Higher Education and Teaching Commons^™

Research Remix: Teams, Tech, And Texts, Jaime Carbajal

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The pedagogical innovation that enhanced student learning in the Research Methodologies in Health Sciences course is described as Integrated Digital Collaborative Inquiry-Based Learning (IDCIBL). The IDCIBL approach leveraged digital tools (lecture videos, podcasts, recorded poster presentations, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms), integrated journal article analysis, utilized research-informed active learning, and included team-based learning activities. The combination of multiple innovative strategies into the IDCIBL model intentionally transforms the educational environment and optimizes the student learning experience, relating to the TLC priority area of teaching and assessments in the age of Gen AI.

Creating Open Educational Resources With Artificial Intelligence, Serena Scalzi

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The adoption of artificial intelligence is becoming widespread in higher education. AI-driven technology has the ability to support academic and administrative faculty in designing and delivering course content. As a Part-Time Instructor in the College of Education, I used AI to enhance my teaching practice by creating course resources for my class, CIT 647 Creating Online Learning Environments. These open educational resources, developed through a reflective teaching practice facilitated by the UNLV Teaching and Learning Commons, promote equitable, inclusive education.

Making Learning Engaging With Formative Assessment, Michelle A. Arroyo

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Benefits of formative assessment: increases student engagement, provides immediate feedback for teachers and students, helps differentiate instruction, encourages self-reflection and self-regulated learning, and improves overall student achievement.

From Generation To Judgment: A Structured Approach To Teaching Responsible Ai Use, Necole Leland, Lisa Nicholas, Jennifer Vanderlaan

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

A structured approach to teaching responsible use of generative AI in nursing education is critical. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into professional practice, students must move beyond simple AI content generation to critically evaluate and refining AI outputs. Using the RISEN prompting framework to guide learners in designing effective prompts while also emphasizing analysis of accuracy, relevance, bias, and ethical considerations in the output. Through classroom modeling and applied activities, students engage actively with AI as a tool for inquiry rather than passive consumption. This approach offers a practical and adaptable model for integrating ethical and effective AI use across …

Bridging The Divide Between Theory & Practice: A Framework For Fostering Relevant Learning Environments, Elsa Lopez-Martinez

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

This poster presents a framework for bridging the gap between theory and practice in teacher education by designing relevant learning experiences that better prepare preservice teachers. Grounded in seminal teacher education literature, the approach explicitly connects coursework to professional applications while preserving the integrity of theoretical foundations. The framework emphasizes ongoing communication of purpose and alignment across courses. Additional strategies include integrating career-focused activities, facilitating reflective exercises, inviting practitioner perspectives, and providing applied assignments. Evidence from student feedback highlights increased engagement, confidence, and perceived relevance.

Transparency And Personalized Feedback Curb Ai Misuse In Asynchronous Online Biology, Elana A. Paladino

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The rapid expansion of generative AI (Gen-AI) has reshaped teaching and assessment in online, asynchronous introductory biology courses, creating new challenges for academic integrity and meaningful learning. This poster examines practical strategies to promote ethical AI use while maintaining student engagement. Transparency of instructions and timely, personalized feedback were found to curb AI misuse in online discussion posts. Structured use of AI tutors encouraged responsible engagement with Gen-AI, and surveillance methods for summative exams had mixed effects.

Culturally Responsive Tent: An Architectural Journey, Marcos Amado Petroli, Elmira Ebadi

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Culturally responsive teaching in architecture encourages students to connect design thinking with identity, culture, and lived experience. This studio assignment introduced the tent as an archetypal architectural form and weaving as a generative tectonic strategy, allowing students to explore how lightweight structures can respond to social needs, cultural narratives, and material expression.

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.

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.

Assessing The Professional Development Needs Of Traditionally And Alternatively Certified Career And Technical Education Teachers In Virginia, Natalie Ferand, Bradley Bowen, D. Brett Milliken

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The Virginia Department of Education allows for various paths to teacher licensure. Teachers may graduate from an approved teacher preparation program or obtain a teaching license through alternative pathways. This study identified the professional development needs of traditionally and alternatively certified CTE teachers in Virginia by administering a statewide survey. The participants were divided into three groups: alternatively certified CTE teachers (Group 1), traditionally certified teachers in a non-CTE area and then received a CTE endorsement (Group 2), and traditionally certified teachers in CTE (Group 3). By comparing how teachers from each of these certification pathways reported their level of …

A Historical Review Of Course Requirements In Agricultural Mechanics For Agricultural Education, Teacher Education Undergraduates At Nine 1862 Land-Grant Universities, Kristopher R. L. Rankin Iii, M. Craig Edwards

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Preparing pre-service students to teach agricultural mechanics is a difficult task due to the career pathway including a great variety of topics (Byrd et al., 2015). This study examined the trend in requirements in 1862 land-grant universities for number of courses, course credit hours, and course topics related to agricultural mechanics, as well as the total credit hours needed for degree completion in agricultural education, teacher education. Overall, the universities examined had lessened the total course credit hours related to agricultural mechanics courses from 8.33 to 11.83 credit hour requirements in 1980, to a range of 6.67 to 8.33 credit …

Mass Shootings And Trauma-Informed Pedagogy, Kelly Stith

English Faculty Research

I am sitting in the University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections archive room in the Lied Library. I came here before to donate a zine of a previously published essay, “Still Echoes,” and photographs to a project they are coordinating in remembrance of the December 6, 2023, mass shooting. The Special Collections team was gracious enough to allow me to investigate other artifacts, including several handwritten condolence cards left at campus memorials. Being here is harrowing and reminds me that these are not just mere notes but reflections of people’s grief and the reckoning with a tragedy that rocked …

Counseling Skills For Educators, Craig Hall

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is touted as a diverse campus. Indeed, students represent a wide range of demographics concerning race, gender, identity, socioeconomics, physical and mental ability issues, as well as non traditional students and those the intersectional representation of multiple demographic groups. It is incumbent upon educators to provide safe spaces for all students. This is an equitable practice. How can educators be more equitable? By using counseling skills in their education such as: empathy, active listening, belief in the capabilities of students, and avoiding labeling students. It must be noted that the use of counseling skills …

Why Ask That? Low Stakes Questions Build Engagement, Van Whaley

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

A few low-stakes questions during the term build engagement, encourage persistence, and can improve learning outcomes.

During labs, students work together to learn Anatomy & Physiology… plus answer these Engagement Booster Questions.

The Need
/="/">Students need to meet classmates. After two years of online-only education, returning to in-person labs is a new experience many students find uncomfortable and challenging.

The Existing Resources
/="/">Students in the same lab have several similarities that include enrolling in the same lecture section, similar schedules, the same completed prerequisites, similar majors, and career aspirations.

The Goal
/="/">Building engagement between students should help …

What Counts As Rigor When Rigor Counts?: Increasing Intentionality In Teacher Education, Derek Riddle, Chyllis E. Scott, Leann G. Putney

Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education

Debates regarding the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs continue to persist. The level of rigor in teacher preparation programs and the ability of teacher educators to prepare candidates for the challenges persist in the educational climate. In higher education, rigor has been well-defined, but the understanding is limited, specifically rigor in preparing new teachers. This study undertook a telling case approach to explore student and faculty perceptions of rigor in a teacher preparation course. This research “leans in” to the criticism of rigor by exploring how teacher preparation programs can match the rigor and demands of the profession and to …

Trauma-Informed Performance Art Education, Yvonne Houy, Kymberly Mellen, Alethea Inns, Morgan Iommi

Creative Collaborations

Trauma is the emotional response to a disturbing event or series of events, and can cause symptoms such as unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, headaches, and nausea, according to the American Psychological Association (2022). Learning activities in the performing arts - such as adjusting the body through touch, or the emotional content of scenes - can retraumatize students unintentionally. In contrast, creating the conditions for emotional states that enhance learning is a science, and an art, that can support conditions for optimal performance including Flow states

Performing arts educators can proactively support students and performances by becoming trauma-informed and actively using intimacy …

Path To Success: Examining A Multifaceted Retention Model For Major Pathways Students At A Large, Diverse Research University, Dan Gianoutsos, Anne White, Brandy Smith, Nicole Stella

Academic Success Center Faculty Research

This study examines a retention model designed for the understudied, at-risk, Major Pathways students, at a large, diverse, research university. Major Pathways students were defined as undergraduates who initially selected their major during the admission process and while they were accepted to the institution, they were not admitted into their desired major/college primarily due to their math test scores. The retention model included a strategic new student orientation, marketing/outreach, proactive academic advising, and a specialized first-year seminar. The fall-to-spring retention rate increased from 84.5% to 88.5% to 89.6% to 89.7% and increased the fall-to-fall retention rate by 12.9 percentage points.

Renewed Purposes For Social Studies Teacher Preparation: An Analysis Of Teacher Self-Efficacy And Initial Teacher Education, Leona Calkins, Paul J. Yoder, Peter Wiens

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

Using data from TALIS 2018, this study analyzed the relationship of U.S. social studies teachers’ initial teacher education (ITE) and their self-efficacy, with an emphasis on the newly added construct of multicultural teacher self-efficacy. Results indicated that content and pedagogy training is present in the vast majority of ITE programs that U.S. social studies teachers have attended; however, over one quarter of participants reported no training in teaching in a multilingual or multicultural setting during their ITE. Social studies teachers were more self-efficacious about instruction and classroom management than they were about student engagement and teaching in multicultural classrooms. All …

Doctoral Program Design Based On Technology-Based Situated Learning And Mentoring: A Comparison Of Part-Time And Full-Time Doctoral Students, Shaoan Zhang, Chengcheng Li, Mark Carroll, P. G. Schrader

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

Aim/Purpose: Most programs are designed with full-time doctoral students’ characteristics and needs in mind; few programs consider the unique needs of part-time doctoral students, including time restrictions, experiences during the program, identity development, and different professional aspirations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential differences between part-time and full-time doctoral students in their scholarly development, and how technology may serve as a communication and organization tool for individual and program support. Background: Built on the application of communities of practice, information and communication technology, and situated learning theory, this study sought to evaluate the potential differences among …

College And Career Preparation Activities And Their Influence On Post-High School Education And Work Attainment, Xue Xing, Margarita Huerta, Tiberio Garza

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

This study examined students’ participation in college and career preparation activities in high school, and the relationship between participation in these activities and students’ education and work attainment within one year of high school graduation. This study used the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:2009) dataset and participants included 12,217 public school students with 6,046 (49.49%) boys and 6,171 (50.51%) girls. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression. Results indicate that socioeconomic status was the only significant predictor across all post-high school education and work outcomes. Significant predictors of post-high school education/work attainment were found but differed …

Instructional Methods That Improve Outcomes For Unlv Students In The Virtual Classroom, Tiffiany Howard

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The demand for online education programs has resulted in the expansion of course and degree offerings, and a steady increase in online student enrollment nationwide (U.S. News, 2016). While the goal of online education is to improve access to higher education, historically underrepresented groups experience lower course completion rates and poorer grade performance in online classes, when compared to underrepresented students enrolled in hybrid and in person courses.

Visualization For Spatial Comprehension, Gabriel Judkins

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Mapping and understanding spatial data are fundamental necessities for geographers, yet challenging for many students (Rapp et al. 2007)

Enhancing Students' Learning With Word-Games: A Case Of Hospitality Ob Class, Cass Shum

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Learning a new subject involves learning and memorizing a new set of vocabulary (Parry, 1995), a challenge for an increasingly international student population (e.g., Barron & Arcodia, 2002; McDowell, 1998; Zimmermann, 2009).

Are Dogs Better Than Cats?: Teaching Oral & Written Persuasion Skills, Sara Mathis

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

First generation students often come into UNLV underprepared for the rigors of speaking and writing. Student’s success in their courses and future careers depend on their abilities to persuade through oral and written skills.

Agile Instructional Design For Learning: A Case Example Of Agile Master Course (Amc) Development, Yeonsoo Kim, Heather Whitesides

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Today’s higher education institutions need to “produce quality and relevant learning materials, capable of being reused and adapted in different learning situations” (Arimoto & Barroca, 2015). Agile principles and practices are being used by instructional design teams and are geared toward being adaptive and creative.

Working Groups As Classroom Management Style, Emma Frances Bloomfield, Kathryn Rafferty

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

There is a need at UNLV to improve student retention across disciplines, which can be done by improving students’ confidence in their performance, improving their satisfaction with classes and their major selections, and providing welcoming and open spaces for participation and inclusion.