Independent and digital reading among undergraduates: the case of the University of Mauritius

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 296-310
Author(s):  
Caroline Rabaud ◽  
Naushad Mamode Khan ◽  
Smita Rampat
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Independent Reading ◽  
Digital Reading ◽  
Multinomial Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Motivation To Read ◽  
Impact Of Technology ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Undeniably, the growing influence of technology has had a significant impact on the reading process of undergraduate students and it is thus of priority interest now to understand the factors influencing independent and digital reading. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach In total, 231 questionnaires were administered among undergraduates at the University of Mauritius. A factor analysis was carried out and it was revealed that the attitude toward reading was mainly influenced by six aspects termed “Entertaining and Important,” “Lack of Interest,” “Convenience of Digital Reading,” “Utilitarian Purposes,” “Difficult Access to Reading Materials” and the “Compulsory Aspect.” This paper focuses also on determinants which could influence the behavior of undergraduates toward independent reading. In this sense, a binary logistic regression was performed. Findings Factors such as gender, the motivation to read and the time spent reading for academic purposes were found to be significant predictors. Also, given the impact of technology on the lifestyle, it was important to determine whether the respondents had adopted digital reading over printed reading by taking into consideration their preferred reading format. This query was taken care by a multinomial regression analysis where gender, faculty belonging and internet connection on mobile were found to influence the preferred method of reading by undergraduates. Originality/value The objectives are to analyze the reading habits and attitude of the undergraduates toward reading, evaluate factors which influence a student to engage in independent reading, determine factors that are likely to encourage students to prefer digital reading given the innovation in the e-reading field and to explore a possible relationship between independent reading and digital reading.

Community responses to the removal of bottled water on a university campus

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 330-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Mikhailovich ◽  
Robert Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Bottled Water ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Community Responses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aimed to examine the impact of the removal of bottled water on the campus community. This paper presents the findings of a survey conducted at the first Australian university to remove single-use bottled water from sale on a small regional university campus. The removal of bottled water from sale at the university formed part of the university’s commitment to environmental sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted substantially by undergraduate students who participated in an action learning project in which they assisted in the design, implementation and analysis of an online snapshot survey made available to all staff and students of the university. Findings – The results indicated some evidence of changes to pro-environmental behaviors such as increased use of re-fillable bottles, but there were less desirable outcomes such as drinking less water. Community perceptions were dramatically polarized. Restrictions on freedom of choice, concerns about health as a result of increased use of high-sugar drinks and the continued availability of other plastic drink bottles were provided as strong objections to the removal of bottled water from sale on campus. Practical implications – The study provides useful insights for university sustainability planners and administrators about the complex range of issues associated with the implementation of sustainability initiatives on a university campus. Originality/value – While extensive literature exists about the environmental impacts of bottled water, few studies have explored the impacts or community responses to the removal of bottled water in the university context.

B(u)y the book: evaluation of a university initiative to provide students with funds to buy books

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-200
Author(s):  
Frances Porritt ◽  
Linda Murphy ◽  
Gemma Wells ◽  
Emma Burns
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reading List ◽  
Undergraduate Study ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose In the era of high student fees and intense market competition, many universities now buy books for their new students, and recently have incorporated student choice into the offer, enabling students to choose how to spend funds. Teesside University has successfully piloted such an approach with one academic School, the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law. The pilot has now been extended to all academic Schools, with all students receiving £100 per academic year to spend on reading list books. The scheme covers new full-time undergraduate students at the University, and is operated in collaboration with an external company, John Smiths. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the Teesside University Advance scheme against baseline data of book borrowing and reservation patterns of reading list titles. The paper explores the impact upon the student experience and student perceptions of the Library. Design/methodology/approach The project used a mixed methods approach. The quantitative strand analysed book borrowing and reservation patterns data from library systems and from book purchasing patterns data provided by the online store supporting the scheme. Students were also surveyed about the scheme. The qualitative strand, via one-to-one interviews conducted by the student researcher, gained an insight into why students select certain titles to purchase; and what their expectations of the university library are for the supply of reading list titles. Findings Analysis revealed an overall decline in book borrowing from the library of the titles selected for purchase by students via the scheme. Student perceptions of the library were positive and demonstrated a strategic use of library resources alongside book purchases and open web resources. At early stages of university undergraduate study, students need guidance on most appropriate resources to use and why, from either reading lists or book bundles. Originality/value Teesside University scheme is unique in the UK in covering all new full-time undergraduates and letting them choose which reading list titles to buy with the university funds provided.

Examining the impact of a university mentorship program on student outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah K. Hamilton ◽  
Jennifer Boman ◽  
Harris Rubin ◽  
Balreen K. Sahota
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Undergraduate Student ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mentorship Program ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the outcomes of a formal university mentorship program that paired junior and senior (third and fourth year) undergraduate student mentees with mentors from industry. Specifically, the researchers examined the effects of mentorship on mentees’ psychological sense of community at the university, and job search self-efficacy (confidence). Design/methodology/approach The researchers used a mixed-methods design that incorporated survey data and qualitative data from interviews and focus groups. Where relevant, mentees were compared to a control group of students who did not participate in the mentorship program. Findings The results demonstrate that the mentees accrued several benefits from participating in the mentorship program. For mentees (but not the control group), job search self-efficacy increased over time as a result of participating in the program. Mentees valued receiving practical career-related support such as opportunities for networking, resume development and job interviewing skills. Mentees also gained a more realistic view about the workplace and their potential career options, and received important psychosocial support from their mentor. Originality/value Results suggest that junior and senior undergraduate student mentees gained professional and career-related benefits including increased job search self-efficacy from participation in a mentorship program that paired them with mentors from industry. In addition, the qualitative results indicate that mentees reported psychosocial benefits including an increased sense of connection to the university. Altogether, results indicate that undergraduate students experience positive outcomes from participating in mentorship programs designed to prepare them for the transition from university to the workplace.

scholarly journals The Impact of Embedded iPad Use on Student Perceptions of Their Digital Capabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Elphick
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Key Skills ◽  
The University ◽  
Teaching In Higher Education ◽  
The Impact

Digital capabilities are recognized as key skills that students must possess to learn and work in our increasingly digital world and have been the subject of a growing focus over recent years. Similarly, smartphones and, to a lesser degree, tablets are now ubiquitous within the student body, and many academics are beginning to leverage these devices for the purposes of learning and teaching in higher education. To further explore the possibilities of mobile technology, the iPilot project was created to explore the effects that embedded iPad use had on undergraduate students’ creativity, ability to collaborate with their peers and their perception of their digital capabilities. Focusing on the digital capabilities aspect of the project, this paper explores the results gathered. While the results are mixed, when combined with data taken from the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) Digital Experience Tracker, it does appear that using iPads in the university classroom can have a positive impact on certain digital behaviors and students’ perceptions of their digital skills.

scholarly journals Evaluating undergraduate research conferences as vehicles for novice researcher development

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Kneale ◽  
Andrew Edwards-Jones ◽  
Helen Walkington ◽  
Jennifer Hill
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Conference ◽  
Researcher Development ◽  
Development Framework ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to focus on the undergraduate research conference as its sphere of study and investigate the impact of significance of participation and socialisation in such activities on student attitudes and professional development. Using situated learning to theoretically position the undergraduate research conference as an authentic learning context, connection is also made with the concept of graduate attributes. Design/methodology/approach The Vitae (2014) Researcher Development Framework (RDF) is used to provide a template for charting the experiences and development of undergraduate students as researchers. This can be applied to short-term activities and programmes and to long-term career plans. The insights from 90 undergraduate students participating in three national undergraduate research conferences were obtained through interviews, and thematically analysed to map the students’ skills development against the RDF criteria. Findings Three main aspects of undergraduate research conference participation were considered particularly important by the students: the value of paper presentations, the value of poster presentations and the value of the overall conference experience. Within these themes, participants identified a wide range of skills and attributes they felt they had developed as a result of either preparing for or participating in the conferences. The majority of these skills and attributes could be mapped against the different domains of the RDF, using a public engagement lens for comparing actual with expected developmental areas. Research limitations/implications This research helps undergraduate research conference organisers construct programme content and form it in such a way that students’ skill development can be maximised prior to, and during, the course of an event. Learning developers can also use these findings to help understand the support needs of students preparing to deliver papers at such conferences. So far, little empirical research has examined students’ skills development within the undergraduate research conference arena. Originality/value The outcomes of this study show the diversity of the skills that students developed and the value of the conference format for offering networking practice and enhancing the communication skills which employers value.

An Introduction to the Impact Behaviour of Polymer Composites Using Simplified Beam Models

1998 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. W. Mines
Keyword(s):  
Composite Materials ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Progressive Collapse ◽  
Structural Response ◽  
Sandwich Beams ◽  
Three Point Bending ◽  
The Past ◽  
Structural Case ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

The paper describes a final-year undergraduate course that has been taught at the University of Liverpool for the past three years. The main aims of the course are to introduce the student to the design of structures using multi-component (composite) materials and to the performance of such structures under impact loading. Given the complexity of generalized composite behaviour and of structural crashworthiness, a simple structural case is considered, namely, a beam subject to three-point bending. A feature of the course is that not only is linear structural response considered but also non-linear (progressive) structural collapse is covered. The course is split into four parts, namely: (i) analysis of composite laminae, (ii) analysis of laminated beams, (iii) local and global effects in sandwich beams, and (iv) post-failure and progressive collapse of sandwich beams. Static and impact loadings are considered. Comments are made on how the theories are simplified and communicated to the undergraduate students.

Post-occupancy evaluation of outdoor spaces on the campus of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Clara Carvalho Tourinho ◽  
Sabrina Andrade Barbosa ◽  
Özgür Göçer ◽  
Klaus Chaves Alberto
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeUsing the campus of a Brazilian university as case study, this research aims to identify which aspects of the outdoor spaces are the most significant in attracting people.Design/methodology/approachThis research relies on the application of different post-occupancy evaluation (POE) methods, including user tracking, behavioural mapping and questionnaires, on one plateau of the campus.FindingsThree group of aspects (socialization, proximity and infrastructure) were identified as key elements in explaining the impact of the campus physical characteristics on users’ behaviour. The results indicate that having characteristics of at least one group of aspects in those spaces can guarantee their vitality and, if there is presence of attributes of more than one group, liveliness can be increased.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies should be conducted on an entire campus to identify other spatial elements in the three groups.Practical implicationsThis research contributes to the planning of future campuses and to solutions to the existed ones, indicating the most relevant spatial characteristics to be considered. Additionally, the combination of different methods may be useful to future research.Originality/valueMost of the investigations on the university campuses focus on the buildings, and little research has investigated the outdoor spaces, although they play a critical role in learning and academic life, where people establish social, cultural and personal relationships. In addition, studies using several POE allowed a consistent and complete diagnostic about the aspects of the campus, giving recommendations for future projects.

Impact of embodiment on attitude strength

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunaina Shrivastava ◽  
Gaurav Jain ◽  
JaeHwan Kwon ◽  
Dhananjay Nayakankuppam
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Target Object ◽  
Attitude Strength ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lab Experiments ◽  
Attitude Accessibility ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Traditionally, it has been held that strong attitudes are a result of the conscious cognitive process of elaboration where one engages in effortful issue-relevant thinking. The purpose of this study is to show that attitude strength can follow from processes not just limited to elaboration – as a function of certain embodied states. This study examines bodily manipulations that could alter perceptions about the quality of the information describing a target (e.g. notion of “hard/soft” evidence), and, find that such an embodiment leads one to have strong attitudes toward the target object. This study proposes an attitude-rehearsal-based mechanism to explain the phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach This study have relied on lab experiments as a methodology – undergraduate students and American residents served as participants. This study have conducted a pre-registered study as well. Findings In the work, the study shows that strong attitudes can result from processes not just limited to elaboration, as a function of certain embodied states. This paper examines bodily manipulations that could alter perceptions about the quality of information describing the target (e.g. notion of “hard vs soft”; “converging vs diverging” information), and, find that such an embodiment leads one to have strong attitudes toward the target. This study consistently observed that the bodily manipulations influence attitude accessibility, a direct and operational indicator of attitude strength. This study further validates an attitude-rehearsal-based mechanism to explain the observed phenomenon. Originality/value While much work has investigated the impact of embodiment on attitudes, little attention has been paid to whether, and, how embodied states can impact the “strength” of the attitude without impacting the attitude itself – to the knowledge, this paper is the first to document this. Moreover, traditionally, it has been held that strong attitudes are a result of the conscious cognitive process of elaboration where one engages in effortful issue-relevant thinking. This study however shows that attitude strength can follow from processes not just limited to elaboration – as a function of certain embodied states.

Lending a hand: perceptions of green credit cards

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 1329-1346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Huang ◽  
Julie Fitzpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Social Exchange ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Credit Card ◽  
Symbolic Interaction ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Credit Cards ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of donation amount and framing on financial products, this research investigates consumers’ attitudes and behaviors toward cause-related credit cards with different donation sizes and framing types. Design/methodology/approach This research investigates consumers’ perceptions of green credit cards using two experiments with a between-subject design (n =297) and a mixed design (n =238), respectively. All the participants, recruited from a major state university in the USA, are undergraduate students who use credit cards. Findings A medium-size donation optimizes the outcome of a cause-related credit card offer. Moreover, a donation framed as cash rewards has stronger effects on a consumer’s perception and consequent reactions to the “green” credit cards than an annual percentage rate framing. Finally, consumers with high levels of environmental concern and propensity to volunteer have stronger intention to adopt and are more likely to recommend the proposed credit card. Originality/value Building upon the theories of social exchange and symbolic interaction, this research is the first to provide empirical evidence regarding the application of volunteerism and perceived consumer effectiveness for financial institutions and their cause-related marketing campaign partners in selecting suitable environmental causes.

scholarly journals The university-to-work transition: responses of universities and organizations to the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Donald ◽  
Melanie J. Ashleigh ◽  
Yehuda Baruch
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Career Services ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Transition ◽  
Global Labor Market ◽  
Career Literature ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand how universities and organizations have responded to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of preparing university students and recent graduates to enter the global labor market, using the accounting, banking and finance sector as a case study. The two research questions are (1) How can university career services and organizations work individually and collaboratively to best develop early career talent following the COVID-19 pandemic? (2) What are the challenges that university career services and organizations face when working individually or collaboratively to develop early career talent following the COVID-19 pandemic?Design/methodology/approachThe data for thematic analysis comes from 36 semi-structured interviews with career advisors (CAs) (n = 19) and graduate recruiters (GRs) (n = 17).FindingsThis study offers some of the first findings on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to ensure that organizational behavior and career theory literature reflect the dramatically changing landscape in the university-to-work transition.Originality/valueTheoretically, our contribution comes from applying a framework of the career construction theory (CTT) within the context of a career ecosystem to understand the views of the intermediary, meso-level actors, which, to date, have lacked representation within career literature. Practically, we provide an insightful bridge between universities and organizations, offering opportunities for greater collaboration, and enhanced outcomes for all stakeholders.

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