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Introduction: A series of 19 unfunded knowledge transfer hands-on workshops were implemented (2017-2019) and delivered by 22 facilitators from disciplines of nursing, business, communication, plastic arts, engineering, and community studies. The purpose of this paper is to report on the post-appraisal of the workshops' implementation; uncovering the attendees' new ideas and reflections on the content; and the process of expanding knowledge for practice. Methods: The qualitative program evaluation approach, using the standards of utility, feasibility, accuracy, and propriety of a given program, inspired the design of the immediate appraisal of the workshops delivered within a Canadian school of nursing located in a major urban center. Workshop participants (n = 267) included undergraduate and graduate nursing students, contract instructors, and nurses holding administrative positions. Results: Workshops with high attendance included: (a) Structuring Effective Teaching-Learning Encounters in Healthcare Education and Practice; (b) Cancer Pain; (c) Fetal Health Surveillance; and (d) Nurses as Educators in the Clinical Setting. Concerns were raised by the attendees' low attendance to the following workshops: (a) Mindfulness for Students; (b) Horizontal Violence; and (d) Self-Care for Nursing Students: Alleviating Anxiety. Workshops offered opportunities for attendees to reflect on content and process as related to their future incorporation of learned knowledge in their own education and practice. Conclusions: High engagement in hands-on exercises, spontaneous construction of context, and relaxed moments shared by the attendees indicate a promising culture of sharing and receiving knowledge. A culture of collective, pleasurable learning among attendees was effective in mobilizing powerful forms of nursing knowledge.

This article shares an example of how one STEM EdD program embeds activism throughout their program. The authors share examples of readings and assignments across the program geared towards helping students think about and enact activism within the STEM disciplines. The STEM EdD mission offers insight into the foundations of the program. Then, specific examples from the following courses or course sequences are given: Action Research, Project-Based Learning, Research Methods in STEM Education, Advanced Readings in Mathematics Education, and Principles of Engineering in STEM Education. A conclusion offers some final thoughts about the ongoing development of the STEM EdD program to help our students grow as graduates who focus on equity and diversity in STEM education.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, large swaths of the U.S. were under stay-at-home orders, thus preventing many individuals from leaving their homes. While previous studies have shown that such orders can be detrimental to mental health, specific mental health outcomes, such as loneliness and anxiety, have yet to be fully explored, particularly among various living situation contexts (e.g., living alone, with romantic/sexual partners, without romantic/sexual partners). The current study explores this using a mixed-methods approach. Data were collected via Amazon's M-Turk (N = 85). Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed significant differences between the three groups with respect to loneliness. Statistically significant greater levels of loneliness were found in individuals living alone compared to those living with romantic/sexual partners and those living with non-romantic/sexual partners. No significant differences in anxiety levels were detected. Qualitative analysis revealed similar themes among all groups regarding anxiety. When asked about loneliness, however, those living alone shared more about feeling isolated, unwanted feelings of solitude, and how technology only mitigates a portion of these feelings. Those living with others and sexual partners shared desires to see friends and co-workers, yet not to the severity described by individuals living alone. Romantic/sex life themes are also discussed., Author(s): Joseph M. Currin [sup.1] , Amelia E. Evans [sup.2] , Bridget M. Miller [sup.3] , Christopher Owens [sup.4] , Zachary Giano [sup.5] , Randolph D. Hubach [sup.6] Author Affiliations: [...]

Science teachers play a vital role in the education of students and their learning outcomes. Beyond academic performance and content knowledge, how one feels about science can influence how they teach and how students learn. It is important for educators, and teacher educators to reflect on their past experiences and decipher what experiences influence their overall perceptions about science. Mixed methods were used to analyze narrative papers from pre-service teachers which focused on their science education experiences. Papers from one hundred undergraduate early-childhood pre-service educators were used to determine factors that influence pre-service teachers' overall perceptions about science. Results indicated that negative experiences at all stages of students' k-12 education diminished positive perceptions of science; meanwhile, corresponding effects related to positive experience were sourced only from high school. Similarly, negative teacher experiences resulted in diminished positive perceptions of science without corresponding effects of positive teacher experiences. Learning approach and informal learning experiences did not predict positive perceptions of science, but were relevant within the qualitative analysis. Implications are discussed for pre-service teacher training programs.

The use of assistive technology in special education has grown over the past four decades. In inclusive settings, assistive technology plays a vital role in providing access to academic content for students with disabilities. As the role of assistive technology in secondary classrooms expands, concerns regarding student autonomy, personal preferences, and the societal implications associated with certain tools increase in significance. This article outlines important considerations for teachers to factor in when making assistive technology selections and identifies three decision-making evaluation tools to aid in the selection process for secondary students with disabilities.

Objective: To explore experiences, beliefs, and information-seeking behavior around COVID-19 among college students in Oklahoma. Participants: Fifteen college students participated during the pandemic period from April to July 2020. Methods: An exploratory, qualitative research approach method was used to discover students' experiences, beliefs, and information-seeking behaviors around COVID-19. Exploration of beliefs was guided by the Health Belief Model. Results: Students engaged in COVID-19 information-seeking behaviors predominantly through Internet sites, broadcast news, health professionals, and governmental sources. Students experienced emotional burden as a result of COVID-19 misinformation in these sources. While most students perceived a low chance of acquiring the virus due to their lack of underlying medical conditions, they were still concerned about the consequences of becoming infected. Students noted the difficulty of physical distancing while on campus. Conclusions: Colleges/universities should maximize the dissemination of timely, valid health information for the safety of their students and the broader community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater contamination is a serious environmental problem, given that all living things depend on this essential resource. Groundwater represents less than 1% of all water found on Earth, but nearly 90% of the freshwater used comes from groundwater (USGS 2016). The problem-based activity described in this article actively engages students in real-world issues related to water. Considering water's unique combination of physical and chemical properties, ability to exist in multiple phases, and daily use in agriculture and industry, it is evident that concepts related to water are vital to many scientific domains, including Earth, physical, and life sciences. These activities also can be incorporated into an interdisciplinary unit (e.g., civics class). This lesson lasts approximately one week, including one day for each of the three sections of the lesson, class and independent time for designing students' solutions to a given problem, and at least one class period for presenting and defending the designs.

Today's classrooms contain students with a variety of needs. Although teachers work to differentiate and meet the needs of diverse students, inclusion of students with physical disabilities can present multiple obstacles in science classrooms. However, with advanced planning and strategic accommodations, the needs of these students can often be met in a manner that emphasizes inclusion and independence. This article describes how one second-grade teacher in a rural school district accommodated two students in her class with physical disabilities during an activity on forces and motion. Both of the students had Individual Education Programs (IEP) in place. After carefully reading through the IEPs, accommodations and modifications the IEP team recommended for each student were identified. To begin the process, the teacher turned to the research based principles of Universal Design for Learning (Basham and Marino 2013) to guide her alterations to the lesson. Universal Design for Learning is an educational framework based on cognitive neuroscience that emphasizes flexible learning environments for students in the classroom, with the goal of accommodating individual learning styles and differences. Additional strategies are discussed for providing classroom supports to students with three types of physical disabilities are also suggested.

Integrating across content areas can lead to deeper conceptual understanding of scientific phenomenon and mathematical skills. With pressure of standardized testing in mathematics and English language arts, science is often left to the side. Yet science can bring valuable learning opportunities in both mathematics and English language arts (ELA). This article describes an integrated lesson that addresses standards in science, math, and ELA with a third-grade class. The lesson follows a 5 E learning cycle and three-dimensional learning to explore forces and motion and the use of algebraic equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past four decades have generated significant research toward improving the academic outcomes of students with disabilities, especially in the field of mathematics. In this effort, the role of technology in the classroom, both high- and low-tech, has garnered significant attention. For students with disabilities, the use of manipulatives is a form of technology with an established research base. Although concrete manipulatives in instructional practice have been thoroughly studied, the emergence of virtual manipulatives presents teachers with new options for teaching mathematics to elementary and secondary students. This article discusses the use of virtual manipulatives for students with disabilities while highlighting the benefits they pose, such as providing students with flexible options for learning, promoting student autonomy, and offering educators a wider range of options to accommodate diverse groups of students.

Professional learning communities (PLCs) support the growth of educators to improve learning outcomes for all students. Guided by social constructivist and social cognitive theories, this longitudinal participatory action research study explored the implementation of an interdepartmental PLC across Hord's five dimensions of a successful PLC—supportive and shared leadership, shared beliefs values and vision, collective learning and its application, shared personal practice, and supportive conditions. Additionally, this study explored how engaging with an interdepartmental PLC influenced participants' collective efficacy. During the PLC, the collective expertise of mathematics teachers, administrators, and additional educational specialists (such as occupational therapists and speech and language pathologists) (n = 13) were leveraged to develop strategies for the improvement of mathematical problem solving among elementary and middle school students with disabilities. Our findings indicate statistically significant increases in the five dimensions of the PLC over time, with qualitative evidence supporting the PLC's effectiveness. However, our findings revealed no significant increase in participants' overall collective efficacy, a group's shared belief that together they can achieve a desired result. Implications for practice and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores a lesson on structure and function in an inclusive first grade classroom. The class is cotaught by a general and special education teacher. The lesson describes how the teachers co-teach through team teaching to plan for possible barriers and use universal design principles to ensure their lesson is accessible to all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of notebooking is not new in the science classroom. Since the mid-1970s, writing has been found to facilitate students' critical thinking and learning across a variety of content areas. For science educators, notebooks have become an essential tool for supporting students' scientific inquiry in and across concepts. Scientific notebooks also play a large role in connecting science to today's literacy standards and provide a valuable formative assessment. Technology can be a valuable tool to enhance writing and equip students to be 21st-century learners, consumers, and producers of new information. The advantages for teachers using technology are the added data provided by voice recordings and images and the ease of collaboration provided by the integration of multimedia literacy technologies. Captured moments can be used to review students' progress over time. The more students and teachers interact with digital technology, the more comfortable and proficient they become applying it, building the pipeline for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) leaders of tomorrow. In this article, the authors describe the use of a free whiteboard application called Educreations modeled on an iPad Mini. Students and teachers are able to use this tool to create video tutorials that are then archived learning tools to be accessed at any time (in learning centers, e-books, at home, and so on). Educreations is just one example; there are many options on the market. Students' work in any of these whiteboard applications can be shared privately among peers and parents but should not be published publicly on an open forum without consent.

This study investigated the use of guided science inquiry methods with self-monitoring checklists to support problem-solving for students and increased autonomy during science instruction for students with moderate intellectual disability. Three students with moderate intellectual disability were supported in not only accessing the general curriculum science standards, but also building self-determination skills when applying inquiry problem-solving skills to functional daily applications. A multiple probe across students design was used to establish a functional relationship between the percent of inquiry problem-solving steps performed independently and the use of self-monitoring checklists during traditional and functional-based science activities. Results indicated that following intervention students increased their autonomy in completing inquiry problemsolving activities linked to science content. In addition, students were able to successfully generalize these skills when presented with novel problem-solving tasks related to daily living situations.

Three students with mild to moderate intellectual and multiple disability, enrolled in a self-contained functional curriculum class were taught to use a self-monitoring checklist and science notebook to increase independence in inquiry problem-solving skills. Using a single-subject multiple-probe design, all students acquired inquiry problem-solving skills during exposure to functional guided science inquiry lessons and demonstrated the problem-solving skills independently. Students successfully generalized inquiry problem-solving skills to two functional problem scenarios during a generalization phase.

Multiple illustrative case studies were used to investigate guided inquiry methods and the benefits of traditional science notebooks versus electronic science notebooks for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. Results indicated students successfully acquired science content and increased motivation through science inquiry instruction using both methods. However, each student demonstrated higher motivation, engagement, and independence in inquiry investigation with the use of iPad® electronic notebooks.

This study examined the effectiveness of self-operated video models on the skill acquisition of a series of novel tasks taught in community-based settings. In addition, the percent of independent task transitions and the duration at which four secondary students with a moderate intellectual disability transitioned between tasks was also examined. Using a multiple-baseline design across settings, results indicated that all students showed increases in independent task performance and task transitions as well as decreases in transition durations across community settings when learning novel tasks.

Tested the mastery hypothesis as an explanation for the affective benefits of acute exercise. Undergraduate women from a self-selected aerobic dance class rated their exercise performance following class. Affect questionnaires were completed before and at 5 and 20 minutes after the class. Results showed an overall improvement in affect following exercise and support the mastery hypothesis as an explanation for exercise-induced change in positive affective states. (SM)

Increasing evidence indicates that compromised vitamin D status, as indicated by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH D), is associated with decreased muscle function. The purpose of this study was to determine the vitamin D status of collegiate athletes residing in the southern U.S. and its effects on muscular strength and anaerobic power. Collegiate athletes (n = 103) from three separate NCAA athletic programs were recruited for the study. Anthropometrics, vitamin D and calcium intake, and sun exposure data were collected along with serum 25-OH D and physical performance measures (Vertical Jump Test, Shuttle Run Test, Triple Hop for Distance Test and the 1 Repetition Maximum Squat Test) to determine the influence of vitamin D status on muscular strength and anaerobic power. Approximately 68% of the study participants were vitamin D adequate (>75 nmol/L), whereas 23% were insufficient (75-50 nmol/L) and 9%, predominantly non-Caucasian athletes, were deficient (<50 nmol/L). Athletes who had lower vitamin D status had reduced performance scores (p < .01) with odds ratios of 0.85 on the Vertical Jump Test, 0.82 on the Shuttle Run Test, 0.28 on the Triple Hop for Distance Test, and 0.23 on the 1 RM Squat Test. These findings demonstrate that even NCAA athletes living in the southern US are at risk for vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency and that maintaining adequate vitamin D status may be important for these athletes to optimize their muscular strength and power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of physical activity intensity prescription using real-time cadence on achieving the required intensities for health benefits. Forty adults (18–65 years) participated in the study. The intensity prescriptions included Rating of Perceived Exertion, Talk Test, Heart Rate, and Real-Time Cadence. The participants performed a2-min trial for both moderate- and vigorous-intensity according to each prescription. Atri-axial accelerometer was used as acriterion measure. After completion of the trials, participant's preference for the prescriptions was assessed by three domains (e.g., understanding, performing, maintaining). The compliance and achievement rates of RC were calculated and compared to other prescription methods. Coefficient of Variance was used to evaluate the extent of variation of intensity during the trials. Higher compliance rates were found in both moderate- (92.1%) and vigorous-intensity (94.9%) when using RC. When using RC, most participants (92.5%) were able to achieve the targeted moderate-intensity, but not for vigorous-intensity although asignificant difference was found between the two intensities (p <.001). Overall, RC was the most favoured method in all three domains. RC is apromising tool to prescribe moderate-intensity of physical activity for health benefits but still needs to be refined on prescribing vigorous-intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]