scholarly journals 135 Developing foundational courses to support undergraduate student success in animal science departmental core curriculum

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 79-80
Author(s):  
Kathrin A Dunlap ◽  
Lonisa Early ◽  
Debra Fowler ◽  
Tryon A Wickersham
Keyword(s):  
Core Curriculum ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Curriculum Study ◽  
Background Knowledge ◽  
Animal Science ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Professional Aspirations ◽  
Survey Responses

Abstract Today’s student population comes from highly diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, entering college with a range of life experiences and professional aspirations. The selection of and success upon entering a major is highly influenced by those factors. As society has progressed, the principle purposes of the animal science discipline have remained intact, but the industry scope has expanded as has the range of background knowledge and experience of students entering the major. To address these changes a data-driven, student-centered curriculum study was conducted. Stakeholder (comprised of industry members, faculty, current and former students) surveys (n = 289) served as a foundational component of the study. Survey responses revealed the existence of a gap between student knowledge and skills and faculty expectations upon entering disciplinary core courses, which were deemed necessary to gain proficiency in areas identified by industry stakeholders. To address that gap, collaborative efforts between Animal Science Department faculty and members of the University Center for Teaching Excellence, as well as findings from the data generated as part of the curriculum redesign process, were used to identify two new courses for development: Farm Animal Biosystems and Livestock Production Systems. Each course incorporates departmental learning outcomes, assessments, and specified teaching methods into their syllabi. Furthermore, they illustrate a novel approach to addressing the disparity in student background knowledge and skills. Rather than assuming a standardized level of skill and addressing only gaps in knowledge or vice versa, key areas have been identified and separated for individualized focus in order to provide students with a solid foundation in both the scientific and applied components of the discipline. Successful completion of these courses will enable students to enter the specialized disciplinary core classes with a more uniform knowledge base, thus promoting success throughout the curriculum

scholarly journals 422 Developing foundational courses to support undergraduate student success in animal science departmental core curriculum

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 179-180
Author(s):  
Kathrin Dunlap ◽  
Lonisa Early ◽  
Debra Fowler ◽  
Tryon Wickersham
Keyword(s):  
Core Curriculum ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Curriculum Study ◽  
Background Knowledge ◽  
Animal Science ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
University Center ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Professional Aspirations

Abstract Today’s student population comes from highly diverse culture and socio-economic backgrounds, entering college with a range of life experiences and professional aspirations. The selection of and success upon entering a major is highly influenced by those factors. As society has progressed the principle purposes of the animal science discipline have remained intact but the industry scope has expanded as has the range of background knowledge and experience of students entering the major. To address these changes a data-driven, student-centered curriculum study was conducted. Amongst the study findings was that there exists a gap between existing student knowledge and skills, and faculty expectations upon entering disciplinary core courses, which were deemed necessary to gain proficiency in areas identified by industry stakeholders. In order to bridge this gap, it was a goal of the department to create foundational level courses that would support the department curriculum. Through the collaborative efforts between faculty within the animal science department and members of the university center for teaching excellence, as well as findings from the data generated as part of the curriculum redesign process, two new courses were identified for development: Farm Animal Biosystems and Livestock Production Systems. These courses illustrate a novel approach to addressing the disparity in student background knowledge and skills. Rather than assuming a level of proficiency with skills and addressing gaps in knowledge or vice versa, these key areas have been identified and separated so as to provide students with a solid foundation in both the scientific and applied components of the discipline, thus promoting success within the remainder of the curriculum. Successful completion of these courses will enable student to enter the specialized discipline core classes with a more uniform knowledge base.

A novel approach to assess sustainability of supply chains

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Kalantary ◽  
Reza Farzipoor Saen
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Learning By Doing ◽  
Network Dynamic ◽  
Gradual Improvement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Decision Making Unit ◽  
Dynamic Data Envelopment Analysis

PurposeThis paper discusses how learning-by-doing (LBD) criterion can be used to evaluate the sustainability of supply chains. This paper assesses the impacts of teamwork on the LBD criterion. Besides, the effect of the internship of new labors on the LBD criterion is discussed.Design/methodology/approachThe repeat of a task leads to a gradual improvement in the efficiency of production systems. LBD occurs by accumulating knowledge and skills in multiple periods. LBD can be used to study changes in the efficiency. Efficiency can be improved by accumulating knowledge and skills. In this paper, the LBD criterion is projected on learning curve (LC) models. Furthermore, the LC models are fitted to the supply chains. Each supply chain may have a unique LC model. A minimum difference is set between the current performance of decision making unit (DMU) and the estimated performance of DMU based on DMU's LC. Hence, a point in which the LBD occurs is determined.FindingsThis paper develops an inverse network dynamic data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to assess the sustainability of supply chains DMUs. Findings imply that the LBD criterion plays an important role in assessing the sustainability of supply chains. Furthermore, managers should increase the internships and teamwork to get more benefit from the LBD criterion.Originality/valueFor the first time, this paper uses the LBD criterion to assess the sustainability of supply chains given the LC equations.

scholarly journals Reframing Aging: Penn’s Village Members Thrive While Aging in Place

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 199-200
Author(s):  
Lois Evans ◽  
Jane Eleey ◽  
Avalie Saperstein
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Age In Place ◽  
Social Events ◽  
Affinity Groups ◽  
It Support ◽  
Center City ◽  
Survey Responses

Abstract Villages help older neighbors age-in-place as they manage their environments, take advantage of opportunities for social and civic engagement, and improve or maintain health and well-being. National surveys repeatedly indicate that older adults prefer community living as long as possible. But communities change, and post-retirement living may require rebuilding social connections with old and new neighbors. Fortunately, today’s retirees bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to later life which they are happy to share. Drawing on the talents and career experiences of older adults in Center City, Philadelphia, Penn’s Village (PV) was created in 2007 to address the needs and wishes of neighbors wanting to stay in their own homes as they aged. A member of the Village-to-Village Network, PV (a 501c3) has itself matured through board development, strategic planning, and member engagement. In reframing aging in Center City, PV currently offers its over 300 members and volunteers an array of educational and recreational programs (e.g., talks, affinity groups, social events and outings); services (including transportation, home repairs, IT support, companionship, accompaniment to medical appointments), and opportunities to use their personal knowledge and skills to help their neighbors-- as drivers, companions, volunteer staff and co-chairs/members of committees (e.g., Board of Directors, Program, Welcoming, Marketing & Communications, Finance, Fundraising). In FY2019, volunteers provided nearly 1200 services to PV members. Our most recent survey responses indicate that 82% of volunteers found their work highly meaningful and 79% of those who received services believed their quality of life was greatly improved.

Influencing Perceptions in Non-animal Science Majors: Impact of a High Enrollment, Asynchronous Core Curriculum Science General Animal Science Course

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 45-45
Author(s):  
Sushil Paudyal ◽  
Leslie Frenzel ◽  
Kathrin Dunlap
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Core Curriculum ◽  
Small Animal ◽  
Likert Scale ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Science Majors ◽  
Animal Science ◽  
Production Industry

Abstract Perceptions of animal production industry and background knowledge of animal science vary greatly amongst students, particularly non-animal science majors. The objective was to assess the influence of a large asynchronous core curriculum science course, General Animal Science, on non-major student perceptions and knowledge of animal science. Student surveys (n = 634) were conducted (preceding and subsequent to course completion. The majority (57.66%) indicated no agriculture background. Among those reporting an agriculture background, 47.82% indicated having animal industry experience, and a mean score of 4.22 [SD 2.96; Likert scale (0–10)] evaluating perceived strength of their agriculture background. Of respondents, 34.77% indicated experience with companion animal, 13.6% beef cattle, 12.5% equine, 10.4% sheep and goats, 8.01% swine, 9.7% poultry, and 3.5% dairy cattle. Post-course responses were received from 71% of the enrolled students (n=541), and comprised of freshman (0–29 credit hours; n = 81), sophomore (30–59, n = 142), junior (60–89; n = 141), senior (90+; n = 48). Respondents indicated a mean score of 7.51 [SD 2.47; Likert scale (0–10)] that this course increased their interest in animal science and indicated a mean score of 6.71 (SD 2.97) on motivation to further their animal science knowledge. Students reported they felt more informed in beef cattle (40.10%), dairy cattle (15.05%), equine (14.56%), poultry (10.92%), swine (4.61%), and small animal (6.55%) production industries. Respondents (98.06%) indicated increased confidence as an educated consumer of animal products and a majority (92.2%) agreed this course helped eliminate misconceptions related to the animal production industry. In addition, 34.22% responded extremely likely, and 50.73% somewhat likely to utilize course knowledge in their everyday life. We concluded that enrollment in the asynchronous core curriculum science course, General Animal Science, reduced misconceptions related to animal production and increased knowledge of and appreciation of the animal production industry in non-animal science majors.

Automatic Extraction of Semantic Relations from Wikipedia

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (02) ◽  
pp. 1540010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Arnold ◽  
Erhard Rahm
Keyword(s):  
Finite State Machines ◽  
Background Knowledge ◽  
Semantic Relations ◽  
Automatic Extraction ◽  
State Machines ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Finite State ◽  
Semantic Ontology

We introduce a novel approach to extract semantic relations (e.g., is-a and part-of relations) from Wikipedia articles. These relations are used to build up a large and up-to-date thesaurus providing background knowledge for tasks such as determining semantic ontology mappings. Our automatic approach uses a comprehensive set of semantic patterns, finite state machines and NLP techniques to extract millions of relations between concepts. An evaluation for different domains shows the high quality and effectiveness of the proposed approach. We also illustrate the value of the newly found relations for improving existing ontology mappings.

Creating space for sustainability literacy: the case of student-centered symposia

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 839-855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Ouellet Dallaire ◽  
Kate Trincsi ◽  
Melissa K. Ward ◽  
Lorna I. Harris ◽  
Larissa Jarvis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Frame ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Interdisciplinary Dialogue ◽  
Sustainability Research ◽  
Sustainability Literacy ◽  
Mcgill University ◽  
Survey Responses

Purpose This paper reflects on the Sustainability Research Symposium (SRS), a long-term student-led initiative (seven years) at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, that seeks to foster interdisciplinary dialogue among students and researchers by using the sustainability sciences as a bridge concept. The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of the SRS in fostering sustainability literacy. Design/methodology/approach Past participants of the SRS were invited to complete a survey to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the symposia from a participants’ perspective. A mix of descriptive statistics and axial and thematic coding were used to analyze survey responses (n = 56). This study links theory and practice to explore the outcomes of symposia as tools for students to engage with sustainability research in university campuses. Findings Survey findings indicated that participants are from multiple disciplinary backgrounds and that they are often interested in sustainability research without being identified as sustainability researchers. Overall, the survey findings suggested that student-organized symposia can be effective mechanisms to enhance exposure to interdisciplinary research and to integrate sustainability sciences outside the classroom. Practical implications Despite being a one-day event, the survey findings suggest that symposia can offer an “initiation” toward interdisciplinary dialogue and around sustainability research that can have lasting impacts beyond the time frame of the event. Originality/value Although research symposia are widespread in university campuses, there is little published information on the effectiveness of student-organized symposia as vectors for sustainability literacy. This original contribution presents a case study of the effectiveness of an annual symposium at one Canadian university, organized by students from the Faculties of Science, Arts and Management.

Leveraging Existing Knowledge to Match Industry Expectations

2020 ◽  
pp. 32-48
Author(s):  
Ilana Lavy
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Real World ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Job Seeking ◽  
Academic Knowledge ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Workplace Environments ◽  
Professional Aspirations

During the last four years, information systems graduates participated in a practicum project during their last study year and took part in various professional activities in the industry in accordance with their professional aspirations and their desired specialty. The main purpose of this project was to reduce the gap between the graduates' acquired academic knowledge and the industry expectations. The aim of this chapter was to reveal the graduates' perceived contributions of the project. For that matter, semi-structured questionnaires and interviews with graduates who participated in the project in the last four years were conducted. The graduates experienced real workplace environments, acquired extended knowledge and skills, built social infrastructure to assist them with future job seeking, and above all gained real-world experience that helps them to build their professional image, and gain confidence in their traits and abilities. In addition, the practicum-based approach was compared with other common approaches used to bridge the gap, and its relative advantages and disadvantages were discussed.

Practicum-Based Approach to Bridge Between Information-Systems Industry Expectations and Graduates Qualifications

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 73-87
Author(s):  
Ilana Lavy
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Real World ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Job Seeking ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Workplace Environments ◽  
Professional Image ◽  
Professional Aspirations

In this study, a practicum-based approach to bridge the gap between industry expectations and Information Systems graduates skills is presented and discussed. Students participate in the practicum project during their last study year, and take part in various professional activities in the industry in accordance with their professional aspirations and their desired specialty. Semi-structured questionnaires and interviews with students who participated in the project in the last four years were conducted in order to reveal the students' perceived contributions of the project. The students experienced real workplace environments, acquired extended knowledge and skills, built social infrastructure to assist them with future job seeking, and above all gained real world experience that help them to build their professional image, and gain confidence in their traits and abilities. In addition, the practicum-based approach was compared with other common approaches used to bridge the gap, and its relative advantages and disadvantages were discussed.

scholarly journals A Strategic Approach to Implementation of Medical Mentorship Programs

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Caruso ◽  
Diane H. Steinberg ◽  
Nancy Piro ◽  
Kimberly Walker ◽  
Rebecca Blankenburg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Training Programs ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Mentorship Program ◽  
Professional Aspirations ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Group 1

ABSTRACT Background Mentors influence medical trainees' experiences through career enhancement and psychosocial support, yet some trainees never receive benefits from involved mentors. Objective Our goals were to examine the effectiveness of 2 interventions aimed at increasing the number of mentors in training programs, and to assess group differences in mentor effectiveness, the relationship between trainees' satisfaction with their programs given the presence of mentors, and the relationship between the number of trainees with mentors and postgraduate year (PGY). Methods In group 1, a physician adviser funded by the graduate medical education department implemented mentorships in 6 residency programs, while group 2 involved a training program with funded physician mentoring time. The remaining 89 training programs served as controls. Chi-square tests were used to determine differences. Results Survey responses from group 1, group 2, and controls were 47 of 84 (56%), 34 of 78 (44%), and 471 of 981 (48%, P = .38), respectively. The percentages of trainees reporting a mentor in group 1, group 2, and the control group were 89%, 97%, and 79%, respectively (P = .01). There were no differences in mentor effectiveness between groups. Mentored trainees were more likely to be satisfied with their programs (P = .01) and to report that faculty supported their professional aspirations (P = .001). Across all programs, fewer first-year trainees (59%) identified a mentor compared to PGY-2 through PGY-8 trainees (84%, P < .001). Conclusions A supported mentorship program is an effective way to create an educational environment that maximizes trainees' perceptions of mentorship and satisfaction with their training programs.

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