Authors Volume XVI, Spring Issue
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Article 1: Impact of Co-Curricular Activities during Coding Bootcamps in two Undergraduate Introductory Programming Courses
Author: Dr. Diana M. López Robledo, Associate Professor, Business Administration and Computer Sciences Department, University of Puerto Rico at Ponce, diana.lopez2@upr.edu
Abstract: The pilot project Coding Bootcamp emerged as an initiative developed within the Bachelor of Sciences in Computerized Information Systems Program at the University of Puerto Rico at Ponce. The proposal was submitted to and awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The primary objective of the research project was to strengthen students’ learning experiences in two introductory programming courses. The project began in April 2024, and two levels of the Coding Bootcamp were implemented during the academic year 2024–2025. The project integrated eight student mentors during that year to support their peers in the development of technical and professional skills. Twenty participants were recruited for each bootcamp, for a total of forty participants. A questionnaire was administered to assess the satisfaction of participating students and evaluate the impact of the bootcamp on their studies. A total of 38 responses were collected (95% response rate). Overall, participants reported being fully satisfied with their experience in the bootcamp. In summary, the bootcamp not only positively impacted students’ academic and professional development but also fostered a sense of belonging and motivation that will contribute to their continued success in the technology field.
Article 2: Beyond the “How To”: A Dual-Framework Model to Drive Strategic LMS Adoption and Empower Student Success
Author: Dr.Armando Amador, C.T.A.S, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Hostos Community College, City University of New York, aamador@hostos.cuny.edu
Abstract: This study investigates the adoption and use of the Learning Management System by mathematics faculty at a community college using the combined perspectives of Everett Rogers’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory and Arthur Chickering’s Seven Principles of Good Practice. The study examines faculty perceptions, usage patterns, and how Rogers’s five attributes: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability help explain adoption. Chickering’s principles highlight the pedagogical motivations, including prompt feedback, student–faculty interaction, and active learning, that make technology instructionally meaningful. Using a cross-sectional online survey of seventeen mathematics faculty members, the findings indicate that instructors view the Blackboard platform as a valuable tool for communication, grading, and course organization. Adoption is shaped primarily by perceived relative advantage, compatibility with teaching practices, and visible outcomes, while complexity and limited opportunities for experimentation remain partial barriers. The results further show that pedagogical utility, defined as the extent to which technology supports effective teaching, plays a central role not explained by Rogers alone. Integrating both frameworks, the study proposes a Support Decision Matrix that maps LMS tools according to “Ease of Use” and “Teaching Value,” offering institutions guidance for targeted training, gradual implementation, and peer-supported instructional improvement.
Article 3: Ethical Integration of Generative AI in Higher Education: Rethinking Assessment
Author: Dr. Elga D. Sepúlveda Suárez, Culinary Institute LeNotre, elga.sepulvedasuarez@gmailcom
Abstract: The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has introduced profound transformations in higher education, particularly in online learning environments where digital technologies already mediate teaching and learning processes. Large language models and other generative systems now allow users to produce sophisticated written responses, raising new pedagogical opportunities as well as ethical concerns regarding authorship, academic integrity, and the design of meaningful assessments. This article examines the ethical integration of generative AI in online higher education and explores how assessment practices must evolve to remain pedagogically relevant and ethically grounded. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship on artificial intelligence, ethics, and higher education, the paper analyzes emerging tensions between traditional assessment models and AI-supported learning environments. In particular, it examines ethical principles such as transparency, accountability, autonomy, and fairness that should guide the integration of AI technologies in educational contexts. The article further proposes practical strategies for redesigning assessments in ways that emphasize authentic learning, reflective processes, and responsible AI engagement. These strategies include process-based evaluation, authentic assessment design, iterative assignments, and explicit AI-use disclosures. By reframing assessment as a reflective and participatory process rather than a static evaluation of final products, educators can maintain academic rigor while preparing students to navigate increasingly AI-mediated knowledge ecosystems. Ultimately, the article contributes to ongoing scholarly discussions about ethical innovation in higher education and offers practical guidance for educators and instructional designers seeking to integrate generative AI responsibly within online learning environments.
Article 4: From Labs to Laptops: Understanding Online Science Learners in Organic Chemistry
Author: Dr. Marielis E. Rivera Ruiz, Professor, Marielis.rivera@gmail.com
Abstract: The expansion of online education has created new opportunities and challenges for teaching laboratory-based science courses. Organic chemistry laboratories traditionally rely on face-to-face instruction and hands-on experimentation in controlled laboratory environments. However, advances in instructional technology and the availability of at-home laboratory kits have made it possible to adapt these experiences to online learning environments. This article examines the characteristics of online science learners based on the experience of teaching two online organic chemistry laboratory courses that incorporated commercially available at-home laboratory kits. The study highlights key traits observed among successful students, including self-discipline, technological adaptability, curiosity, and engagement with hands-on learning. Instructor course records indicate that approximately 90% of students successfully completed and passed the laboratory component of the course. The integration of physical laboratory kits with digital learning platforms allowed students to conduct experiments independently while maintaining meaningful engagement with scientific concepts. The findings suggest that carefully designed online laboratory experiences can support student success and promote active learning in STEM education.
Article 5: Empowering Students for a Cyber-Safe Future: Insights from the 2025 Cybersecurity Awareness Workshops
Author: Dr. Dejolie Christelle Fokam, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Hostos Community College, City University of New York (CUNY), dfokam@hostos.cuny.edu
Abstract: This study evaluates the effectiveness of a short-term cybersecurity awareness intervention delivered through a series of virtual workshops in 2025 by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Hostos Community College. The workshops aimed to improve participants’ cybersecurity knowledge, confidence in identifying cyber threats, and increased intention to adopt safer digital practices.Data were collected from 111 participants using pre- and post-training self-assessment surveys and qualitative feedback forms. Descriptive statistics and paired sample analyses were conducted to assess changes in perceived cybersecurity knowledge.Results indicate that the proportion of participants reporting good or excellent cybersecurity understanding increased substantially, from 39% (M = 2.10, SD = 0.83) before the workshops to 92% (M = 4.10, SD = 0.62) after participation. A paired samples t-test revealed a statistically significant improvement in perceived cybersecurity knowledge (t(110) = 26.36, p < .001).These findings suggest that short, interactive cybersecurity awareness initiatives can significantly enhance digital safety knowledge among community college students and community members.
Article 6: AI-Augmented Pedagogy in Higher Education: An Ethical and Equitable Framework for the Governance and Operational Integration of AI in Teaching and Learning
Author: Dr.Asrat G. Amnie, Tenured Associate Professor, Coordinator of the Health Education Unit of Education Department, Hostos Community College, City University of New York, aamnie@hostos.cuny.edu
Abstract: Higher education faces a convergence of pressures that no single institutional response has yet resolved: widening demographic diversity, pandemic-exposed structural fragility, and the persistent inequity of whose learning gets supported and how. Artificial intelligence (AI) has entered this landscape not as an optional enhancement but as an infrastructural reality—embedded in adaptive platforms, feedback systems, and early-alert protocols at institutions worldwide. Yet adoption has consistently outpaced governance, and tools celebrated for democratizing access carry real risks of encoding and amplifying the inequities they promise to address. This article introduces the AI-Augmented Pedagogy(AAP) framework, developed through a Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Design grounded in a systematic synthesis of 312 peer-reviewed empirical studies, 68 institutional policy documents, and 26 grey literature sources. The framework is theoretically principled and empirically informed; its direct causal claims require prospective validation. Seven pillars structure the framework: Cognitive Symbiosis, Dynamic Cognitive Modulation, Interpretable Intelligence, Transdisciplinary Synthesis, Metacognitive Scaffolding, Embedded Moral Cognition, and Generative Knowledge with Critical Co-Creation. Synthesized studies report AI-mediated adaptive feedback effects of d = 0.40–0.76, average retention gain across modalities of 15 percentage points, and an approximately 38% reduction in routine instructional time. Original contributions include a Developmental Progression Model, a full-spectrum transparency mandate, a HECVAT-aligned tool-vetting protocol, and a proposed Epistemic Fluency Index to support cross-study comparison.
Article 7: Uncovering the Impact of Integrating Virtual Labs into General Chemistry Wet-Lab Sequence on Student’s Scientific Skills
Authors: Dr.Bianca Rivera-Peña; Dr. Anna Ivanova; Dr. Allison Franzese; Dr. Juan Sironi, Dr. Nelson Nuñez-Rodríguez, Assistant Professor; Assistant Professor; Associate Professor; Adjunct Assistant Professor; Professor, Hostos Community College, City University of New York, BRIVERAPENA@hostos.cuny.edu, AIVANOVA@hostos.cuny.edu, AFRANZESE@hostos.cuny.edu, JSIRONI@hostos.cuny.edu, NNRODRIGUEZ@hostos.cuny.edu
Abstract: Laboratory experiences are essential for developing analytical and problem-solving skills in undergraduate chemistry courses; however, students often face challenges connecting theoretical concepts with experimental practice. This study examined whether integrating virtual laboratory simulations into an in-person General Chemistry laboratory course enhances student learning outcomes. The study was conducted at Hostos Community College, The City University of New York (CUNY), in the Natural Sciences Department, Physical Sciences Unit. A total of 210 students enrolled in CHE 210 across multiple semesters consented to participate. Two course sections implemented the same virtual laboratory simulations (Intervention 1 and Intervention 2), while a comparison section followed the standard wet-lab sequence without virtual laboratory integration. Student learning outcomes were assessed using quiz-based evaluations and cumulative final exam questions across several core laboratory topics, including percent error calculations, stoichiometry, titration, gas laws, and spectrometry. Analysis of student performance consistently demonstrated higher percentages of correct responses among students exposed to virtual laboratory activities compared to those in the no-intervention group. Performance gains were observed across both formative quizzes and summative final exam assessments, with particularly notable improvements in conceptually integrative topics such as gas laws and spectrometry. These findings suggest that purposeful integration of virtual laboratory simulations can enhance conceptual understanding and analytical skills in undergraduate General Chemistry laboratory courses.
Article 8: El modelo de enseñanza de aprendizaje basado en el trabajo (WBL) y su impacto en las competencias de empleabilidad de estudiantes egresados del currículo de educación ocupacional y técnica del DEPR
Author: Dr. José R Jiménez Hernández, Superintendente Auxiliar Ocupacional, Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico, jimenezhj@de.pr.gov
Abstract: Esta investigación examinó el impacto del modelo de enseñanza de Aprendizaje Basado en el Trabajo (WBL, por sus siglas en inglés) en las competencias de empleabilidad de los egresados del currículo de Educación Ocupacional y Técnica (CTE) del Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico (DEPR). Empleando un diseño cuantitativo correlacional no experimental, se administró un cuestionario con escala Likert de cinco puntos a 196 egresados de una escuela ocupacional de la Región Educativa de Humacao, graduados entre los años 2019 y 2021. Los resultados revelaron que el modelo WBL no mostró una correlación significativa directa con las competencias de empleabilidad (r = -0.087, p = 0.223). Sin embargo, se identificó una relación positiva débil pero significativa entre el WBL y los requerimientos de la industria (r = 0.188, p = 0.008), y se encontró que los requerimientos de la industria median parcialmente dicha relación. Los hallazgos apuntan a la necesidad de reformar el currículo ocupacional para alinearlo más estrechamente con las demandas del mercado laboral.