"It's Not that Easy"--Medical Students' Fears and Barriers in End-of-Life Communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Romotzky, V; Galushko, M; Düsterdiek, A; Obliers, R; Albus, C; Ostgathe, C; Voltz, R

2015-06-01

This study aims to assess and improve communication education for medical students in palliative care (PC) with the use of simulated patients (SP) in Germany. More specifically, to explore how students evaluate the use of SP for end-of-life communication training and which fears and barriers arise. A pilot course was implemented. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse transcribed recordings of the course. Pre- and post-course questionnaires containing open-ended questions ascertained students' motivation for participating, their preparation within their degree programme and whether they felt they had learned something important within the course. Seventeen medical students in their third to fourth year of education (age 22-31) participated in the five-session course and answered the questionnaires (pre n = 17, post n = 12). Students felt insufficiently prepared and insecure. Discussing end-of-life issues was experienced as challenging and emotionally moving. Within the conversations, although students sometimes showed blocking behaviour in reaction to emotional impact, they valued the consideration of emotional aspects as very important. The course was overall highly appreciated and valued as being helpful. The communication situation with the SP was perceived as authentic. Ten out of 12 students confirmed to have learned something important (post course). Our results indicate an urgent need for better communication training for medical students. Due to the fact that bedside teaching in PC is not feasible for all students, training with standardized SP can be a way to generate an authentic learning situation. Techniques to address fears and blocking behaviour should, however, also be considered.

Using clickers in nonmajors- and majors-level biology courses: student opinion, learning, and long-term retention of course material.

Science.gov (United States)

Crossgrove, Kirsten; Curran, Kristen L

2008-01-01

Student response systems (clickers) are viewed positively by students and instructors in numerous studies. Evidence that clickers enhance student learning is more variable. After becoming comfortable with the technology during fall 2005-spring 2006, we compared student opinion and student achievement in two different courses taught with clickers in fall 2006. One course was an introductory biology class for nonmajors, and the other course was a 200 level genetics class for biology majors. Students in both courses had positive opinions of the clickers, although we observed some interesting differences between the two groups of students. Student performance was significantly higher on exam questions covering material taught with clickers, although the differences were more dramatic for the nonmajors biology course than the genetics course. We also compared retention of information 4 mo after the course ended, and we saw increased retention of material taught with clickers for the nonmajors course, but not for the genetics course. We discuss the implications of our results in light of differences in how the two courses were taught and differences between science majors and nonmajors.

Student performance in a flipped classroom dental anatomy course.

Science.gov (United States)

Chutinan, S; Riedy, C A; Park, S E

2017-11-09

The purpose of this study was to assess dental student learning in a dental anatomy module between traditional lecture and flipped classroom cohorts. Two cohorts of predoctoral dental students (N = 70 within each cohort) participated in a dental anatomy module within an Introduction to the Dental Patient (IDP) course ([traditional/lecture cohort: academic year (AY) 2012, 2013] and [flipped classroom cohort: AY 2014, 2015]). For the dental anatomy module, both cohorts were evaluated on pre-clinical tooth waxing exercises immediately after each of five lectures and tooth identification after all lectures were given. Additionally, the cohorts' performance on the overall IDP course examination was compared. The flipped classroom cohort had statistically significant higher waxing scores (dental anatomy module) than students in the traditional classroom. There was no statistically significant difference for tooth identification scores and the overall IDP course examination between the traditional vs flipped approach cohorts. This is due to the latter two assessments conducted at the end of the course gave all students enough time to review the lecture content prior to the assessment resulting in similar scores for both cohorts. The flipped classroom cohort promoted students' individual learning and resulted in improved students' performance on immediate evaluation but not on the end of the course evaluation. Redesign of courses to include a new pedagogical approach should be carefully implemented and evaluated for student's educational success. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Geology in the Movies: Using Hollywood Films as a Teaching Tool in Introductory Geosciences Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, K. T.; Malinconico, L. L.

2008-12-01

A common challenge in introductory Geoscience courses is engaging students who often do not have a long- standing interest in science. In recent years Hollywood has produced a number of geoscience-themed films (Dante's Peak, Deep Impact, Day After Tomorrow, Inconvenient Truth), most of which contain kernels of scientific truth as well as gross misrepresentations of scientific reality. In our introductory courses (Geological Disasters: Agents of Chaos and Earth's Climate: Past Present and Future) we have had great success using these films as a way of both engaging students and accomplishing many of our course goals. Even though most of the students in these courses will not become geoscience majors, it is important for them to realize that they can make informed judgments about concepts portrayed in the popular media. We have incorporated short written movie critiques into our suite of introductory course laboratory exercises. Through these movie-critique labs, students have an opportunity to apply their new geoscience expertise to examining the validity of the scientific concepts presented in the film. Along the way, students start to see the relevance of course materials to their everyday lives, think more critically about how science is portrayed by non-scientists, synthesize what they have learned by applying their knowledge to a new problem, and improve their ability to communicate what they have learned. Despite the fact that these movie-critique labs require significantly more out-of-lab effort that our other introductory lab assignments, in our course evaluations many students rate the movie critiques as not only one of the most interesting lab exercises of the semester, but also the lab exercise containing the most educational value.

Sifting through course evaluations: medical student comments driving surgery curriculum changes.

Science.gov (United States)

French, Judith C; Bickett, Melissa M; Iocono, Joseph A

2013-01-01

Student empowerment of curriculum changes is a double-edged sword. When examining our third-year surgery course every year, we debate where the line is between improving education through student input against allowing the students to design "an easy course." Written student comments on end-of-course evaluations (from the academic years 2006-2007 to 2010-2011) were analyzed using the qualitative approach described by Miles and Huberman. We compared the grouped comments to the course changes that were made over these years to determine what extent were we listening to students. Finally, we took the course changes made and juxtaposed them with student grades and with student course perceptions provided by the end-of-course evaluation analysis. We identified 17 alterations to our curriculum since the year 2007-2008 and of those, 12 are directly related to student comments. Some examples of our changes were a grading-scale alteration, grouping of workshops, and adding a shelf examination review session. The overall course ratings by the students steadily rose over the 5-year period (2.57 to 3.39), while the percentages of A's earned by students decreased over that same time until the year 2010-2011 when the percent of A's earned increased by over 30%. Because of the fact that 12 of 17 course changes can be directly related back to the student comments, we feel confident that we are listening to students. The increase in perception of the course through the first 4 years did not coincide with higher grades. The changes made have been instrumental in the course winning the best clerkship award for the last 4 years. Copyright © 2013 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Facebook to facilitate course-related discussion between students and faculty members.

Science.gov (United States)

DiVall, Margarita V; Kirwin, Jennifer L

2012-03-12

To use Facebook to facilitate online discussion of the content of a Comprehensive Disease Management course and to evaluate student use and perceptions of this exercise. A Facebook page was created and coordinators encouraged students to "like" the page and to post and view study tips, links, or questions. At the end of the course, students' use and perceptions were evaluated using an anonymous survey tool. At the end of week 1, there were 81 followers, 5 wall posts, and 474 visits to the course Facebook page. At peak use, the page had 117 followers, 18 wall posts, and 1,326 visits. One hundred nineteen students (97% of the class) completed the survey tool. Twenty-six percent of students contributed posts compared to 11% who posted on the course discussion board on Blackboard. Students were more likely to post and be exposed to posts on Facebook than on Blackboard. Students found Facebook helpful and 57% said they would miss Facebook if use was not continued in subsequent courses. Students in a Comprehensive Disease Management course found the addition of a Facebook page a valuable study tool and thought most posts added to their learning.

A Course in Critical Thinking for PhD Students in Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology: Classical Experiments in Biochemistry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos B. Hirschberg

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This essay presents and discusses an eight-session seminar course designed to develop critical thinking skills in doctoral biochemistry students by exposing them to classical experiments in biochemistry. During each 2.5 session, different key topics of the discovery and development of biochemical concepts are discussed. Before each session, students are required to read the one or two classical papers. The size of the seminar course and the seating of the students are critical to make this a highly interactive environment for all students to participate in the critique and re-designing of key experiments, including control experiments, which helped formulate these classical concepts. Final student evaluation of the course’s goals has two equal components: Course participation and a final take home exam due two weeks after the course is completed. Together with the take home exam students are also required to write an evaluation of the course, preferably no longer than half a page. Students’ comments of the course have been uniformly positive. The author notes the sooner students are exposed to this manner of thinking, the better they will be equipped to choose an appropriate mentor and contribute creatively to attempt to solve the scientific problem of their PhD thesis.

Predictors of Enrolling in Online Courses: An Exploratory Study of Students in Undergrad Marketing Courses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renée J. Fontenot

2015-01-01

Full Text Available An exploratory study of undergraduate students enrolled in marketing courses at a Southeastern regional university was conducted to determine the motivations and characteristics of marketing students who plan to be online learners and examined for differences between those who have taken and those who have not taken online classes. An online survey of Likert scales, open-ended questions and demographic questions was sent via class learning management websites. A total of 165 students of the 438 invited to participate completed the survey. A structural model was developed using SMART-PLS to estimate the relationships of constructs that predict taking online courses. Results of the study showed differences in predictors of those that have taken online courses compared to those who plan on taking online courses. A significant predictor of those planning on taking online courses is quality of learning while a significant predictor of those who have taken online courses is scheduling and timing. The results can be used to examine ways to improve/enhance the student’s educational experience, as well as an institution’s effectiveness in attracting the growing body of online learners.

Using a Collaborative Critiquing Technique to Develop Chemistry Students' Technical Writing Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Jeremy M.

2013-01-01

The technique, termed "collaborative critiquing", was developed to teach fundamental technical writing skills to analytical chemistry students for the preparation of laboratory reports. This exercise, which can be completed prior to peer-review activities, is novel, highly interactive, and allows students to take responsibility for their…

College Student Perceptions of Psychology as a Science as a Function of Psychology Course Enrollment

Science.gov (United States)

Pettijohn, Terry F., II; Pettijohn, Terry F.; Brenneman, Miranda M.; Glass, Jamie N.; Brito, Gabriela R.; Terranova, Andrew M.; Kim, JongHan; Meyersburg, C. A.; Piroch, Joan

2015-01-01

College students (N = 297) completed a perceptions of psychology as a science survey before and after completion of psychology courses. Psychology as a science scores increased significantly from the beginning to the end of the research methods courses, but scores in introductory psychology courses did not change and scores for students in…

Course Evaluation Systems for Open-ended Quality Enhancement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Piihl, Jesper; Rasmussen, Jens Smed

2013-01-01

Quality in higher education is widely controlled through surveys asking students to evaluate teaching. However, control of quality does not necessarily lead to enhancement of quality. Drawing on accounting research and a case study, a measurement-based and open-ended quality control system...... emphasising quality enhancement is suggested. The case shows how interactive use of performance measurement can lead to more engaged and enabling dialogue amongst involved actors concerning quality enhancement, however institutionalised beliefs regarding course evaluation systems makes a change challenging....... The chapter suggests that open-ended measurement systems enabling stakeholders to take responsibility for quality enhancement is not so much a matter of technical design as a matter of an enabling style of use....

Joint reactor laboratory course for students in KUCA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misawa, Tsuyoshi; Unesaki, Hironobu; Ichihara, Chihiro; Pyeon Cheol Ho; Shiroya, Seiji

2004-06-01

This book is a revised version of Joint Reactor Laboratory Course for Students, which we have given over 30 years from 1975 at Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA). The major objective of this course is to help the students for understanding the essence of nuclear reactor physics through the experiments carried out in KUCA C-core. At the same time, it is expected that by the end of the course the students will be able to obtain good and fruitful results by their efforts through this course. This textbook is composed of these following chapters; Introduction to Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA). Chapter 1: Approach to Criticality. Chapter 2: Control Rod Calibration. Chapter 3: Measurement of Reaction Rate Distribution. Chapter 4: Neutron Correlation Experiment Feynman-α Method. Chapter 5: Measurement of Reactivity by the Pulsed Neutron Method. Chapter 6: Reactor Operation Training (Reactor Operation for Education). (author)

Joint reactor laboratory course for students in KUCA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misawa, Tsuyoshi; Unesaki, Hironobu; Ichihara, Chihiro; Pyeon Cheol Ho; Shiroya, Seiji

2004-04-01

This book is based on Joint Reactor Laboratory Course for Students, which we have given over 30 years from 1975 at Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA), and is one translated from Japanese into English. The major objective of this course is to help the students for understanding the essence of nuclear reactor physics through the experiments carried out in KUCA C-core. At the same time, it is expected that by the end of the course the students will be able to obtain good and fruitful results by their efforts through this course. This textbook is composed of these following chapters; Introduction to Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA). Chapter 1: Approach to Criticality. Chapter 2: Control Rod Calibration. Chapter 3: Measurement of Reaction Rate Distribution. Chapter 4: Neutron Correlation Experiment Feynman-α Method. Chapter 5: Measurement of Reactivity by the Pulsed Neutron Method. (author)

Policy implications of select student characteristics and their influence on the Florida biology end-of-course assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Bertolotti, Janine Cecelia

In an attempt to improve student achievement in science in Florida, the Florida Department of Education implemented end-of-course (EOC) assessments in biology during the 2011-2012 academic school year. Although this first administration would only account for 30% of the student's overall final course grade in biology, subsequent administrations would be accompanied by increasing stakes for students, teachers, and schools. Therefore, this study sought to address gaps in empirical evidence as well as discuss how educational policy will potentially impact on teacher evaluation and professional development, student retention and graduation rates, and school accountability indicators. This study explored four variables- reading proficiency, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender- to determine their influence and relationship on biology achievement on the Biology I EOC assessment at a Title 1 school. To do so, the results of the Biology I EOC assessment administered during the Spring 2012 school year was obtained from a small, rural Title 1 high school in North Florida. Additional data regarding each student's qualification for free and reduced-price lunch, FCAT Reading developmental scale scores, FCAT Reading level, grade level, gender, and ethnicity were also collected for the causal-comparative exploratory study. Of the 178 students represented, 48% qualified for free and reduced-price lunch, 54% were female, and 55% scored at FCAT Reading level 3 or higher. Additionally, 59% were White and 37% Black. A combination of descriptive statistics and other statistical procedures such as independent samples one-tailed t-test, one-way ANOVAs, ANCOVAs, multipleregression, and a Pearson r correlation was utilized in the analysis, with a significance level set at 0.05. Results indicate that of all four variables, FCAT Reading proficiency was the sole variable, after adjusting for other variables; that had a significant impact on biology achievement. Students with higher

Student Autonomy and its Effects on Student Enjoyment in a Traditional Mechanics Course for First-Year Engineering Students

Science.gov (United States)

Perera, Janaki I.; Quinlivan, Brendan T.; Simonovich, Jennifer A.; Towers, Emily; Zadik, Oren H.; Zastavker, Yevgeniya V.

2012-02-01

In light of recent literature in educational psychology, this study investigates instructional support and students' autonomy at a small technical undergraduate school. Grounded theory is used to analyze twelve semi-structured open-ended interviews about engineering students' experiences in Introductory Mechanics that includes Lecture, Recitation, and Laboratory components. Using data triangulation with each course component as a unit of analysis, this study examines students' course enjoyment as a function of instructional support and autonomy. The Lecture utilizes traditional instructor-centered pedagogy with predominantly passive learning and no student autonomy. The Recitation creates an active learning environment through small group work with a moderate degree of autonomy. The Laboratory is designed around self-guided project-based activities with significant autonomy. Despite these differences, all three course components provide similar levels of instructional support. The data reveal that students enjoy the low autonomy provided by Lecture and Recitations while finding the Laboratory frustrating. Analyses indicate that the differences in autonomy contribute to students' misinterpretation of the three course components' value within the context of the entire course.

Impact of online lecture-capture on student outcomes in a therapeutics course.

Science.gov (United States)

Bollmeier, Suzanne G; Wenger, Philip J; Forinash, Alicia B

2010-09-10

To examine the correlation between students accessing recorded lecture files (audio and slides) online and course grades and class attendance. Second professional year (of 6-year program) students in a therapeutics course had access to recorded online lectures for 72 hours following live lectures. The number and duration of lecture accessions were compared to final course grades and class attendance. Course grades were compared to those of a historical control group. At the end of the semester, students completed a brief survey instrument regarding their use and perceptions of online lectures. No correlation was found between final course grades and the number of lecture accessions (r = 0.0014) or total number of minutes lectures were viewed (r = 0.033), nor between class attendance and minutes viewed (r = 0.2158). Students with access to recorded lectures outperformed the historical control group on the final examination (p students reported no influence of online files on class attendance. Posting lectures online did not affect student outcomes, but students did score higher on the final examination.

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Student-Faculty Perspectives of the Course Syllabus

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Jeanette; Siddall, Gillian; Mandell, Deena; Hughes, Sandy

2010-01-01

Course syllabi play an important role in teaching, learning, and course design. They serve multiple functions and audiences and represent the end product of a scholarly process. In the following article, select findings from a mixed methods study examining how faculty and students conceptualize course syllabi are presented, specifically the design…

Hands-on courses in petroleum engineering improve performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abou-Kassem, J.H.; Islam, M.R. [Regina Univ., Regina, SK (Canada)

1999-07-01

A hands-on methodology was employed to teach eight lecture-based courses in the United Arab Emirates University in which initially two petroleum engineering courses were used to test the methodology. The courses are considered to be basic to petroleum engineering. Although the courses did not have any impact on the overall student grades, the courses stimulated independent thought among students who were not previously used to this mode of thinking. Students were exposed to laboratory experiments and project works that were considered previously to be too-difficult-to-handle by undergraduate students. The course methodology was more acceptable to the female than the male population. The course methodology centered on creative thinking, questioning the establishment methods and critiquing conventional modes of thinking. Despite the differences between male and female students, overall the student population recognized that their ability to think independently and critically improved after taking the course. An appendix contains examples of learning modules. 18 refs.

Exploring the Dynamics of Directed Studies Courses: Student, Instructor, and Administrator Perspectives

OpenAIRE

Glen Hvenegaard; Anne-Marie L. Link; Sean E. Moore; Janet C. Wesselius

2013-01-01

North American universities are encouraged to increase opportunities for undergraduate research experiences (UREs). To this end, many universities offer directed studies courses (DSCs) which are 1-2 semester long courses involving one-on-one instruction, with a focus on student-led independent research. Building on the understanding of dynamics generally related to UREs, this paper seeks to compare the motivations, benefits, and barriers specifically related to DSCs from student, ...

Enhancing traditional, televised, and videotaped courses with Web-based technologies: a comparison of student satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Sole, M L; Lindquist, M

2001-01-01

Varied distance learning strategies can be used to deliver nursing courses, including interactive television, videotape, and Web-based approaches. (1) To assess student assess student satisfaction with a critical care elective course offered simultaneously via traditional and distance learning formats in which Web-based strategies were added, and (2) to compare satisfaction of students taking the traditional course versus those taking the class via distance technology. Students (n = 113) who took the course during the spring 1998 and 1999 semesters completed a teacher-constructed evaluation at the end of the semester. Mean ratings on the evaluation were positive. Ratings of interaction, communication with instructor, and facilitation of learning were higher from students who took the traditional course. The application of Web-based technologies may be one factor for the overall course satisfaction. However, it is important to continue to evaluate strategies that work best for students taking courses via distance technology.

Transforming a Sequence of Microbiology Courses Using Student Profile Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosa J. Buxeda

2009-12-01

Full Text Available A study was performed in the General Microbiology and Industrial Microbiology courses to increase research awareness at an early stage of the educational process and to establish collaboration between students in an Industrial Microbiology program and industry. In both courses, the professor helped students determine their learning styles and then used these data to design activities in order to accomplish the above objectives. In both the treatment and the control sections, students learned about strategies to optimize learning based on their learning styles. A cooperative learning format was introduced to promote active learning and team-building skills. The diverse learning styles data profile was used by students during cooperative learning activities for effective team integration. In the General Microbiology course, a mentor-mentee structure was introduced to expose students to research in microbiology by visiting research facilities on campus. This structure was an addition to the regular curriculum, which meets American Society for Microbiology curriculum recommendations. The results suggest an increase in interest in research by students. In the Industrial Microbiology course, a strategy was introduced to establish collaboration with industry in which students visit the workplace and identify microbial processes, microbiologist roles, and skills needed by microbiologists. Evaluation of these topics using pre- and posttest data indicates a significant increase in acquired knowledge relevant to daily workplace environments with the reformed course. In both courses, students gain information early in their academic experience to help them consider participation in research experiences while providing them with real-world experience toward the end of their academic careers, when they see the need for it.

Role of Pre-Course Student Characteristics on Student Learning in Interactive Teaching Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Kelly Anne

The goal of this dissertation is to broaden our understanding of interactive teaching strategies, in the context of the introductory physics classroom at the undergraduate level. The dissertation is divided into four main projects, each of which investigates a specific aspect of teaching physics interactively. All four projects look towards improving the effectiveness of interactive teaching by understanding how pre-course student characteristics affect the way students learn interactively. We first discuss lecture demonstrations in the context of an interactive classroom using Peer Instruction. We study the role of predictions in conceptual learning. We examine how students' predictions affect what they report having seen during a demonstration. We also examine how student predictions affect what they recall as the outcome of the demonstration at the end of the semester. We then analyze student response patterns to conceptual questions posed during Peer Instruction. We look at the relationship between a student's tendency to switch their answer and pre-course student characteristics like science self-efficacy. Next we elucidate response timing to conceptual questions posed over the course of the semester, in two introductory physics classes taught using Peer Instruction. We look at the relationship between student response times and student characteristics like pre-course physics knowledge, science self-efficacy and gender. We study response times as a way of gaining insight into students thinking in Peer Instruction environments as well as to improve the implementation of Peer Instruction. Finally, we present work on the role of NB, an online collaborative textbook annotation tool, in a flipped, project based, physics class. We analyze the relationship between students' level of online engagement and traditional learning metrics to understand the effectiveness of NB in the context of flipped classrooms. We also report the results of experiments conducted to

Developing Pharmacy Student Communication Skills through Role-Playing and Active Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Zeszotarski, Paula; Ma, Carolyn

2015-01-01

Objective. To evaluate the impact on pharmacy students of a communication course, which used role-playing to develop active-learning skills. Design. Students role-playing pharmacists in patient care scenarios were critiqued by students and pharmacist faculty members. Grading was performed using the rubric inspired by Bruce Berger’s Communication Skills for Pharmacists. Written skills were evaluated using student written critique questionnaires. Students completed precourse and postcourse self-assessment surveys. Preceptor evaluations were analyzed for course impact. Assessment. Students demonstrated improvement in oral skills based on role-play scores (45.87/50) after practice sessions. The average score based on the student questionnaire was 9.31/10. Gain was demonstrated in all defined course objectives. Impact on introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) communication objectives was insignificant. Student evaluations for course and teaching strategy reflected a high average. Conclusion. Study results demonstrated improvement in oral and written communication skills that may help improve interprofessional teamwork between pharmacists and other health care providers. PMID:25995519

Developing pharmacy student communication skills through role-playing and active learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Luiz Adrian, Julie Ann; Zeszotarski, Paula; Ma, Carolyn

2015-04-25

To evaluate the impact on pharmacy students of a communication course, which used role-playing to develop active-learning skills. Students role-playing pharmacists in patient care scenarios were critiqued by students and pharmacist faculty members. Grading was performed using the rubric inspired by Bruce Berger's Communication Skills for Pharmacists. Written skills were evaluated using student written critique questionnaires. Students completed precourse and postcourse self-assessment surveys. Preceptor evaluations were analyzed for course impact. Students demonstrated improvement in oral skills based on role-play scores (45.87/50) after practice sessions. The average score based on the student questionnaire was 9.31/10. Gain was demonstrated in all defined course objectives. Impact on introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) communication objectives was insignificant. Student evaluations for course and teaching strategy reflected a high average. Study results demonstrated improvement in oral and written communication skills that may help improve interprofessional teamwork between pharmacists and other health care providers.

Voluntary peer-led exam preparation course for international first year students: Tutees' perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Huhn, Daniel; Eckart, Wolfgang; Karimian-Jazi, Kianush; Amr, Ali; Herzog, Wolfgang; Nikendei, Christoph

2015-06-18

While the number of international students has increased over the last decade, such students face diverse challenges due to language and cultural barriers. International medical students suffer from personal distress and a lack of support. Their performance is significantly lower than non-international peers in clinical examinations. We investigated whether international students benefit from a peer-led exam preparation course. An exam preparation course was designed, and relevant learning objectives were defined. Two evaluations were undertaken: Using a qualitative approach, tutees (N = 10) were asked for their thoughts and comments in a semi-structured interview at the end of the semester. From a quantitative perspective, all participants (N = 22) were asked to complete questionnaires at the end of each course session. International students reported a range of significant benefits from the course as they prepared for upcoming exams. They benefited from technical and didactic, as well as social learning experiences. They also considered aspects of the tutorial's framework helpful. Social and cognitive congruence seem to be the key factors to success within international medical students' education. If tutors have a migration background, they can operate as authentic role models. Furthermore, because they are still students themselves, they can offer support using relevant and understandable language.

Students' network integration as a predictor of persistence in introductory physics courses

Science.gov (United States)

Zwolak, Justyna P.; Dou, Remy; Williams, Eric A.; Brewe, Eric

2017-06-01

Increasing student retention (successfully finishing a particular course) and persistence (continuing through a sequence of courses or the major area of study) is currently a major challenge for universities. While students' academic and social integration into an institution seems to be vital for student retention, research into the effect of interpersonal interactions is rare. We use network analysis as an approach to investigate academic and social experiences of students in the classroom. In particular, centrality measures identify patterns of interaction that contribute to integration into the university. Using these measures, we analyze how position within a social network in a Modeling Instruction (MI) course—an introductory physics course that strongly emphasizes interactive learning—predicts their persistence in taking a subsequent physics course. Students with higher centrality at the end of the first semester of MI are more likely to enroll in a second semester of MI. Moreover, we found that chances of successfully predicting individual student's persistence based on centrality measures are fairly high—up to 75%, making the centrality a good predictor of persistence. These findings suggest that increasing student social integration may help in improving persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.

Students as teachers in an anatomy dissection course.

Science.gov (United States)

Salomäki, Tiina; Laakkonen, Juha; Ruohoniemi, Mirja

2014-01-01

One way to improve students' learning outcomes and well-being is to change teaching practices to allow students to become more active participants. We used an anatomy dissection course to test a cooperative group work method in which first-year veterinary students took turns leading their peer group and were each responsible for teaching the anatomy of a particular topographic region. The important blood vessels, lymphatic system, and nerves of each region of the body were covered. Students felt that exploration of the entire topographic region helped them to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the respiratory apparatus and the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Assigning individual tasks to each group member resulted in sharing the workload equally. Open-ended comments revealed that support from other group members was important for the students' learning experience, but the results also offered insight into a lack of constructive criticism. While teaching was considered challenging, and even a stress factor that hindered learning for some students, group work was generally held to be supportive of learning. The results suggest that more thorough instruction of students in their group work and in their individual tasks is required. Some students experienced difficulty in expressing their concerns openly and in seeking guidance from teachers, demonstrating the need for further investigation regarding students' self-regulation skills. Comments from the open-ended responses suggest that use of a cooperative learning method in anatomy dissection courses not only deepens student understanding of a subject but also offers first-year students an opportunity to practice the generic skills that will be needed in their future profession.

Anxiety and Attitude of Graduate Students in On-Campus vs. Online Statistics Courses

Science.gov (United States)

DeVaney, Thomas A.

2010-01-01

This study compared levels of statistics anxiety and attitude toward statistics for graduate students in on-campus and online statistics courses. The Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics and three subscales of the Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale were administered at the beginning and end of graduate level educational statistic courses.…

Effects of mid-term student evaluations of teaching as measured by end-of-term evaluations: An emperical study of course evaluations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clemmensen, Line Katrine Harder; Sliusarenko, Tamara; Ersbøll, Bjarne Kjær

2013-01-01

Universities have varying policies on how and when to perform student evaluations of courses and teachers. More empirical evidence of the consequences of such policies on quality enhancement of teaching and learning is needed. A study (35 courses at the Technical University of Denmark....... The evaluations generally showed positive improvements over the semester for courses with access, and negative improvements for those without access. Improvements related to: Student learning, student satisfaction, teaching activities, and communication showed statistically significant average differences of 0.......1-0.2 points between the two groups. These differences are relatively large compared to the standard deviation of the scores when student effect is removed (approximately 0.7). We conclude that university policies on course evaluations seem to have an impact on the development of the teaching and learning...

Students' Perceptions of Online Courses: The Effect of Online Course Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Dobbs, Rhonda R.; Waid-Lindberg, Courtney A.; del Carmen, Alejandro

2017-01-01

While online learning is nothing new, research regarding student perceptions of online courses is limited and has generally focused on those who have taken online courses. Data were collected from 180 students taking criminal justice courses on campus at a large 4-year university in the Southwest and 100 students taking criminal justice courses in…

Opinion of Croatian Teacher Education Students Regarding the Quality of the Visual Arts Teaching Didactics Course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marijana Županić Benić

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to assess student satisfaction with the Visual Arts Teaching Methodology course taught at the Croatian faculties of teacher education and identify important areas for improvement. The students’ open-ended, qualitative responses were reviewed and each response was assigned to one or more of the following categories: teacher performance, student teaching practice, assessment and grading, course organization, availability of learning materials and resources, and student teaching competences. The results indicate that the students are most satisfied with teacher performance, but they are also the least satisfied with course organization and recommend the most improvements in this area.

Enhancing Student International Awareness and Global Competency through Compact International Experience Courses

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Jacobitz, Frank; Schubert, Thomas

2013-11-01

Short-term, study-abroad, elective engineering courses were developed in order to raise the international awareness and global competency of engineering students. These Compact International Experience (CIE) courses were taught in response to a strong student desire for engineering study abroad courses and an effort by the home institution to internationalize its curriculum. An assessment of repeat offerings of two three-semester-unit courses on Topics in Fluid Mechanics and Advanced Electronic Circuit Design in a three-week time frame in France and Australia was performed. The goals of the two CIE courses are an effective teaching of their respective technical content as well as a student understanding of the cultural environment and the impact of engineering solutions from a global and societal viewpoint. In the repeat offerings, increased interaction with local industry was an additional goal. The CIE courses were assessed through surveys completed at the beginning and end of the courses, weekly student reflection papers, course evaluations, and formalized instructor observations. Based on the assessment performed, the two CIE courses have been found to be a valuable approach in the delivery of engineering technical electives combined with an international experience.

Student perceptions: Importance of and satisfaction with aspects of an online biology course

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Hendry, Sheila R.

Research of student satisfaction with various facets of an online biology course, as well as the perceived importance of these aspects, was conducted during the summer and fall 2004 semesters within a course, History of Biology, at a university in the southeastern United States. This research is based on the theory of transactional distance, which involves dialogue between the teacher and student, the physical environments of both the student and teacher, and the emotional environments of each. Student ratings of importance and satisfaction regarding aspects of convenience, grade earned/knowledge learned, emotional health, communication, and student support were collected toward the end of each semester, via the online course, using the researcher-designed Student Perceptions Survey. Statistics with repeated measures ANOVA, using an alpha of 0.05, determined differences between importance and satisfaction ratings for each of these aspects. Students perceived grade earned/knowledge learned to be the most important aspect of learning online, although it is not an aspect unique to online courses. All of the aspects included in the study were found to be at least somewhat important. Convenience was the aspect with which students were most satisfied, with students at least somewhat satisfied with the other aspects. Although convenience is an inherent strength of the online course format, instructors should be aware of how important it is to design requirements of the online class to help students acquire knowledge while allowing them to do so at their own pace. Well-structured content, prompt feedback, encouragement of quality student-instructor communication, and student support are all parts of a positive online course experience. The Student Perceptions Survey, created specifically for this research, can have substantial value both in the creation of new online courses and in the evaluation of pre-existing courses. It can provide important information that can be

Diagnosis of students' ability in a statistical course based on Rasch probabilistic outcome

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Mahmud, Zamalia; Ramli, Wan Syahira Wan; Sapri, Shamsiah; Ahmad, Sanizah

2017-06-01

Measuring students' ability and performance are important in assessing how well students have learned and mastered the statistical courses. Any improvement in learning will depend on the student's approaches to learning, which are relevant to some factors of learning, namely assessment methods carrying out tasks consisting of quizzes, tests, assignment and final examination. This study has attempted an alternative approach to measure students' ability in an undergraduate statistical course based on the Rasch probabilistic model. Firstly, this study aims to explore the learning outcome patterns of students in a statistics course (Applied Probability and Statistics) based on an Entrance-Exit survey. This is followed by investigating students' perceived learning ability based on four Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) and students' actual learning ability based on their final examination scores. Rasch analysis revealed that students perceived themselves as lacking the ability to understand about 95% of the statistics concepts at the beginning of the class but eventually they had a good understanding at the end of the 14 weeks class. In terms of students' performance in their final examination, their ability in understanding the topics varies at different probability values given the ability of the students and difficulty of the questions. Majority found the probability and counting rules topic to be the most difficult to learn.

Instructor and course evaluation based on student-identified criteria.

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Jackson, M O

1977-02-01

Students have come to school for an education and it is their right to evaluate the quality of the education they are receiving. They should not have to demand or even ask for the privilege of saying what they think. Instructors should be providing the opportunity for evaluation by requesting that information from the students. No value judgment can be totally objective, but an instrument composed of mutually agreed upon statements should encourage the greatest possible degree of objectivity. Using one accepted form throughout the school, all students would be considering the same characteristics and traits for every instructor and course evaluated. Each instructor would receive similar information about personal performance and about the course presented. Students would be free to talk to the faculty or to add comments if they so desired; but, a questionnaire used in every course would allow and even encourage responses from every student enrolled. Faculty responsibility would not end with the preparation and implementation of an evaluation instrument. Instructors would have to let the students know their opinions are important and will be considered in curricular and instructional decisions. Faculty and students would be communicating and hopefully fulfilling the needs of and responsibilities to each other.

Development and evaluation of an electronic health record configuration and customization laboratory course for clinical informatics students.

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Mohan, Vishnu; Hersh, William R

2013-01-01

There is a need for informatics educational programs to develop laboratory courses that facilitate hands-on access to an EHR, and allow students to learn and evaluate functionality and configuration options. This is particularly relevant given the diversity of backgrounds of informatics students. We implemented an EHR laboratory course that allowed students to explore an EHR in both inpatient and outpatient clinical environments. The course focused on specific elements of the EHR including order set development, customization, clinical decision support, ancillary services, and billing and coding functionality. Students were surveyed at the end of the course for their satisfaction with the learning experience. We detailed challenges as well as lessons learned after analyzing student evaluations of this course. Features that promote the successful offering of an online EHR course, include (1) using more than one EHR to allow students to compare functionalities, (2) ensuring appropriate course calibration, (3) countering issues specific to EHR usability, and (4) fostering a fertile environment for rich online conversations are discussed.

The Importance of a Laboratory Section on Student Learning Outcomes in a University Introductory Earth Science Course

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Forcino, Frank L.

2013-01-01

Laboratory sections of university Earth science courses provide hands-on, inquiry-based activities for students in support of lecture and discussion. Here, I compare student conceptual knowledge outcomes of laboratory sections by administering an independent concept inventory at the beginning and end of two courses: one that had a lecture and a…

Estudo comparativo de condutas de saúde entre universitários no início e no final do curso Comparative study of health behavior among college students at the start and end of their courses

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Carolina da Franca

2008-06-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Analisar as diferenças nas condutas de saúde de estudantes da área de saúde de universidades públicas no início e no final do curso. MÉTODOS: Estudo realizado com amostra estratificada por curso e por universidade, de 735 estudantes de ciências da saúde de universidades públicas do estado de Pernambuco, em 2006. Os dados foram coletados com a aplicação do questionário National College Health Risk Behavior Survey, validado previamente para utilização com estudantes universitários. Para análise de associação foi utilizado o teste qui-quadrado ou exato de Fisher. Os resultados foram considerados significantes para pOBJECTIVE: To analyze differences in health behavior among students studying health related subjects in public universities, between the beginning and end of their courses. METHODS: The study sample comprised 735 students in health sciences at the public universities in Pernambuco state (Northeastern Brazil in 2006. The data were collected by means of the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey that had been validated previously for use among university students. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used. The chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used to analyze associations. Results were considered to be significant for p<0.05. RESULTS: The majority (69.5% of students were female. Fewer students were found to be living with their parents or a guardian by the end of the course. However there were no significant differences for violent behavior, related to weight and physical activity, nor for most behavior relating to traffic safety and food intake. The consumption of alcohol (68.8% vs. 83.3%, tobacco (40.7% vs. 52.5% and inhalants (10.2% vs. 21.9% and sexual practices (62.5% vs. 85.0% were more frequent by the end of the course, with statistically significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: In general, health behaviors did not differ significantly between students at the beginning and

Student teachers' perceptions about their experiences in a student centered course

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Canan Perkan Zeki

2014-03-01

Full Text Available There is a growing need to provide curricula that meets the changing needs of students in higher education. To train pre-service teachers according to the demands of the new educational contexts, the move from teacher-centered curricula to learning-centered curricula is a must. The aim of this research is to examine the currently used curriculum of EGIT 450 Student Centered Education (SCE course to highlight suggestions for a better design and implementation of the SCE approach. A qualitative paradigm was used with an interpretive methodology. The participants of the study were the 37 third year undergraduate students enrolled in the course at one of the tertiary institutions in North Cyprus. Qualitative data were collected through end-of-the-semester reflective essays and analyzed through content analysis method. The findings revealed that SCE methodology helped improve student teachers' cognitive skills via holding an active role and their affective skills through group work activities emphasizing its effect on permanent learning and learning how to learn. Participants also pointed out the difficulty and complexity of the roles expected from the teacher and learners individually and cooperatively. The inefficiency of some of the teaching-learning activities, physical characteristics of the classroom setting and duration of the allocated time for the activities were among the weak aspects of the course.

A Regression Analysis of South Carolina Algebra I End-of-Course Exam Scores by Schedule Type

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Smith, Dawn M.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between scheduling and first-year-high-school students' exam scores on the South Carolina Algebra I End-of-Course (EOC) assessment. The study compared existing empirical data from two southeastern high schools from the same school district using 4 X 4 block schedules from 2011-2014 and…

Student Buy-In Toward Formative Assessments: The Influence of Student Factors and Importance for Course Success

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Kathleen R. Brazeal

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Formative assessment (FA techniques, such as pre-class assignments, in-class activities, and post-class homework, have been shown to improve student learning. While many students find these techniques beneficial, some students may not understand how they support learning or may resist their implementation. Improving our understanding of FA buy-in has important implications, since buy-in can potentially affect whether students fully engage with and learn from FAs. We investigated FAs in 12 undergraduate biology courses to understand which student characteristics influenced buy-in toward FAs and whether FA buy-in predicted course success. We administered a mid-semester survey that probed student perceptions toward several different FA types, including activities occurring before, during, and after class. The survey included closed-ended questions aligned with a theoretical framework outlining key FA objectives. We used factor analysis to calculate an overall buy-in score for each student and general linear models to determine whether certain characteristics were associated with buy-in and whether buy-in predicted exam scores and course grades. We found that unfixed student qualities, such as perceptions, behaviors, and beliefs, consistently predicted FA buy-in, while fixed characteristics, including demographics, previous experiences, and incoming performance metrics, had more limited effects. Importantly, we found that higher buy-in toward most FA types predicted higher exam scores and course grades, even when controlling for demographic characteristics and previous academic performance. We further discuss steps that instructors can take to maximize student buy-in toward FAs.

International Test Score Comparisons and Educational Policy: A Review of the Critiques

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Carnoy, Martin

2015-01-01

Stanford education professor Martin Carnoy examines four main critiques of how international test results are used in policymaking. Of particular interest are critiques of the policy analyses published by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Using average PISA scores as a comparative measure of student achievement is misleading…

How Student Written Communication Skills Benefit during Participation in an Industry-Sponsored Civil Engineering Capstone Course

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Fries, Ryan; Cross, Brad; Zhou, Jianpeng; Verbais, Chad

2017-01-01

Because many engineering programs use capstone design courses and value strong communication abilities, authors sought to identify how student written communication skills changed because of industry-sponsored capstone design projects. A student exit survey was collected at the end of the capstone design course during faculty-led projects and…

Librarian involvement in a nutrition undergraduate research course: preparing nutrition students for evidence-based practice.

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Smith, Susan C; Penumetcha, Meera

2010-01-01

Given the foundational importance of literature searching skills to later stages of research and, ultimately, evidence-based practice, the authors wanted to assess a unique strategy for teaching such skills. This pilot study describes the results of an undergraduate nutrition research course in which a librarian lead several class sessions. The goal of this study was to assess students' perceptions, attitudes and use of research literature and resources before and after a course partially taught by a librarian. Twenty-seven students enrolled in an undergraduate Introduction to Research course at Georgia State University were given pre- and post-test questionnaires at the beginning and end of a course that included three librarian-led class sessions. Most of the results indicate that the repeated involvement of a librarian enriched this particular undergraduate research course. By the end of the course, students were more comfortable in libraries and with using library resources; they used the campus library more frequently; they were more confident in their ability to find high-quality information on nutrition-related topics and identify strengths and weaknesses of different information sources; and they felt they gained skills that will help them achieve their educational and career goals.

Multivariate Analysis of Students' Performance in Math Courses and Specific Engineering Courses

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H. Naccache; R. Hleiss

2016-01-01

The aim of this research is to study the relationship between the performance of engineering students in different math courses and their performance in specific engineering courses. The considered courses are taken mainly by engineering students during the first two years of their major. Several factors are being studied, such as gender and final grades in the math and specific engineering courses. Participants of this study comprised a sample of more than thousands of engineering students a...

Using spreadsheets to develop applied skills in a business math course: Student feedback and perceived learning

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Thomas Mays

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the redesign of a business math course and its delivery in both face-to-face and online formats. Central to the redesigned course was the addition of applied spreadsheet exercises that served as both learning and summative assessment tools. Several other learning activities and assignments were integrated in the course to address diverse student learning styles and levels of math anxiety. Students were invited to complete a survey that asked them to rank course activities and assignments based on how well they helped the student learn course material. Open-ended items were also included in the survey. In the online course sections, students reported higher perceived learning from the use the spreadsheet-based application assignments, while face-to-face students preferred demonstrations. Qualitative remarks from the online students included numerous comments about the positive learning impact of the business application spreadsheet-based assignments, as well as the link between these assignments and what students considered the “real world.”

[Community health course--student's evaluation].

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Juresa, Vesna; Musil, Vera; Sosić, Zvonko; Majer, Marjeta; Pavleković, Gordana

2010-12-01

Since 1952, Andrija Stampar School of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, has provided a community health course, based on the medical education approach that the main fields of physicians' action are human settlements and not only consulting rooms and clinics. The aim of the study was to compare community health course students' evaluations immediately after attending the course at the 4th and 6th study years. The survey included 224 4th year medical students attending the community course during the academic year 2007-2008 and 192 same-generation 6th year students (85.7%) during the academic year 2009-2010. Students were required to fill out an evaluation questionnaire about the activities during the community health course using grades from 1-poor to 5-excellent, and to write personal remarks and essay. The academic year 2007-2008 students (n=224) were very satisfied (grades 5 and 4) with preparatory seminar (98% of students), final seminar (97%), course organization (90%) and course contents (89%). The same grades were allocated by 98% of students to public health field research, 94% to work in community nurse service, 93% to work in family practice and health promotion in school and kindergarten, and 87% to water sampling. Satisfaction with the community health course was very emotionally described in final essays: "... work with community nurse service in the poorest part of Croatia has changed my life. I have learned in only few hours to wish less and to give more. Every physician should experience it, because that is real life". Results of the same-generation students (n=192) in the academic year 2009-2010, now at 6th study year, showed them to be still very satisfied (grades 5 and 4) with the activities in the community health course: 94% with health promotion, 92% with work in the community nurse service and family medicine, 86% with course contents, 82% with course organization, 78% with final seminar, 64% with preparatory seminar

Practice Makes Perfect: Improving Students' Skills in Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism with a Themed Methods Course

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Estow, Sarah; Lawrence, Eva K.; Adams, Kathrynn A.

2011-01-01

To address the issue of plagiarism, students in two undergraduate Research Methods and Analysis courses conducted, analyzed, and wrote up original research on the topic of plagiarism. Students in an otherwise identical course completed the same assignments but examined a different research topic. At the start and end of the semester, all students…

Re-learning how to write: student successes and challenges in a targeted geoscience communication course

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Elwood Madden, M.; Miller-Deboer, C.; Eodice, M.; Miller, J.; Johnson, J.; Rifenburg, M.

2013-12-01

Students in OU's Geology and Geophysics (G&G) program must complete either English Technical Writing or a major-specific Geowriting class as sophomores or juniors. We asked students in Geowriting and students in a G&G colloquium course (required for G&G scholarship students and an elective for others) to complete surveys reporting their writing experiences and attitudes, as well as write an abstract for a Scientific American story to assess writing skills at the beginning and end of the semester. Geowriting students had stronger writing skills and more positive attitudes towards writing at the beginning of the semester than their colloquium peers, suggesting that students who were already interested and skilled in writing were self-selecting into the class. During the semester, Geowriting focused on improving the clarity, organization, efficiency, and mechanics of student writing and discussed how science writing is similar in some ways (argument, sentence structure, etc.), but also different in many aspects (concise, forthright, repetitive, etc) from writing tactics taught in high school and some college composition courses. Colloquium students attended the weekly scientific talks, but did not write in the class; however, some students were enrolled in freshman-level composition courses and Technical Writing. End-of-semester surveys showed Geowriting students had a more positive change in attitude and expectations towards writing than their colloquium peers. However, one significant difference in attitude towards writing was indicated by negative feelings towards in-class writing, which may be a result of 'writing fatigue' within the Geowriting group. This writing fatigue could be explained by student end-of -semester cognitive overload. Through other measures, colloquium students showed a greater improvement in writing skills (concise, clear, organized, etc) compared to Geowriting students; however, Geowriting students maintained higher skill levels than the

The Impact of Science Fiction Films on Student Interest in Science

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Laprise, Shari; Winrich, Chuck

2010-01-01

Science fiction films were used in required and elective nonmajor science courses as a pedagogical tool to motivate student interest in science and to reinforce critical thinking about scientific concepts. Students watched various films and critiqued them for scientific accuracy in written assignments. Students' perception of this activity was…

Critique and Process: Signature Pedagogies in the Graphic Design Classroom

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Motley, Phillip

2017-01-01

Like many disciplines in design and the visual fine arts, critique is a signature pedagogy in the graphic design classroom. It serves as both a formative and summative assessment while also giving students the opportunity to practice the habits of graphic design. Critiques help students become keen observers of relevant disciplinary criteria;…

Reducing Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia in College Students by Completing a Psychology of Prejudice Course

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Pettijohn, Terry F., II; Walzer, Amy S.

2008-01-01

Students enrolled in Psychology of Prejudice and Introductory Psychology courses completed measures of racism, sexism, and attitudes toward homosexuals at the beginning and end of the term. We predicted that those who took part in the Psychology of Prejudice class would have significantly reduced prejudice as a result of the course experience. We…

The surfacing of past assessment strategies within interdisciplinary teams when encountering an open-ended assignment in an undergraduate sustainability course

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Hartman, K.; Dzulkifli, D. D. B.; Moynihan, M. A.; Salman, R.; Goodkin, N.

2017-12-01

267 undergraduate students in an interdisciplinary environmental sustainability course were divided into 66 groups for the duration of the semester. The formation of the groups proceeded by first assigning all of the science majors to groups in a random order. This was followed by assigning the engineering majors, the liberal arts majors, and finally the business majors in turn. After all of the students had been assigned to a group, every group had at least one engineering student and one science student. 11 groups had a liberal arts student but no business student. 26 groups had a business student but no liberal arts student. 29 groups were composed of students from all four majors. During the semester, the groups created an environmental action plan to address one of Singapore's major sustainability concerns: food. In service of the course's emphasis on interdisciplinary communication, the groups were required to create a video to support their environmental action plan. The evaluation method for the videos built on our prior work with rubrics (Hartman & Goodkin, 2016). While we provided a number of examples of videos communicating environmental action plans, students were not prescribed a particular format for their video. To the consternation of some students, the instructor deliberately left the video assessment open-ended. After the semester ended, a researcher coded all 66 videos for the food sustainability issues they identified, their proposed solutions, and their video approach. Approaches included animations, virtual handwriting/drawing, role-playing, PowerPoint presentations, and picture slideshows. Given the open-ended nature of the video project, we hypothesized that groups would converge on approaches that at least one team member was familiar with. We knew from prior work with the business school, that its students engage in role-play activities fairly frequently. Teams with a business major and without a liberal arts major adopted the role

Perceptions and experiences of nursing students enrolled in a palliative and end-of-life nursing elective: A qualitative study.

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Hold, Judith L; Blake, Barbara J; Ward, Elizabeth N

2015-06-01

The Carnegie Foundation has identified three professional apprenticeships in nursing that are key to helping students acquire a professional identity. These apprenticeships integrate knowledge acquisition (cognitive apprenticeship), practical experience (practical apprenticeship), and an ethical identity (ethical comportment) for guiding conduct. To ensure that patients have a good death, it is important that faculty incorporate diverse teaching strategies from all three apprenticeships into palliative and end-of life nursing education. The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions and experiences of nursing students enrolled in a palliative and end-of-life nursing elective that was developed and implemented using the three professional apprenticeships. A qualitative research design was used to obtain data from students who completed the palliative and end-of-life nursing elective. The study was implemented at a state supported baccalaureate nursing program located in the south eastern United States. A purposive sample of 19 students who had completed the palliative and end-of-life nursing elective was included in the study. After completing the course, focus groups were conducted with the student participants. Discussion was guided by questions to elicit which experiences were most helpful to student learning. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted by three researchers. Three themes reflecting the apprenticeships were identified: learning from stories, learning from being there, and learning from caring. Students' understandings about end-of-life care were enhanced by incorporating teaching strategies addressing the apprenticeships. In end-of-life nursing education, teaching strategies must provide meaningful connections between the student, course content, practical experience, and the dying patient. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing Student Attitudes Towards Science in an Adaptive Online Astrobiology Course: Comparing Online and On-Campus Undergraduates

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Buxner, S.; Perera, V.; Mead, C.; Horodyskyj, L.; Semken, S. C.; Lopatto, D.; Anbar, A. D.

2016-12-01

General-education Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses are considered essential to a college education, in part, to train students to think critically and to make informed decisions about complex scientific issues such as climate change and public health. Therefore, the goals of these STEM courses go beyond content knowledge to include generating positive attitudes towards science, developing competence in evaluating scientific information in everyday life, and understanding the nature of science. The Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) survey is frequently used to measure these attitudes, but it has not previously been used in an online, general education course. In this work, we administered the CURE survey for three semesters (N = 774) before and after completion of an online astrobiology course called Habitable Worlds. We compare students taking this course as part of fully-online degree programs (o-course) with those taking it as part of traditional undergraduate programs (i-course). More females and older students were among the o-course group, while overall the course had more white students than the Arizona State University average. Mean course grades were similar between the two groups but attitudes toward science differred significantly. O-course students began the course with more positive attitudes than i-course students, and o-course students also showed more positive changes at the end of the course. These differences suggest lesser intrinsic motivation among the i-course students. Additionally, pre-course attitudes correlated with final course grade for o-course students, but not for i-course students, which implies that success among o-course students is influenced by different factors than i-course students. Thus, effective student support strategies may differ for online-only students. Future work will include student interviews to better calibrate the CURE survey to online science courses.

Students' conceptions of evidence during a university introductory forensic science course

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Yeshion, Theodore Elliot

Students' Conceptions of Science, Scientific Evidence, and Forensic Evidence during a University Introductory Forensic Science Course This study was designed to examine and understand what conceptions undergraduate students taking an introductory forensic science course had about scientific evidence. Because the relationships between the nature of science, the nature of evidence, and the nature of forensic evidence are not well understood in the science education literature, this study sought to understand how these concepts interact and affect students' understanding of scientific evidence. Four participants were purposefully selected for this study from among 89 students enrolled in two sections of an introductory forensic science course taught during the fall 2005 semester. Of the 89 students, 84 were criminal justice majors with minimal science background and five were chemistry majors with academic backgrounds in the natural and physical sciences. All 89 students completed a biographical data sheet and a pre-instruction Likert scale survey consisting of twenty questions relating to the nature of scientific evidence. An evaluation of these two documents resulted in a purposeful selection of four varied student participants, each of whom was interviewed three times throughout the semester about the nature of science, the nature of evidence, and the nature of forensic evidence. The same survey was administered to the participants again at the end of the semester-long course. This study examined students' assumptions, prior knowledge, their understanding of scientific inference, scientific theory, and methodology. Examination of the data found few differences with regard to how the criminal justice majors and the chemistry majors responded to interview questions about forensic evidence. There were qualitative differences, however, when the same participants answered interview questions relating to traditional scientific evidence. Furthermore, suggestions are

Students' Reactions to Course Policy Decisions

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Bailey, Sarah F.; Jenkins, Jade S.; Barber, Larissa K.

2016-01-01

Classroom management involves managing students' requests for course policy changes. Instructors can adhere to the course policies or convey flexibility through making an exception for the student. The current study empirically examines students' emotional reactions (hostility, guilt, and surprise) and fairness perceptions to course policy…

Designing and implementing a physiology course for a new doctoral occupational therapy program with student feedback.

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Goodman, Barbara E; Ikiugu, Moses N

2017-09-01

Recently, the Occupational Therapy Department requested a custom-designed medical physiology course for the students in the new occupational therapy doctoral program. The first author, a physiologist with extensive experience in teaching both undergraduate preprofessional and medical students in human physiology, was recruited to design and implement the course. The course was designed to be consistent with the constructivist philosophy that guides the occupational therapy curriculum. The course was offered for the first time during fall/spring 2015/2016 and included both first- and second-year occupational therapy doctoral students. A number of anonymous assessment tools were used to evaluate students' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of various pedagogies used in the course in enhancing their learning. A summative course assessment survey with comments was used at the end of the course. This paper describes the model of course design and the student feedback, which generated some suggestions for improvement of the course. This approach in designing a new course for a new disciplinary group of students should be helpful to other faculty involved in developing courses for health career programs populated by students with variable physiology backgrounds and different educational needs. The final relevant feedback from the course would be to have the students evaluate the usefulness of the course to their future careers immediately following their certification examinations in a year or two and during their subsequent clinical experiences; however, that information will likely be more difficult to obtain. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

A Required Online Course with a Public Health Focus for Third Professional Year Pharmacy Students.

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King, Amber E; Egras, Amy M

2015-06-25

To design, deliver, and evaluate the impact of a required course on student knowledge acquisition and ability to evaluate contemporary public health issues. A 2-credit course was implemented using asynchronous, online delivery. Learning activities included literature retrieval and assessment, analytic writing, quizzes, and creation of a group wiki evaluating a current public health issue. Course topics included health care reform, social determinants of health, health disparities, evidence-based medicine, end-of-life care, patient safety, and research ethics. Strong student performance on assessments indicated an ability to use higher-order cognitive domains. Online delivery provided students with the flexibility to complete assignments at their convenience, allowed participation by all students, and encouraged self-directed learning. Completion of a required, online, asynchronous course with a public health focus allowed pharmacy students to increase their knowledge of and ability to evaluate contemporary ethical, social, cultural, and governmental issues affecting pharmacy practice.

Reconfiguring the optics of the critical gaze in science education (after the critique of critique): (re)thinking "what counts" through Foucaultian prismatics

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Higgins, Marc

2018-03-01

The purpose of this article is to explore what Michel Foucault refers to as "the" critical attitude and its relationship to science education, drawing from Foucault's (The politics of truth. Semiotext(e), New York, 1997) insight that the critical attitude is but a critical attitude. This article is a rejoinder to Anna Danielsonn, Maria Berge, and Malena Lidar's paper, "Knowledge and power in the technology classroom: a framework for studying teachers and students in action". Where Danielsonn and colleagues think with Foucaultian power/knowledge to examine and (re)consider teacher-student didactic relations in science and technology education, this article critically examines the power/knowledge relationship between science educators and science education to critically explore the modes of criticality produced and produceable. Particularly, I explore possibilities for and of critique that stem from and respond to what Bruno Latour (Politics of nature: How to bring the sciences into democracy. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1993) refers to as the crisis and critique of critique.

The Relationship between Teaching Presence and Student Course Outcomes in an Online International Population

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Wendt, Jillian; Courduff, Jennifer

2018-01-01

A causal comparative research design was utilized in this study to examine the relationship between international students' perceptions of teacher presence in the online learning environment and students' achievement as measured by end of course grades. Spearman's analysis indicated no statistically significant correlation between the composite…

Learning experience of Chinese nursing students in an online clinical English course: qualitative study.

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Tang, Anson C Y; Wong, Nick; Wong, Thomas K S

2015-02-01

The low English proficiency of Chinese nurse/nursing students affects their performance when they work in English-speaking countries. However, limited resources are available to help them improve their workplace English, i.e. English used in a clinical setting. To this end, it is essential to look for an appropriate and effective means to assist them in improving their clinical English. The objective of this study is to evaluate the learning experience of Chinese nursing students after they have completed an online clinical English course. Focus group interview was used to explore their learning experience. 100 students in nursing programs at Tung Wah College were recruited. The inclusion criteria were: (1) currently enrolled in a nursing program; and (2) having clinical experience. Eligible participants self-registered for the online English course, and were required to complete the course within 3 months. After that, semi-structured interviews were conducted on students whom completed the whole and less than half of the course. One of the researchers joined each of the interviews as a facilitator and an observer. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Finally, 7 themes emerged from the interviews: technical issues, adequacy of support, time requirement, motivation, clarity of course instruction, course design, and relevancy of the course. Participants had varied opinions on the 2 themes: motivation and relevancy of the course. Overall, results of this study suggest that the online English course helped students improve their English. Factors which support their learning are interactive course design, no time constraint, and relevancy to their work/study. Factors which detracted from their learning are poor accessibility, poor technical and learning support and no peer support throughout the course. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Relationship between Performance of Quantity Surveying Students in Building Construction and Construction Measurement Courses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olatunde Nathaniel Ayinde

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Stakeholders in the educational sector over the century have devoted substantial resources in seeking ways of improving students’ academic performance, yet, the desired improved academic performance has not been achieved. By appraising the relationship between the performance of Quantity Surveying (QS students in Building Construction and Construction Measurement courses; the study identified a major curriculum drafting deficiency in the QS programmes in Nigeria which if addressed could help achieve the much needed improved students’ academic performance. The specific objectives of the study were to determine the performance of QS students in Building construction and construction Measurement Courses; and to determine whether a relationship exist in the performances of QS students in the two subject areas. Purposive sampling technique was used to select Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun State for the study. Random sampling technique was used to select 241 students who provide data for the study. Close ended questionnaire was used to collect data for the study and data was analyzed using frequency, percentile and correlation analysis. Finding indicates that 43% of the respondents on the average put up good performances in Building Construction Courses while only 19% of the respondents on the average had good grades in Construction Measurement Courses. Results also showed that a significant relationship exist between the performance of QS students in Building Construction and Construction Measurement courses as 83.3% (five out of six pair courses shows significant positive linear correlation. The study recommends that a quick curriculum re-adjustment should be initiated so as to enhance improved academic performance by QS Students especially in Construction Measurement courses.

Student perceptions of writing projects in a university differential-equations course

Science.gov (United States)

Latulippe, Christine; Latulippe, Joe

2014-01-01

This qualitative study surveyed 102 differential-equations students in order to investigate how students participating in writing projects in university-level mathematics courses perceive the benefits of writing in the mathematics classroom. Based on previous literature on writing in mathematics, students were asked specifically about the benefits of writing projects as a means to explore practical uses of mathematics, deepen content knowledge, and strengthen communication. Student responses indicated an awareness of these benefits, supporting justifications commonly cited by instructors assigning writing projects. Open-ended survey responses highlighted additional themes which students associated with writing in mathematics, including using software programs and technology, working in groups, and stimulating interest in mathematics. This study provides student feedback to support the use of writing projects in mathematics, as well as student input, which can be utilized to strengthen the impact of writing projects in mathematics.

Students' Views About Potentially Offering Physics Courses Online

Science.gov (United States)

Ramlo, Susan E.

2016-06-01

Nationally, many public universities have started to move into the online course and program market that is most often associated with for-profit institutions of higher education. Administrators in public universities make statements regarding benefits to students' desire for flexibility and profit margins related to online courses. But do students attending a large public university want to take courses online especially science courses perceived to be difficult such as freshmen-level physics courses? This study took place at a large, public, Midwestern university and involved students enrolled in the first semester of a face-to-face, flipped physics course for engineering technology majors. Statements were collected from comments about online courses made by the university's administration and students in the course. Twenty students sorted 45 statements. Two student views emerged with one rejecting online courses in general and the other primarily rejecting online math, science, and technology courses, including physics. Students' descriptions of their previous online course experiences were used to inform the analyses and to assist in describing the two views that emerged in conjunction with the distinguishing statements. Consensus among the two views is also discussed. Overall, the results indicate a potential divergence between student views and what university administrators believe students want.

Strategies against burnout and anxiety in medical education--implementation and evaluation of a new course on relaxation techniques (Relacs) for medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Wild, Katharina; Scholz, Michael; Ropohl, Axel; Bräuer, Lars; Paulsen, Friedrich; Burger, Pascal H M

2014-01-01

Burnout and stress-related mental disorders (depression, anxiety) occur in medical students and physicians with a significantly higher prevalence than in the general population. At the same time, the learning of coping mechanisms against stress is still not an integral part of medical education. In this pilot study we developed an elective course for learning relaxation techniques and examined the condition of the students before and after the course. 42 students participated in the semester courses in 2012 and 2013 as well as in a survey at the start and end of each course. The students were instructed in autogenic training (AT) and progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobsen (PMR) with the goal of independent and regular exercising. At the beginning and the end of the semester/course the students were interviewed using standardized, validated questionnaires on burnout (BOSS-II) and anxiety (STAI-G), depression (BDI), quality of life (SF-12) and sense of coherence (SOC-L9). We compared the results of our students participating in Relacs with results from eight semester medical students (n = 88), assessed with the same questionnaires at similar points of time within their semester. Participating students showed a significant decline in cognitive and emotional burnout stress and in trait anxiety. Furthermore, they showed a reduction in state anxiety and a conspicuous decrease in mean depression. The sense of coherence increased at the same time. A comparative cohort of medical students of 8th semester students, showed lower values for the specified measurement parameters at the beginning, but showed no progressive changes. Our course introducing AT and PMR led to a significant reduction of burnout and anxiety within the participating group of medical students. Even the course attendance for just one semester resulted in significant improvements in the evaluated parameters in contrast to those students who did not attend the course.

Strategies against burnout and anxiety in medical education--implementation and evaluation of a new course on relaxation techniques (Relacs for medical students.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katharina Wild

Full Text Available Burnout and stress-related mental disorders (depression, anxiety occur in medical students and physicians with a significantly higher prevalence than in the general population. At the same time, the learning of coping mechanisms against stress is still not an integral part of medical education. In this pilot study we developed an elective course for learning relaxation techniques and examined the condition of the students before and after the course. 42 students participated in the semester courses in 2012 and 2013 as well as in a survey at the start and end of each course. The students were instructed in autogenic training (AT and progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobsen (PMR with the goal of independent and regular exercising. At the beginning and the end of the semester/course the students were interviewed using standardized, validated questionnaires on burnout (BOSS-II and anxiety (STAI-G, depression (BDI, quality of life (SF-12 and sense of coherence (SOC-L9. We compared the results of our students participating in Relacs with results from eight semester medical students (n = 88, assessed with the same questionnaires at similar points of time within their semester. Participating students showed a significant decline in cognitive and emotional burnout stress and in trait anxiety. Furthermore, they showed a reduction in state anxiety and a conspicuous decrease in mean depression. The sense of coherence increased at the same time. A comparative cohort of medical students of 8th semester students, showed lower values for the specified measurement parameters at the beginning, but showed no progressive changes. Our course introducing AT and PMR led to a significant reduction of burnout and anxiety within the participating group of medical students. Even the course attendance for just one semester resulted in significant improvements in the evaluated parameters in contrast to those students who did not attend the course.

Students helping students: Evaluating a pilot program of peer teaching for an undergraduate course in human anatomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, Paul A; Love Green, Jennifer K; Illerbrun, Sara L; Holness, Duncan A; Illerbrun, Samantha J; Haus, Kara A; Poirier, Sylvianne M; Sveinson, Katherine L

2016-01-01

The educational literature generally suggests that supplemental instruction (SI) is effective in improving academic performance in traditionally difficult courses. A pilot program of peer teaching based on the SI model was implemented for an undergraduate course in human anatomy. Students in the course were stratified into three groups based on the number of peer teaching sessions they attended: nonattendees (0 sessions), infrequently attended (1-3 sessions), and frequently attended (≥ 4 sessions). After controlling for academic preparedness [i.e., admission grade point average (AGPA)] using an analysis of covariance, the final grades of frequent attendees were significantly higher than those of nonattendees (P = 0.025) and infrequent attendees (P = 0.015). A multiple regression analysis was performed to estimate the relative independent contribution of several variables in predicting the final grade. The results suggest that frequent attendance (β = 0.245, P = 0.007) and AGPA (β = 0.555, P < 0.001) were significant positive predictors, while being a first-year student (β = -0.217, P = 0.006) was a significant negative predictor. Collectively, these results suggest that attending a certain number of sessions may be required to gain a noticeable benefit from the program, and that first-year students (particularly those with a lower level of academic preparedness) would likely stand to benefit from maximally using the program. End-of-semester surveys and reports indicate that the program had several additional benefits, both to the students taking the course and to the students who served as program leaders. Published 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

Measuring Student Improvement in Lower- and Upper-Level University Climate Science Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, S. E.; Taylor, S. V.; Schoonmaker, J. E.; Lane, E.; Francois, R. H.; Austin, P.

2011-12-01

What do university students know about climate? What do they learn in a climate course? On the second-to-last day of a course about global climate change, only 48% of our upper-level science students correctly answered a multiple-choice question about the greenhouse effect. The good news: improvement. Only 16% had answered correctly on the first day of class. The bad news: the learning opportunities we've provided appear to have missed more than half the class on a fundamental climate concept. To evaluate the effectiveness of instruction on student learning about climate, we have developed a prototype assessment tool, designed to be deployed as a low-stakes pre-post test. The items included were validated through student interviews to ensure that students interpret the wording and answer choices in the way we intend. This type of validated assessment, administered both at the beginning and end of term, with matched individuals, provides insight regarding the baseline knowledge with which our students enter a course, and the impact of that course on their learning. We administered test items to students in (1) an upper-level climate course for science majors and (2) a lower-level climate course open to all students. Some items were given to both groups, others to only one of the groups. Both courses use evidence-based pedagogy with active student engagement (clickers, small group activities, regular pre-class preparation). Our results with upper-level students show strong gains in student thinking (>70% of students who missed a question on the pre-test answered correctly on the post-test) about stock-and-flow (box model) problems, annual cycles in the Keeling curve, ice-albedo feedbacks, and isotopic fractionation. On different questions, lower-level students showed strong gains regarding albedo and blackbody emission spectra. Both groups show similar baseline knowledge and lower-than-expected gains on greenhouse effect fundamentals, and zero gain regarding the

Nursing students' attitudes toward statistics: Effect of a biostatistics course and association with examination performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiekkas, Panagiotis; Panagiotarou, Aliki; Malja, Alvaro; Tahirai, Daniela; Zykai, Rountina; Bakalis, Nick; Stefanopoulos, Nikolaos

2015-12-01

Although statistical knowledge and skills are necessary for promoting evidence-based practice, health sciences students have expressed anxiety about statistics courses, which may hinder their learning of statistical concepts. To evaluate the effects of a biostatistics course on nursing students' attitudes toward statistics and to explore the association between these attitudes and their performance in the course examination. One-group quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design. Undergraduate nursing students of the fifth or higher semester of studies, who attended a biostatistics course. Participants were asked to complete the pre-test and post-test forms of The Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS)-36 scale at the beginning and end of the course respectively. Pre-test and post-test scale scores were compared, while correlations between post-test scores and participants' examination performance were estimated. Among 156 participants, post-test scores of the overall SATS-36 scale and of the Affect, Cognitive Competence, Interest and Effort components were significantly higher than pre-test ones, indicating that the course was followed by more positive attitudes toward statistics. Among 104 students who participated in the examination, higher post-test scores of the overall SATS-36 scale and of the Affect, Difficulty, Interest and Effort components were significantly but weakly correlated with higher examination performance. Students' attitudes toward statistics can be improved through appropriate biostatistics courses, while positive attitudes contribute to higher course achievements and possibly to improved statistical skills in later professional life. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predictors of student success in entry-level science courses

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Mamta K.

Although the educational evaluation process is useful and valuable and is supported by the Higher Education Act, a strong research base for program evaluation of college entry-level science courses is still lacking. Studies in science disciplines such as, biology, chemistry, and physics have addressed various affective and demographic factors and their relationships to student achievement. However, the literature contains little information that specifically addresses student biology content knowledge skills (basics and higher order thinking skills) and identifies factors that affect students' success in entry-level college science courses. These gate-keeping courses require detailed evaluation if the goal of an institution is to increase students' performance and success in these courses. These factors are, in fact, a stepping stone for increasing the number of graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors. The present study measured students' biology content knowledge and investigated students' performance and success in college biology, chemistry, and physics entry-level courses. Seven variables---gender, ethnicity, high school Grade Point Average (GPA), high school science, college major, school financial aid support, and work hours were used as independent variables and course final performance as a dichotomous dependent variable. The sample comprised voluntary student participants in entry-level science courses. The study attempted to explore eight research questions. Content knowledge assessments, demographic information analysis, multiple regression analysis, and binary logistic regression analysis were used to address research questions. The results suggested that high school GPA was a consistently good predictor of students' performance and success in entry-level science courses. Additionally, high school chemistry was a significant predictor variable for student success in entry-level biology and chemistry courses

Needs analysis for language course design. A case study for engineering and business students

Science.gov (United States)

Todea, L.; Demarcsek, R.

2017-05-01

These days, teaching languages - English in particular - has become an ever more complex and challenging task due to the fact that groups of students are eclectic in terms of knowledge of English and level of competence. Teachers try to adapt to this challenging environment by providing a wide variety of activities and materials so as to satisfy the students’ demands. This may sometimes prove counterproductive, is usually time consuming, and requires material and financial resources that are not always available. Under the circumstances, we considered that a needs analysis would benefit all parties involved: teachers on the one hand, in that it would somewhat simplify their effort and make it easier to work with the aforementioned groups of students, and the students on the other hand, in that the activities would be better tailored to suit their needs and requirements in terms of knowledge, abilities and skills. To this end, we conducted a survey in which we requested students to state their level of satisfaction with regard to the English course, as well as provide suggestions in terms of topics and language issues they would like to approach during these courses. In this paper we analysed and interpreted the responses in an attempt to adapt the content of the course so as to better meet the expectations of the end beneficiaries, i.e. the students.

Introducing Optometry Students to Clinical Patient Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Gable, Eileen M.

2001-01-01

Describes the innovative content and structure of an introductory course on clinical patient care at the Illinois College of Optometry. Critiques its success based on student grades and feedback, concluding that it was successful in imparting skills of data analysis but had minimal impact on students' ability to empathize with patients. (EV)

On-line Peer Review in Teaching Design-oriented Courses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hai Ning

2004-02-01

Full Text Available Peer review has been one of the very important designfacilitating processes practiced in education field, particularly in design-oriented courses such as MIT's 2.007 Robot Design. Typically students exchange ideas sketched on a piece of paper and critique on each other's design within a small team. We designed PREP web application backed up by a range of web services that handle the peer-review process on-line, and we argue that this is a significant step towards supporting designoriented course on-line. We believe that the lessons learned could be applied to other interested institutes that offer designoriented courses.

Language Courses

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2010-01-01

General and Professional English Courses The next session will take place: from 1st March to end of June 2010 (1/2 weeks break at Easter). These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site, and to their spouses. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our Web pages or contact Nathalie Dumeaux, tel. 78144. Oral Expression The next session will take place from 1st March to end of June 2010 (1/2 weeks break at Easter). This course is intended for people with a good knowledge of English who want to enhance their speaking skills. There will be on average of 8 participants in a class. Speaking activities will include discussions, meeting simulations, role-plays etc. depending on the needs of the students. Duration: 30 hours Price: 660 CHF (for a minimum of 8 students) More details Writing Professional Documents in English The next session will take place from 1st March to end of June 2010 (1/2 weeks break at Easter). This course is designed for people with a good le...

The Impact of a Group Communication Course on Veterinary Medical Students' Perceptions of Communication Competence and Communication Apprehension.

Science.gov (United States)

Kedrowicz, April A

2016-01-01

This paper explores the impact of a group communication course on veterinary medical students' perceptions of communication competence and communication anxiety. Students enrolled in the Group Communication in Veterinary Medicine course completed the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension and the Communicative Competence Scale at the beginning (Time 1) and end (Time 2) of the semester. Results show that first-year veterinary students' self-perceptions of communication competence increased and their self-reported levels of communication apprehension decreased across multiple contexts from Time 1 to Time 2. This research provides support for experiential communication training fostering skill development and confidence.

Strategies against Burnout and Anxiety in Medical Education – Implementation and Evaluation of a New Course on Relaxation Techniques (Relacs) for Medical Students

Science.gov (United States)

Ropohl, Axel; Bräuer, Lars; Paulsen, Friedrich; Burger, Pascal H. M.

2014-01-01

Burnout and stress-related mental disorders (depression, anxiety) occur in medical students and physicians with a significantly higher prevalence than in the general population. At the same time, the learning of coping mechanisms against stress is still not an integral part of medical education. In this pilot study we developed an elective course for learning relaxation techniques and examined the condition of the students before and after the course. 42 students participated in the semester courses in 2012 and 2013 as well as in a survey at the start and end of each course. The students were instructed in autogenic training (AT) and progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobsen (PMR) with the goal of independent and regular exercising. At the beginning and the end of the semester/course the students were interviewed using standardized, validated questionnaires on burnout (BOSS-II) and anxiety (STAI-G), depression (BDI), quality of life (SF-12) and sense of coherence (SOC-L9). We compared the results of our students participating in Relacs with results from eight semester medical students (n = 88), assessed with the same questionnaires at similar points of time within their semester. Participating students showed a significant decline in cognitive and emotional burnout stress and in trait anxiety. Furthermore, they showed a reduction in state anxiety and a conspicuous decrease in mean depression. The sense of coherence increased at the same time. A comparative cohort of medical students of 8th semester students, showed lower values for the specified measurement parameters at the beginning, but showed no progressive changes. Our course introducing AT and PMR led to a significant reduction of burnout and anxiety within the participating group of medical students. Even the course attendance for just one semester resulted in significant improvements in the evaluated parameters in contrast to those students who did not attend the course. PMID:25517399

Beyond Construction: Five arguments for the role and value of critique in learning science

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, J. Bryan; MacPherson, Anna; Osborne, Jonathan; Wild, Andrew

2015-07-01

This paper argues that science education has overemphasized the importance of construction at the expense of critique. In doing so, it draws on two key premises-Ford's argument that the construction of knowledge requires a dialectic between construction and critique and Mercier and Sperber's theory of argumentative reasoning that critique is essential for epistemic vigilance. Five separate cases are presented which argue that the absence of critique within school science limits the opportunities for students to engage in scientific reasoning making the learning of science less effective. These five arguments incorporate research literature surrounding the nature of science, epistemology, literacy, pedagogy, and motivation. Furthermore, we draw on data collected from cognitive think-aloud interviews to show that students can, with the appropriate prompts, engage in the important epistemic activity of critique. We conclude by examining the implications for the teaching and learning of science. In essence, we argue that the undervaluing of critique within the curriculum and pedagogy of school science results in a failure to develop the analytical faculties which are the valued hall mark of the practicing scientist; a misrepresentation of the nature of science; and, more importantly, a less effective learning experience. Critique, therefore, needs to play a central role in the teaching and learning of science.

Medical humanities and their discontents: definitions, critiques, and implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Johanna; Coulehan, Jack; Wear, Delese; Montello, Martha

2009-02-01

The humanities offer great potential for enhancing professional and humanistic development in medical education. Yet, although many students report benefit from exposure to the humanities in their medical education, they also offer consistent complaints and skepticism. The authors offer a pedagogical definition of the medical humanities, linking it to medicine as a practice profession. They then explore three student critiques of medical humanities curricula: (1) the content critique, examining issues of perceived relevance and intellectual bait-and-switch, (2) the teaching critique, which examines instructor trustworthiness and perceived personal intrusiveness, and (3) the structural/placement critique, or how and when medical humanities appear in the curriculum. Next, ways are suggested to tailor medical humanities to better acknowledge and reframe the needs of medical students. These include ongoing cross-disciplinary reflective practices in which intellectual tools of the humanities are incorporated into educational activities to help students examine and, at times, contest the process, values, and goals of medical practice. This systematic, pervasive reflection will organically lead to meaningful contributions from the medical humanities in three specific areas of great interest to medical educators: professionalism, "narrativity," and educational competencies. Regarding pedagogy, the implications of this approach are an integrated required curriculum and innovative concepts such as "applied humanities scholars." In turn, systematic integration of humanities perspectives and ways of thinking into clinical training will usefully expand the range of metaphors and narratives available to reflect on medical practice and offer possibilities for deepening and strengthening professional education.

Students' perceptions of a blended learning pharmacy seminar course in a Caribbean school of pharmacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Extavour, Rian Marie; Allison, Gillian L

2018-04-01

Blended learning (BL) integrates face-to-face and online instructional methods, with applications in pharmacy education. This study aimed to assess pharmacy students' perceptions of BL in a pharmacy seminar course at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus, Trinidad and Tobago. Topics based on the use of medicines and public health were presented by student groups during live seminars, supplemented with online activities. An online survey of students' perceptions was administered at the end of the course. The usefulness of learning resources and course activities were assessed using 5-point Likert-like scales (1 = not helpful to 5 = very helpful). The effectiveness of the instructor, blended delivery, time value, and development of critical-thinking were rated on a 5-point Likert scale for agreement (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Topics that were most instructive and additional topics of interest were also identified. Approximately 51% of students (37/72) completed the questionnaire; 73% were female and mean age was 24 years. The learning resources and most course activities were generally helpful (median = 4) in facilitating learning. There was strong agreement (median = 5) on the ease of navigating the online platform, and instructor encouraging interest in pharmacy issues. Students agreed (median = 4) that the course facilitated critical thinking, the BL approach was effective, and the time spent was worthwhile. The most instructive topics included medication errors, antibiotic resistance, and medicines in children and the elderly. BL in pharmacy seminars is a valuable approach to engage students learning about pharmacy and public health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of an iDevice application on student learning in an occupational therapy kinesiology course.

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Jason K; Kearney, Pamalyn

2017-01-01

As technology continues to evolve, and information is increasingly accessed through smartphones and tablets, it is essential for university faculty to reassess teaching methodologies. This study explored how use of an iDevice application (app) by participants enrolled in an entry-level occupational therapy kinesiology course affected student learning in the course. This iDevice app was developed through a collaboration between the lead author and the Department of Technology Enhanced Learning and Innovation at Augusta University. The iDevice app was released to the public via the Apple ® App Store at the midpoint of the kinesiology course. All students were invited to use the app. Focus groups were conducted with 19 students recruited from the first year cohort of occupational therapy graduate students. These focus groups were conducted at the end of the semester once grades had been submitted. Thematic analysis of focus group transcripts revealed three themes reflecting how participants perceived app use impacting their learning. Participants report the app facilitated learning through provision of visual content, serving as a reliable source of information, and generally supporting the learning process. The Kinesiology Pro Consult App provided on demand learning, allowing students to be more autonomous with their learning and take advantage of opportunities to learn anywhere and anytime. Finally, participants reported the app allowed them to be more efficient in their learning, possibly allowing more time for other courses. Mobile device apps that support student learning in specific content areas may provide positive benefits to student learning both in the specific course related to the app but also in other courses as a result of increased efficiency in learning.

Changes in Student Perceptions and Study Strategies Over Time in a Veterinary Clinical Pathology Course Using Case-Based Instruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Nicole J; Wagg, Catherine R; Warren, Amy L

2018-06-13

Veterinary students are challenged to develop new, nonlinear ways of thinking as they learn diagnostic reasoning skills. To support this process, we use real-life cases in our clinical pathology course. Changes in student perceptions regarding the use of cases and changes in study strategies over time have not been previously investigated or compared to student grades. Students participated in three voluntary online surveys that included 4-point Likert scale questions and open-ended questions on the helpfulness of cases for learning and study strategies used during the course. We used Friedman tests to detect any differences in perceptions over time; McNemar's test and "Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to detect any differences in study strategies over time. Fisher's exact tests'were used to examine the association between the Likert scale responses and grades in quartiles. Before beginning the course, 29% of students responded that cases were very helpful to their learning, with similar "responses for helpfulness in applying course material and grasping important concepts. There was a significant trend of increasing positivity over the duration of the course, with 74% responding that cases were very helpful at the end of the course. The most-reported study strategy was working individually on cases before the midterm (74% of students), and the most helpful study strategy was attending class regularly (88% reported it as very "helpful). Study strategies did not change significantly over time. Overall, perceptions and study strategies did not vary significantly with grades.

Places available - Technical management courses (up to end July)

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

Please find below the courses in the field of technical management scheduled up to the end of July and which have places available.       For more details about a course and to register, please go to the Training Catalogue. If you need a course that is not in the catalogue, please contact your supervisor, your Departmental Training Officer or the HR-LD group at Communication.Training@cern.ch.  

Evaluating Student Perceptions of Course Delivery Platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Bramorski, Tom; Madan, Manu S.

2016-01-01

In this paper we evaluate effectiveness of course delivery mode on three dimensions: values, networking opportunities and learning. While students and their future employers are two important customers for the business program, we focus on the perception of students regarding the effectiveness of course delivery mode on program performance. The…

Student Perceived and Determined Knowledge of Biology Concepts in an Upper-Level Biology Course

OpenAIRE

Ziegler, Brittany; Montplaisir, Lisa

2014-01-01

Students who lack metacognitive skills can struggle with the learning process. To be effective learners, students should recognize what they know and what they do not know. This study examines the relationship between students’ perception of their knowledge and determined knowledge in an upper-level biology course utilizing a pre/posttest approach. Significant differences in students’ perception of their knowledge and their determined knowledge exist at the beginning (pretest) and end (postte...

Student views regarding online freshmen physics courses

Science.gov (United States)

Ramlo, Susan

2017-10-01

Background: Nationally, many public universities have started to move into the online course and program market that was previously associated with for-profit institutions of higher education. Public university administrators state that students seek the flexibility of online courses. But do students want to take courses online, especially freshmen-level science courses perceived to be difficult?

Authentic Learning Enviroment in Analytical Chemistry Using Cooperative Methods and Open-Ended Laboratories in Large Lecture Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, John C.

1996-09-01

It is recognized that a need exists to move from the passive learning styles that have characterized chemistry courses to an active style in which students participate and assume responsibility for their learning (1 - 5). In addition, it is argued that course reform should be linked to authentic student achievement, so that students can actively experience the feelings of practicing professionals (6). Course experiments where such changes have been introduced have proven successful but the number of examples of such changes is limited in the higher level courses or courses with large enrollments (7 - 11). In this paper, a one-semester introductory analytical chemistry course is described that accomplishes this goal by the use of open-ended laboratories, cooperative learning, and spreadsheet programs. The course uses many of the ideas described by Walters (7). It is offered at the upperclass level to nonmajors and at the freshman level to students with solid chemistry backgrounds from high school. Typically there are 90 students, who are divided into 5 sections. A teaching assistant is assigned to each section. The course has two 4-hour laboratories and two or three lectures each week (depending on whether it is the upperclass or freshman course). The heart of the course changes is the use of open-ended laboratory experiments in the last half of the course. A sample group project is to have the students develop a mixture of acid-base indicators that can serve as a spectroscopic pH meter. These projects are enhanced by dividing the students into teams of four who take charge of all aspects of accomplishing the projects' goals. Since there are many skills required to make these projects work, the first half of the course is spent developing the individual conceptual, computational, laboratory, problem solving, and group skills so students are prepared for the last half. These changes have markedly improved the student attitudes towards each other and towards learning

Scaling Up: Adapting a Phage-Hunting Course to Increase Participation of First-Year Students in Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Staub, Nancy L; Poxleitner, Marianne; Braley, Amanda; Smith-Flores, Helen; Pribbenow, Christine M; Jaworski, Leslie; Lopatto, David; Anders, Kirk R

2016-01-01

Authentic research experiences are valuable components of effective undergraduate education. Research experiences during the first years of college are especially critical to increase persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. The Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) model provides a high-impact research experience to first-year students but is usually available to a limited number of students, and its implementation is costly in faculty time and laboratory space. To offer a research experience to all students taking introductory biology at Gonzaga University (n = 350/yr), we modified the traditional two-semester SEA-PHAGES course by streamlining the first-semester Phage Discovery lab and integrating the second SEA-PHAGES semester into other courses in the biology curriculum. Because most students in the introductory course are not biology majors, the Phage Discovery semester may be their only encounter with research. To discover whether students benefit from the first semester alone, we assessed the effects of the one-semester Phage Discovery course on students' understanding of course content. Specifically, students showed improvement in knowledge of bacteriophages, lab math skills, and understanding experimental design and interpretation. They also reported learning gains and benefits comparable with other course-based research experiences. Responses to open-ended questions suggest that students experienced this course as a true undergraduate research experience. © 2016 N. L. Staub et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Automated Guidance for Thermodynamics Essays: Critiquing versus Revisiting

Science.gov (United States)

Donnelly, Dermot F.; Vitale, Jonathan M.; Linn, Marcia C.

2015-01-01

Middle school students struggle to explain thermodynamics concepts. In this study, to help students succeed, we use a natural language processing program to analyze their essays explaining the aspects of thermodynamics and provide guidance based on the automated score. The 346 sixth-grade students were assigned to either the critique condition…

Student Perceptions of a Course Taught in Second Life

Science.gov (United States)

Cheal, Catheryn

2009-01-01

Catheryn Cheal describes student reactions to a course she and Vagner Whitehead taught in Second Life. The course required students to research a topic about virtual worlds, write a paper, and illustrate their findings by building an environment in Second Life. Negative student responses to the course coupled with the observation that students…

How do student evaluations of courses and of instructors relate?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sliusarenko, Tamara; Clemmensen, Line Katrine Harder; Ersbøll, Bjarne Kjær

2014-01-01

Course evaluations are widely used by educational institutions to assess the quality of teaching. At the course evaluations, students are usually asked to rate different aspects of the course and of the teaching. We propose to apply canonical correlation analysis (CCA) in order to investigate...... the degree of association between how students evaluate the course and how students evaluate the teacher. Additionally it is possible to reveal the structure of this association. Student evaluations data is characterized by high correlations between the variables within each set of variables, therefore two...

Relation between contemplative exercises and an enriched psychology students' experience in a neuroscience course

Science.gov (United States)

Levit Binnun, Nava; Tarrasch, Ricardo

2014-01-01

This article examines the relation of contemplative exercises with enhancement of students' experience during neuroscience studies. Short contemplative exercises inspired by the Buddhist tradition of self-inquiry were introduced in an undergraduate neuroscience course for psychology students. At the start of the class, all students were asked to participate in short “personal brain investigations” relevant to the topic presented. These investigations were aimed at bringing stable awareness to a specific perceptual, emotional, attentional, or cognitive process and observing it in a non-judgmental, non-personal way. In addition, students could choose to participate, for bonus credit, in a longer exercise designed to expand upon the weekly class activity. In the exercise, students continued their “personal brain investigations” for 10 min a day, 4 days a week. They wrote “lab reports” on their daily observations, obtained feedback from the teacher, and at the end of the year reviewed their reports and reflected upon their experiences during the semester. Out of 265 students, 102 students completed the bonus track and their final reflections were analyzed using qualitative methodology. In addition, 91 of the students answered a survey at the end of the course, 43 students participated in a quiz 1 year after course graduation, and the final grades of all students were collected and analyzed. Overall, students reported satisfaction from the exercises and felt they contributed to their learning experience. In the 1-year follow-up, the bonus-track students were significantly more likely than their peers to remember class material. The qualitative analysis of bonus-track students' reports revealed that the bonus-track process elicited positive feelings, helped students connect with class material and provided them with personal insights. In addition, students acquired contemplative skills, such as increased awareness and attention, non-judgmental attitudes, and

Student Perceived and Determined Knowledge of Biology Concepts in an Upper-Level Biology Course

Science.gov (United States)

Montplaisir, Lisa

2014-01-01

Students who lack metacognitive skills can struggle with the learning process. To be effective learners, students should recognize what they know and what they do not know. This study examines the relationship between students’ perception of their knowledge and determined knowledge in an upper-level biology course utilizing a pre/posttest approach. Significant differences in students’ perception of their knowledge and their determined knowledge exist at the beginning (pretest) and end (posttest) of the course. Alignment between student perception and determined knowledge was significantly more accurate on the posttest compared with the pretest. Students whose determined knowledge was in the upper quartile had significantly better alignment between their perception and determined knowledge on the pre- and posttest than students in the lower quartile. No difference exists between how students perceived their knowledge between upper- and lower-quartile students. There was a significant difference in alignment of perception and determined knowledge between males and females on the posttest, with females being more accurate in their perception of knowledge. This study provides evidence of discrepancies that exist between what students perceive they know and what they actually know. PMID:26086662

Places available - Technical management courses (up to the end of 2015)

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

Please find below the courses in the field of technical management scheduled up to the end of 2015 and which have places available.       For more details about a course and to register, please go to the Training Catalogue. If you need a course that is not in the catalogue, please contact your supervisor, your Departmental Training Officer or the HR-LD group at Communication.Training@cern.ch.

Places available - Technical management courses (up to the end of July)

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

Please find below the courses in the field of technical management scheduled up to the end of July and which have places available.       For more details about a course and to register, please go to the Training Catalogue. If you need a course that is not in the catalogue, please contact your supervisor, your Departmental Training Officer or the HR-LD group at Communication.Training@cern.ch.

Places available - Technical management courses (up to the end of 2015)

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

Please find below the courses in the field of technical management scheduled up to the end of 2015 and which have places available.     For more details about a course and to register, please go to the Training Catalogue. If you need a course that is not in the catalogue, please contact your supervisor, your Departmental Training Officer or the HR-LD group at Communication.Training@cern.ch.

Designing Courses that Encourage Post-College Scientific Literacy in General Education Students

Science.gov (United States)

Horodyskyj, L.

2010-12-01

In a time when domestic and foreign policy is becoming increasingly dependent on a robust understanding of scientific concepts (especially in regards to climate science), it is of vital importance that non-specialist students taking geoscience courses gain an understanding not only of Earth system processes, but also of how to discern scientific information from "spin". An experimental introductory level environmental geology course was developed at the Glendale Community College in Glendale, Arizona, in the fall of 2010 that sought to integrate collaborative learning, online resources, and science in the media. The goal of this course was for students to end the semester with not just an understanding of basic Earth systems concepts, but also with a set of tools for evaluating information presented by the media. This was accomplished by integrating several online sites that interface scientific data with popular web tools (ie, Google Maps) and collaborative exercises that required students to generate ideas based on their observations followed by evaluation and refinement of these ideas through interactions with peers and the instructor. The capstone activity included a series of homework assignments that required students to make note of science-related news stories in the media early in the semester, and then gradually begin critically evaluating these news sources, which will become their primary source of post-college geoscience information. This combination of activities will benefit students long after the semester has ended by giving them access to primary sources of scientific information, encouraging them to discuss and evaluate their ideas with their peers, and, most importantly, to critically evaluate the information they receive from the media and their peers so that they can become more scientifically literate citizens.

A Unique Civil Engineering Capstone Design Course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G Padmanabhan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The North Dakota State University, USA, capstone course was developed as a unique model in response to the effort of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, USA, to streamline and improve design instruction in the curriculum and has steadily evolved to keep pace with the ever-changing technology and the expectations of the profession and the society we serve. A capstone design course by definition should be a design experience for students in the final year before graduation integrating all major design concepts they have learned up until then in the program. Carefully chosen real world projects with design content in all sub-disciplines of civil engineering are assigned in this team-taught course. Faculty and practicing professionals make presentations on design process; project management; leadership in an engineering environment; and public policy; global perspectives in engineering; and professional career and licensure. Practicing professionals also critique the final student presentations. Students work in teams with number of faculty serving as technical consultants, and a faculty mentor for each team to provide non-technical guidance and direction. The course requires students to demonstrate mastery of the curriculum and to work with others in a team environment. Course assessment includes evaluation of the final design, presentations, written technical reports, project design schedule, a project design journal, and reaction papers.

A Leadership Elective Course Developed and Taught by Graduate Students

Science.gov (United States)

Garza, Oscar W.; Witry, Matthew J.; Chang, Elizabeth H.; Letendre, Donald E.; Trewet, CoraLynn B.

2013-01-01

Objective. To develop and implement a flexible-credit elective course to empower student pharmacists to develop lifelong leadership skills and provide teaching practice opportunities for graduate students. Design. An elective course focusing on leadership development for second- and third-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students was designed and taught by 4 graduate students under the mentorship of 2 faculty members. Student pharmacists could enroll in a 1-, 2-, or 3-credit-hour version of the course. Assessment. Attainment of course objectives was measured using student pharmacist reflection papers and continuing professional development portfolios. Additionally, self-assessments of graduate students and faculty members delivering the course were conducted. In their responses on course evaluations, student pharmacists indicated they found the course a valuable learning experience. Graduate students found course development to be challenging but useful in developing faculty skills. Conclusion. This flexible-credit elective course taught by graduate students was an innovative way to offer formal leadership instruction using limited college resources. PMID:24371347

Retention of community college students in online courses

Science.gov (United States)

Krajewski, Sarah

The issue of attrition in online courses at higher learning institutions remains a high priority in the United States. A recent rapid growth of online courses at community colleges has been instigated by student demand, as they meet the time constraints many nontraditional community college students have as a result of the need to work and care for dependents. Failure in an online course can cause students to become frustrated with the college experience, financially burdened, or to even give up and leave college. Attrition could be avoided by proper guidance of who is best suited for online courses. This study examined factors related to retention (i.e., course completion) and success (i.e., receiving a C or better) in an online biology course at a community college in the Midwest by operationalizing student characteristics (age, race, gender), student skills (whether or not the student met the criteria to be placed in an AFP course), and external factors (Pell recipient, full/part time status, first term) from the persistence model developed by Rovai. Internal factors from this model were not included in this study. Both univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the variables. Results suggest that race and Pell recipient were both predictive of course completion on univariate analyses. However, multivariate analyses showed that age, race, academic load and first term were predictive of completion and Pell recipient was no longer predictive. The univariate results for the C or better showed that age, race, Pell recipient, academic load, and meeting AFP criteria were predictive of success. Multivariate analyses showed that only age, race, and Pell recipient were significant predictors of success. Both regression models explained very little (<15%) of the variability within the outcome variables of retention and success. Therefore, although significant predictors were identified for course completion and retention, there are still

Finding actionable data to support student success in introductory science courses

Science.gov (United States)

Horodyskyj, L.; Mead, C.; Anbar, A. D.

2017-12-01

Effective education demands an understanding of students' prior knowledge, prior experiences, and predispositions. Knowledge surveys are one way to match instruction to students' needs, but measure only one way in which students' needs vary. Computer learning systems can give instructors detailed, real-time information about cognitive biases or effort in key lessons. We show how the design of the online course Habitable Worlds facilitates the collection and use of these kinds of student data. Early effort in a course is thought to predict success, but our results show that more effort is not always a positive indicator. Unit 1, the introduction, is scored on completion, but requires a correct answer to each question to progress. An ANOVA found that a student who earns anything less than full points for Unit 1 will have a course grade 1.3 letter grades lower than a student who earns full points (F(1, 1272) = 136.4, p < .001). A second analysis included only students who earned a C or better and full Unit 1 points, to deemphasize very low performers. On 180 separate "screens" in Unit 1, the median screen attempts was 249. An ANOVA shows that students taking more attempts than the median earn lower course grades by 0.25 letter grades (F(1, 919) = 35.8, p < .001). These results show the value in tracking completion (too little effort) as well as difficulty or challenge (unexpectedly high effort). We are working to create interventions to aid students on both ends of this spectrum in future offerings. In addition to measures of objective course performance, we can also examine more subtle student characteristics. In Unit 1, students are asked to describe an image of a cloud that resembles an angel. Some provide an observation (cloud), while others make an interpretation (angel). Even this seemingly trivial question shows significant predictive value in two subsequent exercises that ask students to classify statements as observations or interpretations (F(1, 292) = 30

Traditional Versus Online Biology Courses: Connecting Course Design and Student Learning in an Online Setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Biel, Rachel; Brame, Cynthia J

2016-12-01

Online courses are a large and growing part of the undergraduate education landscape, but many biology instructors are skeptical about the effectiveness of online instruction. We reviewed studies comparing the effectiveness of online and face-to-face (F2F) undergraduate biology courses. Five studies compared student performance in multiple course sections at community colleges, while eight were smaller scale and compared student performance in particular biology courses at a variety of types of institutions. Of the larger-scale studies, two found that students in F2F sections outperformed students in online sections, and three found no significant difference; it should be noted, however, that these studies reported little information about course design. Of the eight smaller scale studies, six found no significant difference in student performance between the F2F and online sections, while two found that the online sections outperformed the F2F sections. In alignment with general findings about online teaching and learning, these results suggest that well-designed online biology courses can be effective at promoting student learning. Three recommendations for effective online instruction in biology are given: the inclusion of an online orientation to acclimate students to the online classroom; student-instructor and student-student interactions facilitated through synchronous and asynchronous communication; and elements that prompt student reflection and self-assessment. We conclude that well-designed online biology courses can be as effective as their traditional counterparts, but that more research is needed to elucidate specific course elements and structures that can maximize online students' learning of key biology skills and concepts.

Excellence, Equity, and Access: Educators' Perceptions of Students in Open Access Advanced Placement Courses

Science.gov (United States)

King, Justyna Plichta

2010-01-01

This dissertation examines educators' perceptions regarding open access Advanced Placement (AP) program courses and their impact on non-traditional AP students in one suburban school district. The data were collected during the 2009-2010 school year through a 15-item Likert scale (and one open-ended item) survey which was disseminated during…

Attitude of Pharmacy Students Towards a Nutrition Course

Science.gov (United States)

Syed Abdul, Majid Mufaqam

Today's pharmacists are likely to encounter questions about nutritional products sold in the pharmacy. This is due, in part, to the increased number of pharmacies attached to grocery stores and the availability of pharmacists. Many pharmacists report they lack nutritional knowledge and believe the best time to educate pharmacists about nutrition is during pharmacy school. This study was conducted to determine if today's pharmacy students receive education in nutrition and if they realize the importance of nutrition education. Two hundred and twenty five students from India and ninety five students from the United States currently attending pharmacy school were surveyed. Results showed only 3.5% of students from India and 13.6% of students from the United States received nutrition education during their pharmacy degree curriculum. In addition, 81.8% of students from India and 82.9% of students from the United States who had taken a course in nutrition believed a nutrition course should be incorporated into the pharmacy degree curriculum. When pharmacy-related experience was taken into account, 92.9% of students from India and 73.3% of students from the United States also believed a nutrition course should be incorporated into the pharmacy degree curriculum. Overall, 88% of students from India and 70.5% of students from the United States believed nutrition education was important and should be included in the pharmacy degree curriculum. Results of this study suggest the majority of today's pharmacy students believe a nutrition course should be incorporated into the pharmacy degree curriculum regardless of past nutrition education or pharmacy-related experience.

Undergraduate Students' Resistance to Study Skills Course

Science.gov (United States)

Yuksel, Sedat

2006-01-01

Research indicate that students generally fail to benefit from study skills courses and show resistance to this course in higher education level. The purpose of this research is to investigate reasons why students show resistance to the course of study skills and habits. In this research, a qualitative design utilizing retrospective interviews was…

Traditional Versus Online Biology Courses: Connecting Course Design and Student Learning in an Online Setting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel Biel

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Online courses are a large and growing part of the undergraduate education landscape, but many biology instructors are skeptical about the effectiveness of online instruction. We reviewed studies comparing the effectiveness of online and face-to-face (F2F undergraduate biology courses. Five studies compared student performance in multiple course sections at community colleges, while eight were smaller scale and compared student performance in particular biology courses at a variety of types of institutions. Of the larger-scale studies, two found that students in F2F sections outperformed students in online sections, and three found no significant difference; it should be noted, however, that these studies reported little information about course design. Of the eight smaller scale studies, six found no significant difference in student performance between the F2F and online sections, while two found that the online sections outperformed the F2F sections. In alignment with general findings about online teaching and learning, these results suggest that well-designed online biology courses can be effective at promoting student learning. Three recommendations for effective online instruction in biology are given: the inclusion of an online orientation to acclimate students to the online classroom; student-instructor and student-student interactions facilitated through synchronous and asynchronous communication; and elements that prompt student reflection and self-assessment. We conclude that well-designed online biology courses can be as effective as their traditional counterparts, but that more research is needed to elucidate specific course elements and structures that can maximize online students’ learning of key biology skills and concepts.

Project-Based Learning Courses: The Relationship Between Faculty-Intended Course Implementation and Students' Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Simonovich, Jennifer A.; Towers, Emily; Zastavker, Yevgeniya V.

2012-02-01

Project-based learning (PjBL) has been shown to improve students' performance and satisfaction with their coursework, particularly in science and engineering courses. Specific aspects of PjBL that contribute to this improvement are student autonomy, course scaffolding, and instructor support. This study investigates two PjBL courses required for engineering majors at a small technical school, Introductory Mechanics Laboratory and Introductory Engineering Design. The three data sources used in this work are classroom observations (one laboratory and four design sessions) and semi-structured in-depth interviews with twelve students and six faculty. Grounded theory approach is used in a two-step fashion by (1) analyzing each data set individually and (2) performing full triangulation of all three data sets. In this talk, we demonstrate the relationship between faculty intentions and student perceptions regarding the three PjBL aspects -- student autonomy, course scaffolding, and instructor support -- within the context of these two courses. We further discuss implications for the course design and professional development of faculty.

Designing appropriate blended courses: a students' perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Chia-Wen

2010-10-01

The computing education in Taiwan's vocational schools usually focuses on how to help students enhance their professional skills and pass certified examinations. In addition, due to national education policy and universities' regulations, pure online courses are not permitted in Taiwan. In order to design appropriate blended learning (BL) courses, the author explored the effects of web-mediated self-regulated learning (SRL) with variations in online class frequency on enhancing students' computing skills and their perspective of the blended courses. A total of 172 students, divided into four groups, participated in the experiment. The results showed that students in the SRL and BL group with five online classes had the highest scores for using a database management system (DBMS), and the highest pass rate on certified examinations. Students in this group also expressed their positive perspective on the arrangement of their blended course with the intervention of web-mediated SRL.

Comparison of Online Versus Classroom Delivery of an Immunization Elective Course

Science.gov (United States)

Pitterle, Michael E.; Hayney, Mary S.

2014-01-01

Objective. To compare performance and preferences of students who were randomly allocated to classroom or online sections of an elective course on immunization. Methods. Students were randomly assigned to either the classroom or online section. All course activities (lectures, quizzes, case discussions, vaccine administration, and final examination) were the same for both sections, except for the delivery of lecture material. Assessment. Students were surveyed on their preferences at the beginning and end of the semester. At the end of the semester, the majority of students in the classroom group preferred classroom or blended delivery while the majority of students in the online group preferred blended or online delivery (pcompared at the end of the semester. There was no significant difference for any of the grades in the course between the 2 sections. Conclusion. There was no difference in student performance between the classroom and online sections, suggesting that online delivery is an effective way to teach students about immunization. PMID:24954936

46 CFR 166.10 - Course of study for engineering students.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Course of study for engineering students. 166.10 Section... AND APPROVAL OF NAUTICAL SCHOOL SHIPS § 166.10 Course of study for engineering students. The course of study for engineering students shall include (a) all the instruction necessary to fully equip the...

How learning analytics can early predict under-achieving students in a blended medical education course.

Science.gov (United States)

Saqr, Mohammed; Fors, Uno; Tedre, Matti

2017-07-01

Learning analytics (LA) is an emerging discipline that aims at analyzing students' online data in order to improve the learning process and optimize learning environments. It has yet un-explored potential in the field of medical education, which can be particularly helpful in the early prediction and identification of under-achieving students. The aim of this study was to identify quantitative markers collected from students' online activities that may correlate with students' final performance and to investigate the possibility of predicting the potential risk of a student failing or dropping out of a course. This study included 133 students enrolled in a blended medical course where they were free to use the learning management system at their will. We extracted their online activity data using database queries and Moodle plugins. Data included logins, views, forums, time, formative assessment, and communications at different points of time. Five engagement indicators were also calculated which would reflect self-regulation and engagement. Students who scored below 5% over the passing mark were considered to be potentially at risk of under-achieving. At the end of the course, we were able to predict the final grade with 63.5% accuracy, and identify 53.9% of at-risk students. Using a binary logistic model improved prediction to 80.8%. Using data recorded until the mid-course, prediction accuracy was 42.3%. The most important predictors were factors reflecting engagement of the students and the consistency of using the online resources. The analysis of students' online activities in a blended medical education course by means of LA techniques can help early predict underachieving students, and can be used as an early warning sign for timely intervention.

Engaging Students through Blogs: Using Blogs to Boost a Course Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zuhrieh A Shana

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Globalization is irreversible and the Internet is increasingly used to connect people and share information worldwide. The proliferation of digital information allows us to make choices about how we gather information and use technology to enhance learning. This is especially true in an academic environment, where the Internet is often used as a tool to facilitate deeper learning. The focus of this study is to investigate whether and how to use blogs to boost student learning in a traditional learning environment where lecture based (didactic instructional practices still prevailing. This paper will also look at Al-Ain University of Science and Technology (AAU student perceptions of the benefits of blogs for enhancing college learning. To explore these issues, Blogging was introduced to students in the Internet Technology class. A combination of one hundred and ninety-nine graduate and undergraduate AAU students answered an online questionnaire exploring their perceptions of blogs as a learning tool. Quantitative and qualitative data was also collected through open-ended questionnaires, student journals and reports, and end-of-class e-portfolios. All statistical analyses were carried out with SPSS. Results indicate that blogs have the potential to empower and enhance student learning. Student response to using blogs in the course has been overwhelmingly positive.

Evaluating dissection in the gross anatomy course: Correlation between quality of laboratory dissection and students outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Nwachukwu, Chika; Lachman, Nirusha; Pawlina, Wojciech

2015-01-01

Anatomy learned by active exploration through dissection has many proven benefits including improvement of anatomic knowledge. Decreased laboratory time may affect the quality of dissection and ultimately lower student performance in anatomy translating to lower knowledge acquisition. The aim of this study was to determine whether the quality of students' dissection in teams correlates with their performance in the gross anatomy course. Quality of dissections for each team enrolled in a gross anatomy course at Mayo Medical School was evaluated biweekly using a five-point rubric based on course learning objectives. Assessment of anatomic knowledge was based on sequential laboratory practice practical examination scores, achievements on daily audience response system (ARS) quizzes, and final practical, written, and National Board of Medical Examiners(®) (NBME(®) ) Gross Anatomy and Embryology Subject Examinations. Twelve teams comprising 48 students were included in the study. There was a positive correlation between dissection quality and practice practical examination score (R = 0.83) and a negative correlation between dissection quality and ARS quizzes (R = -0.985). Dissection teams with a passing score on their dissection evaluations (>70%) performed better on their final examinations. Based on an end of course survey, students agreed that dissection evaluations should continue to be a part of the course. This study showed that better quality of dissection was associated with higher scores on practice practical examinations, final practical, written, and NBME examinations. The study demonstrated a positive correlation between dissection evaluations, accompanied by formative feedback during the course, and higher scores on final course assessments. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.

Graduate Students' Expectations of an Introductory Research Methods Course

Science.gov (United States)

Earley, Mark A.

2013-01-01

While there is a scattered literature base on teaching research methods courses, there is very little literature that speaks to what and how students learn in research methods courses. Students are often described as coming to the course not seeing its relevance, bringing negative attitudes and low motivation with them. The purpose of this…

Ethics as Critique: Foucault’s Contribution to Research Ethics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Gerd

The aim of my talk is to discuss how we can consider Michel Foucault’s concept of ethos and his endeavor for endless critique as an important contribution to research ethics in educational research. First, I intend to outline Foucault’s concept of ethos and its link to his concept of critique....... Second, I intend to demonstrate how it can fruitfully be applied to the established research ethics within qualitative research. This will occur through examples culled from a qualitative research project on the application of project studies (PBL) as a method at two Danish universities. The findings...... students. This had a significant impact on the possibilities and educational success of the students: while some students were marginalized or even excluded from the groups (and maybe even from the university) others were subjectivated as successful students. Thus, the findings points at ethics in general...

Student learning styles in anatomy and physiology courses: Meeting the needs of nursing students.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, A N B; Hamill, J; Barton, M J; Baldwin, S; Percival, J; Williams-Pritchard, G; Salvage-Jones, J; Todorovic, M

2015-11-01

Anatomy and Physiology is a core course in pre-registration nursing programs, yet many students have difficulty successfully negotiating the large volume of content and the complex concepts in these bioscience courses. Typically students perform poorly in these 'threshold' courses', despite multiple interventions to support student engagement. Investigation of the shortcomings in these courses, based on feedback from students indicated several key areas of difficulty in the course, especially focused around a relative lack of hands-on 'concrete' activities in laboratories and tutorials. To attempt to address this, academic and technical staff developed activities for students that promoted discussion and allowed students to interact easily and repetitively with content. Interactive tables and posters that needed to be labelled or 'filled-in' using pre-prepared Velcro dots, as well as pre-prepared flash cards to promote group work, were some examples of the activities used to enhance student experiences and promote hands-on learning. Over the academic year of 2013 these activities were introduced into the laboratory and tutorial classes for first year Bachelor of Nursing anatomy and physiology students. Staff and student participants positively rated implementation of these new activities on surveys, as they allowed them to explore the difficult aspects of anatomy and physiology, utilising various learning styles that may have been neglected in the past. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bringing Student Research into the Classroom: An Example from a Course on Radar Interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, D. A.

2011-12-01

Student learning is enhanced through the hands-on experience of working with real data. I present an example where a course is designed around student research projects where the students process and interpret a data set. In this particular case, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data is the chosen data product. The students learn several skills that are critical to being a good scientist, including how to formulate a project and motivate the objectives. The skills that are taught in the course represent transferable skills. For example, many of the students are exposed to the Unix environment for the first time. Students also learn how best to convey their findings in both written and oral formats. For many undergraduates, this course represents their first research experience where they are working with real data (and all the uncertainties and complexities therein), and the first time they are attempting to answer an open-ended research question. The course format is divided into two parts: (1) a series of lectures and homework assignments that teach the theoretical and technical aspects of radar interferometry, and (2) a series of lab periods where students develop the practical skills of working with the data in a Unix computing environment. Over the term, each student develops an independent research project where they identify a geologic process of interest (such as fault creep, land subsidence, volcanic inflation) and process SAR data over their chosen research target. Since the outcome of each student project is unknown prior to doing the work, the student experiences the thrill of discovery that comes with scientific research. The computational resources and course development was funded by the NSF Career Program, and SAR data was provided through the WInSAR Consortium. Student course reports are published online so that their findings can be shared with the broader community. This was done using a wiki, a server-side software that allows for the

A learning skills course for the 1st year medical students: an experience at a Saudi medical school

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siddiqui IA

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Imran A Siddiqui,1 Khalid A Bin Abdulrahman,2 Mohammed A Alsultan3 1Department of Medical Education and Postgraduate Studies, Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2College of Medicine, Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Background: Every year nearly 1,500 students enter into medical program after passing high school and national aptitude exams. However, many students experience frustration, failure, and psychological morbidities like stress, depression, and anxiety because they are not aware of their learning styles or do not have effective learning skills and strategies. The College of Medicine of Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University has adopted the outcome based, community oriented, Spiral Curriculum. Although the curriculum is innovative, on the other hand, it is very demanding. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to share educational structure and evaluation results of the course on effective learning and study skills for the 1st year medical students. Methods: To prepare our students in order to cope with this demanding but promising curriculum, we conducted an effective and comprehensive learning skills course for 16 weeks in the first semester of year 1 in the medical program. Performance of each student was assessed and the course evaluation was done by students at the end of the course. Results: The attendance of the students throughout the course was over 90%. The average performance of students in the summative assessment was 78% and the course was generally liked by the students. Discussion: Students overall had a positive attitude toward the learning skills course. Majority of the students showed interest in attending the sessions regularly and realized the significance of this course to improve their learning skills. Keywords: medical students, learning

Accommodating student learning styles and preferences in an online occupational therapy course.

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Doyle, Nancy Wolcott; Jacobs, Karen

2013-01-01

Occupational therapy's online education must be research-based and inclusive. One way to provide a more inclusive online learning experience is to attend to individual learning styles and preferences. This study uses the best available evidence on learning styles and online education to develop, implement, and study occupational therapy students' experiences with an online learning module and related assignment. Eight students consented to take an online survey after completing a learning module and related assignment in an online post-professional graduate course in occupational therapy. The survey explored their learning experience and its applicability to clinical work. Data gathered from multiple-choice, Likert-scale, and open-ended questions were descriptively analyzed. Results from this study suggest that students find the study of learning styles and preferences enjoyable and applicable to their clinical work, but are often motivated by factors such as time and technology when selecting the format of a course assignment.

THE CONCEPTION OF NURSING WORK BY STUDENTES AND TEACHERS FROM A TECHNICAL COURSE

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Amailson Sandro Barros

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article aims at presenting the conception of work envisioned by students and teachers from a technical course on nursing. For that end, we interviewed 12 students and 03 teachers from the course. The data was collected through structured interviews. The data obtained pointed to a concept of work relied on pleasure and satisfaction for caring, as well as source of remuneration, which is related to the ideological background perpetuated that associates nursing to dedication, obedience and material detachment. The speech of the participants disregards the shock between capital and labor and the social construction and historical exploitation of the workforce, keeping strongly the dogma of charity in the field of nursing. The reports pointed to the dual character of the work which comprises the abstract and concrete conceptions, leading to a division between intellectual labor versus manual work and precarization of labor in nursing and teaching.

Flipped-learning course design and evaluation through student self-assessment in a predental science class.

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Ihm, Jungjoon; Choi, Hyoseon; Roh, Sangho

2017-06-01

This study explores how to design a flipped classroom for a predental science course and evaluate its course through student self-assessment in order to provide practical implications for flipped learning in an undergraduate level. Second- and third-year predental students in the Seoul National University School of Dentistry enrolled in Biodiversity and Global Environment, a 15-week, three-credit course based on a flipped learning model. At the end of the course, the students were asked to rate their self-directed learning, attitude toward social media, discussion skills, learning readiness, and class satisfaction. Out of the 82 predental students, 61 (74.3%) answered the survey. Pearson correlation and multivariate regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship between the self-rated measurements and the performance scores. The majority of the students felt somewhat more prepared than the medium level before the class (mean score of 3.17 out of 5.00), whereas they expressed relatively low preference concerning social media use and attitude (mean score of 2.49). Thus, it was found that learning readiness was significantly associated with both discussion skills and class satisfaction. In particular, multivariate regression analysis confirmed that learning readiness had a significant influence on learning outcomes. This study offered insights into how to design a flipped learning course in terms of predental students' preference and their learning readiness. Although learning success in a flipped classroom depends on the students' self-perceived level of preparedness, much still remains to be achieved in order to apply social media benefits in a flipped learning context.

Astronomy Courses which Emphasize Communication Skills

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Dinerstein, H. L.

1998-12-01

The ability to communicate effectively, both in oral and written form, is crucial for success in almost any career path. Furthermore, being able to effectively communicate information requires a high level of conceptual mastery of the material. For these reasons, I have incorporated practice in communication into courses at a variety of levels, ranging from non-science-major undergraduate courses to graduate courses. I briefly describe the content of these courses, particularly the communication-related component. The first, Ast 309N, ``Astronomy Bizarre: Stars and Stellar Evolution," is an elective which follows one semester of general introductory astronomy for non-majors. Instead of homework problems, the students complete a sequence of writing assignments of graduated complexity, beginning with simple tasks such as writing abstracts and critiques of assigned readings, and moving on to writing term papers which require literature research and a short science fiction story incorporating accurate depictions of relativistic effects. In Ast 175/275, a ``Journal Club" course for upper-division astronomy majors, students read articles in the professional literature and give short oral presentations to the rest of the class. To build up their understanding of a topic, we work through the ``paper trail" of key papers on topics with exciting recent developments, such as extrasolar planets, gravitational lenses, or gamma-ray bursts. Finally, in a seminar course for first-semester astronomy graduate students (Ast 185C) that broadly addresses professional development issues, I include a practice AAS oral session, with the students giving 5-minute presentations on a journal paper of their choice. This seminar course also examines career paths and employment trends, the peer review process for papers and proposals, professional norms and ethics, and other topics. Syllabi for these and other courses I teach regularly can be found from my home page (http://www.as.utexas.edu/astronomy/people/dinerstein).

Places available - Technical management courses (up to the end of June 2016)

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

Please find below the courses in the field of technical management scheduled up to the end of June 2016 and which have places available.     For more details about a course and to register, please go to the Training Catalogue. If you need a course that is not in the catalogue, please contact your supervisor, your Departmental Training Officer or the HR-LD group at Communication.Training@cern.ch.

Poster Presentations: Conceptualizing, Constructing and Critiquing

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Newbrey, Michael G.; Baltezore, Joan M.

2006-01-01

Posters are commonly used as tools for disseminating information at scientific meetings, but many students lack an understanding of "good" poster characteristics. We present a set of characteristics for use in constructing posters for scientific meetings and classroom presentations along with tips on critiquing posters to enhance their…

Impact of sexual health course on Malaysian university students.

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Low, W Y

2004-10-01

A sexual health course was offered and taught by academic staff from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya during semester II of every year as a university elective course to other university students apart from medical students. The course covered a wide range of topics: adolescent sexuality, family planning and pregnancy, violence against women, alternative sexual behavior, physiology of sex, sex and the disabled, gender bias in sexuality, relationship and marriage, sexual dysfunctions, clarification of sexual attitudes and STDs and AIDS. The Sexual Knowledge and Attitude Test (SKAT-II) was used to measure students' pre- and post-course scores on sexual knowledge and attitudes. Fifty-four students who completed both the pre- and post-course tests showed a significant change in sexual knowledge and their attitudes towards sexual myths and autoeroticism. Sexual knowledge was also positively correlated with age, heterosexual relations, autoeroticism and sexual myths scores. However, sexual knowledge is negatively related to religiosity and the influence of religious beliefs on one's attitudes towards sexual matters. This study showed that the sexual health course offered does have a positive impact in increasing one's knowledge and changing one's attitudes towards sexual issues.

University students' perspectives on a psychology of death and dying course: exploring motivation to enroll, goals, and impact.

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Buckle, Jennifer L

2013-10-01

This study provides an in-depth investigation of the motivations, goals, and impact on 23 university students enrolled in a Psychology of Death and Dying course. Through a grounded theory analysis of precourse perspective and postcourse reflection assignments, several key themes emerged. Participants were motivated to enroll in the course by their self-identified lack of knowledge on the topic and its professional and personal relevance. They identified three main course goals: cognitive comfort, preparation to support others, and personal growth. At the end of the course, participants noted heightened awareness of personal mortality and increased comfort with death-related topics, as well as reduced fear, surprise at the depth of the thanatology field, and enriched context for their experiences with death and dying. The implications of the results for death educators, researchers, and students are discussed.

Instructors' Support of Student Autonomy in an Introductory Physics Course

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Hall, Nicholas; Webb, David

2014-12-01

The role of autonomy in the student experience in a large-enrollment undergraduate introductory physics course was studied from a self-determination theory perspective. A correlational study investigated whether certain aspects of the student experience correlated with how autonomy supportive (versus controlling) students perceived their instructors to be. An autonomy-supportive instructor acknowledges students' perspectives and feelings and provides students with information and opportunities for choice while minimizing external pressures (e.g., incentives or deadlines). It was found that the degree to which students perceived their instructors as autonomy supportive was positively correlated with student interest and enjoyment in learning physics (β =0.31***) and negatively correlated with student anxiety about taking physics (β =-0.23**). It was also positively correlated with how autonomous (versus controlled) students' reasons for studying physics became over the duration of the course (i.e., studying physics more because they wanted to versus had to; β =0.24***). This change in autonomous reasons for studying physics was in turn positively correlated with student performance in the course (β =0.17*). Additionally, the degree to which students perceived their instructors as autonomy supportive was directly correlated with performance for those students entering the course with relatively autonomous reasons for studying physics (β =0.25**). In summary, students who perceived their instructors as more autonomy supportive tended to have a more favorable motivational, affective, and performance experience in the course. The findings of the present study are consistent with experimental studies in other contexts that argue for autonomy-supportive instructor behaviors as the cause of a more favorable student experience.

Student Perceptions of a Flipped Pharmacotherapy Course

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Khanova, Julia; McLaughlin, Jacqueline E.; Rhoney, Denise H.; Roth, Mary T.

2015-01-01

Objective. To evaluate student perception of the flipped classroom redesign of a required pharmacotherapy course. Design. Key foundational content was packaged into interactive, text-based online modules for self-paced learning prior to class. Class time was used for active and applied—but primarily case-based—learning. Assessment. For students with a strong preference for traditional lecture learning, the perception of the learning experience was negatively affected by the flipped course design. Module length and time required to complete preclass preparation were the most frequently cited impediments to learning. Students desired instructor-directed reinforcement of independently acquired knowledge to connect foundational knowledge and its application. Conclusion. This study illustrates the challenges and highlights the importance of designing courses to effectively balance time requirements and connect preclass and in-class learning activities. It underscores the crucial role of the instructor in bridging the gap between material learned as independent study and its application. PMID:26839429

A Comparison of Student Academic Motivations across Three Course Disciplines

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Maurer, Trent W.; Allen, Deborah; Gatch, Delena Bell; Shankar, Padmini; Sturges, Diana

2013-01-01

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of undergraduate students enrolled in human anatomy and physiology, physics, and nutrition courses were explored with course discipline-specific adapted versions of the Academic Motivation Scale. Information on students' study habits and efforts, and final course grades were also collected. Results revealed the…

'A little hard piece of grass in your shoe': understanding student ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In particular, I focus on moments of resistance in a critical reading course using South African literature, exploring the students' difficulties in dealing with the apartheid past. I theorise these moments of resistance in relation to Kress's challenge to the notion of 'critique' and in relation to the feminist post-structuralist theorising ...

Exploring the Dynamics of Directed Studies Courses: Student, Instructor, and Administrator Perspectives

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Glen Hvenegaard

2013-12-01

Full Text Available North American universities are encouraged to increase opportunities for undergraduate research experiences (UREs. To this end, many universities offer directed studies courses (DSCs which are 1-2 semester long courses involving one-on-one instruction, with a focus on student-led independent research. Building on the understanding of dynamics generally related to UREs, this paper seeks to compare the motivations, benefits, and barriers specifically related to DSCs from student, instructor, and administrator perspectives. Based on a set of qualitative focus group discussions at a small undergraduate liberal arts institution, we present the similarities and differences in these perspectives and recommend a set of best practices for DSCs. All three groups reported motivations for engaging in a DSC that addressed working with a particular student or instructor, assistance with graduate school preparation, and meeting program requirements. In terms of perceived benefits of DSCs, both students and instructors indicated the mentoring relationship and practical outcomes arising from DSCs. Students recognized the benefits of developing research skills, but stressed the motivation and benefit of independent learning more than was found in other studies. Instructors focused on benefits of research engagement and relationship building. The major challenges to participating in DSCs were workload and time (all groups, unprepared students and lack of guidelines (instructors and administrators, and the oral presentation requirement and lack of information about DSCs (students. Based on these results, we suggest increased clarity in DSC expectations, consistent standards of quality, and promoting research processes common to the DSC’s home discipline.

Assessment of the effects of student response systems on student learning and attitudes over a broad range of biology courses.

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Preszler, Ralph W; Dawe, Angus; Shuster, Charles B; Shuster, Michèle

2007-01-01

With the advent of wireless technology, new tools are available that are intended to enhance students' learning and attitudes. To assess the effectiveness of wireless student response systems in the biology curriculum at New Mexico State University, a combined study of student attitudes and performance was undertaken. A survey of students in six biology courses showed that strong majorities of students had favorable overall impressions of the use of student response systems and also thought that the technology improved their interest in the course, attendance, and understanding of course content. Students in lower-division courses had more strongly positive overall impressions than did students in upper-division courses. To assess the effects of the response systems on student learning, the number of in-class questions was varied within each course throughout the semester. Students' performance was compared on exam questions derived from lectures with low, medium, or high numbers of in-class questions. Increased use of the response systems in lecture had a positive influence on students' performance on exam questions across all six biology courses. Students not only have favorable opinions about the use of student response systems, increased use of these systems increases student learning.

The Effect of Student Working Group Establishment on Teaching General Embryology Course to Medical Students

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Mozafar Khazaei

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Quantitative and qualitative enhancement of educational activities is an essential issue. Learners’ cooperation in the teaching process in order to increase teaching effectiveness and promotion is considered significant. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of establishment of student working group on the teaching general embryology course to medical students.Methods: Ten students (1% of medical embryology course were selected to analyze the topics to be taught before each session according to lesson plan, and observe the whole teaching process during lesson presentation. Then, having asked the other students’ viewpoints and discussing with one another, they provided the teacher with a written report on the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching and its problems. The teacher analyzed the problems proposed by the working group to improve teaching process in the next session. At the end of the semester, a questionnaire was administered to all the participants. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: The mean of students’ scores was 74.26%. The most important findings obtained in this study included positive role of film projection in teaching the materials (95.34%, significance of presentation of various pictures from different books (88.4%, changing students’ attitude toward application of embryology in different diseases (86%, and repetition of previous session’s pictures (83.75%. The weak points mentioned, however, were physical problems of the classroom and deficiency of audio visual equipment.Conclusion: Student working group has a positive impact on the teaching medical general embryology.

Periodontic course effects on knowledge, attitude, and practice of dentistry students and its impact on mouth and dental care

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Mahmoud Shamaiee

2002-10-01

Full Text Available Background In the field of education, a great deal of quality improvement is remained to be achieved Assessment of educational courses appears to be necessary for quality improvement in all curriculums, therefore studies for assessment of educational outcomes and impacts are of high priority. In a dentistry faculty, the mouth and dental health care among dentistry students can be considered as a potential indicator of students' educational achievement. Purpose To study knowledge, attitude and practice impact on mouth and dental health care among dentistry faculty students both before and after passing practical periodontic courses in Shaheed University of Medical Sciences during academic year 2001-2002 Methods In this cross-sectional study 140 students of dentistry faculty of Shaheed University of Medical Sciences took part. Necessary data were collected by means of a questionnaire. Knowledge of the subjects on mouth and dental health care were assessed by 10 close-ended questions and their altitude on mouth and dental health care were assessed by 5 Likert scale questions. Assessment of practice was performed in a 3-step researcher-administrated interview. Results Demographic data gathered via questionnaires indicated that 49.6 % {6-1 students of the students who took part in the study were male and 50.4% (65 students were female. of our participants, 59.7% were admitted through Shahed quota, while the rest were admitted through free quota. There was no significant difference in students' knowledge, attitude and practice on mouth and dental health care between the students who had not passed practical courses in periodontics and those who had passed these courses. Conclusions There was no significant association between knowledge, altitude and practice on mouth and dental health care and passing practical courses in periodontics among dentistry faculty students in Shahed University of Medical Science. Our results suggest that students' practice

'Hypotheses, everywhere only hypotheses!': on some contexts of Dilthey's critique of explanatory psychology.

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Feest, Uljana

2007-03-01

In 1894, Wilhelm Dilthey published an article in which he formulated a critique of what he called 'explanatory psychology', contrasting it with his own conception of 'descriptive psychology'. Dilthey's descriptive psychology, in turn, was to provide the basis for Dilthey's specific philosophy of the human sciences (Geisteswissenschaften). In this paper, I contextualize Dilthey's critique of explanatory psychology. I show that while this critique comes across as very broad and sweeping, he in fact had specific opponents in mind, namely, scholars who, like him, attempted to theorize about the relationship between the individual and society, between psychology and the other human sciences. Dilthey's critique of explanatory psychology is the flipside of his critique of sociology, which he had already formulated. He challenged both because he felt that they gave the wrong kind of answer to the task of overcoming metaphysics within the human sciences. In particular, I identify the founders of Völkerpsychologie, Moritz Lazarus and Heymann Steinthal, and (more importantly) their student, Georg Simmel, as Dilthey's targets. I provide textual and historical evidence for this thesis.

The End of the Innocence: Learning to Critique Experience through the Media Analysis of Sport.

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Jackson, Steven J.

1993-01-01

Describes a college course on the sociology of sport, in which students reflect on their own experiences and practices in sport, engage in critical analysis of the taken-for-granted values and assumptions associated with sport, and do construct analysis and deconstruction of televised sport as it promotes certain interests and marginalizes others.…

Language Courses

CERN Document Server

2007-01-01

General and Professional English Courses The next session will be held from 26 February or 5 March to end of June 2007 (1/2 week's break at Easter). These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site, and to their spouses. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our Web pages: http://cern.ch/Training or contact Françoise Benz, tel. 73127. Oral Expression The next session will be held from 26 February or 5 March to end of June 2007 (1/2 week's break at Easter). This course is intended for people with a good knowledge of English who want to practise and maintain their speaking skills while extending their vocabulary. There will be a maximum of 10 participants in a class. Speaking activities will include discussions, meeting simulations, role-play, etc., depending on the needs of the students. Duration: 30 hours Price: 660 CHF (for a minimum of 8 students). Writing Professional Documents in English The next session will be held from 26 February or 5 March to e...

COMPARISON OF STUDENT SATISFACTION BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND BLENDED TECHNOLOGY COURSE OFFERINGS IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION

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Nikolaos VERNADAKIS

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Blended learning With the concerns and dissatisfaction with e-learning, educators are searching for alternative instructional delivery solutions to relieve the above problems. The blended e-learning system has been presented as a promising alternative learning approach. While blended learning has been recognized as having a number of advantages, insufficient learning satisfaction is still an obstacle to its successful adoption. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate students’ satisfaction with blended learning course delivery compared to a traditional face-to-face class format in a general multimedia course in physical education. Forty six (n=46 undergraduate students, between the ages of 20-22 years old, were randomly assigned into two teaching method groups: Classroom Lecture Instruction (CLI and Blended Lecture Instruction (BLI. For the data collection at the end of this study, students completed an online satisfaction questionnaire.Independent sample t-test analysis was conducted to measure students’ satisfaction towards the CLI and BLI methods. Results indicated that a blended course delivery is preferred over the traditional lecture format. These finding suggest that students' satisfaction could increase when the instructor provides learning environments not only in a traditional classroom, but in an asynchronous online system as well.

Potential bias factors that affect the course evaluation of students in preclinical courses

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Su Jin Chae

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose We aim to identify what potential bias factors affected students’ overall course evaluation, and to observe what factors should be considered in the curriculum evaluation system of medical schools. Methods This study analyzed students’ ratings of preclinical instructions at the Ajou University School of Medicine. The ratings of instructions involved 41 first-year and 45 second-year medical students. Results There was a statistically significant difference between years of study and ratings’ scoring. Learning difficulty, learning amount, student assessment, and teacher preparation from second-year students were significantly higher than first-year students (p<0.05. The analysis results revealed that student assessment was the predictor of ratings from first-year students, while teacher preparation was the predictor of ratings from second-year students. Conclusion We found significant interactions between year of study and the students’ rating results. We were able to confirm that satisfaction of instructions factors perceived by medical students were different for the characteristics of courses. Our results may be an important resource for evaluating preclinical curriculums.

Competence-Based Education and the Limitations of Critique

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Edwards, Richard

2016-01-01

Drawing upon the work of Foucault and Latour, this article reflects on 25 years of critique of competence-based education and its continuing strength as a way of framing education and training. Using an example from England, it rehearses the argument from Foucault that, despite its student-centred discourse, competence-based education can be…

Students' Attitudes towards Technology-Enabled Learning: A Change in Learning Patterns? The Case of a Master's Course in Political Science

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Paunescu, Mihai

2013-01-01

This article sets to explore the attitudes of higher education students enrolled in a political science programme at Master level towards e-learning facilitated by the introduction of a Moodle platform. The students have been surveyed at the end of public management course in the first semester of the programme asking them to evaluate both the…

Student Perceptions of Cheating in Online Business Courses

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Watters, Michael P.; Robertson, Paul J.; Clark, Renae K.

2011-01-01

Accounting majors enrolled in business courses at two different universities were asked to complete a survey questionnaire pertaining to cheating in online business courses. Specifically, students majoring in Accounting were asked about their awareness of cheating in online business courses as well as their opinions regarding the credibility of…

Using critiquing for improving medical protocols : Harder than it seems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marcos, Mar; Berger, Geert; van Harmelen, Frank; ten Teije, Annette; Roomans, Hugo; Miksch, Silvia

2001-01-01

Medical protocols are widely recognised to provide clinicians with high-quality and up-to-date recommendations. A critical condition for this is of course that the protocols themselves are of high quality. In this paper we investigate the use of critiquing for improving the quality of medical

Student Expectations of Course Content Affect Faculty Evaluations in an Abnormal Psychology Course.

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Bock, Frances A.

1979-01-01

Describes a study measuring how student expectations of an abnormal psychology course affect their rating of professors. Findings showed a significant impact, especially in relation to popularized topics. Recommends evaluative instruments separating course-related factors from instructor ratings. (CK)

Toward Conceptualising Cultural Diversity: An Indigenous Critique.

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Manu'atu, Linita; Kepa, Mere

This paper, written from the perspectives of indigenous Maori and Tongan researchers, critiques the Auckland Secondary Schools Principals Association's (ASSPA) perspective that culture disrupts students' schooling. It discusses the relations of schooling to the cultural and political forces inside and outside of school; the relations of indigenous…

Language training: English & French courses

CERN Multimedia

Françoise Benz

2006-01-01

General and Professional English Courses The next session will take place from end of February to end of June 2006 (break at Easter). These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site, and to their spouses. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our Web pages: http://cern.ch/Training or contact Mr. Liptow: tel. 72957. Oral Expression The next session will take place from beginning of March to May 2006 (break at Easter). This course is intended for people with a good knowledge of English who want to practise and maintain their speaking skills while extending their vocabulary. There will be a maximum of 10 participants in a class. Speaking activities will include discussions, meeting simulations, role-plays etc. depending on the needs of the students. Duration: 20 hours Price: 440 CHF (for a minimum of 8 students) Timetable will be fixed after discussion with the students. Writing Professional Documents in English The next session will take place from Ma...

Impact of SCALE-UP on science teaching self-efficacy of students in general education science courses

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Cassani, Mary Kay Kuhr

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two pedagogical models used in general education science on non-majors' science teaching self-efficacy. Science teaching self-efficacy can be influenced by inquiry and cooperative learning, through cognitive mechanisms described by Bandura (1997). The Student Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) model of inquiry and cooperative learning incorporates cooperative learning and inquiry-guided learning in large enrollment combined lecture-laboratory classes (Oliver-Hoyo & Beichner, 2004). SCALE-UP was adopted by a small but rapidly growing public university in the southeastern United States in three undergraduate, general education science courses for non-science majors in the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semesters. Students in these courses were compared with students in three other general education science courses for non-science majors taught with the standard teaching model at the host university. The standard model combines lecture and laboratory in the same course, with smaller enrollments and utilizes cooperative learning. Science teaching self-efficacy was measured using the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument - B (STEBI-B; Bleicher, 2004). A science teaching self-efficacy score was computed from the Personal Science Teaching Efficacy (PTSE) factor of the instrument. Using non-parametric statistics, no significant difference was found between teaching models, between genders, within models, among instructors, or among courses. The number of previous science courses was significantly correlated with PTSE score. Student responses to open-ended questions indicated that students felt the larger enrollment in the SCALE-UP room reduced individual teacher attention but that the large round SCALE-UP tables promoted group interaction. Students responded positively to cooperative and hands-on activities, and would encourage inclusion of more such activities in all of the

Online Finance and Economics Courses: A Comparative Study of Course Satisfaction and Outcomes across Learning Models

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Wiechowski, Linda; Washburn, Terri L.

2014-01-01

Student learning outcomes and course satisfaction scores are two key considerations when assessing the success of any degree program. This empirical study was based upon more than 3,000 end-of-semester course evaluations collected from 171 courses in the 2010-2011 academic year. The study, conducted at a Midwestern business college, considered the…

The new Cambridge English course student 1

CERN Document Server

Swan, Michael

1991-01-01

The New Cambridge English Course is a course teachers and students can rely on to cover the complete range and depth of language and skills needed from beginner to upper-intermediate level. Each level is designed to provide at least 72 hours of class work using the Student's Book, with additional self-study material provided in the Practice Book. The course has a proven multi-syllabus approach which integrates work on all the vital aspects of language study: grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, skills, notions and functions.

Let's Go Toy Shopping! Exploring Early Anticipatory Socialization for Careers and Gender Expectations

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Jones-Bodie, Ashley

2016-01-01

Courses: Gender Communication, Communication and Careers, Organizational Communication. Objectives: At the end of the activity, students will be able: to identify and analyze the socialization of gender expectations, to recognize and describe how early this type of socialization can occur, to critique the early socialization of gendered career…

Varied Student Perception of E-Text Use among Student Populations in Biology Courses

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McDaniel, Kerrie; Daday, Jerry

2018-01-01

The faculty in a biology department at a four-year public comprehensive university adopted e-texts for all 100 and 200 level biology courses with the primary motivation of reducing textbook costs to students. This study examines the students' perceptions of the e-texts adopted for these 100 and 200 level biology courses. An online questionnaire…

Student Performance in Undergraduate Economics Courses

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Mumford, Kevin J.; Ohland, Matthew W.

2011-01-01

Using undergraduate student records from six large public universities from 1990 to 2003, the authors analyze the characteristics and performance of students by major in two economics courses: Principles of Microeconomics and Intermediate Microeconomics. This article documents important differences across students by major in the principles course…

Factors that Influence Students' Decision to Dropout of Online Courses

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Willging, Pedro A.; Johnson, Scott D.

2009-01-01

Although there are many reasons why students dropout of college courses, those reasons may be unique for students who are enrolled in an online program. Issues of isolation, disconnectedness, and technological problems may be factors that influence a student to leave a course. To understand these factors, an online survey was developed to collect…

Step Up-Not On-The Step 2 Clinical Skills Exam: Directors of Clinical Skills Courses (DOCS) Oppose Ending Step 2 CS.

Science.gov (United States)

Ecker, David J; Milan, Felise B; Cassese, Todd; Farnan, Jeanne M; Madigosky, Wendy S; Massie, F Stanford; Mendez, Paul; Obadia, Sharon; Ovitsh, Robin K; Silvestri, Ronald; Uchida, Toshiko; Daniel, Michelle

2018-05-01

Recently, a student-initiated movement to end the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 Clinical Skills and the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination Level 2-Performance Evaluation has gained momentum. These are the only national licensing examinations designed to assess clinical skills competence in the stepwise process through which physicians gain licensure and certification. Therefore, the movement to end these examinations and the ensuing debate merit careful consideration. The authors, elected representatives of the Directors of Clinical Skills Courses, an organization comprising clinical skills educators in the United States and beyond, believe abolishing the national clinical skills examinations would have a major negative impact on the clinical skills training of medical students, and that forfeiting a national clinical skills competency standard has the potential to diminish the quality of care provided to patients. In this Perspective, the authors offer important additional background information, outline key concerns regarding the consequences of ending these national clinical skills examinations, and provide recommendations for moving forward: reducing the costs for students, exploring alternatives, increasing the value and transparency of the current examinations, recognizing and enhancing the strengths of the current examinations, and engaging in a national dialogue about the issue.

Traditional Versus Online Biology Courses: Connecting Course Design and Student Learning in an Online Setting

OpenAIRE

Biel, Rachel; Brame, Cynthia J.

2016-01-01

Online courses are a large and growing part of the undergraduate education landscape, but many biology instructors are skeptical about the effectiveness of online instruction. We reviewed studies comparing the effectiveness of online and face-to-face (F2F) undergraduate biology courses. Five studies compared student performance in multiple course sections at community colleges, while eight were smaller scale and compared student performance in particular biology courses at a variety of types ...

"With Grace under Pressure": How Critique as Signature Pedagogy Fosters Effective Music Performance

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Hastings, David M.

2017-01-01

Inspired by seminal writings on Critique as Signature Pedagogy in the Arts and performance as Signature Pedagogy in Music, this article unifies these two concepts into a study of how critique as signature pedagogy in music-performance promotes student learning. This essay seeks to first define the notion of different mindsets as musicians perform…

Can One Undergraduate Course Increase Cross-Cultural Competence?

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Spitzer, Lois

2015-01-01

The majority of students who took this general education undergraduate course in developing cross-cultural understanding at a state college in the northeastern United States reported that their level of cross-cultural competence and global awareness increased by the end of the course. The primary course objective was to help students better…

Contrasts in Student Affect by Institution and Instructor: Establishing a National Baseline for Geoscience Courses

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Mcconnell, D. A.; Perkins, D.; Stempien, J.; Husman, J.

2011-12-01

The GARNET (Geoscience Affective Research Network) project examines the connection between student learning and the affective domain, which includes student motivations, values, attitudes and learning strategies - factors that can both promote and limit learning. This is the first study to compare and contrast the relationship between student motivation and learning strategies, the nature of classroom instruction, and learning outcomes across a common course taught by multiple instructors at different types of academic institutions. In 2009-2011 we administered pre- and post-course Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaires (MSLQ; Pintrich et al, 1993) to 1990 students in more than 40 introductory geology classes taught by 25 instructors at nine colleges and universities. Students primarily register for the introductory courses to fulfill a general education requirement with a relatively modest proportion (25%) declaring a prior interest in the course topic. This institutional requirement produces a situation where students' motivational orientation is not likely to adjust to their newfound academic environment. The students do not have an interest in the topic, they have little prior knowledge about the content, they do not see connections between the content and their future goals, and they have limited autonomy in their choice of a course (the course is required). In general, we find that across different institutions and instructors, students' motivation and self-regulation degrades. Through classroom observations, and student surveys we have evidence that specific faculty are able to help students maintain some of the positive motivational orientations students bring to the class. The MSLQ contains 15 subscales, six measure motivation (e.g., task value, self-efficacy), and nine focus on different learning strategies (e.g., elaboration, effort regulation). Regardless of institution or instructor, MSLQ scores on many subscales declined from beginning to

Places available - Personal development and communication courses (up to the end of 2015)

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

Please find below the courses in the field of personal development and communication scheduled up to end of 2015 and which still have places available.       For more details about a course and to register, please go to the Training Catalogue. If you need a course that is not in the catalogue, please contact your supervisor, your Departmental Training Officer or the HR-LD group at Communication.Training@cern.ch.

Karl Marx: Critique as Emancipatory Practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Celikates, R.; de Boer, K.; Sonderegger, R.

2012-01-01

Critique of philosophy, critique of religion, critique of politics, critique of political economy - there is almost no sphere of modern society of which Karl Marx’s theory does not offer a critique. This makes it all the more necessary to investigate whether these different critiques possess any

Mechanics of Student-Directed Multi-University Internet Video-Conferencing Course

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Durant, A. J.; Mann, C. P.; Rose, W. I.; Stix, J.

2007-12-01

Connecting graduate students with experts in a given discipline is vital to their success but has often been challenging because of logistics, costs, and scheduling. Advances in Internet video-conferencing now allow multiple parties to meet simultaneously in a virtual classroom environment. Here we describe the mechanics of a recent student-directed graduate-level course that enabled students to directly engage in scientific discussion with experts. Conducted under the auspices of the Earth Hazards (EHaz) Consortium, the spring 2007 Volcano Instability course connected nine previously disparate groups over North America in a combined learning and cultural experience. Each week course participants (including the guest speaker, students and university professors) reviewed current journal articles and a speaker presentation, and used Marratech Internet video- conferencing software to meet online and discuss the material with an expert on the subject. Internet video-conferencing provides an inexpensive and innovative approach to teaching across international boundaries. The EHaz 2007 Volcano Instability course connected 14 experts with 64 students and professors. Many universities can participate through this approach, allowing an advanced graduate class that normally contains 4 - 8 students on one campus to become a class of 50 or more dispersed over many campuses. As evidenced by overwhelmingly positive course evaluations, the approach was stimulating and conducive to learning, and has great potential for application over many other disciplines. This dynamic interaction between students and experts will ultimately raise the standard of instruction and motivate students to self-guide their learning experience to levels of greater understanding.

Enriching Student Learning of Astronomy in Online Courses via Hybrid Texts

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Montgomery, M.

2016-01-01

Hybrid texts such as Horizons: Exploring the Universe, Hybrid (with CengageNOW) and Universe, Hybrid (with CengageNOW) are designed for higher education learning of astronomy in undergraduate online courses. In these hybrid texts, quiz and test bank questions have been revised to minimize easy look-up of answers by students via the Internet and discussion threads have been re-designed to allow for student selection of learning and for personalized learning, for example. By establishing connections between the student and the course content, student learning is enriched, students spend more time learning the material, student copying of answers is minimized, and student social engagement on the subject matter is increased. In this presentation, we discuss how Hybrid texts in Astronomy can increase student learning in online courses.

A Comparison of Student Ratings in Traditional and Interactive Television Courses

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McCall, Morgan; Dunham, Mardis; Lyons, Robert

2013-01-01

Although interactive television (ITV) allows colleges and universities to reach a wider audience, little research has been conducted exploring the effectiveness of the courses as perceived by students. This study compared student ratings of teacher effectiveness between 331 traditional courses and 125 ITV courses. The data included 456 graduate…

A Blended Learning Course Design in Clinical Pharmacology for Post-graduate Dental Students

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Rosenbaum, Paul-Erik Lillholm; Mikalsen, Øyvind; Lygre, Henning; Solheim, Einar; Schjøtt, Jan

2012-01-01

Postgraduate courses in clinical pharmacology are important for dentists to be updated on drug therapy and information related to their clinical practice, as well as knowledge of relevant adverse effects and interactions. A traditional approach with classroom delivery as the only method to teaching and learning has shortcomings regarding flexibility, individual learning preferences, and problem based learning (PBL) activities compared to online environments. This study examines a five week postgraduate course in clinical pharmacology with 15 hours of lectures and online learning activities, i.e. blended course design. Six postgraduate dental students participated and at the end of the course they were interviewed. Our findings emphasize that a blended learning course design can be successfully used in postgraduate dental education. Key matters for discussion were time flexibility and location convenience, change in teacher’s role, rein-forced learning strategies towards professional needs, scarcity in online communication, and proposed future utilization of e-learning components. PMID:23248716

Attitudes and Perceptions of Students in a Systems Engineering E-Learnig Course

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de Vega, Carolina Armijo; McAnally-Salas, Lewis; Lavigne, Gilles

2009-01-01

In this paper is reported the attitudes and perception of students in a systems Engineering e-learning course and a teacher with more than six years of experience teaching online courses. The paper reports the teacher and students' perceptions about the e-learning courses experience. Personalized interviews with some of the students were carried…

Prediction of Student Course Selection in Online Higher Education Institutes Using Neural Network

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Kardan, Ahmad A.; Sadeghi, Hamid; Ghidary, Saeed Shiry; Sani, Mohammad Reza Fani

2013-01-01

Students are required to choose courses they are interested in for the coming semester. Due to restrictions, including lack of sufficient resources and overheads of running several courses, some universities might not offer all of a student's desirable courses. Universities must know every student's demands for every course prior to each semester…

The Dialectics of Communicative and Immanent Critique

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Johan Fornäs

2013-11-01

Full Text Available In cultural studies and cultural research, the importance of being critical is often stressed, but it is more rare to scrutinise how such critique is and can be performed. This text discusses different modes of critique, in three main steps. First, a brief review of the history and signifying layers of the concept of critique itself leads up to a late modern communicative concept of critique, linked to the contested relation between critique and tradition, and based on how Paul Ricoeur has interpreted ideology critique and the hermeneutics of suspicion. This communicative mode is contrasted to critical approaches that strive to radically dissociate themselves from others. Second, it is argued that the most powerful sources of critique are to be sought in the inner contradictions of the targeted spheres of social reality rather than applied from the outside. Such immanent – as opposed to transcendent – critique, has been formulated and exercised by Karl Marx, Theodor W. Adorno and Walter Benjamin, among others. The third section sums up the spiral moves of cultural studies as informed by critical hermeneutics: dialectical critique based on communicative and immanent critique must be on the move, never frozen, and may temporarily and locally explore radical and transcendent modes of critique, in ways that have been discussed by Donna Haraway.

Teaching Ethics in Communication Courses: An Investigation of Instructional Methods, Course Foci, and Student Outcomes

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Canary, Heather E.

2007-01-01

This study investigates the impact of ethics instruction in communication courses on students' moral reasoning competence. Using a quasi-experiment, participants in interpersonal conflict courses and communication ethics courses were exposed to different levels of ethics instruction through a variety of instructional methods. Results indicate that…

Assessments of the Third Kind--Do Graduate Research Students Change Their Perceptions of Research Barriers from the Beginning to the End of a Graduate Course in Research Strategies?

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Cleeton, Gilbert; Cleeton, Lorraine

2011-01-01

Available assessments of our graduate research strategies course were (i) traditional pre- and post-test evaluation instruments, and (ii) student evaluations. We felt a need for a third kind of assessment to measure any changes in attitude to research, though we did not expect detectable changes in a 15 week course. Students were asked to rank…

Student Developed Knowledge Portfolios from a Soil Fertility Course

Science.gov (United States)

Sindelar, Meghan; Mamo, Martha; Wingeyer, Ana

2018-01-01

Students who have completed the Soil Nutrient Relationships course at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln often contact instructors once they have begun full-time work, seeking reminders of specific concepts. These students either did not take or keep detailed notes during the course. To assist students, instructors have developed a portfolio…

Student Buy-In to Active Learning in a College Science Course

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Cavanagh, Andrew J.; Aragón, Oriana R.; Chen, Xinnian; Couch, Brian; Durham, Mary; Bobrownicki, Aiyana; Hanauer, David I.; Graham, Mark J.

2016-01-01

The benefits of introducing active learning in college science courses are well established, yet more needs to be understood about student buy-in to active learning and how that process of buy-in might relate to student outcomes. We test the exposure–persuasion–identification–commitment (EPIC) process model of buy-in, here applied to student (n = 245) engagement in an undergraduate science course featuring active learning. Student buy-in to active learning was positively associated with engagement in self-regulated learning and students’ course performance. The positive associations among buy-in, self-regulated learning, and course performance suggest buy-in as a potentially important factor leading to student engagement and other student outcomes. These findings are particularly salient in course contexts featuring active learning, which encourage active student participation in the learning process. PMID:27909026

College Students' Choice Modeling of Taking On-Line International Business Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Robert S.

2006-01-01

To understand students' choice behavior of taking on-line international business courses, a survey study is conducted to collect information regarding students' actual choices of taking on-line courses and potential factors that may have impacts on students' choices of online learning. Potential factors such as enrollment status, demographic…

Effect of WhatsApp on Critique Writing Proficiency and Perceptions toward Learning

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Awada, Ghada

2016-01-01

This article reports the results of an experimental study on the effectiveness of mobile technology (WhatsApp) in improving the critique writing skills of English as a Foreign Language learners and increasing their motivation for learning. The participants (n = 52) are Average-English proficient learners enrolled in two writing courses given at…

Medical students' and facilitators' experiences of an Early Professional Contact course: active and motivated students, strained facilitators.

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von Below, Bernhard; Hellquist, Gunilla; Rödjer, Stig; Gunnarsson, Ronny; Björkelund, Cecilia; Wahlqvist, Mats

2008-12-02

Today, medical students are introduced to patient contact, communication skills, and clinical examination in the preclinical years of the curriculum with the purpose of gaining clinical experience. These courses are often evaluated from the student perspective. Reports with an additional emphasis on the facilitator perspective are scarce. According to constructive alignment, an influential concept from research in higher education, the learning climate between students and teachers is also of great importance. In this paper, we approach the learning climate by studying both students' and facilitators' course experiences.In 2001, a new "Early Professional Contact" longitudinal strand through term 1-4, was introduced at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. General practitioners and hospital specialists were facilitators.The aim of this study was to assess and analyse students' and clinical facilitators' experiences of the Early Professional Contact course and to illuminate facilitators' working conditions. Inspired by a Swedish adaptation of the Course Experience Questionnaire, an Early Professional Contact Questionnaire was constructed. In 2003, on the completion of the first longitudinal strand, a student and facilitator version was distributed to 86 students and 21 facilitators. In the analysis, both Chi-square and the Mann-Whitney tests were used. Sixty students (70%) and 15 facilitators (71%) completed the questionnaire. Both students and facilitators were satisfied with the course. Students reported gaining iiration for their future work as doctors along with increased confidence in meeting patients. They also reported increased motivation for biomedical studies. Differences in attitudes between facilitators and students were found. Facilitators experienced a greater workload, less reasonable demands and less support, than students. In this project, a new Early Professional Contact course was analysed from both student and facilitator

Medical students' and facilitators' experiences of an Early Professional Contact course: Active and motivated students, strained facilitators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gunnarsson Ronny

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Today, medical students are introduced to patient contact, communication skills, and clinical examination in the preclinical years of the curriculum with the purpose of gaining clinical experience. These courses are often evaluated from the student perspective. Reports with an additional emphasis on the facilitator perspective are scarce. According to constructive alignment, an influential concept from research in higher education, the learning climate between students and teachers is also of great importance. In this paper, we approach the learning climate by studying both students' and facilitators' course experiences. In 2001, a new "Early Professional Contact" longitudinal strand through term 1–4, was introduced at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. General practitioners and hospital specialists were facilitators. The aim of this study was to assess and analyse students' and clinical facilitators' experiences of the Early Professional Contact course and to illuminate facilitators' working conditions. Methods Inspired by a Swedish adaptation of the Course Experience Questionnaire, an Early Professional Contact Questionnaire was constructed. In 2003, on the completion of the first longitudinal strand, a student and facilitator version was distributed to 86 students and 21 facilitators. In the analysis, both Chi-square and the Mann-Whitney tests were used. Results Sixty students (70% and 15 facilitators (71% completed the questionnaire. Both students and facilitators were satisfied with the course. Students reported gaining iiration for their future work as doctors along with increased confidence in meeting patients. They also reported increased motivation for biomedical studies. Differences in attitudes between facilitators and students were found. Facilitators experienced a greater workload, less reasonable demands and less support, than students. Conclusion In this project, a new Early

Flipped-learning course design and evaluation through student self-assessment in a predental science class

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Jungjoon Ihm

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose This study explores how to design a flipped classroom for a predental science course and evaluate its course through student self-assessment in order to provide practical implications for flipped learning in an undergraduate level. Methods Second- and third-year predental students in the Seoul National University School of Dentistry enrolled in Biodiversity and Global Environment, a 15-week, three-credit course based on a flipped learning model. At the end of the course, the students were asked to rate their self-directed learning, attitude toward social media, discussion skills, learning readiness, and class satisfaction. Out of the 82 predental students, 61 (74.3% answered the survey. Pearson correlation and multivariate regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship between the self-rated measurements and the performance scores. Results The majority of the students felt somewhat more prepared than the medium level before the class (mean score of 3.17 out of 5.00, whereas they expressed relatively low preference concerning social media use and attitude (mean score of 2.49. Thus, it was found that learning readiness was significantly associated with both discussion skills and class satisfaction. In particular, multivariate regression analysis confirmed that learning readiness had a significant influence on learning outcomes. Conclusion This study offered insights into how to design a flipped learning course in terms of predental students’ preference and their learning readiness. Although learning success in a flipped classroom depends on the students’ self-perceived level of preparedness, much still remains to be achieved in order to apply social media benefits in a flipped learning context.

Introductory astronomy course at the University of Cape Town: Probing student perspectives

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Vinesh Rajpaul

2014-11-01

Full Text Available We report on research carried out to improve teaching and student engagement in the introductory astronomy course at the University of Cape Town. This course is taken by a diverse range of students, including many from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. We describe the development of an instrument, the Introductory Astronomy Questionnaire (IAQ, which we administered as pre- and posttests to students enrolled in the course. The instrument comprised a small number of questions which probed three areas of interest: student motivation and expectations, astronomy content, and worldview. Amongst our findings were that learning gains were made in several conceptual areas, and that students appeared to develop a more nuanced view of the nature of astronomy. There was some evidence that the course had a positive impact on students’ worldviews, particularly their attitudes towards science. We also identified a promising predictor of course success that could in the future be used to identify students requiring special teaching intervention.

Exploring physics students' engagement with online instructional videos in an introductory mechanics course

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Lin, Shih-Yin; Aiken, John M.; Seaton, Daniel T.; Douglas, Scott S.; Greco, Edwin F.; Thoms, Brian D.; Schatz, Michael F.

2017-12-01

The advent of new educational technologies has stimulated interest in using online videos to deliver content in university courses. We examined student engagement with 78 online videos that we created and were incorporated into a one-semester flipped introductory mechanics course at the Georgia Institute of Technology. We found that students were more engaged with videos that supported laboratory activities than with videos that presented lecture content. In particular, the percentage of students accessing laboratory videos was consistently greater than 80% throughout the semester. On the other hand, the percentage of students accessing lecture videos dropped to less than 40% by the end of the term. Moreover, the fraction of students accessing the entirety of a video decreases when videos become longer in length, and this trend is more prominent for the lecture videos than the laboratory videos. The results suggest that students may access videos based on perceived value: students appear to consider the laboratory videos as essential for successfully completing the laboratories while they appear to consider the lecture videos as something more akin to supplemental material. In this study, we also found that there was little correlation between student engagement with the videos and their incoming background. There was also little correlation found between student engagement with the videos and their performance in the course. An examination of the in-video content suggests that students engaged more with concrete information that is explicitly required for assignment completion (e.g., actions required to complete laboratory work, or formulas or mathematical expressions needed to solve particular problems) and less with content that is considered more conceptual in nature. It was also found that students' in-video accesses usually increased toward the embedded interaction points. However, students did not necessarily access the follow-up discussion of these

Effect of course coordinator behavior and motivation on students' achievement: Results from five curriculum blocks of two undergraduate student cohorts at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences.

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Al-Alwan, Ibrahim; Baig, Lubna Ansari; Badri, Motasim; Magzoub, Mohi Eldin; Alyousif, Sarah

2015-01-01

The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between students' perception of course/block coordinators performance and attributes with students' assessment scores in respective courses. This retrospective data based study was conducted at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences (KSAU-HS). It was started in March 2013 and completed in June 2013 after the graduation of the fourth cohort. Exam score of 3(rd) and 4(th) cohort of students from the courses taught in the last two years of medical school were correlated with faculty and block evaluation done by the students. Scores from mid-block MCQs, portfolio scores, OSCEs and end-of-block MCQs were obtained. The Mean scores of all the assessments for all five blocks were not significantly different for both batches. There was significant difference between block coordinators for students' score on portfolio, midterm exam and the final written exam. The students' Score in OSCE had significantly strong correlation with quality of station monitors, coverage of content and flow between stations. Student's perception of the commitment and motivation of the coordinator was strongly correlated with block organization, availability of clinical cases, performance of block coordinator, cooperation with students, and organization of clinical activities. Block coordinator's motivation and commitment affects quality of block organization and student`s success. Faculty training programs should include block management competencies and components identified through self-determination theory for improving the intrinsic motivation for students success.

An analysis of high-performing science students' preparation for collegiate science courses

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Walter, Karen

This mixed-method study surveyed first year high-performing science students who participated in high-level courses such as International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), and honors science courses in high school to determine their perception of preparation for academic success at the collegiate level. The study used 52 students from an honors college campus and surveyed the students and their professors. The students reported that they felt better prepared for academic success at the collegiate level by taking these courses in high school (pstudent GPA with honors science courses (n=55 and Pearson's r=-0.336), while AP courses (n=47 and Pearson's r=0.0016) and IB courses (n=17 and Pearson's r=-0.2716) demonstrated no correlation between perception of preparation and GPA. Students reported various themes that helped or hindered their perception of academic success once at the collegiate level. Those themes that reportedly helped students were preparedness, different types of learning, and teacher qualities. Students reported in a post-hoc experience that more lab time, rigorous coursework, better teachers, and better study techniques helped prepare them for academic success at the collegiate level. Students further reported on qualities of teachers and teaching that helped foster their academic abilities at the collegiate level, including teacher knowledge, caring, teaching style, and expectations. Some reasons for taking high-level science courses in high school include boosting GPA, college credit, challenge, and getting into better colleges.

An advanced communication skills course for fourth-year, post-clerkship students.

Science.gov (United States)

Towle, Angela; Hoffman, Joanne

2002-11-01

A novel five-module advanced communication skills course entitled "Doctor-Patient Relationships" was planned and implemented in 2000-01 at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The course was part of the final four-month component of the new MD undergraduate program: Effective Skills for Medical Practice. The goals of the communication skills course were to (1) address problems experienced by the students so far; (2) address deficiencies in achieving the UBC exit competencies; (3) help the students pass the Medical Council of Canada examinations, in particular objectives related to the Considerations of the Legal, Ethical, and Organizational aspects of the practice of medicine (CLEO); and (4) help students prepare for their roles beyond undergraduate medicine (residency, independent practice). The course was developed by an interdisciplinary team (family practice, pathology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery) with input from students. The broad strengths and weaknesses of their communication skills training were identified by seven third-year medical students who kept logs over the course of their clinical clerkships to document their learning of communication skills. Analysis of these logs plus feedback meetings with the students revealed attitudinal and skills issues that needed to be addressed in the new course. The goals and principles of the course were in part agreed upon by focus groups with students, attended by faculty observers, to ensure their relevance to students. The first module "Beyond the Mask: Surviving and Thriving in Residency Training" is designed to focus students' attention on the personal relevance of developing excellence in communication skills in preparation for residency training. It includes a video of residents talking about their experiences of communication problems to trigger reflection and discussion. In the remaining four modules the students are required to put communication skills together with their medical knowledge. Each

A practice course to cultivate students' comprehensive ability of photoelectricity

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Yong; Liu, Yang; Niu, Chunhui; Liu, Lishuang

2017-08-01

After the studying of many theoretical courses, it's important and urgent for the students from specialty of optoelectronic information science and engineering to cultivate their comprehensive ability of photoelectricity. We set up a comprehensive practice course named "Integrated Design of Optoelectronic Information System" (IDOIS) for the purpose that students can integrate their knowledge of optics, electronics and computer programming to design, install and debug an optoelectronic system with independent functions. Eight years of practice shows that this practice course can train students' ability of analysis, design/development and debugging of photoelectric system, improve their ability in document retrieval, design proposal and summary report writing, teamwork, innovation consciousness and skill.

Evaluation of medical students of teacher-based and student-based teaching methods in Infectious diseases course.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghasemzadeh, I; Aghamolaei, T; Hosseini-Parandar, F

2015-01-01

Introduction: In recent years, medical education has changed dramatically and many medical schools in the world have been trying for expand modern training methods. Purpose of the research is to appraise the medical students of teacher-based and student-based teaching methods in Infectious diseases course, in the Medical School of Hormozgan Medical Sciences University. Methods: In this interventional study, a total of 52 medical scholars that used Section in this Infectious diseases course were included. About 50% of this course was presented by a teacher-based teaching method (lecture) and 50% by a student-based teaching method (problem-based learning). The satisfaction of students regarding these methods was assessed by a questionnaire and a test was used to measure their learning. information are examined with using SPSS 19 and paired t-test. Results: The satisfaction of students of student-based teaching method (problem-based learning) was more positive than their satisfaction of teacher-based teaching method (lecture).The mean score of students in teacher-based teaching method was 12.03 (SD=4.08) and in the student-based teaching method it was 15.50 (SD=4.26) and where is a considerable variation among them (p<0.001). Conclusion: The use of the student-based teaching method (problem-based learning) in comparison with the teacher-based teaching method (lecture) to present the Infectious diseases course led to the student satisfaction and provided additional learning opportunities.

Developing students' qualitative muscles in an introductory methods course.

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SmithBattle, Lee

2014-08-30

The exponential growth of qualitative research (QR) has coincided with methodological innovations, the proliferation of qualitative textbooks and journals, and the greater availability of qualitative methods courses. In spite of these advances, the pedagogy for teaching qualitative methods has received little attention. This paper provides a philosophical foundation for teaching QR with active learning strategies and shows how active learning is fully integrated into a one-semester course. The course initiates students into qualitative dispositions and skills as students develop study aims and procedures; enter the field to gather data; analyze the full set of student-generated data; and write results in a final report. Conducting a study in one semester is challenging but has proven feasible and disabuses students of the view that QR is simple, unscientific, or non-rigorous. Student reflections on course assignments are integrated into the paper. The strengths and limitations of this pedagogical approach are also described.

Designing a second language bridging course for university students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carol A. Puhl

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The increasing number of students, especially black students, enrolling at university and needing to study in a medium of instruction which is not their mother tongue has underlined the need for additional language preparation as one way to reduce the failure and dropout rate. A possible solution is a bridging course aimed at developing academic language competencies to enable students to cope with communicative demands of their chosen course. An effective bridging course must take into account the requirements of the chosen institution and course, the level of student competency already achieved, and the actual student needs. These needs are divided into three areas: cognitive, which includes communicative macro-language skills and problem-solving skills; affective which includes self-confidence, acceptance of responsibility, and motivation; and behavioural, which includes cross-cultural competencies. Issues include duration of the course, the extent to which the course catersfor special purposes, and the didactic strategies employed. Three further considerations are the influence on the course of sponsors from business and industry, the academic level of the course, and effective evaluation methods. Die toenemende aantal studente, vera/ swart studente, wat aan 'n universiteit registreer waar die onderrigmedium nie hul moedertaal is nie, noodsaak bykomende taalvoorbereiding in 'n poging om die druip- en uitsaksyfer te verminder. Een moontlike oplossing is 'n oorbruggingskursus wat gemik is op die ontwikkeling van akademiese taalvermoens om studente in staat te stel om die kommunikatiewe eise van hul gekose kursus die hoof te bied. 'n Effektiewe oorbruggingskursus moet die volgende faktore in ag nee m: die vereistes van die gekose inrigting en kursus, die vaardigheidsvlak wat die student a/reeds bereik het sowel as die werklike studentebehoeftes. Hierdie behoeftes word in drie kategoriee verdeel: kognitief - wat kommunikatiewe makro

Online Course Delivery: An Empirical Investigation of Factors Affecting Student Satisfaction

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Beqiri, Mirjeta S.; Chase, Nancy M.; Bishka, Atena

2010-01-01

The authors investigated potential factors impacting students' satisfaction with online course delivery using business students as participants. The findings suggest that the student who would be more satisfied with the delivery of online courses fits the following profile: graduate, married, resides more than 1 mile away from campus, and male.…

Using Mind Maps to Improve Medical Student Performance in a Pharmacology Course at Kunming Medical University.

Science.gov (United States)

Ying, Guo; Jianping, Xie; Haiyun, Luo; Xia, Li; Jianyu, Yang; Qun, Xuan; Jianyun, Yu

2017-07-01

To determine whether students using mind maps would improve their performance in a final examination at the end of lecture-based pharmacology course. Aquasi-experimental study. Kunming Medical University, from September 2014 to January 2015. One hundred and twenty-two (122) third year undergraduate medical students, starting a 48-hour lecturebased pharmacology course, volunteered to use mind maps as one of their study strategies (intervention group), while the remaining 100 students in the class continued to use their usual study strategies (control group) over the duration of the course. The performance of both groups in the final course examination was compared. Students in the intervention group also completed a questionnaire on the usefulness of mind maps during the course and in preparation for the final examination. The students' performance of intervention group was superior to performance of the control group in all parts of a multi-modal final examination. For the multiple choice questions and comprehensive scores, average marks of 45.97 ±7.22 and 68.07 ±12.77, respectively were acquired by the control group, and 51.77 ±4.95 (pcontrol group, and were all significantly higher at 8.00 (4.00) (p=0.024), 10.00 (2.00) (pmind maps helped them to prepare more efficiently for the final exam; 90.91% believed that mind maps helped them to better understand all of pharmacology. Ninety-one percent also thought that mind maps would help them to better understand other disciplines, and 86.36% students would like the lecturers to utilize mind mapping as an alternative to conventional teaching formats, such as the use of Power Point. The addition of mind maps to students' study of pharmacology at Kunming Medical University improved their performance in all aspects of a multi-modal final examination.

Can You Change a Student's Mind in a Course about the Brain? Belief Change Following an Introductory Course in Biological Psychology.

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Harrington, Ian A

2013-01-01

topics; and 26 items from the Organicism-Mechanism Paradigm Inventory (OMPI; Germer et al., 1982). Unlike most of the other test items, which addressed class topics specifically, the OMPI addressed general worldviews between two poles of mechanism and organicism. Mechanistic explanations, common in Neuroscience, tend to be highly reductive and treat organisms as more passive and reactive, whereas organismic explanations treat organisms as more active and the systems that give rise to their behaviors as non-reductive. Overall, analyses revealed statistically significant changes on a wide range of items that were generally, though not always, consistent with course objectives. The results of the OMPI indicated that the average student began the term closer to the organismic end of the scale, and became slightly more organismic by the end of the term. And yet, on a number of items related more specifically to the relationship between brain and behavior, students became more willing to endorse reductive and mechanistic positions. Although student beliefs can be very resistant to persuasion, change can occur.

Effectiveness of Distance Learning for the Battle Staff NCO Course

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Drenth, Debra

2001-01-01

.... Unlike previous evaluations of distance learning, the measures used to compare groups were not students' immediate reactions to the course nor their end-of-course test scores but measures delayed...

Kids Crash and Burn: An Analysis of Freshmen Failing Science End of Course Exams

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Godfrey, Tanya N.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine how various factors influence student achievement on the physical science EOCE so that students are provided every opportunity to be successful. An understanding of influences such as the type of mathematics course students are taking, participating in block scheduling, participating in freshmen…

Personality types and student performance in an introductory physics course

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Harlow, Jason J. B.; Harrison, David M.; Justason, Michael; Meyertholen, Andrew; Wilson, Brian

2017-12-01

We measured the personality type of the students in a large introductory physics course of mostly life science students using the True Colors instrument. We found large correlations of personality type with performance on the precourse Force Concept Inventory (FCI), both term tests, the postcourse FCI, and the final examination. We also saw correlations with the normalized gain on the FCI. The personality profile of the students in this course is very different from the profile of the physics faculty and graduate students, and also very different from the profile of students taking the introductory physics course intended for physics majors and specialists.

Evaluation of e-learning course, Information Literacy, for medical students

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Kratochvíl Jiří

2013-01-01

The main purpose of this article is to describe and to evaluate the results of evaluation of the e-learning course, Information Literacy, which is taught by the librarians at the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University. In the article the results are discussed to inform about the librarians' experience with tutoring the course. The survey covers the medical students who enrolled on the course between autumn 2008 and autumn 2010. The students were requested to fill the questionnaire designed i...

Curricular Activities that Promote Metacognitive Skills Impact Lower-Performing Students in an Introductory Biology Course.

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Dang, Nathan V; Chiang, Jacob C; Brown, Heather M; McDonald, Kelly K

2018-01-01

This study explores the impacts of repeated curricular activities designed to promote metacognitive skills development and academic achievement on students in an introductory biology course. Prior to this study, the course curriculum was enhanced with pre-assignments containing comprehension monitoring and self-evaluation questions, exam review assignments with reflective questions related to study habits, and an optional opportunity for students to explore metacognition and deep versus surface learning. We used a mixed-methods study design and collected data over two semesters. Self-evaluation, a component of metacognition, was measured via exam score postdictions, in which students estimated their exam scores after completing their exam. Metacognitive awareness was assessed using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) and a reflective essay designed to gauge students' perceptions of their metacognitive skills and study habits. In both semesters, more students over-predicted their Exam 1 scores than under-predicted, and statistical tests revealed significantly lower mean exam scores for the over-predictors. By Exam 3, under-predictors still scored significantly higher on the exam, but they outnumbered the over-predictors. Lower-performing students also displayed a significant increase in exam postdiction accuracy by Exam 3. While there was no significant difference in students' MAI scores from the beginning to the end of the semester, qualitative analysis of reflective essays indicated that students benefitted from the assignments and could articulate clear action plans to improve their learning and performance. Our findings suggest that assignments designed to promote metacognition can have an impact on students over the course of one semester and may provide the greatest benefits to lower-performing students.

Class modality, student characteristics, and performance in a community college introductory STEM course

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Fogle, Thomas Ty

Research on introductory STEM course performance has indicated that student characteristics (age, ethnicity and gender) and Grade Point Average (G.P.A.) can be predictive of student performance, and by implication, a correlation among these factors can help determine course design interventions to help certain types of students perform well in introductory STEM courses. The basis of this study was a community college Visual Basic programming course taught in both online and hybrid format. Beginning students in this course represented a diverse population residing in a large, mid-western, city and surrounding communities. Many of these students were defined as "at-Risk" or "non-traditional, which generally means any combination of socio-economic, cultural, family and employment factors that indicate a student is non-traditional. Research has shown these students struggle academically in technologically dense STEM courses, and may require student services and support to achieve their individual performance goals. The overall number in the study range was 392 distance students and 287 blended course students. The main question of this research was to determine to what extent student characteristics in a community college context, and previous success, as measured in overall G.P.A., were related to course performance in an introductory Visual Basic programming (STEM) course; and, whether or not a combination of these factors and course modality was predictive of success. The study employed a quantitative, quasi-experimental design to assess whether students' course performance was linked to course modality, student characteristics and overall G.P.A. The results indicated that the only predictor of student performance was overall G.P.A. Despite the research analyzed in Chapter 2, there was no statistically significant relationship to modality, age, ethnicity, or gender to performance in the course. Cognitive load is significant in a computer programming course and it

Student-Designed Service-Learning Projects in an Undergraduate Neurobiology Course

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Katharine V. Northcutt

2015-12-01

Full Text Available One of the challenges in teaching a service-learning course is obtaining student buy-in from all students in the course. To circumvent this problem, I have let students in my undergraduate Neurobiology course design their own service-learning projects at the beginning of the semester. Although this can be chaotic because it requires last-minute planning, I have made it successful through facilitating student communication in the classroom, requiring thorough project proposals, meeting with students regularly, and monitoring group progress through written reflection papers. Most of my students have strong opinions about the types of projects that they want to carry out, and many students have used connections that they have already made with local organizations. Almost all projects that students have designed to this point involve teaching basic concepts of neurobiology to children of various ages while simultaneously sparking their interest in science. Through taking ownership of the project and designing it such that it works well with their strengths, interests, and weekly schedule, students have become more engaged in service learning and view it as a valuable experience. Despite some class time being shifted away from more traditional assignments, students have performed equally well in the course, and they are more eager to talk with others about course concepts. Furthermore, the feedback that I have received from community partners has been excellent, and some students have maintained their work with the organizations.

The article critique as a problem-based teaching method for medical students early in their training: a French example using anatomy.

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Havet, Eric; Duparc, Fabrice; Peltier, Johan; Tobenas-Dujardin, Anne-Claire; Fréger, Pierre

2012-01-01

In France, "article critique" became a particular teaching method in the second part of the medical curriculum. It approaches a reading exercise of scientific medical papers similar to that of journal club. It could be compared to reviewing a paper as performed by reviewers of a scientific journal. We studied the relevancy of that teaching method for the youngest medical students. Our questions were about the understanding and the analyzing ability of a scientific paper while students have just learned basic medical sciences as anatomy. We have included 54 "article critique" written by voluntary students in second and third years of medical cursus. All of the IMRaD structure items (introduction, materials and methods, results and discussion) were analyzed using a qualitative scale for understanding as for analyzing ability. For understanding, 89-96% was good or fair and for the analyzing ability, 93-100% was good or fair. The anatomical papers were better understood than therapeutic or paraclinical studies, but without statistical difference, except for the introduction chapter. Results for analyzing ability were various according to the subject of the papers. This teaching method could be compared to a self-learning method, but also to a problem-based learning method. For the youngest students, the lack of medical knowledge aroused the curiosity. Their enthusiasm to learn new medical subjects remained full. The authors would insist on the requirement of rigorous lessons about evidence-based medicine and IMRaD structure and on a necessary companionship of the students by the teachers.

Feedback in online course for non-native English-speaking students

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Olesova, Larisa

2013-01-01

Feedback in Online Course for Non-Native English-Speaking Students is an investigation of the effectiveness of audio and text feedback provided in English in an online course for non-native English-speaking students. The study presents results showing how audio and text feedback can impact on non-native English-speaking students' higher-order learning as they participate in an asynchronous online course. It also discusses the results of how students perceive both types of the feedback provided. In addition, the study examines how the impact and perceptions differ when the instructor giving the

Happenstance and compromise: a gendered analysis of students' computing degree course selection

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Lang, Catherine

2010-12-01

The number of students choosing to study computing at university continues to decline this century, with an even sharper decline in female students. This article presents the results of a series of interviews with university students studying computing courses in Australia that uncovered the influence of happenstance and compromise on course choice. This investigation provides an insight into the contributing factors into the continued downturn of student diversity in computing bachelor degree courses. Many females interviewed made decisions based on happenstance, many males interviewed had chosen computing as a compromise course, and family helped in the decision-making to a large degree in both genders. The major implication from this investigation is the finding that students of both genders appear to be socialised away from this discipline, which is perceived as a support or insurance skill, not a career in itself, in all but the most technical-oriented (usually male) student.

Methods of OR: A new graduate course

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P DuT Fourie

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A new course entitled "Methods of Operations Research (OR" was introduced at the Department of Applied Mathematics of Stellenbosch University during the second half of 2001. The aim of this course was to introduce students of OR to the trauma of mathematical modelling in real-world scenarios, instead of merely teaching them a number of theoretical OR-related topics in the form of a lecture-driven course with an examination at the end. Therefore this project-driven course, which is offered in collaboration with a number of partners in industry, is assessed on a continued evaluation basis, by means of written reports and oral presentations by students, after having physically, or at least virtually, visited real-world OR application sites. The objectives of the course, its structure and contents, as well as lessons learnt and some student feedback are described in this paper. A selection of projects used in the course are described in some detail in an appendix.

[Web-based training in radiology - student course in the Virtual University of Bavaria].

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Grunewald, M; Gebhard, H; Jakob, C; Wagner, M; Hothorn, T; Neuhuber, W L; Bautz, W A; Greess, H R

2004-06-01

The ninth version of the licensing regulation for medical doctors (Approbation Regulation (AR)) sets a benchmark in terms of practical experience, interdigitation of preclinical and clinical studies, interdisciplinary approach, economic efficiency, independence of students, added new teaching and learning modalities, and ongoing evaluation of the progress of the medical students. It is the aim to implement these major points of the AR in a model course for diagnostic radiology and radiation protection within the scope of the Virtual University of Bavaria and test them in practice. In cooperation with residents and board certified radiologists, students developed the virtual course "Web-Based Training (WBT) Radiology" in diagnostic radiology and radiation protection for students in the first clinical semester. A representative target group taken from the student body was asked about the options to get access to the World Wide Web (Internet), and the satisfaction concerning configuration and content of the newly developed program. A comparison was made between the results of the final examination taken by students who made use of the virtual course in addition to conventional lessons and taken by students who did not subscribe to the virtual course and exclusively relied on conventional lessons. In addition, a pilot study was conducted in the winter semester 2002/03, which compared students taking either the traditional lessons or the new virtual course on the Internet. The virtual course-model had test results with a positive trend. All targeted students had Internet access. Constructive criticism was immediately implemented and contributed to rapid optimization. The learning success of the additive or alternative virtual course was in no way less than the learning success achieved with the conventional course. The learning success as measure of quality in teaching and the acceptance by students and teachers justify the continuation of this course model and its

Student-Centered Designs of Pan-African Literature Courses

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M'Baye, Babacar

2010-01-01

A student-centered teaching methodology is an essential ingredient of a successful Pan-African literary course. In this article, the author defines Pan-Africanism and how to go about designing a Pan-African literature course. The author combines reading assignments with journals, film presentations, and lectures in a productive learning…

Preparing for Distance Learning: Designing An Online Student Orientation Course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diane D. Chapman

2004-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the analysis undertaken to design a 1-credit-hour online orientation course for students new to online learning. An instructional design team, as a part of an advanced instructional design course, worked with a university-based client. The client identified specific problem areas encountered by novice students of online courses and the team designed a comprehensive program to meet those needs. Analysis of the data revealed surprising differences in expectations between instructors of online courses and their students of what an orientation to online learning should include. The team also conducted a task analysis to aid in further identifying the skills, knowledge and attitudes required by students for success in online courses. Findings indicated that there is a need for online learners to understand the time commitment required of an online course and possess or develop strong time management skills. Because of small sample size, results cannot be generalized beyond the respondents. The authors found a mismatch in the perception of instructor technical skills versus student technical skill. Based on their findings, the paper provides recommendations on the appropriate design, development and implementation of an orientation to online learning.

Learning Doctor-Patient Communication – Evaluating the effectiveness of the communication training course at Leipzig University from the students' point of view

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Cämmerer, Jana

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: At the University of Leipzig, the requirements of the Licensing Regulations for Doctors (Approbationsordnung für Ärzte for the practical training of communication skills are actively implemented by a two-semester communication course. During this course, student tutors impart the basics of interpersonal as well as selected aspects of doctor-patient communication using interactive training methods. This article reports on the effect the training has on the self-assessed communication skills of the medicine students.Methods: The students’ self-perceived communication skills were assessed, both at the beginning and after the completion of the first and second course semesters using questionnaires related to the course’s learning goals. Pre-post comparisons were then carried out. 142 students (of 163 students in total participated in the survey at the start of the course, of which 117 completed the T2-questionnaire at the end of the first course semester. Only the 84 students who also completed the questionnaires in the second course semester were included in the statistical analysis. These responses were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: The comparison of the self-assessments between the four measurement points showed that statistically significant learning progress for all assessed communication skills had taken place from the point of view of the students. The largest changes between measurements, and therefore the greatest learning progress, could be seen in knowledge related skills.Conclusion: From the students’ point of view the communication training contributes significantly to the acquisition of communication skills. The results suggest that this “hands-on” course concept is suited to successfully enhance the students’ communication skills. The course concept should therefore be retained for both the course in its current form as well as for any extension of the course into the

Human Sexuality: A Student Taught Course

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Herold, Edward S.; And Others

1973-01-01

Four senior female students presented seminars in human sexuality to freshmen coeds. The seminar topics were (1) petting and intercourse, (2) masturbation, (3) venereal disease and problematic sexual behavior, and (4) abortion and sterilization. Improvement in knowledge was determined by pre- and post-course questionnaires. Student evaluations…

Course Syllabi and Their Effects on Students' Final Grade Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Serafin, Ana Gil

This study examined the relationship between the changes introduced in a course syllabus for a course titled "Instructional Strategies" and the final grades obtained by freshman and sophomore students in three successive academic periods. A sample of 150 subjects was randomly selected from students enrolled in the course at the…

The Conversion of a Peer Teaching Course in the Puncture of Peripheral Veins for Medical Students into an Interprofessional Course

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Brem, Beate Gabriele

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Objective: There is a great interest on both a national and international level in promoting cooperation between different occupational groups within the healthcare professions through interprofessional education (IPE , , . Within this project, a peer teaching course on the puncture of peripheral veins was therefore converted from a course for medical students into an IPE learning unit. Students from different occupational groups were to learn within the context of this course, according to the definition from the World Health Organisation (WHO, with and from each other . Project description: This course constituted a small group class in the peer teaching format. The didactic principle was based on the idea that the students were to practice the respective practical skills in pairs and give each other reciprocal feedback. Together with the Department for Health at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BUAS and the Bern Center of Higher Education of Nusing (BCHEN, the course, which was conducted by the Institute of Medical Education at the University of Bern (IME, was converted into a voluntary IPE pilot project. Students from all three institutions were represented in terms of participants as well as tutors. Results: The course was evaluated very positively by participants, peer tutors and the participating institutions. By means of an OSCE, it could be proven that the course content had been successfully imparted. On the basis of these results, it was determined that the course should be compulsory in the future for students at all three institutions. Discussion: The evaluation results show the successful conversion of the course into an IPE format within the context of the pilot project. The interactive format of the course created the prerequisite that the students from different professional groups learned with and from each other in actuality, and did not just study the same objectives at the same time as with multiprofessional learning

Preparation of Engineering Students for Capstone Design Experience through a Microprocessors Course

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Mohammed El-Abd

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the outcomes of a developed methodology to handle the project component in a higher-level undergraduate course. The approach relies on providing the students the freedom to choose their own project area as well as the utilized technology. At the same time, the students have to follow certain regulation to allow for the creation of a semi-capstone experience. We illustrate how this approach has a positive effect, not only on the project outcomes at the course level, but also on the students’ performances in subsequent capstone courses. Data collected, over five consecutive course offerings, shows that this approach is an effective method to prepare engineering students for their senior design capstone courses.

The Importance of Course Design on Classroom Performance of Marketing Students

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Black, Gregory S.; Daughtrey, Clayton L.; Lewis, Jeffrey S.

2014-01-01

The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of course design on marketing student outcomes by examining data gathered over several semesters from 563 undergraduate students enrolled in marketing classes at a major university. During this period of time, respondents were enrolled in one of four marketing courses, each of which…

Factors Associated With Nursing Students' Resilience: Communication Skills Course, Use of Social Media and Satisfaction With Clinical Placement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sigalit, Warshawski; Sivia, Barnoy; Michal, Itzhaki

The purpose of this study was to explore the (a) associations between students' personal and group resilience to their utilization of social networking platforms and formally taught communication skills, (b) students' personal and clinical characteristics that are related to personal and group resilience and the perceived helpfulness of communication course, and (c) factors that contribute to students' satisfaction with their clinical placement. Data were collected from 149 second year nursing students learning in a major university in the country of Israel with the use of a self-administered structured questionnaire. Students' satisfaction from their clinical placement was measured using 1 open-ended question, analyzed through qualitative methods. Results demonstrated positive correlations between students' use of social networking to their personal and group resilience (Pmedia use, religion, and clinical placement characteristics were related to resilience and to the perceived helpfulness of the communication course (P<.01). Students' satisfaction with their clinical placement was based primarily on the clinical instructors' personal and professional skills. In conclusion, social networking can and should be used as a learning tool to promote resilience among nursing students. Faculty and nurse managers should be aware of the central role of the clinical instructor and initiate collaborative and supporting initiatives. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perceived learning effectiveness of a course Facebook page: teacher-led versus student-led approach

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Tugba Orten Tugrul

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This research aims to compare the perceived effectiveness of teacher -led and student-led content management approaches embraced in a course Facebook page designed to enhance traditional classroom learning. Eighty-five undergraduate marketing course students voluntarily completed a questionnaire composed of two parts; a depiction of a course Facebook page where both teacher and students can share instructional contents, and questions about perceived learning effectiveness. The findings indicate that students have more favorable evaluations of a student-led approach in sharing instructional contents on a course Facebook Page than a teacher-led approach. Additionally, it is shown that instructional contents posted by both teacher and students enhance the overall learning effectiveness of a course Facebook page incorporated into a traditional classroom teaching.

The motivations and experiences of students enrolled in online science courses at the community college

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Urbi

An important question in online learning involves how to effectively motivate and retain students in science online courses. There is a dearth of research and knowledge about the experiences of students enrolled in online science courses in community colleges which has impeded the proper development and implementation of online courses and retention of students in the online environment. This study sought to provide an understanding of the relationships among each of the following variables: self-efficacy, task value, negative-achievement emotions, self-regulation learning strategies (metacognition), learning strategy (elaboration), and course satisfaction to student's performance (course final grade). Bandura's social-cognitive theory was used as a framework to describe the relationships among students' motivational beliefs (perceived task value, self-efficacy, and self-regulation) and emotions (frustration and boredom) with the dependent variables (elaboration and overall course satisfaction). A mixed-method design was used with a survey instrumentation and student interviews. A variety of science online courses in biology, genetics, astronomy, nutrition, and chemistry were surveyed in two community colleges. Community colleges students (N = 107) completed a questionnaire during enrollment in a variety of online science online courses. Upon course completion, 12 respondents were randomly selected for follow-up in-depth interviews. Multiple regression results from the study indicate perceived task value and self-regulatory learning strategies (metacognition) were as important predictors for students' use of elaboration, while self-efficacy and the number of prior online courses was not significant predictors for students' elaboration when all four predictors were included. Frustration was a significant negative predictor of overall course satisfaction, and boredom unexpectedly emerged as a positive predictor when frustration was also in the model. In addition, the

The Impact of Course Title and Instructor Gender on Student Perceptions and Interest in a Women's and Gender Studies Course

Science.gov (United States)

Spoor, Jennifer R.; Lehmiller, Justin J.

2014-01-01

Diversity awareness has enormous benefits, and universities in the United States increasingly require students to complete diversity-related courses. Prior research has demonstrated that students' initial attitudes toward these courses affect their subsequent engagement, as well as the quality of their learning experience; however, very little research has examined how these initial attitudes are formed. We conducted an experiment to examine this issue in the context of a women's and gender studies course in psychology. Participants read one of two identical course descriptions that varied only the course title (i.e., Psychology of Gender versus Psychology of Women) and instructor gender. Participants perceived a women-titled course to be narrowly focused compared to an identical gender-titled course and were more interested in taking the gender-titled course. Instructor gender had no effects on any of the variables. Additionally, female participants had more positive attitudes toward the course than male participants, regardless of title. Exploratory mediation analyses indicated that the main effects of course title and participant gender were mediated by perceptions of course content. Implications for improving student experiences and interest in diversity-related courses are discussed. PMID:25268353

Information Management Processes for Extraction of Student Dropout Indicators in Courses in Distance Mode

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Renata Maria Abrantes Baracho

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This research addresses the use of information management processes in order to extract student dropout indicators in distance mode courses. Distance education in Brazil aims to facilitate access to information. The MEC (Ministry of Education announced, in the second semester of 2013, that the main obstacles faced by institutions offering courses in this mode were students dropping out and the resistance of both educators and students to this mode. The research used a mixed methodology, qualitative and quantitative, to obtain student dropout indicators. The factors found and validated in this research were: the lack of interest from students, insufficient training in the use of the virtual learning environment for students, structural problems in the schools that were chosen to offer the course, students without e-mail, incoherent answers to activities to the course, lack of knowledge on the part of the student when using the computer tool. The scenario considered was a course offered in distance mode called Aluno Integrado (Integrated Student

Emergency telephone consultations: a new course for medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Schaufelberger, Mireille; Harris, Michael; Frey, Peter

2012-12-01

Using the telephone for consultations is now common practice. Although there is a clear need for specific training for telephone consultations, it is uncommon for it to be taught in medical school. A practical course on emergency telephone consultations (ECTs) was designed for the medical degree course at the University of Bern Medical School. During the module, each of the volunteer fifth-year medical students had to perform two simulated telephone consultations. Medical students in their first year of medical school acted as simulated patients (SPs), and they gave immediate feedback to the participants. Nineteen per cent of fifth-year students voluntarily undertook the ETC course. The course was rated 'very informative' by 68 per cent of the participants, and 'informative' by 32 per cent. Ninety-four per cent of the attendees recorded a personal learning gain, and 68 per cent suggested that the course should be obligatory. All the participants thought that the SPs played their roles realistically. In their rating of the ETC, the fifth-year students gave it a mean mark of 5.5 (out of a maximum of 6), suggesting that they thought it had been very successful. Students became aware of their need for ETC training through the course itself, and they recommended that it should be obligatory. The ETC pilot received a highly positive response from lead clinicians who anticipated a rising number of telephone consultations, and who have to deal with trainees who have not been taught about how to deal with ETCs. As a result, the Faculty of Medicine decided to make the course obligatory. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012.

Stereotype Threat? Male and Female Students in Advanced High School Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Corra, Mamadi

Propositions of stereotype threat theory imply that the social consequences of academic distinction in advanced quantitative areas (such as math and the physical sciences) for women may promote the under representation of female students in advanced quantitative academic courses. The hypothesis that female students will be underrepresented in advanced quantitative (honors and advanced placement math and physical science) courses is tested using academic performance and enrollment data for high school students in a "Student/Parent Informed Choice" (open registration) school district in North Carolina. Results show female students to be overrepresented in both advanced verbal/writing intensive (honors and advanced placement English, foreign language, and social science) and advanced quantitative (honors and advanced placement math and physical science) courses compared to their proportion of the student body. More surprisingly, results also indicate female students (compared to male students) to be overrepresented in advanced courses compared to their proportion of high-performing students. Furthermore, as with patterns observed at the district level, additional analysis of enrollment data for the entire state reveals similar results. Taken together, the findings call into question the prevailing presumption that female students continue to be underrepresented in math and physical science courses. Instead, the changing social context within which females and males experience schooling may provide an explanation for the findings.

Health science students and their learning environment: a comparison of perceptions of on-site, remote-site, and traditional classroom students.

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Elison-Bowers, P; Snelson, Chareen; Casa de Calvo, Mario; Thompson, Heather

2008-02-05

This study compared the responses of on-site, remote-site, and traditional classroom students on measures of student/teacher interaction, course structure, physical learning environment, and overall course enjoyment/satisfaction. The sample population consisted of students taking undergraduate courses in medical terminology at two western colleges. The survey instrument was derived from Thomerson's questionnaire, which included closed- and open-ended questions assessing perceptions of students toward their courses. Controlling for grade expectations, results revealed no significant differences among the on-site, remote-site, and traditional classroom students in any of the four cluster domains. However, a nonsignificant (and continuing) trend suggested that students preferred the traditional classroom environment. When results were controlled for age, significant differences emerged between traditional and nontraditional students on measures of student/teacher interaction, physical learning environment, and overall enjoyment/satisfaction, as nontraditional students exhibited higher scores. Students' responses to open-ended questions indicated they enjoyed the convenience of online instruction, but reported finding frustration with technology itself.

The Cost of Economic Literacy: How Well Does a Literacy-Targeted Principles of Economics Course Prepare Students for Intermediate Theory Courses?

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Gilleskie, Donna B.; Salemi, Michael K.

2012-01-01

In a typical economics principles course, students encounter a large number of concepts. In a literacy-targeted course, students study a "short list" of concepts that they can use for the rest of their lives. While a literacy-targeted principles course provides better education for nonmajors, it may place economic majors at a…

Students' Network Integration as a Predictor of Persistence in Introductory Physics Courses

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Zwolak, Justyna P.; Dou, Remy; Williams, Eric A.; Brewe, Eric

2017-01-01

Increasing student retention (successfully finishing a particular course) and persistence (continuing through a sequence of courses or the major area of study) is currently a major challenge for universities. While students' academic and social integration into an institution seems to be vital for student retention, research into the effect of…

Business Student Attitudes, Experience, and Satisfaction with Online Courses

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Kuzma, Ann; Kuzma, John; Thiewes, Harold

2015-01-01

The purpose of our study is to examine business students' perceptions of their online class experience relative to the traditional in-class experience; specifically, whether a descriptive, theoretical or analytical course would be preferred as an online or traditional course. Two hundred and ninety students enrolled in upper-level business courses…

Web-based training in radiology - student course in the Virtual University of Bavaria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grunewald, M.; Jakob, C.; Wagner, M.; Bautz, W.A.; Geess, H.R.; Gebhard, H.; Hothorn, T.; Neuhuber, W.L.

2004-01-01

Purpose: The nint version of the licensing regulation for medical doctors (Approbation Regulation (AR)) sets a benchmark in terms of practical experience, interdigitation of preclinical and clinical studies, interdisciplinary approach, economic efficiency, independence of students, added new teaching and learning modalities, and ongoing evaluation of the progress of the medical students. It is the aim to implement these major points of the AR in a model course for diagnostic radiology and radiation protection within the scope of the Virtual University of Bavaria and test them in practice. Materials and Methods: In cooperation with residents and board certified radiologists, students developed the virtual course 'Web-Based Training (WBT) Radiology' in diagnostic radiology and radiation protection for students in the first clinical semester. A representative target group taken from the student body was asked about the options to get access to the World Wide Web (Internet), and the satisfaction concerning configuration and content of the newly developed program. A comparison was made between the results of the final examination taken by students who made use of the virtual course in addition to conventional lessons and taken by students who did not subscribe to the virtual course and exclusively relied on conventional lessons. In addition, a pilot study was conducted in the winter semester 2002/03, which compared students taking either the traditional lessons or the new virtual course on the Internet. Results: The virtual course-model had test results with a positive trend. All targeted students had Internet access. Constructive criticism was immediately implemented and contributed to rapid optimization. The learning success of the additive or alternative virtual course was in no way less than the learning success achieved with the conventional course. (orig.) [de

Student Buy-In to Active Learning in a College Science Course.

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Cavanagh, Andrew J; Aragón, Oriana R; Chen, Xinnian; Couch, Brian; Durham, Mary; Bobrownicki, Aiyana; Hanauer, David I; Graham, Mark J

2016-01-01

The benefits of introducing active learning in college science courses are well established, yet more needs to be understood about student buy-in to active learning and how that process of buy-in might relate to student outcomes. We test the exposure-persuasion-identification-commitment (EPIC) process model of buy-in, here applied to student (n = 245) engagement in an undergraduate science course featuring active learning. Student buy-in to active learning was positively associated with engagement in self-regulated learning and students' course performance. The positive associations among buy-in, self-regulated learning, and course performance suggest buy-in as a potentially important factor leading to student engagement and other student outcomes. These findings are particularly salient in course contexts featuring active learning, which encourage active student participation in the learning process. © 2016 A. J. Cavanagh et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Perception of the Relevance of Organic Chemistry in a German Pharmacy Students' Course.

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Wehle, Sarah; Decker, Michael

2016-04-25

Objective. To investigate German pharmacy students' attitudes toward the relevance of organic chemistry training in Julius Maximilian University (JMU) of Würzburg with regard to subsequent courses in the curricula and in later prospective career options. Methods. Surveys were conducted in the second-year organic chemistry course (50 participants) as well as during the third-year and fourth-year lecture cycle on medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry (66 participants) in 2014. Results. Students' attitudes were surprisingly consistent throughout the progress of the degree course. Students considered organic chemistry very relevant to the pharmacy study program (95% junior and 97% senior students), and of importance for their future pharmacy program (88% junior and 94% senior students). With regard to prospective career options, the perceived relevance was considerably lower and attitudes were less homogenous. Conclusions. German pharmacy students at JMU Würzburg consider organic chemistry of high relevance for medicinal chemistry and other courses in JMU's pharmacy program.

Students' Satisfaction and Perceived Learning with a Web-based Course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Derek Holton

2003-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes a study, which explored students' responses and reactions to a Web-based tertiary statistics course supporting problem-based learning. The study was undertaken among postgraduate students in a Malaysian university. The findings revealed that the majority of the students were satisfied with their learning experience and achieved comparable learning outcomes to students in the face-to-face version of the course. Students appreciated the flexibility of anytime, anywhere learning. The majority of the students was motivated to learn and had adequate technical support to complete the course. Improvement in computer skills was an incidental learning outcome from the course. The student-student and student-teacher communication was satisfactory but a few students felt isolated learning in the Web environment. These students expressed a need for some face-to-face lectures. While the majority of the students saw value in learning in a problem-based setting, around a third of the students expressed no opinion on, or were dissatisfied with, the problem-based environment. They were satisfied with the group facilitators and learning materials but were unhappy with the group dynamics. Some of the students felt unable to contribute to or learn from the asynchronous Web-based conferences using problem-based approach. Some of the students were not punctual and were not prepared to take part in the Web-based conferences. The findings have suggested a need to explicitly design an organising strategy in the asynchronous Web-based conferences using problem-based approach to aid students in completing the problem-based learning process.

Introductory Geology From the Liberal Arts Approach: A Geology-Sociology Linked Course

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Walsh, E. O.; Davis, E.

2008-12-01

Geology can be a hard sell to college students, especially to college students attending small, liberal arts institutions in localities that lack exaggerated topography. At these schools, Geology departments that wish to grow must work diligently to attract students to the major; professors must be able to convince a wider audience of students that geology is relevant to their everyday lives. Toward this end, a Physical Geology course was linked with an introductory Sociology course through the common theme of Consumption. The same students took the two courses in sequence, beginning with the Sociology course and ending with Physical Geology; thus, students began by discussing the role of consumption in society and ended by learning about the geological processes and implications of consumption. Students were able to ascertain the importance of geology in their daily lives by connecting Earth processes to specific products they consume, such as cell phones and bottled water. Students were also able to see the connection between seemingly disparate fields of study, which is a major goal of the liberal arts. As a theme, Consumption worked well to grab the attention of students interested in diverse issues, such as environmental science or social justice. A one-hour lecture illustrating the link between sociology and geology was developed for presentation to incoming freshmen and their parents to advertise the course. Initial response has been positive, showing an increase in awareness of geological processes among students with a wide range of interests.

General and Professional English Courses

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

The next session will take place: from 25 February or 3 March to the end of June 2008 (1/2 weeks break at Easter). These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site and to their spouses. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our Web pages: http://cern.ch/Training or contact Nathalie Dumeaux, Tel. 78144. Oral Expression The next session will take place from 25 February or 3 March to the end of June 2008 (1/2 weeks break at Easter). This course is intended for people with a good knowledge of English who want to practise and maintain their oral skills and improve their vocabulary. There will be an average of 8 participants per class. Speaking activities will include discussions, meeting simulations, role-plays etc., depending on the needs of the students. Duration: 30 hours. Price: 660 CHF (for a minimum of 8 students). Writing Professional Documents in English The next session will take place from 25 February or 3 March to end of June 2008 (1/2 weeks break...

Designing for deeper learning in a blended computer science course for middle school students

Science.gov (United States)

Grover, Shuchi; Pea, Roy; Cooper, Stephen

2015-04-01

The focus of this research was to create and test an introductory computer science course for middle school. Titled "Foundations for Advancing Computational Thinking" (FACT), the course aims to prepare and motivate middle school learners for future engagement with algorithmic problem solving. FACT was also piloted as a seven-week course on Stanford's OpenEdX MOOC platform for blended in-class learning. Unique aspects of FACT include balanced pedagogical designs that address the cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal aspects of "deeper learning"; a focus on pedagogical strategies for mediating and assessing for transfer from block-based to text-based programming; curricular materials for remedying misperceptions of computing; and "systems of assessments" (including formative and summative quizzes and tests, directed as well as open-ended programming assignments, and a transfer test) to get a comprehensive picture of students' deeper computational learning. Empirical investigations, accomplished over two iterations of a design-based research effort with students (aged 11-14 years) in a public school, sought to examine student understanding of algorithmic constructs, and how well students transferred this learning from Scratch to text-based languages. Changes in student perceptions of computing as a discipline were measured. Results and mixed-method analyses revealed that students in both studies (1) achieved substantial learning gains in algorithmic thinking skills, (2) were able to transfer their learning from Scratch to a text-based programming context, and (3) achieved significant growth toward a more mature understanding of computing as a discipline. Factor analyses of prior computing experience, multivariate regression analyses, and qualitative analyses of student projects and artifact-based interviews were conducted to better understand the factors affecting learning outcomes. Prior computing experiences (as measured by a pretest) and math ability were

A case-based toxicology elective course to enhance student learning in pharmacotherapy.

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Brown, Stacy D; Pond, Brooks B; Creekmore, Kathryn A

2011-08-10

To assess the impact of a case-based toxicology elective course on student learning in related required courses and student performance on the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) examination. A case-based clinical toxicology elective course that contained topics from 2 required courses, Pharmacology III and Pharmacotherapy II, was offered in the spring 2009 to second- and third-year pharmacy students. Scores on the Toxicology subsection of the PCOA of students enrolled in the elective were higher than those of students not enrolled (91.3% ± 4.1 vs. 67.2% ± 5.7). Enrollment in the elective was related to increased examination scores among Pharmacotherapy II students (89.5% ± 2.0 vs. 83.9% ± 1.8). Students indicated on course survey instruments that they were satisfied with the new elective offering. A toxicology elective provided a clinically relevant, active-learning experience for pharmacy students that addressed a curricular need within the college and increased examination scores.

Life Course Stage and Social Support Mobilization for End-of-Life Caregivers.

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LaValley, Susan A; Gage-Bouchard, Elizabeth A

2018-04-01

Caregivers of terminally ill patients are at risk for anxiety, depression, and social isolation. Social support from friends, family members, neighbors, and health care professionals can potentially prevent or mitigate caregiver strain. While previous research documents the importance of social support in helping end-of-life caregivers cope with caregiving demands, little is known about differences in social support experiences among caregivers at different life course stages. Using life course theory, this study analyzes data from in-depth interviews with 50 caregivers of patients enrolled in hospice services to compare barriers to mobilizing social support among caregivers at two life course stages: midlife caregivers caring for parents and older adult caregivers caring for spouses/partners. Older adult caregivers reported different barriers to mobilizing social support compared with midlife caregivers. Findings enhance the understanding of how caregivers' life course stage affects their barriers to mobilization of social support resources.

Analysis of a Student-Centered, Self-Paced Pedagogy Style for Teaching Information Systems Courses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharon Paranto

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The entry-level skills for students enrolling in a college-level information systems course can vary widely. This paper analyzes the impact of a "student-centered" pedagogy model, in which students use a self-paced approach for learning the material in an introductory information systems course, with pre-assigned dates for lectures and for assignment/exam deadlines. This new paradigm was implemented in several sections of an introductory information systems course over a two-semester time span. Under the new model, tutorial-style textbooks were used to help students master the material, all other materials were available online, and all exams were given using a hands-on, task-oriented online testing package, which included a multiple-choice/true-false component to test student understanding of the conceptual portion of the course. An anonymous student survey was used to gain student perceptions of the level of learning that took place under the new paradigm, as well as to measure student satisfaction with the course design, and a pre-/post-test was used to provide a measure of student learning.

A medical student leadership course led to teamwork, advocacy, and mindfulness.

Science.gov (United States)

Warde, Carole M; Vermillion, Michelle; Uijtdehaage, Sebastian

2014-06-01

Many medical trainees seek work among underserved communities but may be unprepared to cope with the challenges. Relationship-centered qualities have been shown to promote physician resilience and prevent burnout. The UCLA-PRIME program aims to prepare medical students to work among vulnerable groups and begins with a 3-week leadership course. We describe this course and share lessons with those seeking to foster leadership, advocacy, and resiliency in our future physician workforce. Twenty students participated in our curriculum that emphasized five competencies: leadership, advocacy, teamwork, mindfulness, and self-care. Course activities complemented the students' work as they developed a community outreach project. They assessed and reflected on their leadership, relationship, and team behaviors, were coached to improve these, learned mindfulness meditation, and participated in community forums. Our evaluation assessed course quality, project completion, leadership, mindfulness, and team relational coordination. Students were very satisfied with all aspects of the course. They designed a medical student elective addressing the health challenges of an incarcerated and formerly incarcerated population. While we found no change in leadership practices scores, students had high team relational coordination scores and improved mindfulness scores upon course completion. Our course to develop medical students as resilient leaders, team members, and advocates for medically underserved groups consisted of a community-based service project, coupled with a facilitated relationship-centered curriculum. It promoted qualities in students that characterize effective and resilient physician leaders; they were more mindful, related to each other effectively, and coordinated their activities well with one another.

Searching for Student Success: Implementing Immediacy in Online Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Jennings, Amy B.

2013-01-01

Growing demand for higher education has contributed to the popularity of online education. While online courses can be effective in terms of student learning and success, and there are many potential benefits, there are also still areas that can be improved. There is evidence that students can experience online courses as impersonal and lacking…

Effects of a Simulation Exercise on Nursing Students' End-of-Life Care Attitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dame, Linda; Hoebeke, Roberta

2016-12-01

Students consider end-of-life care content in their nursing curricula to be inadequate and deficient in promoting the development of the necessary attitudes to care for dying patients. Research identifies simulation as an effective teaching strategy to examine nursing students' attitudes toward end-of-life care. An end-of-life care simulation was developed, implemented, and evaluated. Attitudes toward caring for dying patients were measured pre- and postsimulation on a convenience sample of 57 sophomore nursing students using the Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying Scale-Form B. Repeated measures of ANOVA on outcome variables evaluated student attitudes toward end-of-life care. Participation in an end-of-life care simulation resulted in more positive student attitudes toward caring for dying patients (p life care in nursing curricula and improve student attitudes toward caring for dying patients. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(12):701-705.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Developing critique together

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chimirri, Niklas Alexander

imperative – more general still than that of eradicating errors. There is something in critique which is akin to virtue” (Foucault, 1997, pp. 42-43). Critique is future-directed: It communicates a ‘more general imperative’ that affects the possible, the imaginable, and thereby the actual. Even if formulated...

Student Perceived Importance and Correlations of Selected Computer Literacy Course Topics

Science.gov (United States)

Ciampa, Mark

2013-01-01

Traditional college-level courses designed to teach computer literacy are in a state of flux. Today's students have high rates of access to computing technology and computer ownership, leading many policy decision makers to conclude that students already are computer literate and thus computer literacy courses are dinosaurs in a modern digital…

Student Video Viewing Habits in an Online Mechanics of Materials Engineering Course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jordan Dale Hildebrand

2018-05-01

Full Text Available This paper investigated the video viewing habits of students in a sophomore-level, online Mechanics of Materials (MoM course offered in Spring 2017 and how those habits affected student course grades. Data on student engagement and viewership were collected from a MoM course through a learning management system. This data was compared with length of videos, video content, and video types. With viewership being the focus of the study, it was determined that student engagement decreased over the semester, the content of a video affected its viewership, and viewing rates fluctuated depending on the exam. The other finding was that an increase in viewership tended to indicate an improvement in students’ grades. While the videos are an effective means of improving students’ course grade, changes could be made to improve the videos and increase engagement.

Course Modality Choice and Student Performance in Business Statistics Courses in Post Secondary Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Radners, Richard Harry, Jr.

2011-01-01

Limited research has been conducted on the role of course modality choice (face-to-face [FTF] or online [OL]) on course grades. At the study site, an independent college, the research problem was the lack of research on the proportions of undergraduate students who completed a statistics course as part of their academic program, in either OL or…

The Examination of the Attitudes of Secondary School Students towards Physical Education Course

Science.gov (United States)

Keskin, Özkan; Hergüner, Gülten; Dönmez, Ahmet; Berisha, Milaim; Üçan, Erkan

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the attitudes of primary education students towards physical education courses according to certain variables. 640 students from elementary schools in the city center and several counties of Sakarya participated in the study. In the designating of the students' attitudes towards the physical education courses,…

Impact of Flipped Classroom Design on Student Performance and Perceptions in a Pharmacotherapy Course.

Science.gov (United States)

Koo, Cathy L; Demps, Elaine L; Farris, Charlotte; Bowman, John D; Panahi, Ladan; Boyle, Paul

2016-03-25

Objective. To determine whether a flipped classroom design would improve student performance and perceptions of the learning experience compared to traditional lecture course design in a required pharmacotherapy course for second-year pharmacy students. Design. Students viewed short online videos about the foundational concepts and answered self-assessment questions prior to face-to-face sessions involving patient case discussions. Assessment. Pretest/posttest and precourse/postcourse surveys evaluated students' short-term knowledge retention and perceptions before and after the redesigned course. The final grades improved after the redesign. Mean scores on the posttest improved from the pretest. Postcourse survey showed 88% of students were satisfied with the redesign. Students reported that they appreciated the flexibility of video viewing and knowledge application during case discussions but some also struggled with time requirements of the course. Conclusion. The redesigned course improved student test performance and perceptions of the learning experience during the first year of implementation.

Multicultural Course Pedagogy: Experiences of Master's-Level Students of Color

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Seward, Derek Xavier

2014-01-01

The author conducted a grounded theory study to examine multicultural training as experienced by 20 master's-level students of color enrolled in multicultural counseling courses. Findings revealed an emergent theory of student of color learning experiences and multicultural course pedagogy. Implications for counselor educators are discussed.

Effective Modification of a Nonprescription Medicines Course to Optimize Learning of Millennial Generation Students

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Bella H Mehta

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To describe examples of effective teaching strategies utilized within a required nonprescription therapeutics course, in order to accommodate learning characteristics of Millennials. Case Study: Instructors identified unique characteristics of Millennial generation students through literature review and focused educational workshops. These characteristics include the desire for active learning where didactic lectures make a connection to life, the incorporation of technology, and assignments that focus on team work. Course modifications were then made based on these characteristics including redesign of large group course lectures with incorporation of patient cases, inclusion of a variety of online components including the opportunity to provide course feedback, and active learning small group projects within workshop sections. Evaluation:Student evaluation of the course and instructors significantly improved after introducing changes to the course compared to previous years. Each component of the student evaluation resulted in a statistically significant change in mean score. Verbal and written evaluations indicated a very positive learning experience for students. Grade mean (3.3 vs. 3.8, p Conclusions: By identifying characteristics of Millennial generation student learners, traditional teaching methods can be modified in order to enhance retention of material and optimize their learning process. Course changes improved the learning experience for students and instructors. Instructors' willingness to evaluate generational differences and adapt teaching enhances the learning experiences in the classroom for both students and instructors.   Type: Case Study

Telescopic Topics: The Impact of Student-Created Podcasts in a Large, General Education Course

Science.gov (United States)

Kraal, E. R.

2014-12-01

Large, general education courses are important to the geoscience community. These courses serve as valuable recruiting tools for future geoscience majors because over 55% of geoscience students select their major in the first two years of college (Wilson, 2013). These courses can have many challenges such as large class sizes, limited (or no) laboratory time and facilities, little financial resource support, non-permanent faculty, and a variety of student abilities and needs. High impact practices, such as writing courses, student research, and community service can be difficult to integrate into large, non-major courses. Student-produced audio (e. g. podcasts) provide one approach to providing high impact practices within these courses. Other researchers have found student produced audio to be effective at transmitting content, integrating place based experiences, and building community connections within the students. Here I present the implementation of student-created audio within a large (100+), general education course (AST 30 - Mission to the Planets) over the last 4 years called 'Telescopic Topics.' Activities scaffold the students through the semester where they select a topic on planetary science, work with the science reference librarian, visit the writing center, and record their podcast at campus student radio station. The top podcasts are then aired on the campus radio station during the news broadcasts through a rotating series. Surveys of student experiences find that student find the activity valuable and engaging. Students reported feeling less intimidated by the science content and more connected to the subject matter. In addition, it provides many of them with their first introduction to and use of the university library and associated campus resources.

An Assessment of Student Learning in an Online Oceanography Course: Five Years After Implementation

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Reed, D. L.

2002-12-01

The results of assessing student learning in an online oceanography class offered over the past five years are compiled to reveal several general trends. In order to understand the context of these trends, it is important to first note that SJSU has a two-tiered general education program consisting of a category of core courses for frosh and sophomores and an advanced category for juniors and seniors, most of whom are community college transfers. The course described in this study is in the latter category and therefore composed largely of seniors. Enrollments in the course have exploded from 6 students in a pilot section offered during the 1998 fall semester to over 170 students in the summer semester of 2002. The course is now offered in both semesters of the academic year with four sections offered during 2002 summer session as part of a system-wide conversion to year-round operation. No other course, be it classroom, hybrid or online, in the general education category has experienced the level of student demand as this online course. All sections of the online course reach enrollment limits in the first days of registration with an equal or greater number of students turned away each semester. More female, students of color, returning students and K-12 in-service teachers enroll in the online sections than in the equivalent classroom sections of the course. Students enroll in the online section for the convenience of self-paced learning since attending a classroom section is not a viable option. Enrollments in concurrent classroom sections have not been negatively impacted by the addition of online sections. Enrollment attrition is higher in the first few days of the online course, but similar to that experienced in the classroom sections, once the class is underway. However, student requests for incompletes tend to be somewhat higher in the online course, especially during the summer offerings. Learning outcomes are reviewed at the beginning of the course and

Computer Self-Efficacy: A Practical Indicator of Student Computer Competency in Introductory IS Courses

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Rex Karsten

1998-01-01

Full Text Available Students often receive their first college-level computer training in introductory information systems courses. Students and faculty frequently expect this training to develop a level of student computer competence that will support computer use in future courses. In this study, we applied measures of computer self-efficacy to students in a typical introductory IS course. The measures provided useful evidence that student perceptions of their ability to use computers effectively in the future significantly improved as a result of their training experience. The computer self-efficacy measures also provided enhanced insight into course-related factors of practical concern to IS educators. Study results also suggest computer self-efficacy measures may be a practical and informative means of assessing computer-training outcomes in the introductory IS course context

Predictors of Enrolling in Online Courses: An Exploratory Study of Students in Undergraduate Marketing Courses