How do educators engage students in the curriculum? State and Common Core Standards determine what to teach; how those standards are taught varies. This research examined a group of at-risk elementary and secondary students using underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) as part of an experiential education program in a rural Michigan school district. With a foundation of grounded theory, qualitative methods are used in this case study of the experience of at-risk learners whose mission is to solve a problem. In particular, the story evolves from nine emergent themes identified in the experiences of students and adults: attendance, communication, confidence, engagement, fun, problem-solving, responsibility, teamwork, and time. Common across the nine themes is the conclusion that student motivation strongly impacts learning that is perceived to be hands-on and relevant.
","abstract_html":"<p>How do educators engage students in the curriculum? State and Common Core Standards determine what to teach; how those standards are taught varies. This research examined a group of at-risk elementary and secondary students using underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) as part of an experiential education program in a rural Michigan school district. With a foundation of grounded theory, qualitative methods are used in this case study of the experience of at-risk learners whose mission is to solve a problem. In particular, the story evolves from nine emergent themes identified in the experiences of students and adults: attendance, communication, confidence, engagement, fun, problem-solving, responsibility, teamwork, and time. Common across the nine themes is the conclusion that student motivation strongly impacts learning that is perceived to be hands-on and relevant.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kelly, James E"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education (EdD)","degree_level":"Open Access Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Leadership and Counseling","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["David Anderson","Phillip Cardon","Murali Nair"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:27Z","subjects":["Counseling","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/837","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["David Anderson","Phillip Cardon","Murali Nair"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kelly, James E"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-03-14T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Leadership and Counseling"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education (EdD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Counseling","Social and Behavioral Sciences"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/837"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["How do educators engage students in the curriculum? State and Common Core Standards determine what to teach; how those standards are taught varies. This research examined a group of at-risk elementary and secondary students using underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) as part of an experiential education program in a rural Michigan school district. With a foundation of grounded theory, qualitative methods are used in this case study of the experience of at-risk learners whose mission is to solve a problem. In particular, the story evolves from nine emergent themes identified in the experiences of students and adults: attendance, communication, confidence, engagement, fun, problem-solving, responsibility, teamwork, and time. Common across the nine themes is the conclusion that student motivation strongly impacts learning that is perceived to be hands-on and relevant.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Experiential education: Understanding the impact of remotely operated vehicles on at-risk student learning"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["David Anderson","Phillip Cardon","Murali Nair"],"dc:creator":["Kelly, James E"],"dc:date.available":["2018-03-14T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["How do educators engage students in the curriculum? State and Common Core Standards determine what to teach; how those standards are taught varies. This research examined a group of at-risk elementary and secondary students using underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) as part of an experiential education program in a rural Michigan school district. With a foundation of grounded theory, qualitative methods are used in this case study of the experience of at-risk learners whose mission is to solve a problem. In particular, the story evolves from nine emergent themes identified in the experiences of students and adults: attendance, communication, confidence, engagement, fun, problem-solving, responsibility, teamwork, and time. Common across the nine themes is the conclusion that student motivation strongly impacts learning that is perceived to be hands-on and relevant.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/837"],"dc:subject":["Counseling","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"dc:title":["Experiential education: Understanding the impact of remotely operated vehicles on at-risk student learning"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Leadership and Counseling"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Education (EdD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:27Z"}