Student satisfaction and academic performance in a dual PharmD/MBA degree program.

Science.gov (United States)

Chumney, Elinor C G; Ragucci, Kelly R

2006-04-15

Evaluate the academic experience and satisfaction of students enrolled in the dual PharmD/MBA degree program between the South Carolina College of Pharmacy and The Citadel's School of Business Administration. Compare grade point averages of students enrolled in the dual degree program with those of traditional student colleagues. A standardized satisfaction survey instrument was administered to 32 students currently enrolled in the dual PharmD/MBA degree program. Grade point averages (GPAs) in both pharmacy and business coursework were also collected for analysis. There were slightly higher percentages of both female and minority students in the dual degree program compared to the pharmacy class as a whole. Eighteen (56%) of students completed the survey, and responses were generally positive. The mean GPA of students in the dual degree program was higher than that of both pharmacy (3.37 vs 3.08, p vs 3.64, not statistically significant) students not enrolled in the dual degree program. Students enrolled in the dual degree program did better academically than their counterparts and indicated an overall high level of satisfaction with the program.

Perception of collaborative learning in associate degree students in Hong Kong.

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Shek, Daniel T L; Shek, Moses M W

2013-01-01

Although collaborative learning has been widely researched in Western contexts, no study has been carried out to understand how associate degree students look at collaborative learning in Hong Kong. In this study, perceptions of and attitudes to collaborative learning among associate degree students were studied. A total of 44 associate degree students completed an online questionnaire including measures of perceived benefits and attitudes to collaborative learning, and social-emotional competence. Results showed that there were no significant differences between male and female students on perceived benefits of and attitudes towards collaborative learning. Social-emotional competence was related to perceived benefits of and attitudes to collaborative learning. Attitudes were also related to perceived benefits of collaborative learning. This paper is the first known study looking at the relationships among perceived benefits and attitudes to collaborative learning and social-emotional competence in Chinese associate degree students in different Chinese contexts.

Predictive factors of premedical student retention and degree completion within a private undergraduate university

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Carter, Frances E.

Undergraduate retention and eventual graduation is of paramount importance to universities globally. Approximately 58% of students who began their college career at a four-year institution with the intention of receiving a bachelor's degree actually received that degree in a 6-year timeframe, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) annual report The Condition of Education 2009 (Planty, 2009). In certain subgroups of the undergraduate population, this graduation rate is even lower. This dissertation presents research into the academic integration of students in premedical programs subgroup based on Vincent Tinto's Integrationist Model of Student Departure. Pre-entry factors of interest for this study included incoming high school grade point average (GPA), incoming SAT total test scores, while post-matriculation factors included grade in organic chemistry, and the initial calculus course taken. A sample of 519 students from a private coeducational institution in the southeastern United States was examined. A logistic regression was performed to determine the effect of high school GPA, SAT total scores, organic chemistry grades, and calculus-readiness on graduation. A significant regression equation was found. The findings suggest that of the four predictor variables, high school GPA and organic chemistry grade were the only variables that showed significant predictive ability based on a significance level of p < .05. Further research should involve the examination of additional indicators of academic integration as well as information on the social integration of the student. Additionally, institutional leaders should continue to evaluate the premedical curriculum based on potential changes in medical school requirements.

Persistence of Women in Online Degree-Completion Programs

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Terry Müller

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Although online courses at postsecondary institutions promise adults access, flexibility, and convenience, many barriers to online learning remain. This article presents findings from a qualitative case study, which explored the phenomenon of undergraduate and graduate women learners’ persistence in online degree-completion programs at a college in the Northeast of the United States. Research questions asked why women learners persisted or failed to persist, and how factors supporting or hindering persistence influenced learners. Interviews with a purposeful sample of 20 participants revealed the complexity of variables affecting learners’ persistence to graduation. Findings suggested that multiple responsibilities, insufficient interaction with faculty, technology, and coursework ranked highest as barriers to women’s persistence. Strong motivation to complete degrees, engagement in the learning community, and appreciation for the convenience of an online degree-completion option facilitated persistence.

Pursuit of STEM: Factors shaping degree completion for African American females in STEM

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Wilkins, Ashlee N.

The primary purpose of the study was to examine secondary data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman and College Senior Surveys to investigate factors shaping degree aspirations for African American female undergraduates partaking in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to analyze the data and identify relationships between independent variables in relation to the dependent variable. The findings of the study reveal four key variables that were predictive of degree completion for African American females in STEM. Father's education, SAT composite, highest degree planned, and self-perception were positive predictors for females; while independent variable overall sense of community among students remained a negative predictor. Lastly implications for education and recommendations for future research were discussed.

Early Engagement in Course-Based Research Increases Graduation Rates and Completion of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Degrees

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Rodenbusch, Stacia E.; Hernandez, Paul R.; Simmons, Sarah L.; Dolan, Erin L.

2016-01-01

National efforts to transform undergraduate biology education call for research experiences to be an integral component of learning for all students. Course-based undergraduate research experiences, or CUREs, have been championed for engaging students in research at a scale that is not possible through apprenticeships in faculty research laboratories. Yet there are few if any studies that examine the long-term effects of participating in CUREs on desired student outcomes, such as graduating from college and completing a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) major. One CURE program, the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI), has engaged thousands of first-year undergraduates over the past decade. Using propensity score–matching to control for student-level differences, we tested the effect of participating in FRI on students’ probability of graduating with a STEM degree, probability of graduating within 6 yr, and grade point average (GPA) at graduation. Students who completed all three semesters of FRI were significantly more likely than their non-FRI peers to earn a STEM degree and graduate within 6 yr. FRI had no significant effect on students’ GPAs at graduation. The effects were similar for diverse students. These results provide the most robust and best-controlled evidence to date to support calls for early involvement of undergraduates in research. PMID:27252296

Fostering completion of the doctor of philosophy degree through scholarly collegial support.

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Pancheri, Karen; Fowler, Debra L; Wiggs, Carol M; Schultz, Rebecca; Lewis, Patricia; Nurse, Rachelle

2013-07-01

The doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree in nursing science prepares nurses to be scientists through a rigorous program of scholarship and research. Nurses who complete this degree are recognized globally as researchers who are expected to pursue a career of intellectual inquiry. Today, the internationally small cohort of PhD-prepared nurses contributes empirically to the generation and development of nursing science. There is currently a shortage of doctorally prepared nurses to meet the increased demands for researchers and educators in schools of nursing and experts in patient care. The Institute of Medicine has recommended doubling the number of doctorally prepared nurses by 2020 and has emphasized that nurses achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved educational system that promotes seamless academic progression. However, in the United States, the overall PhD completion rate is only 57%. This article reports on the process undertaken by a collegial support group of students in a PhD in nursing science program who encouraged each other's progress through the dissertation process within a calendar year. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

Negative Impact of Employment on Engineering Student Time Management, Time to Degree, and Retention: Faculty, Administrator, and Staff Perspectives

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Tyson, Will

2012-01-01

Interviews with faculty, administrators, staff, and students at four engineering programs reveal the role of undergraduate student employment on retention and timely degree completion among engineering students. Dueling narratives reveal how student approaches to earning an engineering degree differ greatly from faculty, administrator, and staff…

The time to degree or dropout amongst full-time master's students at University of KwaZulu-Natal

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Temesgen Zewotir

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Universities around the world are grappling with strategies to increase throughput and minimise dropout rates of postgraduate students. This study focuses on students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and we attempt to estimate the time that it takes for these students to successfully complete or drop out from a master's programme. We used survival analysis to identify the factors which affect this. The results of this analysis showed that having some form of financial aid and/or being a student in the Faculties of Humanities or Management, all significantly shortened the length of time that it took to eventually drop out from a master's programme. For students who successfully completed a master's degree, having some form of financial aid, being of international origin and/or being registered in the Faculties of Health, Humanities, Law or Management, all helped to significantly shorten the length of time it took to successfully complete a master's programme. Students in the Faculty of Medicine, however, took longer to successfully complete their studies. Black Africans took less time to complete their master's degrees when compared with otherwise identical students from the other race groups.

Pathways to a Four-Year Degree: Determinants of Degree Completion among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students.

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Cabrera, Alberto F.; Burkum, Kurt R.; La Nasa, Steven M.

The High School Sophomore Cohort of 1980 followed nine different pathways to a 4-year college degree. These paths were formed by a combination of different levels of academic preparation secured in high school and the first type of postsecondary institution attended. The pathway most likely to lead to a 4-year degree is one defined by acquiring…

Completing College: A National View of Student Attainment Rates--Fall 2010 Cohort (Signature Report No. 12)

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Doug; Dundar, Afet; Wakhungu, Phoebe Khasiala; Yuan, Xin; Nathan, Angel; Hwang, Youngsik

2016-01-01

This fifth annual report on national college completion rates offers a look at the six-year outcomes for students who began postsecondary education in fall 2010, toward the end of the Great Recession. It looks at the various pathways students took toward degree completion, as well as the completion rates through May 2016 for the different student…

The risks of timely degree completion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sarauw, Laura Louise; Madsen, Simon Ryberg

2018-01-01

In 2014, the Danish government introduced a reform with the aim to fast-track student completion. Today, three years after the reform, statistics show that the universities have almost accomplished the political objective. In this article, however, we question the success of the reform when looki...

Early Engagement in Course-Based Research Increases Graduation Rates and Completion of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Degrees.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodenbusch, Stacia E; Hernandez, Paul R; Simmons, Sarah L; Dolan, Erin L

2016-01-01

National efforts to transform undergraduate biology education call for research experiences to be an integral component of learning for all students. Course-based undergraduate research experiences, or CUREs, have been championed for engaging students in research at a scale that is not possible through apprenticeships in faculty research laboratories. Yet there are few if any studies that examine the long-term effects of participating in CUREs on desired student outcomes, such as graduating from college and completing a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) major. One CURE program, the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI), has engaged thousands of first-year undergraduates over the past decade. Using propensity score-matching to control for student-level differences, we tested the effect of participating in FRI on students' probability of graduating with a STEM degree, probability of graduating within 6 yr, and grade point average (GPA) at graduation. Students who completed all three semesters of FRI were significantly more likely than their non-FRI peers to earn a STEM degree and graduate within 6 yr. FRI had no significant effect on students' GPAs at graduation. The effects were similar for diverse students. These results provide the most robust and best-controlled evidence to date to support calls for early involvement of undergraduates in research. © 2016 S. Rodenbusch 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).

Relationships among grit, academic performance, perceived academic failure, and stress in associate degree students.

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Lee, Wincy Wing Sze

2017-10-01

The present study examined the relationships among grit, academic performance, perceived academic failure, and stress levels of Hong Kong associate degree students using path analysis. Three hundred and forty-five students from a community college in Hong Kong voluntarily participated in the study. They completed a questionnaire that measured their grit (operationalized as interest and perseverance) and stress levels. The students also provided their actual academic performance and evaluated their perception of their academic performance as a success or a failure. The results of the path analysis showed that interest and perseverance were negatively associated with stress, and only perceived academic failure was positively associated with stress. These findings suggest that psychological appraisal and resources are more important antecedents of stress than objective negative events. Therefore, fostering students' psychological resilience may alleviate the stress experienced by associate degree students or college students in general. Copyright © 2017 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does Degree of Work Task Completion Influence Retrieval Performance?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingwersen, Peter; Bogers, Toine; Lykke, Marianne

2010-01-01

their perception of task completion. Also, with the exception of full text records and across all document types, both measured at rank 10, no statistically significant correlation is observed with respect to retrieval performance influenced by degrees of perceived work task completion or individual types......In this contribution we investigate the potential influence between assessors’ perceived completion of their work task at hand and their actual assessment of usefulness of the retrieved information. The results indicate that the number of useful documents found by assessors does not influence...

Improving completion rates of students in biomedical PhD programs: an interventional study.

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Viđak, Marin; Tokalić, Ružica; Marušić, Matko; Puljak, Livia; Sapunar, Damir

2017-08-25

Analysis of graduation success at the University of Split School of Medicine PhD programs conducted in 2011 revealed that only 11% of students who enrolled and completed their graduate coursework between 1999 and 2011 earned a doctoral degree. In this prospective cohort study we evaluated and compared three PhD programs within the same medical school, where the newest program, called Translational Research in Biomedicine (TRIBE), established in the academic year 2010/11, aimed to increase the graduation rate through an innovative approach. The intervention in the new program was related to three domains: redefined recruitment strategy, strict study regulations, and changes to the curriculum. We compared performance of PhD students between the new and existing programs and analyzed their current status, time to obtain a degree (from enrolment to doctorate), age at doctorate, number of publications on which the thesis was based and the impact factor of journals in which these were published. These improvement strategies were associated with higher thesis completion rate and reduced time to degree for students enrolled in the TRIBE program. There was no change in the impact factor or number of publications that were the basis for the doctoral theses. Our study describes good practices which proved useful in the design or reform of the PhD training program.

What We Know about Guided Pathways: Helping Students to Complete Programs Faster. Research Overview

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Bailey, Thomas; Jaggars, Shanna Smith; Jenkins, Davis

2015-01-01

The idea behind guided pathways is straightforward. College students are more likely to complete a degree in a timely fashion if they choose a program and develop an academic plan early on, have a clear road map of the courses they need to take to complete a credential, and receive guidance and support to help them stay on plan. However, most…

The perceived barriers and facilitators in completing a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy

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Nicolette Comley-White

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Participating in postgraduate study is daunting and as yet there is a dearth of literature on what students’ experiences are when obtaining their Master’s degree in Physiotherapy. Objectives: The aim of this study was to gain insight into the perceived barriers and facilitators in completing a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy. Method: Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 physiotherapists who had completed a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy from a university in South Africa, representative of coursework and dissertation Master’s degrees, completed within the stipulated time period as well as taking longer to complete the degree. The topics covered a range of speciality areas. The interviews were transcribed, sent for member checking and analysed thematically. Results: Within 10 interviews data saturation was reached. Two themes were identified: research environment and support, both of which were seen as either a facilitator or a barrier, depending on the participant. The theme of research environment was divided into categories of workplace and data collection. The second theme, support, was also seen as either a barrier or a facilitator. This theme encapsulated the categories of supervisor support, workplace support and a personal support network. Conclusion: The research environment and support are two major factors that can influence the experience of obtaining a master’s degree in physiotherapy, both positively and negatively. Clinical implications: With increasing numbers of physiotherapists obtaining postgraduate degrees, universities need to facilitate the process of obtaining the degree, which will ensure more physiotherapists with postgraduate degrees, thereby strengthening the profession.

Accelerated second-degree nursing students: predictors of graduation and NCLEX-RN first-time pass rates.

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Penprase, Barbara B; Harris, Margaret A

2013-01-01

It is important to understand and identify factors that affect students' academic performance before entry into a nursing program and as they progress through the program. The authors discuss a study, and its outcomes, that assessed accelerated second-degree nursing students' prenursing and core nursing grades that served to predict their success at completing the nursing program and passing NCLEX-RN on first attempt. Strategies were identified to help at-risk students to be successful in the program and with first-time passage of NCLEX-RN.

A study of the lived experiences of African American women STEM doctoral degree completers

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Squires, Stephanie Michelle

This study examined the lived experiences of African American women (AAW) who completed doctoral degrees in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) discipline in the United States. This study sought to fill the gap in the literature by examining how AAW described and made meaning of lived STEM educational experiences during doctoral degree completion in the context of the intersection of being African American and a woman. This study utilized a theoretical perspective based upon three theories: (a) critical race theory as a framework to gather AAW's narratives about STEM doctorate education, (b) Black feminist thought as a framework to view the intersection of being African American and a woman in the United States, and (c) the science identity model as a framework to view how women of color successfully complete scientific graduate degrees. Participants revealed that being an African American and a woman in a STEM doctoral program often complicated an already difficult process of completing the doctoral degree. The participants described the educational experience as challenging, particularly the writing of the dissertation. The challenges that the participants faced were due to various factors such as difficult advisor/advisee relationships, tedious writing and revision processes, politics, and lack of information regarding the doctoral degree process. The findings suggested that AAW participants confronted intrinsic bias while completing STEM doctoral degrees, which led to isolation and feelings of being an impostor---or feelings of not belonging in scientific studies. The findings also indicated that the women in this study ascribed success in dissertation writing and degree completion to one or more of the following attributes: (a) having a clear plan, (b) taking ownership of the writing process, (c) having an engaged advisor, (d) learning the writing style of the advisor, (e) understanding the temperament of the advisor, (f) personal will

The Effect of Community College Enrollment on Bachelor's Degree Completion

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Doyle, William R.

2009-01-01

Rouse [Rouse, C. E. (1995). "Democratization or diversion--the effect of community-colleges on educational-attainment." "Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 13"(2), 217-224] finds that enrollment in a community college may divert students from attaining a bachelor's degree. However, this result may be due to selection…

Profiling students using an institutional information portal:a descriptive study of the Bachelor of Arts degree students,University of South Africa

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Omwoyo Bosire Onyancha

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Using data mining techniques, this study examines the Bachelor of Arts (General degree’s data available in the University of South Africa’s institutional information and analysis portal (IP maintained by the Department of Information and Strategic Analysis (DISA. The purpose of this was to draw a demographic profile of the students and demonstrate the potential use of an IP in monitoring and evaluating the performance of individual qualifications as far as registrations, cancellations and graduation rates are concerned. Data were analysed in order to determine the students’ age, gender, occupational, home language and geographic distributions and the relationships between the “incoming”, “re-entering”, “degree completed” and “graduation” headcounts. It was observed, among other findings, that the BA(G degree attracts students with diverse characteristics; there is a general continued decline in the number of students registering as well as completing the qualification; the number of students cancelling registrations in BA(G has continued to grow since 2005; and that there is a significant positive correlation between (a the “incoming” and “graduation” headcounts; (b “incoming” and “degree completed” headcounts; (c “degree completed” and “graduation” headcounts; and (d “graduation” and “total registration” headcounts. Other findings as well as conclusions and recommendations are offered.

Latino Male Ethnic Subgroups: Patterns in College Enrollment and Degree Completion

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Ponjuan, Luis; Palomin, Leticia; Calise, Angela

2015-01-01

This chapter examines Latino male ethnic subgroups and their college enrollment and degree completion patterns. The chapter also offers recommendations to improve Latino male ethnic subgroups' educational achievement.

Responsibility among bachelor degree nursing students: A concept analysis.

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Ghasemi, Saeed; Ahmadi, Fazlollah; Kazemnejad, Anoshirvan

2018-01-01

Responsibility is an important component of the professional values and core competencies for bachelor degree nursing students and has relationships with nursing education and professionalization. It is important for providing safe and high-quality care to the clients for the present and future performance of student. But there is no clear and operational definition of this concept for bachelor degree nursing students; however, there are extensive contents and debates about the definitions, attributes, domains and boundaries of responsibility in nursing and non-nursing literature. To examine the concept of responsibility among bachelor degree nursing students using the evolutionary approach to concept analysis. A total of 75 articles published between 1990 and 2016 and related to the concept of responsibility were selected from seven databases and considered for concept analysis based on Rogers' evolutionary approach. Ethical considerations: Throughout all stages of data collection, analysis and reporting, accuracy and bailment were respected. Responsibility is a procedural, spectral, dynamic and complex concept. The attributes of the concept are smart thinking, appropriate managerial behaviours, appropriate communicational behaviours, situational self-mandatory and task-orientation behaviours. Personal, educational and professional factors lead to the emergence of the responsible behaviours among bachelor degree nursing students. The emergence of such behaviours facilitates the learning and education process, ensures nursing profession life and promotes clients and community health level. Responsibility has some effects on nursing students. This concept had been changed over time since 1990-2016. There are similarities and differences in the elements of this concept in disciplines of nursing and other educational disciplines. Conclusion The analysis of this concept can help to develop educational or managerial theories, design instruments for better identification

Student and high-school characteristics related to completing a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) major in college

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LeBeau, Brandon; Harwell, Michael; Monson, Debra; Dupuis, Danielle; Medhanie, Amanuel; Post, Thomas R.

2012-04-01

Background: The importance of increasing the number of US college students completing degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) has prompted calls for research to provide a better understanding of factors related to student participation in these majors, including the impact of a student's high-school mathematics curriculum. Purpose: This study examines the relationship between various student and high-school characteristics and completion of a STEM major in college. Of specific interest is the influence of a student's high-school mathematics curriculum on the completion of a STEM major in college. Sample: The sample consisted of approximately 3500 students from 229 high schools. Students were predominantly Caucasian (80%), with slightly more males than females (52% vs 48%). Design and method: A quasi-experimental design with archival data was used for students who enrolled in, and graduated from, a post-secondary institution in the upper Midwest. To be included in the sample, students needed to have completed at least three years of high-school mathematics. A generalized linear mixed model was used with students nested within high schools. The data were cross-sectional. Results: High-school predictors were not found to have a significant impact on the completion of a STEM major. Significant student-level predictors included ACT mathematics score, gender and high-school mathematics GPA. Conclusions: The results provide evidence that on average students are equally prepared for the rigorous mathematics coursework regardless of the high-school mathematics curriculum they completed.

Service Learning: Study on the degree of satisfaction of students in primary school

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Pilar Folgueiras Bertomeu

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Service learning (SL is a pedagogical methodology that engages school and community in a common project. Based on this methodology the article presents the results of a comprehensive descriptive study completed with 93 primary education students in order to analyze the satisfaction they have regarding their participation in SL projects. By adapting a model of satisfaction 4 key dimensions are discussed. The main technique for data analysis is content analysis where we triangulate techniques as well as informants. The data analysis shows a high degree of satisfaction from participating students and opens to discussion the key aspects of SL methodology: reflection, evaluation and participation.

INSTRUMENTAL TRAINING OF THE BACHELOR DEGREE STUDENTS IN MUSIC

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Dario Zerrate Rubio.

2010-02-01

Full Text Available This article is presented by the research team “Instrumental Didactic”, from the Faculty of Arts of the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Colombia, and brings out an analysis on the current instrumental training of its students in the bachelor degree in music. In the course of this research project, the team has specified some terms and topics such as “meaningful learning”, “didactic”, and “teaching-learning processes”. Then, using data-collection instruments such as audio and video recording and interviews, the pedagogical practices of the team’s teachers were analyzed. The key question for the research was: What sort of instrumental training might better enhance meaningful learning about pedagogy and musical didactics for the bachelor degree students in music at the UPN?The process of investigation allowed the group of teachers to strengthen the interaction inside of it as a research team, confirming, at the same time, the importance of instrumental didactics in the training of the bachelor degree students in music. Furthermore, the teachers as a team recognized the need of careful thought all along the research process, in order to clarify the knowledge that guides pedagogical action, and identified practical difficulties related to meaningful learning among the students, thus providing referents for the teacher’s didactic action in the instrumental training, such as the identification of widespread and common technical and attitudinal mistakes amidst the bachelor degree students.

Using Data Mining to Explore Why Community College Transfer Students Earn Bachelor's Degrees with Excess Credits. CCRC Working Paper No. 100

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Fink, John; Jenkins, Davis; Kopko, Elizabeth; Ran, Florence Xiaotao

2018-01-01

Community college transfer students encounter challenges progressing toward a bachelor's degree, leading to widespread transfer credit loss. This in turn may lower students' chances of credential completion and increase the time and costs for students, their families, and taxpayers. In this study we review three definitions of credit transfer…

The Benefits and Challenges Hospitality Management Students Experience by Working in Conjunction with Completing Their Studies

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Schoffstall, Donald G.

2013-01-01

Previous researchers have suggested that in order to be successful in the hospitality industry, students need to obtain work experience in addition to completing their degrees. Although the benefit of gaining such experience from the industry viewpoint has been well documented, few studies have assessed the benefits and challenges faced by…

Impact of degree program satisfaction on the persistence of college students

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Suhre, Cor J. M.; Jansen, Ellen P. W. A.; Harskamp, Evert

Many theories on college retention recognize the significance of student satisfaction as a positive factor in students' persistence. Yet, there are few theories that address the relationship of degree program satisfaction to study behaviour and dropout. This paper explores the impact of degree

Attitudes and Perceptions of Dual PharmD/MBA Degree Program Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, David M; Daly, Christopher J; Tierney, Sarah-Elizabeth L; O'Brien, Erin; Fiebelkorn, Karl D

2017-05-01

Objectives. To understand pharmacy students' reasons for pursuing a dual PharmD/MBA degree and their perceptions of the impact a dual degree will have on their careers. Methods. This was a cross-sectional survey of registered students in the University at Buffalo PharmD/MBA program. An electronic survey was developed through collaboration with the UB School of Management and administered in January 2015. Results. A total of 23/24 (96% response rate) students who were enrolled in the PharmD/MBA curriculum responded to the survey. Respondents identified employment opportunities following graduation and career advancement as the most influential determinants in deciding to pursue an MBA degree. All respondents (100%) felt the job marketplace for pharmacy graduates is becoming increasingly difficult, 96% believe they will earn a higher midpoint salary with a PharmD/MBA, and 82% would recommend a PharmD/MBA to first year pharmacy students. Conclusion. Students are increasingly perceptive of the challenges in the current job marketplace and are taking advantage of a dual PharmD/MBA degree.

Benefits of a Graduate Business Degree: Students' Perspectives and Universities' Challenges.

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Webb, Marion Stanton; Allen, Lida Cherie

1995-01-01

A survey of 1,499 graduate business students at 7 colleges and universities investigated perceptions of potential benefits of an advanced degree, and their relationships with degree type, school size/type, and student characteristics. Five perceived benefits included research and analytical skills, competitive advantage, monetary reward, career…

Exploring the acquisition of entry-to-practice competencies by second-degree nursing students during a preceptorship experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Sedgwick, Monique; Kellett, Peter; Kalischuck, Ruth Grant

2014-03-01

Nursing programs across Canada have begun to implement at an unprecedented rate second-degree nursing programs in response to consumer demands and a nursing shortage. While these types of programs are enjoying considerable popularity among prospective students and employers, it is imperative that nursing programs assess their graduates' ability to meet Registered Nursing entry-to-practice competencies (ETCs). This study sought to determine if second-degree undergraduate nursing students achieved the entry-to-practice competencies established by the provincial regulatory body for registered nurses of Alberta, Canada. The study took place in southern Alberta, Canada as the first cohort of second-degree undergraduate nursing students were completing the final practice course for the program. In this exploratory study, quantitative and qualitative data generation approaches were used. Quantitative data were collected using the nursing program's standardized Clinical Evaluation Tool which is mapped to the 119 ETCs established by the regulatory body. Qualitative data were generated by conducting focus group interviews with students, faculty advisors, and preceptors. A convenience sample consisting of both male and female students (n=14) submitted their mid-term and final clinical evaluations for inclusion in the dataset. Thirteen preceptors submitted mid-term and final clinical evaluations. Three students, three faculty advisors, and two preceptors participated in focus group interviews. At mid-term, statistically significant differences were noted on 31% of the indicators within the clinical evaluation tool between students and preceptors with preceptors consistently ranking students higher than the students' ratings of their performance. Student and preceptor ratings of students' clinical performance were more consistent on the final evaluation. However, where there were differences, preceptors rated students higher than student ratings. Qualitative data analysis

Impact of a dual PharmD/MBA degree on graduates' academic performance, career opportunities, and earning potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Chumney, Elinor C G; Ragucci, Kelly R; Jones, Kathy J

2008-04-15

To evaluate the academic experience and satisfaction of students who completed a dual PharmD/MBA degree program and the program's long-term impact on the students' career choice and earning potential. GPAs, job placement, and starting job salaries were compared between graduates who completed the dual PharmD/MBA program and those who completed only the PharmD program. A satisfaction survey instrument was administered to 17 students who completed the dual PharmD/MBA degree program in May 2007. Data from a standardized job placement and starting salary survey instrument completed by all PharmD graduates were also obtained, as well as all students' final grade point averages (GPAs). GPAs, job placement, and starting job salaries were compared between graduates who had completed the dual PharmD/MBA program and those who had completed only the PharmD program. The graduating GPAs of dual-degree students were higher than those of both pharmacy (3.52 vs 3.41, p > 0.10) and business (3.82 vs. 3.68, p = 0.018) students not enrolled in the dual-degree program. Dual-degree students were slightly less likely to enter a residency (17% vs. 27%, p = 0.44) than other pharmacy graduates. Among those who elected not to pursue a residency, both mean starting salaries ($111,090 vs. $101,965) and mean total first-year compensation ($127,290 vs. $110,388) were significantly higher for dual-degree graduates compared to the PharmD graduates. Students enrolled in the dual-degree program did slightly better academically than students who completed only the MBA or PharmD programs and indicated a high level of satisfaction with the program. Dual-degree graduates reported increased career opportunities and were slated to earn significantly more during their first year in the workforce. These results affirm continuation of our program and make the case for support of similar programs across the nation.

What Works for Doctoral Students in Completing Their Thesis?

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Lindsay, Siân

2015-01-01

Writing a thesis is one of the most challenging activities that a doctoral student must undertake and can represent a barrier to timely completion. This is relevant in light of current and widespread concerns regarding doctoral completion rates. This study explored thesis writing approaches of students post or near Ph.D. completion through…

Dyslexia and English: Degree of Difficulties Faced by the Students with Dyslexia while Learning English

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Paraskevi Kaperoni

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This research aims to investigate the hypothesis that students diagnosed with dyslexia face a greater amount of difficulty when they attempt to learn a foreign language and especially English. On a survey carried out in the form of a questionnaire, two groups of students completed the same questionnaire regarding their difficulty to learn the basic skills such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The questions mostly focused on the difficulty they may face in spelling, reading, and listening which are the main aspects of the language dyslexic students’ score lower than students without dyslexia. The answers were evaluated with the use of the statistical method of t-test. The findings of the survey displayed a great difference on the score chosen by the two teams, which indicates the greater degree of difficulty the dyslexic students face confirming the original hypothesis.

Program Costs and Student Completion

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Manning, Terri M.; Crosta, Peter M.

2014-01-01

Community colleges are under pressure to increase completion rates, prepare students for the workplace, and contain costs. Colleges need to know the financial implications of what are often perceived as routine decisions: course scheduling, program offerings, and the provision of support services. This chapter presents a methodology for estimating…

Factors influencing a student's decision to pursue a communications degree in Spain

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Javier Sierra Sánchez

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This paper analyzes the factors that influence secondary school students’ choice of higher education options in Spain today and explores the implications and benefits of establishing provider-client relationships between universities and students.Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approach using questionnaires to demonstrate the hypothesis and achieve the objectives. We have prepared a questionnaire via telematic LimeSurvey application consisting of twenty-four closed questions.Findings: Results depict that the leading criteria for Spanish students interested in pursuing studies in communication sciences were a university’s reputation and excellence and the quality of its educational programmes. In terms of sources of information related to universities and their degree programmes, Spanish communication sciences students placed the highest value on direct and experiential sources. Spanish students interested in pursuing degrees in communication sciences preferred public universities over private universities.Research limitations: It is a descriptive paper. The sample could have been larger and have covered the entire universe of communication schools in Spain.Practical implications: Gain in-depth insight into the academic, cultural, and sociodemographic characteristics of students who choose to pursue an undergraduate degree in communications sciences in Spain.Ascertain which sources of information proved to be the most valuable to prospective students in choosing a university and degree programme and the other factors that influenced their choices by means of a survey involving first-year undergraduate communication sciences students. Use the results of this survey to rank the criteria used by students when choosing a university and degree programme. Gain a clearer picture of how parents and friends influence a student’s choice of degree programmes and universities.Social implications: Knowing the factors of choice

Factors Influencing the Degree Progress of International PhD Students from Africa: An Exploratory Study

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Almoustapha Oumarou Soumana

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In recent decades some countries of the Middle East have offered facilities to attract international students to pursue their higher education within their higher education institutions. The purpose of this study is to understand the difficulties faced by these students while conducting their studies abroad, and in doing so, to broaden the awareness of the challenges they face to complete their research. The participants of this qualitative study are international PhD students studying at a Middle Eastern public university. The university has reported increasing enrollment of international students, particularly from Africa in the last few years. Data were collected using a set of semi-structured interviews that drew out information on critical incidents that characterized the kind of difficulties students had faced in their studies. The data collected was further analyzed using a qualitative software package, NVivo (QSR International, 11. Six main themes came out from the content analysis of the interviews, which are the role of the adviser, student features, funding issues, family engagement, research and psychological obstacles which provide a holistic picture of student perspectives on the factors that influence degree progress. While these students might have faced difficulties mentioned in existing literature, this study argues that the participants have indicated experiencing psychological obstacles that were not described in earlier studies, such as the state of mind they were in as a result of being worried for family members due to war or violence in their home countries, and drop in currency exchange rates and difficulties in acquiring money due to international sanctions imposed against their countries. This study provides important thoughts on the factors that impact the degree progress of international PhD students from Africa, while at the same time revealing a serious gap in the advisers’ role which can contribute to the

Time to Degree: A National View of the Time Enrolled and Elapsed for Associate and Bachelor's Degree Earners. (Signature Report No. 11)

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Shapiro, Doug; Dundar, Afet; Wakhungu, Phoebe Khasiala; Yuan, Xin; Nathan, Angel; Hwang, Youngsik

2016-01-01

This report examines time to degree completion for a cohort of students who earned an associate degree as their first and only postsecondary degree or a bachelor's degree as their first four-year degree between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015. Overall, the average time enrolled for associate and bachelor's degree earners was 3.3 years and 5.1…

Effects of interest-major congruence, motivation, and academic performance on timely degree attainment.

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Allen, Jeff; Robbins, Steve

2010-01-01

Using longitudinal student data from 15 four-year (n = 3,072) and 13 (n = 788) two-year postsecondary institutions, the authors tested the effects of interest-major congruence, motivation, and 1st-year academic performance on timely degree completion. Findings suggest that interest-major congruence has a direct effect on timely degree completion at both institutional settings and that motivation has indirect effects (via 1st-year academic performance). The total effects of both interest-major congruence and motivation on timely degree completion underscore the importance of both constructs in understanding student adjustment and postsecondary success. Implications for theory and counseling practice are discussed.

Guiding role of typical cases in clinical training for ophthalmology professional degree graduate students

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Zhe Wang

2014-05-01

Full Text Available With the change of the concept of graduate enrollment, the recruiting proportion of clinical medicine professional degree graduate students is more and more, and the training of professional degree graduate students is increasingly focusing on practical. In our experience in clinical training for ophthalmology professional degree graduate students, increasing the ward clinical practice time is important. For particular emphasis on the guiding role of the typical cases, each professional group combined their professional characteristics of the typical cases to instruct the graduate students, training their clinical diagnosis and treatment ability, training their microsurgical techniques. From clinical medical writing, record summary, literature review, professional degree graduate students could expand their knowledge structure, practice their thesis writing ability. Based on the typical cases, expansion of knowledge coverage, they could improve the ability of diagnosis and treatment for special disease cases. In this rigorous training system, professional degree graduate students can learn by analogy, and focus on typical cases to get the most intuitive panoramic understanding of the diseases, with a minimum of time to master the most clinical knowledge, to enrich clinical experience, and to lay the foundation for future work in the assessment.

Students' Desired and Experienced Levels of Connectivity to an Asynchronous, Online, Distance Degree Program

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Schroeder, Shawnda; Baker, Mary; Terras, Katherine; Mahar, Patti; Chiasson, Kari

2016-01-01

This study examined graduate students' desired and experienced levels of connectivity in an online, asynchronous distance degree program. Connectivity was conceptualized as the students' feelings of community and involvement, not their level of access to the Internet. Graduate students enrolled in a distance degree program were surveyed on both…

Law Schools Customize Degrees to Students' Taste

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Schmidt, Peter

2009-01-01

Going to law school to get a law degree has become a little like going to an ice-cream parlor for a scoop of vanilla. Plenty of people still do it, but many schools' brochures--like the elaborate flavor-and-topping menus on ice-cream parlor walls--now tempt them with something different, something more. Law students can have their "juris doctor"…

Drinking, Drug Use, and Related Consequences Among University Students Completing Study Abroad Experiences: A Systematic Review.

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Aresi, Giovanni; Moore, Simon; Marta, Elena

2016-12-05

University students who complete study abroad experiences are potentially exposed to behaviors, in particular alcohol and drug use, that place their health at risk. There is a need to identify risk and protective factors and highlight knowledge gaps. A systematic review adopting the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Relevant bibliographic databases and online repositories were systematically searched for both qualitative and quantitative peer-reviewed studies. Eighteen articles were eligible for inclusion. Degree mobility students (DMSs-students pursuing a full bachelor or master degree in a foreign country) and Credit Mobility Students (CMSs-students participating in short term or semester study abroad programmes) show different patterns of at-risk behaviors compared to pre-departure, and to domestic or non-study abroad students. DMSs mostly consumed less alcohol and illicit substances compared to domestic students, but little information on pre-travel behavior and predictors of at-risk behaviors while abroad was available on DMSs. Most studies indicated that CMSs increased their alcohol use while abroad and reduced it when they returned home. However, there is no evidence of an increase in the negative consequences associated with alcohol misuse while abroad. Different pre-departure and abroad factors (e.g., perceptions of peer drinking norms, psychological and sociocultural adjustment abroad) were related to at-risk behaviors in the host country. University students who study abroad are understudied and potentially at risk from alcohol and drug use. Knowledge gaps are discussed in relation to possible future qualitative, mixed methods and longitudinal research.

Matriculation, Degree Structures, and Levels of Student Thinking.

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Collis, Kevin F.; Biggs, John B.

1983-01-01

The functions of Australian higher education institutions are examined in terms of the knowledge and skill needs of each sector. A new evaluation technique that clarifies the complexity of student thinking required at each level is applied to the programs, producing a rationale for admission and degree structure. (MSE)

Student Engagement and Completion in Precalculus Precalculus Mega Section: Efficiently Assisting Student Engagement and Completion with Communications and Information Technology

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Brusi, Rima; Portnoy, Arturo; Toro, Nilsa

2013-01-01

The Precalculus Mega Section project was developed with the main purpose of improving the overall performance of the student body in Precalculus, an important gatekeeper course that affects student engagement and completion, with typical drop/failure rates of over 50 percent. Strategies such as integration of technology and additional practice…

Older Women, Deeper Learning, and Greater Satisfaction at University: Age and Gender Predict University Students' Learning Approach and Degree Satisfaction

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Rubin, Mark; Scevak, Jill; Southgate, Erica; Macqueen, Suzanne; Williams, Paul; Douglas, Heather

2018-01-01

The present study explored the interactive effect of age and gender in predicting surface and deep learning approaches. It also investigated how these variables related to degree satisfaction. Participants were 983 undergraduate students at a large public Australian university. They completed a research survey either online or on paper. Consistent…

Self-esteem and self-efficacy as predictors of attrition in associate degree nursing students.

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Peterson-Graziose, Virginia; Bryer, Jennifer; Nikolaidou, Maria

2013-06-01

There is a serious and growing shortage of nurses in the United States, and the high rate of student attrition from nursing programs has further added to this problem. The challenge for schools of nursing is to recruit increased numbers of qualified candidates into their programs and to determine ways to decrease the rate of student attrition. The purpose of this study was to determine whether self-esteem, self-efficacy, and life stressors were significantly related to student attrition in first-semester associate degree nursing students. A descriptive correlational design and nonprobability convenience sample of first-semester associate degree nursing students was used. Data were gathered using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Holmes and Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Findings indicated that self-esteem was significantly associated with student attrition. Results from this study provide the basis for targeted interventions designed to decrease student attrition rates in associate degree nursing programs. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

Prediction of Participation of Undergraduate University Students in a Music and Dance Master’s Degree Program

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Evangelos Bebetsos

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was the investigation of students’ attitudes and intention towards their possible participation in a graduate Music and Dance Distance Learning Master’s Degree Program. The sample consisted of consisted of 229 undergraduate University students, between the ages of 20 to 63 yrs. of age (M=34.24, SD=10.70. More specifically, 134 were students of the Hellenic Open University and 95 were students of the School of Physical Education and Sport Science, of the Democritus University of Thrace. The sample completed the version the “Planned Behavior Theory” questionnaire. Results revealed differences among students of both Universities, between experienced and less experienced ones, and also among age groups. On the contrary, no sex differences in any of the questionnaire’s factors were indicated. In conclusion, the findings of this research allow a better understanding of the distance education process, which explains the attitudes and intention(s of students’ participation, and the factors that might influence theirparticular participation.

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.

REASONS FOR STUDENT DISCONTINUATION IN ENGINEERING DEGREE COURSES OFFERED AT A DISTANCE

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S. Anbahan ARIADURAI

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Faculty of Engineering Technology of the Open University of Sri Lanka has been offering engineering programmes at a distance for the last two decades or so. However, completion rates in Faculty of Engineering Technology are lower compared to the other faculties of the University. This paper investigates the reasons for low completion rates in the faculty and suggests ways and means to overcome this problem. The study concludes that increasing student numbers will not necessarily increase percentage of students completing the programme though the number of students completing is increased. It is found that students offering courses for the first time in the system of distance education in their academic career perform poorer because they are not conversant with distance education techniques. It is recommended that the Faculty must offer an orientation programme on distance education to all the students enrolling for the first time, before they commence their regular programmes. Further, it has been found that considerable percentage of students who obtain eligibility to sit the final examination by completing the continuous assessments do not sit the final examination. This has been found to contribute towards non-completion of programmes as students sitting the final examination in the subsequent years perform poorly in their exams. To overcome this problem, it is recommended that current practise of allowing the student to carry forward their eligibility to unlimited period of time must be disbanded.

[Evidence-based practice competence in undergraduate Nursing Degree students].

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Ruzafa-Martínez, María; Molina-Salas, Yolanda; Ramos-Morcillo, Antonio Jesús

2016-01-01

Evidence-based practice (EBP) learning has become a key issue for nurses. An EPB subject was included in the 4(th) year in the new syllabus of the Nursing Degree at University of Murcia (UM). To know the competence level in EBP of undergraduate nursing students at UM and compare the results between all four years. Observational descriptive study with a cross-sectional approach. undergraduate nursing students from all four years at Nursing Degree at the Faculty of Social and Healthcare Science at UM in the year 2013-14. EBP evaluation of competence of the nursing students consisted of attitude, skills and knowledge on EBP. A validated questionnaire, the EBP-COQ, was used. The scale range is 1 point «lowest level» to 5 points «higher level».The SPSS 21.0 program has been used to carry out descriptive and bivariate analyses. 144 students were included, 76.4% was female, and the median age was 23 years, 84.7% attended more than 75% class hours. The mean differences in the questionnaire between first and fourth years were 0.58 points in attitude, 0.60 in skills, 1.6 in knowledge and 0.83 in global competence in EBP. Significant differences in mean scores between the fourth and the remaining years in the global competence in EBP were observed, as well as in the three dimensions (p <0.05). The undergraduate-nursing students studied here have acquired an appropriate competence level in EBP, with a gradual increase by year. The biggest increase was in the fourth year students. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Experimental Evidence on the Effect of Childhood Investments on Postsecondary Attainment and Degree Completion. NBER Working Paper No. 17533

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Dynarski, Susan; Hyman, Joshua M.; Schanzenbach, Diane Whitmore

2011-01-01

This paper examines the effect of early childhood investments on college enrollment and degree completion. We use the random assignment in the Project STAR experiment to estimate the effect of smaller classes in primary school on college entry, college choice, and degree completion. We improve on existing work in this area with unusually detailed…

Student Loyalty toward Master's Degree Business Administration Curriculum at Srinakharinwirot University

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Gulid, Nak

2011-01-01

This research aims to study mixed factors of service marketing affecting student loyalty toward the business administration curriculum at the master's degree level at Srinakharinwirot University. It also examines the relationship between student satisfaction and loyalty in the MBA program. The results show that service marketing mixed factors have…

Third Space Strategists: International Students Negotiating the Transition from Pathway Program to Postgraduate Coursework Degree

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Benzie, Helen

2015-01-01

Pathway programs exist to prepare students for progression into university degrees but the transition experience for many students may not be as smooth as is suggested by the notion of the pathway. While attending a pathway program and at the beginning of their university degree, students may be in a third space, a liminal space where they engage…

Underserved Students Who Earn Credit through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Have Higher Degree Completion Rates and Shorter Time-to-Degree. Research Brief

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Klein-Collins, Rebecca

2011-01-01

In 2010, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) released a report on a multi-institutional study on prior learning assessment (PLA) and adult student outcomes. The study examined data from 62,475 adult students at 48 colleges and universities, following the students' academic progress over the course of seven years. The data from…

Motivated Strategies for Learning in Accelerated Second-Degree Nursing Students.

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El-Banna, Majeda M; Tebbenhoff, Billinda; Whitlow, Malinda; Wyche, Karen Fraser

Students in a second-degree accelerated BSN program experience a rigorous curriculum and fast-paced introduction to the nursing profession. This study examined the relationships among self-esteem, motivation, learning strategies, demographic characteristics, and academic achievement. The results indicated that all of the students had good self-esteem; some demographic characteristics influenced the type of motivation and learning strategies they endorsed but did not influence their current academic performance.

76 FR 50198 - Committee on Measures of Student Success

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-12

...-year degree-granting institutions of higher education in meeting the completion or graduation rate... completion or graduation rates of entering certificate/ degree-seeking, full-time, undergraduate students by... graduation rates of entering degree-seeking full-time undergraduate students and that consider the mission...

Analyzing Student Aid Packaging To Improve Low-Income and Minority Student Access, Retention and Degree Completion. AIR 1999 Annual Forum Paper.

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Fenske, Robert H.; Porter, John D.; DuBrock, Caryl P.

This study examined the persistence of and financial aid to needy students, underrepresented minority students, and women students, especially those majoring in science, engineering, and mathematics at a large public research university. An institutional student tracking and student financial aid database was used to follow four freshmen cohorts…

The current status of education and career paths of students after completion of medical physicist programs in Japan: a survey by the Japanese Board for Medical Physicist Qualification.

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Kadoya, Noriyuki; Karasawa, Kumiko; Sumida, Iori; Arimura, Hidetaka; Yamada, Syogo

2015-07-01

To standardize educational programs and clinical training for medical physics students, the Japanese Board for Medical Physicist Qualification (JBMP) began to accredit master's, doctorate, and residency programs for medical physicists in 2012. At present, 16 universities accredited by the JBMP offer 22 courses. In this study, we aimed to survey the current status of educational programs and career paths of students after completion of the medical physicist program in Japan. A questionnaire was sent in August 2014 to 32 universities offering medical physicist programs. The questionnaire was created and organized by the educational course certification committee of the JBMP and comprised two sections: the first collected information about the university attended, and the second collected information about characteristics and career paths of students after completion of medical physicist programs from 2008 to 2014. Thirty universities (16 accredited and 14 non-accredited) completed the survey (response rate 94 %). A total of 209, 40, and 3 students graduated from the master's, doctorate, and residency programs, respectively. Undergraduates entered the medical physicist program constantly, indicating an interest in medical physics among undergraduates. A large percentage of the students held a bachelor's degree in radiological technology (master's program 94 %; doctorate program 70 %); graduates obtained a national radiological technologist license. Regarding career paths, although the number of the graduates who work as medical physicist remains low, 7 % with a master's degree and 50 % with a doctorate degree worked as medical physicists. Our results could be helpful for improving the medical physicist program in Japan.

Actively Encouraging Learning and Degree Persistence in Advanced Astrophysics Courses

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McIntosh, Daniel H.

2018-01-01

The need to grow and diversify the STEM workforce remains a critical national challenge. Less than 40% of college students interested in STEM achieve a bachelor's degree. These numbers are even more dire for women and URMs, underscoring a serious concern about the country's ability to remain competitive in science and tech. A major factor is persistent performance gaps in rigorous 'gateway' and advanced STEM courses for majors from diverse backgrounds leading to discouragement, a sense of exclusion, and high dropout rates. Education research has clearly demonstrated that interactive-engagement (`active learning') strategies increase performance, boost confidence, and help build positive 'identity' in STEM. Likewise, the evidence shows that traditional science education practices do not help most students gain a genuine understanding of concepts nor the necessary skill set to succeed in their disciplines. Yet, lecture-heavy courses continue to dominate the higher-ed curriculum, thus, reinforcing the tired notion that only a small percentage of 'special' students have the inherent ability to achieve a STEM degree. In short, very capable students with less experience and confidence in science, who belong to groups that traditionally are less identified with STEM careers, are effectively and efficiently 'weeded out' by traditional education practices. I will share specific examples for how I successfully incorporate active learning in advanced astrophysics courses to encourage students from all backgrounds to synthesize complex ideas, build bedrock conceptual frameworks, gain technical communication skills, and achieve mastery learning outcomes all necessary to successfully complete rigorous degrees like astrophysics. By creating an inclusive and active learning experience in junior-level extragalactic and stellar interiors/atmospheres courses, I am helping students gain fluency in their chosen major and the ability to 'think like a scientist', both critical to

Women Engineers: Factors and Obstacles Related to the Pursuit of a Degree in Engineering

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Wentling, Rose Mary; Camacho, Cristina

Research on women in engineering confirms the presence of gender barriers that affect the recruitment and retention of women in engineering. These barriers stop some women from choosing engineering as a field of study, and impede some women from completing a degree in engineering. However, there are some young female students who complete their engineering education despite the presence of obstacles throughout their college years. This study addressed the factors that have hindered, motivated, and assisted women who graduated with a degree in engineering. By studying and understanding the barriers that hinder women in deciding to pursue and in completing a degree in engineering, as well as the factors that assist and encourage them, we can learn how to break down the barriers and how to facilitate the educational journey of female engineering students. This study provides valuable insights and created a framework from which high schools, universities, researchers, and female students can directly benefit.

Double nursing degree: potentialities and challenges of an international student academic experience.

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Nora, Carlise Rigon Dalla; Schaefer, Rafaela; Schveitzer, Mariana Cabral; Zoboli, Elma Lourdes Campos Pavone; Vieira, Margarida Maria

2018-01-01

Objective To share the experience of a Double Nursing degree promoted between the Nursing School of the Universidade de São Paulo and the Health Sciences Institute of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, reflecting on the potentialities and challenges of this opportunity for graduate students. Method This is an experience report presented in chronological order and of a descriptive nature. The double degree in Nursing was accomplished over a period of 6 months in a different institution from the institution of origin. Results Among the activities developed during the Double Degree are: participating in examining boards, congresses, seminars, courses, meetings, lectures, colloquium, classes, research groups and technical visits to health services. A table presents and describes the main benefits of the experience experienced by the authors. Conclusion When well-planned and well-developed, a double degree can promote personal, cultural and professional development of the students, favoring internationalization and contributing to the qualification of graduate programs.

A Correlation of Community College Math Readiness and Student Success

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Brown, Jayna Nicole

Although traditional college students are more prepared for college-level math based on college admissions tests, little data have been collected on nontraditional adult learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between math placement tests and community college students' success in math courses and persistence to degree or certificate completion. Guided by Tinto's theory of departure and student retention, the research questions addressed relationships and predictability of math Computer-adaptive Placement Assessment and Support System (COMPASS) test scores and students' performance in math courses, persistence in college, and degree completion. After conducting correlation and regression analyses, no significant relationships were identified between COMPASS Math test scores and students' performance (n = 234) in math courses, persistence in college, or degree completion. However, independent t test and chi-squared analyses of the achievements of college students who tested into Basic Math (n = 138) vs. Introduction to Algebra (n = 96) yielded statistically significant differences in persistence (p = .039), degree completion (p college students' math competencies and degree achievement.

How Do Students' Accounts of Sociology Change over the Course of Their Undergraduate Degrees?

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Ashwin, Paul; Abbas, Andrea; McLean, Monica

2014-01-01

In this article we examine how students' accounts of the discipline of sociology change over the course of their undergraduate degrees. Based on a phenomenographic analysis of 86 interviews with 32 sociology and criminology students over the course of their undergraduate degrees, we constituted five different ways of accounting for sociology.…

[Burnout, work disruptions, interpersonal and psychosomatic problems--degree-specific comparison of students at a German university].

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Gumz, A; Brähler, E; Heilmann, V K; Erices, R

2014-03-01

In the context of the public debate on psychological strain among students, the prevalence of burnout, procrastination, test anxiety, other work disruptions, interpersonal problems and psychic symptoms were analyzed depending on academic degree. The data of 358 college students (of Leipzig University) were examined. The academic degree had only a marginal effect on burnout- and work disruptions-related variables. In terms of interpersonal problems and psychic symptoms, differences between students were identified, depending on the academic degree. Diploma students reported many complaints, whereas undergraduates aspiring for a State Examination, were comparatively less affected. Knowledge of the population-specific psychological load is useful in order to develop preventive and therapeutic measures. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Degree Progress of Women Doctoral Students: Factors that Constrain, Facilitate, and Differentiate

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Maher, Michelle A.; Ford, Martin E.; Thompson, Candace M.

2004-01-01

Using survey and qualitative data, this study identified emergent themes that remain consistent across or differentiate among reports of women earning their doctoral degree relatively quickly ("early-finishers") and those taking considerably longer ("late-finishers"). Emergent themes included commitment to timely degree completion, faculty…

Income and financial aid effects on persistence and degree attainment in public colleges

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Alicia C. Dowd

2004-05-01

Full Text Available This study examined the distribution of financial aid among financially dependent four-year college students and the effectiveness of different types of financial aid in promoting student persistence and timely bachelor’s degree attainment. The findings of descriptive statistical and logistic regression analyses using the NCES Beginning Postsecondary Students (1990-94 data show that subsidized loans taken in the first year of college have a positive effect on persistence. The first-year distribution of aid does not close the income gap in bachelor’s degree attainment. Living on campus and first-year grade point average are the most important predictors of timely degree completion.

A Social Constructivist Approach to Introducing Skills for Employment to Foundation Degree Students

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Rutt, L.; Gray, C.; Turner, R.; Swain, J.; Hulme, S.; Pomeroy, R.

2013-01-01

Expectations for higher education providers to produce graduates ready for the workplace have shaped provision, with the introduction of the Foundation Degree, and expectations of an employability component within higher education programmes. This paper reports on an intervention for three groups of foundation degree students, which introduces…

Students' Views on Thesis Supervision in International Master's Degree Programmes in Finnish Universities

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Filippou, Kalypso; Kallo, Johanna; Mikkilä-Erdmann, Mirjamaija

2017-01-01

This paper employs an intercultural perspective to examine students' views on master's thesis supervision and the roles and responsibilities of supervisors and students. The 302 respondents who answered the online questionnaire were enrolled in international master's degree programmes in four Finnish universities. The study revealed asymmetric…

[TUBERCULOSIS INFECTION PREVALENCE AMONG NURSING DEGREE STUDENTS IN LA RIOJA UNIVERSITY].

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Perianes Rivada, Elena

2015-03-01

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease of contagious and infectious character that has harassed humanity throughout its history. Many studies say that health professionals and health degrees students as degree in nursing are exposed to a higher risk of transmission of TB to deal with patients who suffer from this disease in their jobs. Knowing the risk of acquiring infection by M. tuberculosis among students of the degree in nursing (GUE) from the University of La Rioja (UR); contrasting outcomes as they have made their formative period of clinical practice in hospitals or not. MEHODOLOGY: Observational study, descriptive, transversal and cutting, for which has been taken a representative sample of 106 students who carried an epidemiological-clinical questionnaire. After, according to criteria of participation and under informed consent, has been practiced them tuberculin test to see if they are infected or not causing by the tuberculosis bacillus. RESULTs: The final sample was 85 people, which were highly represented by women, whose average age was between 20 and 23 years old. The reading of the PT was managed to do in 28 from 37 students from 1st grade (75.7 %) and 45 from 48 students from 4th grade (93.75 %). The other participants not attended appointment agreed with them to perform reading, which accounted for 14.1% of abstention in the second part of the study. Response to the tuberculin globally compared, without taking into account other variables, didn't show differences in distribution between 1st and 4th grade students. The percentage of positive PT was 0 % between 1st grade students, while in 4th grade the percentage of infected with M. tuberculosis amounted to 2.22 %. The average size of indurdtions was 1.03 mm (±1.87) in students of 1st grade and 1.46 mm (±2.98) in the 4th grade, so that difference is not significant. The number of confirmed contacts with TB patients, or their samples, was more often in 4th grade students than 1st grade students (52 % vs

SoTL and Students' Experiences of Their Degree-Level Programs: An Empirical Investigation

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Matthews, Kelly E.; Divan, Aysha; John-Thomas, Nicole; Lopes, Valerie; Ludwig, Lynn O.; Martini, Tanya S.; Motley, Phillip; Tomljenovic-Berube, Ana M.

2013-01-01

In the global higher education sector, government accountability initiatives are increasingly focused on degree-level competencies that may be expected from university graduates. The purpose of this paper was to examine the extent to which SoTL reflects this increased interest in student learning across the degree program. Articles (N = 136)…

Can Completing a Mental Health Nursing Course Change Students' Attitudes?

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Hastings, Todd; Kroposki, Margaret; Williams, Gail

2017-05-01

Nursing program graduates rarely choose mental health nursing as a career. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to examine attitudes of 310 nursing students towards persons with mental illness. Students completed surveys on the first and last days of their program's psychiatric mental health nursing course. The pre- and post-test survey analysis indicated that students improved their attitude, knowledge and preparedness to care for persons with mental illness. However, students maintained little interest in working as a mental health nurse. Modifications in mental health nursing courses could be made to improve students' interest in choosing a career in mental health nursing.

A quantitative analysis of factors that influence and predict students' intention to major in and complete an undergraduate program in STEM or non-STEM

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Yang, Xuemei

2005-11-01

The goal of this study was to explore and understand the factors that influence students' intention to major in and complete an undergraduate program in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) discipline, in a non-STEM field, and how students' gender directly and indirectly affects their success in college. A quantitative study of three thousand four (3004) ACT-tested students who entered a Midwestern, land-grant university as freshmen in fall, 1999 was conducted based on their ACT Assessment information and their enrollment and graduation status after five years. A wide variety of variables were considered and logistic regression, factor analysis, and path analysis were used to analyze the data. The results show that students who intended to major in or completed STEM programs generally have better academic qualifications than their counterparts who intended to major in non-STEM fields. Students who intended to major in or completed STEM programs came from lower income families and smaller communities than those who intended to major in or graduated from non-STEM programs. In this study, gender's direct effect on students' college achievement is eleven times the total of gender's indirect effects through several major factors for students in both STEM fields and non-STEM fields. Perhaps nature has favored females when students' achievement is measured as their college GPA. The results also show that the overall high dropout rate is strongly associated with students' inadequate preparation in high school and family income. Out-of-school accomplishment in community service is a negative influence on their completion of a college degree. ACT scores are not necessary for prediction of college graduation.

Increasing Completion Rate of an M4 Emergency Medicine Student End-of-Shift Evaluation Using a Mobile Electronic Platform and Real-Time Completion

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Matthew C. Tews

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Medical students on an emergency medicine rotation are traditionally evaluated at the end of each shift with paper-based forms, and data are often missing due to forms not being turned in or completed. Because students’ grades depend on these evaluations, change was needed to increase form rate of return. We analyzed a new electronic evaluation form and modified completion process to determine if it would increase the completion rate without altering how faculty scored student performance. Methods: During fall 2013, 29 faculty completed paper N=339 evaluations consisting of seven competencies for 33 students. In fall 2014, an electronic evaluation form with the same competencies was designed using an electronic platform and completed N=319 times by 27 faculty using 25 students’ electronic devices. Feedback checkboxes were added to facilitate collection of common comments. Data was analyzed with IBM® SPSS® 21.0 using multi-factor analysis of variance with the students’ global rating (GR as an outcome. Inter-item reliability was determined with Cronbach alpha. Results: There was a significantly higher completion rate (p=0.001 of 98% electronic vs. 69% paper forms, lower (p=0.001 missed GR rate (1% electronic. vs 12% paper, and higher mean scores (p=0.001 for the GR with the electronic (7.0±1.1 vs. paper (6.8±1.2 form. Feedback checkboxes were completed on every form. The inter-item reliability for electronic and paper forms was each alpha=0.95. Conclusion: The use of a new electronic form and modified completion process for evaluating students at the end of shift demonstrated a higher faculty completion rate, a lower missed data rate, a higher global rating and consistent collection of common feedback. The use of the electronic form and the process for obtaining the information made our end-of-shift evaluation process for students more reliable and provided more accurate, up-to-date information for student feedback and when

Using Financial Aid to Speed Degree Completion: A Look at MDRC's Research. Issue Focus

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MDRC, 2016

2016-01-01

Financial aid has long been used to increase access to postsecondary education, particularly for underrepresented students. Given the size of the financial aid system and the widespread use of aid, it should also be thought of as a tool to improve academic success and postsecondary completion. Evidence suggests that using additional financial aid…

Differences between Lab Completion and Non-Completion on Student Performance in an Online Undergraduate Environmental Science Program

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Corsi, Gianluca

2011-12-01

Web-based technology has revolutionized the way education is delivered. Although the advantages of online learning appeal to large numbers of students, some concerns arise. One major concern in online science education is the value that participation in labs has on student performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between lab completion and student academic success as measured by test grades, scientific self-confidence, scientific skills, and concept mastery. A random sample of 114 volunteer undergraduate students, from an online Environmental Science program at the American Public University System, was tested. The study followed a quantitative, non-experimental research design. Paired sample t-tests were used for statistical comparison between pre-lab and post-lab test grades, two scientific skills quizzes, and two scientific self-confidence surveys administered at the beginning and at the end of the course. The results of the paired sample t-tests revealed statistically significant improvements on all post-lab test scores: Air Pollution lab, t(112) = 6.759, p virtual reality platforms and digital animations. Future research is encouraged to investigate possible correlations between socio-demographic attributes and academic success of students enrolled in online science programs in reference to lab completion.

Why Students Return for a Master's Degree in Sport Management

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Lewis, Benjamin A.; Quarterman, Jerome

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative importance of choice factors that were most important to students who decided to matriculate in the field of sport management for a master's degree. A survey questionnaire was mailed to the program or department chairs of 12 randomly selected universities listed on the NASSM web site during…

The Impact of Adult Degree-Completion Programs on the Organizational Climate of Christian Colleges and Universities

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Giles, Pamela

2010-01-01

Leaders in Christian higher education are often unaware of how adult degree completion programs (ADCPs) impact a school's organizational behavior, and no research has examined employees' perceptions of its impact. This nonexperimental, descriptive study examined differences in employees' perceptions of the impact on organizational climate of the…

Transition from High School to Associate Degree Nursing Education: A Qualitative Study

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Mitchell, Kathy Jessee

2012-01-01

Nursing is facing a critical shortage and retention of nursing students is of paramount importance. Much research has been completed related to retention in nursing education and student success, but there is very little in current literature related to issues associated with the transition from high school to associate degree nursing (ADN)…

The 360-degree evaluation model: A method for assessing competency in graduate nursing students. A pilot research study.

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Cormack, Carrie L; Jensen, Elizabeth; Durham, Catherine O; Smith, Gigi; Dumas, Bonnie

2018-05-01

The 360 Degree Evaluation Model is one means to provide a comprehensive view of clinical competency and readiness for progression in an online nursing program. This pilot project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing a 360 Degree Evaluation of clinical competency of graduate advanced practice nursing students. The 360 Degree Evaluation, adapted from corporate industry, encompasses assessment of student knowledge, skills, behaviors and attitudes and validates student's progression from novice to competent. Cohort of advanced practice nursing students in four progressive clinical semesters. Graduate advanced practice nursing students (N = 54). Descriptive statistics and Jonckheere's Trend Test were used to evaluate OSCE's scores from graded rubric, standardized patient survey scores, student reflection and preceptor evaluation. We identified all students passed the four OSCEs during a first attempt or second attempt. Scaffolding OSCE's over time allowed faculty to identify cohort weakness and create subsequent learning opportunities. Standardized patients' evaluation of the students' performance in the domains of knowledge, skills and attitudes, showed high scores of 96% in all OSCEs. Students' self-reflection comments were a mix of strengths and weaknesses in their self-evaluation, demonstrating themes as students progressed. Preceptor evaluation scores revealed the largest increase in knowledge and learning skills (NONPF domain 1), from an aggregate average of 90% in the first clinical course, to an average of 95%. The 360 Degree Evaluation Model provided a comprehensive evaluation of the student and critical information for the faculty ensuring individual student and cohort data and ability to analyze cohort themes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Perspectives of Two First-Generation College Students Pursuing Doctoral Degrees in Music Education

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Vasil, Martina; McCall, Joyce M.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this autoethnographic multiple case study was to compare experiences of two first-generation college students pursuing doctoral degrees in music education. Motivations for pursuing an advanced degree were to enact change in the field of music education and fulfill personal ambitions. Participants encountered two challenges,…

Using a socioecological framework to understand the career choices of single- and double-degree nursing students and double-degree graduates.

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Hickey, Noelene; Harrison, Linda; Sumsion, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Untested changes in nursing education in Australia, such as the introduction of double degrees in nursing, necessitate a new research approach to study nursing career pathways. A review of the literature on past and present career choice theories demonstrates these are inadequate to gain an understanding of contemporary nursing students' career choices. With the present worldwide shortage of nurses, an understanding of career choice becomes a critical component of recruitment and retention strategies. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how an ecological system approach based on Bronfenbrenner's theory of human development can be used to understand and examine the influences affecting nursing students' and graduates' career development and career choices. Bronfenbrenner's socioecological model was adapted to propose a new Nursing Career Development Framework as a way of conceptualizing the career development of nursing students undertaking traditional bachelor of nursing and nontraditional double-degree nursing programs. This Framework is then applied to a study of undergraduate nurses' career decision making, using a sequential explanatory mixed method study. The paper demonstrates the relevance of this approach for addressing challenges associated with nursing recruitment, education, and career choice.

Assessing Graduate Sustainability Capability Post-Degree Completion: Why Is It Important and What Are the Challenges?

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Sandri, Orana; Holdsworth, Sarah; Thomas, Ian

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight both the need for measurement of graduate capabilities post-degree completion and the challenges posed by such a task. Higher education institutions provide an important site of learning that can equip future professionals with capabilities to manage and respond to complex sustainability…

A study of affecting factors on the degree of university students ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

There are different factors which affect the way people select and continue their attitudes towards products of certain brands. The main objective of the present study was investigating factors affecting the degree of University students' loyalty to Nike brand. This research is functional in regard with objective and ...

Effects of Interest-Major Congruence, Motivation, and Academic Performance on Timely Degree Attainment

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Allen, Jeff; Robbins, Steve

2010-01-01

Using longitudinal student data from 15 four-year (n = 3,072) and 13 (n = 788) two-year postsecondary institutions, the authors tested the effects of interest-major congruence, motivation, and 1st-year academic performance on timely degree completion. Findings suggest that interest-major congruence has a direct effect on timely degree completion…

Current Trends in Adult Degree Programs: How Public Universities Respond to the Needs of Adult Learners

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Gast, Angela

2013-01-01

Although many adult students turn to online degree programs due to their flexibility and convenience, a majority of prospective adult learners prefer to take classes on traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. This chapter examines how public research universities create pathways to degree attainment and boost degree completion rates among adult…

IDENTIFICATION OF DIGITAL COMPETENCES SKILLS IN TEACHER TRAINING DEGREE STUDENTS

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Margarita Pino Juste

2010-11-01

Full Text Available The Technologies of Information and Communication (ICT become in the information society a change agent. In this context, ICTs should become teaching tools in order to help the teacher to achieve quality education.Being aware of the importance of the teachers' mastery of the digital skills, we have conducted a study about the mastery of the ICTs that the students in the third year of the degree of teacher training of the University of Vigo have. In order to do this we have taken into account the knowledge acquired, the frequency of use of certain tools, their level of proficiency in four areas of knowledge: technological literacy, intellectual working tools, processing and dissemination of information and as communication tools. As well as their motivations, interests and obstacles found in their development in order to develop proposals for initial training.We can conclude that, in general, students do not have a specific training on the use of computers. About the degree of knowledge in the different skills, the students know the most basic and commonly used (open or download a file, create or print a document, install a program or send an e-mail. They usually use the mail as a working tool, while the messaging and social networks are more used for leisure time.Their attitudes towards ICTs are very positive and their motivations are focused essentially on the technologies which are useful for improving their learning and for their professional future.

Critical thinking skills of basic baccalaureate and Accelerated second-degree nursing students.

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Newton, Sarah E; Moore, Gary

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the critical thinking (CT) skills of basic baccalaureate (basic-BSN) and accelerated second-degree (ASD) nursing students at nursing program entry. Many authors propose that CT in nursing should be viewed as a developmental process that increases as students' experiences with it change. However, there is a dearth of literature that describes basic-BSN and ASD students' CT skills from an evolutionary perspective. The study design was exploratory descriptive. The results indicated thatASD students had higher CT scores on a quantitative critical thinking assessment at program entry than basic-BSN students. CT data are needed across the nursing curriculum from basic-BSN and ASD students in order for nurse educators to develop cohort-specific pedagogical approaches that facilitate critical thinking in nursing and produce nurses with good CT skills for the future.

Opening up a Road to Somewhere: Development of Associate Degree Students in Hong Kong

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Lee, Wincy W. S.

2014-01-01

Associate (community college) degrees have expanded rapidly in the past decade in Hong Kong, but their value has been questioned due to the limited number of government-funded articulation opportunities available. This paper argues that associate degrees in Hong Kong are not valued solely for articulation purposes, but also for nurturing students'…

Personality Procrastination and Cheating in Students from different University Degree Programs

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Clariana, Merce

2013-01-01

Introduction: Personality, procrastination and dishonest behaviour in the classroom (or cheating) are variables that have been seen to have an important influence on learning. However, they have seldom been studied together and even less taking into account the gender of the student and their choice of degree course. This work analyses the…

Using Social Cognitive Theory to Explain the Intention of Final-year Pharmacy Students to Undertake a Higher Degree in Pharmacy Practice Research.

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Carter, Stephen R; Moles, Rebekah J; Krass, Ines; Kritikos, Vicki S

2016-08-25

Objective. To develop and test a conceptual model that hypothesized student intention to undertake a higher degree in pharmacy practice research (PPR) would be increased by self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and the social influence of faculty members. Methods. Cross-sectional surveys were completed by 387 final-year pharmacy undergraduates enrolled in 2012 and 2013. Structural equation modeling was used to explore relationships between variables and intention. Results. Fit indices were good. The model explained 55% of the variation in intention. As hypothesized, faculty social influence increased self-efficacy and indirectly increased outcome expectancy and intention. Conclusion. To increase pharmacy students' orientation towards a career in PPR, faculty members could use their social influence by highlighting PPR in their teaching.

Students' Perceptions of Long-Functioning Cooperative Teams in Accelerated Adult Degree Programs

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Favor, Judy

2012-01-01

This study examined 718 adult students' perceptions of long-functioning cooperative study teams in accelerated associate's, bachelor's, and master's business degree programs. Six factors were examined: attraction toward team, alignment of performance expectations, intrateam conflict, workload sharing, preference for teamwork, and impact on…

Co-Articulating the Value of a Liberal Arts Degree with Students

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Cushing, Pamela

2012-01-01

While most scholars and higher education professionals believe in the intrinsic value of a liberal arts degree, high school students and their parents often have a different bias as they seek to determine where to invest themselves and their resources. Anyone who has taught in or recruited for the social sciences or humanities will recognize the…

An Analysis of the Relationship between Distance from Campus and GPA of Commuter Students

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Nelson, Danielle; Misra, Kaustav; Sype, Gail E.; Mackie, Wayne

2016-01-01

A variety of factors influence a student's ability to succeed in college and complete a degree program. Students who live on-campus, at least during their freshman year, have been shown to be more likely to complete their degrees than are students who live off-campus. Students who are commuters may have more demands on their time and may have…

Benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory electricity and magnetism course

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F. J. Kontur

2015-02-01

Full Text Available We examine how student aptitudes impact how much students learn from doing graded online and written homework in an introductory electricity and magnetism course. Our analysis examines the correlation between successful homework completion rates and exam performance as well as how changes in homework completion correlate with changes in exam scores for students with different physics aptitudes. On average, successfully completing many homework problems correlated to better exam scores only for students with high physics aptitude. On the other hand, all other students showed zero or even a negative correlation between successful homework completion and exam performance. Low- and medium-aptitude students who did more homework did no better and sometimes scored lower on exams than their low- and medium-aptitude peers who did less homework. Our work also shows that long-term changes in homework completion correlated to long-term changes in exam scores only for students with high physics aptitude, but not for students with medium or low aptitude. We offer several explanations for the disparity in homework learning gains, including cognitive load theory, ineffective homework strategies, and various mismatches between homework and exams. Several solutions are proposed to address these possible deficiencies in graded online and written homework.

Benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory electricity and magnetism course

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Kontur, F. J.; de La Harpe, K.; Terry, N. B.

2015-06-01

We examine how student aptitudes impact how much students learn from doing graded online and written homework in an introductory electricity and magnetism course. Our analysis examines the correlation between successful homework completion rates and exam performance as well as how changes in homework completion correlate with changes in exam scores for students with different physics aptitudes. On average, successfully completing many homework problems correlated to better exam scores only for students with high physics aptitude. On the other hand, all other students showed zero or even a negative correlation between successful homework completion and exam performance. Low- and medium-aptitude students who did more homework did no better and sometimes scored lower on exams than their low- and medium-aptitude peers who did less homework. Our work also shows that long-term changes in homework completion correlated to long-term changes in exam scores only for students with high physics aptitude, but not for students with medium or low aptitude. We offer several explanations for the disparity in homework learning gains, including cognitive load theory, ineffective homework strategies, and various mismatches between homework and exams. Several solutions are proposed to address these possible deficiencies in graded online and written homework.

Benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory electricity and magnetism course

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F. J. Kontur; K. de La Harpe; N. B. Terry

2015-01-01

We examine how student aptitudes impact how much students learn from doing graded online and written homework in an introductory electricity and magnetism course. Our analysis examines the correlation between successful homework completion rates and exam performance as well as how changes in homework completion correlate with changes in exam scores for students with different physics aptitudes. On average, successfully completing many homework problems correlated to better exam scores only fo...

Completing a PhD by Publication: A Review of Australian Policy and Implications for Practice

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Jackson, Denise

2013-01-01

There is increasing impetus for higher-degree-by-research students to publish during candidature. Research performance, including higher degree completions and publication output, commonly determines university funding, and doctorates with publishing experience are better positioned for a career in softening academic labour markets. The PhD by…

Students' Views of A-Level Mathematics as Preparation for Degree-Level Economics

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Darlington, Ellie; Bowyer, Jessica

2017-01-01

As part of a large-scale survey of over 4000 undergraduates at British universities, 238 economics students reported on their experiences of studying post-compulsory secondary mathematics qualifications (A-levels) and the preparation they provided for their degrees. Participants were positive about their experience of post-compulsory mathematics…

Factors affecting attrition from associate degree nursing programs in North Carolina.

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Fraher, Erin; Belsky, Daniel W; Gaul, Katie; Carpenter, Jessica

2010-01-01

Projected nursing shortfalls have spurred the state of North Carolina to initiate a series of strategies to increase the number of graduates from pre-licensure Registered Nurse (RN) programs. These efforts have been largely successful, but attrition rates from Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) programs remain high. Only 58% of students entering ADN programs complete the degree. While policy makers are keenly aware that attrition from ADN programs is problematic, there is a lack of empirical evidence to identify the specific factors contributing to student attrition. In late 2007, the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) asked the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research to conduct a study of Associate Degree Nursing program attrition and its causes. This paper summarizes the findings from that study and identifies the student- and program-level characteristics associated with more and less successful ADN programs. While this study was conducted in a single state in the US, the substantive findings--as well as the methodological approach--may be useful to other states and other countries. The study revealed that socioeconomically disadvantaged students (those with GEDs and those who received Pell Grants), non-white students, and younger and older students were less likely to graduate on-time. When programs were grouped into high and low performance categories on the basis of risk adjusted graduation rates, high performing programs were distinguished by more stringent admissions policies and better educated faculties. Nursing shortages have garnered significant attention and resources from state and national workforce planners in recent years. But to date, investments in expanding program capacity have not been matched by attention to program completion rates, with the result that we have enlarged the pipeline without fixing the leaks. Faculty shortages and recession-induced resource constraints limit further program expansion. Addressing attrition

The Aftermath of Remedial Math: Investigating the Low Rate of Certificate Completion among Remedial Math Students

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Bahr, Peter Riley

2013-01-01

Nationally, a majority of community college students require remedial assistance with mathematics, but comparatively few students who begin the remedial math sequence ultimately complete it and achieve college-level math competency. The academic outcomes of students who begin the sequence but do not complete it are disproportionately unfavorable:…

The Drinkers Degree: Risk Taking Behaviours amongst Undergraduate Student Drinkers

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Gillian O’Neill

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To examine risk taking behaviours associated with alcohol consumption amongst UK undergraduate students. Design and Methods. A cross-sectional web survey was used to assess attitudes and health behaviours. The survey included the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT. Students were also asked about why they drank alcohol; about their preferred alcoholic beverage; and if they had experienced any consequences associated with drinking alcohol as well as questions relating to sexual risk taking, drug use, and smoking. Results. 2779 (65% female; 84% White British students completed some part of the survey. Of these, 98% (n=2711 completed the AUDIT. Of the 92% that drank 66% (n=1,643 were categorised as being AUDIT positive. 8% (n=224 were categorised as probably alcohol dependent. Higher AUDIT scores were significantly associated with negative consequences such as unplanned sexual activity, physical injuries, and arguments. Other risk taking behaviours such as drug use and smoking were also found to be positively correlated with higher AUDIT scores; drug use; and smoking. Conclusions. The results from this study provide insight into students’ alcohol consumption and associated risk taking. University policies need to protect students’ overall health and wellbeing to ensure academic potential is maximised.

Veteran Student Persistence: The Lived Experiences of Veteran Students Coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder While Enrolled in Online Degree Programs

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Henderson-White, Mary

2017-01-01

Persistence as it pertained to traditional college students had been widely researched, but little was known about persistence and the role of resilience and engagement for veteran students experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder while enrolled in online degree programs. The focus of the study was to understand the lived experiences of veteran…

Improving Scientific Writing in Undergraduate Geosciences Degrees Through Peer Review

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Day, E. A.; Collins, G. S.; Craig, L.

2016-12-01

In the British educational system, students specialise early. Often geoscience undergraduates have not taken a class that requires extended writing since they were sixteen years old. This can make it difficult for students to develop the written skills necessary for a geoscience degree, which often has assessments in the form of essays and reports. To improve both the writing and editing skills of our undergraduates we have introduced a peer review system, in which seniors review the work of first year students. At Imperial College London we set written coursework in every year of the degree. Communication is taught and assessed in many courses. There are two major modules with substantial written components that bookend the undergraduate degree at Imperial; the freshmen all write an assessed essay, while all seniors take 'Science Communication', a course that aims to prepare them for a range of possible careers. In the 2015-16 academic year we linked these courses by introducing a modified form of peer marking and instruction. Seniors had to complete reviews of draft first year essays for credit in Science Communication. These reviews are completed for the department 'journal' and introduce the first and fourth years to the nature of peer review. Seniors learn how to critically, but kindly, evaluate the work of other students, and are also prepared for potentially submitting their senior theses to journals. Reviews were managed by volunteer seniors, who acted as associate editors. They allocated anonymous reviewers and wrote decision letters, which were sent to the freshmen before their final assessed essay submission. Ultimately the fourth year reviews were formally assessed and graded by members of staff, as were the revised and resubmitted first year essays. Feedback for both courses has improved since the introduction of student reviews of essays. The markers of the freshman essay have also commented on the improvement in the standard of the writing and a

Predicting Successful Completion Using Student Delay Indicators in Undergraduate Self-Paced Online Courses

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Lim, Janine M.

2016-01-01

Self-paced online courses meet flexibility and learning needs of many students, but skepticism persists regarding the quality and the tendency for students to procrastinate in self-paced courses. Research is needed to understand procrastination and delay patterns of students in online self-paced courses to predict successful completion and…

2008 Key Student Outcomes Indicators for BC Diploma, Associate Degree, and Certificate Programs: Survey Results by Institution

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Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, 2009

2009-01-01

The BC Diploma, Associate Degree, and Certificate Student Outcomes (DACSO) Survey (formerly the BC College and Institute Student Outcomes Survey) collects and disseminates information about former students' post-secondary experiences and their subsequent labour market and further education experiences. The survey is administered annually to former…

Strengthening cancer biology research, prevention, and control while reducing cancer disparities: student perceptions of a collaborative master's degree program in cancer biology, preventions, and control.

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Jillson, I A; Cousin, C E; Blancato, J K

2013-09-01

This article provides the findings of a survey of previous and current students in the UDC/GU-LCCC master's degree program. This master's degree program, Cancer Biology, Prevention, and Control is administered and taught jointly by faculty of a Minority Serving Institution, the University of the District of Columbia, and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center to incorporate the strengths of a community-based school with a research intensive medical center. The program was initiated in 2008 through agreements with both University administrations and funding from the National Cancer Institute. The master's degree program is 36 credits with a focus on coursework in biostatistics, epidemiology, tumor biology, cancer prevention, medical ethics, and cancer outreach program design. For two semesters during the second year, students work full-time with a faculty person on a laboratory or outreach project that is a requirement for graduation. Students are supported and encouraged to transition to a doctoral degree after they obtain the master's and many of them are currently in doctorate programs. Since the inception of the program, 45 students have initiated the course of study, 28 have completed the program, and 13 are currently enrolled in the program. The survey was designed to track the students in their current activities, as well as determine which courses, program enhancements, and research experiences were the least and most useful, and to discern students' perceptions of knowledge acquired on various aspects of Cancer Biology Prevention, and Control Master's Program. Thirty of the 35 individuals to whom email requests were sent responded to the survey, for a response rate of 85.7%. The results of this study will inform the strengthening of the Cancer Biology program by the Education Advisory Committee. They can also be used in the development of comparable collaborative master's degree programs designed to address the significant disparities in prevalence of

Leadership in Dental Hygiene Degree Completion Programs: A Pilot Study Comparing Stand-Alone Leadership Courses and Leadership-Infused Curricula.

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Smith, Michelle L; Gurenlian, JoAnn R; Freudenthal, Jacqueline J; Farnsworth, Tracy J

2016-05-01

The aim of this study was to define the extent to which leadership and leadership skills are taught in dental hygiene degree completion programs by comparing stand-alone leadership courses/hybrid programs with programs that infuse leadership skills throughout the curricula. The study involved a mixed-methods approach using qualitative and quantitative data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with program directors and faculty members who teach a stand-alone leadership course, a hybrid program, or leadership-infused courses in these programs. A quantitative comparison of course syllabi determined differences in the extent of leadership content and experiences between stand-alone leadership courses and leadership-infused curricula. Of the 53 U.S. dental hygiene programs that offer degree completion programs, 49 met the inclusion criteria, and 19 programs provided course syllabi. Of the program directors and faculty members who teach a stand-alone leadership course or leadership-infused curriculum, 16 participated in the interview portion of the study. The results suggested that competencies related to leadership were not clearly defined or measurable in current teaching. Reported barriers to incorporating a stand-alone leadership course included overcrowded curricula, limited qualified faculty, and lack of resources. The findings of this study provide a synopsis of leadership content and gaps in leadership education for degree completion programs. Suggested changes included defining a need for leadership competencies and providing additional resources to educators such as courses provided by the American Dental Education Association and the American Dental Hygienists' Association.

The Impact of Dual Enrollment on College Degree Attainment: Do Low-SES Students Benefit?

Science.gov (United States)

An, Brian P.

2013-01-01

Dual enrollment in high school is viewed by many as one mechanism for widening college admission and completion of low-income students. However, little evidence demonstrates that these students discretely benefit from dual enrollment and whether these programs narrow attainment gaps vis-a-vis students from middle-class or affluent family…

Language and Content in the Modern Foreign Languages Degree: A Students' Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Gieve, Simon; Cunico, Sonia

2012-01-01

This paper reports on a small-scale qualitative study of students' experience of their Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) degrees with particular regard to the relationship between language and content learning. It is framed by the identification in the recent Worton Report on MFL studies in UK higher education and elsewhere of a dualism between…

Effects of 8Ps of Services Marketing on Student Selection of Self-Financing Sub-Degree Programmes in Hong Kong

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Melissa May Yee

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the effects of 8Ps of services marketing affect students' selection of self-financing sub-degree programmes in Hong Kong. The factors that affect students' selection of self-financing sub-degree programmes have not been studied in higher education market of Hong Kong. This research is to…

University Experiences and Women Engineering Student Persistence

Science.gov (United States)

Ayers, LoAnn Debra Gienger

Riverside University (a pseudonym), like many universities, has not significantly increased the number of women who graduate with bachelor's degrees in engineering. The purpose of the study is to understand how the university experiences of women students influence the decision to persist in an undergraduate engineering degree and to understand the role of self-perception in how the students perceive experiences as supporting or hindering their persistence in the major. Archival data, documents and artifacts, observations, individual interviews, and a focus group with women engineering students provide insights into students' perceived barriers and supports of student success. Analysis of the data results in two major themes. First, students' self-confidence and self-efficacy influence how women assimilate university experiences as either supportive or diminishing of academic success. Second, university policies and practices shape the campus environment within which student experiences are formed and influence a student's level of institutional, academic, and social integration. The results of the study indicate opportunities for university leadership to enhance strategies that positively shape students' institutional, academic and social integration as precursors toward increasing the number of women students who successfully complete undergraduate engineering degrees at Riverside University. Future research is indicated to better understand how gender and gender identity intersects with other demographic factors, such as socio-economic status, immigration status, and life stage (e.g., traditional versus non-traditional students), to support or deter the persistence of engineering students to degree completion.

Return on Investment: Strategies for Improving Remedial Education. Complete to Compete Briefing Paper

Science.gov (United States)

Vandal, Bruce

2011-01-01

Every year millions of students enroll in colleges with the goal of completing a college degree or certificate so they can find a well-paying job. Unfortunately, many arrive on college campuses, take a college placement exam and discover they will need to complete remedial education courses in math, reading, or writing that won't count toward a…

Nuclear engineering enrollments and degrees, 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Little, J.R.; Shirley, D.L.

1982-05-01

This report presents data on the number of students enrolled and the degrees awarded in academic year 1980-81 from 73 US institutions offering degree programs in nuclear engineering or nuclear options within other engineering fields. Presented here are historical data for the last decade, which provide information such as trends by degree level, foreign national student participation, female and minority student participation, and placement of graduates. Also included is a listing of the universities by type of program and number of students

Lost in Translation: Preparing Students to Articulate the Meaning of a College Degree

Science.gov (United States)

DuRose, Lisa; Stebleton, Michael J.

2016-01-01

The authors contend that many undergraduate students lack the ability to deftly articulate the value of their college degree, including the competencies they acquire through classroom learning and extracurricular activities. Despite the positive impact of experiential education opportunities such as service learning and internships, there is a…

Group Supervision and Japanese Students' Successful Completion of Undergraduate Theses

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Kiyomi

2013-01-01

This paper explores, from a sociocultural perspective, the nature and functions of "zemi" or seminars in which Japanese undergraduate students received group supervision for research and thesis writing. The study also investigates how the "zemi" contributed to completion of their theses. It was found that the "zemi"…

Gender Differences in Educational Attainment: The Case of Doctoral Degrees in Norway

Science.gov (United States)

Mastekaasa, Arne

2005-01-01

Despite strong trends in most Western countries towards gender equality in educational attainments, men are still considerably more likely to obtain doctoral degrees. Using data comprising nearly all students graduating from Norwegian universities during 1981-1996, separate event history analyses are carried out of recruitment to and completion of…

Support Services for Higher Degree Research Students: A Survey of Three Australian Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Pujitha; Woodman, Karen; Taji, Acram; Travelyan, James; Samani, Shamim; Sharda, Hema; Narayanaswamy, Ramesh; Lucey, Anthony; Sahama, Tony; Yarlagadda, Prasad K. D. V.

2016-01-01

A survey was conducted across three Australian universities to identify the types and format of support services available for higher degree research (HDR, or MA and Ph.D.) students. The services were classified with regards to availability, location and accessibility. A comparative tool was developed to help institutions categorise their services…

Experiences of Students with Specific Learning Disorder (Including ADHD) in Online College Degree Programs: A Phenomenological Study

Science.gov (United States)

Bunch, Seleta LeAnn

2016-01-01

Enrollment in online degree programs is rapidly expanding due to the convenience and affordability offered to students and improvements in technology. The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to understand the shared experiences of students with documented specific learning disorders (including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity…

The Statistical Knowledge Gap in Higher Degree by Research Students: The Supervisors' Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Baglin, James; Hart, Claire; Stow, Sarah

2017-01-01

This study sought to gain an understanding of the current statistical training and support needs for Australian Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students and their supervisors. The data reported herein are based on the survey responses of 191 (18.7%) eligible supervisors from a single Australian institution. The survey was composed of both…

Do Courts Consider the Degree of Discipline When Adjudicating Off-Campus Student Speech?

Science.gov (United States)

Dagley, Amy L.; Weiler, Spencer C.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this legal analysis was to determine if there was evidence suggesting that courts, when ruling on off-campus student speech cases that result in on-campus discipline, take into consideration the degree of discipline imposed by school officials. The analysis consisted of reviewing the 34 adjudicated and published cases that…

Reflection: Research by Design: Design-Based Research and the Higher Degree Research Student

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy-Clark, Shannon

2015-01-01

The article "Research by design: Design-based research and the higher degree research student" (Kennedy-Clark, 2013) appeared in the "Journal of Learning Design" Volume 6, Issue 2 in 2013. Two years on, Shannon Kennedy-Clark reflects upon her original article. Upon being asked to revisit this article the author reflected upon…

[The supervisor has a crucial role in the medical student's degree projects. Experiences from seven semesters at Karolinska Institutet].

Science.gov (United States)

Möller, Riitta; Shoshan, Maria; Ponzer, Sari

2015-01-13

In Sweden degree projects have a central role in evaluation of higher education, wherefore significant resources are spent on developing students' research competence. The undergraduate medical program at Karolinska Institutet introduced its degree project course in 2010. This paper gives an overview of the course and summarizes experiences from the first seven terms. In order to finalize their projects within one term, most students need substantial support. A highly structured course and frequent progress monitoring are advantageous. Other crucial factors are the quality of the supervision and students' verbal skills as well as support in scientific writing. In addition, increased awareness of the learning outcomes already at the beginning of the course may help students to achieve the expected results. Finally, students need to recognize their own responsibility for learning. 

Prior Work and Educational Experience Are Not Associated With Successful Completion of a Master's-Level, Distance Education Midwifery Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Niemczyk, Nancy A; Cutts, Alison; Perlman, Dana B

2018-03-01

In order to increase and diversify the midwifery workforce, admissions criteria for midwifery education programs must not contain unnecessary barriers to entry. Once accepted, students need to successfully complete the program. Many admissions criteria commonly used in midwifery education programs in the United States are not evidence based and could be unnecessary barriers to education. The primary objective of this study was to identify factors known during the admission process that were related to successful completion or failure to complete a midwifery program educating both student nurse-midwives (SNMs) and student midwives (SMs); a secondary objective was to quantify reasons for program noncompletion. This master's-level, distance education program educates a diverse group of both SNMs and SMs. A pilot, retrospective cohort study examined all students matriculating at the program from fall 2012 on and scheduled to graduate by summer 2016 (N = 58). Demographic information, admissions information, academic records, and advising notes were reviewed. Reasons for noncompletion were identified, and characteristics were compared between students who did and did not complete the program. Program completion was not significantly associated with students' status as nurses prior to admission, labor and delivery nursing experience, length of nursing experience, nursing degree held, presence of children at home, working while in school, or undergraduate grade point average. Being a nurse, years of nursing experience, type of nursing degree, or labor and delivery nursing experience were not associated with completion of this midwifery program. © 2018 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Factors motivating Latino college students to pursue STEM degrees on CSU campuses in the southern San Joaquin Valley

Science.gov (United States)

Ramirez, Gabriel

The purpose of this study was to determine what factors were motivating Latino/a students in the southern San Joaquin Valley to pursue STEM degrees and whether these factors were specific to the Latino/a culture. A 12-question survey was administered to STEM majors at California State University, Bakersfield and California State University, Fresno and interviews were conducted with those survey respondents who agreed to be part of the process. The results of the survey suggested that factors such as STEM subject matter, STEM career knowledge, the possibility of a high paying salary, high school STEM grades, and family influence were significant in motivating Latino/a students to pursue STEM degrees. The results of the Chi Square Test suggested the Latino/a students' responses about college STEM degree granting statistics, the possibility of a high salary, and the effects of setbacks were significantly different to those of their non-Latino/a counterparts.

Benefits of Completing Homework for Students with Different Aptitudes in an Introductory Electricity and Magnetism Course

Science.gov (United States)

Kontur, F.?J.; de La Harpe, K.; Terry, N.?B.

2015-01-01

We examine how student aptitudes impact how much students learn from doing graded online and written homework in an introductory electricity and magnetism course. Our analysis examines the correlation between successful homework completion rates and exam performance as well as how changes in homework completion correlate with changes in exam…

An Event to Encourage High School Students to Pursue College Degrees in Physics and Math

Science.gov (United States)

Bukiet, Bruce; Thomas, Gordon

2003-04-01

We discuss a Math and Physics Day for high school students and teachers, with hands-on activities and seminars involving mathematics and physics. Participants also learn about careers for those who go on to major in physics and mathematics in college. The New York State Section of the APS has provided generous support for this workshop through its Outreach grant program. Approximately a dozen high schools and 100 students attend each year. The program, which runs from 9:15 AM until 2:15 PM, includes an introduction to undergraduate degree programs in Mathematics, Statistics, Optics, Actuarial Science and Applied Physics, a group physics experiment/contest, brief talks over lunch by speakers from industry who have degrees in Math or Physics, and an afternoon seminar. Teachers earn Professional Development credit.

DOE/PSU Graduate Student Fellowship Program for Hydropower

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cimbala, John M. [Pennsylvania State Univ., State College, PA (United States)

2014-03-30

The primary objective of this project is to stimulate academic interest in the conventional hydropower field by supplying research support for at least eight individual Master of Science (MS) or Doctoral (PhD) level research projects, each consisting of a graduate student supervised by a faculty member. We have completed many of the individual student research projects: 2 PhD students have finished, and 4 are still working towards their PhD degree. 4 MS students have finished, and 2 are still working towards their MS degree, one of which is due to finish this April. In addition, 4 undergraduate student projects have been completed, and one is to be completed this April. These projects were supervised by 7 faculty members and an Advisory/Review Panel. Our students and faculty have presented their work at national or international conferences and have submitted several journal publications. Three of our graduate students (Keith Martin, Dan Leonard and Hosein Foroutan) have received HRF Fellowships during the course of this project. All of the remaining students are anticipated to be graduated by the end of Fall Semester 2014. All of the tasks for this project will have been completed once all the students have been graduated, although it will be another year or two until all the journal publications have been finalized based on the work performed as part of this DOE Hydropower project.

The Deviant University Student: Historical Discourses about Student Failure and "Wastage" in the Antipodes

Science.gov (United States)

Manathunga, Catherine

2014-01-01

The emergence of academic development in Anglophone higher education was linked to post Second World War massification and concerns about student failure. These concerns were driven by increasing statistical investigations into student attrition and degree times to completion, particularly in Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand. There was a…

Identifying motivators and barriers to student completion of instructor evaluations: A multi-faceted, collaborative approach from four colleges of pharmacy.

Science.gov (United States)

McAuley, James W; Backo, Jennifer Lynn; Sobota, Kristen Finley; Metzger, Anne H; Ulbrich, Timothy

To identify motivators and barriers to pharmacy student completion of instructor evaluations, and to develop potential strategies to improve the evaluation process. Completed at four Ohio Colleges of Pharmacy, Phase I consisted of a student/faculty survey and Phase II consisted of joint student/faculty focus groups to discuss Phase I data and to problem solve. In Phase I, the top three student-identified and faculty-perceived motivators to completion of evaluations were to (1) make the course better, (2) earn bonus points, and (3) improve the instructor's teaching. The top three student-identified barriers to completion of evaluations were having to (1) evaluate multiple instructors, (2) complete several evaluations around the same time, and (3) complete lengthy evaluations. Phase II focus groups identified a number of potential ways to enhance the motivators and reduce barriers, including but not limited to making sure faculty convey to students that the feedback they provide is useful and to provide examples of how student feedback has been used to improve their teaching/the course. Students and faculty identified motivators and barriers to completing instructor evaluations and were willing to work together to improve the process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mental Health and Academic Performance among Associate Degree Nursing Students at a Technical College

Science.gov (United States)

Kliminski, Kerri

2017-01-01

The purpose of this non-experimental cross-sectional quantitative study was to examine the relationship between mental health and academic performance among associate degree nursing (ADN) students at a Midwest technical college by identifying incidence of positive mental health, mental illness symptoms/distress, and mental illness; the…

Assessment of Written Expression Skills of University Students in Terms of Text Completion Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdulkadir KIRBAŞ

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Writing is to transfer the visualised ideas on the paper. Writing, one of the language skills, is a significant tool of communication which provides the permanency of information conveying emotions and thoughts. Since writing has both cognitive and physical aspects, it makes writing the hardest and the latest language skill to improve. The studies show that writing activity is the most difficult skill students have difficulty. In higher education, in order to improve writing skills of students and give basic information and skills about writing skills written expression, composition and writing education lessons are taught both in the department of Turkish Language and Literature and in the departments of Turkish Language in the Faculties of Education. One of the aims of these lessons is to teach students written expression techniques together with the purposes and practices. One of the written expression techniques is text completion skill that improves student’s creativity and enhances her/his imaginary world. The purpose of this study is to assess students’ skills of using text completion technique with reference to the writing studies of students in higher education. the sample of the study consists of 85 college students studying in the department of Turkish Language and Literature in Gümüşhane University in 2016-2017 academic year. The data of the study were obtained from the written expression studies of the students. The introduction part of the article ‘On Reading’ by F. Bacon was given to the students and they were required to complete the text. ‘Text Completion Rating Scale in Writing Expression’ was developed to assess the data of the study by taking opinions of lecturers and Turkish education experts. The data of the study were presented with percentage and frequency rates. At the end of the study, it was concluded that students had weakness in some skills such as writing an effective body part about the topic given

Biosafety: degree of importance in the point of view of undergraduate dental students from Univille

OpenAIRE

Maria Dalva de S. SCHROEDER; Constanza MARIN; Fabio MIRI

2010-01-01

Introduction and objective: This study evaluated the degree ofimportance regarding biosafety in the point of view of undergraduatedental students from the University of the Region of Joinville– Univille. Material and methods: The sample was composed of142 undergraduate dental students from first to fifth year, who wereasked to sign the term of free and clarified assent in order to answera questionnaire with 13 closed-ended and 2 open-ended questionsregarding dental clinical practice and conce...

The Differential Effects of Financial Aid on Degree Completion by Gender

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Jacob P. K.; Berry, Matthew; Reynolds, Pauline

2015-01-01

Financial aid and student success are interrelated and essential components of strategic enrollment management. From an economic perspective, by reducing the price students pay, financial aid affects student demand for education. However, financial aid also has nonmonetary effects. For example, students receiving institutional scholarships may…

Why Do Students Choose Not to Follow All Instructions When Completing Assessment Tasks?

Science.gov (United States)

Fleet, Wendy

2013-01-01

As academics we often assume that allocating marks to a task will influence student decision-making when it comes to completing that task. Marks are used by lecturers to indicate the relative importance of each of the criteria used for marking the assessment task and we expect the student to respond to the marks' allocation. This Postcard suggests…

Value Education Through Distance Learning: Opinions of Students who already Completed Value Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Handan DEVECI

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Individuals in a society should be systematically trained on value education so that they can appreciate values such as love, respect, tolerance, and honesty. Employment of value training approaches within Anadolu University Open and Distance Learning System will make it possible to educate many people on values. The purpose of this research is to determine the opinions of university students about providing value education through distance learning system. This study has been completed via use of semi-structured interview technique based on qualitative research approach. The participants are registered students studying at Social Studies Teacher Training Program, Faculty of Education, Anadolu University during the fall term of 2013-2014 academic years. Based on the selection criteria, 15 students who had already completed value education course and who were familiar with Anadolu University’s open and distance learning system partook in the study. Research data was analyzed through content analysis. Participating students believe that value education is a necessary component of social life and that students within distance learning system should be provided with value education. Furthermore, participants stated that value education could be integrated into distance learning. Based on the findings, it is possible to conclude that offering value education to students through distance learning system may significantly contribute to social life as it facilitates maintaining social order and raising effective citizens.

Nontraditional Student Graduation Rate Benchmarks

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Nathan B.

2014-01-01

The prominence of discourse on postsecondary degree completion, student persistence, and retention has increased in the national dialogue. Heightened attention to college completion rates by the federal government and pressure to tie state funding to performance metrics associated with graduation rates are catalysts for the discussion.…

Stressors Experienced by Nursing Students Enrolled in Baccalaureate Second Degree Accelerated Registered Nursing Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Charlene

2017-01-01

A mounting concern throughout the country is a current and growing nursing shortage. In order to meet the growing demand of nurses, many colleges have created baccalaureate second degree accelerated registered nursing programs. Stressors, experienced by nursing students in these accelerated programs, may affect their retention. A deeper…

Motivational Orientations of Non-Traditional Adult Students to Enroll in a Degree-Seeking Program

Science.gov (United States)

Francois, Emmanuel Jean

2014-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the motivational orientations of non-traditional adult students to enroll in a degree-seeking program based on their academic goal. The Education Participation Scale (EPS) was used to measure the motivational orientations of participants. Professional advancement, cognitive interest, and educational…

The New Sphere of International Student Education in Chinese Higher Education: A Focus on English-Medium Degree Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Kuroda, Chiharu

2014-01-01

This empirical study explores the current features of English-medium instructed master's degree programs for international students (EMIMDPs-ISs) in Chinese higher education. Since the mid-2000s, a significant number of Chinese universities have proactively engaged in establishing English-medium instructed degree programs for international…

Exploring the Value of MBA Degrees: Students' Experiences in Full-Time, Part-Time, and Executive MBA Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Bruce, Grady D.

2010-01-01

Critics of the overall value of the MBA have not systematically considered the attitudes of MBA students about the value of their degree. The author used data from a large sample of graduates (N = 16,268) to do so, and to explore predictors of overall degree value. The author developed separate regression models for full-time, part-time, and…

Students' Perceptions of Undertaking Workplace Tasks within a Foundation Degree--Health and Social Care

Science.gov (United States)

Thurgate, Claire; MacGregor, Janet

2009-01-01

Foundation degrees (FDs) involve the fusion of academic and vocational paths in higher education (HE) qualifications; the challenge for academics and employers is the credible assessment of the student's workplace learning. Focusing to the workplace enables participants to learn from their daily routines encountered at work. The challenge is to…

The Moderating Effect of Personality Traits on Advisor Relationships in Predicting Doctoral Student Burnout

Science.gov (United States)

Kosh, Emily P.

2014-01-01

Personality affects relationships. During the doctoral education, the second most important factor in degree completion, after financial support, is the student-advisor relationship. Approximately half of doctoral students do not finish their degrees. While it is known mentors have a profound impact on the success of doctoral students, the effect…

Masseter muscle surface electromyography in college students with a high degree of anxiety and temporomandibular disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduarda de Lima Amarante

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: to compare the electrical activity of masseter muscles, bilaterally, according to the presence or absence of Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD in college students with a high degree of anxiety. Methods: the study was conducted with a randomized sample of 31 Speech Therapy students aged between 17 and 32 years; 61.3% (n = 19 were females and 38.7% (n = 12 were males. They were divided into two groups, Group 1 (G1, comprising 11 students with TMD, and Group 2 (G2, composed of 20 students without TMD. The college students answered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI for anxiety investigation, and were evaluated by the protocol Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD for TMD diagnosis. The evaluation of muscular electrical activity took into account the records in the conditions of rest, Sustained Maximum Voluntary Activity (SMVA and habitual chewing (HC. The data were analyzed using the version 22 IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS software. The statistical analysis was performed using Student t test to compare means between groups, considering < 0,05 as the significant p-value. Results: college students, of both groups, presented high levels of anxiety traits. Significant statistical differences were observed on the percentage of electrical activity of right masseter muscle in chewing function, as well as muscle fibers recruitment during chewing, which were higher on the group without TMD. Conclusion: college students with TMD and a high degree of anxiety presented lower means of masseter muscle electromyografic activity during chewing, in most conditions assessed, as compared to volunteers without TMD, except for the left masseter muscle in rest and chewing.

The Use of Expert Judgment in the Assessment of Demonstrated Learning in the Antioch College-Yellow Springs Adult Degree Completion Program. CAEL Institutional Report No. 1. Antioch College.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Robert

The implementation of the Adult Degree Completion Program (ADCP) at Antioch-Yellow Springs is described. The ADCP is a transfer program designed to enable adults who have never finished colege to complete their undergraduate degree work, often without having to abandon their obligations to families or to professions. To enroll in the program,…

The students attending the physical education degrees: a study of the Faculdades Integradas Einstein of Limeira

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flávia Baccin Fiorante

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This work aims to evaluate the learning path of the students attending belong to low-income segment in Physical Education teacher degrees in Faculdades Integradas Einstein of Limeira through bibliography and field researches, using a semi structured interview. The results showed that, four of them students show similar answers related to habitus, cultural knowledge deficit, attendance at sporting events, empathy to Physical Education subject during academic life, sport activities during their childhood. We concluded that facts may help understand the professional choice made by the interviewed students.

Assessing the Degree of Possessing Study Skills by the Students of Tafila Technical University from Their Perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Roud, Atallah A.; Thawabiah, Ahmad

2016-01-01

The study aimed to identify the degree of possessing study skills (SS) by the students of Tafila Technical (TTU) University from their perspectives. The population of the study consisted of 5015 students in TTU for the second semester of the academic year 2015/2016. The sample of the study was chosen randomly from the population of the study with…

The Top 100 Business, Education, Engineering and Social Sciences Degrees Conferred on Hispanic Students

Science.gov (United States)

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 2011

2011-01-01

Each year, "Diverse: Issues In Higher Education" publishes lists of the Top 100 producers of associate, bachelor's and graduate degrees awarded to minority students based on research conducted by Dr. Victor M. H. Borden, professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Indiana University Bloomington. This article presents lists of the top…

How Adult Online Graduates Portray Their Degree

Science.gov (United States)

Hagan, Eric J.

2013-01-01

This qualitative case study investigated how adult graduates of online Bachelor's degree programs describe the online aspect of their degree. Online education is promoted as a method for adult students to access the benefits of a college degree. Therefore, it is important for prospective online students, higher education institutions and…

Completion of an Online Library Module Improves Engineering Student Performance on Information Literacy Skills Tests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel E. Scott

2016-12-01

Full Text Available A Review of: Zhang, Q., Goodman, M., & Xie, S. (2015. Integrating library instruction into the Course Management System for a first-year engineering class: An evidence-based study measuring the effectiveness of blended learning on students’ information literacy levels. College & Research Libraries, 76(7, 934-958. http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/crl.76.7.934 Objective – To assess the efficacy of an online library module and of blended learning methods on students’ information literacy skills. Design – Multi-modal, pre- and posttests, survey questionnaire, and focus groups. Setting – Public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. Subjects – First-year engineering students. Methods – Of 413 students enrolled in Engineering Science (ES 1050, 252 volunteered to participate in the study. Participants were asked to complete the online module, a pretest, a posttest, an online follow-up survey, and to take part in a focus group. Researchers generated a pretest and a posttest, each comprised of 15 questions:; multiple choice, true or false, and matching questions which tested students’ general and engineering-specific information literacy skills. The pretest and posttest had different, but similarly challenging, questions to ensure that students involved in the study would not have an advantage over those who had opted out. While all components of the study were voluntary, the posttest was a graded course assignment. In-person tutorials were offered on 4 occasions, with only 15 students participating. Both tutorial and module content were designed to cover all questions and competencies tested in the pretest and the posttest, including Boolean operators, peer review, identifying plagiarism, engineering standards, engineering handbooks, search strategies, patents, article citations, identifying reliable sources, and how to read journal articles. The posttest survey was delivered in the CMS immediately after the posttest was completed. It

An Investigation of the Impact of Instructional Fading Using Completion Problems on Student Performance in Principles of Accounting Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Kingry, Mary Ann

2012-01-01

The effects of instructional fading using completion problems on student performance were investigated in this study. Instructional fading is the gradual withdrawal of the amount of assistance provided to the student and was accomplished in this study using completion problems. They were used to gradually transition the student from completely…

Latino Associate Degree Completion: Effects of Financial Aid over Time

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Jacob P. K.; Zerquera, Desiree; Inge, Brittany; Berry, Matthew

2014-01-01

Lack of financial resources to pay for postsecondary education--perceived and actual--has been cited as a barrier to student access and persistence, particularly for Latino students. This study investigates the following question: "To what extent does financial aid affect the educational attainment of Latinos enrolled in Associate's degree…

An Evaluation of Employability in Maritime Degree Programmes: The Undergraduate Students' Perspectives

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Mehmet ŞEREMET

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In this study, the main aim is to investigate opinions of the students who study in 4th grade of the department of maritime transportation and management engineering of the maritime faculty on employability potential of the maritime degree programmes. In accordance with this purpose, in 2014-2015 academic year, opinions of 154 final year students (candidate seafarer from three different universities were qualitatively assessed. The major finding of the study is that professional experience based on internship causes various differences in the perception of seafarer candidates towards the profession and in their choice of profession. Moreover, the students' self-assessment on their transferable skills development showed that foreign language skills were not well improved, which is principally one of the most necessities in the job market. As a result, according to the opinions of the students it can be said that practical education and internship opportunities of the department make the biggest contribution to the profession. Nevertheless, after graduation, they feel that they might meet some challenges in the job market such as job shortages and tendency to lowering rates in the wages. The study was finalised by a set of suggestions which might help to improve employability potential of the programmes as well as the quality of student's learning experience in maritime programmes.

Medical Students Who Pursue a Joint MD/MBA Degree: Who Are They and Where Are They Heading?

Science.gov (United States)

Krupat, Edward; Dienstag, Jules L; Kester, W Carl; Finkelstein, Stan N

2016-01-21

Increasingly, health care is being delivered in large, complex organizations, and physicians must learn to function effectively in them. As a result, several medical and business schools have developed joint programs to train physician leaders who receive both medical degree (MD) and master of business administration (MBA) degrees. We examined several themes in relation to these programs, revolving around concerns about who is attracted to them and whether exposure to the differing cultures of medicine and business have an impact on the professional identities of their graduates as manifested in their motivations, aspirations, and careers. We addressed these issues by studying students in the joint MD/MBA program at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Harvard Business School (HBS). Our data came from several internal sources and a survey of all students enrolled in the joint program in spring 2013. We found relatively few differences between joint program students and equivalent cohorts of HMS students in terms of personal characteristics, preadmission performance, and performance at HMS and HBS. Contrary to the concerns that such programs may draw students away from medicine, the vast majority embraced careers involving extensive postgraduate medical training, with long-term plans that leveraged their new perspectives and skills to improve health care delivery. © The Author(s) 2016.

Are Graduate Students Rational? Evidence from the Market for Biomedical Scientists

Science.gov (United States)

Blume-Kohout, Margaret E.; Clack, John W.

2013-01-01

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget expansion from 1998 through 2003 increased demand for biomedical research, raising relative wages and total employment in the market for biomedical scientists. However, because research doctorates in biomedical sciences can often take six years or more to complete, the full labor supply response to such changes in market conditions is not immediate, but rather is observed over a period of several years. Economic rational expectations models assume that prospective students anticipate these future changes, and also that students take into account the opportunity costs of their pursuing graduate training. Prior empirical research on student enrollment and degree completions in science and engineering (S&E) fields indicates that “cobweb” expectations prevail: that is, at least in theory, prospective graduate students respond to contemporaneous changes in market wages and employment, but do not forecast further changes that will arise by the time they complete their degrees and enter the labor market. In this article, we analyze time-series data on wages and employment of biomedical scientists versus alternative careers, on completions of S&E bachelor's degrees and biomedical sciences PhDs, and on research expenditures funded both by NIH and by biopharmaceutical firms, to examine the responsiveness of the biomedical sciences labor supply to changes in market conditions. Consistent with previous studies, we find that enrollments and completions in biomedical sciences PhD programs are responsive to market conditions at the time of students' enrollment. More striking, however, is the close correspondence between graduate student enrollments and completions, and changes in availability of NIH-funded traineeships, fellowships, and research assistantships. PMID:24376573

Cornerstones of Student Success: Institutions Yielding High Return on Investment for Underserved Students. Policy Research 2017-5

Science.gov (United States)

Holt, Janet K.; Duffy, Daniel Q.

2017-01-01

The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) sought to identify those institutions helping students overcome barriers to college completion and achieve a livable wage. This analysis of Illinois 4-year postsecondary institutions highlights those institutions which fostered degree completion and job success with less debt for underrepresented…

Failure of college students to complete an online alcohol education course as a predictor of high-risk drinking that requires medical attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Abrams, Gina Baral; Kolligian, John; Mills, Douglas Lane; DeJong, William

2011-11-01

AlcoholEdu® for College and other computer-based education programs have been developed to reduce alcohol use and related problems among students. This study investigated whether the failure of incoming first-year students to complete AlcoholEdu predicts future high-risk drinking that requires medical attention. A review of clinical records kept by a single university's health service identified 684 undergraduates (classes of 2007-2011) who had presented for an alcohol event (September 2003 through June 2008). We used survival analysis to determine whether students who partially completed the course or failed to take it were disproportionately represented among student patients who presented with elevated blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Students who failed to take the online course were 4.64 times more likely than those who completed it to experience an alcohol event (p students who had partially completed the course were 1.52 times more likely (p alcohol education and gender were not significantly related to students' measured BAC level. Students who had completed AlcoholEdu were less likely to present for an alcohol event than were students who partially completed or failed to take the course. Campus administrators should consider whether students who fail to complete an online alcohol course should be flagged for more focused interventions (e.g., brief motivational interview, mandatory education classes). This is the first study to show a relationship between first-year college students' non-completion of an online alcohol course and subsequent high-risk drinking that requires medical attention.

Decision-Tree Analysis for Predicting First-Time Pass/Fail Rates for the NCLEX-RN® in Associate Degree Nursing Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsiu-Chin; Bennett, Sean

2016-08-01

Little evidence shows the use of decision-tree algorithms in identifying predictors and analyzing their associations with pass rates for the NCLEX-RN(®) in associate degree nursing students. This longitudinal and retrospective cohort study investigated whether a decision-tree algorithm could be used to develop an accurate prediction model for the students' passing or failing the NCLEX-RN. This study used archived data from 453 associate degree nursing students in a selected program. The chi-squared automatic interaction detection analysis of the decision trees module was used to examine the effect of the collected predictors on passing/failing the NCLEX-RN. The actual percentage scores of Assessment Technologies Institute®'s RN Comprehensive Predictor(®) accurately identified students at risk of failing. The classification model correctly classified 92.7% of the students for passing. This study applied the decision-tree model to analyze a sequence database for developing a prediction model for early remediation in preparation for the NCLEXRN. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(8):454-457.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

At-Risk Medical Students: Characteristics and Possible Interventions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K.M. Stegers-Jager (Karen)

2012-01-01

textabstractHigher education institutions worldwide are faced with large numbers of dropouts and students taking too long to complete their courses. On average almost a third of students in OECD countries withdraw from higher education before obtaining a degree. A substantial proportion of

34 CFR 668.48 - Report on completion or graduation rates for student-athletes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Institutional and Financial Assistance Information for Students § 668.48 Report on completion or graduation... Management and Budget under control number 1845-0004) (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1092) [60 FR 61788, Dec. 1, 1995...

Admitting At-Risk Students into a Principal Preparation Program: Predicting Success.

Science.gov (United States)

Malone, Bobby G.; Nelson, Jacquelyn S.; Nelson, C. Van

2001-01-01

Study of graduation rates of at-risk students admitted to a master's degree program at a doctoral-degree-granting university found that the best predictor of degree completion was the product of the undergraduate GPA multiplied by the GRE Verbal score. (Contains 41 references.)

Associate Degree Nursing: Model Prerequisites Validation Study. California Community College Associate Degree Programs by The Center for Student Success, A Health Care Initiative Sponsored Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Brad C.; Spurling, Steven; Armstrong, William A.

California faces a severe nursing shortage, with the number of registered nurses far below what is required to avert a potential state health care crisis. The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Project is a joint project involving scholars, educational researchers, and analysts from the Center for Student Success (CSS) housed at City College of San…

Examination Phase of the Master's Thesis: A Plausible Cause of Delayed Completion of Graduate Studies at Makerere University, Uganda

Science.gov (United States)

Oonyu, Joseph C.; Wamala, Robert

2012-01-01

This paper investigates the influence of the examination stage of student theses on the completion time of graduate studies at Makerere University, Uganda. The assessment is based on the administrative data of 504 Master's degree students in the 2000 to 2008 enrollment cohorts at the School of Education, Makerere University. The total elapsed time…

Are Dropout and Degree Completion in Doctoral Study Significantly Dependent on Type of Financial Support and Field of Research?

Science.gov (United States)

van der Haert, Margaux; Arias Ortiz, Elena; Emplit, Philippe; Halloin, Véronique; Dehon, Catherine

2014-01-01

In this article, the determinants of "time to dropout" from doctoral studies and "time to PhD completion" are studied using a discrete-time competing risks survival analysis for a sample of 3092 doctoral candidates from the Université libre de Bruxelles. Not surprisingly, results show that students supported with research…

Astronautics Degrees for Space Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Gruntman, M.; Brodsky, R.; Erwin, D.; Kunc, J.

The Astronautics Program (http://astronautics.usc.edu) of the University of Southern California (USC) offers a full set of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Aerospace Engineering with emphasis in Astronautics. The Bachelor of Science degree program in Astronautics combines basic science and engineering classes with specialized astronautics classes. The Master of Science degree program in Astronautics offers classes in various areas of space technology. The Certificate in Astronautics targets practicing engineers and scientists who enter space-related fields and/or who want to obtain training in specific space-related areas. Many specialized graduate classes are taught by adjunct faculty working at the leading space companies. The Master of Science degree and Certificate are available through the USC Distance Education Network (DEN). Today, the Internet allows us to reach students anywhere in the world through webcasting. The majority of our graduate students, as well as those pursuing the Certificate, work full time as engineers in the space industry and government research and development centers. The new world of distance learning presents new challenges and opens new opportunities. We show how the transformation of distance learning and particularly the introduction of webcasting transform organization of the program and class delivery. We will describe in detail the academic focus of the program, student reach, and structure of program components. Program development is illustrated by the student enrollment dynamics and related industrial trends; the lessons learned emphasize the importance of feedback from the students and from the space industry.

Degrees of systematic thoroughness: A text analysis of student technical science writing

Science.gov (United States)

Esch, Catherine Julia

This dissertation investigates student technical science writing and use of evidence. Student writers attended a writing-intensive undergraduate university oceanography course where they were required to write a technical paper drawing from an instructor-designed software program, Our Dynamic Planet. This software includes multiple interactive geological data sets relevant to plate tectonics. Through qualitative text analysis of students science writing, two research questions frame the study asking: How are the papers textually structured? Are there distinctions between high- and low-rated papers? General and specific text characteristics within three critical sections of the technical paper are identified and analyzed (Observations, Interpretations, Conclusions). Specific text characteristics consist of typical types of figures displayed in the papers, and typical statements within each paper section. Data gathering consisted of collecting 15 student papers which constitute the population of study. An analytical method was designed to manage and analyze the text characteristics. It has three stages: identifying coding categories, re-formulating the categories, and configuring categories. Three important elements emerged that identified notable distinctions in paper quality: data display and use, narration of complex geological feature relationships, and overall organization of text structure. An inter-rater coding concordance check was conducted, and showed high concordance ratios for the coding of each section: Observations = 0.95; Interpretations = 0.93; and Conclusions = 0.87. These categories collectively reveal a larger pattern of general differences in the paper quality levels (high, low, medium). This variation in the quality of papers demonstrates degrees of systematic thoroughness, which is defined as how systematically each student engages in the tasks of the assignment, and how thoroughly and consistently the student follows through on that systematic

How Well Does A-Level Mathematics Prepare Students for the Mathematical Demands of Chemistry Degrees?

Science.gov (United States)

Darlington, Ellie; Bowyer, Jessica

2016-01-01

332 undergraduate chemistry students were surveyed in order to establish whether they had found A-level Mathematics and/or Further Mathematics to be good preparation for their degree. Perceptions of both subjects were found to be positive, with more than 80% of participants describing Mathematics or Further Mathematics as good preparation. In…

Cornerstones of Student Success: Institutions Yielding High Return on Investment for Underserved Students. Executive Summary. Policy Research 2017-5

Science.gov (United States)

Holt, Janet K.; Duffy, Daniel Q.

2017-01-01

The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) sought to identify those institutions helping students overcome barriers to college completion and achieve a livable wage. This analysis of Illinois 4-year postsecondary institutions highlights those institutions which fostered degree completion and job success with less debt for underrepresented…

Next-Term Student Performance Prediction: A Recommender Systems Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Sweeney, Mack; Rangwala, Huzefa; Lester, Jaime; Johri, Aditya

2016-01-01

An enduring issue in higher education is student retention to successful graduation. National statistics indicate that most higher education institutions have four-year degree completion rates around 50%, or just half of their student populations. While there are prediction models which illuminate what factors assist with college student success,…

Developing Responsibility for Completing and Handing in Daily Homework Assignments for Students in Grades Three, Four, and Five.

Science.gov (United States)

Shepard, Joan M.

This practicum was designed to increase responsibility for completing and handing in homework among students in grades three, four, and five in a mid-Atlantic school district. Of a total of 128 students in these grades, 28 were identified to learn strategies to aid in completing homework. Nine solution strategies were employed: (1) provide…

Mentoring Graduate Students: The Good, Bad, and Gray

Science.gov (United States)

Ballantine, Jeanne H.; Jolly-Ballantine, John-Andrew

2015-01-01

Good mentoring of graduate students influences their perseverance and success to completion, whereas bad mentoring can result in negative outcomes, including delayed degree completion or non-completion. What the authors refer to as the gray zone is that which falls between good and bad mentoring. Examples are partial mentoring or changes in…

Influence of year-on-year performance on final degree classification in a chiropractic master's degree program.

Science.gov (United States)

Dewhurst, Philip; Rix, Jacqueline; Newell, David

2016-03-01

We explored if any predictors of success could be identified from end-of-year grades in a chiropractic master's program and whether these grades could predict final-year grade performance and year-on-year performance. End-of-year average grades and module grades for a single cohort of students covering all academic results for years 1-4 of the 2013 graduating class were used for this analysis. Analysis consisted of within-year correlations of module grades with end-of-year average grades, linear regression models for continuous data, and logistic regression models for predicting final degree classifications. In year 1, 140 students were enrolled; 85.7% of students completed the program 4 years later. End-of-year average grades for years 1-3 were correlated (Pearson r values ranging from .75 to .87), but the end-of-year grades for years 1-3 were poorly correlated with clinic internship performance. In linear regression, several modules were predictive of end-of-year average grades for each year. For year 1, logistic regression showed that the modules Physiology and Pharmacology and Investigative Imaging were predictive of year 1 performance (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15 and 0.9, respectively). In year 3, the modules Anatomy and Histopathology 3 and Problem Solving were predictors of the difference between a pass/merit or distinction final degree classification (OR = 1.06 and 1.12, respectively). Early academic performance is weakly correlated with final-year clinic internship performance. The modules of Anatomy and Histopathology year 3 and Problem Solving year 3 emerged more consistently than other modules as being associated with final-year classifications.

The validity and reliability of the cross-national comparison of degree programme levels in European countries : What have students learnt?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rexwinkel, Trudy; Haenen, Jacques; Pilot, Albert

2017-01-01

A cross-national comparison of degree programme levels became relevant when the borders of European countries opened for students and graduates, and higher education institutions were restructured into bachelor’s and master’s programmes. This new situation foregrounded the questions of what students

What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: "The Impact of Dual Enrollment on College Degree Attainment: Do Low-SES Students Benefit?"

Science.gov (United States)

What Works Clearinghouse, 2013

2013-01-01

This study reviewed in this report used data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88) to examine the effects of dual enrollment programs for high school students on college degree attainment. The study further reported on whether the impacts of dual enrollment were different for first generation college students. Dual enrollment…

Networks for Success: Preparing Mexican American AVID College Students for Credentials, Completion, and the Workforce

Science.gov (United States)

Kirk, Richard; Watt, Karen M.

2018-01-01

This qualitative study examines how Mexican American students participating in an AVID for Higher Education course perceived their preparation for the workforce and efficacy of completing a college credential. A focus group approach was used to explore how social and cultural networks (networks for success) contribute to college completion. The…

Increasingly Global: Combining an International Business Degree with a Post-Degree Designation

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Rachel; Terry, Andy; Vibhakar, Ashvin

2006-01-01

In the increasingly complex and competitive global marketplace, many students seek to gain multiple skills and credentials that can aid them in their career goals. One such career strategy weds a general overarching comprehensive degree with a specific and targeted skill set. This paper provides a viable curriculum path for students who seek…

Figuring It out on Their Own: How Rural Adult Online Students Negotiate Barriers to Learning Online

Science.gov (United States)

Peich, Alysia

2017-01-01

The health of rural communities depends, in part, on the education level of rural adults. Economic vitality is impacted by degree completion, and the rate of degree completion by rural adults lags behind that of their urban and suburban counterparts. Low completion rates suggest that there are conditions for rural students that prevent them from…

Texas Student Success Council: Finding Common Ground to Increase Community College Completion

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Michael Lawrence

2014-01-01

In 2011, a prominent Texas business group erected provocative billboards condemning low completion rates at the state's community colleges and questioning the value of tax dollars spent there. The Texas Association of Business put up the signs to prod community colleges to do more to increase student success and help create a better educated…

A Multiple Comparison Case Study of Factors Related to Success of Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Students

Science.gov (United States)

Wieting, Shelley

2017-01-01

The nursing profession is facing a serious shortage of registered nurses based on current numbers, projected retirements, and estimates of future need. Nursing schools accept the largest numbers of students that they are able to accommodate, but many of these students do not complete the programs; this is especially true for associate degree…

Maintaining quality control in a nontraditional nuclear technology degree program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeSain, G.W.

1989-01-01

Regents College, created by the Board of Regents of the University of The State on New York in 1971, has been offering, since January 1985, AS and BS degrees in nuclear technology. The impetus for establishing the nuclear technology degrees came from nuclear utility management and had to do with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed rule regarding degreed operators on shift. There are a variety of ways to earn credits in Regents College degree programs: (1) college courses taken for degree-level credit from regionally accredited colleges; (2) courses sponsored by business, industry, or government that have been evaluated and recommended for credit by the New York National or American Council on Education (ACE's) Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI); (3) military education that has been evaluated by ACE PONSI; (4) approved college-proficiency examinations; and (5) special assessment: an individualized examination of college-level knowledge gained from experience or independent study. Nuclear technology students primarily use college course work, evaluated military education, and proficiency examinations to complete degree programs. However, an increasing number of utilities are having training programs PONSI evaluated, resulting in an increased use of these courses in the nuclear technology degrees. Quality control is a function of several factors described in the paper

Teacher Immediacy and Decreased Student Quantitative Reasoning Anxiety: The Mediating Effect of Perception

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Stephanie; Rice, Christopher; Wyatt, Bryce; Ducking, Johnny; Denton, Zachary

2015-01-01

There is global concern regarding the increased prevalence of math anxiety among college students, which is credited for a decrease in analytical degree completion rates and lower self-confidence among students in their ability to complete analytical tasks in the real world. The present study identified that, as expected, displays of instructional…

Making Sense of the Combined Degree Experience: The Example of Criminology Double Degrees

Science.gov (United States)

Wimshurst, Kerry; Manning, Matthew

2017-01-01

Little research has been undertaken on student experiences of combined degrees. The few studies report that a considerable number of students experienced difficulty with the contrasting epistemic/disciplinary demands of the component programmes. A mixed-methods approach was employed to explore the experiences of graduates from four double degrees…

Strategies for Teaching Professional Ethics to IT Engineering Degree Students and Evaluating the Result.

Science.gov (United States)

Miñano, Rafael; Uruburu, Ángel; Moreno-Romero, Ana; Pérez-López, Diego

2017-02-01

This paper presents an experience in developing professional ethics by an approach that integrates knowledge, teaching methodologies and assessment coherently. It has been implemented for students in both the Software Engineering and Computer Engineering degree programs of the Technical University of Madrid, in which professional ethics is studied as a part of a required course. Our contribution of this paper is a model for formative assessment that clarifies the learning goals, enhances the results, simplifies the scoring and can be replicated in other contexts. A quasi-experimental study that involves many of the students of the required course has been developed. To test the effectiveness of the teaching process, the analysis of ethical dilemmas and the use of deontological codes have been integrated, and a scoring rubric has been designed. Currently, this model is also being used to develop skills related to social responsibility and sustainability for undergraduate and postgraduate students of diverse academic context.

Benefits Access for College Completion: Lessons Learned from a Community College Initiative to Help Low-Income Students

Science.gov (United States)

Duke-Benfield, Amy Ellen; Saunders, Katherine

2016-01-01

This report analyzes how students were served by Benefits Access for College Completion (BACC), a 2.5-year initiative designed to increase access to public benefits (such as SNAP or Medicaid) for eligible low-income students. These crucial supports reduce students' unmet financial needs and help them finish school. Launched in 2011, BACC funded…

Student and Faculty Outcomes of Undergraduate Science Research Projects by Geographically Dispersed Students

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Lawton; Kennepohl, Dietmar

2013-01-01

Senior undergraduate research projects are important components of most undergraduate science degrees. The delivery of such projects in a distance education format is challenging. Athabasca University (AU) science project courses allow distance education students to complete research project courses by working with research supervisors in their…

An Examination of How Academic Advancement of U.S. Journalism Students Relates to Their Degree Motivations, Values, and Technology Use

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Serena; Hoag, Anne; Grant, August E.; Bowe, Brian J.

2015-01-01

The newsroom is a powerful influence in a journalist's identity formation. Research has yet to verify the socializing impact of academia. This research utilized the quantitative survey method applying it to undergraduate journalism students (n = 798) to assess how academic status relates to students' degree motivations, life values, and technology…

"Publish SCI Papers or No Degree": Practices of Chinese Doctoral Supervisors in Response to the Publication Pressure on Science Students

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yongyan

2016-01-01

Publishing English papers in journals listed in Science Citation Index (SCI) has become a requirement for degree conferment for doctoral science students at many universities in China. The publication requirement engenders high pressure for doctoral students and their supervisors and shapes the politics of the relationship between the two parties.…

Relationship between student selection criteria and learner success for medical dosimetry students

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, Jamie; Tucker, Debra; Raynes, Edilberto; Aitken, Florence; Allen, Pamela

2016-01-01

Medical dosimetry education occupies a specialized branch of allied health higher education. Noted international shortages of health care workers, reduced university funding, limitations on faculty staffing, trends in learner attrition, and increased enrollment of nontraditional students force medical dosimetry educational leadership to reevaluate current admission practices. Program officials wish to select medical dosimetry students with the best chances of successful graduation. The purpose of the quantitative ex post facto correlation study was to investigate the relationship between applicant characteristics (cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA), science grade point average (SGPA), prior experience as a radiation therapist, and previous academic degrees) and the successful completion of a medical dosimetry program, as measured by graduation. A key finding from the quantitative study was the statistically significant positive correlation between a student's previous degree and his or her successful graduation from the medical dosimetry program. Future research investigations could include a larger research sample, representative of more medical dosimetry student populations, and additional studies concerning the relationship of previous work as a radiation therapist and the effect on success as a medical dosimetry student. Based on the quantitative correlation analysis, medical dosimetry leadership on admissions committees could revise student selection rubrics to place less emphasis on an applicant's undergraduate cumulative GPA and increase the weight assigned to previous degrees.

Relationship between student selection criteria and learner success for medical dosimetry students

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baker, Jamie, E-mail: jabaker@mdanderson.org [Medical Dosimetry Program, School of Health Professions, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center School of Health Professions, Houston, TX (United States); Tucker, Debra [Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ (United States); Raynes, Edilberto [University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ (United States); Aitken, Florence [University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV (United States); Allen, Pamela [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)

2016-04-01

Medical dosimetry education occupies a specialized branch of allied health higher education. Noted international shortages of health care workers, reduced university funding, limitations on faculty staffing, trends in learner attrition, and increased enrollment of nontraditional students force medical dosimetry educational leadership to reevaluate current admission practices. Program officials wish to select medical dosimetry students with the best chances of successful graduation. The purpose of the quantitative ex post facto correlation study was to investigate the relationship between applicant characteristics (cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA), science grade point average (SGPA), prior experience as a radiation therapist, and previous academic degrees) and the successful completion of a medical dosimetry program, as measured by graduation. A key finding from the quantitative study was the statistically significant positive correlation between a student's previous degree and his or her successful graduation from the medical dosimetry program. Future research investigations could include a larger research sample, representative of more medical dosimetry student populations, and additional studies concerning the relationship of previous work as a radiation therapist and the effect on success as a medical dosimetry student. Based on the quantitative correlation analysis, medical dosimetry leadership on admissions committees could revise student selection rubrics to place less emphasis on an applicant's undergraduate cumulative GPA and increase the weight assigned to previous degrees.

Academic Attainment in Students with Dyslexia in Distance Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, John T E

2015-11-01

This investigation studied attainment in students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who were taking modules by distance learning with the Open University in 2012. Students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who had no additional disabilities were just as likely as nondisabled students to complete their modules, but they were less likely to pass the modules that they had completed and less likely to obtain good grades on the modules that they had passed. Students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who had additional disabilities were less likely to complete their modules, less likely to pass the modules that they had completed and less likely to obtain good grades on the modules that they had passed than were nondisabled students. Nevertheless, around 40% of students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties obtained good grades (i.e. those that would lead to a bachelor's degree with first-class or upper second-class honours). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Astronautics degrees for the space industry

Science.gov (United States)

Gruntman, M.; Brodsky, R. F.; Erwin, D. A.; Kunc, J. A.

2004-01-01

The Astronautics Program (http://astronautics.usc.edu) of the University of Southern California (USC) offers a full set of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Aerospace Engineering with emphasis in Astronautics. The Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree programs in Astronautics combine basic science and engineering classes with specialized classes in space technology. The Certificate in Astronautics targets practicing engineers and scientists who enter space-related fields and/or who want to obtain training in specific space-related areas. Many specialized graduate classes are taught by adjunct faculty working at the leading space companies. The Master of Science degree and Certificate are available entirely through the USC Distance Education Network (DEN). Today, the Internet allows us to reach students anywhere in the world through webcasting. The majority of our graduate students, as well as those pursuing the Certificate, work full time as engineers in the space industry and government research and development centers while earning their degrees. The new world of distance learning presents new challenges and opens new opportunities. Distance learning, and particularly the introduction of webcasting, transform the organization of the graduate program and class delivery. We describe in detail the program's academic focus, student reach, and structure of program components. Program development is illustrated by the student enrollment dynamics and related industrial trends; the lessons learned emphasize the importance of feedback from the students and from the space industry.

Modeling Success: Using Preenrollment Data to Identify Academically At-Risk Students

Science.gov (United States)

Gansemer-Topf, Ann M.; Compton, Jonathan; Wohlgemuth, Darin; Forbes, Greg; Ralston, Ekaterina

2015-01-01

Improving student success and degree completion is one of the core principles of strategic enrollment management. To address this principle, institutional data were used to develop a statistical model to identify academically at-risk students. The model employs multiple linear regression techniques to predict students at risk of earning below a…

The analysis of probability task completion; Taxonomy of probabilistic thinking-based across gender in elementary school students

Science.gov (United States)

Sari, Dwi Ivayana; Budayasa, I. Ketut; Juniati, Dwi

2017-08-01

Formulation of mathematical learning goals now is not only oriented on cognitive product, but also leads to cognitive process, which is probabilistic thinking. Probabilistic thinking is needed by students to make a decision. Elementary school students are required to develop probabilistic thinking as foundation to learn probability at higher level. A framework of probabilistic thinking of students had been developed by using SOLO taxonomy, which consists of prestructural probabilistic thinking, unistructural probabilistic thinking, multistructural probabilistic thinking and relational probabilistic thinking. This study aimed to analyze of probability task completion based on taxonomy of probabilistic thinking. The subjects were two students of fifth grade; boy and girl. Subjects were selected by giving test of mathematical ability and then based on high math ability. Subjects were given probability tasks consisting of sample space, probability of an event and probability comparison. The data analysis consisted of categorization, reduction, interpretation and conclusion. Credibility of data used time triangulation. The results was level of boy's probabilistic thinking in completing probability tasks indicated multistructural probabilistic thinking, while level of girl's probabilistic thinking in completing probability tasks indicated unistructural probabilistic thinking. The results indicated that level of boy's probabilistic thinking was higher than level of girl's probabilistic thinking. The results could contribute to curriculum developer in developing probability learning goals for elementary school students. Indeed, teachers could teach probability with regarding gender difference.

Predicting Long-Term College Success through Degree Completion Using ACT[R] Composite Score, ACT Benchmarks, and High School Grade Point Average. ACT Research Report Series, 2012 (5)

Science.gov (United States)

Radunzel, Justine; Noble, Julie

2012-01-01

This study compared the effectiveness of ACT[R] Composite score and high school grade point average (HSGPA) for predicting long-term college success. Outcomes included annual progress towards a degree (based on cumulative credit-bearing hours earned), degree completion, and cumulative grade point average (GPA) at 150% of normal time to degree…

Relationship between student selection criteria and learner success for medical dosimetry students.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Jamie; Tucker, Debra; Raynes, Edilberto; Aitken, Florence; Allen, Pamela

2016-01-01

Medical dosimetry education occupies a specialized branch of allied health higher education. Noted international shortages of health care workers, reduced university funding, limitations on faculty staffing, trends in learner attrition, and increased enrollment of nontraditional students force medical dosimetry educational leadership to reevaluate current admission practices. Program officials wish to select medical dosimetry students with the best chances of successful graduation. The purpose of the quantitative ex post facto correlation study was to investigate the relationship between applicant characteristics (cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA), science grade point average (SGPA), prior experience as a radiation therapist, and previous academic degrees) and the successful completion of a medical dosimetry program, as measured by graduation. A key finding from the quantitative study was the statistically significant positive correlation between a student׳s previous degree and his or her successful graduation from the medical dosimetry program. Future research investigations could include a larger research sample, representative of more medical dosimetry student populations, and additional studies concerning the relationship of previous work as a radiation therapist and the effect on success as a medical dosimetry student. Based on the quantitative correlation analysis, medical dosimetry leadership on admissions committees could revise student selection rubrics to place less emphasis on an applicant׳s undergraduate cumulative GPA and increase the weight assigned to previous degrees. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Application of Break-Even Analysis To Determine the Costs Associated with the Implementation of an Off-Campus Bachelor Degree Completion Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Satterlee, Brian

This paper applies the management science tool of break-even analysis to determine the costs of implementing an off-campus bachelor degree completion program at a four-year private liberal arts college. The first section describes break-even analysis which, in this application, is calculated by dividing the total annual cost for a cohort of…

Chasing a Moving Target: Perceptions of Work Readiness and Graduate Capabilities in Music Higher Research Degree Students

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Scott; Grant, Catherine

2016-01-01

Recent efforts to increase workplace readiness in university students have largely centred on undergraduates, with comparatively few strategies or studies focusing on higher research degree candidates. In the discipline of music, a wide diversity of possible career paths combined with rapidly changing career opportunities makes workplace readiness…

[Medical degree earned with a thesis in medical schools of Lima, 2011: characteristics, motivations and perceptions].

Science.gov (United States)

Mejia, Christian R; Inga-Berrospi, Fiorella; Mayta-Tristán, Percy

2014-01-01

We surveyed physicians who obtained their medical degree with a thesis in 2011 from the seven medical schools in Lima to know the characteristics of the degree by thesis process, as well as participants’ motivations and perceptions of that process. We included 98 students who did a thesis (87% of total); 99% conducted observational thesis, 30% did so in groups of three. The main motivation was that it was good for their curriculum vitae (94%). At the university where the thesis is compulsory, the process began with the choice of topic and adviser. Perceived “greatest” and “least” difficulty in the process was the completion of administrative procedures (53%) and selection of their advisor (11%), respectively. Administrative timeliness and processes should be reviewed so as not to impede the completion of thesis, since the new University Act requires the completion of a thesis to graduate.

Effectiveness of a Selective Advising Program in Reducing the Degree of Compulsive Buying Behavior among Umm Al-Qura Female Students

Science.gov (United States)

Basyouni, Sawzan S.

2018-01-01

The present study is an attempt to investigate the effectiveness of a selective advising program in reducing the degree of Compulsive Buying Behavior among female students, Faculty of Education at Umm al-Qura University. The sample consisted of (200) female students to verify the validity and reliability of the tool. The quasi-experimental method…

Lessons Learned: Creating an Online Business Degree from a Successful On-Campus Business Degree

Science.gov (United States)

Cordeiro, William P.; Muraoka, Dennis

2015-01-01

The horse has left the barn. Distance education is here to stay and the number of degree programs offered online is growing rapidly. California State University Channel Islands (CI) admitted its first students in 2002, and the undergraduate and graduate degrees in business were among its first program offerings. From its inception, the…

Use of a student support group to reduce student stress in a nurse anesthesia program.

Science.gov (United States)

Kless, J R

1989-02-01

Stress in nurse anesthesia programs may be excessive at times, especially in new students. While some degree of stress is necessary to motivate learning, excessive or prolonged stress can interfere with the normal learning process, thereby prolonging a student's clinical and academic progress. In the extreme, excessive stress may even preclude a student's successful completion of the educational program. Active faculty intervention through a student support group is advocated as a method for controlling stress levels and facilitating student learning. The positive effects of such intervention also increase the overall productivity of a program and better prepare nurse anesthesia students for their future careers.

The master degree: A critical transition in STEM doctoral education

Science.gov (United States)

Lange, Sheila Edwards

The need to broaden participation in the nation's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate and graduate programs is currently a matter of national urgency. The small number of women and underrepresented minorities (URM) earning doctoral degrees in STEM is particularly troubling given significant increases in the number of students earning master's degrees since 1990. In the decade between 1990 and 2000, the total number of master's recipients increased by 42%. During this same time period, the number of women earning master's degrees increased by 56%, African Americans increased by 132%, American Indians by 101%, Hispanics by 146%, and Asian Americans by 117% (Syverson, 2003). Growth in underrepresented group education at the master's level raises questions about the relationship between master's and doctoral education. Secondary data analysis of the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) was used to examine institutional pathways to the doctorate in STEM disciplines and transitions from master's to doctoral programs by race and gender. While the study revealed no significant gender differences in pathways, compared to White and Asian American students, URM students take significantly different pathways to the doctorate. URM students are significantly more likely to earn the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees at three different institutions. Their path is significantly more likely to include earning a master's degree en route to the doctorate. Further, URM students are more likely to experience transition between the master's and doctoral degrees, and the transitions are not limited to those who earn master's degrees at master's-only institutions. These findings suggest that earning a master's degree is more often a stepping stone to the doctorate for URM students. Master's degree programs, therefore, have the potential to be a valuable resource for policymakers and graduate programs seeking to increase the diversity of URM students

Longitudinal evaluation of the importance of homework assignment completion for the academic performance of middle school students with ADHD.

Science.gov (United States)

Langberg, Joshua M; Dvorsky, Melissa R; Molitor, Stephen J; Bourchtein, Elizaveta; Eddy, Laura D; Smith, Zoe; Schultz, Brandon K; Evans, Steven W

2016-04-01

The primary goal of this study was to longitudinally evaluate the homework assignment completion patterns of middle school age adolescents with ADHD, their associations with academic performance, and malleable predictors of homework assignment completion. Analyses were conducted on a sample of 104 middle school students comprehensively diagnosed with ADHD and followed for 18 months. Multiple teachers for each student provided information about the percentage of homework assignments turned in at five separate time points and school grades were collected quarterly. Results showed that agreement between teachers with respect to students assignment completion was high, with an intraclass correlation of .879 at baseline. Students with ADHD were turning in an average of 12% fewer assignments each academic quarter in comparison to teacher-reported classroom averages. Regression analyses revealed a robust association between the percentage of assignments turned in at baseline and school grades 18 months later, even after controlling for baseline grades, achievement (reading and math), intelligence, family income, and race. Cross-lag analyses demonstrated that the association between assignment completion and grades was reciprocal, with assignment completion negatively impacting grades and low grades in turn being associated with decreased future homework completion. Parent ratings of homework materials management abilities at baseline significantly predicted the percentage of assignments turned in as reported by teachers 18 months later. These findings demonstrate that homework assignment completion problems are persistent across time and an important intervention target for adolescents with ADHD. Copyright © 2015 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Development of Inquiry Learning Materials to Complete Content Life System Organization in Junior High School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Mayasari, F.; Raharjo; Supardi, Z. A. I.

2018-01-01

This research aims to develop the material eligibility to complete the inquiry learning of student in the material organization system of junior high school students. Learning materials developed include syllabi, lesson plans, students’ textbook, worksheets, and learning achievement test. This research is the developmental research which employ Dick and Carey model to develop learning material. The experiment was done in Junior High School 4 Lamongan regency using One Group Pretest-Posttest Design. The data collection used validation, observation, achievement test, questionnaire administration, and documentation. Data analysis techniques used quantitative and qualitative descriptive.The results showed that the developed learning material was valid and can be used. Learning activity accomplished with good category, where student activities were observed. The aspects of attitudes were observed during the learning process are honest, responsible, and confident. Student learning achievement gained an average of 81, 85 in complete category, with N-Gain 0, 75 for a high category. The activities and student response to learning was very well categorized. Based on the results, this researcher concluded that the device classified as feasible of inquiry-based learning (valid, practical, and effective) system used on the material organization of junior high school students.

The Challenges for Persistence with Two-Year College Student Transfers and How One Survey Attempts to Identify Pathways of Success for Geoscience Students

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, C. E.; Van Der Hoeven Kraft, K.; Wolfe, B.

2014-12-01

With the rapid growth in enrollments at two-year colleges (2YCs), these institutions provide a rich talent pool for future science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates at four-year universities, particularly students from underrepresented groups (American Geosciences Institute [AGI], 2014). This is particularly true for the geosciences because over 25% of recent geoscience graduates with a bachelor's degree attended a 2YC for at least one semester (AGI, 2013). However, it is difficult to successfully track 2YC transfers because many 2YC students do not complete an associate's degree and very few institutions offer a geoscience-specific associate's degree. In order to recruit future geoscientists from this pool of students, researchers need to better understand the barriers these students face when trying to transfer and how they are able to successfully navigate these barriers. During spring 2014 graduation, AGI surveyed students completing their bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees about their educational background, experiences and future plans after graduation. Those graduates who attended a 2YC for at least one semester provided insight into their enrollment decisions as they transferred into a four-year university. The sample from this survey represents 154 responses from a total of 596 responses. General demographics reveal an older population (average age: 30, median: 27), a higher percent of male students (54% male, 40% female) and Caucasians (76%, 10% non Caucasian) than a traditional 2YC student. Students attending 2YC nationally are on average 28 years old (median: 24), are 57% women, and are 51% Caucasian (AACC Fast Facts, 2014). In addition, responses indicated some of the factors that influenced their ability to successfully transfer into 4-year geoscience programs including personal motivation and successful transfer of credits.

Students' Understanding of Alkyl Halide Reactions in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz-Ramirez de Arellano, Daniel

2013-01-01

Organic chemistry is an essential subject for many undergraduate students completing degrees in science, engineering, and pre-professional programs. However, students often struggle with the concepts and skills required to successfully solve organic chemistry exercises. Since alkyl halides are traditionally the first functional group that is…

Pharmacy students' ability to identify plagiarism after an educational intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Degeeter, Michelle; Harris, Kira; Kehr, Heather; Ford, Carolyn; Lane, Daniel C; Nuzum, Donald S; Compton, Cynthia; Gibson, Whitney

2014-03-12

Objective. To determine if an educational intervention in a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree program increases pharmacy students' ability to identify plagiarism. Methods. First-year (P1), second-year (P2), and third-year (P3) pharmacy students attended an education session during which types of plagiarism and methods for avoiding plagiarism were reviewed. Students completed a preintervention assessment immediately prior to the session and a postintervention assessment the following semester to measure their ability. Results. Two hundred fifty-two students completed both preintervention and postintervention assessments. There was a 4% increase from preintervention to postintervention in assessment scores for the overall student sample (pplagiarism can significantly improve students' ability to identify plagiarism.

Preferred Methods of Learning for Nursing Students in an On-Line Degree Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Hampton, Debra; Pearce, Patricia F; Moser, Debra K

Investigators have demonstrated that on-line courses result in effective learning outcomes, but limited information has been published related to preferred teaching strategies. Delivery of on-line courses requires various teaching methods to facilitate interaction between students, content, and technology. The purposes of this study were to understand student teaching/learning preferences in on-line courses to include (a) differences in preferred teaching/learning methods for on-line nursing students across generations and (b) which teaching strategies students found to be most engaging and effective. Participants were recruited from 2 accredited, private school nursing programs (N=944) that admit students from across the United States and deliver courses on-line. Participants provided implied consent, and 217 (23%) students completed the on-line survey. Thirty-two percent of the students were from the Baby Boomer generation (1946-1964), 48% from Generation X (1965-1980), and 20% from the Millennial Generation (born after 1980). The preferred teaching/learning methods for students were videos or narrated PowerPoint presentations, followed by synchronous Adobe Connect educations sessions, assigned journal article reading, and e-mail dialog with the instructor. The top 2 methods identified by participants as the most energizing/engaging and most effective for learning were videos or narrated PowerPoint presentations and case studies. The teaching/learning method least preferred by participants and that was the least energizing/engaging was group collaborative projects with other students; the method that was the least effective for learning was wikis. Baby Boomers and Generation X participants had a significantly greater preference for discussion board (PBaby Boomer and Generation X students and rated on-line games as significantly more energizing/engaging and more effective for learning (PBaby Boomer and Generation X students. In conclusion, the results of this

Altered brain processing of decision-making in healthy first-degree biological relatives of suicide completers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Y; Pereira, F; Hoehne, A; Beaulieu, M-M; Lepage, M; Turecki, G; Jollant, F

2017-08-01

Suicidal behavior is heritable, with the transmission of risk being related to the transmission of vulnerability traits. Previous studies suggest that risky decision-making may be an endophenotype of suicide. Here, we aimed at investigating brain processing of decision-making in relatives of suicide completers in order to shed light on heritable mechanisms of suicidal vulnerability. Seventeen healthy first-degree biological relatives of suicide completers with no personal history of suicidal behavior, 16 relatives of depressed patients without any personal or family history of suicidal behavior, and 19 healthy controls were recruited. Functional 3 T magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired while participants underwent the Iowa Gambling Task, an economic decision-making test. Whole-brain analyses contrasting activations during risky vs safe choices were conducted with AFNI and FSL. Individuals with a family history of suicide in comparison to control groups showed altered contrasts in left medial orbitofrontal cortex, and right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. This pattern was different from the neural basis of familial depression. Moreover, controls in comparison to relatives showed increased contrast in several regions including the post-central gyrus, posterior cingulate and parietal cortices, and cerebellum (culmen) in familial suicide; and inferior parietal, temporal, occipital, anteromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, and cerebellum (vermis) in familial depression. These findings most likely represent a complex combination of vulnerability and protective mechanisms in relatives. They also support a significant role for deficient risk processing, and ventral and dorsal prefrontal cortex functioning in the suicidal diathesis.

Complexities and Challenges of Researching Student Completion and Non-Completion of HE Programmes in Europe: A Comparative Analysis between England and Norway

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Liz; Hovdhaugen, Elisabeth

2014-01-01

There is a growing interest in policy research on student completion and non-continuation and bodies such as the European Commission and OECD are focusing on the subject. There is also increasing national interest in the issue in many countries and they are looking to each other for input on effective policies. However, there are significant…

Science Majors and Degrees among Asian-American Students: Influences of Race and Sex in "model Minority" Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Yu; Hanson, Sandra L.

Both race and sex continue to be factors that stratify entry into science education and occupations in the United States. Asian-Americans (men and women) have experienced considerable success in the sciences and have earned the label of "model minority." The complexities and patterns involved in this success remain elusive. We use several concepts coming out of the status attainment framework and a multicultural gender perspective to explore the way in which race and sex come together to influence choices of science major and degree. Our sample consists of Asian-American and white students in the National Educational Longitudinal Study. Findings suggest that being male and being Asian-American are both associated with higher chances of pursuing majors and degrees in science. The male advantage is greater than the Asian-American advantage. Findings also suggest that race and sex interact in the science decision. For example, race differences (with an Asian-American advantage) in choice of science major are significant for women but not men. Sex differences (with a male advantage) in choice of science major are significant in the white, but not the Asian-American sample. A different set of race and sex patterns is revealed in the science degree models. Processes associated with family socioeconomic status and student characteristics help to explain race and sex patterns. Findings suggest that when Asian-American youths have closer ties to the Asian culture, they are more likely to choose science majors and degrees. Implications for policy, practice, and research in science education are discussed.

Exploring the Success of Transfer Programs for Community College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Blaylock, Reginald S.; Bresciani, Marilee J.

2011-01-01

The state's educational systems must collaborate together to enable transfer students to gain the necessary skills that support degree completion strategies. Given the current economic state, an investment in California community college transfer students in order to provide the best possible university transition would seem wise and fiscally…

Improving professional IT doctorate completion rates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliver Kisalay Burmeister

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Professional doctorates in Information Technology (IT have been a relatively recent phenomenon, giving IT professionals career management choices not previously available to them. However, successful completion rates are the lowest of all disciplines. Completed doctorates rate in quality equivalent to PhDs, and retention has been identified as a major obstacle to completion. This qualitative study, involving 44 semi-structured interviews with students, supervisors and institutional support personnel, investigated the obstacles. Amongst the strategies discovered to improve completion rates were retention, student engagement with supervisors, feedback on progress, student engagement in the course, and student involvement in institutional communities of practice.

Jacobi fields of completely integrable Hamiltonian systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giachetta, G.; Mangiarotti, L.; Sardanashvily, G.

2003-01-01

We show that Jacobi fields of a completely integrable Hamiltonian system of m degrees of freedom make up an extended completely integrable system of 2m degrees of freedom, where m additional first integrals characterize a relative motion

Establishing Baseline Data: Using Institutional Data to Learn More about Completion Factors at One New Zealand University

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Austina; van der Meer, Jacques; van Koten, Chikako

2008-01-01

This paper discusses demographic and study-related factors that contribute to completion of degrees in one university in New Zealand. Although much can be learned from nationwide and cross-institutional studies, it is important that each institution comes to an understanding of its own particular student population and the factors that impact on…

Statistical panorama of female physics graduate students for 2000-2010 in Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Cerón Loayza, María Luisa; Bravo Cabrejos, Jorge Aurelio

2013-03-01

We report the results of a statistical study on the number of women entering the undergraduate and master's programs of physics at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru. From 2006 through 2010, 13 female students entered the master's degree program but no females graduated with the degree. Considering that Peru is a developing country, a career in physics is not considered an attractive professional choice even for male students because it is thought that there are no work centers to practice this profession. We recommend that the causes preventing female physics students from completing their studies and research work be analyzed, and that strategies be planned to help women complete their academic work. We are considering getting help from the Peruvian Physics Society (SOPERFI) in order to draw more attention for our plan.

Students' Understanding of Alkyl Halide Reactions in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz-Ramírez de Arellano, Daniel; Towns, Marcy H.

2014-01-01

Organic chemistry is an essential subject for many undergraduate students completing degrees in science, engineering, and pre-professional programs. However, students often struggle with the concepts and skills required to successfully solve organic chemistry exercises. Since alkyl halides are traditionally the first functional group that is…

Where Next?: Mapping and Understanding the Post First Degree Destinations of Mature Disadvantaged Students in three Higher Education Institutions

OpenAIRE

Kenny, Aidan; Loxley, Andrew; Fleming, Ted; Finnegan, Fergal

2009-01-01

Executive summary (draft for An Pobal conference 24/Sept/09,). The study explored the post first-degree destinations (employment, postgraduate education or otherwise) of students designated as being ‘mature disadvantaged’ in three Irish higher education institutions: NUI Maynooth, Trinity College Dublin and Dublin Institute of Technology. This research attempts to fill a noticeable gap in the ‘access story’ which firmly supports the entry of mature disadvantaged students to HE and has devised...

Working toward More Engaged and Successful Accounting Students: A Balanced Scorecard Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Fredin, Amy; Fuchsteiner, Peter; Portz, Kris

2015-01-01

Prior research indicates that student engagement is the key to student success, as measured by college grades, degree completion, and graduate school enrollment. We propose a set of goals and objectives for accounting students, in particular, to help them become engaged not only in the educational process, but also in the accounting profession.…

Improving on the American Dream: Mathematics Pathways to Student Success

Science.gov (United States)

Clyburn, Gay M.

2013-01-01

Developmental mathematics is one of the most serious barriers to educational and economic achievement. Over 60 percent of all students entering community colleges in the United States are required to complete remedial/developmental courses as a first step towards earning associate's or bachelor's degrees. Then, to earn a degree,…

The Impact of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation on the Academic Achievement of Non-Traditional Undergraduate Students

Science.gov (United States)

Arce, Alma Lorenia

2017-01-01

Non-traditional students have become a growing component of the student population in today's college systems. Research has shown that non-traditional students are less likely to achieve academically and complete their degree programs compared to traditional students. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate the…

Teaching Translational Research to Medical Students: The New York University School of Medicine's Master's of Science in Clinical Investigation Dual‐Degree Program

Science.gov (United States)

Pillinger, Michael; Plottel, Claudia S.; Galeano, Claudia; Maddalo, Scott; Hochman, Judith S.; Cronstein, Bruce N.; Gold‐von Simson, Gabrielle

2015-01-01

Abstract To develop the next generation of translational investigators, New York University School of Medicine (NYUSOM) and the NYU‐NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NYU‐HHC CTSI) developed the Master's of Science in Clinical Investigation dual‐degree (MD/MSCI) program. This 5‐year program dedicates 1 year to coursework and biomedical research, followed by a medical school/research overlap year, to prepare students for academic research careers. This paper details the MD/MSCI program's curriculum and approach to mentorship, describes the research/professional interests of students, and reports student productivity. In the first 4 years of the program (2010–2014) 20 students were matriculated; 7 (35%) were women, and 12 (60%) research projects were in surgical specialties. To date, 14 students have applied to residency, and half pursued surgical residency programs. Our students have produced 68 accepted abstracts, 15 abstracts in submission, 38 accepted papers, and 24 papers in submission. Despite the time‐limited nature of this program, additional training in research design and implementation has promoted a high level of productivity. We conclude that dual‐degree training in medicine and translational research is feasible for medical students and allows for meaningful participation in valuable projects. Follow‐up is warranted to evaluate the academic trajectory of these students. PMID:26365704

Teaching Translational Research to Medical Students: The New York University School of Medicine's Master's of Science in Clinical Investigation Dual-Degree Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillman, Jennifer; Pillinger, Michael; Plottel, Claudia S; Galeano, Claudia; Maddalo, Scott; Hochman, Judith S; Cronstein, Bruce N; Gold-von Simson, Gabrielle

2015-12-01

To develop the next generation of translational investigators, New York University School of Medicine (NYUSOM) and the NYU-NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NYU-HHC CTSI) developed the Master's of Science in Clinical Investigation dual-degree (MD/MSCI) program. This 5-year program dedicates 1 year to coursework and biomedical research, followed by a medical school/research overlap year, to prepare students for academic research careers. This paper details the MD/MSCI program's curriculum and approach to mentorship, describes the research/professional interests of students, and reports student productivity. In the first 4 years of the program (2010-2014) 20 students were matriculated; 7 (35%) were women, and 12 (60%) research projects were in surgical specialties. To date, 14 students have applied to residency, and half pursued surgical residency programs. Our students have produced 68 accepted abstracts, 15 abstracts in submission, 38 accepted papers, and 24 papers in submission. Despite the time-limited nature of this program, additional training in research design and implementation has promoted a high level of productivity. We conclude that dual-degree training in medicine and translational research is feasible for medical students and allows for meaningful participation in valuable projects. Follow-up is warranted to evaluate the academic trajectory of these students. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mentoring from Different Social Spheres: How Can Multiple Mentors Help in Doctoral Student Success in Ed.D Programs?

Science.gov (United States)

Terry, Tarae; Ghosh, Rajashi

2015-01-01

Doctoral students leave their programs early due to lack of mentoring relationships needed to support degree completion and success. However, how mentoring contributes to Ed.D degree completion is not widely studied. In this qualitative narrative study, we sought to explore how multiple mentoring relationships reduced attrition in an Ed.D program.…

The Economic Payoff for Closing College-Readiness and Completion Gaps: Why States Should Invest in Accelerating Low-Income Youth to and through Postsecondary Credentials

Science.gov (United States)

Vargas, Joel

2013-01-01

The low rates at which U.S. college students complete a degree and the amount time they spend in remedial coursework are national problems. The situation is particularly acute for low-income and other underserved youth, including populations such as Hispanic students that are growing the fastest in the country and that have some of the lowest…

Exploring the Role of Accreditation in Supporting Transfer and Student Mobility

Science.gov (United States)

Felder, Pamela Petrease; Arleth, Megan T.

2016-01-01

Student mobility and transfer between two-year and four-year institutions are critical issues when considering student success and degree completion. College and university administrators continually work to identify opportunities that align policy and practice with accreditation standards in an effort to facilitate self-study initiatives and meet…

Isoniazid completion rates for latent tuberculosis infection among college students managed by a community pharmacist.

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Karl; Goad, Jeffery; Wu, Joanne; Johnson, Kathleen

2009-01-01

The authors' objective was to document 9-month and previously recommended 6-month treatment completion rates for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in a pharmacist-managed LTBI clinic in a community pharmacy on a college campus, and to describe patient characteristics. Participants were university students diagnosed with LTBI. The authors conducted a retrospective review of pharmacy records from 2000 to 2006. Main outcome measures included 6-month and 9-month LTBI treatment completion rates, total isoniazid (INH) tablets taken, characteristics of completers versus noncompleters, average time to treatment completion, and reported adverse drug events. The 9-month completion rate was 59%, and the 6-month completion rate was 67%. Among those not completing treatment, 15.2% experienced fatigue and 2.2% experienced a rash (p=.04 and p=.03, respectively). LTBI clinics are a unique niche for community pharmacies and can provide individualized patient care to ensure LTBI treatment adherence, monitoring for disease progression, and safety of INH.

Impact of Delivery Modality, Student GPA, and Time-Lapse since High School on Successful Completion of College-Level Math after Taking Developmental Math

Science.gov (United States)

Acosta, Diane; North, Teresa Lynn; Avella, John

2016-01-01

This study considered whether delivery modality, student GPA, or time since high school affected whether 290 students who had completed a developmental math series as a community college were able to successfully complete college-level math. The data used in the study was comprised of a 4-year period historical student data from Odessa College…

PROJECT WORK BY STUDENTS FOR FIRST DEGREE: AN ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Mofasony

It is expected that after University education, student of law should write well as ... student's capability, topics should not be assigned to students collectively. .... This enables the student hone-in the theoretical course work in the university. There is no .... Benson O.A. Oluikpe, Thesis Writing, Africana Publishers Ltd, 1982, iv. 7.

Pharmacy students' perceptions of natural science and mathematics subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Prescott, Julie; Wilson, Sarah Ellen; Wan, Kai-Wai

2014-08-15

To determine the level of importance pharmacy students placed on science and mathematics subjects for pursuing a career in pharmacy. Two hundred fifty-four students completed a survey instrument developed to investigate students' perceptions of the relevance of science and mathematics subjects to a career in pharmacy. Pharmacy students in all 4 years of a master of pharmacy (MPharm) degree program were invited to complete the survey instrument. Students viewed chemistry-based and biology-based subjects as relevant to a pharmacy career, whereas mathematics subjects such as physics, logarithms, statistics, and algebra were not viewed important to a career in pharmacy. Students' experience in pharmacy and year of study influenced their perceptions of subjects relevant to a pharmacy career. Pharmacy educators need to consider how they can help students recognize the importance of scientific knowledge earlier in the pharmacy curriculum.

Combining program visualization with programming workspace to assist students for completing programming laboratory task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elvina Elvina

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Numerous Program Visualization tools (PVs have been developed for assisting novice students to understand their source code further. However, none of them are practical to be used in the context of completing programming laboratory task; students are required to keep switching between PV and programming workspace when they need to know how their code works. This paper combines PV with programming workspace to handle such issue. Resulted tool (which is named PITON has 13 features extracted from PythonTutor, PyCharm, and student’s feedbacks about PythonTutor. According to think-aloud and user study, PITON is more practical to be used than a combination of PythonTutor and PyCharm. Further, its features are considerably helpful; students rated these features as useful and frequently used.

Chemistry teaching in the new degrees of Agricultural Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Arce, Augusto; Tarquis, Ana Maria; Castellanos, Maria Teresa; Requejo, Maria Isabel; Cartagena, Maria Carmen

2013-04-01

The academic year 2011-12 is the second one implementing Bologna process in ETSI at the subjects of Agricultural Chemistry I and Chemistry II in the new four Degrees: Graduate in Engineering and Agricultural Science, Food Engineering Graduate, Graduate Environmental and engineering Graduate in Biotechnology, for it has been necessary to design and implement new interactive methodologies in the teaching-learning process based on the use of the virtual platform of the UPM, implement new evaluation systems that promote continued participation active student and the development of educational materials to support the subjects of chemistry designed new degrees within the EEES. In addition to the above actions, an assessment test prior chemistry knowledge has been made to all students who enter into Agricultural Grades, improving laboratory practices and the comparative study of academic obtained by the students of the new grades in the subjects of chemistry during the year 2011-12 compared to the 2010-11 academic year. More than 15,000 data have showed a good correlation between the student's prior knowledge, the level test performed, test scores, the overall success rate of the course and the abandonment of the different degrees. Academic results show a higher percentage of students enrolled and presented on a greater number of passes on students enrolled in the 2011-12 academic year for students enrolled in the previous academic year. The improved results have influenced the actions taken and the level of knowledge with students entering. Finally, we propose possible solutions to fix these results in future courses, aiming to improve the degree of efficiency, success and significant absenteeism in the first year as it will condition the dropout rate of these new degrees. Acknowledgements: Proyecto de Innovación Educativa N° IE02054-11/12 UPM. 2012.

Predictors of performance of students in biochemistry in a doctor of chiropractic curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Kathy; Rabatsky, Ali; Dishman, Veronica; Meseke, Christopher

2014-01-01

Objective : This study investigated the effect of completion of course prerequisites, undergraduate grade point average (GPA), undergraduate degree, and study habits on the performance of students in the biochemistry course at Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida. Methods : Students self-reported information regarding academic preparation at the beginning of the semester using a questionnaire. Final exam grade and final course grade were noted and used as measures of performance. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine if number of prerequisites completed, undergraduate GPA, undergraduate degree, hours spent studying in undergraduate study, and hours spent studying in the first quarter of the chiropractic program were associated significantly with the biochemistry final exam grade or the final grade for the biochemistry course. Results : The number of prerequisites completed, undergraduate degree, hours spent studying in undergraduate study, and hours spent studying in the first quarter of the chiropractic program did not significantly affect the biochemistry final exam grade or the final grade for the biochemistry course, but undergraduate GPA did. Subsequent univariate analysis and Tukey's post hoc comparisons revealed that students with an undergraduate GPA in the 3.5 to 3.99 range earned significantly higher final course grades than students with an undergraduate GPA in the 2.5 to 2.99 range. Conclusion : No single variable was determined to be a factor that determines student success in biochemistry. The interrelationship between the factors examined warrants further investigation to understand fully how to predict the success of a student in the biochemistry course.

Generational diversity in associate degree nursing students: Teaching styles and preferences in Pennsylvania

Science.gov (United States)

Kitko, Jennifer V.

2011-12-01

Nursing educators face the challenge of meeting the needs of a multi-generational classroom. The reality of having members from the Veteran and Baby Boomer generations in a classroom with Generation X and Y students provides an immediate need for faculty to examine students' teaching method preferences as well as their own use of teaching methods. Most importantly, faculty must facilitate an effective multi-generational learning environment. Research has shown that the generation to which a person belongs is likely to affect the ways in which he/she learns (Hammill, 2005). Characterized by its own attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, and motivational needs, each generation also has distinct educational expectations. It is imperative, therefore, that nurse educators be aware of these differences and develop skills through which to communicate with the different generations, thereby reducing teaching/learning problems in the classroom. This is a quantitative, descriptive study that compared the teaching methods preferred by different generations of associate degree nursing students with the teaching methods that the instructors actually use. The research study included 289 participants; 244 nursing student participants and 45 nursing faculty participants from four nursing departments in colleges in Pennsylvania. Overall, the results of the study found many statistically significant findings. The results of the ANOVA test revealed eight statistically significant findings among Generation Y, Generation X and Baby boomers. The preferred teaching methods included: lecture, self-directed learning, web-based course with no class meetings, important for faculty to know my name, classroom structure, know why I am learning what I am learning, learning for the sake of learning and grade is all that matters. Lecture was found to be the most frequently used teaching method by faculty as well as the most preferred teaching methods by students. Overall, the support for a variety of

Opportunities for learning about animal welfare from online courses to graduate degrees.

Science.gov (United States)

Siegford, Janice M; Cottee, Stephanie Yue; Widowski, Tina M

2010-01-01

Knowledge of animal welfare has become essential for veterinarians. However, there is no clear consensus about how to provide veterinarians and students with this critical information. The challenges associated with finding qualified instructors and fitting additional courses into an already full curriculum mean that options for learning about animal welfare beyond the veterinary school classroom must be explored. Online courses can be excellent ways for veterinary students and graduate veterinarians to become familiar with current animal-welfare science, assessment schemes, and regulations while removing geographical barriers and scheduling difficulties. Faculty at Michigan State University have created an online animal-welfare course with lecture material from experts in welfare-related social and scientific fields that provides an overview of the underlying concepts as well as opportunities to practice assessing welfare. However, to develop expertise in animal welfare, veterinarians need more than a single course. Graduate degrees can be a way of obtaining additional knowledge and scientific expertise. Traditional thesis-based graduate programs in animal-welfare science are available in animal-science departments and veterinary colleges throughout North America and offer students in-depth research experience in specific areas or species of interest. Alternatively, the University of Guelph offers a year-long Master of Science degree in which students complete a series of courses with a specialization in animal behavior and welfare along with a focused research project and paper. In summary, a range of options exist that can be tailored to provide graduate veterinarians and veterinary students with credible education regarding animal welfare beyond the veterinary curriculum.

BOOSTING STUDENT LIFE SATISFACTION AND ENGAGEMENT TO IMPROVE ONLINE STUDENT RETENTION

OpenAIRE

Slavensky, Henning; Hansen, Hans Jørgen; Knudsen, Mikael Bergholz

2017-01-01

In 2015, the Electronics Engineering degree programme at Aarhus University School of Engineering inHerning decided to offer an online learning option concurrently with providing traditional classroominstruction. Following this initiative, the student intake increased significantly, primarily because theprogramme appealed to a completely new target audience. With the online opportunity, it was decidedto implement the ‘flipped classroom’ approach into both online and on-campus teaching, meaning...

Student Workload and Degree Profiles: the experience of CLAR credit in Latin America

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco Alarcón

2014-04-01

Full Text Available There is growing consensus in Latin America on the necessity to reorganize the degree profiles in a competence-based and student-centred system, with identified learning outcomes, innovative learning and teaching strategies, and new methodologies for assessing competences which could be useful for students. There is also agreement on the need to build up a solid Latin America Higher Education Area —based on common benchmarks—among which a shared regional academic credit system is highly relevant. Not all Latin American higher education institutions are familiar with an academic credit system. In the countries where academic credits do exist they are generally based on traditional views which focus on teaching and transmission, rest on different concepts and definitions and consider diverse scopes for their application. With few exceptions, these countries do not use a credit system as a unit of measure of student workload to achieve learning outcomes and competences. This paper sheds light on a proposal for a common academic credit system for Latin America (CLAR which comes out of one of the many nuances of Tuning discussion and is referred to the expected outcome 6: “Political-and educational orientations for the establishment of a system of academic credits for Latin America” (Proyecto Alfa Tuning América Latina: Innovación Educativa y Social, 2011-2013. The new credit system that this paper advocates for Latin America is based on the principle that 60 credits measure the workload of a full-time student during one academic year. As such, a CLAR credit is conceived as a unit of value that estimates the student workload, measured in hours, which he/she typically requires to achieve learning outcomes and pass a course or a semester. In order to calculate the value of CLAR credit two elements are considered: the duration of the academic year and the annual student workload. To estimate the annual student workload, a specific survey was

Moving Toward an Anti-Deficit Perspective: African American Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) Students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI)

Science.gov (United States)

Mahoney, Melissa M.

The increased demand for qualified STEM workers, necessitates addressing the bachelor's science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree achievement among African Americans and other underrepresented populations. Using inquiry derived from Harper's (2010) Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework, this study sought to explore the factors that contribute to the successful degree completion of African American STEM students within a large comprehensive university system. Coding of the twelve semi-structured interviews revealed six major themes: a) K-12/precollege educational experiences, b) motivation to complete a STEM degree, c) systems of social support, d) extracurricular activities and out-of-class experiences, e) addressing stereotyping and discrimination, and f) faculty behaviors and dispositions. All themes were intertwined at each phase of participants' academic careers, thereby, highlighting the complexity of this population's experience and what is needed to address their low STEM degree attainment. Findings indicated that this student population benefits from positive, sustained faculty-student interactions, holistic STEM success programming, and genuine networks of social support. Furthermore, Harper's framework can be modified to explore the motivation of African American STEM students as well as the African American student's relationship with disability support services.

Astronomy Enrollments and Degrees: Results from the 2012 Survey of Astronomy Enrollments and Degrees. Focus On

Science.gov (United States)

Mulvey, Patrick; Nicholson, Starr

2014-01-01

Interest in astronomy degrees in the U.S. remains strong, with astronomy enrollments at or near all-time highs for the 2012-13 academic year. The total number of students taking an introductory astronomy course at a degree-granting physics or astronomy department is approaching 200,000. Enrollments in introductory astronomy courses have been…

Set our Master's degrees free

Science.gov (United States)

Padman, Rachael

2010-04-01

Making UK undergraduate physics degrees longer must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Back in the early 1990s the standard three-year Bachelor's physics degree (four years in Scotland) was under pressure at both ends. The A-level curriculum - one of the requirements for entry onto a degree course - was being increasingly modularized, and dumbed down. Physics students were arriving at university less well prepared than in the past and there was an increasing awareness that graduates of five-year continental degree courses were better equipped for a professional scientific career than those in the UK. At the same time, local education authorities in the UK were required to provide full funding for a first degree, whether for three or four years.

Latino Students and Degree Attainment

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Jacquelyn D.; Parks, Rodney

2018-01-01

Latinos are the largest growing population in America, and thus, have the potential to have the greatest impact on our nation's economy. However, Latinos also graduate college at a lower rate than their counterparts. This article focuses on the various cultural, social, and financial barriers Latino students face and provides recommendations for…

The Effects of Moderate- and High-Fidelity Patient Simulator Use on Critical Thinking in Associate Degree Nursing Students

Science.gov (United States)

Vieck, Jana

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of moderate- and high-fidelity patient simulator use on the critical thinking skills of associate degree nursing students. This quantitative study used a quasi-experimental design and the Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) to evaluate the critical thinking skills of third semester nursing…

Perceptions of Students at a Rural Mississippi Community College Regarding Employability

Science.gov (United States)

Harrris, Cortney R.

2013-01-01

Research studies show that there is a skills gap in American society today. This research study examined employability perceptions of community college students at a rural community college in Mississippi. Students were asked to complete an online survey that questioned the degree of importance placed on several employability skills, as well as…

Comparing the Factors That Predict Completion and Grades among For-Credit and Open/MOOC Students in Online Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Almeda, Ma. Victoria; Zuech, Joshua; Utz, Chris; Higgins, Greg; Reynolds, Rob; Baker, Ryan S.

2018-01-01

Online education continues to become an increasingly prominent part of higher education, but many students struggle in distance courses. For this reason, there has been considerable interest in predicting which students will succeed in online courses and which will receive poor grades or drop out prior to completion. Effective intervention depends…

Academic Performance, Course Completion Rates, and Student Perception of the Quality and Frequency of Interaction in a Virtual High School

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, Abigail; Graham, Charles R.; Sudweeks, Richard R.; Barbour, Michael K.

2013-01-01

This study examined the relationship between students' perceptions of teacher-student interaction and academic performance at an asynchronous, self-paced, statewide virtual high school. Academic performance was measured by grade awarded and course completion. There were 2269 students who responded to an 18-item survey designed to measure student…

Roads to Success in the Belgian French Community's Higher Education System: Predictors of Dropout and Degree Completion at the Université Libre De Bruxelles

Science.gov (United States)

Arias Ortiz, Elena; Dehon, Catherine

2013-01-01

In this paper we study the factors that influence both dropout and (4-year) degree completion throughout university by applying the set of discrete-time methods for competing risks in event history analysis, as described in Scott and Kennedy (2005). In the French-speaking Belgian community, participation rates are very high given that higher…

Are UK undergraduate Forensic Science degrees fit for purpose?

Science.gov (United States)

Welsh, Charles; Hannis, Marc

2011-09-01

In October 2009 Skills for Justice published the social research paper 'Fit for purpose?: Research into the provision of Forensic Science degree programmes in UK Higher Education Institutions.' The research engaged employers representing 95% of UK Forensic Science providers and 79% of UK universities offering Forensic Science or Crime Scene degree programmes. In addition to this, the research collected the views of 430 students studying these degrees. In 2008 there were approximately 9000 people working in the Forensic Science sector in the UK. The research found that the numbers of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees in the UK have more than doubled since 2002-03, from 2191 in to 5664 in 2007-08. Over the same period there were twice as many females as males studying for these degrees. The research concluded that Forensic Science degree programmes offered by UK universities were of a good quality and they provided the student with a positive learning experience but the content was not relevant for Forensic Science employers. This echoed similar research by the former Government Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on graduates from wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics degree programmes. The research also found that 75% of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees expected to have a career in the Forensic Science sector, meaning that ensuring these courses are relevant for employers is a key challenge for universities. This paper reflects on the original research and discusses the implications in light of recent government policy. Copyright © 2011 Forensic Science Society. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons.

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, Woods; Mixer, Sandra J; McArthur, Polly M; Mendola, Annette

2016-11-01

Homeless persons in the United States have disproportionately high rates of illness, injury, and mortality and tend to believe that the quality of their end-of-life care will be poor. No studies were found as to whether nurses or nursing students require moral courage to help homeless persons or members of any other demographic complete advance directives. We hypothesized that baccalaureate nursing students require moral courage to help homeless persons complete advance directives. Moral courage was defined as a trait of a person or an action that overcomes fears or other challenges to achieve something of great moral worth. The hypothesis was investigated through a qualitative descriptive study. Aside from the pre-selection of a single variable to study (i.e. moral courage), our investigation was a naturalistic inquiry with narrative hues insofar as it attended to specific words and phrases in the data that were associated with that variable. A total of 15 baccalaureate nursing students at a public university in the United States responded to questionnaires that sought to elicit fears and other challenges that they both expected to experience and actually experienced while helping homeless persons complete advance directives at a local, non-profit service agency. The study was approved by the Internal Review Board of the authors' university, and each participant signed an informed consent form, which stated that the study involved no reasonably foreseeable risks and that participation was voluntary. Before meeting with homeless persons, participants reported that they expected to experience two fears and a challenge: fear of behaving in ways that a homeless person would deem inappropriate, fear of discussing a homeless person's dying and death, and the challenge of adequately conveying the advance directive's meaning and accurately recording a homeless person's end-of-life wishes. In contrast, after their meetings with homeless persons, relatively few participants

The First Year in Higher Education--Critical Requirements from the Student Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Trautwein, Caroline; Bosse, Elke

2017-01-01

While study success and completion rates are important issues in educational policy, research highlights the particular relevance of the first year in higher education (HE) for students' future academic performance and achievement. In Germany, the recent reform of degree programmes appears to have created new challenges related to students'…

Beacon of Hope: Award-Winning Program Redesign for Post-Traditional Students

Science.gov (United States)

Cherrstrom, Catherine A.; Boden, Carrie J.

2018-01-01

Many Americans dream of completing a college degree, positively influencing wages and economic mobility. The number of students entering college or returning to college later in life is growing. Up to 75% of university enrollments are comprised of students in one or more of the following circumstances: 25 years old or older, attend school…

Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering UPC-ENDESA. Creating synergy at industrial and academic levels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Batet, I.; Calviño, F.; Duch, M.A.; Dies, J.; León, P.; Fernández-Olano, P.

2015-07-01

The Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering, born from the alignment of objectives of Academy and Industry, aims to prepare competent engineers to assume managerial positions within the Nuclear Industry. MNE is completely taught in English. Synergies are established at both industrial and academic levels. MNE syllabus has been designed (and is being continuously improved) with the help of industrial partners and the Spanish Regulatory Body (CSN). One half of the lectures are delivered by professionals external to the university. Besides ENDESA, other companies (ANAV, AREVA, ENRESA, ENSA, ENUSA, IDOM, Nuclenor, Tecnatom, Westinghouse) collaborate in the master. Lecturers from CSN and CIEMAT (the major Spanish research centre) participate in the Master as well. A large portion of the master contents is delivered as Project Based Learning, In general, active learning and team work activities are thoroughly used so as to help the students achieve the learning objectives and acquire a number of soft skills required by industry. MNE is embedded in EMINE, the European Master in Nuclear Energy (European Institute of Technology, KIC-InnoEnergy). As well, MNE is part of a double degree in the Barcelona Engineering School (ETSEIB) with the official Master in Industrial Engineering (MUEI). Having in the same classroom EMINE and MNE students creates a good working atmosphere, while allowing the future engineers work in a multicultural and international environment. The double degree MNE-MUEI allows students to acquire the MNE competencies and, at the same time, legal engineering attributions. It has been useful to attract good engineering students to the master. (Author)

MD/MBA Students: An Analysis of Medical Student Career Choice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Windsor Westbrook Sherrill, Ph.D., MBA

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Background: An increasing number of medical schools are offering dual degree MD/MBA programs. Career choices and factors influencing students to enter these programs provide an indicator of the roles in which dual degree students will serve in health care as well as the future of dual degree programs. Purpose: Using career choice theory as a conceptual framework, career goals and factors influencing decisions to enter dual degree programs were assessed among dual degree medical students. Methods: Students enrolled at dual degree programs at six medical schools were surveyed and interviewed. A control group of traditional medical students was also surveyed. Results: Factors influencing students to seek both medical and business training are varied but are often related to a desire for leadership opportunities, concerns about change in medicine and job security and personal career goals. Most students expect to combine clinical and administrative roles. Conclusions: Students entering these programs do so for a variety of reasons and plan diverse careers. These findings can provide guidance for program development and recruitment for dual degree medical education programs

MD/MBA Students: An Analysis of Medical Student Career Choice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Windsor Westbrook Sherrill, Ph.D., MBA

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Background: An increasing number of medical schools are offering dual degree MD/MBA programs. Career choices and factors influencing students to enter these programs provide an indicator of the roles in which dual degree students will serve in health care as well as the future of dual degree programs. Purpose: Using career choice theory as a conceptual framework, career goals and factors influencing decisions to enter dual degree programs were assessed among dual degree medical students. Methods: Students enrolled at dual degree programs at six medical schools were surveyed and interviewed. A control group of traditional medical students was also surveyed. Results: Factors influencing students to seek both medical and business training are varied but are often related to a desire for leadership opportunities, concerns about change in medicine and job security and personal career goals. Most students expect to combine clinical and administrative roles. Conclusions: Students entering these programs do so for a variety of reasons and plan diverse careers. These findings can provide guidance for program development and recruitment for dual degree medical education program

MD/MBA Students: An Analysis of Medical Student Career Choice.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherrill, Windsor Westbrook

2004-12-01

An increasing number of medical schools are offering dual degree MD/MBA programs. Career choices and factors influencing students to enter these programs provide an indicator of the roles in which dual degree students will serve in health care as well as the future of dual degree programs. Using career choice theory as a conceptual framework, career goals and factors influencing decisions to enter dual degree programs were assessed among dual degree medical students. Students enrolled at dual degree programs at six medical schools were surveyed and interviewed. A control group of traditional medical students was also surveyed. Factors influencing students to seek both medical and business training are varied but are often related to a desire for leadership opportunities, concerns about change in medicine and job security and personal career goals. Most students expect to combine clinical and administrative roles. Students entering these programs do so for a variety of reasons and plan diverse careers. These findings can provide guidance for program development and recruitment for dual degree medical education programs.

Correlation between Students' Self-Efficacy and Teachers' Educational Leadership Style in Iranian Midwifery Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Sohrabi, Zohreh; Kheirkhah, Masoomeh; Sahebzad, Elahe Sadegi; Rasoulighasemlouei, Seyedehsahel; Khavandi, Siamak

2015-12-18

Self-efficacy is believe in and feeling of ability to complete work. One of these factors is educational teachers ' role. This study aimed to determine relationship between teachers' leadership style and students' self-efficacy in midwifery students. This Study is a cross sectional correlation study. Sampling was conducted in midwifery students in Bachelor Science degree in 2013. Data collection tools were multi leadership questionnaire and self-efficacy clinical performance. After explaining the goals of study, 97 students completed the questionnaire. Scoring the questionnaire was based on a Liker's scale (0-5).Data were analyzed by SPSS 16. Correlation coefficient test was adopted to investigate the relationship and p value was considered 0.05. Mean of self-efficacy scores were 116.12 (24.66.). In 53.3% of the cases, self-efficacy was good, in 42.2% moderate and in 4.3%, it was bad. The majority of the students (88.9%) reported that their teachers had an idealized style in leadership. About 94.6% of the students with good self- efficacy believed that their teachers' leadership style was transformational style. There was a significant correlation between self- efficacy and leadership style (pstyle is appropriate for midwifery teachers.

Physics to a degree

CERN Document Server

Thomas, EG

2014-01-01

Physics to a Degree provides an extensive collection of problems suitable for self-study or tutorial and group work at the level of an undergraduate physics course. This novel set of exercises draws together the core elements of an undergraduate physics degree and provides students with the problem solving skills needed for general physics' examinations and for real-life situations encountered by the professional physicist. Topics include force, momentum, gravitation, Bernoulli's Theorem, magnetic fields, blackbody radiation, relativistic travel, mechanics near the speed of light, radioactive

Nuclear Engineering Enrollments and Degrees Survey, 2005 Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

2006-01-01

This annual report details the number of nuclear engineering bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees awarded at a sampling of academic programs from 1998-2005. it also looks at nuclear engineering degrees by curriculum and the number of students enrolled in nuclear engineering degree programs at 30 U.S. universities in 2005

Health Physics Enrollments and Degrees Survey, 2005 Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

2006-01-01

This annual report details the number of health physics bachelor's, master's, and postdoctoral degrees awarded at a sampling of academic programs from 1998-2005. It also looks at health physics degrees by curriculum and the number of students enrolled in health physics degree programs at 30 U.S. universities in 2005

Health Physics Enrollments and Degrees Survey, 2004 Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

2005-01-01

This annual report details the number of health physics bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees awarded at a sampling of academic programs from 1998-2004. It also looks at health physics degrees by curriculum and the number of students enrolled in health physics degree programs at 28 U.S. universities in 2004

Isoniazid Completion Rates for Latent Tuberculosis Infection among College Students Managed by a Community Pharmacist

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Karl; Goad, Jeffery; Wu, Joanne; Johnson, Kathleen

2009-01-01

Objective: The authors' objective was to document 9-month and previously recommended 6-month treatment completion rates for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in a pharmacist-managed LTBI clinic in a community pharmacy on a college campus, and to describe patient characteristics. Participants: Participants were university students diagnosed with…

Perceived Benefits of an Undergraduate Degree

Science.gov (United States)

Norton, Cole; Martini, Tanya

2017-01-01

Canadian university students tend to endorse employment-related reasons for attending university ahead of other reasons such as personal satisfaction or intellectual growth. In the present study, first- and fourth-year students from a mid-sized Canadian university reported on the benefits they expected to receive from their degree and rated their…

SWOT analysis to evaluate the programme of a joint online/onsite master's degree in environmental education through the students' perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Romero-Gutierrez, Miguel; Jimenez-Liso, M Rut; Martinez-Chico, Maria

2016-02-01

This study shows the use of SWOT to analyse students' perceptions of an environmental education joint master's programme in order to determine if it runs as originally planned. The open answers given by students highlight the inter-university nature of the master's, the technological innovation used as major points, and the weaknesses in the management coordination or the duplicate contents as minor points. The external analysis is closely linked with the students' future jobs, their labour opportunities available to them after graduation. The innovative treatment of the data is exportable to the evaluation of programmes of other degrees because it allows the description linked to its characteristics and its design through the students' point of view. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nursing Student Perceptions of Structural Empowerment.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Shelley C; Ward, Karen S

To meet role expectations for nurses, nurses must feel empowered. Faculty contributions to the learning environment for nursing students are critical. A descriptive analysis of student perceptions of empowerment within the learning environment was conducted using a form of Kanter's Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire; 203 participants from schools in 17 different states completed surveys. Subjects demonstrated moderate degrees of structural empowerment in their learning environment. This positive finding can be further investigated and used to fully prepare future nurses.

Design Research and the Solo Higher Degree Research Student: Strategies to Embed Trustworthiness and Validity into the Research Design

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy-Clark, Shannon

2012-01-01

This paper puts forward a set of criteria for ensuring trustworthiness in design research studies undertaken by Higher Degree Research (HDR) students. Design research is aimed at exploring educational problems and refining theory and practice by defining a pedagogical outcome and is a methodological approach often associated with the Learning…

Emotional intelligence increases over time: A longitudinal study of Australian pre-registration nursing students.

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, Kim; Fethney, Judith; McKenzie, Heather; Fisher, Murray; Harkness, Emily; Kozlowski, Desirée

2017-08-01

Emotional intelligence (EI) has been associated with positive outcomes for nursing students. Higher EI is associated with personal wellbeing and stress management, higher academic performance, stronger nursing leadership and practice performance, and greater patient safety. While there is an increasing body of evidence on nursing students' EI, there is minimal evidence on EI over time during pre-registration programs. To measure EI in pre-registration nursing students from program commencement to conclusion to ascertain EI over time and examine the relationship between EI and academic performance. Longitudinal repeated measures study between March 2010-February 2013 at a metropolitan university in Australia. 111 nursing students (74.8% female) contributed data on at least two occasions. Participants were enrolled in a pre-registration Master of Nursing degree. Half the cohort (55.0%) comprised Graduate Entry students who completed the course in two years full time. The other 45% were enrolled in an undergraduate degree in arts, science or health science, combined with the same pre-registration Master of Nursing Degree. These students completed their Combined Degree program in four years full time. Participants had a mean age of 24.7years (SD=7.36). EI was measured for commencing students (T1) using the Assessing Emotions Scale (AES), then a further three times: end of first year (T2; 9 months follow up); beginning of second year (12 months follow up; T3) and end of the program (T4; 24/36 months follow up). Students' EI was found to increase across the program; one subscale of EI (managing others' emotions) was related to higher academic performance; and there was a significant increase in the Utilising Emotions subscale scores over time. Pre-registration nurse education contributes to strengthening students' EI over time. Specific EI education scaffolded throughout programs is recommended in pre-registration curricula. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Degree program changes and curricular flexibility: Addressing long held beliefs about student progression

Science.gov (United States)

Ricco, George Dante

In higher education and in engineering education in particular, changing majors is generally considered a negative event - or at least an event with negative consequences. An emergent field of study within engineering education revolves around understanding the factors and processes driving student changes of major. Of key importance to further the field of change of major research is a grasp of large scale phenomena occurring throughout multiple systems, knowledge of previous attempts at describing such issues, and the adoption of metrics to probe them effectively. The problem posed is exacerbated by the drive in higher education institutions and among state legislatures to understand and reduce time-to-degree and student attrition. With these factors in mind, insights into large-scale processes that affect student progression are essential to evaluating the success or failure of programs. The goals of this work include describing the current educational research on switchers, identifying core concepts and stumbling blocks in my treatment of switchers, and using the Multiple Institutional Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development (MIDFIELD) to explore how those who change majors perform as a function of large-scale academic pathways within and without the engineering context. To accomplish these goals, it was first necessary to delve into a recent history of the treatment of switchers within the literature and categorize their approach. While three categories of papers exist in the literature concerning change of major, all three may or may not be applicable to a given database of students or even a single institution. Furthermore, while the term has been coined in the literature, no portable metric for discussing large-scale navigational flexibility exists in engineering education. What such a metric would look like will be discussed as well as the delimitations involved. The results and subsequent discussion will include a description of

Mental Health Nursing Practicum: Student and Mentor Perspectives on Stress and Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Gelabert-Vilella, Sandra; Bonmati-Tomàs, Anna; Bosch-Farré, Cristina; Malagón-Aguilera, M. Carmen; Fuentes-Pumarola, Concepció; Ballester-Ferrando, David

2014-01-01

Nursing students begin to complete practicum experiences during their first year, increasing the number of applied credits as they progress toward degree completion. This contributes to integrating knowledge and skills from all of their courses and to obtaining the basic competencies of the nursing profession. It is also essential to identify the…

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

Science.gov (United States)

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 Effects of Webopac Self Training Tool with Guided Exploration on Information Literacy Skills among First Year Degree Students

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, Mohd Nasir; Mamat, Nurfaezah; Jamaludin, Adnan

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate effects of WebOPAC Self Training Tool with Guided Exploration (WSTTG), WebOPAC Self Training Tool with non-guided exploration (WSTT) and Traditional (T) groups as the learning strategies on information literacy (IL) skills standards among first year degree students in Malaysian public university. The…

Health Physics Enrollments and Degrees Survey, 2006 Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

2007-01-01

This annual survey collects 2006 data on the number of health physics degrees awarded as well as the number of students enrolled in health physics academic programs. Thirty universities offer health physics degrees; all responded to the survey

Using student satisfaction data to evaluate a new online accelerated nursing education program.

Science.gov (United States)

Gazza, Elizabeth A; Matthias, April

2016-10-01

As increasing numbers of students enroll in online education, institutions of higher education are responsible for delivering quality online courses and programs. Agencies that accredit institutions and programs require evidence of program quality, including student satisfaction. A large state university in the Southeastern United States transitioned an online nursing education degree completion, or Registered Nurse-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing, program to an online accelerated format in order to meet the needs of working nurses and ultimately, increase the number of nurses prepared at the baccalaureate level. This article describes a descriptive, cross-sectional study that evaluated the effectiveness of the new online accelerated program using the quality indicator of student satisfaction. Ninety-one (32%) of the 284 students who were enrolled or had been enrolled in a course within the online accelerated degree completion program between fall 2013 session 1 and summer 2014 session participated in the study. The electronic Noel-Levitz Priorities Survey for Online Learners™ was used to measure student satisfaction with the program and associated services. Results provided insight into the students' satisfaction with the new program format and served as the basis for an interdepartmental program enhancement plan aimed at maintaining and enhancing student satisfaction and overall program quality. Findings indicated that measuring and evaluating student satisfaction can provide valuable information about the effectiveness of an online program. Recommendations for using the measurement tool in online program planning and studying student satisfaction in relation to retention and program completion were identified. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Undergraduate degree projects in the Swedish dental schools: a documentary analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Franzén, C; Brown, G

2013-05-01

Undergraduate degree projects have currently been introduced into courses in the four Swedish dental schools. The rationale for research projects is that they enable students to develop research expertise skills and to show their ability to apply and develop knowledge relevant to professional practice. This paper reports a qualitative analysis of the curriculum documents and handbooks including the criteria used to assess the students' research reports. The aim was to investigate commonalities and differences in the design of degree projects between the four Swedish dental schools and to explore any inconsistencies within the documents. The documentary analysis was based on the constant comparison method. Four overarching themes emerged from the analysis: (i) developing scientific expertise, (ii) developing professional expertise, (iii) following rules and (iv) fostering creativity. The documents from the four dental schools revealed similar views on the purposes of the projects and provided similar assessment criteria. The students were requested to formulate an odontological problem, apply a relevant scientific method, analyse texts and empirical data, express critical reflections and write a short thesis. The students were free to choose topics. There were differences between the dental schools on the emphasis placed on practical uses of the projects and theoretical background of the projects. Two of the schools insisted on rigid rules of completing and writing the project yet paradoxically emphasised creativity. There were wide variations in the required length of the project report. The report may prove useful to dental schools in other countries who are about to design undergraduate research projects. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Help to new students of ICT Systems Engineering Degree at EPSEM-UPC: Mentoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roser Gorchs

2014-07-01

Full Text Available 120 800x600 New students at the Manresa School of Engineering (EPSEM, Escola Politècnica Superior d'Enginyeria de Manresa of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC are voluntarity provided with the mentoring service during their initial period at University. Mentoring gives academic, teaching and self-organizational support. It improves academic results and reduces the desertion of the studies. In particular, the mentor is an experimented learner which studies in the last year of his/her Degree. Here we expose such mentoring applied to ICT (Information, Communication and Technology Systems Engineering Degree at EPSEM, studies of new creation which are probably unique in Spain, and we also present a treatment and analysis of the performance and possible actions of continuous improvement. Normal 0 21 false false false CA X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}

Student Motivation in Graduate Music Programmes: An Examination of Personal and Environmental Factors

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Gonzalez-Moreno, Patricia Adelaida

2012-01-01

Despite the increasing number of students in music education graduate programmes, attrition rates suggest a lack of success in retaining and assisting them to the completion of their degree. Based on the expectancy-value theory, the aim of this study was to examine students' motivations (values and competence beliefs) and their complex interaction…

Conversation as Academic Practice: Tutors' Strategies in Integrating Student Learning in a Professional Training Degree Programme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matt Bowden

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Tutors are generally considered to be an additional resource in teaching and learning, as a means of augmenting that of the lecturer. This article explores tutors as academic staff with responsibilities for developing practice competencies and integrating student learning in a social care professional training degree programme. The research is small-scale, based upon data from a purposive sample of five interviews; and upon insider-participant observation notes and reflections in one single setting. The author deployed a situated ethnographic methodology alongside a frame analytic approach. The research found that in their academic practice, tutors reveal how their student contact is oriented to developing a reflective practitioner and they discuss how programme inputs impact on the student’s professional self. Simultaneously, tutors seek to create cross programme integration through finding overlaps with academic programme strands.

Content of Curriculum in Physical Education Teacher Education: Expectations of Undergraduate Physical Education Students

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Spittle, Michael; Spittle, Sharna

2016-01-01

This study explored the perceptions of university physical education students of the importance of physical education curriculum content areas and how those perceptions related to the reasons for course choice and motivation. Physical education degree students (n = 188) completed measures of their perceptions of physical education content areas,…

Interrogating Reality in Terms of Retention and Student Success at a South Texas University

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Bain, Steve F.; Gandy, Rex F.; Golightly, Vivian H.

2012-01-01

Student retention has become the most significant issue facing American colleges and universities. For the student, retention has everything to do with academic success and the completion of the most lofty of educational goals--the acquiring of a degree. For the educational institution, college, or university, retention impacts federal funding,…

Benefits Access for College Completion: Innovative Approaches to Meet the Financial Needs of Low-Income Students

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Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success, 2014

2014-01-01

Benefits Access for College Completion (BACC) was designed to help colleges develop new policies that increase low-income students' access to public benefits, easing their financial burden to allow them to finish school and earn postsecondary credentials. Colleges participating in BACC have developed and institutionalized scalable, sustainable…

Voices of Family Therapy Doctoral Students of Color: Aspirations and Factors Influencing Careers in Academia

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Miller, John K.; Stone, Dana J.

2011-01-01

The authors examined factors influencing career aspirations of doctoral students of color in family therapy doctoral programs across the country, with a special focus on careers in the professoriate. Qualitative interviews were conducted with students at varying levels of degree completion. Respondents discussed barriers to careers in academia as…

Predictive Modeling to Forecast Student Outcomes and Drive Effective Interventions in Online Community College Courses

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Smith, Vernon C.; Lange, Adam; Huston, Daniel R.

2012-01-01

Community colleges continue to experience growth in online courses. This growth reflects the need to increase the numbers of students who complete certificates or degrees. Retaining online students, not to mention assuring their success, is a challenge that must be addressed through practical institutional responses. By leveraging existing student…

The impact of lecture attendance and other variables on how medical students evaluate faculty in a preclinical program.

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Martin, Stanley I; Way, David P; Verbeck, Nicole; Nagel, Rollin; Davis, John A; Vandre, Dale D

2013-07-01

High-quality audiovisual recording technology enables medical students to listen to didactic lectures without actually attending them. The authors wondered whether in-person attendance affects how students evaluate lecturers. This is a retrospective review of faculty evaluations completed by first- and second-year medical students at the Ohio State University College of Medicine during 2009-2010. Lecture-capture technology was used to record all lectures. Attendance at lectures was optional; however, all students were required to complete lecturer evaluation forms. Students rated overall instruction using a five-option response scale. They also reported their attendance. The authors used analysis of variance to compare the lecturer ratings of attendees versus nonattendees. The authors included additional independent variables-year of student, student grade/rank in class, and lecturer degree-in the analysis. The authors analyzed 12,092 evaluations of 220 lecturers received from 358 students. The average number of evaluations per lecturer was 55. Seventy-four percent (n = 8,968 evaluations) of students attended the lectures they evaluated, whereas 26% (n = 3,124 evaluations) viewed them online. Mean lecturer ratings from attendees was 3.85 compared with 3.80 by nonattendees (P ≤ .05; effect size: 0.055). Student's class grade and year, plus lecturer degree, also affected students' evaluations of lecturers (effect sizes: 0.055-0.3). Students' attendance at lectures, year, and class grade, as well as lecturer degree, affect students' evaluation of lecturers. This finding has ramifications on how student evaluations should be collected, interpreted, and used in promotion and tenure decisions in this evolving medical education environment.

Degree Output in the South, 1975-76: Distribution by Race.

Science.gov (United States)

Mingle, James R.

The first systematic national count of degree output by race is presented for use by institutional curriculum planners to help give students the opportunity to make realistic choices in career planning. Included are summary tables of degree production by level (doctoral, master's, bachelor's, and first-professional degrees awarded); degree changes…

Trends in Algebra II Completion and Failure Rates for Students Entering Texas Public High Schools. REL 2018-289

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Stoker, Ginger; Mellor, Lynn; Sullivan, Kate

2018-01-01

This study examines Algebra II completion and failure rates for students entering Texas public high schools from 2007/08 through 2014/15. This period spans the time when Texas students, beginning with the 2007/08 grade 9 cohort, were required to take four courses each in English, math (including Algebra II), science, and social studies (called the…

African American Doctoral Students at For-Profit Colleges and Universities: A Critical Race Theory Exploration

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Hall, Jodi

2010-01-01

Many people regard the doctorate as the pinnacle of success. Despite the challenges of completing the terminal degree, the dream of earning the doctoral degree remains a goal for many every year. Understanding the phenomenon of African American student enrollment at for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs) is necessary because many African…

Opinions of Students Completing Master Thesis in Turkish Education Field about Academic Writing and Thesis Formation Process

OpenAIRE

Mustafa Onur KAN; Fatma Nur GEDİK

2016-01-01

The overall aim of this research is to evaluate opinions of students completing master thesis in the field of Turkish education about academic writing and process of forming thesis. The study has been devised using phenomenological design within the qualitative research methods. The study group of research is consisted of 9 participants completed master thesis in the field of Turkish education at Mustafa Kemal University Instıtute of Social Sciences in 2015. In this study, semi-structured int...

[Inclusion of patient safety into the Medical degree electives: Description of the experience and student perception].

Science.gov (United States)

Ladenheim, R; Macchiavello, D; Milberg, M

One of the factors identified to reduce medical errors has been the organisational culture. Education is proposed as a tool for its modification, but this does not have a unique way of being achieved. This paper sought to describe a patient safety elective for medical students and to determine their perceptions on the subject. A descriptive study was performed in the Center of Medical Education and Clinical Investigations, in Argentina. Every student who participated in the elective was included, and there were no exclusion criteria. An online survey was conducted on all participants, and individual interviews were conducted on a convenience sample. The subject was chosen by 54 students out of a total of 274 students between 2011 and 2014. All (100%) of the students completed the course and passed the exam, and stated that they would recommend the elective. Most of the students (n=26) agreed that patient safety content should be mandatory, that its content was novel, and that the subject's structure seemed appropriate, with 21 saying that it was the first time they had been talked about these issues. From the individual interviews, students emphasised the novelty of the subject, and that their perception on patient safety issues had increased. The proposed elective had a good reception among students. The methodology planned for its teaching seemed appropriate. Inter-professional education in patient safety should be implemented to improve student competencies in the subject. Copyright © 2017 SECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Aspirations, Barriers, and Transfer Opportunities for Latina and Latino Community College Students

OpenAIRE

Sanchez, Monica

2012-01-01

The majority of California's students seeking higher education are enrolled in a community college and approximately a third are Latino. Yet as the number of Latinos in community colleges has risen, their degree completion and transfer rates lag in comparison to other major ethnic groups. To investigate the academic aspirations and barriers of community college students, this mixed-methods case study focused on Latinos in a specialized learning community for students entering their first year...

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TECHNICAL EDUCATION STUDENT.

Science.gov (United States)

MILLER, AARON J.

THE POST-HIGH SCHOOL TRAINEE SHOULD BE A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE OR THE EQUIVALENT. A FAIR DEGREE OF PROFICIENCY IN MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE IS REQUIRED. IT IS REASONABLE TO EXPECT THE COMPLETION OF 2 YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND 1 YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE. SOME BACKGROUND IN DRAFTING AND SHOP IS DESIRABLE. THE STUDENT SHOULD BE AVERAGE OR…

Successful recruiting strategies for geoscience degrees and careers at the two-year college: An example from Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfe, B.

2012-12-01

The overwhelming majority of students at 2-year colleges take geoscience courses (e.g. physical geology or physical geography) to fulfill part of the general education requirements of the Associates in Arts degree or General Education certificates for transfer to a 4-year school. It is common in community college earth science programs to have a relatively small number of students continuing on to major in geoscience programs at their transfer 4-year institution. To increase interest and retention in geosciences courses, we have developed a two prong approach - one aimed at students looking to transfer to a 4-year institution and the other aimed at students in the often overlooked career and technical education (CTE) programs. In the case of transfer students, we employ a "high touch" approach in introductory Physical Geology courses. This includes raising awareness of geoscience related careers combined with faculty mentor and advisor activities for students who express interest in science on their admission forms or in discussions of potential careers in science in first-year experience courses. Faculty mentorships have been very effective, not only in recruiting students to consider careers in geology, but also in advising a curriculum for students necessary to be successful upon transfer to a 4-year institution (such as completing college level chemistry, physics, and calculus courses prior to transfer). The second approach focuses on students pursuing certificates and degrees in CTE energy-related programs (such as HVAC, industrial engineering technology, electrician, and utility linemen). To increase awareness of vocational related geoscience careers, many of which require a good foundation in the vocational training students are currently pursing, we developed a foundation energy course - Energy and the Environment - which fulfills both the science general education component of the AA degree for students looking to transfer as well as CTE students. The

Research and Development for a Course in Ethics in Nursing Practice for Community College Associate Degree Nursing Students. Final Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Roediger, Jeanette

A project was undertaken to research and acquire the instructional sources needed for a course in ethics for community college associate degree nursing students and to develop such a course. Addressed in the individual units of the course were the following topics: bioethics and ethical decision making, basic ethical concepts and principles,…

Relationships between Academic Stress, Social Support, Optimism-Pessimism and Self-Esteem in College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-González, L.; González-Hernández, A.; Trianes-Torres, M. V.

2015-01-01

Introduction: This research aims to analyse how optimism, self-esteem and social support help to predict academic stress. Method: The sample consisted of 123 students aged 20 to 31 years old, from the 3rd Year in the Psychology Degree. Students completed the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, the Life Orientation Optimism Questionnaire (LOT-R), the…

Indigenous Student Perspectives on Support and Impediments at University

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Oliver, Rhonda; Grote, Ellen; Rochecouste, Judith; Dann, Tomzarni

2016-01-01

Aboriginal Australians are entering university in greater numbers than in past decades, yet many struggle to complete their degrees. This paper reports on the qualitative component of a research project aimed at enhancing understandings about this issue by investigating student perspectives about those structures that facilitate or impede their…

E-Learning: A Student's Perspective a Phenomenological Investigation

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Antoine, Julia E.

2011-01-01

This phenomenological investigation focused on the exploration of the lived experiences of students who had dropped out of traditional four year colleges and returned to complete their degree by e-Learning. The goal of this investigation was to gain a new understanding of the psychological, motivational, and ethical aspects of continuing a four…

The relationship between approaches to study and academic performance among Australian undergraduate occupational therapy students.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Ted; Murdolo, Yuki

2017-06-01

The academic success and degree completion of tertiary students depends on their academic performance (AP), commonly measured by the percentage grades for the units they complete. No research has examined whether occupational therapy students' approaches to study are predictive of their AP. This study investigated whether approaches to study were predictive of the AP among a group of Australian undergraduate occupational therapy students. A total of 376 undergraduate occupational therapy students completed the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST). Regression analysis was conducted using a range of demographic characteristics and the ASSIST scores as independent variables with students' self-reported by their self-reported mean percentage grade range (as a proxy indicator of their AP) as the dependent variable. The deep and the strategic approaches to study were not significantly correlated with occupational therapy students' AP. The ASSIST fear of failure subscale of the surface approach to study had a unique contribution to AP, accounting for 1.3% of its total variance. Occupational therapy students' year level of enrolment made a unique contribution to their AP, accounting for 4.2% of the total variance. Age and gender made a unique contribution to AP as well although their impact was small. Undergraduate occupational therapy students' approaches to study were predictive of their AP to a very limited degree. However, their AP was predicted by a number of demographic variables, including age, gender and year level of enrolment. Further study in this area is recommended. © 2016 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Astronomy Degree Recipients Initial Employment: Results from the Follow-Up Survey of Degree Recipients, Classes of 2010, 2011 and 2012 Combined. Focus On

Science.gov (United States)

Pold, Jack; Mulvey, Patrick

2015-01-01

Each fall the Statistical Research Center (SRC) conducts its Survey of Enrollments and Degrees, which asks all degree-granting physics and astronomy departments in the US to provide information concerning the numbers of students they have enrolled and counts of recent degree recipients. In connection with this survey, SRC asks for the names and…

Astronomy Degree Recipients: Initial Employment. Data from the Degree Recipient Follow-Up Survey for the Classes of 2007, 2008 and 2009. Focus On

Science.gov (United States)

Mulvey, Patrick; Shindel, Brandon

2011-01-01

Each fall the Statistical Research Center conducts its Survey of Enrollments and Degrees, which asks all degree-granting physics and astronomy departments in the US to provide information concerning the numbers of students they have enrolled and counts of recent degree recipients. In connection with this survey, the authors ask for the names and…

Topologies of an Effective Mentoring Model: At the Intersection of Community Colleges, Underrepresented Students, and Completion

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Leslie, Janet Lee

2012-01-01

This evidenced-based study was conducted using a systemic review of the literature to verify scholarly consensus about the effectiveness of mentoring as an intervention to impact college completion for underrepresented students in a community college setting. The study explored the impact of having access to mentors for the target population:…

Degree of Success? A Review of Delivering BSc Honours Degrees in an FE College

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Colin; Lloyd, Mary Golding

2009-01-01

Widening participation initiatives led by the government encourage non-traditional students to enrol in higher education courses usually offered through a franchising arrangement between a Higher Education Institution (HEI) and a local Further Education Institution (FEI). The focus has been on the development of foundation degrees with most…

Modeling Racial Differences in the Effects of Racial Representation on 2-Year College Student Success

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Museus, Samuel D.; Jayakumar, Uma M.; Robinson, Thomas

2012-01-01

The failure of many 2-year college students to persist and complete a post-secondary credential or degree remains a problem of paramount importance to higher education policymakers and practitioners. While racial representation--or the extent to which a student's racial group is represented on their respective campus--might be one factor that…

Students' Perceptions of an Online Graduate Program in Special Education for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Leader-Janssen, Elizabeth M.; Nordness, Philip D.; Swain, Kristine D.; Hagaman, Jessica L.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate graduate students' perceptions of a completely online master's degree program in special education for emotional and behavioral disorders. The Community of Inquiry survey was used to examine graduate students' perceptions of the online program in the areas of teaching, cognitive, and social presences. The…

Across Borders and across Cultures: Vietnamese Students' Positioning of Teachers in a University Twinning Programme

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Vu, Ha; Doyle, Stephanie

2014-01-01

How do teachers and teaching appear to international students moving from the home country component of a twinning programme to the overseas partner university? This narrative study explored the perspectives of five Vietnamese students in their first months of studying for a commerce degree at a New Zealand university, having completed the first…

A social and academic enrichment program promotes medical school matriculation and graduation for disadvantaged students.

Science.gov (United States)

Keith, L; Hollar, D

2012-07-01

This study assessed the impact of a pre-medical pipeline program on successful completion of medical school and the capacity of this program to address achievement gaps experienced by disadvantaged students. The University of North Carolina (USA) Medical Education Development (MED) program provides intensive academic and test skills preparation for admission to medical, dental, and other allied health professions schools. This retrospective study evaluated the academic progress of a longitudinal sample of 1738 disadvantaged college students who completed MED between 1974 and 2001. Data sources included MED participant data, medical school admissions data for the host school, aggregate data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and individual MED participant data from AAMC. Methods of analysis utilized Chi-square, independent samples t test, and logistic regression to examine associations between factors. Of the 935 students in MED from 1974 to 2001, who had indicated an interest in medical school, 887 (94.9%) successfully matriculated and 801 (85.7%) successfully earned the MD degree. Using logistic regression, factors that were significantly correlated with earning the medical degree included the student's race, college undergraduate total and science grade point averages, with Hispanic, African American, and Native American participants earning the medical degree at rates comparable to Caucasian participants. MED students successfully earned the MD degree despite having significantly lower Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores and undergraduate grade point averages compared to all United States medical school applicants: MCAT scores had little relationship with student's success. These findings suggest that an intensive, nine-week, pre-medical academic enrichment program that incorporates confidence-building and small-group tutoring and peer support activities can build a foundation on which disadvantaged students can successfully earn

Changes in nursing students' perceptions of research and evidence-based practice after completing a research course.

Science.gov (United States)

Keib, Carrie N; Cailor, Stephanie M; Kiersma, Mary E; Chen, Aleda M H

2017-07-01

Nurses need a sound education in research and evidence-based practice (EBP) to provide patients with optimal care, but current teaching methods could be more effective. To evaluate the changes in nursing students 1) perceptions of research and EBP, 2) confidence in research and EBP, and 3) interest in research participation after completing a course in research and EBP. A pre-post assessment design was utilized to compare changes in students. This project was conducted at a small, private liberal arts institution with Bachelor of Science (BSN) students. Two cohorts of third-year BSN students (Year 1 N=55, Year 2 N=54) who were taking a required, semester-long Nursing Research and EBP course. Students' perceptions of and confidence in research and EBP were assessed pre- and post-semester using the Confidence in Research and EBP survey, which contained 7 demographic items, 9 Research Perceptions items, and 19 Confidence in Research items (5-point Likert scale; 1=Not at all confident, 5=Extremely confident). Two years of data were collected and analyzed in SPSS v.24.0. Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests and Mann-Whitney-U tests were utilized to examine the data. Students had significant improvements in perceptions of and confidence in research and EBP (pnursing practice. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research degree-granting PhD programs in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Slejko, Julia F; Libby, Anne M; Nair, Kavita V; Valuck, Robert J; Campbell, Jonathan D

2013-01-01

Evidence is missing on showcasing current practices of degree programs specific to the field of pharmaceutical outcomes research. To measure current practices of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research PhD programs in the United States and synthesize recommendations for improving the success of programs and prospective students. A 23-question online survey instrument was created and distributed to 32 program directors identified in the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research educational directory. Descriptive statistics summarized both the program characteristics (including observed and desired number of faculty and students) and training recommendations (traits of program and student success). Of 30 eligible programs that conferred a PhD in pharmacoeconomics, pharmaceutical outcomes research, or a related field, 16 respondents (53%) completed the survey. Seventy-five percent of respondents were located in a school of pharmacy. The average observed number of faculty (7.5) and students (11.5) was lower than the average desired numbers (8.1) and (14.7), respectively. Reputation of faculty research and a collaborative environment with other disciplines were rated highest for a program's success. Faculty's mentoring experience and reputation and student funding opportunities were rated highest for prospective students' success. Existing and emerging programs as well as prospective students can use these findings to further their chances of success. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Can medical students recognize depression? A survey at the Zagreb School of Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuzman, Martina Rojnic; Bosnjak, Dina; Vokal, Petra; Kuharic, Josip; Brkic, Ivana; Kuzman, Tomislav; Dujmovic, Josip

2014-06-01

The objective of this study was to investigate medical students' knowledge and attitudes towards depression. Students attending their final year at Zagreb School of Medicine completed a set of standardized questionnaires, including attitudes towards psychiatric medication, attitudes towards depression, and personality inventory. In total, 199 students completed the questionnaire (response rate 77 %). Most medical students were only partially able to correctly identify major symptoms of depression, but did suggest referral to mental health specialists as the most appropriate course of action. They recognized social and biological causes of depression. Degree of correct identification of symptoms of depression correlated positively with non-stigmatizing attitudes towards depression and negatively with stigmatizing attitudes towards depression. Students' attitudes toward depression may influence their recognition of symptoms of depression. Incorporation of these findings in development of undergraduate medical curricula may improve students' recognition of depression.

An intercalated BSc degree is associated with higher marks in subsequent medical school examinations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinclair Hazel

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To compare medical students on a modern MBChB programme who did an optional intercalated degree with their peers who did not intercalate; in particular, to monitor performance in subsequent undergraduate degree exams. Methods This was a retrospective, observational study of anonymised databases of medical student assessment outcomes. Data were accessed for graduates, University of Aberdeen Medical School, Scotland, UK, from the years 2003 to 2007 (n = 861. The main outcome measure was marks for summative degree assessments taken after intercalating. Results Of 861 medical students, 154 (17.9% students did an intercalated degree. After adjustment for cohort, maturity, gender and baseline (3rd year performance in matching exam type, having done an IC degree was significantly associated with attaining high (18–20 common assessment scale (CAS marks in three of the six degree assessments occurring after the IC students rejoined the course: the 4th year written exam (p th year OSCE (p = 0.001 and the 5th year Elective project (p = 0.010. Conclusion Intercalating was associated with improved performance in Years 4 and 5 of the MBChB. This improved performance will further contribute to higher academic ranking for Foundation Year posts. Long-term follow-up is required to identify if doing an optional intercalated degree as part of a modern medical degree is associated with following a career in academic medicine.

Predicting High School Completion Using Student Performance in High School Algebra: A Mixed Methods Research Study

Science.gov (United States)

Chiado, Wendy S.

2012-01-01

Too many of our nation's youth have failed to complete high school. Determining why so many of our nation's students fail to graduate is a complex, multi-faceted problem and beyond the scope of any one study. The study presented herein utilized a thirteen-step mixed methods model developed by Leech and Onwuegbuzie (2007) to demonstrate within a…

A Study of the Significant Factors That Affect the Job Placement Rates of Students Who Have Completed a HERO Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Instructional Development and Evaluation Associates, Inc., Berkeley, MI.

A three-year study examined the significant factors that affect the job placement rates of students completing a Home Economics Related Occupations (HERO) program. Other purposes of the study were to develop and pilot test a model that could be used to determine factors related to student placement in a variety of vocational education programs and…

The First Hydrology (Geoscience) Degree at a Tribal College or University: Salish Kootenai College

Science.gov (United States)

Lesser, G.; Berthelote, A. R.

2010-12-01

A new Hydrology Degree Program was developed at Salish and Kootenai College in western Montana. This program will begin to address the fact that our nation only awards 20 to 30 Geoscience degrees annually to Native American students. Previously absent from SKC and the other 36 Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCU) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related programs are specific Geoscience disciplines, particularly those focusing on hydrological and water based sciences. Though 23 TCU’s offer some classes to supplement their environmental science or natural resource programs. This program is timely and essential for addressing the concerns that Native Americans have who maintain sovereignty over approximately 20% of our nation’s fresh water resources which are becoming more stressed each year. The overall objective of this new SKC Hydrology degree program is to produce students who are able to “give voice” to the perspectives of Native peoples on natural resources and particularly water-related issues, including water rights, agriculture, environmental health (related to water), beliefs and spirituality related to water, and sustainability of water resources. It will provide the opportunity for interdisciplinary study in physical, chemical, and biological water resources and their management. Students will gain theoretical, conceptual, computational, and practical knowledge/experiences in quantifying, monitoring, qualifying, and managing today’s water resource challenges with particular emphasis on Tribal lands. Completion of the Associate of Science Degree will provide the student with the necessary skills to work as a hydrology- water quality- or geo-technician within the Reservation area, the U. S. Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Bureau of Reclamation, the United States Geological Society, and other earth science disciplines. The Bachelor’s Degree program provides students with a broad-based theoretical

Why do different people choose different university degrees? Motivation and the choice of degree

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anya eSkatova

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Different people choose which undergraduate degree to study at the university for different reasons. To date, there have been limited attempts to identify individual differences in motivation that drive the undergraduate degree choice. We identified that people choose university degrees for four reasons: career concerns (Career, intrinsic interest (Interest in the subject, an opportunity to help others (Helping and because they are looking for an easy option into higher education (Loafing. We investigated whether these motivation apply to the choice of undergraduate degree in two samples: (1 undergraduate (N = 989 and (2 prospective (N = 896 students. We developed the Motivations Influencing Course Choice (MICC questionnaire to measure these motivations. Scales of Helping, Career, Loafing and Interest showed good psychometric properties, showed validity with respect to general life goals and personality traits, and predicted actual and prospective degree choices. We demonstrated that medical degrees were chosen due to a mixture of Helping and Career, while engineering degrees were associated with Career and low interest in the degree. The choice of art and humanities degrees was driven by Interest and low concern about future career, accompanied with high Loafing. We also demonstrated gender differences: females were high in Helping (both samples and Interest (only in undergraduate sample motivation, while males scored higher in Career (only in undergraduate sample and Loafing (both samples. The findings can feed into both theoretical accounts of proximal motivation as well as help to improve degree programmes at universities and provide better career advice.

Why do different people choose different university degrees? Motivation and the choice of degree.

Science.gov (United States)

Skatova, Anya; Ferguson, Eamonn

2014-01-01

Different people choose undergraduate degrees to study at university for different reasons. To date, there have been limited attempts to identify individual differences in motivation that drive undergraduate degree choice. We identified that people choose university degrees for four reasons: career concerns (Career), intrinsic interest in the subject (Interest), an opportunity to help others (Helping) and because they are looking for an easy option to get into higher education (Loafing). We investigated whether these motivations apply to the choice of undergraduate degree in two samples: (1) undergraduate (N = 989) and (2) prospective (N = 896) students. We developed the Motivations Influencing Course Choice (MICC) questionnaire to measure these motivations. Scales of Helping, Career, Loafing, and Interest showed good psychometric properties, showed validity with respect to general life goals and personality traits, and predicted actual and prospective degree choices. We demonstrated that medical degrees were chosen due to a mixture of Helping and Career, while engineering degrees were associated with Career and low Interest in the degree. The choice of arts and humanities degrees was driven by Interest and low concern about future career, accompanied with high Loafing. We also demonstrated gender differences: females were high in Helping (both samples) and Interest (only in the undergraduate sample) motivation, while males scored higher in Career (only in the undergraduate sample) and Loafing (both samples). The findings can feed into both theoretical accounts of proximal motivation as well as provide help to improve degree programmes at universities and support better career advice.

The Relationship of Relaxation Technique, Test Anxiety, Academic Stress, and Nursing Students Intention to Stay in a Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Program

Science.gov (United States)

Manansingh, Sherry

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of relaxation techniques among first semester Baccalaureate Degree nursing students' test anxiety and academic stress. Additionally, this study examined if there was a relationship among demographic characteristics of the respondents and test anxiety and academic stress. The pretest and posttest…

Prevalence of substance abuse among regular degree health science students in Sheba University College in Mekelle Town, Tigray - Ethiopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagos, Esietu Gebregazabher; Asfeha, Gebrekidan Gebregzabher; Berihu, Birhane Alem

2016-01-01

Substance abuse (SA) refers to the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs. The most common substances which are usually abused are alcohol and tobacco. Herein, we assessed the prevalence of SA among regular degree health science students of the Sheba University College (SUC). A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 1076 SUC students using self-administered structured questionnaire. The simple sampling technique was used to select students. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariate analysis were done. The overall prevalence of "ever used substance" for at least one was 45.5%. The most commonly used drugs in descending order were alcohol (25.1%), cigarette (11.4%), and khat (9.2%). Male participants, urban setting, peer pressure, personal pleasure, and academic dissatisfaction and pocket money were highly associated with SA. This study showed a lower magnitude (45.6% ever use and 21% still using) of SA among students' compared to other studies. Even if a considerable decrease in SA among study subjects, the creation of awareness and health education should be continued to fully combat the problem of abuse.

Improving the Comprehension of Students with Significant Developmental Disabilities: Systematic Instruction on the Steps for Completing and Using a Graphic Organizer

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Britt, Alexander P.

2015-01-01

A single-subject, multiple-baseline across participants design was used to examine the functional relation between systematic instruction and the ability to complete a graphic organizer and recall facts about informational texts by students with significant development disabilities. Four high school students enrolled in an adapted academic program…

Assessing medical students' self-regulation as aptitude in computer-based learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Hyuksoon S; Kalet, Adina L; Plass, Jan L

2011-03-01

We developed a Self-Regulation Measure for Computer-based learning (SRMC) tailored toward medical students, by modifying Zimmerman's Self-Regulated Learning Interview Schedule (SRLIS) for K-12 learners. The SRMC's reliability and validity were examined in 2 studies. In Study 1, 109 first-year medical students were asked to complete the SRMC. Bivariate correlation analysis results indicated that the SRMC scores had a moderate degree of correlation with student achievement in a teacher-developed test. In Study 2, 58 third-year clerkship students completed the SRMC. Regression analysis results indicated that the frequency of medical students' usage of self-regulation strategies was associated with their general clinical knowledge measured by a nationally standardized licensing exam. These two studies provided evidence for the reliability and concurrent validity of the SRMC to assess medical students' self-regulation as aptitude. Future work should provide evidence to guide and improve instructional design as well as inform educational policy.

Survey on prevention of depression and it relation to demographic indicators among high school students of Tehran, 1372-73

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Nourbala A

1996-07-01

Full Text Available In order to determine the prevalence of depression among high school students of Tehran, the Beck depression test questionnaire was distributed among 1478 students of Tehran 19 districts, using a methodical approach. Data gathered after completion of the forms showed the following results: 11.4% of the students were on the border line of affliction, 12.6% had a medium degree of disorder, 4.2% suffered from a severe level and 0.4% showed a much higher degree of depression. The older these students were, the more prevalent was the depression among them. The girls showed a higher degree of disorder than the boys at a 1.4 to 1 ratio. The lowest degree was found among students of mathematics, whereas the students of literature showed the highest level. The rate was much lower among students of Shahed schools than that observed among students of evening classes. The research showed no relationship between the students depression and their parents profession. However, the higher level of parents' education was associated with lower levels of depression among their children. Finally, lower levels of disorder was observed among residents of private housings in comparison to what was found among students residing in leased or mortgaged dwellings

The IB Diploma and UK University Degree Qualifications

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Frank-Gemmill, Gerda

2013-01-01

In recent years the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma has become widely accepted as a university-entry qualification in the UK, but there has been little quantitative research into the achievements of IB students at degree level. This study investigates IB students from one selective independent school who entered UK universities between…

Vasovagal syncope in medical students and their first-degree relatives.

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Serletis, Anna; Rose, Sarah; Sheldon, Aaron G; Sheldon, Robert S

2006-08-01

To determine the effect of family history on the likelihood of vasovagal syncope. Sixty-two medical students and 228 first-degree relatives were studied. Vasovagal syncope was ascertained with the Calgary syncope symptom score. The effects of the sex of the subject and parental syncope history on the likelihood of offspring fainting were described using Kaplan-Meier estimates and analysed using proportional hazards regression. The prevalence of vasovagal syncope was 32% and the median age of first faint in those who fainted was 14 years. More females than males fainted [42 vs. 31%; P=0.02; hazard ratio (HR) 1.34 (95% CI 1.07-1.68)]. An individual with two fainting parents was more likely to faint than one with no fainting parents [P<0.0001; HR 3.4 (95% CI 1.7-7.03)]. In the proportional hazards model, offspring of either sex whose mother faints are more likely to faint than those whose mother does not faint [HR 2.86 (95% CI 1.54-5.31)]. Having a father who faints significantly increases the risk of syncope in sons [HR 4.12 (95%CI 1.39-12.31)], but not in daughters [HR 1.18 (95% CI 0.56-3.34)]. Family history and sex of subject are important predictors of vasovagal syncope in offspring.

Minority Engineering Program Pipeline: A Proposal to Increase Minority Student Enrollment and Retention in Engineering

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Charity, Pamela C.; Klein, Paul B.; Wadhwa, Bhushan

1995-01-01

The Cleveland State University Minority Engineering Program Pipeline consist of programs which foster engineering career awareness, academic enrichment, and professional development for historically underrepresented minority studies. The programs involved are the Access to Careers in Engineering (ACE) Program for high school pre-engineering students: the LINK Program for undergraduate students pursuing degree which include engineering; and the PEP (Pre-calculus Enrichment Program) and EPIC (Enrichment Program in Calculus) mathematics programs for undergraduate academic enrichment. The pipeline is such that high school graduates from the ACE Program who enroll at Cleveland State University in pursuit of engineering degrees are admitted to the LINK Program for undergraduate level support. LINK Program students are among the minority participants who receive mathematics enrichment through the PEP and EPIC Programs for successful completion of their engineering required math courses. THese programs are interdependent and share the goal of preparing minority students for engineering careers by enabling them to achieve academically and obtain college degree and career related experience.

Academic climate, well-being and academic performance in a university degree course.

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Rania, Nadia; Siri, Anna; Bagnasco, Annamaria; Aleo, Giuseppe; Sasso, Loredana

2014-09-01

The psychological climate within organisations affects not only the behaviour and the attitude of group members, but also the performance of the group itself. According to the ecological model, this research examines how learning in different classroom contexts of the same nursing degree programme can affect academic performance, well-being, self-esteem and perceived climate. Four scales were used to assess students' perceptions by collecting primary data while academic performance was measured by obtaining students' academic records. A questionnaire completed by 391 first-year nursing students was administered. Differences were observed in the perceptions of climate and academic performance in different classroom contexts with trends, which did not always overlap; however, strong correlations were observed among self-esteem, well-being and climate, and schoolmate relationships. Universities should not merely train competent professionals but also build learning communities that support the well-being of relationships and the development of well-being contexts. The findings support the need for an educational intervention for improving the quality of life and well-being of the community and individual students. This type of intervention requires a 'compliant' organisational environment that puts studetns, teachers and professionals in the condition to practice their professional skills. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Expectations Compared of First-Year Students in Pre-School and Primary School Education Degrees at the University of Burgos in Relation to Characteristics and Practices in University Teaching most Desired

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Jaime IBÁÑEZ QUINTANA

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The intention of this work is to detect and analyse the desired characteristics and teaching practices that first year students will be taught in different subjects, comparing Pre-school with Primary Education degree at Burgos University. For that purpose, we have analysed data obtained from 120 surveys (60 others the Pre-school degree and 60 from the Primary Education degree, the surveys are based on the five basic aspects that we consider fundamental of a university education: personal and professional characteristics, evaluation, tutorial, information and communications technology (ICT and methodologies of education/learning. The results show that the student body values more the professional characteristics of its teaching staff than the personal ones; and the image transmitted by the teaching staff that uses ICT is always positive, creating a favourable opinion of his teaching, and the student body reaches to consider that ICTs are indispensable to nowadays education.

An examination of Chinese students'decision making behavior on the choice of UK University for a master’s degree

OpenAIRE

Liang, Junqing

2013-01-01

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the factors which can influence Chinese students’ intention to study in the UK for a master’s degree. Variables to be investigated include attitudes, subjective norms, internal control, external control, and intention. In addition, the effects of past experience were also examined. This dissertation employed questionnaire survey to collect primary data in both Chinese campus and UK campus of Nottingham University. A total of 100 students part...

Development of teaching materials on "Environmental risk assessment" in English for master students Double Degree program "Ecology and natural resource management"

OpenAIRE

Осипова, Нина Александровна; Матвеенко, Ирина Алексеевна

2014-01-01

The experience in development of learning package for teaching courses in joint Master curricula in English is presented. The developed teaching manuals on “Environmental Risk Assessment” in English for 347 Master students learning joint Double Degree Program of TPU and Paris-11 University reflects the international experience accumulated in this sphere taking into account the latest scientific achievements.

Peer tutoring program for academic success of returning nursing students.

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Bryer, Jennifer

2012-01-01

High attrition rates among students in associate degree nursing programs are a concern for faculty, administrators, and students. Programs offering academic and emotional support for students at risk for failing a clinical course may decrease attrition rates and improve academic performance. A peer tutoring program was developed for returning nursing students who were unsuccessful in a previous clinical course. Peer tutors met with returning students weekly to review course work, complete case studies and practice NCLEX questions. Trusting, supportive relationships developed among students and a significant increase in grades was noted at the end of the course for 79% of students. Implementation of peer tutoring was beneficial for returning students, tutors, and the nursing program and may be valuable in other courses where academic achievement is a concern.

Radiation protection enrollments and degrees, 1979 and 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gove, R.M.; Little, J.R.; Shirley, D.L.

1981-07-01

Public concern over the effects of low-level radiation and other aspects of the use of nuclear energy has grown in recent years, and the demand for radiation protection has continued to increase. Radiation Protection Enrollments and Degrees presents the results of the latest survey of institutions offering degree programs in this field. Students obtaining such degrees are vital to the development of industry, medicine, research, power production, construction, and agriculture. These surveys assist state and federal governments in their search for such personnel

Prevalence of substance abuse among regular degree health science students in Sheba University College in Mekelle Town, Tigray - Ethiopia

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Esietu Gebregazabher Hagos

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Substance abuse (SA refers to the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs. The most common substances which are usually abused are alcohol and tobacco. Herein, we assessed the prevalence of SA among regular degree health science students of the Sheba University College (SUC. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 1076 SUC students using self-administered structured questionnaire. The simple sampling technique was used to select students. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariate analysis were done. Results: The overall prevalence of “ever used substance” for at least one was 45.5%. The most commonly used drugs in descending order were alcohol (25.1%, cigarette (11.4%, and khat (9.2%. Male participants, urban setting, peer pressure, personal pleasure, and academic dissatisfaction and pocket money were highly associated with SA. Conclusion: This study showed a lower magnitude (45.6% ever use and 21% still using of SA among students' compared to other studies. Even if a considerable decrease in SA among study subjects, the creation of awareness and health education should be continued to fully combat the problem of abuse.

[Abandonment of nursing courses: a survey regarding the motivations which lead the students to the abandonment of the nursing degree course].

Science.gov (United States)

Destrobecq, Anne; Destefani, Chiara; Sponton, Anna

2008-01-01

The Authors made a survey regarding the motivations which make the students leave the nursing degree course (NDC). The statistical data regarding the abandonment of university courses in Italy say that a 19/20% of the students leave the courses. As regards the whole University of Milan, the amount of those students (18,3%) lays under the national average. The authors made a survey about the motivations which lead the students of nursing to the abandonment of their academic path; via the offices of the nursing schools they collected the telephone numbers of the students enroled between 2000 and 2006, then they made a structured telephonic interview. An 87,7% of the interviewed students said that he/she had abandoned during the first year; the motivations are the following, in order of frequency: Too much engagement (30.1%), Other (26%), this item offers several answers, for example pregnancy, emotive problems, personal problems, Change of the academic path (23,3%) Expectations Disappointment (12,4%), Economic problems (8.2%). The survey is qualitative; it wants to be a first-step study to deeply analyze a topic of major interest in the field of nursing courses management.

Skills learned through professional internships can contribute to higher confidence in students

Science.gov (United States)

Tamalavage, A.

2014-12-01

Through completing an internship, a student has the opportunity to learn skills that may not be typically emphasized in the classroom. Students can create a unique professional identity by participating in internships that may be relevant to their career path. The diversity of internships can also allow a student to try an experience in a job that may be away from their assumed career trajectory, contributing to students finding where their skills could fit best. I have learned a core set of skills that have supported my transition from an undergraduate degree through two internships in both a non-profit organization and an oil and gas company. This presentation will include an analysis of the project management and communication skills that have given me "real-world" experience to understand what skills could be useful in pursuing a career in the Earth sciences. I believed that participation in clubs, mentoring assignments, and classes abroad during my undergraduate were fully providing me with the fundamental skills to enter the professional job market. Although I did learn time management, facilitation and collaboration, I did not fully gauge the necessity of a crucial understanding of these skills in the workplace. My skills using collaborative work have strengthened most since finishing my undergraduate degree. Through group work at each of my internships, I learned clear communication, management, respect, financial responsibility and how to fulfill an obligation towards a common goal. Without strengthening those skills, I do not think I would be pursuing a graduate degree in the Earth sciences with confidence. The essential skills I have learned have furthered my assurance to approach a problem with certainty when developing a hypothesis, seeking help from others, and developing a solution. This presentation will suggest further research and how specific feedback can be gathered from other Earth science students who have completed internships. With further

Early Mentoring of Medical Students and Junior Doctors on a Path to Academic Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Fricke, Tyson A; Lee, Melissa G Y; Brink, Johann; d'Udekem, Yves; Brizard, Christian P; Konstantinov, Igor E

2018-01-01

In 2005 the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at The Royal Children's Hospital started an early academic mentoring program for medical students and junior doctors with the aim of fostering an interest in academic surgery. Between 2005 and 2015, 37 medical students and junior doctors participated in research in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at The Royal Children's Hospital. Each was given an initial project on which to obtain ethics approval, perform a literature review, data collection, statistical analysis, and prepare a manuscript for publication. A search of the names of these former students and doctors was conducted on PubMed to identify publications. A total of 113 journal articles were published in peer-reviewed journals with an average impact factor of 4.1 (range, 1.1 to 19.9). Thirty (30 of 37, 81%) published at least one article. A mean of 4.3 journal articles was published per student or junior doctor (range, 0 to 29). Eleven (11 of 37, 30%) received scholarships for their research. Nine (9 of 37, 24%) have completed or are enrolled in higher research degrees with a cardiothoracic surgery focus. Of these 9, 2 have completed doctoral degrees while in cardiothoracic surgery training. Five will complete their cardiothoracic surgery training with a doctoral degree and the other 2 are pursuing training in cardiology. A successful early academic mentoring program in a busy cardiothoracic surgery unit is feasible. Mentoring of motivated individuals in academic surgery benefits not only their medical career, but also helps maintain high academic output of the unit. Copyright © 2018 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Students' voices: the lived experience of faculty incivility as a barrier to professional formation in associate degree nursing education.

Science.gov (United States)

Del Prato, Darlene

2013-03-01

Nursing faculty play an important role in constructing learning environments that foster the positive formation of future nurses. The students' construction of a nursing identity is grounded in social interactions with faculty and is shaped by values and norms learned in both the formal and informal curriculum. The informal curriculum is communicated in faculty teaching practices and relationships established with students. To acquire an understanding of the students' lived experience in associate degree nursing education and identify educational practices that support students' professional formation. A phenomenological design was chosen to study the lived experience of nursing education. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 participants. Five students participated in second interviews for a total of 18 interviews. Symbolic interactionism guided data analysis. Participants represented three ADN programs in the northeastern U.S. and were diverse in terms of gender and age and to a lesser extent race, and sexual orientation. Faculty incivility included demeaning experiences, subjective evaluation, rigid expectations, and targeting and weeding out practices. Targeting practices contributed to a perceived focus on clinical evaluation and inhibited clinical learning. Faculty incivility hindered professional formation by interfering with learning, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and confidence. Faculty who model professional values in the formal and hidden curriculum contribute to the positive formation of future nurses. Nursing faculty should be formally prepared as educators to establish respectful, connected relationships with students. Faculty should role model professional values, deemphasize their evaluative role, provide constructive formative feedback, and remain open to the student's potential for growth. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Student and Faculty Outcomes of Undergraduate Science Research Projects by Geographically Dispersed Students

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Lawton Shaw

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Senior undergraduate research projects are important components of most undergraduate science degrees. The delivery of such projects in a distance education format is challenging. Athabasca University (AU science project courses allow distance education students to complete research project courses by working with research supervisors in their local area, coordinated at a distance by AU faculty. This paper presents demographics and course performance for 155 students over five years. Pass rates were similar to other distance education courses. Research students were surveyed by questionnaire, and external supervisors and AU faculty were interviewed, to examine the outcomes of these project courses for each group. Students reported high levels of satisfaction with the course, local supervisors, and faculty coordinators. Students also reported that the experience increased their interest in research, and the probability that they would pursue graduate or additional certification. Local supervisors and faculty affirmed that the purposes of project courses are to introduce the student to research, provide opportunity for students to use their cumulative knowledge, develop cognitive abilities, and independent thinking. The advantages and challenges associated with this course model are discussed.

Understanding the Prevalence of Geo-Like Degree Programs at Minority Serving Institutions

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McDaris, J. R.; Manduca, C. A.; Larsen, K.

2014-12-01

Over the decade 2002-12, the percentage of students from underrepresented minorities (URM) graduating with geoscience degrees has increased by 50%. In 2012, of the nearly 6,000 geoscience Bachelor's degrees, 8% were awarded to students from URM. But that same year across all of STEM, 18% of Bachelors went to these students, and URM made up 30% of the US population overall. Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) play an important role in increasing the diversity of geoscience graduates where there are appropriate degree programs or pathways to programs. To better understand opportunities at these institutions, the InTeGrate project collected information on degree programs at MSIs. A summer 2013 survey of websites for three types of MSIs confirmed that, while stand-alone Geology, Geoscience, or Environmental Science departments are present, there are a larger number of degree programs that include elements of geoscience or related disciplines (geography, GIS, etc.) offered in interdisciplinary departments (e.g. Natural Sciences and Math) or cognate science departments (Physics, Engineering, etc.). Approximately one-third of Hispanic Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges and one-fifth of Historically Black Colleges and Universities offer at least one degree that includes elements of geoscience. The most common programs were Geology and Environmental Science (94 and 88 degrees respectively), but 21 other types of program were also found. To better profile the nature of these programs, 11 interviews were conducted focusing on strategies for attracting, supporting, and preparing minority students for the workforce. In conjunction with the February 2014 Broadening Access to the Earth and Environmental Sciences workshop, an additional 6 MSI profiles were obtained as well as 22 profiles from non-MSIs. Several common strategies emerge: Proactive marketing and outreach to local high schools and two-year colleges Community building, mentoring and advising, academic support

Using debate to teach pharmacy students about ethical issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanna, Lezley-Anne; Barry, Johanne; Donnelly, Ryan; Hughes, Fiona; Jones, David; Laverty, Garry; Parsons, Carole; Ryan, Cristin

2014-04-17

To create, implement, and evaluate debate as a method of teaching pharmacy undergraduate students about ethical issues. Debate workshops with 5 hours of contact with student peers and facilitators and 5 hours of self-study were developed for second-year pharmacy students. Student development of various skills and understanding of the topic were assessed by staff members and student peers. One hundred fifty students completed the workshops. The mean score for debating was 25.9 out of 30, with scores ranging from 23.2 to 28.7. Seventy percent of students agreed that the debates were a useful teaching method in the degree program. A series of workshops using debates effectively delivered course content on ethical issues and resulted in pharmacy students developing skills such as teamwork, peer assessment, communication, and critical evaluation. These findings suggest that pharmacy students respond favorably to a program using debates as a teaching tool.

Marketing and Retention Strategies for Adult Degree Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Joann A.

2004-01-01

Four marketing strategies are critical to the success of adult degree programs: integrating marketing, knowing your students (research), shaping programs and services for adults, and staying the course (retention).

Learning Analytics and Digital Badges: Potential Impact on Student Retention in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Mah, Dana-Kristin

2016-01-01

Learning analytics and digital badges are emerging research fields in educational science. They both show promise for enhancing student retention in higher education, where withdrawals prior to degree completion remain at about 30% in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries. This integrative review provides an…

Reply to "Comment on "Benefits of Completing Homework for Students with Different Aptitudes in an Introductory Electricity and Magnetism Course""

Science.gov (United States)

Kontur, F. J.; de La Harpe, K.; Terry, N. B.

2016-01-01

We reply to Rieger, Reinsberg, and Wieman's forgoing Comment [Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., Comment on "Benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory electricity and magnetism course" 12, 028001 (2016)].

Learning based on library automation in mobile devices: The video production by students of Universidade Federal do Cariri Library Science Undergraduate Degree

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David Vernon VIEIRA

Full Text Available Abstract The video production for learning has been evident over the last few years especially when it involves aspects of the application of hardware and software for automation spaces. In Librarianship Undergraduate Degrees the need for practical learning focused on the knowledge of the requirements for library automation demand on teacher to develop an educational content to enable the student to learn through videos in order to increase the knowledge about information technology. Thus, discusses the possibilities of learning through mobile devices in education reporting an experience that took place with students who entered in March, 2015 (2015.1 Bachelor Degree in Library Science from the Universidade Federal do Cariri (Federal University of Cariri in state of Ceará, Brazil. The literature review includes articles publicated in scientific journals and conference proceedings and books in English, Portuguese and Spanish on the subject. The methodology with quantitative and qualitative approach includes an exploratory study, where the data collection was used online survey to find out the experience of the elaboration of library automation videos by students who studied in that course. The learning experience using mobile devices for recording of technological environments of libraries allowed them to be produced 25 videos that contemplated aspects of library automation having these actively participated in production of the video and its publication on the Internet.

Dual degree partnership in nursing: an innovative undergraduate educational model.

Science.gov (United States)

Bastable, Susan B; Markowitz, Marianne

2012-10-01

We report the success of a unique articulation Dual Degree Partnership in Nursing (DDPN) model. The process used to establish and implement this approach is described. Unlike typical 2+2 agreements between associate degree (AD) and bachelor degree (BS) nursing education programs, the DDPN is designed with a 1+2+1 sequence. Intended to attract high school students, this model provides the opportunity to earn two degrees (AD and BS) while experiencing a 4-year campus living and learning environment. This configuration was accomplished without compromising the integrity of either of the established programs. After collecting data over the past 6 years, this model demonstrates popularity with the traditional-aged student, as well as success from an academic perspective. Statistics on retention, graduation, and NCLEX® pass rates indicate the feasibility and success of the model. Based on the findings, the potential for replication is promising for other colleges interested in a similar collaboration. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Medical student sexuality: how sexual experience and sexuality training impact U.S. and Canadian medical students' comfort in dealing with patients' sexuality in clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Shindel, Alan W; Ando, Kathryn A; Nelson, Christian J; Breyer, Benjamin N; Lue, Tom F; Smith, James F

2010-08-01

To determine factors associated with students' comfort in addressing patients' sexuality in the clinical context. The authors invited students enrolled in MD-degree-granting and osteopathic medical schools in the United States and Canada to participate in an anonymous Internet survey between February and July 2008. The survey assessed ethnodemographic factors and sexual history. Respondents also completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Male respondents completed the International Index of Erectile Function and the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool. Female respondents completed the Female Sexual Function Index and the Index of Sex Life. The authors used descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and multivariable logistic regression to analyze responses. The authors' analyses included 2,261 completed survey responses: 910 from men, 1,343 from women, and 8 from individuals who self-identified as "other" gendered. Over 53% of respondents (n = 1,206) stated that they felt they had not received sufficient training in medical school to address sexual concerns clinically. Despite this, 81% of students (n = 1,827) reported feeling comfortable dealing with their patients' sexuality issues. Students with limited sexual experience, students at risk for sexual problems, and students who felt that they had not been trained adequately were less likely to report being comfortable talking to patients about sexual health issues. Perception of inadequate sexuality training in medical school and personal issues pertaining to sex may be associated with students' difficulty in addressing patients' sexuality. Adequate training is preeminently associated with feeling comfortable addressing patients' sexuality and should be a priority for medical education.

Online learning in speech and language therapy: Student performance and attitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Upton, Dominic

2006-03-01

Behavioural studies form an essential component of the Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) undergraduate degree. This study aimed to produce online teaching material in behavioural studies suitable for undergraduate SLT students, explore students' views on the online material, record their performance when taught through this innovative method and compare their performance to a group taught through the traditional lecture based method. Finally, it aimed to explore the relationship between engagement with the module and performance. SLT students completed an online health psychology/sociology module and their performance was compared to students who completed a traditional lecture based course. Student evaluations of the online course were also recorded as was their engagement with the online module. Results suggested that there was no significant difference between students taught through an online medium compared to those taught through "traditional lectures". An evaluation survey suggested that students appeared to enjoy the material although there was some reluctance to develop an independent learning style. Online learning has a great deal to offer SLT education. However, material has to be developed that can both engage and motivate learners, thereby enhancing student independent learning.

Design-based research and doctoral students: Guidelines for preparing a dissertation proposal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herrington, Jan; Montgomerie, C.; McKenney, Susan; Seale, J.; Reeves, Thomas C.; Oliver, Ron

2007-01-01

At first glance, design-based research may appear to be such a long-term and intensive approach to educational inquiry that doctoral students, most of whom expect to complete their Ph.D. degree in 4-5 years, should not attempt to adopt this approach for their doctoral dissertations. In this paper,

CONCEPT OF DIRECTION: WHAT DO STUDENTS OF A MASTER’S DEGREE SAY? / CONCEITO DE DIREÇÃO: O QUE DIZEM MESTRANDOS A RESPEITO?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Carlos Pinto Leivas

2013-10-01

Full Text Available This paper approaches a qualitative study with seven students of a master’s degree. The aim was to investigate how knowledge theirs about the concept of direction in mathematics. The investigation occurred when started the discipline where one of the researchers is the holder. On this discipline we study Linear Algebra and Analytic Geometry. We proposed three open questions without answer choices for the students answer freely. The results showed that students relate the concept basically to vectors and they confuse with sense and they don’t emphasizing geometric aspects involved. None of the students related the concept of direction as something existing in a common bundle of parallel lines, or tangent to a curve or tangent plane to a surface. The article suggests some possibilities for relate direction with others topics in geometry.

Adolescent obesity and future college degree attainment.

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Fowler-Brown, Angela G; Ngo, Long H; Phillips, Russell S; Wee, Christina C

2010-06-01

The current impact of adolescent obesity on educational attainment is not clear. The objectives of our study were to determine whether adolescent obesity is associated with college degree attainment and how this association may have changed over time. We used data from a contemporary national cohort of over 4,000 persons who were adolescents (aged 14-18) in 1997 to assess the relationship between adolescent obesity and education. To assess for changes in this relationship over time, we also analyzed an older, similarly structured cohort of over 3,000 persons who were adolescents (aged 16-18) in 1981. Our primary outcome was college degree completion. We found that in the older cohort (adolescents in 1979), there were no differences in college degree attainment by adolescent weight status before and after adjustment. However, unadjusted analysis of the contemporary cohort (adolescents in 1997) demonstrated that those who were normal weight as adolescents had a higher prevalence of college degree attainment at follow-up compared to obese adolescents (24% vs. 10%). After adjustment for socio-demographic variables (age, sex, race, height, parental income-to-poverty ratio, parental education, aptitude test scores), obese adolescents were less likely to have attained a college degree compared to normal weight peers (adjusted risk ratio 0.61 95% confidence interval 0.38-0.83). Expectations for a future college degree did not vary by weight status and did not explain this observation. In conclusion, adolescent obesity is associated with lower likelihood of college completion. This relationship was not observed in an older cohort of adolescents.

teachers say reading and writing in a university degree in the colombian caribbean.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Manuel Cárdenas Cárdenas

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Literacy practices in higher education: what students andThis article is the result of a survey conducted in 10 degrees in a University Colombian Caribbean whose general purpose was to describe, interpret and understand the literacy practices that take place in these degrees. To achieve this article was taken into account one aspect that research in general was conceived as the first specific objective. This aspect refers to the conceptions which teachers and students of the degrees on the teaching and learning of reading and writing academic texts in college. The study usually takes as a theoretical concept of academic literacy. Data collected through classroom observations, also came from surveys and interviews with students and teachers of the degrees. The results of the investigation determined that the teaching and learning of reading and writing in the undergraduate classroom is very limited. The development of pedagogical and didactic classes lacks reading and writing practices. 

A qualitative study of motivation in Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) precollege students

Science.gov (United States)

Yatchmeneff, Michele

The dramatic underrepresentation of Alaska Natives in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees and professions calls for rigorous research in how students access these fields. Research has shown that students who complete advanced mathematics and science courses while in high school are more academically prepared to pursue and succeed in STEM degree programs and professions. There is limited research on what motivates precollege students to become more academically prepared before they graduate from high school. In Alaska, Alaska Native precollege students regularly underperform on required State of Alaska mathematics and science exams when compared to non-Alaska Native students. Research also suggests that different things may motivate Alaska Native students than racial majority students. Therefore there is a need to better understand what motivates Alaska Native students to take and successfully complete advanced mathematics and science courses while in high school so that they are academically prepared to pursue and succeed in STEM degrees and professions. The Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) is a longitudinal STEM educational enrichment program that works with Alaska Native students starting in middle school through doctoral degrees and further professional endeavors. Research suggests that Alaska Native students participating in ANSEP are completing STEM degrees at higher rates than before the program was available. ANSEP appears to be unique due to its longitudinal approach and the large numbers of Alaska Native precollege, university, and graduate students it supports. ANSEP provides precollege students with opportunities to take advanced high school and college-level mathematics and science courses and complete STEM related projects. Students work and live together on campus during the program components. Student outcome data suggests that ANSEP has been successful at motivating precollege participants to

The End of the Botany Degree in the UK

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Drea, Sinead

2011-01-01

The last student enrolled in a pure "Botany" degree in the UK began in the University of Bristol this year, 2010. In recent years only the University of Reading also offered the Botany degree, before it was dropped there 3 years ago. This short article is written to draw attention to this fact and to a more general relative decline in…

Flexner 2.0—Longitudinal Study of Student Participation in a Campus-Wide General Pathology Course for Graduate Students at The University of Arizona

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Margaret M. Briehl PhD

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Faculty members from the Department of Pathology at The University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson have offered a 4-credit course on enhanced general pathology for graduate students since 1996. The course is titled, “Mechanisms of Human Disease.” Between 1997 and 2016, 270 graduate students completed Mechanisms of Human Disease. The students came from 21 programs of study. Analysis of Variance, using course grade as the dependent and degree, program, gender, and year (1997-2016 as independent variables, indicated that there was no significant difference in final grade (F = 0.112; P = .8856 as a function of degree (doctorate: mean = 89.60, standard deviation = 5.75; master’s: mean = 89.34, standard deviation = 6.00; certificate program: mean = 88.64, standard deviation = 8.25, specific type of degree program (F = 2.066, P = .1316; life sciences: mean = 89.95, standard deviation = 6.40; pharmaceutical sciences: mean = 90.71, standard deviation = 4.57; physical sciences: mean = 87.79, standard deviation = 5.17, or as a function of gender (F = 2.96, P = .0865; males: mean = 88.09, standard deviation = 8.36; females: mean = 89.58, standard deviation = 5.82. Students in the physical and life sciences performed equally well. Mechanisms of Human Disease is a popular course that provides students enrolled in a variety of graduate programs with a medical school-based course on mechanisms of diseases. The addition of 2 new medically oriented Master of Science degree programs has nearly tripled enrollment. This graduate level course also potentially expands the interdisciplinary diversity of participants in our interprofessional education and collaborative practice exercises.

Brief 74 Nuclear Engineering Enrollments and Degrees Survey, 2014 Data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2015-03-15

The 2014 survey includes degrees granted between September 1, 2013 and August 31, 2014, and enrollments for fall 2014. There are three academic programs new to this year's survey. Thirty-five academic programs reported having nuclear engineering programs during 2014, and data were provided by all thirty-five. The enrollments and degrees data include students majoring in nuclear engineering or in an option program equivalent to a major. Two nuclear engineering programs have indicated that health physics option enrollments and degrees are also reported in the health physics enrollments and degrees survey.

Underrepresented Racial/Ethnic Minority Graduate Students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Disciplines: A Cross Institutional Analysis of their Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Figueroa, Tanya

Considering the importance of a diverse science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) research workforce for our country's future, it is troubling that many underrepresented racial minority (URM) students start graduate STEM programs, but do not finish. However, some institutional contexts better position students for degree completion than others. The purpose of this study was to uncover the academic and social experiences, power dynamics, and programmatic/institutional structures URM students face within their graduate STEM programs that hinder or support degree progression. Using a critical socialization framework applied in a cross-comparative qualitative study, I focused on how issues of race, ethnicity, and underrepresentation within the educational contexts shape students' experiences. Data was collected from focus group interviews involving 53 URM graduate students pursuing STEM disciplines across three institution types -- a Predominately White Institution, a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and a Historically Black University. Results demonstrate that when students' relationships with faculty advisors were characterized by benign neglect, students felt lost, wasted time and energy making avoidable mistakes, had less positive views of their experiences, and had more difficulty progressing through classes or research, which could cause them to delay time to degree completion or to leave with a master's degree. Conversely, faculty empowered students when they helped them navigate difficult processes/milestones with regular check-ins, but also allowed students room to make decisions and solve problems independently. Further, faculty set the tone for the overall interactional culture and helping behavior in the classroom and lab contexts; where faculty modeled collaboration and concern for students, peers were likely to do the same. International peers sometimes excluded domestic students both socially and academically, which had a negative affect on

Comment on "Benefits of Completing Homework for Students with Different Aptitudes in an Introductory Electricity and Magnetism Course"

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Rieger, G. W.; Reinsberg, S. A.; Wieman, C. E.

2016-01-01

We present a comment on "Benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory electricity and magnetism course", by F. J. Kontur, K. de La Harpe, and N. B. Terry PRST-PER 11, 010105 (2015). Our data show that the conclusions Kontur and coworkers draw from their data may not be generally applicable.

Unequal Partnerships in Higher Education: Pedagogic Innovations in an Electronics within Physics Degree Course

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Maddalena Taras

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This cross-European research partnership reports on supporting pro-active learning and teaching. The two-part project firstly explored student beliefs about electronics within a physics degree and secondly, the use of peer assessment of a Mathematica notebook to develop understandings of standards and quality. Student beliefs were explored because of the negative perceptions tutors thought students brought to the Engineering course within the Physics degree. The results showed that tutors’ fears were unfounded and that the students were highly motivated. Secondly, through peer assessment of a notebook, students developed critical understandings of standards and quality. Generally, students valued the content support and appreciated both the work of their peer and how this helped their own understanding.

The Effects of Automated Prompting and Self-Monitoring on Homework Completion for a Student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

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Blicha, Amy; Belfiore, Phillip J.

2013-01-01

This study examined the effects of an intervention consisting of automated prompting and self-monitoring on the level of independent homework task completion for an elementary-age student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Instituting a single subject, within series ABAB design, the results showed a consistent increase and…

Identifying and Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Online Students in Higher Education

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Barr, Bonny

2014-01-01

89% of colleges and universities in the United States offer online courses and of those institutions 58% offer degree programs that are completely online (Parker, Lenhart & Moore, 2011).Providing online student services is an important component of these distance programs and is often required by accrediting bodies. Health and wellness…

Characteristics of regents college nontraditional nuclear technology degrees

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeSain, G.W.

1989-01-01

In 1971, the Board of Regents of The University of The State of New York created Regents College Degrees to assess academic knowledge of working adults and award college degrees based on demonstrated knowledge rather than time spent in a college classroom. It was founded on a basic premise that seemed radical to some but which is now widely accepted: What a person knows is more important than how or where that knowledge was acquired. Regents College degrees, therefore, are a different concept of a college: one that is an assessing institution rather than a teaching institution. It has no campus and offers no courses. Students can combine college credits from a variety of different sources int an accredited degree program. Staff and faculty evaluate that credit according to the requirements of the particular degree program. When all requirements are met, the Board or Regents of The University of The State of New York confers the degree

Vocational School Students' Information and Communication Technology Self-Efficacy Beliefs and the Factors Affecting Their Use of Such a Technology

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Turel, Vehbi; Calik, Sinan; Doganer, Adem

2015-01-01

The purpose of vocational schools (VSs) in Turkey, which offer two-year degree courses, is to provide the students who have completed a high school programme successfully with practical introductory experience in skilled trades such as computing, electronics, mechanics, carpentry, construction, field crops, and so on. Those who complete a two-year…

New Careers in Nursing: Optimizing Diversity and Student Success for the Future of Nursing.

Science.gov (United States)

DeWitty, Vernell P; Huerta, Carolina G; Downing, Christine A

2016-01-01

In 2008, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation collaborated with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to create the New Careers in Nursing (NCIN) scholarship program. Two goals of the program were to alleviate the nursing shortage and to increase diversity of the workforce. During this 7-year program (i.e., seven funding cycles), 130 schools of nursing in 41 states and the District of Columbia were selected as grantees, and they awarded 3,517 scholarships to second-degree accelerated nursing students who were members of groups underrepresented in nursing or who were economically disadvantaged. This article describes the demographic characteristics of the NCIN students, degree of satisfaction with their learning environment, perceptions of their mentoring experiences, and self-identified facilitators and barriers to program completion. Data sources for this article resulted from three surveys completed by scholars during their academic programs: the beginning, the midpoint, and within 6 months postgraduate. Results of analysis indicated that NCIN scholars are significantly more diverse compared with the national nurse population, and they reported high levels of satisfaction with their learning environments. Student relationships with peers and faculty improved during the period of program enrollment. Faculty support was the greatest facilitator for program completion, and competing priorities of finances and family responsibilities were the greatest challenges. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal Predictors of High School Completion

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Barry, Melissa; Reschly, Amy L.

2012-01-01

This longitudinal study examined predictors of dropout assessed in elementary school. Student demographic data, achievement, attendance, and ratings of behavior from the Behavior Assessment System for Children were used to predict dropout and completion. Two models, which varied on student sex and race, predicted dropout at rates ranging from 75%…

Degree-degree correlations in random graphs with heavy-tailed degrees

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofstad, van der R.W.; Litvak, N.

2014-01-01

Mixing patterns in large self-organizing networks, such as the Internet, the World Wide Web, social, and biological networks are often characterized by degree-degree dependencies between neighboring nodes. In assortative networks, the degree-degree dependencies are positive (nodes with similar

Degree-Degree Dependencies in Random Graphs with Heavy-Tailed Degrees

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Hofstad, Remco; Litvak, Nelly

2014-01-01

Mixing patterns in large self-organizing networks, such as the Internet, the World Wide Web, social, and biological networks are often characterized by degree-degree dependencies between neighboring nodes. In assortative networks, the degree-degree dependencies are positive (nodes with similar

Produção científica dos alunos egressos do curso de especialização da Universidade Estadual de Londrina Scientific production of students who completed the specialist degree course in the State University of Londrina

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Maria Cristina Marquezine

2006-04-01

was deemed necessary to revise the curriculum according to scientific parameters, it was suggested that the assessment of the students' scientific production should be one of the steps in the revision process. Since one of the objectives in the course was training teachers as researchers, it was decided that the study should analyze not only the students' scientific production (final papers, but also the development of their production process (theme choice, student's academic history, resonance with course proposal, correlation to student's professional career, or changes in task performance considering the aims of the study. The source of the data analyzed was the final papers written from 1987 to 2002 by 143 students who got their Specialist Degree in Special Education. The instrument used for collecting data was a form where information of various kinds was registered: general information to enable identification of the paper, name of supervisor, objectives, theme, target population, the context where the study was undertaken, type of research, type of references used in the research, and the publication date of the literature reviewed. The results showed that the research papers were developed mainly in schools, with special students, evenly divided between survey-type research and intervention-type research. The most common themes were investigations related to teaching procedures. All results were discussed.

[New ways of higher education in nursing: globalisation of nursing leadership and its teaching--dual degree in nursing].

Science.gov (United States)

Pop, Marcel; Hollós, Sándor; Vingender, István; Mészáros, Judit

2009-03-08

Our paper is presenting a new initiative regarding an international cooperation willing to develop a dual degree program in nursing, the so-called Transatlantic Curriculum in Nursing. The candidates--after successful completion of their studies--will get a European and an American partner diploma in nursing. The objective is to prepare an internationally and culturally competent workforce; develop the practice of nursing students' exchange programs; process the model of dual degree independent of geographical, political or cultural borders; spread the evidence-based nursing standards in the daily practice. The partners in this initiative are Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, Nazareth College of Rochester, NY, USA and Laurea University in Tikkurila, Finland. The planned activities in the framework of the program: mutual student and staff mobility, joint curriculum development and teaching process, determining joint standards. The expected outcomes are: to develop a standardised model for the enhancement and implementation of international educational programs in nursing; to improve institutional work culture; to improve professional terminology and cultural abilities; to create the model of a new type of nursing professional having a high level of cultural and language competence which are indispensable for participating in global programs.

[Doctoral thesis projects for medical students? Retrospective estimation of the fraction of successfully completed medical doctoral thesis projects at Witten/Herdecke University].

Science.gov (United States)

Scharfenberg, Janna; Schaper, Katharina; Krummenauer, Frank

2014-01-01

The German "Dr med" plays a specific role in doctoral thesis settings since students may start the underlying doctoral project during their studies at medical school. If a Medical Faculty principally encourages this approach, then it should support the students in performing the respective projects as efficiently as possible. Consequently, it must be ensured that students are able to implement and complete a doctoral project in parallel to their studies. As a characteristic efficiency feature of these "Dr med" initiatives, the proportion of doctoral projects successfully completed shortly after graduating from medical school is proposed and illustrated. The proposed characteristic can be estimated by the time period between the state examination (date of completion of the qualifying medical examination) and the doctoral examination. Completion of the doctoral project "during their medical studies" was then characterised by a doctoral examination no later than 12 months after the qualifying medical state examination. To illustrate the estimation and interpretation of this characteristic, it was retrospectively estimated on the basis of the full sample of all doctorates successfully completed between July 2009 and June 2012 at the Department of Human Medicine at the Faculty of Health of the University of Witten/Herdecke. During the period of investigation defined, a total number of 56 doctoral examinations were documented, 30 % of which were completed within 12 months after the qualifying medical state examination (95% confidence interval 19 to 44 %). The median duration between state and doctoral examination was 27 months. The proportion of doctoral projects completed parallel to the medical studies increased during the investigation period from 14 % in the first year (July 2009 till June 2010) to 40 % in the third year (July 2011 till June 2012). Only about a third of all "Dr med" projects at the Witten/Herdecke Faculty of Health were completed during or close to

Degree Compass: The Preferred Choice Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Whitten, Leah S.; Sanders, Anthony R.; Stewart, J. Gary

2013-01-01

While engaged in academic reading, a college provost converged on an idea to use a preferential approach to students' selection of college courses, similar to the recommendation ideas based on Netflix and Amazon. The result of this idea came to be known as Degree Compass and was implemented on the campus of Austin Peay State University in 2011.…

The Value of a College Degree

Science.gov (United States)

Rose, Stephen

2013-01-01

Although parents, high school students, and most civic leaders in this country and around the world see a college degree as important, this perspective has been attacked over the last five years. Once the Great Recession began in December 2007, there were far fewer good jobs available for new college graduates. The soaring price of college had…

A Study of the Significant Factors That Affect the Job Placement Rates of Students Who Have Completed a HERO Program. Year 2 Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Instructional Development and Evaluation Associates, Inc., Berkeley, MI.

A three-year study examined the significant factors that affect the job placement rates of students completing a Home Economics Related Occupations (HERO) program. Other purposes of the study were to develop and pilot test a model that could be used to determine factors related to student placement in a variety of vocational education programs and…

A Study of the Significant Factors That Affect the Job Placement Rates of Students Who Have Completed a HERO Program. Year Summary Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Instructional Development and Evaluation Associates, Inc., Berkeley, MI.

A three-year study examined the significant factors that affect the job placement rates of students completing a Home Economics Related Occupations (HERO) program. Other purposes of the study were to develop and pilot test a model that could be used to determine factors related to student placement in a variety of vocational education programs and…

Acknowledging and adapting to dietetic students' changing needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Lordly, Daphne; MacLellan, Debbie

2008-01-01

Various societal influences have shaped the way dietetic students view and react to current educational situations. Students' perspectives were sought on conditions that caused stress in the educational environment, what they thought educators did not understand about them, and changes their faculty or preceptors had made to address their needs. Third- and fourth-year university students, interns in their final rotations, and master's degree students completed a questionnaire (n=284). Several stressors were identified: thinking about getting a job as a dietitian, lack of finances or debt, competing for internship positions, the ability to meet program demands, and envisioning the area in which they would specialize. The qualitative analysis highlighted gaps in understanding between students and educators. Gaps concerned student finances, the evaluation process, inflexible undergraduate and internship structures, competition among students, ineffective communication, and finding a balance between academics and other competing interests. A conflict exists between what students expect as part of their educational experience and what they actually experience. Students appreciated educators who engaged them in the learning process and recognized the realities of their lives.

Prefrontal hemodynamic responses and the degree of flow experience among occupational therapy students during their performance of a cognitive task

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Kazuki Hirao

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Although flow experience is positively associated with motivation to learn, the biological basis of flow experience is poorly understood. Accumulation of evidence on the underlying brain mechanisms related to flow is necessary for a deeper understanding of the motivation to learn. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between flow experience and brain function using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS during the performance of a cognitive task. Methods: Sixty right-handed occupational therapy (OT students participated in this study. These students performed a verbal fluency test (VFT while 2-channel NIRS was used to assess changes in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration (oxygenated hemoglobin [oxy-Hb] in the prefrontal cortex. Soon after that, the OT students answered the flow questionnaire (FQ to assess the degree of flow experience during the VFT. Results: Average oxy-Hb in the prefrontal cortex had a significant negative correlation with the satisfaction scores on the FQ. Conclusion: Satisfaction during the flow experience correlated with prefrontal hemodynamic suppression. This finding may assist in understanding motivation to learn and related flow experience.

A study of an ethics education topic for undergraduate nursing students.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalaitzidis, Evdokia; Schmitz, Karl

2012-01-01

The study aims to explore nursing students' perceptions of the relative value of various aspects of the ethical component of the undergraduate topic, 'Ethics and Law applied to Nursing' (topic NURS2104). To enable time for reflection on ethics in nursing, sampling occurred 1 year after successful completion of the above-mentioned topic and after successful completion of all but the final clinical experience components of the Bachelor of Nursing (BN) degree. A significant proportion of respondents perceived ethics education as relevant to professional practices. It is also noteworthy that the ethical decision-making strategies that had been incorporated into the topic (NURS2104) became transformed by the clinical experience of each particular student. While results of this study are not conclusive, they nevertheless provide important information for future nursing students on the evolutionary development of ethics education. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exact sampling of graphs with prescribed degree correlations

Science.gov (United States)

Bassler, Kevin E.; Del Genio, Charo I.; Erdős, Péter L.; Miklós, István; Toroczkai, Zoltán

2015-08-01

Many real-world networks exhibit correlations between the node degrees. For instance, in social networks nodes tend to connect to nodes of similar degree and conversely, in biological and technological networks, high-degree nodes tend to be linked with low-degree nodes. Degree correlations also affect the dynamics of processes supported by a network structure, such as the spread of opinions or epidemics. The proper modelling of these systems, i.e., without uncontrolled biases, requires the sampling of networks with a specified set of constraints. We present a solution to the sampling problem when the constraints imposed are the degree correlations. In particular, we develop an exact method to construct and sample graphs with a specified joint-degree matrix, which is a matrix providing the number of edges between all the sets of nodes of a given degree, for all degrees, thus completely specifying all pairwise degree correlations, and additionally, the degree sequence itself. Our algorithm always produces independent samples without backtracking. The complexity of the graph construction algorithm is {O}({NM}) where N is the number of nodes and M is the number of edges.

Interprofessional education for first year psychology students: career plans, perceived relevance and attitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Lynne D; Forman, Dawn

2015-05-01

Undergraduate psychology students have been largely excluded from interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives. In contrast to many health professions, undergraduate psychology students do not engage in work placements as part of their degree, and many enter careers outside the health care context. However, the collaborative skills gained through an IPE experience may well be beneficial to students who work in this wider context. This research examines whether undergraduate psychology students' views of IPE vary according to their planned career directions, and if so, whether the perceived relevance of IPE mediates the relationships. A sample of 188 Australian university undergraduate psychology students completed an online questionnaire following completion of a first-year IPE health sciences program. Path analysis indicated that psychology students' attitudes towards IPE are associated with both professional identification and practitioner orientation, fully mediated through the perceived relevance of IPE to future career and study plans. Stronger professional identification and practitioner orientation were associated with greater perceived relevance and more positive and less negative attitudes towards IPE. Placing a stronger emphasis on the generalizability of IP skills taught may increase students' awareness of the relevance outside of the health context, reducing disengagement of students planning alternative careers.

Factors that influence MSc (Med) (Pharmacy) completion rates at the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

%). Only 35.5% of part-time postgraduates and those who communicated more frequently with their supervisors received their degree. Those who completed their degree also scored higher on quality of communication with and accessibility of ...

Choosing Science: A Mixed-Methods Study of Factors Predicting Latino and Latina High School Students' Decisions to Pursue Science Degrees

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, Rachel S.

Latino/as are an increasingly large subset of the United States population; however, they continue to be underrepresented in science careers. Because of this increase, research regarding Latino/as has improved, but there are still many gaps in regards to gender-specific predictors to pursue science careers. To address this lack of literature, the purpose of this study is to extend previous research and to develop a model of variables that significantly contribute to science career choice among Latino and Latina students when they graduate from high school. In particular the study addressed the following research questions: (1) What are the differences in science outcomes for Latino and Latina students? (2) What are the differences in factors involved in science outcomes for Latino and Latina students? (3) For Latino and Latina students what are the differences in the factors that predict students' choice to pursue a science degree and/or high scores on the Future Plans in Science Scale? (4) What are the differences in how Latino and Latina students experience science, which account for high achieving students to choose to pursue a science major? This study utilized an explanatory mixed-method approach to examine how cognitive, institutional, and motivational factors may be interrelated and play a role in Latino/as choice to pursue science. The first phase of the study incorporated the collection of survey and database information from 12th grade students at two Southern California high schools. The second phase of the study utilized follow-up focus group interviews to explore the specific differential experiences and views of Latino and Latina students. The results of the study demonstrated multiple significant predictors. Science self-concept and views towards science outside of school were the most significant predictors of students' choice to pursue science. Male students also had major predictors of Spanish proficiency, teacher encouragement, religious views

Correlates of Student Bachelor of Business Administration Satisfaction and School Reputation Influencing Perceived Market Value

Science.gov (United States)

Blau, Gary; Halbert, Terry; Atwater, Craig; Kershner, Ronald; Zuckerman, M. Michael

2016-01-01

This study compares correlates of two outcomes: satisfaction with a bachelor of business administration degree, and business school reputation influencing students' perceived market value to potential employers. A sample of 261 graduating business school seniors completed a fall 2014 survey measuring these outcomes and a number of correlates.…

Asian International Graduate Students’ Extrinsic Motivation to Pursue Degrees

OpenAIRE

Naomi Takashiro

2017-01-01

The author examined the types of extrinsic motivation for Asian international graduate students pursuing graduate degrees. The theoretical framework used was extrinsic motivation within Self-Determination Theory. Even though the presence of Asian international graduate students is steadily increasing worldwide, research into their extrinsic motivation is scarce. It is important for educators to explore and understand Asian international graduate students’ extrinsic motivation since such stude...

A comparison of classroom and online asynchronous problem-based learning for students undertaking statistics training as part of a Public Health Masters degree.

Science.gov (United States)

de Jong, N; Verstegen, D M L; Tan, F E S; O'Connor, S J

2013-05-01

This case-study compared traditional, face-to-face classroom-based teaching with asynchronous online learning and teaching methods in two sets of students undertaking a problem-based learning module in the multilevel and exploratory factor analysis of longitudinal data as part of a Masters degree in Public Health at Maastricht University. Students were allocated to one of the two study variants on the basis of their enrolment status as full-time or part-time students. Full-time students (n = 11) followed the classroom-based variant and part-time students (n = 12) followed the online asynchronous variant which included video recorded lectures and a series of asynchronous online group or individual SPSS activities with synchronous tutor feedback. A validated student motivation questionnaire was administered to both groups of students at the start of the study and a second questionnaire was administered at the end of the module. This elicited data about student satisfaction with the module content, teaching and learning methods, and tutor feedback. The module coordinator and problem-based learning tutor were also interviewed about their experience of delivering the experimental online variant and asked to evaluate its success in relation to student attainment of the module's learning outcomes. Student examination results were also compared between the two groups. Asynchronous online teaching and learning methods proved to be an acceptable alternative to classroom-based teaching for both students and staff. Educational outcomes were similar for both groups, but importantly, there was no evidence that the asynchronous online delivery of module content disadvantaged part-time students in comparison to their full-time counterparts.

Evaluation of different Project Based Learning designs in an MSc degree

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen García Berdonés

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The design and implementation of different Project Based Learning (PBL approaches are presented in this paper. All of them were carried out in the framework of the MSc degree in Electronic Systems for Smart Environments from the University of Malaga. Four subjects were developed using different values of the three main parameters of PBL: teamwork, self-guided learning and project complexity. During two academic years, several indicators were used to evaluate these experiences: compliance with subject time schedules, scores obtained for the students, interaction of each student in his team and satisfaction of students with the experiences. Our results encourage the use of PBL in bachelor degrees but, at the same time, confirm that PBL implementation is not a trivial task when projects are complex or when a high level of autonomous learning is required from students. Teamwork difficulties have also been found. So, we discuss the need of reaching a minimum level of proficiency in some key competencies before using PBL.

Mentoring program for students newly enrolled in an Engineering Degree

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Pedro Peña-Martín

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This work presents a mentoring program for first year engineering students in the Telecommunications Engineering College (ETSIT at the University of Malaga (UMA. Actors involved in the program are professors from staff, veterans mentoring students and, of course, freshmen. All of them has been organized trough the Moodle based Virtual Learning Environment Platform of the UMA. The program has gone through several phases over three years. This paper shows the main objectives of this mentoring program, the initial design to get them where professors played mentor role, and successive changes made to try to improve the results, including the assumption of the mentor role by senior students (peer mentoring. The tools used for program evaluation are shown too. Despite the low participation, it has been a framework for the development of various educational and socializing activities (for mentors and mentees focused on developing generic competences. Furthermore, it has been a research tool to get a better understanding of problems affecting students newly enrolled.

Time-to-Degree and the Business Cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Messer, Dolores; Wolter, Stefan C.

2010-01-01

This paper presents the results of an empirical investigation trying to explain individual time-to-degree variances with business cycle fluctuations. Assuming that students determine the optimum study length at university weighing up the cost of an additional semester against the consumption benefit of studying and not yet working, the general…

Where are the women? Campus climate and the degree aspirations of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs

Science.gov (United States)

Schulz, Phyllis

Women remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at all levels of higher education, which has become a concern in the competitive global marketplace. Using both quantitative and qualitative analysis, this dissertation sought to learn more about how the campus climate and self-concept influence the degree aspirations of female undergraduate students majoring in STEM programs. Using the Beginning Post-Secondary dataset, regression analyses showed that a student's initial degree aspirations, SAT scores, and interactions with faculty were all positively related to their degree aspirations three years later. Interviews with seven current STEM undergraduates confirmed the importance of interaction with faculty and suggested undergraduate research and classroom experiences also play a role in the degree aspirations of STEM students. Three of the seven students interviewed began their undergraduate educations as non-STEM majors, suggesting that the traditional STEM pipeline may no longer be the norm. These findings suggest that both future research and current practitioners should focus on undergraduate STEM classroom and research experiences. Additionally, the characteristics of students who switch into STEM majors should be explored so that we may continue to expand the number of students pursuing STEM degrees.

A Fuzzy Knowledge Representation Model for Student Performance Assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Badie, Farshad

Knowledge representation models based on Fuzzy Description Logics (DLs) can provide a foundation for reasoning in intelligent learning environments. While basic DLs are suitable for expressing crisp concepts and binary relationships, Fuzzy DLs are capable of processing degrees of truth/completene......Knowledge representation models based on Fuzzy Description Logics (DLs) can provide a foundation for reasoning in intelligent learning environments. While basic DLs are suitable for expressing crisp concepts and binary relationships, Fuzzy DLs are capable of processing degrees of truth....../completeness about vague or imprecise information. This paper tackles the issue of representing fuzzy classes using OWL2 in a dataset describing Performance Assessment Results of Students (PARS)....

208 External Degree Programme Graduates' Perception of Students ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nekky Umera

1988-03-02

Mar 2, 1988 ... face tutorials, provision of study materials to the learners, guidance and ... mathematics or combinations in which one of the subjects was mathematics ... Science, Commerce and Architecture (Young, 1976). ... accommodation and teaching space (University of Nairobi Students' ..... English/Literature. 7. 5.

Effects of Video Game-Based Instruction on Writing Achievement and Motivation in Postsecondary Accelerated Degree Programs

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Lee, Michael C.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative experimental posttest-only control group research study was to determine the degree to which differences exist in outcomes between students using a video game-based instruction and students using a traditional non-video game-based instruction in accelerated degree program courses at a 4-year university in Illinois…

Correlation between physics A-levels/A-levels and degree performance

Science.gov (United States)

Chadwick, Roy

1985-09-01

The author presents an analysis of 178 students who left Solihull Sixth form College between 1975 and 1981 to do a degree in physics (approximately one third) or engineering (approximately two thirds) at university or polytechnic. The first table is an analysis of physics A-level grade and degree performance; the second table an analysis of the points total for physics A-level plus maths A-level (five for A, four for B, etc.), against degree performances, and the final table an analysis of the points total for physics A-level plus maths A-level plus third A-level (again five for A, four for B, etc.), against degree performance.

Internationalisation of Degree Programmes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hurford, Donna; Jensen, Anne Skov

The focus of this presentation’s contribution to the Symposium is how SDU is addressing the incorporation of international dimensions into its courses in order to enhance all students’ learning. Currently SDU implements two international dimensions: to recruit international students and to facili......The focus of this presentation’s contribution to the Symposium is how SDU is addressing the incorporation of international dimensions into its courses in order to enhance all students’ learning. Currently SDU implements two international dimensions: to recruit international students...... international students are bringing their own international dimensions to SDU, which may be overlooked. Secondly, although studying abroad has the potential to build confidence, widen perspectives and enhance employability most Danish students prefer to complete their studies at SDU. This preference for home-based....... The course has been developed in collaboration with SDU’s international dimension project team and will be led by pedagogic consultants who are based in SDU’s Centre for Teaching and Learning’. However, as evidenced in Harrison’s (2015) review of universities’ ‘internationalisation at home’ strategies...

Appreciation and implementation of the Krachtvoer healthy diet promotion programme for 12- to 14- year-old students of prevocational schools

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Krachtvoer is a school-based healthy diet programme, developed in 2001 and revised in 2007 to meet the needs of particular segments of the target population as well as a wider target group. The main aims of the present process evaluation of the revised programme were to examine student and teacher appreciation of the programme, completeness of and adherence to its implementation, and relations between appreciation and completeness of implementation. Methods Data were collected among 22 teachers and 1117 students of 13 schools, using student evaluation forms, teacher logbooks, telephone interviews, and classroom observations. Results Results indicate favourable levels of teacher and student appreciation for the programme in general and the revised elements. Girls, first-year students and students with more favourable dietary intakes particularly appreciated individual programme elements. Levels of completeness of implementation were high, but several teachers did not adhere to the intended implementation period. Some moderately strong relations were found between teacher appreciation and completeness of implementation scores. Conclusion We conclude that the revisions have resulted in a programme that was appreciated well, also by the extended target group, and was implemented with a high degree of completeness. Teacher appreciation proved potentially important for completeness of implementation. We identified several aspects requiring improvement, indicating the importance of continued programme updates and repeated evaluation. PMID:22151954

Appreciation and implementation of the Krachtvoer healthy diet promotion programme for 12- to 14- year-old students of prevocational schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bessems Kathelijne MHH

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Krachtvoer is a school-based healthy diet programme, developed in 2001 and revised in 2007 to meet the needs of particular segments of the target population as well as a wider target group. The main aims of the present process evaluation of the revised programme were to examine student and teacher appreciation of the programme, completeness of and adherence to its implementation, and relations between appreciation and completeness of implementation. Methods Data were collected among 22 teachers and 1117 students of 13 schools, using student evaluation forms, teacher logbooks, telephone interviews, and classroom observations. Results Results indicate favourable levels of teacher and student appreciation for the programme in general and the revised elements. Girls, first-year students and students with more favourable dietary intakes particularly appreciated individual programme elements. Levels of completeness of implementation were high, but several teachers did not adhere to the intended implementation period. Some moderately strong relations were found between teacher appreciation and completeness of implementation scores. Conclusion We conclude that the revisions have resulted in a programme that was appreciated well, also by the extended target group, and was implemented with a high degree of completeness. Teacher appreciation proved potentially important for completeness of implementation. We identified several aspects requiring improvement, indicating the importance of continued programme updates and repeated evaluation.

Degree-based graph construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyunju; Toroczkai, Zoltan; Erdos, Peter L; Miklos, Istvan; Szekely, Laszlo A

2009-01-01

Degree-based graph construction is a ubiquitous problem in network modelling (Newman et al 2006 The Structure and Dynamics of Networks (Princeton Studies in Complexity) (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press), Boccaletti et al 2006 Phys. Rep. 424 175), ranging from social sciences to chemical compounds and biochemical reaction networks in the cell. This problem includes existence, enumeration, exhaustive construction and sampling questions with aspects that are still open today. Here we give necessary and sufficient conditions for a sequence of nonnegative integers to be realized as a simple graph's degree sequence, such that a given (but otherwise arbitrary) set of connections from an arbitrarily given node is avoided. We then use this result to present a swap-free algorithm that builds all simple graphs realizing a given degree sequence. In a wider context, we show that our result provides a greedy construction method to build all the f-factor subgraphs (Tutte 1952 Can. J. Math. 4 314) embedded within K n setmn S k , where K n is the complete graph and S k is a star graph centred on one of the nodes. (fast track communication)

Humanities Degrees on the Rise. Data Points: Volume 5, Issue 20

Science.gov (United States)

American Association of Community Colleges, 2017

2017-01-01

In fall 2015, U.S community colleges enrolled about 7.2 million for-credit students. During the same year, community colleges awarded 806,766 associate degrees and 516,820 certificates. The new Humanities Indicators report from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences shows a significant increase in associate degrees awarded in the humanities,…

Physical activity students of the medical and non-medical degree courses

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Lucyna Sochocka

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Recognition of the multiple positive effects of the physical activity confirms its influence on human’s health. Undertaking of the health oriented conducts plays an important role in the promotion of the health and in the creating of the healthier future. Academic youth should be aware of the influence of certain activities on health. The aim of the research was to analyse the physical activity performed by the full-time students of the medical and nonmedical degree courses. Material and methods: The research was conducted at the turn of 2012 and 2013. The research group, containing 553 person (n4553, consisted of the students from six Polish, both medical and non-medical, university colleges. The research utilizes the method of the diagnostic survey. Technique of the research based on the poll whose questionnaire had been created by the authors for the purpose of the research. Accuracy of the research tool was established within the method of objective judges, splithalf method was used to determine reliability (according to Spearman-Brown result 0.86. In order to define the existence of the differences or correlations between analysed immeasurable parameters chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests were used. Results: The substantial majority of the respondents – 79,5% (n4439 described themselves as physically active. The forms of activity that are performed most often among the students are: cycling – 40,5% (n4220, team sport – 27,1% (n4147, dog walking – 27,1% (n4147, group activities (aerobics, zumba, salsa – 21,2% (n4115 and swimming – 20,8% (n4113. The sex and the faculty of the studies are both important variables that have got statistically significant impact on the choice of the form of activity. Majority of the respondents – 78,3% (n4432 chooses the type of the physical activity basing on their likings and the amount of the spare time – 42,9% (n4237. Exercising of the physical activity is regarded as a

Medication Administration: Measuring Associate Degree Nursing Student Knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Crowell, Debra L.

2016-01-01

The American Nurse Association's (ANA) provisions outline the commitment expected of nurses to protect the community from harm. Medication administration coincides with patient safety as a compelling obligation in nursing practice. The study's purpose was to examine retention of medication safety knowledge among first year nursing students, after…

The Lived Experience of Applied Science Graduates Who Complete the Applied Baccalaureate

Science.gov (United States)

Kujawa, Tricia A.

2012-01-01

The enrollment and transfer behaviors of college students are diverse. As a result college students travel various pathways to the baccalaureate degree. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the lived experience of students who entered higher education through an associate of applied science (AAS) program and then…

An intercalated BSc degree is associated with higher marks in subsequent medical school examinations

OpenAIRE

Cleland, Jennifer A; Milne, Andrew; Sinclair, Hazel; Lee, Amanda J

2009-01-01

Abstract Background To compare medical students on a modern MBChB programme who did an optional intercalated degree with their peers who did not intercalate; in particular, to monitor performance in subsequent undergraduate degree exams. Methods This was a retrospective, observational study of anonymised databases of medical student assessment outcomes. Data were accessed for graduates, University of Aberdeen Medical School, Scotland, UK, from the years 2003 to 2007 (n = 861). The main outcom...

Four-Year Effects on Degree Receipt and Employment Outcomes from a Performance-Based Scholarship Program in Ohio

Science.gov (United States)

Mayer, Alexander K.; Patel, Reshma; Gutierrez, Melvin

2015-01-01

A college degree is often viewed as a key step toward better employment and higher earnings. Many community college students, however, never graduate and cannot reap the financial benefits associated with a college degree. Although existing research suggests that financial aid interventions can modestly improve students' short-term academic…

Penerapan Model Pembelajaran Complete Sentence dalam Meningkatkan Keterampilan Menulis Karangan

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Cucu Wartini

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This research is motivated by the presence of serious problems in the aspect of essay writing skill. The purpose of this study is to know the improvment of student activity and student learning outcomes of writing essay skill material at 5th grade students of SDN Panyingkiran III Kabupaten Sumedang second semester in academic year 2015/2016, using complete sentenselearning.The research method used is classroom action research. Data collected through observation and tests. The result of this study for student activity, on first cycle 48% of students got very good criteria, second cycle 80% and third cycle 96%. For student learning outcomes, on first cycle just 40% students who pass the evaluation, second cycle 72% and third cycle 92%. Therefore, the process and learning outcomes got increased by using complete sentense on writing essay skill based experience.

Complete Bell-state analysis for a single-photon hybrid entangled state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheng Yu-Bo; Zhou Lan; Cheng Wei-Wen; Gong Long-Yan; Wang Lei; Zhao Sheng-Mei

2013-01-01

We propose a scheme capable of performing complete Bell-state analysis for a single-photon hybrid entangled state. Our single-photon state is encoded in both polarization and frequency degrees of freedom. The setup of the scheme is composed of polarizing beam splitters, half wave plates, frequency shifters, and independent wavelength division multiplexers, which are feasible using current technology. We also show that with this setup we can perform complete two-photon Bell-state analysis schemes for polarization degrees of freedom. Moreover, it can also be used to perform the teleportation scheme between different degrees of freedom. This setup may allow extensive applications in current quantum communications

College Graduation Rates Depend Mainly on the Students--But Colleges Matter Too. Here's How Much.

Science.gov (United States)

Joy, Stephen P.

2017-01-01

College graduation rates are a source of concern; many students fail to complete degree programs and therefore miss out on the socioeconomic benefits accruing to college graduates. Some have proposed that colleges be evaluated based on their graduation rates, with financial aid dollars directed away from poor performers. However, none of these…

Complete N-Qubit Greenberger—Horne—Zeilinger States Analysis Assisted by Frequency Degree of Freedom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng Zhi; Wang Chun; Li Xi-Han

2014-01-01

We present an efficient and simple protocol to unambiguously distinguish 2 N mutual orthogonal N-qubit Greenberger—Horne—Zeilinger states in polarization degree of freedom assisted by the frequency one. This scheme is based on N single photon Bell state measurements, which can be implemented non-locally. The success probability is 100% in principle and our scheme is feasible with current technology. All the advantages make our protocol meaningful and practical in quantum information processing. (general)

Prevalence of Exercise Addiction Symptomology and Disordered Eating in Australian Students Studying Nutrition and Dietetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Rocks, Tetyana; Pelly, Fiona; Slater, Gary; Martin, Lisa Anne

2017-10-01

Previous research has reported the existence of disordered eating in students studying nutrition and dietetics. However, the occurrence of exercise addiction, previously linked to disordered eating, is poorly understood in this group. The main objective of this study was to explore the prevalence of self-reported symptoms of exercise addiction and the association with disordered eating in a sample of students studying nutrition and dietetics. A secondary objective was to compare the prevalence of exercise addiction to students enrolled in another health-related degree. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 165 undergraduate students. Participants were students of both sexes enrolled in nutrition and dietetics and occupational therapy degree programs at an Australian university in August 2013. Participants completed four validated questionnaires for assessment of exercise- and eating-related attitudes and behaviors measuring scores for exercise addiction, weekly volume of physical activity (PA), eating disorder symptoms, and cognitive restraint. Stretch stature and body mass were measured and body composition was assessed using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Independent t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ 2 test were completed to compare groups of students based on sex, degree, or eating attitudes. Spearman's correlation was performed to explore associations between continuous variables (exercise addiction scores, PA volume, and scores for eating attitudes and cognitive restraint). Approximately 23% of nutrition and dietetics students were found to be at risk of exercise addiction (20% females and 35% males; P=0.205), while the majority demonstrated some symptoms of exercise addiction. A similar proportion of at risk individuals was found in the female occupational therapy group (19%; P=1.000). In females (nutrition and dietetics and occupational therapy combined), the exercise addiction scores were associated with three other outcome measures: PA volume (r s

Strategies for Pursuing a Master's Degree.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Cynthia M; McIntosh, Constance E; Mensik, Jennifer S

2016-01-01

Health care has become very complex and is in a constant state of change. As a result of the evolving change and increasing complexity, a more educated nursing workforce is needed (Dracup K. Master's nursing programs. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. 2015; Institute of Medicine. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. 2010). It is now becoming necessary for registered nurses to earn an advanced degree to work at the highest level of their practice authority (Dracup K. Master's nursing programs. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. 2015; Institute of Medicine. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. 2010.). Preparing to reenter college may be an overwhelming prospect for some registered nurses seeking an advanced degree. However, there are some simple strategies that may help sort out the many degree options, financial obligations, decisions about brick and mortar versus online learning, commitment to degree completion, and changing career paths. This article will provide the registered nurse valuable information that will assist in the exciting process of returning to college.

Indian sports nicknames/logos: affective difference between American Indian and non-Indian college students.

Science.gov (United States)

LaRocque, Angela R; McDonald, J Douglas; Weatherly, Jeffrey N; Ferraro, F Richard

2011-01-01

The use of American Indian (AI) words and images in athletic teams' nicknames, logos, and mascots remains a controversial issue. This study investigated the emotional impact of the University of North Dakota's "Fighting Sioux" nickname/logo on 33 AI and 36 majority culture (MC) students enrolled at the university. Participants completed the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist-Revised (MAACL-R) before viewing two slide presentations of Fighting Sioux-related images: one neutral (i.e., non-controversial) and one controversial. Participants completed the MAACL-R after each presentation. They also completed the Nickname and Logo Distress Scale, and AI participants completed the Northern Plains Biculturalism Inventory to assess their degree of cultural orientation. Results showed that AIs experienced higher negative affect following both slide presentations than did MC participants. MC participants' affect was only changed following the controversial slide presentation. The findings suggest AI students may experience significantly higher levels of psychological distress when viewing even neutral images of AI nicknames/logos.