Abstract In 1994, the Executive Management Committee (EMC) of Technikon Pretoria took a strategic decision to develop educational programmes in environmental management and sustainable development. The EMC also decided to integrate these programmes with the development and implementation of an environmental management policy for Technikon Pretoria. This paper describes, in the form of a case study, the project embarked upon, which brings together the development and implementation of the curriculum, research and development, management processes for sustainability, community service and national and international cooperation. The paper discusses successes and failures, and the significant lessons that could be learnt from the experience.

<p> In today&rsquo;s global world, higher educational institutions and businesses are increasingly making use of virtual world learning environments to foster collaborative opportunities for adult students and employees across geographic boundaries, space, and time. Often, however, organizations place the responsibility for learning new skill sets on their adult learners. As a consequence, educators and employers alike argue this new, more complex virtual environment can create a steep learning curve for novice adult learners, causing frustration at the increased time it takes for novices to acquire necessary skills and confidence within the environment. This paper documents the ongoing creation and design of a new adult learner-focused, self-paced, structured skills-based curriculum and virtual world learning environment with situated, virtual world activities for novice adult learners. The primary focus of this project is to move the adult learner from novice to a more experienced user of virtual world environments. </p>

<p> The radiating negative effects of oppressive systems can be halted globally by centralizing the needs of polyvictims through the trauma-aware facilitation of inclusive learning environments utilizing the tool of metaphor. While metaphor restores cognitive functioning impaired by trauma, inclusive facilitation methods diminish allostatic load, increasing an individual&rsquo;s agency and social engagement and thereby manifesting systemic social changes that thwart and diminish oppressive systems.</p><p> In what follows, I will examine the correlations between the chronic oppressive traumas of marginalization, otherwise known as legalized bigotry, and the reciprocal negative social outcomes such as expulsion, incarceration, homelessness, illness, and chronic poverty incurred by targets of marginalization known hereafter as polyvictims. I will also explore the healing cognitive exercise of metaphor as a means of confronting existing trauma in a non-harming manner while restoring and adapting the neural networks altered by surviving oppression and systemic traumatization. Finally, I will offer a facilitated exercise that utilizes trauma-aware, inclusive methodologies designed by centralizing the absent needs of marginalized polyvictims through experiential, co-created, social change.</p><p> I have made use of plural pronouns throughout as a means of demonstrating consistent alliance with readers, educators, guides, and advocates and in strategic departure from gender binary language that is alienating for multiple populations.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if there is a relationship between nursing faculty&rsquo;s acceptance and intent to use technology, with the adoption of informatics in nursing education. The framework that guided this study was the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2. The study was guided by three research questions. Research question 1 asked the relationship between nursing faculty use of informatics in nursing education? There is significant evidence to support the claim there is a relationship between faculty&rsquo;s user acceptance/behavioral intent to use technology and the adoption of informatics in nursing education. </p><p> Research question 2 asked the relationship between the constructs of UTAUT2 and the behavior intent of the nursing faculty to use technology? The results support a relationship between the UTUAT2 constructs and behavioral intention to use technology thus the alternate hypothesis was supported.</p><p> Research question 3 asked the relationship between age, gender, and experience of nurse faculty moderators that influence performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, price value, and habit on personal behavior intent to use technology. The results indicated there is not significant evidence to support the claim that there is a relationship between behavioral intent to use technology and the age, gender, or experience of faculty.</p><p> The results suggests that faculty&rsquo;s personal and professional use of technology influences the integration of informatics into curriculum. Recommendations for practice include incorporating an informatics champion within each school of nursing to enhance faculty members comfort with technology.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to determine if the implementation of a standards-based grading system has an effect on classroom instruction. In particular, how does the implementation of a standards-based grading system impact the teaching methods, curriculum, differentiation, and formative assessments being used in classrooms? The researcher identified five schools in the Southern Illinois area that have adopted the standards-based grading system and chose eleven teachers to participate in this study through purposeful convenience sampling. This study used a phenomenological qualitative approach. There were two methods used in order to collect data including face to face interviews and document analysis. The findings of this study are significant to any district who is considering changing their grading system from a traditional grading system to a standards-based grading system. Through six major themes that emerged, this study shows that by switching to a standards-based grading system multiple parts of the classroom are impacted including the teaching methods, content, differentiation, and formative assessments. The six major themes included: teaching methods have been modified to better adjust to the standards-based grading system and include a larger variety of approaches, teaching methods are more of a response to student need than a pre-planned approach to teaching, the curriculum and content being taught in the classroom have better alignment to the standards, teachers have a greater awareness of both the curriculum and standards that are being taught at their grade level, as well as at other grade level, teachers have a better understanding of the individual needs of students and have used differentiation to meet these unique needs, and the use of formative assessments have increased in order to adjust for more fluid groupings being used in the classroom.

<p> In recent years, there has been increased attention on teacher quality and on teacher candidate development (Cochran-Smith &amp; Zeichner, 2005; Schuster, 2012). Demands on teachers are growing (Darling-Hammond &amp; Bransford, 2005) with an expanding diversity and needs of students (Villegas &amp; Lucas, 2002; Walsh, 2012). Now, more than ever, it is important to understand how candidates are prepared for the teaching profession (Ladson-Billings, 2001). This study examined one vital aspect of teacher education: the role of teacher educators in preparing candidates to partner with families. In spite of substantial evidence of a positive correlation to students&rsquo; academic success with increased partnerships between the home and school (Dearing, Kreider, Simpkins, &amp; Weiss, 2006; Epstein &amp; Sheldon, 2002; Henderson &amp; Mapp, 2002; Hoover-Dempsey, Battiato, Walker, Reed, DeJong, &amp; Jones, 2001; Jeynes, 2007), teacher candidates still lack the necessary skills to work with families (Caspe, Lopez, Chu, &amp; Weiss, 2011). This study used critical pedagogy as a theoretical framework to investigate how teacher educators applied family-school partnership (FSP) modules into their courses. Through a qualitative phenomenological research design, interview and survey data were collected and analyzed on 11 teacher educators and 200 candidates over a two-year period of time. The constant comparative method (Merriam, 2009) was conducted to analyze multiple interviews of the teacher educators, which was triangulated (Stake, 2004) with surveys of teacher candidates. Findings indicated that (a) teacher educators&rsquo; FSP beliefs were positively influenced by piloting of FSP modules, (b) teacher educators&rsquo; locus of control affected their ability to apply FSP content into their courses, and (c) teacher candidates&rsquo; one-sided views of family-school relationships could be changed to one of &ldquo;partnerships.&rdquo; The implications of this research affirm the need to support teacher educators in preparing their candidates to work with families.</p>

<p>Scholars have focused the majority of differentiated instruction research on the effect that differentiation has on student achievement, but have overlooked whether or not the delivery method makes a difference on student achievement. Research questions: Is there a significant difference in Language Arts fluency total mean scores between first grade students who received software computerized differentiated instruction and first grade students who received differentiated instruction provided by the teacher without software? Is there a significant difference in Language Arts in comprehension total mean scores between first grade students who received software computerized differentiated instruction and first grade students who received differentiated instruction provided by the teacher without software? Archival records (128) were examined from a (BOY) and (MOY) mClass Dibels Next and mClass Dibels TRC assessments. There was a statistically significant difference between the students who utilized the Lexia program when compared to their counterparts that received traditional instruction for growth focusing on fluency and it was determined through an independent samples t-test. There was not a statistically significant difference between the students who utilized the Lexia program when compared to their counterparts that receive traditional instruction for growth focusing on comprehension. The results of the inferential tests determined that the students that received their differentiation from the software program had significantly higher growth results than their counterparts that received the differentiation from their classroom teachers in the area of fluency. For the area of comprehension, there was not a significant difference between the two groups.

<p> This quantitative correlational, descriptive study examined what relationships exist, if any, between clinical design and implementation of nursing clinical curriculum with National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN&reg;) pass rates in Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) programs in the northeastern United States (U.S.). The population for this quantitative correlational, descriptive design included all ADN programs (N =132) located in this geographic. The sample for this study was all ADN accredited programs who willingly completed this survey (N=24). Dr. Martha Tanicala&rsquo;s questionnaire was used with permission and was renamed Clinical Experiences in Associate Nursing Programs (CEANP). The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Version 21.0) was utilized to complete the descriptive and correlational statistical procedures. A point-biserial correlation revealed significant relationships between NCLEX-RN&reg; success and the following independent variables: accreditation standards and recommendations on the design of the clinical curriculum (<i> r</i>pbi= .419, <i>n</i> = 24, <i>p</i> = .041, administration influence on the design of the clinical curriculum (rpbi = .415, n = 24, p = .044), and assessing clinical faculty competency (rpb= -.555, n = 24, p = .005). The findings of this study indicate that accreditation guidelines and nursing program administrators&rsquo; significantly correlate with curriculum design and NCLEX-RN&reg; pass rates. The findings also show a significant relationship between assessment of clinical faculty competency and NCLEX-RN&reg; success. The findings demonstrate that a more even distribution of the type of clinical hours across the curriculum may assist students with readiness for practice and first-time NCLEX-RN&reg; achievement.</p>

<p> In this thesis, I propose a curriculum for first year composition (FYC), called the Game Studio curriculum, in which students learn writing through experiences playing, analyzing, and designing games. In Chapter 1, I review the ways in which many students are already learning in video game spaces and argue that the study of games has potential to alter FYC instruction for the better. In Chapter 2, I frame the scholarship behind the Game Studio using James Paul Gee&rsquo;s <i>What Video Games Have to Teach us About Learning and Literacy</i> and Jesse Schnell&rsquo;s <i>The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses.</i> I also provide context for Middle Tennessee State University&rsquo;s &ldquo;Literacy for Life&rdquo; objectives and discuss how the Game Studio curriculum supplements these objectives. In Chapter 3, I provide a detailed list of introductory projects designed to give both students and instructors a running knowledge of game jargon and game design concepts. In Chapter 4, I provide details for the final two projects, which involve the development of student-designed games. I conclude in Chapter 5 with my reflections on student responses to an exit survey at the end of the Game Studio semester.</p>

<p> With increasing uncertainty regarding the health of natural ecosystems susceptible to climate change, a growing and diversifying human population is continuing to strain the sustainability of natural resources. How is society to prepare a future citizenry in the age of information and technology to lead though unforeseen sustainability challenges while still using education methods designed for the age of industrialization? In this dissertation, the author proposes a dramatic shift in the intent of curriculum design, arguing to achieve a society competent in sustainability, the traditional industrial model of education must be replaced with models derived from natural systems. The research tests a sustainability curriculum design that mimics the strength of living systems and organic molecular structure, an example of biomimicry. Placing assessment emphasis on competency relationships and not solely assignment completion, students utilized digital technology and communication to develop the emerging 21st century skill of digital media literacy. Following an extensive literature review of voices in critical pedagogy, systems theory, sustainable design, sustainability education and communication, the researcher presents a mixed methodology approach to triangulate data collected from students. Comprised of rubric assessment, student interviews and phenomenological student blogging, the data mapped each student's "molecule" representing their individual sustainability systems thinking. After further data analysis of student academic success and positive experience, the molecular model gives way to a heightened model mimicking cellular structure. The research offers a new tool and evidence to the field of sustainability education while challenging educators to adopt living systems into their own instructional designs.</p>