Many graduate students face the unprecedented challenge of holding full-time jobs while attending school to further their careers in obtaining a master’s degree. A 2020 report from the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington D.C. reported that 57% (758,000) of master’s degree students do not graduate annually, creating a large gap. A common occurrence for graduate students is that they finish their coursework, but not their research work, a requirement to obtain their degree. Thesis writing is a learned skill, and although graduate students are subject matter experts in their professional fields, many do not know how to write a thesis paper.

Using the ADDIE approach to student-centered learning, the web-based instructional design project focused on graduate students’ interest in (a) joining a Thesis Writing Workshop (https://thesiswritingexpress.com) and (b) writing their thesis in an online Gather Town metaverse space. Performance objectives in the affective domain were assessed using Keller’s and Gagné’s design strategies. Usability and learning assessments with graduate students and one subject matter expert (n = 21) from nine states and two countries evaluated the project’s instructional design. Results from the usability assessment using a Failure Modes Effects Analysis revealed changes needed in content, navigation, visual design, and branding. Once revisions were made, an asynchronous learning assessment using a retrospective survey was conducted. Students responded favorably to the design, with positive responses for relevance, integration, and acceptance. Recommendations for improvement include designing additional user tasks on workshop paper types, paper sections, and a personalized video for learners to explore the web-based content for thesis writing.

The number of English learners (EL) is rapidly increasing in US public schools. By 2025, one in four students will be an EL student. However, educators are not adequately trained in meeting the needs of these students. To address this need, an online instructional module was designed and developed to assist secondary educators. In terms of design, the online module incorporated elements of Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction and case-based methods, as well as Keller’s ARCS-V Model. It was designed to introduce learners to strategies that could be easily implemented in classrooms.

The online module was evaluated through two rounds of usability testing and one learning assessment. The usability study focused on the usability of the online module, while the learning assessment focused on the quality and effectiveness of the instruction. The usability study revealed that certain design aspects of the online module needed to be fixed in order to make navigation and usability easier. The results from the learning assessment showed that Part 4 of the online module did not fully meet the needs of the participants (n=12). More specifically, additional examples and resources for core and elective classes would need to be added to the online module in order to make it more effective. Taken together, the online module provided a toolbox for secondary teachers to create more equitable lessons for EL students in their classrooms.

Fourth grade teachers at Kahaluʻu Elementary School are faced with the feat of determining and implementing instruction that is explicit, relevant, and applicable to their students’ lives in order to increase student achievement. Through a needs assessment, it was determined that place-based learning across content areas might be a strategy to help teachers provide more relevant instruction to students, therefore having a positive impact on their academic achievement. To support teachers who have limited time and energy to plan and prepare for place-based learning, this project designed and evaluated instruction called We are Waiheʻe. This instruction took the form of a web-based toolbox and was designed using Dick and Carey’s Systems Approach Model to instructional design. The project aimed to address the affective domain by motivating teachers to choose from the provided tools in the toolbox to make their instruction more relevant for their students. The project used Keller’s ARCS Model and Mayer's multimedia learning principles to improve its design. A usability study and an asynchronous learning assessment were conducted to evaluate the instruction’s usability and effectiveness. The usability study (n=5) helped drive the revisions before the learning assessment (n=19) was conducted. Overall, teacher participants perceived the toolbox as satisfying and relevant. However, future work will be needed to find ways to enhance teacher confidence towards contributing their own material to the toolbox.

The Pacific Island Climate Adaptation Science Center (PICASC) is at the forefront of climate research in Hawai’i and the affiliated Pacific Islands. Funded through the U.S. Geological Survey and made up of a consortium of Universities like the University of Hawai’i and University of Guam, PICASC is in the unique position to share the most current and relevant data and research to the community. Our team is working to translate the science of PICASC and USGS into K-12 curriculum using Esri tools to build interactive and engaging online materials. Our lessons are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Climate Literacy Principles and we are working to incorporate additional Hawaiian teaching statements (HĀ).

For our first topic on drought, we are working directly with scientists to gather the most current datasets and findings to build interactive maps, graphs, and quizzes for students to explore at home or for teachers to use in the classroom. Products are built using various Esri applications such as ArcGIS to create detailed maps, StoryMaps for engaging lesson plans, Web AppBuilder for interacting with spatial data, and Dashboards for additional data visualization. Our website (coming soon!) is built using Esri Hub to house all materials and includes additional pdfs, links, and resources for students, teachers, and researchers. Join us as we walk you through our PICASC Education Hub and share our progress – we welcome your feedback!

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many graduate students—women, and women of color in particular—have lost access to essential student support services, research sites, occasions for networking and collaboration, and professionalization opportunities (Misra 2021, Mooi-Reci 2021, Reese 2021). With most graduate seminars and professor office hours still being held over Zoom, students have also lost out on opportunities to engage in more informal, but also essential, brainstorming, chat sessions, and social engagements that typically take place during breaks or after class over a coffee or lunch. These kinds of occasions, both formal and informal, allow young scholars to share ideas about their research, exchange information about upcoming conferences, brainstorm paper topics, give feedback on one another’s job applications, provide one another with general emotional and social support, and much more.

In Spring 2022, we launched a pilot academic and professionalization cohort for women graduate students at UH Mānoa with research interests in the Pacific Islands region, prioritizing Indigenous women and women of color. The eleven-member cohort has developed an online working and support space for women students pursuing graduate degrees at UH Mānoa to set and accomplish academic goals; network with other women academics; share resources and opportunities; build professional and leadership skills; and complete a project deliverable such as a conference presentation, a paper for submission to a peer-reviewed journal, a dissertation proposal, a thesis or dissertation chapter, a grant application, a job application packet, or some other tangible product that will help advance each student’s academic and professional objectives.

Co-instructors Monica LaBriola and Terava Casey will briefly explain how and why they developed the online cohort; its activities and accomplishments thus far; and plans for the future.

In this presentation, the two presenters will share their experience and process in developing an online course designed to support teachers in their work with Hmong students and families. As Hmong refugees settled in multiple regions of the US, this distance course helps to overcome geographic barriers and strives to create a community of educators working with Hmong. The course focuses on two main objectives: 1) To help teachers to better understand the perspectives of Hmong students and families. 2) To help teachers to develop an understanding of culturally responsive and culturally sustaining teaching, including arts integration and strategies that support multilingualism.

The course structure demonstrates the transferring and modeling across cultures from the Pacific to Southeast Asia and the partnership between the Center of Pacific Island Studies and The Center for Southeast Asian Studies. Conference participants will learn how to use a range of online platforms within a culturally responsive and sustaining framework to support their culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

With a sudden shift to online learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, educators have increasingly looked to technology to assist with student engagement in online learning environments. To be effective, however, educators must also understand how best to integrate this technology into their classroom and evaluate its impact on student engagement. This systematic literature review seeks to survey the landscape of educational technology used both before and during the pandemic to engage students in online learning, as well as the methods used to evaluate the impact of chosen technology on student engagement. Looking back over the past five years, we ask: (1) how much attention have the topics of “online learning” and “student engagement” received in educational research publications; (2) what tools (e.g. apps, websites, software) are being used to engage students in online learning; and (3) what methods of evaluation can be used to measure engagement in online learning? The synthesis of reviewed literature will enable both educators and scholars alike to scan the current horizons of online engagement tools and evaluative methods while directing them to specific studies to deepen their understanding.

Instruction conducted face-to-face and via distance education have been utilized by librarians in higher education institutions when providing information literacy instruction to students. While research has shown minimal difference in student learning when comparing these methods of delivery, changes in student behavior have not been thoroughly examined by scholars. Our results give evidence that online asynchronous instruction using tutorials were the most effective in the application of information literacy concepts in subsequent student projects. Various forms of follow up can improve instruction delivered in this method.

Online learning environments offer a cost-effective way to deliver on-demand learning experiences. As technology improves and becomes more accessible the interest in remote learning environments grow. This movement poses new challenges in motivation, engagement, and learner attitudes. One opportunity to address these challenges, as well as drive achievement of learning goals, is integrating gamification. Successful implementation requires thoughtful alignment of game-like features and pedagogy. The current body of research has gaps in how to design gamification for learning success, however this paper aims to offer a theoretical based guide, as well as discussion about gamification components. The framework discussed here was developed for gamification design to a corporate learning portal, however this can easily adapt to a course or learning path.

The COVID-19 lockdown took place in mid-March 2019, which impacted K-12 and higher education institutions. It created a stressful situation for most educators, given the demands of changes in teaching practices from face-to-face to online—the persistent worry of getting sick triggers psycho-social and physiological adaptations to the individual. With about 8-10 weeks remaining in the spring term, educators responded to the rapidly changing situation towards a "fight or flight" response. Most were unprepared to react and found themselves struggling in engaging their students. The presenter surveyed how educators survived the transition during the summer, especially when shifting their teaching practices to remote or online formats. Based on survey data collected, the presentation will describe the shared teachers' perceptions in managing the teaching and learning landscape for the second half of spring 2020. The discussion will cover factors and decisions to change the teaching formats, tools, and applications to support the changing practices. Also, the presenter will describe data on acceptable student group size and interactive strategies, length of synchronous meetings and the challenges involved, practical assessment strategies. Finally, the researcher will share insights or recommendations to appropriate future (re)design of teaching or learning experiences if the pandemic lockdown persists into the next academic year.