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Johanna Thomas Zapata is AWESOME. She has a smile that lights up the room. And, she’s a dynamite individual who previously won the College of Education’s Three Minute Thesis. She’s a Fulbright scholar from Honduras, and pretty soon, she won’t be a doctoral student because she’ll be a doctor and will leave WSU and embark on her career. We chat with Johana about her time at WSU, a recent scholarship she received, and what the future has in store for her.

We chat with Lane Salvig (Backstrom), one of our Secondary Education alumni who is changing the way our students look at the world around them. And now, thanks to a Fulbright award, she'll spend six weeks in Morocco learning addition skills to prepare students for a competitive global economy. The Fulbright program equips educators to bring an international perspective to their schools through targeted training, experience abroad, and global collaboration. Lane talks about this, as well as why she wanted to be a teacher.

On this episode of Education Eclipse, we talk to Mathematics Education Professor Amy Roth McDuffie who, along with her husband Steve, has started an endowment that supports doctoral students. It's named for Mike and Fran Trevisan, who have played an integral role in the College of Education for 30-plus years, the last 10+ of which include Mike as the college dean.

Each year, soon-to-graduate seniors in the Sport Management program complete their capstones. These are group fundraiser projects where a student’s knowledge of marketing, finance, legal, event planning, etc., is all put to the test.

We sat down with faculty member Chris Lebens who has helped oversee the program for years, to discuss this year’s capstones and some of his best memories from days of yore.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This podcast was put together by students at Washington State University as part of their Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education class.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

This was a video podcast series the College of Education hosted during COVID when all employees were working off-site. It was called ZoomED In but we include the full episodes here in Education Eclipse in the same chronology.

Between Worlds is a documentary that was written, shot, and produced by Eddie Aguilar, an alumnus of Washington State University’s Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education program. It is an autoethnography, meaning, it was about him, and his journey toward something called critical consciousness. We caught up Eddie at the 2020 Globalization Conference, and talked about this documentary, and how it’s meant to instill critical consciousness in communities.

In the world of school principals, there’s plenty of technical research out there about tactics principals can use to improve their craft and help students. But there’s often still a disconnect in their professional development, and much of it has to do with the relationship between the principal and their principal supervisor.

So when James Crawford formed his dissertation, it dealt with far more than the technical, and dealt specifically with those relationships, how trust is built, what that looks like when it occurs, what are the actions that take place, how does the professional relationship help learning? The research was good. In fact, it was award-winning.

Paul Pitre came to WSU as a junior faculty member in the

College of Education. Now, he’s the chancellor of WSU Everett. The ascent is

impressive. And… so is the WSU Everett campus.

Dr. Pitre has always been interested in higher education,

and education policy. It’s taken him from his home in Western Washington, to

the Northeast, to the South. Oh, and there was a little stop in there at the U

of I where he played football under famed coach Dennis Erickson.

We had the chance to sit down with Dr. Pitre, just to get an

update. To find out what’s going on at WSU Everett, and find out what brought

him to higher ed in the first place.

Geo-literacy was a term coined by National Geographic to describe the understanding of how our world works that is required of ALL members of a modern, globally interconnected society. It’s way more than being able to find countries on a map.

We sat down with Sarah Newcomer, an associate professor of literacy education at Washington State University Tri-Cities, and she shared a cool project that she’s working on to help increase geo-literacy.

 AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is an organization that supports students who you may say are on the margins or on the periphery; not college ready, perhaps, but on the cusp.

The program uses high-engagement strategies to make it easier for teachers to help these students progress, as well as help teach some life skills.


With help from a grant, WSU Tri-Cities has partnered with AVID for a little more than five years now, and Sara Petersen, a clinical assistant professor of special education said it has been very beneficial. We sat down with Sara and talked to her about the program, as well as something called Socratic mentoring.

A phlebotomist is about to stick a needle in your arm. They’re going to draw blood. And you hate needles. And the site of blood. Some people tell you, it’s no big deal. But you know better! Well, now, you don’t necessarily need to feel the anxiety you normally do when seeing the doctor, or, in this example, get blood drawn. Why? Virtual Reality.

Don McMahon, an assistant professor of special education at Washington State University’s College of Education, as well as the director of a virtual and augmented reality lab on the Pullman campus, has a new technique. It was discovered because of a trip to the doctor’s office with his daughter. Virtual reality can actually help reduce anxiety among healthcare patients! The integration of this was obvious and Don explains how a local hospital saw it and has implemented it.

The Washington State University College of Education has a rich history of involvement with the Educational Testing Service, based in Princeton, NJ. We’ve had alumni work there, current students intern there, faculty members chair different groups or committees there. Our ties usually come   from the college’s Educational Psychology program. After all, it makes sense: these are individuals who are experts in psychometrics, measurement and evaluation, and much more. All things that would attract the attention of ETS and satisfy that organization’s needs. However, Chioma Ezeh bucks that trend. She’s a doctoral students in Language, Literacy, and Technology, not Ed Psych, and she just completed a two-month internship with ETS. We sat down with Chioma and talked about how ETS actually looks for other unique perspectives such as hers, plus, what it was like to be across the country doing this work with her family in tow.

Drs. Sola Adesope and A.G. Rud have compiled a new book called Contemporary Technologies in Education, a book that contains articles from educational technology leaders from around the country.

The book aims to maximize student engagement, motivation, and learning… just what we need right now.


We sat down this summer with both faculty members to talk about the positive expected results from this book.

When an individual has been an educator for almost 50 years, has been a superintendent in six different school districts over three different states, you just listen.

It’s the season premiere of Education Eclipse’s FIFTH season, and we were able to sit down with Herb Berg. What a delight it was to get to know him, talk about his career path, and have him impart some of the wisdom he learned. Yes, he dined with presidents, no joke. But, perhaps even more importantly, he talks about the educational system of today, what it means to be a leader within that system, and breaking the mold of being able to predetermine what a child’s academic achievements will be simply because of the zip code in which they live.


Plus, he so graciously credits much of his career success to Washington State University and the College of Education.

Anne Marie Guerrettaz is trying to figure something out: in Spanish foreign language classrooms, are the teaching or instructional materials helping or hindering students who are learning to speak Spanish? With the help of some recent recognition and grants, she plans to find an answer, along with potential solutions if things aren’t quite up to …

Continue reading "065 Textbook problems with learning Spanish, literally"

Negative body image has been associated with low self-esteem, eating disorders, and mental illness. Many young people, including young girls, are dissatisfied with their bodies, even at an early age, and this has been shown to continue and worsen over time. As part of Washington State University’s Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, Sport …

Continue reading "064 Mindfulness and Body Image through Yoga"

Just over a year ago, WSU quarterback Tyler Hilinski passed away and the Hilinski’s Hope foundation began. Focusing on mental health awareness in student athletics, Hilinski’s Hope is continuing to make a difference. We caught up with Kym Hilinski to learn more about the recent progress of the foundation and the importance of Hilinski’s Hope …

Continue reading "063 Better support of student-athlete mental health (Hilinski’s Hope)"

Roughly 45 percent of school children in Washington state are designated as people “of color.” But there’s only about 10 percent diversity among teachers and school administrators. This isn’t a new problem. And universities are certainly not just now working on solutions. But thanks to being the first recipient of the George Brain and Gay …

Continue reading "062 Increasing teachers and leaders of color"

If you’ve ever watched the movie Moneyball, or read the book off of which it was based, you’ll know that the narrative goes something like this: everything we thought we knew about the game of baseball might be, at worst, just dead wrong, or, if we’re lucky, a little off. Either way, we’re wrong. The …

Continue reading "061 Budding Moneyballers take on Phoenix"

Individuals with Cerebral Palsy suffer from all kinds of effects such as issues with muscle tone, posture, bone growth, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and so on. At Washington State University’s Bruya-Wood Undergraduate Research Conference, we spoke to Justin Harrer and Morgan Davis, two kinesiology students within the College of Education, about things that can be …

Continue reading "060 Aquatic Intervention for those with Cerebral Palsy"

There’s a life-changing program at Washington State University. It’s called ROAR. It’s designed for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities and it gives them a traditional, on-campus experience. It’s also a first in Washington state. The initial class consists of four stellar students, and one of the best things about ROAR, is that it not …

Continue reading "059 WSU ROAR and its ever-present impact"

Over the last few years, researchers and scholars within Washington State University’s kinesiology programs have touted the benefits of exercise, both informally, and as part of the Exercise as Medicine initiative. At this year’s Bruya-Wood Undergraduate Research Conference, we caught up with student Jessica Krull, who goes into more detail about how exercise can actually …

Continue reading "058 Exercise aids fighting depression"

There are currently three main treatment options for Parkinson’s disease, though the downside to them include harsh side effects, invasiveness, and high cost. We caught up with kinesiology student Collette Edge at the Bruya-Wood Undergraduate Research Conference, and she told us about one other treatment option: high-amplitude action-observation (HAOO) group fitness and how it can …

Continue reading "057 Exercise to improve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease"

WSU College of Education professor Joy Egbert has received a Fulbright Specialist Award and in March will spend three weeks in Macedonia. It’s not the first time Joy has traveled abroad for Fulbright. Many years ago, she traveled to Russia. Since that time came more experience and more wisdom; an outlook that Joy recognizes will …

Continue reading "056 A Fulbright to Macedonia and #AgentOfChange"

There are principals, and then there are principals-of-the-year principals. Valencia Toomer is the award-winning type! She’s a College of Education alumna, and we’re excited that she recently was honored in North Carolina for her excellence. We talk to her about the award, and how at the root of everything, she’s an agent of change by …

Continue reading "055 Agents of Change: Valencia Toomer"

At Washington State University, one aspect of the Drive to 25 initiative is to increase enrollment of international students. To achieve this, WSU became one of 11 universities in the United States to partner with INTO. INTO is a private organization that partners with universities to connect potential students with opportunities in higher education. Chad …

Continue reading "054 INTO Higher Education"

Most educational experts agree that quality teaching is the single most important factor in improving educational outcomes for students. Improving that instruction then is perhaps the number one thing K-12 leaders can do, from Superintendent on down. Kristin Huggins, an associate professor of Educational Leadership WSU Vancouver, has always been interested in the field of …

Continue reading "053 Leadership Development for Instructional Improvement"

In rural Washington, there is a shortage in both the number and diversity of students who enter biomedical careers. Thanks to two Washington State University professors, and a 1.2 million dollar federal grant, the HEAL project aims to solve this issue. HEAL stands for Health Education through Arts-based Learning. The two faculty members, Molly Kelton …

Continue reading "052 HEAL project grant"

Heidi Rhodes is the first graduate of Washington State University’s Mathematics and Science Education doctoral program. Rhodes has completed this program from WSU Vancouver and talks about the highs and lows of earning her Ph.D., as well as shares her research about middle school principals and their perceptions about math.

A number of students who have been accepted to Washington State University (WSU) are underprepared to enter into a required mathematics course mandated by their selected area of study. In response to this issue, WSU created a course, Mathematics 100, to strengthen students’ basic math skills. Further analysis found that certain modifications to the online …

Continue reading "050 The Online Developmental Math Course"

Every once in awhile, we run into one of our graduates whose career is NOT in their field of study. We often find those stories to be every bit as interesting as others we share. Well, here’s the story of CJ Robert, who graduated from WSU with a Kinesiology degree and now owns TWO businesses. …

Continue reading "049 From Kinesiology Grad to Business Owner"

Every year, a Washington State University College of Education student wins the Inga Kromann Book Award. Dr. Inga Kromann was the children’s literature professor at WSU for 38 years. She created an endowment to support a book contest, which was created by her successor, Associate Professor Jane Kelley. The Inga Kromann Book Award contest is …

Continue reading "048 Inga Kromann Book Award 2018"

Washington State University’s Learning and Performance Research Center (LPRC) hosts its sixth annual Methods Workshop May 10-11, 2018. The LPRC isn’t alone in its sponsorship. It’s joined by the College of Education’s Educational Psychology, CAHNRS’ Department of Human Development, and the College of Arts and Science’s Department of Psychology. There are multiple entities involved because …

Continue reading "047 A Collaborative Affair: LPRC’s Methods Workshop"

It is commonly agreed that practicum-based learning is essential for success in a variety of different careers. This is especially true for educators who already get great experience through this process. Yet, many preservice teachers feel unprepared to work with culturally- and linguistically-diverse students. Enter case-based instruction which assistant professor of educational psychology Kira Carbonneau …

Continue reading "046 Culturally-Reponsive Case-Based Instruction"

There’s a new program for students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. It’s called WSU ROAR. The WSU stands for Washington State University. ROAR stands for Responsibility, Opportunity, Advocacy, and Respect. If those also sound like VALUES, you may be right! We talk to co-founder Brenda Barrio about how WSU ROAR gives a college experience to …

Continue reading "044 WSU ROAR"

Every year, as part of the sport management program capstone, students split into small groups and put together a fundraiser. This requires them to use all the knowledge they’ve acquired during their time in the program. This includes all event planning, from logistics to promotion. One group ran the Palouse Mental Health Resource Fair over …

Continue reading "045 Palouse Mental Health Resource Fair"

It’s been well publicized that there is a teacher shortage. Well there’s also a shortage of individuals from Native or Tribal communities who are state-certified teachers. Enter in Ti’Tooqan Cuukweneewit, a project through Washington State University’s College of Education, that helps those in Tribal communities to take life experience and their already acquired Indigenous Knowledge …

Continue reading "043 Ti’tooqan Cuukweneewit"

Hannah Martian is a sophomore Sport Management major in the College of Education. She’s from Arlington, WA and has a desire to one day become a baseball play-by-play broadcaster. In the meantime, she has recently filed to run for ASWSU Senator and represent the College of Education.

Every year, a WSU student wins the Inga Kromann Book Award. We’ve highlighted previous winners on our podcast. The purpose of this award is to recognize the literary talents and efforts of the students. This year’s winner is Stephanie Sparks, with her book A Pencil Named Benson. She tells us more. Education Eclipse starts now.

Law enforcement officers often consider their fellow officers as a brotherhood or sisterhood. That extends to canine officers. Police dogs. Quite frankly, some officers spend more time with their canine companions than they do with their own families, making those dogs de facto family. But how do we train police officers to render first aid …

Continue reading "040 A special police bond"

Quite simply, we can teach better, as a society, when we better know how students learn. A lot of research has been done through classroom observation. But getting down to learning from a neurocognitive perspective, can really help researchers better assess what works and what doesn’t. Jonah Firestone, from WSU Tri-Cities, runs a lab, called… …

Continue reading "039 Learning how to learn (SIMIAN Lab)"

We’ve all heard the phrase “best practice,” or, as is often used after research, “evidence-based practice.” Not all current teachers know what that best practice may be because they are uninformed about the newest research, or professional development hasn’t been provided to them. That certainly holds true for special education. We met up with Yun-Ru …

Continue reading "038 Evidence-based practice in SPED"

For stage actors, it’s not just about what is said, but how it’s said. And the body language that is used. The same can be said for teachers. Educational psychology doctoral student David Alpizar talks about something called “signaling,” which can be a variety of ways to emphasize thing for students; to draw their attention. …

Continue reading "037 Signaling in the multimedia classroom"

During a teacher shortage, one place to look for teachers is the classroom itself. Washington state already has a lot of paraeducators… folks who are in the classroom day in and day out, and aren’t certified teachers for a variety of reasons. Lindsay Lightner is at WSU Tri-Cities, and introduces us to its Alternate Route …

Continue reading "036 From Parapro to Teacher"

This might sound like a no-brainer, but something that captivates a students’ attention, will help them to then better engage in the lesson, activity, discussion, or what have you. Personal interest is something that is more long-term… more innate… it’s value-based. Situtational interest is something that teachers often have incredible ability to control, and it’s …

Continue reading "035 Increasing classroom situational interest"

People are bringing dogs into schools more than ever before. Usually, the reason deals with social aspects or social skills. Comfort dogs, for example. A lot of times, we call it canine therapy. But do we know the effect that dogs truly have on learning? Some research suggests there are some benefits to dogs in …

Continue reading "034 Dogs in school"

Research has shown that small interactions between students during small group learning environments can help the overall achievement of that group. But then do those small group interactions help the collective, whole classroom level of interaction? It’s not something recognized as having previously been investigated. We talk to Josh Premo, a graduate student in the …

Continue reading "033 From small group to big classroom"

You may have heard, but Sesame Street is debuting its first autistic character, Julia. Good timing, because, April is also Autism Awareness Month. As one reporter from a Staten Island news outlet wrote: “Producers of Sesame Street said they took a lot of care in how they portrayed Julia. They worked with autism advocates, teachers, …

Continue reading "032 How Literature Treats Autism Spectrum Disorder"

Classroom technology integration has always been vital. So with every new building built, we must look at not only how to integrate current technology, but how to prepare for future technology, whatever that may be. That’s no easy feat. Educational psychology doctoral student Kripa Sundar joined some of WSU’s AMS experts to research active learning …

Continue reading "031 Active Learning Classrooms"

It’s the academic advisor who is on the ground floor and sees the student’s whole academic career pass. They’re there when the students start and when they graduate. They see the struggles. They see the triumphs. Dan Overbay is an academic advisor at WSU Vancouver. We talked to him about the differences between being a …

Continue reading "030 The Role of an Academic Advisor"

We talk about STEM all the time. Well, since half of STEM is math and science, it stands to reason that a doctoral program that has both of those in it might be fairly important. The Washington State University College of Education has just that. The Mathematics and Science Education program is led by Dave …

Continue reading "029 Math and Science Education program"

On this edition of Education Eclipse, intern Brittni Willis sits down with Pullman Police officer Riley Myklebust. In addition to Officer Myklebust having been ASWSU president during his time as a student, he was actually a College of Education graduate. So how does a guy who is an elementary ed major become a cop? And, …

Continue reading "028 From Teacher to Cop"

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. In a complex world, with complex societal grand challenges, it’s important for our nation’s youth to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to solve these tough challenges. Yet, how we teach these is also under the microscope then. STEM Education is a passion of Tamara Holmlund …

Continue reading "027 Today’s STEM Education"

There’s never been a more important time to have really good teachers. And, as long as we’re talking about teachers, we might as well talk about school principals. Whenever you hear about a school turn-around, or an amazing reform effort, one of the indispensable components of these is a good principal. On the flip side, …

Continue reading "026 WSU Principal Certification program"

Salina King is a recent graduate from the College of Education. You could say that she’s doing a victory lap as she is using this Fall 2016 semester to finish her program and receive her teaching certification. She’s student teaching in a 4th grade classroom in Colfax, WA.

Today’s education requires more than just the status quo. That’s where Washington State University’s College of Education comes in. The college has a dynamic statewide educational leadership program, including superintendent certification, principal certification, and the best, most well-respected educational doctorate program in the state. One of the college’s ed doctorate grads is Jared Hoadley, the …

Continue reading "024 Making a difference through educational leadership"

Right now, there’s a big focus at Washington State University on the health sciences. WSU Spokane has the new medical college, the College of Nursing, and the College of Pharmacy. However, only select populations tend to gravitate toward careers in the health sciences. There are definitely underrepresented groups of students. Janet Frost is a clinical …

Continue reading "023 Health Science STEM Education Research Center"

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that one out of four older people, meaning 65 and older, falls every year, but less than half tell their doctor. One out of every five falls causes a serious injury such as broken bones or a head injury. There’s also a tremendous cost attached to falls. …

Continue reading "022 Improving balance among pregnant women"

A new fitness program is being introduced at Washington State University. The president and provost offices are giving financial support to the program, while the College of Education is administering the program, due to its scholarly research in sport science and athletic training. The program is called Cougar Employee Wellness Program, and is for all …

Continue reading "021 Setting up an employee wellness program"

Imagine the difficulties of being a student in the U.S. while also being an immigrant. On the WSU Tri-Cities campus, Eric Johnson researches the difficulties, and talks about the engagement he does in this field that helps the students, as well as the teachers who teach those students.

The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) is a group of 80 colleges and schools of education, all of whom have committed resources to work together and strengthen the educational doctorate. The WSU College of Education was one of the founding members of CPED. While the college has always had a very strong ed …

Continue reading "019 Improving the education doctorate"

If you hadn’t heard of augmented reality before, you probably have by now! That’s the technology behind the worldwide Pokémon GO craze. Augmented reality has both similarities, and differences than virtual reality. Special education professor Don McMahon tells us what the difference is. So why would a special education professor talk with us about augmented …

Continue reading "018 Augmented Reality and the Assistive Technology Lab"

When it comes to student enrollment, most of the attention is spent on total enrollment, including record-breaking classes of incoming freshman. But, what good is it if the retention rate is terrible. How can universities hang on to students they do have? We talk to Evelyn Martinez, a recent WSU College of Education graduate. She …

Continue reading "017 First-Year Student Engagement"

Sustaining health is one of WSU’s identified societal grand challenges. Though some rates are improving, overall, we live in an age where physical activity is too low. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 1 in 5 American adults meet desired physical activity. Less than 3 in 10 high school students get …

Continue reading "016 Resistance Training and Running Economy"