL). This program addresses the escalating demand for bilingual education and the growing population of Spanish speakers in the educational landscape of the United States. The SLC program highlights educators’ responsibility to engage with and promote cultural and linguistic diversity by supporting bilingualism and cultural literacy in diverse communities where Spanish is widely used, particularly in regions where Spanish-speaking populations are marginalized. The program offers the …

"...Anything My Friend Shares, I Would Want To Support Them By Clicking On It": Co-Designing Story-Based Interventions Against Clickbait For Teenagers, Ankit Shrestha, Audrey Flood, Bryson Hackler, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

Teenagers' lack of digital sophistication and cyber hygiene makes them vulnerable to social engineering attacks, especially as they start using social media. Clickbait, one of such attacks, is primarily performed through social media to trick users into clicking on malicious links. With teenagers' increasing use of social media, clickbait poses a substantial threat to their online safety. The existing online safety measures for teens mainly focus on parental mediation, which can be perceived as restrictive and privacy-invasive. To this end, researchers recommended empowering teens to deal with online risks. In order to design such interventions for clickbait, we conducted co-design …

A Comparative Case Study Of Mentoring Practices By National Board Certified And Non-Certified Teacher Mentors, Bethany Mcclure

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As preservice teacher candidates engage in field experiences that shape their development of teacher identity, it is important to examine their perceptions of the mentoring process. This study explored how preservice teacher candidates construct their own knowledge about mentoring as a process, as well as explored the perceptions of mentor teachers, both National Board Certified, and non-National Board Certified, as they facilitated the learning and growth of their mentees. Many prior studies on the mentoring process exist, however, a gap in the literature that was identified and explored through this study included the impact that National Board Certified Teachers have …

Breastfeeding Interventions For Dyads With Medical Complexity: A Mixed Methods Study, Jairrah L. Godsil, Julia R. Farrell, Julia Shin, Cary C. Moore, Yongyue Qi, Vanessa D. Jewell

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Breastfeeding dyads with medical complexity have lower success with direct breastfeeding. Evidence to support occupational therapists working with this population is limited. This study explored occupational therapists' experiences, training, and interventions for breastfeeding dyads with medical complexity.

Method: Occupational therapists providing clinical breastfeeding services for parents and or children with medically complex conditions participated in this study. The study employed an explanatory, sequential mixed-methods design, consisting of an online survey (N = 102) followed by two 75-min semi-structured focus groups (N = 7).

Results: Occupational therapists with more clinical breastfeeding experience (p = .003) and …

"Chatgpt Told Me To Say It": Ai Chatbots And Class Participation Apprehension In University Students, Daisuke Akiba

Publications and Research

The growing prevalence of AI chatbots in everyday life has prompted educators to explore their potential applications in promoting student success, including support for classroom engagement and communication. This exploratory study emerged from semester-long observations of class participation apprehensions in an introductory educational psychology course, examining how chatbots might scaffold students toward active and independent classroom contribution. Four students experiencing situational participation anxiety voluntarily participated in a pilot intervention using AI chatbots as virtual peer partners. Following comprehensive training in AI use and prompt design given to the entire class, participants employed systematic consultation frameworks for managing classroom discourse trepidations. …

Increasing Understanding With Multiple Means Of Representation: Interactive Workshop For Teaching Staff, Cathy Stephens

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework aimed at optimising knowledge acquisition for all types of learners, recognising the uniqueness of each.
Within this framework, Multiple Means of Representation (MMR)—providing resources in varieties of forms—maximises access to content processing.
This forum presentation gave an overview of Universal Design for Learning concepts to lecturing staff at SAE University College, exploring some strategies used to diversify content and engage learning. It also used Padlet to engage attendees in a set of active learning exercises to examine manageable ways of incorporating multiple resources.

This National Forum workshop included collaborative, eLearning, active …

Full Issue - Excelsior 17/2, Excelsior Journal

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Integrating Digital Escape Room Design Into Teacher Education: Cultivating Instructional Creativity In Preservice Teachers, Gina L. Solano, Wen Wen

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This action research documents how a teacher education program incorporates game-based learning to engage pre-service teachers (PSTs) in developing their instructional creativity. In this project, game-based learning goes beyond playing games; Instead, it allows PSTs to design their own game-a digital escape room created using a website with embedded clues, digital locks, and online challenges. This paper showcases an impressive level of creativity through the variety and complexity of PSTs’ clues, the creative graphics and layout of their websites, and their cleverly written scenarios and context for the game. Moreover, PSTs reflect on their design processes, considering the affordances and …

Tips For Inclusive Postsecondary Education Programs On College Campuses: Peer Mentors’ Perspectives On Access And Inclusion, Laura N. Sarchet, Kristen Love, Martha Mock

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

As inclusive postsecondary education programs have grown and improved towards more campus access for college students labeled with an intellectual disability, peer mentoring is a common model for such programs. Peer mentors from one private institution were asked to describe their experiences and perspectives of campus inclusion after participating in a training program designed to increase their understanding of disability within a social justice lens. Mentors shared the personal and professional benefits of mentoring, for both themselves and for students labeled with an intellectual disability, and noted recommendations for how programs can increase access to college in order to improve …

The Impact Of Mental Health Support On Academic Achievement, David Ersig, Tyrone Bynoe

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Mental health concerns are becoming more pressing in American culture. There is an increasing call for mental health issues to be prioritized in policy discussions involving need, strategy, and funding. Addressing the cultural stigma and various barriers surrounding treatment and support for mental health issues are concerns that have infiltrated our school system; these concerns have exerted increased pressure on educators to provide effective and efficient mental health support mechanisms. There is growing recognition and observation that improving students’ mental health will help to remove barriers or hinderances to learning and achievement. With the increased pressure schools already face regarding …

Critical Literacy Approaches To Teaching Canonical Texts: Analyzing Race In To Kill A Mockingbird In Rural, Predominately White Classrooms, Ashley Graegin, Margery Gardner

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

In the 21st century, U.S. legislation continues to push for teacher censorship and seemingly depoliticized curriculums that ignore systemic issues regarding race, gender, sexuality, and other social justice topics. With the understanding that texts can never be politically neutral, English language arts (ELA) teachers must adopt critical approaches to teach required, and often hegemonic texts, and help students cultivate criticality and critical race consciousness. In this study, we aim to explore strategies that can be used to promote critical readings of canonical texts and how the topic of racial oppression can be broached in rural, predominantly White secondary English classrooms. …

Letter From The Editors - Excelsior 17/2, Quinn Austermann, Joelle Fingerhut, Stephanie Purington

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents - Excelsior 17/2, Execlsior Journal

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Message From The President - Excelsior 17/2, Rene S. Parmar

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

What Can The Active Learning Teacher Learn From Dramatic Arts Practice?, Strutts Psyridis

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

This presentation explores how active learning pedagogy can be informed by practices in the dramatic arts, particularly film editing and theatre direction. Drawing on an autobiographical lens, it argues that teaching and creative practice share a performative, interpretive, and collaborative structure. Concepts such as facilitative teaching, embodied cognition, intuition, and kinesthetic empathy are used to reframe the teacher as an active orchestrator rather than a passive facilitator. Through analysis of narrative construction, interpretive space, and audience engagement, the paper highlights parallels between editing and classroom practice. It proposes that effective teaching operates as a dynamic, multi-dimensional, and emotionally responsive creative …

The Impact Of Hands-On Learning Of Physical Agent Modalities In An Occupational Therapy Graduate Curriculum: A Pilot Study, Rachael Vance, Kaitlyn Kolk, Lauren Lesky, Jill Arends, Klaudia O'Malley

Masters Projects

Background: Physical agent modalities (PAMs) are used in preparation for or concurrently with occupational-based activities to facilitate a therapeutic response. It is valuable for OT practitioners to be confident and competent in the use of PAMs in healthcare settings. Nevertheless, there is a gap in proper education, creating a barrier to students' learning. The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) standards have only enforced the education of PAMs in accredited programs since 2020. Purpose: This study aims to establish student’s satisfaction with their learning and confidence in using PAMs. It educates clinicians and academic instructors on the …

Artificial Intelligence And Transformative Curricula Practices In Africa For Educational Development, Ibiwumi Abiodun Alade, P Mthetwa

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

Industrial revolutions in the world have orchestrated numerous innovations, and the impact on educational landscape in different countries do not leave the society to remain static. However, with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the fourth era of industrial revolution, the structural shift and the effect it might significantly cause in transformative educational and curricula practices deserve attention. This paper therefore, explored “artificial intelligence and transformative curricula practices in Africa for educational development” In the paper, a review of the transformative era of the Four Industrial Revolutions (4IR) within which artificial intelligence emerges has been explored, Also, an …

Trustworthy Integration Of Ai In Online Learning: Supporting Student Agency And Inquiry Through Open Pedagogy, Paula Macdowell, Katrina Korchinski, Kristin Moskalyk, Khadijeh Ravan

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

Open pedagogy is a transformative educational approach that fosters innovative, inclusive, and sustainable instructional practices while addressing persistent challenges such as accessibility, equity, and the affordability of educational resources. This qualitative study explores how open pedagogy can develop AI literacy skills while supporting student agency and inquiry in online graduate education. The collaborative initiative involved two cohorts of graduate students (n = 39) who co-authored openly licensed textbooks: AI-Enhanced Instructional Design (ETAD 873, 2023) and Streamlined Instructional Design with AI (ETAD 873, 2024). A multi-phase data collection approach included analysis of student-authored chapters, structured peer review processes, and open-ended focus …

Co-Design Of A Program For Medical Students’ Experiential Learning In Community-Engaged Research, Daenique H. A. Jengelley, Tess D. Weathers, Dustin O. Lynch, Morgan E. Ness, Luis Garcia, Gina E. Claxton, J. Dennis Fortenberry, Tamara S. Hannon

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Medical education may lack experiential training on authentic community engagement (CE). Employing a human-centered design approach with medical faculty and students to identify goals, opportunities, needs, and barriers to implementing CE research, we developed an Experiential Community Engagement Learning Series (EXCELS) pilot program. EXCELS supported both our community partners and medical students as a platform from which to learn from each other. EXCELS can be accomplished virtually, incorporated in medical training, and disseminated broadly.