Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Evaluating The Benefits Of “Science Of Learning To Learn” In Foundational Undergraduate Biology Courses, Kathryn M. Rafferty, Jenifer Utz, Christy Strong, Matthew Bernacki

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Our objective was to foster increased retention of freshman student and subsequent progression into upper division coursework by incorporating learning skill development and motivational activities into the Introductory Biology courses (BIOL190/191). Enhancement of the introductory biology courses at UNLV has the potential to improve the educational experiences of thousands of students, since about 600 to 800 students enroll in the introductory biology courses each semester. We have previously developed a multimedia learning skill intervention called "The Science of Learning to Learn" which covers the importance of self-testing, spacing out and scheduling study sessions, and managing one's goals, habits, and learning …

Using “Ticket Out” To Create A Continuous Feedback Loop For Student Learning, Jacob D. Skousen

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

This presentation highlights the use of a brief end-of-class “Ticket Out” to create a continuous feedback loop for student learning. Students reflect on learning targets and provide feedback on the class experience, which is then analyzed and used to guide instructor response, follow-up communication, and instructional adjustments. The practice supports reflective teaching, student voice, and timely, responsive instruction.

Playing To Learn: Game-Based Maternal-Newborn Review Using "Forbidden Words" (Taboo-Style), Nikki Rose Ty-Albright

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

TEACHING PRACTICE & NEED IT ADDRESSES Prelicensure nursing students often struggle to translate medical terminology into patient-friendly language (Rodrigues & Moreira, 2022) Gen Z learners frequently disengage from traditional post-conference lecture formats (Thi, 2025) "Forbidden Words" (Taboo-style) game used during post-clinical conference to bridge this gap in an engaging way Students explain maternal-newborn concepts in jargon-free language while avoiding forbidden words on a card

Sparking Engagement: Using "Lightning Debates" To Transform Dry Policy Into Dynamic Learning, Minnie Wood, Ericka Yelle, Necole Leland

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

To address a gap in health policy application among nursing undergraduates, we piloted Lightning Debates, a high-energy teaching strategy that replaces passive lecture with active learning. Students are assigned Pro or Con stances on contentious local policies, using role-play and improvisation to present evidence-based arguments in five-minute sprints. This asset-based approach leverages student creativity to deconstruct complex fiscal and clinical issues. Results demonstrate significant impact: 87.5% of students reported an improved ability to analyze policy, and the percentage of graduates feeling prepared to apply policy knowledge rose from 57% to 77%. This session provides scalable implementation tips for fostering critical …

The Importance Of Relational Teaching In Introductory Statistics, Nathan Matthew Slife

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

This poster presents relational teaching strategies for introductory statistics courses.

Open Education On Social Entrepreneurship: A Comparative Study Between Mexico And Bolivia To Scale Up Complex Thinking, Inés Alvarez-Icaza, Benito Javier Martinez-Briones, Liz Katherine Marco-Torrez, Evelyn Rondon-Jara

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: This study examined the effectiveness of an open digital educational platform for developing complex thinking competencies through social entrepreneurship education among higher education students in Mexico and Bolivia. Specifically, it assessed changes in perceived systemic, scientific, critical, and innovative thinking and compared learning outcomes across both contexts.

Method: A quasi-experimental pre-post design was implemented with 601 participants (Mexico, n = 509; Bolivia, n = 92). Participants completed a validated 25-item, Likert-scale instrument assessing systemic, scientific, critical, and innovative thinking before and after engaging with the digital platform. Within- and between-group differences were analyzed using permutation-based statistical tests, complemented by …

Testimonios De Una Estudiante De Doctorado: Regaining Joy In Graduate School Through Research-Practice Partnerships, Sophia Piral Lee

The Qualitative Report

Through an epistolary critical autoethnography and Latina and Chicana feminist framework, I explore the question of how international graduate students of color can overcome cultural, linguistic, ethnoracial, and social class isolation on predominantly white campuses and in college towns. By writing a letter to my mother (one of my methods for survival in academia), I share my challenges as a Guatemalan, first-time mom, first-generation college student, international student, and non-English native speaker in graduate school during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, this writing helps me recognize how I overcame my isolation and regained my joy and …

National E-Criteria In Finnish Higher Education: A Tpack-Informed Policy Analysis, Ejike Okonkwo

Essays in Education

Responding to calls for a deeper understanding of contextual factors shaping learning, this paper examines the Digivisio 2030 e-criteria, a recently introduced national higher education quality framework designed to enhance digital pedagogy. Document analysis was used to examine five key features of the e-criteria: research-based, modularity, diversity, accessibility, and availability. The findings reveal that the e-criteria function as structural enablers, offering non-prescriptive guidelines that support reliable and user-friendly digital environments, flexible course design, inclusive teaching practices, equitable access to learning resources, and ongoing reflection on pedagogical processes. These findings are interpreted through a deductive approach using the Technological, Pedagogical, and …

From Stories To Speech: Cultivating Cultural Competence And Linguistic Awareness In Future Slps, Alexis Lawton

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

This manuscript reports on a pilot study examining how storytelling and linguistic diversity may cultivate cultural competence in graduate students in speech-language pathology (SLP). Through engagement with traditional folk tales, students explored the cultural significance of narratives and the linguistic features that shape them. The assignment emphasized adapting stories for diverse audiences while highlighting culturally relevant vocabulary, dialectal variations, and the complexities of language use. Facilitated discussions following student presentations prompted reflections on how these elements influence communication and understanding. Preliminary findings suggest that narrative exploration can foster both cultural and linguistic awareness, equipping students with emerging skills to provide …

Sjsu Erfa Board Minutes, March 2, 2026, San Jose State University, Emeritus And Retired Faculty Association

SJSU ERFA Minutes

SJSU ERFA Executive Board Minutes

March 2, 2026

Teachers Writing Together To Restore Hope And Resist Burnout, Beth M. Lehman

Virginia English Journal

This article invites teachers to consider how the practice of writing, especially in facilitated writing groups designed for teachers, can be an effective activity for processing stress and restoring hope. Attention on teacher writing often focuses on how writing helps teachers to improve their teaching. Here the attention is on the value of writing for teachers themselves. Practices of Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) strengths-based writing groups are described with a focus on Teachers Flourishing through Writing, an online workshop series that the author helped to create. Through analyzing workshop methods and self-reflecting on workshop experiences, the author asserts that …

Exploring The Impact Of Generative Ai On Curriculum Design And Instruction: A Study With Preservice Teachers, Lindsay A. Gold, Vanessa Winn, Jackie M. Arnold

Thomas C. Hunt Building a Research Community Day

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is transforming education by reshaping curriculum design, individualized learning, and professional collaboration. This interpretive study examines how 70 preservice teachers engaged with GenAI through structured learning experiences focused on lesson planning, content development, and reflective practice. Participants, all fourth-year PK–Grade 5 and intervention specialist candidates at the University of Dayton, completed a co-taught seminar led by methods professors in science, social studies, language arts, and mathematics. Data sources included initial reflections on GenAI’s role in education, documentation of prompt exploration, and ongoing reflections during the seminar. Thematic analysis revealed a shift in preservice teachers’ understanding from …

Teaching And Ai – Penalty Vs. Process, Scott B. Thesen

Research Days

In Fall 2025 I completed my Interdisciplinary Leadership doctoral capstone, "Perceptions of Implementation from Higher Education Participants in Online Course Design Professional Development". The purpose was to determine if and to what degree transference had taken place from training to regular practice by instructors. Twelve GovState faculty participated in Quality Matters workshops on online teaching best practices facilitated from March 2021 to June 2023. Interviews with study participants revealed common themes and were compared to training responses and usage in Blackboard courses to determine transference. Results showed training was applied to regular practice in not only online courses but other …

Interview With Orca Award Winner Paul Olson, Unl English; Literature, Curricular Reform, Great Plains Studies, Mark A. Griep, Paul A. Olson

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Paul Olson was awarded the ORCA in 1984. He was born in 1932 in Washburn, Wisconsin. During his youth, his family also farmed in Nebraska and South Dakota. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Next, he earned a master’s in English from the University of Nebraska, had a Fulbright fellowship to spend a year at London University in England, and earned his doctorate in medieval and Renaissance studies from Princeton University in New Jersey. In 1957, he joined UNL as an assistant professor of English and was soon promoted to full professor. One of his …

Approach To Physics Education Using Local Ai With Rag For Open Educational Materials Generation, Dmitriy Beznosko

All Things Open

The new tool that starts to enter all parts of our life is AI – and it enters education as well. There are two standing large concerns with using AI for education – the safety of students’ data and the AI missing specific knowledge about the given class. The approach of using the Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) provides the user data to the locally run LLM model (using Ollama framework, a free and open-source tool that allows you to run large language models locally on your system) as a context for the generation of the OER materials. As this AI …

Exploring “Isms” In Teacher Preparation: What Are The Views Of Teacher Candidates?, Michelle A. Gremp

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Teacher preparation programs are charged with preparing educators who understand biases and work toward fostering inclusivity in their classrooms. This study explores the knowledge and perceptions of teacher candidates in an education of the deaf and hard of hearing program related to ableism, audism, and inclusivity. and suggest next steps for developing competencies in these areas. Teacher candidates indicated varying levels of familiarity, views of impact, and the ability to provide accurate definitions of these terms, indicating the need for explicit and scaffolded exposure to the ideas of ableism, audism, and inclusivity across multiple courses within teacher preparation programs.

Teaching Iep Development To Preservice Teachers Using Real-World Scenarios And Kentucky Resources, Laura S. Clarke, Dusty Columbia Embury

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

When considering all of the content and pedagogy required for preservice teachers to master before they begin teaching students with disabilities, candidates at public, regional university report that one of the most complex components is understanding Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and how to write them. In this article, we will provide a program description of the structure, components, and outcomes of a model preservice personnel preparation program designed to address the pedagogical needs of university teacher education candidates in this rural state university. We will describe the plan and initial results from a small pilot study in which faculty in …

Critical Incident Analysis: A Methodological Approach For Teaching Trauma Informed Practices, Penny B. Howell, Mary S. Thomas, Shantel D. Crosby, Khirsten Scott

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Drawing on sociocultural theory, a transdisciplinary, multi-racial team of teacher educators, a social work educator, and a scholar of English and rhetoric, designed a study focused on developing teacher candidates’ understanding of trauma-informed practices during their teacher preparation program. Qualitative data from teacher candidates’ reflections on Critical Incident Descriptions (CID) completed during student teaching reveal their developing understanding of trauma-informed practice with Timing, Maintaining Relationships, Holding High Expectations, and Engaging Students so they Remain in the Classroom as prevalent themes across all CIDs. Findings suggest that Critical Incident Analysis promotes teacher candidates’ reflection practices as they make connections …

Teaching Strategies For Faculty Facing Heightened Student Needs And Dwindling Institutional Support, Mee-Shew Cheung, Hema Krishnan, Mina Lee

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

When How We Teach Is What We Teach: Teacher Educators As Instructional Models For Novice Teachers, William Waychunas

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Teacher education programs have struggled to overcome the apprenticeship of observation, or the tendency for preservice teachers (PSTs) to replicate the traditional or problematic forms of teaching from their K–12 experience. However, the field tends to assume that PSTs draw only on instructional models from K–12, overlooking higher-education instructors such as professors, other faculty, and teacher educators as sources of pedagogical inspiration and guidance. This study uses data from a longitudinal investigation tracing the development of nine secondary social studies teachers to focus on how the modeling and demonstration of practice within coursework by teacher educators shaped PSTs’ understanding, impressions, …

Exploring The Role Of Patient Feedback In Medical Education, Hovhannes John Hayrapetyan, Stella Hayrapetyan, Diane L. Levine Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

Background: Patient feedback is increasingly recognized as a valuable yet underutilized component of medical student assessment. When collected reliably, delivered with specificity, and embedded in a supportive learning environment, feedback can improve communication, professionalism, and patient-centered behaviors while promoting reflective, self-directed learning. However, studies highlight limitations including inadequate longitudinal evidence for sustained improvement, inconsistent use of structured tools, and insufficient faculty guidance. Instruments such as the Patient Feedback in Clinical Practice (PFCP) questionnaire show promise but require broader testing, and links between learner feedback and patient outcomes remain weak.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, …

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence For Transformative Education: Challenges And Recommendations, Papia Bawa

Journal of Research Initiatives

The sheer force with which GPT models are inundating business, education and economic fields speaks to its ability to not only transform the ways in which we interact and act but also disrupt these ways. This systematic literature review applies the PSALSAR method to synthesize findings from 72 articles on AI applications in education, emphasizing its transformative potential across various domains. AI is transforming personalized learning by customizing content and feedback to individual needs, addressing challenges like data privacy and ethical concerns. It enhances administrative efficiency through automation and data-driven decision-making, improving institutional performance while managing biases and maintaining human …

Evaluating A Research Experience For Teachers: Benefits And Challenges For Summer Stem Professional Development, Mark T. Felts, Darcy Tessman, Emily Simpson, Mark Nanny

The Rural Educator

This focus group study examined the participant motivation for and potential impact of the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program on rural STEM educators. Due to geographic isolation and low wages in rural areas, STEM teachers often engage in summer work, which provides practical, real-world applications of STEM principles and enhances instructional methods during the school year. By fostering university partnerships and providing summer research opportunities, RET aligns with the National Rural Research Agenda’s (NREA) priorities of enhancing community relationships and bolstering teacher preparation, recruitment, and retention. Findings indicate that participation in RET boosts teachers’ curricular skills, professional networks, and …

The Relationship Between Online Course Content Design And Student Satisfaction In Asynchronous University Courses, Scott Dillingham

Education Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation draws on five years of research examining course design and student satisfaction in asynchronous online courses. The study investigated the relationship between course content and student satisfaction in asynchronous online courses at The University of Texas at Tyler. A mixed-methods design combined qualitative inductive coding of online course content with quantitative analysis of student evaluation data across 20 asynchronous online courses taught by nine faculty experienced in online instruction. Results indicated measurable relationships between instructional content variables and student evaluation scores. Dialogue and Ordinary Conversation, content categories identified through emergent coding of course materials, demonstrated positive predictive relationships …

What Keeps Teachers: A Systematic Review Of Induction And Early-Career Teacher Retention In Rural Schools, Bobbie Jean Mcdonough

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Teacher retention remains a persistent challenge in United States education, particularly in rural K–12 public schools. This systematic review synthesized empirical research on induction and early-career teacher retention in rural United States settings published between 2000 and 2025. Guided by a postpositivist framework and aligned with PRISMA 2020 standards, 56 studies met inclusion criteria following structured database searches and multi-stage screening. Findings across the included studies indicate that retention was most consistently associated with induction, mentoring, professional learning, responsive leadership, collegial relationships, and teachers’ integration into their school and community, with no single support appearing sufficient in isolation. Across research …

Being Compassionate Helps Improve College Students’ Perceived Well-Being. The Mediating Role Of Cognitive Flexibility And Perceived Anxiety, Saurabh Singh, Sarath Nonis

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Perceived well-being of college students is crucial to the success of students and institutions of higher education alike. Through this study we assert that promoting compassion among college students can improve their perceived well-being. Furthermore, the effect is mediated by cognitive flexibility and anxiety felt by students. The study has theoretical and managerial implications. The results can guide educators and university personnel to better craft curriculum and university communication.

Community Engagement Through Robotics Mentoring – Unlv, First Nv, And High School Robotics Teams, Brendan O'Toole

Community Engagement Expo Research Posters

The UNLV Robotics Mentorship program includes a two-semester course that trains students to support local high school FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams. ‘ME 464 Robotics Mentoring I’ provides training in design, mentoring,  fabrication, and programming. ‘ME 465 Robotics Mentoring II’, pairs students with local high school teams to serve as technical mentors for the competition season.

Copyright Information

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Publication rights to works is granted to Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, however, full copyright for works published in this journal is retained by the author(s). The author(s) may post their works online in an institutional repository, on their university departmental website, or on their own personal websites.

Interview With Orca Award Winner David Forsythe, Unl Political Science; International Human Rights, Mark A. Griep, David Forsythe

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Prof. David Forsythe was awarded the ORCA in 1982. He was born in North Carolina and earned a bachelor’s in political science from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. Next, he earned a master’s and doctorate in Politics from Princeton University in New Jersey. In 1973, he joined UNL as an associate professor of political science and was soon promoted to full professor. In 1993, he became chair of his department and received the Charles J. Mach Distinguished Professorship of Political Science. He has authored, co-authored, or edited about 30 books on was International Human Rights, Law, and Politics, and has …

From The Editors..., Thomastine Sarchet-Maher

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.