The behavior of biological cells in a “petri dish” is one of the most important tools for understanding disease progression, discovering treatment strategies, and drug screening. However, rigor and reproducibility of the findings and accessibility to several capabilities are serious challenges. A key issue is the use of highly complex, costly, and isolated pieces of equipment for a small part of the experiment. To overcome this challenge, at the Center for Lung Biology, we have developed a “LEGOⓇ bricks” approach to build an automation-based modular framework—Incubator Eye (iEye™). One of these “bricks” has provided the scientific community with an automated open-source technology to measure physical forces in the cells. The framework provided undergraduates with courses and projects to build on to make their case for higher education or seek industry jobs. Overall, iEye™ represents a sustainable approach unique to academic institutions for enhancing the quality of both research and ed
Standards and specifications are essential for engineers, yet traditional courses lack a systematic approach to teaching their interpretation and application. This pilot project utilizes the experiential learning model to prepare students for professional practice through tailored activities for all academic levels, including blueprint reading, beam design projects, guest lectures, specialized assignments, and field trips. The study evaluates the effectiveness of these modules in enhancing student learning. The presentation aligns with the conference theme by using a collaborative, hybrid approach to introduce key engineering skills. The results will interest faculty and professionals seeking to integrate standards education into their courses. Findings will be shared through an oral presentation, followed by a Q&A session.
The examination has been predominantly closed-book. However, due to COVID, an alternative method is open-book examinations. We tested the hypothesis that students taking open-book, open-web exams spend less time studying compared to closed-book, closed-web exams. Moreover, we tested the exam performance using questions of different types according to Bloom's taxonomy. Students were assigned either open-book or closed-book groups at the beginning of the semester. Study participants kept a study journal entering the minutes they spent daily in studying the subject and completed a post-semester survey. Study time and exam performance of each period were compared between two groups. We found that students' exam performance over different types of questions were descending as the level of difficulty became more challenging. These results suggest that students in the open-book group deal with challenging questions poorly.
The implementation of artificial intelligence-based online proctoring systems (OPS) in higher education has raised critical concerns regarding student satisfaction, privacy, and AI-induced anxiety. This study empirically examines the relationships between privacy concerns, trust in technology, and computer self-efficacy in shaping student perceptions of OPS. Using a Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach, we analyze survey data from 211 students with prior OPS experience. Results indicate that privacy concerns significantly contribute to AI anxiety, which mediates the relationship between trust in technology and student satisfaction. This presentation will explore practical strategies for mitigating AI-related anxiety, fostering student trust, and improving the implementation of OPS to balance academic integrity with student well-being.
With the upcoming demographic cliff, student success and retention has become a central focus in higher education. Currently, many student success courses are taught in a standard classroom setting and style, which is the exact method those students are struggling to learn in. Student success courses need to be adapted to meet the changing demands of students and address the challenges they face. This can lead to significant increases in retention of at-risk students. The recent implementation and experience of a hybrid approach will be presented as well as strategies on how to translate these changes to your institution.
AI is ubiquitous, yet its potential to support students and faculty with disabilities is often underexplored. This presentation will explore the integration of AI tools in a math course section designed for blind students, illustrating how these tools enhance accessibility and learning. We’ll discuss how the hybrid format benefits blind students and the plans to extend these AI-driven strategies to the larger, sighted course in the future. By applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, we create diverse materials and activities, ensuring multiple modes of engagement, assessment, and self-study for all students. The session will highlight the role of AI in fostering an inclusive, flexible, and future-ready learning environment.
Community College’s efforts to accelerate the connection of young people with career pathways in Career and Technical Education are underutilized. Across the country, educational systems are partnering with the private sector and community partners to create sophisticated, career-connected learning experiences. Learners are increasingly exposed to the world of work and potential careers. One option often conspicuously absents in this rush to bolster career and technical education pathways is apprenticeships. It’s a missed opportunity, especially amid efforts to diversify the workforce, creating interest in technical education and securing retention for both the employer and the educational institution. Apprenticeships work!
Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. This workshop will guide the attendees through the process of creating an action plan to guide strategic planning for the hybrid learning environment at the programmatic or course level. You will learn how to create a process which encourages the iterative nature of planning and assessment to drive improvement in programmatic and student outcomes. The workshop will include discussion of the assessment cycle and common assessment frameworks used in higher education. Attendees will participate in discussion and Q& A to determine the best actions to take to plan for success in their hybrid teaching and learning environment and discipline. Attendees will begin to craft an action plan to take back to their institution/organization to move the assessment culture forward into the hybrid teaching and learning age.
Veterans who are returning to university after military retirement may have greater self-awareness, larger social networks and access to capital, making them ideal candidates to start new business ventures. Given hybrid academic schedules, this would be another growth moment for the university as it faces the Demographic Cliff.
Google Drive, with its unique ability to show editing on documents in real time, has allowed students in writing courses to interact virtually in a way they had not been able to before. Real-time editing and online interconnectivity has created a platform for students and the professor to examine, critique, share, and revise writing and ideas comparable to the process on printed copies in the classroom. This hybrid approach to writing has offered a platform for student flexible engagement with each other and the professor. Students can work off a screen and make real time edits and revisions while being in the physical classroom to engage and discuss these processes with myself and their classmates. This immediate access to student work allows the professor to show students the flexible nature of writing and how it is always in flux and is a skill that is ever-evolving, just as it appears on our screens.
Engineering is usually taught in a traditional lecture format, involving theory in the classroom, homework outside of class, and routine examinations. Progressive forms of learning such as project based learning (PBL) have created new and fun ways for professors to interact with students and for students to be more involved in their learning. The work described here details project based learning activities for three courses in aerospace engineering. In Instrumentation and Experimental Methods, the students are tasked with integrating 3 fundamental electronic components of their choice with a microcontroller to build a final product. In Spacecraft Design, the students are tasked with building and launching a hobbyist grade rocket while also taking altitude data during the flight. In Principles of Aircraft Design the students must build and fly a radio controlled aircraft. They must also take accelerometer and GPS data during their flight.
