Education

‘Whiteness’ undermines efforts to address systemic racism in public education

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Promoting equity and justice orientations in future school leaders is not enough to address systemic racism, researchers say in a new study. Instead, school leaders need educational and professional development programs that cultivate insight into the foundational role of “whiteness” in public education and teach them the skills to dismantle racist policies […]

Expert viewpoints Beckman Institute researcher Joey Ramp poses with her dog, Sampson.

Are science laboratories truly inclusive if not accessible to service-dog handlers?

According to a new commentary in Disability and Health Journal, people with disabilities who rely on service dogs often are prohibited from bringing their working dogs into teaching and research laboratories. This one barrier can stop them from pursuing careers in science, says Joey Ramp, a researcher in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and […]

Expert viewpoints Portrait of Jon Hale dressed in a suit and tie

How might Freedom Schools promote educational equity in Illinois?

The education reform bill HB 2170, passed by both chambers of the Illinois Legislature, includes the creation of a Freedom School Fund. Jon Hale, a professor of educational history at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, wrote the 2016 book “The Freedom Schools: Student Activists in the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement” (New York: Columbia University Press). […]

Social sciences U. of I. social work professor Kevin Tan standing outside the Mahomet-Seymour School District building with director of instruction Nicole Rummel and superintendent Lindsey Hall, both of Mahomet-Seymour school district.

U. of I. social work professor Kevin Tan standing outside the Mahomet-Seymour School District building with director of instruction Nicole Rummel and superintendent Lindsey Hall, both of Mahomet-Seymour school district.

Projects explore role of social-emotional learning in healing racial wounds

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The impact of the 2020 U.S. presidential election on children’s mental health and the role of social and emotional learning in healing racial wounds will be explored in upcoming online parenting seminars and other activities. Led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign SEL scholars Kevin Tan, a professor of social work, and Durriyyah […]

Education

Librarian Sarah Isaacs and research information specialist Jill Tompkins sitting at a table with tablet computers and Wi-Fi hotspots on it.

Technology loan program helps families receive early childhood services online

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When the COVID-19 pandemic forced Illinois service providers to suspend in-person early intervention visits last spring, families of infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays who lacked online access faced challenges obtaining services such as speech, occupational therapy and developmental therapy. However, a technology loan program provided by the Illinois Early Intervention […]

Engineering Photo of graduate student Ben David standing outdoors with his arms crossed.

U of I virtual test assesses bioengineering students’ laboratory skills

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When the COVID-19 pandemic forced suspension of in-person classes in early March, instructors of a bioengineering course at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign faced a conundrum – how to quickly shift to online instruction for the remainder of the semester and remotely conduct the practical exam for the course. “The ‘Cell […]

Education

Food chemistry professor Shelly J. Schmidt

Distracted learning a big problem, golden opportunity for educators, students

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scanning social media while listening to a lecture. Watching a favorite television series while studying. Today’s young people frequently juggle multiple streams of information and entertainment media while doing schoolwork, a trend that researchers call distracted learning. And while numerous researchers found that simultaneous use of electronic devices has a significant detrimental […]

Life sciences Kate Clancy stands in her laboratory. She is wearing a maroon shirt, has her arms crossed, and she is smiling.

Quick fixes won’t stop sexual harassment in academia, experts say

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — While many academic institutions are searching for ways to prevent sexual assault and sexual coercion among their faculty members, staff and students, they are failing to address the most common forms of gender-based harassment, say experts who study harassment and discrimination at work and in academic and health care settings. In an […]

Engineering Bioengineering professor Jennifer Amos, seated, and postdoctoral research associate Gabriel Burks standing to her left with a laptop that displays public engagement coordinator Lara Hebert on the screen.

Bioengineering professor Jennifer Amos, seated, and postdoctoral research associate Gabriel Burks standing to her left with a laptop that displays public engagement coordinator Lara Hebert on the screen.

Students use TikTok to learn about biomechanics during engineering virtual summer camps

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — During the COVID-19 shutdown, many families passed the time recording videos of themselves dancing and posting them to the video-sharing site TikTok. For hundreds of high-school students who attended a virtual summer camp hosted by Grainger College of Engineering, creating short dance videos helped them learn the science of biomechanics and the […]

Life sciences Photo of Kashif Ahmad standing outside the Carle Illinois College of Medicine

What tips can help educators convert in-person courses to online instruction?

Editor’s note: Dr. Kashif A. Ahmad is a teaching professor and medical education facilitator with the Carle Illinois College of Medicine who has taught online courses for a decade. Ahmad, who has instructed in Pakistan, the United Kingdom and Singapore and mentors other faculty members who are new to distance education, spoke with News Bureau […]

Social sciences Social work professor Kevin Tan and alumna Jenna White standing outdoors

Study examines impact of high school teacher and student views of freshmen’s social, emotional needs

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When high school freshmen’s teachers give them lower scores on communication skills, the students receive four times as many disciplinary referrals as some of their peers, a new study found. Students whose teachers rated them lower on several social skills – including communication, cooperation, self-control, empathy and engagement – than the students […]

Education Life sciences U. of I. psychology professor Dolores Albarracín has spent much of her career studying how people respond to public health messages asking them to change their behavior.

U. of I. psychology professor Dolores Albarracín has spent much of her career studying how people respond to public health messages asking them to change their behavior.

Holistic approach best for tackling nonmedical drug use, study finds

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Health practitioners are constantly developing new ways to help those with drug and alcohol addictions wean themselves from their substance of choice. Most such programs have limited success, however. A new study finds that interventions that take a multidimensional approach – tackling the biological, social, environmental and mental health obstacles to overcome […]

Education

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