Ask, Find Out, Act: The Benefits of Inquiry-based Learning

Ask, Find Out, Act: The Benefits of Inquiry-based Learning

Science labs. Rock climbing. Student-led projects. The Amazon Field School. What do these have in common? They are all taught at KPU with an inquiry-based learning model. Or have the potential to be. Inquiry-based learning puts students in the driver’s seat, and has them explore and share an experiential research or creative process/project that holds…

Generative AI. or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bot

Generative AI. or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bot

Generative AI (GenAI) is a thing!  If you’ve read the news lately, it seems to be one of the only things we should be paying attention to, with headlines like: “Cutting edge AI raises fears about risks to humanity” “Artificial intelligence poses “risk of extinction,” tech execs and experts warn” “How ‘freaked out’ should we…

“Aiming for the Moon”: Designing Assignments for Mastery-Based Achievement 

“Aiming for the Moon”: Designing Assignments for Mastery-Based Achievement 

A Mastery-Based Grading (MBG) assignment is an educational assessment designed to evaluate a student’s proficiency in specific competencies that are critical to their field of study. MBG assignments challenge students to go beyond rote memory and instead apply their knowledge to practical, real-world scenarios—encouraging them to reach for the moon in every endeavor! This educational…

A Holistic Approach to Assessment: Integrating Self, Peer, Instructor, and AI 

A Holistic Approach to Assessment: Integrating Self, Peer, Instructor, and AI 

As educators, finding better ways to measure learning is always on our agenda. While we’re familiar with traditional assessment methods and the valuable insights they offer in measuring students’ mastery of specific content knowledge, we recognize their limitation in capturing the full range of students’ abilities and experiences, such as critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration….

Teaching Through Undergraduate Research: The Transformative Power of Active Learning

Teaching Through Undergraduate Research: The Transformative Power of Active Learning

After the invasion of ChatGPT into our classrooms, you probably asked yourself, “What assignments can I give my students to defeat such an appealing tool, especially for students who have to work extensive hours per week besides studying?” In this piece, I will give you one effective and exciting suggestion: research projects. I will present…

Recognize the Whole Person: A Student-Centered Intercultural Teaching Framework

Recognize the Whole Person: A Student-Centered Intercultural Teaching Framework

If we asked our students to tell us what is most important in an intercultural teaching practice, what would they say? That’s the question that came to my mind as I began my doctoral research several years ago. I’d read a number of helpful frameworks that provide guidance for my professional development as an instructor…

The league of champions: ePortfolio initiatives supporting excellence at KPU
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The league of champions: ePortfolio initiatives supporting excellence at KPU

“The electronic or digital portfolio is an ideal format for collecting evidence of student learning, especially for those outcomes not amenable or appropriate for standardized measurement. Additionally, ePortfolios can facilitate student reflection upon and engagement with their own learning across multiyear degree programs, across different, and across diverse learning styles while helping students set and…

Building-in Student Buy-in: Disposable vs Renewable Assignments
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Building-in Student Buy-in: Disposable vs Renewable Assignments

Introduction In any given classroom, students range from “here for the credit” to “here to learn as much as I can” with the majority lying somewhere in the middle. While there will always be students who are unable to engage, there are many who can be enticed towards deeper participation when given the opportunity. Open…

5 tips to create engaging educational videos
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5 tips to create engaging educational videos

Now that we are in the endemics, I am certain that most educators have at least created one video either through a conferencing tool like Zoom or Big Blue Button, a talking-head video with a webcam, or a voiceover of a PowerPoint presentation. But have you ever thought how your learner engages with this content?…