Introduction

Welcome to another issue of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence! As we sit in the spring of 2025, the environment of higher education continues to recalibrate in a world fundamentally changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such changes illuminate how those working in higher education need to adjust their teaching philosophy and methods to meet the needs of a very different student population than in previous generations. With additional changes happening in many fields due to global and national events, ongoing attention to teaching students how to think about complex problems and practice the skills necessary to pivot in a rapidly changing world is crucial. To that end, this issue offers several windows into serving the needs of today’s students.

While higher education continues to experience many external and internal changes that affect how instructors approach their courses, many instructors today have considered what needs students from “Generation Z” (people born between about 1997 and 2012) have that previous generations of students did not. In that vein, Katelyn Romsa (South Dakota State University), Stephani Jarecke (South Dakota State University), Jessie H. Hendricks (South Dakota State University), and Bryan Romsa (South Dakota State University) explore faculty-student interactions in this new generation in their article, “The Role and Influence of Faculty as Predictors for Retention and Satisfaction Among Generation Z.” As the result of surveying hundreds of students at a large land-grant university, the authors discovered that increased faculty interactions with their students lent to greater student satisfaction with their learning as well as stronger retention, especially during the first year. The authors also recommend some practical approaches for fostering stronger faculty-student interactions.

In considering the needs of today’s students, Natalie Lecy (University of South Dakota), Elizabeth Hendrix (Utah Valley University), and Brian A. Droubay (Utah State University) offer important insight into the experiences of first-generation, single-mother college students. Scholars have identified how students who are first-generation can struggle with hidden curriculum, and single-mother college students face unique challenges in school, work, and childcare. When combined, these two identities can create barriers for effective participation in higher education. As these authors demonstrate in their piece, “Learning a Little Bit Harder: The Intersecting Experiences of First-Generation and Single-Mother College Students,” there are ways to support these students that would also ripple out to support students as a whole, regardless of specific challenges. By supporting this niche group, administration and instructors can better support all students.

Grounded in several key pedagogical theories, including emphases on metacognition, maintaining student attention, and adopting an “ungrading” system, “Design, Implementation, and Reflection from an Interdisciplinary Course in Museum Studies” by Brenna L. Decker (Purdue University) provides readers with samples of methods and assignments that can translate well beyond the museum studies course in which they were used. The article incorporates several fields of study, showing how a cross-listed course might meet the needs of students in several specific fields (in this case, anthropology, biology, and wildlands resources). The course allowed students to experience what it means to work with and manage museum collections as well as think about public audiences interested in natural history and the natural sciences. From grant writing to hands-on learning, this article provides readers in many disciplines with ideas on incorporating career-oriented activities into their courses.

Last but not least, we have “Guidance and Lessons Learned for Instructors Seeking to Add Video Creation to Their Skill Set,” an article with practical information on using and creating video content in online learning management systems. In this guide, Wendy A. Swenson Roth (Georgia State University) describes the steps to creating videos to include in courses. The guide may be of interest to anyone who needs to curate or create videos in their courses. The article outlines various venues for finding or hosting the videos and different technical considerations for adding videos to online learning management systems.

Thank you, readers, for your attention to all of the work we here at JETE are so excited to offer. We look forward to future submissions, including articles or book reviews!