Education

UCF offers fully online degree programs including bachelor's, master's, graduate certificates, and doctorates. Students have access to dedicated student success coaches, professors, and counselors who provide vital support throughout their educational journey. This support helps students balance school, work, and life commitments, making it possible to achieve educational and career goals without physically attending campus.

UCF offers a wide range of fully online programs including bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, graduate certificates, and doctoral degrees. Popular online bachelor's majors include Legal Studies, Health Informatics, Communication, Psychology, and Public Administration, among others.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) refers to the process through which individuals develop skills to manage emotions, build healthy relationships, and make responsible decisions. In higher education, SEL is important because it supports students' emotional well-being and interpersonal skills, fostering a more supportive and inclusive campus environment that can enhance academic success and personal development.

Implementing SEL in higher education faces challenges such as a lack of formal programming and research, siloed campus structures, limited student buy-in, scheduling conflicts, and the absence of standardized success metrics. Additionally, resistance within school communities and legislative opposition can hinder widespread adoption and sustainability of SEL initiatives.

Fossil fuel companies influence educational curricula by funding research centers, sponsoring scholarships and conferences, sitting on governing boards, and partnering with educational institutions. They also provide teaching materials and professional development workshops that often promote pro-fossil fuel perspectives, subtly shaping how climate change and energy topics are taught to align with their corporate interests.

The acceptance of Big Oil curricula is concerning because it can distort environmental education by promoting fossil fuel industry interests over public and scientific consensus. These curricula often downplay the urgency of climate change, question renewable energy reliability, and frame energy regulation as harmful to the free market, which undermines critical and balanced understanding of environmental issues among students.

Approximately 60% of U.S. public high schools offer foundational computer science courses, which is an increase from previous years but still leaves significant gaps in access[1][3].

Research indicates that offering just one computer science course in high school can increase students' earnings by at least 8% by age 24, with more pronounced benefits for low-income, Black, and female students[1][3].

Noble Desktop’s license from the New York State Education Department ensures that the school meets strict standards for quality education, including financial viability, curriculum rigor, and safety. This license provides student protections and guarantees that the training offered is credible and career-focused, distinguishing Noble Desktop from unlicensed institutions.

As a licensed institution, Noble Desktop requires all instructors to complete 30 to 90 hours of training in pedagogical best practices, ensuring high-quality teaching. Courses are taught by industry-experienced professionals and are regularly updated to reflect technological advancements, providing students with practical, career-focused skills.

Teacher retention is influenced by factors such as compensation, administrative support, and working conditions. Schools can improve retention by developing internal pipelines for educators, providing quality induction and mentoring programs, and enhancing support mechanisms. For instance, Aspire Public Schools increased teacher retention by creating an internal pipeline, which is particularly effective in special education[1][3][4].

Alternative certification programs do not significantly impact teacher retention on their own. However, providing quality induction and mentoring can enhance retention among alternatively certified teachers. Policymakers should focus on reducing financial barriers to certification and improving support mechanisms rather than the type of certification program[4][5].