Sustainability in higher education courses: Multiple learning outcomes

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 113-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keren Mintz ◽  
Tali Tal
2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tõnis Mets ◽  
Inna Kozlinska ◽  
Mervi Raudsaar

The importance of evaluating the outcomes of entrepreneurship education (EE) has been widely acknowledged, but how to approach the evaluation and what models and measures to use are still subjected to academic debate. In this article, the authors present an application of the European Competence Framework (ECF) – the knowledge–skills–attitude triad that stems from Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. A survey of self-assessed entrepreneurial competences acquired in entrepreneurship education courses was carried out in five Estonian higher education institutions (HEIs). An exploratory factor analysis based on the sample of 249 respondents confirmed the empirical viability of the ECF for evaluating the outcomes of EE, while also indicating a wide spectrum of these outcomes. Knowledge about entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial skills and a range of affective outcomes was perceived to be stronger by those students who had higher aspirations to become entrepreneurs before entering the HEIs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Holdsworth ◽  
Ian Thomas ◽  
Orana Sandri

Equipping professionals with skills to make decisions in line with sustainability principles is essential for transitioning our societies towards sustainable development. Higher education is at the forefront of generating professionals with these skills. However, although sustainability has been included in many university graduate attribute statements, there exists little research on how graduates acknowledge and apply sustainability attributes in their workplace. This research project aimed to assess whether graduates of undergraduate programmes with sustainability attributes acknowledge and use sustainability capabilities after they have entered employment. The project developed a tool for assessing sustainability attribute uptake and application which took the form of a tested survey tool that uses a vignette/scenario-based question design to assess the level of attribute attainment. This tool was then tested on a graduate sample from the School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University, Australia. The project outcomes show promise for future applications of the scenario/vignette survey tool to provide educators with a feedback loop between curriculum design and pedagogy and professional application of course and programme learning outcomes. The purpose of this article is to present key results from the pilot and show how these can potentially be used in curriculum development and renewal to advance sustainability in higher education.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 737-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Gess ◽  
Christoph Geiger ◽  
Matthias Ziegler

Abstract. Although the development of research competency is an important goal of higher education in social sciences, instruments to measure this outcome often depend on the students’ self-ratings. To provide empirical evidence for the utility of a newly developed instrument for the objective measurement of social-scientific research competency, two validation studies across two independent samples were conducted. Study 1 ( n = 675) provided evidence for unidimensionality, expected differences in test scores between differently advanced groups of students as well as incremental validities over and above self-perceived research self-efficacy. In Study 2 ( n = 82) it was demonstrated that the competency measured indeed is social-scientific and relations to facets of fluid and crystallized intelligence were analyzed. Overall, the results indicate that the test scores reflected a trainable, social-scientific, knowledge-related construct relevant to research performance. These are promising results for the application of the instrument in the evaluation of research education courses in higher education.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-48
Author(s):  
Jiří Rybička ◽  
Petra Čačková

One of the tools to determine the recommended order of the courses to be taught is to set the prerequisites, that is, the conditions that have to be fulfilled before commencing the study of the course. The recommended sequence of courses is to follow logical links between their logical units, as the basic aim is to provide students with a coherent system according to the Comenius' principle of continuity. Declared continuity may, on the other hand, create organizational complications when passing through the study, as failure to complete one course may result in a whole sequence of forced deviations from the recommended curriculum and ultimately in the extension of the study period. This empirical study deals with the quantitative evaluation of the influence of the level of initial knowledge given by the previous study on the overall results in a certain follow-up course. In this evaluation, data were obtained that may slightly change the approach to determining prerequisites for higher education courses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Mehdi Berriri ◽  
Sofiane Djema ◽  
Gaëtan Rey ◽  
Christel Dartigues-Pallez

Today, many students are moving towards higher education courses that do not suit them and end up failing. The purpose of this study is to help provide counselors with better knowledge so that they can offer future students courses corresponding to their profile. The second objective is to allow the teaching staff to propose training courses adapted to students by anticipating their possible difficulties. This is possible thanks to a machine learning algorithm called Random Forest, allowing for the classification of the students depending on their results. We had to process data, generate models using our algorithm, and cross the results obtained to have a better final prediction. We tested our method on different use cases, from two classes to five classes. These sets of classes represent the different intervals with an average ranging from 0 to 20. Thus, an accuracy of 75% was achieved with a set of five classes and up to 85% for sets of two and three classes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 543-543
Author(s):  
Joann Montepare

Abstract Age-friendly University (AFU) campuses are reshaping how we think about teaching and learning in higher education. In particular, intergenerational classrooms are on the rise as shifting age demographics call for institutions to create new opportunities for older learners and encourage intergenerational exchange. Age diverse classrooms have distinctive needs and dynamics that instructors, and students, will need to learn how to navigate. This presentation will describe outcomes of one AFU institution’s attempt to identify the challenges and triumphs of intergenerational classrooms through facilitated instructor and student reflections in different classrooms over the course of several semesters. Recommendations will be offered for enhancing intergenerational exchange in classrooms across disciplines, as well as evaluating attitudes, logistics, and learning outcomes. Part of a symposium sponsored by Intergenerational Learning, Research, and Community Engagement Interest Group.


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