Global awareness and competency has become an essential part of higher education and professional development. Expanding beyond the traditional ideas of learning and education, it is important to provide research that will help students prepare for the global future. The Handbook of Research on Promoting Higher-Order Skills and Global Competencies in Life and Work is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the intersection of life and work skills in higher education and professional development. While highlighting topics such as research engagement, learning assessment, and multicultural competence, this publication explores the preparation of twenty-first century learners, as well as the methods of promoting critical and creative thinking. This book is ideally designed for educators, academicians, education administrators, researchers, and upper-level students seeking current research on global knowledge and skills in contemporary education and organizations.

Online learning has been touted as one way of reducing the cost of higher education while simultaneously addressing the increasing demand for educational opportunity and providing access to hitherto “left out” populations. Many universities are defying tradition by offering completely online degrees for global participants. As such, research is needed to improve the design of online and virtual learning environments to ensure that they are inclusive and culturally adaptive for the global education marketplace. The Handbook of Research on Cross-Cultural Online Learning in Higher Education shares paradigms, perspectives, insights, challenges, and best practices for the instructional design and delivery of cross-cultural adult web-based learning experiences and examines adult learner characteristics and competencies critical for the design of these applications. The content within this publication covers trending topics including virtual learning, culturally adaptive environments, and online education and is intended for instructional designers, faculty, administrators, students, and researchers.

Higher education has changed significantly over time. In particular, traditional face-to-face degrees are being revamped in a bid to ensure they stay relevant in the 21st century and are now offered online. The transition for many universities to online learning has been painful—only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing many in-person students to join their virtual peers and professors to learn new technologies and techniques to educate. Moreover, work has also changed with little doubt as to the impact of digital communication, remote work, and societal change on the nature of work itself. There are arguments to be made for organizations to become more agile, flexible, entrepreneurial, and creative. As such, work and education are both traversing a path of immense changes, adapting to global trends and consumer preferences. The Handbook of Research on Future of Work and Education: Implications for Curriculum Delivery and Work Design is a comprehensive reference book that analyzes the realities of higher education today, strategies that ensure the success of academic institutions, and factors that lead to student success. In particular, the book addresses essentials of online learning, strategies to ensure the success of online degrees and courses, effective course development practices, key support mechanisms for students, and ensuring student success in online degree programs. Furthermore, the book addresses the future of work, preferences of employees, and how work can be re-designed to create further employee satisfaction, engagement, and increase productivity. In particular, the book covers insights that ensure that remote employees feel valued, included, and are being provided relevant support to thrive in their roles. Covering topics such as course development, motivating online learners, and virtual environments, this text is essential for academicians, faculty, researchers, and students globally.

Teacher education is an evolving field with multiple pathways towards teacher certification. Due to an increasing emphasis on the benefits of field-based learning, teachers can now take alternative certification pathways to become teachers. The Handbook of Research on Field-Based Teacher Education is a pivotal reference source that combines field-based components with traditional programs, creating clinical experiences and “on-the-job” learning opportunities to further enrich teacher education. While highlighting topics such as certification design, preparation programs, and residency models, this publication explores theories of teaching and learning through collaborative efforts in pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 settings. This book is ideally designed for teacher education practitioners and researchers invested in the policies and practices of educational design.

Traditionally understood as an ancient teaching method conceived by the philosopher Socrates, scholars in education have boldly explored the definitions, philosophical underpinnings, assumptions, and uses of Socratic dialogue in various learning situations and educational settings. Despite its ancient origins, the Socratic Method has an impact on contemporary leadership, critical thinking skills, e-learning, adult education, and social-emotional learning. Enhancing Teaching and Learning With Socratic Educational Strategies: Emerging Research and Opportunities presents scholarly work, philosophical investigations, educational claims, and the latest empirical research on the process and outcome of the Socratic Method in educational contexts. It delves deeply into the instructional strategy uncovering its practical impact in educational contexts and its philosophical and societal consequences in the modern world. Covering topics such as female voice, maieutic instruction, and teacher preparation, this book is an essential resource for philosophers, educational administration, educators, researchers, pre-service teachers, academicians, and government programs.

Digital content and learning technologies are now the norm at all levels of education. However, there is evidence to suggest that this digital shift is on a spectrum and the spectrum impacts learners in different ways. This means that some instructors who seek to integrate digital content may do so using traditional teaching methods while others use innovative practices to engage learners. Those who integrate innovative digital practices align their instructional practice with theories to facilitate student-centered pedagogies that support and improve the depth and scope of student learning. A primary characteristic of student-centered learning is facilitating collaborative learning using digital content and learning technologies to engage students as well as to enhance meaningful learning. The Handbook of Research on Facilitating Collaborative Learning Through Digital Content and Learning Technologies provides K-20 educators with alternative pedagogical and andragogical models that are innovative and incorporate digital content and learning technologies that promote constructive learning. Further, this book explores the relationship between constructivist learning, digital content, and learning technologies. A primary argument in this book is that constructivist teaching strategies such as collaborative learning coupled with digital content and purposeful learning technologies could benefit student learning in ways that are different from those practiced in traditional, non-digital learning environments. Covering topics such as instructional design, self-efficacy, and library engagement, this major reference work is an essential resource for pre-service teachers, teacher educators, faculty and administrators of K-20 education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

Competencies historically have been vital for skill building, and competency-based approaches have demonstrated their impact on business performance and organizational effectiveness in today’s marketplace. However, this has been discussed exclusively in chapters and books as separate propositions. It is essential to understand the two as linked together, building upon the other, merging individual and organizational perspectives of competencies development. Building Competencies for Organizational Success: Emerging Research and Opportunities presents a narrowly focused discussion of competency-based approaches and performance management and examines how these concepts align with business processes and procedures, management systems, and business objectives. It brings to light a new era of business performance management that complements the collaborative working of individuals and organizations to achieve business desires and addresses such topics as competent organization, knowledge management, and performance management systems. This book helps leaders, managers, executives, consultants, practitioners, academicians, researchers, and students with the understanding of how to utilize intellectual assets as well as how to develop a better future and outcomes for business and people management.