Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Analyzing Educators’ Roles In Preparing Students For Civic Engagement In Arkansas Communities, Mia L. Hastings

2026 Honors Symposium

Young adults ages eighteen to twenty-nine make up a large portion of the voting age population but historically participate in elections at lower rates. Although most students take at least one high school civics course, civic education often emphasizes the memorization of governmental facts rather than preparing students with the skills needed for active civic participation. This gap highlights the need to examine how educators can better prepare students for meaningful civic engagement. The purpose of this study is to examine how educators prepare students for civic engagement in Arkansas communities. The study defines practical strategies educators can implement in …

Grass: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Riley Schaefer

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was to design an immersive place-based learning experience that helps preservice teachers engage with their resources and design an inclusive place-based learning plan. Connecting to the MSUM Regional Science center where these resources will be made for. They are subject to change for other regional centers like the MSUM Regional Science Center.

Ish Bibliotherapy Guide, David Wolff

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was for preservice teachers to practice writing a chain of questions that focused on the social and/or emotional needs of young learners. Bibliotherapy is therapeutic in nature to help individuals understand themselves and the world around them through guided reading experiences (American Library Association, 2025; Delisle & Galbraith, 2002). Further, bibliotherapy allow individuals to identify a personal problem mirrored by a character in a book. As the reader connects with the character, the reader experiences the emotions expressed by the character. Finally, the reader applies the character’s experience to their own personal problem (American Library …

The Dot Bibliotherapy Guide, David Wolff

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was for preservice teachers to practice writing a chain of questions that focused on the social and/or emotional needs of young learners. Bibliotherapy is therapeutic in nature to help individuals understand themselves and the world around them through guided reading experiences (American Library Association, 2025; Delisle & Galbraith, 2002). Further, bibliotherapy allow individuals to identify a personal problem mirrored by a character in a book. As the reader connects with the character, the reader experiences the emotions expressed by the character. Finally, the reader applies the character’s experience to their own personal problem (American Library …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2025-2026, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2025-2026.

Chronic Absenteeism In Long Island Secondary Schools: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Post-Covid-19 Trends And Professional Perceptions, William M. Gibbons

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Recent educational research studies have shown that an alarming number of students are chronically absent from school, a trend that is occurring both nationwide and in New York State. While this number had been slowly increasing before the COVID-19 pandemic, it has accelerated significantly following the pandemic. This increase in chronic absenteeism is also prevalent across Nassau and Suffolk County high schools; there has been a large increase in the percentage of students who are chronically absent in high school since the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts warn that this increased number can lead to multiple negative consequences for students, including social …

Ai: Resumes & Interviews, Jessica Gnutek

Goal 4: Intrapersonal Intelligence Narrative

This was a student-tailored program that offered a brief overview of the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and AI in resume building and interviews. The biggest take away was that automated systems do not recognize resumes and recorded interviews that deviate outside of an expected pattern. The value of this program was showing students that with a bit of additional research into the ATS and AI systems of the company they applied for, they can optimize their resume and their interviewing skills to avoid being "filtered out" in their job search. Many students also found this program personally helpful because many …

Adaptation In The Tallgrass Prairie: The Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel, Katherine Sikorski

OER Materials

The goal of this lesson was to design an immersive, place-based learning inquiry for students to observe and learn about animal adaptations influenced by the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. By exploring the MSUM Regional Science Center, students engage with the natural phenomenon of camouflage, specifically analyzing how the physical traits of the Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel and the Prairie Pocket Gopher are influenced by their environment. Through a combination of hands-on "phenomenon walks" and argumentative journaling, this lesson empowers students to construct evidence-based arguments regarding how survival is tied to habitat-specific traits.

Shooting Star Flower: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Ava Bauch

OER Materials

The lesson plan engages fourth-grade students in a hands-on field experience at the MSUM Regional Science Center located in Moorhead, Minnesota focusing on the Shooting Star flower with the scientific name Dodecatheon meadia. Aligned with Minnesota Science Standard 4L.4.1.1.1, the lesson emphasizes how environmental conditions influence the traits and survival of living organisms. Students begin by observing an image of the flower and generating questions and predictions to spark curiosity. Then explore the natural environment to locate the plant and record observations about its surroundings, structure, and survival strategies. Through guided discussion, students learn how the Shooting Star adapts to …

Prairie Clover Phenomenon: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Emma Kress

OER Materials

This place-based learning lesson engages third grade students in scientific inquiry through direct observation of prairie clover at the MSUM Regional Science Center. Students participate in a curiosity/phenomenon walk where they explore a native prairie plant and its role within a tallgrass prairie ecosystem. By observing, recording, and generating questions, students practice thinking like scientists while developing an understanding of plant characteristics, pollinators, and ecosystem relationships. The lesson emphasizes inquiry-based learning aligned with Minnesota Science Standard 3.1.1.1 and supports student curiosity, critical thinking and environmental awareness. Differentiation strategies and formative assessments ensure accessibility for diverse learners while fostering engagement with …

How Plants Grow: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Regan Braun

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was to design an immersive, place-based learning experience that is based on natural phenomenon in the Minnesota State Moorhead Regional Science Center.  Placed-based learning is to establish the connection between the classroom to the local community and the environment. The natural phenomenon is focused on how plants grow in different environments. This will zero in on how the plants grow in reaction to different soil, water access, and direct or indirect sunlight. Students will then be on a phenomenon walk that will help them develop their own curiosities and wonderings. Developed in their own curiosity, …

Life Cycles Of Living Organisms: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Thea Kunka

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was to create an immersive, place-based learning experience centered on a natural phenomenon for the Minnesota State Moorhead Regional Science Center in Glyndon, MN. Place-based learning involves establishing a connection between the classroom and the local community or environment. The natural phenomenon focused on is life cycles in living organisms, emphasizing how, despite the variety of living organisms (e.g., birds, animals, plants), their life cycles are quite similar. Students will explore this by taking a phenomenon walk, making observations to spark curiosity and questions, and ultimately developing a model of life cycles. This also briefly …

Grasshoppers: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Brooklyn Partlow

OER Materials

_{This submission is a curiosity and place-based science lesson designed for elementary students. It centers on observing grasshoppers during a field experience at MSUM’s Regional Science Center. The lesson engages students by making observations, asking questions, and recording data through a structured curiosity walk. By interacting within a natural phenomenon, students develop a deeper understanding of habitats, ecosystems, and animal adaptations such as camouflage and movement. The significance of this lesson lies in its emphasis on experiential, inquiry-based learning which promotes curiosity and scientific thinking. Additionally, the lesson incorporates Indigenous ways of knowing. Including this into my submission teaches students …}

How Plants Get Nutrients: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Cami Mayo

OER Materials

The goal of this lesson is to engage students in learning how plants get the nutrients they need in order to survive. Further, this lesson is focused on fifth grade students but can be adapted to other grades. This lesson takes a place-based learning approach. Place-based learning is an approach that uses locations, environments or topics that are related to the community and incorporates it with the curriculum that is being used in the classroom. Specifically, this lesson is based on Clay County in Minnesota and is supposed to be used in tandem with the Regional Science Center in Glyndon, …

Indian Grass: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Michaela Barthel

OER Materials

This submission presents a 4th-grade science inquiry lesson focused on the role of Indian grass in preventing erosion, aligned with Minnesota Science Standard 4E.1.2.1.1. The lesson is designed to immerse students in a hands-on, field-based investigation in which they observe, sketch, and record measurements of Indian grass and surrounding soil conditions. Through direct engagement with a natural environment, students examine how vegetation contributes to reducing erosion caused by environmental forces such as wind and water, while also recognizing patterns within the landscape. Throughout the lesson, students are expected to make detailed observations and collect evidence, including soil stability, root depth …

Butterflies: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Cacee Danielson

OER Materials

This submission presents a 4th grade science inquiry lesson that is focused on the life cycle of a butterfly. The lesson is designed to challenge students to use hands-on learning, field-based investigation, in which they get to observe, sketch, and record observations like physical characteristics, and observations about their habitat.  Students will observe how butterflies interact with plants and their surroundings. Throughout the lesson, students are expected to make observations and collect evidence of things that they notice. These activities give students a challenge to interpret, collect and analyze data, draw and write, and its giving them more of an …

Searching For Animal Evidence: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Ian Vedbraaten

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was to design an immersive, place-based learning experience that helps pre-service teachers engage with primary sources connected to the history and culture of their region’s environment. In collaboration with the MSUM Regional Science Center, students visited the science center and went on a nature walk to examine animal evidence. They will analyze this evidence to learn about why animals do certain things. An example of this is why animals burrow underground.

Apple Trees Place Based Lesson Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Brooke Kraft

OER Materials

This lesson plan presents an inquiry-based, experiential field trip to the Minnesota State Moorhead Regional Science Center. It is designed to engage fifth-grade students in exploring the natural phenomenon of apple trees and fruit development. The primary focus of the lesson is to foster curiosity and scientific thinking through direct interaction with real-world environments. Students investigate the structures and functions of apple trees by observing visible components such as trunks, branches, leaves, and fruit, while also considering unseen processes like root systems and growth beneath the ground. Through guided questioning and collaborative discussion, learners are encouraged to make predictions, share …

Animal Survival: Place Based Lesson Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Clara Paleen

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was to design an immersive, place-based learning experience that helps preservice teachers engage with natural phenomena at the Minnesota State Moorhead Regional Science Center. Place based learning is to establish the connection between the classroom and the local community/environment. The natural phenomenon focused on is how animals survive the different seasons in Minnesota.  Students will be on a phenomenon walk to develop their own curiosity and wonderings.

The Relationship Between Implementation Of Effective Schools Practices, School Performance, And Improvement, Kelly Mchugh Massinople

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Effective schools frameworks describe the evidence-based practices implemented at schools, including those with disproportionately high levels of students living in poverty, that have high levels of student achievement (Edmonds, 1979; Lezotte, 1982; Lezotte & McKee Snyder, 2010; Padilla et al., 2020; Sammons et al., 1995). This study examined the relationship between the implementation of effective schools practices, as described in the research, and school performance and school improvement, as reported in state accountability indicators. The analysis focused on improvement efforts initiated at 21 West Virginia schools identified in the fall of 2022 for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) under the …

Literacy Professional Development: Evidence-Based Practices And Insights From Virginia, Meleah Ellison, Shelby Garofalo, Vanessa Sekinger, Joan A. Rhodes, Sharrie Merritte, Maggie Szydlowski, Meera Mehtaji, Valerie Robnolt, Thea Racelis

MERC Publications

This report is part of the MERC Literacy Study. It explores recently published research and publicly accessible professional development (PD) offerings frequently used across the Commonwealth to support the implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA). Findings from this report support the ongoing PD of school staff and relevant partners in the VLA’s purpose of improving literacy outcomes for students in grades K-8 across Virginia.

From Silos To Systems: A Conceptual Framework For Workforce Aligned Oral Health Education, Meghan Bastin

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Poster Session Papers

In the current U.S. educational system, becoming a dentist follows a few prescriptive pathways.  Learners typically complete an undergraduate degree before entering time-intensive doctoral training.  This results in only 3-4 years of direct professional education embedded within an eight -year process, while learners accumulate significant financial investment in their education.  With the average cost of graduate-level dental education alone exceeding $300,000 and new federal borrowing limits likely to further constrain access, there is an opportunity to explore alternative ways of structuring oral health education.

This poster presents a conceptual, system-level framework that explores a perspective in which oral health education …

Developing And Proposing A Passion Project Course With Institutional Backing, Ron Reaser

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Poster Session Papers

Developing and proposing a new course based on your passion project is achievable and rewarding for faculty of any rank, including teaching-track faculty and adjuncts, but it may feel confusing or daunting to glean the course design principles and institutional knowledge necessary to succeed. This presentation recommends a successful and replicable approach based on proactive communication with stakeholders in your unit and across the broader university system. The approach is tailored to faculty members of West Virginia University, Potomac State College, and WVU Institute of Technology.

Why Do Communities Build Bridges? Social Studies: 5e Model Inquiry Lesson Plan, Ryanna Thorson

OER Materials

This lesson plan presents a 5E inquiry-based social studies lesson designed for 5^th-grade students to explore the compelling question, “How does a bridge change a community?” Through the analysis of primary sources (including historical photographs, maps, engineering diagrams), students investigate how bridges influence transportation, access, safety, and community development. The lesson integrates vocabulary supports, structured observation, and literacy connections to help students evaluate the significance of human-made structures in shaping community life. Grounded in constructivist learning theory, this word demonstrates how inquiry and evidence-based reasoning can deepen students’ understanding of social studies concepts.

Making Inquiry Accessible: Inquiry-Based Design And Instruction For English Learners In Secondary Social Studies Classrooms, Meghan T. Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This dissertation explores inquiry-based instruction for English Learners (ELs) in secondary social studies classes. The first article explored the existing literature in the field. The second article considered instructional design choices that could increase learning outcomes in an inquiry designed for ELs, implemented in a culturally and linguistically responsive classroom. Finally, the third article is an exploratory case study that examined how a secondary high school social studies teacher and ESL co-teacher designed and implemented inquiry-based instruction in a co-taught ESL class. The research questions included: 1. How do teachers build trust in a culturally and linguistically responsive social studies …

Investigating The Viability Of Fully Online Asynchronous Physics Instruction In Formal Education, Clifton W. Massey-Noel

Physics Dissertations

In this dissertation we present results from two consecutive investigations into the fully online asynchronous modality in Physics Education. We first discuss the efficacy of a fully online asynchronous section of Modern Physics held in Fall 2024. The asynchronous section is compared with four prior partially-flipped sections of the same class, two of which were held in-person, and two of which were held synchronously online. Results suggest that all three modalities can be made to be about equally as effective. We also discuss the efficacy of a fully online asynchronous section of Calculus-Based Introductory Mechanics held in Fall 2025. The …

Show Your Work: Assessment In The Age Of Ai, Kevin Yee, Laurie Uttich, Elizabeth Giltner, Anastasia Bojanowski

UCF Created OER Works

The fourth book from a team of college instructors who have been in the trenches of AI and higher education since the beginning, Show Your Work: Assessment in the Age of AI is a practical, discipline-spanning guide for educators who are ready to redesign their assignments for a world where AI is a given. Organized around three approaches—co-creating with AI, writing without it, and finding alternative AI-resistant assessments—this book offers more than 50 concrete strategies that faculty can mix, match, and adapt to their own courses and contexts. Whether you want to integrate AI as a learning tool, build assignments …

Equitable Grading: Practices, Challenges, And Implementation, Hannah Lauree Jacott

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grading methods in K-12 education have remained largely unchanged over the past century. As schools consider revisiting grading policies, multiple factors influence the success and sustainability of reform efforts, particularly because grades serve conflicting purposes for various stakeholders. This thesis investigates traditional grading practices, reviews literature on equitable grading frameworks, and evaluates both existing and proposed grading practices in relation to the purpose of grading and principles of grading equity. The literature suggests that many commonly used grading practices, such as the inclusion of nonacademic behaviors and reliance on percentage-based systems, may reduce the accuracy and consistency of grades as …

The Monster Consuming American Education: An Ethnodramatic Exploration Of Standardized Testing And Student Stress, Jennifer Bagley

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study looks at how elementary students experience Standardized Testing, focusing on the emotional and physical effects of the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS). Most research on high-stakes testing focuses on scores, accountability, and policy, but fewer studies look at how students actually describe these experiences. Grounded in Cultural Studies and informed by Critical Pedagogy, this study examines how students interpret and make meaning of their testing experiences within the broader culture of accountability and standardized assessment. This study focuses on student voices to better understand what testing feels like for them and how they make sense of it in …

Buffalo River: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Ryanna Thorson

OER Materials

This submission presents a place-based curiosity walk lesson designed to engage 5^th-grade students in investigating how the Buffalo River shapes the land and supports like through processes such as water flow, erosion, deposition, and riparian ecosystem interactions. Using the bridge as a safe observation platform, the lesson engages students in documenting seasonal indicators such as snowmelt runoff, rising water levels, sediment movement, and ice breakup; phenomena that parallel Minnesota’s long-standing practice of tracking lake “ice-out” dates. By integrating scientific observation with Indigenous ways of knowing, the lesson emphasizes the ecological and cultural significance of understanding river cycles and …