Trends High. Educ., Volume 4, Issue 1 (March 2025) – 8 articles

This review paper aims to highlight the importance of the role of reflection practice of special educators in the inclusion of students with disabilities and special educational needs. Specifically, an attempt at conceptual clarification of reflection is made at the first level, and the models of reflection that have been developed and applied in special education are described. In particular, in the first section, a reference was made to the definitions and types of reflection as described in the international bibliography. Also, the models of reflection that various researchers have developed, and each model has contributed significantly to improving the work of professionals working in special education, are described. Finally, we are referring to specific practical applications of the reflective process. These practices could motivate professionals to use them in their teaching process to create inclusive environments. Full article

The Clay N. Hixson Student Success Center within the College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech University has undergone a transformative upgrade by integrating the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) framework with select Kaizen principles for continuous improvement to enhance student support services. Key performance indicators (KPIs) have been employed to assess the achievement of core goals, significantly advancing recruitment, retention, and overall student success. Implementing the DMAIC framework has streamlined processes such as a unified degree map and a math bridge program, resulting in a 53% increase in incoming first-year students and broadening the College of Engineering’s outreach. These efforts have also contributed to a 10% increase in first-to-second-year retention rates. Through the utilization of DMAIC, the regular redistribution of advisor caseloads and cross-training has been facilitated, ensuring timely student support without overburdening advisors. Additionally, targeted academic support initiatives have reduced the at-risk student population from 19% to 11%. These management techniques extend to multiple initiatives, including enhancements to high school summer camps, advisor listening sessions, and student surveys designed to meet evolving student needs. Creating specialized areas for academic advisors has also supported their professional growth, contributing to better student outcomes. This paper comprehensively analyzes these strategies and provides valuable insights for institutions seeking to apply DMAIC and continuous improvement models to strengthen student support systems. Full article

Most of today’s educators are in no shortage of digital and online learning technologies available at their fingertips, ranging from Learning Management Systems such as Canvas, Blackboard, or Moodle, online meeting tools, online homework, and tutoring systems, exam proctoring platforms, computer simulations, and even virtual reality/augmented reality technologies. Furthermore, with the rapid development and wide availability of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) services such as ChatGPT, we are just at the beginning of harnessing their potential to transform higher education. Yet, facing the large number of available options provided by cutting-edge technology, an imminent question on the mind of most educators is the following: how should I choose the technologies and integrate them into my teaching process so that they would best support student learning? We contemplate over these types of important and timely questions and share our reflections on evidence-based approaches to harnessing digital learning tools using a Self-regulated Engaged Learning Framework we have employed in our research in physics education that can be valuable for educators in other disciplines. Full article

This work examines the indicators of master’s students’ persistence from 2014 to 2021 at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in the southern United States. Demographic and academic variables were used in a logistic regression model to predict students’ successful completion across sixteen master’s programs. In this two-fold study, first, we examined the impact of COVID-19 on students enrolled in twelve face-to-face (F2F) programs and evaluated their performance against a pre-pandemic baseline period. Second, we compared student performance in four accelerated online programs against a pre-accelerated baseline. Most demographic variables were insignificant, while all academic variables were significant across program types. However, GPA became an insignificant variable when the F2F programs were forced to move online during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, GPA also increased for students who had discontinued their studies. The accelerated online programs recorded a significant decrease in terms enrolled (Term Count) compared to the pre-accelerated baseline. These results add to the limited literature on student success at the master’s level in HSIs, thus filling a vital knowledge gap. This study provides two case studies focusing on how the pandemic and the accelerated online learning model impacted academic persistence at the master’s level at an HSI. Full article

The views and practices of teaching mathematics are significantly influenced by the cultural and social contexts, resulting in differences in teaching traditions among countries. Thus, when evaluating the effectiveness of professional development (PD) programs, it is crucial to consider differences in teaching traditions between PD participants and providers. There is limited research that examines PD participants’ acculturation strategies in such circumstances. This case study examines the influence of the PD program that introduced current teaching traditions in American mathematics education to Kazakhstan’s university mathematics faculty on their perceptions and practices of teaching discrete mathematics to aspiring mathematics teachers. The PD program focused on connecting abstract mathematical concepts to real-life applications, and integrating technology and STEM applications using inquiry-based strategies. The study findings indicate that, while PD enhanced faculty knowledge and attitudes toward technology integration, it did not significantly alter their views on teaching practices. A traditional teacher-centered approach persisted even when technology was incorporated, highlighting the deeply ingrained nature of educational traditions and their resilience to change. This underscores the importance of considering the cultural context and addressing deeply held beliefs in professional development initiatives, especially when aiming for substantial shifts in teaching practices. Full article

The purpose of this project was to examine the impact of participation in an online peer mentoring program on peer mentees in an effort to broaden participation of racially and ethnically minoritized women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree programs. A total of 22 students identifying as women who were enrolled in STEM degree programs at one of two participating historically Black institutions participated in the program. After participating in an online peer mentee training program and engaging in peer mentoring relationships over the course of one academic year, interviews and focus groups were conducted to determine the impact of participation in the program on mentees’ STEM self-efficacy, sense of community, STEM identity, and intent to persist in their STEM degree programs. Following a case study approach, findings demonstrated that peer mentees reported overall positive outcomes from participation in the program to include increased STEM self-efficacy, increased sense of belonging, increased STEM identity, and increased intent to persist. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. Full article

This collective systematic literature review is part of an Erasmus+ project, “TaLAI: Teaching and Learning with AI in Higher Education”. The review investigates the current state of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in higher education, aiming to inform curriculum design and further developments within digital education. Employing a descriptive, textual narrative synthesis approach, the study analysed literature across four thematic areas: learning objectives, teaching and learning activities, curriculum development, and institutional support for ethical and responsible GenAI use. The review analysed 93 peer-reviewed articles from eight databases using a keyword-based search strategy, a collaborative coding process involving multiple researchers, in vivo coding and transparent documentation. The findings provide an overview of recommendations for integrating GenAI into teaching and learning, contributing to the development of effective and ethical AI-enhanced learning environments in higher education. The literature reveals consensus on the importance of incorporating GenAI into higher education. Common themes like mentorship, personalised learning, creativity, emotional intelligence, and higher-order thinking highlight the persistent need to align human-centred educational practices with the capabilities of GenAI technologies. Full article

Transitioning from being a student to becoming a professional is challenging even though medical education provides periods of clinical practice and clerkships to support the transfer between university and the future work as a doctor. Using an ethnographic approach, we investigated how medical students navigated their clerkship in psychiatry. We applied the concepts from situated learning in the analysis of students’ navigation of discrepancies between course requirements and clerkship routines. The analysis shows different ways of navigating the clerkship, which all beget a parallel practice embedded in the clinical setting, where students choose to engage in tasks that directly prepare them for the university exam. The parallel practice is counterproductive for the student’s development of a professional identity, which is an important element of transitioning from being a student to becoming a medical doctor. Therefore, it is imperative to consider, if this undermines the university’s ambition of delivering doctors prepared for clinical practice. Full article